Day 56, September 26th 2007 (Santa Cruz,CA to Los Banos,CA)

It was great to wake up in the morning and be able to learn more about Siobhan. Although she was in a hurry to get to work, she still managed to spare some time to chat with me. She was able to tell me that she had completed an ironman triathlon. Being that I love the competition and the environment of triathlons, I was fascinated to hear this. Then she went on to tell me that the famous Julie Moss and Mark Allen both lived in her neighborhood. Julie Moss only lived 3 houses away and was well known for her crawl through the finish line, as she had fallen exhausted only a few feet from crossing. Mark Allen is a well known triathlete and has won a good amount of the Hawaii Ironman Triathlons. After realizing that I was in a neighborhood of well acclaimed athletes it made sense to me Siobhan said next. She said that her friend, didn't say she was crazy for doing the ironman. Instead, they said, "oh yeah that's great, which one?" It was another beautiful day in California and I was ready to see more of the country. Before Siobhan left for work, she left me plenty of food for breakfast and lined me up with a family to stay with when I left Yosemite. It was so cool to see so many incredible things line up along my trip, I had truly been blessed. I ate some food, showered, and packed my stuff up for the road. I left a little later than I had originally planned, but I didn't think I was going to have a problem making it to where i was going. Using the directions and maps I was given, I made it out of Santa Cruz and headed inland. I was going further and further away from the ocean. It was strange to look down at my compass and see that I was going east instead of west. Before east had meant I was going the wrong way, and now it would be the right direction for a good distance ahead of me. The weather was beautiful again. It seemed like you just couldn't run into bad weather in this area. I was going east for about 50 miles before I decided to take a lunch break. I had some delicious peanut butter sandwiches with a new treat I had been given before I left Siobhans. It was a little piece of apple pie and it was nice to munch on something so sweet and good before I put in some miles ahead. I was looking at a good climb ahead and it was going to be first big climb of the day. It seemed like I had drifted further from the coast and everything was so much flatter now. The climb ahead was a good mountain and it took me from about sea level to the top of the summit at 1500 feet. Some of the parts on the climb were fairly steep and it took me a good amount of time to reach the summit. I had been warned about the steep climb up and even about the downhill. There was an incredibly large reservoir down towards the base of the mountain and it was great for wind surfing. So because it was great for wind surfing it meant that there was a great deal of wind. So as i headed down the mountain, I was expecting to hold on for my life at what the wind was going to throw at me. Instead, I was braking most of the way down the hill just because my shoulder of road I was riding on was in such bad shape. The road I was on was a freeway and was the only route I could take to get me across to where i needed to be so it had to be done. The problem wasn't going up the hill, because the shoulder was in great shape and was fairly clean. Going down the hill they decided to put rumble strips all the way down to the base of the mountain and it left me with quite the descent. I had a foot to the right of the rumble strips that i could ride on, but with the amount of glass, wood, and shredded tires, the rumble strips were almost a better choice. So for a good 1,000 feet down I wasn't able to enjoy much of the hill that I had put so much time in to climbing. Once i reached the base of the mountain the rumble strips still remained, but there was a lot more room for me to ride on and the road had cleared up a lot. I only had a few miles to go before I hit Los Banos and I was glad to see that I was close to the campground. Things were kind of shaky after going down the hill and it was great to have a flat road. The next few miles were completely flat and I was trying to figure out where all of the mountains had gone. I saw some cornfields and couldn't figure out if I was still in California. It seemed like I had made it back to Iowa at this point. It was starting to get dark outside and i was staring at a full moon in front of me, even though the sun was still going down behind me. I was headed for the campground, but I saw a sign for a fairground to the left and figured that it would be a good free place to stay for the night. I didn't even make it a block up the road when I saw a church on my left. I saw some cars in the lot and figured that maybe i could stay on their lawn for the night and have permission from the pastor. I noticed the sign on the door said they had service at 7:30 and it was 7:20 so I figured I could attend church and then talk to the pastor afterwards. It was a large Hispanic neighborhood that I was in and it was different to attend a church where I was the minority. The church was the Victory Outreach in Los Banos. It was more of a contemporary service and the band that was playing sounded great. It was a great service and I was very happy that i had pulled off to attend the service at the right time. The pastor was pastor Chris. I was able to chat with him for a little while and after he found out that I had ridden my bike all the way from Iowa he wanted to do anything he could to help me. I told him that I was just looking to put my tent in the church lawn if that was okay, but he wouldn't have it. He called a pastor from another church and said, "I'm going to hook you up." Those were great words that were very true. After talking to the pastor he told me that I could stay in a hotel only a couple of blocks away called the Relax Inn. I was only looking to camp but now had been given a free room to stay in for the night. It was such a great way to end such a disappointing downhill into this town. I was able to show up at the motel and they knew I was coming and had everything ready to go for me. All I had to do was take the key and carry my bike up a flight of stairs to a hotel room for the evening. It was great to have a nice hot shower and a warm bed to sleep in before taking off on the adventure that tomorrow had in store for me.
Daily mileage: 86.5 miles
Average Speed: 13.8 mph
Total mileage: 3,297.1 miles

