Blog

• July 4th!

  Check out the following from Sonia on the groups adventures in San Luis Obispo for Independence Day. We were hosted by an amazing group at San Luis Obispo United Methodist Church. As a program unaffiliated with religion or the faith communities, it continually amazes us the support we are shown from phenomenal groups like this one!

  ~~~~~

  Written by Sonial Paul

  4th of July in San Luis Obispo

  Happy 4th of July! We had an off day today in SLO and the team woke up at around 10:15 AM for a group meeting. We had some conversation about the people we have met and talked to about Microcredit and it was nice to hear how each person has had different experiences interacting with people along the route. Afterwards, we were free to do whatever we wanted and most people headed out to explore the city a bit and then went to Adam’s friend Micah’s barbeque. Emma, Alain, Phillipe, Jess, Tom and I went to some swing dancing celebrations in the city- so much fun! I’m not much of a dancer, but it was great making up our own moves and learning some new ones from Alain. We were definitely some of the only people dancing, but what can I say, Agents create a spectacle everywhere they go!

  After dancing, we joined the rest of the crew at Micah’s barbeque and enjoyed some excellent burgers, nachos and salsa aaaaand some beverages. The best part of the day was stopping for frozen yogurt on the walk home- so good! The yogurt tasted like ice cream, you couldn’t tell the difference. But even better, there were a wide variety of toppings to put on the yogurt. I definitely loaded mine up with about ten different kind of toppings, including strawberries, white chocolate chips, chocolate bars and mixed nuts. San Luis Obispo is definitely a really cool town and it was nice to be able to take a break from riding and enjoy Independance Day.

  Sonia Paul, 2008 rider

  July 9th, 2008 · No comments
• Day 37 - Lompoc to Santa Barbara

  Today we biked from Lompoc to Santa Barbara.  The day started out super chilly and gloomy but ended up being extremely extremely hot.  The first part of the day was rather uneventful besides Kelly’s face swelling for no reason and Vera finding a giant Mexican flag in the ditch which she carried along the way.  Our lunch stop was at a beautiful beach about 20 miles from Santa Barbara.  This was convenient because as the trip has progressed our lunch breaks have become significantly more leisurely.  After our meal of gourmet wraps and watermelon we swam in the ocean, built sandcastles and slept on the beach.  While the majority enjoyed an afternoon rest, Laura and Nicole got lost and took a slight detour up and over a 2000 ft. mountain. 

  After a few hours we were on the road again and biked the remainder on the day with flames in the distance.  This is the closest we have been to the forest fires.  Biking through a community which had been partially evacuated made it all the more real.  Once we got to Santa Barbara we experienced some culture shock as we a) smell like dirty football players b) look like dirty football players who have been in the sun too long and c) have become incapable of holding meaningful conversations with anyone outside of our group ie. Laird.  However, this did not stop us from exploring the town.  By exploring on my end, I mean eating cheesecake with Karen while many others enjoyed ice cream and Frisbee in the park.  After our ‘snack’ (which would be more of a meal compared to others…) Sonia made an amazing Indian dinner.  We ended our day with a stroll around town enjoying the cooler night.  As the end is in sight, it seems that the reality of saying good-bye is sinking in, making us even more clingy than usual. 

  Kailey and Kelly - 2008 riders

  July 7th, 2008 · No comments
• Day in the life of Isaac

  An epic day in the life of Isaac on the ride….

  Day 36 - (Sat 5^th) San Luis Obispo to Lompoc (100K)

  Woke up early after sleeping in the children’s play ground of the church we stayed at in San Luis Obispo . I always enjoy waking up out side by the light of the morning sun.  As usual some get up but most wait until the last minute, and past wake up call, to get out of bed and pack up. People sleeping out side bring their things in and pack up with the rest inside. As we are getting cleaned up a breakfast crew, lead by Ben, created us some amazing breakfast bagels with all the fixin’s. We finished breakfast really quickly and got everything cleaned up really quickly - then it took an extra hour half to deal with small tasks. We had a morning meeting and got photocopied directions from the church to Lompoc, our next destination.

