It seems that Google maps limits your number of destinations, so I had to put it as two maps. Some stops are close estimations.
View Larger Map
View Larger Map
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Day 36 - Success!
And here I am! What an ending day it was! After my last post, I continued along the Pearblossom Highway, which eventually became the Sierra Highway, taking me through canyonlands along California 14. I was still hoping to reach Santa Clarita before I slept, and made decent time, but finally chose to get what sleep I could along a closed road, as places to throw down a tent were getting scarce.
The camping site was between CA 14 and the Sierra Highway, and traffic volume at night kept things busy. After a few hours of napping, I packed up again, figuring I would be able to finish up on that much sleep.
I knew that the last bit of travel had a few jogs, but it sure made for an interesting trip! As I traveled on in the very early morning hours, I got to take advantage of the really low traffic conditions, pushing through Santa Clarita, heading down to an intersection where I wasn't sure whether to go left or right, going right, biking for about 5 or so miles, and getting into.... Santa Clarita.... uh oh. Yup, a poor choice at the intersection had sent me back into Santa Clarita So there I am at 2 AM, with nothing open. I stopped my bicycle in a McDonalds parking lot, dug out the laptop and was very glad that they don't turn off their internet when then close for the night! Instructions had me go right back the way I came, giving what I was hoping would be a short day a bit of extra length.
I managed to backtrack and drop into the road-grid region of the Los Angeles valley just as the sun came up and traffic picked up. I got onto Topanga Canyon road, pushing up a good distance before reaching the canyon drop on the far side. Steep and downhill for miles with lots of turns, high traffic and no shoulders in some points. Fortunately, Californians are more used to bicyclists than most other states it seems, and I wasn't even honked at once! From there, it was onto the Pacific Coast Highway, and I could see my goal - Point Dume! Sure, I could have stopped at any part of the beach to touch the ocean now, but it wasn't where I was going to "end" so I chose to wait. Once I got off of the Pacific Coast Highway, I knew I'd just have about a mile or two to go!
As I came up the last hill to my turnoff, I noticed my controls were a bit funny. I looked down, and sure enough, the rear tire was very low on air, almost flat. I pulled off, pumped it up, started pedaling hard and made it about 1/4 mile before it was flat again. ARGH!!!! SO CLOSE!!! At first, I decided I'd just push the bicycle the last 2 miles, and got to the last 1/2 mile or so and my last turn before I decided I had to pedal in. So there, so close to the end, I took off all of my gear, flipped the bicycle, took off the tire, patched (I figured I'd save a new tube for when I was going to be veeery careful), and reloaded, then took off. I could tell that even with the fast patch, it was still losing air, but I managed to roll up to the entrance way to my grandparents house just as my grandfather was going out to drop off some mail! Viola!
After that, all that was left was the pictures and the pampering! (which seems to be ongoing). I surprised everybody with how early I arrived, which messed up others' plans a tiny bit (oops), but nobody was too bothered by that. Initial plans to post very quickly were actually overwhelmed by the need to nap after my arrival, so I have been here for a few hours.
Sometime soon, I will be adding a summary of my route, thoughts and general comments on the trip, but there are a few things I can note right now:
First, thank you to everybody, both family and friends (old and new) who supported me on this trip. You made the good times better, and the hard times into fun stories to share rather than miserable slogs! Without your support, I might not have made it!
Second: The meetings I had along the way with the wide variety of people were by far the best part of this trip. It had changed my perspective on people and I will always view some things in different ways (as well as always noticing what the shoulders are like wherever I drive.)
For those that are wondering, I did weigh myself and appear to now be around 179 pounds, a bit over 10 pounds lighter than when I began, despite eating very unhealthy food for much of my trek. That's a lot of calories to burn!
Over the next few days, I'll try to give a summary of my route, thoughts on gear, how much a trip like this costs to undertake, and other general comments. For now, I'm off to work on recovering (food and sleep!) THANK YOU EVERYBODY!!!!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Puttering along on Day 35
I am now less than 100 miles from Malibu! I believe I commented when I broke under 1000, so this will continue in that vein, although I doubt I'll take the time to post when I'm under 10 miles.
What a pleasure to see from the comments that some of the individuals whom I met on the trip have been enjoying my comments. One thing I think this trip has done for me is encouraged my writing - I was initially unsure of what to include in these posts, but seem to have found the right stuff as I worked along.
After a nights sleep in a wonderfully comfy bed, I got up and prepped to go, including putting on gloriously clean clothing! Breakfast included homegrown apricots - one of the great things about the west coast! Soon I was off, with a slight change in my route as I was leaving the Szymborski's home, which was a bit off of the route I had planned. Things worked out well, despite my managing to pass one turn by a mile or two and having to backtrack. The land I have been passing through is fairly flat scrubland, dotted with Joshua trees, and with moutain ranges to the north and south. Temperatures got a bit high today, along with a bit of headwind, but I have done a decent job of taking it easy (even taking the time to stop and get out the laptop).