Day 55, September 25th 2007 (San Francisco,CA to Santa Cruz,CA)

It was my last day at the luxurious stay with my cousin in San Francisco. It was time to see more of the country and get on my way. It was also my last morning of pancakes for probably a good while. The pancakes tasted so good and were perfect for a ride in the morning. I said my goodbyes to the family in the morning and couldn't thank Chuck, Samona, and Emma enough. They had been so gracious over the past few days and I can't imagine what my trip would have been like without them. They had gone out of their way to accommodate my stay in San Francisco and made it hard for me to leave. I was on the road around 11 and was ready for a nice little ride to Santa Cruz. I was expecting a 75 mile ride ahead of me and was ready to go. It felt a little awkward at first when I was on the bike, but after about 10 miles, I was back. The bike was working very well and my body was ready for a beating. It was interesting spending the first 20 miles of my ride on a route that I had driven only a couple of days earlier. There were a lot more climbs that I didn't notice in the car that were fairly challenging on a bicycle. As I headed up towards Devil's Slide, I was panting until I made it to the top. I was glad that I had planned a shorter route today, and was going to ease myself into some longer rides. It was incredible to spend a little more time seeing the production on Devil's Slide, but when I reached the top it was a free fall back to the bottom. It was the same terrain of highway 1 that I had been used to. One climb or windy road in the front of me and a stellar view of the ocean on my side. It was my last day riding by the ocean so I wanted to make sure I wouldn't forget it. I didn't stop riding for the first 65 miles into the ride and then decided to pull over for some food. I was only 10 miles outside of Santa Cruz and I was making pretty good time. With a few snacks in me, I headed the remaining miles into town. It was a fairly easy ride in and I must have had the best day for riding. It was surprisingly warm, at almost 80 degrees for the afternoon, and it felt great. The coastal breeze was nice enough to cool me down when things were getting too warm. I made it to Santa Cruz in no time and started to look for my directions to Siobhan Saunder's house. She was on the warm shower's list that I had been enjoying so much along my trip. I was able to follow the directions through the beautiful city and had no problem finding the house. When I arrived at the front door, there was a note that said she was out on a run and to enjoy the ocean at the end of the road. I went to the end of the road and was amazed to see so many surfers. There were at least a 100 surfers out in the ocean and I enjoyed watching them for a good hour. Being my last day to enjoy the ocean I was glad that I was finally able to find such a great spot to see so many surfers that knew what they were doing. There were some pretty good waves tat were coming through and everyone seemed to be out. By this time I figured that Siobhan was probably back home, so I headed the one block back up the street to meet her and her roommate Jen. It was a beautiful home with a great location to the ocean. I was shown where the shower was when I arrived and took advantage of that instantly. When I was out of the shower Siobhan told me she had to go somewhere for the evening, but if I wanted to I could eat at a friend of hers. She gave me directions and I was able to take her cruiser up the road a few blocks. At the house I was able to meet Regina, Dave, and their daughter. They were not only expecting me when I arrived, but had made the perfect dinner for me. An incredible pasta was on the menu for the evening, along with a couple of splendid salads. I replenished all of the carbs and stored some for tomorrow's ride ahead. It was a great evening to chat with the family and to meet them and their hear some of their adventurous stories. I was given great directions from Dave, out of the city, and really wasn't sure what I would have done if I wouldn't have met them. I'm not sure if they have a cyclist pass through everyday, but they were perfect host and seemed as if they had done this on a regular basis. Regina was a great inspiration, as she was a strong swimmer. She told me how she was involved in a swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco City. It was over a mile and a half swim and the water was normally around 50 degrees. She performed the swim without a wetsuit and I couldn't believe it. 50 degrees was definitely too cold for me to swim in, but here Regina was, a sole survivor for achieving the impossible. Not only did she complete the swim, but she had also won the race. It was a lot of fun spending time with the family and on such short notice. Regina had talked to Siobhan only earlier in the day and everything had been worked out. I left the house feeling much more confident about my ride ahead, and cruised to Siobhans on the cruiser. It was so much fun to take the cruiser around for the few blocks along the ocean. This was easily the best stay that I could have asked for, being my last day on the ocean. I returned back to Siobhan's house and Jen was home. Jen had just recently moved in and although she was still just getting things in, she was very helpful and accommodating to my visit as well. She had made my bed that I would sleep in and made sure I had everything that I needed. Shortly after, Siobhan came home and continued to be very helpful. Being a cyclist in the area, she gave me plenty of directions and maps to get me through the state of California. It seemed nearly impossible to be lost at this point. The only thing that I could do from here was rest and mentally prepare myself for the ride ahead.
Daily mileage: 81.0 miles
Average Speed: 14.2 mph
Total mileage: 3,210.6 miles

