Two hard days led me here

The last two days were some of the hardest I've ever cycled. Hills and headwinds were slowing me to a crawl and throwing my bike from side to side. Trying to cover 70miles a day is easy on paper, but it takes me 10 hours to do so. I really wanted to throw in the towel yesterday and take the train to San Francisco, letting the southbound prevailing winds push me forward instead of back. Instead, I will carry on, but ride fewer miles each day. The winds also seem calm in the mornings, so starting at 5am instead of 7 should help me cover more ground.

Despite the headwinds, yesterday was a beautiful ride. I had made it to Lompoc the night before, and a big climb out of town took me high into the hills and pine trees. I got to coast 3 miles down the far side. 

The day before took me through the UC Santa Barbara campus, but then onto the shoulder of Highway 101 for several miles. Not the most pleasant ride. I also passed a wildfire I could see burning from Carpenteria. Look at the photo behind the silhouetted bike and you can see the rising smoke at sunset.

I rolled into San Luis Obispo yesterday afternoon, and I'm going to rest here for one day. My body is feeling strong, and my knee pain is much less of an issue now. It seems the wrapping and ibuprofen did the trick. I also found a more comfortable seat position. I think I strained my knees badly the first two days of riding with my seat too far forward on its post. It was like doing lunges with improper form, several thousand times in a row. Eventually, the joints became extremely painful.

I'm pressing on north after some down time. I think I'll actually go farther than Monterey and hit Santa Cruz before going east to the valley and eventually the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

One final note - I made some 'improvements' to my helmet to keep the sun off of me. A 12-pack of Sam Adams and duct tape have saved the day! The looks and comments crack me up. I feel like the love child of Shredder and the Rocketeer, but it keeps me from getting burned.

Kyle

Making Progress North, Slowly

I left LA yesterday early, and it's a good thing I did. I had to replace a rear spoke, the scourge of my Africa ride, soon after embarking. After the repair, I made it ten minutes before puncturing a tire. It was one of those cycling mornings that fails to really launch.

I cycled slowly, in very low gears. My knee pain seems to be sticking to my bad left knee, sparing the right for now. 

The BBQ at Pacific Palisades was amazing. Good food and fun people. They seemed a bit stunned by my appearance, but I cleaned up well after a shower. I ate like a king, gave about 20 pounds of gear to my friend to drive to Fresno, and I was off toward Santa Monica.

The entire Venice-Santa Monica area was beautiful, but landslides on the Pacific Coast Highway left me with little or no shoulder to keep me out of traffic. The setting sun was shining into everyone's eyes, so I turned on my rear red strobe to hopefully be seen. For once, my awkward bike's fat booty came in handy, as my wide profile was hard to miss.

I stopped for the night in Leo Carillo State Park. I paid ten dollars for a 'Bike and Hike' site, where no cars are permitted and us self-propelled types can sleep on the cheap. I shared the site with three southbound cyclists from Canada and Greece. They started in Vancouver and were headed to San Diego. Almost done!

Today was painfully slow. I left camp at 7am, but only made it as far as Oxnard by 10. My knee pain was becoming unbearable and the winds were working against me. I stopped at a Starbucks and ended up chatting with a man named Arthur for almost an hour. He told me about the ten years he spent in prison because he was being setup by the local government after attempting to blow the whistle on a corrupt judge. Quite a story. His paranoia dominated his demeanor, but I nonetheless felt sorry for the guy.

After buying a knee brace and ibuprofen, I set off. I was making better time, but rolled into Carpenteria after 2pm. The next campground is another 30 miles away, so I called it quits. My energy is low and my knee is zapping my already waning motivation.

There are three other cyclists in camp tonight, one heading south and the other two north. It's fun to swap stories and give advice as we pass each other. Thankfully, the egos are at a minimum. Everyone just seems to be enjoying themselves.

I'm off to pop some Vitamin I and go to sleep. I want to ride a long distance tomorrow to offset these last two short days. My knee is in charge, though. If pain persists, I'm going to have to hitch a ride. I'll be working outside all summer, so I need solid joints when I get to Sequoia.

Kyle

Time off in Los Angeles

Today I cycled a little bit around town just to run errands, but have otherwise rested my legs. I have some pain on the insides of both knees that is most likely being caused by an improper seat adjustment. I've never toured on this bike before, so these small problems are to be expected. I'm only riding 14 miles tomorrow morning, so there will be plenty of time to play with the seat and see what feels best.

Tomorrow I will go to a BBQ in Pacific Palisades, just north of Santa Monica. Coincidentally, the person I'll be staying with in Fresno will be there, so I'm unloading all nonessential items from the bike and sending them forward by car. Maybe it's my aching knees, or my newly-thirty laziness, but I see no need to suffer through the ride with all that weight for pride and country. Let the car carry it. I'll continue ultralight up the coast.

The items being sent are things I need for my job upon arrival in Sequoia National Park. After tomorrow, the only things on the bike will be the bare bones supplies to finish the tour itself.

I'm enjoying LA more than I thought I would. It is huge, and as a cyclist I fall victim to the same gridlock traffic patterns as the drivers. It takes a bit longer to cycle places than expected, but at least I don't have to worry about parking.

