Saturday, June 25, 2011

The final leg

Made it into LA. Here is the Youtube of our bike ride,
http://youtu.be/_7hzT6C9Hbs

The road S of Santa Maria was not too bad a haul. But the hill after Lompoc did get to over 900 feet, a bit higher than the 950' hill after Big Sur State park.  Then nothing but down to the ocean, lots of braking.
Gaviota State Beach

One of the highlights, at least for Juanjuan, was the fish some fisherman gave us, plus our buddies, David and John met us, so we all feasted that night and had a great camp.
5 Mackerels and 2 sardines, best meal of the trip.

星期三22号
今天真不错,100英里就是等于160公里。我又惊又喜,惊奇的是牙痛减轻了一点,肿胀的面包也好象怕羞地缩了一点儿,但还是象小鼹鼠;喜出望外的我,今天表现出的实力让phil感觉到了一些•••说实话我还是带病骑行的,不然的话会让他吃不消叫停。有机会,我会让他好好认识一下---我是谁?哈哈。今天途中看到海滩上有许多海象,在脱皮。一路上下坡度不算太大,几百米海拔起伏。
沿途看到了许多草莓田,一望无际的大,味道很香甜,如有时间的话,可去体验采摘的乐趣。
美国虽说很强大,但是许多村庄都没有旅店。本大算投宿,确无落脚处,只好继续前行。这可让phil吃苦了,又饿又冷的,真是饥寒交迫。

六月23号星期四

47英里,虽说不远,也该让他稍加休息地,体验也要适度。对他来说,划船,滑雪,是他的强项。以至于其它项目可说是样样通但不强。
前几天结识了几位通行者,不同州的人们,不同职业,不同年龄在同一时间内,做同一样的事,这能说不是-----缘份吗?几天前曾共同分享过自行车宿营地。这几天来一直保持着联系。今晚我们先找到海滨宿营点,马上发信息给他们。随后,我们去栈桥散步,看到不少人在钓鱼,我随便问一位,您的鱼卖么?不卖。下一位同样不卖。不甘心的我,继续向前进,百米长的栈桥,不少人在钓鱼,有意思。如今失业率大大升高,人们却有大把的时间,做什么?靠山吃山,靠海吃海,自食其力。漫步来到栈桥尽头,左右看看,撑死胆大的,饿死胆小的,害羞没用,继续开口问,哟,您今天钓了不少鱼?卖么?回答是同样的--- 不卖。话音未落地,我确被钓鱼者反问到:“你要几条?”我喜出望外的迅速地回答到五人**这位中等身材,三十岁左右的年轻人,面像憨厚可爱,他命令身边两位同伴,找五条大鱼给我们,说时迟那时快.…我们连声道谢,随后就给骑行同伴发短信,有幸与同伴分享着快乐,忙的我不亦乐乎,连洗澡的时间都舍去了,能在这次旅行中,缺盐少油的条件下做一餐,蛮有趣的,phil比我还兴奋。

Final camp, Faris Beach, the N end of Ventura County

Our new buddies, Lacy and Hayley, thanks for the S'mores girls!  

Sunset at Faris Beach, sleeping right by the shore, no highway sounds, just the surf.



六月24,星期五

Magu Rock, close to LA
Santa Monica Pier, 507 miles, 8 days, made it.


