Larned Kansas

June 30

We were just received with the warmest welcome imagineable from the proprietor, crew and patrons of Meyer Deli in Larned Kansas. Riley had gone in a minute or two earlier, while I asked a man across the street a couple of questions (he was also extremely enthusiastic about our travels). When I walked in the deli, about 10 pairs of eyes were locked on me. I thought, "This is either very good, or very bad." It turns out that everyone wasa eager to hear about our trip, our progress, if we had seen any of the fires in Colorado, etc. I can't imagine a friendlier or more accommodating town.

Pictures to follow via email.

Thoughts on Colorado & Kansas:

Well, we've been pedaling our butts across the high plains for about 5 days now and that's about enough time to formulate some thoughts.  Eastern Colorado and Western Kansas have a lot in common while being distinctly different at the same time.  What the share in common is, I suppose, what they were endowed with by their creator, and that is wide open spaces with seemingly limitless vistas.  We are definitely in the Great Plains and as we ride along, I try to imagine what this area would have been like 200 years ago, say at the time that Lewis & Clark made their epic Corps of Discovery Expedition.  The closest analogy that I can come up with is that there is scant difference between the plains and the ocean.  Granted, Lewis & Clark started with a river and followed it up and across the plains, so they had some means of finding their way back home.  Today, however, all of the roads in Kansas  run either directly north-south, or as is the case of the road we've been on these past 5 days, east-west.  The roads, therefore, do not follow the natural contours and guideposts of the land, and consequently we have been at times very far from any sort of waterway.  If all of man's impact could be erased and someone was dropped into this landscape, they may just as well be in the middle of the ocean.  No real way to get high enough to look around to get an idea of which way to proceed.  You might as well just pick a direction and go...

What distinguishes the two states is the agriculture and oil.  It seems that most of eastern Colorado is relatively untouched ranch land, but as you get farther from the Rockies, and lower in elevation, there is more farming (mostly grain, hay & corn), feedlots for beef, and oil.  There is nothing on the Colorado skylines.  In Kansas, grain elevators dominate the landscape.  There aren't dozens of them to be seen at any one time, in fact usually just one or maybe two, but spotting them while you are on a bicycle, and knowing that where there is a grain elevator, there is some sort of human settlement, you know that that elevator is your next destination, but it may take close to an hour to get there.

Nevada had its long, straight roads, but it has nothing on Kansas.  Whereas the straightaways in Nevada may have been 25 or 30 miles long, some of the straightaways in Kansas apparently run the length of the state.  The difference is that in Nevada you can see that entire length because the road essentially becomes a giant vee, with one side coming down one mountain range and the other side running up the next.  In Kansas, because it is so flat or with gentle rolling hills, you can rarely see even 4 or 5 miles of the road.  What you can see is that grain elevator ahead, growing little by little as you slowly inch your way closer.

Grain elevators themselves are rather impressive structures.  They are essentially clusters of 6 or 8 concrete tubes perhaps 100 or 120 feet tall.  I don't profess to know anything about them, but I suppose that they are sort of like super silos.  The grain goes in at the top (hence the name) and is removed from the bottom.  This would automatically cause you to "rotate stock" to use restaurant parlance.  The oldest grain is always being drawn out first so that none of it gets too old.  At any rate, they appear to be poured in one casting - one very large casting of concrete.  Mind you, it's not the Boulder Dam, but impressive to me just the same.  The next time that I see Brock Roby, please remind me to ask him about elevators.

Product Review:
The Camelback insulated water bottle is the only bottle that I will ever purchase from here on out! There is one small proviso, and that is that my only experience with them is a 24 oz bottle.  There is not enough clearance between the front fender and the bottom of the downtube for this size bottle.  If I cannot find a Camelback insulated bottle that will fit, then I would use a standard  sized Camelback bottle for below the downtube (on bikes with 3 water bottle mounts).  They do indeed keep the water much colder for much longer, and that has mattered a lot this week.  There are few things less appealing while pedaling in 110 degree heat, than to have to drink warm water!  And by warm, I do mean warm.

Product Review:
The Goal Zero Nomad 7 solar panel works great!  It can be used to directly charge my HTC smartphone, iPad, iPod and Serfas USB rechargeable headlamps and tail lamps.  The Guide 10 Plus battery pack inspires less confidence, but that doesn't mean it isn't working properly.  The unit has a LED on it that is supposed to blink red slowly when the battery pack is being charged, but is below 50% capacity, change to a slow green blinking when the unit is 50%-80% capacity, blink green quickly between 80%-100%, and remain lit solid green when the unit is fully charged (and still connected to a power source - either the solar panel or a USB source).  Well, you can charge this baby, unplug it, and immediately plug it back in, and it will return to slow green blink, or one of the other options.  It seems at times that the flashing LED is actually indicating the strength of the power coming out of the solar panel, because when I first connect the unit, it might blink red, but if I then position the panel for optimum angle of incidence, the LED changes to green right away.

In spite of those peculiarities, the Guide 10 Plus battery pack has consistently been able to recharge the phone and iPod over night.  We simply have them strapped to the top of the load on our rear racks, meaning over the top of the sleeping bag or tent.  Neither of us has gotten too obsessively anal about it, but we do have to be in the "harvesting" mindset to really get the maximum out of the solar unit.  Make sure that the battery pack gets fully charged every day, then switch to the phone, or iPad, charge the iPod from the pack, recharge the pack, etc...  But as I said, we haven't had to do much of that sort of thing, and it would be hard to be any more pleased, with the exception of the blinking LED.

That's plenty for now.  Even this took about an hour or more of "work". Hey we met quite a few west-bound riders today.  The Korean man will be in San Francisco in early August.  He said that he hoped to be able to visit me there and then, if I'm back.  If I'm not back, would anyone like to entertain him?

Dale

News Flash!

I just spotted the first firefly of the trip!  One of the simplest and.most delightful pleasures this world has to offer.

Another Hot One!

I've never had too much faith in this type of thermometer, but it was on the shady side of the building.

West bound riders.

We met quite a few west bound riders today.

Here are Woodrow & Maddy, Sung Gyoo, and John & his daughters Nicky and Katy.  (At least we think it's Katy.  My brain gets daffy around all those pretty girls.  That's why I had to give my wife a nickname, so that I'd know what to call her.)

Dighton Kansas

This is Calvin Wilson.  We met him while he was pitching horseshoes in advance of a big tournament.  He's lived here all of his life, but, "Never did do any farming."

Out of the Frying Pan & Into the Fire

June 27, 2012

Well, I've got some catching up to do.  I believe that we last left off just about the time that we got to Milford Utah.  That was a long day, with 83 miles between Baker and Milford and nothing in between.  That is there was nothing useful to cyclists, no water, shade (to speak of) or anything else that you might imagine we would want to avail ourselves of.  There weren't even any tanning salons or aromatherapy spas along the way!

We set out early, with Dennis getting about a 20 - 30 minute head start.  We finally caught up with him just as he was getting ready to begin his descent of the second of three passes that we had to climb that day.  Again he had a 30 or more minute lead when we took off.  The nice thing about cycling in Nevada is the descents.  Hey, that's the nice thing about cycling anywhere!  The descent from Wah Wah Summit was a good 15 miles long, with the last 10 or more miles being a dead straight run.  The next pass, Frisco Summit, was then 15 miles of uphill...  At about the 63 mile mark on the day, and about 5 on the climb to Frisco Summit, we decided to stick out our thumbs.  Riley would say, "There's a vehicle coming."  I'd turn around to have a look, and say, "It will be 10 minutes before it gets here, let's keep moving."  Sure enough, it would take about 10 minutes.  Those a some very long straightaways.

One thing that I have come to believe about Nevada is that the terrain and climate may be inhospitable and foreboding, but not the people.  After attempting to catch a ride using my 'keep moving until they get close, then stop and put out the thumb' method a couple of times, I told Riley that I thought we should get off the bikes and try to look needier.  Sure enough, I don't think that 3 eligible vehicles* passed us before we had a lift!  (By eligible vehicle, I mean pick up truck with room in the back.)

June 28, 2012

Well, another day has gotten by without a posting.  I am trying to write so that I can post when I have wifi available, but even that has been challenging.  I have talked to a couple of other cyclists who are either currently blogging, or have done so on previous trips, and everyone is in agreement: blogging is a chore!  Take yesterday, for example.  We rode from Eads Colorado to Tribune Kansas, a distance of about 58 miles.  It was hot - abour 110 degrees when we were rolling into Tribune.  We had a relatively early start and were done riding by 2:00.  The county pool was open, and there is no charge for passing cyclists.  A swim was in order!  And food.  All this riding tends to make a guy hungry.  And when we got to town, we met a west-bound rider who had just rolled in, so we had to get to know one another.  Find the park. Find a brew.  Find more food.  Oh, and by the way, I don't think that anyone really feels like cooking after these long, hot days.  You've got to get to bed early because in order to make the mileage before it gets insufferably hot,  you want to be on the road as close to sunrise as possible...

