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February 11, 1997
Mexico preparations and school visit in San Diego
11 Feb 1997:
Well, it's 1:30 am on Tuesday, February 11th. We've been in San Diego since last Wednesday evening, and you'd think that I'd have gotten the few things on my "To Do" list accomplished by now and I'd be dreaming of fish dancing in the Pacific and resting for our departure from the United States early in the morning. But, no, I'm awake and basking in the blue glow of a computer monitor, cup of java by my side, hammering out a tale of our trip from Malibu to San Diego. I tell myself that I get my best work done at night when my travel companions are snoring near me, but really, I can't stop procrastinating. This isn't the last of it, either. My panniers are attached to my bike, but the supplies are strewn around, waiting to get packed and organized.
Malibu seems a million miles away. Since then, we biked through Los Angeles, down the last stretch of California's coast, and into San Diego. Southern California is very bicycle-friendly. Bicycle paths were our Yellow Brick Road for much of the trip. I had heard a lot of horror stories from people across the country about motorists honking, throwing beer cans and swerving into bicyclists, but we generally had good luck with drivers. Still, a safe, smooth bike path is a welcome site after biking on the rugged shoulder of a smelly, dirty highway.
I was nervous about LA. I grew up in Minnesota where my only experience with LA was the movies, and they didn't paint a pretty picture. I was expecting choking smog, congestion, and mean people. As it turned out, LA was nicer, easier, and more fun than I expected. It was more or less like any other large city - cars circling though the arteries and people running, biking, roller-blading through the capillaries. It was fast, and we rode fast. We saw an amazing sunset on Manhattan Beach like a fluorescent pink ball blinking out over the ocean - LA had a beauty I wasn't expecting. Still, it was nice to be though it and back on the relatively quiet stretches of the Pacific Coast Highway.
While in LA, we veered off the bike path to see the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, and after we rode though an industrial part of the city. Semi-trucks rolled by, transporting goods from the port. This picture was taken from a bridge near the museum. We walked our bikes over the narrow span; it had been closed to traffic because of an accident involving a truck. A man waiting to cross said that the bridge was notoriously dangerous, but would be better when the other lanes were finished. It had been under construction for years, and would probably be years before the two lanes in each direction were completed.
Now we're in San Diego, staying with my aunt and uncle, about 7 miles east of downtown. They've generously tolerated the four of us, all of our gear, and our occasional guest. Jason gave a talk at my cousin's school, The Child's Primary School. He presented his slides and video to the entire school, and I laid out all of the gear I'm bringing to Peru in the next room. The Child's Primary School has a flexible program that permitted us to come in and present the Expedition on a day's notice. The kids seemed enthralled by his adventure over land and sea. It was my first talk at a school, and it was great to see the kids' reactions and to hear their questions.
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--jen--
Posted on February 11, 1997 5:48 AM