OTIS AND THE BIKE RIDE

Just Two Shoulders

Wednesday, July 4, 2007 - Day 13

All I need is a shoulder to ride on. All I want is a shoulder to cry on.

Happy Independence Day. I hope you are enjoying your freedom today, blissfully self-invoking ignorance of what is going on in the rest of the world. I know I am.

I woke up today feeling slightly under the weather, a little stuffy, glands slightly swollen. I don't feel horrible, though. I had to sit and think for a moment, do I want to stay here another day and rest, or am I capable of moving on to Big Sur. I knew what had to be done. I knew I wasn't feeling bad enough to let it immobilize me. I have to keep going today. I don't want to stay at this site, and I can will myself to health. I know I can. It's all about mind over matter right now. I'll spend two days in Big Sur, I decided. I want to take a day off in a place where I can really enjoy it and take advantage of it. I will be able to get on the internet and do laundry and take a shower. That is worth riding through today.

After packing up I sat down to have a good stretch. It was relaxing, but I started thinking about a lot of things. I was thinking about what I am doing now, what I have been doing for the past year in L.A. and I even started thinking about what I was doing in college. At one point I started crying. It wasn't an all-out balling or loss of control, it was just a small cry. I needed it. Really, I need a lot more, especially after yesterday; there is so much that needs to be released, but that will come later down the road, I'm sure. For now, this will have to do. It did make me feel a bit lonely, though.

I knew today was going to be relatively short to Big Sur. Even with all the hills, I knew that it wouldn't be too bad, even with my present condition. It was yet another absolutely beautiful day. I was expecting to hit some wind early on in the day, but there was none worth mentioning. Once again, all the views were breath-taking. So many times there is a huge canyon on the right, sometimes with water trickling through it, and a gorgeous view of the ocean on the left. The water is an amazing color, the sky is so saturated, as are the trees, and there are often tiny rock islands that jut out from the water just off-shore like tiny little mountains that rise above the fog. I love this area. It is my favorite so far.

I was excited to reach my camp around 5. That's my earliest stopping point yet. Only $3 to camp here for bikers. The girl at the booth asked me where I was coming from and where I was going. I told her, and she informed me that there was a group that was doing just the opposite, from Vancouver all the way south. Sweet, some bikers. I pulled into the biker campsite, and there were a few groups of people there. One group of three, the group the attendant was referencing, were instantly friendly. Mark, Amy, and Adrienne (I made sure to remember their names). They invited me to go down to the river with them. Mark is from Ottowa, Amy from San Francisco. They met each other in Australia, became friends, and decided to do this ride together. They met up in Vancouver and started from there. Along the way they met a lot of people and traveled with them for time periods. Adrienned started in Arcata, right by Eureka in Humbolt County. She is biking down to L.A. to visit family. She met up with Amy and Mark along the way and has been traveling with them for a few days at least. There were others that had been with them, but I guess they pushed ahead or stopped somewhere.

I can't even tell you how happy I was to have come across such friendly people who were undertaking a similar journey. We understoood what each other were going through, and they could tell me a bit about what was to come. They had a good dynamic and got along really well together. I was a bit jealous, but at the same time I understand that much of this journey I need to do alone. That's part of the growing experience that I must go through. Oh but how nice it was to eat dinner with them. They shared some of their food with me. Lots of great conversation. Adrienne offered me a place to stay in Arcata. That is very good to know.

We didn't see any fireworks, but really, who cares. There will be more next year, and these past few days have offered me so much more than fireworks ever could. Besides, that's a lame marker to base your enjoyment of a holiday around. To be honest, I haven't cared about seeing fireworks while I have been biking the last few days. The only thing I wanted on the Fourth of July was to be around some good people and to be happy with where I was. I got more than I asked for. It is great. Sleeping tonight in my hammock off the ground. It's remarkably warm right now; I'm sweating in my 4 layers, but I know in 3 hours the temperature will be much colder.

Tomorrow is a day of rest. Boy do I need it. I have been biking for 8 days straight, and they haven't been easy days, most of them. I need a day to rest my muscles, to get on the internet and see what lies ahead, to clean up, and to just relax. That will be nice. I'm so glad I made it this far. It's still quite a ways to Canada, but it has taken quite a bit to get here, and I'm proud of myself. I'm so glad I made the decision to do this and that I followed through.

Happy 4th,

Otis