Around 2am on August 7th we made our final destination, the Mexican border!
Now we go back in time to the last place we left off, Alex's couch in San Fran.
After taking our bikes to the local bike shop and getting the much needed repairs, we broke away from Frisco's allure and made it to Santa Cruz in one push. Santa Cruz possesses a cool surf town vibe without the superficial plaster of the infamous SoCal douchery. Although most cars have 'fear locals' bumper stickers we encountered nothing but good times, interesting people, and a love for this town. So much love in fact that we stayed three nights thanks to the hospitality of Sean's family friend which was cool enough to let us crash in a guest room during our stay. Despite our our high hopes of surfable waves we were tortured with low swell, an ever occurring problem throughout this bike and 'surf' trip'. Our days in Santa Cruz were spent walking the beach admiring volleyball players, eating, talking to people, and checking out the local bike co-op the Bike Church. Early one morning Max decided his bike was being neglected from so many rest days and checked out the University campus and scored a free bag of organic coffee beans at the local farmer's market thanks to Zach who also happened to work as a bike courier, which has us all scheming of employment opportunities. What's better than getting paid to ride your bike? Nothing, but we will keep you updated on that as well. Thanks to Sean's friend's (Evan) uncle (Rob), we got to enjoy a beautiful afternoon drinking on a sailboat which was a first for a couple of us. This experience, as well as another that will be mentioned soon, has peaked our interest in sailing. All in all, Santa Cruz was everything we hoped for even despite the lack of swell.
From Santa Cruz we headed south towards the affluent Carmel Valley where we stayed with a great host from Warm Showers, KG who blew our minds with knowledge of marine biology, satellite power and uses, and other remarkable topics. We took the 17 mile drive detour which led us through the infamous Pebble Beach golf course where we took guesses at how much certain houses costs and how much money was consolidated into such a small area. We agreed it had to amount in the multi-billions.
The next stretch was through the unforgettable Big Sur coast highway, and just as luck would have it we saw little of this scenery due to the thick all-day fog. What little pieces we did see were fantastic though, and yes very hilly with huge road side cliff drop offs. At Kirk Creek campground we met several interesting people and overloaded the hiker biker site by about fifteen people. We also had our first encounter with the cute but not so friendly raccoons. They were first noticed when I (Tavin) was laying in my bivy sack and felt something at the end of my sleeping bag. At first I thought it was somebody playing some type of prank on me, but was quickly dissmissed when I saw about 20 pairs of eyes illuminated in my headlamp. They ate our food but fortunately didn't try to snuggle.
One guy, Caesar, was cycling the same route as us and had plans to cycle all the Hawaiian islands with the idea of setting up a bike co-op in Waikiki after he made it to the border. He intends to travel between the islands through some type of inflatable pontoons that allow him to transform his bike into a self propelled raft! He also plans to start an organization to help homeless people. The site hasn't launched yet but told us it would be (cleverly) named Homeless Where the Heart Is. Certainly big plans, but the biggest shock of all was his all-black cycling attire (bike, long sleeve shirt, pants, helmet) and the fact that he did mostly night riding. Daring indeed, especially in Big Sur known for its small shoulders and constant fog.
Another couple had recently quit their jobs and decided to start bike touring to a destination where they would participate in WWOOFing for a period in time. They were very knowledgeable and were eager to inform anybody that would listen of the constraints and slavery of mediocrity and our broken political system. Also had a deep disdain for petroleum to the point that they used a wood burning stove for cooking and used a magnifying glass instead of a lighter for extra curricular activities, which was a first for many as well. Just an idea at the variety of people we have met on the road.
Also, the town of Lucia has absurd prices for everything. By far the most expensive town on our trip. Contrary in Watsonville, CA fruits and veggies were very cheap. Avocados were seven for a dollar!
