Saturday, November 14, 2009
Photos from Pacific Coast Highway 1
A chair made from a stump...my favorite discovery:)
On the drive to Carmel with Rocky's Parents
Tempe, Arizona
We made it to Tempe, Arizona safe and sound....yes that is right. Our FINAL FINAL destination....
Is it really over? I think that is what we keep asking ourselves.
How can we go back to the 'real' world after this.
More thoughts soon...Hope we still have followers on the blog:)
For now I am enjoying being at Jawaher and Bob's and helping with their kids:)
Katie feeding Lulu
Noor and Katie
Lulu and Katie in the rocking chair
Is it really over? I think that is what we keep asking ourselves.
How can we go back to the 'real' world after this.
More thoughts soon...Hope we still have followers on the blog:)
For now I am enjoying being at Jawaher and Bob's and helping with their kids:)
Katie feeding Lulu
Noor and Katie
Lulu and Katie in the rocking chair
Aneheim, CA
Huntington Hotel in Pasadena California
John, Dace, and Zenia
Katie and Linda at Disneyland
We stayed with Linda's parents,Dave and Zenia
in Anaheim California. Both have done extensive travling themselves, and we enjoyed the time sharing and listening to stories. Right down the street from Downtown Disney.
The night we arrived Zenia and Dave cooked dinner for us and Linda and Heather joined us as well. It's been a while since we had an actual home cooked meal in a house!
Yum :)
Zenia gave us a map of the United States and at breakfast Rocky and I marked out our route. It was amazing for us to see it on a whole map of the United States.
Linda was able to find complimentary tickets to Disneyland where Linda, Rocky, and I spent the morning there, and Rocky and I kept exploring Disneyland as well as Disney Adventure the rest of the day until it closed. (Thank you Janice and Linda for the tickets!)
Rocky who does not like roller coaster rides or heights-did pretty well. Though I forced him on a few rides....He always came off smiling so they couldn't have been that bad:)
His favorite was the James Bond ride, and mine was the submarine ride which was about finding Nemo....It is amazing how they create all these fantasy worlds.
Linda told us she enjoyed the Michael Jackson movie. So on our second day in Anaheim we cycled to Downtown Disney to watch it. When it began they played the wrong movie. They could not fix it so they told us to go to another movie until the next show time started. So we found ourselves watching The Step Father, then went back into Michael Jackson movie, and by the time we left the theater it was already dark outside!
We made it back to the house in time for a Spaghetti Dinner:)
The next day we had breakfast. We met John, their son. And Linda came over.
She drove us to the Huntington Beach California. We explored the beach, watched the surfers, wandered through the farmers market, bought some strawberries, went out for some sushi, and headed back towards our 'home' for the week. We met Linda and her whole family, Ralph, Scott, Heather, and John at McDonald's had some dinner, and headed to the movies where we saw Astro Boy, which was a great movie.
Before leaving the Theater Heather and Scott played some games in the Arcade. Heather was able to play her favorite, the Claw Machine. And she won:)
While in Anaheim we had to eventually find our way to Phoenix, AZ, since we were hoping to find a different mode of transportation other than biking. Amtrak seemed to be the way to go, though it was a bit pricey, and boxing up our bikes seems like something we really preferred not to do!!
So....we found a ride on Craigslist....A girl with a pickup truck going from Pasadena, CA to Phoenix Arizona! Perfect.
Linda took us to Pasadena, CA. She took us to Huntington Hotel
http://pasadena.langhamhotels.com/en/
We explored and sat outside for coffee and dessert. Chocolate Dessert:) Thank you Linda for this treat!
It was sad to say our goodbyes. Dave and Zenia have been such sweet generous people to us, and Linda as well. Everyone made us feel right at home and feel like part of the family. They are a truly amazing family helping eachother out being such great supporters and advocate for both of their children with Autism.
Once in Pasadena we find out our ride will not be leaving Pasadena, CA until 2am.....
We are homeless in Pasadena until 2 am....Our evening went like this....Art museum (excellent museum), movies (Amelia Earhart), dinner(Wings), movies (The Fourth Kind), Marriott hotel lobby, shell station, time for out car ride. We drove through the night....I slept a bit, Rocky stayed up almost the whole time....
