Final stats for this “short” vanlife cycling excursion.

Thanks again Rog for hosting me while in LA, made my life much easier. We’ve been working together for 20 years now I think! Got my internet start doing Picklemanwith him way back in 2002-2003!

A well-earned recovery day. Truth be told if you just want to bike, you never need rest days, you only need those if you plan to actually train and get strong. Otherwise you can really just grind out a 5 hour ride day after day for months. Your gooch and tendons will give out before your muscles.

Monterey is a bougie area near the ocean with a great Aquarium and some wildlife watching excursions.

Nothing says christmas like a warm seaside town that hasn't seen snow in decades....

Epic #artiste #photographerlife

The bike path/road follows the coats and offers endless views of sea life hanging out and screeching.

Heerman's Gulls here. There's dozens of different species of birds wintering in California at this time.

A California Gull here. Some say all these gulls look the same. Some say.

We appreciate the effort.

The actual town has several of the touristy harbor town streets that are so typical across North America. Seafood restaurants and souvenir shops for all.

The coastal part of the loop was beautiful, felt I was getting away with something not being wrapped in fog.

Seals just resting on their individual rocks, pretending to be comfortable.

Resting on a cliff.

Black winged seagull watching me. Where is your neck?

More great views. Lots of beaches all around the area too.

Like 30% of this coastal area is golf courses too.

Big waves crashing on the rocks. Many surfers out that day despite the cold. Bad California day > Good BC day.

Little outlook with the lone Cypress tree watching over the cliffs.

After the ride, headed north to catch this Big Artichoke. They just built half of it though. Barely counts.

I stayed in Gilroy that night. That's right, THE Gilroy, Garlic Capital of the world and possibly even the universe.

Home of the Longest Garlic Braid. No vampires here.

I feel like if their building was larger they'd just have kept on going with this.

You know I have to buy this now. It's fate.

So imagine those exact flavors but your breath smells like garlic after. Does garlic add anything to ice cream? No. Absolutely not. It's an obviously terrible idea and I regret nothing.

"Garlic World" sells all sorts of fancy artisan products, including this 200$ hot sauce which at that point is likely just bear mace.

Grey Whale replica up in Santa Cruz near a little marine museum.

Santa Cruz area, on the way to San Fran. Again gorgeous beaches and harbors. Town really looks like nothing but I imagine houses are worth millions anyway.

You can visit this blue whale skeleton sitting right outside the oceanic research center.

It's crazy huge. Somewhat amazed it got preserved this long just being outside too. This thing is almost 90 feet long.

This gray whale skeleton looks tiny by comparison.

It's not because this is small either. Love me some skeletons. More skeletons everywhere please.

Elephant seal statues.

You are one of God's most grotesque mistakes.

A bit out of the way in a little town called Felton there's this thing called the tallest covereted bridge. I have zero idea if this is it or what it is. It sucks don't go there.

Finally making it to San Francisco to stay with my long-time friend Valina. Met like 10+ years ago in the Montreal biking scene! Thanks for hosting me so I could visit the area a bit.

The line to take pictures to the Golden Gate bridge.

Not a creeper.

Some people living in house boats in Sausalito.

Once you get out of the city it becomes quite nice.

The point of this ride, this giant woman statue in Greenbrae.

It's pretty dope.

Took a little break in the shopping center. This looked good.

6$ ( with tip ) for a sugar cookie. God damn this place.

Back across the bridge, still a bunch of people lining up to take selfies.

Land's end. Well worth taking a little detour there if you ask me.

These are all over the city. Good advice cops: Don't own stuff! That'll solve theft!

More of land's end.

Turning into Golden Gate park to see the world's largest Dutch Windmill.

It's pretty sweet. Don't know why it's here but hey.

Ambitious plan was for Valina to commute to her job at 6am and I’d just bike back. Oversleeping was involved so we just took the train halfway to her workplace, then I extended the route and made it back before the rain, making me the biggest winner in the world.

Next day commuted with Valina to her job at Rivian.

They make electric cars! Don't steal the design PLZ.

Coming back across the mountains over Skyline Ridge. 800m climb or so.

Pretty good views up here.

Taking a little break at a fancy bakery in Half Moon Bay.

Earned it.

Following the coast with some sweet tailwind.

Amazing views of the beach following highway 1.

That night went to the Tonga Room, this famous tiki bar in downtown SF. Very expensive drinks.

Standing there bombing some pretentious corporate event with people I can't imagine making an honest living.

The cool part of the bar was this huge GingerBread house they built in the lobby of the hotel.

At night it gets real festive in the city because you can't tell there's no snow. They have a Time Square vibe going on.

Was just leaving that day so squeezed a little recovery ride in the morning, finally going to the Arsicault bakery I’d been eyeing this whole time.

Last day in San Fran, leaving ChinaTown behind. Very goofy place.

My garbage visit to Lombard street. Enjoy this picture from the top...?

Nice view of the city from the top of Lombard Street.

Palace of Fine Arts. Very fancy.

Conservatory of Flowers, in Golden Gate Park.

Went to Arsicault bakery. Big line, but moves fast. Worth going, those things are half butter at least. Get in my mouth.

"The Making Of" picture of the previous picture.

Then drove to Berkeley to hang out with an old Montreal friend. This is the top of Grizzly Peak.

The San Francisco is leaking out.

Badass live size fin whale at the Lawrence Hall of Science.

After a few chill days around Berkeley it was time to zoom back up north. Had a few climbs to do on the list but it was just way too cold so screw it. Some other time. Not doing rainy climbs at sub zero temperatures, don’t need that in life.

1 hour north of Berkeley, Santa Rosa, CA. Huge structure made of bike parts!

Healdsburg, CA. Lots to see here, including this huge hammer.

Huge Coyote sculpture at a winery in that city.

Lord Snort, huge junk boar near another winery.

Ukiah, CA. Little gas station made from a Redwood stump.

Oh yeah that's the good stuff.

Taking the "Highway of the Giants" route through the redwood forests. Very cool. Very bigfoot infected.

Free? That's the right price to get me to stop and look!

Kind of just a hollow stump you can walk inside. No hobos here.

Huge fallen redwood.

McKingley, CA: Largest Totem Pole! I think it might be the official largest one for once.

From here I begun driving along the Oregon coast, absolutely beautiful bit of road.

The Devil's Buttcrack.

Crashing waves dig into the rocks and create these sweet dangerous chasms for kids to fall into.

More gorgeous views of the coast.

Probably 25% of global tourism is "Water Digging Holes into Rocks".

Tillamook: World's Largest Wooden Structure.

I believe this used to be an Airship hangar. It's truly gigantic, you can't tell from just this picture.

Last little ride of the trip in Long Beach: The World’s Longest Driveable Beach. Huh okay. Had planned to do almost 90km but just cut it short. Weather was garbage and it was rapidly getting darker.

Dope sign.

It's all hard packed sand on here.

Really nailing that middle ground between "It's big" and "Nobody Else Wants to Make This".

Friend in Shelton has this sculpture. Turn the crank and it feeds him donuts.

Here we go, end of the trip and end of travel for 2022! Was gone for almost half the year, saw lots of cool things. Biked 23 000km. Everyone very impressed.

Bay Area and Trip End :,(