jt emerges

After being on the road for days, no computer and stuff, so much has happened that it's hard to recall much at all. I'll try and work backwards and maybe we'll get somewhere.

Just as expected, I did find people to ride with. Although I started the tour alone I've spend the last four days or so riding with three other guys from the bay area. We arrived in SF last night just as the sun was setting over the bay. As I crossed the last 25 meters of the bridge there was a line of older women, cameras and fists in the air, cheering us on. These were Ben's Moms. Ben, one of the guys I had been riding with, has four Moms. After several pictures of us looking regal and accomplished over the golden gate splendor and lots of deliberating I was invited to come and eat dinner with Ben, Daniel, and the Moms. One of Ben's Moms graduated from BGSU in Bowling Green. I was just in BG! We had one of those moments. This was last night. 

I am so amazed at how social this "solo" tour has been. Every night, rolling into the hiker biker sites at the state parks, is like an adult summer camp. I get to meet all kinds of people my age all doing the same thing. We wax bike tech, gear, our friends back home, food, nature stuff, I will always bring up disco, whatever.

Before Dan, Ben, and Alyan, was Kate, Lacey, and Sarah. These were three sister, two of which were twins. I hung out with them for almost two days. We went out to eat, drank tons of coffee, and talked a lot. They were there to support me when I got stung by a bee on my tongue. Who remembers me thinking that I was going to go into anaphylactic shock next time I got stung? Well you can imagine my reaction (emotional) when it happened with out my epipen handy. I said to my friends "I got stung and I might go into shock. Do any of you have a cell phone?" I might have scared them a bit, I don't know. Well, I didn't go into shock. In fact, I didn't even swell up. I was a little embarrassed and, down the road, a little drowsy too from the Benadryl. Thats where all the coffee came in.

Today, I'm in the Bay Area. I'm staying at Dans house in Oakland and I'll be back on the road tomorrow. I've got free tickets to the Museum of Modern Art, I'm hungry, and the BART seems easy enough. I'm told that Big Sur in burning to the ground, which complicates things for my navigation to LA. Hmmm. Time to consult Google.