54英里,phil今天的感觉不是很好。

Done, finis, fertig, did it. Now in LA, Phil

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The Strawberry Fields

我们终于按计划行动了。今天是2011•6•16,下午17点。现在Denver 国际机场等候,三十分钟后将飞往旧金山。预计今晚九点半进驻,明天早饭后去取车。午饭将在中国城,晚上和朋友们共进晚餐,叙旧。
十八号动身骑往LA(洛杉矶),大概一周多的时间,出算五百五十多英里。问题不大。
中途有两晚要露宿。
时间已到大鸟要动身了,三小时后旧金山见。
Friday June 17.六月17号 星期五 晴天时儿多云
一切顺利的抵达了~旧金山,饭店的名字叫Mirabelle,它建于1906年。时过境迁,那年这里发生大地震,一场巨大的火灾,将全城变为鬼城。但如今我们下榻的饭店,是在震后所建的,想必可承受一定程度的地震。
时叙事端,住宿加早餐$80一天,房间不大带水池,公共厕所和淋浴间。。。
17号早饭后,步行六条街,顺利找到车店,但还要将电子记速器安装需要点儿时间。两小时后,我们骑回饭店简装。下一个目标是旧金山海湾。13英里一圈,海边就餐。到中国城,少许购物,回店整装,一切就序,洗个澡,待朋友来后去吃饭。
此城的特点是,山丘区颜色不同建筑多。温度不高湿度大,海洋性气候属于它。
Saturday 六月18号 星期六
一大早动身启程,8点出门,8英里后,9点到金门大桥下,拍照消息一下。
起点,放在旧金山大桥。第一天,的确如我所料,精神饱满,但是年龄不饶人。50多英里行程可以了,一路沿海边南下,风景这边独好,路旁的植被为我们绽放五颜六色的花朵。事前听说是顺风,但是没有感觉到顺,几乎全天都是顶头风或是侧身风,还好温度不太高,时儿多云。总之时间不早了,找地息身啦。离开1号路两英里进入Pescadero村庄找到落脚点。本村没旅店,只是有几家可对外开放卧室,不便宜$108一宿要现金。
------------------------------

Sunday星期日 六月19号
昨晚在等候主人清理时,我可以在四周转,逗小猫,看花儿。140多年的老建筑,典型欧洲风格,很棒。
今天真不错,稍加努力80英里x1•6=km 128公里。明后两天只能宿营,所以今天要好好休息加洗衣,找个旅店落脚。$60多一宿加早餐。明早要早起早动身。也可能是我的牙医太关照我了,总是能小病大修,上路前去看过我的牙医,也可能是许久没用自行车旅行了,太多的事情要考虑去准备,上路后时间体力的安排加上心火,牙痛代之半头痛,需加点儿药和按摩。

Big t most of the day cruising between 250 & 600', you never really get that close to the water. You just look straight down Sur took all day for just around 45 miles because of these hills. You are cruising along and listening to the surf hundreds of feet below. The final insult was a 700' hill and a drop down to the end of the Sur area and into the San Simion, Hearst Castle area. That was the Ragged Point Inn.

六月20 星期一 大雾

今天的感觉不舒服,一大早满街找牙医,因为昨天是父亲节,许多家庭都外出旅行。最终找到一位牙医,简单检查后,说是牙龈炎,开了一份消炎药和去痛药,转骑到街里药店取药,前后浪费了四小时。大上大下五六十英里,沿海的公路就是这样。同时还结识了四批五人,同行者。一起宿营,帮,教他们搞定晚餐。这一带的宿营地都有热水淋浴$ 0 • 25的硬币,还有专对自行车旅行者提供的宿营地。

六月21号 星期二 大雾多云

一路多坡陡,病痛加重。每加力蹬踏时,左脸病魔缠身地跳。想必不要露宿,54英里后,找到饭店,一觉醒来,再看我的脸,就象面包,我知道今天还有一座大山,会让我变成啥样?走着瞧。。。这几天来一直是雾气笼罩就像是雾都。

This evening Santa Maria, famouns for where Michael Jackson's trial was and for bing a 100 mile day for us, of which I will write more later, Phil

六月22 星期三
今天真不错,100英里就是等于160公里。我又惊又喜,惊奇的是牙痛减轻了一点,肿胀的面包也好象怕羞地缩小了一点儿,但还是象小鼹鼠;喜出望外的我,今天表现出的实力让phil感觉到了一些•••说实话我还是带病骑行的,不然的话会让他吃不消叫停。有机会,我会让他好好认识一下---我是谁?哈哈。今天途中看到海滩上有许多海象,在脱皮。一路上下坡度不算太大,几百米海拔起伏。
沿途看到了许多草莓田,一望无际的大,味道很香甜,如有时间的话,可去体验采摘的乐趣。
美国虽说很强大,但是许多村庄都没有旅店。本打算投宿,确无落脚点,只好继续前行。这可让phil吃苦了,又饿又冷的,真是饥寒交迫。

