Condensed into one jpeg, 3000 miles doesn't seem quite so longSunday, June 7, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Moab, UT
Hello again faithful viewers of our awesome blog,
Pictures will be uploaded once I have access to them!
This will probably be my last update as I am writing from the comfort of my humble abode. That would mean that yes we made it home safely and let me tell you, it has been quite the journey. So I'm picking up after Flagstaff, AZ. The amazingly beautiful, intelligent, generous, and selfless Tamara Lawless, a long time friend of both of ours, picked us up from Flagstaff because we were running short on time. It was my ultimate goal to visit her at the end of the trip, so it worked out well. So Tam made the 6 drive down from Moab, UT to pick our lazy asses up, which is probably a good thing because it ended up raining for the next five days in a row. I told Danny it was because we weren't keeping in contact with our pure blooded Native American tribal master, Greg Dunkelberger, who is trained in the art of rain dancing. He said that if we fell out of contact with him he would do a rain dance that would cause it to rain for a week straight. Danny and I both quickly learned our lesson and started texting him rapidly. The rain ended up being a good thing because the desert needs water every once in a while.
So when Tamara arrived we gave her the biggest hug ever and headed off to Moab. I was driving because Tamara had to work in the morning. The silhouette of the red mesas was beautiful at twilight. I only wish I would have seen northeastern Arizona during the day because it was the last unexplored corner of the state. It was an extremely windy night but we made it to Moab safely. Moab is a small town of about 5,000 people. Tucked away in the scenic canyons of the Colorado Plateau, Moab is a quaint little town with a touristy vibe, but it is still very nice. It helps to maintain business in such a desolate place.
Tamara snapped a shot of Danny's amazing marbled tan
Upon reaching Tamara's place we were all very tired and promptly fell into a deep slumber. Tam had to work in the morning, but she made us some delicious homemade oatmeal before she left. Tam works as an SCA (Student Conservation Associate I believe) in Arches National Park, which is awesome. She and her roommate, Chelsie, both live in park housing and work at the park for a few months out of the year. Tam just received her masters in Environmental Education, and her job is to educate the children from local schools about Arches National Park. I'm sure she also talks about sustainability to them, or at least tries to get them to understand the basics of environmental economics.
Danny and Chelsie in the Devil's Garden
The next morning we woke up and I went for a 50 mile bike ride. It felt good to be on the bike again, but I miscalculated the headwind on the way back and was late getting back. I caught up with Tam, Chels, and Danny on the Devil's Garden trail. The first arch I saw was Landscape Arch, which is the longest natural arch in the world. I'm glad we saw it because slabs of sandstone cracked and fell from the arch just a few years prior, and no one knows how much longer the arch will be around for. Sadly this is the nature of the many formations of Arches National Park, time coupled with erosion will ultimately destroy these masterpieces, but new ones will be created in their dust. We finished the Devil's Garden trail and headed to Delicate Arch, which is the most popular arch - you can even find it on the back of Utah's license plate. There was a moderately strenuous 1.5 mile hike to the arch. As we approached Delicate Arch Tam made me close my eyes so I could truly appreciate the natural beauty of the arch. Stumbling over cracks in the sandstone, she excitedly told me to open my eyes. Our jaws dropped as we took in the scale of the arch. I didn't realize it was so massive.
Danny, Tam, and I under Delicate Arch
We were lucky enough to be there after a light rain. As the sun came back out it created a rainbow just over the arch, which is rare because it doesn't rain much. It was spiritual moment and I felt extremely happy sharing it with my friends. The view from delicate arch was amazing - probably the best of the trip. I never would have thought that Arches would beat the Grand Canyon in hand to hand combat, but it delivered a knockout that day. I felt like I was in Jurassic park. The landscape is so surrealistic with the petrified dunes, arches, fins, and surprisingly vast array of plant life. We sat there until the rainbows disappeared and headed out for a pot luck at one a fellow park ranger's house. We ended the night with a competitive game of cribbage. Tam and I got skunked. Later that night we had a slumber party in the spare bedroom.
Amazing rainbow over delicate arch...Soo Beautiful!
The next day we dropped Tamara off at work just outside the park down the Courtyard wash trail. We checked out some petroglyphs along the way which were cool. This trail was on the other side of the rock face leading to the park, so it was well shaded as we were walking through a canyon. Tam forgot a cookie pan so I had to run back to her place and grab it. Unfortunately I lost track of the cairns along the trail and ended up taking the wrong trail. After about 30 minutes I found my way back to the main trail. Danny came back looking for me so that was nice. We did the fiery furnace trail that day, which was a blast. The grittiness of the sandstone allowed us to scale tall boulders fairly easily. I never anticipated the type of climbing we'd be doing in the furnace. We had to watch a short video before entering the furnace because the trails aren't marked and people are supposed to avoid cryptobiotic soil and social trails. Danny and I aced the test and were granted access to this special quiet area. The whole time we were in the furnace we only saw 5 or 6 people. There are a lot of hidden treasures in the Fiery Furnace, and we saw a couple of them. One being skull arch, and the other being Surprise Arch. We paused for a moment at surprise arch to soak in the natural beauty of the formation.
We made our way through the rest of the furnace and checked out Double Arch and The Windows. Both of these arches were cool, Double Arch was one of my favorites. The intro to one of the Indiana Jone's movies was filmed near Double Arch. After a long day of hiking we ate at the Moab Brewery, which had excellent food and atmosphere. We met a bunch of Tamara's friends and later several of us climbed a gigantic sand dune just outside her place. It was so fun I had to do it twice. There was sand everywhere after that night. In fact to this day I still feel like I have sand in my shorts.
The next day I dropped Tam off at the Courtyard Wash again. After work we went to the local market to get some ingredients for lunch. We made some vegan delicious vegan pizza and headed out to do some more hiking shortly after. We did a 3 mile trail on the other side of the canyon. Unfortunately I can't remember what it was called, but it's a famous slick rock mountain biking trail and it was quite scenic. Once you make it to the top you can see all of Moab in one spectacular view. It was starting to rain again and there was another pot luck to mooch off of so we went home.
Friday was our last day in Moab. It was a fairly low key day. Danny and I had to buy our train tickets to Milwaukee and pack up our stuff. We went to the market again to get food for dinner. It was also another rainy day. Tam gave us a ride to the visitor's center where Chels was working. Danny and I finished filling out our junior ranger books and picked up litter in the park so we fulfilled all the requirements for our junior ranger badges. Danny's poem was particularly funny, "Crust busters don't give no shits". We recited the pledge and Tamara gave us our badges. She later revoked my junior ranger status when I left the badge in Moab. We went to the recycling plant and Tamara showed us a great swimming hole. The water was still a bit cool but we all went for a dip. We drove down the other side of the Colorado today so Tamara could show us some fossilized dinosaur tracks. On the way Tamara and Danny had to climb some stupid Indian ladder rock thing. Tamara is ridiculously good at climbing, it's quite impressive to watch her. Later that night while Tam and Danny were cooking Chels and I danced under the waterfalls just outside their house. Whenever it rains waterfalls are created as the washes fill behind their house.
The final day in Moab we made a food stop at the grocery. We drove out to Canyonlands which is another National Park about 30 minutes from Arches. We had to see one last arch, and it was Chels's favorite, so we were pretty pumped. Tamara doesn't appreciate this arch as much as the others. She even has a nickname for the arch. She calls it "Honkey Arch", and don't ask me why because when we visited the arch we were the only white people there. The real name of the arch is Mesa Arch, and while the arch is somewhat unimpressive the view through the arch is amazing. We snapped some pictures and rushed back to the car because it was starting to rain again. We made the 1 1/2hr drive to grand junction and Tam dropped us off at the most appropriate place, Walmart.
Danny and I at Canyonlands NP
It was still raining so Danny and I hung out at the Walmart for 5 hours or so. Our train wasn't until the next morning so we had time to kill. We slept outside the train station on a pair of benches and woke up to board the train. We boxed up the bikes and headed home. It was about a 30 hour train ride that included a 4 hour layover in Chicago. It was a beautiful ride that crossed the continental divide and went through some really scenic areas of Colorado. After Colorado it become flat and boring, so we both read a book and rested up. During our layover in Chicago we fed our remaining moldy bread to the seagulls and pigeons. The Malina's picked us up in Milwaukee and took care of us for the next couple of days.
I'm going to stop here for now. I rode into Madison a couple days ago and I haven't really had time to fully process my thoughts. I do want to thank everyone who helped make this trip possible again. Without your support the trip wouldn't have happened and I am so grateful. If you're ever fortunate to take a trip like this, do it. As Rob Malina would say, "It will change your life."
I don't really know what's going on here
Signing out,
Jesse
Pictures will be uploaded once I have access to them!
This will probably be my last update as I am writing from the comfort of my humble abode. That would mean that yes we made it home safely and let me tell you, it has been quite the journey. So I'm picking up after Flagstaff, AZ. The amazingly beautiful, intelligent, generous, and selfless Tamara Lawless, a long time friend of both of ours, picked us up from Flagstaff because we were running short on time. It was my ultimate goal to visit her at the end of the trip, so it worked out well. So Tam made the 6 drive down from Moab, UT to pick our lazy asses up, which is probably a good thing because it ended up raining for the next five days in a row. I told Danny it was because we weren't keeping in contact with our pure blooded Native American tribal master, Greg Dunkelberger, who is trained in the art of rain dancing. He said that if we fell out of contact with him he would do a rain dance that would cause it to rain for a week straight. Danny and I both quickly learned our lesson and started texting him rapidly. The rain ended up being a good thing because the desert needs water every once in a while.
So when Tamara arrived we gave her the biggest hug ever and headed off to Moab. I was driving because Tamara had to work in the morning. The silhouette of the red mesas was beautiful at twilight. I only wish I would have seen northeastern Arizona during the day because it was the last unexplored corner of the state. It was an extremely windy night but we made it to Moab safely. Moab is a small town of about 5,000 people. Tucked away in the scenic canyons of the Colorado Plateau, Moab is a quaint little town with a touristy vibe, but it is still very nice. It helps to maintain business in such a desolate place.
