Visit to Direct Relief Office & Warehouse, Santa Barbara

Today we had a very memorable, inspring and humbling day.

Many moons ago (way back East, when we didn't dare think about our arrival in San Francisco)-we had arranged to visit Direct Reliefs' Internationals' headquarters 'on our way past'. Given the ground we've covered, it feels like much more than three months ago that we made that fanciful engagement - it's been eventful and emotional! So it felt surreal cycling 7 miles through sunny Santa Barbara, to meet the charity we had only had online contact with thus far.

We locked our bikes by the large business park and tried to make ourselves look respectable before furtively entering the office... A huge plasma screen above the smiling receptionist welcomed us and we felt instantly humbled! Jonathan, my previously invisible email contact now stood before us, warmly smiling and shaking our hands in turn. He lead us to the boardroom, where the entire office staff sat awaiting our arrival, breaking into applause when we entered the room.

Matt and I were both totally taken aback; we had expected a casual walk around the offices and certainly hadn't prepared any speech! We took turns awkwardly addressing our smiling audience and answering their questions about how we chose to support their charity and general questions about our ride.

Tomas, the CEO beamed at us and asked lots of interested questions, before we were presented with tshirts, a cap and a mug all bearing Direct Reliefs' logo. We were both touched and genuinely humbled. After this tear-prickling display of gratitude, Jonathan and Rebecca (who has also cycled across the US!)-lead us on a tour of the offices and warehouse.

Direct Relief is able to maintain a 100% efficiency rating by relying on donations from a score of pharmaceutical companies. These donations; from toothbrushes to examination tables to insulin - are then distributed globally where they are needed most. As we strolled the warehouse aisles of packing boxes with familiar product names, we realized the epic proportions of the logistics required for such an operation. As Rebecca said 'data is king' -in terms of minimizing waste and ensuring aid is delivered to where it is needed most. Many of the pharmaceuticals have a limited shelf-life, and shipping to remote destinations such as rural Africa takes several weeks. We felt amazed by what the group of people we had just met were able to accomplish. A philanthropic bequest from a Santa Barbaran covers the operational costs of the charity, so that any donations are invested entirely in providing relief to projects in Guatemala, Haiti and Pakistan (to name but a few.)

I have copied Direct Reliefs' website below, so I won't inaccurately para-phrase the good work they accomplish.

http://www.directrelief.org/international/

 Many of you who are reading this blog have generously contributed a donation to Direct Relief via our 'Support our chosen charity' link above. We are extremely grateful; this support has provided much motivation for our ride when the going got tough. The journey almost over, it is so rewarding to witness first-hand the good work that your donations will assist.

This has been a 'Once in a Lifetime' experience for us. If you have not been able to do so, please help us reach our target amount. Not just for us, but for the benefit of all the less fortunate people, who benefit globally from Direct Reliefs' projects. Every little helps! Please spread the word too; it's a small world! Thankyou for making our epic adventure complete.

Morro Bay to Santa Barbara...

Another condensed account of our leisurely cycle down the Central Coast of California...

After a lazy day of prowling the thrift shops in the small seaside town of Morro Bay (plus an obligatory trip to the laundromat)- we returned to Highway 1, Southbound. Another cruise of little mileage; a 31 mile amble down to just beyond Pismo Beach. As we headed South, the fog seemed to lift a little more with each pedal stroke. Finally, the sun shone gloriously on the Cali coast and had the Beach Boys ringing in our ears. When we arrived at Oceano State Park and paid our very reasonable $14 camping fee, we quickly decided to stay two nights and have fun-fun-fun til her daddy took the T-bird away.

Matt was the first to charge into the ocean later that evening... A bystander told me 'He's freakin crazy - that waters' freezin!' Not to be outdone, I joined Matt for a splash but we were happy to shiver our way back to the campsite (via the liquor shop for a beer blanket.)

Pismo beach is like many other touristy beach resorts; we couldn't find a supermarket but arcades, ice cream parlours, bars and fast-food abound. We asked in one grocery/liquor store where we might be able to find some vegetables; while the grocer scratched his head, another customer laughed and said 'No vegetables in Pismo! We're not in England anymore!' Then again, you'd probably have the same problem in Yaremouth or Blackpool. We settled for greasy tacos.

Before we left Pismo Beach, we swung by a quirky old rail-car-cum-diner, for some breakfast and wi-fi. The friendly Cypriat manager went to great lengths to get the internet to work for us, and jokingly left us with directions to a 'nudey beach' (we stuck with our original route though.)

After a day off the bikes, we felt the sun and 62 miles from Oceano to Gaviota State Park... Sweating up the hills, I remembered the old 'be careful what you wish for' adage (having longed for the sun further North.) Still, we were humbled when we passed a 70 year old ambling up the same hill on his pannier-packed bike. Hugely admirable stuff!

We arrived at Gaviota just before sunset, and ran for the sea for what prove to be a very quick dip; coastal storms had the kelp all churned up so it was like swimming in Miso soup. Matt cooked up some camp food on the 'Pocket Rocket' stove we splurged on in Morro Bay. 

With an early start, we were on the road by 9am and thankful for a cool breeze. An easy, breezy 32 miles later we freewheeled into picturesque Santa Barbara. The city is nestled between the sea and mountains, red-roofed white buildings abound, in what a local described as 'a Californian, romanticised impression of Spanish architecture'. It's a damn pleasant place to hang around and procrastinate the final Putsch of 100 miles to L.A. So our one-night stay has swiftly turned to three nights... 'You can check in any time you like, but you can never leave!' We even heard the Mission Bell yesterday when we visited Santa Barbara's famed old Mission for a picnic in the nearby gardens.