I drove to dockweiler beach today for many reasons: to try out biking on the path, to see where I could park close to the path, to avoid throngs of people and to see how far away the water treatment facility is from manhattan beach (3 miles exactly). I overpaid ($8) for parking by parking in the lot immediately north of the hang gliding school and the treatment plant. I could’ve parked in the official dockweiler lot but it seemed closed (it wasn’t. I shouldn’t be so put off by traffic cones) or I could’ve parked for free along vista del mar but wasn’t sure if I’d have to climb stairs to return to the car (I wouldn’t have). It was more a reconaissance trip than a recreational trip. I didn’t avoid the people. In fact, from the plant all the way to manhattan beach there were lots of families biking, people walking, dogs walking, and plenty of riders w/o helmets (and quite a few w/ ipods). The random patches of sand, the weaving and wobbling amateur bikers, and my own inexperience made me feel like I was learning how to bike all over again. But 50 minutes and ____ miles later I had completed a successful trip.