A few weeks ago I received an invitation from Scott T. in Los Angeles offering a garage and guest room while I pass through.  We had only been friends on facebook but he and his girlfriend Yvette had been following my blog and shared a number of other small displacement traveling friends in common.  My day of arrival was met with 40mph headwinds and sheets of rain, quite unusual for LA.  I fought my way through 20 miles of urban sprawl until finally reaching the dry respite of his home.  The following two weeks were spent relaxing, fixing gear and preparing the scooter for the upcoming ride south of the border.  I'll have to admit that having good wifi, a comfortable bed and access to a shower was quite a treat for these past two weeks.  Their hospitality was memorable and I hope one day to be in the position to reciprocate.

Scott offered the use of his boat to learn/practice rolling a hardshell Kayak in the pool.  We followed that up with a paddle in the harbor at Redondo Beach and a Class I-II whitewater on the lower Kern River. Even his adorable dog, The Dude, came along wearing his Puppy Flotation Device.  Additionally, we took a number of rides on his Symba Cubs (C90 Copies) through the canyons and twisty hills near the Rose Bowl Stadium.  Yvette was kind enough to give me a tour of Hollywood where we visited the sign, spotted Madonna's house, checked out the Observatory and wound up on Scott's TV production shoot overnight in the hills. Over my visit, the cooking was delicious and we visited some of the local eateries for Ramen, Pizza, Thai and delicious brews. I never thought I'd say this but I'm looking forward to returning through LA on my way north from Baja.

Howdy everyone! I've been relaxing in Los Angeles for the past two weeks and working on the bike, kayaking and this sweet video.  More blog posts to come but until then, check this out!