Back in L.A.

Great trip to Santa Barbara. We started off Monday morning early and cycled sixteen miles to the train station in downtown L.A. went through several 'hoods, Koreatown, the homeless park which has been de-populated and the old downtown area. Hopped the Amtrack for Ventura and then cycled 50+ miles to Sta. Barbara. Weather was variable warm to foggy/chilly. took our time, looked for Jamba Juice stores and laughed all the way. I picked up an unusual souvenir on the way north. I spied a book lying at the side of the road and passed it by, dismissing it as litter. Curiosity got the better of me and i turned around to check it out. Turns out it is an unsullied copy of Aldous Huxley's The Doors Of Perception and Heaven And Hell. Should make for entertaining reading in the Pod while trying to fall asleep. Spent the night at Joe's sister Mae's house and met the family; Steve, her husband, Michelle (daughter) who just ran her first half-marathon and Kevin, her boyfriend from Costa Rica.

Off early this morning for the ride down the coast thru Sta. Barbara, Oxnard, Port Huaneme, Malibu and all sorts of other places I can't name and wouldn't be in the right order anyway. Found a Jamba Juice store somewhere in there and bough Joe his first. He was happy with it until it spilled all over his front tire and caused his brakes to squeal badly. More laughter all the way. He had a flat somewhere in Oxnard and we took a break from pedalling to get that fixed. Then we got to the hilly section of the Pacific Coast Highway and huffed and puffed along. Had some great stretches where we slipped alongside crashing surf with dolphins broaching alongside-the stuff that you read about in travel mags. Well, we lived it, and it was beautiful. Down the road in Malibu, we stopped to watch para-surfers or whatever they are called. These guys have short surfboards like snowboards, and they use parasails to pull them out to sea or until they spy a good wave. Then they do an abrupt about face and surf the wave, all the while getting a great pull from the wind, until they kick out in shallow water and get pulled out again. I got some shots, the one I'll post shows one guy actually "getting air" and being pulled airborne quite a way. Amazing.

Hopped a bus in Trancas Canyon and rode it back into Santa Monica. Remounted the cycles there after being olfactorily assaulted by a homeless guy sacked out on the bus stop bench. I've whiffed better smelling corpses. He was alive, I know, beccause he eyed me while I walked by with my bike. Back in the city! Actually, I'm beginning to like L.A.

Got back to the apartment and quaffed a couple of Bohemias, then hied off to Alejo's, Joes favourite Italian restaurant. They didn't have a license so we picked up some beer and a bottle of Ravenswood Cabernet to accompany the meal. Shrimp Diablo, Alejo's house salad, Sourdough bread with GARLIC butter, all in proportions that shouldn't be eaten by sane people-which we were not. After all, we did cycle 77.864 miles today and had to replenish...

Early-up tomorrow. Joe has a tennis match at 0730 and I have to move the car/Pod before 0800 when the street cleaning crew will ticket and/or tow. I'm off for Arizona and don't know where I'll lay my tired bones. Suffice it to say, I will probably hole up in the desert somewhere and try to get my system re-acclimated to my "healthy" diet of soy, granola and veggies. I will then, most likely, darken Phred's doorstep.

Has anyone read the article in the latest Bicycling Magazine issue about Biketown Africa. Well, they are looking for people to go over to Namibia and help assemble bikes and teach health workers how to maintain/repair the bikes that are being donated to NGOs which are attempting to fight AIDS. Have wrench, will travel.
Hasta Luego, and til wherever I get connected,
Gloxy