Southwestest people in the US (temporary), Border State Park, Imperial Beach

Border state park

Mariachi band, baseball stadium, beachgoers all 60 feet away separated by the impenetrable "friendship circle." Todd and I are on the northern side, all helicopters, border patrol jeeps, intimidating signs, sirens, plus some beach birds. Not quite as fun over here.

Tank Xing, Camp Pendleton

San Clemente Host (and blogreader), Leslie

Drive-in Dairy, San Pedro

Sent from my iPhone

Batmen Feud at Santa Monica Pier

Foggy Ventura

"Missile Park", Pt. Magu Naval Base

Day off in SB

Through the hills to Santa Barbara

Yup, again

Possible explanation, heavy gear on a rim cut for schrader tubes. Ilana is using presta which have a smaller stem but have always been fine til the touring weight. (And which were on the bike when she bought it). The difference in size could pinch the tube ever so slightly. Switching today. We'll back post as we have time to write and are able to recharge our iphone. Despite the tire troubles, we are making good time and headed towards Santa Barbara today. Riding into a heat wave. Forecast is 100 for the third day. Drinking lots of hot water out of our bottles.

And hello there to you, Southern California

You are here (Guadalupe)

Damn. Tire eats third tube. Go back 3 spaces. By bus.

Riding south from Big Sur

10:30am dream

Big Sur Bakery on a sunday morning.

Approaching Big Sur

Day 5, Big Sur to San Simeon

Dolphins at Pt. Lobos (sorry no zoom)

Risso Dolphins corraling, then scooping up schools of sardines. Also saw the puff of a blue whale from here.

Watsonville

Thanks to all the good folks out picking strawberries.

Hostess with the Mostest (xoxo)

Day 2 Davenport

Day 1, 2010

Oakland CA. Saddled up and rode away with all our 09 gear plus new pedals, new brakes, and four of my folks' garden tomatoes. Somewhere near Jack London Square, having biked 20-25 blocks, dude asked whether we were on a long trip. I shrugged and said, 'yeah'. That was the correct answer, I beleive. Noon ferry to Market Street SF, wind on the water, downtown, hills, emergency brakes, eucalypti, panhandle, messenger bags, kites, golden gate park, a woman's monotone voice broadcasting into an empty firetruck, 100 bundles of metal fence ready to be erected for Outside Lands, double-wide strollers, the windmill tulip garden, persons taking pictures of people, slippery sand on smooth cement, sweaty sunscreen, litter, fog battling sun, and the Pacific Ocean. we turned left and headed south, with the wind. hitchhikers, zoo, broken glass, devil's slide at rush hour (oops, somehow the one thing we tried to avoid), muscles waking up, windsocks, downhill, cantaloupe juice, chile rellenos, and an icy-aired sunset. camped on the beach in half moon bay next to a crazy Polish lady and a couple who had biked the whole west (left LA in April) and were on their homestretch south. The Polish lady proselytized (do you beleive in god. i'm gonna live forever.) and spoke in toungues to feral cats, who fed and slept in her tent, and the couple mostly giggled in their tent, so we minded our own business. Back on a hill in San Francisco, something happened that never happened last year - I hit deck. It was such a geographically-specific wipeout. Front tire stuck in a cable-car track, with no room to turn hard either direction, there's only one way for momentum to deal with your body. Fly you off the bike. There was a convenient little area for me to crash, in between taxis, so aside from the scrapes, everything was fine.