A Rough Start in San Diego-The SoCal Desert Ramble--Ep 1
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- Опубліковано 11 лют 2025
- I'm squeezing in one last adventure in 2022, and this one is a Duzey. The SoCal Desert Ramble! 500 miles of beautiful mountains, desert washes, the lawless and funky Slab City, and even a ski resort. This journey will take me from San Diego, into the Anza Borrego Desert, past the Salton Sea, up to Big Bear, and down into Los Angeles. In this episode, I find that TSA has ransacked my bike box (and taken some very important gear)...but the power of community saves the day and I'm on my way! Here's the route, bikepacking.co...
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So…anyone else wanna share TSA horror stories?? 😂😂😂
Use bike flights!! They are awesome!
pedals are very dangerous. thats why tsa confiscates them. they can be used to do bad things to tsa employees...who steal pedals.
@@keneppink7272 +1
I’m a writer and had my laptop stolen by TSA.
You are the reason I got into hiking and adventuring and biking. So thank you!!! Of course I don’t have content half as awesome as yours. But I do get out there. Lol.
Great to see that you made it out to San Diego! Regarding the fence jump in Sweetwater, you were so close to the right trail! I've ridden out there a few times. Just cross San Miguel Road and continue down San Miguel Ave. (staying parallel to Highway 125) about a quarter mile. The singletrack starts to the left where the road dead-ends at a gate. Fully legal.
Thanks for that info! I am planning a trip on this route and had the video and 3 tabs of maps up but still couldn't figure out the intended way
A great vid for the old truth. The obstacle is the way and the way is the purpose, so the obstacle is the purpose.
Thanks!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
The amount of improvement in your video recording and editing skills over the years is amazing! The quality recently has been top notch. I'm getting goosebumps watching your drone shot over the ocean leaving SD. Well done, and thanks for sharing your adventures with us!
Why thank you!! I try to get a little bit better with every video. Thanks for noticing the effort that I put into these videos. Cheers!
I am a beginner cycling content creator and everything I learned about making videos, I learned from watching yours, Ryan. You are my idol.
I am a cyclist who used to live in SoCal and likes to explore and get out there. Since that's kinda hard in that overpopulated region, I've hopped my share of illegal fences (within reason) and never gotten yelled at.
That’s good to know…I wasnt quite sure how angry people would get
What I love of you Ryan is that you have travelled all around the world, the great divide in winter, Everest campsite, from Hondura to Boulder and... you were scared of jumping a couple of fences!! You are the best! Ahahha
Haha!! True
TSA, what are you doing? Hey Ryan, what's up. I have been Patreon now for a couple of years. never regretted it once, money well spent.☮
My favorite of your videos so far, man. I get so anxious when I run into those signs and route problems or when a bunch of things start happening from the get-go that makes it seem like the whole trip is cursed. Thanks for showing the good and the stressful, the highs and the lows, and how you cope, deal and overcome. Great stuff!
Yeesh!! It was a rough way to start an adventure…but don’t worry, things get smoother :)
Those dogs.... They are scary but they are not treat. We spoke to the owner, she's a really nice lady. Dogs are just letting you know they are there. Thanks for the video, reminds me of my many bikepaking adventures with friends on those trails and roads. All that area is my playground 😁
That area is stunning!! You have a beautiful backyard, dogs and all :)
Finally some riding videos, man i missed you, but still missing the best trio.
It is a real pleasure to watch your travel videos.... regards from Poland.
Bernie’s Bike shop is the best!
I agree!!
It's so nice to see how you approach those situations when things tend to go south. I would be very sad with the closed gates and completely terrified if alone crossing that river.
Of course, you have the experience to cool you down, but your way of seeing the world and these ups and downs are completely inspiring. Always with a smile and positive thoughts. That's a game changer!
Greetings from Brazil! I simply love your videos!
Keep it up with no crashies, no flatties and no whammies!
Thank you so much for your kind words, I really appreciate it. Someday I'd love to ride in Brazil!!!
Ryan, it's great to see you in my hometown and County of San Diego! Sorry your trip started out with missing parts and navigational challenges. I learned that urban areas have more navigational challenges than remote areas and these can kill lots of time! It's very frustrating that getting out of urban areas can be so overwhelming. I think in the end you just have to blow off a lot of no trespassing signs, but when you're not from an area it's hard to know which ones are going to be a real problem and which ones are not. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of this series because I know the area so well and no there is much more Beauty ahead on this journey😃
@San Diego Spiderman Cycling you subbed me or Ryan?
