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to wear one himself. When she started giving him a hard time about it, he took her aside and whispered, "You fall off, you might dent the curb with that head of yours. The only thing I have to worry about is something incredibly long and sharp . . . like your tongue." |
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She stuck her tongue out and wiggled it and then grinned, zipped her camera into the fanny pack that she had brought along for just that purpose and they were off. |
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At first the going was slow. They had to weave around joggers and busloads of tourists that swarmed across the sidewalks and parking lots like hungry ants. In spite of this, they made the two miles from the sporting goods store to the entrance of the scenic Seventeen Mile Drive between Monterey and Carmel in just over seven minutes. Not long after they passed through the guard gate at the north end of the private drive, they entered a sparsely populated subdivision of environmentally correct wood-and-stone mansions tucked securely back among the tall cypresses. The road was a schizophrenic's dream, at first curving down toward, then up away from the ocean. For a while it was smooth and wide and then it was narrow and bumpy, and by the time they emerged from the trees atop a low hill at the edge of Pebble Beach Golf Course, their behinds felt like punching bags. |
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At the crest they took a break, standing astride the bikes and watching a trio of white-haired men in loud plaid slacks and white V-necked sweaters studiously lobbing golf balls at a tiny circle of grass like they were American soldiers mortaring the Nazi lines. |
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"Why do you suppose they dress like that?" Kyna asked. |
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"Beats me," Cyrus replied. "Maybe staring at golf balls all day dulls your fashion sense." |
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He took a sip from the plastic water bottle that came with the bike and then they coasted down the slope to the beach. |
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At the first turnout, Kyna rolled to a stop and leaned her bike up against the guardrail. "Come on." |
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She hopped nimbly across the oil-stained boulders to the edge of the water. There she knelt and took out her camera. |
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