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May 14-15
Leaving civilization
We woke up early on Sunday, May 14, to make sure we were out of the Unitarian church before services began. I was pretty sure that this would be the last day that we would have people join us along the route for a while. Since the beginning of the walk weÕve had people join us. Many just walking for the day, a few for several days and even a couple for a week.
The day started off strong with some 30 walkers headed south on the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1). By the end of the day it was just us, the core walkers. It was kind of like the further that we got away from civilization, the more people we lost. They didnÕt want to get to far out I guess.
Tamdin and family drove down from the East Bay to bring us a delightful Tibetan lunch on the roadside.
The last few miles of the dayÕs route were rather strenuous. The wind kicked up and was almost pushing us backward. We didnÕt have to worry about holding our signs, because the wind did the work for us.
To say we were awestruck by the beauty of walking along AmericaÕs western-most highway (well, at least as far as the 48-continuous states are concerned) would be an understatement. On one side are rolling foothills, covered in short greenery and on the other are rocky cliffs with the Pacific Ocean smashing against them.
There was something about the beauty of the area, the feeling of being alone and the forces of nature against us that invigorated all of us. We just screamed "Free Tibet" and pushed forward against the wind. Then the rain kicked in. It rained hard enough to put us in the van about a mile and a half short of our goal for the day. We didnÕt have our rain gear with us and decided to pack it in and make up for it on Tuesday, our next day of walking.
Our housing for the next two nights was in the Big Sur Grange Hall. The Grange is a sort of association for farmers. The hall sits in a redwood forest with a river running by one side of it. Thank you for letting us stay in your hall.
Sunday was mother's day. The only mother on our walk, and our walk mother, is Julie Crow, walk coordinator. We all pitched in and made sure she got a card and a nice gift. She deserves much more than that.
Once again the Gyuto Monks cooked us dinner, this time they were joined by a friend named Sharon. They prepared us a traditional meal of Tibetan Thukpa, a sort of beef and noodle stew. It rocked. There was so much leftover that we had it for breakfast and lunch the next day, too. Thanks again.
Monday we had our first official day off, with no programs and no walking. It was awesome. (Go to the at large site for a full report) We went to the Monterey Aquarium and had dinner at the incredibly beautiful home of Lynnette and Jonathan in Carmel Highlands. Their home sits on a mountain overlooking the ocean. We were awestruck by the view. Thank you.
After dinner we hit the grocery store and stocked up, because we were told that once we headed down the highway we'd either have to drive back to Carmel or south about 80 miles to find any provisions.
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Tibet Independence Movement
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