I feel fortunate to have had an early winter full of bikepacking in Southern California where I was riding my Salsa Cutthroat equipped with Apidura’s Expedition line of bikepacking bags. I’m looking back to those trips with more fondness than usual. And now, in this liminal space, where we inhabit at socially acceptable distances from each other, I wanted to offer my thoughts on the three bike packing gems of Southern California - Santa Catalina Island, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, and the formidable Stagecoach 400.