The cliffs of Southern California to the Beaches of remote Mana Island, Fiji

It has been a while since the surreal deserts of California, and there is much to talk about. Brandon and I began moving our feet round and round north from San Diego. With much time to spare before our flight out of the U.S. we took our time camping along the rigid cliffs that line the coast of southern California. With guerrilla techniques and just pure luck we were able to camp in premiere grounds just a couple of feet from sheer drops. We passed through many small towns along the populated coast line including San Elijo, San Clemente, Luguna Beach, and all of Orange county. The sunsets were beautiful, the people were healthy, and the roads along the way were very bicycle friendly. We did, however, pass through camp Pendelton. The United States largest Marine corps base. An interesting site, but something I definitely could have done without. Seeing first hand the investment that the U.S. government puts toward the military made me feel disgusted. If only there were a smell of napalm and remenence of bloody battles I would have been convinced I was in a war zone. Helicopters circled around constantly, and heavy duty military vehicles zipped by with fully dressed Marines. Gotta' get that oil!

A day before we landed in L.A. we found ourselves in the LBC. Long Beach California. A dirty expanse of dense urban culture. Luckily, we found a couchsurfer that made a potentially bad experience into a wonderful time. Once we connected with Daphne, she directed us to a yoga community that she was working at just a few blocks from the coast. She introduced us to kundalini yoga (by accident because we were late for the other yoga class). I have never felt vibes like I did when I was sucked deep into meditation with the catalyst of a gong bath. Walking light on my feet and high in my mind, my evening could not have been any better. Long Beach was a bit of a wake up call otherwise. Although, I have seen my fare share of druggies and addicts in my life, Long Beach takes it to a new level. Not that it was blatantly used in the streets, it was just blatantly a part of peoples pasts. Much conversation with locals was about prior use, pan handling, tweeker pads and what not. I kind of enjoyed it because it painted a picture close to that what Bradley of Sublime painted within his lyrics.

We moved on to L.A. as fast as we moved on out of L.A. Arriving at a local bike store within a few hours of pedaling through the ultra urban and crowded streets of Los Angeles County, we packed up, drank a few pints and a neighboring bar and caught a shuttle to the airport. Moving through time, literally, we arrived in Nadi, Fiji after a 10 hour flight. Strangely, we left late on the 15th of December and arrived early on the 17th. Time is so relevant!

Not really up for the industrial and urban side of this paradise and because there are no roads in many areas of Fiji, Brandon and yours truly decided to lay down the bicycles and become stagnant on the clear waters of Mana Island. At a cost of about $20 U.S. dollars per day, we were fed three meals, given shower and bathroom facilities, and allotted a spot on the beach to camp. There were a total of 3 lodges for backpackers and Japanese resort that stretched across one side of the island. The other side was much deserted, with nothing but an extension of a local village, and an old Survivor lodging area. Don't be fooled by the television show, these people had it easy! There is an entire tribe of indigenous Fijian's living and procreating on this island, those "survivors" had to make it through 3 months of living in paradise. Yet another reason for me not to watch television.

Your friends on this island come and go as the sun sets and rises. There is a new group of world travelers that one gets to meets every day and say good by to the next. This island was great source for first hand travel information and tips. With so many different opinions of where to go in just New Zealand, I am already forecasting that my time traveling will not be nearly long enough.

With not much to do on the island, hiking around the island, and snorkeling became a favorite of mine. Snorkeling, gave me a whole new viewpoint on the beauties of nature. Sure, I had seen colorful fish and some corral hear and there before, but nothing like this. It was like I took some hallucinogens prior to putting on my fins. Endless contrasts of vibrant colors and thousands of tropical fish to complement them all. Hours of being belly down was an easy way to make a just as vibrant red color on my back. Not to worry, I was not burned badly, I just got an excessive amount of vitamin D.


