Faith Restored In People, But Damn That Wind

Sunday, July 1, 2007 - Day 10

Distance Traveled - 58 miles

Things are right again with me and the rest of people. I have renewed my faith in goodwill and kind hearts and open minds. I emailed some people on CouchSurfing last night in San Luis Obispo for places to stay. I really had a good feeling about these. I rode out in the morning (late morning) knowing that I was going to have a place to stay in San Luis Obispo tonight, that someone was going to call me back. Well, by the time I got to Pismo Beach around 6, 10 miles south of San Luis, it had become apparent that no one was going to call. Crunch time again. No motels for me tonight, I knew that much. Camping was a good option, as there are plenty of ground in that area, mostly very close to the beach. Somehow I knew, though, that I was going to find a person to stay with and it was most likely going to be in San Luis. I was prepared to hit up the bars there and start talking to strangers. Before trying that, I decided to try to get on the internet to check and see if some foolish CouchSurfing host had not understood my directions that they have to call me and perhaps emailed me instead. So I tried the library. One of the few libraries in the nation, I'm sure, that doesn't have internet access. So my best idea was to just try a residential area to find some unsecure wireless house. It seemed like the kind of area that would have plenty of the that, being a pretty laid back beach town. So I stopped next to these townhomes, and sure enough, open wireless network. No positive messages from CouchSurfing.

I got a desparate notion. There were some people in San Luis that I hadn't sent messages to for various reasons. They were all different reasons and not really good ones, I might add. I decided to send out a few desperation emails, begging for a place to stay for the night. I probably sent out 4 or 5. After I did that, a guy came out of one of the townhomes. He looked like a local. Made a comment about me stealing some internet, in a friendly manner. I told him I was looking for a place to stay the night. He offered some suggestions for two campgrounds in the area. They sounded alright. He went inside. He was very nice, a surfer kind of dude. As I was packing up my computer, getting ready to just ride up to San Luis and talk to some randoms, I realized I had a missed call. Lo and behold, it was a lady I had messaged just 5 minutes earlier. I called her back right away. She informed me that she was out of town in the Bay area but her husband and roommate were home, that she forwarded the message to her husband, and he should be calling me really soon to give me directions. Unbelievable. She was so nice, Sara. After that conversation, as I was getting ready to head north, the same guy who was talking to me earlier came back out, Dustin. He said that if I couldn't find a place, he lived in San Luis and I could crash on his couch. He just wouldn't be up there until around 10. Also unbelievable.

I told him that I possibly had a place but that I may be interested. We exchanged names and numbers, and just after I got done giving him mine, Sara's husband, Poncho called me to give me directions. It was amazing. I went from not having any idea where I was sleeping to having two solid offers in a matter of about 5 minutes. It was great.

So here I am, typing this at Poncho and Sara's place. They also have a roommate named Karin. Everyone is so friendly, and Pancho works at a bike shop, so we have plenty to talk about. Tomorrow morning I'm going to go in there and give my bike a good look over and lube up my chain. Their house is great and we had some good food. And to think, I sent them a message at around 7:15 tonight.

The rest of today was not as easy and nice. These winds are vicious. Today I had to battle some serious headwinds for quite a distance. I'm not sure how fast they were, over 15mph for sure, but they have some force behind them. For a good 6 or 8 miles at least I was traveling down a two lane road with about a 1-foot shoulder, battling winds so intense that they actually knocked me off the road a few times. It was a real good test of my stamina. Listening to music today really helped my spirits. It helped me stay focused and stay positive. Thank goodness for that. It gets pretty lonely in some of these parts where there is nothing but hills or farmland, so any tools I can use to maintain my sanity are precious.

Today I thought a lot about a poem I started writing a few months back and how much it applies to what I'm doing now. It's amazing the foresight I seemed to have had. Here's the poem:

The wind, the wind, it's blowing fast;

it rips the sail and snaps the mast.

Sheets of rain, they cut like blades;

it stings my eyes, my vision fades.

Clapping thunder rocks my heart

and seeks to tear my soul apart.

Those sailors warned me not to sail.

They said my boat would surely fail.

They laughed me off and waved good-bye

and said 'that boy will surely die.

