Day 35

Right now, if someone asked me, “Kurt, how are you feeling about your trip coming to an end?” I’d probably answer with, “Disoriented.” For the last five-and-a-half weeks, I had a daily destination. Now, with those days numbered, I’ll need to redefine “destination”. I’m trying to distance myself from “accomplishment” or anything related to “productivity”. The trip has given me a fresh perspective on what it’s like to focus on just one objective – getting to where I want to stay that night. Everything else that happens along the way is gravy. And, I’m drowning in gravy!

Rolling into Carpinteria on Wednesday, before arriving to Julia and Daniel’s house, I rode past a few places I recognized from their 2010 wedding and from Julia’s retirement party in Santa Barbara a few years ago. Back then, those trips were just in-and-outs. I didn’t really get a flavor of what Carp offered. This time, Julia and Daniel introduced me to folks they’ve known for decades as well as the finer points of their farmers market like, cherimoya. How come, at my age, this delicacy never graced my plate before today? I tasted avocado honey, and I ate one of the best enchilada meals ever at The Farmer and Cook in Ojai. J and D are skilled cooks and I left there wondering if I was making a mistake by continuing my ride south. There’s a lot going on in that little town and I recommend you stop in if the opportunity ever presents itself. Thank you Julia and Daniel!

Before last night, I had no idea that Jake would be camped at the hiker/biker camp in Carpinteria State Park. He had just blown in on a 112-mile blast from Pismo Beach and I was looking for a companion to get me to tonight’s stop east of Malibu, Pt. Mugu State Park. We made arrangements to meet this morning, and after I fixed a flat, my first, we rode together again. Because the route was the flattest segment of the entire trip, we made excellent time, arriving at this campground around 2. We even stopped for an hour lunch break at an Oxnard Mexican restaurant. Jake being Jake, our 50-mile ride was just a warm up for him, and he decided to continue to LA and complete consecutive 100-mile rides. I think he’ll get to the border Sunday after commencing his ride from the Peace Arch about the same day I started my ride. I have a strong hunch Jake and I will travel together again after this trip.

Tom, on the other hand, was able to sleep under a roof last night, but he did so “with one eye open.” Basically, once you leave the campground where I am tonight, there aren’t any more budget campsites or RV parks where a bicyclist can lay their head until Encinitas, 25 miles from downtown San Diego. Most folks bite the bullet and stay at hotels. Remember, Tom’s budget is $30 a day. He regularly breaks it, but would prefer to apply the excess to a new fast food he hasn’t tried instead of an “expensive” hotel. Needless to say, he was looking for a place to stay in Newport Beach, and thought he would be able to stay at a state park. Unfortunately, the park he had in mind did not have a hiker/biker area, and no campsite openings. Since Kendall used to live there, I enlisted her help to find a floor where he could sleep for the night, but because it was late notice, she came up empty. Tom said he found a place online (a hostel maybe?) and after he paid his money, started to have second thoughts. I don’t know the exact situation, but it was enough to get him up early. He texted me at 7:30 this morning to let me know he was fine and on the road. That was the earliest he was on the road the entire trip! He should make it to the border on Sunday, take the train north again to LA, and fly out of LAX on Tuesday, back to France. Since he will be starting school at Edinburgh in the fall, and I haven’t been to Scotland, maybe there’s a Highland Coast to Coast ride in my future? 

It’s going to be more difficult to mention anything related to scenery at this point, but I will try to stick with the program. Today’s ride stuck close to the beach with barren hillsides dropping down to Highway 101. We stayed primarily on the old 101 all the way to Ventura. The waterfront looked attractive, but there wasn’t much going on, and not many folks at the coffee shops. Before entering Oxnard, we encountered more strawberries and a new brassica entry, Brussels sprouts. The part of Oxnard we drove through bordered the a Naval Air base called, Naval Base Ventura County, the largest employer in Ventura County. The Naval Construction Battalion or SeaBees (CB) have a museum here. We didn’t stop, but thanked them for their service. From there it was just a quick ride to the campground. 

Of course, the first thing I found was a feral honey bee colony inside a large opening at the base of a large sycamore tree. Sitting here at the picnic table while typing, there are more species of birds than I have seen in one place before, all of them singing and active into the evening. The geology and ecology of the areas I see each day keep shifting and changing faster than you can say “San Andreas Fault”. The most compelling parts of this region are the mountains contained within Los Padres National Forest including most of the mountainous land along the California coast from Ventura to Monterey, extending inland, where elevations range from sea level to 8,847 feet. There’s no end to what you can explore.