Tamara snapped a shot of Danny's amazing marbled tan
Danny and Chelsie in the Devil's Garden
The next morning we woke up and I went for a 50 mile bike ride. It felt good to be on the bike again, but I miscalculated the headwind on the way back and was late getting back. I caught up with Tam, Chels, and Danny on the Devil's Garden trail. The first arch I saw was Landscape Arch, which is the longest natural arch in the world. I'm glad we saw it because slabs of sandstone cracked and fell from the arch just a few years prior, and no one knows how much longer the arch will be around for. Sadly this is the nature of the many formations of Arches National Park, time coupled with erosion will ultimately destroy these masterpieces, but new ones will be created in their dust. We finished the Devil's Garden trail and headed to Delicate Arch, which is the most popular arch - you can even find it on the back of Utah's license plate. There was a moderately strenuous 1.5 mile hike to the arch. As we approached Delicate Arch Tam made me close my eyes so I could truly appreciate the natural beauty of the arch. Stumbling over cracks in the sandstone, she excitedly told me to open my eyes. Our jaws dropped as we took in the scale of the arch. I didn't realize it was so massive.
Danny, Tam, and I under Delicate Arch
We were lucky enough to be there after a light rain. As the sun came back out it created a rainbow just over the arch, which is rare because it doesn't rain much. It was spiritual moment and I felt extremely happy sharing it with my friends. The view from delicate arch was amazing - probably the best of the trip. I never would have thought that Arches would beat the Grand Canyon in hand to hand combat, but it delivered a knockout that day. I felt like I was in Jurassic park. The landscape is so surrealistic with the petrified dunes, arches, fins, and surprisingly vast array of plant life. We sat there until the rainbows disappeared and headed out for a pot luck at one a fellow park ranger's house. We ended the night with a competitive game of cribbage. Tam and I got skunked. Later that night we had a slumber party in the spare bedroom.
Amazing rainbow over delicate arch...Soo Beautiful!
The next day we dropped Tamara off at work just outside the park down the Courtyard wash trail. We checked out some petroglyphs along the way which were cool. This trail was on the other side of the rock face leading to the park, so it was well shaded as we were walking through a canyon. Tam forgot a cookie pan so I had to run back to her place and grab it. Unfortunately I lost track of the cairns along the trail and ended up taking the wrong trail. After about 30 minutes I found my way back to the main trail. Danny came back looking for me so that was nice. We did the fiery furnace trail that day, which was a blast. The grittiness of the sandstone allowed us to scale tall boulders fairly easily. I never anticipated the type of climbing we'd be doing in the furnace. We had to watch a short video before entering the furnace because the trails aren't marked and people are supposed to avoid cryptobiotic soil and social trails. Danny and I aced the test and were granted access to this special quiet area. The whole time we were in the furnace we only saw 5 or 6 people. There are a lot of hidden treasures in the Fiery Furnace, and we saw a couple of them. One being skull arch, and the other being Surprise Arch. We paused for a moment at surprise arch to soak in the natural beauty of the formation.
We made our way through the rest of the furnace and checked out Double Arch and The Windows. Both of these arches were cool, Double Arch was one of my favorites. The intro to one of the Indiana Jone's movies was filmed near Double Arch. After a long day of hiking we ate at the Moab Brewery, which had excellent food and atmosphere. We met a bunch of Tamara's friends and later several of us climbed a gigantic sand dune just outside her place. It was so fun I had to do it twice. There was sand everywhere after that night. In fact to this day I still feel like I have sand in my shorts.
The next day I dropped Tam off at the Courtyard Wash again. After work we went to the local market to get some ingredients for lunch. We made some vegan delicious vegan pizza and headed out to do some more hiking shortly after. We did a 3 mile trail on the other side of the canyon. Unfortunately I can't remember what it was called, but it's a famous slick rock mountain biking trail and it was quite scenic. Once you make it to the top you can see all of Moab in one spectacular view. It was starting to rain again and there was another pot luck to mooch off of so we went home.
Friday was our last day in Moab. It was a fairly low key day. Danny and I had to buy our train tickets to Milwaukee and pack up our stuff. We went to the market again to get food for dinner. It was also another rainy day. Tam gave us a ride to the visitor's center where Chels was working. Danny and I finished filling out our junior ranger books and picked up litter in the park so we fulfilled all the requirements for our junior ranger badges. Danny's poem was particularly funny, "Crust busters don't give no shits". We recited the pledge and Tamara gave us our badges. She later revoked my junior ranger status when I left the badge in Moab. We went to the recycling plant and Tamara showed us a great swimming hole. The water was still a bit cool but we all went for a dip. We drove down the other side of the Colorado today so Tamara could show us some fossilized dinosaur tracks. On the way Tamara and Danny had to climb some stupid Indian ladder rock thing. Tamara is ridiculously good at climbing, it's quite impressive to watch her. Later that night while Tam and Danny were cooking Chels and I danced under the waterfalls just outside their house. Whenever it rains waterfalls are created as the washes fill behind their house.
The final day in Moab we made a food stop at the grocery. We drove out to Canyonlands which is another National Park about 30 minutes from Arches. We had to see one last arch, and it was Chels's favorite, so we were pretty pumped. Tamara doesn't appreciate this arch as much as the others. She even has a nickname for the arch. She calls it "Honkey Arch", and don't ask me why because when we visited the arch we were the only white people there. The real name of the arch is Mesa Arch, and while the arch is somewhat unimpressive the view through the arch is amazing. We snapped some pictures and rushed back to the car because it was starting to rain again. We made the 1 1/2hr drive to grand junction and Tam dropped us off at the most appropriate place, Walmart.
Danny and I at Canyonlands NP
It was still raining so Danny and I hung out at the Walmart for 5 hours or so. Our train wasn't until the next morning so we had time to kill. We slept outside the train station on a pair of benches and woke up to board the train. We boxed up the bikes and headed home. It was about a 30 hour train ride that included a 4 hour layover in Chicago. It was a beautiful ride that crossed the continental divide and went through some really scenic areas of Colorado. After Colorado it become flat and boring, so we both read a book and rested up. During our layover in Chicago we fed our remaining moldy bread to the seagulls and pigeons. The Malina's picked us up in Milwaukee and took care of us for the next couple of days.
I'm going to stop here for now. I rode into Madison a couple days ago and I haven't really had time to fully process my thoughts. I do want to thank everyone who helped make this trip possible again. Without your support the trip wouldn't have happened and I am so grateful. If you're ever fortunate to take a trip like this, do it. As Rob Malina would say, "It will change your life."
I don't really know what's going on here
Signing out,
Jesse
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Heat and Moaning
Everyone, anyone, and whomever,
I am here writing to you from a Library in Prescott -- former capitol of Arizona a little ways south of Flagstaff. It was beautiful and exhausting biking here through mountains... but the evergreens and cooler temperatures have made it more than worth it. I always welcome seeing foliage that isn't accompanied by needles and I've grown tired of the sick leathery greens and browns of cacti and other desert flora (sorry desert fans).
Shane from New Zealand atop the mud caves at Anza Borrego
It hasn't been long since our last update but I wanted to share a video from San Diego and talk a bit about my lovely time spent with the medical professionals in Brawley, California.
As I mentioned in a previous post: Jesse moans in his sleep. He also whimpers, mumbles, groans, and mutters. Some of our surfers have had the pleasure of experiencing this first hand - but my insomnia and proximity to Jesse over the past weeks have given me a very thorough sampling of Jesse's night time musical stylings. Almost every night he does it for varying lengths, volumes, etc... I've tried to capture some video but I'm usually too lazy to move myself or he wakes up while I go to get the camera... but not in San Diego. I caught this video of Jesse sleeping on Matt and Kim's futon with my cell phone (forgive the quality) and we've uploaded it to Youtube for all to enjoy.
Jesse getting cozy in the waiting room with sandwich aftermath
I've noticed the past few days that biking in the desert heat gets to me a lot faster now - and considering the fact that we haven't the time to bike the full distance to Wisconsin - I am likely going to take it easy on the biking and train back a little sooner than I'd planned. This may be one of the last blog posts from me - but on the bright side - the sooner I get home the sooner I can edit and post the dance video. We're headed for Flagstaff soon and then who knows -- we'll keep you updated.
photo totally not staged or planned in any way at all by Matt G.
So that is all you get.
-Danny
I am here writing to you from a Library in Prescott -- former capitol of Arizona a little ways south of Flagstaff. It was beautiful and exhausting biking here through mountains... but the evergreens and cooler temperatures have made it more than worth it. I always welcome seeing foliage that isn't accompanied by needles and I've grown tired of the sick leathery greens and browns of cacti and other desert flora (sorry desert fans).
Shane from New Zealand atop the mud caves at Anza BorregoIt hasn't been long since our last update but I wanted to share a video from San Diego and talk a bit about my lovely time spent with the medical professionals in Brawley, California.
As I mentioned in a previous post: Jesse moans in his sleep. He also whimpers, mumbles, groans, and mutters. Some of our surfers have had the pleasure of experiencing this first hand - but my insomnia and proximity to Jesse over the past weeks have given me a very thorough sampling of Jesse's night time musical stylings. Almost every night he does it for varying lengths, volumes, etc... I've tried to capture some video but I'm usually too lazy to move myself or he wakes up while I go to get the camera... but not in San Diego. I caught this video of Jesse sleeping on Matt and Kim's futon with my cell phone (forgive the quality) and we've uploaded it to Youtube for all to enjoy.
