Dec 6th - But wait, there's more (there usually is)

December 6th was the last day we spent all together. A morning of recouping, sorting, and packing quickly lead to an afternoon of departures. First Adam to the airport, then
Miah, Jenna, David, Lissa in the first car. Sean, Abigail, Courtney, Meagan, & Travis headed north to HB and Emily Fox's wedding. Alexis' dad came to pick her up later in the afternoon. That left Danny, Ashley, Libby, Morgan, Julie, Jacob, and Becky with the very last, almost forgotten task of the Bike Trip... The Encinitas Holiday Parade.

We can still remember when Courtney asked us if we were interested. "How do people feel about being in a parade at the end of the trip?" Enthusiastic hands shot into the air, "I WILL NOT BE THERE TO HELP" he insisted, "I am so excited" "This is going to be awesome" was all that came back. None of us really remembered that conversation this day as we teased him "Thanks for signing us up for this, Courtney." I had spent the morning with Travis at the DAV (frequented Oceanside resale shop) looking for used holiday decorations. His keen eye scored a wreath, some tinsel, lights, and bobbles for under $20. I picked up some sweet new jeans for $4. With a few choice items borrowed from the Langens we had a rough enough idea to get rolling for the decorations.

People were electric when we returned, chomping at the bit to get started... Okay, not true, people had just ridden their bikes for three weeks straight and were tired. The outlook was grim. We'd been tossing around the idea of not even participating. There were a lot of factors against us. First of all most people wanted to or already planned on departing on the 6th. We thought there would only be 5 of us, I was kind of gutted. For awhile we were not going to be able to have the bus... Five people on bikes, whooo hooo Happy Holidays kiddos. Then there was a packet of information we were suppose to bring to the parade... that was sent to the island a couple of days before.

Fear not, things turned around; we logistically worked out a way for the bus to stay in Carlsbad, Julie Libby and Morgan decided to stay back, Travis' brother's school was also in the parade and could give us most of the info on start times, etc... but the ball really started rolling once Ashley saw the tutu. Travis and I were picking through old dress up clothes for people to wear, at this point Libby was considering riding on the top of the bus in a leotard and needed a skirt. We picked out a couple of options and then Travvy pulled out the tutu - a no brainer. I was showing Libby what we had picked out back at the Beach House, and Ashley's eyes perked up. "It really was the tutu that sold me." White with a red sequin trim and just about 4 inches of skirt, she slid that tutu around her waist and it was business time. Before long people started showing up and my anxiety washed away like an outgoing tide. Julie and Libby took on antler making, Morgan - lights, Jacob - directions and bobbles. Before long our little short bus was a delight of holiday making. Quickly we slipped into red and green bike gear, (thanks again, Voler!) stuck our cardboard antlers into our helmets, and we were off for Encinitas.

We pulled into the "staging" parking lot where all the other floats were putting together final touches. The floats that surrounded us were pretty impressive. You could tell they weren't whipped together in an afternoon and that lots of time and money had been put into them. Humbled, we watched as tiny boyscouts zoomed past on bikes and scooters with hand sewen antlers in their helmets wrapped in battery charged christmas lights. We still had to hang lights, bobbles, and our sign made out of outdated Seafood Watch Cards and we were late. Everyone that was riding went to go find our spot in the lineup since the directions were confusing. We sat in our alloted space "Red 66" and waited. We about busted with pride as our little bus turned the corner. Fully light up with christmas lights powered by our solar panel Ashley rocked up to our spot sporting the only brand new item we bought of all of the decorations - the Santa hat on her head.

We were buzzing as we turned off the main route that finished the parade. "That might have been the best thing we have EVER done" said Ashley. To the good people of Encinitas that were so incredibly supportive of our float and of our ride - THANK YOU. "Look at that bus!" "I love biking" "That float's my favorite!" and "San Francisco to Mexico? That's a long way" were just some of the comments were heard coming from the crowd. We also heard "You're almost to Mexico! Keep going!" but we didn't need to correct anyone, it was so rewarding to hear so many people excited about what we'd done. When the announcer explained that we were riding in celebration of 700 miles, the crowd exploded in applause. "My face hurt because I was grinning so much" said Ashley. Our only regret was that the rest of the riders didn't get to be there with us.


December 7th - finally no plans. We dropped Morgan off early in the morning, and Julie was picked up in the early evening. It was 11ish before we were coaxed out of the house by Jacob speaking of ride-able beginner's waves.

Tomorrow a small crew of us head back to the island - and finally we will all be underway with our winter plans, not to regroup until mid-February. Good luck to all of our friends reading this from home and abroad, we could not have asked for a better trip.

