Sunnin' in Cali

Greetings from beautiful San Luis Obsipo,

First off, a 2 1/2 day train ride is a long time (beats my 36 hour record). Yet the gyros in Chicago's Greektown are awesome! It was also night to walk around Denver for a half hour, since it's the closest thing to home for me. A bit of boredom and lack of means to resupply on food were the main issues. We all slept a lot which helped pass the time. Too bad they never cleaned the bathrooms;-( The stay in San Francisco was good and gave us a chance to shower and regroup. The next day we must have walked ten miles from Fishermans' Wharf to Haight Asbury. I do like this city. (I also ended my first long bike tour here in 2001).

The next day we road across the Golden Gate brige and began our journey. So for the last 7 days we have been cycling along the coast and staying in campgrounds at night. The riding has been good, but our bodies are just beginning to adjust to the rigerous schedule. The route has been good, especially along Big Sur, where traffic really let up. The scenery is spectacular, but with the harsh sun photography is a challenge. The weather has been awesome, sunny and very warm. Everyone keeps telling us that we picked a good week, because it's usually in the 40s. The camp sites have been okay, but a bit exspensive. One night I chased a rancoon out of camp and a few hours later spooked a skunk that has its head in Mark's trailer. Navigating thru the bigger towns has also been an issue, with traffic and all. Dave's climbing ability has improved greatly and he is the strongest rider right now. I keep telling them both that we have to spend a lot of money on food because we have to eat a lot, and it has to be decent food. Plus a cold brew at days end is always good.

Soon we plan to head inland for Joshua Tree National Park, which shall begin the desert part of our soujourn.