2013 Ride for the River Park - September 21 + 22, 2013 (2nd Annual)

The 2nd annual Ride for the River Park will take place September 21 and 22, 2013.  This event is to raise awareness for the San Diego River and The San Diego River Park Foundation (SDRPF) (the premier organization working for conservation and improvements throughout the San Diego River watershed).

Last's year ride took us east to Alpine and beyond, then north to Julian.  This year we're changing to a slightly more direct route (but equally or more scenic and certainly challenging).

Time & Date

We'll leave Dog Beach in Ocean Beach at 7 AM on Saturday, September 21, 2013 headed for Julian.  The way out is almost entirely uphill but will be a fun time.  Here's a link to Google Maps and below is a visual of the tentative route.  Please show up around 6:30 AM to ensure a timely departure and enough time to comfortably complete the ride by dusk.

Support

There will be a VW Westphalia camper-van accompanying riders as a support vehicle.  We'll have a motorized air pump, some snacks and drinks, and the vehicle itself for riders needing assistance or a pick up.    We'll plan to stop around or a bit after the halfway point for a long lunch break and will have rest breaks throughout the ride as well.  The end point is the Bailey BBQ (2307 Main Street, Julian, CA 92036) for awesome food and beer to celebrate a great ride.

Accommodations

The ride is scheduled to be just after full moon for an enhanced camping experience.  The designated camping spot is William Heise County Park, 4.7 miles from dinner at the Bailey BBQ.  Reservations can be made online and the preferred spot is Area 2 North (South is also close by if North is not available).  There are also numerous hotels in and around Julian if you prefer more plush lodging.

Price

All riders are responsible for their own food, drink, and accommodations.  This ride is not sponsored by nor affiliated with SDRPF.  However, the ride is intended to raise awareness for this organization and if you would like to make a donation it would be greatly appreciated and help to ensure San Diego County has great natural resources in the future.  Donations can be made online here.

If You'd Like to Attend

Let me know and invite others to join as well.  You can let me know via the following methods:

• Facebook Event
• Email - john.patrick.anderson@gmail.com

For additional motivation, here's some photos of last year's event.  Awesome time and this year is sure to be as well.  See you on the road.

Updated Itinerary - Ride Week!

A few pieces of information that will likely be of interest to those on the ride follows. I've also created a facebook event here so pass it on to others and sign-up if you're coming. :)

• Support vehicle 
• My wife Amelia will be driving up and can assist with emergencies or other issues that come up. Phone is 312-401-9081, save it in your phone if you're coming. My phone is 619-727-7867, save it also and we'll exchange numbers and information at the start of the ride as well. 
• The vehicle is a station wagon and we'll have ratchet straps as well so we haul bikes if we have any breakdowns, etc. 
• Gear 
• It's going to be hot on Saturday and we're going a good distance. A short list of items you should probably have includes: 
• Water bottle 
• Suncreen 
• Bike repair kit (tubes, pump, etc.) 
• Lights for bicycle! 
• Helmet 
• Cash - for snacks, drinks, lunch, etc. 
• Phone (with charger) 

Updated itinerary with additional details for the ride is:

• Saturday, September 29, 2012 
• 7:00 - Ride begins at Ocean Beach Dog Beach 
• Google Maps route estimate is 8.5 hours for the ride to Julian 
• 11:15 (estimated) - Lunch at Alpine Beer Company 
• 2351 Alpine Boulevard, Alpine, CA 91901 
• 15:45 (estimated) - Shower, settle in , relax 
• 16:30 - Check in at hotel(s) 
• I'm staying at Julian Country Inn, 2343 Sunset View Drive, Julian, CA 92036 
• 17:00 - Dinner and amazing beers at The Bailey Barbeque 
• 2307 Main Street, Julian, CA 92036 
• Live music starts at 20:00 - The Blue Knights w/ Harry Joe Reynolds playing those blues, classic rock and a little jazz to celebrate. $5 cover. 
• Sunday, September 30, 2012 
• 9:00 - Breakfast in Julian at Moms or another place on the main drag 
• 2119 Main Street, Julian, CA 92036 

Please send on to anyone that might be interested and looking forward to seeing you on the road! Reminder: Julian is a popular vacation destination so you might want to call and reserve a room for Saturday night now so you're covered when you arrive.

If you can take photos or videos along the ride I would appreciate it so I can post them after the event and use for promoting next year's ride. Also, tweets (hashtag: #ridefortheriverpark), facebook posts, emails, and other ways of spreading the word about this awesome event would be great!

Email me if you want to join in the fun and looking forward to a great time. Of course, you can show up on the day of the event but I'd appreciate a heads up in advance.

Excited for a great ride and see you soon!

- John Anderson
john.patrick.anderson@gmail.com
619-727-7867

Itinerary - Ride for the River Park

Below is a rough itinerary for the inaugural Ride for the River Park.  I'm also updating the Google Map to plot rest stops (non-supported, but should have restrooms and water) approximately every 10 miles on the route.

Please send on to anyone that might be interested and looking forward to seeing you on the road!  Reminder: Julian is a popular vacation destination so you might want to call and reserve a room for Saturday night now so you're covered when you arrive.

If you can take photos or videos along the ride I would appreciate it so I can post them after the event and have some for use in promoting next year's ride.  Also, tweets (hashtag: #ridefortheriverpark), facebook posts, emails, and other ways of spreading the word about an awesome event would be great!

1. Saturday, September 29, 2012
1. 7:00 - Ride begins at Ocean Beach Dog Beach
1. Google Maps estimate is 7.5 hours for the ride to Julian
2. 14:30 (estimated) - Shower, settle in , relax
3. 17:00 - Dinner and amazing beers at The Bailey Barbeque
1. 2307 Main Street, Julian, CA 92036
2. Sunday, September 30, 2012
1. 9:00 - Breakfast in Julian at Moms or another place on the main drag
1. 2119 Main Street, Julian, CA 92036

Email me if you want to join in the fun and looking forward to a great time.  Of course, you can show up on the day of the event but I'd appreciate a heads up in advance.

Basic Information and Background

Welcome to the website for Ride for the River Park.  Ride for the River Park is an annual event, started in 2012, with the intent of raising money, awareness, and love for the San Diego River Park Foundation and creating a pathway along the entirety of the San Diego River to be enjoyed by bicyclists, walkers, joggers, runners, nature lovers, children, visitors, and anyone else with a desire to enjoy this wonderful part of our bounty of natural beauty in San Diego County.

Ride for the River Park is not sponsored by the San Diego River Park Foundation and is not a formal, organized event.  This is a voluntary event centered around groups of friends or strangers that are interested in a weekend of bicycling, relaxing, and enjoying some beautiful parts of San Diego.  A donation of $100 to the River Park Foundation is suggested for all participants but this is not required and the amount given, if any, is solely at the discretion of each person.

The inaugural Ride for the River will take place the weekend of September 29 - 30, 2012.  The ride will start at 7 AM on Saturday, September 29 at the Ocean Beach Dog Beach parking lot and proceed 65.4 miles to Julian.  Below is a detailed route map and elevation graph for the 2012 ride.

Detailed Route Map - link to dynamic version

The details for the 2012 ride are still being worked out, but I hope to have a full itinerary for the weekend put together in the next month and posted by the end of June.  Please stay tuned for the update and mark your calendars for this sure to be awesome event!

(If you need additional motivation I'm hoping to line up some of the following for the weekend: San Diego craft beer, Julian pies, and much more.)