San Diego... A good place to quit

I traveled out of Arizona at night to avoid the heat. I crossed rocky hills, sand dunes, boarder control check points and mountains until I felt the sensation of a sea breeze. I have finally reached California. I am almost overwhelmed by how much fun there is to be had here. My friend, Kristin and I have been spending our days basking in the sun on the beach, sitting in hot tubs, eating home cooked dinners, finding nitch restaurants and living the local life. Everybody here is fit and active... even the bums. People are friendly and I haven't see as many hippies as I thought I would. The weather is great all the time and each day ends with the sun melting over an aqueous horizon.

Kristin and I went to high school together and after she graduated from Marquette, she got stationed as a navy nurse here in San Diego. She has let me stay here for over a week, which is still not enough time to see all there is here. One of my favorite things here was the Maritime Museum where they have a collection of historic Tall Ships. Here is a picture of me at the helm of the HMS Surprise, the ship from "Master and Commander." The Mexican food here is amazing and its on every corner. The only problem here is that getting anywhere requires me to ride the bike on the road with these psycho drivers!




My time here has been so great that I have considered never living. I imagine days of working here followed by evenings of spear fishing, running along the coast and coming home to a cute girl. It all seems too perfect to pass up. Maybe the flat tire I got the first few minutes of being here was an indication that I should stay. This trip means a lot to me, not in the sense of "finding myself" or anything, but to exercises gumption. California, however, makes me want to forget gumption and just stop fidgeting, stop striving for something out of the ordinary and just get my life started. I have spent enough time on the road now to appreciate getting a job, a girl that cares, and a place in a community. The sight of the ocean has given me a sense of accomplishment and experiencing San Diego has made me start to think it's enough... but its not, my gumption is larger than the satisfaction I get from this place. My desire to stop moving is probably just premature enlightenment. So, onward I will push, because I can't stop, north I think, until I find a way to get further west.