Betrayal!

What would you say if I confessed that I've turned my back on my constant partner, day and night, for the last two months? More than that, I've taken her apart and, with a guilty pang, unceremoniously, stuffed her into a box and left her.

Without wishing to be melodramatic I feel a slight sense if loss being without my bike.

I walked, yes, it did feel odd, down to Venice beach, Los Angeles thus morning. Nice.....but not a patch on our West Country beaches.

It's overcast this morning and i'm even wearing a fleece. Time for a change if hemisphere perhaps? I am deeply thankful for this chance to swan around the world. The dream will end eventually, I know.Till then I'm gunna enjoy it and give thanks.

Of snorkling, sea lions and surf.....

Nope, it's not exactly cycling, I know, but this morning saw me togged up in a wet suit bobbing up and down in the Pacific Ocean snorkling. It was, unusually, a bit of a misty morning and the visibility in the water wasn't geat but I rejoiced in seeing pelican flying overhead and sea lion (or were they seal....I need to check this out) basking on the rocks. As Steve and I dried off we saw a small pod of dophin cruise by. Idyllic eh?

I've been warmly welcomed into Steve and Marie's lovely home and am again enjoying wonderful Californian hospitality. San Diego reminds me of Perth: everyone up early in the morning running, cycling or swimming. Wide empty roads, clean and prosperous. I can see why people live in San Diego.

We've a party here tonight! Then it's back on the road for the last hundre miles or so into Irvine to meet Ella and box the bike.

"Be prepared to stop"

I've been seeing it since I first started the ride back in Washington in mid August.

Every few miles there are these big orange roadsigns that they erect before every bit of roadworks. I'd thought that they were something to do with the roadworks or something but now, I realise, they've been put up just for me! And, to my shame, I've not been taking any notice of them until today when I realise that I should have been paying attention and, yes, preparing myself to stop.

I reached a scadgy, dusty little town this morning. There was a little roadside cafe, lots of border guards and a slight edginess to the place. It was Tacate. The town I've been heading for for the last 4000 km. I got there this morning at 10:30am 'pacific west' time (that's 81:30hrs UK time and 06:40hrs the next day (Thursday) NZ time.

I realised that I hadn't 'prepared myself to stop' andnow feel all rather empty and pointless! I cycled back up the hill to Protrero and treated myself to a grilled chicken sandwich and pepsi and the waitress was good enough to sound impressed at my achievement. She even took a photo of me.

I'm still suffering a little from whatever ailed me at Oak grove t'other day. I think I've still got a bit of a temperature. Still, it's off to the campsite now for a shower and rest and a 60km ride into San Diego tomorrow to stay, I hpe, at Steve's house. Steve and I rode together into Kings Canyon Park earlier on the ride.

My thanks to you for following me and encourgaing me along the way. Your little words of encouragement have meant the world to me.

San Diego and then Irvine to meet Ella beckon.....

Da na na na na na, d'ne na na na nana

yep, those of a certain age will have spotted immediately that this is the theme tune to The High Chapparel tv series. You remember don't you. Boy Blue, Sinorita, that smikey Mexican dude and the plumb and often drunk cowboy.

Why mention this now, I hear you ask? Well, i've been riding through what they call the high chapparel for the last few days. Highish, scrubby landscape, the occasiinal cactus, dry very dry. All the 'rivers' - creeks as the Americans call them - are just dry beds. In the midst of this scrubby semi-desert are clearings where there are ranches with horses in. Goodness knows how the horses survive since the ground is just dry dust. There's not a blade of grass to be seen.

I had a bit of a conundrum this morning. Do i stay put of press on? The reason for this is tgat i spent much of last night pottering the 300m or so across the empty campsite in Oak Grove trying, sometimes in vain, to get to the toilet, repeatedly, because if a nasty bout of D&V.
I woke this morning feeling as if iwas hung over. Thumping head and dehydrated. Do i press on on an empty tummy or stay put in the empty campsite and continue to drink tne water whuch may hzve been the source of my problem.
I pressed in and paid more than i would typically do so to stay at the 'ranch' at Warner Springs. Still feeling a bit weak and feeble....but am popping loperimide and rehydration sachets.
Ok, ok, too much detail. Sorry. I've got to tell someone about it though.

I keep thinking I've done the last big miuntain, only to be confronted by another one. I'm heading for Miunt Laguna tomorrow, tummy-allowing a d then it really is downhill-ish to the Mexiczn border Almost there.

My thanks to you fir trackinb my progress and the encouraging nites. They've kept me going.

Mike

A Big White Bear

I awoke to a light dusting of snow this morning and minus 4 degrees C so I'm going to hunker down one more day at Big Bear and loaf around. There's a chance of snow again today.