In Los Osos we stayed with a couple again from WS who were great hosts and treated us to dinner with veggies from their garden and a great bed to sleep in. Los Osos has one of the best bakeries we had the pleasure of enjoying, so much in fact that we had to go twice. The bakery is Carlock's and is known for their bear claws but the clear winner for us were the assortment of danishes. At this point were becoming bakery connoisseurs, look for our West Coast bakery guidebook soon.
After Big Sur is the transition zone into the always sunny and over-crowded Southern California. Santa Barbra turned out to be a great town and we arrived at the tail end of an all day Spanish festival. The streets were covered in confetti and the inhabitants were clearing feeling the effects of the all day festival as noticed by the several individuals we met on the street. Unfortunately we couldn't find a place to stay in town so had to travel about ten miles south to the Carpinteria campground which we made to just after dark. Its here where we (again) encountered raccoons, but this time they weren't so scared of us and there were a LOT of them. They had food boxes which were nice, but we weren't convinced we would be left in peace for the night so we set up a barricade with our bikes, trailer, clothes, and anything else to protect us from the little demons. Thankfully we woke up unscathed and well rested.
From this point on it was very evident we were in Southern California and it's not a very bike friendly place so we decided to get to the border as fast as possible. To help combat this situation we arranged to have my dad pick up our stuff (panniers, trailer, surfboards) somewhere north of LA and cruise down to the border in a two day push.
Happily leaving Carpinteria and the raccoons behind we pulled into Ventura for lunch. Ventura was a mandatory stop for me due to my somewhat small obsession with Patagonia. Its here in a small building on the outskirts of town fondly known as the 'Tin Shed' where Yvon Chouinard started his revolutionary company Chiounard Equipment. Over the years and through a series of events has been re-branded as the Black Diamond Ltd. label. Its also the roots of Patagonia clothing, and where Fletcher Chouinard Surfboards are made. It was inspiring to see where the whole idea of 'clean climbing' was essentially brought to fruition through Yvon's insight and experience as a blacksmith in such a simple place. In case you've never heard of Patagonia check out their website and read Yvon's biography,"Let My People Go Surfing" along with his new book on ethical and profitable business practices in "The Responsible Company".
From Ventura we cruised down to Malibu where we had pizza at D'Amore's and met the owner Joe D'Amore himself. Mr. D'Amore was as stereotypical Italian as they come. He owns a pizza restaurant, wears too tight of a shirt for his bulging muscles, is a great host, and is so confident that while we were pondering of sleeping on the beach (illegal) he gave us permission to use his name if we had any trouble with the cops. "You just tell them your friends of Joe. All the cops in town eat in here and know who I am." Despite the fact that he may be telling the truth and had pictures with famous people covering every inch of wall to prove, we opted against this recommendation. Thanks for the pizza Joe!
From Malibu to Marina Del Ray where we contacted a host on WS to stay with, was full of excitement, good and bad. Due to some confusion and it being completely dark at this point we had our first crash with Max running into the trailer and wiping out in the middle of an intersection. Although it shouldn't be a surprise in SoCal, not one person asked to see if he was okay despite there being no less than 100 onlookers. Thankfully just a few minor scrapes and bruises were the result. We rode through the Venice boardwalk where there were only a handful of people, very unusual if you've ever been during the day. We stopped at some Olympic rings just off the boardwalk to get our gymnastics on. Besides how hard could it be to lift yourself like they do in the Olympics? Apparently very hard since we couldn't even get close. We'll stick riding our bikes and leave gymnastics to real men. When we finally arrived to Marina Del Ray we were greeted by our hosts, Charley and Lilly and welcomed aboard their sailboat where we would be staying for the night. They treated us to warm showers, cold beer, homemade sandwiches, and a box full of gourmet pastries Lilly brought home from work. It was our first time sleeping on a sailboat and was one of the best experiences of the trip. The best was truly saved for last.
