So here is my cousin Craig who helped with the mounting of the new front tire. A little soap and water, some leverage from two tire irons and voila! New tire is mounted! Below are a few shots from route 150 in Cali as I make my way towards the PCH.
First shot of the Pacific and the sun. A nice blend indeed.
Going...
Going...
Gone....
This is the Simeon State Park. This turned out to be a nice stay despite a really horrible experience trying to be a gentleman and use the bathroom instead of peeing around a corner. I walked over the loo at night and well, lets just say the smell wasn't pleasant. I would say on par with most porter johns but the moment the door swing shut I was attacked with flies. I mean a lot of flies. So many they were lands all over my face. Of course this all started to happen right after I started to pee on them! What a gross experience but funny. I ran out of the bathroom, more like danced out, still peeing mind you, and did what I should have just done in the first place. Peed outside like any other dude would have done. That was gross, gross, gross.
So straight off the bat the next morning was a Sea Lion viewing area. At first I didn't see that many but as you'll see in later photos there was a lot! At least my standards as I've never witnessed so many Sea Lions at once.
So what are they doing? I figured I would include this so you could learn what they were up too as well :-)
This one is sleeping.
These two are sparring.
These guys and gals are all sleeping. A few of them were also throwing sand up on there backs to help stay cool.
These guys are swimming :-)
Later down the road on the PCH I could see that I was approaching some fog that hadn't been burnt off by the morning sun yet.
As I started to climb a bit in elevation I would soon be above and taking pics looking down at the dense cloud hovering above the sea. d
Crazy how this is the same road but covered in dense fog. The ocean in these pics looks very mean and not very inviting.
Frisco. I didn't stay long as I had hopped to stay with a friend but that fell through so after doing about 32 laps in all different directions around this maze of a city I finally found my way out via the San Francisco bridge. No toll on the north bound side :-)
Just after the bridge and back on the PCH there was a great spot for a little sunset viewing.
That little white spec is the moon :-)
Popped into this little town in Sonoma wine country and had a delicious portabella mushroom sandwhich with a very nice and green arugula salad.
Mornings on the PCH are always so foggy!
Pretty cool how the fog fills in the gaps between the mountain sides.
Looking down on the fog...
Without a doubt this is one of my favourite pictures to date!
These tree lined streets just went on and on. A very cool effect to ride along side.
So this is Lee. Lee road his bike from Alaska. Yes, Alaska. He's on his way to San Diego and then all the way down to Argentina. Sounds crazy and foolish and I think he's nuts for going through Mexico but we had a great conversation about what it is like to be on the road. Lot's of time to think, evaluate life, yourself and what's going on inside your mind. He was saying to me how some days he just wonders what he is doing and why is he even out there. I shared this thoughts on this and we talked about thinking about the end of your trip while you are going along can really make the distance feel daunting. We both agreed taking it one day at a time is best as it allows you to really live in the moment. Funny because we're all taught how to plan ahead all the time. I'm sure this makes sense for somethings but really, living in the moment is key. Embrace what you have around you and don't miss out on the little things along the way.
His buddy later joined him. Not sure if they were on the same trip but they have been traveling together for a few days.
Can you tel I'm heading North? Look at these trees! Just massive already and I was only half way up the coast. The Pacific Northwest is waiting...
Don't think you are going crazy. This is a layer of fog forming above the tall grasslands. I took a few pics of this and me with the "watch for elk" signs before my bike decided it was time to quit working for the night and until she was taken to a repair shop.
Watch out!
After pushing this 571 pound beast about 3/4 a mile this is where she rested. I started thinking about what to do and who to call and whatever because there were a few elk munching on some grass just a little ways away from me so I sat there and watched them for a bit. Then it was time for a game plan of sorts.
Sitting in front of the visitor center which is where I pushed my bike next. Under the light of the telephone poll I began plotting my escape. Well I should say our escape because we both needed to get out and move on to get some help. I will say though this is the first time I've used my camp chair. I've carried that little $15 REI camp chair over 5,000 miles and this is the first time I've used it to sit next to a broke down bike. I sat back, ate some beans and rice with my feet up on the bike and laughed that just a day before I was going to leave that silly little chair the last place I took it off my bike. Glad I kept it :-)
This is the telephone booth I think a few of you tried to call. It would ring once and thats it. A little spooky actually since it was Halloween.
My bike and that chair just sitting there mocking me...
Next up after a nice little wait and my over active imagination amplifying every little sound I heard into the footsteps of bigfoot or a bear or whatever else could easily make me into dinner Mark showed up with his truck and it was time to hit the road!
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