六月23 星期四

47英里,虽说不远,也该让他稍加休息地,体验也要适度。对他来说,划船,滑雪,是他的强项。以至于其它项目可说是样样通但不强。
一大早上路不远,他的前胎瘪了,我们用最简易的方法,最快的时间搞定了,您知道是怎么办的吗?告诉您,卸轮换胎打气上轮走人。
前几天结识了几位通行者,不同州的人们,不同职业,不同年龄在同一时间内,做同一样的事,这能说不是-----缘份吗?几天前曾共同分享过自行车宿营地。这几天来一直保持着联系。今晚我们先找到海滨宿营点,马上发信息给他们。随后,我们去栈桥散步,看到不少人在钓鱼,我随便问一位,您的鱼卖么?回答是:不卖。下一位同样不卖。不甘心的我,继续向前行,百米长的栈桥,不少人在钓鱼,有意思。如今失业率大大升高,人们却有大把的时间,做什么?靠山吃山,靠海吃海,自食其力。漫步来到栈桥尽头,左右看看,撑死胆大的,而死胆小的,害羞没用,继续开口问,哟,您今天钓了不少鱼?卖么?回答是同样的--- 不卖。话音未落地,我确被钓鱼者反问了:你要几条?我喜出望外的迅速地回答到五人**这位中等身材,三十岁左右的年轻人,面像憨厚可爱,他命令身边两位同伴,找五条大鱼给我们,说时迟那时快.…我们连声道谢,随后就给骑行同伴发短信,有幸与同伴分享着快乐,忙的我不亦乐乎,连洗澡的时间都舍去了,能在这次旅行中,缺盐少油的条件下做一餐,蛮有趣的,phil比我还兴奋。

六月24,星期五

56英里,phil今天的感觉不是很好。沿海公路的风景就是美,同时也很危险,安全绝不能掉以轻心。我们选的是全美最著名的路线,在这个季节里,温度适宜,处处是鲜花。
不减当年的我是越来越多的潜力再释放,这可让phil该努力再努力,才有可能在上坡的路上超过我。一路上大部分的时间是一边骑行一边自唱,看什么唱什么,中国的歌也多,时间却有限。
人的一生,不过才有两三万天的寿命而已,在珍惜的同时去享受,无论你在做什么,你都可以从中找到乐趣。


六月25 星期六 晴天

77英里,时间不等人,车轮与时间赛跑。八天很快过去了,我们的此次自行车旅行也圆满的结束了,全程一共507英里x1•6=800公里。虽然年龄大了点儿,身体力行还算好,几天前牙根部发炎,我让坏细胞生生的全部累死了,
我们的沿途照片后期制作马上告捷,phil需要一些时间。此次旅行phil不仅派了一些照片,还拍了许多小录像,经过后期制作现有三十分钟的录像,希望与大家分享。
phil的行李加自行车总重量80斤,我的行李加自行车总重量70斤。



The Strawberry Fields.

From Pescadoro to Marina CA, 75 miles, whew, a record. Sunday night.
Odometer-154.4
No big hills, just lots of coast, like the Pigeon Point Light House.  Next time maybe we can book the hostel there,
Pigeon Point
If you spend time in LA you start to think that California is nothing but trendy Hollywierd types sipping lattes wearing painfully hip tee shirts and rich girls looking for just the right shoes at the Galleria.  I'm here to tell you, the story of Calif. if farming.  The road through the Santa Cruz/ Montery area is full of agriculture, tons of strawberry fields.

