Day 21: Malibu to Marina del Rey, 32 miles

Up before the sun again! Excited to arrive in LA, planning to meet up with a Warm Showers host who lives on a sail boat in Marina del Rey. I’m greeted to an amazing sunrise with the crescent moon. Miles fly as I cruise along the PCH, passing beaches and private estates. This is where the rich and famous (and not so famous) make their roots.

Suddenly the boardwalk at Santa Monica appears, and I follow a bike path along the sandy beach. Empty volley ball courts cause me to reminisce about the iconic 80’s tune, the Boys of Summer. Ah, Don Henley. Better in the Eagles. I ride through the Venice Beach Boardwalk, which has no boards. But Venice Beach Sidewalk just wouldn’t sound the same. Then over to the shipyard to see the Hugo Boss, the world’s fastest monohull sailboat.

I meet Mike at his sailboat. We connect, talking about touring and living more simply. Sailing and bicycle touring, gypsy lifestyle on land or sea. Where to we make our home, what drives us to set our roots, or tear them up and move along? To distant landscapes, to new communities.

I’m reaching a nexus on this tour, my decision to travel Baja or not is near. Three more days and I’ll arrive in San Diego. I’ve made contact with other cyclists. But I’m reluctant. Scared? Yes, but it’s not an adventure unless there is an element of the unknown, a sense of danger. But how much?

I’m also feeling homesick, 1100 miles from Corvallis. And a bit lost. Of course, this is part of the journey. It is good to miss home. To wander into the wilderness. To wonder at who I am, where I’ve been, what comes next…

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