Tag: California
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Day 38 – 41
I acknowledge that my ride in San Diego County was on land belonging to La Jolla, Rincon, San Pasquale, Palma, and Pala Bands of Mission Indians on or near the San Luis Rey River in San Diego and further acknowledge the travesty Indigenous people have suffered here since European contact. I lost a day or…
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Day 36 & 37
I acknowledge that I am riding across the ancestral lands of the Tongval, the Juaneno and Luiseno tribes, people of this land before the arrival of the Europeans. These lands were never ceded. After I left Carpinteria, I neglected to nominate songs that would lift me through the Southland. Here they are in order: L.A.…
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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”.…
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Day 32, 33, & 34
Stratus clouds. Marine layer. Onshore flow. May grey. However you describe the steady cloud deck pressing down from above, it’s been a constant companion since Friday last week. The National Weather Service long-term forecast through Tuesday, my arrival day to San Diego, said, “See no reason why the relentless marine layer cloud pattern should stop.”…
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Day 31
I’m never sure what I’m going to find once I jump into the bike saddle and hit the road. I follow the trip computer directions, but it doesn’t tell you much except street and highway names, the elevations, and names of towns. The rest just gets colored in as you pedal. I think this type…
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Day 28, 29, & 30
I acknowledge that I am riding my bicycle on indigenous land once the exclusive home to the Ohlone, Salinan, and Chumash tribes. Hydration. Nutrition. Thermoregulation. Rest. Patience. It’s a pretty simple recipe for longer bicycle rides. If you violate or ignore one of these physiological principles, you’re likely to experience some discomfort at some point.…
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Day 26 & 27
I’m going to title this next section, “Where soul meets body” or at least “Where my food comes from meets the sea”. Since leaving Half Moon Bay yesterday, the ride goes along California’s agricultural central coast. That’s not entirely true because the first half of Monday’s ride took me though grasslands that extended to the…
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Day 23, 24 & 25
There’s something very satisfying about sitting in the sun, listening to the waves banging against the beach, punctuated by bird song, and looking out to the horizon realizing there’s no land for many, many miles. That, and procrastinating the next leg of the trip. I’m perched on a picnic table looking out to the ocean…
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Day 21 & 22
I acknowledge that I am traveling across the ancestral lands of the Native tribes that lived and still live in the north coastal region of California including the Sinkyone, Coast Yuki, Pomo, Kashaya, and Miwok. Riding into The City this Friday morning, there were so many lyrics from so many psychedelic era songs—and other eras,…
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Day 19 & 20
Talk about a sea change! Since emerging from the coast redwood/Douglas fir forest yesterday morning and into the bright blue skies and relentless tailwind, I have pedaled through all kinds of terrain, from grasslands to Bishop pine forests and now back to the redwoods. If you have traveled this road before, you know how unique…
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Day 18
For the last two days, I’ve pedaled through and around the Avenue of the Giants, aka the original U.S. 101. I don’t know when I exited the official “Ave” but I spent a good chunk of my ride today alongside the South Fork of the Eel River. The emerald green clear water and the verdant…
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Day 17
After sleeping two nights in a cabin, last night I was back in my tent and slept well. One underrated aspect of sleeping outdoors, especially in the early morning hours, is the sounds of the bird world waking up. Many of the birds are familiar sounds from my childhood, and even if they are in…
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Day 14, 15, & 16
When I started this trip, I planned to recite a land acknowledgement as I crossed tribal ancestral lands, and then the travel started to take precedence over my original intention. Consequently, I’d like to acknowledge that I am traveling over the ancestral lands, most all of which are unceded and belong to the Chehalis, Skokomish,…