Tomorrow I'll tackle the Onyx Pass and head south to the border - honest.

Should I have brought my snow chains for the bike I wonder?

A Big Wet Bear

Be careful what you wish for......

After worrying for weeks about the heat, getting up at silly o'clock in the morning to ride in the cool of the day and wishing for a little cool and dampness the weather's suddently turned all, well, British! It's just above freezing outside, snow is forecast for tonight and tomorrow and I am worried that I may not be able to make it over the pass tomorrow.

Thankfully I made it into the town of Big Bear (lovely name isn't it) up at about 7000 feet in the mountains. I've found a warm, welcoming and empty place at Big Bear hotel where I've hunkered down under my duvet for the last day and done lots of sleeping and eating. I may just extend my stay here until the sunshine reappears, as promised, in a day or so.

Or maybe I should stay for the winter snowboarding season that, by all accounts, is about to start soon?

I must go now to rummage in the depths of my panniers to find that cag, thermal layer, snuggler and overshoes. I knew I brought them through the deserts of California for a reason.

Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder

yep, i know that it's a truism to state that....but I've been struck as I wind my way down this country through high mountains, vast pine forests, granite valleys, giant sequioa forests, desert and scrubby hill how the locals are always at pains to say how beatiful their countryside is. Much of it is pretty. Much of it is, sell, frankly dry and scrubby. I find myself looking and the sage brush covered mountains and thinking......it's not as nice as Dartmoor or the ride down to Budleigh.

Don't get me wrong. I am appreciating what i am seeing. What I am also experiencing though is a deepening appreciation and love for my own home. I guess this enables me to be able to say that my own home is beautiful.

Today was supposed to be a short, easy ride. What I hate to do on a ride this is go backwards or down....so when i was told my intended campsite was back dosn the hill i was having none of it. I pressed on up the aptly-named 'Rim of the world highway' which clings to the mountains 6000ft above the plain where smogging LA sits.

I ended up climbing all day up to 6000ft and have made ut to Running Springs.

Motivating myself is getting a little difficult as i enter the last few hundred kilometers. It doesn't help that the end point, LA, is just below me on the plain.

Weather beginning to cool a little with rain forecast up at Big Bear at 7500ft tomorrow, it sounds like i need to be in the UK if i want hot weather!

Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder

yep, i know that it's a truism to state that....but I've been struck as I wind my way down this country through high mountains, vast pine forests, granite valleys, giant sequioa forests, desert and scrubby hill how the locals are always at pains to say how beatiful their countryside is. Much of it is pretty. Much of it is, sell, frankly dry and scrubby. I find myself looking and the sage brush covered mountains and thinking......it's not as nice as Dartmoor or the ride down to Budleigh.

Don't get me wrong. I am appreciating what i am seeing. What I am also experiencing though is a deepening appreciation and love for my own home. I guess this enables me to be able to say that my own home is beautiful.

Today was supposed to be a short, easy ride. What I hate to do on a ride this is go backwards or down....so when i was told my intended campsite was back dosn the hill i was having none of it. I pressed on up the aptly-named 'Rim of the world highway' which clings to the mountains 6000ft above the plain where smogging LA sits.

I ended up climbing all day up to 6000ft and have made ut to Running Springs.

Motivating myself is getting a little difficult as i enter the last few hundred kilometers. It doesn't help that the end point, LA, is just below me on the plain.

Weather beginning to cool a little with rain forecast up at Big Bear at 7500ft tomorrow, it sounds like i need to be in the UK if i want hot weather!

Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder

yep, i know that it's a truism to state that....but I've been struck as I wind my way down this country through high mountains, vast pine forests, granite valleys, giant sequioa forests, desert and scrubby hill how the locals are always at pains to say how beatiful their countryside is. Much of it is pretty. Much of it is, sell, frankly dry and scrubby. I find myself looking and the sage brush covered mountains and thinking......it's not as nice as Dartmoor or the ride down to Budleigh.

Don't get me wrong. I am appreciating what i am seeing. What I am also experiencing though is a deepening appreciation and love for my own home. I guess this enables me to be able to say that my own home is beautiful.

Today was supposed to be a short, easy ride. What I hate to do on a ride this is go backwards or down....so when i was told my intended campsite was back dosn the hill i was having none of it. I pressed on up the aptly-named 'Rim of the world highway' which clings to the mountains 6000ft above the plain where smogging LA sits.

I ended up climbing all day up to 6000ft and have made ut to Running Springs.

Motivating myself is getting a little difficult as i enter the last few hundred kilometers. It doesn't help that the end point, LA, is just below me on the plain.

Weather beginning to cool a little with rain forecast up at Big Bear at 7500ft tomorrow, it sounds like i need to be in the UK if i want hot weather!