Day 242-267 10Mar- 4 April 09: at home in San Diego & Ocean Beach

San Diego is the end point for most cyclist who travel down the West Coast, usually starting in Vancouver. Just 40km North of Mexico, it has the luxury and practical advantages of the USA while combined with the weather and relaxedness of the Mexicans. Our friend Romke (from The Netherlands) had already told us that he [...]

Day 232/3, 28Feb/1Mar 09: US parking Part 3: Grand Canyons & Joshua Trees

We had a nice breakfast with Fanny & Didier and then finally said goodbye for real (this was the 3rd time), as they would fly back to Switzerland that day. We went to the edge and viewed down the Grand Canyon. It is one of the world’s most famous and visited tourist attractions, with more than [...]

Day 230/1, 26/27 Feb09: US parking part2: Bryce Canyon, Wire Pass Canyon, Horseshoe Bend

On our way we passed through Red Rocks, a quite nice place in itself. We entered the Bryce Canyon road in the afternoon, and it was already getting chilly. There was a lot of snow near the road and on most of the hiking trails, but still the views were spectacular. Rows of hoodoos and other [...]

Day 227-230, 23-26Feb09: US parking part1: Death Valley, Las Vegas & Zion

We did not want to leave without seeing the marvellous natural wonders of the South-western US. It would take more than 6 weeks to visit all the places on a bicycle, which would probably ruin my knees and we would be in trouble as our visa was running out. So we opted to rent a car [...]

Day 216-226, 12-22Feb2008: Luxury, amigos & awards in SB & LA

We are busy in the Inn at the Spanish Garden Hotel. We fill the tub, relax on the huge bed, ask room service for a movie and some popcorn, skip the swimming pool today and enjoy the good life. BikeTravelling is not so bad after all… Oh, I am sorry, I did not notice you reading [...]

Day 212-215, 8-11 Feb 2009: From a mission to a pick-up, elephants & cyclists

8 February 2009: Pacific Grove (Monterey) – Gorda. 45 + 60km… After saying goodbye to Diego, we headed back down the ‘17 Mile Drive’ and ended up in Carmel by the Sea, a nice small town, with much better looking houses than the ‘Drive’. We spent some time exploring the old Mission, one of many that [...]

Day 204-211, 31Jan-7feb 09. Sea life around the Monterey Bay

The sign on the left brought some reality into vision. Could we continue with the current state of my knees or was this really the end? There was only one way to find out. 31st Jan 2008: SF – Half Moon Bay, about 50km I kept the Rohloff in low gear all the time and promised Ivana that I [...]

Day 160-204, 18Dec08 – 31Jan09: San Francisco. Part 4: Critical mass, Ivana’s B-day party and friends

Critical Mass Though my knee was still painful, I could cycle slowly again. It was time to move on, and leave our new home for new adventures down the road. We invited our new friends for a dinner in a cosy Lebanese bar to celebrate our departure and Ivana’s b-day the next day. But first we [...]

Day 160-204, 18Dec08 – 31Jan09: San Francisco. Part 3: Outside SF, Yosemite, Berkeley & Wine!

We did not only spend time in the city, but managed to get out. As my knee needed more rest, we were lucky that Alison had borrowed us her car, so we could head out of town for New Years. She had warned us that the tires were old and bald, so it would be [...]

Day 160-204, 18Dec08 – 31Jan09: San Francisco. Part2: doctors, civil rights and microcredits

Pain, ethics & Doctors: getting treated in SF Once we arrived in San Francisco, my knee got some rest, but it did not get better. After we moved to Bradley & Saskia’s place, I could not even walk and we spent X-mas inside the house. I asked around and a friend of Ali referred us to a [...]

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