As Jesse mentioned I got heat exhaustion in California. It didn't exactly sneak up on me but when you're used to being hot, tired, and delirious... it just sort of blends in. Jesse was feeling fine that day, he was showing off some new exercises and alternative pedaling techniques he'd invented and was talking about how he was going to get pumped up, be enthusiastic, and shout excitedly at passing cars. I told him I would be all for that but I felt like I was going to pass out. He said "OK I'll do the shouting and you just focus on staying not passed out." A few hours later I was crawling toward a rock with a bit of shade and wondering why the only thing I could think about clearly was a cold bottle of red Powerade... mmm. I figured I'd wait there until I stopped dry heaving and feeling dizzy and then I'd hop back on the bike. Jesse came back for me a while later and luckily had the good sense to get help - truthfully I didn't really realize it was cause for concern until I was sitting in the park ranger's truck with the AC on high covered in ice packs and sopping wet from the cold water being poured on me -- still feeling hot. I rambled to the ranger, asking him questions about the Mexican border, wildflowers, and the ridiculous amount of weapons he was carrying in his truck. The ambulance came and they all told me I should go to the hospital - I agreed. There were several Paramedics, one was a trainee, one seemed to be the leader, and the third wasn't used to driving... One of the Paramedics hovered over me, shoulders smashing into the sides of the vehicle due to the bumpy road, all while holding the IV needle a few inches from my arm, presumably waiting for a less bumpy stretch - I decided I would focus on the setting sun in the tiny window and told the Paramedic "I forgive you in advance for mangling my arm" -- He laughed and proceeded to miss my vein three or four times, improperly place a few EKG leads, and drop a roll of tape on my head. We arrived at the hospital and a one armed nurse began taking care of me. Jesse went out and bought Klondike bars and a submarine sandwich - the ice cream was melted so I tried to eat it first - I fell asleep with chocolate and ice cream all over my face and shirt, waking up every fifteen minutes or so. It took four bags of IV fluids to get a urine sample and by the time they were done running their tests it was almost 2:00am -- I tried to find a place to sleep but they would not let me stay in the ER and after everyone I asked said they'd go talk to someone about it - never to be seen again - I gave up and ended up sleeping on the ground outside next to the bikes. Jesse slept in the ICU family waiting room which was about the size of a walk in closet -- with a smelly man who snored loudly.
Jesse getting cozy in the waiting room with sandwich aftermathI've noticed the past few days that biking in the desert heat gets to me a lot faster now - and considering the fact that we haven't the time to bike the full distance to Wisconsin - I am likely going to take it easy on the biking and train back a little sooner than I'd planned. This may be one of the last blog posts from me - but on the bright side - the sooner I get home the sooner I can edit and post the dance video. We're headed for Flagstaff soon and then who knows -- we'll keep you updated.
photo totally not staged or planned in any way at all by Matt G.- Minutes of library time remaining to write my 'list': 2
-Danny
Monday, May 11, 2009
San Diego
Hey guys! I have a limited amount of time this morning so I will probably edit this for grammar and spelling later.
but first...
View of the wash from the top of the Mud Caves
*Image courtesy of google because we didn't bring our camera out in San Diego much
but first...
DJ Falcon - So much love to give
start loving live...
I think Danny left off in Yuma. Yuma is the border town in Arizona on I-8 which took us into California. We started fairly late that day because we stopped at Johnny Yuma's bicycles. We got a pair of reinforced plastic strips and some industrial tubes to help eliminate the flats we've been getting. I'm not sure the double redundancy is necessary, but since we purchased the thicker tubes my tire has been penetrated several times and I've yet to change any tubes so I'm content with our decision. I feel that since these tires are heavier and more robust than their predecessors it makes accelerating more difficult because of the way torque and angular momentum work. I have no interest in delving into the physics at this point. Alas, I can definitely differentiate between the different types of tubes, but once you find your cruising speed and you don't decelerate too much, there isn't that much of a difference. So we made it into California about an hour before sunset. Here is a picture from the state line:
Entering California
A 1/4 mile down the road there was a new sign indicating that we were entering the pacific time zone, where I suggested that we both do a dance under the sign. I will upload the hilarity later. So we kept riding that night - there was supposed to be a rest stop about 12 miles down the road. It was a short ride so we decided to throw on the lights and do some night riding.
So we ride down I-8 and and approach the Algadones Dunes which are somewhat eerie at night. The heavy headwind kept whipping sand in our faces and drifts of sand kept appearing on the road because the winds were so high. Small drifts we can coast through, but anything over an inch we had to react quickly and swerve around to prevent wiping out. So we made it to the rest stop and rolled out the sleeping bags under a desert tree. The wind finally died down and I slept all right, but I'm not so sure Danny did. The nights have been incredibly comfortable, never dropping below 80 degrees.
We woke up early that morning to start our ride. The dunes were amazing during the day, and we're going to ride through them again on our way out of California so I'll try to remember to take pictures this time. I just hope it's not as windy the second tme through. We skated across the border for a day until we hit the Coyote Mountains, sometimes coming within a mile of the border fence. We went through El Centro, Plaster City (which was completely barren except for one factory appropriately named "Plaster Factory"), and Ocotillo before we started climbing the coyotes.
As far as climbs go, this one was pretty intense. We went up about 3,000 feet at a 6% grade in 10-12 miles. I don't know exactly how long the climb was, but it was at the end of our ride and it was pitch dark (<-- inside joke). Finally there was a couple mile downhill into Jacumba where there was a Subway/Shell combo competing with a Chevron across the street which had no fast food counterpart. In fact, the border patrol person we talked to during our climb never even mentioned a Chevron. Anyway, we stealth camped it outside the gas station near I-8 in a small clearing. We woke up early and to our surprise border patrol never questioned us once, I guess if we were jumping the border we'd have to be mad to camp in such a stupid spot.
Coyotes Mts, CA
As we descended out of the Coyote Mts there was a 16 mile downhill with a 6% grade. Anytime there is an extended downhill it's a blast to ride down. It's hard to describe, but coasting at 35mph+ is extremely exhilarating when you've been climbing at 8mph for hours. I was in such a good mood that day because I knew we were going to make it into San Diego. I was singing "Jacumba Matata" during the ride I was so excited. I then proceeded to recite other Disney songs and busted out a little Bob Marley as well. We rode through Pine Valley so fast I can't even remember it (we were going downhill). Then into El Cajon and finally La Mesa where we had to get off the interstate because the highway patrolman was yelling at us with a megaphone.
It was about another 15 mile ride to the surfer's house we were staying at. San Diego is an incredibly hilly city, and we had to go up several hills to get to Lance's house. The most notable hill was Fletcher Hill because it was about a 12% grade and the last big climb into San Diego. I called our host, Matt, and he was downtown so we ended up riding to his friend Lance's place. Lance wasn't our intended host but Kim was at work so we stashed our bikes in his garage for the first night. Lance is a true San Diego native, a vibrant personality, incredibly outgoing, happy and generous person. He has a beautiful home at the top of Mission Valley drive, about a mile from the Charger's stadium. We promptly showered and shortly after Matt and Lance arrived at his place.
We were at the will of our hosts that night. Danny and I were both exhausted and just wanted to relax. Downtown was packed because of the holiday even though it was a Tuesday. We met at "The Local" which is a bar in downtown San Diego where the couch surfers from the area hang out for "Tipsy Tuesdays". We met several surfers and shared a few drinks and ended the night with a fun but competitive game of pool with both Matts. I had Matt D on my team, who is the epitome of awesome but I was still carrying our team. I think Matt D might have been slightly intoxicated. Danny and Matt G developed the hilarious strategy of booty shaking on whichever hole I was aiming for, which completely threw me off because of how hilarious it was. Danny and Matt were moving as one brandishing their pool sticks between their legs. Gentle thrusts through the entire game, like clockwork. It was a completely synchronous motion and I regret not bringing the camera that night because the image is now ingrained in my brain only and I can't share it with all of you. Needless to say both Matts are incredibly awesome and I'll miss them both.
The next day we lounged around for a bit and Lance showed us around town. One particular part of town I enjoyed was Point Loma, which is displayed below:
*Point Loma on Mt. Soledad -- located in La Jolla community
I think Danny left off in Yuma. Yuma is the border town in Arizona on I-8 which took us into California. We started fairly late that day because we stopped at Johnny Yuma's bicycles. We got a pair of reinforced plastic strips and some industrial tubes to help eliminate the flats we've been getting. I'm not sure the double redundancy is necessary, but since we purchased the thicker tubes my tire has been penetrated several times and I've yet to change any tubes so I'm content with our decision. I feel that since these tires are heavier and more robust than their predecessors it makes accelerating more difficult because of the way torque and angular momentum work. I have no interest in delving into the physics at this point. Alas, I can definitely differentiate between the different types of tubes, but once you find your cruising speed and you don't decelerate too much, there isn't that much of a difference. So we made it into California about an hour before sunset. Here is a picture from the state line:
Entering CaliforniaSo we ride down I-8 and and approach the Algadones Dunes which are somewhat eerie at night. The heavy headwind kept whipping sand in our faces and drifts of sand kept appearing on the road because the winds were so high. Small drifts we can coast through, but anything over an inch we had to react quickly and swerve around to prevent wiping out. So we made it to the rest stop and rolled out the sleeping bags under a desert tree. The wind finally died down and I slept all right, but I'm not so sure Danny did. The nights have been incredibly comfortable, never dropping below 80 degrees.
We woke up early that morning to start our ride. The dunes were amazing during the day, and we're going to ride through them again on our way out of California so I'll try to remember to take pictures this time. I just hope it's not as windy the second tme through. We skated across the border for a day until we hit the Coyote Mountains, sometimes coming within a mile of the border fence. We went through El Centro, Plaster City (which was completely barren except for one factory appropriately named "Plaster Factory"), and Ocotillo before we started climbing the coyotes.
