Day 18: Santa Cruz layover

Stayed up late last night talking with Johnny, about life, politics, relationships, music. Slept so well, awaking with energy and enthusiasm.  Rode up the hills above their house, then cruised on down into Capitola to catch some rays on the beach.  Summer-like day down here on the Monteray Bay, felt good to listen to the waves, feel the warmth of the sun.  Remember Santa Cruz…

My first awareness of this town was back when the Santa Cruz earthquake rocked the Bay area.  My friend Doug was living here, said he saw a parking lot rippling with waves, cars crashing into each other.  Few were hurt then, mainly due to rebar and good engineering, unlike the earthquakes recently in less developed countries.  But the awesome and awful power of the quake rooted in my consciousness, especially when I visited Doug shortly after and saw the devastation to downtown Santa Cruz.

So much of the ground has been moving beneath me this summer.  Shaking the foundations: ending/changing a 20 year relationship, fearing for both my partner’s and my futures, ever striving to get the restaurant stable and profitable, wondering what to do on our land, where to go next in my life.

The ever shifting terrain of a bicycle tour is strangely grounding.  Camping and sleeping on the earth connects me to my roots like nothing other, and cruising hundreds of miles over hills and cliffs powered by my own muscle and energy also connect me to the power of life.

You must do it:  Walk, run or cycle, move with your own power, your own muscle.  Then sit or lay on the earth, feel the rhythms and stillness, the incredible history and mysterious future of Planet Earth. Can you feel it, the earth moving?  Where are you going?  What will come next?