We did get to the library for a couple of hours, but then had connection issues with the wifi, and I also had to take care of some official business with my credential application, so at the end of the day, even though I had written something, it was very incomplete and did not get posted.

New Train of Thought

Riley and I are sitting here in the Heritage Hotel in Dighton Kansas, doing laundry.  The hotel is the only place in town with a coin-operated facility, and we were steered here by some friendly people at the city swimming pool.  Dighton also allows passing cyclists to swim for free, so we will no doubt be doing that later, but getting the stink out of some clothes was definitely top priority.

How, you may ask, did you get to Colorado?  What happened to Utah?  I have received this very question, and here's the answer:  The day that we met Bob was the day we rode (with Denis) from Milford UT to Beaver UT.  It was a short jaunt of less than 40 miles.  During this ride, Riley's bike was behaving badly - not shifting properly, chain jumping, etc.  After my hair was properly shorn, we made our way to our camp for the night and I got right to work on the bike.  Well, the darn thing just wouldn't behave, so a trip to an actual bike shop was indicated.  The nearest one was in Cedar City.  Cedar City was supposed to be on our route, but because of a major landslide, a section of the route was closed, so we had detoured to Beaver.  Now we were looking at retracing about the last 20 miles we had ridden, then down too Cedar City, then retracing our route once again...  The part that was unavoidable was the need to get to a bike shop.

With all of these considerations, Denis continued on the detour that we had mapped out and wished us well in getting the bike repaired.  He was up before dawn to hit the road.  Bob, who was heading due east over a major pass, rose at about the same time that we did because he intended to try hitchiking over the mountain.  Riley and I decided that we could limp along to Cedar City - a distance of about 55 miles - or we too could try our luck with the thumb once again.  2 rides and about 2 hours later, were delivered to the doorstep of Bike Route in Cedar City.  Mark, the proprietor, was about as flummoxed as I was, but he was open to my imput, and after resetting the bottom bracket (I did not have the tools for that job), the front derailleur was once againg shifting all the way to the top chainring.  A new chain took care of the jumping problem, and Riley was once again ready to ride.

I'm hearing all of those voices out there: "Hey, you're  still in Cedar City, which is southwest Utah.  What happened to the rest of the state?"  The short answer is that our stint with the carnival made a lasting impression, and that impression was the idea of going through Denver to see old friends (and not climb the Rockies on our own steam).  So, because things got kind of turned around with our need to go to Cedar City, and the fact that Cedar City is an actual city, with various services and businesses that you don't often find in smaller towns, we made the command decision to rent a Uhaul to get us and our bikes over the mountains and into Denver, and that's just what we did!

We enjoyed a couple of very good, albeit brief, visits with Tony & Terry Chukes along with their 3 lovely daughters.  Tony is one of my oldest and dearest friends in the church.  We both remember the day that we met as if it was yesterday and not more than 30 years.  We also got to visit with Kenny & Karla Jacobs.  Kenny sang in my wedding, and Karla used to watch Riley when he was an infant.  Their daughter Aubry was the most adorable 5 year old imaginable, and has turned into a charming and beautiful college graduate!  The big surprise was that my friend Donald Foucar, whom I have know for 40 or more years, was in Albequerque at the time and was due to head back to Great Falls MT when he saw (on facebook, I believe) that I might be in Denver.  He got in touch with me, and we were able to meet him and have dinner together as well.

We dropped off the Uhaul in Pueblo Colorado, and it has been back to sweating our butts off.  It has been out of the frying pan, and into the fire, almost literally.  We haven't been terribly affected by the Colorado fires, but the weather has been hot, hot, hot!

Well, the laundry is almost done, I'm hungry, and there is a swimming pool calling - tonight is Aqua Zumba!  If I even try to get started with anything else that is new, then I'll go on and on, and once again nothing will get posted.

More updates soon, I hope.

Dale

West Bound Travelers

Don & Dottie Rice from upstate New York.

Pedestal Co

Jim Crossingbow regaled us with stories in Ordway!

What about Bob?

This is Bob.  All riders should tip their hats.  We met him as he was coming into Beaver Utah - from Baker Nevada!  A hot, hilly, dry 120 miles or so.  He's on his way to Albuquerque from Sacramento (or something like that).

By popular request, here's Riley.

Riley doing Hurt Reynolds.

A Day in Denver Has Been Good!

Here are the reasons.

A Fitting End to Our Carney Experience

This entry was begun on June 19, and finished on June 23.  I have some catching up to do!

The carney experience came to an end in fitting fashion.

We were in our campsite (such as it was) in Baker, when a man approached me and asked in rather gruff fashion, "What are you guys doing with your tent set up here?"  I told him that we were with the carnival and that Dave had told us to set up down here.  He didn't sound too happy, but didn't insist on any type of payment, ask us to move our tent or anything else; he just turned to walk away.

I had to call after him to ask, "Excuse me, who are you?"  He told me that he was the manager of the RV park, and motel.  There was a completely nondescript building about the size of a single wide mobile home that must have served as the motel.  This happened just after Denis and Chris had burst back upon the scene and I had brought them over to where we were staying.  Not too much later, Chris headed over to one of the 2 restaurants in town for some chow.  It was at least 30 minutes after that that Riley and I also went over to the same restaurant that Chris had selected - we had eaten at the other restaurant the day we rolled into Baker.  Well, lo and behold, the restauranteur was the same gruff man who had asked about our tent location.  CHris was seated at the counter, so we joined him there.  He also mentioned that his order had been taken only moments earlier, so speedy service was not to be expected.  To make a long story short, I had gone back to camp to grab something, and on my way back along come Chris and Riley.  Riley tells me that the man said to him that he wasn't taking any more orders.  This is after we had been sitting there for an hour or so, and 30 or more minutes after the other establishment had closed.  I went in and asked him why he was not going to take our order.  His response was to tell me that he had the right to refuse to serve anyone he chose.

"Well, you could have told me that an hour ago!"

Sure, I was a little angry, but I didn't yell, insult or use any profanity; I did press him for a better explanation, and he had none to offer.  The entire confrontation lasted perhaps a minute, two at the most, by which time he was threatening to call the police.  Well, call the police he did and at about midnight, I was awakened by a sheriff's deputy.  The deputy asked me a few questions about what happened and seemed to have realized from the very beginning that there really was nothing to it.  I asked him where he had to come from to respond to the call, and the told me Ely.  Over 60 miles each way, just to assess a situation that was never even remotely close to actually needing intervention.  At any rate, the deputy was extremely reasonable.  I apologized for playing a part in making him drive all that way.  Of course, a law enforcement officer can't often give you his real opinion of a situation, but I got the impression that if he was put on the spot to pick a side in the situation, he would have picked mine.  I can't help but wonder if this, or some other deputy, hasn't been out to Baker on a wild goose chase before on account of this man.  

Working with thw carnival was a great time and a great experience for both of us, something that we will both remember and talk about forever. It's probably also a "good" part of the experience to have been treated to the same type of discrimination that they have to endure on a regular basis. I'm sure that like every other sector of society, there are a few bad apples, but we didn't meet any and given the choice between a carney and this "respectable" businessman, I'd put my trust in the carney every time.

June 20, 2012.  Baker Nevada to Milford Utah.  67 miles riding, approximately 20 miles hitching.  Total miles ridden: 541.

Old Friends

We saw some old friends today.  It's good to know that they're still out there doing it!

Finally a Haircut!

Because I wanted something to be low maintenance, I got a sweet haircut in a great little shop in Beaver Utah.

Quick News Flash

I haven't had a chance to even type up the dailys in a couple of days, so here is the nutshell version:

We were treated as true carnies before leaving Baker: We were refused service at a restaurant, and rousted by a sheriff at about midnight.

Wednesday: Baker to Milford UT
Thursday: Milford UT to BEaver UT
Friday: Beaver UT to Cedar City UT

Now that the trip has turned into more of an adventure than just a long bike ride, we're willing to take a little liberty - hitched a 2 mile ride over the last of 3 tough passes between Baker & Milford.

We've got to run now, I hope to be able to give a more thorough update soon.

Dale

The Return of Denis

I don't have much time to write a complete narrative, but today, as I was sitting in a little establishment in Baker chatting with Eric, the barman, in walks Denis & Chris (another ride who Denis met in Eureka NV.