Long Beach
Our ride started off on a great note. It was Rocky's birthday, and our friends from the evening before had a home made cupcake for with...with a match for a candle!! yay! :)
and I was sure to find balloons to tie to his bike later that day.
Also birthday lunch at a Thai resteraunt.
It was Rocky's Birthday and we were determined to make it to Long Beach. We had a time change-which resulted in less day light for us to bike in, though we thought we could make it in time still. We ended up cycling for a good hour or two in the dark. We headed towards Allison's neighborhood, a friend of ours, and we pull over to give her a ring to see exactly where she lives. Then right behind us is Allison biking home from work! Perfect! We follow her home, went out to a pub for some dinner, and exchange cross country stories, as Allison also biked cross country this summer! And shared our past memories from a program we used to lead bike trips for.....
We slept in, showered, and headed to a cafe. We all sat on the Internet catching up on bills and e-mails.
Then it was out for some yummy Thai food.
You have probably learned by now we do a lot of eating and sleeping.
Linda, who you will hear much more about, has been a great supporter through the trip, a mother with two children with Autism, and a supporter of Kris' Camp, was able to reserve us complementary tickets to the Aquarium in Long Beach. I have now been to a total of four Aquarium's and this one by far is the best one I have been to. I can only imagine how great it would be to bring your children there, and children with disabilities. Everything that is able to be hands on is. We touched sting rays, small sharks, sea urchins, Sea Coral, and much more. It was pretty amazing.
Rocky spent a day in Downtown LA with a friend, Richie, who is in his first year teaching in LA through Teach for America. (which was interested as I stayed in Long Beach, we realized it is the longest we have been apart in almost three months....and it was only one day!)
Rocky and I decided that we were about ready to end our trip in Long Beach. The coast of California has been such a positive experience, we thought it would be a good note to end on. Cycling through the desert and mountains again to get to Phoenix Arizona, would have been possible, but it was more cold nights, long days, and I was ready to be with my friends in Phoenix.
So we spoke with Linda, and she agreed to pick us up and drive us into Anaheim where her and her family live. Her and her daughter, Heather, came in a large van with plenty of room for our bikes! YAY! As much as I know I will miss this trip when it is over...I am still excited to be finished!
She drove us to her parents home where we stayed for the next five days! :)
Leo Carillo State Park-Halloween Day/Evening
We had a great start to our day leaving the Surfer Club having a positive night and morning with them. We cycled off to Ventura on a bicycle path. We met other cyclist two of which accompanied us into town. Talking and sharing about our adventures so far, and our passions and cause for Autism. They took us to the Crowne Plaza Hotel-to recommend it for our breakfast meal, and gave us directions for after our breakfast.
We sat outside and enjoyed our breakfast. Spoke to the family next to us who were out on the west coast visiting their son. Their other son, who was not there, but we heard about cycled Cross Country as well.
We were surprised and grateful when the waiter came to us to tell us that our neighboring table took care of our bill. They said they were grateful for all the people who helped their son along they way, they would like to pay it forward.
I would like to say it is completely true. If I, or any of the readers reading this blog, I hope that when you see a cyclist loaded, you offer them the same hospitality we have received along the way, whether its a meal, shower, bed, a honk, cheer, or positive energy-it is all those things that make this trip amazing, and make you realize how good our country is and can be to one another.
It was a fun day on the bike as a Lady bug. We got cheers, strange looks, pointing, "HAPPY HALLOWEENS!", and double looks like "Did we just see a lady bug on a bike?"
We cycled into Leo Carillo State Park. We paid for our campsite, and were wondering around looking for the unknown hidden 'Hiking/Cycling' camping area (which turned out to be by the RV Dump Station-Luckily it didn't smell, and it was a bit into the woods...Actually not so bad). The best response all day to the costume though was in the State Park.....as we wondered around looking for our site.
I hear a bit as I slowly pass near a site..."Loaded Bike, a Lady Bug..Look" Then I hear...
"AHHHH LADY BUG!!! LADY BUG ON A BIKE!!!!!!!!"
