San Diego


It was extremely convienent when Carl rolled his cart over to my disarray of bike parts and luggage. He was intrigued. He wanted the bag I needed to get rid of. He asked if it was in good condition. It was except for where I'd ducted taped over a tear. I told him this. Then another man wanted my bike box. Glad I didn't have to worry about where that was supposed to go. At that point in time the two security guys came out and ed at the door. Finally I rode my bike with its mildly pumped tires and crooked handlebars to the hostel. At 3:00 am I fell asleep vowing to repair these sins against my bike in the morning.

I woke before the others, though they were all asleep before me. I was hungry. I strolled...more shuffled stiffly still unshowered through the boldly colored halls. Pancakes were happening. I wasn't really sure what the protocol was, but as soon as a griddle was available, I was pouring mix onto it. More interesting people and word that an Austrailian was starting a tour to New Yourk from this hostel. I was also told he had at least a hundred lbs. of gear. Ouch. I saw his bike on the rack. Terry saddle and it was dressed the way a cyclist with a hundred pounds of gear would dress a bike.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Simmesport - 32.27 miles

Image
Most people would not get excited about liquid oozing out of a limb. I, however, was tired of the painful tautness of the skin from the mass of liquid built up. Aside from perhaps finally getting back on the road again, this was the highlight of my day. St. Augustine once again doesn't feel very far away as I plan to finish off the fifth of the seven maps tomorrow and cross the Mississippi. Checking my email in Simmesport, I received several happy birthdays. A couple of which were from people who claimed not to know me, but were friends of my mother's. So later on the phone I asked my mother if she'd sent a provoking email out. She had. I caught her. Not that it's bad, but usually I'm lucky to have more than one or two people remember it's my birthday. The day hasn't traditionally been great. Last year's was good though. 9.5 ave - 15.1 max - 2214.2 odo - 3:26:38 time
Read more

St. Augustine - 100.65

Image
5:00 came with the same nervous intensity that an early flight out of Sitka does. It is just too much of an inconvenience to be late for an important important. I had to meet with the darkness so we could experience the ebb and flow of the shadows as the street lamps pass us by. This single sensation with the cool night air and tidal movement of my shadow chasing me and leaving me behind is my favorite part of cycling. I watched the orb rise with the traffic the same color as my reflective shirt. I stopped once to eat breakfast at Hardee's and again before crossing the St. John's to eat grilled cheese, veggie-beef soup, and more sweet tea. As I completed the century to St. Augustine, I understood why the ACA route goes where it does. As I approached the coast I passed traffic caused by a down cyclist out for a Monday spin. Waiting in the touristed out town, I took pictures of myself on timer hoping to have one halfway decent one. I rode down some of the narrow streets as the tr
Read more

Big Cane - 0 miles

Image
Though still congested, I don't feel half as ill as I did a few days ago. Drugs work wonders, but the bite on my thigh is still hot, red, tender, and 5 inches in diameter. And people worry about mosquitos in Alaska. I think I may force myself to rest one more day before I take off. I've been anxious to leave since I got here. But my hosts have been the kindest anyone could ask for. To be honest I'll miss the buckets of live craw fish that rest and surprise me on the kitchen floor and the baby turtles in tupperware on the counter. With any luck they'll find that second one that climbed but before they sniff it out.
Read more