I was born and raised in SD. Me and my brother rode out there as kids. We were going to Arizona. Rode and found some immigrants starving and dehydrated. We gave away our rations. I guess we turned into trail angels. We called our mom to pick us up later. Il never forget that. I found out later, that area ,it was a deadly stretch of desert.
OB was a place I was born up the street. Good people. Shops learned to surf there. Hung out and fished the Pier.. good to see the drone shots of Sunset cliffs again.
You saved those people’s lives!! Angel indeed
I have gotten quite far in life asking for forgiveness and not for permission. Confidence peppered with humility is quite the potent combination.
So cool to see you in my town. San Diego has such a huge cycling community. Definitely come back!
I grew up in the East County of San Diego so I know that terrain very well. Oaks and manzanita, yuccas and buckwheat, huge granite boulders and unforgiving chaparral. Most beautiful weather in the entire world? Could be. Can't wait to see where you go on this ride. So much incredible beauty in the San Diego desert and out to the Mojave.
It's soooo beautiful there!!
Yeeeeeeew!!!!! Your first dirt was my backyard trail to work. Awesome to see you in my hood Duzer!!!
Oh wow! I loved those gravel paths, so smooth!! Cool that you get to ride them everyday
@@duzer Stoked, thanks Duzer!!!
Vegemite!!!! Aussie babyyyyyy. Love it from Sydney
Little Aussie shout out for ya!
Ryan Van Duzer: the man, myth, legend that no fence could contain! Safe journey amigo.
hahaha!! Watch out fences
Hi Ryan: You were riding according to Komoot on some of the same paved road near my house in the Rancho San Diego. The water crossing was the Sweetwater River, which the must have been releasing from Loveland Reservoir. So cool to see you riding in my neighborhood. I rode (road bike) to Alpine not far from the hotel you stayed at. Looking forward to the other upcoming videos.
Oh cool!! You live in such a beautiful area. I’m so fascinated by the ocean, I mean, mountains are cool, but the ocean is something special
Harsh life lessons there:
1) Don't cross the TSA, they might take your axle even if you don't
2) If you can't find your way, jump a fence
3) If nothing else works, throw $100 at it
Joking aside, nice videography. Looks like another must watch trip!
haha, yep! Learned a of lessons that day :)
No crashies no whammies no flattttttiesss and no TSA!
Damn straight!!! 😂😂😂
Watching your videos makes me happy
Reading your comment makes me happy!
Ryan, you were “that close” to the right path at Sweetwater, and fun single track as well. Wish we could have helped. Hope the rest went smoothly, looking forward to watching.
I wonder why they haven’t updated the GPS? Could have saved me a lot of nonsense
@@duzer The Strava heatmap feature can help in unfamiliar areas. If a trail has some heat on the map, then you know people go there, and you'll probably be OK. If there's no heat, then at least it makes it easier to find a detour with more heat.
(I tried posting a link to the Sweetwater Reservoir area, but youtube deleted my comment.)
The web version can be accessed without logging in, but logging in gives you higher resolution. The mobile app can also show the heatmap, but only in "all activities" mode (i.e. not separate maps for biking/running, like the web version).
PS. Love your videos! Happy New Year!
Great routefinding skills! I spend summers in Wyoming and ride through all kinds of fenced off ranches to explore the countryside, hoping nobody decides to shoot me, or that I am not attacked by an angry bull.
Very buff the way you cleaned and jerked your bike up and over the fence. Very impressed.
Love seeing my hometown on this video! No better cycling to be found!
Wow! I wish i was riding that day and bump in to you when you got lost at that fence area for almost 2 hours. At 13:47 when you hit that San Miguel Road sign all you have to do is make a right on San Miguel Road which is the downhill pavement to the right and there is a opening on the fence on your left side ad trail sign which will take you to the same route to lower tiki hut with tool station. That first wooden fence that you first cross was use to be open and the legal way to get to that area, they just close that maybe 2 or 3 years ago. You wasted a lot of energy going back up and forth to campground area and have to push your bike to un ridable area which is not the right way lol. You're a strong guy though. 😁
Hi Ryan,
Great episode. So glad you shared the struggles and obstacles that you run into while bike packing and how you solved them. So many videos show the good times while you are out on adventures, when reality is completely different. Take care and safe cycling!