At this point, I'm in Littlerock, California, a mere 85 miles from my goal, and have about three hours of sunlight left. After the comfortable sleep last night, I didn't have any troubles with the let quad until after a stop for lunch a bit back when it started to feel a bit sore. The evening wind began to pick up, so I'll plod along a bit more to try to give myself an easy day for tomorrow. After over a month on the road, it feels weird thinking that I will be done in a day or so. Once I do, I'll be sure to summarize my route, experiences and thoughts, so watch out for that as well as the obligatory picture of me on the beach with my bicycle!
Take care!
What a pleasure to see from the comments that some of the individuals whom I met on the trip have been enjoying my comments. One thing I think this trip has done for me is encouraged my writing - I was initially unsure of what to include in these posts, but seem to have found the right stuff as I worked along.
After a nights sleep in a wonderfully comfy bed, I got up and prepped to go, including putting on gloriously clean clothing! Breakfast included homegrown apricots - one of the great things about the west coast! Soon I was off, with a slight change in my route as I was leaving the Szymborski's home, which was a bit off of the route I had planned. Things worked out well, despite my managing to pass one turn by a mile or two and having to backtrack. The land I have been passing through is fairly flat scrubland, dotted with Joshua trees, and with moutain ranges to the north and south. Temperatures got a bit high today, along with a bit of headwind, but I have done a decent job of taking it easy (even taking the time to stop and get out the laptop).
At this point, I'm in Littlerock, California, a mere 85 miles from my goal, and have about three hours of sunlight left. After the comfortable sleep last night, I didn't have any troubles with the let quad until after a stop for lunch a bit back when it started to feel a bit sore. The evening wind began to pick up, so I'll plod along a bit more to try to give myself an easy day for tomorrow. After over a month on the road, it feels weird thinking that I will be done in a day or so. Once I do, I'll be sure to summarize my route, experiences and thoughts, so watch out for that as well as the obligatory picture of me on the beach with my bicycle!
Take care!
Day 34
Meet (From right to left) Bill, and Deborah, one of their granddaughters Cheyenne, their son's girlfriend Joy, and their son, Joe. Also, their two dogs Sydney and Millie (for the City in Australia, and for the Millenium).
Waking up this morning, I got off to a start with good weather and made fine time. Soon, I took my turn northward to skirt Los Angeles, which put me in beautiful country, with mountains on both sides, fairly flat land all around, clouds in the sky, and pretty rock formations. Despite a headwind, I made good time, although my left quad did start bothering me again (in the long run, I'm not concerned as it's muscle tissue, but it is making things more interesting in the short run.)
The shoulder was alright, if a bit thin in some areas, and it was great to be back in civilization, where there were regular stops I could take advantage of if need be. I even picked up some fresh fruit (JOY!!!) early in the day at a shop that carried some.
I was really trying to take it easy, and almost overdid it, worrying about making it to Apple Valley before darkness set in. As I was getting near, a car pulled up ahead of me, and a man got out with a bottle of water to offer me. We got to chatting, and I met his wife and granddaughter. After a bit of talking about the trip, I was invited to their house for the evening. Incredible people! Those that were present are in the picture at the beginning of this post. The warmth and friendliness I felt was immense, and the outgoing nature of the family brought to mind home and my own families somewhat outgoing nature. We discussed everything from books to religion to dog intelligence to biking. A great experience! Of course, the long conversations will probably lead to a late start tomorrow, but with about 130 miles or so to go, I'm not overly concerned, and taking it easy on the quad is becoming a must.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Days 32 and 33 (And What Days They Were!)
Wow! It has been one interesting ride for the last two days. I'm writing from Twentynine Palms, CA (about 200 miles bicycle ride from my Malibu finish). I'm also writing from a hotel again - unfortunate to have to use so many, but my pace is finally starting to take its toll on me. Let's start with where I last was though: Kingman, AZ.
I had planned to take a side highway to get myself off of the interstate, and checking on google maps, gotten the impression it would be a good ride with low traffic. I was definitely right on the low traffic. Unfortunately, some kinds of patching make for a very shakey ride that does a number on a bikers rear. This road started out as one of those. I hadn't realized it, but it was also part of historic route 66. The traffic was light, and I found myself crossing a flat valley towards a set of mountains... uh oh... So much for flat. Sure enough, my check hadn't been as thorough as it could have been, and I found myself taking the scenic route ("sharp turns, steep grades") through the Black Mountains of Mohave county, AZ. Still, the mountains were more of large hills compared to some earlier ranges I had crossed, and the views were gorgeous at times. I also discovered that I was riding into mining country, with places like "Goldroad mine" and "Silver Creek" popping up, as well as at least one active gold mine - nifty! I knew I had a split to take at a place called Oatman, and figured I would be out of he mountains when I got there. Going around a turn though, I came across a view about like this:
Oatman is apparently a tourism town with a main feature consisting of wild burros who were abandoned by early prospectors. They now wander the streets at will and are protected by the US government. Lots of tourists! After a stop there, I headed out and things soon smoothed out, dropping me to the California border. Western rivers flow a lot more quickly than eastern ones, but also tend to look more like large creeks than what I think of as rivers, so my entrance to California was a bit anticlimactic ("hmmm, I wonder if that was a canal or the Colorado river I just crossed.. am I in Cali yet?")
