Today I went 77.6 miles. I went through San Lius Obispo and made it to Harmony. It is a great artist town. Very nice. (pic1 pic2)

Over the last few days I have been heading into the east blowing prevailing winds. I have been heading west. So, the wind has been in my face the whole way. They are blowing 15 to 20 miles an hour pretty constant. Frankly, it makes it hard to stand, with out thinking about riding. I average about 5 miles an hour in these winds. Head down, pumping hard. Let’s just say it has not been fun.

People have been telling me that you have to ride south this time of year, but I have peddled on. My goal was to reach San Francisco so I could head east.

Today, I ran into a nice older gentle man riding south. He stopped and asked where I was going. I told him and received the typical laugh. He has done the cross continent thing before and suggested that if I wanted to go east I should start in Seattle. So, going to San Fran. Really didn’t make sense. He also told me that the winds were just going to get worse as I got into the mountains around Big Sur.

I continued north, and in Harmony made peace with the idea that I was going to have to jump a train to go north. So, I turned around and peddled the 30 miles back to San Luis Obispo to catch the train.

Being so far north opens some new doors. Like I could head to Alaska. I have never been there before. Anyway, I have some decisions to make. I’ll keep you posted.

tomorrow, I am heading to San Francisco to visit and stay with a friend.

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Day 6

this is joshua he is heading south from san fran to la. Total miles for yesterday was 47.5.

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This is day 5

As I entered Oceana, CA I could not resist. I had to stop at the Rock n Roll dinner. Yes, those are train cars. The outside is cool but the inside was great. I ordered the Elvis (of course).

Ok, now an update. I started in Lompoc this morning about 12. Passed Vandenberg Air Force Base. Then went through Guadalupe. Cool town. It reminded me of something out of a movie. Like a mix of an old west town and a Spanish mission.

Haven’t stopped for the night, but looks like the day’s miles will be about 50.

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To start with I rode 22.9 miles in the morning. I blew out another spoke about 15 miles from Lompoc, CA which meant that it was time to get new wheels. Once a spoke goes on a wheel like I had it is very unstable. So, it was a slow carefull ride to Lompoc.

I got into Lompoc about 10am and asked around about a bike shop. After a few trys I found a great one. Bicycles Unlimited on North “H” Street. The guys there really fixed me up good. I got some killer new wheels, and a new cluster for the back. They also tuned the bike a little. They really took care of me. If you find yourself in Lompoc in need of bicycle parts that is the place to go.

So, I got a room and srarted eating and sleeping while they fixed the bike. I had roast beef and mashed potatos for lunch and fish and chips at Alfee’s a good combo of protien and carbs. I never thought of fish and chips while planning this trip.

Later

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I am about 27 miles south of Lompoc, CA. I was riding up this hill and took a rest. Thought it might be a good time to take a pic. The mountains are great! The inclines are not.

At least it is pretty while I rest!

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Wow. Today was a great day for a ride. In total I went 69.5 miles. I am calling it a nice round 70 miles.

Santa Barbara was very nice. Very bike friendly. I went through UC Santa Barbara, there are thousands of bikes there. Everyone rides to class. They even have side walks, and bike paths side by side. They are serious about bicycles.

Now, I am about 30 miles north of Santa Barbara and the landscape has really changed. It is very rugged. I am taking pictures. I hope I can find somewhere to up load them.

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Now this is the way to wake up! The sound of the ocean and birds calling.

The fog moved in last night. It makes everything quiet and seem so far away. You can’t tell where the ocean ends and the sky begins. Nice.

I watched the waves and birds as the sun came up. Then out of nowhere a flash of something very much not a bird or a wave. I wasn’t sure I saw anything at all. Then another and another. There must have been 8 or so of them. Dolphins playing in the surf.

Now, that is the way to wake up.

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Ok for the record total miles for today was 30.78. Not bad for starting at about 2:30.

I got all the problems out of the way early. Not 2 blocks from my old apartment the drinking water somehow got stuck in the spokes. I horrible noise and a quick stop. (for a moment I thought that my ride might turn into a flight) I had to drain all of the water to get it out of the spokes, but nothing was damaged.

There were several other unplanned stops along the way and bumps to iron out, but the last 15 miles were a dream. You know when you hit your pace. You don’t think about peddling, it just happens, and with the wind in your face you seem to effortlessly float over the road with the ocean on your left and mountains on the right. WOW! That is the way to do it.

The 30 miles took me from 2424 Wilshire Blvd (my old home) to a state beach in Malibu. One word…Spectacular.

The sun is slipping behind the ocean. The waves are gently lapping the shore, and pelicans are magically hanging just above the water bobbing up and down on outstretched wings with each passing wave. It is a picture and one that my cell camera would mangle badly. I took some pics with my better camera. I will upload them if I can.

The sky is turning very dark pink now. The show is about over and time for me to think about where I am going to sleep and eat.

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And he’s off!

Ok. Time to go…peddle peddle…

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Well…today is the day!!!!

Here is a picture of Jessie at breakfast. What a friend. Not only is she taking care of my car she also took me to a going away breakfast. Great conversation and a high carb meal. I am truly blessed to call her a friend.

My apartmant is cleaned out. My bike is packed and ready. I will be on my way in about an hour.

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