Margaret and Paul and I settled down to a delicious breakfast of sour dough pancakes after scanning over the declaration of independence on a printed silk scarf she had placed on the dining room table. The bike was fully laden and true to form I was escorted onto the winding road that led me to Pescadero beach, where we went the day before and on up highway one to god knows where.… More...
Its hard to know where I last left off. Only two days ago I was stranded with my bike in a Shell petrol station and that evening I took the cab over to Margaret and Paul’s place in Menlo Park, close to Stanford University.… More...
Down from San Fransisco up and down impossibly steep streets, already familiar from a previous trip and off down the freeway, past Stanford University and US Navy airbase where they have dirigible hangars so large that they have their own weather inside, along to tidy Mountain View, near Palo Alto.… More...
The Mobil garage in Lee Vinery basks in cool sunshine, I am greeted by some pristine weekend bikers and feel ashamed at my dusty disheveled appearance but they are undeterred and we chat away. I am constantly impressed how friendly people are – I suppose in London you get this self protection system; it is normal to ignore fellow human beings.… More...
Another long day – late start.
First I got a call from Art Bell’s PA in response to the message I left on the station’s answering machine. “you, see we DO return all the calls” she told me importantly . I explained about my trip and would very much like to meet him maybe give me an impromptu interview – hah!… More...
Last Night at Taco Bells I chatted with a guy in charge of 20 people with learning difficulties, they were organising ‘the biggest firework display in the Western United States’. The man in charge was the sort of guy you could depend on, you know the kind, wearing a fishing waistcoat with all the pockets.,… More...
Matthew and I took a sackful of CDs to Amoeba music on Sunset Bvd. There was a long queue of people bringing CDs and DVs for cash, pretty impressive operation – the place is huge on a scale I have not seen.… More...
On the way to Sunset to the army surplus shop to buy a tent… In front of me- like in a film on TV a whirr-whump! The man in from in the people carrier jumps the lights and does an illegal right turn into a shiny new Mercedes.… More...
Tuesday: stop for lunch at Lucy’s tacos in South LA on La Brea. The harsh metal windows where mostly Mexicans come for their 40 minute lunch break wait in the austere painted brick walled cell of the dining room. A plump Mexican lady chatters away in the corner under a mural of a South American scene again painted on brick.… More...
Email from Todd who sold me the motorcycle arrives last night:
“Hi James, don’t mean to be a pest but the email I’ve pasted below was interesting enough that I’d thought I’d pass it to you. Who knows?????”
By the way I didn’t get back to him – didn’t want to give your email or phone – I’ll leave that to you if you’re up for it.… More...