From Needles, I had a cool evening ride through the desert to Vidal Junction, with a small range of hills, long views and flat, rocky ground being the main things of note, along with loose gravel on the road making for an exciting ride. Vidal Junction was the important site of the day - it represented the last place to get supplies for almost 100 miles of desert. There was supposed to be a restaurant and a gas station, but I discovered that the restaurant had gone out of business. I'd rolled in shortly after sunset, but things were still hopping, as there was both a truck inspection stop and a through-way to a major vacation lake destination.
My initial plan had been to camp out at Vidal Junction for the night, or maybe a bit after it, but with the restaurant gone and the gas station exemplifying the concept of price gouging people who can't buy stuff anywhere else (I hate price gouging), I decided to load up on fluids and push through the night, especially after hearing from a local worker that daytime temperatures were still hitting between 100 and 110, and nighttime temperatures sitting around 80. After putting about 2 gallons of fluids onto the bicycle, I was off. With it being Friday, all of the traffic was headed the opposite direction of myself, and I found that I only had to pull off for cars (I was being paranoid about being hit) once every mile or two, and even less often the later it got. I was also hoping my night ride would let me avoid the winds.
Around 11ish at night, I spotted a different kind of light than car headlights approaching me. AHA! Another bicyclist! Of all the meetings with bikers, I have to say that an 11:00 pm meeting in the dark on California 62 has been the strangest. The cyclist was great though! Her name was Kelly, and she had just started a few weeks ago on her little jaunt... of five years. Yup! She had saved up money, lived cheap and was off to tour the world on bicycle for five years (my crossing the US, in comparison is taking about 1/60 of the time she has allotted for her trip). She was headed to Flagstaff to meet up with a friend for the ride and I was just about the first fellow tourer that she had run across. I think we were both pretty pumped to run across a fellow traveler in such an odd place, and we spent a good 30 minutes or more, standing in the dark along the highway as cars whipped past chatting about our experiences on the road, thoughts, suggestions, advice and life. She even noted that if some other summer I wanted to join her for a bit as she wandered around, that might even be possible (for anybody that thinks I'm nuts for this trip, chew on hers for a bit!) You can follow her adventures over the next few years at http://uparoundthebend.wordpress.com/ Rejuvenated from our chat and in high spirits, I made good time for quite a ways. I was hoping to press through the night and then crash out at Twentynine palms, but that was awfully far.
After a few more miles, I stopped for a refuel break and to check my progress. The area was fairly flat, and I'd been approaching a set of three lights that had sat in place for quite a while which had turned out to be an RV that was up and running. I also saw a few parked semis by my headlight, as well as a railroad crossing and a few large shelters, which I assumed were for loading and unloading. I parked the bicycle under one of the shelters and got out the map, figuring I wouldn't bother anybody as I ate and drank. A few minutes later, a light was headed towards me though - uh oh. The guy who walked up was really friendly, despite my initially concern about bothering somebody. He told me that the bathrooms were open in one camper and that if I wanted he had food and drink in another one. I was confused and asked if I had stumbled upon an unknown store. Nope! I had apparently inadvertently stopped for a break on the site they were setting up to film "The Fast and the Furious 5". They had just started to put stuff in, and there was only the one night guard - Luis - who was the manager's son. I think he was happy for some company given how desolate the area was. So there I was, sitting on the filming location of a movie being offered food and drink - Cool! I was still full up on fluids and food, so I just chatted with Luis for a bit, then sat down to eat my meal before taking off again. Two odd encounters on one night though! Luis also told me that in the case of the high desert, night is when it gets windy, not day (oops!)
Finally, the sky started to lighten and I was feeling pretty tired. I threw out my tent and napped for an hour or two, hoping the headwind I'd been fighting would die down. No real luck with that, but I was a bit rejuvenated, and had about 60 miles to go till more supplies. I hit the road while it was still cool, but things turned into a slog from there, after I made a small mistake. Despite drinking plenty, I was having a tougher and tougher time making any headway, with each push of the pedal becoming a huge effort. I attributed it to the lack of sleep and was starting to get really worried about my attempt to make it to more supplies. Mind, I was in no real danger - there are emergency call boxes every few miles in the desert here, and although traffic was light, I could have waved somebody down for help within 10 or 20 minutes. Still, despite all my fluids I found myself worried about making it on them. Finally, I figured out what was wrong - my body was running on empty from lack of calories. Even with the fluids, I hadn't eaten enough, and when you run out of food in your system, wham - you're going nowhere.