 Highway 1 spends much of this stretch as a freeway so we had to take frontage and side roads. There are signs that say bike and Pacific Coast Trail so that helped a lot. At one point we were alone, just biking, no cars, through several farms. It was really wonderful to be biking away from the highway. You remember the book the Onion Fields, about murders in an onion field. So if something happens to us on this trip you can call the story the Strawberry Fields.
I forgot which town this is, but nice pier huh?
 The highway above Santa Cruz hugs the coast, then opens up.
Great beach weather
 The town takes a bit of figuring put especially when you are by the waterfront taking in the beach scene.

After all those fields we made it to Marina, a former Fort Ord army town, now just a rectangle of streets laid out in the middle of the Salinas delta. After the 75 miles Miles we again did lodging, a Ramada. Good thing that we did, guess who needs a root canal?  Monday morning we found a dentist and loaded up on prescription antibiotics and pain killers.
Look who needs a root canal!

What rotten timing during this trip, a dental emergency. Maybe the stress of the ride has brought it on, who knows?

Monday night we are camped at Big Sur State Park.
We skipped the tent to save weight

Even in the fog you get sunburned
Typical day on the road
Somehow the odometer got zeroed so now it says 22. figure Marina to Big Sur on google then add the miles up.
Big Sur area

Even in the fog the incredible scale of Big Sur is there. Normally when you bike you look to your right to look at the ocean.


今天的感觉不舒服,一大早满街找牙医,因为昨天是父亲节,许多家庭都外出旅行。最终找到一位牙医,简单检查后,说是牙龈炎,开了一份消炎药和去痛药,转骑到街里药店取药,前后浪费了四小时。大上大下五六十英里,沿海的公路就是这样。同时还结识了四批五人同行者。Big Sur State Park一起宿营,帮,教他们搞定晚餐。这一带的宿营地都有热水淋浴$ 0 • 25的硬币,还有专对自行车旅行者提供的宿营地。


Tuesday night we made it to The Ragged Point Inn in, obviously, Ragged Point CA. 54 miles or so. Basically the bottom of the Big Sur area. Hearst Castle is a bit down the road, maybe 12-20 miles.
Sea Lions in San Simeon
Below the Big Sur area the terrain softens, not 900' mountains dropping right down but rolling hills then the shore. The first tie I was in this area was Christmas 1974.  Back then there was the road and the shore, no sea lions. now they say the population is 15,000+, you gotta love laws that stop hunting.  In 1990 hunting sea lions was banned and from one island off of Mexico the population has recovered.  Now they have full access to the beach, lounging while us humans get to watch from platforms, wonderful.
The beach above San Simeon, yay Sea Lions  
Last night we hooked up with three young men, David and his cousin John from the Midwest and Michael from Huntington Beach. Their knees are still young so they went on ahead and made San Simion. Juanjuan's cheek is still swollen and we are feeling the road so we got this room. Leaving the Julius Pfeiffer camp to the Big Sur river was the biggest climb of this trip, from around 200 feet or so to 950 at the top. We got above the fog. Did. Talk about the fog? Bone chilling and omnipresent, no escaping this June fog. You sweat like Hell on the way up, in lowest gear and the descent chills you in the fog while it get mist all over your glasses.

Spent most of the day cruising between 250 & 600', you never really get that close to the water. You just look straight down Sur took all day for just around 45 miles because of these hills. You are cruising along and listening to the surf hundreds of feet below. The final insult was a 700' hill and a drop down to the end of the Sur area and into the San Simion, Hearst Castle area. That was the Inn. So though most of Big Sur is a combination of agony and sublime beauty it was worth it, as long as you don't expect to make many miles.



六月21号 星期二 大雾多云

一路多坡陡,从几十米到三百多米的上上下下。病痛加重。每加力蹬踏时,左脸病魔缠身地跳。想必不要露宿,54英里后,找到饭店,一觉醒来,再看我的脸,就象面包,我知道今天还有一座大山,会让我变成啥样?走着瞧。。。这几天来一直是雾气笼罩就像是雾都。


S of  Santa Maria
This evening Santa Maria, famous for where Michael Jackson's trial was and for being a 100 mile day for us. the next day our first flat.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Left San Francisco

We left The Hotel Mirabelle and went back to the Embarcadero, circling around under the Golden Gate Bridge, then south. That alone was more than five mile, I'm sure.

