Changing plans

Hi Everyone,

Well change of plans. We are off to Australia on Tuesday flying out of San Francisco.

This is a photo I took from the moving car as we left Santo Tomas. This was basically dry when we cycle by the day before and it continued to rain off and on for the next few day so we think it got worse before better.

We had left the Ensenada area and gone down the road 40 km or so - it has been raining and there was a break in the weather so we thought we would head out south we were ready for a change of scenery. We stopped at an RV park and set up just as it started raining again. We went to the Restaurant for dinner that evening rather than cook in the rain. On our way out the owner Emma said you know it is going to rain a lot tonight and tomorrow - we said more than what we had already had - which was a lot and she said yes and were we sure we would be ok - we assured her yes. Well it rained hard all night - Ian got up once and checked around the tent and bike and all was ok. In the morning still raining we stayed in the tent till our bladders would burst and gave in and put on our rain gear. We made tea and breakfast and went up to the office Restaurant Motel. Well there was water coming in the roof and a mud slide out back and no power. At least one bridge down the road in the direction we wanted to go was washed out. Then she said come with me and she took us a few meters down the road to see the river which was a torrent. Everything in the valley it ran through was flooded it was a black horrible raging water and she was afraid for our tent?! She said come stay with me but then she said all the flooded land was hers - crops animals - she was stressed. This is all in half Spanish English. Then a guy showed up from the way we had come and he said the road was still passable and he was going back and would give us a ride. We packed up but couldn't fit in his car as he had a ton of other stuff. So we started hitching. A nice older man and his wife stopped and had room for our stuff but it was a truck so no room in the cab so the first guy would take us and the other guy our stuff. We squeezed in and off we went. Unbelievable flooding; all the rivers were large brown and black fast moving water sooooo much flooding; homes under water, animal trapped. Could be a while before this is cleaned up Emma said she had not seen it this bad since 1976 or 1978.Mexico is a great country we met wonderful people who were kind and helpful we will be back but perhaps we will try to go when it isn't raining.

We are now exploring San Diego - we quite like this city. It is lovely easy to get around nice ocean breeze. We had a wonderful time at the Maritime Museum.

This is the ship the Surprise which was used for the filming of Master and Commander, Russel Crow will have touched this wheel.

 This is the Star of India a metal hulled Bark the world oldest active ship! She is huge 212' beam 35' launch 1963. 21 round the world trips amazing.
There were also two submarines and lots of smaller sail boat an ocean steamer the Berkley. We spent 3 or 4 hour on the boats. The exhibits were very informative and the kids programing (there was a pirate thing going on) looked like a lot of fun.

The water front sculptures are lovely and fun in San Diego. This one inspired us so much we went to a movie. We saw Invictus good movie I don't know much about rugby but Ian does as you all know!

We are going to explore San Diego a little more today and then tomorrow fly to San Francisco to catch the plane to Australia. It will be great to see Squirty and Paul and meet their hound clan!

Till next

Diana and Ian

Estero Beach Resort

Hi Everyone as I write this blog we are hunkered down in a hotel room with a raging storm going on outside, pretty big wind and serious rain. Nothing we haven't seen in Nova Scotia but different when it is palm trees swaying in the wind.

We weathered a similar storm last night in the tent and thought we would make our way down the road but the rain and wind came on just as we were packed so we drove over the the registration desk instead and got a room. We took a quick ride out when there was a break in the weather for provisions but got caught on our way back.

The rain is truly a blessing here in Baja California where, as one of the gardeners said "has no water" or at least not fresh water. Even the shower water is slightly salty. It is beautiful on the estuary here lots of bird activity seals fish and when the tide is out folks are out digging clams.

There was also an amazing sunset.

