Taking the Day in Monterey

(the awesome sunset on Half Moon Bay that I was expecting last time I blogged)
Day 37

So my Dad has been keeping close track of my progress and updating my website (link on the left) with loads of good info. We chatted last night and according to his estimation my miles are a little bit off but I will try and remedy that now.

Miles Traveled Since Last Blog: 95

Miles Traveled Total: 1497 (revised from 1330 to 1452)

I don't even know where that extra hundred & twenty miles came from but I'll take it, I know its more accurate because he uses my Spot data (which is based on the GPS tracker I am using) and I've just been retracing my steps on Google Maps.

Well besides that there is also more to update on. I have found out how much has been fund raised thus far. I am not going to say that I am surprised or discouraged but it is only $ 275 (far from the $10k I am shooting for) as of August 3rd. Thank you to all the people who have contributed so far, it really does mean so much that you support me and my cause. However I realize that I need to get the ball rolling on getting the word out on this and soliciting some donations. Everyone PLEASE tell all your friends about this blog and the cause. I am trying to get an event together for the end of the trip in San Diego after I hit the border and hopefully this can be a fundraiser as well. Also I want to try and get a lot more publicity in general out there, so if any of my readers have media connections, I would be grateful if you could slip a good word in edgewise. I have mainly been focusing on just getting down the coast and putting some good miles behind me, I realize now that I really need to push the purpose for this trip too.


Now that I have covered that important update information, lets get back to the trip. After Half Moon Bay I biked an easy day 50 mile day along some great coast line filled with a big lighthouse and some great views (pictured above & below). I ended the day in Santa Cruz and for me it really felt like a transition into the California that I have experienced in the past or at least the image that is stereotyped in our culture. It was sunny and slightly windy, there was a boardwalk and wharf packed with tourists, surfers trying to catch some waves and the very essence of the afternoon screamed California to me.


I had a great accumulation in Santa Cruz being put up by my second cousin Chris Nicholson who is studying traditional Chinese Medicine there. It was great to catch up, eat some home cooked food and have a place to crash, thanks for having me. Between his studies and other things he has managed to create some amazing electronic music all of which is available on his website Dancing Moon Tree . Check it out, I got them all and listened them on the ride yesterday. (Pictured below is the Guardian of Chris's patio door, Yoda with a bike helmet, awesome)


Didn't get on the road until 11:30 or noonish yesterday but its alright, it was a short easy day to Monterrey. All the same a mean 15 mph headwind slowed me down significantly and I made it in kind of late. There was a nice bike path the last 10 miles or so that was a very welcome detour from the busy road(pictured above). I decided to stay the day here, take some time off from being in the saddle. I am camping here in Monterey at the Veterans City Park which quite nice, except for the lack of food lockers (I woke up last night to raccoons raiding my trailer, they only got some sweet potato chips and half a loaf of bread before I scared them off). All the same I am here in downtown having some coffee and ready to explore the area. I am going to be a little touristy and go to the aquarium since it is supposed to be the best on the West Coast and I have fond memories of it form my child hood. Tomorrow I will be off the Big Sur and an intense part of Highway 1 that should prove interesting. (Monterey Bay pictured below)

Another thing of note that I wanted to mention before I wrap up is an awesome book I finished recently. I have had a lot of spare time in the evening at campgrounds and other random times so I have been reading a lot. I picked up the Science of Fear by Daniel Gardner and it is an astounding book that totally changed many of the common perceptions about risk even though it is something I have been studying it for a while. I particularly enjoyed the sections on the Media Irrationality and the Terror of Terrorism. It really made me think about my personal perceptions about the trip and how at any moment along the road a car could swerve and endanger my life but instead of making me more fearful it has filled me with courage. A great read I highly suggest it. Here is a picture that fits in well with that theme.


Well that was a long one but very comprehensive and satisfying. It has been a little lonely since San Francisco and updating this blog is a very relieving process. Thanks for reading and remember GET THE WORD OUT for the cause.

Heres some trash that I dumped yesterday.


Peace Out

-TE