Denis is back on the scene!

Sloughing It

June 18, 2012

Well I can now add to my resume one more odd job.  I think that up until now, I have considered the day that I spent loading chickens into a diesel truck as the most unusual day's work that I have done.  Now I can add sloughing to the list.  Hey, I only learned the word an hour or so ago from Gadget.  Sloughing (sounds like wowing) is a carny word.  It is the act of setting up or tearing down a carnival.  Never again will I look at the Scrambler, or carnies in the same way.

We spent the day helping Gadget, Drill-bit, Spike, Bungee, Lizard and the rest of the crew, slough the carnival.  Riley was proud to say that his first full day of work (albeit without financial remuneration) was a day of hard work; and hard work it was 11 or more hours of lifting, pulling, pushing, tugging and generally hard, back-breaking activities in the hot desert sun.  We learned that all carnies get nicknames, that the names are given by others on the crew, and that it sometimes takes a little while before you get yours, but once you've got it, it sticks for good, like it or not.  I also got the distinct impression that these rules only apply to the males.  Riley and I haven't yet received nicknames, which I believe is a good thing, as I don't think that life as a carny is my calling.

After the sloughing was complete, Boss made Garbage Burgers for everyone. I asked one of the girls how they usually handled eating, and if it was pretty much every man for himself and that they eat a lot of ramen noodles, so garbage burgers were highly anticipated and much talked about throughout the day.  A garbage burger consists of a grilled cheese sandwich for the lower bun, then bacon, ham pastrami, roast beef, a hamburger patty, and of course lettuce, tomato, onions, thousand island dressing and any other condiments that you might enjoy, such as avocado.  This concoction is then all topped off with a grilled cheese sandwich for the top bun.  I don't know if I would want to make a regular habit of eating garbage burgers, and apparently they are considered to be a genuine treat, as I don't think that Boss makes them more than once per season, but it all served as another significant detail in our carny experience.

It is now June 19, 2012; 1:40 pm.  We didn't see any of the game booths, but they must have had some, because we did toss into one vehicle, quite a few 30 gallon sized garbage bags filled with stuffed animals.  Have you ever wondered if all of those carnival "games of skill" are rigged?  I don't have the answer to that, but I do know that the prize is so enticing (the prize being a lift across a big chunk of barren desert, not to mention 3 passes), that we laid down another dollar, and are taking our chances again.  By that I mean, that we have not received a ride by Tuesday, as we had first hoped would happen.  Now, rather than taking our loss in stride and moving on, we're rolling the dice again by spending another day in Baker, hoping to win the prize this time.  Hey, yesterday was going to be a rest day but turned out to be a day of hard work.  We are enjoying the company (secretly hoping to have carney nicknames bestowed upon us) and taking it easy today.  We have increased our water carrying capacity by almost 2 gallons.  I went over to the Great Basin National Park visitor center and dozed off twice during the movies.  It's been a good day today.

All we need to find out now is where this carnival is headed and when they are leaving.  One thing about Baker is that there is no cell service of any kind in town.  Neither is there a  pay phone in town, so Dave the boss has to drive over to Border NV to use the pay phone there, to conduct business.  Border is about 15 miles from here and apparently it has no cell phone service either.  Alternatively, I believe that he can drive somewhere a little farther away, where there is nothing, but he can get cell service.  It's a pretty hardscrabble existence for this carnival.  They are living cheek by jowl and their resources are measured by the miles that they can afford to travel to do their next show, which I believe is about 300 at this point.  So the challenge is to find a community within 300 miles that is having some sort of fair or festival this weekend AND still has room for a small carnival, all without requiring too high a participation fee - especially if it must be paid up front. Then it's set it up and hope to make enough to pay the crew and get to another show, maybe even a little farther away...   Everyone seems to have plenty of confidence in Dave to find a booking this weekend, so no worries! The only concern on my part is when will he find that booking, when will they head out, and will the destination make sense in our overall scheme of things.

While venturing out to the visitor center I did a few spot searches and I did find a location with a wifi signal.  I guess some technology has come to Baker, but it comes slowly.  At any rate, I did manage to send an email to let my poor wife know that we are okay.  I will now go back to the wifi spot so that I can post the latest 2 entries to the blog.  Who knows, while I'm in the neighborhood, maybe I'll go back to the visitor center for another quick nap!

Dale

A Few Questions Answered

Denis was behind us at the moment of the tumble. When he saw how badley the wheel was mangled and knew that we would have to be hitching, he took one for the team and said, "I'll keep riding. It'll be easier to get a ride for 2 than for 3."

We have been in communication since then and may indeed be riding together before the trip is through, although a lot of that will depend on if we stick with our careers with the carnival.

Dale

Attitude Adjustment

Sunday June 17.  Ely NV to Baker NV; 63 miles.  Total Trip Miles: About 470

Today was another tough day in the Nevada desert.  We got started at about 9:30, which I have grown to believe is way too late.  It was another very windy day, although for most of the day, at least the wind wasn't in our faces.  Just the same, it was coming in from 3 o'clock and that makes it a challenge to pedal in a straight line.  We drank a lot of water today, as we have been every day, and by the end of the day I concluded that we don't have enough capacity to make our next 83 mile jump without getting at least some more capacity - in the form of milk jugs, or half gallon juice bottles.  Did I mention that there is no water available along the way?

Revisiting our dilemma of a couple days ago, I must say that I, for one, experienced a shift in my attitude about the trip.  As I have mentioned earlier, for years I have been wanting to make this trip.  Riding my bike across the country.  It seemed evident to me that that meant starting out from home (as I have always lived within easy riding distance of the Pacific) and riding all the way to the Atlantic.  I never really gave any thought to any additional qualifiers such as riding the longest route, or the shortest, or the hardest, or any of the other est's that may be dreamt of.  As we rode in the back of Chad's truck, being whisked over perhaps 200 miles, I knew that we were not going to be riding coast to coast, every inch of the way.  Actually, that possibility was put to rest a few days earlier when we accepted a 20 mile lift from Darryl while we were struggling to climb the Sierras.  And I was profoundly OK with that.  As Riley and I were talking, while the scenery zipped by us at 70 miles mer hour, we both decided that even that development had turned the journey into much more of an adventure.  Hey, adventure is what I was hoping for!

Back to the notion of an est crossing.  I read somewhere, I believe on somebody's blog, about "stick bikes" and "baggage bikes", at least that's what I remember them being called.  A stick bike is a bare-bones bicycle, while a baggage bike is one with racks & bags.  What that means in the context of being out here on our journey, is that we have seen and met one baggage biker, our friend Denis.  He proved to be a great guy.  We have seen some stick bikers as well.  They are riding ultra-light, expensive bikes, and require the support of a "sag wagon"  which is a vehicle that carries literally everything that they will need for the trip.  One stick biker passed us today, in the same direction, and he didn't even say hi, much less slow down long enough to chat for even a minute.  This struck me as odd, perhaps even rude; there we were riding along Highway 50, the "Loneliest Road in America", 20 or so miles out from the last town with 40 or so miles to the next, and you don't even say hi?  The other stick bikers we met were only marginally more friendly, and that may be because we were not moving at the time.   I guess that if what's most important about a trip is to pedal every inch of the way, then I too, should be on a stick bike.  But it seems to me that the sag wagon, spare parts, spare bike, extra water, emergency ride home (if necessary), and reliable  housing (did I mention that sag wagons are usually RVs?) takes almost all of the adventure out of the journey.

I knew for the better part of the afternoon that we were on the road entirely too late in the day.  I could also tell by how weary we both were, and by how fatigued my legs felt while we were climbing our second pass of the day, that we could use a rest day.  What really sealed the deal was how much water we had drank that day and the fact that our next leg of the journey was 20 miles longer - 83 miles without any water available.  On today's leg from Ely to Baker, there actually was a place for us to get water, and consequently, we drank more water than we could carry.  We definitely needed to get additional containers, but by the time we arrived, Baker's only store was closed.  The need for an early departure, coupled with the need to wait for the store to open meant that we would definitely be making a tactical decision.

As we ate our dinner, we discussed our options.  Seeing as how the summer was no longer about riding coast to coast, every inch of the way, we thought about trying our hands at hitchhiking once again, just to get past one of the long, dry mountainous legs in the desert.  Did I mention that we have grown very weary of the desert?  But it just so happened that the town of Baker was holding its annual Snake Valley Festival and for the first time ever, but so surprising for a town of fewer than a hundred people, the carnival was in town!

