Once again, Mr. CiclaValley is willing to flex his muscles to prove he can explore outside his comfort zone of all things 818.

My primary purpose was to visit my dentist for my annual checkup down in Carson. You might say that’s awfully far to go, but for years I was sick of all the after-market dental procedures pushed on me, like when you get your car back from a Jiffy Lube.

I found my dentist by playing hockey with him. Since a lot of other guys in our league were already patients, I knew that was an excellent sign. Who can give you better dental advice than hockey players?

The day started with him repairing one of my previously chipped front teeth(hockey injury obviously) with enough efficiency that I had plenty of time to make it home. I decided to take the LA River path instead of duplicating my morning commute on the Blue Line.

Entrance to Compton Creek Bike Path

I looked online the night before about Compton Creek Bike Path, but I hadn’t done enough R & D to warrant whether it wold be a good idea. The only piece of advice I got was from a DA friend, that’s tried murder and robbery cases in the area, who basically told me don’t. So I had that.

With that minty taste still prevailing in my mouth, I headed as far east I could travel, then turning north and back east again along Del Amo heading to the river when I came across the Compton Creek entrance.

Crap.

Kismet always prevails, so I decided to give it a go. Research be damned.

The Compton Creek Bike Path is actually in two sections. The longer portion resides in the city that shares the creek’s namesake. After about a half mile break, the path picks up again in (say it in your Larry King voice) Rancho Dominguez, California. Hello!

My David Hockneyesque photo of the southern side

From the southern entrance of the lower portion, the path is raised above the river to the left and some shoddy landscaping to the right. I started taking some pictures, but the man living in the tree below began to mull around. So, that was my cue to get my ride underway even if it meant undermining my journalistic integrity.

That was actually the only sign of anything possibly untoward for the total length of my journey. If anything, it almost was the only sign of life I had seen along the path, save a gentleman going for a lunchtime stroll.

Similar to the LA River path, you have a slight incline heading north that gets negated by a welcoming tailwind. After about a mile of smooth sailing, I came to a crossing at Santa Fe Ave. which is a tad awkward.

Awkward crossing at Santa Fe

There’s a wide, white striped crossing that features stop signs for cyclists, but not for cars. In fact, the road still his it’s previous signage and street painting that indicates to stop for railroads that no longer exist. There weren’t a lot of cars around, but the road has a 45mph speed limit, so have fun with that.

Once you cross Santa Fe, you don’t have the same deep ridge condition, as the rightside primarily backs up to many industrial businesses. The scenery features a lot of concrete, especially as you approach the 91 freeway.

The signature element of the path is when you come to its northern terminus, because that’s what it is.

The only lifeform seen that morning

It just ends.

I remember looking on the Google map the day before thinking, “it just doesn’t abruptly end into nowhere. They just didn’t update the aerial.”

My apologies Google.

Historic Rancho Dominguez is somewhere behind that wall

Your choice is to carry your bike across a bed of rocks along a defunct railroad or turn tail back to the no man’s land crossing. Neither are enticing options.

I ended up calling it a day and headed back and straight towards the LA River path instead of going for the second segment. Nobody likes to back track.

The good news is I’ll be back soon to cover the northern portion of bike path soon. That is, unless it breaks up again…

End of the line

You thought I was kidding?