My husband Kevin and I have always been great at imagining trips we would love to take and places we would love to visit. All of these treks seemed so costly and difficult but were on the "someday I'll" list and many of them still are. The primary destination on our list was the U.S. west coast. Our dream to go west was partially inspired by all the fruit we seemed to be buying from California. There was always a nagging feeling that we were missing something important in the west we hadn't seen. We fell prey to romanticized ideas of the last pioneers making their way west in an effort to free themselves of persecution and of the Franciscans founding a city that to this day has a reputation for its liberal acceptance and diversity. It seemed even to us that there was something great beyond the borders of Atlanta and the east coast we had always known. Having this urge we decided to look into all the ways that we could experience the agricultural land of the west.

Our first step and what would ultimately be the only necessary one was to join the WWOOF organization or Willing Workers on Organic Farms. After filing through the booklet we finally found we found a peach farm in Colorado named Rancho Durazno that was willing to let us come stay for a summer and work. Unlike many of the other WWOOF farms this one offered pay for the peak season in addition to the housing. We had already been acquainted with Colorado peaches at one of Dr. Graham's Sports Camps in Silverthorne and since they were the best we'd ever eaten we decided to accept the offer. We would meet our new boss, Thomas, in Denver and he would drive us to Palisade on the western side of the Rockies just 40 miles east of Utah. The only thing left to do was to pack up all of our belongings, store them in a 5' x8' metal box and fly out into the relative unknown.

There is something about traveling that fills me with a sensation that lies somewhere between overwhelming excitement and petrified fear. Coming face to face with the new life experience that is about to formulate always sends chills up my spine Leading up to any adventure there is a bit of anticipation as to what you will experience or whether it's the right thing to be doing. Typically, a trip has a definite end signified by a return ticket or the end of vacation time but our trip had no such end. We were leaving with one carry on each and everything organized so necessary items could be shipped like our bicycles if needed. We had been awake for two days finalizing our departure and now on the plane I was beginning to get that terrified and excited feeling. When we met Thomas at the airport I felt more at ease and we had a sense it was going to be a good summer. As we passed through the constantly changing terrain of the Rockies we were struck dumb for words. We were in awe of the magnificence and beauty that was presented in the form of tree and snow covered slopes, followed by the jagged edges of towering peaks and lastly by Glenwood Canyon. The farm was nestled between mesas in the corner of the town at the beginning of the Grand Valley. It was by far the best lot of land in the town of Palisade. This lot was a thoughtfully selected spot with an eco friendly and extremely tasteful farmhouse where the family lived. We would begin work the next day after some sleep.

Harvesting fruit was a completely different experience with trees than our past work pruning Atlanta's shade trees. It was most fascinating to see how our fruit gets to market and then to the consumer. We had always bought food from the store like everyone else, but unlike many people we had thought many times that there was a large process in getting our food to us and now we were experiencing that process. This brought a connection and a sense of unification to our raw vegan ideals. Throughout the summer we were eating farm fresh food from the valley and loving every minute of it. Every few weeks we were greeted with a new visitor from the WWOOF organization or other group that had contacted this farm for a similar kind of experience. Throughout the summer there were two Frenchmen, a girl from Japan, an NYU student from Ohio, two Venezuelans, three Quebecers, a Texan and the migrant workers. Many of these people we continue to keep in touch with. Farm life is harder than we had anticipated at first and the harvest will wait for no one. My husband and I became friends with Thomas' daughter and spent much of the summer with her swimming in the canal and devouring cherries, peaches and watermelon. When we weren't working, swimming, sunbathing or eating we would ride our bikes that we had sent to us from Atlanta for transportation.

Four months passed quickly and the work on the farm was winding down. Normally, it would seem we were coming to the end of our journey but we did not yet feel we were done with our exploration of the West. For the first time in all my travels I was still free to travel. California still called to us and we were so close we decided to take another trip but this time by bicycle. Since we had our bikes shipped to us we decided to fulfill a long held dream of cycling the California Coast. Many people take this trip every year or even do the longer stretch of Vancouver to Mexico, but we didn't think anyone had ever done it completely raw. We both set out amassing everything we would need to make the journey the first being a trailer which we got from a small company in Colorado called Cycletote. We had wanted a trailer from these people long before we had ever been to Colorado for their unique two-wheel design. We then bought route maps from the Adventure Cycling Association and had more things shipped out like panniers and our camping equipment. Kevin and I decided to travel to California by way of train, so we contacted Amtrak. In Oakland we would switch from train to bus and take Greyhound the rest of the way to Crescent City. After a whirlwind three weeks of planning, shipping and receiving we were on our way to California.