Because we arrived pretty late in the day, the festival was over and the carnies were packing up.   After dinner, we went over and talked with them to ask where they would be heading next, and to explore the possibility of hitching a ride.  As you might imagine, for such a small town, you don't need a very large carnival.  We were told where we could find the boss and proceeded to go talk with him.  The long and the short of it is that he wasn't sure at that moment, where they would be bound, but Eagle Colorado was perhaps the most likely destination.  He also said that he should have a much clearer idea by the end of tomorrow.

Most of the heavy lifting of the tear-down will be done tomorrow, so depending on where they are bound, Riley and I just might be throwing our hats in for a day of work as carnies in exchange for a ride east.  How's that for an unforeseen and adventurous development?

Dale

Our Heroes

Chad & family

Sent from my HTC Inspire™ 4G on AT&T



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Going Downhill and Pedaling Hard to Get There

Saturday June 16, 2012

What a day.

We started out early.  Denis is an engineer and his methodical planning and methodology show it. The only thing that prevented us from being on the road before 7:00 was that we decided to have breakfast at the establishment in Middlegate Station.  I don't think that I described Middlegate Station very thoroughly.  It was once an overland stage stop, and hasn't changed much since then, with the exception of electricity, cable TV, and spots for perhaps a dozen or so RVs in back.  It isn't an RV park; most of the RVs there serve as mobile homes for Middlegate's residents.  And I got the distinct impression that most of the residents take turns working at the establishment.  Denis was told by our barman/cook when we arrived, that he worked for tips and free room & board.  It is everything that you might stereotypically imagine from a desert way station that is literally 50 miles from its nearest neighbors.

That wasn't a very good paragraph, because it started wwith one topic, and closed out with another, but in a way, they are closely related.  Our morning cook, just another of the grizzled characters, was a fellow with whom we had had a brief discussion the night before.  Just east of Middlegate, travellers need to make a decision.  For most, it is no decision at all; stay on Highway 50 for 64 miles and you reach the closest services/town/potable water to the east, which is Austin NV.  On the cycling route maps, there is an alternate route that deviates from 50 about 3 miles aout of Middlegate, then rejoins the highway about a mile west of Austin.  This route isn't a 'recommended' alternative, but it is availble and mapped.  Well, our breakfast cook had a very strong opinion, both the previous evening, and in the morning, basically all through breakfast.  He said, "Take the back route.  There's no traffic and no rumble-strip for 50 miles."  When we pointed out that the pass that had to be climbed that way was a thousand feet higher than any point on Highway 50, his response was, "Yeah, but two fat girls done it, plus it's a mile shorter!"  Although he kept extolling the virtues of no rumble-strip or traffic, both Denis and I remained leery.

We had to tell our fine advisor that we had decided to take the back route just so that we could get out of there.  Outside, Denis asked,"Whatdja reckon?"  I told him there is a reason that one route is the highway, and the other is not.  The highway is designed for getting places, while the back way is for accessing places.  We decided to take Highway 50, a fortuitous decision indeed!

We had about a half hour of smooth sailing - no pun intended - and then the wind picked up.  I don't know if the wind was there all along, and we just rode into it, or if that's when it began for the day.  Either way, we had a very strong wind, of perhaps 25 miles an hour, coming in from about 10 or 11 o'clock.  We were indeed having to pedal hard to make progress on a downhill grade. Granted, it wasn't very steep, but when you can see that you are clearly going downhill and that you are having to work so hard to do it, that is discouraging!!!

The only defense against the wind that a cyclist has is to ride very close to the person in front of him, and that is just what I was doing when Riley stopped.  I stopped too, but to make a short story even shorter, I tipped over, with our wheels overlapping one another.  I didn't take Riley out with me, but I did take out his rear wheel.  It was a pretzel, beyond any hope of repair.  We had no choice but to put out the thumb at that point.  Times like these are definitely a low-point in one's day, trip, even life (while they are happening).  So our morale was at rock-bottom at that point.  'Just let me die quickly in the desert' kind of low.

Fortunately, we did not listen to our breakfast cook. There might not have been much traffic, but there was some traffic (and a rumble-strip) going both ways.  We decided that we could hitchhike in either direction.  Regardless of where we ended up, our plans will need some sort of revision, so let's just get out of here (and not just back to Middlegate Station).  There wasn't much traffic out there, but even so, we were there only about 15 - 20 minutes before the Christiansen family whizzed by, hit the brakes, did a u-turn, and came to our rescue.  Great people, the Christiansens.  Chad is a regular down to earth guy with a wife and 3 daughters.  I told Chad that we were trying to get to Austin, and asked him how far he was going.  He said that they were headed to Ely, so we caught a ride there.

Ely has about 4000 residents, and our route map indicated that it also has a bicycle shop - the only one between Fallon and Cedar City UT.  Well, the bicycle shop isn't really a bicycle shop in the sense that I am accustomed to.  It is a sporting goods store, catering mainly to the hunting, fishing & associated camping sectors of sporting goods, that also sells and services bicycles.  Fortunately, they actually do have a full-blown shop with all the tools you might hope for.  As you might imagine, Ely doesn't seem to have a huge cycling community and so it is understandable that their stock of parts on the shelf is rather small.

When I first looked in the bike area, I saw no wheels at all, but upon further investigation, there was in fact, one new wheel that would suit the purpose, in the back room.  What's more, it was on clearance for $5.00!  Yipee!  The guy who was working the bicycle shop (it does sort of function as a shop within a shop) was Ryan.  He's a freshly minted product of White Pine High School and he will be attending UNLV in the fall.  He let me do my own work, and in the process, I was able to teach him what a wheel dishing tool is ("I've always wondered what that thing is, it's just been sitting there forever.") and how to use it.  All in all, I was in the bike shop with Ryan for a couple of hours, and walked out with a new wheel and a six pack of Heineken all for about $16.00.  Did I mention that the sprting goods store also has the lowest prices, and apparently, sells the most beer in town?  Ammo & Alcohol now that's a combination!

In summary about the bike shop.  If you are in Nevada on the Western Express, there is a complete shop in Ely.  You may need to have you part shipped in, and you may need to have some knowledge about the repair or installation of said part(s), but all the tools you might need are there.

Well, that's kind of long, so I'll be stopping now.  I will try to get some pictures up, but I am still having trouble.

Dale

Photos

Here is a picture of Denis Fraser and of some of local wildlife.

Friend or Foe?

Friday June 15.  Fallon to Middlegate NV.  Approximately 50 miles.

While I'm riding I have a lot of time to think, and naturally I think of a lot of different things to write in the blog; however, by the time I get to wherever our destination is, so many of those eloquent and deep thoughts have completely escaped me, so you have to suffer through these ramblings...

My apologies to Alan Smith's family - they were all wonderful - but I didn't get names and relationships straight, except for Riley, their terrific granddaughter and Felicity, the lovely chihuaha-doberman mix, upon whose backyard we encroached.  At any rate, we were treated to a wonderful breakfast and sent off at a good hour.  We finally hit the road just a little past 8:00!  We owe it all to you Alan, et al!

In addition to getting an early start, we had favorable winds starting out.  We hit the road running and knocked out 20 miles in what seemed like nothing flat; it was less than an hour and a half.  Ah, the blessing of a good tailwind.  It seems that all you have to do is get the bike up to speed and then keep her pointed in the right direction.  We were cruising along with almost no effort at about 22+ mph.  Alas, our good fortune wouldn't last.  We had to turn, and I think that the wind may have shifted a bit as well, and then we spend the second half of our short day struggling with the wind and a couple of assorted climbs.  The wind may be even more dreaded on the downhill runs.  Imagine rolling down a grade on highway 50, doing about 35  mph.  You're fighting the wind to keep the bike aimed straight, but you also know that a good gust can push you over 2 feet or more, and there is no shoulder, just a drop off.  It is very nerve-wracking and takes most of the fun out of the steep downhills.

So what is it about you, wind?  Are you a friend or a foe?  Today, we had a little bit of each.  Could you please make up your mind?!  I know that my brother Greg can relate to the trials and travails or riding in the wind.  At one point today, I said to Riley, "It seems that we've passed the point of no return."

He responded, "I think we passed that a while ago."

When we finally dragged ourselves into Middlegate, we wandered into the bar/restaurant/motel office and found out that the customary procedure was for cyclists to stay in the bunkhouse for $5 a head.  Terrific, our lodging arrangements were in order, so it's time for some lunch.  We ordered our burgers and frosty beverages, and about as soon as we had them in front of us, we were joined by another rider.  His name is Denis and he's also riding from San Francisco to Virginia.  As we got to talking, we find out that we have been leap-frogging each other for the whole week.  We were at the Best Western in Vacaville on the same night.  We both stayed at Cooks Station, although on different nights...  So it looks like we may have some additional company for a week or so.  He lives in Phoenix, so he wasn't planning on the Grand Canyon.  He is planning on a detour while in Kansas so that he can ride the Katy Trail (Aunt Carolyn has mentioned it to me on multiple occassions).  At any rate, it is always nice to have a little company with whom you can swap war stories.

