Panamericana

09.11.08

Lucia – San Simeon SP

64 km, total 4211,3  km

Already at 4:30am the night was over. I packed my stuff together and loaded my bike in the dark. Then I had to wait until 6 am to get on the road, because it wasn‘ t light enough before. It was a great feeling to cycle that early. There was hardly any traffic and I took my time. At 10 am I reached Ragged Point, a very beautiful spot at the coast. There I met Erwin, a 74 year old guy from Bavaria. He flew into Mexiko-City travels around by public transportation to escape the german winter. He‘ s on his way south now and wants to go to Columbia. He had some interesting stories to tell. Then I met 3 cyclists from San Luis Obispo who where out for a few days.

After a 2 hour long break I was on my bike again and enjoyed an awesome tailwind. Near San Simeon I stopped to watch the Elephant Seals at the beach. There are so many of them an they are a real tourist attraction. Only a few miles later I decided to stop at the San Simeon State Park for the day. That was the cheapest campground so far – only 2 $.

At the hiker-biker site I met Leroy, a „different“ guy who had a lot to tell. He invited me to have a piece of grilled chicken and some potatoe-salad. After dinner I walked over to the beach and got to watch another beautiful sunset. Later I sat at the campfire with Leroy for a while before I crawled into my tent early. I was very tired after the almost sleepless night yesterday.

08.11.08

Monterey – Lucia

102 km, total 4147,3 km

I left the campground at 9:15am. The day started with a hard climb at the Skyline Drive which was followed by a great downhill-ride. Near Carmel I stopped to get a coffee and some bananas. It was a very gray day and the world-famous coast along Big Sur looked kind of rough. In the afternoon it started to rain for about an hour. 

According to my map I was pretty close to the Linekin SP where I wanted to stay when it was getting dark – but it wasn‘ t there. After passing the town of Lucia I finally reached the park – and it was closed for the season. I didn‘ t know how far it was to the next campground, it was dark and started to rain again. That‘ s why I decided to pitch my tent behind a bulldozer at the side of the road. Hiding behind those big tires the cars could‘ t see me. Nevertheless, it was a not so good night. It was windy, it rained once in a while and I woke up with every passing car. But at least that means that I must have fallen asleep sometime.

20km, total 4045,3km 

07.11.08

Caleb tried to replace my broken spoke but his tool was the wrong size. So I had to go to the bikeshop again. Since it didn‘ t ‚till 10am I went to the grocery store first, then had a coffee at „It‘ s a grind!“ and went to the post office to send some things to Germany. There a woman from Salina was asked me many questions about my trip and invited me to stay at her house at night. After I got my bike fixed I felt like it was too late to get started. I cycled around Monterey, checked out the Cannery Row, watched some seals and Pelicans in the bay and strolled along Fisherman‘ s Wharf where I ate some tasty garlic bread.  I met Caleb and ? again who were hoping to get a ride to LA.

Back at the campground I talked to 2 homeless guys who camped there, too. They always stay 3 nights at the campground, then they have to leave for one night and come back after that. Sometimes, when I meet people on loaded bicycles it‘ s hard to tell if they are travellers or homeless.

After dark 4 cyclists arrived but they camped next to the hiker/biker site because they where accompanied by someone in a car. Like usual I hit the sack early – about 10 hours of sleep every night, I love it!!!

06.11.08

Santa Cruz – Monterey

80km, total 4025,3km

As usual my day started kind of slow. Since Margaret didn‘ t feel like cycling she explained me how to get back on the Pacific Coast Bike Route. At 10:45am I said goodbye and after a coffee and donut stop I was on my way again. The route took me close along the coast where I stopped for a while to watch some surfers trying to catch the waves. Later on I cycled through many fields with strawberries, artichokes and brussel sprouts and saw many hispanic farmworkers. Once in a while I caught a glimps of the Monterey Bay.

The strawberries smelled so good that I stopped at a roadside fruit stand to buy some. While I sat there and ate my strawberries I saw two cyclisist passing by.

A few km passed Castroville a bikepath began which was supposed to lead me all the way to Monterey. In Seaside the bikepath disappeared – I don‘ t know if I missed a turn or what happened. So I just stayed on the road and after a while I was back on the trail. I stopped at Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey and a cyclist explained how I could get to the Veteran’s Memorial Park where the campground is at. It was already getting dark when I climbed the hill to the campground.

The two cyclists who passed me earlier arrived almost at the same time. Caleb and ? started in Oregon. I pitched my tent for the first time after 18 (!!!!!!!) nights. I‘ m back the world of picknick-tables, headlamps and raccoons. There is a warning at this campground which says that there are many raccoons out here, that they are very aggressive and NOT afraid of humans. I‘ m really looking forward to this night!

From this campground you can actually hear the sealions down at the bay – unfortunately you can hear the police-cars, too.

Tomorrow I have to find a bikeshop because I have another broken spoke:-(. It was a great cycling day in mostly flat terrain. The sun was shining the whole day and it was around 18 degrees C warm, great temperature for cycling.

It‘ s only 7:50pm, I guess I‘ ll read for a while and then I‘ ll try to sleep – back in the real world;-)

Have a good one,

Anja

Around 8am I woke up and couldn‘ t make up my mind if I should move on south or stay a day in Santa Cruz. After a scrambled egg and toast breakfast I decided to stay another night. Margaret had an appointment downtown at noon, so I went their with her and she showed me the way to the post office and to the bike shop. In front of the bike shop I met Jill, another cyclist. She just boxed her bike and was getting ready to get on the bus to LA. She started her biketrip in Portland together with two friends but it didn‘ t work out too good – so she decided to end the trip in Santa Cruz, go to LA to work for a while and plan another trip. We had some pizza for lunch and I helped her to bring her stuff to the busstation. It was nice talking to her and I‘ ll give her a call when I‘ m in the LA area.

