Playas

Chris and I arrived in Bahia De Los Angeles around mid-day, which is on the Sea of Cortez. The trip is going well, we have had our disagreements, but still pushing ahead. The ride out of El Rosario was tough, we only made 30 or so miles. The terrain, harsh head-wind, and the weight of food/water slowed us down. Camping out under the stars...muy bien.

I also met a group of high liners/climbers near Catavina, who were setting up a 80-90 foot high line between boulders.
http://www.somewhereelseland.com/

Patience, perfection of patience. I now understand why I have traveled alone for so many years. :)

Flesh Love

So I am trying very hard to keep you updated on my travels, but I am having a variety of technical difficulties. The mad scientist (Rosey) and I have been working on some things, from signing me up for Twitter @Findinnima, anyone who knows me should be smiling at the irony. Anyhow, I only have SMS here in Mexico, and finding Internet has been a pain. I can now update my blog via SMS, but i cant load photos to blogger or even twitter. Let's face it, y'all have a short attention span, and my writing is not humorous or witty. You need my photos, you want my photos.

I should also mention that bad r&b is setting the mood...seriously, why are they playing Boys 2 Men in a Mexican restaurant.

I will never own a iPhone by the way, this pos keeps auto correcting in as I'n? Technology makes me want to practice my yelling, just like Bigfoot.

So my trip, it is going well. Chris and I left Ensenada on Monday morning, and we biked to San Vincente, a nice solid day of riding. Chris and I got a classy cheap hotel room, and got on the road at 8 am. We putin another solid Day into Vicente Gurrero. Warm weather and beautiful skies. Leave jealous comments.

And check the twitpics to the right
The wat?

Ensenada

Hey Lovers,


I thought the call of my lova would wake the night guards..

So Chris and I are in Ensenada, we left Wednesday morning around 8am, and cycled most of the way. I say most because we hitched a ride in a truck 10 or so miles. We left to late, miscalculated the mileage, and were fighting the wind all day. We also took two long breaks for food, and early on got a flat. We were doing well until we hit La Mission, where the Mex1 goes east, and the 1D goes south and follows the coast. The 1 is a windy steep road through the mountains. Chris ended up walking most of it, and we weren't going to make Ensenada until way after dark.

Any real traveler always has a sharpie... just the facts. Luckily this is Mexico, and you can find cardboard anywhere.

So I have two minutes until my time runs out. We are staying at Casa De Cyclista, a warmshower.org host. They have this bicycle of a brazilian man who passed trying to ride from Brazil to Alaska. It has my cogs turning in my mind, I need to learn more about him.

5 miles in 4 days

Yes, 5 miles in 4 days. Chris and I are still in Tijuana, we hopefully will be heading out in the morning for either Rosarito or Ensenada. I am not sure if an 80km day is a good idea, so lets see where we end up.

Tijuana has been great to us, our couch surfing host has been very accomidating. We hit 6th street in Tijuana on friday night, and I personally had a great time. Chris said she had a good time, but she doesn´t drink and her spanish is poor, either way she is a good sport.

Don´t mind Chi, he is from China 

We woke up on Saturday, and I had received a message from another couch surfers, inviting us to spend the weekend in Popolita beach near Rosarito. So next thing we know we are in a van full of Mexican punk rockers, on our way to the beach.

It was a bit hectic getting two groups of people to the beach, but we did make it. It was very relaxing, and I knocked out a few pages of ´American Gods´. The group we were with played very well, especially the bongos. Who knew punks liked bongos?

One of my favorite moments was saturday night, a few drunkards at the hotel above us kept hollering at us. Finally they came down, and who would guess, they were from LA. I am not saying anything but about people from LA.... actually I am. They were quite obnoxious. The one gentleman asked me where I was from, and how did I end up on a mexican beach with punk rockers. I explained my recent travels, and he said I have something to brag about at my 10 year reunion. 

I told him the people in my life doing great things as well, so my accomplishments are mediocre. He was like, you go to the Thailand and shit, travel around, THAILAND. For some reason he kept talking about Thailand, and how it would be leverage to how I am special, again, at my reunion.

I haven´t been to Thailand.

Is that what people think about there lives? What should I do to make a bunch of people back in high school jealous. That they will regret the way they treated you because you have been to Thailand? Give me a break, LA mentality. 

The women wasn´t any better, but she did read a passage of American Gods out loud. She had a sexy voice, and read with confidence about a man having sex with a women, and that said woman consumed him with her vagina. Literally.. like a

  Venus Vagina Trap

  She said how she wanted to go to her reunion, and tell them all she accomplished, mainly going to Burning Man. 

I went to Burning Man, it wasn´t that big of a deal. Why people make it there lives, I will never know. Its a bunch of white people getting high in the desert. Have you ever tasted the air at Black Rock City, it tastes of greed and spent fuel, worse then any developing nation I have been to. At least the nations are trying to aquire the basics water, food, shelter, and love.

 Burning Man is hippie/druggie consumption. Go into the woods, you might find peace. 

