Baja California, Mexico :: Dispelling Fear

The border guards and military personnel barely glanced at Kai & I as we walked our bicycles through the pedestrian entrance of the U.S./Tecate border and said nothing as we passed the office that we were required to stop at to collect our tourist cards, so in only a few short minutes we found ourselves starring dumbly at each other [Read More…]

Our First Stage :: Cycling USA Video

Our shadows chase us the entire way, rejoicing in the sunlight while we do all the work.

It seems like only yesterday that we pedaled out of Burlington, Vermont to begin our around the world adventure. As you may remember, we were supposed to leave way back in April of 2011 but had to take care of a tiny project before we [Read More…]

Soaking up the last of California

Sunset at South Carlsbad State Park

From Oceanside, CA we had planned to ride to San Elijo State Park, but on a hunch we decided to stop and check in with folks at Carlsbad State Park. We had already hit a couple of state parks that had been unexpectedly closed on our route, and without the state updating their websites or answering their phones to indicate closures, [Read More…]

Santa B to Santa M :: Signs of the Unraveling

Leaving the beautiful shoreline of Santa Barbara behind.

The 90 miles (146 km) between Santa Barbara and Santa Monica brought us a combination of meandering bike paths and roadways, with each mile pulling us into more aggressive vehicular traffic. It was obvious we were heading toward a great metropolis so we reluctantly filed away our memories of the serene and secluded coastline of Big Sur and pulled out our [Read More…]

Palms & Petroleum :: Lompoc to Refugio State Beach

We ate lots of oranges while working in Lompoc!

We left Lompoc, California, with peace of mind, knowing we had tackled many large ‘to-do’ items on our year-end lists. Well rested and feeling ready to get back on our bicycles and the road, we made a quick side trip to a post office to send home our third box of gear deemed ‘unnecessary’, then we set our eyes on [Read More…]

A Short Rant :: San Luis Obispo to Pismo Beach

After packing our food pannier with goodness from San Luis Obispo’s Natural Foods Coop, we wandered along vineyards to Price Canyon Road, which took us in to the town of Pismo Beach.

Vineyards

When we arrived at Pismo Beach State Park we, sadly, discovered they had done away with their hike/bike rates. Instead of paying $5/person we [Read More…]