Well.  What do I have to say for myself…

When I was planning this trip I was playing with the idea of not bringing an iPod.  Without an iPod I would be forced to be with Me.  That’s hard.  Thats something foreign, for I have been raised in a world of distractions.   I dibble in meditation, something that I’m growing into and becoming more and more interested in.   I also thought this trip would answer those “questions” in my life and head.  Maybe I would “Find Myself”?  

I used the iPod often.  It actually saved me from utter boredom.  It tuned out the sound of the highway when I was restricted to days of highway riding(huge shoulders).  I also listened to inspirational speakers and comedy.  I was able to do a lot of thinking and soul searching though.  I discovered even more “questions” and to say that I “found myself”?… Nope. 

Overall, this trip was a true Life Changing Experience.  After all, I am about to turn 28 years old and in astrological theories I’m entering into my Saturn Return where I’m going to change and re-arrange my life.  That sounds cool, eh?  Maybe college?  Maybe I’ll become a successful photographer?  Maybe I’ll continue traveling?

Whatever I do, I don’t have to figure it out today.  Whatever I do, I am still going to be living an amazing life and build amazing friendships.  Whatever I do, hopefully I will do it with a huge smile on my face.

The most recurring thought during my trip was to quit photography and go to college.  Nursing school.  Or just a bachelor degree in general.  I have lost the inspiration to take pictures and market myself.  I mustn’t give up so easily is the realization I came to.  I’m talented and love photography.  Love it!  So, I am re-committing myself to my trade.  Please check out my photography and in 6 months, hopefully I will have some new work to show.

Hello and thanks to all that I met on my trip, the wonderfuls I rode with, the hospitable who hosted and fed me, the ones who are continuing further south and to the Spirits and Gods and Goddesses who kept me safe, healthy and happy along the way.  Thank you.

To everyone who followed my on my journey via this blog, thank you!  In the last 5 days I have realized that many more people viewed my blog than I thought.  And thanks to my wonderful sister who commented almost every one of my entries and acted as my personal cheerleader.  

Peace.

I would have gone to tijuana but I promised my mom I wouldn’t. It’s rather rough for a gringo in Tijuana, specially a nice looking gringo in spandex.

2080 miles, 55 days away from home, 41 riding days…

I’ll write more when I get to a computer…

Today I’m going to Amtrak to change my ticket for tommorrow morning, riding to the Mexican border (20 miles) and buying a cardboard bike box.  My train leaves at 6:10 am and i’m going to check the bike and my luggage tonight. 

The picture is the sunset I saw last night just south of Del Mar.  Amazing with the moon and all.  I also saw a rainbow land.

I’m staying at the Lucky D hostel above the Lucky D bar in downtown SD.  Its rather nice and people here are so friendly.  They have free stuff too!  Unlike most hostels, they don’t charge for towels, internet usage, and have free breakfast- waffles on weekends.  Art is all over the walls.  20 bucks too.  If you are ever here,  you should stay here!

I stayed at a nice little hostel and in the morning watched the sun come up at the beach, 3 blocks away.  Thursday morning I rode to Ventura and visited with a friend from Portland.  I also mailed a package to myself- stuff I don’t need.  Not sure why I did it so late in the trip, with less than 200 miles to go.  It felt great though with less gear.  On the way to Ventura I stopped in Carpenteria for lunch at a mexican bakery.  I smelled goodness from the street and my nose lead me to this pearl.  All kinds of fresh doughnuts, Mexican sweet breads, and tamales..  I had two amazing hot tamales and 2 apple fritters.  

I left Ventura with the intentions of riding about 5 miles to McGrath state park to tent for the night.  I got a flat on the way, fixed it, then stopped by a bike shop on the way out of town to buy an extra tube, just in case.  By the time I got to the camp the sun had set and I unfortunately found it closed due to flooding.  I rode around the gates to check it out…  It smelled like sewage and there definitely was water everywhere and no people.   Closest city with out backtracking against the wind to Ventura, in the dark, was Oxnard.  So I continued on for another 10 miles.  I met some cool people and they new someone who would let me post my tent on their property.  I didn’t want to spend 70 bucks on a hotel and they didn’t have a hostel.  Turns out this guy owns an old motel in a seedy part of town that he’s turned into an apartement complex.  I got to camp behind the school bus.  I was so excited to be quasi “stealth” camping.  (Info on Stealth Camping click here.)  The owner of the place new I was camping there, but his tenants were not forewarned.  I pictured scenarios of tenants approaching my tent in slippers and a frying pan…

I was in bed by 8 and up by 5, at McDonalds for a big breakfast by 6 and in Los Angeles by 11am.  I arrived with a really awesome tan and poked around Santa Monica until my friend Ashley came to pick me up.  Ashley is an actress here in Los Angeles.  I met her in New York through a friend from Memphis about 3 years ago when i was there to photograph a wedding.  She’s also a photographer – click here. I’m going to spend the rest of today here and then finish the trip.  I have about 3 days of riding left.

Its called Smiling Dog Cafe, adjacent to Smiling Dog Yoga in San Luis Obispo, CA.  I met an angel named Amy at the local bike shop, who invited me to check out a “live food” cafe she co-creates at.  I asked her silly questions like “Are you good at baking?” and she replied with “Well, I’m really good at dehydrating”…  I didn’t get this till later.  So I went to check it out, still thinking it was a regular cafe with pastries, soups and sandwiches.  Another silly question- “Where are your ovens?”  -Raw Vegan!  All food from the earth, no meat, eggs, or dairy.  Nothing has been exposed to temperatures above 120 deg.  A food processer, blender, juicer, dehydrater, and other tools are replacements for the oven/range/microwave.

