Bird Muck and A-Team

This weeks been a bit hectic. Im with Nic now too, which is fantastic. Another schmo to wander the streets with. We met on Sunday, and since then its all been good (most of it anyway! but that is for another day) and an ezciting new trip to plan. On monday we're going to set off to Los Angeles on bicycles. Its 500 miles, which sounded a bit crazy (since we dont have any bikes or equipment), but now we've read up on it a bit, it looks like its going to be pretty special. So its beena lot of trips to bike shops, workshops and charity shops. We'll stretch it out over 3 weeks or so, and the route has some beautiful scenery and plenty of places to stop off. Its Highway 1 more or less, with a few extra bits.

The green man is white, and he gives you a digital countdown to when youll get knocked down by a bus or bike. Traffic is nice and friendly actually.... theres a wierd sort of car showdown shuffle at each junction without lights. a bit like when you walk arounda corner and dance with someone who wants to get past. Some of the best views are while standing right in the middle of a street too - all the roads are on blocks as you proabbly know, so you can see miiiiles along soem of them... ups and downs. Ive been hanging around with Nic's Friend Breezy, whos got an apartment here. Its got a flat roof, with one of those fire escapes that sticks out the top, 9its like climbing a narrow staircase and opening a door on it, to see an amazing rooftop view of the city. And it also makes you want to hide behind it, shoot your finger pistols and shout "IM NOT COMIN DOWN MAN! STAY BACK!".

We climbed up to a high viewpoint called Corona Heights (i think). I gonked my head off a big rock (Pictured), Nic thought it smelled of Wee everywhere, but the view was incredible. It was very windy. We saw the famous fog crawl across.

Ive been in another hostel, which was soemthing to remember. On Haight Street, which has some history, birthplace of the san francisco Beat Poets and hippies im told, but generally full of 'lost souls' and crack heads shuffling around asking for dollars. The guests - Dean: talked an unbelievable, un-imaginable ammount of gibberish, he just wouldnt shut up about this and that, he had 'Anger problems' and 'went to a clinic' three times a day. Rogerwas conspiracy nut - "Oh youre english huh..... what do you think of those crop circles??" were his first words to me. People had stolen everything useful from there, but really silly things. We ate soup with chopsticks. The one cup id found for breakfast had had a cigarette hole burned through the bottom (so i had to drink fast). It was one of thoseplaces that you really hate, but know youll love once youve gone. Im back in the Green Tortoise hostel again now, which by comparison is like Alton Towers to Haight Street's Spanish City.

Ive been trying to find map of SF on here, but nothings really clear when its oin the screen. And i still havnt managed to get the ophotos off the camera.




We went to alcatraz today which was amazing- theres bird muck evrywhere. But yes, it was very interesring. Theres soemthing very glamourous about Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly types... back when criminals were good n honest Bank Robbers. they had 23 hours a day in the cells. The 'Bird Man' was in a tiny cell for 6 years, and NEVER came out. There was an audio tour, like the Churchill War Rooms in london. Heres a picture of an esape attempt at Alcatraz, the REAL one. I dont think Clint Eastwood did this.

View from Alcatraz.

On saturday im going along to a bike workshop, where you can use their tools, buy cheap new and usedparts and fix up your bike. Nic's bike needs new drive train pieces anda fair ammount of sorting. Ive found an ex-hire bike, which costs a bit more (its a posh Marin touring bike for $270), but i should be able to sell it on once we get to L.A. They're very into bikes here, so that buzz keeps it as a volunteer non profit project, and its very well used. What a good idea! But we have only 5 hours with them, so itll be an A-Team effort required to get this one road worthy. Nic will do the welding and fit the armour plating, and i will get to crash it through the doors in slow motion once its finished. I love it when a plan comes together. Hey we might see them! They were in LA werent they...


Nic and Me on Alcatraz...