Day 17 - Point Mugu State Park - Woodland Hills, CA

This was it, the final day. We packed up camp and headed to Malibu to find a Starbucks. We had run out of matches so we were going to enjoy some breakfast and coffee at Starbucks. As we entered Malibu the terrain changed from flat to rolling. It was on one of the climbs that we found a Starbucks inside a store. We once again charged up our phones, caught up on some
e-mail and enjoyed some yogurt and iced coffee.

Today was only going to be about 42 miles so we didn't rush through our internet time. While at Starbucks several asked about our ride. When they found out we were finishing up in Woodland Hills they wanted to make sure we were not going to take Malibu Canyon Road to get there (it's a dangerous road for cyclists). Ben wasn't sure which road we would be taking but I think after their comments he was hoping it wouldn't be Malibu Canyon Road. I assured him that we were taking Topanga Canyon Road and not Malibu Canyon Road.

After finishing up we set out for Topanga Canyon Road. The northern part of Malibu continued to roll and provide some beautiful scenery. We did ride by Pepperdine University, very cool looking. It is set up on a hill. After awhile the rolling hills ceased and it became flat again. Malibu is very long, it seemed to take forever to get to Topanga Canyon Road. We even stopped once to check our maps program to make sure we were on the right track.

Finally, Topanga Canyon Road was just ahead. I stopped to take a picture of the sign because this was going to be our final climb and our longest climb. We started up the road, not too bad at first. Then after coming around a bend we saw the climb. For the next 2 miles we would grind our way up TCR. After conquering the steep section we were blessed with a section that was level or had a slight upgrade. This was great! Due to some road construction we had to stop, nice break. When our lane of traffic was waved on we continued on the level section that led to a section that provided a final slight upgrade to the top of Topanga Canyon. It was really warm by this time so I took a couple of shade breaks along the way. So good! The shade and iced coffee cooled me off.

It was so great to finally see the top of the Canyon. We pulled over and took a picture then set off down the Canyon to Woodland Hills. As we got toward the bottom of the Canyon we found a Starbucks. There we refilled on ice coffee, took care of e-mail and called Bren to let her know we were only 3 miles away from the house. After talking with Joe a bit we headed to the house. Jim and Bren came outside to greet us then opened the garage so we could pull our bikes in.

After chatting with them about the ride and catching up on some of their riding experiences we got showered and enjoyed a great dinner. By 9pm I was ready to call it a night. Tomorrow we will be breaking our bikes down, packing them up and shipping them back to FL. We will also have a chance to get laundry done before heading home on Saturday.

The final mileage for the ride was 1,137 miles. We lost 167 miles due to weather and sickness. I hope to have a mileage make up day sometime after returning home.