Well, we rode into Tijuana, turned around, spent the night, rented a car, and we're on our way home. On the way we picked up our friends Stuart and Chris at the border, loaded 4 bikes and 4 people into a Taurus, and are happily motoring across the desert toward Las Vegas. Our plans are: Las Vegas, Zion National Park, Bryce National Park, Moab (Canyonlands, Arches, Slickrock) and to Grand Junction, Colorado to pick up Nancy's car. Amazing changes! It's shocking to get in a car and go 200+ miles in a few hours!

Our plan for the next leg of the trip: We hope to sell or rent our house as soon as possible and set out on the next leg of the trip (through Mexico and Central America) as soon as January. We aren't sure whether we'll start from where we left off (Tijuana) or just leave from Denver, Albuquerque, or El Paso.

We had the treat in Oxnard of staying with Pat and Cat, who just got back a few months ago from a complete worldwide bicycle adventure. They rode across the US, Canada, Greenland, Europe, down through Africa, and then all the way up from South America. They shared their stories and wisdom with us and encouraged us all the way. We can tell we're going to have a wonderful trip.

Stop everything right now and go to Pat and Cat's website at www.worldriders2.com to savor their adventure. I hope we can do half as well!

The bike tourists on the coast often tend to move at near the same rate and can see each other over and over again. We met Morgan and Gwen clear up in the redwoods in the very north of California, and rode with them again at Monterey, but found them again this day. There we were riding by agricultural fields and Morgan and Gwen are sitting there on the sofa they found on the side of the road. They looked very much at home.

These two are idealogues. They're on the bikes because of an extreme rejection of cars; they're as green as they come and as delightfully idealistic as any young couple could ever be. They refuse to pay for a place to stay, so we never see them at the (very cheap) campgrounds at night, just along the road in the daytime. They're experts in stealth camping and free camping. They're just 19 and 25, and we are amazed to see the great adventure they've undertaken - they're going on to Mexico.

We made it into LA. The original plan was to ride around the city on the beach, but we really had to go visit Nancy's old friends Ildi and Paul in South Pasadena. So we took the bikes right onto the Metrolink and the Metro and made it into the city. The transport is quite friendly to bikes. (As you can see, though, I wasn't really very happy about being on the train instead of riding...)

There are lots of pictures on the Southern California section in the Photos page of Paul's incredible house, garden, and stonework. We were in awe. It was like a magic garden hidden away in the city.

There are new pictures of Southern CA on the photos page.

We spent an extra day in beautiful Santa Barbara, seeing all the street performers, visiting the mission and the Presidio, and checking out the beautiful Dutch touring bikes made by Koga-Miyata and marketed in the US by Commuter Bicycles in Santa Barbara.

But the local snake rescue people were out in force with lots of snakes to show. This brought back memories of when I was a kid and had lots of snakes. I wrapped one around my neck, two around my arms, and put a lizard in each hand, and brought them in to show off to the kind elderly neighbor woman my mom was entertaining. I was not well received.

Well here we are entering the big city. We have lots of friends to see here and then we'll ride down to San Diego and the border.

We just spend the last couple of days in Oxnard with our incredible new friends Pat and Cat, who just returned from riding their bikes all over the world. Check out their website at worldriders2.com. They're the most gracious people you could imagine, treating us to warm hospitality and touring wisdom and encouragement. Pat and Cat rode not only the huge ride we have planned, but across the US, Europe, and Africa as well!

Randy is feeling better and Nancy has still not caught the cold.

Our plans are in a bit of flux, but first visit friends in LA, then ride to San Diego to visit another old friend, then go to Tijuana for a haircut for Randy, and then maybe rent a car to come home. We should be home in early November.

The Pacific Coast never ceases to amaze us. More coves, more beautiful places. Can you see the waterfall in this picture? It looks like an incredible desert island. We did short days on the Big Sur so we could hike a bit and see the waterfalls and coastline.

There are new pictures on the photos page from the coast south of San Francisco, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Big Sur.

We found Arone Garrison, the rogue biker, near Monterey - she continued on south; the job in San Francisco didn't work out, so she'll go to Texas to see her mother. The cat is still well, and it looks like Arone is also. We're still rooting for you, Arone!

Well, I'm sick for the first time in my bike touring career. Too many days at the hostel in San Francisco, with too many sick people there. I just have a cold, but it seems to be hanging on. Nancy hasn't gotten it yet, so cross your fingers.

We always knew that we'd eventually have to deal with being sick if we were going to do long trips, so in some ways this is just a learning experience for us.

But for now we're holed up in a motel near San Simeon, William Randolf Hearst's famous castle. Nancy went and did the tour today and really enjoyed it. Hearst was quite a notorious figure.