While I had a fair bit of food with me, 60 miles worth was straining it, and I was worried over the combination of hunger, thirst and sleep deprivation. Still, I inched along, with each mile becoming a battle. The fact that I was approaching 200 miles with about 2 hours of sleep didn't help matters, and my body was starting to really complain about the stress on it. Finally, about 10 miles before I was expecting it - A CHEVRON SIGN!!! I could resupply there! Approaching, I experienced heartbreak as I found it was a chevron aviation resupply depot for the airport I was passing, with no convenience store. Needless to say, I was very glad that the last few miles were slightly downhill as I finally rolled into Twentynine palms completely done in. I'd considered pushing a bit outside of town and camping out, as well as shortening my remaining distance to a two day affair, but I was too far gone for that, and there are enough small issues cropping up that I'm having to become more and more careful about pushing my body.
So here I am! I've crossed the last major obstacle (I'm pretty sure I thought that before too and was wrong....) in my path. I have about 200 miles to go until I roll into Malibu, and I am tuckered out. Tonight, I motel again, resting and recovering before beginning the slow, final push to my finish! It's good to be back in civilization! And finally, one of my favorite pictures, and how I felt at the end of the trip today:
I had planned to take a side highway to get myself off of the interstate, and checking on google maps, gotten the impression it would be a good ride with low traffic. I was definitely right on the low traffic. Unfortunately, some kinds of patching make for a very shakey ride that does a number on a bikers rear. This road started out as one of those. I hadn't realized it, but it was also part of historic route 66. The traffic was light, and I found myself crossing a flat valley towards a set of mountains... uh oh... So much for flat. Sure enough, my check hadn't been as thorough as it could have been, and I found myself taking the scenic route ("sharp turns, steep grades") through the Black Mountains of Mohave county, AZ. Still, the mountains were more of large hills compared to some earlier ranges I had crossed, and the views were gorgeous at times. I also discovered that I was riding into mining country, with places like "Goldroad mine" and "Silver Creek" popping up, as well as at least one active gold mine - nifty! I knew I had a split to take at a place called Oatman, and figured I would be out of he mountains when I got there. Going around a turn though, I came across a view about like this:
Oatman is apparently a tourism town with a main feature consisting of wild burros who were abandoned by early prospectors. They now wander the streets at will and are protected by the US government. Lots of tourists! After a stop there, I headed out and things soon smoothed out, dropping me to the California border. Western rivers flow a lot more quickly than eastern ones, but also tend to look more like large creeks than what I think of as rivers, so my entrance to California was a bit anticlimactic ("hmmm, I wonder if that was a canal or the Colorado river I just crossed.. am I in Cali yet?")
From Needles, I had a cool evening ride through the desert to Vidal Junction, with a small range of hills, long views and flat, rocky ground being the main things of note, along with loose gravel on the road making for an exciting ride. Vidal Junction was the important site of the day - it represented the last place to get supplies for almost 100 miles of desert. There was supposed to be a restaurant and a gas station, but I discovered that the restaurant had gone out of business. I'd rolled in shortly after sunset, but things were still hopping, as there was both a truck inspection stop and a through-way to a major vacation lake destination.
My initial plan had been to camp out at Vidal Junction for the night, or maybe a bit after it, but with the restaurant gone and the gas station exemplifying the concept of price gouging people who can't buy stuff anywhere else (I hate price gouging), I decided to load up on fluids and push through the night, especially after hearing from a local worker that daytime temperatures were still hitting between 100 and 110, and nighttime temperatures sitting around 80. After putting about 2 gallons of fluids onto the bicycle, I was off. With it being Friday, all of the traffic was headed the opposite direction of myself, and I found that I only had to pull off for cars (I was being paranoid about being hit) once every mile or two, and even less often the later it got. I was also hoping my night ride would let me avoid the winds.
Around 11ish at night, I spotted a different kind of light than car headlights approaching me. AHA! Another bicyclist! Of all the meetings with bikers, I have to say that an 11:00 pm meeting in the dark on California 62 has been the strangest. The cyclist was great though! Her name was Kelly, and she had just started a few weeks ago on her little jaunt... of five years. Yup! She had saved up money, lived cheap and was off to tour the world on bicycle for five years (my crossing the US, in comparison is taking about 1/60 of the time she has allotted for her trip). She was headed to Flagstaff to meet up with a friend for the ride and I was just about the first fellow tourer that she had run across. I think we were both pretty pumped to run across a fellow traveler in such an odd place, and we spent a good 30 minutes or more, standing in the dark along the highway as cars whipped past chatting about our experiences on the road, thoughts, suggestions, advice and life. She even noted that if some other summer I wanted to join her for a bit as she wandered around, that might even be possible (for anybody that thinks I'm nuts for this trip, chew on hers for a bit!) You can follow her adventures over the next few years at http://uparoundthebend.wordpress.com/ Rejuvenated from our chat and in high spirits, I made good time for quite a ways. I was hoping to press through the night and then crash out at Twentynine palms, but that was awfully far.
