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

]]> http://www.globalafc.org/blog/paso-robles/feed/ http://www.globalafc.org/blog/freeways-and-forest-fires/ http://www.globalafc.org/blog/freeways-and-forest-fires/#comments Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:35:45 +0000 Agent Blog http://www.globalafc.org/blog/439/ 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).

~~~

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

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

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

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

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!)

Emma in a Dryer

Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach

Jess and Bikes in a Store

My (Alain) bike and Natalie’s

Eating lunch on the Oregon Coast Line

California

California baby

Credit to Alain for the pictures, onward they ride!

Cheers,

Shawn