Last night went as follows:

Very engaging conversation about meditation practices, yoga, healing, food and more food.  I also was invited as the guest of a guest yoga instructor from San Francisco.  The class started with a meditation followed with mantras and ohm’s.  Very new to me and I loved it!!  I got my butt kicked in this class.  After the class I made my way over to Brandie’s (owner of cafe) house where Amy fed me the most palatable plate of raw goodness ever!  I’m in.  Where do I sign up!?

Last nights menu-

burgers made with walnuts, mushrooms, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and fresh herbs (served over delicious onion bread)

Homemade kimchee with caraway seeds, ginger and garlic

Kale chips (kale marinated with creamy lemon cashew dressing, then dehydrated)

Tomato basil crackers with flax seeds and fresh herbs

Live sprouted quinoa

Hand peeled almond butter

Check out Smiling Dog Yoga/Cafe here..

I won’t even go into the wonderful creations that have been witnessed and tasted all day today…  This is a blog about cycling… (wink wink)

Today is election day.  I’m very glad that I’m going to be in a town and not at a camp ground.  We are planning to go to a pub and watch the pandemonium live.  On this trip I’ve collected two campaign pieces, a button pinned to my handlebar bag and a spoke card that is pinned between two spokes.

I may never leave California! (note to employer-  Not serious…)

We met a couple a few nights ago who were equipped with a brand new tent and some pellet (hand)guns.  In the middle of the night a raccoon had chewed through their tent and the guy was playing tug of war with the critter.  Then he had to throw stones at the hungry family of coons to finally get them to go a way.  He duct taped the tent up and they went back to sleep.  

One more incident and I’ll stop with the Raccoon phobia…  The night before last Andrew and I were at Kirk Creek camp ground and as we were reading we kept hearing a snarling/snorting noise..  I swear it sounds like a wild boar!  If you remember the movie “Princess Bride”?  Well, there was this big nasty boar the size of a VW beetle and had tusks and snorted the same exact way!  It was probably a raccoon with a sinus blockage.  Or the spawn of Satan.  I don’t know.  I can’t wait to sleep in my bed in NE Portland.

On the first day of windy riding, which was the worst, I pulled over a couple times and stuck out the thumb when a pickup truck drove by.  The second day I was ready to catch a local bus to San Luis Obispo…  It was also discouraging to get to a grocery mart to find that they have doubled their prices!  Restaurants were outrageous too!  I had a craving for some hot chocolate and one place was $4.50!  I found out later that we were riding through the most expensive part of the coast.  

Today’s riding was amazing.  Sun, no wind.  Smiles all the way!  We made it to Morro Bay and spotted a burrito place with lots of customers, so we stopped for lunch.  I said hello to a patron with monster sideburns.  We exchanged comments about bikes and touring and over the next few minutes he offered us a place to stay, a shower, laundry and homemade apple cobbler~!  Andrew and I were sold at “homemade”…

Anthony and his wife Sandra and their boys Hank and Isaiah(not pictured).  

Tonight’s menu- 

Sweet Potato and black bean burritos w/ onions and guacamole

My odometer is at 1700 miles and have about 350 to go.

I have never been so full of strawberries!  We just got done making a couple manly sized strawberry milkshakes.  Time for bed.  Maybe I’ll have dreams of skyscraper sized strawberries chasing me down the streets of Los Angeles, the side of the strawberry facing the smoggy sun rotting off….

Monterey is very pretty.

Oh yeah, we had really good tacos today!  YUM! 4 for 4 bucks!

Yesterday I covered 30 miles from Haight-Ashbury District to Half Moon Bay Beach State Park.  Had a nice evening, conversed with a couple guys cycling from San Fran to San Diego, where they live.  This was their first trip and they looked at me and my set-up and assumed I was a veteran with wisdom to share.  All I really had to share was my stories of rowdy raccoons and ice cream.  Speaking of ice cream, I’m on my second bowl of the evening.

I got a call from Andrew, the guy I started this trip with over a month ago in Vancouver, he invited me to come stay with his new friends he’s couchsurfing with.  I’m crashing in the back yard in my tent.  They have a sweet Jack Russel named Cloe.  Owners of nice dog- Dustin and Melissa – bakers of most excellent cookies and banana bread. 

Tonight we saw a movie called “Burn After Reading”, a Cohen brothers film with George Clooney, Frances McDormand, and Brad Pitt.  Amazingly funny!  Clever and I shoudn’t quit my day job to be a movie critic..

Andrew and I are going to book it all the way to Monterey Bay and tour around for the day.  Maybe start looking for a halloween costume..  Unfortunatly I won’t be in a large city for spooky festivities.  Probably in some little coastal town.  Maybe that could be quite fun too!

Andrew has decided to keep going after he reaches San Diego.  He might continue another 1000 miles.  Brave soul!  I wish I had more time.  Need to get back to life and the world of retail outdoors!  If you didn’t know I sell clothing at The US Outdoor Store, downtown portland (Shout out to my co workers!!!  Miss you!!)  I actually am looking forward to getting back to my life, I miss Portland and my bed.  I guess thats what you get with a vaction- a better appreciation of home.