We have been around Ensenada now for almost a week just recharging and catching up on some email work. Earlier we were at San Miguel or Punta San Miguel for the surfers. It wasn't much of a camp ground more a community with a gate and a parking lot but a busy place for surfing apparently it is one of the best places for surfing around and the island you look at to the west in Todos Santos where the waves can be even more impressive. We found this all out talking to Brian a photographer from Half Moom Bay who was down with a couple of very good surfers he was photographing on the wave. They also went out to the Island because apparently the weather was looking good for big waves. "All the big names in surfing were around". Watching them on the waves the day after we did see some amazing moves. Would have been fun to go out and watch.

Punta San Miguel

We crossed into Mexico through Tijuana. It was all pretty straight forward once we figured out where to go - there are no signs saying " this way to the boarder" and then getting through the gates we just squeezed past the cars made eye contact with all the official looking people and just biked through. Now we knew we needed Tourist Cards so we stopped once we realized we were through and I asked someone who looked like a fellow tourist and she pointed us to the right door we paid our $20 or so each and got stamped and that was it we were in. We followed #1 up a terrible hill breathing what felt like the most emission fume filled air I have ever experienced oh I forgot to mention the bank sign just before crossing the border read 95 degrees F. We got up the hill and proceeded till a couple cops pulled us over and said " you can't go through there" in Spanish of course meaning the toll booth ahead. Well they realize we couldn't go back either so they offered to shuttle us in their Jeep Chrokee. Well we had to go one at a time what with the two trailers and two bikes. I had my first lesson in Mexican money and accidentally gave him more money than Ian really wanted me too for the toll - lets just say it was a nice tip for the cop. Sadly we got around the toll and Ian promptly got a flat. Fixing that put us back a little time but the cycling was pretty good as the toll road has a wide shoulder. We got to Playa de Rosarito and couldn't find an  RV park but did find an affordable hotel.

Fountain in Rosarito

We hit the road after a nice walk on the beach. We got to an RV park we had found on line with an impossible road in down and gravel. We got there and it was nice quiet - shower, cold but hey, and they said they could give us a ride back up to the road because there was no way our bikes could climb it. The ocean fog rolled in thick as we cooked dinner.

Next day bright and sunny beautiful spot! got the lift to the highway in a beat-up but reliable Ford 4x4.

At the toll booths we were escorted to the sidewalk and got through that way (this is how Ian got through them when he cycled from Haramar to Tucson) The last Toll Booth was San Miguel.

 And that was the start of our stay in the Ensenada area. Folks are very nice foods good. Roberto at TNT Cycle did a wonderful job tuning up the orange bike and providing us with tubes for our tires.

So we are hoping to hit the road early tomorrow.

San Francisco to Santa Barbara Nov. 02 - 06

Having Diana depart for Whitehorse on an early morning (read 04:00 hr. pick up) flight made it relatively easy for me to have an early departure from S.F.  There is something surreal about riding the streets of SF @ 06:00 and not really knowing where you are going!

Day one: Out of SF and headed south. It was a great ride the streets were nearly deserted and the weather was super. I liked the early morning ride so much I inadvertently added on about 30 to 40 extra Km by taking a wrong turn somewhere along the way. By noon I had made it to Half Moon Bay after a screamin downhill coming from the east side of the peninsula. Made it to Santa Cruz that evening and was completly happy to grab the first hotel I saw. In my defense however it was already dark and Diana would have killed me if I had gotten run over on the first day of the trip!

Day Two: After some zigging and zagging through the streets of Santa Cruz I finally made it to the open highway. You know all those fruits & vegetables that say California on them at your local supermarket? Well I think I rode past pretty much all of them on day 2. There were miles of strawberry fields with the requisit migrant workers as well. The route essentially followed Monteray Bay and after going through several small towns ended up going through Monteray itself. The two pictures that follow are the town of Marina. I still don't know what the plant was!

By days end I had made it to Andrew Molera State Park and was happy to set up the tent and crash after ingesting a huge meal!.

Day 3: As cycling days go it doesn't get much better than this. The ride from AM State Park through Big Sur is spectacular to say the least.

A large day took me through some exceptional country and saw me ending up at San Simone State Park just south of an area where elephant seals come ashore. These are large smelly creatures; for sure!

