Day 103, August 29th 2008, beginning in Santa Barbara, California

We woke to people playing volleyball nearby. No one seemed to care if we camped there all day and night. We both had to use the bathroom, so we quickly packed up and went into town to do just that. Afterwards, we rode a few more miles down the coast to eat breakfast in a small town called Summerland.

We decided to eat at what seemed to be a popular restaurant namely because it promised wireless internet access. The service was atrocious, however the food was pretty good. Not worth the time though.

Filled up, we hit the road, heading for Malibu, where we spend the next couple nights with the Ceglarskis. As we rode, we enjoyed a slight tailwind, but more notably, very flat land which was nearly effortless to bike. After 750 miles, we finally hit the California we had envisioned. We came upon a great surprise when we crossed an intersection who resident we expected to be on the North Pole. Apparently good ole Kris Kringle finally wised up and began hitting the waves of southern California. We also passed through the town of Ventura and came upon a person who seemed to be homeless, riding a bike with a flat tire. We offered a tube, and some help. He tried it quickly, but it wasn't the right match. We felt bad, but we tried. He was walking it. We rode a few more miles to a Subway outside of Oxnard.

We each got a foot long sub, with some cookies. While we were eating, a touring cyclist came up the street the other way (into the wind) and stopped by. I went outside to great him. He told me he was just stopping because he saw us, but wasn't getting food. He said he had his tent stolen at Leo Carillo campground, the place we were going to that night, and that he had to buy a new one for $250. He also mentioned that he only had $8 until he got a check that cleared on Tuesday, 4 days from then Friday. He also said he came from Denver, went to San Diego, was heading for San Francisco, and then Ohio. As he was leaving, I offered him half my sandwich which he accepted. I also gave him a Clif bar out of the bag. He was appreciative and went off on his way. Then I started thinking… If you knew you only had $250 for a few days, and you were on the road, wouldn't you put the tent on hold, and make sure you had food to eat? Also, what the hell was up with that whack route? Anyway, he seemed like a credible guy though, and I'm sure he didn't put it to waste. Just trying to pay it forward.

We left there and continued down the coast towards Malibu. We passed some a large Naval area with huge fighter planes. Apparently not noteworthy enough to take a picture. We enjoyed a nice tailwind as we biked along gently rolling hills. There was a nice bike lane on the busy 1 , and along the way we passed what my best guess at what heaven looks like.

After the easy ride, we came to Leo Carillo campground where we were to meet Peter and Susan Ceglarski for the first time. Peter had told me which site they were, so we navigated back to them. We were greeted by the Cegs (Peter and Susan)as well as some of their camping friends. They are pretty hardcore campers, and have garnered a handful of loyal camping partners that always go with them. They were all very interested and impressed with our trip, and wanted to hear all about it in front of an atlas. First thing was first however; it had been a long time since either of us had showered, and we were among new company.

When we returned from the showers, Susan had quite the spread out. I must say, their version of camping was a little more fun and satisfying than the one we had gotten used to along the way. After we stuffed ourselves with appetizers, we had some dogs.

After dinner, we made a fire and had some drinks. Peter proved to nurture his inner pyro over the years, and insisted on having a raging fire at all times. It was nice. We chatted all night learning about one another as we shared some stories from the trip.

Those Ceglarskis are made of good stuff I say; it would sure be a fun few days off with them I could tell. No riding tomorrow.

Life was good.