Sunday, January 3, 2009
I want to ride my bicycle
Current mood: accomplished
Category: Sports
Last November, 20 (or 18, or 19 depending on the day) of us (us being the people who work, or have worked, for the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program) started a journey that started in ....San Francisco.... and ended at the Mexican border. The mode of transportation: our bicycles.
The sustainable living bike tour was in its fourth year though it was my first. I borrowed a road bike from my friend Belle who had moved back to England and shortly thereafter realized I had no idea what I was getting myself into. After a day in ....San Francisco.... we started loading our support vehicle and it was time to go. I had, just that morning, returned from my pioneer road bike ride to and from a bicycle shop to get cleats put on my new bike shoes. I had never ridden a road bike, had never “clipped in,” had never so much as changed my own flat tire (though I love riding bikes), and I was determined to hit the ground running, or I guess riding, as the case may be.
There was chaos, as is bound to be with 20 riders, as everyone got ready to take off in never before worn bike clothes for some and fourth year well worn in rags for others. We handed out maps and talked about riding safely. We were instructed to have our cell phone on us and money at all times, both of which were in my bag at the bottom of the pile of luggage. Also, I couldn’t find my helmet. It was supposed to be at the bottom attached to my bag too but when I arrived that night to our destination (after borrowing a helmet for the day), it was nowhere to be found. We would be reunited, however, later in the trip. I was very overwhelmed. We left San Francisco and started towards Point Bonita, a day to practice a few hills and get used to the bike. As we started ascending the hill before the entrance to the Golden Gate Bridge. I realized I didn’t know how to change gears.
Well, I knew how, I just didn’t know which ones I needed to change or why. What became quite clear to me was that either I was way more out of shape than I thought (that marathon in October was insignificant) and would not make it up the miniscule hill, or that I needed to change gears (or more importantly learn which one to change), and fast. Danny rode easily past me struggling and told me to change gears. I told him I didn’t know which one to change and he motioned, using his own bike as a model, where I needed to push. What a difference that made!
The end of the first day- only about 10 or 15 miles, but some hilly ones, felt good. We rode, once again, across the Golden Gate Bridge the next morning and stopped at a school to talk about sustainable living before leaving San Francisco entirely.
That is, however the purpose of the trip! We visit schools and community events to talk about and run programs regarding sustainable living. One school and 25 miles down, we had a long way to go. Fourteen schools and 750 miles, to be exact.
The hilly first day was a great training run. A few days later I would be heading up the Santa Cruz mountains (13 miles of uphill with no give) and then into Big Sur on my bicycle.
Big Sur has steep hills and is a narrow two lane road along beautiful coastline. There is no bike lane and there were a few daunting signs warning us with a jagged line which was supposed to symbolize the road and “next 90 miles” or “next 63 miles” underneath it. ..Big Sur.. was the most breathtaking, challenging, and therefore most rewarding part of the trip. I learned how and why to change my gears pretty quick.
Camping in a different spot every night and putting in mileage on your legs and your bicycle every day can be quite a task.
By the time we reached Santa Barbara a couple days before Thanksgiving I was happy for the respite of staying at Danny’s grandma’s for a few days with just less than half the crew and resting my tired body. Coming into ....Santa Barbara.... was also the first hint of rain we got and that can be disheartening when your mode of transportation is a bicycle. We did a 12 mile ride (took 2 ½ hours, in the rain, because of 8 flats along the way, all because of people from our crew) from Goleta into Santa Barbara with Bici- Centro, a Santa Barbara bicycle organization, and even got to meet with the people in charge of some of Santa Barbara’s environmental initiatives where we saw a “Bikestation” (place to park your bike inside with restrooms, showers, and lockers) with a vending machine with bike gear, gloves, lube, etc, as potential purchases.
We had a Thanksgiving feast in a little park over looking Santa Barbara and when it got colder and darker we went inside for guitars, songs, and games.
Hopping on our bikes the next day with our Thanksgiving feast still digesting felt good. It’s funny when you get to a point where you find out how long you’re riding that day and know exactly what that means, what that might feel like, on your body and your watch. Sixty miles does not mean the same thing on day 12 as 60 miles means on day 4. We kept riding, through Ventura and Malibu (with a quick stop at the sand dunes)
before splitting into 3 different groups for 3 days to tackle Los Angeles. Or divide and conquer, I guess, since that is the area with the most schools to visit.