  I stayed behind to play the piano, similar to the day we left Montereywhen  I stayed to play the church organ. As opposed to then though, I didn’t stay as long so when I left caught up to sweep real quick - they were at the San Luis Obispo bike shop getting some new tires. Sweep (the last two riders, charged with making sure everyone in front of them is ok for the day) was Emma and Sonia with Alain joining them for the day, and a friend from the party last night Aaron, who decided to ride with us. Al and Sonia where both getting new tires, Alain was because he had a hole in his tire and the side wall on Sonia’s old tire blew out  so she now had Sean’s old tire…. which seemed to just be lemon and Sonia  already had a flat on it. Aaron helped Sonia get her new tire on and I helped Alain. We both get the new tires on, but when Sonia began pumping up her front tire the tube on the new back tire had been pinched and went BANG. So Aaron buys her a new tube and put the back tire back on and fiiinally we all roll out of the bike shop.

  After the bike shop, since it was about noon, before we left town we stopped for some of SLO’s infamous frozen yogurt for pre-lunch. Since we were there last night I was able to make an even better mixer of frozen yogurt and toppings than before.

  Back on the road again with Aaron leading us out of San Luis Obispo (SLO) Emma got her first flat of the trip. We quickly found the hole in the tube but it took all of us looking at the tire a couple times to find the culprit - a small piece of glass slowly made its way through the tire and the other side into the tube. We patched the tube. We tried using a dollar bill to cover the small hole in the tire but I kept on losing the hole in the tire when putting it back on the rim, so we ended up just throwing a patch on the inside of the tire instead. We got the tire and tube on the wheel with no further problems.  

  Before getting to lunch we took a short cut that some us hoped would avoid hills… but really was a shorter but much steeper hill. It was indeed a short cut though as a cyclist who past us went the other way and we got up much faster than him. It was a good fun hill.

  (WINDY, OVERCAST)

  We continue on with no problems all the way to lunch. At lunch we all get to eat well - wraps and sandwiches with many topping. I got hunting for some tomato in the trailer and found chive and basil - garlic Avioli was also available, which wonderful and caring Karin brought out with me in mind. They were starting to clean up while I was still eating, handing me all the leftovers. We biked out from lunch and gain Kamila in our pod, who was still at lunch with hersore knee. She told us we should check if Emily has left the library yet so when we get to the turn off to the library Sonia and I scout out in to the head wind to see weather or not Emily is still there…. she was not so we went back to the group and biked on.

  (SUNNY)

  It is beautiful out in the rolling hills….

  Emma had been feeling nauseous all day and so she needed to stop. We stopped and she told every one to go on and I would wait with her until she felt better or if we needed to call the van for her to get picked up. Once Emma convinced the rest to go ahead we found a viable place to wait for the van because we had called them, and Alain left his phone with us. So we sat and talked until the van got there.

  I was now biking alone, thoroughly enjoying the view - it was really pretty out there in the evening.  I spaced out so thought I had gone too far and I remembered a turn off to the town we were going to, maybe 6 or 7 miles back so I went back and on that route.

  (FOGGY AND WINDY)

  I climb up and down hills by the air force base a long way then though a town, then finally a get to Lompoc and it is getting dark. Since I was not taking the same route the directions I had did not help me much. So I ask many locals, most saying they did not know where it was, some sending me far in the wrong direction.  But got there about 930pm, heated up the leftovers, brushed my teeth, told my story of being lost, Emily drew a cool looking compass rose on my foot, then I went to bed on a pew after reading.

  BY isaac

  July 7th, 2008 · No comments
• Paso Robles

  Today’s entry comes from Jackie, and comes after a few days of skirting forest fires, finding accomodation day by day, and what seems like one crisis after another. And the riders, this amazing, incredible team, remains in high spirits despite it all!

  On a very sad note, Sean had to head home to be with his family after a death in the family, though he insists he’ll be back and we all miss him and his energy in the group. Our thoughts are with Sean and his family as we continue to battle the sun, flat tires and ambiguous routes - a sharp reminder everyone that these are all small trials and that life is precious, each moment to be enjoyed and lived to the max. Tell your family you love them today.