Day 54, September 24th 2007 (San Francisco,CA to San Francisco,CA)

One relaxing day after another, I'm not sure if I'm ever going to be able to get back on my bike. I've been treated so well from my cousin that I could stay here forever. My time to leave is going to be tomorrow though and it has been a great stop in the San Francisco area. I've spent the past few days soaking in an incredible stay of this adventure and have prepared myself for the journey east. Samona had prepared another great breakfast for me as I woke up. Eggs and toast with some tomatoes on the side. Each meal was prepared with such craftsmanship and I looked forward to every meal that we ate. I knew that when I left tomorrow I was truly going to miss the cooking that I had received here. I spent the afternoon and the majority of the day taking care of some things on the computer. It was nice to catch up on a few things and to prepare myself with a few last minute things for the road. Laundry was taken care of and I also spent some time doing a few last minute things to the bike. I wanted to make sure that I had everything taken care of before I hit the road. For lunch I was able to have some more of Samona's great soup and it tasted just as good the second time around. I felt horrible that I was spending most of the beautiful day inside, but I needed to take care of some things. The temperature was in the mid 70's and it was an incredibly gorgeous afternoon. By the time dinner had come around I was still in the process of finishing things up, but I was getting near the end. Dinner was one thing that was an experience in itself. Every dinner I had while I stayed here was the best dinner I had eaten in a long time. The dinner that was prepared tonight though, was one that could be up there with the best. I was shown an incredible way to prepare some baby back ribs and some great beans to go along with them. The baby back ribs were a technique from the sauce to the cooking of the ribs themselves. Each role was just as important as the other to make this meal incredible. Everything was cooked from one process to another and it ended up being the best ribs I had eaten in my life. I couldn't get my hands off of them as soon as they hit the table. From my plate to my mouth I consumed every last piece of meet and had a lot of the beans as well. I was floating by the time the plate was empty and I couldn't believe I had eaten all that I had. It was another great night where I would be going to bed on a full stomach. I was planning on heading to Santa Cruz tomorrow and although it would only be a 75 mile ride I wanted to have a good night sleep to start out in the best condition. My body was on cloud 9 at this point and was ready for what would be thrown at it in the upcoming days.
Daily mileage: 0.0 miles
Total mileage: 3,129.6 miles

Day 53, September 23rd 2007 (San Francisco,CA to San Francisco,CA)

