So it turns out the reason the couple in the tent next to me sounded like they were Ooh-La-La-ing right outside my tent was because they were Ooh-La-La-ing right outside my tent. They were virtually right beside mine. When I looked at their site, there were more obvious places to set up, but I guess they didn't care about what was obvious.
I went over to say an official goodbye to Dirk and Donna. Dirk got to waxing his board after sharing stories about their bike escapades. I didn't know they were distance bikers! He showed me maps and pulled all kinds of stuff out of his trailer for me to see. Eventually he started getting his board ready to surf. He was waiting off a friend to arrive and eager for him to arrive. I spoke to Donna and we passed the time even after Dirk headed out to surf. He had offered to let me take his board out for a bit and gave me some pointers on surfing. Donna and I talked about love and relationships and I told her about a girl I had a crush on. I ended up asking her out when I got home and while it seemed something might come of it, it just fizzled away without getting the chance it deserved. But who knows what the future holds.
I wasn't expected to arrive at my cousin's till the afternoon so I hung out with Donna for a while as she knit. I finally started getting hungry and headed to grab something to eat. I found a bar called Knucklehead's Sports Bar and Grill that seemed to have good burgers. I decided to have a beer when they offered me a drink even though it was early. They had Blue Moon on tap, so how could I refuse?!
Dirk had mentioned I would be passing through Camp Pendleton and warned me that I would need my passport handy to get through and might go through an inspection.
I had seen lots of lighthouses which, by their nature, are rather phallic looking but I had never seen mammarian constructions. Until now. It looked nuclear. Or as Homer would say, nookular.
Dirk also mentioned that the bike ride I would be on had some really great paths, and while I didn't capture pictures of many people, it was hard to find a place to pee without anyone seeing. I finally had to throw caution to the wind and found a break in traffic on the wide path and once you start going, you simply accept any bypasses that might happen by.
The paths were ok, but a bit tough which made things a bit slower going. But as my book pointed out, there is one section that was actually Tarmac and occasionally used for military training. It was not super smooth but better! Tarmac is interesting in its quality. It was pretty cool to know that I was biking on an area fit for landing planes!!!
Eventually I was back on a shoulder, but kept going since I had no corrosion issues. Otherwise I would have stopped to repair them. Seriously, though, it's interesting to have an entire facility dedicated to corrosion!
And then I got to the laundry list of rules for cycling through Camp Pendleton. Seemed easy enough and straight forward enough to obey! For the record, I received no police instructions.
I did not explore Red Beach, mainly because I didn't want to call the Federal Game Marshall. And I wasn't in the mood to make it this far without any trouble. Why would I put that at risk?!
I didn't dare take a picture of the army guy who waved me through. He seemed bored out if his gord, and completely uninterested in looking at my passport, nonchalantly waving me through while I was all smiles. But I was officially in Camp Pendleton!
This sign was... Interesting. What's an assault unit craft? Actually, what are swift intruders, and what do that have to do with Assault Craft?
Going out the other side of Camp Pendleton was a lot busier entering than the side I entered on. Seems this was the civilization side, so it looked more like a border crossing, but unfortunately I didn't get a picture. Getting out there was no waiting. If I was going the other way, it would have been a short wait. Oceanside harbour wasn't long after and I was by the sea again!
The weekend was upon us so it was quite busy! The pier looked awesome! Everyone was dressed for the beach and traffic and people parked in any place possible made navigating tricky. And without my flag I was extra cautious.
I saw a pretty nice house and a painted bug that made me understand the local culture right away! Affluent hippie?
I figured if I just stayed by the water on the the road I would be fine, but I ran int this private club and had to back track North before I could heat East and around this unfortunate obstacle!
When I made it to Carlsbad, I didn't know that I was closing in on my destination of my cousin Monica and her family!
I saw the familiar route 101 sign which I had not seen for a while, and might not see again!!! I stopped briefly to take this picture and got a little emotional. I was close to done this Pacofic Coast ride!
The nouveau waterfront architecture was nice.
But just when I thought I was in civilization, it became remote. But it didn't last!
I found a group of people flying remote control planes! It was fun to watch for a few minutes, but I decided not to spend too much time.
I discovered I was in the midst of Del Mar! July 17th till Sept 4th!!! But I had no idea what it was. Women biking in stiletto boots?
I made it to Leucadia! I wasn't sure where that was but figured I could stand to buy some treats for my cousin and her family. I grabbed some berries and fruits from a small produce grocer as I did not want to arrive with nothing!!!
It was around here that I ran into to some people vacationing visiting family who were interested in the traveling I was doing. If memory serves their names were Eric and Christine.
Eric took a spin on the trike and as always, I let our encounter end organically! Even though I was so close to Monica's I did what I enjoyed so much the whole trip!!! Meeting and talking with people!
I didn't just need fruit though, and with my phone, I found a great toy store!!! I spent more time than necessary trying to get age-appropriate presents for all the kids! I manged to strap them all in with the bungee cords which uptick then just took up space!
I did a bit if back tracking and looking around this huge outdoor mall before I found the toy store. Even retracing my steps! I saw a REI store but decided to stay focused and get the toys! I got a boomerang for Brando, a slime factory kit for Callum, and some cool cars for twins Tanner and Ronan. 11, 8 and 5s respectively.
When I arrived the kids were a bit shy, and seeing Monica for the first time since we were little was crazy! I handed out the gifts after getting acquainted for a while and the entire family, including Jad, had dinner before heading out to the local swimming pool! I forget what kind if vehicle they had but it moved all of us without any problem! The best part was they had a movie playing during this night swim! The pool was outdoors and heated!
It was a long day but the relaxation and welcoming feeling at Monica's was exactly what I was looking forward to the whole day! I knew I would enjoy my stay at their place, but more on that in the next post!!!
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