As far as climbs go, this one was pretty intense. We went up about 3,000 feet at a 6% grade in 10-12 miles. I don't know exactly how long the climb was, but it was at the end of our ride and it was pitch dark (<-- inside joke). Finally there was a couple mile downhill into Jacumba where there was a Subway/Shell combo competing with a Chevron across the street which had no fast food counterpart. In fact, the border patrol person we talked to during our climb never even mentioned a Chevron. Anyway, we stealth camped it outside the gas station near I-8 in a small clearing. We woke up early and to our surprise border patrol never questioned us once, I guess if we were jumping the border we'd have to be mad to camp in such a stupid spot.
Coyotes Mts, CAWe started early because we wanted to get into San Diego by the 5th. In fact, we both toasted on getting to San Diego by the 5th so I wasn't going to let anything stop us from getting there for Cinco de Mayo. There were three climbs on our way into San Diego County. We entered Cleveland National Park that day, which is full of canyons, valleys, and wildlife. Some of the canyons were so vastly deep it was a little unnerving riding across them. After we past Laguna Summit the landscape transformed into a lush green valley with trees as far as the eye can see. A dramatic contrast from the other side of the mountains, which were covered by a layer giant stone boulders giving them a really distinct look. This look was amplified by the fact that there was almost no plant life on the eastern side of the mountains. Two of the peaks were just above 4,000ft. I snapped a photo of Danny during our lunch break at the top of our last climb up Mt. Laguna.
Lunch break at Laguna Summit
Lunch break at Laguna SummitIt was about another 15 mile ride to the surfer's house we were staying at. San Diego is an incredibly hilly city, and we had to go up several hills to get to Lance's house. The most notable hill was Fletcher Hill because it was about a 12% grade and the last big climb into San Diego. I called our host, Matt, and he was downtown so we ended up riding to his friend Lance's place. Lance wasn't our intended host but Kim was at work so we stashed our bikes in his garage for the first night. Lance is a true San Diego native, a vibrant personality, incredibly outgoing, happy and generous person. He has a beautiful home at the top of Mission Valley drive, about a mile from the Charger's stadium. We promptly showered and shortly after Matt and Lance arrived at his place.
We were at the will of our hosts that night. Danny and I were both exhausted and just wanted to relax. Downtown was packed because of the holiday even though it was a Tuesday. We met at "The Local" which is a bar in downtown San Diego where the couch surfers from the area hang out for "Tipsy Tuesdays". We met several surfers and shared a few drinks and ended the night with a fun but competitive game of pool with both Matts. I had Matt D on my team, who is the epitome of awesome but I was still carrying our team. I think Matt D might have been slightly intoxicated. Danny and Matt G developed the hilarious strategy of booty shaking on whichever hole I was aiming for, which completely threw me off because of how hilarious it was. Danny and Matt were moving as one brandishing their pool sticks between their legs. Gentle thrusts through the entire game, like clockwork. It was a completely synchronous motion and I regret not bringing the camera that night because the image is now ingrained in my brain only and I can't share it with all of you. Needless to say both Matts are incredibly awesome and I'll miss them both.
The next day we lounged around for a bit and Lance showed us around town. One particular part of town I enjoyed was Point Loma, which is displayed below:
*Point Loma on Mt. Soledad -- located in La Jolla communityPart of the La Jolla community, Point Loma rests on Mt. Soledad. A small hill atop an even bigger hill that gives you a 360 degree view of the city. Including the college campuses, the downtown skyline, and San Diego Bay. On a clear day you can see as far south as Mexico. We lounged at Lance's mother's house for a few hours, which was probably one of the nicest homes with the nicest views I've ever seen. She owns a ridiculously adorable chihuahua named Molly, who is love with Lance's dog, Cody. Unfortunately Molly has epilepsy and has to take a medication that increases her weight. The pudginess only adds to the dogs overall cuteness. Again, I wish I had pictures of Lance's home and his mother's home and dog, but we didn't want to carry around the camera!
After leaving La Jolla community we headed towards OB (Ocean Beach) to check out the farmer's market. San Diego natives have developed a comprehensive list of acronyms for the beaches and landmarks in their beautiful city. OB is Ocean Beach, MB is Mission Beach, and PB is Pacific Beach. There are more but I can't remember them. We scanned the farmers market and indulged in a few free samples but didn't buy anything because it was pricey! We both ate a delicious teriyaki steak sandwich for lunch and sat on the beach for a bit until it was time to play some Bocce Ball. We met at Balboa Park, which is San Diego's biggest and most beautiful park. Minutes from downtown, it's definitely worth visiting and has a plethora of activities to partake in. From Bocce Ball courts, to a world class frisbee golf course, this park has it all. We played a couple rounds of Bocce Ball then went back to lances for the night where we indulged in a few rounds of a good ol' midwestern classic, Euchre.
The next day we rode our bikes back to Matt and Kim's apartment. We wanted to spend a day at one of the beaches so we decided to go to OB again as it's closest to the Hostel where Matt works. A very nice hostel, which I'm happy to plug http://www.sandiegohostels.org/ptloma.shtml . We borrowed some towels and a surf board from the hostel and walked to the beach. We left our valuables at the hostel because we all planned on swimming so unfortunately I have no pictures from our excursion to the beach, but here is what OB looks like (sometimes called the hippie beach, or dog beach). There were strong rip currents that day, so the lifeguards were yelling at us because apparently we're terrible surfers. On our first attempt to go through the break I clocked danny in the ear during a large set where i lost the grip on my longboard. It was a large set and the waves were breaking pretty hard. Poor Danny just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I felt terrible. We went back to check on him and he had a gash on his ear, but appeared to be all right so Matt and I continued surfing.
*Beautiful Ocean Beach
I was not wearing shorts with a drawstring so they kept coming down to my knees, making my parts available to anyone who was watching us boogie board. This made getting through the break incredibly hard as I kept losing my shorts. I had to swim with one hand and hold my shorts up with the other. However, the constant flood of "oooos" and "ahhhs" from the countless beautiful women on the beach didn't help, no matter how flattering it may have been. I must note that my license to exercise hyperbole may be in use here, but we're are bronze gods at this point, which begs the question: HOW CAN YOU NOT WHISTLE AT US???
That night we went the the "Whistle Stop" which has crappy music night the first Thursday of every month. I can't begin to describe this night. The place was packed with hipsters smoking cigarettes. It had a nice feel to it though, and the music was definitely crappy. We all conversed about what song to request and decided not to hit the dance floor until they played Ace of Base. It took about an hour, but once Ace of Base came on we hit the dance floor hard and fast, and let me tell you, jaws were dropping son, oh yes they were. Our dance moves literally created their own light and the transition into "Boom Boom Boom" by the Vengaboys could not have been more perfect. It was truly magical. We have some video from this night but it didn't turn out so I'm not going to upload it. Needless to say, we all had a blast that night. I think Kim might have had too much fun!
I guess this brings us to our final day in San Diego. We were having such a blast we didn't want to leave, but it was time to move on so we did our laundry and packed up our stuff. Kim and Matt asked us to go camping with them in Anza-Borrego state park. Obviously we couldn't resist so we threw our bikes in Matt D's truck and rode out with them. Anza-Borrego is a huge state park, but we were going to the Mud Caves, which is about 30 miles north of Ocotillo down a long dirt rode. It's hard to describe how unique this place is, and I'm surprised that more people don't know about it because it was breathtakingly beautiful. Deep in the desert the desolate washes carve this mud valley creating a series of passageways and caves. Sometimes these caves have vast caverns with 70ft ceilings. The ground is soft enough to make climbing the 1000ft walls easy without repelling gear. When spelunking a headlamp or flashlight is necessary because of how long these passageways are.
I'm the dot at the top!
Here is a shot with all of us on top of the hill. These are the people we spent the majority of our time with in San Diego. The only person missing is Lance who didn't come on the camping trip. Joel is taking this photo for us.
After leaving La Jolla community we headed towards OB (Ocean Beach) to check out the farmer's market. San Diego natives have developed a comprehensive list of acronyms for the beaches and landmarks in their beautiful city. OB is Ocean Beach, MB is Mission Beach, and PB is Pacific Beach. There are more but I can't remember them. We scanned the farmers market and indulged in a few free samples but didn't buy anything because it was pricey! We both ate a delicious teriyaki steak sandwich for lunch and sat on the beach for a bit until it was time to play some Bocce Ball. We met at Balboa Park, which is San Diego's biggest and most beautiful park. Minutes from downtown, it's definitely worth visiting and has a plethora of activities to partake in. From Bocce Ball courts, to a world class frisbee golf course, this park has it all. We played a couple rounds of Bocce Ball then went back to lances for the night where we indulged in a few rounds of a good ol' midwestern classic, Euchre.
The next day we rode our bikes back to Matt and Kim's apartment. We wanted to spend a day at one of the beaches so we decided to go to OB again as it's closest to the Hostel where Matt works. A very nice hostel, which I'm happy to plug http://www.sandiegohostels.org/ptloma.shtml . We borrowed some towels and a surf board from the hostel and walked to the beach. We left our valuables at the hostel because we all planned on swimming so unfortunately I have no pictures from our excursion to the beach, but here is what OB looks like (sometimes called the hippie beach, or dog beach). There were strong rip currents that day, so the lifeguards were yelling at us because apparently we're terrible surfers. On our first attempt to go through the break I clocked danny in the ear during a large set where i lost the grip on my longboard. It was a large set and the waves were breaking pretty hard. Poor Danny just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I felt terrible. We went back to check on him and he had a gash on his ear, but appeared to be all right so Matt and I continued surfing.
*Beautiful Ocean BeachI was not wearing shorts with a drawstring so they kept coming down to my knees, making my parts available to anyone who was watching us boogie board. This made getting through the break incredibly hard as I kept losing my shorts. I had to swim with one hand and hold my shorts up with the other. However, the constant flood of "oooos" and "ahhhs" from the countless beautiful women on the beach didn't help, no matter how flattering it may have been. I must note that my license to exercise hyperbole may be in use here, but we're are bronze gods at this point, which begs the question: HOW CAN YOU NOT WHISTLE AT US???
