Welcome Mat

Its been a while since i last found and outlet. I have tried many trust me. They have been few and far between. Of the few I have passed 1 has worked. Poor odds. Perhaps that proves that I have left the urban life. One of the common things found at the side of the road are musical recordings. They come in a variety of formats. Back in LA it was all burnt copies of Hard core urban music, Nas, Snoop, Alex's hardcore mix. In Santa Barbara there was alot more easy listening variety. A James Taylor, Christmas 2005, and even a religious CD. As I have moved north the scene is slowly shifting with the populations demographics. There are a higher density of cassette tapes. They range from, Judas Priest, To Jimmy Buffet. I have come along ways. Musicaly, and Litterally.

When last I was able to post something, It was Back in San Simeon. I was sitting in a cafe listening to the two employees banter at each other. They made a great comedy duet. The one guy chasing after girls, the other constantly chastizing him for it. Its a pretty slack time of year for these parts. A time when people can loosen there shirts for a while, and slow down. I must've drank 6 cups of coffee. The Waiter even came around and put a little whipped cream on top one time. The Big Sur Cafe in San Simeon. Worth the stop.

I started out pretty late. 10:45 I think. Not entirely looking forward to my afternoon shin splints. Concrete and asphalt are two of the most pain inducing surfaces for walking. I walked on ready for it. A little way down the road I entered San Simeon. I decided to cut through town instead of the highway. So as to avoid more pick-me-ups. There was a great little picnic area next to the beach. I stopped to use the Outhouse.

Upon releasing a torrent of Yellowed coffee, i exited and was about to hoist my pack. When i saw a string of touristas with the handy cams out. They were all pointing them at what appeared to be a very smooth boulder. The boulder then did something very un-rock like. It sprayed sand up in the air with its flippers. "Flippers?" I thought. "Thats a Seal!" So i too scurried over camera in hand. It was a hilarous sight to behold. This massive male elephant seal was lying on the beach there. All beach and looking very lazy and fat. All by itself. Well there were we the tourists. But not another one of its own species.

Its not easy being tourist bait

I turned around and left that place pretty quickly. I wanted to get up the road. Get furthur. I passed a lady painting, with water colour. I paused and looked over her shoulder. Looked like she had a pretty good technique going. I tried to not interrupt her. I kept on walking. The General Store in San Simeon had very little to offer except its exterior. So I walked on. As i was heading back out to the highway, that all to familiar white AeroStar pulled up. It was Matt again. He had an Albacore taco, and a beer for me. He had ditched work again to come find me. I am glad he did. My leg had really been bothering me. Remember that I am doing this rather long walk without the help of a back-up support vehicle. Well at least not one that is there exclusively for my use. I have thought about getting a burro. But Matt was doing such an awesome job. He seemed eager to hang-out. I for one was in the same boat. I have talked with alot of people on this trip. Its been since San Diego since I saw the same person in two days. So I jumped in his AeroStar once again.

painterly

I turned around and left that place pretty quickly. I wanted to get up the road. Get furthur. I passed a lady painting, with water colour. I paused and looked over her shoulder. Looked like she had a pretty good technique going. I tried to not interrupt her. I kept on walking. The General Store in San Simeon had very little to offer except its exterior. So I walked on. As i was heading back out to the highway, that all to familiar white AeroStar pulled up. It was Matt again. He had an Albacore taco, and a beer for me. He had ditched work again to come find me. I am glad he did. My leg had really been bothering me. Remember that I am doing this rather long walk without the help of a back-up support vehicle. Well at least not one that is there exclusively for my use. I have thought about getting a burro. But Matt was doing such an awesome job. He seemed eager to hang-out. I for one was in the same boat. I have talked with alot of people on this trip. Its been since San Diego since I saw the same person in two days. So I jumped in his AeroStar once again.

We stopped just a few miles up the road. At a beach that I can't remember the name of. There were hundreds of Elephant seals on this beach. Mommas, Papas, and babies, all out lounging in the sun, and spraying sand in the air. Matt had some Binoculars, he let me borrow them. I watch Some males duke it out over a hot broad. There was a lot of sex happening on the beach. I thought I could hear someone's mother say "Don't stare." Everyone was staring though. We touristas are good at that. Matt and I had a few funny comments to make. Then we got back in the car. I finished my Beer and got back in the car. We drove up to ragged point. I bought a bottle of Guiness from the gas station. Matt knew the guy behind the counter vaguely and that scored us the local price for the brews. I said good-bye to Matt in the parking lot. I wanted to walk some more. He had already diven me to far. So I hoisted my pack again and started walking.

A Good teacher in the art of Hanging Loose

This is where the Highway got tough. The shoulder is non-existant in places. I stayed facing traffic though. Always watching the shear cliff to my left. One fasle move and I would be condor bait. On I walked. steadily the pain in my leg grew worse. I had barely clocked 3 miles before i started stopping at every turn-out. A car stopped and offered me a lift. I denied it out of arrogance. I wanted to walk damnit. As I turned the next corner I saw the out-line of that AeroStar again. It was parked in a turnout by a canyon. That crazy Matt again. I wasn't surprised really. I was pretty happy in fact. Glad that I might get to hang-out for a while longer.

Down and down I walked. allowing gravity to pull me down. As I got closer I could see Matt rocking out on his guitar. People honking at him as they passed. As I got closer I could make out the tune of an old Greatful Dead tune. I started singing along as I drew closer. "...But I take my time, a friend of the devil is a friend of mine..." He continued as i set my pack down. I was signing too. It was around 3 pm or so.

The sun was at that point where it starts to get golden. On its way to a beautiful sunset. We sang a song by Blind Melon song. A part of me wanted to make more distance. Wanted to walk. My rational side told me to stay put. So I did. Matt shared his beers with me. We talked about everything under the sun. Delving briefly into that escoteric world. Just long enough to talk about being able to sense things that are mysterious.

Mysticism is a strange world. A world that i wouldn't like to get into to deeply at this point. The moment you submerge yourself in this topic, thats when you start to loose people. Its too weird to describe sometimes. Religion tries to explain it. But does a terrible job because it trys to. I feel that these topics are best left to the periphery and merely act as a buffer zone from turning into a complete nutter.

Slowly the sun set and we were starting to cool. Matt left to go back home. I waved and he gave me a hang-loose hand gesture. Off i went up a trail into the canyon, to find a dry place to sleep.