  ~~~

  Written by Jackie Douglas

  If you are reading the blog for the first time in a couple of days, let me update you on our detour. There are severe fires in California and we have detoured away from the coast and are riding inland. We left King City to ride to Paso Robles today, and we hope to return to our scheduled route after San Luis Obispo.

  As if avoiding fires isn’t enough of an adventure, we came to find that our alternative road is now a private road (Google maps is not as updated as we thought). The van arrived at a gate to find out that the road was bought several years ago. Some of us in the front of the pack were stopped and had to turn around and hit an extreme head wind. Four of us attempted to draft the van (sadly, without success). We laughed and headed in to the wind and met up with the whole group at an intersection where there was one restaurant and a gas station. We ate lunch while a new route was planned. We called highway patrol and found out that cyclists were allowed on a stretch of Highway 101. Again with the wind behind us, we continued south.

  We arrived in Paso Robles to be welcomed by the Live Oak Christian Church. They opened their doors to us without hesitation when we called this morning. The generosity is incredible and we cannot thank our hosts enough.

  Our group had another surprise after dinner… several riders treated the group to dessert! They bought ice cream, heath bars and Reese’s peanut butter cups for the group. It was delicious.

  Sadly, Sean, one of the riders, had to fly home to be with his family because a family member passed away. He hopes to rejoin us - we look forward to his return and miss him greatly. We send our love to him and his family. We miss you Sean!!!

  Jackie - 2008 rider

  

  

  

  

  

  July 3rd, 2008 · No comments
• Freeways and Forest Fires

  From Laura - 2008 rider

  We woke up this morning, left Freewheelin’ Farm and rode into the city of Santa Cruz. Some of us stopped to get coffee, others went to the Boardwalk in hopes of catching a ride on the roller coaster only to find out that it wasn’t open yet. We then rode through the city and tried to get on highway 1, which we’ve been riding on throughout northern California, except there were signs on all of the onramps saying “Pedestrians, bicycles and motor-powered bicycled prohibited.” Since our directions today were “ride on highway 1 until Monterey,” we all felt a bit lost. Some of us got directions from locals to follow backroads, a few of us didn’t see the signs and got on the freeway (resulting in a run-in with the police…).

  After an extended stay at our first lunch stop at The Farm Bakery and Café in Aptos, we made our way through the farmlands, back on highway 1 on the parts where it was legal to ride, and then into Castroville, the artichoke capital of the world. This was our second lunch stop, where we discovered the amazingness of fried artichoke hearts. We then continued on the Pacific Coast Bike Route (which pops up periodically throughout our rides) and rode into Monterey, got lost again, asked for directions multiple times, and made our way to the Bethlehem Lutheran Church. It was a long day with lots of detours and setbacks, but I think we all appreciated the bike paths and local routes. Our next challenge: avoiding the fires… Laura Reed, 2008 rider Pictures! Isaac in a U-Pick strawberry field, Golf Course Short Cut, Alain Taiko Drumming, Bike Mountaineering x 2 (another short cut!), off roading (Dave’s alternate route…also led to the mountain climbing and golf course), and the bandits (protection from somewhat smokey air).

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  June 30th, 2008 · No comments
• Oh how I wish I brought my mountain bike..