That night we went the the "Whistle Stop" which has crappy music night the first Thursday of every month. I can't begin to describe this night. The place was packed with hipsters smoking cigarettes. It had a nice feel to it though, and the music was definitely crappy. We all conversed about what song to request and decided not to hit the dance floor until they played Ace of Base. It took about an hour, but once Ace of Base came on we hit the dance floor hard and fast, and let me tell you, jaws were dropping son, oh yes they were. Our dance moves literally created their own light and the transition into "Boom Boom Boom" by the Vengaboys could not have been more perfect. It was truly magical. We have some video from this night but it didn't turn out so I'm not going to upload it. Needless to say, we all had a blast that night. I think Kim might have had too much fun!
I guess this brings us to our final day in San Diego. We were having such a blast we didn't want to leave, but it was time to move on so we did our laundry and packed up our stuff. Kim and Matt asked us to go camping with them in Anza-Borrego state park. Obviously we couldn't resist so we threw our bikes in Matt D's truck and rode out with them. Anza-Borrego is a huge state park, but we were going to the Mud Caves, which is about 30 miles north of Ocotillo down a long dirt rode. It's hard to describe how unique this place is, and I'm surprised that more people don't know about it because it was breathtakingly beautiful. Deep in the desert the desolate washes carve this mud valley creating a series of passageways and caves. Sometimes these caves have vast caverns with 70ft ceilings. The ground is soft enough to make climbing the 1000ft walls easy without repelling gear. When spelunking a headlamp or flashlight is necessary because of how long these passageways are.
I'm the dot at the top!I wanted to find a good place to watch the sunset so I climbed this giant hill and took a look. I gave it two thumbs up and suggested that everyone come up with me. Danny snapped this photo from the bottom of the wash. During Danny's climb he snapped this shot which I really liked.
Danny snapped a nice shot during his climb
Danny snapped a nice shot during his climb
From the left: Me, Kim, Matt G, Shane, Matt D, Blake, Danny
Danny and I were commissioned to help find firewood by Matt D so Danny handed off the camera to Kim. It was a long journey for firewood but we found a few dead logs. On the way back Matt D made a series of signs to help the other couch surfers find their way -- what a resourceful guy! Our site was a large dirt bowl about 50ft up from the wash. It was a perfect spot to watch the moon rise. The moon slowly rose above the high desert walls and finally lit up the desert floor like a flashlight. Danny and I went to sleep early but the others went on a late night spelunking expedition exploring the many caves in the area.
Danny and I were commissioned to help find firewood by Matt D so Danny handed off the camera to Kim. It was a long journey for firewood but we found a few dead logs. On the way back Matt D made a series of signs to help the other couch surfers find their way -- what a resourceful guy! Our site was a large dirt bowl about 50ft up from the wash. It was a perfect spot to watch the moon rise. The moon slowly rose above the high desert walls and finally lit up the desert floor like a flashlight. Danny and I went to sleep early but the others went on a late night spelunking expedition exploring the many caves in the area.
View of the wash from the top of the Mud CavesThe next day we ate a good breakfast and took the dirt rode back out to S2. Kim and I rode in the back of the truck which was a somewhat bumpy ride. Kim and Matt D played a game of desert hockey while Danny and I rounded up our gear. We said our goodbyes then took S2 North to 78 East to Ocotillo Wells.
Desert Hockey is the New Thing!
There was a beautiful downhill coming out of Anza-Borrego and we were making good time until hot sun started beating down on us. We stopped at an RV Resort to take a break during high sun and continued on our way. The following story is probably the scariest of the trip and Danny is doing fine now but we have to be careful when riding in the desert heat. So we were coming up on the Saltan Sea, which I later found out is actually nearly as low as Death Valley. The Saltan Sea smells terrible and being below sea level made us bake in the hot sun like never before. I believe the temperature was 106 at the time, down 3 degrees from previous day. Needless to say it was hot, and Danny was slowing down right after we took our break which I was somewhat concerned about because he usually is a pretty strong rider after our breaks. He stopped at this place called the Blu-Inn and filled up is water bottles.
So a few miles down the road I was going at a steady pace, I think it was about 15-18mph. There was a gentle tail wind and the road was straight. I was cruising and hadn't looked back for a couple minutes until it was too late. I noticed Danny wasn't behind me and sprinted back until I found his bike. He was sitting under the shadow of a rock by this ranch in the middle of no where. He was out of it and I was concerned. I asked him if he was sweating and he said no and that he had a headache and that he was dizzy and dry heaving. At that point I knew something was wrong and suggested calling 911. He urged against it and I said that I was going to ride back to the Blu-Inn and see if I could find help. He was conscious at this point but definitely not in any shape to ride. I found a mechanic at the Inn and he said he couldn't help but gave me the number for the Anza-Borrego Ranger Station which was closer too us than the Brawley ambulance (about 8 miles away). I made the call and told him that I thought my friend had heat exhaustion and he said he'd be right out.
I sprinted back to Danny to check on him. He was still conscious but wasn't drinking. The park ranger got there quickly and I waved him down. He immediately started asking Danny questions. He didn't have any heat cramps so his electrolytes were surprisingly fine, but he definitely wasn't drinking enough water and was severely dehydrated. The fact that he wasn't sweating was the reason he overheated. The park ranger urged Danny to take an ambulance to Brawley hospital so he could rehydrated and get his body temperature down. It took a few minutes for the EMT's to get there and I wasn't allowed in the ambulance. We threw the bikes in the back of the park ranger's truck and he gave me a ride down the rode to Brawley hospital. I thanked the park ranger for his help and parked the bikes in back of the hospital. I then went to check on Danny. He was out of it but doing better. I brought him some food but he was mostly just tired and cold. I ended up sleeping in the waiting room that night.
Heat exhaustion is very dangerous and Danny was on the verge of getting heat stroke. From now on we'll have to keep a more watchful eye on any symptoms of heat exhaustion and find shade to stand in if we're overheating. The symptoms that Danny displayed were all very clear and it's not hard to diagnose. We will exercise extreme caution when riding through the desert now. Danny will probably post an aside to share his perspective on the whole thing. I'm just glad he's ok. The doctor told him not to exercise in the heat for 24 hours, and he's more susceptible to heat exhaustion now, so we have to be extra careful. They released him from the hospital at like 1am in the morning and we had no place to stay. So we just camped out in the hospital waiting room but there was a guy snoring so Danny slept by the bikes.
I guess that's it for now. Next blog will be from Flagstaff or Moab.
Desert Hockey is the New Thing!There was a beautiful downhill coming out of Anza-Borrego and we were making good time until hot sun started beating down on us. We stopped at an RV Resort to take a break during high sun and continued on our way. The following story is probably the scariest of the trip and Danny is doing fine now but we have to be careful when riding in the desert heat. So we were coming up on the Saltan Sea, which I later found out is actually nearly as low as Death Valley. The Saltan Sea smells terrible and being below sea level made us bake in the hot sun like never before. I believe the temperature was 106 at the time, down 3 degrees from previous day. Needless to say it was hot, and Danny was slowing down right after we took our break which I was somewhat concerned about because he usually is a pretty strong rider after our breaks. He stopped at this place called the Blu-Inn and filled up is water bottles.
So a few miles down the road I was going at a steady pace, I think it was about 15-18mph. There was a gentle tail wind and the road was straight. I was cruising and hadn't looked back for a couple minutes until it was too late. I noticed Danny wasn't behind me and sprinted back until I found his bike. He was sitting under the shadow of a rock by this ranch in the middle of no where. He was out of it and I was concerned. I asked him if he was sweating and he said no and that he had a headache and that he was dizzy and dry heaving. At that point I knew something was wrong and suggested calling 911. He urged against it and I said that I was going to ride back to the Blu-Inn and see if I could find help. He was conscious at this point but definitely not in any shape to ride. I found a mechanic at the Inn and he said he couldn't help but gave me the number for the Anza-Borrego Ranger Station which was closer too us than the Brawley ambulance (about 8 miles away). I made the call and told him that I thought my friend had heat exhaustion and he said he'd be right out.
I sprinted back to Danny to check on him. He was still conscious but wasn't drinking. The park ranger got there quickly and I waved him down. He immediately started asking Danny questions. He didn't have any heat cramps so his electrolytes were surprisingly fine, but he definitely wasn't drinking enough water and was severely dehydrated. The fact that he wasn't sweating was the reason he overheated. The park ranger urged Danny to take an ambulance to Brawley hospital so he could rehydrated and get his body temperature down. It took a few minutes for the EMT's to get there and I wasn't allowed in the ambulance. We threw the bikes in the back of the park ranger's truck and he gave me a ride down the rode to Brawley hospital. I thanked the park ranger for his help and parked the bikes in back of the hospital. I then went to check on Danny. He was out of it but doing better. I brought him some food but he was mostly just tired and cold. I ended up sleeping in the waiting room that night.
Heat exhaustion is very dangerous and Danny was on the verge of getting heat stroke. From now on we'll have to keep a more watchful eye on any symptoms of heat exhaustion and find shade to stand in if we're overheating. The symptoms that Danny displayed were all very clear and it's not hard to diagnose. We will exercise extreme caution when riding through the desert now. Danny will probably post an aside to share his perspective on the whole thing. I'm just glad he's ok. The doctor told him not to exercise in the heat for 24 hours, and he's more susceptible to heat exhaustion now, so we have to be extra careful. They released him from the hospital at like 1am in the morning and we had no place to stay. So we just camped out in the hospital waiting room but there was a guy snoring so Danny slept by the bikes.
I guess that's it for now. Next blog will be from Flagstaff or Moab.
*Image courtesy of google because we didn't bring our camera out in San Diego much
Friday, May 8, 2009
Dear whomever,
First things first... WE MADE IT TO SAN DIEGO!
