life as lived, with a dash of homesickness

I have to admit to some discouragement this week. I've been rained on, hailed on, and just got back from work at midnight tonight looking very much like my dear friend from Ranchita, CA, the Abominable Snowman. As I melted my way into the house, 8 days began looking awfully close. It's been a tough week in a lot of ways. For instance: yesterday began with a forgotten helmet, continued with a two hour walk to fetch bike from the shop and then retrieve said helmet...during which time the screws in my clipless pedal shoes came loose which meant that once bike and helmet were reunited, and the first stop sign was reached, the shoes refused to disengage from the bike pedals with cars stopped in front and coming up behind me. Yup. Not a very nice moment which resulted in a prompt return visit to the bike shop. Of course yesterday was the one day where I also forgot to carry my bike tool with me. When it rains, it just pours. 

Tonight, a girl was attacked just outside of our store. A brutal reminder that it doesn't matter where you are. 

On a brighter note, I had some spare time on Thursday in Redmond which I spent mostly at a Thai restaurant. It was SO nice to go in. It felt like I was home at last. It's been very strange the last few months not to constantly be hearing and speaking Thai, so it was with some relief that I chatted with the waitresses. That is, once they got over their initial surprise that a farang (white person) "poodt Thai diy" (can speak Thai). I had some raad-na (fried wide noodles in gravy) with nuua (beef) and paad pak (fried vegetables). For dessert, some cowneou ma'muang (sticky rice with mango). Sadly, the mango was well in advance of its prime, but the sticky rice was almost as good as home. Just a tad more coconut cream and some of the nutty topping would have put it equal. It was a challenge to try to decide which favorite dish to order. I miss Pe Udom's cooking unbearably sometimes. 

driving thoughts

Perhaps you remember Camille's garage friend, the VW bug. Yesterday I learned how to drive with a stick shift in the bug. Larry started me off in a parking lot at Merrimor Park and after a few rounds I was getting the hang of things so we headed to Thompson Hill for a real challenge. On the way there, we encountered some construction where we had to stop and wait for a while. We were at the front of the line and when the construction worker finally gave us the signal to go, I scrambled to get it all together and he was looking impatient until we started. As we hopped by him with a roar, he burst into laughter. I got lots of practice starting on hills and reversing. It was hilarious, though. Any time you want a really good laugh, just teach someone to drive with a stick shift. Guaranteed fun! 

11 days. I've thought a lot about this trip, planned for a year and am about to depart. The word "depart" in conjunction with "11 days" is enough to send the butterflies into major overtime. Pre-trip jitters are common, I'm told...they last until that final moment that you click into the pedals and start off. It's been interesting to note the reactions of those that I've told. They range from envy to "you must be crazy". No, this is not an "Into the Wild" moment, but rather a well-researched 6,000+ mile bicycle trip through some of the most beautiful parts of America. I plan to be sensible, but if something terrible should happen, I do not fear death. I have planned, prepared and trained for months. I am ready to go. My panniers are packed and Camille is in the bike shop getting her final tune-up. Let's roll!

Training Ride

The symphony of sounds on the trail was sweet...the steady hum of the tires, the swish of water running off the fenders, the pit-pat of rain on my jacket and the rhythmic crackling of my rain pants. My ears were filled with the incessant scolding of tiny birds and my eyes were distracted by the scampering squirrels. The ducks were in their element, and thronged to the water's edge where they did absolutely nothing but stand together sleepily in the rain. Spring is here, evidenced by the many flowering trees and the gentle rain.

daffodils...what is Spring without them?

 

It was a rainy Thursday as usual, and after loading up my bike with enough cans of tuna to feed a small starving nation, I wobbled off to Redmond. After the requisite gatorade, sandwich & chocolate pick-up at QFC, we set off to find Puget Sound. Many miles and a picnic lunch later, as we rounded Lake Washington, we passed the Kenmore Airport--for seaplanes only. They looked pretty amazing!