One a related note, my congratulations go out to my friend Ryan Gifford, who, along with his wife Melisha had their first child this week.  As I was riding along behind my son today, I thought about the first time that I held him.  There are no words that come close to describing the feeling.  I can hardly believe that I am going on this trip now with my son.  There has been a lot of water under the bridge over the last 17+ years, but now I'm riding along watching my baby child struggle against the wind to get over the next hill in the barren, desolate desert, and I am proud of him and what he has become.  So Ryan, if you read this, good luck and enjoy it.  No one who has not shared the experience of holding his newborn child knows what you sensed this week, and anyone who has shared that experience knows how wonderful it is.

The following portion of the story was actually written before we left, intending to post, but also as a test of using the iPad, saving files, posting at a later time, etc.

I don't think that I've mentioned the little woman up to this point.  How does she figure into this adventure, you may ask.  A very good question, indeed.  If you asked her, she would say not much at all, but I would beg to differ.

She is not into cycling at all, and that's okay.  Five or six years ago, when I told her about my renewed intention to ride to the east coast, she was not too thrilled.  I can't say that her excitement level has grown much.  She will be without both her husband and her son for 2 months, plus, it's not inconceivable that some harm may befall one or both of us along the way.  I try to point out that we always in peril wherever we are or what we're doing, but that is of little consolation.  At least if one of us gets hurt while we are close to home, she can be there quickly.  I must also say that my mom is concerned for our safety as well; I think that that is a mother's duty.

I want to thank you Corky, for being a good sport and allowing us to proceed with this trip.  You realize that it will be a great opportunity for a bonding experience for Riley and me, and for Riley to have his first truly epic adventure.

Alan Smith

Here's Alan

You Got Over That Rock in the Road

June 14 - Flag Day! 63 miles from Carson City to Fallon NV.

Both Riley and I agree, today was a good day, perhaps the best yet. That assessment is not based on the scenery; Nevada does have its appeal, and we saw some beautiful scenery today. It was a good day because we hit the road and logged in some actual mileage. Now before you go on saying, "Hey, 63 miles isn't really all that much." let me say that I agree with you, but I must also add that our daily mileages while riding through Nevada (and Utah) will be largely determined by the availability of facilities, and really more basic than that, the availability of water. So, we looked at the map and Fallon was the obvious destination for the day.

Knowing that we had just about 60 miles to ride for the day took my urgency out of getting an early start, so as usual, we hit the road at about the crack of 10:30. I can't wait until we actually start out truly early, so that I can use the term butt-crack.

The road was basically level, with some hills as you go from one creek drainage to another. The hills may be a couple of miles long, either up or down, with a fairly gradual grade either way. What I noticed today was that I could breathe while I was climbing! Oh sure, I was breathing during that first 4 1/2 miles yesterday (that last bit going up the Carson Pass), but it wasn't doing me as much good at 8000' as it was today at 4000'. So today, we hit the road and made some progress.

Hey, did I mention that this is 2 days in a row without a flat tire? That in itself is worth hooting and hollering about in my book!

Riley did get pretty worn out by about the 50 mile mark, but he managed to keep up a pretty good pace and make it to Fallon before quitting time. Riley had said that he was famished so as soon as we rolled into town we set out looking for some wholesome viddles. We agreed that Round Table Pizza sounded like a dieticians dream come true. We went into the strip mall that corresponded to the sign, but alas, no Round Table was to be found. Fortunately for us, there was a Pizza Barn just across the street. We ordered our pie, took a seat outside, and then proceeded to enjoy the highlight of our day! We met a man named Alan Smith, who asked where we had come from. His immediate response after being told the Bay Area, was to say, "Well, you got over that little rock in the road!" This gave us all a very good laugh. When Riley asked him if he was aware of any good camping spots in the vicinity, he said, "My backyard."

I told Alan how pleased my wife would be for taking care of her son, and how pleased my mom would be for taking care of her son! I got a picture of Alan and his permission to post it, but I will have to do that a little later, because right now, I've got to get over to his place and set up my tent!

Alan Smith, YOU ROCK!

Where Did I Leave Off?

Wednesday June 13

I'll pick it up right where I left off yesterday. We spent the evening at Caples Lake. There were many, many mosquitos. Some of them bit us and got away with their gross violations of our personal boundries, some of them bit us and paid the ultimate penalty for their transgressions, and there were others who never bit us at all, but we still killed them ruthlessly. I'm Okay with that, after all, it does say in the Good Book that "Bad company corrupts good character."

We slept very poorly. I'm afraid that we have not adjusted to lying on the ground quite a quickly as I had hoped. I think that I finally got some sleep after 2:00 am, and I think that the same may have been true for Riley. I also believe that he was awake every time that I stirred. As a result, when I woke up at about 6:00, I was in no hurry to roust Riley and get going - I thought that he may have been aleep. So we got our customary start of about the crack of 10:30.

While I was getting ready to shove off, I stood up and my back went, well I don't know "what it went" because there was no accommpanying sound. But I do know that my lower back instantly tightened up like a drum - very painful at times during certain movements. Fortunately, the position that my back feels the most comfortable, is the poor posture, slumped over forward position that one is naturally in when on a bicycle. I was able to ride today. It was another tough day.

We had about 4 1/2 miles to get to the top of Carson Pass. The grade wasn't very steep, but it was still a very tough ride. I'm convinced that the sea-level environment that we live in, versus the 8000' elevation that we've been riding in, makes for much of the difficulty.

We then got to experience the easiest 15 miles of the trip, dropping down the east side of the Sierras. We had a slight headwind for the rest of the day, and the remaining 30 or so miles into Carson City was still difficult, but managable.

Once in Carson City, we found a Trader Joe's and got ice cream, a bike shop and got new sunglasses for Dale, since he lost his on Monday or Tuesday, and an ATT phone store. Riley's phone was second hand, and the charging jack was funky and the battery was suspect, so Riley now has a new phone. It chapped my hide to do it (as earlier posts have discussed), but I feel pretty strongly that he should have a phone with him, and that his performance this week has been exemplary, so I broke down and went all the way with a smart-phone.

Mileages:
Day 1: 70
Day 2: 55
Day 3: 45
Day 4: 5
Day 5: 37
Day 6: 10
Day 7: 50

These sum of these numbers should be about 280. One mildly annoying thing that has happened often, is the ease with which my odometer gets reset to zero - not the cumulative total, but the trip mileage. And although I had wanted to reset the cumulative mileage before we left, that didn't happen. So, I know that according to my cycle computer we've covered 280 miles (give or take 2), as for the exact total each day, those are my best recollections.

Dale and Riley have been getting along very well. In fact the only real problem in the relationship is that Riley keeps beating Dale at chess, well he took something like 6 of the first 7 games, but Dale did begin to extract revenge by taking 2 at dinner.

Hey, I would like to have the opportunity to talk and/or exchange text messages with all of you loyal readers, unfortunately, time does not permit; so I type this blog, so that more people can keep updated. I'm amazed that there seems to be even more people reading this with some regularity, than the 3 or 4 whom I figured I could count on!

Tomorrow, we start across the desert!

Dale

Day Old News

This is the news that was typed up on Tuesday June 12. I know that it just drops off at the end...

Let's start this update with a little product performance review, shall we?  The titanium elbow has been magnificent!  In fact, of all the mechanical or electronic devices that we have brought along, it has certainly provided the best performance with the least amount of maintenance; my compliments to Dr. Lafonda!  Riley joined the flat tire fraternity yesterday (Monday).  When I was inspecting his tire, I must have pulled out about 15 or more small thorns; this says that maybe he should be more careful about the debris he's rolling into, and that his tires are performing very well to have yielded only one flat with that many thorns.  The tires are Vittoria Randonneurs.   My front tire is a Specialized Armadillo Skin with slime tube, and my rear tire is a Continental Grand Prix 4 Season, with a extra thick thorn resistant tube.  They weren't cheap; the Continental was something like $70!  Ouch!  But I haven't had a flat in either tire since installing them, although admittedly neither one has very many miles yet.