After a few more miles, I stopped for a refuel break and to check my progress. The area was fairly flat, and I'd been approaching a set of three lights that had sat in place for quite a while which had turned out to be an RV that was up and running. I also saw a few parked semis by my headlight, as well as a railroad crossing and a few large shelters, which I assumed were for loading and unloading. I parked the bicycle under one of the shelters and got out the map, figuring I wouldn't bother anybody as I ate and drank. A few minutes later, a light was headed towards me though - uh oh. The guy who walked up was really friendly, despite my initially concern about bothering somebody. He told me that the bathrooms were open in one camper and that if I wanted he had food and drink in another one. I was confused and asked if I had stumbled upon an unknown store. Nope! I had apparently inadvertently stopped for a break on the site they were setting up to film "The Fast and the Furious 5". They had just started to put stuff in, and there was only the one night guard - Luis - who was the manager's son. I think he was happy for some company given how desolate the area was. So there I was, sitting on the filming location of a movie being offered food and drink - Cool! I was still full up on fluids and food, so I just chatted with Luis for a bit, then sat down to eat my meal before taking off again. Two odd encounters on one night though! Luis also told me that in the case of the high desert, night is when it gets windy, not day (oops!)
Finally, the sky started to lighten and I was feeling pretty tired. I threw out my tent and napped for an hour or two, hoping the headwind I'd been fighting would die down. No real luck with that, but I was a bit rejuvenated, and had about 60 miles to go till more supplies. I hit the road while it was still cool, but things turned into a slog from there, after I made a small mistake. Despite drinking plenty, I was having a tougher and tougher time making any headway, with each push of the pedal becoming a huge effort. I attributed it to the lack of sleep and was starting to get really worried about my attempt to make it to more supplies. Mind, I was in no real danger - there are emergency call boxes every few miles in the desert here, and although traffic was light, I could have waved somebody down for help within 10 or 20 minutes. Still, despite all my fluids I found myself worried about making it on them. Finally, I figured out what was wrong - my body was running on empty from lack of calories. Even with the fluids, I hadn't eaten enough, and when you run out of food in your system, wham - you're going nowhere.
While I had a fair bit of food with me, 60 miles worth was straining it, and I was worried over the combination of hunger, thirst and sleep deprivation. Still, I inched along, with each mile becoming a battle. The fact that I was approaching 200 miles with about 2 hours of sleep didn't help matters, and my body was starting to really complain about the stress on it. Finally, about 10 miles before I was expecting it - A CHEVRON SIGN!!! I could resupply there! Approaching, I experienced heartbreak as I found it was a chevron aviation resupply depot for the airport I was passing, with no convenience store. Needless to say, I was very glad that the last few miles were slightly downhill as I finally rolled into Twentynine palms completely done in. I'd considered pushing a bit outside of town and camping out, as well as shortening my remaining distance to a two day affair, but I was too far gone for that, and there are enough small issues cropping up that I'm having to become more and more careful about pushing my body.
So here I am! I've crossed the last major obstacle (I'm pretty sure I thought that before too and was wrong....) in my path. I have about 200 miles to go until I roll into Malibu, and I am tuckered out. Tonight, I motel again, resting and recovering before beginning the slow, final push to my finish! It's good to be back in civilization! And finally, one of my favorite pictures, and how I felt at the end of the trip today:
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Day 31!
One month and one day on the road!
With the wind and the late start, I didn't make much distance yesterday - probably no more than 55 miles. Fortunately, there are still plenty of juniper-type plants around, so I pulled off on a road in the middle of nowhere, dropped down the side of the road a bit, and set up camp between a set of three junipers. After a decent night of sleep (some critter wandered under the plants exploring once or twice, but I never got a look at it), I woke up to find my front tire flat. Sure enough, a fast check found a bit of tire wire debris sticking out of it. I pumped it up to see if the leak was slow enough to let me keep rolling on it, and things looked good (I was hoping to hold off on putting in a new tire until I got off of the interstate and into less tire-dangerous territory). After a few miles, I stopped to pump up the tire again, put on the pump, and promptly managed to tear the end of the presta valve completely off. Oops! With great care, in went a new tube - I was a bit worried since I still had a lot of distance to go on the interstate, and only 50 miles had given me a flat, but the tires have held up so far, with one more bit of wire getting stuck in the tire, but not penetrating to the tube. Grabbing breakfast at Seligman, I also loaded up on fluids (over 50 miles till the next shop) and was off for the long part of the day.
Today was supposed to be windy, but my good fortune with the weather held up, with it never getting too bad, and occasionally even turning enough to give me a bit of help, although along with it came plenty of dust. Cacti continued to increase, and I found myself generally passing through rolling hills and attractive country. While 50 miles isn't too far by car, at my rate on a bicycle, I figured I had about six hours of exercise where there would be no fluid resupply (unless I got desperate and went to a home or waved down a car to ask for help). I probably overdo the fluids I carry, but better safe than sorry! Despite the rolling hills, I still was losing elevation overall, and also had cooler weather in the morning, so I made good time, rolling into a truck stop (the first new resupply place) with about half my total fluids supply left.