Charley and Lilly have an amazing story which inspired us and had us asking so many questions and wanting to stay longer so I'll try to convey the raddness of this couple. I'm not going to get all the details or events in chronological order but its amazing nonetheless. Charley is from Wisconsin, Lilly from Australia. Charley wanted to do a human powered bike trip around the world. He started riding from Wisconsin and made it to Amsterdam where he met Lilly. Lilly had never bike toured and wanted to try it out, besides Charley was a pretty cool guy. They bike toured Europe and went their separate ways. Charley on his trip, and Lilly just travelling Europe and back down under. In Scotland Charley broke his foot but instead of going home and calling it quits rehabilitated in Scotland for a couple months till he recovered. Lilly sailed across the Atlantic. Charley eventually made it to Africa where he rode from West to East and ended up in Alexandria, Egypt. He shattered his femur from a bike accident. At this point Lilly and Charley were together so Lilly came to help Charley in Egypt. Charley is determined so he tried to recover in Egypt as long as he could. Eventually he went back to Wisconsin. His leg is still recovering after two years so his bike trip is put on hold. Being people of adventure and travel they bought a sailboat and are refurbishing till February 2013 when they plan to sail to Australia. Possibly the best story/ badass couple I've heard of in a long time.
The next morning my dad and his wife Angie picked our stuff up in my van with plans to meet in Huntington Beach and figure out the rest of our trip. We got lost in the confusion of the city and ended up doing about a 30 mile detour but finally met up in HB. It happened to be the finals of the surfing U.S. Opens and was crowded with people. In about two days we went from silence and solitude in Big Sur to the biggest surf competition in Southern California. It wasn't a bad thing necessarily, just a big change in a short amount of time.
At Huntington my dad switched driving the van to my friend Alyssa, who had a couple days off work and didnt mind being our support vehicle for the last day an half to the border. That night we ended up sleeping outside her house near San Clemente since how we couldn't find a campsite and Walmart kicked us out of their parking lot.
The next morning we rode from San Clemente to the Mexican border which is only about 80 miles but had to use a detour since Camp Pendelton was closed to bikers and got lost in San Diego later that night so we ended up riding probably around 110 miles the last day. Before we decided to push to the border we stopped in Solana Beach just north of San Diego and enjoyed a dip in the ocean and a few cold ones. Around 8pm we got on our bikes for the last and final push of our Tour de West Coast and ended up at the border around 2am. It was our first true night riding experience besides the quick dash from Malibu to Marina Del Ray and it turned out to be quite enjoyable. No traffic, very few cars, and escaping the heat was well worth getting lost in San Diego where we got to see the Port of San Diego. We all agree that Ports are sketchy places. Not just to ride a bike but the people and vibe there all seem a little leery. The closer we got to the border the worse conditions got until we saw millions of bright lights which we somehow internally knew was Mexico. With less than two miles to go and the end in sight.............we saw a 24 hour bakery with the shelves stocked to the brim! So we all unanimously agreed and ate two doughnuts a piece as a pre-victory treat. We definitely should've written a guidebook for bakeries along the west coast. More doughnuts were consumed during this month than in the past ten years on my life. Besides, doughnuts will always taste better than powerbars.
We got to the border, took pictures that turned out so bad 'Mexico' is barely legible, and drove back to Orange County that night where we crashed around 5am. A very anti-climatic end to such an awesome trip.
The next day we were lazy. We ate, washed our bikes, and started to pack for our departure back to WA. Max decided to take a flight home due to a move-in date for his new apartment in Bellingham. Sean and I dropped Max off at LAX and started our long drive back to the Evergreen state. This is where the 'other adventure' begins. In a way, much more stressful and frustrating than riding our bikes.
At the beginning of this trip I had no intention of going back to Washington, but as time progressed and situations changed my return to WA was inevitable. In short, I missed the trees and mountains, family, and friends. This trip confirmed that truth to me. I've noticed that travelling and taking extended trips has a way of changing you. Whether its from the people you meet, or the things you see, or the little day by day enlightenments you experience on the road it has a powerful side effect to it. Personally it puts life into perspective. It's the simplest way to distinguish between wants and needs, things that are important and superficial, progress and sedentary. Life decisions are easy to make when your mind is clear and your in-tune with your inner self. So the decision to return to the Great PNW was clear.