I smile and laugh and turn around to Rocky
Then there is a women still screaming
"LADY BUG ON A BIKE!!!! LADY BUG ON A BIKE COME BACCCCKKKKKKK!!!"
I give Rocky a questionable look......should I go back? Are they crazy? Rocky says "Let's go Back"
So we do.....
And it is the beginning of our Halloween night...
Full of food, drinks, and what they call the 'Light Parade'
How often do you find a couple into cycling/touring, and obsessed with Lady Bugs!! They even had a lady bug tent, candles, lights, and baskets!
Thanks guys for being wonderful company:)
When we headed back to our campsite, which was a bit more into the woods, and we were the only hiking/biking camping in the area....and we heard bustling in the woods, I was able to get a few good scares out of Rocky....hehehe.....But he got me back...and I screamed louder than he had expected.....and the campground host came to make sure all was ok....hehe.
It's a Lady bug on a bike!
Our Lady Bug Friends
Halloween Light parade
Halloween Light Parade
We sat outside and enjoyed our breakfast. Spoke to the family next to us who were out on the west coast visiting their son. Their other son, who was not there, but we heard about cycled Cross Country as well.
We were surprised and grateful when the waiter came to us to tell us that our neighboring table took care of our bill. They said they were grateful for all the people who helped their son along they way, they would like to pay it forward.
I would like to say it is completely true. If I, or any of the readers reading this blog, I hope that when you see a cyclist loaded, you offer them the same hospitality we have received along the way, whether its a meal, shower, bed, a honk, cheer, or positive energy-it is all those things that make this trip amazing, and make you realize how good our country is and can be to one another.
It was a fun day on the bike as a Lady bug. We got cheers, strange looks, pointing, "HAPPY HALLOWEENS!", and double looks like "Did we just see a lady bug on a bike?"
We cycled into Leo Carillo State Park. We paid for our campsite, and were wondering around looking for the unknown hidden 'Hiking/Cycling' camping area (which turned out to be by the RV Dump Station-Luckily it didn't smell, and it was a bit into the woods...Actually not so bad). The best response all day to the costume though was in the State Park.....as we wondered around looking for our site.
I hear a bit as I slowly pass near a site..."Loaded Bike, a Lady Bug..Look" Then I hear...
"AHHHH LADY BUG!!! LADY BUG ON A BIKE!!!!!!!!"
I smile and laugh and turn around to Rocky
Then there is a women still screaming
"LADY BUG ON A BIKE!!!! LADY BUG ON A BIKE COME BACCCCKKKKKKK!!!"
I give Rocky a questionable look......should I go back? Are they crazy? Rocky says "Let's go Back"
So we do.....
And it is the beginning of our Halloween night...
Full of food, drinks, and what they call the 'Light Parade'
How often do you find a couple into cycling/touring, and obsessed with Lady Bugs!! They even had a lady bug tent, candles, lights, and baskets!
Thanks guys for being wonderful company:)
When we headed back to our campsite, which was a bit more into the woods, and we were the only hiking/biking camping in the area....and we heard bustling in the woods, I was able to get a few good scares out of Rocky....hehehe.....But he got me back...and I screamed louder than he had expected.....and the campground host came to make sure all was ok....hehe.
It's a Lady bug on a bike!
Our Lady Bug Friends
Halloween Light parade
Halloween Light Parade
Santa Barbara
Breakfast Time!
Rocky enjoying the massage chair
Rocky, Katie, and Darryl
Seals!
Katie enjoying her sailboat ride!
We heard great things about Santa Barbara and were looking forward to arriving. We met a lovely family in Folsom, California. The children's grandfather, Darryl, lived in Santa Barbara. We exchanged phone numbers and gave Darryl a ring a couple days before we thought we would arrive in Santa Barbara. He offered a place to stay for the evening. Before heading to Darryl's we explored the beach and the pier. When we arrived at his home, we were blessed with great company, a room, bathroom, a massage chair, and wonderful food. :)
We went to dinner with Darryl's family at a restaurant (I wish I remembered the name) Where we had an excellent vegetarian dinner. Went to sleep when we got home. We slept in a little and had breakfast with Darryl that he cooked. His sons favorite, eggs with pepper jack cheese, along with porridge. Before heading Darryl heading out for tennis for the evening we watch Top Gun. His tennis partner came and they headed off. Then we got ready to go and headed out ourselves.
