SoCal

SoCal (yes I am cool enough to call it that, honest). What can I say? I know it gets talked about in the media as being a bit weird at times, but I never thought I would walk past an archery range and see a guy leaving dressed as an elf with his bow and quiver strung across his back.

Ironically, as I moved further north towards LA, things have actually got less weird. Or maybe just more like it is on TV.

I’m very behind with my blog here, so I’m going to update it gradually over the next few days.

It feels as really long time ago now, but my first couple of days were pretty eventful, so it’s worth going back that far.

Firstly, my bike didn’t exactly make it to the US in one piece. Well, to be more precise, it was in one piece. Just one with a few bends and dents that led the guy in the bike shop I took it to for help to respond “Nah, that bike’s totalled. It looks like they ran it over with a truck and then dragged it across concrete.” Having seen bits of how luggage is treated at airports, that wouldn’t surprise me. Oh, and this was after having failed to put the bike on the flight from New York to San Diego, which led to it disappearing for 24 hours and then magically turning up at the hostel in the middle of the night. Just unfortunate that unpacking it was something on a depressing experience.

Anyway, no more on that. I’m talking to American Airlines about compensation, but thanks to Luke and his colleagues at Cal Coast Bicycles in San Diego (hi, if you’re reading), I have a new bike, which I’m very happy with, and was able to leave San Diego on the day I’d intended.

Sorting all that out took one of my two days in San Diego. To distract me from my, at that point, just missing bike, I spent my first day doing what most people I’ve been on holiday with will know I specialise in. Namely walking miles and miles and miles to do some random exploring.

Before seeing the aforementioned elf, I found a random two block street festival. It was meant to be an arts festival, but, on top of some fantastic photography and the expected performance stages (and, well, beer and food), the majority of stalls were an eclectic group pushing everything from Animal Protection charities to laser hair removal to Chinese massage. Oh, and I saw a pug in a leather jacket. I do feel I failed here by not managing to get a photo.

Other than that, it was exactly the kind of Americana I was looking for. One of the stages had a local dance troop. Unfortunately their leader had failed in attempting to burn their music onto CD, but that didn’t stop them!! They just danced along anyway, as she called out the steps and sang. The second song was Take Me Out to the Ball Park and, oh yes, the entire crowd joined in. I know it sounds like I’m taking the piss a bit here, but we’re talking about 10 year old kids on stage. It was actually really nice.

In the afternoon I walked over to the San Diego Zoo, which has a reputation as one of the best in the world. It was definitely pretty good and I’ve got quite a few nice photos. Plus I saw about 10 meercats trying to go down a whole at the same time (I love meercats) and a baby panda. The zoo was huge and I walked round it for hours. Yet some woman seemed to have decided the most suitable way to do this was dressed like Sandy at the end of Grease. Heels included.

Sorry this entry’s been pretty long and detailed. I promise they won’t always be like this. Unless you all like my little stories that is. Next time, San Diego to LA.

Flight to New York

So, i guess this is blog Part II. I’m about 5 hours into my flight to New York and bored out of my mind, because the plane doesn’t have a little screen in the back of the seat in front. There are screens hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the plane, but I’ve got a window seat. I can’t see a 1/3^rd of the screen, because the overhead lockers are in the way. At the moment they’re showing some American cooking show called Top Chef Masters, so I’m not missing much.

I promised last time that I’d explain a bit more of my plans for the next few months. Unfortunately (or at least it feels that way at the moment) getting to New York isn’t the end of my travelling today. After clearing immigration at JFK, I have to head straight back to the departure lounge to get on an almost equally long flight to San Diego. I should get to the hostel by about 10pm local time, so I’m going to feel like it’s five in the morning.

After that, I’m pretty much taking things as they come. I’ve got three nights booked in San Diego to explore and get my bike put back together. At the moment it’s boxed up in the hold, thanks to Woodrups Cycles on Kirkstall Road (bit of free advertising there, but they have been good to me over the last couple of months). Wheeling a four foot long box around Manchester airport on a trolley this morning was fun. Particularly the spectacularly uneven pavements that had me diving in all directions to keep everything upright. Fingers crossed there won’t be any damage when I come to put it back together!

On Tuesday I set off north up the coast of California. I should be in LA for next weekend, which will be interesting. I’ve discovered that Far have reformed and are playing in LA next Friday. Always had them down as a band I was never going to get to see, so I’m really looking forward to it. Nada Surf are playing there next Wednesday, but, unless LA vastly exceeds my fairly low expectations, I have a feeling I’ll be gone by then.

From there I head on up to San Francisco, before turning inland through Nevada and Utah and climbing up into the Rockies in Colorado for some refreshing mountain air (and local beer). After that I turn north following the mountains up into Wyoming and Montana, which promises to be beautiful, before finally turning West again through Idaho and Oregon. I fly back from Portland in the middle of August, but that’s 1000s of miles and 90 days away.

As that probably wouldn't have meant anything to me until I started planning this trip, here it is on a (Paint edited) map.

In fact, it’s exactly 90 days, because that’s how long I’m allowed to be in the US without a visa. A fact that was pointed out to me (as if I’d chosen 90 days as a coincidence) during one of the seven different security checks I had to pass through to get on the plane this morning.

It was a strange feeling saying bye to Jess (my flatmate, for anyone who doesn’t know) this morning, because I’m not sure the idea of going away for three months has really hit me yet. I’ve spent so long preparing that it all just feels a bit unreal. Thanks very much to everyone for their good luck messages over the last couple of days.

Andy

A little bit of background...

Ok, so I've been meaning to set this up for a while and this seems like a pretty good opportunity. For anyone who doesn't already know, I'm about to disappear off to spend three months cycling round the US.

Yes, I mean a pedal bike not a motor bike. Yes, I know this seems far far too energetic (particularly right now). And yes, I am actually serious.


I think most people who've seen a lot of me over the last year or so know that I haven't exactly been 100% settled at work, and obviously travelling becomes a bit more difficult as you get older and do sensible things like buy houses. Work have also been good enough to give me four months off, so this seemed like as good a time as any.


Anyway, I finished work on Friday and, as I don't fly for a couple of weeks, I thought I'd try a bit of a dry run. And that's how I get to be sat in a hotel near Thirlmere in the Lake District, where I have no mobile reception but wireless internet access, with lambs running round in the field opposite and kids yelling at each other on Supernanny USA on TV (sorry, day time TV is a bit of a novelty).

Yesterday was a pretty tough day, as I rode about 60 miles on a fairly indirect and very hilly route from Morecambe, up the coast and into the lake district. It's been completely worth it though, as this is an area I absolutely love. Of course having to ride up the hill, above, after six hours on the road wasn't particularly appreciated, but it was completely worth it for views like these.

Right, enough for today. I'm cycling off to Hawes in the Dales today, which should be a nice ride, although I'm camping tonight, so we'll see how that works out. After that it's south through the Dales to see some friends who've just moved to Ripponden near Halifax and then a gentle 20 miles back home on Thursday.

More posts to come I'm sure. Next time I might actually get round to explaining the plan for the US.


Andy