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January 24, 1997
Big Sur in the Rain
Jan 24th 1997:
Rough, rugged, rocky, windswept, wild. The Big Sur Coast. Our first hurdle en route to Peru. Today, we’re relaxing in a coffee house in San Luis Obispo; catching up on writing and absorbing San Luis culture on Higuera Avenue. Eight days ago, we packed our bicycles and set off on leg three: Monterey, California, United States to Lima, Peru. From Peru, Jason will pedal Moksha solo 11,000 miles to the Marquesas in the Pacific.
Today, we are four: Jason, Carol, Oli, and me, Jenny. These first few days of travelling, we’ve been learning our bicycles, life on the road, and each other. The trip already has been filled with wonderful, gracious people, exciting adventures, and hilly bicycling. Oli and Carol are from France and they flew to San Francisco, CA to participate on this part of the expedition. I am from Redwood City, CA. The trail ahead will take us through deserts, rainforests, mountains and at least one jungle without a road.
The journey so far can be split up into two environments: the Big Sur Coast, where Highway 1 stretches along the rugged cliffs above the Pacific, and the San Luis Coast, where the hills roll gently next to the sea and between old volcanoes. At the Big Sur Coast, small, sandy beaches form in seclusion between wave-beaten rocky points and steep slopes. Highway 1 exists in many places only through sheer human will. Rainy winters release rocky mudslides that cover the road or undercut the pavement until it falls into the sea. Here, also, Highway 1 is traversed only by locals and tourists, and this time of year, the mudslides prevent tourists from passing over parts. Further south, near San Luis Obispo, Highway 1 is a main thoroughfare, with two busy lanes shuttling people and goods north and south. One thing that stands out in both areas is the intense green that spreads over the hills in celebration of the wet winter.
Those are some of my thoughts about the trip so far, but before I continue, I will describe myself so you can put my images into some sort of context. I met Jason and Oli about a month ago when Jason gave a talk about he expedition at a yacht club near my home. I went to the talk because I had been thinking about taking a long distance trip by bicycle for some time. Some of the things Jason talked about struck a chord with me, and I thought that it was something I could really do someday. He said that they were inviting other people to travel for all or part of the leg to Peru, no experience necessary. I did some research, both within myself and in the world around me and decided to jump. It is going to be a challenge for me in many respects. Long distance bicycling with heavy panniers (saddlebags for bikes) and nomadic travelling are both new to me. Already, there have been some hard times, like when we pedalled by moonlight in the rain. That night, the only sounds I heard were waves crashing on rocks below, my own breathing, water splashing up from my tires, though I strained to hear signs of the muddy cliffs slipping down into the road. There have also been magical times. A woman named Anne invited us to stay at her cabin in Big Sur. The first night, her neighbor let us soak in his hot tub overlooking the Pacific. We spent a fantastic few days there while bulldozers cleared the highway. I am looking forward to the challenges and special moments that lie down the road.
It’s been eight days by the calendar of my watch. For me, my home in Redwood City seems a million miles away. Every day is so new and different that I catch myself laughing while eating couscous in a hotel room with clothes draped over every open space to dry. Happiness comes simply and easily. According to the charts and maps, Peru is unimaginably far away. Such a distant goal that can be achieved by doing a little every day, making the most out of each moment. Suddenly, one day, we’ll be there.
This trip is an opportunity for wild and varied experiences, but as I’m already learning, when you open your body and mind for such adventures, they come to you in many forms. In a way, that is another challenge for me: to be open and optimistic and allow new experiences into my life.
Keep checking here for updates. You’re in our thoughts and we’ll keep posting impressions from the road.
Jenny MacKenzie
Same day - dark, Malibu, California
We're staying at Mick and Stacia's tonight. Mick is planning his own human-powered trip around the planet. He is rowing a 28 ft boat over the seven seas.
The ride today was short, but gorgeous. This part of the coast seems like a softer, gentler version of the Big Sur Coast. Sandstone and mudstone are interlayered and dipping toward the north; the rocks along the road form parallel, diagonal lines.
We saw an interesting site today, as you can see by the photo. Next to the Pacific Coast Highway, there is a park for missiles at the Point Mugu Base. They stand proudly off the ground and aimed into the sky, as if ready to be fired into the enemy's home. An amazing amount of money was poured into these instruments of destruction in the name of peace. The plaque describing one of the missiles said that it cost 1.2 million dollars to build and it was used to transport mail 10 times. Let's see... only $120,000 per mission. What a bargain!
I stood under the weapons designed and built by people to kill people and I felt how insignificant I am. As an American citizen, I've contributed money out of every paycheck to support the development of missiles, airplanes, guns, submarines, ships and bombs. Imagine what else the 1.2 million dollars spent on that one missile could be used for. And $1.2 million doesn't even scratch the surface of the defense budget.
On the other end of the spectrum, we met a man named Eddie Fitzgerald (see photo) who has been bicycling around the USA and Canada for the last 11 years and has pedalled over 106,000 miles of road. He is currently on his way to Vancouver, Canada, where he will lay down his biking shoes. He offered pearls of wisdom to people who would listen. His spirit seemed unaffected by the material world that so many of us demand to be a part of - the world of TV's, stereo surround-sound, fast cars. Eddie claims that he would never hurt another living thing. Perhaps if people with political power would hop on their bikes and ride for 11 years and see the world from the ground level, our defense budget wouldn't have to be so large.
Jenny
Posted on January 24, 1997 5:42 AM