Miles 0
Elevation 4,158'
The town of Bishop is pretty darn cool. 2nd only to Idyllwild, as far as PCT trail towns go :) Dang, looking back, today was absolutely epic. Definitely the best zero day I've had so far. 2 standout places: Schatz Bakery and Mountain Light Gallery.
We stayed at the Best Western in Bishop, thanks Mom and Dad! Oh my god the pillows were amazing. It was so nice to just lay around and do nothing. On those pillows. They were like gigantic fluffy marshmallows of goodness! You see, while on trail I never have time to do nothing. I'm either walking, eating, setting up camp, fixing something, blogging, or sleeping. There's just always something to do and never enough time in the day to do it. Or, I'm so exhausted I just pass out. Just being able to lay around and not do anything was sooooo awesome!
Anyhow, we finally left and walked around town sometime in the afternoon. There was a bicycle shop, and having just watched Ride The Divide we are both super stoked on bikes now. Lol. Actually I have been for a while. Before leaving Hawaii I had recently gotten into mountain biking. As if I have any time for more hobbies... Lol. Anyways, the dudes at the bike shop were super cool, we talked story for a while. Apparently Bishop is a very popular stop for trans-continental riders. The guys said they get a lot of riders going toward Mexico or even all the way to Tierra Del Fuego (southern tip of south America). Oh, I should mention, I've spent the better part of today and last night trying to convince Kyle that, once he gets to Canada, he should get a bike and cycle down the coast on highway 1 to SoCal. Since I cannot bicycle back to Hawaii, I'll live vicariously through him. :) Anyhow, the wheels in his brain are definitely turning. :) Talking to the guys at the shop, it doesn't seem like it would take a whole lot. Just a bike and helmet and some maps.
Schatz Bakery. Holy moly. Lol! This establishment has been around since 1903 and its kind of a tourist trap, but its so amazing! I took a pic of their sign out front, and also 2 pics of the interior. I open the door to walk in, and immediately I said out loud: "Oh dear god". You enter a huge room full of cookies and pastries and cakes and gelato and every sweet delicious thing imaginable! It gets better, there is a 2nd room which is even bigger!! That room has all kinds of bread and baked deliciousness and cheese and salami and a deli in the back.
It was so funny, when we both walked in, I looked at Kyle and I swear his eyeballs were about to fall out. Lol! Kyle has a minor obsession with baked goods. And he loves bread. I think the first words out of his mouth were: "this is a horrible idea..." lol. But it gets better! There was a discount rack in the back!! Oh joy!! I got some tomato cheese focaccia bread, garlic chiabatta, and a cream cheese roll. Oooo it was so amazing. The garlic chiabatta had actual chunks of garlic on it. And focaccia is my favorite kind of bread :)
There is an photo art gallery here in Bishop called Mountain Light Gallery. It is absolutely *amazing*. It showcases the work of Galen and Barbara Rowell who were locals there. They both passed away in a tragic accident in 2002. What originally drew me to that place was when I found out that the couple was closely connected to Tibet. In fact, the Rowell Foundation donates money to www.savetibet.org. The photography there is absolutely breathtaking. Possibly my most favorite photographic gallery i've ever been to. The Rowells were quite the outdoor enthusiasts and travelers. Hence they have incredible photos from all corners of the world, including Tibet. We spent a lot of time in that gallery. It's funny, earlier today I was looking for an acupuncturist because I wanted to realign my body. Coming to this gallery, it was as if I had my soul uplifted and realigned. It really made a huge impression on me, more than i could ever explain. I wish I could have met Galen and Barbara. They seem like absolutely beautiful and amazing people. Galen Rowell collaborated with the Dalai Lama on a photo book called My Tibet. Too bad it weighed so much, I would have loved to have it with me on the trail. Www.mountainlight.com.
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