Baja 1000

So despite the critics, I have started my 1,000 mile bike trip of Baja California. Chris and I jumped on the San Diego trolley at around 9am, and bought our one way ticket to the border. We were both grinning form ear to ear, talking about how great the adventure would be.


I left with hopes that this will be a great adventure for both Chris and I. This will be the longest cycle tour for myself, and the first for Chris.

I was trying to be ultra light on this trip, but its not happening. My bike is fully weighed down. I have 5 books: American Gods, Camping in Mexico, Spanish Dictionary, my journal, and How to play guitar. Why do I have the guitar book? Because I picked up one of these:

I also picked up a set of beginner Horner Blues Harmonicas...in hopes of seeing my friend in San Jose del Cabo. The hoochie coochie man.

And yes, he is art

So I layed the bike over twice so far.. once in the middle of Mexican highway 1, and the other on the way to the Playas. Both times my front panniers brushed the concrete and you would think they were made of flubber, because I went flying head first into traffic.... I scratched my damn mirror... but luckily not my grape.

My couchsurfing host here in Tijuana is Irak, he has been great so far. He picked us up from downtown, after we had a nice sandwich at place simply called: ´Organic´. Anyhow Chris and I attempted to keep up with Irak in his car, up a very hilly part of town. But I did not walk, or crawl, I made it up slowly. I am hoping my bike legs will kick in soon. Anyhow, we had a cerveza after a walk on the beach, which was stunning. These west coast sunsets are breath-taking, sorry east coast. The best part of this house is that it is guarded by a half dog, half bear, half lion creature.

I think it wants to eat me....

So here is the breakdown.

-I am riding a 2010 Jamis Aurora (great so far)

-Topeak rear rack

-Jim Blackburn front rack

-Green Guru High Rolla Rear Panniers

-Novara front panniers
Shimano SPD 520 Pedals
Sidi Cycling Shoes
Avenair handlebar bag (I already have to sew a broken strap)
Cateye front light and computer
Planet Bike Superblink rear light


Clothing
Dri Ducks rain gear (cheap and light)
REI Spruce Run Jacket for warmth
REI Thermal Top
Marmot Thermal bottom
Sportkilt (A given)
Patagonia running shorts
Marmot Wind Shirt

·Camping Gear
·Jetboil (Love this stove)
·Thermarest Prolite 3 sleeping pad (I do miss my NeoAir, but unfortantly Thermarest would not let me prodeal another one, even though they said I was a friend of the industry).
·Sharing a Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2
·Princeton Tec headlamp, (just got my replacement by mail, thanks Princeton Tec!)

Loss

I was talking to Rosey the other night about the loss of her friend Justin. It has been moving to see the amount of people that cared about him, especially the other night at the Turf Club. It had me thinking about loss, and I started thinking of two people from my past. Rob Myslacki, and Mike aka 'BigDuckie'. I miss you both. My friend Paul sent Duckie an email a while back, just to talk to him. Something along the lines of: "Hey mike, miss you, hope your well wherever you are."  Funny thing is he got a response, but not from Duckie, but from his brother. He said Mike had passed a few years ago, No shit Sherlock.

I have also been dealing with the loss of my ipod. It sounds pathetic, but have you ever had something you relied so much on just disappear? Maybe it didn't just disappear, but due to your lack of responsibility, it is now gone. We (maybe just westerners) give mechanical devices personality, giving our vehicles names, or naming your mp3 player.

His name was not Robert Pulson, but 'Eat Shit'. If someone did jack my ipod, I hope they are eating shit, and continue to eat said shit as they listen to my collection of music.

I lost it in San Jose del Cabo. One day I was listening to it at 'La Semilla' and the next it was gone, just vanished. I ha no idea where I left it, and it still hasn't shown up.

Years...

For years I used that little black magic box to escape, escape to another place. Escapism. We all have one, reading a book, drinking, drugs, and even fucking. Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll. That little box traveled with me to countless countries... so many adventures.

 And the rituals!

Whenever I was stuck on the side of the road, I would play 'Against Me! As the external cowboy'. A tradition started in New Zealand years ago. I was stuck on the side of the road, having a heavy load coming around after a night of drinking with some local Maoris. My hat kept getting blown off by all the trucks driving by, and there was no paper in my pack, and no toilet in sight. I needed something to distract me, and for some reason that was Against Me! I got picked up minutes later after singing along at the top of my lungs.

I did not shit myself that day. But life is all about timing. Talk to you soon.

So, the night life here in San Diego has been amazing. I have attended more shows in the past few weeks then I have in years back in Baltimore. I have the lovely Rosemary of  SdDialedIn to thank, you rock girl.

So last night I saw 'Youth Brigade' and 'The Sons of Liberty' at the Brick by Brick. What a great show, it has been a while since I have seen a punk show. I know... I know, I am getting old (just turned 26) and just bought a Martin acoustic travel guitar. Fuck me.

