Day 57: September 6th, 2010 (Route: Pacific Palisades, CA to San Clemente, CA)

Day 57: September 6th, 2010 (Route: Pacific Palisades, CA to San Clemente, CA)

Technical Data: (Lost to PowerTap freezing in the "Host" mode!)

Distance, miles: ~93 miles
Ride Time: ~6-7 hours
Work, kJ: 3500+
Average Power, watts: N/A
Normalized Power, watts: N/A
Average Speed, mph: N/A

Leaving the Pacific Palisades this morning was not something I really wanted to do! The hospitality, as I would describe as "Southern" was out of this world. One couldn't ask for a better place to relax. I hope that someday I'll be able to live like this with the charm, the class, the gentleness of the Christian heart to give to those in need. The Gregory's will be remembered for the remainder of my days and I do hope keeping n touch is in our future!

The day started with me waking and feeling really ready to go to be honest, I did as I normally do when staying with a host. Trying to leave no trace by picking up after myself and leaving their place the way I found it. After I had everything picked up I jumped in the shower to wake up, I love showers in the morning as its kinda like my coffee, warm water to warm the muscles to start the day is ideal for me! Out of the shower, Carl had oatmeal ready so I joined him for my last meal with Carl. Pretty quiet morning, as I wanted to be more of a fly on the wall, versus a pesky little mosquito. I did and still do have have so many questions for Carl on his sucessess, however respecting was more on my mind when sitting down for breakfast. I sure hope I can email him or chat with all my questions in the future. Was this an opportunity lost, I think not! Four friendships gained as how I will leave the Palisades (I don't think I'll ever be ale to Thank them enough though...

Rolling out Condo down the short climb up to there place, Carl followed behind heading to the Bay Club to watch his son play in a Paddle Tennis Tournement. I was blessed with the opportunty to watch two new games over the last two days, Bocci Ball and Paddle Tennis. As a fan of games I was really studying the game when watching. His son won the doubles thru the semi-finals and will play for the championship next Monday. I wish him the best! At the bottom of the hill Carl and I exchange one last fair well before I head south.

Once onto the beach trail I have about 150 miles to San Diego and its Sunday, with my flight leaving on Thursday I have tons of time to get there! So I'm going to take it easy, really thinking I'll rock the East coast in a couple of weeks because I'll be so rested going in. I think this may have happened for a reason thought, think about it I've been needing the rest and forcing me to rest by delaying my flight is sure one way to do it! Now the big challenge is to battle the thoughts as the mind fills!

The beach is pretty bare at 7:30AM - however it is a holiday weekend, family's are starting to setup BBQ's, chairs, tents, et cetera all for a day of fun with family! Tons of thoughts fill the mind on this stretch, from the homeless I see sleeping in the sand, to the runners, cyclist, the roller bladers and walkers. The city of LA is definitely waking up, that is if it ever sleeps! Seeing the coast further south I could see the difference in the city. The beach area was really not that busy so I didn't get to see what every body wanted me to see, and to be honest I was okay with that as being on the bike path would have slowed me down. The legs were feeling pretty good today, though not completely race day ready, however you have to work on days you don't want to so its off to a campground north of San Diego for the night.

Rolling South the mind is filling with great thoughts and I'm just watching the oncoming traffic and really just enjoying the sound of the ocean! Thoughts of my future, of work, of vacations, my nieces, and on and on! So many things...

Riding down to the end of the trail I jumped onto some bike routes and navigated south, not knowing the route I figured I would just wing it by staying close to the coast. I get passed by numerous cyclist this morning, and I'm thinking just let me drop this trailer and I'll smoke ya! I was feeling great today the riding was good, smooth roads, great temperatures, and little wind. The guys that passed me talked for a little bit and were about to go and do a 2 mile TT hill climb, I was thinking o' how much fun that would be, however not with BoB!

I continue to roll down the PCH, needing water I stop in at StarBucks and grab some water, I like to do this sometimes as its a good place to relax, grab some electrons and use the wi fi if I want. This stop was an interesting one though, a gentlemen from OR helped me with directions to navigate my way through the city with less traffic and a safe route to Long Beach. I could tell he was a deep thinker and enjoyed chatting with him and couldn't thank him enough for guiding me thru the city to the PCH again. All in a few minutes and I was back on track. This was so random as he actually jumped in the car to navigate me out of the city, I have to send that guy a Thank You down the road someday if I can locate him! He really helped out to be honest and I felt like I was on track out the drive at the Starbucks.

