March 2nd Los Angeles, CA

Here is an update by ERIKA. Visit OKI’S blog for his perspective of the last week.

Friends, readers and followers. We have arrived in Los Angeles, CA. The USA portion of this journey is almost complete. America has been very eye opening. As many of you already know I went to school in Australia when I was 19 and wished never to return to America. I held a bitterness towards the country where I grew up. Cruising the ~2000 km down the west coast has changed the bitterness. This land is flooded with generous people with kind hearts and good intentions. I do wish the corporate sprawl would not over ride local business but they are always nestled in if you just ask the locals and slow down enough to look.

The most challenging days between San Francisco and LA were just outside of Santa Cruz. Big Sur was hard climb. Dense fog impeded our visibility….we couldn’t see where the hill was ending or starting. All we followed was our very good friend the white line on the right side of the road. We were told that the water along the coast of Pfieffer State Park was a beautiful blue. We saw it for a second when the fog cleared.

This stretch of the ride has been the wettest. We woke up damp in our sleeping bags cacooned in soggy tents from condensation and put on our damp riding clothes from the day before. One night in Lucia, CA after a soggy cous cous dinner under our tarp we settled into our tents. At about 11pm the rain started. It poured and I thought about getting up to ensure the bikes didn’t get wet but I was exhausted. In the morning as we arose like amphibians out of our soggy beds we noticed oatmeal everywhere. Raccoons!!! Oscar had left open one pannier and a critter had a feast. I had closed every pannier as usual but to my dismay there was about 1/2 and inch of water at the bottom of each bag….and 50 miles to anywhere indoors. Oh well we trucked on. I’ve learned to struggle and view the struggle as the means of feeling accomplished. Each hill was worth the climb, a hot shower has never felt this good. Clean laundry has never smelled so sweet. A mattress is lovely when it used hold no significance. We stayed at the hostel in Cambria, CA the next evening to dry out. We met fellow wanders of the earth and shared our stories. We all had different means of transport but we were all scouring the earth for beauty, community, purpose and finding out a lot about ourselves along the way. I love how you can instantly talk about “your story” and your purpose with travelers. There we met Elaine. A widow who has lived and loved, settled and is now wandering. She was an inspiration because her passion for life at her age is so rare. She seemed to have the curiosity and enthusiasm for exploring that we did. We got a well deserved rest in Cambria lying on the grass near the water just like the local Elephant Seals. It was what we needed.

Just quietly I tip my hat to the owners of the hostel who collected rain water, composted food scraps, recycled and powered the old 115 year old house with the sun. This is more what we need. If you are ever in the area stay over a night or two.

The days that followed yielded more rain and we had our first sleep in a train station. Amazing how grateful and comfortable such a place can be after a long days ride with the rain pouring outside. Brick floor is 5 star.

We’ve now arrived in LA after the sweetest stay with our travel buddy Ryan Hill. His family welcomed us to Santa Barbara with a Egg plant Lasagna dinner and made us feel like heros. Thank You.

We are taking a well needed rest to plan and prep for Mexico and beyond. We will be staying in LA until the end of March getting vaccines, bike tune ups, and trying to get the sparkly clean and expensive look off our panniers before Central America. We think rice bags will be a good cover for them.

There aren’t many photos for this leg of the trip because of the rain but we will be updating through out these weeks so stay tuned. When I talk to my folks back home and friends they mention words I’ve written here. If you have ever started a blog you know how much it means when you hear from your readers. Im glad I can delight your days with our stories. Ill continue to do so even as internet access becomes harder. We have sent the lap top and iphone back but this is for you. Hopefully it can steal you away for a moment from your desk at work or chores at home. Thank you again for your comments, thoughts, and prayers. Over and out.