21/10/2010 Day 51 Vancouver to Mexico

Distance Travelled: Carlsbad state camping ground to the Mexican boarder (The finish line) 60 Miles (96 km)

Money Spent: $25 for a night in the hostel, $5 for Lunch and $2 for the train back to Downtown San Diego

Time cycling: 5 Hours

Total Distance Traveled: 3138 km

View Larger Map

Despite it pissing down last night I managed to sleep really well sheltered in my broken tent and under my tarp. The weather was a little better today with some short spells of direct sunlight giving me the rich Vitamin D I’ve been missing all too much.

We took the cycle paths to get into the centre of San Diego getting a little lost along the way but as we were getting so close to the end of this epic adventure it didn’t faze me.

We stopped for lunch outside another supermarket were we split, I suppose a pre-celebratory $4 cake that was a good rich eat.

Arriving at the border was a relieving yet a disappointing feeling as now that the trip is over it feels almost daunting having to backpack again and this time in Mexico where it is apparently very dangerous according at all Americans.

We obviously filled our cameras with plenty of arm raised snapshots of our arrival at the border which was all in good fun.

Instead of cycling back to downtown San Diego we took the trolley (like a tram) and for some reason or another Jason exited the trolley just before it departed leaving him behind and Jeff and I were stuck with his bicycle.

Jason was in the trolley behind so it wasn’t long before he caught up with us at the Amtrak (train) station where we verbally abused him.

Unfortunately Jeff and Jason needed to head back to Santa Monica, which I found to be a little disappointing cause I would have liked to celebrate the completion of this trip with them.

I checked into a hostel where it was free tequila night, so I obviously took advantage and got wasted with a bunch of randoms.

F%CK YEH!!! Ive done it! There were certainly ups and downs… both with the terrain and emotionally, but now its over. Just under 3200 km with only 4 flats and 2 broken screws, I have cycled from Vancouver, Canada to the Mexican border in 51 Days spending less than $700 on a $300 bicycle. I averaged 12.7 Mph (20.3km/h) and reached a top speed of 46.7 Mph (74.7 km/h) seen some amazing and incredible views through a variety of different weather, met some cool, interesting and very generous people along the way, seriously what an adventure!

Getting to San Diego

Made it! WOOOOHOOOO

:)

Jeff sporting all our bikes

Trolley ride back to San Diego

20/10/2010 Day 50 Vancouver to Mexico

Distance Travelled: Corona Del Mar to Carlsbad state camping ground 58 Miles (93 km)

Money Spent: $6 for Lunch $5 for camping

Time cycling: 4 Hours 45 Minutes

Money withdrawn: $200

Total Distance Traveled: 3042 km

View Larger Map

Diane sorted out breakfast for the three of us before we headed off into the overcast weather. It didn’t take more than a mile before we ran into a problem with one of Jasons spokes that broke off.

We cycled into the next town and got it sorted at a bicycle shop where we waited quite a while for them to sort it out charging Jason far too much money.

The weather started to clear and we were all getting a little peckish so we stopped for lunch outside a supermarket at Dana Point where I found all the discounted food in all the departments to make a fantastic feed.

Later the bicycle route took us through a military base where we got our ids checked before entering… there were plenty of things I wanted to take pictures of but unfortunately photography was prohibited.

We joined back up with some bike paths along the beach and saw one spectacular sunset just before it started raining.

We cycled in the dark and finally arrived at the camp ground that should have been offering hiker/biker sights but not anymore, it was self check in so regardless of the extortionary price of $35 for setting up camp we paid only $5 each which what it normally is for camping for us cyclists.

Cooked up a good meal for dinner and messed around with Jason’s sick DSLR camera before hitting the hay in my still broken (but temporarily fixed) damp tent.

Oh and by the way tomorrow we should be hitting the border of Mexico where the beginning of the next chapter of my travels and life.

Jason having a bit of fun on his bike

The three of us

Cycling through a US Army base... thats tank track marks

Back at the beach

HDR of Sunset, Carsbad, CA, USA 2010

Enjoying the sunset

Happy days!