The good times just keep on rolling. With french toast to start the morning, it was another great day. The weather had been a little foggy to start the morning today, just as it was yesterday. With fog in the sky, it did happen to be a little warmer outside today. It was warmer by maybe only a few degrees, but it made it possible to wear shorts and a t-shirt. We lounged around a little before starting the great afternoon, and it felt good to relax and enjoy eachother's company. We had to wait for the afternoon to warm up a little and as the day went forward it grew nicer outside. We planned on heading to the beach this afternoon, so I was glad to see the temperatures change as they did. While we sat indoors we ate a nice warm soup that Samona had prepared. It was full of many fresh vegetables and it tasted amazing. It was the perfect thing to have to warm you up while sitting indoors on the cool day. The view from the window of the house never ceased to amaze me, and I caught myself staring out of it many times throughout the day. As we sat inside we were able to view a cool show on the discovery channel. It was, the making of highway 1 on the coast. They showed all of the work that had to be done to make the road possible for traveling. From all of the dynamite they had to use to make some of the roads possible in the mountains to the bridges they used to make it possible to go in between mountains. It was incredible to see all of the work they had gone through to make it possible for a road to travel along the ocean. It was such a beautiful road from what I had seen so far and I couldn't wait to view what laid ahead. It was such a beautiful day to explore around 3, and I was anxious to get a glimpse of what my ride would be like when we left. We drove down highway 1 south, past Devil's Slide, and saw some incredible scenery. Devil's slide was such a unique place, as I was told that the area had to be closed for 5-6 months because of it's most recent land slide. They had repaired the road, but were starting to build a tunnel inside of the mountain because of all of the troubles the location of the road had caused. I'm not sure when the process will be done, but it looked like it was coming along fairly well as we passed by. The road seemed like it didn't change to much as we headed south. It seemed like the highway 1 that I had experienced north of San Francisco was about the same as I was travelling south of San Francisco. Everything seemed to go by fairly quick as we travelled in the car, and I knew it was going to be interesting to see the difference of driving and cycling as this was going to be the same route I would take in a couple of days. When we reached the beach it was interesting to find out that this wasn't any normal beach. This was Maverick Beach. Famous for having some of the largest waves in the area. Around November all of the big professional surfers will come to this beach and compete for a large cash prize. With over 75 foot waves that come pounding in to the beach, people will stand high up on the cliff to view the competition. It seemed like such an incredible event and would be amazing to witness. The waves that we witnessed weren't exactly 75 foot waves, but they were maybe some 5-10 foot waves. There were a few kayaks out in the area and it seemed like it could have been fairly dangerous in certain parts, as the rocks were in their way. We spent the day enjoying the weather and the beach. It was a great afternoon to spend on the beach and I absolutely loved the hours there. It was fun to be able to play with Emma at the beach and it was great to spend some time enjoying what I had come so far to see, the ocean. As we finished up at the beach we started to head toward the harbor. We were going to have crab for the evening and it was best to cook the live ones. We asked some of the fisherman if they had any crabs, but it turned out that it was out of season at the harbor. The off season was apparently July to November and to receive any live ones they were coming from Washington or Alaska's shore. We went up the harbor to a little store. The shop sold Washington crabs and we were able to get three of them. They weren't crabs from the harbor right where we were, but they were still live crabs and they weighed out at 5 lbs. It was quite the process when we came back to the house and started to cook them. We boiled up some water and it was pretty cool to watch them as they fell in to the boiling water. With their claws shaking violently out of the water. Even though they were alive, my mouth was watering at the sight of how big these crabs were. Everything was incredible as dinner edged closer. Samona had prepared an incredible salad with fresh avocados, tomatoes, onions, leafy greens, carrots, fresh feta cheese, and a few other vegetables. There was a butter sauce that was able to be heated as we enjoyed our crabs and it was a picture worthy moment. From the most incredibly relaxing day to the most incredible meal. I continually had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming as everything was falling into place the way that it was. I had truly been shown San Francisco as if a king to the area. Sleeping on a full stomach was never a problem and waking up seemed like it was always full of one surprise after another.
Daily mileage: 0.0 miles
Total mileage: 3,129.6 miles

Day 52, September 22nd 2007 (San Francisco,CA to San Francisco,CA)

