San Francisco, California

August 7th - August 13th, 2012

Fort Bragg to San Francisco to San Jose to Pacifica to Oakland to Redwood City to Berkley to San Francisco to Fort Bragg... 570 miles driving.

It's been almost two summers since Blake and I had our trip down the West Coast. It feels like a dream again as I discuss this adventure with new people I meet who ask me how I ended up in Dana Point,  California. But NO ONE else has this story to tell. Let's get back to our West Coast adventure in the summer of 2012!

Blake and I were staying in Fort Bragg, California, waiting for the next move. A week into switching between camping spots and motels our friend, Beth, was heading out of town to see family and asked us to take her to the San Francisco airport and keep her car until we picked her back up a week later. So 2 am on a foggy night in the northern California town we packed up our tent and gear, locked up Pearl, the Honda Ruckus I had, and packed into Beth's Jeep for the four hour drive south to the big city. The road out of Mendocino County was narrow, windy, and surrounded by huge red wood trees. Just as the sun was peaking over the horizon we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge. Blake and I sent Beth off and headed back into the city. It was too early to check into the hostel we had found so we parked in the Albertons parking lot, blew up the air mattress in the back of the car and tried to shut our eyes for a while. After the failed attempt of a nap we headed to the Green Tortoise Hostel in downtown San Francisco and checked in.

 Neither of us had been to San Francisco before this trip so we headed right out and started walking in any direction we could. The vast differences between blocks in the compacted city were extroidinary. We'd be in the dence business district, then the museum district, then Chinatown, then Little Italy, then the Wharf. I'm pretty sure we ate at every bakery SF had to offer us! Pastries and coffee and bread bowls with clam chowder...

One of the problems we ran into in the larger cities during the summer was that the campsites, hostels, and motels were sold out because of events. The week we were in SF there was a huge music festical going on in Golden Gate Park and everything was either sold out or over-priced. Because of this we had to move around every night and scavanger for a place to stay. Once we checked out of the hostel we headed south to San Jose. I wanted to check out the Winchester Estates I heard about from a friend in Santa Fe, NM. The tour was incredible and informative but it was long and we were beat by the time we got out. From San Jose we headed to Pacifica to find the last room in town at a motel. The next day I cleaned out Beth's Jeep and we headed into Oakland. I still to this day feel like we should not have been there. Not just because I am a born and raised Broncos fan, but also because we had no idea where the "good" and "bad" neighborhoods were. I'm pretty sure we picked a "bad" motel to stay in for the night and that's because it was the cheapest we could find. We were in this hideous room with bright pink walls (yes, all four of them) and no air-conditioning. It was too hot to go outside so we just got food and watched Harry Potter in our hotel room.
We were able to go back to the Wharf on the last day and celebrate Blake's 24th birthday (even though he was sick, again.) We had a picnic in Ghiradelli Park, fed the birds, and people watched. I stood in the long line at Ghiradelli's for a well-worth-it chocolate covered strawberry and got my mom some chocolates and sent them her way for her birthday.We were waiting for Beth's plane to land and head back to Fort Bragg. It ended up being another long crazy night because she thought she was landing in Sacramento so we headed over the Bay Bridge again towards Sacramento but then her flight was changed and she ended up coming into the San Francisco airport so we headed back over the bridge, to the airport, picked her up at 1am and then headed straight up north for the four hour drive back to FB.

Dream Big, Ride Far! 

Blake & Mel & Cabo

  

January 7th - 10th

The sliding doors at the San Juan Del Cabo airport opened on Tuesday. Standing on the other side was a tanned, weathered dready wearing a plaid flannel shirt, shorts, and bike shoes with a smile that would make any girls' knees weak. All the worries of the past three weeks melted away when we finally got to hug each other. 

Outside the airport Blake's brother, Travis, and his wife, Danielle, were waiting with Coronas... Let the party begin!! 

                         

                              

                   

>>> They picked me up on scooters!! We rode through San Jose, dropped D&T off at their resort, and continued into Cabo San Lucas to drop off  the scooters <<<

                     

>>> Blake and I walked into town for some good vegan pizza at a nice Italian place (they questioned us not wanting cheese a few times before understanding we really didn't want queso on our pizza!) While sitting at dinner I was reminded of the feelings we had when we had our first date in 2009 <<<

                            

                             

>>> Blake and I stayed at the campground he had been camping at since arriving in Cabo that previous Sunday. We rented a room which was more like an apartment, so it was perfect for us. It was the only campground in Cabo, and was way down a secluded alley. Blake was lucky he found it <<<

                             

                           

                    

>>> On Wednesday we walked into town and checked out all the vendors in the marina. "Rasta man! Want me to call Bob?! Rastafari!" the vendors would call out to Blake. They loved him... But most people do. We were mostly entertained by the pelicans, watching them try to eat trash and fish while fighting each other and a fat sea otter. Blake lost his Vans somewhere coming down Baja so we hit up the Nike store in the mall. The cruise ships were in the bay at Modano Beach bringing countless jet skiers, paddle boarders, and sight-see-ers.  We snuck onto the patio of a resort, lounged and swam in their pool. Blake had plucked some star fruit off the tree back at the campsite, so we snacked on those and Jumex juice. That night D&T took a cab into Cabo to meet us at the pizza place Blake and I were at the night before ((and he was at the night before that!)) I'm glad Blake and I spent some time in town, seeing the tourist commotion clash with the simple traditions of locals is interesting to say the least<<<

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>>> On Thursday we took the bus to Secrets, the resort D&T were staying at. The bus driver helped us  lift the bike with all the bags on the bus and in the aisle ((those poor people)) and stood just about out of the door... But we made it, is the point! The four of us got breakfast with green juices and mimosas and headed to the pool. We caught the end of a water aerobics class ((I don't think I've laughed that hard while working out and almost drowning all at the same time.)) Then we attempted salsa dancing lessons... And then we did a yoga class <<<

                     

                             

>>> On Friday we all had breakfast then D&T left for a zip-line adventure in the jungle and Blake and I got ready to head to the airport. I spent my last few hours by the pool soaking up Mexican sunshine and milking my all inclusive pampering with a few mimosas and fresh fruit. Blake went hunting for a bike box with no luck. We were standing outside of this super stylish fancy resort duct taping blankets around Blake's bike... But that got the job done! We had no problems getting to the airport on time or with the bike. We didn't have to check any bags and had a short flight home. It was a stress-free end to a stress-free vacation from a relativity stress-free previous three weeks<<< 

>>>More on Blake's trip to come<<<

 

>>> On Tuesday a friend of ours past away. He was doing what he loved the most, biking. He was supportive of all the adventures Blake and I have taken and he was an encourager of Blake's dream to ride far. Thank you, Ken, for the friendship through distance and we will miss your powerful words to keep doing what we love! RIP <<<

                         Dream Big, Ride Far