The University of Washington and Gasworks Park on Lake Union were next. Here is Camille taking a break and enjoying the view of the Seattle skyline. The Space Needle off to the right really interested her, but we didn't have time to visit today.

Gasworks Park...and...those funny looking things in the background would be the old gasworks I guess!

view of Lake Union

under-view of the incredibly huge bridge over the canal leading to the Sound

my destination reached: the ocean! or (tuna meets source)

After I savored the salty ocean air and the view, I retraced my trail back to Redmond. It was still raining and I had lost the feeling in my feet, so some thawing-out at the Starbucks was in order. I rode the familiar road back home in the fading evening light. Total miles for today's ride: 90. I had hopes to make it a century, but carrying the extra weight and the long day in the rain shortened the final result. After a delicious dinner, I enjoyed relaxing for a few hours in the hot tub outside with my brothers! 

I learned a few important things today. My new Sealskinz waterproof socks held up beautifully but my Lone Creek panniers with rain covers did not prove terribly waterproof. The cans of tuna were quite damp... so it looks like I will have to improvise a little. Otherwise I am very happy with the bags. I need to tweak my bike setup a little for more comfort over longer distances and look into lower gearing for hill-climbing while loaded. I hit every bump I could find (and there was no shortage, I can assure you) and the bike held up really well. There is a bit of a sporadic rattle that I'm trying to track down, but other than that, Camille is a very solid ride!

San Diego, CA

The ride was over, but I had one last morning in San Diego, so I took a long walk towards Point Loma. I missed Camille. This was a house that I saw along the way that I really liked. Classic.

Beautiful flowers...

the bird of paradise flower, or strelitzia.

very round cactus!

This is how I feel whenever I think about the trip and the wonderful friends I found. Bill and Don were better riding partners than I could have ever imagined. They inspired me to keep riding up those killer hills when all I wanted to do was lay down on the side of the road and never move again. Eating pie, taking photos, sitting by the campfire, talking touring and changing tires with them was a big privilege! Thank you!!! :)

Day 7

In the middle of the night I awoke to a downpour of rain and a slow drip from the top of the tent. I was worried, but unpacked my towel to catch the drip and curled up at the bottom of the tent to sleep the rest of the night. Thankfully there were no additional leaks, but it was still very windy and rainy when I got up for breakfast. Taking the wet, muddy, sandy tent down proved challenging in the fierce wind, but with some help it was stuffed away. Many of the bikers chose not to ride this final day, but my intrepid partners and I were not to be deterred. The ride was cold, windy and very very VERY wet, but we enjoyed every last minute of it. An extra breakfast stop at Harry's in La Jolla was off-route, but oh, so worth it. The most wonderful bacon waffle and mocha ever tasted. We were greeted with some amusement and disbelief as seven of us walked in completely dripping wet. Apparently locals don't ride in that kind of weather!

Gerda and I wave goodbye...

end of the trip, we grab a quick lunch and disperse...

Ray was a fantastic friend and I look forward to seeing him again this summer! Thanks for all those blankets!!! :)

We rode to the bike shop and marveled at the amazing varieties crammed in this tiny shop. Camille was left to be sent home in a box--poor Camille--a very boring way to spend a week after such an exciting one. 

 
I stayed at the Ocean Beach Motel which was pretty much right on the beach by the pier, the longest on the West Coast. 

It was an outrageously beautiful sunset and I enjoyed its breathtaking splendor while watching the waves crash on the rocks.

The bike-shop owner told us that "Hodad's Burger Joint" was the place to go, so we enjoyed some enormous burgers for dinner. Their chocolate milkshake is massively good as well. They advertise themselves as having served under 99 billion! The fascinating atmosphere is definitely a large part of their charm. :) 

Day 6

It was another grey and drizzly day to start. The fog had lifted by the time we departed camp, to reveal a lush green rural landscape dotted with surprisingly rocky hills. 

We saw many different animals along our morning journey--buffalo included. We stopped by a van of bird-watchers to find out that they had spotted a ferruginous hawk. Apparently it migrates through California and is only in this area for one week out of the year.