I was still in a daze when I woke up this morning. I really couldn't believe how fortunate I was to be able to have contacted and stay with my cousin on such short notice. He and his wife had a spare room for me to sleep in and it was so great to have a shower and all of the luxuries that I had taken for granted before I left on my trip. I had no idea what was going to be involved for the day ahead, but it seemed like everything was already planned out. Everyone woke up, after sleeping in, and we had a great breakfast. With eggs, toast, and fresh fruit. I couldn't have imagined the day unfolding as it did for it was amazing. No one had to work since it was the weekend and it made for a day full of exploration. We headed down the road to start the day by taking a look at San Francisco from a distance. We went to a place called Twin Peaks which was just up the hill from where his house was located. From the west part of San Francisco, where the ocean and the famous Golden Gate were located, all the way to the east, where the Oakland bridge was located, it was an incredible view of the city. We took awhile to take it all in at the top because it was an absolutely spectacular site. From the top we started to venture down the mountain and into the downtown area. We headed into the famous Castro district, the Height district, Ashbury Rd., and I was even able to ride a street car at one point downtown. We were driving along the road and in the center of the road was what looked like a little bus that was on rails in the center. There were two conductors, one in front and one in back, and it was just cruising right along. My cousin had a ticket for the street car and told me that if I've never done it I should jump on. So I hopped out of his car, jumped on the street car, and they met me about 10 blocks up the road where I was able to jump off. It was a very cool way to travel and it looked like they had two of these street cars that went both east and west and north and south. From the street car adventure we were able to get a spectacular view of what was supposed to be a very famous view of the city, The Painted Ladies. With 6 brightly colored Victorian houses in the front, with a spectacular view of the city in the background. The Painted Ladies were in the Alamo park and there were a lot of people enjoying the view. We went from there towards China Town. There was a large parade and fair in China Town for the Fall Moon Festival. It was a cool time to be in China Town, and it was packed. Every square inch was covered with multiple people and it was a fight to move forward in the crowd. We charged our way through all of the vendors and all of the crowds until we made ourselves to Little Italy. It was still busy on the roads and sidewalks, but it wasn't nearly as crowded as China Town. It was an incredible city to be able to travel through and was full of so many things. There were a lot of little coffee shops and little restaurants on each block and all of the places consisted of apartments on the top. Every square inch of the city was put towards making sure the most revenue was coming out of the area. We stopped and had some coffee and tea at one of the little cafes. Since it was starting to get fairly late we headed up the road and grabbed a great dinner at a Peruvian and Bolivian restaurant. The menu consisted of a few great entrees and it seemed impossible to pick something you wouldn't like. We had a platter of many different things to start the meal and then had our entrees served after the platter. It was a great dinner and was a nice little restaurant. Apparently the restaurant was owned by a local band and the band would play Friday and Saturday nights at 8. We had eaten around 6:30 so we finished before the band was going to play, but it seemed like a very nice set up. We were all stuffed when we left the restaurant and luckily didn't have to walk to far to get to where the car had been parked. We hiked back through China Town and to the car. It was an eventful day and wasn't quite over. We went back to Twin Peaks, where we had started the day. From the view of the city at Twin Peaks we were able to see San Francisco with all of the lights filled throughout the city. Although it was the same view as before it was completely new because of the hour that we were witnessing it. From the bridge's lights in the west all the way through the city it was absolutely spectacular. The temperature wasn't too cold for it being so late and it made for a good time to see some new things. From the top of the mountain we went back to the house and spent the remainder of the evening watching some football on T.V. It was the most I had seen of San Francisco and I feel that I was given the best tour of the city than anyone who could have a day to enjoy it. A great tour from a tour guide would have never compared to the day that I had embarked on. I was incredibly thankful for all of the great things I had run into on my travels and was told that tomorrow would be just as good if not better. I couldn't believe it, but every day is full of new surprises. So we'll see what happens.
Daily mileage: 0.0 miles
Total mileage: 3,129.6 miles

Day 51, September 21st 2007 (Larkspur,CA to San Francisco,CA)