Happy Holidays, and enjoy doing things other than cycling all day every day for a bit... we did.

Dec 5th - The Big Finale

Eighteen people in the Beach House is a lot, but we did it. Our agenda today was to set up a booth at the afternoon at the surf shop Patagonia in Cardiff by the Sea. We chatted up customers about protecting the ocean while Sandy from the Solana Center educated folks about composting. After a bit we got to talk to Kaley and Sandy about what their organications. Sandy talked about how the Solana Center sets up gardens and compost systems for schools and the public in the San Diego area amongst many many (many) other things. After hearing about some of the classes the center offers we got all hopped up about potentially becoming "Master Composters" accredited by the Solana Center. Hope to see you or your staff on the island soon, Sandy! Kaley from Patagonia about what makes the Cardiff store special - and it's the more ecologically minded surfboards and wetsuits. Kaley will tell you that despite it's simple appearance, surfing is by no means an ecological sport. The materials used to make surfboard foam and wetsuits can release harmful chemicals in production. Patagonia is approaching these items from a new persepctive. Extruded foam in the boards and merino wool in their wetsuits. Sound crazy? It's working. Check more out at patagonia.com

We slept in Pacific Beach with former island staff Jenna Y (thanks for the Thai J-yo) and at Alyssa's house in Ocean Beach. Alyssa left for the night and it was a good plan with 12 people sleeping in the house. People described it like playing tetrus with bodies and sleeping bags.

The next morning we met up at the ferry stations in order to go to Coronado Island. Coronado's not an island, and the school isn't there, it just makes the ride shorter rather than going around the San Diego Bay - check the google map for details. We were a little panicked when we didn't see a sign for the 8:20 ferrry we were planning on, but there's a reason why. Early in the morning the ferries are for commuters and subsidized at no cost to us! Whoo hooo! We and our bikes piled on and the boat got us there in less than 10 minutes. It was a beautiful ride down "the strand" - basically just a lane or two of highway with ocean on either side. With $3 burning a hole in our pockets from the free ferry ride, we swung into Star Dust Donuts for an early morning treat. Julie had been trying to go to a donut shop just about since we hit Santa Barbara and never really had any takers, but they sounded pretty good this morning. If in the area the "old fashioned" comes highly recommended.

Mar Vista is the only school we have visited on all four bike trips, and one of the schools that has been coming to our program on Catalina the longest. We have always felt such strong support from this group, and the same was true today. Thanks so much to the young adults in the Poseidon Academy for spending time with us. To see young minds at work you know there is hope for the future. We can't wait to see you in the spring.

Mar Vista is in Imperial Beach, the most southwestern city in the entire country and quick jog to the border. We visited the state park there on the bike trip two years ago, and we thought it'd be nice to return. We rode past the usual horse ranches, and saw a new blossoming community garden as well. The road to the very corner of the United States where the fence dividing our country from Mexico goes into the sea was too muddy to cross again this year (someday!) but we head out to the beach for some views of ocean.

We had a little celebration in the parking lot. Not the most scenic place but we had a lot to be proud about; 750 miles; safe, sound, & satisfied. Congrats to everyone on such a monumental ride.

A trip back up to the Beach House and our friends Jenna, Mary, Sam, and Owen were already there. John Leo & his oysters showed up later to celebrate too. Dinner up at the Langens was a treat as always (thanks Janice and Richie! We are blessed by you always!!!) thanks for swinging by Issac, Erin, and the tumblers Reya and Iris.

Dec 4th - Carlsbad to San Diego

How to Sprout

David Klingenberger shares the wisdom...

Wednesday December 3rd - Reunited at the Beach House

FIRST AND FOREMOST - HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR FRIEND AND SHORT TERM RIDER KATHY ROSE!! WE LOVE YOU LADY, THANKS FOR SPENDING YOUR B-DAY TRAVELING SO YOU COULD BE WITH US.


We woke up in different houses but we found each other on the corner of Broadway and PCH1 in Laguna Beach. Team Sean’s house realized we didn’t pack any of the maps, so we went by the old stadby “just go south” on Pacific Coast Highway. It was a beautiful morning cycling past Huntington and Newport Beach. Libby got a flat, her 4th of the trip. We stopped to enjoy the beautiful scenery and wouldn’t you know it Team Heather’s Mom’s House rolled up.
Together we rode on to Dana Point Harbor for lunch. We passed Blue Lantern Street, Amber Lantern, Violet Lantern… we wondered if the Green Lantern would be around the corner. Are there actually colored lanterns in Dana Point? “I’ve never questioned it” commented local and SBLT supporter Will “Coach” Steinreide. Will met up for lunch, and got to hear how much the students at Banning had asked about him. We were so happy to see him we didn’t even notice the seagulls that were feasting on our lunch.