I'll leave the California segment to Jesse but I wanted to gloat a little and leave you with this image of Matt, one of our San Diego Couch Surfers, enjoying the crap out of some delicious Cheetos.
A taste of whats to come
I know it has been a long time since we've blogged; We've been too busy to sit down and write out all that has happened. We'll do our best to recap here and hopefully we'll have some time and computer access along the way to give you some more frequent updates.
Where we last left you we were in Las Cruces preparing to depart... this got delayed in favor of...
That's right... DANCE PARTY
(I'm not sure whose dance moves I was laughing at but clearly they were amazing)
Our Surfers Kenny, Greg , and Greg's sister Alicia, took us out to a place called Grahams where we fought for dance floor space with the employees on a slow Thursday night.
Our lovely hosts Greg "Stanky Legs" Cupit (left) and "Skinny" Kenny Chunn (right)
Our dance moves inspired awe, joy, shame, and the DJ to play music that no one wanted to dance to. We went home happy and ready to sleep.
The next day we departed Las Cruces still a little tired from the dancing and got in a nice day of riding... which went past sunset (as usual). We pulled in late to a rest stop and by the light of our headlamps spotted both scorpions and a black widow around the picnic tables we'd planned to sleep on. I went to bed resolving to shake out my shoes before I put them on again in the morning (Naturally I forgot to do this.)
Jesse tries to fire himself up about our dinner of Ramen noodles and tuna out of a bag.
Expecting to make great time to Arizona we headed off into strong head winds. We made it about 20 miles before I realized that I'd not properly closed my Pannier bag and the camera... had fallen out. We tried to bike back going against traffic but with the drafts from passing trucks and the winds it quickly proved to be a terrible idea. After praising myself with colorful language and giving myself a somewhat harsh assessment of self worth... I decided I would take all the gear off of my bike, sprint to the rest stop, and bike back looking for the camera. Jesse pointed out he was a faster sprinter and offered to be the one to go... lets just say it wasn't a long discussion. With the strong winds at his back and no gear on the bike Jesse got going as fast as 37 mph on a straight away and spotted the camera from across four lanes of traffic about 3 miles away from the rest stop. I was relieved and feeling a bit guilty about the delay but it was back on the bike and on to Arizona.
We'd been riding on the interstate which really hasn't been so bad; Lots of rest stops and gas stations... much better than the nothing highways of west Texas. Sometimes the rest stops are even... well... pretty.
Rest stop in Texas Canyon, AZ
Heading in to Tucson with the mountains and saguaro cacti was beautiful; we biked past the worlds largest airplane graveyard that went on forever and had over 4,000 aircraft. We later found out that they recently shot a portion of the upcoming second Transformers movie there, how exciting. We past about 5 different signs that said we were entering Tucson so we aren't sure when we actually entered the city -- but, whenever we actually arrived in Tucson there was still light left in the day... which surprised everyone including Tori, our friend and Tucson host, who was still at work when we got to her place. We spent a few days there enjoying all of the insane desert flora and the surprisingly comfortable dry heat. The University of Arizona campus was amazing looking but I shudder to imagine just how much water they use to keep the whole campus so lush and green (maybe that is why the tuition is so high?) We had lots of fun with Tori and her roommates and we even spent an extra day due to a sudden nap attack (oops).
Even the sewage treatment is scenic outside of Tucson
On our way out of Tucson we stuck to the interstate when there wasn't a frontage road -- This went fine until two Arizona state troopers whistled us over and told us we couldn't be on the interstate...at all... ever. We were very shocked by this news considering there were signs coming in to Tucson telling bikers to stay on the shoulder; To be fair however, the stretch we were on does not allow bicycles. The troopers wrote us each warnings and tried to scare us by telling us about how semi-trucks drive on the shoulder. He even made us watch trucks pass by to illustrate his point (They all stayed perfectly in the lines). After insulting my drivers license photo, all truck drivers and, inadvertently, themselves... they let us go. Our state trooper mandated detour got us to Casa Grande - a lovely little town where the police officers were not helpful and the locals regaled us with stories of how people who have tried to sleep out in the local parks before had been stabbed, shot, robbed, and beaten. We spent an anxious night stealth camped behind a Baptist church with dozens of motion sensor lights. We got up early and never had to use our alibi -- (Jesse was raised Baptist and I was a mute and godless heathen in need of saving.)
Due to our continued flat tire spree we were out of tubes heading in to Yuma and were hoping for a stretch of luck for once; we switched our worn down back tires with our slightly less worn down front tires just in case. The day was moving along alright, windy but without flat tires, and we came up on the Gila Mountains outside of Yuma. The climb was steep and fast but it yielded a great view of a beautiful sunset, and a nice downhill as well.
Gila Mountain pass at sunset
We rode in to the city where I breathed a sigh of relief -- a day without flats! A few minutes later Jesse ran over some gravel and picked up a staple that popped his front tire, figures. As Jesse patched his tire under a street light, several emergency vehicles pulled up expecting a motorcycle accident. We all shared a laugh about the flat tire and they gave us directions to the nearest Walmart where we'd be able to get extra tubes if we needed them. We got our tubes and sat for a while at the Walmart expecting that there would be a park or some place to crash, we were wrong. The police weren't helpful and the nearest camping was far away. We turned on our lights and got ready for some night riding... hoping to find a decent spot to stealth camp in a city of almost 200,000. We rode about 7 miles or so when I realized that my phone, which I'd put in my pocket expecting a phone call, was no longer in my pocket... I forgot to zip it shut. After making a series of loud angry grunting noises that scared and confused Jesse, I explained to him what happened and that I would bike with him until we saw a hotel - get a room no matter the price - drop off my bags and bike back to the Walmart and start to search for the phone. The first hotel we found was located very near the airport which meant it wasn't cheap. I threw off my bags and headed off into the Yuma night. I got to the Walmart and slowed my pace looking for the phone. I made it about 4 miles before I got a flat - shit - luckily, when it comes to me and tragedy, I always leave a little room for a situation to get worse. I'd thought ahead enough to bring a spare tube and the pump along. I changed my tire in the dark, laughing to myself a little, and resumed my search. I found the phone only a mile or so away from the point I'd noticed it was missing, smashed and in several pieces... I collected them and headed back to the hotel. The next day I went and got a new phone and we stopped at a bike shop to buy tube liners and reinforced tubes - we were tired of flats. We got a very late start but it was nice to not be expecting a flat tire the whole ride.
.jpg)
I should stop now I've been slowly writing this for hours. Check back for videos of our Pacific new state new time zone dance and Jesse blog -- as my father is fond of saying: Stay upright.
Dear mother -- Thank you for giving me life and then staying around to save it constantly (including today) for 24 years -- Happy Mother's Day -- Love you.
-Danny
First things first... WE MADE IT TO SAN DIEGO!
I'll leave the California segment to Jesse but I wanted to gloat a little and leave you with this image of Matt, one of our San Diego Couch Surfers, enjoying the crap out of some delicious Cheetos.
A taste of whats to come I know it has been a long time since we've blogged; We've been too busy to sit down and write out all that has happened. We'll do our best to recap here and hopefully we'll have some time and computer access along the way to give you some more frequent updates.
Where we last left you we were in Las Cruces preparing to depart... this got delayed in favor of...
That's right... DANCE PARTY (I'm not sure whose dance moves I was laughing at but clearly they were amazing)
Our Surfers Kenny, Greg , and Greg's sister Alicia, took us out to a place called Grahams where we fought for dance floor space with the employees on a slow Thursday night.
Our lovely hosts Greg "Stanky Legs" Cupit (left) and "Skinny" Kenny Chunn (right) Our dance moves inspired awe, joy, shame, and the DJ to play music that no one wanted to dance to. We went home happy and ready to sleep.
The next day we departed Las Cruces still a little tired from the dancing and got in a nice day of riding... which went past sunset (as usual). We pulled in late to a rest stop and by the light of our headlamps spotted both scorpions and a black widow around the picnic tables we'd planned to sleep on. I went to bed resolving to shake out my shoes before I put them on again in the morning (Naturally I forgot to do this.)
Jesse tries to fire himself up about our dinner of Ramen noodles and tuna out of a bag.Expecting to make great time to Arizona we headed off into strong head winds. We made it about 20 miles before I realized that I'd not properly closed my Pannier bag and the camera... had fallen out. We tried to bike back going against traffic but with the drafts from passing trucks and the winds it quickly proved to be a terrible idea. After praising myself with colorful language and giving myself a somewhat harsh assessment of self worth... I decided I would take all the gear off of my bike, sprint to the rest stop, and bike back looking for the camera. Jesse pointed out he was a faster sprinter and offered to be the one to go... lets just say it wasn't a long discussion. With the strong winds at his back and no gear on the bike Jesse got going as fast as 37 mph on a straight away and spotted the camera from across four lanes of traffic about 3 miles away from the rest stop. I was relieved and feeling a bit guilty about the delay but it was back on the bike and on to Arizona.
We'd been riding on the interstate which really hasn't been so bad; Lots of rest stops and gas stations... much better than the nothing highways of west Texas. Sometimes the rest stops are even... well... pretty.
Rest stop in Texas Canyon, AZ Heading in to Tucson with the mountains and saguaro cacti was beautiful; we biked past the worlds largest airplane graveyard that went on forever and had over 4,000 aircraft. We later found out that they recently shot a portion of the upcoming second Transformers movie there, how exciting. We past about 5 different signs that said we were entering Tucson so we aren't sure when we actually entered the city -- but, whenever we actually arrived in Tucson there was still light left in the day... which surprised everyone including Tori, our friend and Tucson host, who was still at work when we got to her place. We spent a few days there enjoying all of the insane desert flora and the surprisingly comfortable dry heat. The University of Arizona campus was amazing looking but I shudder to imagine just how much water they use to keep the whole campus so lush and green (maybe that is why the tuition is so high?) We had lots of fun with Tori and her roommates and we even spent an extra day due to a sudden nap attack (oops).
