the end of my past

me at gaviota

the end of shoreline park

our sleeping area at shoreline park

our tree at douglas preserve

under the tree at douglas preserve

my crazy cliff

i drove south today and started hitting some of the parks we stayed at. the first one that i was actually able to get to was gaviota. i remembered this from the train bridge that went over it. i went up to the train bridge and walked around for a bit. i found a ran over nickel and dime.

then i went to el capitan where we stayed for two days. i just walked down the beach and looked at the oil rigs out in the distance.

now, here i am in santa barbara. i was here before and (self-described) went crazy. looking back, i think i just broke under the pressure, but whatever.

so, apparently we rode our bikes for about two weeks from san francisco to santa barbara and i just wasnt ready for my life to be in tatters. i didnt have any kind of handle on living outside or living in the fringes, if only i had someone to show me a little bit of the way, some direction at that time i might have stuck it out. how different life would be then.

anyway, we ended our trip in santa barbara because we ran out of money and we made a pact to get jobs and be here for two months and then keep going south. i lasted maybe a month, probably not that and caught a bus to indiana.

today i visited some of the spots we "lived" at and some other places. when we rolled into sb we went first to a coffee shop called hot spots. it was early in the morning and we had absolutely no money. steve talked to the barista and she gave us some drinks for free and let us hang out there until the post office opened. i went there today and used their wireless.

i drove down state street to the wharf and took a right towards shoreline park. after about two miles, past the lemon trees that i would regularly pick from, i came to the very end of shoreline park. there is a small double fenced area right on a cliff to the ocean. in between the two fences was a tree that gave about three feet on either side. we chose that spot to sleep for the first few nights. we strung a tarp to blok the rain and cuddled up next to each other trying to sleep.

i went there today and it was moving. it was so small. there were huge nasturtiums growing all around there it was really a beautiful outlook area. i took a bunch of pictures there and then moved on. it went pretty quick.

next i went to the douglas family preserve. after a couple days at shoreline park we were found by some police officers early one morning and told that we couldnt stay there. i think we chatted for a bit and the cop said that we looked like smart kids and that he didnt think we needed to sleep outside, so he told us a new place to go for a bit. that was the douglas preserve.

so we rode up there and found a large tree that provided a large drapery for covering. we entered and we set up camp and we slept. wash rinse repeat. we both got jobs and continued living under this tree on another cliff.

i went there today and it wasnt as moving. i dont believe i ever just walked around that preserve, but i did today and it just wasnt as great. i went to the tree and took pictures inside and around it, i remembered where we stashed our gear and the sleeping arrangements. we were never hassled there for the few weeks i was there.

then i went to the natural foods store where we spent a bunch of time, looked across the street where we did our laundry. we would just spread our clothes on the railing outside to dry to save money. it was hilarious to just drive around and remember the things we would do and just how life was then. i kind of feel like i am continuing that journey now, with just a bit more sophistication.

after that i just went to the beach. i have been talking about how i need to slow down, and i just started a new book which is great, so i took it slow. i started to use the things that i brought with. like my folding chair, last night i used my camp stove and cook gear for the first time.

so things are going well. i am going to stay here tonight and then spend the day around delving deeper. and then i will go further south than i have ever been before (on the california coast) to los angeles.