the last time i went down big sur.

below are the collected writings in order from when steve and i left san francisco until we got to just outside santa barbara: el capitan beach. unfortunately i didnt date the entries... enjoy.

Yeah, so we left SF last night and rode BART to Colma, biked from there to San Carlos. Went in Safeway, slept outside of Safeway only to be awoken at 2:a.m. by a security guard. We went across the street to Albertson's and slept by the dumpster. I learned that it is really hard to sleep outside in the cold and I really got a strong feeling about homelessness and the way the homed look upon it. I concluded that I don't want to end up on the street. I don't think I slept too much over the course of the night, and that will make riding a lot today all the harder, we may go all the way to Santa Cruz today, depends on if we can make it there by 4 pm for FNB.

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We didn't make it to FNB the next day, we made it to Boulder Creek (and we had to ascend and descend a huge hill to get there). There was a Natural Foods Store there, and friendly workers—especially Katie. She gave us some discounts and invited us to her apartment for dinner. Oh, how sweet it was. We had some toasted bread, amazing salad, and Quinot (?) with squash and pecans under maple syrup. It was very good. She let us set up camp in her backyard, which doubled as a Redwood Forest, it was magic(ally cold). Ah, yes, the weather. It got cold that night, not as bad as the night before, though. When we left the next morning we went to her work to say goodbye and thank-you. She gave us more bread and her phone number. Nice people are awesome. So we rode away, to Santa Cruz. When we got there we simply relaxed on the Boardwalk for a long time. Then we decided to go set up camp. About four miles out of Santa Cruz is New Brighton St. Beach. We set up camp, then headed back to town for FNB. On the corner of Water and Pacific, at the Town Clock, they were supposed to serve. Come 5:15, they hadn't and we had to leave to ensure getting to the tent before nightfall. And we did, with about half hour to spare. It was warmer than the night before, I fell asleep to the rhythm of the Rolling Ocean a quarter mile away. It was like a lullaby. Even with all of the discomfort, I slept decent. Until the rain. Recounting time is impossible. Even the date can be hard, but early early morning fierce wind and rain pounded our little tent. It is barely waterproof, and at 6.5' x 4' x 3' it is barely big enough for the both of us. If we touched the sides, water would seep in; I stayed dry, but Steve got a bit wet. That didn't dissipate for most of the day, and for most of the day we just sat in the tent. By the time we pack up tomorrow, we will have chalked up a good 36 hours in here. I have been out for barely a half-hour. The rain stopped recently, and the sun is fighting through the clouds, tonight could still be rough though. It could drive someone mad to be this enclosed for such a long time and little end in sight, but we did well. I honestly think we can handle most things very well. We mapped most of the trip, taking so many things into consideration, found towns with co-ops and the like that could serve as our base for the two-month leisure. We got things done and rode it out. I am going outside now, the sun has won. But, the rain will fight again.

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So, this storm we are in is supposedly the worst of the season and isn't supposed to let up for at least three more days. That sucks. Camping in this rain and wind sucks. Last time some wild creature rummaged the dry bag and ate some of our filberts. That sucked. But, last night, we also ate at a beautiful natural foods restaurant in Capitola—Dharma's. We had vegan shakes and it was expensive, but that is okay. When you are down and out you don't have a budget. That is good, because we wouldn't keep to it if we had one. So, it is still raining today and we are just going to the next campsite. Good thing there are many campsites out here.

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Life is rough. Last night raccoons tore through the dry bag and got everything wet. Sad. So we ride into Big Sur to do laundry. No l-mat. So we are now at Limekiln State Park. Yeah, we did 40 miles today over the rough terrain. Hopefully we'll hit San Simeon tomorrow to do laundry—we should, I foresee no problems. SO many times a day I feel like diving over the hill and rolling to my death in the ocean, but I always keep on going. I really don't know why. It could be some secret urge to win life, or maybe I just want to see my family again. At night, I get so cold, it is funny how CA is going through an energy crisis right now, because for the past 8 days I have not used power. I have, however, been subjected to power use. That is okay. I am living rustically, and I hate it. I guess it isn't really hate, but it really is rough. I was not ready for this at all. I never thought this was my fate. This is all brand new and beautiful and I love that, the nights suck though. I just wish I was at home (whatever that means) eating well, sleeping warm, doing good, and all that kind of stuff. I think in the past 10 days I have eaten one (1) hot meal, the rest has been cold granola, filberts and almonds. That is reality right now, that sucks. I could sit here and want want want, but I am not going to—everything will be better in Santa Barbara.

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So we got to San Simeon today, they told us to go to Cambria. Morale, money, food, low. I really have no idea why I am out here. It is so cold, I feel like I am dead, that is the worst and all I can do is keep moving my feet; stopping only makes me colder. We figured out today that in the past 11 days, we have spent less than three hours indoors. Most of that was in Capitola—at Dharma's. That isn't good. I guess the best part is that, by the looks of the terrain, the big hills are over for awhile. That will make riding at least faster. We should be in Santa Barbara by the end of the week. That is positive. Right now, I am pretty sure it is the 13th of February, and riding a bike in February just isn't smart. IT MAKES NO SENSE. But, life is the same. Blah.

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Rock-Bottom. It has been hit. We are at El Capitan for the second day . We had all of our hopes on tomorrow bailing us out. But that all faded, tomorrow is a holiday. So we dug through the Boy Scouts' trash and found a plethora of food. We found bread and salad and carrots and trail-mix-snacks and we found meat. We didn't eat the meat, we do have limits. Being vegan and believing vegan comes with all sorts of baggage. I am very proud to be vegan, but I may take a step down in the near future to lacto-vegetarian. That means I could eat eggs and milk and dairy (cheese). I wont eat egg straight up, soy milk is better than cow milk, and well cheese is a factor. I will probably still be mostly vegan, but every now and again I will eat a cheese pizza or a buttermilk biscuit or something. When your entire day is focused on nothing but thinking and eating, a lot of thought goes into food. I don't even feel bad about it, I feel good. This would be a conscious decision on my part and we don't even know what is happening. Anyway, Santa Barbara is thirty miles away and we will either go in there tomorrow or Tuesday, get money then eat a real meal then buy khaki pants then get jobs. That is how our next few days are looking. It isn't that bad, actually good—except how sore my body is. We have been camping for 12 nights straight, tonight is thirteen. We have had much bad luck, but goodness is on the horizon. I also have a few simple desires, that may or may not play out. I want to sleep on a bed sometime, I want to sit down and play Final Fantasy VIII on a playstation sometime, and SimCity, simple things that are usually taken for granted. I used to live really easy, and although people live much harder than I am now, I am living hard now and it sucks. I hate it. Just to get back to an Olympia or NY situation would be ideal. I will explore moving to Olympia or thereabouts with Tiffany whenever she is better. Living with her is easy and that is good. Next time I am settled somewhere (Santa Barbara or Chicago-land) I will get back in touch with her and explore some options.