Even the sewage treatment is scenic outside of Tucson On our way out of Tucson we stuck to the interstate when there wasn't a frontage road -- This went fine until two Arizona state troopers whistled us over and told us we couldn't be on the interstate...at all... ever. We were very shocked by this news considering there were signs coming in to Tucson telling bikers to stay on the shoulder; To be fair however, the stretch we were on does not allow bicycles. The troopers wrote us each warnings and tried to scare us by telling us about how semi-trucks drive on the shoulder. He even made us watch trucks pass by to illustrate his point (They all stayed perfectly in the lines). After insulting my drivers license photo, all truck drivers and, inadvertently, themselves... they let us go. Our state trooper mandated detour got us to Casa Grande - a lovely little town where the police officers were not helpful and the locals regaled us with stories of how people who have tried to sleep out in the local parks before had been stabbed, shot, robbed, and beaten. We spent an anxious night stealth camped behind a Baptist church with dozens of motion sensor lights. We got up early and never had to use our alibi -- (Jesse was raised Baptist and I was a mute and godless heathen in need of saving.)
We saw Saguaro Cacti all along the roads - many 20 feet or higher
Due to our continued flat tire spree we were out of tubes heading in to Yuma and were hoping for a stretch of luck for once; we switched our worn down back tires with our slightly less worn down front tires just in case. The day was moving along alright, windy but without flat tires, and we came up on the Gila Mountains outside of Yuma. The climb was steep and fast but it yielded a great view of a beautiful sunset, and a nice downhill as well.
Gila Mountain pass at sunset We rode in to the city where I breathed a sigh of relief -- a day without flats! A few minutes later Jesse ran over some gravel and picked up a staple that popped his front tire, figures. As Jesse patched his tire under a street light, several emergency vehicles pulled up expecting a motorcycle accident. We all shared a laugh about the flat tire and they gave us directions to the nearest Walmart where we'd be able to get extra tubes if we needed them. We got our tubes and sat for a while at the Walmart expecting that there would be a park or some place to crash, we were wrong. The police weren't helpful and the nearest camping was far away. We turned on our lights and got ready for some night riding... hoping to find a decent spot to stealth camp in a city of almost 200,000. We rode about 7 miles or so when I realized that my phone, which I'd put in my pocket expecting a phone call, was no longer in my pocket... I forgot to zip it shut. After making a series of loud angry grunting noises that scared and confused Jesse, I explained to him what happened and that I would bike with him until we saw a hotel - get a room no matter the price - drop off my bags and bike back to the Walmart and start to search for the phone. The first hotel we found was located very near the airport which meant it wasn't cheap. I threw off my bags and headed off into the Yuma night. I got to the Walmart and slowed my pace looking for the phone. I made it about 4 miles before I got a flat - shit - luckily, when it comes to me and tragedy, I always leave a little room for a situation to get worse. I'd thought ahead enough to bring a spare tube and the pump along. I changed my tire in the dark, laughing to myself a little, and resumed my search. I found the phone only a mile or so away from the point I'd noticed it was missing, smashed and in several pieces... I collected them and headed back to the hotel. The next day I went and got a new phone and we stopped at a bike shop to buy tube liners and reinforced tubes - we were tired of flats. We got a very late start but it was nice to not be expecting a flat tire the whole ride.
.jpg)
I should stop now I've been slowly writing this for hours. Check back for videos of our Pacific new state new time zone dance and Jesse blog -- as my father is fond of saying: Stay upright.
- Times emergency vehicles have been called on our behalf: 4
- Danny's flat tires: 14
- Jesse's flat tires: 15
- Danny's top speed: 42 mph
- Electronic devices Danny has at some point lost: 3
- Favorite warning signs so far: 'Gusty winds may exist' 'Extreme fire danger' ' Strong winds next 49 miles' ' Dust storms may exist'
- Nights of dancing: 2
- Flat tires since we changed our tubes: 0
- Highest temperature so far: 109
Dear mother -- Thank you for giving me life and then staying around to save it constantly (including today) for 24 years -- Happy Mother's Day -- Love you.
-Danny
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Sacramento Mountains and White Sands
Finally a picture together!
Sunset outside Tularosa over San Andres Mtns.The Amazing Scenery
Danny has taken so many amazing pictures the last couple of days. The pure scenic beauty of the Sacramento Mountains has been breathtaking. We've been so spoiled with scenery we had to stop and take pictures several times the last couple of days. This has been the most beautiful spot in the southwest I've seen thus far. Ironically enough we had to stop riding the last couple of nights near sunset because of my ungodly amount of flat tires. I'm beginning to think my back tire is cursed. I told Danny if I get another one today I will probably cry, but I can't do that because real men don't cry. I took a loot at the treads on my tire and they're beginning to get pretty worn down. I'm definitely going to have to get a new set of tires once we hit the coast.
Anyway, back to mountains and stuff. I think the landscape is best described by Brad Neely in Wizard People Dear Readers when he said, "The landscape is literally peppered with painters working out masterpiece after masterpiece". Unfortunately I have to rewind for a minute, because as we began our climb through the Sacramento Mountains it wasn't quite as beautiful. Coming out of Roswell we had wonderful riding conditions and minimal wind. The area was similar to east of Roswell but it stretched on and on for many, many miles. Very flat, lots of dried up plants and plenty of assorted cacti. I'm not really a horticulturist of any kind but I wish I would have brought a field guide with us. All of the plant and animal life is so distinctly different from that of the midwest, I often wonder the names of the plants and animals we've been seeing. So many animals living in such an extreme environment. Coyotes, foxes, lizards, rabbits, squirrels, snakes, and so on. Oh, and the birds, the beautiful birds soaring above our heads all day. One of the most amazing moments of the trip was on a small stretch of road in southwest Oklahoma when a flock of small birds followed me across a bridge, chirping the whole way. They looked like little marshmallows and made high pitched squeaks.
The Safety Corridor
Taking a break during the downhillFinally we started to climb. It was about a 2,000 foot uphill into the safety corridor, which is a 36 mile stretch of road where the speed limit is decreased and fines increase because of the windy sharp curves. There was a 6% grade downhill descending into the Hondo River Valley, which was a lush green oasis amidst what was mostly desert a few miles before. Again I wish I knew the name of the towering green trees we saw going through the valley, but I don't have time to research exactly what they're called but they are very tall and very beautiful. There were a few people living in the valley but it was mostly sparse. The stretch of road we went through was called the "Billy the Kid Scenic Byway", and later that night we stopped at a historical marker about 10 miles south of Lincoln NM, which was the center of the Lincoln County War of 1876, and the historical home of Billy the Kid. The stretch of road passing through Lincoln was dubbed by Rutherford B. Hayes as the most dangerous stretch of road in the United States! That night we camped out at about 6,000 feet above sea level, and there was minimal light pollution. Danny and I were tracing constellations with our finger tips, the sky was flooded with sparkling diamonds on a black cloth. I have never seen so many stars. I almost had forgotten I was sleeping on the ground next to a park bench where Danny was sleeping.
The Apache Summit
The next day we continued our climb through Ruidoso. This is when my flat tires started getting out of control. We stopped at a Subway for lunch and passed Ruidoso, which is about 6,500ft above sea level, and then ended our climb up Apache summit. We were actually riding through the Mesalero Apache reservation, so there were a couple of casinos near the summit which was weird. The higher we climbed the more green it became and the hills were scattered with pines. When we finally reached the top we took a picture break. I wanted to take a picture of Danny but he insisted on not being in the photo. He later regretted his decision to not be in the photo so we'll have to photoshop him in later.
Highest elevation of the trip
Beautiful stretch of road into TularosaAfter reaching the summit we had an incredibly fast downhill for about 20 miles in the basin of the Sacramento Mountains. Where you could begin to see the White Sands Missile range just outside of Tularosa. It was a great place for a picture stop. This was hands down the best day of the trip thus far. We covered 20 miles in just over 40 minutes, clear skies, everything was in it's right place. It was one of the happiest moments of my life and the definitely the best moment of the trip thus far. I got another flat going into Alamogordo but it worked out well because we got to watch the sunset over the San Andres Mountains. The stretch of road into Alamogordo was slightly downhill, so we had a fast ride in and ate at Applebees with a surfer named Verna. She told us the story of how she fell in love and we spent the night in her beautiful home in Alamogordo.
Danny's Silhouette during sunsetDangerous Ride Into to Las Cruces
The next day we stayed on 70 and headed towards Las Cruces. It was supposed to be a 70-80 mile ride but it ended up being a slow ride due to heavy winds. The white sands national monument was blindingly beautiful. In fact, it was so bright we couldn't take pictures because the camera couldn't handle the light properly. I was literally squinting even with glasses on. I was getting tired rather fast from breaking the gusts so we stopped at the White Sands Missile Range HELSTF (High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility) for water. There were a ton of sites where they test crazy technologies in this range. We kept riding for a while and of course I got another flat, but luckily it was just before another great sunset that we would have missed otherwise. The picture of the sunset is in Danny's previous post. So we started the climb through organ pass, which was an 8 mile uphill, and Greg, our surfer for the night, came and picked us up so we didn't have to deal with the down hill. There was also a stretch of road with no shoulder going up the pass so it would have been extraordinarily dangerous with our minimal lighting. As fun as the downhill would have been, I owed Danny 36 miles for taking us the wrong direction in Houston, MO. So we hitched a ride to Greg and Kenny's place, which was about a 23 mile drive. I think him and I are even now, but even I didn't want to finish the ride because we probably would have ended up as road kill. We ate a delicious casserole last night and are taking a short break this morning before our ride today.
Me holding up the chair I broke at Greg's :(-Jesse
The Incident at Roswell, Stillwater Steve, and the Floods of Lubbock
Dearest whomever,
There are a few stories that have fallen through the cracks along the way -- Some you'll have to hear in person... and some I'll try to tell you now.