19/10/2010 Day 49 Vancouver to Mexico

Distance Travelled: Huntington Beach to Corona Del Mar 14 Miles (22 km)

Money Spent: $6 for Thai food and ice-cream

Time cycling: Not long…

Total Distance Traveled: 2949 km

View Larger Map

Last night was absolutely terrible, it rained and it rained hard.

The torrential downpour broke my makeshift tent dousing me in water but yet instead of heading inside I just placed the tarp on top of myself and tried to sleep more, thankfully Valerie (Adams Mum) invited me inside and literally tucked me in… my mum away from home.

It rained all morning so we hung about after the delicious breakfast that Valerie cooked drinking coffee and bailey mixed… it was a cool morning, yet I was still in dire need of more sleep.

We kept on checking the weather for a break where the sun poked through the overcast sky and we got back on the road at 1 pm but only cycling for 12 miles before the heavens opened up and we again were bogged down in the rain at Crystal cove state park having to actually shelter inside the toilet block for several hours where we ate lunch hoping the weather would clear.

Again we had to consider our options with accommodation of the evening as it was getting late, thankfully using Jason’s phone again we were able to contact a member of warm showers. I called up Diane and Dennis Baker and they were kind enough to let us stay with them 2 Miles down the Highway at Corona Del Mar (in the opposite direction).

It was a wet cycle but we made it! WTF! Its Southern California and some guy said it was only suppose to rain 2 times a year here, all this rain is certainly unexpected.

Dennis and Diane was very hospitable offing us showers and sorting out our sleeping arrangements. Good people.

The three of us went for dinner at a Thai restaurant and bought some ice-cream for dessert; we sat around reading back at D and D’s place and before long we all crashed out.

my makeshift tent on the right and Jason packing away his things

Adam, Marina (german girl) and Adams Mum (who was awesome!)

Hiding away from the rain in Crystal cove SP where we spent a good few hours

18/10/2010 Day 48 Vancouver to Mexico

Distance Travelled: Santa Monica to Huntington Beach 55 Miles (88km)

Money Spent: $6 for Lunch, $5 for dinner

Time cycling: 5 hours

Total Distance Traveled: 2927 km

View Larger Map

I woke up this morning (alone!) in my broken tent with glazed eyes from lack of sleep and the after effects of alcohol. But whatever, I packed up all my things and left with Jeff and Jason.

The weather was still pretty terrible with it even drizzling at times.

The cycling today was easy going along the bike paths on the beaches with some cycling having to be done on the highway past power plants and some rough/scummy looking area through long beach.

Another screw this time on my front pannier snapped off today having to improvise a solution that worked a treat.

Had lunch bought at the supermarket down on Hermosa Beach pier.

All day I wanted to pull over and sleep, Jeff and Jason wanted to head on and get to the hostel at Huntington Beach so I pushed on and combated the urge to close my eyes on the easy flat terrain.

When we arrived at the hostel it turned out that it had shut down with blinds closed and not even any sign of anyone living there, we considered our options using Jason’s 3G phone looking for other accommodation when a guy on a bike named Adam who lived around the corner who came to the hostel to look for a German girl he was suppose to meet there offered us to camp on the grass behind his mums mobile home. Thankfully for him I noticed the travelling German girl (Marina) because of her backpack walking the opposite direction from the hostel (how observant of me), I pointed him off to meet her and the three of us went for food at a burger place for dinner to meet him and his family at their place later. Another night of free accommodation!

We pitched up our tents in the small yard of their home where I just slept under a tarp that was strung up between two chairs because my tent was too broken (but fixable).

The RV park was actually really nice with a Jacuzzi and swimming pool so we had a few beers and soaked ourselves in the hot water. Even Adams family were really incredible cool people and one super sick little Pomeranian dog named Jasmine (check out pic below).

I crashed out before everyone else and went to sleep in the make shift tent.

Hahaha - this is the luxury room i took Isabell to...

Jeff, Jason and Jono

Lunch at Hermosa beach

Hermosa Beach

Fixing my pannier (another broken screw)

what a great chair.

This is Jasmine THE cutest 12 yo dog Ever

17/10/2010 Day 47 Vancouver to Mexico

Total Distance Traveled: 2839 km

Money Spent: $15-$25

Nothing really happened between Isabell and I last night, we had a good time together drinking wine in the corridors of the hostel eating free food that random people gave us was great.