The truck stop was a combined store, gas station, restaurant, and movie theater (yup, an actual mini-theater). I love these spots because they provide shower facilities for truckers, and an automated voice is always announcing that driver number XYZ's shower is now available - number AB... The restaurant had a lunch buffet going, and so I sat down to better food than I'd been eating recently - fruit, rice, potatoes, baked chicken. Biking all day will do great things for your appetite too! The truckers are fun, friendly people too. While I didn't chat with any of them as I sat eating, I enjoyed the conversations going on around me.
After eating and restocking supplies on the bicycle, I was about to leave when a guynamed Randy started talking to me. Randy and his wife had apparently just finished up a 6000 mile motorcycle tour, so he was a local to the area. He gave me suggestions on camping and told me about the road ahead. After chatting a bit, I was off. The truck stop I was at was still about 10 miles outside of Kingman, and I had hoped to take I-40 through it and a bit further on before camping out for the night. That plan had to change as the wind finally hit with a vengeance. It was still mainly blowing out of the south, with myself heading west, but even with the wide interstate median, I was getting blown around a lot, having to lean heavily to the side so as not to be blown over. I was also constantly worrying about hitting gravel and skidding out off the road. Finally, I managed to get to the first Kingman exit and started down to the local McDonalds to check the weather.
As I hit the exit ramp, there was a sign advertising a motel at only 35 dollars - a tie for the best rate I'd used yet, and tempting despite only one day of camping, given how dirty this weather has tended to make me. The McDonalds internet failed me, but a call home to give an update gave the parents a chance to give me a heads up - gusts in my area reaching 50 mph out of the south. Riding getting hit from the side by gusts of that speed would not be fun or safe. Also, right after Kingman, the road turns south, so I'd be fighting a very strong headwind. Tomorrow was supposed to be calmer, so I've decided to hotel for the night, given that I did almost 100 miles today. I normally check for the best priced hotel in town, but I had had no internet at the restaurant. This time, luck was really with me, and as I headed across the street to the first hotel, noticed another one advertising for only 30 dollars! Huzzah for the off season!!!
Having a hotel with electricity and internet has also let me keep working on my route, now that I've changed it again. The interstate median has been rough at times, as well as leaving me worrying about debris, so I was hoping to get off of it. Also, by my last plan, I was going to have to backtrack east alongside a river before crossing into California. With free time to spare, I've made what I hope are some better changes.
Tomorrow, I'll head west on a county route into Mohave Valley, then drop into California (YAY!) at Needles (BOO! - The only police officer I've ever met who was a jerk to me was from Needles so I was hoping to avoid it on general principle), then get on US 95 and head south to meet up with California 62, then to assorted roads taking me north of LA, and finally dropping into Malibu. Almost exactly 400 miles to go! Once again, depending on the shoulder conditions this could change, but that's the current plan (plan 3 or 4, I believe) A cooler front is supposed to move into the area starting tomorrow as well, so things might even stay under 100 for most of the time. Excellent! I expect that I may end up doing some night riding as this route will take me into the Mojave desert tomorrow, then promptly have me heading south through the Sonoran Desert - one of the hottest in North America!
With the wind and the late start, I didn't make much distance yesterday - probably no more than 55 miles. Fortunately, there are still plenty of juniper-type plants around, so I pulled off on a road in the middle of nowhere, dropped down the side of the road a bit, and set up camp between a set of three junipers. After a decent night of sleep (some critter wandered under the plants exploring once or twice, but I never got a look at it), I woke up to find my front tire flat. Sure enough, a fast check found a bit of tire wire debris sticking out of it. I pumped it up to see if the leak was slow enough to let me keep rolling on it, and things looked good (I was hoping to hold off on putting in a new tire until I got off of the interstate and into less tire-dangerous territory). After a few miles, I stopped to pump up the tire again, put on the pump, and promptly managed to tear the end of the presta valve completely off. Oops! With great care, in went a new tube - I was a bit worried since I still had a lot of distance to go on the interstate, and only 50 miles had given me a flat, but the tires have held up so far, with one more bit of wire getting stuck in the tire, but not penetrating to the tube. Grabbing breakfast at Seligman, I also loaded up on fluids (over 50 miles till the next shop) and was off for the long part of the day.
Today was supposed to be windy, but my good fortune with the weather held up, with it never getting too bad, and occasionally even turning enough to give me a bit of help, although along with it came plenty of dust. Cacti continued to increase, and I found myself generally passing through rolling hills and attractive country. While 50 miles isn't too far by car, at my rate on a bicycle, I figured I had about six hours of exercise where there would be no fluid resupply (unless I got desperate and went to a home or waved down a car to ask for help). I probably overdo the fluids I carry, but better safe than sorry! Despite the rolling hills, I still was losing elevation overall, and also had cooler weather in the morning, so I made good time, rolling into a truck stop (the first new resupply place) with about half my total fluids supply left.
