After a month of double bacon cheeseburger binges, dodging logging trucks, battling headwinds, and living off of my bike, the adventure has come to a close. There is no better place on the West Coast to end this trip than Big Sur. With steep winding roads, no bike lane, dramatic vistas, and beautiful blue water, the danger and beauty of Big Sur is a perfect summation of a month spent living on my bicycle. Having ridden further south before, I know that it’s not going to get any better than this.

I convinced my friend Nate from Santa Monica to drive up and meet me in Big Sur for my final night living off of my bike. Our pre-planned meeting spot was Plaskette Creek. This would make my ride for the day be about 106 miles of winding, rolling, cliff-side hills. That being said, I only half believed I would make it that far. It was a suitable plan for the final adventure of this journey.

The day was perfect and my legs felt strong. My plan to ride all day long seemed feasible. Hours went by as I made my way through strawberry fields, harbors, bike paths, and shopping centers. After about 45 miles, I had made it to Monterey and still felt willing and able to ride another 50. However, my confidence was misleading due to the fact that the first half of my ride was mostly flat, while the second half is definitely not. I knew what was ahead of me so I was mentally prepared for what I assumed would be a physical and moral beat-down for the second half of the day.

Big Sur never ceases to amaze me. No matter how many times I’ve been there, I always feel like I’m discovering some lost world. The road is riddled with one lane closures due to rock slides. Steep cliffs and tight winding roads let you gaze hundreds of feet down on the blue water. Every so often you make your way around a point in the coastline to catch a vista of miles of mist covered ocean rocks strung down the coast. I found myself stopping frequently to enjoy the view but a voice in the back of my mind was nagging, “What happens if I don’t make it far enough to meet Nate?” After giving it a little thought I decided my concern wasn’t too great. Having spent the last month sleeping in one pile of dirt or another, it hardly seemed to matter which pile of dirt I slept in tonight. Nate’s last adventure was hitchhiking through South Africa so I was sure he’d be find as well.

As the day slowly burned out I had to give up. One of the unfortunate parts of my plan was that I was counting on refilling my water and food from Nate’s supplies. With very little certainty on where I was or where he was I decided to make the most of it. I drank the last of my water, ate the last of my food, and found a warm rock perched on a cliff to sleep against. Wrapped in my sleeping bag, I watched the sunset and the Milkyway slowly burn into the night sky. With no food or water left, I left my reflecting bags and bike on the other side of the rock in hopes Nate might find me later that night or in the morning.

Sure enough, just as I began to doze off, Nate arrived. We spent the night telling stories, shooting some video, and talking about the adventures that were still to be had. Fatigued from the days ride, I was happy to make it an early night. Nate had promised me eggs in the morning and I couldn’t wait…

In case you’ve ever wondered why aluminum camping pots are so cheap, it’s because you can’t cook in them. As soon as Nate began cooking eggs, they started steaming like some sort of witches brew. I hovered over the eggs, hoping they would emerge tasty and unburnt. Alas, quite the opposite, they emerged smoky and strange. I was so hungry (and without much food to ride home on), I did my best to eat what I could.

After a few more stories, it was time for us to both make out ways back home. I wish the story ended here with a “happily ever after”. Unfortunately, I battled a 30mph headwind the entire way back. This resulted in my only being able to make it to Carmel by sunset. Did I mention I had forgotten my wallet and therefor could not buy food? Ridiculous. Luckily, my wonderful girlfriend agreed to come pick my sorry ass up and accompany me to a very large dinner. Just like that, with one final weekend of crazy, my adventure was over. It was hard to imagine a soft bed and a refrigerator filled with fresh food. I’m sure it will take time for me to digest this trip. I’ll do my best to do a final reflection with a photo recap in the not so distant future.

Thanks for all the words of encouragement, funny jokes, reflections, life-savers, and new friends! I’ll be looking forward to the next adventure!