I woke up just in time for the free breakfast and the staff were very prompt at getting it off the tables at exactly 9.30.

I lingered around the hostel meeting people whilst nursing my hangover for most of the morning as the weather was again shitty out. Check out time was at 11 and so I packed my things and put them in storage, I ate some of the leftovers from last night and when I finally met up with Isabell we headed out to 3^rd Ave Promenade to get lunch. Although the weather was still overcast and horrible Isabell, myself and two other German girls headed down to Venice beach to check it out.

The walk down Venice beach boardwalk was a cool little scene with many people trying to sell their hippy and Rastafarian goods and self promoting their music/band with street performers everywhere that would follow us down the boardwalk as the Girls tried on funny hats and glasses.

Because I checked out of the hostel I had to get over to Jason and Dans place down the road and head back to the hostel to meet up with Isabell and her friends, we were going to head to some sort of warehouse party in the downtown district with Logan but that fell through so we went out to some local bars instead.

Things were going well with Isabell throughout the night (the redbull and vodka I was drinking kept me awake from fatigue) and when got back to the hostel she wanted me to take her back to where I was staying (green light, right?), I was staying in my tent in the backyard and promised the accommodation to be nothing special. She agreed to this even though I was going to pay the $100 for a room for the night. Ok, I cycled her 3 – 4 miles to Jason and Dans place with her sitting on the back rack of my bike (stylish!) where we arrived and I had to pitch up my tent… as you can see in the picture below my tent in not only tiny but also incredibly broken…. Needless to say she wasn’t that impressed, but I found this situation to be hysterical.

Keep in mind I like to treat girls well, with all the cooking, massaging and generosity I try (perhaps too hard) to make them feel special. Isabell was fantastic and when I tried to make a move on her inside my tent she flipped and thought all my efforts with her was to get her into bed. Im not going to lie, I was trying to be with her intimately as all the signals she had been throwing at me for the last few days showed.

Because I made this move on her and broke whatever connection I thought we had and whist my tent fell apart I asked whether she wanted me to take her home, she wanted me to and I cycled her back… the things I do for women!?!

I wouldn’t say the cycle to the hostel was awkward although it was disappointing she did promise she would keep in contact with me… what a complete head fuck (for use of better words because iramatio would have been fine).

Santa Monica Pier from the top of a climbing rope

Ze German Girls

Look mum and Dad... more dreadlocks

Medicinal marijuana evaluation Center on the board walk, too funny, it really is a piss take

16/10/2010 Day 46 Vancouver to Mexico

Total Distance Traveled: 2839 km

Money Spent: $20 - $30

I woke up this morning having no idea where I was, I crashed out on a couch with a serious hangover. The place was very nice for a university student and I spent a bit of time having difficulty recalling some of the events from last night.

Logan who lived in the house took me and the German girls back to the hostel were I wondered around aimlessly for a good while meeting random people.

I tried to organize a volleyball game at the beach but like yesterday the weather was pretty shitty.

One girl last night that I very much fancied, also German, (Isabell) chilled with me down at the beach where we tried to play some volleyball but instead just chatted.

She is a quite but beautiful girl who of the most part just sat listening to my stories.

Later I asked her whether I could cook her dinner, and so we got some groceries at the supermarket and I cooked up a storm in the not so well equipped kitchen with most people eyeing off what I was doing with all the food.

Because alcohol is prohibited in the hostel we drank wine out of mugs to hide it away from the staff.

Isabell was chuffed about my cooking skills and we spent the evening till 4am chatting and having a bit of fun with a few bottles of wine...

15/10/2010 Day 45 Vancouver to Mexico

Distance Travelled: Just a little North-west of Ventura to Santa Monica 70 Miles (112km)

Money Spent: Too much…$5 for Lunch, $10 for beer, $1.50 for a shot of wheatgrass, $60 for 2 nights at the hostel and $6 for the pub crawl.

Time cycling: 5 hours 30 minutes

Total Distance Traveled: 2839 km

View Larger Map

I woke up under the tree where I camped beside the cycle path where early morning cyclists and joggers gave me strange looks, hehe.

It was a shitty morning where it was overcast and was drizzling, I pcked up my things and was back on the road by 7.30.