We left his home late morning. It was tempting to take a day off and stay with him longer as we really enjoyed our time and he made us feel right at home. We did not leave Santa Barbara until later in the afternoon and we hung out at Barnes and Nobles so I could get some 'work' done. Good News: I have officially applied for my Initial NY State Teaching Certification:) No more Transitional B Certificate!
Kirk Creek Campground
We spent the night at Kirk Creek Campground on the water. We discovered how welcome cyclists are along the coast and in the campgrounds. For many reasons it was nice to be along the coast. The views were magnificent, the idea that we are finally seeing the North Pacific Ocean instead of the North Atlantic was pretty amazing. This part of the route had actually campgrounds. Which made our nights very different from the rest of our trip. We had opportunities to have campfires, to be social, to have the security of being in a real campground instead of the city park or back country camping. The campgrounds have designated areas for cyclist and hikers, instead of us being mixed in with people car camping and RV camping. Also a great thing about California camping is that we found out they can not turn cyclist away because the campground is full. We also learned to explore the campgrounds before paying because every single campground we stayed in we were invited to stay with someone else on their campsite.
Cycling along the coast was an excellent way to end our trip. Though we really should have never been stressed or worried on the trip at all, somehow we were...The coast was a stress free environment, and for the first time on the trip-we were getting along with one another better than we had on the whole trip. It is great to feel that we will end this trip on a positive note:)
At the Kirk Creek Campground we stayed in the cycling hiking area which was full by the time we got there. We made room and while I watched and photographed the sunset, Rocky set up camp and attempting to start a fire. (Not one of the most successful fires-We are so used in Utah and Nevada having such dry wood, we could start a fire with anything...This one was a struggle)
We met other people touring, I was tired and went to bed while Rocky was a bit more social that evening.
We headed out in the morning. We were the second touring people to leave the campground...Not to bad since we have a hard time getting moving in the morning
SURFER CLUB CAMPING!
We were headed to Ventura when we were going down a hill and to my right I saw a campgroun on the water. "Let's Set up camp here!" I told Rocky.
Sure enough we did, 6 miles outside Ventura.
It was an RV park. Many of the people there were in a Surfer's Club that was there for a weekend. We spoke to a few of them, and we were quickly invited in by them for dinner, campfire, music, and to camp on one of their sites. I became very attached to one of the guys at the campground, Budha, a black French Bull Dog. We thought of taking the day off to attempt surfing ourselves, but when we awoke the water was as smooth as I have ever seen it, so we got ready for the day. Though it was no ordinary day! It was HALLOWEEEEEN!
Costume time. I was a lady bug, Rocky was a pirate, though I must say his costume was lacking a bit. In the morning we met some more members of the surfer's club, gave us some fruit to start us off, and gave them our thanks and goodbyes before leaving. We got prepared for a halloween day, I said my goodbyes to Budha, and headed off.
Buddha
Our Campsite
Surfer Club Members
Cycling along the coast was an excellent way to end our trip. Though we really should have never been stressed or worried on the trip at all, somehow we were...The coast was a stress free environment, and for the first time on the trip-we were getting along with one another better than we had on the whole trip. It is great to feel that we will end this trip on a positive note:)
At the Kirk Creek Campground we stayed in the cycling hiking area which was full by the time we got there. We made room and while I watched and photographed the sunset, Rocky set up camp and attempting to start a fire. (Not one of the most successful fires-We are so used in Utah and Nevada having such dry wood, we could start a fire with anything...This one was a struggle)
We met other people touring, I was tired and went to bed while Rocky was a bit more social that evening.
We headed out in the morning. We were the second touring people to leave the campground...Not to bad since we have a hard time getting moving in the morning
SURFER CLUB CAMPING!
We were headed to Ventura when we were going down a hill and to my right I saw a campgroun on the water. "Let's Set up camp here!" I told Rocky.