Stillwater Steve
As promised in my last post, I will now try to tell you the story of Stillwater Steve. While we were in Stillwater, OK staying with Maigan, we went out for lunch at the 'Pita Pit' (Think subway with pitas... but twice as yummy.) We sat down outside to eat our Pitas and up walked Steve -- I have a picture on my cellphone that I will upload when we return and drawings as well but if you will open your mind's eye... Steve looked like he might have aspired to be an ACDC roadie in his younger years. Now perhaps in his mid forties, Steve strutted towards us (And believe me he did strut) wearing a black sleeveless t-shirt, dark black sunglasses, black pants, and a gold necklace with a lightning bolt pendant. His hair was dark black as well and spread outward into an impressive mane (think 80s). With a large black mustache to boot, we knew we were in for some awesome. He started by telling us that his plans for the evening were to bring a bunch of speakers on to the Pita Pit patio area and blast ACDC until well after bar time. He then said "You know how the volume nob goes to 10?" and he held out his fingers to demonstrate how far 10 goes. "I'm gonna go... a little bit past" Moving his fingers apart another inch or so. Steve talked about taking it a little past ten almost a dozen more times during our conversation. We discussed a great many things with him -- topics ranging from Government conspiracies, FEMA, the nature of attraction (Steve likes the "Little wispy baby hairs" on the neck), Storm chasing (have to listen to ACDC while you chase the storm), Tornadoes, His career as a radio disk jockey, and his ultimate dream of strapping an amp to his back, putting on roller skates, and traveling across the country playing his electric guitar (he played a little air guitar while he told us this). I don't think I'll ever forget Steve and I can't wait to show you the photo.
We got into Lubbock Texas mid-afternoon expecting to spend the night with a couch surfer named Holly - we knew it was going to thunderstorm later and we were looking forward to getting our bikes someplace safe and settling in early. When we could not get in touch with Holly we stopped off in a Pizza place called "One Guy's". Holly never did get in touch with us even though she replied to our request -- luckily we had Daniel (Yes a second Daniel), another couch surfer, who was available at very short notice -- unluckily, however, we did not get in touch with him before the rain started. What started with a light shower quickly turned in to pouring rain, thunder, finger nail sized hail, high winds, near by tornadoes, and flooding. People were sprinting up and down the streets soaking wet, cars were up to their doors in water, and our bikes were under tarps and still getting soaked. The Pizza place we were in had the local weather on and I've never seen a weather man so completely overwhelmed. The television screen barely had enough space for all of the weather advisories and he kept repeating "We are being literally pounded!". It was quite the sight. When the rain let up we biked through the flooded streets to Daniel's and were able to get most of our things dried out by the following day.
The Incident at Roswell
When we were planning our route through New Mexico a stop at Roswell was an easy sell. Jesse and I both enjoy the bizarre and Roswell promised to have plenty of it. The city was expectedly covered with aliens and space ships and space themed nonsense on every corner. The street lamps had alien heads on them and even the chain stores incorporated the Alien themes in one way or another.
Space Ship McDonald's
Sunset at Organ pass, NM
Thanks again to those who donate, those who comment, and those who keep reading. Keep taking it a little past 10.
-Danny
There are a few stories that have fallen through the cracks along the way -- Some you'll have to hear in person... and some I'll try to tell you now.
Stillwater Steve
As promised in my last post, I will now try to tell you the story of Stillwater Steve. While we were in Stillwater, OK staying with Maigan, we went out for lunch at the 'Pita Pit' (Think subway with pitas... but twice as yummy.) We sat down outside to eat our Pitas and up walked Steve -- I have a picture on my cellphone that I will upload when we return and drawings as well but if you will open your mind's eye... Steve looked like he might have aspired to be an ACDC roadie in his younger years. Now perhaps in his mid forties, Steve strutted towards us (And believe me he did strut) wearing a black sleeveless t-shirt, dark black sunglasses, black pants, and a gold necklace with a lightning bolt pendant. His hair was dark black as well and spread outward into an impressive mane (think 80s). With a large black mustache to boot, we knew we were in for some awesome. He started by telling us that his plans for the evening were to bring a bunch of speakers on to the Pita Pit patio area and blast ACDC until well after bar time. He then said "You know how the volume nob goes to 10?" and he held out his fingers to demonstrate how far 10 goes. "I'm gonna go... a little bit past" Moving his fingers apart another inch or so. Steve talked about taking it a little past ten almost a dozen more times during our conversation. We discussed a great many things with him -- topics ranging from Government conspiracies, FEMA, the nature of attraction (Steve likes the "Little wispy baby hairs" on the neck), Storm chasing (have to listen to ACDC while you chase the storm), Tornadoes, His career as a radio disk jockey, and his ultimate dream of strapping an amp to his back, putting on roller skates, and traveling across the country playing his electric guitar (he played a little air guitar while he told us this). I don't think I'll ever forget Steve and I can't wait to show you the photo.
Somewhere, Texas
Lubbock
We got into Lubbock Texas mid-afternoon expecting to spend the night with a couch surfer named Holly - we knew it was going to thunderstorm later and we were looking forward to getting our bikes someplace safe and settling in early. When we could not get in touch with Holly we stopped off in a Pizza place called "One Guy's". Holly never did get in touch with us even though she replied to our request -- luckily we had Daniel (Yes a second Daniel), another couch surfer, who was available at very short notice -- unluckily, however, we did not get in touch with him before the rain started. What started with a light shower quickly turned in to pouring rain, thunder, finger nail sized hail, high winds, near by tornadoes, and flooding. People were sprinting up and down the streets soaking wet, cars were up to their doors in water, and our bikes were under tarps and still getting soaked. The Pizza place we were in had the local weather on and I've never seen a weather man so completely overwhelmed. The television screen barely had enough space for all of the weather advisories and he kept repeating "We are being literally pounded!". It was quite the sight. When the rain let up we biked through the flooded streets to Daniel's and were able to get most of our things dried out by the following day.
The Incident at Roswell
When we were planning our route through New Mexico a stop at Roswell was an easy sell. Jesse and I both enjoy the bizarre and Roswell promised to have plenty of it. The city was expectedly covered with aliens and space ships and space themed nonsense on every corner. The street lamps had alien heads on them and even the chain stores incorporated the Alien themes in one way or another.
Space Ship McDonald'sIt was late and we were out of spare bike tubes so we went to the only place that was open - Walmart. We bought two extra tubes each and decided that we were too lazy to find a real place to camp that night. Having seen an open field off to the side of the Walmart we decided we would find some shadows, pitch our tent, and pack up early. We sprinted across a field that was mostly just dry grass and dirt and found a nice place near a fence. We pitched our tent and got ready to settle in. Just before we piled in to the tent I noticed something on Jesse's tire. Both of our tires were covered with dozens of 'Goat head' Thorns.
We knew we would have to change all four of our tubes (with the new ones we just bought) but figured we'd wait until the morning. We got in our sleeping bags and went to bed hoping we wouldn't get yelled at by any employees. A few hours into the night... The sprinkler system turned on. EVERYTHING got wet. The tent, the bikes, camera, clothes, everything. By morning a lot of the water had frozen due to the extreme drop in temperature and we woke up cold, wet, and grumpy. With sunlight we were able to see how well hidden the sprinklers were and noticed that if we'd pitched our tent 15 feet away we'd have been completely dry. We spent the morning drying things out and pulling thorns out of our tires.
Jesse does the new state new timezone dance as we enter New Mexico
These flats marked the middle of Jesse's recent spree of flat tires. In the past week and a half he has had over 10 and has taken to looking down at his tires every minute or so. It's been causing some serious headaches and some even more serious delays. Hopefully his stream of bad luck ends soon, but we're heading off later today to buy more tubes and patch kits just in case.
Jesse prays to the bike gods to stop giving him so many flats
(He had another flat shortly there after)
Jesse will have another blog here bringing you up to date and provided we don't melt under the hot desert sun we'll be in Arizona in a few days. Until next time.
We knew we would have to change all four of our tubes (with the new ones we just bought) but figured we'd wait until the morning. We got in our sleeping bags and went to bed hoping we wouldn't get yelled at by any employees. A few hours into the night... The sprinkler system turned on. EVERYTHING got wet. The tent, the bikes, camera, clothes, everything. By morning a lot of the water had frozen due to the extreme drop in temperature and we woke up cold, wet, and grumpy. With sunlight we were able to see how well hidden the sprinklers were and noticed that if we'd pitched our tent 15 feet away we'd have been completely dry. We spent the morning drying things out and pulling thorns out of our tires.
Jesse does the new state new timezone dance as we enter New Mexico These flats marked the middle of Jesse's recent spree of flat tires. In the past week and a half he has had over 10 and has taken to looking down at his tires every minute or so. It's been causing some serious headaches and some even more serious delays. Hopefully his stream of bad luck ends soon, but we're heading off later today to buy more tubes and patch kits just in case.
Jesse prays to the bike gods to stop giving him so many flats(He had another flat shortly there after)
Jesse will have another blog here bringing you up to date and provided we don't melt under the hot desert sun we'll be in Arizona in a few days. Until next time.
- Jesse's flats: 10
- Danny's flats: 5
- My top speed so far: 36MPH
- Cheapest gas so far: $1.49
- Cheapest Cigarette's (that I've noticed): $2.50
- Longest distance without a water stop: 74 miles
- Times we've been whistled at: 2 (we went a few days without shirts and we got honked at and yelled at a lot more)
- Couches surfed: 5
- Times confronted by police regarding public urination: 1 (Jesse talked his way out, I hid in the sleeping bag)
- Total money received from strangers: $120
- Times almost run over by an ambulance: 1
- Number of dogs who have chased us into the street: 26
Sunset at Organ pass, NMThanks again to those who donate, those who comment, and those who keep reading. Keep taking it a little past 10.
-Danny
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)