The beach along San Fran's west side is windblown and chilly, but very beautiful. The Devil's Slide was the first big damn big hill we had to climb.  The Big Sur style of climb, but just outside of San Francisco,
The top of the Devil's Slide Hill, south of San Fran

No super sized surf at Half Moon Bay's Maverick's, but one can only dream. This lone sea lion, or is she a a sea elephant?  Anyway, she is OK, despite those sad eyes.  She is doing a "Catastrophic Moly" which is not as bad as it sounds, so don't worry, just enjoy looking into those deep pensive eyes,
Sea Lion molting at Half Moon Bay

 A steady peddle after that got us to Pescadero and it had us a bit worried. No lodging in the whole town but asking around we found the McCormick House. Built is 1865 it is your usual large California Victorian, very nice with a great wild garden full of flowers.
The McCormick House

 Mauro rented us a room upstairs and we even have wifi so I can post this. Today, a bit over 50 miles. Have to do at least that much each day if we are going to make LA in ten days.
Phil

Friday, June 17, 2011

Fun in San Francisco

At the airport, ready to fly to San Francisco. June 16, 2011.

我们终于按计划行动了。今天是2011•6•16,下午17点。现在Denver 国际机场等候,三十分钟后将飞往旧金山。预计今晚九点半进驻,明天早饭后去取车。午饭将在中国城,晚上和朋友们共进晚餐,叙旧。
十八号动身骑往LA(洛杉矶),大概一周多的时间,出算五百五十多英里。问题不大。
中途有两晚要露宿。
时间已到大鸟要动身了,三小时后旧金山见。
Now we are a the Hotel Mirabelle. Sure is noisy on Mission St, more like NY than LA, with all the hubbub. $80 per night two nights planned. An old building with all the Victorian kitch. Sunny and Sarah told us to eat at Pakwan Indian restaurant, cheap and good, $22.00 total, cheap, like me. Tomorrow we pick up the bikes at Valencia Cyclery. Phil

Friday June 17.
一切顺利的抵达了~旧金山,饭店的名字叫Mirabelle,它建于1906年。时过境迁,那年这里发生大地震,一场巨大的火灾,将全城变为鬼城。但如今我们下榻的饭店,是在震后所建的,想必可承受一定程度的地震。
时叙事端,住宿加早餐$80一天,房间不大带水池,公共厕所和淋浴间。。。

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pwegener/5843641257/in/photostream/lightbox/
Friday night, diner with our old buddy Ross, in an "Interesting" area of San Fran, across the street from the Hustler Club.


17号早饭后,步行六条街,顺利找到车店,但还要将电子记速器安装需要点儿时间。两小时后,我们骑回饭店简装。下一个目标是旧金山海湾。13英里一圈,海边就餐。到中国城,少许购物,回店整装,一切就序,洗个澡,待朋友来后去饭店。
此城的特点是,山丘区颜色不同建筑多。温度不高湿度大,海洋性气候属于它。

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Flying out

We are headed to San Francisco tonight.  Will try to post while on the road.  I think that 100 KM, 60 miles per day will give us enough time to get to LA, we'll see.  Phil

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Bike trip to Carter Lake

Our second overnight trip.