We arrived in Crescent City after an exhausting two days of travel. Quickly we found a hotel room where we could get some real sleep and get our equipment unpacked and ready to go. Our goal was to make it to San Diego eventually, but we had to take it one day at a time, which would start with a five-mile climb into the mountains. We had never really done anything like this before and though we rode regularly in the city the two types of riding are a bit different except riding with the traffic. In all of my imagining of California I had never thought it would be so beautiful. The Redwoods towered over us as we cycled through the mountains. The same awe and mysticism we felt in the Rockies consumed us as we peddled through the ancient forests. Occasionally we would stop to hike into old growth forests and listen to the trees sway and creak in the wind. As tree climbers by profession it was always a dream to see the big trees of California. There is so much humility to be experienced under a canopy of trees that date back to a time before the birth of Jesus. There were times on Newton B. Drury Parkway or the Avenue of the Giants when the pavement and grade were perfect, the air crisp and cool but the sun still warm so that we felt we were flying through these ancient forests. Some of my favorite moments in my life thus far came on these roads with these trees.

After a few days we found a certain harmony with riding, camping and getting enough fruit to support our needs. We had set a goal of a minimum of 30 miles a day but we wound up averaging 50 miles a day with several days much longer. Carrying a load in the mountains is no small task. Some days we would have fog you could cut with a knife and others the sun would beat down only to be intensified by the dry air. We were pleasantly surprised by the State Parks system, which is very hospitable to hikers and bikers through their extremely low site rate that often averaged three dollars per person per night. The sites were often communal and we would get to meet all the other cyclists on our way. As we reached the end of our inland mountain riding we approached yet another five mile ascent to get out of Leggett and down to the coast near the town of Westport. We were sitting at the camp just before Leggett to eat some dates and bananas and also decide if we wanted to camp there that night or ride the thirty miles it would take to get to the coast. This wasn't a matter of distance it was more a matter of time as it was four o'clock and we had already ridden a full day. Our map said the five-mile ascent followed by the twelve mile decent was "arduous" which had us a little concerned but we decided to ride on anyway. This was without a doubt a highlight in our trip. The time of day turned out perfect since the traffic on Highway 1 was minimal and the ride quite pleasant. We arrived in Westport just as the sun was beginning to set. This also signified the start of the more spur of the moment decisions in our trip.

From here we headed down the coast to San Francisco with a stop in Sebastopol to visit some dear friends. When we reached our off route turn to Sebastopol a small sense of accomplishment began to wave through us. We had been promising Dave Klein of Living Nutrition Magazine we would come visit him for a couple of years and we had finally made it. As we were making our arrangements to visit he gave the promise of all the figs we could eat from his tree. This was a promise not to be taken lightly as figs are one of our favorite foods. His promise was fulfilled and we definitely ate all the figs we could stand on our few days with him. In this time we had such fun exchanging stories and fleshing out our friendship. In this visit we also got to spend a bit of time with Bradley Saul who is taking this experience of ours and publishing it for all to read. It was such a treat to get to speak to another cyclist about our ride and the route we were taking. Bradley was full of suggestions for us, many of which were great. One that we wholeheartedly followed was going to San Francisco's World Vegetarian Day in Golden Gate Park. When we left Sebastopol we made for San Francisco. To come to the Golden Gate Bridge was truly a landmark in our trip. It was the end of the first of three maps and it meant we were about half way there. It also meant that we would get to reconnect with old friends from Atlanta who had moved here.

This was the day we fell completely in love with California. We have always been a bit on the outside as far as our lifestyle choices went and everyone we knew on the same path were much older than us. Other than a handful of people like Bradley we had met very few people our age interested in the same ideals we were. This in many ways is a positive thing but there was always something inside of us that craved the information exchange between our peers. At World Vegetarian Day we found ourselves surrounded by these people. Atlanta would never have held such an event nor would it have had the same turnout. People from all backgrounds came to commune with others interested in the ecological, humanitarian, health and spiritual benefits of a plant-based diet. It was wonderful. For the first time ever we felt we could really become a part of a community somewhere even if it was in the city.