Today's ride was full of gently rolling hills, and we followed their path through sweetly-scented orange groves and avocado farms. It was interesting to see the stumps of the trees which will soon have the avocado branches grafted onto them. 

cloudy but beautiful views...at least we can see them today!

At the water stop, sunscreen and waterproof socks were applied. Some were more creative than others in the waterproof sock category...Bill proudly shows off his very expensive grocery bag solution. Anne won the category, though, with her orange newspaper bag-duct tape creations. High fashion is needed with this crowd! :) Good times!

Lots of off-the-bike botanizing was enjoyed along the 10-mile bike path to the ocean. On-the-bike botanizing was quickly found to be somewhat hazardous to the rider and promptly discontinued! I have absolutely no idea what kind of flower this is, but it was pretty. :)

The Dawdlers stop for a long-anticipated pizza and beer at Pizza Port in Solana Beach. I enjoyed a couple glasses of a wonderful pear cider with a piping-hot spinach-bacon pizza. Lovely. 

Then it was onto our next dinner at camp and our final map meeting! One last campfire at which I somehow managed to melt just the heels of my riding shoes...still a mystery. Watching the flames to the accompaniment of the roar of the ocean surf was a perfect moment of absolute stillness and peace. 

Day 5

Upon awakening and opening my tent flap, I was greeted by a cold, thick mist-fog-drizzle with gusts of wind. Nice. Sometimes it's harder than others to be a glass half-full kind of optimist, but as I ate my first breakfast, I reflected that really, things could be much worse. I tried out my first wet-tent takedown which proved interesting. I can actually take the inner tent down inside while the rainfly and poles are still up with the footprint. Keeps the tent quite a bit drier, but slightly awkward! Some of the group declined to ride due to the wind and rain, but we persevered.

Bill had yet another flat--so we waited for the fog to clear a little and then set off for our last pie in Julian. Lovely apple pie with a hot chai. :) We enjoyed the descent, but bemoaned the fog which completely cut off any chance of a good view of anything but the road. Our water-stop was at a bakery, and after wringing the water from our gloves and socks, we enjoyed their hot drinks, turnovers and rocking chairs from which we began to drip-dry. 

Bill M. enjoying the respite from the rain.

We cycled to to the "large" town of Ramona (population 15,000 and proud owner of a Super K-mart) and our first stop was a laundromat. Gerda had gone in before us but we amazed the locals by squelching in and then taking layer after layer of our wet clothes off. We removed everything we decently could and then cozied up to the warm machines as our outer layers spun dry. 

the Laundromat Loiterers in their element...me, Don, Bill M. and Gerda

happy beyond words to be warm and dry!

After yet another coffee and snack stop (afternoon tea), we headed to Dos Picos County Park. Wouldn't you know it, as we got close to the camp, the clouds finally broke and we were treated to a few wonderful rays of sunshine! I even got to set up my tent before the map meeting and dinner--a truly unusual occurrence! Despite the miserable weather, we came through it all smiling and enjoying (almost) every moment! :)

Day 4

I think I have become a hobbit. A large breakfast complete with trimmings, second breakfast down the road, elevenses (also referred to as a water stop), lunch, afternoon tea and then a very large dinner have become essential requirements to the day--between which I feel as if I'm starving. It's become completely ridiculous the amount of food I'm eating, but I suppose it only equals what I'm burning up these hills. At breakfast the ladies decided to form the "Bacon Appreciation Society" and judging from our plates, we fulfilled our obligation to the name most thoroughly! :)

Today is another big mountain climbing venture. It's not only hard to leave the beautiful desert vistas, but the initial gentle climb into the hills reminds my already exhausted climbing muscles that up is their only option today.

I love this place.