It was depressing seeing Ryan, Rachel, and Elliott for the last time at the breakfast table this morning. We enjoyed the infamous pancakes and gushers that we had enjoyed at the breakfast table the first morning and then they were off to another day of school. It was my last time seeing them and I can't wait to meet them again later in life to hear of their explorations. Maybe they'll be on an adventure down the road and need a place to stay and I could be on the other end of their travels this time around. It was incredible to meet them and hear of their adventurous personalities that they held at such a young age as they were. With their admiration towards mountain biking they had truly been blessed with an excellent area to pursue their interests. The pancakes were just as amazing this time around as they were the first time and it was a great breakfast to have for the day ahead. There was nothing I loved more than a stack of pancakes. After breakfast I went to the bike shop down the street and was able to have all of my problems taken care of. A new cassette and chain was put on and with all of the other work I had done to the bike, it was ready for the road. Everything was in pristine shape and running at its' full potential. I could tell when I first started to ride that I had been taken care of by the mechanics at The Village Peddler and my bike was ready for some more miles. My body was feeling so much more relaxed and rested compared to when I was riding a couple of days earlier and I was ready for the short ride that I had ahead. As I came back to the house I packed everything up and made sure I had everything ready to go. I didn't have much to manage on the road with me, but I wanted to make sure that I wasn't missing anything. I had a few things left to take care of on the computer and as I was finishing up, Mary had picked up some deli sandwiches from down the street. I was able to talk with her and Todd for a short while over lunch and it was nice for them to have given me as much time as they had out of their lives over the past few days. I said my good byes and I left feeling in forever debt for all of the great things they had done for me. They were an incredible family and I feel blessed that I was able to spend part of my trip with them. I followed the directions that I had out of Larkspur and it wasn't long before I was in the town of Mills Valley, just over the hill. I took a turn that added a few scenic miles in the wrong direction and I must have gone about 4 miles before I realized it. I had headed out on Belvedere and Tiburon's peninsula and was able to see some of the most expensive real estate in San Francisco Bay. Most of the homes were built on a mountain with an incredible view of San Francisco, the bay, the ocean, and all of the other lovely homes in the area. I turned around and made it back to Mills Valley so that I could go in the appropriate direction. I found the path that I was looking for and was fortunate to meet another cyclist who was headed in to the city. She found out where I was headed and took me from where I was, across the Golden Gate Bridge, and into the city most of the way that I needed to go. I couldn't have come at a better time into the city. The previous day it had rained and today it was gorgeous outside. The temperature was at its' usual 70 degrees and it was nothing but blue skies overhead. I was on a short joy ride for the day and I was able to cruise along the coast on a bike path before I dove into town. When I started to dive in town I was on a road that had some pretty good traffic, but I didn't have far to go before I was at my cousins. My legs felt great for the day and it was a nice short ride for them before they would be able to rest for another couple of days. I made it to Chuck's place after the beautiful ride and was able to meet he and his wife Samona and their beautiful little girl Emma. Emma was 2 and half years old and I found out quickly that she was a genius. Some nice big steaks were on course for the meal ahead along with some freshly cooked asparagus. It was a great meal to enjoy while getting to know my cousin and his family a little more. Everything about the evening was just perfect and I was truly treated as a king from the moment I entered his castle. He has a beautiful home in San Francisco with a nice back yard and an incredible view of the city. it was a lot to take in all at once and I spent the remainder of the evening coming to grips with the entire situation that I had stumbled myself into. It was great to be able to learn more about Charles and see how he was doing here in the big city. He seemed to be doing very well and it sounded like he had also spent a lot of his years travelling. With many years being spent in Europe and the most recent of those years in Romania, where he had met Samona. I was able to see many pictures of Romania and it looked like such a beautifully untouched country that it was hard to imagine making the transition to a big city. From a beautiful area that had a desolate population to where he was now living in the midst of millions of people. I loved to hear of all of the travels that he had been able to venture on through all of his years abroad and it was a great evening that helped me to realize how many years I still had to live in front of me. With so much time for so many more adventures to so many more places, it was hard to believe I was still not even half way on the journey I was on. I was having such a great time where I was that it was hard to believe that I was going to eventually have to leave.
Daily mileage: 33.4 miles
Average Speed: 11.3 mph
Total mileage: 3,129.6 miles

Day 50, September 20th 2007 (Larkspur,CA to Larkspur,CA)

Two days in a row now where I was able to rest. I was treated to some delicious granola and an assortment of fruits for the beginning of the day. Mary had a friend that grew a variety of fruits and one of them was an orange. The oranges that we were eating were so much sweeter than I was used to and they tasted so much better, in my opinion. From spending the first few hours able to relax and finish the book I had started, The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis, I was really starting to enjoy my stay here more and more. After I had spent a few hours of the morning relaxing, Mary wanted to take me in town to San Francisco. It wasn't very far into the city from where we were and it was nice to be given a little tour into the city while I was here. We went across the Golden Gate Bridge and into a popular strip called Union Street. It was full of a lot of little shops and we were able to go into one of the great delis on the street for lunch. The deli had great sandwiches and excellent desserts. It was very nice to be taken around as I was and I couldn't thank Mary enough for taking some time out of her afternoon to treat me to the city. There were so many incredible houses throughout the city and each one was very unique. From the gardens in the front of the house to the colors of the houses, everything was different. It was something that was very cool to see and explore. We headed back into Larkspur after viewing some incredible real estate and it was unbelievable how the weather changed over such short distances. From one area to another you could escape the fog or be at a completely different elevation in the area. We went back over the bridge and out of the great city of San Francisco. I had contacted my cousin in San Francisco, Charles Chongo, just a couple of days earlier and was looking forward to seeing him. I was planning on leaving tomorrow in the afternoon and I knew that it was going to be hard to leave Larkspur. Not only was it going to be difficult to leave the Clydes, who had treated me so well, but it was also going to be difficult to find the best route into the downtown area. I spent some time when I returned to the house to look up an appropriate route for a cyclist. I planned a route and was ready for what lay ahead. I was able to spend more time with the Clyde family after I used the computer for a short while and it was depressing that this was going to be my last night with them. I felt like I had just arrived and was taking off, but at the same time this was a journey that needed to continue. After a feast for a meal I was able to crawl back to the same bed I had slept in the previous two days and only had a couple of things to do the following day. The new 10 speed cassette had been shipped in earlier in the day and so I was looking forward to going to the bike shop and having my bike in pristine condition before going east. I went to bed and was preparing myself for a short ride to the city.
Daily mileage: 0.0 miles
Total mileage: 3,096.2 miles

