Friday, March 23, 2012

Ride Day 8






I woke up really stiff this morning. I am sure it is still from the mountain riding I did over the last few days. It took me over half an hour to get loose enough to get out of my tent and go over to the rest room. Once I started moving I loosened up so I packed up camp and left while the rest of the camp was still sleeping. I headed to Bakersfield.

It was almost 140 mile from my camp to the house in Bakersfield so i rode about thirty miles to the main road to Bakersfield route 166 and I decided to hitch hike. I got a ride in less than ten minutes from an oilfield worker going home and towing his trailer. I was very pleased that he stopped as I could have stood there a long time with my bike and stuff. I would not fit in most cars so I pretty much needed a truck to give me a ride.

We had a nice comfortable ride to Bakersfield. We talked about my bike ride and about his family, wife and four kids. He was Laotian and so was his wife. He worked directing drilling directions but was heading home then to Houston for some more training. I enjoyed talking to him.

I rode my bike the last five miles or so to get to the house. I sat down and talked to my friend Peggy and when I tried to get up I was all locked up again. I do need the rest this weekend if I plan on continuing this ride next Monday. Took a shower and soaked in the tub for a bit then put on clean, not sweaty clothes and sat down to update all my computer stuff. Going out for a beer in a few...if I can get up out of this chair again. Again no pics today but I might post some of the road that I took on a drive a few months ago if I have the time. I just added some pics of the road I took earlier. Enjoy life

Ride Day 7






Well much to my own surprise, I did not go to sleep last night until 11pm. A couple of laid back Dutch guys came into the hiker biker camp and we hung out for a few hours. They invited me over for some pasta with sausages in it that they had cooked. The food was good and so was the company. Every year these two take a bike tour somewhere in the world. They have done Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Switzerland, and more that I can’t remember right now. After we ate we made a big fire with collected firewood and sat around talking about stuff. It was entertaining enough to keep me awake even though a few hours earlier I felt like I was going to die.

I left the camp at the crack of dawn again to avoid the hot sun later in the day. I rode from Morro Bay through San Luis Obispo. Then I stopped for coffee and checked my online stuff while I enjoyed my coffee and bagel. A short 15 more miles through rolling farmlands and oilfields and I was in Pismo Beach. I ate a nice crab and clam chowder at Splash Restaurant then headed over to set up camp. I met a few nice people in camp that I chatted with, took a shower and am currently doing my stinky sweaty laundry.

I am going to take it easy now for the rest of the day. Tomorrow I want to figure out how to get to Bakersfield for a couple of days. I tried Greyhound but those jerks won’t put bike racks on their bus so The bike has to be boxed and they charge extra for it. I am going to check Amtrak later. Otherwise I will hitch hike to Bakersfield. Lots of people travel back and forth from Pismo to Bakersfield and many of them drive trucks so I think I could find a ride. I have all day to get there and it is only a two hour drive. I would bike it but that might take me two days and I don’t have that much time available to me if I want to get through Texas before the thermometer there breaks through the top.

I ended up going into town and watching the Wisconsin Badgers lose in the sweet sixteen NCAA Tournament. The team pissed me off watching them play at the end of the game. They were behind in points and they were eating clock playing slow which just helped them lose the game. I just do not understand that coaching strategy. I went back to camp and went almost straight to sleep. Strange for me that I did not take a single pic on this leg of the ride so I posted some from a couple months ago when I was in Morro Bay and Pismo Beach.