A friend and old co worker in the tree care business from Atlanta would be picking us up at this event so we could visit with him and explore San Francisco. In this time we hiked the surrounding areas and went camping in Sequoia National Park. For all of us it was a spectacular time. The three of us had all climbed for the tree service and had gone recreational climbing together as well. Having another tree lover to share the joy of the Giant Sequoias was a treat. When we returned to the city we visited with others we knew and then the time came for us to continue what we had started.

We left San Francisco and headed south. Every town we visited happened to have a farmer's market we could visit for fresh produce. Dates were beginning to be harvested and we began to explore the many varieties that were available. To describe the whole trip would take a book. We met fantastic people, rode with others who were trekking across California and enjoyed the beauty that is often spoken about the state. When we reached Big Sur we came to the hardest part of our trip. The terrain was harder than anywhere else we had ridden so far and it was a ninety mile stretch with no place for a raw vegan to re-supply. We camped at Julia Pfeiffer Burns and did our biggest day of 70 miles to San Simeon because we knew we didn't have enough food. This section of the trip was the most talked about by all the people we met on the way. It was said to be the most beautiful section of California. I would have to agree it was beautiful and it may have been an easier section except we did it on about 1500 calories of raisins each and minimal water. Seventy miles in the mountains with fully loaded bicycles is respectable for anyone to do it on almost no food and water is somewhere between idiotic and amazing, I think. Unfortunately, we passed Hearst Castle in the dark and we rode on the next day.

We had been blessed so far in the trip with the weather we had been having. We had managed to stay ahead of most of the storms. Our luck in this regard was coming to an end. By the time we reached Santa Barbara we knew we had to move faster or we were going to be stuck in some terrible weather. We rode steadily until we reached Santa Monica. We managed to make it in time for the market and enjoy the bounty of California's summer crops. LA was the only disappointment but even within the city we could see that so many people moved there because it was beautiful with a fantastic climate. As we left LA and rode on to San Diego we finished up what was actually some of our most enjoyable time on the trail. A couple of broken spokes held us up in small towns where I visited the local bead shop and craft stores while they were being repaired. A visit to Torrey Pines State Park acquainted us with this rare pine tree and gave us a glimpse of our final day of riding toward La Jolla.

As we approached La Jolla we found the paragliding port. We stopped and ate lunch there as we watched the students and experienced gliders take off into the currents and fly around. I watched my husband fall in love. As many of us he has dreamed of flying and that day his dream became possible. Without the use of fans or other mechanics they lifted off the cliff on the upward drafts and soared above the land with specially designed parachutes. After two hours we decided to find where we were going to sleep for the night. As we arrived in San Diego proper we were faced with an unforeseen dilemma. There was a convention in town and all the hotels were booked. Here we had traveled all the way down the state, seen all that we had seen, and every night had taken for granted there would be a place to sleep. We had been looking forward to seeing San Diego for a couple of days but instead had to think on our feet and take a train back to LA where we could get a hotel and await our departing train to Florida.

South Florida was next on the list because we wanted to escape the winter and experience tropical agriculture. As we are here in Florida now not a day goes by where we don't long for the experiences we had out west with the fruit, the people and the land. All the stories we had heard of the West's beauty and open mindedness had been true, at least for us. From the strangers we had met to the friends we already knew we experienced a place that felt like home to us. Now we look forward to the day when we will return. Until then we have the memories of a trip that filled our hearts with peace, challenged us to think on our feet, adapt to changes in plans, and affirmed the joys of raw foods and vigorous activity. Of all the people we rode with and met we had the least physical complaints and could ride whatever distance we desired without much consideration. We were able to spread a message of athleticism, health, environmental and humanitarian concerns while exploring and experiencing the beauty of humanity and the planet.

In closing I would like to extend a thank you to all the people who loved and supported us while we were on this adventure. From the people who housed and shared food with us to the ones we met along the way that gave encouraging words of our journey. You have all remained in our hearts every day. We hope to see many of you again soon.