Wednesday, May 26, 2010

To the sea

We woke up to cold temps yesterday and packed up our tents. We grabbed breakfast at a gas station and waited for the sun to warm things up a bit. Once the ride started I was quickly climbing a short hill, which got the blood pumping and warmed me up a bit. A big downhill made my body shiver as the winds chilled me to my core. Next was the last climb of the trip. It was not too steep or too long and Delaware and I rode together, side by side. The roads were great and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. Spirits were high and we both randomly broke into laughter often throughout the day. If smiling could fuel spaceships, we would have made it to the moon. We stopped for really good tacos at lunch and we hit up two friends for a favor. Our buddies Matt and John, who live in hotels for work, were very generous and put us up in a really nice hotel in San Diego on marriot rewards points. With our bellies full and our sleeping situation covered we got back in the saddles. Most of the ride was downhill, but a headwind did slow us down. We got out of the mountains and rode through the hills for a bit. Eventually the streets flattened and the smell of salt water was in the air. A rough bike path led us to ocean beach park. We both stopped just short of the sand, to take it all in for a moment. I took off my cycling shoes and we walked our bikes into the pacific for a ceremonial dunking of the wheels and then ran into the sea. The water was cold, but the whole experience uber rewarding. The entire day was a bit surreal. Soon we were met by Sarah, a girl that we worked with in Yosemite many years ago. We threw our bikes in her car and she drove me to a pharmacy where I bought some footwear. The options were limited, the choices included aquasocks, faux leather slippers and huge or tiny flip flops. I went with the big flip flops and doritos. We met my buddy Xavier and his wife Michelle at the hotel. The hotel was super nice and we looked like homeless people, but once they realized we were the guests of such important customers, the velvet ropes parted, champagne fell from the heavens and we were quickly checked in. I put on my cleanest dirty shirt and we headed to dinner. A few margaritas and five years of catching up proved a great recipe for a good time.

No comments:

Post a Comment