Today we return to the travelogue portion of our trip after some diversions for philosophy and other esoteric topics.  Yesterday was my last day riding for this Pac Coast trip.  :(  I'm driving the Rest Stop Van today and tomorrow morning I fly out early to head back for Portland and my "real life" (whatever that means!).  But as a parting gift California treated me to one of the more serene and beautiful days riding I've ever experienced.  Most of the route from Santa Monica down to Huntington Beach is bike trails.  I had always thought of LA as ugly.  And, to be fair, the portion of time we spent along the LA River was, in fact, ugly.  But that was the only ugly part.  The rest was wide open beautiful white sandy beaches with a thin bike path snaking through them.  It was unbelievable.  There was also some kind of Beach Volleyball competition happening in Hermosa Beach.  The women were perfect, model quality women literally just frolicking in the sand.  It was like a Beach Boys song came to life.  I was impressed to say the least.