LA

Made it to LA! I'm current staying at a friends' apartment on the border of Hollywood and West Hollywood. She described it as a 'hole'. I describe it as a miraculous palace with easy water access, with room to sleep both on a sofa and the floor! Oh and a massive 30 odd foot ceiling. I met Nicole in law school on exchange in Australia, although she's not exactly a lawyer.

Me: And then I want to take you out to dinner as thanks for letting me stay here, I really appreciate it.
Nicole: No need!
Me: Seriously, I really appreciate it, its the least I could do.
Nicole: I just won $7,000 in a poker tournement. I'm taking you out.
Me: Okay!

The last few days into LA have been a bit of a blur. We (was still with Michael) did an excellent detour into the Valley - into Buelton - met Beth and Tim - had way too much famous Anderson Pea Soup. Which wasn't all that exceptional, and insisted in sloshing around in my stomach for the next 15 miles through the heat.

That night we stayed in a campground designed for a couple of thousand campers, but it was basically just us. Which you would think would be peaceful and relaxing but it was not. Every animal who lives off those thousands of campers decided to come investigate us. As a result, at least two skunks (Michael's reaction when they showed up was to promptly question me on skunks and their behaviour. Like I have some degree in skunkology - avoid them, was my advice.), probably somewhere near half a dozen racoons, and dozens of these chipmunk/prairie dogs came to visit. Within five minutes of sunset three creatures had triangulated themselves around our position, their eyes glowing eerily at me as I tried to plan out my escape to the bathroom - not being able to determine skunk or racoon in the darkness made it even more treacherous. I want to scare racoons, but not skunks! That night, you could hear their feet scurriring around your head from inside your tent. I really missed joe and his tarp - they would have loved investigating him! I'm sure if Joe was there I would have slept soundly and in the moring have been greeted by a hollow-eyed Joe rendering epic battle tales of the creatures he faced off with in the night.

The next day was a treat of a climb. 2225 feet of hellish heat pounding away on my bike and back for four and a half miles. To badly paraphrase Tolstoy - every descent is enjoyable for the same reasons, every climb is horrible in its own unique way. The unique moment of hell on this climb was when the sweat on my face felt like it was being boiled off by the sun. I thought: This is new.

Down into Santa Barbara, which I wasn't overly impressed with. But then again, I'm not in a cityscape frame of mind. Out along the beaches until we hit the campground. The problem with camping near cities is that the hiker-biker spots are an attractive option for vagrants. For three to five dollars a night, anyone can stay. Don't even need a tent. We first encountered homeless in Monterey. None of them we have met so far seem dangerous, but many have been distinctly weird. We have also met a fair share of weird non-homeless people. Michael's british accent* seems to attract them - plus I have observed that his technique of ending a conversation with people by asking them more questions - is a failure.

[*A good number of people, upon hearing his accent, ask if he's canadian - which never fails to crack me up]

Anyway, weird people at campgrounds. The night before last, in the last campground before LA were two gems. Not homeless per say, but these two guys living on their bikes for most of the year. The first one , a large guy built like the stay-puff marshmellow man, introduced himself as an ex-navy seal, wounded in combat (his neck) who had issues from all the people he killed. He dealt with his issues by riding his bike instead of booze and drugs like many of his peers.
"I'll be honest with you. I've killed people. And not just a few people. I count 47 people." at this point I was overcome with an extrodinarily inappropriate urge to laugh - I mean who says stuff like this????? what ever happened to 'hi, nice to meet you?'

I start twisting my face in an effort to make the massive smile spreading across my cheeks look like benign interest. He clarifies : "and not from a distance. we are talking up close and personal. Saw their eyes right before I pulled the trigger. That's right." (Now my eyebrows are slanting sideways as I try to squeeze every feature of my face together in an effort to really really not laugh. My eyes start to water. Meanwhile Michael, dead face serious, is nodding his head 'yeah, yeah'. The ex-navy seal concludes with this line: 'But those bastards deserved it - Terrorist sonsofbitches, Baby-killers. We couldn't let them get away with that.' Then he informs us that he's down to his last dollar (four dollars to my name) as his disability pay doesn't come in until the first and he had unexpected bike repairs. I excuse myself.

Later his friend, a 60 year ish man come by to chat - as he's been doing this cycle trip for something like three years I ask him if he sees many solo women cyclists (being that I have met none on this trip, and no one I have talked to have either). Oh yes, he says, and starts in on this tale of this German woman who took sponge baths in her open tent, and then chased him down to put sunscreen on her back. I'm sure he meant this to be a reassuring tale, but all I could think was great - the first other women solo cyclist i've heard about- and she's an absolute nutter. Not very reassuring. Oh and this guys opinion on skunks? 'Not that bad. Been sprayed a couple of times. Don't really see what the fuss was about.' a statement which beggers belief.

Anyway, plan to spend a few days in the relative sanity of LA - hanging out with Nicole, checking out the Getty Center, then cycling down to San Diego to stay with Michael and his wife, from where i will complete the ride to Mexico and then take off on the next leg! For now though, I'm happy to be not riding my bike (sorry bike, but we've done a lot of cycling since San Fran) and sleeping indoors for a bit :)


Map from San Fran to LA

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