Elke and I are staying at The Pearl, a cool, 60’s modern styled hotel in Point Loma - good food too. Jeff’s friend Kurt set it up, and the owner is footing the bill. I haven’t met him yet, but I hear his name is Greg, so a big thank you to Greg, and to Kurt. After the difficulty getting through LA, it’s incredibly nice to have a good place to stay.
I was conflicted. Part of me was anxious to get back on the road, and part of me wanted to hang around, eating Roma’s cooking for another day, but in true Big Dummy style, I got up and took forever getting ready. Jeff drove me back out to the route, and after a bit of finagling, managed to get rid of me around 11. I was nervous for some reason, like I was afraid I had forgotten how to pedal, or my legs would throw a rebellion for being kicked off the couch.
When Jeff picked me up at the Golden Gate Bridge, I didn’t know what was going to happen next. I didn’t know how long I would stay, or even if I would be able to continue the ride from that point. What actually happened was that I had a nice rest to recover from a month of pedaling, and a great visit with Jeff and Roma and Kieran. Here’s Kieran, showing off his bling…
Ok, the first mistake you can ever make is to think that just because a day is short that it would be easy. That’s just a setup for a hard day, especially if the previous day involved a 70-mile ride. I woke up around 8, and went to take a shower. I didn’t want Jeff and Roma to come face to face with the me that hadn’t showered in… oh, a week. I had saved one set of clothes just for the occasion. Scratch that. One set of shirts. The shorts were another matter, so I spent part of my shower washing the shorts. The socks, well, let’s just say that the socks were in the trailer during the skunk encounter back in Leggett, so I had been riding on one set for that same week.
Hey, everyone! I’m in San Francisco, or thereabouts, staying with my friends Jeff and Roma. After the incredible shortage of both power and cell access on the north coast of California, I finally get the chance to rest and to get caught up on the story. Watch for new posts and new photos today. - Jim
I rolled out the tent into a gray and misty morning. Amazingly, it was early. Elke jammed her way through the door as I was making my stiff and sore exit. She likes to be first. Almost immediately, we met Gail and Mary Lou walking their digs around the camp. After a couple of minutes, Gail offered me a place to stay in McKinleyville, if I wanted. I thanked her and quickly packed up. There was nothing about the Crescent City campground that would make me want to stay, and I had every intention of getting over the big climb before noon.
