Traveling like a circus during the bike tour definitely builds our small community of cyclists. But being here in coastal California and visiting all these little pockets like Pescadero and Cambria have given us a lot of perspective on what it means to be a community.
These places have small businesses, unique people, and a strong sense of pride. It's important as environmentalists to help these local communities stay vibrant.
 |
| The tour avoids busy freeways by taking mountain bike paths: "Cyclo-cross" from Pacifica |
These places have small businesses, unique people, and a strong sense of pride. It's important as environmentalists to help these local communities stay vibrant.
 |
| Charming Capitola |
There has been a push towards supporting local businesses in recent years, notably Small Business Saturday, which is the day after Black Friday. It is a campaign started by American Express to help consumers choose local establishments over businesses with larger supply chains. Supporting mom-and-pop shops helps money stay within a community and also strengthens the ties within it. Some people are calling this push the "localution" movement, and it's doing great things for our economy and the environment.
During our bike tour, we buy local and small-scale supplies whenever possible, connecting and collaborating with awesome businesses such as The Sports Basement in San Francisco and The Mucky Duck in Monterey, as well as farmers markets and the farms where we stay and work. We learn more about each community and get to know the people where our products and services come from.
 |
| Avila Valley Barn, a farm near San Luis Obispo where we camped and bought local produce, goodies and gifts for the holidays |
Tonight we are staying at the luxurious Camp Ocean Pines in Cambria and tomorrow we head for Avila Valley Barn near Pismo. Our legs are tired, our minds are exhausted, and our hearts yearn for more sights and adventure. See you soon!
--Julia
No comments:
Post a Comment