Day 49, September 19th 2007 (Larkspur,CA to Larkspur,CA)

It was an incredible feeling waking up and not having to pack anything up to get myself on the road. This was a great vacation spot inside of a vacation. I had nowhere that I intended to ride to for the day except for a couple of miles to a bike shop down the road. My legs were still exhausted from pushing them the day before and I knew they were going to be happy over the next few days. I figured it was time to take a break after putting in so many miles to get here, and to prepare myself for the adventure to the east coast. As I walked down the stairs to the kitchen, everyone was starting to get up. Whether it was for work or school, it was the beginning of the day. I had awoken from the great scent of the pancake griddle and was fed a mountain stack of pancakes. Although I thought the pancakes were incredible, I learned something new. There were good pancakes and then there were the bast pancakes, known as "gushers." The kids absolutely loved the gushers and knew exactly when they were how they should be. When it is still a little raw on the inside of the pancakes, then you know you have experienced the next best thing to living itself. I only saw these gushers from a distance and was a little nervous about actually stepping in to see what they were like, so I left the experience to the kids at the table. After the thrill of morning Ryan and Rachel were on their bikes to go to school. Ryan was in the fifth grade and Rachel was in the 3rd grade. They were intent to make it on time and with their morning energy they seemed wide awake. Elliott didn't have to be at preschool until a little later, and since he was a little further away he would need to be driven to his school. Mary took Elliott to school and it wasn't long after that I headed in town to see what could be done with my bike. I had received a few things through the mail at the house for my bike and was ready to get my bike in tip top shape. Since I was unable to find a 10 speed chain and cassette, I had them shipped to me on the coast. I went into the shop only to find out that a nine speed cassette had actually been shipped to me instead of the 10 speed and this was going to be a minor problem. It was even more interesting to find out that this shop, unlike any of the shops on the entire coast line, only carried 10 speed everything and had very limited supplies of the 9 speed equipment. So when I offered to trade the 9 speed for a 10 speed they told me they wouldn't because it would take them too long to get rid of a 9 speed cassette. I was absolutely blown away and knew that I would now have to send this back and exchange it for the 10 speed via mail. I went back to the house a little bummed out from the bad news, but at the same time I knew it was going to be okay. I had the entire day to do whatever I pleased to relax, and I wouldn't be putting anymore miles in on the bike. I found myself wrapped around a book for the day and was able to spend the hours of the day on the deck of the house. With a great view and incredible weather, it was perfect. It was so perfect and it continued to get better and better. I was served fresh cookies while I was wrapped in my readings and was then able to spend the evening with the family. Mary and Todd had something to go to for the evening and it was awesome to be able to spend time with Ryan, Rachel, and Elliott. We started by picking up a pizza just down the street and it was great. It was a very unique pizza place because it was cooked with a brick oven. Once the pizza arrived we were able to watch a movie and relax after the well spent day. The evening was a great way to feel more at home because this was something I was able to do with my younger sisters as well. Pizza and a movie. With the evening coming to an end, everyone was starting to wind down and get ready for bed. It was my first full day spent at one place for a good amount of time and it felt great to be able to spend it in the way that I did. With Todd and Mary arriving back home, they spent a few moments with their kids and I spent some time laying in bed. I hadn't put in any large amount of miles on the bike today and it was a good day of rest.
Daily mileage: 0.0 miles
Total mileage: 3,096.2 miles

Day 48, September 18th 2007 (Manchester,CA to Larkspur,CA)

