Mom Says I’m Running Away

Day: 84

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The sun came up, and I woke up. Didn’t even bother to check the time until I had broken down my camp and was about to set out for the days ride. 7:10am. The sun was just breaking through the fog and mountains as I hit PCH. I rode hard for the first couple of hours today and made to to Ventura (after a few construction detours through Oxnard) by 10. I had decided to take a break here and accomplish two goals; grocery shopping/breakfast and a blog update. The grocery shopping was the most important because I didn’t want to be stranded 4 miles from food in my campsite like I was yesterday. A couple cans of tuna, pitas, carrots, apple, orange, cheese, cottage cheese, OJ and a bottle of water.

I found a Starbucks in the parking lot of the grocerey store and went in for a cup of tea and to see how much T-mobile wanted for access to there “Hot-Spots” (Wi-fi). $39.99 for a month, not to bad, so I paid for my first month, knowing that now the 12,800 Starbucks locations would become blog centers for Rob. After about an hour of drinking my tea, blogging, playing on myspace, and checking my stocks I headed out to get back on the road with hopes of making it the next 20 or so miles to Carpinteria State Beach to set up camp. The ride took me until 1:30, but when I arrived the Rangers wouldn’t let me check in until 4pm, it was a measure to battle vagrancy in the campground. I headed down to the beach to get some reading, napping and writing done while I waited.

Two and a half hours pass quickly when you are laying on the beach doing absolutely nothing, before I knew it, it was four and I paid for my spot and headed over to set up my camp. After my tent was up and I consumed a snack containing some of the aforementioned ingredients I set out on my bike to see this little town of Carpinteria. As I was cruising around I passed a movie theater which had the animated film, Over The Hedge, starting right then. I paid my $5.75 and headed in, happy to be indoors for an hour and a half after a day in the sun.

After the movie I went back to the camp and started talking to the one other guy in the Hike & Bike area, a borderline vagrant, who was pissed that the rangers wouldn’t let him stay for more than one night. I heard his story about his tragic break-up with his girlfriend, his wreaked back from riding dirt bikes in the desert, his time on a horse ranch and his career as a screen writer with no actual screen credits. After the one Budweiser he gave me I excused myself to head down to the water to get some pictures of the evening sun. I had a nice romantic walk for one; I followed it up with some curry at the Thai place down the street and made my way back to camp to try to get some writing in before the sun set.

Day: 83

4:10 am, my alarm starts to beep me awake, signaling the start of the next leg of The World Tour. I haven’t blogged for a week now and haven’t done any hard core traveling in three. The last few days I have been itching to get back out on the road. I drug out my departure so I could see my brother, Aaron, graduate from college and so I could spend my 27th birthday (yesterday) with my family.

My Dad was supposed to picked me up at 4:30am, but in Dad time that means more like 5am. When he finally got there (I had spent my extra time cooking up some chili verde burritos for breakfast) we started to load the bikes in the car and he let me know the power window on his car was broken, so we took it apart and spent half an hour getting it to roll up. Finally ready we jumped in the car and headed off from Riverside to Santa Monica where I wanted to begin this 1500 mile ride. We arrived a little before seven, got our bikes out (he was riding with me for the first hour or so), did one last check to make sure I had everything I’d need, and headed down to the pier where some organization had set up a Memorial Day shrine of sorts. I took a few pictures and Dad took a couple of me and we headed north towards Canada (my goal for this ride; although I don’t know how long it’ll take me, or when I am going to start hating my bike).

Dad turned around after about an hour, bidding me a safe trip, and I was once again alone in the world, taking a look around, and seeing what trouble I’ll get in. A sense of excitement overcame me; I always get a rush at the start of a new trip (or in this case a new leg of a current trip), and can’t wait to see what is going to happen. I think I’m in love with the unknown.

My goal for the day was about 37 miles to Point Mugu where there is a campground; if I wanted to go further it was about another 17 miles to the next campground. After about four hours, two liters of water, and a Clif bar later I rolled into a campground that proudly displayed it’s “Campground Full” sign.

Could be a bummer, but I can always find someone to share a site with.

I took a short ride through the campground, where everyone seemed to be packing up and headed back to the gate to check with the ranger if everything was really was full.

I asked “Are you really full for tonight?”

“No, everyone is just packing up and leaving. If you come back with your car in a couple of hours we can get you a sight” (he didn’t see all my stuff piled on my bike)

“I don’t have a car, It’s just me and my bike.”

Then he let me in on a little know California State Parks camping secret. “Oh, then you can stay in Hike & Bike for $3 (instead of the $18 for a car site)”

“Really! Do all California campgrounds have a Hike & Bike area?”

“Most of them.” he replied.