Thanks, Andy. I try my best to capture all the ups and downs of my adventures
Love your videos! This is my get away when I can’t actually “get away”! Bike packing is great!!
Thanks, Doug! Bikepacking is indeed great!
Ryan thanks for taking us along
Thanks for watching
Resilience beyond measure Duzer! Well done for being so calm in such a tense set of situations! Think I’d have been just sat on the floor sobbing! 🤣
Haha!! I was close…but after many years of doing this kind of stuff, I’ve learned to maintain calmness
@@duzer Just what would we have done before social media? Well done for keeping calm and carrying on! Looking forward to the rest of the journey.
Ryan, greetings from Spain! Thanks for your videos! You're a great inspiration to me. Thanks to make me get out there!!
Gracias, Fernando! Espero que te encuentres bien
I love your videos so much!!! Then the way you push through I love it!!
Thank you so much!!
Welcome to the Sweetwater Reservoir forbidden Zone! Glad you made it through. There is an easier way though it... A local would have helped LOL!
I know!! Would have loved some local advice in that moment.
@@duzer We locals have all felt the same frustration! Persistence (and some fence hopping) provides a clean way through to Jamul. Although, the water level is high right now, so it would have been wet!
Makes my heart happy to see random people help each other
It’s the best part of traveling
If I am superstitious, I would say you had sign of bad day as TSA took away your stuff. But an adventurer- It’s always fun to explore tough routes. Fun has no limits. U are unstoppable…
Well said! Fun has no limits!
We watched from your Patreon page. I could not help but giggle at one "whammy" after another. But only because I knew that if we were watching it in the video, all must have worked out. And yes, you figured it out, each and every time.
It was a day of little whammies and luckily none of them took me out 😂
Loiterer here,
Richie and his fam seem like real good people. Remind me of a long time friend I have that I know I can call up and crash his place anytime across the country.
Ha!! Hello loiterer 😂 Richie and Co are such great people. I’m lucky to have them in my life
I did this trip 2 months ago starting in lake arrowhead and ending in Tijuana, I then turned around and headed back taking a different route.
So fun! I grew up in San Diego, then moved to rancho San Diego and now live in littleton!
Love the SD area!!
Enjoy the ride keep safe. I hope i can get back to trailbiking again.
I think, as big as the hole is in your box......were all lucky your bike survived! It took a a heck of a hit to make a hole like that.
Love the video thanks!
Thanks Ryan! I always watch your Sunday morning videos to motivate myself for my Sunday morning bike rides. Between the TSA, Closed Trails, Waist High Water, Dog Encounter, Cold Evening Weather, and Wet Shoes/Clothes I hope all the whammies are taken care of for this trip although it seems like wind is your next hurdle.
Hey Ryan, I'm sorry we missed you on your visit to SD. We live out near the Sweetwater Lk and "river". We could have helped you navigate the area had we known you were here. Sorry for your troubles. But so glad you persevered. We also went camping out in Borrego on the 15th. Take care
Oh bummer!! Would have been fun to meet you. Hopefully I’ll have more time in that area another day
I love your videos! Keep on rolling brother!
I Love that you were in my neck of the woods in Chula Vista!! It was so hilarious to see you sing "Olé" in the same tunnels that I've sung "Olé" in. The only reason I've done that was because I've watched your videos! You've inspired me to check out some of the places you biked in in area that I've never been in yet. Sorry to see that the Sweetwater reservoir gave you some challenges. Those signs are mostly out there for people trying to live in tents out there or drive ATVs on those trails. I'm excited to watch the rest of this adventure! Keep making these great videos! They brighten up my day!
Mark is the man!!! Proud to share our names lol
Great name!
Colorado is a very special place that won my heart a long time ago... I would have moved there but it did not have a Pacific ocean. Welcome to California... land of closed gates.
👍🇺🇸 Cool video, great beginning and greetings from Long Beach.
LOL the Santa Ana winds fabulous they are.
Remember: Wind is my friend.
Thanks for ride along.
You’ll see a lot of those winds in the next episode :)
I live here and love it when they come, clarity from the salt sand beach to the snow capped mountains yonder to the north.
LB is a south facing beach so headwinds when headed west on PCH or the bicycle strand is great because the speed back east is double with a windy push.
👍✌
Love the sand storms on the beach when the winds arrive.
Love you're new adventure so far Ryan, the TSA do not care about anyone but themselves just to make everyone's life miserable, looking forward to you're next video, take care my friend.