Back on Pacific Coast Highway we “wiggled” through the fun hills in San Clemente, then cruised through San Onofre State Beach. We regrouped before we passed through the marine base at Camp Pendelton. Cyclists (but not cars) are allowed to ride through to avoid the 5 Freeway as long as they have a valid ID - sorry Courtney. Libby had already suffered a second flat, and the tire decided to go out with a bang on a hill in the middle of the base. Patched with a dollar bill she was able to make it out of the base then make it into the van.

Cycling along the beach through the Oceanside and Carlsbad we enjoyed the beautiful sunset, and pulled into the Langen family beach house just about dark. The bus had already vomited it’s contents onto the back patio and had a through cleaning. The sweeps Abbey and Danny showed up about six, and finally we were all together. Reunited and it feels so good! We ate well and shared highlights from the split and Sean got his hair French braided. Thanks to the Langens for making us feel at home. Tomorrow we make it into north San Diego with a visit at Patagonia Cardiff.

Tuesday, December 2

The Inland crew had two missions today.
1) to garden with the ladies of Flintridge Sacred Heart
2) to get to Huntington Beach (50 miles away) before (too) dark.

Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy is a beautiful school, a former a hotel converted to an all girls Catholic high school. It’s located on the top of a hill in La Canada with an unmatched view of the LA basin. I still remember the first time I talked to the Youth Minister about visiting the school. “You should definitely come… we are on the top of a hill though.” “Oh we’ll have climbed Big Sur by then, we can do it” “Mmmm…. it’s quite a hill.” She wasn’t kidding the hill is a big deal, it’s even in the fight song. We were definitely taken by surprise three years ago when we first visited FSHA, and to add insult to injury we were coming from the vallly in Burbank. We were strategically placed in Altadena this year, and it cut out at least ¾ of the climb. There were still parts that had me convinced that I was going to fall out of my seat backwards. And the elements were still against us, as we were banked in by a heavy fog. Danny got a flat, and Julie lost a chain, but we didn’t lose anyone in those windy hills thanks to Alexis, an ’03 graduate of the academy.

The AP Environmental Science (APES) teacher met us with the sports medicine class bundled up in blankets. They showed us around the campus and lead us to the new garden & compost area. We’ve been hearing about this space for awhile and we finally got to dig into it. Two APES classes came down to the huge space to turn compost and help install a new bunny fence. We were so impressed last year when we saw the student run composting system in place. There is a small container for compost by the cafeteria area and biology room, then it’s transported to a composter nearby, and eventually brought down to the garden area. The APES class is responsible for emptying the containers, and service hours can be counted by working in the garden. These ladies are always a pleasure to catch up with, and we loved getting to spend time in their growing garden. We left hoping they’ll return to the garden often and leave their mark in the first steps of this garden. We were given a great lunch – compostable plates and spudwear forks and knives – and got to eat with anyone student or chaperone that wanted to catch up with us. We had a lot of Catalina chaperones stop by as well as some students (Block 7 Family, where were you??) and we traded stories about the last visit (and pictures of Jacob), but soon we had to get going.

The path along Rio Hondo and San Gabriel River was long. Don’t get me wrong, they are AMAZING bike paths. Amazing in that it makes it possible to go from north east LA to north Orange County with no car traffic to speak of. We rolled into Seal Beach by dusk and Huntington Beach awhile later. It was cold in Pasadena and didn’t let up for the rest of the day. Cold, tired, and exhausted we rallied together to get back on Pacific Coast Highway to get to Sean’s parents house. Throwing aside crew rivaries, the OC group and members of the coastal crew greeted us warmly as we came together to form Team Sean’s House. We snacked, we dined, we took a dip in the hot tub… what a delight. Many thanks to Scott and Sue for spoiling us with food, drink, and air mattresses; thanks for putting up all 11 of us.

