Friday July 24

Micro photography woman on left, Bob Marley guy on right, me in the middle. San Elijo State Beach.

After last night's perilous attempt to start a party with the biker folks jammed like Haitian refugees amongst the RVs by riding lightless to the AM PM MiniMart across a streaming hwy 1 for 12 beers, pretzels, potato chips for all, which none but ourselves was interested in, we rested well enough for some of us to make it back across 1 to that classic American diner known as Denny's for yet another hardy feed in preparation for a romp downcoast to San Elijo State Beach in lovely Cardiff by the Sea.

Odd day of boardwalk beach business with the strangeness and vastness and general emptiness of the marine base, Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Reservation, like where they put the indians. Marine guard, nice kid from Marysville, WA., checked our ID's and made me put on my new, super hot, super tight bike helmet. Being on base sparked memories of the long ago days of my Air Force dependent childhood.

Off base at main gate and back to a combination of bikeways and freeways bashing through a bright, largely treeless, sandy coastal regime through Carlsbad (where is the billion dollar seawater desalination plant), Encinitas to Cardiff by the Sea.

Hiker/biker space at San Elijo small but far better than last spot. Guy in next tent was promoting Bob Marley band downcoast at Del Mar race track; we were unable to conceive of this as a reachable option. We went across 1 for cheap pizza.

Biked miles - 45

Two shots of the bikeway through Camp Pendleton - no vehicles other than bikes at all