Day four: By now I am tired and sore and thinking that it would be nice to have a rest day. However there is this small issue of having to catch a plane out of Santa Barbara on the mornign of the 7th that means bienig in SB the evening of the 06th. Hmmm what to do? The solution; Amtrack. I take a leisurly ride into Morrow Bay and then figure out how to get to the Amtrack station in San Lois Obisbo. The next day I hope a bus with my Bike Friday stowed in its travel suitcase and make my way to the station. By 18:00 I am in a hotel getting ready to fly to Mexico for two weeks of Yoga retreat followed by what would turn out to be a three week bike ride through north west Mexico. More on that later!!

More Souther California

Hi the last post was very frustrating as the internet connection kept logging out so I have some more photos today that would have gone with that post.

yes that is a rig.

Seal Beach

The surf scene

The ferry at Newport Beach

Oceanside Marina

Misson Beach path

Bike Path just before Camp Pendilton

Friend we met at Torrey Pines Beach Park

Life is a Beach..

Hi Everyone,

I thought I would give a little more detail to where we are what we are doing.

This is Niagara Falls where Ian and I were for Brian's funeral and to spend Christmas with my family. It was really quite cool! But Ian finally saw Niagara Falls!

This is the sky out of Toronto as we took of at 7:45 and then flying over the Grand Canyon. The world is beautiful.

The security in Toronto was a little backed up with the new restrictions in place we ended up checking everything but the computer but the good new is it also all arrived. We waited in 4 lines actually five if you include the boarding gate. We flew business so the flight was comfy. We landed in LA with the Rose Bowl in full swing. Shuttled ourselves back to Peppers to hang out and watch the game on tv. The next day we mailed stuff back that we wouldn't be needing and picked up a few things at REI and visited with Sacha and Dory - Sacha had been with Ian at Haramara. They are so great it was hard to leave our coffee break together but hopefully we will see them again soon. Then bikes together and packing. Crack of noon start saying good bye to Pepper and all her wonderful hospitality - she is so great!!! the next day, we made it to the beaches for our first night out we stayed in a very inexpensive hotel as the camping was scarce and the light fading.

Next day off again we followed mostly bike paths and bike routes making it pretty easy going. Surf City it was Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach lots of surf boards hanging out and on vehicles.
We cycles through places I had only ever heard the names of before it was amazing to see them La Jolla, Misson Beach and San Diego. Ian loved the Marinas and the sail boats. Oh we cycled on some vacant roads along Cardiff Beach and the military base where there were a lot of helicopters and tanks.

Now we are in Imperial City/Chuela Vista just before the Mexican border which we will try and cross tomorrow to get our-self as far down the cost as we can. We are staying at the KOA once again beside a highway. There is a lot of humanity down here driving cars.
Ok got to mention some of the cool LA things you may not hear everyday. There are wild peacocks in the Pasadena Arcadia area - we saw a flock of them. And there are wild parrots - I got woken up by them one morning at Peppers she said they got away from the arboretum and now there is a huge flock of them!
Go figure.
Ok by for now
Diana and Ian

Surf City

Hi Everyone, Ian and I were in Ontario for my brother Brian's Funeral which was on the 24th. It was very comforting to be with my siblings and parents Brian's death was such a shock. Also it was good to see Janice Nicole and Alicia - I can certainly understand what they are going through. It will take a while for it all to set in.

Niagara Gorge wave.

We spent Christmas with sis Wendy, Andy  Broc and Bret and Emily. That was lots of fun. Then on the 26th we had a scrumptious meal at sis Ellen and Rick's with most of our family and all of Rick's.The 27th was my Birthday so  Ian and I headed to Niagara Falls - he had never been there before.You can see the weather was not hot.

We are on the south California coast. Three days out of Arcadia after flying in on the 1st in the middle of Rose Bowl. Thanks to Peppers hospitality we were on the road in two days again. Internet is not that available we will be on when we get a chance again. Today we are at Oceanside - land of surf boards and boats.
talk soon
Diana and Ian