Anyhow, I did make up for the getting old/guitar thing. Serious punk points. And I am not talking about getting scabies or a new patch for my jean jacket. I actually went into the pit wearing my Chaco sandals... I know right, fucking Chacos. I am a sell out. I didn't have any other shoes, and my Doc's are back in MD. Anyhow, I had a great time, my feet got hammered, and were covered in grime. Photos to come.

The major points came from Rosey and Skates when we were leaving the show. "Is that blood?" My right sleeve of my white t-shirt had several large blood stains, and it wasn't mine. The only blood I have ever had on my shirt was at a Gwar show, and that was just food coloring.

"Because we are GWARRR, and we will have sex with your car."

The pit was full of skin heads with bad attitudes (go figure), and I laughed, danced, kept loose, and had fun. I don't think they liked me very much.

I just saw Josh Damigo at the Lestats, what a great show. Are you google-ing your self again Josh? Anyhow, he was raving about Nena Storey, and she did have one hell of a voice. You know I have a thing for curly (especially redhead) jewish girls, right?

Riding for charity

For those who were following my Pacific Crest Trail hike in 2010,  know (or least should have known) that I was hiking for a charity. The website was started by a hiker named Paul Mitchel (not the hair stylist), in an effort to help hikers raise money/awareness for a cause while they hike. Paul said the site will eventually be a site where the hiker chooses the charity, while this year was for Haiti relief.

***Click here for the site***

So the mysterious Dave from the ill-fated 'Easy To Grin' forwarded an ad from the 'Baja Western Onion'. Apparently there is a ride that leaves mid February called the 'Baja Love Ride.'

~~~~Baja Love Ride~~~~

I have been searching for a charity to raise money and awareness for, but I haven't found a site to advertise myself on. I would like to participate in the Baja Love, but that pushes my travels back a month. More then anything I don't like the support aspect of the trip. The idea of riding a bike is to ride a bike, if you are being supported by a vehicle (even if it is low emission), defeats the point. I also want to take my time.

If you know of a charity, or a site like HikeFor where I can advertise myself, shoot me a message or leave a comment.


On another note I wanted to thank the guys at the REI Encinitas store. I contacted the store manager, an explained how I lost most of my hiking gear in the boat wreck. He put me in touch with the warehouse crew, who deal in all the returned/damaged gear.


Well, they helped me out big time, I now have a tent, jacket, and a sleeping pad.
Thank you!

Racks are on!

The bike is coming together quickly. After speaking with some cycle tourists at Adams Avenue Bikes (great shop near University Heights), I decided to go with a front rack and panniers. So... some more money and I now have a Blackburn rack, which was a pain to install, and I had to modify it to accept my Novara panniers. The rack was used and inexpensive, and it matches the color scheme well.

I got my Green Guru recycled/up-cycled bike panniers about 10 minutes ago, these bags are great!  I want to give a shout out to Justin at Green Guru. I sent an email last week explaining my adventures, and I got a response the next day with great news, a set of discounted High Rolla Bike Tube Panniers.

The panniers are great, well thought out, have a great mounting system,  and are made of old bicycle tubes. Green Guru makes several different products from old bike tubes: Wallets, messenger bags, and more.

http://store.greengurugear.com/high-rolla-bike-tube-pannier-p-881.html

Thank you Green Guru!

Next thing you know I will be one of those people... you know what I am talking about. The people with too much stuff hanging off their bikes, and that crazy look in there eyes....


That look my friend is freedom

Counting Down

The day draws near, the day I leave San Diego for points south.... I am unsure how I feel about the trip. I almost feel numb, like its just another walk in the park. Maybe it is because I have already been to Baja, that I am not wandering into the 'unknown'. Or maybe I am scared of whats behind.

I have changed in the past few weeks, I would like to explain this in a little more depth. When I left San Jose Del Cabo, I was in a bad head space. I had thoughts of just walking/running the entire 1,000 miles north, and to make it even more challenging, I was going to fast. Starve the negative feelings about life, love, and my place in it.

Well, that didn't turn out as I got picked up at like 4am by a cuban bar owner named Juan. He was a bit tipsy, but we had a great conversation on our ride to Cabo San Lucas. He said he never picks hitch hikers up normally, especially at 4am, but he trusted me because I had dreads.

when I review this in my mind
I don't think I even had my thumb out...

My own cuban angel

Can angels drink? Maybe he wasn't an angel, but a guide, to help me out of the dark spiral. It sounds like hippie bullshit, but the simple act of giving some poor soul a ride at 4am can make a difference.

I have a great time in San Diego, from reconnecting with family, to the great shows and new friends. I can truely say I could spend some time here in San Diego. But alas I must ride in the next few days. 

Proudest moment in SD: Taking rude photos with some random camera on New Years, and then later reviewing them with the owner. "Is that someones ass?"

**Singing karaoke: Boys 2 Men, I'll make love to you @ Bourbon Street.... Not so much.

I have been thinking of a random thought/fact that I would incorporate into my blog, so here it is: The first cd I owned was Elton John, I found it in a car my father bought when I was 10.

The first cassette I ever owned was Coolio: Gangster Paradise.

**Dont judge**