Vanishing Points

There was a day back in July of 2018 that saw record breaking heat all over California’s coast. This was a few days after that when temperatures here cooled down to a chilly 96 degrees on the coast. Believe it or not, this was a relief from what it had been two days prior. This painting required a mile long uphill hike in this heat. It may have been ill-advised, but I drank a gallon of water and survived. The day before this I had come to the area to scope views and about a mile from here I drove up a little one lane road to a pullout with a commanding view. I passed a biker on the way up, (I know you’re thinking I’m exaggerating- how hot was it if there was a guy on a bike cruising up the hill, but what can I say? Bikers are nuts, you’ll see…) When I reach the top I got out to check things out and considered painting, but decided with no shade to be found it just wasn’t gonna happen in this heat. The biker finally reaches me up there, pauses for a minute and turns to go back down the hill before I’m ready. When I finally leave, I was surprised to come around a bend and see him walking his bike. I stop and check to see if he needs help, and we load his bike in the van and I bring him back down the hill where he can get cell reception and call a friend for a ride home. He wasn’t a novice that didn’t know how to patch a tire either, it’s just that those patch kits don’t really work on tires that completely MELT. OFF. THE. RIM. I told you bikers are nuts. At least this one was. But he somehow made it up that hill in the heat so he is the hero of this story and I’ll stop saying he’s nuts now. But he was. In the best way.