The truck stop was a combined store, gas station, restaurant, and movie theater (yup, an actual mini-theater). I love these spots because they provide shower facilities for truckers, and an automated voice is always announcing that driver number XYZ's shower is now available - number AB... The restaurant had a lunch buffet going, and so I sat down to better food than I'd been eating recently - fruit, rice, potatoes, baked chicken. Biking all day will do great things for your appetite too! The truckers are fun, friendly people too. While I didn't chat with any of them as I sat eating, I enjoyed the conversations going on around me.
After eating and restocking supplies on the bicycle, I was about to leave when a guynamed Randy started talking to me. Randy and his wife had apparently just finished up a 6000 mile motorcycle tour, so he was a local to the area. He gave me suggestions on camping and told me about the road ahead. After chatting a bit, I was off. The truck stop I was at was still about 10 miles outside of Kingman, and I had hoped to take I-40 through it and a bit further on before camping out for the night. That plan had to change as the wind finally hit with a vengeance. It was still mainly blowing out of the south, with myself heading west, but even with the wide interstate median, I was getting blown around a lot, having to lean heavily to the side so as not to be blown over. I was also constantly worrying about hitting gravel and skidding out off the road. Finally, I managed to get to the first Kingman exit and started down to the local McDonalds to check the weather.
As I hit the exit ramp, there was a sign advertising a motel at only 35 dollars - a tie for the best rate I'd used yet, and tempting despite only one day of camping, given how dirty this weather has tended to make me. The McDonalds internet failed me, but a call home to give an update gave the parents a chance to give me a heads up - gusts in my area reaching 50 mph out of the south. Riding getting hit from the side by gusts of that speed would not be fun or safe. Also, right after Kingman, the road turns south, so I'd be fighting a very strong headwind. Tomorrow was supposed to be calmer, so I've decided to hotel for the night, given that I did almost 100 miles today. I normally check for the best priced hotel in town, but I had had no internet at the restaurant. This time, luck was really with me, and as I headed across the street to the first hotel, noticed another one advertising for only 30 dollars! Huzzah for the off season!!!
Having a hotel with electricity and internet has also let me keep working on my route, now that I've changed it again. The interstate median has been rough at times, as well as leaving me worrying about debris, so I was hoping to get off of it. Also, by my last plan, I was going to have to backtrack east alongside a river before crossing into California. With free time to spare, I've made what I hope are some better changes.
Tomorrow, I'll head west on a county route into Mohave Valley, then drop into California (YAY!) at Needles (BOO! - The only police officer I've ever met who was a jerk to me was from Needles so I was hoping to avoid it on general principle), then get on US 95 and head south to meet up with California 62, then to assorted roads taking me north of LA, and finally dropping into Malibu. Almost exactly 400 miles to go! Once again, depending on the shoulder conditions this could change, but that's the current plan (plan 3 or 4, I believe) A cooler front is supposed to move into the area starting tomorrow as well, so things might even stay under 100 for most of the time. Excellent! I expect that I may end up doing some night riding as this route will take me into the Mojave desert tomorrow, then promptly have me heading south through the Sonoran Desert - one of the hottest in North America!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Starting Day 30 Out Right
Waking up this morning, I found that my front tube had picked up a slow leak, getting fairly low over the night. Fortunately, I was near a bike shop and headed in that direction.
It seems that most bicycle shops don't open till later in the morning, so I found myself with an hour or so to wait. That left time to get breakfast - something I found at a local cafe where I could use the internet and keep up on world events. At the bicycle shop, all the workers were the younger guys. I tend to find the "greybeards" to be my favorites at bicycle shops, probably because they are the ones who tend to be more into the bicycle touring and have a more similar outlook to me compared to the younger workers who are into the "exciting" aspects of biking. Regardless, the guy who ended up helping me had done a bit of touring and was quite friendly.
Given my luck of late, I decided it was time for a pretty thorough overhaul of the bike. I was out of un-holed tubes at this point as well, so resupply was a must. I had been saving all of my tubes with small holes, both as backups and to use for short trips when they wouldn't be as big of a deal. Finally, I gave up on that idea and decided to toss the old tubes (fortunately, they aren't that expensive) to clean up and reduce weight. Also, I had at least one decent sized tear in my front tire - the one I've had since the trip began - and general wear on the cheap rear tire that had been my only replacement in Kansas. Flagstaff seems big on bicycling, and this shop was well stocked, so I went ahead and had them replace both tires with decent quality, fresh tires under a policy of not wanting to push my luck in the middle of the Arizona or California desert.
I also checked on the road ahead (I was planning to follow Arizona 89 alternate). Daniel (the 5 months and still going biker) had given me his biking map of Arizona which notes steep inclines and color codes the maps for shoulder width of over 4 feet, under 4 feet, and for rumble strips on the shoulder. Most of AZ 89A had the under 4 feet note and the google map street views I'd checked on it looked bad. The bicycle shop workers noted that it was a pretty ride, but there was basically no shoulder along it. This has led me to change my route again.
