Day 34 Cycling Canada to Mexico

Day 34 Cycling Canada to Mexico

Ventura to Leo Carillo (just outside Malibu)

30 miles

Today we had another easy day.  The only reason we are doing short days is to waste some time.  We need to waste time because people in the group are leaving at different times from different locations and we don’t want to leave anyone alone with a few days to spare twiddling their thumbs.  The end of a trip is depressing enough without having to spend it alone.  We have come this far together and we will see it out together.

Carl is leaving the group tomorrow he is flying from LAX on Sunday which means he just has one day on his own and he will spend that time boxing his bike up.  He has a hotel booked for Saturday night so he is sorted.

Gab is flying from San Diego on the 26th and Eugene has no plans and is going to go through Mexico and hopefully end up in Costa Rica.  I fly out of San Diego on the 28th.

So starting from tomorrow once we leave Carl we will have a few big days again to catch up some time because Gab would like to get to the Mexican border.  But a WarmShower host has slung a spanner in the works because she has said that we could possibly stop at her gaf an extra night and maybe see the sights such as Hollywood and Bev Hill etc.  Now if the boys would like to do that then Gab will not have time to do the border, I still would have time to do that on the 27th.  

Yeh so if we stick to the original plan we have Karen our warm shower host tomorrow (23rd) in Long Beach then we will have a night camping (24th) and then we have a warm shower host called Julie in San Diego on the 25th.  I booked a hotel before I left the UK that is near the airport for the 26th and 27th.  It was only £80 for the two nights but gives me some flexibility to get my bike boxed up etc.

I still have six days left, four days riding but it is starting to feel like the end.  I know that I need to make drastic changes in my life somehow.  This trip has made me feel like I did when I was a teenager, the excitement of not knowing what is around the corner, the optimism that something good is going to happen.  You don’t get that feeling when you are on autopilot in a routine way of life.  When I was a teenager I used to think something special is going to happen and special things only happen if you take a few changes every now an then.

Anyway, my own personal opinions aside.  It was a easy day so we set up for the morning outside a Starbucks so we could use their WiFi to check on e-mails and contact the WarmShowers hosts.  I am so grateful to all the hosts that have shared their homes, their stories, their sense of adventure and their beautiful personalities.  Thank you so much guys and gals.

We stopped off at a beach for lunch and we were only a mile away from the campsite and there was a bar across the road so we went and had a lunchtime pint.  The sea was swarming with surfing dudes and chicks, looked very impressive.

When we got to the site we set up.  Carl had a sleep, me and the others headed off to the beach.  A little spot with plenty of surfing on the huge waves.

When we got back to the pitch we made tea and this really cool guy called Adam Mitchel joined us and he was telling us about his life.  Basically, he has lived in many places around the world teaching English in Asia was one of his experiences.  But the one that really struck a chord with me was his experience on a community farm.  He had been on one for four years and basically you are part of a community that live off the land and each person brings their own skills to the community.  He said that theses types of communities are all around the world and each one is different because of how they are set up etc.  For instance some are bought with a loan or a mortgage so the community must make some form of profit to pay the loan back and others have been bought outright so the community only has to support themselves.  It is really interesting and I could not help think about how most people would not cope with this natural, environmentally friendly, honest way of life.  Basically, live how we used to live, but we have got used to all this commercial crap and there is no turning back the clock for some people. Even though I try not to be I am also very guilty of the trappings of a good marketing strategy, why did I buy a GoPro? a MacBook? etc, Why am I posting my trip on media?  Because people tell me this is what I need and this is what I should do to feel good.  I know that I am easily swayed by a pointless gadget and I am really going to try and live a different way.

Well deep thoughts aside.  I know there are a few days left, but I would just like to state at this point that this has been one hell of an experience and I have met so many wonderful people.  People that like new experiences and want to feel the world and not just exist in it.  I will leave this post for now because I think I should shut up.  And guess what I aint even been drinking!!!!! :) :)