Day 28 Recap: I Was a Longhair Stoner

When I went to San Dieguito High School in Encinitas, I was a longhair. My blonde hair hung down to my shoulders like most surfer dudes in these parts, only I was more dude than surfer. We moved to the coast when I was a freshman in high school and by then, if you weren't already surfing, you better not let any of your friends see you try.

Swami's is notable as one of the surf spots the Beach Boys sing about in Surfin' USA

A lot of the surfers smoked pot. But I was too dedicated to football and stayed away from that stuff (and I wasn't really a surfer anyway), yet I still managed to pick up the nickname, "Stoner" from some of the guys I hung around with. My eyes were always bloodshot, so between that and the long hair, I was an easy target. I had a great time going to high school in north San Diego County, and for a long time, I thought I'd come back. It's fun being here now, and tomorrow I'll cycle through Del Mar, where I spent most of my time during those impressionable years.

Didn't smoke pot but did manage to blow my fry cook paychecks at Del Mar Racetrack

After my epic ride the day before, today was a little anticlimactic, and between this being the final night of my quest, and being back where I spent my high school years, I'm feeling melancholy. The morning ride was boring and my legs felt like mush. I thought San Clemente would be interesting, but my route took me through residential neighborhoods so I didn't see anything.

Last shot of the coast before turning into Camp Pendleton

Riding through Camp Pendleton, I hoped to see marching troops, Humvees, helicopters, SEALS, and maybe a tank or two. I did see one helicopter fly overhead, and a couple of supply vehicles. But other than that, all I saw were a bunch of marines driving by in their own cars. Maybe with the budget fiasco, the new plan is to have military troops drive their Honda Accords into battle.

I saw more potato chip trucks than military trucks

With mush for legs, a bit of a headwind, and boredom setting in, I was actually looking forward to getting to Oceanside. That was surely never the case when I lived down here.

Oceanside, you never looked so good

The balance of the day was fabulous. I stopped to eat in Carlsbad, then made my way through Leucadia, Cardiff, Encinitas, and Solana Beach, all blasts from my past.

We moved from Del Mar to Solana Beach towards the end of high school

...and it became artsy after I left

I checked-in to my motel mid-afternoon, so I got showered and went back out on my bike to have a beer, check out a couple of beaches, ride through "downtown" Solana Beach, and now I'm having dinner outside at a cool Italian restaurant called Solana Beach Crush. Great food, my kind of music, and my last self-congratulatory beer.

Cheers

Today's plan was to go through every one of my donors and thank them as I was pulled over to take pictures. I didn't get through them all today, so the good news is, I'm taking you all the way to Mexico with me tomorrow!  I want to do all of you justice and be patient and thoughtful with my gratitude. Let's finish this thing, eh?

Mexico Ahead

Day 28 Recap:  Dana Point, CA to Solana Beach, CA
Actual Miles:  55.1
Cumulative Miles:  1,830.8
Elevation Gain:  1,040'
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 70,185'
% Distance to Mexico:  97.3%