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 Bikes Baja

Dana Point, California to San Quinton, Mexico... 264 miles

I haven't had much contact with Blake since he's left, but he's been good about trying once a day to keep me posted. He has pictures but has not been able to send them, hopefully soon! 

On Wednesday Blake rode to Ensenada and found an RV park to camp at. He was able to call that night. It was 6pm and he was getting to sleep... He said it was a rougher day then he planned because there were some hills. "But it's fun going up then going down, going up then going down," he said. 

I hate riding up hill. Blake has always seen further and said "if you go up then you must go down, and that's my favorite." I feel like that's how Blake views life. He is really good at looking beyond the difficult moment, or the season we are in and knowing that there's a future, a change coming. Life is so much about riding up those difficult hills and then rejoicing when you can soar down them. I would like to work on thinking more like Blake during those up hills; that working hard for your reward IS the reward and pushing through, past what you THOUGHT your limit was, will only make you stronger. And then you can be grateful for those few seconds of downhill when the wind is in your hair and you are flying, knowing you worked hard for it! 

On Thursday it was raining so Blake stopped early in St. Thomas for a hotel. He called from a gas station because there was no service or wifi. He said he was good and that he was eating well (happened upon a juice bar) and to make sure to tell his parents where he was. 

Yesterday I only got one text from him saying he was in San Quinton and he missed me (❤️.) 

My girlfriends ask if I'm worried and scared... Of course I am. But I have FAITH in the unknown and the unseen. I have faith that Blake is going through every experience that's intended for him. Talking to my bestie who's husband is going to go through 3 months of hard military training in a different state at the same time she is going to have their first son... Well I'm SUPER THANKFUL for my situation and I'm so BLESSED to be surrounded by other women who are strong in their independence and in their relationships! 

No pictures yet but I'm sure when they come in they will be great! Did anyone follow Blake while he rode from Monument, Colorado to Santa Fe, New Mexico in the summer of 2011? 

                                    Dream Big, Ride Far

             

Blake Bikes Baja

My Big Dreamer,

You rode away on your trusty Cannondale today with your bags full and a smile on your face. I know that we were both holding back the tears of saying goodbye. They came pouring out once you were around the corner. I got ready for work, worked, and came home thinking of you every minute. You know I am only sad because I hate missing you, my best friend. But it's just a "vacation" right? That's what we kept telling eachother so the word "goodbye" wouldn't actually be said.

I am so PROUD of you! I am proud of the dreams you have and the determination to actually get out there and do them. You are so inspiring to not only me but everyone around you and even those who don't know you (the ones I get to brag about you to.) I admire your courage to be able to leave your comfort zone. I look up to your strength to take your body to it's limits. I appreciate your trust in me to let you go on your journey. You have always made me want to be a better version of myself, and this trip that you are taking is challanging me to keep pushing my own limits, as you push yours.

I hope that you find everything you are looking for. I hope that you get quiet enough to listen to your inner workings. I hope that you see things that twist your view of the world upside down. I hope that your tires keep spinning and your legs keep pushing. I hope that you won't miss me or your family because you are in such an amazing place. I hope that you find lots and lots of fresh fruits and veggies! I hope that you forgive yourself for eating too much rice and beans and guacamole. I hope that you get as many miles as you can in every day. I hope that you get to hang out enough to appreciate where you are at. I hope that you and I will see the same sunsets over the same ocean.

I'm lucky that I know who you are when you are on the road, with just your bike, clothes, and camping gear. I know how happy it makes you. I know how there are no words to describe the peace and simplicity of that white line on asphalt and I'm so happy that you are strong enough to say that you wanted that again, and in our neighboring country no less. Viva Mexico!

Thank you for being my Big Dreamer and Riding Far! Can't wait to see you in Cabo, at the end of your grand adventure!! Merry Christmas and Happy New year, my love.




I was thinking during the last few weeks that Blake couldn't go one month after our three month adventure in Colorado before he started thinking up another one. I know that Mexico has been heavy on his heart and I am so proud of him for finding this season now to listen to himself and take this journey. Blake's been enjoying his time off of work, but that in no way means he hasn't been working hard. He's been doing yoga, biking in Laguna, running on the beach, and focusing on good nutrition in order to prepare for what he's about to put his body through on this trip. He's been reading and researching bike routes through Baja and making good enough arguments to help me become comfortable with this trip as well, which was hard work. I had been asking him if he was ready to tell his parents what he was doing, and I think it took a few weeks to get there, but once he did I could tell he felt a little less weight off his shoulders. {Thanks for being so supportive, Shawn and Mary! I know that he wouldn't be able to do this with a peaceful mind without you guys.}

Yesterday we set our intentions on celebrating one anothers' strength in going forward in this dream. We had a great run on the beach, watching the sun rise. Then we took our blanket back to the beach, played in the sand, and watched the sun go down. It was the most incredible sunset I have ever seen, the vibrancy of the colors were made just for us.