For winter storms with all their might,

will creep up swiftly in the night.

A smarter sailor with stronger boat

has some chance to stay afloat.

Bur arrogant fools who think them brave

are setting sail to find their grave.'

But I'm not so dumb to think me wise.

I've lost all pride; I seek no prize.

I'm just a man whose soil ran dry,

whose washed up dreams like fallow fields lie...

It's still in progress, but I started writing that in December or January while I was running one afternoon. I just started thinking a few lines, then I kept repeating them out loud to myself so I would remember, adding a line or two every few recitations. I'll probably finish it while on this trip. I just find it relevant to this trip in a few ways. A lot of people told me I was crazy for doing this journey on a single-speed bicycle. Maybe I am. The last two days I have doubted my sanity a bit for choosing that, but I think I can do it. Then just thinking about my reasons for doing this adventure: I don't really have any big aspirations for myself right now. My thoughts of being involved in film are almost all gone. I'm tired of doing web design for now. I'm just ready for a journey of self-discovery. I'm challenging myself everyday, whether it be nasty hills, horrible headwinds, or just finding a place to sleep, I am presented with many obstacles everyday that I have to overcome on my own.

For instance, 3 days ago I was riding through some nice beach town when one of the screws that mounts my rear rack to my frame came out. It had happened before just before I got to Venice Beach, and I freaked out at first because I thought I lost the screw. I went back for about 100 yards trying to find it on the ground. Then when I went back to my bike I found out that it was still hanging on to the rack. Relief. This second time, however, the screw was gone completely. I searched a bit on the road, but I knew it would be almost impossible to find. So I had to think of a solution. I thought of zip-ties, since I have so many of them, as they are what I use to secure my bags to the rack. I tried one, but they are too big to fit through the screwhole on the bike frame. What now? I started searching my bike for screws that I could take off and use for the rack. The only thing I had that wasn't essential to the normal functioning of the cycle was a screw that held on a mount for a rear light. It was a plastic ring that went around the seatpost, had a nut built in on one side and a screw that clamped the thing on. This had to work. So I broke the plastic ring so that I only had a little bit of plastic around the built in nut. Then I ran the screw through the rack and frame mount and screwed the nut on the other side. Luckily it was long enough and narrow enough to fit through the hole in the frame. I'm not sure how strong this screw is, how long it can hold that much weight, but I guess I'll find out. It works for now, so I'm gonna stick with it. Maybe tomorrow I'll try to pick up some extra screws at Poncho's shop.

Anyway, I'm so tired now and need to get some sleep. I'm absolutely exhausted, and this time there are no psychotropic edibles involved. This is just some good old-fashioned sleepiness.

Tomorrow shouldn't be too bad. A 30 or 40 mile ride to San Simeon State Park for some camping. Looks like I'll be doing a bit of camping over the next few days. That's fine. I do need to pick up a blanket or something to insulate the bottom of my hammock though. Tomorrow morning - thrift stores. Excellent.

Well, good night, all.

Music selections for today:

Nightmares on Wax - In a Space Outta Sound
Dusty Rhodes and the River Band - First You Live (masters)
Jackson Browne - The Pretender
Islands - Return To The Sea (only for a few songs though)
Led Zeppelin - various songs from several albums


watch out for landmines!










almost there


oswald? i think

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Comments

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betsy

Hi sweetie! You wanted an adventure and you sure are getting one! I'm glad to know you have found good people along the way. You are a Rock Star!


Memories of Guatalupe

Dad

Do you remember when we drove through Guadalupe during our trip to Santa Maria?
I love the pictures. They really make me wish I were going with you.
I liked the story about the missing screw. I think this trip will teach you that you can do amazing things when you don't have any other choice.
Stay strong and remember that I love you.


It's good to see you...

Bryony

Hey otis, so I was going to go out tonight but instead I have started to read your journal and I think that's it for me now. I am loving the stories and the pictures, it's good to see you. I notice your nose is looking a little burned, don't forget to sunscreen. Can't believe anyone would rent a roon with half a door missing but there you go. It's a jungle out there and you are in it. OK got to go, I'm only on July 2nd.
see you, Bx