Catching Up

I'm finally sitting at a keyboard, freshly showered and wearing fairly clean clothes. I haven't been able to get to a computer since Santa Cruz, which was six-ish days ago. I've been camping out in Monterey, Big Sur (both the North and South side), Pismo Beach, and last night at Refugio State Beach, located twenty miles North of Santa Barbara. This last stop has been one to shift my trip entirely.

To begin, it has been over 100 degrees for the last three days. I have been putting in a lot of mileage, doing the largest amount of hill climbing thus far, and generally laboring under the scorching sun. By the time I pulled into Refugio, I had put down 85 miles for the day with a whole lot of hills; it was arduous.

I pulled into the hiker-biker camp feeling 'bout half past dead. A fairly young guy in good shape with a brightly colored beanie was sitting alone at a table, gazing placidly out into the ocean not fifty feet from the campsite (it was an AWESOME site for hiker/biker). I was still reeling from the effects of dehydration as we exchanged pleasantries.

He asked where I was from; I said Reno. I asked if he was a hiker. He said no and pointed to his bike half-hidden behind a nearby tree. I asked where he was riding from, not paying too much attention but rather concentrating more on not missing the bench as I sat down. I could have sworn he said Petaluma...

I had been distracted. He was noticeably surprised by my response, or rather my lack of a response. I must have missed something."How long have you been on the road?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation alive despite my fatigue. "Just about three months" he replied. I was confused. Petaluma couldn't be more than 600 miles away, there was no way he was coming from there. "Where did you say you were coming from again?" I asked sheepishly, embarrassed for having forgotten so quickly.

"Panama City. I've been riding the Pan-American Highway through Central America for a charity." I was amazed. I wasn't aware that roads were running through parts of Central America. I had so many questions!

Aaron, it turns out, had been big time Real Estate guy in the Bay Area until about two years ago, when he sold all of his stuff and decided to go around the world. He had spent a significant amount of time abroad, and eventually found himself in a Hostel in Panama. He traded his backpack and a little cash for a bike owned by a man with red dreadlocks who was staying in the hostel. He set up a charity to build a school in Guatemala, and took off back to San Francisco. Tonight he is in San Luis Obispo with some friends who joined him in LA to ride the last stretch.


I kid you not. This guy really exists. You can read about his cause, his travels, and perhaps help in some way. This is his Blog:

http://www.lasthillbeforehome.blogspot.com/

A fraternity brother of his came up from Oxnard with dinner and they invited me to join them, which I was more than happy to accept. Pasta, bread, salad, wine... It really couldn't get any better, especially because I had planned on having trail mix with water before passing out. Instead we sat around and talked, and the group tried to convince me to turn around and head back to San Francisco with them, where a large party in the city will culminate Aaron's project. We playfully argued the pros and cons of my returning on the trail I had just set, though eventually they realized it was a lost cause.

For all of the traveling this man has done, he said time and again that riding the Baja Peninsula was the most beautiful and introspective portion of his journey. His friend, who had not seen him in over two years, told me that Aaron spent the first 45 minutes of their reunion gushing about the Baja ride.

He told me about the expansive desert and the lonely cacti. He told me about the bright blue waters and people camping on the sand dunes. I want to interact with the environment that this man, who has seen so much, couldn't stop gushing about. After I rest in San Diego with my family, I am heading into Baja California Sur and riding to Cabo San Lucas.

The same couple who brought us dinner last night graciously invited me to stay at their house in Oxnard tonight. Thank you so much Greg and Brenda. So here I am: freshly showered, wearing fairly clean clothes, and making this whole thing up as I go.


The Baker's dog Tug!