Blake left our home in Dana Point, CA this morning at 9am. He packed up, had a juice, and said "see you in three weeks!" as he rode his bike down the street. He got on the train in San Clemente and got off right before the border to ride across it himself. He then took the Tijuana trolly into Rosarito and is safe at a hotel right now. Tomorrow he says he plans on waking up early and heading to Ensenada.

Dream Big, Ride Far

My Traveling Apps

I want to talk real quick (I say 'real quick' but it probably will be another long one) about the apps I got to use while traveling and why they are awesome and why they allow me to look back and remember so much more of my day to day life while on the road and why they make this blog a personal visionary journal.

I know it's hard to record things as you are traveling. What we were doing was trying to get from point A to an unknown point B at an unknown time in an unknown town. Getting breakfast and making sure socks weren't left behind in the laundromat and carrying enough water and taking pictures and not getting run off the road by campers and avoiding rain and blah blah blah all came before recording each and every thing that happened along this journey. But I TRULY BELIEVE that you will REGRET  looking back and seeing a blur of these adventures because they weren't recorded. First of all... I'm sure it took planning, and anxiaties, and determintation, and hard work to get your butt on the road for whatever kind of adventure you went on. THEN you were in it, slammed with the realities of the day to day life you were living, in a strange place with strange people. THEN you need to rest. THEN get up and do it all again.

So where can you find the time to record all these places and memories? How can you look back at those days with some kind of clearity without stumbing over the where's and the who's?

Well, there's this little thing called technology that has come around these days. I'm sure you are familiar with it. And as much as I'd love to go straight hippie on this world and unplug... the truth is I can't. My iPhone apps have helped me put this blog together in the form of some kind of order and to keep in contact with those we left at home. I'm sure there are may more apps I don't have or know about that could allow for easier ways of travel, but this is all I had/have and it's good enough for me!

Facebook

Facebook was a great way to keep the families updated on where we were and what we were up to without having to explain it individually. For this trip it kept our worried moms from calling every day (love you guys for being so good at that!) 

When you go to the places tab at the top, it will bring up the place you tagged on your status updates. I know it can be stupid annoying to see where everyone is at all the times, and think, "man, if I were a creeper you'd be a goner," and for the most part I'd agree. BUT while traveling, I could not stress enough how helpful these places tags will be in the future! If you focus closer or click on the dots, it will bring up your status update and the picture you uploaded at that time. I like it because if I were planning on visiting again, for memories sake, I'd be able to find out exactly where I was.

Instagram

Instagram... A photo-only status update app. My Instagram is more personal then my Facebook page. It feels more intimate, so I allow for that in this social network. You can tag where the picture was being taken, and again... this is such a great idea to do while traveling. Just go to the Photo Map page on your homepage and it will pull up a map, then keep clicking on your pictures and it will bring you closer to where exaclty you were, like the middle of Jedidiah State Park in Northern California. 

 iPhone Photos

I like the photos app for the iPhone because without even tagging them, they will record where the pictures were taken. So if you don't want to be part of a media group with your actions and pictures, just stick with this one. The pinpoints will group your pictures together, click on them for a closer glimps and it will bring up those photos from that area. 

Evernote Food

When travelling with a foodie, this app is important. And even though I don't include every meal (you'd be full just reading my blog if I had) we had on this trip, this app allows us to look back at the incredible places we ate at along the west coast. I know that neither of us want to forget this pizza place we were at while wondering the streets of San Francisco. I am not kidding when I say we ate like royalty. Blake's thoughts: When will we ever be back here? Let's enjoy it! ...Ok, lover, as you wish. We learned the definition of "comfort foods" on this trip. 

Editing Apps

Now, for my obvious favorite apps that puts the cherry on top... There are sooooooo many out there, it's hard to choose a select few. My top picks so far are Afterlight, Diptic, and Over. Afterlight has great filters and frames and is easy to work with. Diptic frames multiple photos in one photo in different layouts. Because I had so many pictures from our trip, combining multiple images allows for the blog posts not to be forever long, and it also breaks up the eye from one image to the other. Over allows you to put text with different fonts on top of your photos. This one's great for labeling or quotes (and right now I am so into typography.) The best way to know which ones work best for you is to just play around with them. Everyone has a little creativity inside them...why not test the waters with the photos you've been taking on your adventures!

Whether you believe in social media and smart phones or not...they are out there; easy to get and easy to use. My view is to just use what we've got while we've got it. If it keeps your families in the know half way across the globe, or entertains your creativity, or keeps things on record you can use it to your benefit, especially while traveling. I highly suggest the places tabs because you WILL look back at these adventurous days and it's so fun to get close enough on a map to remember the miles along with the images.

Dream Big Ride Far my traveling friends!!!