Friday, Sep. 21, 2007
Stormy, stormy Night
Monterey→?
Distance: 118.30 km, Time: 7:34:14
hrs, Total: 1,154.30 km
In the late
afternoon I reached Santa Cruz, a very nice city. It is the largest city and
the county seat of the same named county the estimated population is only
around 62,000 citizens.
When I arrived it was evening rush hour
traffic and therefore the road become very busy and sometimes it got real tight
between the cars. I tried to keep near the ocean and accidentally came to the
Casino Arcade at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It is the oldest amusement
park in California and has everything from roller coasters and kind-friendly
rides, arcade and skill games. I should stay for a while but today it got
strangely dark very early.
I continued to cruise along the coast but I
could not find any suitable place. I do not want to ride in the dark but I had
to continue to ride without light. As I passed a restaurant a guest came out,
looked at me with big eyes and said: “Oh, a night rider!” I found it a kind of amusing.
California is a car country like the rest of
the USA. Unfortunately governments do not want to spend needed of money on road
maintenance and in the dark the shoulders became so dangerously that I nearly
fell of my bike two times! While I rode I clearly noticed a dramatically weather change; I could hear thunder in the distance.
Even the song “it seems it never rains in Southern California” tries to suggest
otherwise the heaven opened its gates and it actually started to rain. The wind
from the ocean became very strong and I was glad that my daughter bought me a
one-way raincoat before I left Taiwan. It offered some protection from the
elements and today was the only time I used it during my whole trip.
It seems fencing every property and marking
it with a ‘no trespassing’ and a 'gun' sign is a national sport in (the land of the free?) of the U.S. Therefore it took me quite a
while to find a suitable place for the night. Behind some RVs and camping trailers
I found a spot in a lay-by. The storm blew so strong that it was
difficult to build my small tent; because of the rain I used the outer skin of
it first time on this trip. I laid my bike in the shadow of the wind of my the
tent; hopefully it would be there the next morning. My own weight and all of my
bags were enough to keep the tent steady during this storm.
Despite the bad weather I had actually a
very comfy night. The small, cheap and light one man tent was surprisingly
water resistant and I was glad that I did not have to leave it during the whole
night.
Travelling by bike is great but sometimes
there are obstacles to overcome. On this day the weather was a great problem.
So bikers have to be aware of problems. I suggest that everyone should have
some basic bike repair skills and take some basic spare
parts (foldable tool set, tire levers, inner tubes, spare chain lock or
missing link, long shifter & brake cable etc.) but also a suitable
clothes like a good rain jacket and, if possible, rain trousers.
Reading this some
people might think "What the..." or "Why do you do this?"
In my opinion bike touring needs a special 'spirit' to face and overcome the
odds Mother Nature and often men are
throwing at us. In the digital age it is possible do 'things' in the comfort of
the home, here in Taiwan many young people are addicted to their computer that
they do not leave home for several weeks, months or even years. I think
life should be more than this.
Confronting challenges let us grow out of our
children shoes and even a stormy night might sound challenging it is actually
quite safe to do so. It might be wet and uncomfortable but the reward of a bike
trip by far outweighs these difficulties and let, at least myself, look at my
world and my life quite differently. I made this trip 11 years (!) ago and
still let me travel the same tour in my mind!
For the summer of 2018 I am planning a bike tour Belgium - Luxembourg - Germany - Netherlands - Belgium based
on these experiences you are reading from 2007! The bike frame, the fork, the
tent, the bags etc. are the same and therefore have been literally a long-term
investment. I know there is still room for development to pursue an even a
better cycling experience.
(to be
continued...)
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