As we rode through the desert landscape, we noticed the cacti all in bud and wished we could stay to see them in bloom. 

barrel cactus

don't get stuck in one of these!!!

the mountains we must climb over today...a beautiful agony! :)

all that was left of the Vallecito-Butterfield station along the old stage line trail that started in St. Louis. The first stagecoach carrying mail and passengers to travel this trail left September 15, 1858. talk about a long, bumpy ride...

battling the wind, pedaling downhill and then toiling back up again...what a day, but still going strong I am determined to reach the lunch stop! :)

just before reaching our campsite, we stopped back in Julian for some more pie and coffee...after all, we must do a comparison test...and the apple-boysenberry pie was sure tasty! we reached our campsite high in the mountains just in time for the map meeting and another dinner! a large number of us discovered that the lobby outside the shower rooms was nice and warm, so we enjoyed some wild conversation, and general hilarity over the SET game that I had brought before wandering back through the thick fog to our tents for the night.

Day 3

Today, all that I could think about was the word "downhill". After the previous day's numbing effort, it was imperative that "descent" be the main theme for this day. And it was a beautiful one. The weather was perfect and after our first breakfast at camp, Don, Bill, Bill* and I biked to Julian and stopped to sample some of their famous apple pie with coffee. Fame-worthy it was! After our leisurely "second breakfast", we took the steep, winding downhill to Banner with soaring spirits. The views were incredible, but the downhill was so addictive that it was hard to stop and enjoy the view. The thrill of the 40 mph screaming downhill is not to be underestimated! :D



After our first big mountain descent, we travelled along San Felipe Rd. with more RV's than I have ever imagined passing us slowly. At one brief lull in the traffic, I caught this picture of our road stretching before us as we ride towards the Tegfiolo Summit. Alongside us on the right is the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. It's a beautiful ride despite the noise and dust of the "poor mileage club" grinding along beside us.



At the town of Ranchita, just across from the Abominable Snowman, Bill had his second flat tire of the day. You might wonder how many cyclists it takes to change a tire...but we'll never tell! We tried the "dollar-bill" method of tire patching, and it held up for a while.


lots of time to make friends with my buddy the A.S.


Don and Bill relaxing by the roadside...

Finally on our way again, we began our descent into the Anza Borrego Desert. Extraordinary views all the way made riding slightly hazardous, as we sped 30 mph down the steep switchbacks while trying to watch all the changes in the awesome landscape all around us.


Anza Borrego Desert Valley



Although the day was a pretty easy one on the whole, 46 miles and only 3207 ft of climbing, we enjoyed the journey enough that we were again the last ones into camp...just in time for dinner and map meeting. At the end of the day, back at the camp, we enjoyed the sounds of the desert around a campfire. An almost perfect day.



*there were 4-5 "Bill's" on our trip... but only two are featured here!

Day 2

The steady "whoosh" of the coffee maker woke me early and the packing of the gear commenced. After breakfast, there was nothing to do but set off on the grand adventure ahead of us. This was it. One by one, we touched tire to pavement and were off, noticing nothing but the beautiful morning rays of sun and the open road ahead.



As we climbed up the first hills, one couldn't help but notice the stark contrast between the burned areas and those that were untouched by the raging fires of last fall. It was intriguing to see the erratic paths of the burns. In some ways it was much easier to see the landscape because the greenery was gone.



The morning passed slowly as we climbed endlessly. The uphill was unending and relentless. More steep, less steep, but always up as we toiled along the mountain switchbacks. 49.7 miles, 7283 feet of climbing. 4pm map meeting at camp. Would Bill and I make it in time???



The end was in sight and feeling awe, relief and some really sore muscles, we paused to enjoy the view at Lake Cuyamaca. There was still snow on the ground in places, and we laughed with absolute disbelief as we were passed by cars with small snowmen on their hoods, noticed ditches used as tiny sledding areas and saw people actually shoveling snow into their vehicles.



We made it to the Pinezanita Campground just as the sun was setting and just in time for the map meeting. :) Dinner never looked so good! It's truly amazing how good food tastes when you're really REALLY hungry! The whole camp was dark by 7pm and other than the midnight zipper parade, there was some serious sleeping happening!