LA to San Jose - a 3-days Thanksgiving ride

With the long Thanksgiving week-end available for cycling, I decided to go on a long ride: LA to San Jose. 3 days should be enough, and I could rent a car at San Jose airport to drive back. I had a GPS, a route sheet with directions, a sleeping bag and a good bike, so everything was ready. The ride went more or less fine, apart from getting my ass busted twice by the police (once at 1:30am on Thanksgiving day, because I was sleeping on a supposedly private road, and once on a section of the 101 freeway prohibited to cyclists). I did around 420 miles, drank gallons and gallons of coke and water, had tons of junk food from Jack in the box, McDonalds, Subway, Quizno and other gas stations. I was rained on and got sunburn. And I got plenty of headwind - if you do this, never do this south to north, this is completely stupid. On Hwy 25 I was so slow with the wind, my food and water was going down, I stopped several cars to ask for supplies. With various success, I got energy bars, water, gatorade, and chicken sandwiches.

Los Feliz Blvd in Hollywood	Don't take this picture, the turn is tight and dangerous	Picture from Hollywood blvd	Huge Santas in a rich house
I'm crossing the 405 near the Getty center	On the PCH - I reach Malibu	People training for rock-climbing	The road near Point Mugu Air base is close, I go on the 101
Ventura's harbor	Damn, with Thanksgiving In&Out is closed	McDonald's is closed too !!!	I end up at Subway, which I don't like
Sunset on the PCH	I liked these colors	6pm, Santa Barbara. Everything's closed	After getting busted by the police I finish the night here
Here's the lake. The sky is covered today	Closer to San Luis Obispo, I get heavy rain	I got some flats and buy spare tubes at this bike shop	In San Luis Obispo
Along the 101, there's bigtime road work	I thought my trip was going to end here	Paso Robles - I get newspaper to stay warm	My sleeping setup on Indian Valley. Zero car in ~7hours !
6am, it's cold and hard to get going	Merlin could use a bath - this is clay from yesterday	Top of the hardest climb on Indian Valley	Canyon along PeachTree lane
Headwind and headwind along hwy 25, I'm doing ~0mph	These guys give me their sandwiches & gatorade	no good look, but best chicken sandwiches I've ever had	cows, my main company for the day
Vineyards, close to the Silicon Valley	Getting closer, I pick up the pace	10:30pm, I'm at San Jose airport	Merlin in the rental car, let's go home !