Message from the Founder

That Inland Crew Just Can't Get Enough

We may not clock the longest miles at the end of the day, but as for vertical gain... the Inland crew is simply King/ Queen of the Hill. Not only have we taken on the Malibu Mountains (peaked out at 2000ft from sea level) and the foothills of the San Gabriel Mts. (school visit is at 1400ft) in a short span of 60 hours, but we slept in the Valley the nights in between. Dubbed "Team Biker Chicks" by a server in Burbank (all long-hairs except for Morgan); Julie, Alexis, Jacob, Danny, Morgan & Becky have really been teaching LA a lesson these last few days. We left Leo Carillo early Sunday morning with a task ahead of us, we like to call that task "Encinal Canyon Road." There was a thick layer of fog to chill the riders as we approached the passage. A biker that had just come down the hill let us know that the weather was deceiving on the coast, and it was hot as heck up there. Before we turned the first switch back we were all in our lowest gears. We pounded down for over an hour before we hit the top of Encinal Canyon. The fog was long gone at that height, and we were in a full on sweat. It was Sunday in Malibu, so the windy roads were peppered with joyriders of all types. Fancy cars, motorcycle clubs, and even a couple of cycling groups. Thanks to those that chatted us up along the way! Advice from one rider had us depart our scheduled route to take Mulholland Highway down into Calabasas... which we did with no regret. Jacob always says you have to "earn the turns" meaning all that cranking up hill pays off for a screaming downhill, and boy does this one pack a punch. Downhills in Big Sur you can lay off the breaks and let your bike do the work, not so here. Tight curves and strange banks can send you right off the cliff, so you hold on tight with your breaks and go for the ride of your life. A biker (as in motorcycle and bicycle) restaurant was packed with all kinds of rides and signaled the end of the downhill. Turns out Mulholland Hwy goes on for quite a long time, lots of sustained up and downhills... for miles. Our heroes Adam and Ashley showed up in a red Vannagon with water to fill our bottles and cheers to fill our hearts. They dropped off lunch food at the Vons in Calabasas, which we promptly devoured (some of us even took naps).

Climbs were over but we still had some considerable mileage ahead of us. An established bike path following the Orange Metro line took us most of the way, with a stop at Encino to drool over the local Velodrome. We highly suggest this route to any LA biker, just remember that "Busway" where the Metro runs is not a bike lane, otherwise you might have a local 5-O remind you (whoop whoop). We spent the night at our amazing friends Nate and Sue's place in Burbank. We went out for some Italian eats and mangia-ed until our bellies were bursting - and then had a taste of gellato as well. Grazie to our hosts - Nate has had us at his place for three years running, and we still laugh about the time 20 of us showed up after a week of limited showering, we always have a good time.

Early wake up time because we had a lot on our plate Monday morning. A stop to the southwest in Studio City, then back east to Glendale, then finally up north to Altadena for the night. We rolled into our Studio City school and - boy what a spread - they fed us breakfast! Bagles, juice & and hard boiled eggs, etc. a biker's delight. We checked in with our friends that had come out to Catalina from so many grades, and some that haven't made it out yet as well. We had lots of questions, critical thinking, and outside the box thinking going on today, thanks to our hosts - students & chaperones for the great visit.

It was back on our bikes for some serious city riding. We made it about 100 ft from the school will fate twisted us in another direction. Danny was momentarily distracted by the city traffic and dropped into a nasty rut. The poor road condition was not to have the best of this rider though, as he was able to hold on and come out without taking a spill. The bike casualties were steep, and two visibly bent rims meant some SagWagon time for Danny. Travis and D-bo took off for a bike shop, and the rest of the crew soldiered on through Griffith Park to Glendale. We had a solid idea of a route, opting for some city riding vs bike lanes to save us some time... then quickly got lost. It was probably when we were challenged to a race by a homeless man at one of the stoplights. Luckily a local rider was heading in a similar direction and lead us through the park to near our destination. When he first approached us he said "Looks like you're picking up a straggler" meaning himself. But even though he was on a hybrid he smoked us, that's some serious city riding.

Glass ridden routes lead us to our second school, and we beat Travis in the bus (once again) due to heavy traffic. While we mowed down some lunch on the lawn, Danny was in for an appointment with the mechanics at the Bicycle Doctor off of York Blvd. Treatment for the incident called for two new rims, a new tire, and new tubes. A little bit of fork damage as well, but nothing that couldn't be worked out. Danny was back at the school within the hour, in plenty of time to prepare for the presentation. Thank you so much to the folks at Bicycle Doctor that got Danny back on the road so quick. When D-Bo got on the bus in Studio City we could tell he was bummed, but he was all smiles once we saw him again. He let our students at the Glendale school know that this bike shop comes "highly recommended" by him, you can check them out too at http://www.cycleworxla.com/.