There was a free outdoor concert tonight in the park that contains the LaBrea Tar Pits and some giant rock that was trucked in from somewhere outside the city. For a town with a lot of Hybrid cars, there also seems to be a lot of fuel consumption and engine idling. 

Nevertheless, I'm enjoying my hosts' company. They are experienced cyclists and have given me a lot of useful information. I'm not sure where I'm staying tomorrow night, but that is half the fun in my mind. Campsites are booked for the holiday weekend, but there are cheap biking sites that some camps have that are first come, first serve that I'm hoping to benefit from. I can thank my cycling hosts for the tips.

I'll check in tomorrow if I can find wifi. I am updating from an iPod, so no 3G option. I'm sure I'll hit a cafe at some point. 

Keeping strong! Kyle.

Made it to Los Angeles

It was a long 2 days, but I have arrived in Los Angeles. I cannot believe how big of an area the city covers. From Long Beach on, it was congested traffic and red lights. I wanted to follow the Pacific Coast Highway all the way north to Santa Monica, but I was too hot and tired to deal with the headache of the route. Instead, I headed straight north to my friends' house for the night.

I covered a little over 150 miles in the last two days. The bike is doing well, but my knees are in a bit of pain. I'm taking tomorrow off to rest and play around with my seat height. This is my first tour on this bicycle so I still have some kinks to iron out. 

Yesterday I cycled through Camp Pendelton. It was hard to figure out, but other cyclists at the south entrance said it was possible to ride on the shoulder of Interstate 5. I did just that, which felt strange despite the wide shoulder. A sign telling all cyclists to exit comforted me that I hadn't just broken a law. I camped out for the night in San Clemente State Park.

I'll update More tomorrow. I'm exhausted.

Kyle.

Made it to Los Angeles

It was a long 2 days, but I have arrived in Los Angeles. I cannot believe how big of an area the city covers. From Long Beach on, it was congested traffic and red lights. I wanted to follow the Pacific Coast Highway all the way north to Santa Monica, but I was too hot and tired to deal with the headache of the route. Instead, I headed straight north to my friends' house for the night.

I covered a little over 150 miles in the last two days. The bike is doing well, but my knees are in a bit of pain. I'm taking tomorrow off to rest and play around with my seat height. This is my first tour on this bicycle so I still have some kinks to iron out. 

Yesterday I cycled through Camp Pendelton. It was hard to figure out, but other cyclists at the south entrance said it was possible to ride on the shoulder of Interstate 5. I did just that, which felt strange despite the wide shoulder. A sign telling all cyclists to exit comforted me that I hadn't just broken a law. I camped out for the night in San Clemente State Park.

I'll update More tomorrow. I'm exhausted.

Kyle.

A good day for a ride

There is beautiful weather in San Diego! My friend's apartmwnt has a great view of the new library. I will be hitting the road this morning after some last-minute errands. This post is also to test my mobile blogging capabilities.

Packed

Flying to San Diego tomorrow. I'll stay there for a few days visiting friends and seeing another new city, then up the coast.

Packed

Packing for a Mini Expedition

My bicycle is packed into its box, hopefully protected well enough for its flight to the west coast of the United States. Panniers, tools, and clothing are packed in my trekking pack to be checked as well. Electronics are all in my carryon. It should be more difficult to pack for a 700-mile bicycle tour through California, but it's rather straightforward.

Take a look inside. It's my bike in a box. 

This tour is going to be rather simple in some ways, but challenging in others. The only true point of reference I have is a 1,800-mile tour through east Africa, so this will be different, if nothing else. I expect the roads to be better, and the bicycle more efficient than the Trek 820 mountain bike I used in Africa. However, I am not as physically fit as I was before. I will have access to better nutrition along my route, but it will cost more. Higher volumes of traffic could be dangerous, but could make it easier to get directions, find help, or hitch a ride if needed. Everything is a tradeoff. This will be a challenge with wind, hills, and major urban areas, but the Pacific Coast is going to be beautiful.

On my Africa ride, I set the challenge for myself to cover every inch under my own power. I did all but twice. Once, I was helped up a steep hill by Ethiopian children pushing me along. I was so happy for the polite company that I eased off my self-imposed independence and enjoyed the simple human connection. The other moment was also in Ethiopia when a paranoid soldier with a rifle forbid me to cross a bridge on my bike. I hitched a ride with a passing SUV for less than a minute, then continued. In both cases, I made myself ride 'penalty miles' to compensate for the athletic challenge. I definitely was a hard case for masochism. 

San Diego to Sequoia National Park. 700 miles-ish.

The upcoming California ride is simply for enjoyment. If I fall behind schedule, take a side trip, or get sick, I will hitch a ride. There is no need to torture myself. I am going to live each moment on the road as it comes, but still work toward my destination of Sequoia National Park.

I chose that destination as I will be working in the area for the summer. I have two weeks free before my contract starts, so I am possibly doing the longest bike-commute to work anyone has ever done. I am packing not only what I need for the tour, but also what I will need for the job when I arrive on the bicycle. Maybe my masochism persists.

I leave May 23. I will post photos here.

Enjoy my blog, and this video of shameless self-promotion. Kyle.