My face lit up as I did the math in my head (30 days camping in California X $15 a day savings), I just “made” $450 that I had planned on spending. Score for me. I paid the man and found the best site in the campground down a little secluded dirt trail marked Hike & Bike. I set up my camp and took a little walk across Pacific Coast Highway to take a look at the Memorial Day crowds on the beach. I sat listening to my Ipod for about 45 minutes on the beach then headed back to camp for an early afternoon nap.

After a couple hours of sleep I decided to try and find some substantial food (all I have in my bags is Clif bars). I got on my bike and on my way out of the campground I asked the ranger where the closest place was to get some food. Back south about 3 1/2 miles. The ride to Neptunes Net was easy and calm. When I got to this PCH biker (as in motorcycle) hangout/fried fish shack I order a sampler plate of Crab Cake, Fried Fish, Fried Shrimp, and Fries (the entire menu was fried) and a giant Guinness. It was tasty.

It sure was tasty but on the ride back, with a belly full of beer and fried ocean sampler and the gusting wind in my face, I was paying for the meal. I think the 3 1/2 miles took me three times as long to accomplish on my way back. I hope I worked off some of that grease.

I spent the rest of the afternoon with a hot shower, a walk on the beach, a hike into sycamore canyon, and writing this. It’s nice to have my blog back under control, It’s like an old friend that has been missing for the last three weeks.

One last thing on this incredibly long entry; my bike needs a name. Something cool I can call it when I refer to it in my writings. Any suggestions?

Day: 82

I woke up early today excited about my longest ride yet, from Newport to Riverside (home). I left Newport at 7:15 weighted down (for the first time with all my gear), and headed to the Santa Ana river trail that would take me the first 27 miles towards home.

After the first 20 miles I had reached Orange County and I was passing my grandfathers house only a little way off the trail. I decided on a quick breakfast detour to have a visit with Grandpa, some OJ and a Clif bar. We talked about everything and more for about 45 minutes then I had to get back out to finish my ride before the sun got to warm. I power through about another 25 miles and I was back in pleasant Riverside, the land I grew up in.

Now this is where I have to leave you, being that this is a travel blog, I can’t really justify entries about my week at home, I will tell you that I have some major events like my brothers college graduation, and my birthday planned for this week at home. I have decided to leave for my journey up the coast on May 29th (the day after my birthday and Memorial day), so you should all have you fix of “Full” blog entries starting May 30th.
Anyone who has a problem with some of my shortened entries of late, I refer you here, to my very first entry.

Day: 81

No riding today, for the last few days I have been pedeling about 35-40 miles a day. I can feel myself getting stronger, but am still worried about when I add thirty pounds of gear to my bike.  Tomorrow we have to leave the beach house and I am attempting my biggest ride yet, Newport  to Riverside.   It’s about sixty miles (mostly flat) and I expect it to take me about 5 or 6 hours.  I am a little excited and a little scared, we’ll see if I can make it.

Day: 80

So finally I can use my $20 sunblock again. Oh, and I rode from Balboa to the Irvine Spectrum (about 40 miles) this morning, to pick up my 50mm lens that had been repaired, and still feeling good. I think I am just about physically ready for my ride.

Day: 79

Day: 78

Yeah…. so when I decided to come to Newport Beach I was expecting two weeks of blue skies and hot weather. I’m on my ninth day here and the sky barely spits out any sunshine.  At least the beer is cold.   Almost ready to get back out on the road to do some more stupid shit and tell you all about it.

Day: 77

Feeling lazy…

Day: 76

This little stop home could have been of the best World Tour choices I could have made. It’s helping me get my bearings and start to once again see the unique and different things I was seeing everyday in the last 75 days of travel. I am starting to feel re-energized and am ready to get back out on the road soon with a fresh outlook on the world.

I spent most of the day (after a 35 mile ride) hanging out with my brother, Joanna, and Cathie having some drinks, posing for pictures on the beach, and going to the second worst movie ever, Poseiden (The credit for worst movie ever still has to be Solaris).

Aarons review of the movie (as the credits rolled);

“I just wasted two hours of my life”

Don’t waste two hours of your life there’s too much to see, It’s my advice of the day.

Day: 75

Today is the first day since I bought my bike that I didn’t set out for a heavy ride to help get into shape. Instead I went to the grocery store with Aaron with a list of stuff that we needed for our family holiday gathering at the beach. Everyone (aunts, uncles, cousins, and Grandpa) was coming out to the beach to spend a day gathered with the family. I spent most of the afternoon talking about my trip to everyone and showing Grandpa a bunch of pictures from my trip so far.

We had a great feast of scallops, seared ahi, chicken and assorted salads, and followed that up with a quest to the pier to get shakes and malts at Ruby’s.

After dinner, shakes and the families departure, Aaron and I went to our room to have a smoke and listen to music for the rest of the night. After a few hours of hours of him sketching and me laying on the ground we turned off the lights and went to bed.