The school visit in Glendale was a riot. So many familiar faces from years past, as well as an AMAZING face lift in the garden. That beautiful space looks like it is getting the attention it deserves, and kudos to those taking care of it for the school to enjoy! Skits, games, and surveys filled the afternoon, and before we knew it, it was 3:15 and school was out! Exhausted we filled up on snacks (from Mr Cline - thank you thank you thank you!) and pulled ourselves together. Although google maps doesn't show any elevation in Altadena, we knew it'd be uphill. A cruise down Colorado Blvd and the stands for the Rose Bowl Parade let us know we were in Pasadena, a little bit farther and we'd made our destination for the night; the CIC office. Thanks to the Horners, CIC & TSC staff (especially Tom & Nick who came to visit & Rasheed who waited for us!) for the roof over our heads for the night. Alexis' dad & family made an incredible meal for us -we got to taste wonders of Persian cuisine with the apex being the Rosewater ice cream - thank you thank you thank you, we're still raving about it.

After checking in with other crews via the blog, and some work on the Google Map - be sure to zoom in or click "view larger map" to check out all the different routes that we're taking through the LA/OC area - we hunkered down with the satellite radio for a good nights sleep. Tomorrow we conquer the hills of La Canada, and Alexis gets to visit her Alma mater.

Until then; just keep pedaling
The Inland Crew
TEAM BIKER CHICKS

Venice Beach to Manhattan Beach - Coastal Crew

During each school visit, we see, breath, and interact with the communities that mold our students. This is the part of the bike tour that empowers us as educators. These community experiences help us to better incorporate local environmental issues and interpret the natural world in a way that is personally relevant to our students.

Today, we set off from Venice Beach at 5:30 AM, and made our way through pea soup fog to Bethune Middle School in Inglewood. At 7:30 AM, we met about ten classes of seventh graders. Students rotated through three workshops on ecological footprints, non-source point pollution, and alternative transportation.

After Bethune, we rode ten miles and past fifteen donut shops on our way to the Environmental Charter High School (ECHS), in Lawndale. The ECSH is always an inspiring experience with energetic students and pioneering staff. The campus was gorgeous, with trees, gardens, and signs of a growing consciousness and sustainable successes. Compost bins built of reused materials, a native plant garden, and an organic vending machine show the school leading the way toward a future of green schools.

When asked about the most memorable experiences of the communities surrounding these schools, cyclist, Kathy Rose, said,

“There was a stark contrast between the access to healthy, affordable foods, in the wealthy affluent communities and the prevalence of donut shops and liquor stores in Compton and Watts. It made me think about food justice, food security, and how everyone deserves access to nutritious food that is healthy for them and the planet. As we rode on Crenshaw street, I thought of the Watts Garden Club, founded by Anna Marie Carter, which helps distribute healthy, organic food to low income communities and raise awareness about food issues. I hope that in time, there will be more of these types of organizations, helping local communities eat sustainably.”

When we arrived at the end of our journey in Manhatten Beach, we were welcomed with generous support by Ally, Gay, and Keith Simmons, from the Jean-Michel Cousteau family camp. They gave us a great dinner feast and we celebrated the evening surrounded by even more friends connected by family camp and Catalina’s Howland’s landing.

Malibu Crusin'

Today was an easy day for us in mileage and we had a great chance to cruise through scenic Malibu and into Santa Monica. The ride was beautiful and easy so we stopped for some Thai for lunch and then wandered through Venice Beach and Muscle Beach; people watching and adding to the scene in our gorgeous spandex attire. The day was fast and relatively uneventful, but we can’t talk enough about our meal and accommodations for the evening.

We stopped by David’s mum’s house in Venice for an absolutely wonderful dinner and great all round evening. We feasted on a variety of wonderful dishes with the same key ingredient… love. All the food was amazing, bought locally at farmers markets and prepared from scratch it was a delight and well enjoyed by all. Thank you very much Helen and David St John for your amazing hospitality!

For our accommodations we would like to give a HUGE shout out to the Venice Eco Cottages (venicebeachecocottages.com). We were given a tour by owner operator Karel and shown the wonderful concept that he with his wife has developed. Built in 1922, the cottages and have a varied past but the development kept the original cottages and refitted them with a new environmental consciousness. Everything and I mean everything, was “green”; from the organic cotton shower curtains to walls insulated with shredded denim jeans to ol’ skool 1950’s burners and ovens refitted, the whole cottage was right in line with what we were thinking and how we were operating. Karel showed us all the amazing facets of his cottages… but best of all they are only a big stone’s throw right from Venice beach.

All in all, it was a great day. We all are getting ready to get to bed early ready for a huge day tomorrow starting in just a few hours at 4:45 and going to 2 Schools. We’re really excited to get into the city and teach, after all, this is what the tour is all about.