Later I cycled down to the beach where I was getting a bit jealous when I saw some people play Beach-Volleyball! (Hey ihr Vollies, I‘ m thinking about you at least every Tuesday!!!) Then I met Margaret again in town, we had a coffee and cycled back to her appartment where Cassie was already waiting to go for a walk.

Now I‘ m sitting here, updating my journal while Margaret is at a Hip Hop concert. Tomorrow I‘ ll be on the road again, cycling to Monterey.

Take care,

Anja

04.11.08

Pacifica – Santa Cruz

108,8km, total 3945,3 km

Around 10am I left the motel – the sun was shining again!!! After a few miles the part of HWY 1 which is called Devil‘ s Slide began. It‘ s a narrow, busy road which has a very small or no shoulder at all. I read about it and other cyclist described it as very scary – that‘ s why I really wasn‘ t looking forward to getting there. Actually it wasn‘ t that bad when I cycled there because the traffic wasn‘ t too heavy. Except for a few cars they were giving me a lot of room and waited ‚till they could pass me safely. There‘ s some construction going on because a tunnel is being build.

After the climb it was an easy ride into Half Moon Bay where I had lunch at Mc Donald‘ s. I stayed there for almost an hour ‚cause I had a great conversation with th guy who was sitting next to me. There was a nice tailwind which helped me a lot. There were some climbs but overall it was an easy and beautiful ride to Santa Cruise.

At the City Line I called Margaret, the cyclist I met 2 weeks earlier in Northern California. She offered me to crash on her couch what I was very happy about. She gave me directions to her appartment. Unfortunately it‘ s starting to get dark very early now, it was dark when I got there at 5:45pm. It was really good to see her again. She cycled from Portland, Oregon, to Santa Cruz where she‘ s going to school. After taking a hot shower we had dinner at a small taqueria – the burrito was really good. Later we cycled across town to visit her friends at the place she lived before. At that time we got to know that Obama would be the next president of the US!!! It was very interesting to see the more than happy reactions of Margaret and her friends. Everybody was shouting and yelling, they were hugging each other and making phone-calls to their families and friends! Then we cycled to the house where she‘ ll move in in a few weeks to watch Obamas speech on TV. Everybody was in a great mood and about 10 college-kids were glued to the TV – listening to the first speech of their new president. I was very happy to be right there at this moving historical moment!

03.11.08

San Francisco – Pacifica

33 km, total 3836,5 km

This day wasn‘ t like I expected it to be…

Kathrin left around 7am to go to work. So I got up early enough to say goodbye to her. (Thanks again, it was great to see you again!!! I enjoyd staying with you!!!) Instead of getting ready to hit the road I took it easy – as I like to in the morning. Around 10:30 am I left the house and cycled and walked my way west to the pacific ocean. Since San Francisco is quite hilly it took me a while. I stopped at Safeway to get some bananas and Donuts for breakfast which I ate right at the beach where a strong wind was blowing from the south. Moreover it started to rain – what a great start.

Nevertheless I got back on my bike. First there was a bikepath which was pretty nice. There was a good climb to Daly City. Since there was a part of HWY 1 where I wasn‘ t allowed to cycle I stayed on the Skyline Blvd. When I got on the Sharp Hill Road which should take me down to Pacifica the wind almost pushed me off the bike. It would have been a great downhill ride – but I didn‘ t enjoy it at all. I stopped at a scenic lookout to get some shelter from the storm and the pouring rain. Since the weather didn‘ t look as if it would change for a while I got back on the road, holding on tight to my handlebars. It was pretty scary to get down there, fortunately the cars where passing me carefully.

I was reliefed when I finally reached Pacifica without falling off my bike and though I wasn‘ t happy about it I decided to call it quits for the day and get a motel-room. Later I walked over to the grocery store and got some frozen burritos I cooked for dinner in the microwave. I ended that miserable day with watching TV. 

Around noon the appartment was pretty clean again and we had a great „hangover“ breakfast at a Crèpes-Place. Later I tried to find a new tire at one of the bikeshops around. They all didn‘ t have the kind I was looking for and so I finally bought the kind the Bicycle-cops use on their bikes – I figured those can‘ t be that bad;-).

In the evening Kathrin and I went to the movies and watched „Changeling“. It‘ s been a while that I‘ ve been to the movies the last time;-).

I actually wanted to cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge while I stayed here but it didn t really fit into my schedule and I enjoyed taking it easy. It would have been a great thing to do but  since I‘ ve been there a few times before (even on a bike) it doesn‘ t bother me that much.

Well, tomorrow I‘ ll be back on the road – it‘ s time to cycle south again!!!

Take care,

Anja

Today Kathrin and her roommate Jacky wanted to leave the house early to get to a Ski-Festival. I decided to get up with them, grab some coffee and do some tourist-stuff. When I walked along the Bay it stqrted to rain. I watched the sea-lions at Pier 39 for a while and checked out some stores. In the afternoon I walked to REI on the other side of the hill where Kathrin lives.

Around 9pm the first party-guests arrived. Some where dressed up, others weren‘ t. It was a fun party with about 60 people – many of  ‚em didn‘ t know each other before – quite interesting. It was a great party and I had a good time.