Solo

It's my first day riding solo. I made it ten miles before getting lost. I have been dragging my feet, waiting for Josh to catch up. His group ended in San franscisco as well so we are going to ride together.

My elbow is healing weird. The edges of the swiss cheese skin are starting to bubble up and curl in. I'm nervous it's going to heal like that and leave a horrible hole in my arm. 

I got stuck in a detour leaving Santa Cruz right next to a dermatology/plastic surgery center and went in to see if they'd look at it. The lady at the desk said I had to make an appointment and they were booked for the rest of the week. I was walking out pretty defeated when a lady in a scrub top ushered me out quietly. She was being sneaky so I wondered if she was one of the doctored and overheard the conversation an was now comming to my rescue. 

Close, she told me she was a nurse an asked to see my arm. I peeled back my banadges to the greenish glop that used to be smooth, pretty brown skin. And she instantly told me I needed to make an appointment. She didn't like the way the sides were rolling in or the way my two oozing creators were healing. I thanked her and called my mom. 

So that was my bike out of Santa Cruz, dragging my feet, popping into doctors offices, hoping one would step out on their lunch break, see me and rush over to check it out and give me a magical cure. Instead, they told me they didn't take my insurence. 

I biked to a state beach just outside of town. It was only two and the sun was shining. I threw on my suite, grabbed my towel and my book and headed for the sand. 

It was obvious I wasn't from around there. The beach was nearly empty except for a few surfers in full body wet suites and some people waking on the beach in sweatshirts. here I am, reading a book in my bikini, white ass a shining

Ended up talking to some surfers, he walked right up to me and asked if they were patrolling. He didn't want to get in trouble for the beer. We sat on the beach till sunset, not too worried because the campground was just around the corner. 

Still no word from josh. Campground is closed, warm shower is an option but she's six miles away and it's dark. I know I'm going to be terrified camping alone, but I tell myself I'm being silly and  it's probably more dangerous to bike the six miles to her house. I have an irrational fear of psychopaths. I set up camp thinking josh wil be here soon. As soon as I'm set up I get a message saying he's 25 miles north in davenport, had a rough day and needed to set up camp. Shit. 

So here I am, too scared to make dinner because the sound of my stove will summon the psychopath And drown out their approaching footsteps. 

So whelp, hope I can sleep!

San Luis Obispo

The boys are spread out around San Luis Obispo, or what the locals like to call SLO. We stayed with this amazing collection of outdoor guides last night. There are ten of them living in the house and part of their agreement is to take in couch surfers. However we may have overstayed our welcome and there was a misscommuniation  about where the boys were staying. One of the housemates thought they were tenting in the yard and locked all the doors so they had to break in through the window last night. Not sure how that one is gonna fly so we are gonna meet back up at the house in a few hours and try to leave on any decent note we can.

Yesterday was our fastest day of riding. We made it 50 miles form San Simeon to SLO in three hours. Not necessarily the type of touring pace I enjoy. The boys were too fast for me and I kept loosing them. I was a bit frustrated from being dehydrated, loosing my maps and not knowing the plan. Also one of the slower boys who tagged on stayed a foot of my tail for a lot of the ride. Finally I told him to back off. The last thing I wanted was to blast him in the face with a snot rocket.

I had a date last night. kinda. It felt good to get cleaned up and feel like a real girl. I was too exhausted to hold much of a conversation and I kept aborting sentences and probably made no sense However it was nice to catch up with this friend who I met out at the lodge this summer and get some Thai Food.

Went out with the boys after. Checked out some live music at Frog and Preach and watched John smooze the girls at wood stocks and get us an extra cheese pizza.

Santa Cruz Layover

I'm sitting outside Peets Coffee and Tea,drinking my "coffe au lait". A fancy name and steeply priced watered down coffee. 

An older gentleman pushing his bike stopped next to me and struck up a conversation. I assumed he was homeless and trying to ask for money but he starts off saying "now dear, do you like to read?" I do. "Well I'll tell ya, I'm peddling my bike and peddling my book, on travel and food and love" I explained I was on my bike and had little room for books. He understood but couldn't seem to pull himself away. His son is a council man here and had ridden his bike across the country and told me how beautiful the ride ahead will be. He went to walk away and stopps and pulls out my wallet. " now I've had a good day selling my book, I prepare to thankfully decline whatever he is about to give me, but he surprises me. He takes out a bill and begins to fold it, "now dear, I want you to take this dollar to Mexico, and when you get to Mexico, and get back to washignton to where you live, I want you to give this dollar to someone in need." He hands me the dollar an I can't help but smile, I love the idea. " it's called a mitzfa" he says, "it will bring you safe keeping on your journey." I thanks the man and watched him peddle away.

M and D left for Santa Barbara this morning, but not before playing a few quick sets of pumping with M. She has the ping pong table set up right in the middle of their beautiful kitchen. They are heading down to meet there son C, who is studying to get his PhD in psychology. M told him all about him when she was a guest at the Glacier lodge this summer. We sat floating in the lagoon, su shining on our faces talking about life. They were some of the guests who made a special place in my heart and they have now opened their home to me. 