Sure enough we did, 6 miles outside Ventura.
It was an RV park. Many of the people there were in a Surfer's Club that was there for a weekend. We spoke to a few of them, and we were quickly invited in by them for dinner, campfire, music, and to camp on one of their sites. I became very attached to one of the guys at the campground, Budha, a black French Bull Dog. We thought of taking the day off to attempt surfing ourselves, but when we awoke the water was as smooth as I have ever seen it, so we got ready for the day. Though it was no ordinary day! It was HALLOWEEEEEN!
Costume time. I was a lady bug, Rocky was a pirate, though I must say his costume was lacking a bit. In the morning we met some more members of the surfer's club, gave us some fruit to start us off, and gave them our thanks and goodbyes before leaving. We got prepared for a halloween day, I said my goodbyes to Budha, and headed off.
Buddha
Our Campsite
Surfer Club Members
A visit from Rocky's Parents
Rocky's parents met us in Monterey, California. They found us on Pacific Highway 1 and picked us up. This morning was our first morning cycling on Highway one. Though there were completly gorgeous views, there were a good amount of hills, and it was a horrible road to cycle on. Barely any room beyond the white line, constant ups and downs, and switch backs everywhere. Once his parens found us, we loaded our bikes and gear into the car and they took us to a lovely hotel and treated us to a room throughout their stay. Which had a fire place in it and was my favorite part :)
We went to the Monterey Aquarium-which was great though completly packed since it was a weekend. Went to many great meals inlcuding a early birthday dinner for Rocky. We drove south along the coast with gorgeous views and famous gold courses, (Pebble Beach) and Carmel. The morning they left they drove us south to Big Sur, and dropped us there to complete our coastal route on our own.
We quickly learned how popular bike touring is along the coast. We saw at least six cyclists heading out for the day. His parents left for the airport and we got breakfast at the Lodge in the state park, and rode around the state park to see the Red Wood trees and headed out ourselves for the day.
Pictures soon to come! :)
Our time in San Fran
We were so excited to make it to San Fran. We came into the city and wanted to head towards the Golden Gate bridge-for our proud photo of completing the trip. But once the rain cam down hard, and with the amount of fog, we decided we didn't need to get a photo, and we started heading to Masha's apartment. When we took shelter in the bike shop we met and employee who lived in the mission district. Gave us all the local spots to check out, eat, and get our morning coffee. (Which we did every recommendation that he said...all excellent) The coffee spot though, Philz Coffee, became our morning routine with the four days we spend there though. Which Rocky got his 'Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee'. Each cup of coffee they make is made individually. Our first trip to Philz we went in with Masha's roommate and boyfriend. Who were not shy to announce that we have cycled across the country. Free pastries for us...Yum!
For being San Fransisco and all the things you can do there. We really didn't do to much. It was great to have an apartment to lounge around in and to come home to. We used our bikes as our mode of transportation everywhere in the city. Which was nice. From my experience it was a biker friendly city than New York City. Which I like and want to consider in the next place that I move.
We went to the MOMA, which I thoroughly enjoyed. We walked around the city. Thought about where I could go back to art school. We had Thai food with Masha and some of her friends.
Even with having a place to stay the city got a bit expensive compared to what we were used too....So we headed off.
For being San Fransisco and all the things you can do there. We really didn't do to much. It was great to have an apartment to lounge around in and to come home to. We used our bikes as our mode of transportation everywhere in the city. Which was nice. From my experience it was a biker friendly city than New York City. Which I like and want to consider in the next place that I move.
We went to the MOMA, which I thoroughly enjoyed. We walked around the city. Thought about where I could go back to art school. We had Thai food with Masha and some of her friends.
Even with having a place to stay the city got a bit expensive compared to what we were used too....So we headed off.
PICTURES FROM UTAH!
Sorry all for the long delay in the blog. As you can all imagine we are exhausted and recuperating :)
First I will upload photos from Utah-since our original blog stopped uploading photos.
I hope people are still following as we have come to the end of our trip. Thank you all for your donations along the way.
Enjoy the photos.
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