  From Bronwyn - 2008 Rider

  ~~~

  So the big city is behind us and it has been a long day despite the fact that it was ‘only a 30 mile day….’ and we woke up at…10am. Many of us were tired from a pumping house party at Jess’ but the sleep-in was a well-deserved and most welcome one. After reconvening the troops, cleaning up the warehouse (to a cleaner state than it has probably been in a while) and loading up the van, we all dispersed again to enjoy some last moments in San Fran (some participating in Pride weekend, others stopping way too many times because again, the ride was only 30 miles. And others not leaving until 4:30 due to unfortunate bike problems…)

  Before leaving, we had all been given two pages worth of directions to Half Moon Bay and the option of either a shorter route along Highway 1 that included the ‘Devils Slide’ and thus, muchos danger (no shoulder, gravel, construction…the works) or an alternate route given to us by the awesome bike shop dudes (insider info). This would be a bit longer and include a scenic somewhat gravelly excursion into the mountain itself. I found this rather intriguing and figured it’d also be safer…but it turned out to be much MUCH more than we expected. It turned out being Montara Mountain. Da da dum!
  So first, we had to get through the city- a scenic bike route which included the Panhandle, Golden Gate Park and the zoo, and then back to the ocean and the highway. After getting lost and asking at countless gas stations where to go and also biking through a police old-up in a random town, we finally got to the trailhead and began the ascent up and up, through a tight windy, gravelly and very bumpy trail surrounded by massive trees and wildflowers- and after a lonnng but gradual incline, an incredible view of the ocean and the valley below us. Along the way up, we bumped into some cowboys, one telling us we had a long way to go and we should save our energy. Not only that, but by the time we got to the top, even more misted had shrouded us in and it was all very eery and surreal. Plus what we thought would be a simple detour ended up being an ascent up a mountain 1898 feet high!

  So not the easiest day we’ve had. Possibly more dangerous than the Devils Slide but awesome nonetheless. The descent was a serious adrenaline-pumper which was a bit much for many of our wee tires and brakes. Good thing we all got tune-ups in San Fran, not to mention brake pad replacements! After the mountain, we had about 10 miles into the Bay through farmland (by that time it was getting dark already) and we arrived around 8pm to a warm church and a massive amazing potluck of lasagna, salads and freshly baked honey maple bread (made in honour of us Canadians) not to mention the desserts…

  Its nice to be back on the road again and all together as a big group. And again realizing that a) never believe anything anyone tells you while on the road, and b) ain’t no mountain high, ain’t no valley low! We can handle it all.

  Bronwyn Churcher, 2008 rider

  

  Stop for dance party

  

  Foggy cliffs

  

  We’ve got our own “Roche Perce” in Quebec, but there are so many on the West Coast

  

  

  

  June 29th, 2008 · No comments
• Catch up blog - Arcata and Avenue of Giants

  This blog didn’t get posted at the time either for some reason! Give it a read for the stry coming out of Arcata, in Norther California

  Written by Vera, 2008 rider

  After plans to rearrange an off day (in favor of spending an extra
  day in Arcata) fell through; the team rumbled out of town well after
  noon. A group of ten or so spent the late morning with one of Kelly’s
  friends: Fyre. As a play producer, Fyre had many big ideas. One of
  those ideas stuck with me; he had suggested building an activism
  school. It seemed especially pertinent to the town of Arcata, a place
  where the hippies soaked the streets and it was nearly impossible to
  distinguish between the homeless and the well-to -do. Fyre explained
  how many grassroots movements in the area fell flat because of poor
  organization and other contingent factors. However, the key issue that
  kept the idea from materializing was lack of funding. Perhaps, a
  micro-loan could help this initiative?
  The latter half of the ride consisted of a detour off 101 down the
  Avenue of the Giants. The ride was spectacular in part because the
  Coastal Redwoods shaded us from the afternoon heat. Further detours
  included much tree hugging. We noticed that many of the trees had
  branches on one side of the trunk only. Later we learned that the root
  structure of these mammoth trees was not as expansive as typical trees
  and the limbs help to balance the trees as it grows under high winds.
  This reminds me of micro-credit businesses because small businesses
  all grow differently but still require the support that loans give,
  just as trees all grow differently but still require support either
  above ground or underneath.

  Vera, 2008 rider

  June 28th, 2008 · No comments
• Catch up blog - Elk Prairie Campground to Arcata

  This blog didn’t get posted a couple weeks ago, check it out!! Thanks Ben

  Written by Ben Amundson, 2008 rider
  I think we all would have been disappointed to hear that no one
  spotted an Elk after such a bold name. However, in her early morning
  escapades Vera was able to spot a whole herd. As she moved closer, the
  crowd came off the prairie and onto the road simply to stand and mill
  about in the highway. But using her bear-scaring tactics she was able
  to make herself very large and intimate them with her manly-man voice
  until they meandered across the street.