Luckily TSA can’t harm me on the trail 😂
Know we know what a difficulty rating of 7 looks like. I'd be interested to see a 9. Go for it Ryan!
A 9 is something like the Colorado Trail…that was the toughest bike adventure I’ve ever been on
@@duzer That was tough. But floods and route finding difficulties would be more frustrating to me.
Ryan. How frustrating that the TSA would put a big hole in your bike box and cause you to lose your front wheel mounting skewer and then running into all the trail barriers outside of San Diego! Your calm and level headed approach to problem solving always comes up with a good backup plan. I believe that there is a lesson here for all of us. Excellent story!
So excited for this! Even my kids were upset but I started watching this series without them. Lol! And that bean burrito looked divine! Can't wait for episode 2!
Tell your kids that there’s plenty more to come :)
So it's strange but this is my favorite video you ever posted. I don't quite know why. However, if someone wants to get into bike touring or gravel grinding this is the video it shows the ups and downs of touring. So well done and your camera work just gets better and better. Thank you for what you do here.
Harry
Thank you! That’s a huge compliment.
those dogs not friendly got into those two myself. but the ride is really nice going all the way to Mt laguna.. Enjoy socal riding
They seemed pretty mean, but chilled out very quickly. Love SoCal !
Great ep. 1. Once you hit that hut I knew where you were at. Have ridden that trail and have been chased by those doggies.
3:31: Does it actually make that sound when you stick it in? Also: Mark, people like you make the world go 'round and restore our collective faith in humanity.
It sure does! That’s the sound of joy!
I remember when I did this route a year ago the beginning part in San Diego was really stressful. I backtracked super far on the roads after dragging my bike through mud and those barbed wire fences (it had rained the night before). The stray dogs were really scary for me and my anxiety was super high. I'm glad to see that you had a better experience. Maybe I should bring a partner next time
Oh no!! That sounds like a huge bummer. Mud makes everything worse. After day 1, I didn’t encounter anymore routing problems
Spent most of 2021 on CVN 70. Glad your adventure got better! Love the videos!
That is awesome!
Great perseverance Ryan! And your attitude is amazingly admirable.
I just love your energy, Ryan. thanks for taking us along
Thanks, April!
Hey Ryan, so much trouble in the first day but nothing can stop you! Can't wait for the next episode.
It gets smoother going forward…kinda ;)
Danke!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
Welcome to San DIego! Steep, rutted, and land is blocked off everywhere. We have amazing riding out here though when you know where to go.
I really enjoyed SD! Such a beautiful city
Well done Ryan! Many Thanks.
Thank you, Jim
If you go over the I-8 bridge watch out for the side winds and the blow by from the 18 wheelers. The was a wind sock to indicate the wind speed. I have ridden all over that area on a road bike loops over Julian from SD. The Mts have many Mt bike trails good luck
Glad you found a way through! Leave it to CA to have so much red tape haha. Those loiterers are a real problem! XD
Nice to see the trials and tribulations. We've all been there.
Jus wanted to say thank you for the motivations I’m getting ready to start the southern tier soon wish me luck
Right on!! That's a great route. Have fun out there
I live at the beach, my house sits above and I listen to the ocean waves all day and night. It's always great to see people come to the beach and enjoy it, as well. Glad you captured it!
Oh man that sounds like heaven!! I love the sound of waves
Palm trees and trail dreams baby
I'm lovin it!
Thanks, Ray!
I also have that aeroe set up. Love it way more than a seatbag.
Right on, I’m digging it
So much for "land of the free". Every sh*t fenced in. 😆🥳
The earth still has some kind and good people. Mark, you are the man, buddy👍🏼🌹. Ryan, you just bring tears of joy when I watch your vlogs. This is considered one of the best among all the others. I just love men. Keep paddling and smiling, bro❤️🌹
Awe thanks!! I appreciate this comment. And yes! Mark saved the day
Ryan you are a Warrior 💪💯👍
Yup. I've had the same thing happen with TSA/ United. They somehow frequently put holes in bike boxes in transit, so if you just throw small components into the bike box, they may fall out. I've learned to zip tie those to the frame. I keep hardware and skewers, electronics, and lights in my carry-on. Peace-of-mind.
They actually took all the stuff out of my zipped up frame bag…all the loose items were in the box. :(
I love this. I have never had a trip go as planned, but it sure does make them memorable! You definitely had an adventure.