I've found that side trips by bicycle can be exhausting, with a small "10 miles" off leading to 10 miles back as well, along with the hills in between. While seeing new things by bicycle is great, a lot of the tourism destinations are probably best visited by car, and no matter what road I'm on, I appreciate the scenery by bicycle. This trip has been great for encouraging me to come back with a car to hit some of the locations I only really noticed because I was moving more slowly than I would in a car. Keeping all of that in mind, I decided that I'll be taking I-40 most of the way to the California border before dropping down to Parker to get onto California 62. Bicycling on the Interstate is legal in Arizona, and I'll have large shoulders, although watching for debris will be more important. Still, I'd rather have a slightly less scenic, but far safer trip than vice versa. The interstate will also help me avoid the really steep rises and drops that can be draining, and I'll add very little distance in the end. Finally, food and communication will be improved by staying near the interstate, where Sprint cell phones normally get their access. If I end up disliking it, I can always drop to a side road, but for now, I'll be interstating it. Since I have an electric plug and am taking it easy today, I'll also throw in a few random pictures from the trip.
Photo of Chimney Rock (not the more famous one in Nebraska - the less famous one in Colorado)
My bicycle straddling the Continental divide line (brass metal strip you can see on the ground) at the top of Wolf Creek Pass. That's snow in the background you can see.
Saw this critter with some pups in Kansas. Coyote? I'm not sure and haven't done any searches to find out yet.
And on the other side from the critter above, several antelope with a baby.
Sign in the tiny town of Granda. A few names are fairly famous.
Original wagon ruts from the Santa Fe Trail. The dog on the right is apparently part of a breed of dogs that are left with the sheep as pups so they will "think of themselves as sheep". I was amused to learn that bit of trivia.
It seems that most bicycle shops don't open till later in the morning, so I found myself with an hour or so to wait. That left time to get breakfast - something I found at a local cafe where I could use the internet and keep up on world events. At the bicycle shop, all the workers were the younger guys. I tend to find the "greybeards" to be my favorites at bicycle shops, probably because they are the ones who tend to be more into the bicycle touring and have a more similar outlook to me compared to the younger workers who are into the "exciting" aspects of biking. Regardless, the guy who ended up helping me had done a bit of touring and was quite friendly.
Given my luck of late, I decided it was time for a pretty thorough overhaul of the bike. I was out of un-holed tubes at this point as well, so resupply was a must. I had been saving all of my tubes with small holes, both as backups and to use for short trips when they wouldn't be as big of a deal. Finally, I gave up on that idea and decided to toss the old tubes (fortunately, they aren't that expensive) to clean up and reduce weight. Also, I had at least one decent sized tear in my front tire - the one I've had since the trip began - and general wear on the cheap rear tire that had been my only replacement in Kansas. Flagstaff seems big on bicycling, and this shop was well stocked, so I went ahead and had them replace both tires with decent quality, fresh tires under a policy of not wanting to push my luck in the middle of the Arizona or California desert.
I also checked on the road ahead (I was planning to follow Arizona 89 alternate). Daniel (the 5 months and still going biker) had given me his biking map of Arizona which notes steep inclines and color codes the maps for shoulder width of over 4 feet, under 4 feet, and for rumble strips on the shoulder. Most of AZ 89A had the under 4 feet note and the google map street views I'd checked on it looked bad. The bicycle shop workers noted that it was a pretty ride, but there was basically no shoulder along it. This has led me to change my route again.
I've found that side trips by bicycle can be exhausting, with a small "10 miles" off leading to 10 miles back as well, along with the hills in between. While seeing new things by bicycle is great, a lot of the tourism destinations are probably best visited by car, and no matter what road I'm on, I appreciate the scenery by bicycle. This trip has been great for encouraging me to come back with a car to hit some of the locations I only really noticed because I was moving more slowly than I would in a car. Keeping all of that in mind, I decided that I'll be taking I-40 most of the way to the California border before dropping down to Parker to get onto California 62. Bicycling on the Interstate is legal in Arizona, and I'll have large shoulders, although watching for debris will be more important. Still, I'd rather have a slightly less scenic, but far safer trip than vice versa. The interstate will also help me avoid the really steep rises and drops that can be draining, and I'll add very little distance in the end. Finally, food and communication will be improved by staying near the interstate, where Sprint cell phones normally get their access. If I end up disliking it, I can always drop to a side road, but for now, I'll be interstating it. Since I have an electric plug and am taking it easy today, I'll also throw in a few random pictures from the trip.
Photo of Chimney Rock (not the more famous one in Nebraska - the less famous one in Colorado)
My bicycle straddling the Continental divide line (brass metal strip you can see on the ground) at the top of Wolf Creek Pass. That's snow in the background you can see.
Saw this critter with some pups in Kansas. Coyote? I'm not sure and haven't done any searches to find out yet.
And on the other side from the critter above, several antelope with a baby.
Sign in the tiny town of Granda. A few names are fairly famous.
Original wagon ruts from the Santa Fe Trail. The dog on the right is apparently part of a breed of dogs that are left with the sheep as pups so they will "think of themselves as sheep". I was amused to learn that bit of trivia.
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