M was responsible for their eldest boys marriage. She met a young lady in an airport she had a feeling about her. She introduced them and the rest was history. Thy have a family tradition of setting one another up and it has worked for many of them. Now she is trying to set up C an I. Very cute, she can't stop smiling when she plots the best way to do it. This morning she walks up to me with a small vintage bottle of wine asking if it was too big. I was confused at first then realized her plan. She wanted me to take it to him when I biked through, playing it off like she meant to bring it but forgot an I was doing a favor to bring it. Then she she smiles, shrugs her shoulders, palms in the air, " and the rest will be history"

She is such a lovely lady and now I have a date in Santa Barbara.

November 10 Santa Cruz

I'm sitting in a beautiful home in Santa Cruz listening to Ani DiFranco finally taking a breath. This trip had been a whirlwind of amazing and there has been little time for myself and reflection. It is completely different from my first tour. That trip was based more around biking for survival. I was alone, I had huge days of biking in 90 degree weather followed by sleepless nights of paranoia. I never knew where I would end up or if I would be safe. I had lots of time to myself and lots of time to write and processes. Much of that trip I am still working through, having no one to debrief with, most of my conversations being between me and Phatty, my bicycle.  

This trip had been the opposite. Time alone is unheard of and there has been little to no time for eared legroom or writing. It is straight up type one fun with good people. Ever since I met willie and Lisa my days have been full of positivity. 

I have spent the last week in the Bay Area. Rolling across the sanfrancisco bridge at sunset after a solid seventy mile day with Lisa willie Silvi and Albert. I was really struggling those last few miles. They were flying up the steep hills laughing and joking as I struggled to pull up the rear a consistent 30 yards back. I didn't understand how they had so much energy left. It was amazing being with them but hard being surrounded by happy couples. Sharing gear, food adventures. It would mean the world to share experiences like this with someone close to me, a significant other, a family member.. I have such amazing experiences and I feel those experiences bond people and it's hard to know or to feel I'm missing out on potential bonds. That's why it's so great traveling with Lisa and willie. They are such positive people and together they are a force of happiness. So many laughs, sometimes I have a hard time staying in my bike. But still watching all these couples is hard, it would also be pretty sweet to split this weight with ha.

Morning

It's 620 in the morning, and light enought in my tent to see with out my headlamp. I have been hitting my snooze for twenty minutes now and Mel has been packing up for the last forty. 

I'm so sticky it's really time to shower. I haven't had a proper one since before my fall 5 days ago. I changed the bandages on my elbow last night, it was starting to ooze again. It made me a little worried so I took my antibiotics.

Time feels weird. I'm chasing summer. Being out at the lodge was my summer and it was cold, then the month after I spent innalaska, working for princess then driving him. Mikal and incanted in snow already. It's hard to believe that was all this year. The weather there in califirnianfeels like summer but the sun sets at 5 on. It's throwing me off. 

Owe

So today is rough. I feel super off. I don't think the half bottle of vodka and falling off my bike helped much last night. We had a blast but were all ready for bed around 1030. I fell right on my hip and bad elbow. I'm in more pain from that standstill fall than the 35 around the corner leggett pass emergency room one. 

Mel switched out my tires this morning so we got rid of the big cracked back one. It's beautiful out but hard to see because my contacts keep sticking to my eyeball. I must just be getting old. I'm also super nervous on these roads with the cliffs and the twists and the turns. My body hurts to bad to crash again so I've been biking super conservatively. My breaks are a little messed up too so I should probably get them checks out

San fran

I25 Cents is a lot bigger deal when you don't have it. I'm on the bus leaving willie and Lisa heading back to Berkley and only have dollar bills to pay the exact $2.25 fare the bus requires. The cashier at Safeway this morning told me the bus only took bills, I just think she didn't want to have to get quarters for her drawer. 

I really hate saying goodbye to them. They are my bike family and now I have to move on and deal with transition time.

Last night I came into the city with Simmons, Anna and a few if their friends. I had my first Uber experience. Supposibly I had a pretty interesting conversation with the uber driver, Anna captured a snippet of it

We it to the Academy of Sciences, I felt like a character in the Great Garsby rolling up to his elaborate mansion oarty. The meuseum was lit with blues and greens and flowing from the inside out. You could feel the energy in the air as we walked in. They open it up on on Thursday nights to adults and have bars set up all throughout. It's a night club and science fair mixed into one. Genius! I was doing shots with giant sea bass and drinking PBRs with ocre stars.

Public transit is lot easier without my 100 pound touring bike that doesn't for through the regular gates. I can never seem to find the elevators so I have to use the escalators and brace with all my weight to keep from tumbling backwards. I was gettin off at the north Berkley station the other night and there was a beautiful black couple behind me. I told them if they wanted to see something interesting to keep watching, not expecting something actually would. I whelmed phatty onto the escalator and beaded, it wasn't enough and I felt myself loose my balance, I reached for the railing but it was going backward with me! I grabbed the wrong part and  f

I'm at a computer science lecture with Laura, the professor has a light saver as a pointer and made a swinger reference ralking about a java component. 

I might have to get back up to San Fran, timur is coming to town and I left my sports bra and water bottle.

Laura lives in a vegetarian commune. In of her Roomate makes yogurt and amazin bread. 

It blows my mind that I'm sitting here with Laura in Palo Alto in a computer science lecture. It's about as far away from pulling boats and running kayak trips at the glacier lodge. This life doesn't feel real, I don't take it as seriously.