“Are you ok?” I texted Jason at 1155pm on Saturday night.
“I’m fine,” he politely replied, “How are you?” Netflix had just raised the quality of his life substantially, by suggesting that he watch the British comedy “Black Book.” Jason had just spent the last couple of hours watching this show, giggling, so was in a very happy and accepting mood when I texted him at the cusp of midnight.
“Earthquake, felt big,” replied I. I had been asleep in a motel room in King City when the trembler hit and was now anxious and very, very awake. When the quake hit, I thought, “that seems to be going on for a while,” so I walked to the wall next to me to go outside. It took me a second to realize that the wall did not contain a door, which is good, since a door on that wall would have lead to a quick drop from the second floor to the first. For some reason this image bothered me, as though in my confusion, I could have found a door in the dark that lead to a 30-foot drop. I recalled that the door was located on the opposite wall and made my way to the other side of the room. By the time I got to the correct location of the room door, the shaking had stopped. Worried that the big one had hit the bay area and that our lives may be in ruins, I texted Jason, thinking that if the big one had hit San Francisco or Oakland, I would not get through anyway.
I was relieved that Jason quickly and happily responded. Alexis was trying to get information on her iThingy, but the USGS site was not showing any earthquakes at all, so we were happy to hear from Jason and learn that our loved ones and our lives still stood sound.
The earthquake turned out to be local to us. It was a 5.3 magnitude quake on the San Andreas fault about 17 miles from King City. King City was the closest town to the earthquake. There was no damage or injuries.
I was on an overnight biking trip with a group of about 45 or so and I think that everyone was awakened by the shaking. Many people called home, worried as I was. Michael’s response was slightly different. He thought that it might be the big one, too, but he was pleased and content. He was happy to be out of town, safe, comfortable, and warm with his beloved bike in King City, far away from any possible destruction in his hometown.
On your wheel 
Glad you are ok, Lisa; what a fright! Are you riding the 2 day Big Sur/King City/Carmel Valley route? We just heard about that from some friends, and are anxious to try it! Have fun…and get some sleep!
Yes, that is the route that we did. We rode from Monterey middle school, down Highway One, and through big sur. We turned onto Nacimiento road, climbed that 7 mile beautiful climb. and then rode down and out Jolon road to King City, stopping at Fort Ligget on the way. We returned Carmel Valley the second day. It is a wonderful trip and incredibly beautiful.
Sounds like a wonderful ride (except for the scary quake!)- my favorite parts of CA, for sure. BTW, Black Books is very, very funny – the characters are a little weird in that special British comedy way.