We reconvened by accident on the side of the road to Carlsbad, where we would all be meeting up anyway, and finished the ride to Carlsbad (somewhat) together. We took the steep hill up to Torry Pines on our way to San Diego and split to spend the night at different homestays of people we know. Though it was nice to sleep indoors, I have to say, I was missing camping.
We woke up in San Diego, reconvened at the ferry terminal to Coronado island to visit Mar Vista, our last school, and then headed straight for the border. We didn’t go into Mexico this year sadly because of the violence that’s been happening down there, but we still spanned over 750 miles in 3 weeks. It was cause for celebration.
for more info, videos, pictures, etc, you can check out the official bike trip blog at: www.sustainablelivingbiketour.blogspot.com
The sun sets on the open sea I can see from my balcony. I write from Southeast Alaska, a place so pristine and unpopulated I can easily understand its magnetic nature. Those that I surf the seas with are not like Alexander Supertramp, however, they are aboard the Regent Seven Seas Mariner, a luxury, 700 passenger cruise ship. With 500 staff, the staff to passenger ratio is almost 2:1. Living on a cruiseship is an experience unlike any other. Like Catalina island, I am limited as to who I can spend time with and what I can do. Also like Catalina island, the benefits are many, regardless of the limitations. What am I doing here? Well, I’m a naturalist for a youth program. I'm working for Jean-Michel Cousteau's program, Ambassadors of the Environment, to teach little ones (ages 9-17) onboard about Alaskan ecoyststems, the environment, sustainable living, and Alaskan culture, etc. In the meantime, I myself also learn and experience and do all I can to soak it in because I know, the 11 weeks I am to work here will be over far too soon. Last week I saw 9 humpback whales bubble-net feeding (a way they hunt small schools of herring is to, in a group, make a circle and dive underneath the fish and then blow air bubbles- the fish get confused and are trapped, and the whales come out of the water with their mouth open). 
And tonight the whales did not fail to impress one bit either. I get to take advantage of being an "escort" on tours, an amazing job benefit, and it was AMAZING. We saw at least 15 different orcas, or killer whales, and a mama and baby humpback also. The silence that swept over the crowd on the boat was testament to the awe we all felt as we were instantly humbled by these graceful creatures. The humpback even started showing off a little- slapping its fluke and waving its pectoral fin. Sometimes you might see this behavior from humpbacks as they try to “stun” a school of fish and then eat them. With throats only as big as grapefruits, they have developed ways to be successful and survive in feeding. I soak it all in, enjoy these majestic enormous creatures, and hope we all do whatever we can to help these animals continue to not only survive, but thrive. The floating balloons I see on the ferry from Catalina Island are similar to the plastic water bottles I see floating by a whale watching tour boat- in that people created them and tossed them aside. Without a thought to what journey the balloon may encounter later on, how it might end up in the pacific gyre, or in the stomach of an unsuspecting albatross, what we know is that it WILL have an impact. Whether the results of our behavior are right in front of us or not, it IS up to us to protect what we have. I feel a deep connection to these animals, and seeing them in the wild with the opportunity not just to learn but to teach others about their behaviors is one step towards a better future. I am constantly humbled by these animals as I enjoy each moment in Alaska, knowing it will be over far too quickly. There’s no time like the present.
Well, I knew how, I just didn’t know which ones I needed to change or why. What became quite clear to me was that either I was way more out of shape than I thought (that marathon in October was insignificant) and would not make it up the miniscule hill, or that I needed to change gears (or more importantly learn which one to change), and fast. Danny rode easily past me struggling and told me to change gears. I told him I didn’t know which one to change and he motioned, using his own bike as a model, where I needed to push. What a difference that made!
That is, however the purpose of the trip! We visit schools and community events to talk about and run programs regarding sustainable living. One school and 25 miles down, we had a long way to go. Fourteen schools and 750 miles, to be exact. 
Big Sur has steep hills and is a narrow two lane road along beautiful coastline. There is no bike lane and there were a few daunting signs warning us with a jagged line which was supposed to symbolize the road and “next 90 miles” or “next 63 miles” underneath it. ..Big Sur.. was the most breathtaking, challenging, and therefore most rewarding part of the trip. I learned how and why to change my gears pretty quick.
Camping in a different spot every night and putting in mileage on your legs and your bicycle every day can be quite a task. 
We had a Thanksgiving feast in a little park over looking Santa Barbara and when it got colder and darker we went inside for guitars, songs, and games.
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