Technology still vexes me.  I believe that it was Jackie Gleason's Love Child who sent me a link or comment about connecting the bluetooth keyboard to the phone.  Hey JGLC, that app is not available in MY marketplace.  I don't know if it's available at all.  I have tried to download other similar apps, and they do not work.  I have read on android forums and it seems that the only way to get an android phone to work with a bluetooth keyboard is to use a rooted phone.  I know enough to know that that means changing some of the fundamental operating system files.  I can't connect to anything from where I am at currently, so I will have to go by memory, but I think that the term was 'bricked'.  Most of the advice was that unless you really know what you are doing and can root your phone, then don't attempt it unless you are OK with you phone being bricked - meaning good for nothing than to use as a papaerweight.

Really, the reason that I mention technology, is the idea of posting pictures to the blog.  Obviously, I've been able to  do it a time or two, but there have been more attempts that have failed.  We were at Kirkwood earlier, and I had wireless access, so I made a post.  The scenery, of course, was beautiful so I tried to add a picture.  Hey the iPad has a camera, I snapped a couple of shots, but when it came time to attaching the photo, I was not able to search for the file. 

I believe that I mentioned the AT&T Wifi hotspot feature on an earlier post, and how I was not able to utilize this feature on my "smart" phone.  Well, I received a text message survey - 3 questions in 3 separate, sequential messages.  I did bother to take the time to respond and gave ratings of 1, 2 & 1 on a scale of 10 to their questions.  Hey I got a follow up phone call, from a live representative named Meghan.  It's hard for me to criticize a Meghan - such a fine Irish name - and I'm not sure if I even have a bone to pick with her.   Rather than letting her lead the conversation with a bunch of questions, I said, "Let's get right to the point of my dissatisfaction."  I then proceeded to tell her that, as a customer of 15 or more years with AT&T wireless, I was appalled that their solution to my wanting to use the hotspot, was to have me pay for even more data than what I am already paying for and not coming close to using.  I pointed out that I got the same basic response when I needed to add another line to my cell service - pay for a new plan that includes more minutes, even though I have never come close to using the minutes that I was already paying for.  The fact is that someone at AT&T can authorize the entry of the few keystrokes that it takes to enable my stupid-ass friggin idiotic pice of over engineered but under thought-out cell phone to provide a hotspot for my iPad to connect to.   Does AT&T not care one whit about customer loyalty and customer retention? 

Meghan did seem to listen, understand and agree that my complaint really was not unreasonable.  She attempted to connect me with her manager, but was unable to at that time, she promised that her manager would give me a call back.  Of course, the manager never called, or left a message, or text, or anything.  I'm right back to square one.  Technology - they talk about how it is making things so very easy and simple, but the fact is, it is only all about the money.  Now, I can't back down on the AT&T issue (and pay the extra $20 a month) because if I do, I just prove them right - we can screw anyone we want whenever we want, and they will still come back AND PAY FOR MORE! 

The other product performance issue, which is now apparently our most significant (other than the tied-on panniers, which do seem to be holding thanks to my training in knots with Boy Scout Troop 226 of Huntington Beach) is our stove.  The stove is a SVEA 123 that I have had for 35 years or more.  I think that it was last out about 21 or 22 years ago.  It  was working fine the last time that I had used it, just as it had every time previous to that, so when I got it out for this trip, I expected perfection.  I tried to fire it up, and it lit, but just sort of sputtered.  I was surprised, but not alarmed.  I went online and bought a new cap that is compatible with the pump that takes this stove out of the realm of being a pain in the butt into being the finest backpacking stove ever.  I received my new cap, installed it, fired up the stove, and voila!  I had perfect results.  I wish that  I had had the opportunity (or foresight) to actually use the stove for 4 or 5 days in a row.  Hey, I was going to have a shakedown tour to San Diego, but I tipped over... that's another story that you already know if you've been following along.  Well, I got out the stove a couple of days ago to make pancakes and coffee, and let's just say that I don't type well enough to give you all the details.  I did get the pancakes and coffee made, as well as popcorn last night, which was our only dinner after such an arduous day, but the stove is not working right.  Heck, if it wasn't such a great stove to begin with, it wouldn't be working at all.  So I don't know what to do.  We could go stove-less, which would mean being able to ditch some other stuff as well, or we could get another stove in Carson City, at least I believe that we could.

Enough for performance reviews for the time being; let's move on to the route we are taking.  The Adventure Cycling Association's Western Express is not for the feint of heart!  It's not for the brave, either.  It's for the uber-brave, beau-hunk stud muffin, or whatever the female equivalent of that is!  Growing up in Escondido, I rode up Mount Palomar a few times, once or twice with some camping gear.  That ride is about 5850 feet of elevation in about 30 miles.  The Placerville to Carson Pass section is about 6500 feet over about 70 miles.  Going into it, I didn't exactly expect a cake walk, but neither did I think that it would be a hard as it proved to be.  Before sticking out my thumb, I thought about a lot of different things, including the time that I hopped aboard Amtrak on my way to Wyoming.  I was not too excited about catching a ride, but I do believe that it was the right decision at the moment.  In the end, we could have gotten over Carson Pass on our own power, I suppose, but we didn't come to prove how much misery we could endure.  One other consideration that came to my mind is the fact that all of our preparation has been done at Sea Level.  If we had had the opportunity to have ridden more before setting out, that would have been beneficial, but the elevation surely does play a factor.  I've read several different training strategies for preparing for a cross country trip, from don't worry about it, your body will adjust as you go, to training regimens that make it sound like you'd better be in world-class athlete condition before you go.  If you're going to ride east bound on the Western Express, then you had better be in good shape; VERY good shape, or else don't be too proud to ask for a lift.

Tonight, we are going to nestle down in a United States Forest Service campground next to Caples Lake.  The summit of Carson Pass is about 5 or 6 miles away to the east.  It looks like we will be able to ride to the top

Wise Up, Old Man!

Tuesday June 12, 2012
After such a grueling day on Monday, we knew that we needed a break. Unfortunately, Cooks Station, in spite of the very good breakfast, was no place to have a layover day, so onward and upward we went. Our plan was to try to get in 24 miles, but after just 2 or 3 I felt like it was too much to ask, so out went the thumb :( Oh well. We got a lift of about 20 miles to Kirkwood. We have ridden into the village, got provisions, and will be making our way out to a Forest Service campground very nearby.

Humble Pie is not my favorite dish, but it beats a wretched death by starvation. Once in camp, I may be energized to fill in some additional details, but for now, that's what you get.

Yesterday's News - (Or Maybe the Day Before That)

This won't be posted until at least  tomorrow, but I'll start typing it today. 

Sunday June 10, 2012
We decided to take the day off in Placerville.  I could use it, and Riley really needed it.  He has never done any real climbing at all, and his first very small taste yesterday sure didn't get him excited.  Actually, he was very excited, but not in a good way.  I mentioned that I have been using some potty language, well, yesterday afternoon was Riley's turn, and much of it was directed at me for having such a stupid idea, forcing him to come along, not taking the short route by starting in San Diego, etc.  He was calm, cool & collected by the time we turned in, but I think that we both knew that a day off was in order.

When we hit Placerville, we rented a room and went for a swim.  We were about 35 miles from the troll, all was well with the world.  Riley was introduced to the joys of doing laundry, one item at a time, in the bathroom sink.  We hit the sack before 11:00 and slept soundly.  It was a good night, so why not follow it up with a good day?  We went to the movies and saw The Avengers.  It was alright, between 7 & 8 on a scale of 10.  I may be being a little liberal in the rating, but I had nothing better to do, and as tired as I am, it didn't put me to sleep - there was a point when I could have drifted off, but since I paid good money for the tickets, I made myself pay attention.

We have found a quiet park where we intend to sleep.  I took most of the weight off of the bike and rolled back down into town to pick up some groceries.  There was a Pizza Factory next to the supermarket and the idea of pizza tickled my fancy, rather than sandwiches.  I called Riley and he too opted for pizza.  We both agree, the Pizza Factory in Placerville makes one fine pepperoni pizza.  I also picked up some brocolli, bananas and 2 oranges in the grocery store, so we are attempting to have some balance in the diet.

Since the topic of diet has come up, one of my most faithful readers asked about what we are eating.  Well, you heard what tonight's menu consisted of: pepperoni pizza.  I didn't mention but in the spirit of full disclosure, I cannot omit this:  Basically all in a row were Save Mart, Pizza Factory & McDonald's, with Save Mart being the furthest form the park.  I went there first and called Riley before going in, and that's when he voted for pizza.  Ipicked up the fruit and went next door to order a pizza.  I had fruit, I had pizza, I even had a small cache of beer, but I was a mile or so from the park, and I was feeling a bit peckish right there and then.  So I stopped in to the Golden Arches and got 2 McDoubles from the $1.00 menu.  There you have it, our full menu for the evening and tomorrow morning.  Oh, I forgot, I also bought a picnic sized salt and pepper shaker (filled) so that we can have salt on our popcorn.  We have yet to pop any, but perhaps tonight will be the night!

