It was about 40F when I finally decided to get up, and at that time James was already gone. It was only 7:40, but I guess James decided to get an early start on the day. I packed up my hammock in the cold and walked my bike over the beach. It was a clear beautiful morning and I spent a few minutes just meditating on the sea. Eventually I pushed my bike up the sandy hill to the highway where it seemed to be about ten degrees than where I had woken up. I guess I had slept in some sort of cold gulch. I pedaled into the town of Cambria and noticed that I had a text from James indicating that he was at the local coffee shop. I met him there, charged my phone, and picked up a coffee table biography of William Randolph Hearst.
We spent then next hour or two there, with me reading my book and James scouring WarmShowers.org for somebody to host us in San Luis Obispo. By the time I had finished the book I really wanted to visit Hearst Castle, but wasn't interested in backtracking at the moment. I suppose I'd have to return to the area someday. I also finished the biography feeling slightly connected to Hearst, as it seemed like he felt disillusioned with higher education. In response he ended up traveling a lot and enjoying his 20's, and didn't find his career until he was about 30 years old.
San Luis Obispo was our stoping point for the night, and it was only about 35 miles further than where we were. I think because of that we took our time. We stopped in Morro Bay to snack and enjoy the view. The alternate route we were on took us south to the town of Los Osos and then we headed east toward SLO. Our route got a little weird near Cuesta College, but we eventually found our way. We caught a headwind the last few miles before hitting SLO, which was unexpected but we powered through it.
It was about 3:30 when we arrived in San Luis Obispo, and we were both hungry. We stopped at shopping center that had a grocery store and a bicycle shop. I inquired about my clicking pedal, and they said it was probably worn out. It wasn't the type of place I would find new pedals for cheap, but directed me to the SLO Bicycle Coalition's Bike Kitchen, which would be open on Sunday. It's a place where people can go use the tools, sift through used gear, and get help with bicycle problems, all on donations. After getting our blood sugar back to normal we headed downtown to find some WiFi and check on our WarmShowers inquiries.
Kreuzberg, CA is the name of an awesome cafe in downtown SLO. The walls are covered in murals and art from local artists, portraits of great novelists, and the menu is literary themed as well with all the sandwiches being named after authors. I ordered a sandwich and James got a muffin. Soon we found out that nobody from WarmShowers could host us so we'd have to find an alternative. We called a local hostel which was full, but the woman on the phone invited us down to the hostel anyway because she thought we may be able to share a room with another cyclist that was staying there.
The Hostel Obispo is a nice place, and Elaine the owner is a wonderful woman. She found us a place to stay, but it would still cost us $20 a piece to stay there. I mentioned that I had heard something about a bike coop where 18 bicyclists shared a house together, and that I had heard they might at least have a yard for a to camp in. She knew exactly what I was talking about. The house is called 'The Establishment', and they throw an annual Halloween party which we were told was a pretty big deal. In fact, a few members of the staff were getting ready to head over there for the party, so Elaine introduced us and one of the girls walked us over to the Establishment to see if we could crash over there.
Things were hectic at the Establishment as the last minute preparations were being put together. They said that we were free to stay there, but that the party would be going all night and we might have a hard time finding a place amongst all the others that would be staying there. Either way we were invited to the party, but we'd have to come up with costumes and even if it took all night, at least we would have a place to sleep.
Back at the Hostel we told Elaine the good news, and she seemed genuinely happy for us. She even offered each of us a warm shower and a bag of random Halloween clothes that we were free to go through to find a costume, as well as pancakes in the morning. Elaine is truly awesome and very generous. I had a hard time finding anything in the costume bag, so after our showers we took a trip to get some face paint, and then Elaine supplied us with a place to get ready. I couldn't thank her enough.
I did a quick job painting my face like a day of the dead skull and James dressed up like a cyclist zombie. At the Establishment the party was in full force. The DJ's would be arriving shortly, and the place was already packed. A lot of work had gone into decorating the giant house, and it seemed as if no detail was spared. To get into the party you had to walk towards a bright light, down a dark tunnel to the pearly gated entrance. The gates led to a Dia de los Muertos themed back patio and the inside of the house was divided between heaven and hell, with the bathroom being the aptly named 'Purge-atory'. I had a great time and met a lot of awesome people, but by 1am I was getting tired and hungry.
James and I decided to walk downtown to get some food and our new friend from Trinidad, Katherine, decided to follow us too. Downtown SLO was crazy too, with just about everybody on the street in costume and having a good time. Enzo's East Coast Eatery seemed like the place to be, and although I was unimpressed with the pizza it seemed to be the only place open to eat.
We ate ice cream cones as we walked Katherine back to the hostel, then James and I went back to the party which was still going but had fizzled down a bit. We decided that we probably wouldn't get much sleep there, so we thanked the party hosts and grabbed our bikes and headed for the hills. We followed a trail we found in the South Hills just on the edge of town and found a secluded place to set up camp. By now it was about 2:30am and we were worn out from the day. I fell asleep quick and just hoped that nothing would disturb me in the middle of the night. It was a fun day, and I was thankful to meet Elaine and glad we happened to find ourselves in SLO for Halloween weekend.
Miles: 40 miles
RRD: An ice cream cone
-D
I've really wanted to go to Hearst Castle for a while now, it's a shame you didn't get the chance. I sure love your Halloween makeup. Were you Gene or Paul?
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