Getting ready for out big California trip with an overnight to Carter Lake. June 16th we will start in San Francisco and bike to Los Angeles, around 550 miles.  So our trip to Carter Lake was a shakedown cruise. It was only 28 miles but with fully packed bikes it felt like more. Here is the official obligatory picture of packed bikes, like all bike tourers seem to take.
My bike was over 90LB sans rider, Juanjuan's came in at 65LB.
 The roads North of Boulder are wide open and perfect for long bike rides.  
Sorry that I am not wearing real biking clothing, I tend to shun "uniforms" and I like the idea of a white shirt to keep the sun off. 
Carter Lake is above Loveland behind the first Hogback. 
Very nice at almost 6,000'. 
But where did I get the idea that we could find camping on Memorial Day Weekend?  All campsites had been booked 3 months in advance, if the ranger was to be believed. So the North Shore RV Park gave us a sliver of grass to park against, only $15.00.
Bud never tasted so good. 
Nice hill behind us too,
Don't let anyone tell you that photographers are not a bunch of liars.  All one has to do is take a photo from the other way and all of a sudden things look different,
By 1AM the rain started so it was a great test of our new tent.  It and the bikes survived.
Next day ride home past a ranch that is home to a sculptor, or maybe we were transported to the Mongolian Steppes, the land certainly shares qualities with Mongolia. this statue was in the foothills before we rode out to the Plains





Our route
Two weeks off to San Francisco!

Phil




Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Juanjuan’s book, "The Sky is My Ceiling, the Earth is My Bed"

Yu Juanjuan is the first woman to have bicycled the entire border of China, a solo journey of more than two years and over 25,000 miles.  Juanjuan’s book, "The Sky is My Ceiling, the Earth is My Bed" is a visual memoir that recounts her 22 month true-life journey biking around China from Sept. 1987 to July 1989. Working with her husband, Photographer - Phil Wegener, Photo Editor - Paula Gillen, and Writer - Greg Bowles, she has created a photo book that documents her historic journey. The book is 152 pages, filled with stories of her adventures. and heavily illustrated with photographs taken during her trip.  

Juanjuan and her team leaving Beijing. Sept. 1987.
"The Sky is My Ceiling, the Earth is My Bed" is a true-life story of a woman athlete overcoming every imaginable obstacle to achieve a dream.  It is also a coming of age story in post-Mao China and a personal reaction to meeting people of very different ethnicities in a country of over 1 billion people, where 92% of the population is of the Han majority. Juanjuan’s story is true adventure, the story of China and it's complicated history, and one woman's indomitable spirit.  Her book encompasses aspects of feminism, Asian studies, history and ethnography, all set within the framework of a grand adventure by bicycle.
Juanjuan "Under Heaven Gate," western end of the Great Wall of China.

"The Sky is My Ceiling, the Earth is My Bed," covers her personal history as a child of 1960’s Maoist China and her early bike races and trips. Her journey around China on a bike took place in an earlier era, long before the Internet, freely available GPS, and she completed the journey with little of the sponsorship that western athletes now take for granted.  "The Sky is My Ceiling, the Earth is My Bed," is a supremely human tale of a superhuman effort by a woman to succeed against all odds.
Cover of the rough draft of Juanjuan's book.












Monday, May 9, 2011

First big ride of 2011

Yu Juanjuan and her husband, professional photographer, Phil Wegener at the summit before Estes Park, Colorado.

Well, we have started to train for our big California bike trip, San Francisco to Los Angeles.  Over the weekend Juanjuan and I rode bikes from Boulder to Estes Park.  Not a big deal, just 35 miles, except for that little climb from 5,320 feet to the pass overlooking Estes Park, topping out at 7,800'.


Nothing like when Juanjuan rode around China's border, that was 25,000 miles.  Her old, Chinese Gold Deer Bike had one speed and a foot brake.  Now she has a Miyata (Below) with all the best components.  My new Surly Long Haul Trucker touring bike (top right) has 27 gears and weighs less loaded than her Chinese bike did empty.



At our age, trust me, even though we have great modern bikes we still were dead tired when we got to the cabin in Estes Park.



 (Below) Juanjuan at home, smiling even though her muscles ache. Behind her is the statue commemorating her ride over highest continuous road in the world, in northern Tibet. She had the statue commissioned in China and shipped to Boulder.



More to follow, including her history of biking in China in 1980's.