It's amazing how many things that I can think of to write when I am not at the keyboard, but now, the mind turns to Jello.  For being in a state where I am feeling as if I can't put 2 thoughts together, this sure has been a lot of typing, rambling though it is... Maybe right now I'll play with the phone, and try to figure out how to easily post pictures.

Mon June 11, A Very Tough Day!

Monday June 11.  A very tough day.  Hot & uphill 37 miles from Placerville to Cooks Station.  Neither of us demonstrated superhuman abilities, other than to stay calm, determined and in motion.  100 lbs is just too much!

Riley did great today, I'm very proud.

Too tired to write any more.

Dale

Stealth Camping

Stealth camping in Placerville Ca.  Riley set up the tent solo for the first time.


Sent from my HTC Inspire™ 4G on AT&T



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53 Year Old Mom Looks 33
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Crossing the American River.

There is a fabulous bike trail that runs a good 30 or more miles from Sacramento to Folsom along the American River.  Here's a view of the River.



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5 Diet Pills that Work
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Are We Having Fun - Again?

Let's start this episode with a couple of product reviews.

KoKi Panniers: Do not buy these! The bags themselves aren't so bad, in fact they are good, and I still love the rubber boot. The problem with these bags is the connectors. The design is good, but they chose to use plastic for the hardware, and the plastic that they chose is crap! So far 2 of the brackets have been broken. The first time I had to go totally McGyver on the problem, by cutting a piece of wire off a fence... We did stop at the home despot and I bought some #8-32 eyelets. So today, when the second bracket got broken, I was sort of prepared, but boy oh boy, was I mad! Riley barely bumped one of my bags with his front wheel - a real, life and non-abusive occurence all day long - and poof! a broken pannier bracket. If they will listen to my complaint and suggestion to switch to metal hooks, they may indeed be the best product on the market, but as it stands right now, the predictable delicate brackets make this among the very poorest selection for a pannier that you must rely on.

HTC Inspire Smartphone: Hey, this baby is proving to be an invaluable asset. I just say to it, "Hardware store; or grocery store; or starbucks." and a few seconds later, I'm looking at a map that shows the nearest one to wherever we are, and our location at the moment.

So the idea of Starbucks came up, which also plays into the technology piece of the trip/equipment. In order to type out the blog, I settled on an iPad. I also got Zagg protective case which has a built-in bluetooth keyboard. Hey, it's seems to be a great system and solution, but it also has its own significant drawbacks. The iPad has wifi connectivity, but I refuse to pay for another network connection to turn this thing into a smartphone on its own. Last night, during the brief, yes we ae having fun period, I typed up a blog entry, but I knew that I couldn't submit it directly from the iPad where we were at at that time. "Hey", I said to myself, "I know that this smartphone can be used as a wifi hotspot." This, of course is after determining that the ipad and smartphone will not communicate via bluetooth, even though they are both bluetooth equipped. Well, I attempt to turn on the wifi hotspot, and I get a message to contact ATT. I talked with a seemingly clueless customer service representative, and finally was told that in order to 'tether' another device using the hotspot, I would have to upgrade my service to a 5 Gb data plan. Absolutely ridiculous! Enough about technology already! They are not developing any of this stuff to really help people, the only consideration is, "how can we make the greatest amount of money."

The Soma Saga is currently over 100 lbs. She doesn't handle very well under 6 miles an hour, but get her up about 12 mph or more and she just cruises. It seems odd but true, I put about 600 miles on her before leaving for the trip, and I could barely maintain an average over 13 mph. Now, fully loaded, it seems that it is no harder to keep her at the save average speed as when she was empty.

Back to are we having fun. Well, we did enjoy a few hours between 6:03 and about midnight last evening, then we had a passing encounter with a troll. Now everyone knows that every bridge has a troll living beneath it. If this were not true, then why tell the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff? That is a great learning opportunity that needs to be remembered. Unfortunately, Riley didn't quite remember the story and lesson. By now, you are surely asking, "what is this about a troll?" As I mentioned, we did some stealth camping, and as it turns out we selected a location that was pretty close to a bridge that carries cars over the American River. At about midnight, we began hearing a voice comming from under the bride (at least that is where I supposed it to be). The voice was that of a man (or troll) shouting profanities and threatening to murder someone, however there apparently was no other person there on the receiving end of the threats. Riley became pretty fearful for our safety, and I must say that I was not completely unconcerned, but more about whether we would be able to get any sleep. Being out for our first night on the ground, we were doing a lot of tossing and turning to begin with. After hearing the troll, I'm not sure that Riley got any more sleep. The troll did keep up his ranting for quite some time throughout the night, so he kept me awake as well, but because of all the racket. I knew that all trolls follow the rules, and that as long as we weren't trying to cross his bridge, his threats would not be aimed at us.

The long and the short of it was that neither of us got much rest last night. We did set our to get an early start, but I found yet another flat just before we hit the road. At least this was on the front tire. Then just prior to arriving in Folsom, the pannier broke and boy was I furious! I'm sorry mom, but I used some potty language that I learned from the troll.

A stop at a bike shop got me a new front tire and slime-tube, then a big juicy burger for lunch, and what had started out as a decent start, turned in to another day where we're looking at 2:00 with only 20 miles under our belts. Bummer! Top that off with the fact that after leaving Folsom, the actual climbing begins. It was sort of hot, we were cranky, and Riley has zero previous experience climbing anything longer than a mile. So, it was a long, arduous afternoon. We did make it to Placerville today. So, in reality, the real climbing hasn't really begun, but will be there for us tomorrow. That's enough for now. I'll try to start adding some pictures soon. Dale

Are We Having Fun Yet?

Are we having fun yet?  Good question.  The answer, in a word, for most of the day was no.  Neither of us enjoyed today much,  but that changed at 6:03 pm.  That is when we crossed the American River.  Seeing an actual river was the key that mentally for the both of us, turned it into an adventure. Sort of being on the other side of Sacramento at that point helped as well.  I've been to Sacramento enough times doing glass shows, to feel like it is still home turf.  Now we are away from home, and that has always been a part of the plan. 

So, why no fun today?  Well, another flat tire for starters.  That made the 3rd flat on my rear tire in just 2 days.  Prior to getting the flat, we did stop at a bike shop where I purchased a "thorn resistant" tube and another spare tire. It didn't take long before I installed them both.  Now, for the uninformed on the scientific method, I did a classic error; I manipulated 2 different variables at the same time.  Now, if I stop getting flats, we will never know whether it was the tire or the tube that made the difference.  DO YOU THINK THAT I CARE?  No,  I would just like to see my occurrence of flats go down to about one a week - or less!

Okay, fixing a flat isn't the worst thing in the world, so Riley contributed to the mechanical nightmare.  Well, it wasn't exactly Riley making a contribution by breaking something deliberately, but it was equipment on his bike.  One of the mounting brackets for his rear panniers gave way outside of Davis, so I got to go McGyver on the project and figure out a quick fix.  Cal-Trans donated a piece of wire from the fence between us and the freeway, and I was able to bend loops into the ends to make a bracket that could be used to tie the pannier on.  I think that that happened at about 3:30.

Prior to all of that was the fact that neither of us slept particularly well last night, so we got another late start - about 10:30-10:40.  But I am now perfectly willing to just chalk it all up to  working out a few bugs.  I am hoping to get a good start tomorrow, get in 40 or more miles by noonish, and finish early, which is to say before 6:00.  Today the towel got thrown in at about 6:30.

We are currently sitting at a picnic table near the American River, about 7 miles upstream form where it hits the Sacramento River  I would have been game to rent another room for the night, after about 10 more miles of riding, but Riley was spent, so he voted for camping.  Camping is not 'allowed' at this location, but of all the laws that I have broken to-date, this will certainly not rate as the most significant.

Now an hour has lapsed, we have set up the tent for bug protection, and are just about bedded down for the night.  There is no real access to the river right here, so these horses were ridden hard, and put away wet.  It's a shame, but we are content at the moment.

Update: The above posting was written last night, but due to technology issues, could not be posted until I found free wifi at Starbucks this morning. And that of course, was not before waking up to find a flat fron tire on my bike. It is now 8:20 am on Saturday June 9, and we're ready to hit the road. If I forget to mention it, ask obout our adventures with a bridge troll. If only the largest of the Billy Goats Gruff had been there.

Dale

An Actual Bike Ride

After aome additional, last-minute, frantic culling through posessions and packing, we finally did actually hit the road yesterday at 11:20 am.

