This is already my 3rd day in San Diego. I like this city - it's pretty, alive and there is lots to see. I'm staying at a hostel in Gaslamp Quarter, right in the middle of downtown. It's full of restaurants, night clubs and stores. Right across the street, there is a night club with crazy parties that last until morning, even on week days. It's been hard to sleep at times.
Today, I went to the zoo, one of the most famous in the world and a must for anyone visiting this city. I have to admit that I liked it - it was worth the $$$, time and efforts. After the zoo, I picked up Surly from the bicycle shop where it got a major maintenance - chain, chainrings, cassette, cables, break pads, rear tire, broken shifter, etc. They've also changed the gear ratio so I can spin more when climbing steep hills. It now rides like new and should be good until Panama.
Tomorrow morning, I'm going into Baja California to start a new chapter in my adventure. The hostel is ~25km from customs. I'm now tired of California - too crowded and noisy, and I'm looking forward to being in a different world, no matter how scarry that is.
Hasta la vista, baby!
I've uploaded the last pictures for California (from 52 to 121).
27 août 2010 - Oakland, CA
Yesterday, I had my 1st conversation in Spanish with the cleaning lady from Guatemala. It was short but went well and made me feel good. On previous occasions when I tried to speak Spanish in restaurants, I was always replied to in English, and it was somewhat disappointing.28 août 2010 - Half Moon Bay, CA (48km)
Today, I'm in San Francisco to eat croissants and visit with Lindsay. I haven't had a decent croissant since BC.
The weather has changed drastically (~60F). I'll be hitting the road tomorrow. I'm still not sure how. Leaving from Oakland without getting on freeways is complicated. Maybe I can take the BART train. Liz & Paul have been great hosts but are extremely busy with work and the kids. There were also major problems at my home with the kids, and for the 1s time, I seriously considered flying back to help Elaine. Fortunately, things have settled a bit and are now more under control. I didn't expect things to turn this way.
Voila! De nouveau sur la route. Pour sortir de San Francisco, j'ai finalement pris le train de Oakland jusqu'à Daly City. Il y avait des ascenseurs pour monter et descendre sauf à un endroit ou j'ai du prendre l'escalier mécanique avec vélo et remorque chargés. Je suis arrivé à Half Moon Bay tôt et j'ai profité de la plage pour lire pendant quelques heures.
Ce soir, j'étrenne la nouvelle tente. Elle plus spacieuse avec 2 vestibules pour mettre plein de trucs, et aussi une petite fenêtre pour l'aération. L'entrée se fait par le coté. Elle pèse un peu plus, requière plus de travail à monter, mais jusqu'à maintenant, je suis très satisfait.
On gèle encore ici. Ou peut bien être la Californie de Bay Watch et de la télé?29 août 2010 - Moss Landing, CA (125km)
En descendant une cote à pleine vitesse, Bob a perdu son unique roue. Je n'ai pas planté mais j'ai eu la frousse.30 août 2010 - Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, CA (100km)
Il fait froid ce matin. Il fait froid en fin d'après-midi. Y'a qu'entre 12h et 17h ou on ne gèle pas.
Journée agréable. Le matin sur une piste cyclable à travers les lieux historiques de Montery et la réserve de Pacific Grove. J'ai décidé de terminer à Big Sur pcq'il y a une section "Hiker/Biker" et un magasin dans le parc. J'ai pu prendre une douche, la 1ere après 3 jours, et quelques bières avec d'autres cyclistes. Ce soir, je me sens plutôt bien après quelques jours difficiles.31 août 2010 - San Simeon, CA (113km)
A big day of climbing (>1500m). The ocean was covered with fog all day. I'm tired and freezing.1 septembre 2010 - Orcutt, CA (129km)
At the campground, I met a young family from Portland, Maine, traveling on bicycles. They were interested in my 2008 trip across Canada, particularly the section through the maritime provinces. They'd like to do a loop from Portland through New Foundland, and take the Relai Nordik like I did.