I went to check out the town of Ventura where all the crackheads were out and about in the downtown area where I stopped to get some directions and a shot of wheatgrass (that apparently is incredibly good for you).

I stopped by the beach where I munched down some cereal for breakfast and met John – a very friendly guy who I got chatting to for quite some time. We exchanged contact details and I gave him the link to this blog.

Most of the ycling for the morning was boring, with nothing worth mentioning but as I came close to a campground another touring cyclist joined the road… It was Jeff!

I had been trying to catch him as he left San Fran a day before I left. We caught up and shared stories of some of the crazy roads taken and people we had met whilst watching the surfers on the coast.

Cycling through Malibu we grabbed some burritos for a street vendor and stopped for a break in a park.

Getting into Santa Monica was obvious as the beach opened up and the Ferris wheel on Santa Monica pier was coming into view, the beach was packed with birds (unfortunately of the flying variety) with not much else. The weather was still glum so nobody was on the beach.

We stopped to check out the pier and headed to the hostel where I checked-in, the hostel was lush but I was highly disappointed because there was a no alcohol rule.

Jeff was staying with the boys he had been cycling with down the street I went over there to meet them. The house they lived in was falling apart, but they were doing their best to clean it up so I helped out a little whilst sinking some beers.

I headed back to the hostel where I met some Danish guys who were drinking in our room so joined them for a laugh.

The hostel had a pub-crawl thing organized for the evening so I participated so I could meet some girls. It took us to a comedy improv session which was pretty funny and included some free alcohol. We then headed to a bar where people were impressed by my cycle trip and kept on buying me beers. I met some east Indians on the table next to us where they offered me some Mexican food that they couldn’t eat… it was a very cheap night. Later I ended up going with some uni students and some German girls to the university area where we played some beer pong and drank some more. All in all it was a good night, well, at least the things I could remember.

Look everyone... Its Jeff!!!

Shitty southern California weather, but people still surfing

Unhappy about the weather but at least i made it to LA

Jeff

Crazy bouncing footware

Bubba Gump shrimp... i thought that was made up in the movie Forest Gump.

Nice day for a swim in the Pacific

Getting drunk with people from the Hostel.

Beer Pong at Logan's Place.

14/10/2010 Day 44 Vancouver to Mexico

Distance Travelled: Cachuma Lake Recreation Area to just a little North-west of Ventura 53 Miles (85km)

Money Spent: $5 some fast food and $4.50 for groceries.

Time cycling: 4 hours

Total Distance Traveled: 2727 km

View Larger Map

After chatting to Bob and Jesse about how small the world is and how often you meet people you that know people you know, it turns out Jesse knows Liberty and Amanda who I know very well from Thailand, Jesse knew these girls from working as a teacher in Korea.

I packed all my shit and got back on Highway 154 that included a nasty 4 mile uphill section before dropping downhill for 7 miles to Santa Barbara. The downhill section was incredibly good fun as it always is because of the sense of accomplishment of finishing the climb up the hill. I was even able to break my record for maximum speed; it now stands at 46.7 Mph (74.7 km/h).

I really should have been taking it a bit easier as my bike was still broken from the other day, but the way I temporarily fixed it only puts the rear breaks into question.

I did check out a few bike shops that couldn’t remove the partial screw still in the hole, so I reckon I’m just going to leave it because this cycle trip is unfortunately coming to an end soon; San Diego and the Mexican border is something like 200 miles away.

In Oregon McDonalds were offering Pumpkin Pie flavoured shakes that I really wanted to try, for those who haven’t eaten pumpkin pie before I suggest you give it a go; anyways, I hadn’t seen it here in California but a fast food chain called Jack-in-a-box had it so I gave it a go, it was good but to be honest ill stick with the actual pie rather than the shake.

The weather more inland was much nicer than when I arrived in Santa Barbara, it stayed overcast for most of the day along the coast and really was a mood killer so I spent some time in a library in a town called Carpentaria.

Santa Barbara seemed like a nice town but along the coast there were a lot of bums/bogans/homeless people chilling on the grass alongside the beach with their trolleys and bicycles and smoking something whether pot or crack, giving the town a bit of a sketchy vibe. Also having the look I have with dreads and all with how all my gear was on my bike, I almost felt people glanced at me associating me as a bum as apposed as a touring cyclist that has cycled over 2500km to get here which always gets positive attention.