I sure did!! Stay tuned for more
What a gut-WRENching beginning. Glad you're off to a good start after all :)
Ha!! I see what you did there :)
13:51 of your video you can see cones in the background. Theres a road that goes south down the hill and dead ends into a power station. There's an entry into the trail that will take you to Tiki House (19:55) which goes around the Sweetwater Reservoir\Preserve. In any case, enjoyed the video!
Damnit!! That woulda been much easier 😂😂
Great video as always. Looking forward to the trip.
In Alpine there is camping at the Viejas Casino (tribal land), there's a nice quiet campground, Ma Tar Awa, on the north side of I-8. This section is part of the Stagecoach 400 route. Viejas Grade Road, all gravel, then heads up to Cuyamaca and Laguna. Then the Mason Valley Truck Trail goes down to Anza Borrego, great ride. Happy trails!
Now you tell me!! Haha😂 I actually saw those places on a map, but they were a bit too far
@@duzer haha yep, that was my old stomping grounds in SD for riding and backpacking. I'm the Mike that recently moved to Longmont after 43 years in SoCal, you welcomed us to the Front Range and we're loving it. 🙂 Thanks again, great video!
Mark saves the day, what a guy👍Very frustrating start for you Ryan, in more ways than one! Hopefully all the bad luck was reserved for the start! You do like to add miles to your rides though🤣Awesome video buddy, can't wait for the next episode👍
Absolutely love your storytelling, editing and inspiration.
Thank you!!!
I found myself talking to the screen saying: Ryan, just jump the fence!!! lol 😂😂
Haha!! I needed you there in real life :)
Wow, after the TSA violations and all the unexpected obstacles on your first day, it’s good that you have such a positive attitude. The rest of us would’ve been cursing up a storm.
Brilliant video... well worth the wait
Thanks! Lots more to come
I really enjoyed that. Thank you.
Thank you for taking the time to watch
You have travelled all over the world without too much trouble and it's your own country giving you grief for travelling within it? Wow! I have been waiting for my Duzer fix and you didn't dissapoint! You could never be a villian Ryan your guilt would make you to confess to anything! LOL :) Awesome vid with entertaining pain and suffering as usual lol loved it.
This vid was definitely full of adventure. Keep on rocking Dooz!
Awesome video. Good to see you on my local trails. Your videos inspired me to go outside ride bikes and start my own cycling adventures. Thank you and keep inspiring others like me🤘🚵♂️
Right on!! I wish you all the best on your adventures
Seems like everything was wanting to stop you from taking this route from the start. Looking forward to the rest of this adventure Ryan, keep it up!
You perservered! And that is all part of the journey.
TSA Horror Stories - If I had to put money on this, I would guess that either a) someone from the airline did this (very common) or b) your bike got hung up on some of the conveyor equipment and got ripped open. Once there was a big hole in the box, things were able to spill out.
Edit : taking a second look at your box - I would definitely say there was a very good chance that the hole in your box was caused by guardrail from the conveyor system catching the hand hole. I used to work in the conveyor industry and I saw this all the time. Tape up those holes from the outside and that should make things go smoother.
I've been very lucky and I usually travel with thousands of dollars of tools when I fly. Nothing stolen yet, but I have had a few locks ripped off the bags. Sometimes TSA searches my stuff, but they usually leave a little "We've been in your stuff" note and nothing was missing, just everything not the way I left it in the bags. I'm actually surprised I haven't more more things happen with my Pelican case, which is usually just full of electronic parts (nothing that 99.9% of the world would ever be able to use in the real world). Some airlines have held onto my Pelican Case because they see a PC with locks on it, they immediately assume it is a weapon, which always cracks me up. About the only thing I own that would even remotely resemble a weapon is a pocket knife.
As far as the trespassing is concerned, I ride a group ride once a week and we usually ride in areas that I'm pretty sure we aren't supposed to but nothing ever happens. In fact there have been a few times the cops have been called, but they just tell us to not come back through that spot. They usually just don't care as they have more important things to deal with. We aren't breaking things or littering, and we usually don't stop in areas that are not public. I learned a long time ago that it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permissions, and knowing that takes a lot of the anxiety out of ducking under gatets. If I had to guess, about the only thing that would have happened if someone had come along as that they would have just escorted you off the property and that would have been the end of it.
What a way to end the weekend! A half an hour video from Ryan!
Tip...take extra shoes with you when expecting river crossings...especially cold ones.... ;)
💪🤗 Nice rescue! 🤘