I was up again this morning at about the same time as yesterday. It was still dark outside and I was surprised to see a couple of other riders up as well. Since it was still a little dark outside I had to say something for them to even realize that I was up and moving around as well. Although the bikers were actually motorcyclers it was cool to chat with someone else that was on a trip before taking off in the morning. They told me some unfortunate news that I wasn't sure if I had actually wanted to hear. They had started their trip from Arizona and were headed up the coast. I could see that there were only two of them, but they told me they had started with three. Just the day before they were riding up highway 1 and one of their buddies had taken a corner too fast and had paid for his mistake. A few broken ribs later, he was unable to attend the rest of the trip. He had to be rushed to a nearby hospital and it sounded like it was a fairly bad crash. It was unfortunate to hear for a couple of reasons. The main reason is the obvious, that he had been injured on a good two week vacation he was enduring, but also the fact that this was only 30 miles south of where we were and I would be coming into the same area early this morning. I wished them good luck on the rest of their ride and was hoping safe travels for them and hoping that I would make it safely through the aggressive terrain. As I started packing up my gear I instantly realized that I had been robbed last night. I had taken down my tent and had just about started to put everything away and directly in front of my eyes was the clear evidence. My bread had been taken by some raccoons, those dirty little devils. They had taken all of my bread out of my saddle bag and had snacked away at it all. I had slept so well last night that I hadn't heard a thing, but it was all gone. I was planning on having a couple of peanut butter sandwiches before the ride, but nature had made a new decision for me. About 20 miles into my crazy and beautiful ride I ran into a town with a small cafe. The food was great and I didn't stay long before I was on the road and on my way again. I was now full on energy and wanted to put in as many miles as possible before I felt tired. Not long into the ride I realized how difficult it was going to be to put in the miles I wanted to for the day. i was about half way, 70 miles, into the ride and I was struggling to keep going. It was around 2 in the afternoon and I pulled into a small town to grab a meal before I went back out on the road. I wanted to eat and then go as soon as possible, but my body wouldn't allow me to get up for about an hour. It wanted to recuperate a little before I started Gun ho into the ride again. I knew that by pushing it along the coast as I had done was making it nearly impossible to stay on track. I still had a good 60 miles to go for the day and because my body had depleted it was up to my mentality to keep me on track. With the determination of making it to a nice bed and having a nice shower, I pushed forward. Each mile became longer as I continued to ride, but the view was incredible. I was surprised as I headed from the coast to little farmland inside of the coast a little. It was an incredible change and lead to one of the weirdest things I have ever seen. Being from Iowa, I'm used to seeing cows out in the pasture. As I turned towards the ocean from the farmlands, I started to ride on more cliffs with the ocean straight down and with no rails. Directly in front of me were about 10 cows. They were just grazing on the cliffs by the ocean, as if this were a normal thing. It was such a crazy sight to see and even crazier because they were so close together, as not to fall over the edge. I could only imagine what cow tipping would be like in this area, as the cow would never make it back up and you might even be able to knock more than one off just by getting one. It was so weird and it gave me a little more of a reason to get out of this crazy area and into a normal society. I pushed with all the remaining energy that I had and barely made it up a few of the hills towards the end. I was about 20 miles from my destination, when I pulled off of highway 1. I was able to take myself more inland for the rest of the ride and it felt great to not have as many hills. There were more flats in front of me and I was relieved. I took myself through a nice forest area with a couple of campgrounds and then I was back to high volume traffic. The town I was headed towards, Larkspur, was a little north of San Francisco and was just up ahead. From talking to a good friend of mine in Ames, Andrew Burgason, I was told to give his aunt and uncle a call, as they lived in the area. I had been relieved to hear that they would love to have me stay with them, and I was now on a journey towards their house. I followed the instructions that they had given me the evening before and after taking one wrong turn it was a good couple of miles more that I tacked onto my trip for the day. Eventually I showed up at their door and was ready to fall over. They showed me where my bike could live for the next couple of days, and then where I could live. Before I took a shower I was looking at an incredible feast that they had prepared for the evening. It was a great home cooked meal and I couldn't have asked for anything more as I was so exhausted from the trip. I was able to meet the family of the Clydes: Mary and Todd, and their three kids, Ryan, Rachel, and Elliott. It was great to be in the presence of such a nice big family and it made me feel more at home. After spending an incredible evening getting to know everyone I showered and headed for bed. I was so reluctant to have contacted them and enjoyed one of the greatest rest that I've had in awhile since on the road.
Daily mileage: 126.3 miles
Average Speed: 13.0 mph
Total mileage: 3,096.2 miles