At some point along the freeway I got a flat, I pulled over to a plush hotel to repair the puncture but I stupidly didn’t check if the foreign object was still embedded in the wheel so when I repaired it I soon after got another puncture. This was damn irritating as it was getting close to dark and I still had at least 15 miles to go to get to the next camping ground. Unfortunately after all the repairs were done and I removed the fucker – a metal staple, it was too dark to go on so I found a place under a tree beside a bicycle path to set up my tent. I cooked dinner, worked on some Photoshop projects I’ve been messing with and went to bed.

7 % Grade for 3 miles downhill :)

Top of the 4 Mile climb...

Hitting the coast the weather turned to shit

Christmas Already!

oh no!!! another flat tire :(

13/10/2010 Day 43 Vancouver to Mexico

Distance Travelled: Lompoc campground to Cachuma Lake Recreation Area 35 Miles (56km)

Money Spent: $5 for split pea soup and $1.50 for beer (actually 3 beers)

Time cycling: 2 hours 20 min

Total Distance Traveled: 2642 km

View Larger Map

I didn’t pay for camping for last night and the ranger was there when I woke up to collect the money, but not from me, two other cyclists had arrived late last night who had to pay but somehow the ranger never asked me… well that’s cool.

It was a beautiful day after the sun ate through the morning mist, the two other guys were Bob and Jesse, Bob an older guy who had cycled a lot in his lifetime and Jesse who was travelling with him was on his first tour on his bike starting in his home town of Half Moon Bay. They were both easy going and good for chit chat.

I would have cycled with them but they told me they took their time on the road so I headed off to hit a new top speed of 43.6 Mph (70km/h) on a not-so-steep downhill section of the highway with the wind helping me along.

The route I took today was an alternative from the coastal highway that I read in the ‘Cycling the Pacific Coast’ book that Jay had taking me through Highway 246 and 154 and one campground on this route offered a swimming pool, so headed for that. The others were headed in this direction too so we planned to meet at the campsite.

It got hotter the further I headed inland but was bare able even when sweat was pouring into my eyes, my cyclo-computer was playing up a little bit because of it being in direct sunlight making it read 88.8 kM/hr and the odometer reading 888888. yes, this thing was cheap but after it cooled off a little bit it was fine.

Reading the book I just mentioned it said there was a town restaurant along the way offering the best split pea soup ever made. I was getting a little peckish so I headed in to try it out; it was expensive at $5 for a medium sized styrofoam cup and wasn’t all that great, my mum certainly does better from what I can remember. Whist in the restrurant somebody had bought some pancakes for takeaway and never picked them up so the waiter just gave them too me.. which was great because the split pea soup wasn’t all that filling.

I passed through a cool little Danish town of Solvang that pulled off the Danish theme very well and was a pleasure to cruise down the road with European styled buildings as apposed to large shopping malls and Walmarts that I often see.

Today’s cycle wasn’t very far to get to Cachuma Lake Recreation Area where I spent the night. I was disappointed too because the swimming pool that I was promised in the book was closed when it wasn’t the summer… it certainly was hot enough for summer at this point as sweat was dripping off my face and I was also told that swimming is prohibited in the Lake because it is drinking supply for the area. Seriously… what a total let down.

Because of my disappointment for getting wet in this hot weather the woman at the registration desk was kind enough to let me into the camp site for free, normally costing $5.

I set up my stuff and had a quick nap under the oak trees until Jay arrived, we got some beers where he paid for the majority of them and chatted till the other two arrived.

Regardless of the restriction of swimming in the lake I talked to one of the park rangers who told me it was possible to go for a swim so long as he wasn’t looking. It was incredibly refreshing.

For dinner I cooked up a bunch of the perishables I was lugging around and headed off to bed at a reasonable time after chatting with the other three.

Apparently the Best Split Pea soup in California

It was good, but not spectacular as it should have been

the Danish town of Solvang

So hot the display on my cyclo-computer does this...

Me at Cachuma Lake

My Shadow that follows me about everywhere.

Arm-Wrestling comp: Me VS ...Me?

General Ridgeway makes another appearance... this time in HDR

Me at Cachuma Lake again