Heading down the coast through Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach and many others it was going to be a busy day at the beaches! So many people, so many cars! The cars were pretty cool though - lots of luxery cars on the PCH today, from Porshes, Ferrari's, Bently's, Ashton Martin, and many others it was really cool to hear them cruise by. Again, like the thought the other day would love to drive one but really don't think I would want to own one!

The ride today to San Clemente, where I decided to stop was really fast! The roads were flat up till I hit San Clemente where the terrain is really rolling, short climbs that wake the legs up which I was really looking foward too to be honest, the flats that I was riding started to get a little mundane and I wanted something to power through for training. The day was great and I really enjoyed riding today, however I'm really looking foward to getting off the California coast and getting into the foilage of the East coast!

The last couple days have been extremely enjoyable with so many great moments, I can contest the last two days I have been 100% in the moment, enjoying every moment. Lots of thoughts over the last couple of days too, with a lot of thought of just heading back up north to see how she would respond if I just moved to Eugene to live to get to know her. To how my mind needs somethign to keep me occupied, about my book and how really want to express my biology/economic point of view on the current state of history we are living in! We are in historical times economically with unemployment and I'm part of that statistic - things will turn, the real question that every body wants answered is when? All the bad news will break when it the time is right, according to some its all about timing! I personally have some opinions, however its truly up to the numbers...and since that sounds like a lot of work I'll have to research more and write my thoughts on that when the time presents itself.

Rolling into San Clemente I meet another cyclist that directed me into this little rental bike shop where I hung out for a while. The people were great, John and I shared bike setups and he shared his hopes of qualifying for a ride in France next year. I listened and just soaked in the moments as they came, after talking with the owners on where to stay and other things I decided to head to StarBucks to start writing, then I thought forget that I'll head and set up camp and just relax for a little bit.

Once to San Clemente State Park I get the "NO Hiker/Biker" sites - I think this is an interesting scenario! The next hiker/biker site is 30 miles down the road and I've changed already and really not wanting to push that close to San Diego yet and its late in the evening without lights. Before I left the bike shop I was given the phone number to the shop, so I called the shop and let them know that the information they had was no good and that I wanted to push south to the next site, and asked how far that was. He mentioned he would come and pick me up and take me to San Mateo, we do this and sure enjogh that's full too with no hiker/biker sites so what to do...He thinks for a moment on where and decides to allow me to crash with him, however I would have to hang out at a coffee shop until they finish dinner. So he drops me off at Starbucks to hang out, then calls about 20 minutes later that he's changed plans to go home and cook and he's heading back to pick me up.

What a blessing this was! No place to stay and then a warm bed, hot shower, and good company for the evening before I push on to San Diego!



There have been so many thoughts over the last couple of days that have been lost, I do hope I can remember them soon when I'm sitting at a computer to capture all these thoughts I have had. As I sit here at a Starbucks this morning the crowds craving the caffeine, a hummingbird flutters around the sweet nector of the birds of paradise outside the window. Cyclist, trucks, cars, taxis buzzing along the busy streets outside, I sit thinking, wondering, dreaming! Suns behind the scattered clouds, winds out of the south, rides going to be nice just waiting as its only sixty miles to San Diego. Ready to ride in the foilage in the east, failing to live in the moment of the great western coast right now. Conversation to my left, topics all over the place, from climbing techniques, to surface confresations, to business, and so much more. Ever just sit and take it all in? I mean really take it all in...

Thinking of the ride south, I might hit the intensity today and then just relax the next couple of days? Will she respond? Have I overdone things physically? Is the feeling in the index, middle, and ring finger of my left hand permanant or temporary? The tingling sensation has not faded, have I damaged the nerve running through there?

To the ride I go - to meet Julie the host that has been kind enough to allow me to crash at her and her husbands place until my flight. I'm sure thousands of thoughts will be on the mind over the next three days! Lots of chores then to the East coast all with my heart wanting to head back to the NW...