A good day and this is why I like to not always sleep at campgrounds. My hope to get to Gaviota State Park was extravagant - at 17h and still 65km to go. Instead, I got into this little town - Orcutt - to find a place to set camp for the night. The 1st attempt failed.The person I asked apologized but said the owner was away and he couldn't accept. So I went on to the general store to get more food for supper. That's where I met Aileen who just lived nearby and who didn't mind me setting my tent in her backyard. She and her friends were very welcoming. Again, I was given beer, invited to take a shower inside and given cake for desert. I'm also right in the middle of this cool town. So after supper (refried beans + avocados + totillas de mais), I I went to the local pizzeria. Quel bonheur! Oh, and we're ~12km from the ocean so it's warm. I'm so content tonight.2 septembre 2010 - Carpinteria, CA (141km)
3 septembre 2010 - Santa Monica, CA (136km)Journée de folie. Je ne sais pas pourquoi mais j'ai décidé de laisser la cote pour une incursion à l'intérieur des terres au pays des vignes et autres fruits et légumes. En route, j'ai discuté avec un autre cycliste qui m'a dit que j'étais fou, que je regretterais parce que j'allais devoir grimper plusieurs cotes importantes (>2000"). Pour essayer d'éviter les dites cotes, j'ai pris une route secondaire qui s'est avérée etre un chemin de gravel (Refugio Road), pour 4x4 ou vélo de montagne, sur ~20km avec une montée de 800m sous un soleil de plomb et >40C. J'ai beaucoup marché. La descente fut presque aussi pénible que la montée. Impossible de dépasser 10-15km/hr. Bon, j'en conserve quelques photos.
J'ai bien aimé traverser Santa Barbara en fin de journée. Plus que 80km avant LA.
Hier, j'ai recommencé les probiotiques. J'ai commencé à perdre du poids et je dois aussi préparer mon système digestif pour le Mexique.
Ce soir, 2 grandes assiettes de spaghetti pour souper, gracieuseté d'un couple de retraités qui ont initialement cru que j'étais un sans-abris lorsque je retournais à ma tente après la douche. Ok! Ai-je déjà mentionné que je pers du poids? Maintenant que je me regarde, c'est vrai que j'ai un peu le look "sans-abris". Et une tente, est-ce vraiment un abris?
Interesting day in many ways. I got my 1st flat tire of the trip. I had to stop on the side of a busy highway to replace the tube in Bob's wheel. In a way, I'm almost happy. "How many flat tires have I had so far?" is one of the most common questions I'm asked. And often, people seem disappointed when I answered "none".4 septembre 2010 - Dana Point, CA (122km)
Another weird 1st today is a bug that got into my helmet. I tried to get it out while still riding. I'm not sure what it was but it stung me right on the forehead. It hurt for a good 10min.
To finish the day around 18h00, I ended up in Santa Monica, which is right into Los Angeles, with no place to sleep or camp. A lifeguard on the beach suggested a hostel ~10km away, but when I got there, it was full. I asked lots of people around but no one had a backyard for my tent in this city of concrete and asphalte. I decided to go back to Pacific Avenue by the beach where the homeless people hang around and sleep, and felt pretty depressed. I finally did what anyone should do in desperate situations - eat lots of pizza & spaghetti. Suddenly, sleeping on a bench didn't seem as bad. Later on, I met a woman who asked me questions about my trip, and who suggested a different area of town where I would have better luck finding a cheap motel room. The motel I found wanted $80 but cash only for their cheapest room. So I went on to find an ATM, and on my quest for $$$, met an older couple without a backyard but who knew a hostel about 1mi away - Hostel California - where I'm finally sleeping tonight. I got here in the dark, but all in all, not a bad ending. For $25, I share a room with 2 interesting Brits, get a shower and a bed, and lots of good conversations with others from Europe and Argentina.
The beaches here in Santa Monica are incredible. And they are full of people in bathing suits instead of wet suits.
Journée de vélo entièrement en milieu urbain à l'exception d'un bout sur la plage. Plus que ~110km avant San Diego.5 septembre 2010 - San Diego, CA (124km)
What initially looked like an easy day ended up being relatively challenging. The day started so well. Not long after leaving Dana Point, I met another cyclist on the road. An Italian guy with whom I rode until the end of the Base Camp Pendleton. We chatted while riding and I did not need to worry about directions. He got me breakfast, we took a picture and we parted. A bit later, a group of cyclists also helped me zigzag through Oceanside. Life was good until I got to La Jolla, a suburb of San Diego, and started to worry about getting away from the coast without knowing if I was going towards downtown where I had reserved a room in a hostel earlier. The funny thing is that no one could give me directions to get downtown without getting on freeways. After expressing a bit of frustration, a grocery store employee gave me directions to a gas station where I finally found a map of San Diego. I basically saw 2 options. A 1st one, by the coast, which looked complicated, and another on Genesis Av. which I picked. What the map didn't say is that Genesis Av goes up and down like a roller coaster. At each up, I was hoping that it would be the last one and that I would get an incredible view of the city on the other side. That never happened. It was as if the road had been designed by a sadistic person who would hate cyclists.
The hostel is nice and right in the middle of downtown (Market St & 5th). This seems like a hot spot and we have a night club with live music from my window on the 3rd floor. I ate so much that I feel bad, and I'm so tired that I'm going to bed. The music is very loud but not so bad after all.