After 7 nights on the island, we could not have left at a more perfect time. The food was becoming redundant, the local beer, Fiji Bitter, was living up to its name, the same Fijian song was being played for the kabillionth time, and our rotation of friends had all moved on to other islands. I currently sit in a humid internet cafe with a belly full of Indian food in downtown Nadi, killing time before we move on to New Zealand tomorrow.

Much love and peace to all my friends and family. Praise that 8lb 6 oz baby Jesus. Pictures are on the way (i just need a computer from this decade)!

The Desert

Brandon and I left last Wednesday in a route to Joshua Tree National Park. This is my synopsis. Day one was much like my last tour in Southern California. Climb, climb, climb, cramp, climb, cramp, cramp! On your first day in the mountains the scenery goes much un-viewed. Most of what I saw was 20 feet in front of me as to not create any battles between my mind and body when I saw how much further up I had to go. We from sun-up until sun-down (about 50 miles) and found ourselves asleep by 6:00pm on some state property.

Day two the mountains rewarded us. Lots of down hill riding. We hit the desert by the afternoon and I was in my glory. The desert will define who you are. If you do not respect the desert then you will suffer. Tim met up with Brandon and I to camp out with us. With heavy winds creating a shower of sand inside the tent, sleep was something hard to come by. Either way, up until now there are no highlights of my trip thus far just an overview of my experience. As my time runs short on this public computer I must fast forward to Joshua Tree.

After 70 or 80 miles of riding on day three we arrived in Joshua tree. We camped 2 nights in the Hidden Vally camp grounds. I have glimpses of Joshua Tree in my mind right now, and these images may as well have Dali's signature in the bottom right hand corner. The landscape is so surreal and so breath taking one cannot help but stare aimlessly at it. Joshua Trees and Cholla cacti decorate the Dr. Seuss landscape of mountains, giant boulders, and vast desert valleys.

The weather was less than ideal with freezing cold nights and windy days, but one cannot complain especially when they made the choice to be in the desert.

Jonci, a close friend of mine from my tour last year, meet up with us along with a crew of her climbing friends. It was a joy to have so many people to socialize with throughout our stay there. Unfortunately, my time is up on this computer, and I must cut my blogging short.

I am on my way to L.A. now, we are travelling along the coast from San Diego.

Much love to all my family and friends. I hope to more informative next time.

Buffalo to San Diego

I made it to San Diego safe and sound. After one canceled flight, one fueling problem, one missed flight, and one hydraulic problem Brandon and I made it into San Diego at 11:30 pm pacific time. Only 11 hours late! The delays were not all to bad. Some good people watching, some much needed naps, and good reading time. We saw Dave Chappelle in Atlanta with his family... so that was interesting. Strangely, I have now ran into him in Chicago (obviously a giant city) and now in the Atlanta airport (the most trafficked airport in the world).

At some semi-delirious state of mind during, an infants cry out to mom and another boys whine due to an earache was resonating throughout the hull of the plane. A man seated near me looked bothered by the noise and I realized that I too used to become upset for the very same reason, but it no longer bothered me. I started thinking that the reason for this is because I have become used/numb to the cry of a child because the time I have spent with my nephew Harper. I would like to sum this experience up with a brief aphorism. [Tolerance: One who cannot tolerate lacks in expereince]. This not only makes sense in my situation, but also concerning worldwide views of culture. There is a reason why racism and for that matter an egoistic nationalism exists all over the world. This being that many have never allowed themselves to experience other cultures in order to become tolerant to them. Those who lack experience can only tolerate themselves and those like them. Of course there are some anti-arguments against this, but lets just apply it to the general human being.



San Diego is treating me well. Weather is upper 60's low 70's. Brandon, Mike, and I are staying at Tim Ackarts place (a college comrade of Brandon's). We took a walk in Balboa park and checked out the Botanical Gardens. I have been packing and repacking my bags for the ultimate balance of gear. My bicycle is assembled and just waiting for me to saddle up. Our plans are to ride up to Joshua Tree National Park beginning on Wednesday.

Much love from Southern California. I will try to keep this blog updated as often as possible.