The highlight of the day was that we did actually get started at last. The low-point was the traverse of highway 37. The Caltrans Mower was out working yesterday and that meant that the entire shoulder was covered with LOTS of debris - mostly mowed anise and a variety of other sticks. That wasn't very enjoyable because there was no way to avoid riding right through it. After a couple miles of this, we passed the mower, and had smooth sailing for a time, until I got a flat on the rear tire.

Before going any further, I will say that our bikes are heavy. I weighed my bike and panniers before leaving, and they came in at 103 lbs. That was before sonme culling, but without a few nececcities. I'm sure that I rolled out with it being at least that heavy. I think that the extra weight will make it a little more flat-prone.

There we were, perhaps a mile in front to the mower, on the shoulder of California 37, less than ideal conditions. I decided to go with the quick change - swap a new tube and deal with patching later. Let me tell you, dealing with a flat tire on a bike weighing in over 100 pounds makes it much more difficult, but we got the job done and were on our way again. For one-half mile. Then I had a blowout, also on the rear tire. I looked the tire over pretty well the first time it went flat, but after the blowout I was more meticulous, and I found a slice in the sidewall. So, I've already installed my backup tire, when we were barely 30 miles from home.

Unfortunately, during all of the tire changing the trip mileage on my computer got reset, so no official mileage is available for yesterday, but I'm certain it was 70 miles, plus or minus 2. We were pretty beat by the end of the day, so opted to make our first motel stay, in Vacaville. Neither of us slept particularly well, lots of tossing and turning, but I think that we'll be fine once we're into a littel bit more of a routine.

Enough for now, we needd to be hitting the road. I sent a couple of status updates to facebook, but they didn't take. So technology is still an issue.

Dale

Launch Scrubbed For the Transit of Venus.

The newest official launch date is now 06/06/2012, sometime around 8:00 - 10:00 am.  I would like to say that I was called in to give an impromptu talk at the Exploratorium about the Transit of Venus, but that just ain't true.  I did come across some #10 and #5 welding shades that I had forgotten about, while I was getting tools together the other day.  Let's see, 10 + 5 = 15.  I couldn't find any verification too easily on the internet, but it sort of made sense, sort of.  I first tried 2 layers of #10 and I could definitely see the Sun, and I thought that I saw Venus, but it was pretty dark.  Then I tried one layer of #10 and it was too bright - oh, my eyes!  But one layer of #10 and one layer of #5 yielded good results, and I definitely saw, without any magnification, Venus as it crossed directly between the Sun and the Earth.

Most of the day was spent frantically attending to details.  Planning a trip is half the fun, but at least for me, the last day, or at least the last few hours are extremely nerve wracking.  It will be nice once we are finally on the road, and there is nothing to do but relax and grind out the miles...

You Really Had To Be There

Dale

Summer Rain

Hey, the prognosticators got it right!  When I first saw the forecast for rain on Monday a few days ago, I scoffed, but today as I leisurely sauntered into the kitchen for my first cup of joe, I heard the sound of car tires on wet pavement.

We are tentatively scheduled to roll out tomorrow.  There is a lot to do, so in reality, a Wednesday departure might be better.  Either way, Lord willing, we will definitely be on the road by the 6th.

Rather than put a damper on my spirits, the rain sort of puts me in the mood for summer travel, although in a slightly melancholy way, but even that isn't all bad.  It's true that it doesn't rain much in California, at least not in the summertime, so a little summer rain reminds me of times when I have traveled elsewhere during the summer.

I never realized it before just a few weeks ago, but in the summer after each of my graduations, I have had a coast to coast road trip.  After graduating from San Pasqual High School, my older brother Dave, a friend named Kurt and I, traveled in our 1968 Ford F250, spending 2 months traversing most of the perimeter of the U.S.A.  Two months after receiving my A.A. from Palomar College, I climbed into a Volkswagen Scirroco with Charlie Monticalvo and Tommy Cruz on a lightning fast drive out to Gainesville Florida to attend a wedding and the Florida Evangelism Conference.  That trip lasted about 3 weeks with the return drive, and I was also able to make a surprise visit to my grandfather in Bradenton.  And a few weeks after receiving my B.A. from San Diego State, I drove to the Bay Area, met my friend Thomas Brown, and together we drove his Datsun 510 to Deer Isle Maine, where I spent the ensuing 6 weeks at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts before flying 'home' to the Bay Area.  Surely this summer will be an adventure to equal or surpass any of those trips, and on each of them I experienced rain at some point.

I got a call from my Aunt Carolyn yesterday.  She is very excited to be hosting visitor in Missouri, so we can count on at least one hot shower about halfway through our journey!

In case you haven't heard, there is a TRANSIT OF VENUS tomorrow.  It's a once in a lifetime astronomical event - don't miss it!

Dale

The Laundromat Blues

Here goes another mini rant about updating this blog.

I would like to make the blog a little bit entertaining for anyone brave or fool-hearty enough to spend their precious time reading it.  I would like to make it educational for any prospective bike tourists looking for specific tips, critiques or reviews about our route and/or equipment performance.  And lastly, my mom wants to know where I'm at at all times, as any good mother would.  Mom, don't worry; your piece will be easily accomplished from the phone - I think.

I spent a couple of hours in the laundromat yesterday getting the sleeping bags spruced up for the journey.  I tried to make a somewhat informative post, but it just didn't want to get done.  I had to switch out clothes to the dryer, the phone locks the screen, my fat finger hits the wrong pinpoint on the screen, and poof! Message Lost!  So once again I'm back to my biggest gripe about smart phones which, as we know, really are pretty powerful handheld computers.  Why can't a fairly computer savvy average joe like me simply connect a bluetooth keyboard to his smartphone?  It's ridiculous!  I would like to think that this may be the last time you read my complaints on the topic, at least on the blog; however, I find it so idiotic an oversight on the developer's part that I am likely to mention it again, although I will try not.

Yesterday in the laundromat, I was attempting to post about a few items of equipment.

Sleeping Bags - North Face polarguard bags rated to about 20° - 30° F.  I prefer synthetic to down for most applications because it doesn't mind getting wet quite as much.  The performance review was in years ago: you can't do any better than a North Face Cat's Meow bag for 3 season use.  It is a bit heavier and bulkier than down, but if it gets wet (as it's likely to do at some point on this trip) it will sun-dry a whole lot faster, and won't loose it's loft.  If down gets wet, you're off to the laundromat for a good tumble dry to breaak up the clumps of feathers.

Panniers - KoKi Escape II (rear) and KoKi Rover I (front).  What I really like about these panniers is the rubber sole on the bottom.  I've had other panniers in the past, and the wear and tear from setting them on the ground has always eventually worn small holes in the bottom.  The Koki's have a very durable rubber sole that goes goes up about an inch all the way around, so no corners or seams to wear out by abrasion.  What I'm not sure of yet is the mounting.  The panniers mount very securely, but stick up about 2"-3" from the top of the rack's platform, rather than mounting flush with the top of the rack, as my previous panniers did.  In the past I had one platform that I could load something wide onto, now I have a gap to fill.  It will probably take a few days to really figure out how to best carry the tent, sleeping bag, and pad, but I hope that I'll figure out something that is well configured and becomes routine.  The other thing that is a plus with the KoKi's is their volume.  They are cavernous.  I doubt that we'll have them filled to capacity most of the time, and that is a good thing.  It would be nice if we can carry a loaf of bread without pulverizing it.  And I'm sure that while we're crossing the desert, we'll have them filled up with as much extra water as we can fit.  The performance review for the panniers will have to wait a few weeks, until they get some real use, and I get to know them better.  They are half the price of Arkel panniers, so that is definitely a plus.

Handlebar Bag - Arkel small handlebar bag.  After looking at reviews, I ponied up the dough and went for the Arkel bag.  I decided on the small bag, because, if anything, I anticipate having almost too much room in the panniers, yet I still wanted a handlebar bag for the small things that I'll be reaching for a lot.  I think that the size is just about right.  I don't think that I would want a larger bag even if I thought that I'd be pressed for space.  Along with the bag, they included a sample of fabric with a small slice in it, and a tag that says, "Tear Me."  Well, I was willing to rest in the security that my manliness is not dependent on being able to conquer each and every challenge that presents itself.  In other words, I was not able to tear the fabric even though it had a pre-made start, and I put in a forthright effort.  Someone might be able to tear that fabric, and that someone might even be me, but it is very tough stuff indeed!  Lots of reviews have been written about this bag, I'll add one here somewhere down the line.

That's enough for now.  I had a few witty observations from the laundromat, but they got lost in the shuffle.  For now, I'm blaming the phone/keyboard situation!  Maybe next time.

Dale