After dropping Max off we prepared for the road. Snacks, comfortable clothes, and a huge selection of music and podcasts. We were on the road about 7pm and drove all through the night with nothing worth noting besides a thought provoking podcast called Radiolab which Sean introduced to me. The one thing that I remember from that is that your life is a story that you compose with your decisions and experiences.
At about 7am, 100 miles north of Sacramento outside a little town called Orland, I noticed that the engine was making some weird noises and the handling became a little jerky. About thirty seconds later I pulled off the side of the road, turned off the engine, and opened the hood which was smoking quite a bit. I checked the coolant which was gone so I rode my bike to the nearest gas station and bought a gallon of coolant and a quart of oil just in case. Thankfully, I ran into the owner of the towing company in the gas station and he gave me his business card just in case. Secretly I hoped I would never have to call or see him again. After returning to my broken beast I poured almost all the coolant into the tank which never raised above the empty line, but continued to spill all over the ground. At this point I knew there was a problem. So I proceeded to call the tow company and find a auto shop that could diagnose the problem immediately. After looking at it in depth the mechanic concluded my water pump gave out which then caused my serpentine belt to break, thus causing all the coolant to drain rapidly. Thankfully they had all parts in stock and assured I would be on the road in a couple hours. A costly fix but we were just glad to hear the good news. Until they tried to start it. Charging the battery, checking the starter and she still wouldn't spark. After doing some type of mechanic tricks they found that coolant was leaking from the rear exhaust. I know very little about cars and how they operate but even I knew this was not good news. Not sure exactly how it happens or what the mechanical term is but I essentially needed a new engine or new heads. Both solutions however require time and money, a commodity I dont possess much of either. With it growing later in the day and not knowing what to do Sean and I went to a hotel that his parents were gracious enough to get for us. Besides it was 105 degrees and it had a pool so it was an easy out, for now.
Friday morning Sean woke up and rode his bike to Chico, approximately 30 miles away (in 100 degree weather) where he was sure he could rent a car and drive up to WA since how he needed to be there the following day for a wedding. A couple hours later he returned in a taxi, gathered his essential belongings and went to Sacramento to catch a plane, train, or bus north. His parents were beyond awesome and got me another night in the hotel so I wouldn't have to worry about that. Again, Thank You. I said good-bye to Sean and hope there is someway I can make it up to him and his family for the unintentional problem and stress I caused. The worst part is that I somehow coaxed him into driving up with me instead of flying, somehow I think he'll never ride with me again except on a bike. At this point, despite loving the freedom and simplicity of living out of a van I hate engines, their costly maintenance and repair, and their dependence on oil. Bikes are the way to go.
After spending two days on the phone talking to close family and friends and getting their input and recommendations I had three options, 1)sell my van and lose lots of money,2) fix my wheels and spend lots of money, or 3) get the damn thing shipped up to WA somehow and deal with it later. Shipping seemed like the best option, especially if I could drive it myself. I went to the local Uhaul but they didn't have a trailer that was big enough to ship. I posted an ad on a transport online forum and got in contact with a couple companies who assured I'd be able to get it transported within the next couple days, despite it going on day 4 and have heard absolutely nothing. Just in case nothing else works I have a loan that I'll be able to use to fix it but that is last case scenario.
On the bright side my mother had great insight and through a series of phone calls got me in contact with a local family who I'm staying with who happens to be the head farmer for Cal Worthington's olive and almond ranch. I've been here since Saturday and feel that my welcome is wearing very thin, all the more reason I need to get out of here. Everything will work out one way or another and I'll be
in Washington at the end of the week with any luck. Its been a crazy, at times stressful and frustrating situation, but I keep reminding myself that I'm continually writing my story. The chapter of Orland, California will eventually end, and I'll be glad when it does.
