Originally posted at Project Pedal...

Sorry it's been so long since my last post - I stopped by the library in Santa Barbara to update everyone where we were at and how we were doing, but there was a ten minute max on the computers with internet access and on-top of that, it took three minutes alone for the browser to load the blogger page. Not to mention some homeless-guy behind me was wandering around mumbling something about "donkey-dicks"... needless to say I didn't get to far.

Now, I don't have a lot of time to get into a whole post at the moment, we are running very behind today - this morning Nick had to stop at the 'Marian urgent-care' in Santa Maria due to a wicked bee sting from two days ago - this morning his foot & ankle were about twice their normal size. But we are back on the road now and in a small town called 'Nopomo', which is in the middle of endless strawberry fields.

Here's the cliff-notes version of our trip so far...

[day one] Santa Monica to "the rocks" - about 40 mi.
* Saw a guy on a road-bike slam on his brakes to avoid nailing a kid (who wasn't watching where he was going)... the guy flipped forward over his handles, it looked very painful.
* I saw a state-park truck at 'Leo Carrillo' slam into a car that was pulling out of a parking spot.
* Nick got a flat tire 50 feet into the bike trip...
* I also saw a 3-car fender-bender while Nick was fixing his flat...
* We had to soak our fire/pile-of-sticks with wd-40 to get it to catch, it was a very cold and very windy night...
* We all slept on a cement-slab that was slightly slopped... we all woke up in the morning two-feet further down the slop (which put all of our feet into loose rocks)...
* saw the old-guy from "Burbs"

[day two] "the rocks" to 4-miles south of 'Carpinteria' - about 40 mi.
* Spent four hours in Oxnard at the old-country buffet & walmart, I bought a bike-helmet and a long sleeve grey shirt.
* got a terrible, terrible sunburn on my arms, left leg and face...

[day three] 'Carpinteria' to 'Gaviota' - ???
* Nick got stung by a bee...
* Went to the Amtrak station in 'Santa Barbara' to see the countries largest fig tree, it was amazing - it gives 500 feet of shade, I had to walk 200-some feet back just to get it all in the camera (and that was with the wide-angle lens).
* saw some oil rigs off the coast of Gaviota...
* We walked up to the clock-tower in the Santa Barbara courthouse.
* a nice guy outside of the Ralph's gave us directions to the library and also told us that the tunnel we were a day away from going through was the same tunnel used in the movie 'The Graduate'...

[day four] Gaviota to Orcutt - 40 mi.
* Meet a guy at "Chalries hamburgers" in Orcutt who looked/ talked/ acted exactly like Thomas Haden Church... I would bet good money he was related.
* It's bitter ass cold outside - going back down the slope on the 'Purisima Hills' (outside of Lompoc) I started to shiver...
* Nick & Amanda stopped by the post office to mail a few things home, lighten their load...
* Nick took a nap in the grass while I wrote in my journal and Amanda re-packed her bike in the park.

Okay, time to get back on the road...