DAY 14 - SAN LUIS OBISPO & "THE GRADE"

DAY 14 - Today we walked through San Luis Obispo and up the Cuesta Pass, or as the locals call it, "the grade."

LOCATION UPDATE: Tomorrow, Tuesday, we will walk through Santa Margarita and Atascadero.

DAY 14 - We started our day on Higuera and followed it through the town of San Luis Obispo. We were surprised at how many people were still seeking us out because they saw us on the news. It's a little surreal and exciting. We had quite a few people sign the petition and do video clips... one mother of 3 gay kids who sought us out; 2 young Cal Poly guys who just couldn't believe we voted about this issue; one woman rushing to catch a plane, but made a point to pull over, talk to us, sign the petition, and do a video clip; and many more.

We passed by our new friend Lisa's work (she and Chris housed us for nights 10 & 11) and stopped by to say hello. Then we stopped for some lunch at a crepe place on Higuera. Instead of announcing our number when our order was ready, the cook announced "please vote no on prop 8." He also signed the petition and did a video clip.

One guy, Frank, signed our petition and did a video clip and told us about an inspiring woman, Peace Pilgrim. We made a point to write down that name so we could get her book. Not long after saying goodbye to Frank, he drove back by and said that he was going to bring us a copy of the Peace Pilgrim book. He did bring the book right before we hit the end of town (San Luis Obispo). We told him that everyone advised us not to walk "the grade." He told us about a tunnel that would take us under the freeway and then up Old Stagecoach Road to the top of the pass. He gladly took us a little way up the 101 to this tunnel and dropped us off. So, we were able to walk "the grade" after all. Dan (who walked with us in Arroyo Grande and Pismo) also called to check on us and to tell us about Old Stagecoach Road. It was a gorgeous walk - we didn't encounter a lot of activity, but we did gain about 1200 feet and enjoy the scenery.

The hike UP.

The locals are clearly No on 8 supporters!

The 101 freeway in the background.


We let Lisa know where we were (it was pretty deserted) and she agreed to come get us when we couldn't go any further. Minutes before we reached the top of the pass, Chris drove up behind us. Lisa told her where we were and she came to check on us. She couldn't have had better timing. Once we reached the top, we couldn't walk any further... it put us on the 101 freeway. Chris drove us through Santa Margarita and Atascadero where we'll be walking tomorrow so that we could check out our walking route. Then we headed back into San Luis Obispo and were treated to a wonderful Thai dinner by Chris and Lisa.

Chris to the rescue.... again!!!

We made it to the top!





We then headed to our accommodations for the night at Les and Bonnie's house. They attend a local Unitarian Universalist church, where they learned about our journey from Gina who has been supporting us along the way. We'll post a picture of Les and Bonnie tomorrow.

Thanks to all of you that post to the blog - it's very uplifting to come in after walking all day and sit down to write out our day and see the support and encouragement that you leave!