  The ride itself was a breeze even after some fat fibs from our leader
  Jess. She carefully explained the daily route as flat and more flat.
  Several miles into it, the rolling hills swung us up and down all
  afternoon. At this point in the tour, a 60-mile day of soft hills in
  the sunshine is a walk in the park. A conversation began that carried
  over into the following day. If we are disappointed with ‘the system’
  (the traditional banking system for example), what is the best means
  of altering it? Do you try to alter it from within and risk it
  altering you? Or do you abandon it all together, ignore it and try to
  live completely outside of it in an alternative system? Or do you try
  to destroy it? While everyone had contrasting viewpoints. I found the
  middle ground to be that we should live outside of it and try to work
  for new alternative systems. Micro-credit is this the idea in action.
  With our fingers crossed, we rolled into Arcata with no host
  accommodation confirmation. However, the lovely Karin was there as the
  church doors opened with insurance information in hand to secure our
  stay. The church on G Street was an ideal location to downtown where
  the group spent the better part of the day conversing with strangers
  about micro-loans.

  Ben Amundson, 2008 rider

  June 28th, 2008 · No comments
• San Francisco!

  So here I am with the team in San Fran! Last time I saw all of these amazing people in person was Seattle, and it only really strikes me now how FAR from here that is by bicycle.

  The group had a pretty epic ride int the city, over 80 miles for some that got a little lost, but over 70 miles for everyone…some riders took a bit of a break and had a rough day directionally, arriving in town well after dark and missing the evening event altogether. All have cited the Golden Gate Bridge as pretty much the riding highlight of the trip so far…just such an amazing landmark after days and weeks through small towns and gorgeous, though unpopulated countryside.
  Everyone is happy, healthy, and perhaps not “resting” as much as would be optimal, but definitely enjoying San Fran! The crew is staying in a crazy converted warehouse in the Mission district with 3 dogs, a boat, and a variety of facebook employees and other random San Fran types.
  We’ve just wrapped up an afternoon hanging out with the staff at Kiva, and a few of the core people came out to our event Weds as well. AND, they’re all coming to ride in critical mass with us at 5:30 tonight! Was nice…Kiva sometimes becomes a bit of a faceless entity with the amount of money they are handling now, and they have so many demands on their time it was really fantastic to have an chance to just relax and learn a bit more from them.

  Check the website for more info on how we work with Kiva! Annnnd of course, a few pics from the road!

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Shawn, 2008 support crew

  June 27th, 2008 · No comments
• Death Mountain

  Riding Leggett Hill

  ~~

  After several attempts made by our heroic ride coordinators, I was finally awoken by the frigid air of an empty tent once filled with six anxious riders. I let out a grunt of confusion and frustration at the ungodly hour everyone was awaken. Nervous voices plagued the air, and still unable to fully open my sleepy eyes, I knew the longtime dreaded morning had finally come: today we were to climb Legett Hill. For those unaware of the legend of LegGett, please be informed that this was claimed to be “the longest, most steepest, and most brutal hill man had ever cycled, aka death mountain.” This monstrosity was to separate those who would make it to Tijuana and those who would be left on the side of the road. As you can imagine, looks of excitement were plastered on everyone’s faces.

  The generous rations of a whole banana per rider and ice cream flavored skittles given out at breakfast encouraged a more optimistic mood amongst the group. After much anticipation, we felt ready to meet our fate face to face. Our tires hit the concrete and we were off. Tentative peddling towards LEGGETT HILL seemed endless; when was this incline going to begin?! Road signs warning us of switchbacks and steep inclines reinforced our feelings of pending doom. Silence fell upon the pod I rode with and acceptance of our fate was calmly expressed by quick glances silently muttering, “it was nice knowing you.”

  A small incline of a half an hour felt like a tease of the monstrosity we were about to experience. The encouraging notes carved in chalk by riders ahead of us seemed to mock our beliefs that we could make it up this legend. However, once we began to fly down the narrow switchbacks back into the cool northern californian fog, there were questions of the validity of this myth… Could that have been it? Did I just hold a conversation up the entirety of LEGGETT HILL?? I shook my head in disbelief, was this all a hoax? or have we become cycling machines, able to attack Legett with ease? Our questions were answered when the chalk on the pavement suggested a congratulatory dance party at the bottom of the epic downhill. However, my stubborn skepticism kept me suspicious of our “achievement.” But when I took the last pedal up the crest of the incline only to be welcomed by a row of 5 bare white cyclist butts, my doubts were erased; I lifted my fist with pride and let out a burst of laughter. We had completed the LEGEND OF LEGGETT and had not even realized it.

  Emilie Whittemore - 2008 rider

  (*note - the 2007 ride team is impressed by the ease with which the ‘08 team took on Leggett Hill…perhaps a hill climbing duel is in order on their return!)

  June 23rd, 2008 · No comments