Saturday, November 13, 2010

More Pics


Arnoldo, awesome host in Santa Cruz




Drive-by shot


Sunset over Santa Cruz


Good beer and homemade pizza, the good life



Ghost tree


Pebble Beach


Ze Germans 



Big Sur


Joey and Vincent


Craig and Ginette



Great spot near Lompoc





Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Making Progress

I know I have started to cover some serious ground, when I get an excited response from telling people that I have been biking since Canada.  It really doesn't seem all that long ago (and really isn't, barely a couple months).  There are some parts do seem like a long time, like flying to Seattle.

A lot has happened over these many miles.  I feel myself changing; changing my opinions and outlook on certain things.  I have thought a lot about what's most important in my life, what goals I want to accomplish before I die, and how to go about doing it.  I think about how when people are told they are going die soon, they change their life dramatically, rekindle relationships and make amends.  I think it would be great to try and live like this all the time, holding nothing back nothing, embracing everyone and everything.

I finally left Santa Cruz, another gorgeous, fun town, with beautiful people.  Amazing the climate change just on the other side of the bay.  Monterrey was cold and cloudy, where Santa Cruz was sunny and hot the whole week I was there.  Winding my way through Big Sur was breathtaking to say the least, another spectacular section of the route with jaw-dropping views and scenic vistas.

Leaving the last hill of Big Sur, I came across a couple younger guys that were traveling by skateboard.  One of them had hit a rock and crashed badly.  He had what appeared to be either a broken hip or femur.  He was in an extreme amount of pain, and screamed anytime he tried to move.  I gave him some acetaminophen and some water, hoping it would do something.  We were trying to get him in the truck, but to no avail, the pain was unbearable for him.  The paramedics finally arrived and took over.  As I was leaving, amidst the crowd of health care professionals, he made a point to look up at me, smile, and gave me a hearty thank you.  That tiny gesture hit me hard, I was so happy to have tried to do something for him, albeit little.

I ended up seeing two other cycling tourists, Joey and Vincent, at the bottom of the hill.  I had met them previously near Pt. Reyes, they are making the journey to Argentina as well.  The headwinds were terrible that day, we took turns drafting, and still got blasted by wind and rain all the way to San Luis Obispo.  Fortunately for them, the awesome Couch Surfer Andrew I was to be staying with in SLO, had other couches and let them stay for the night. 

I stayed for an extra day in SLO, my old stomping grounds (only place other than San Diego I have lived in) and relived many memories.  I'm in Arroyo Grande at some family friends' (Craig and Ginnette).  The weather has been real cold again the past few days, but sunny at least during the day.  I should be back in San Diego within ~1.5 weeks, where I will scramble to prepare for the next huge portion of my expedition.  I am trying to line up another couchsurfer for Santa Barbara, where hopefully I will be able to upload more pictures.