Mexican Hat, UT - Day 12

118 miles today in total - a stunning day for riding, bright blue skies, moderate tailwind, and temps in the 70s. I just concentrate on the 15 miles between rest stops and fortunately most of today's climbing was in the morning so we knocked a lot of it down before lunch. Monument Valley was amazing - the rock formations are spectacular and just seem to rise from the ground with nothing but sagebrush around them. Mexican Hat is tiny, but the colors in the hills around it are incredible, particularly in late afternoon. I'm most familiar with it because a major bus crash happened near here in 2008 that's kind of a rural EMS case study - which is ironic, because we waited about 45min for an ambulance today for one of our group that was run off the road by a car (all he remembers was a car coming across the white shoulder line). Thank god for helmets... He is maintaining a great attitude and should make a full recovery but is being transferred to a trauma center for further care - we'll miss him and it was a sobering end to the day - could have been any of us... Most drivers have been very good around the bikes, but it only takes one... Walking back from our steak dinner we could see the monument formations in silhouette against the horizon twilight with a quarter moon setting - beautiful... hoping for a safe and inspiring ride tomorrow - 102 miles but 114 if we go to 4 corners - and most of the climbing at the end tomorrow - I'd better rest up - thanks for following my journey! we're about 25% done :)

Shade is good! 

Some of the group as we enter Utah - on to Colorado tomorrow!

Tuba City, AZ - Day 11

Wow! Windy day - 25-35mph sustained gusting to 50 according to the weather service - fortunately it was mainly at our backs though sometimes side and only for a brief period head on (and gusty and shifting, so you had to be extremely careful to hold on tight and counter - on the downhills had to tuck to reduce profile but also brake to keep speed down so you could react to the gusts and not crash). But when it was at our backs you felt pretty superhuman going up hills at speeds you usually would do on the flats :) - The scenery was amazing - started along the South Rim road of Grand Canyon and then descent into the 'painted desert' region - Navajo nation land primarily - 27,000 acres over three states. A minor sandstorm exfoliated us a little about 5 of the last 10 miles but otherwise a fast and fun 86 miles today aside from some brief moments of pure terror controlling the bike against the wind.

No big brass band in Tuba City unfortunately - named for Tuuva, a Hopi man that converted to Mormonism and invited Mormons to come live there (without clearing that with the native Hopi and Navajo). It's now 75% Native American, mostly Navajo - it's their largest community. There's a Hopi community nearby also. Between 1956 and 1966 uranium was mined near here. Oddly, because the state doesn't follow daylight savings time and the reservation lands do, the hotel is an hour behind the restaurant across the street... Making reservations must get really confusing...

Tomorrow is a 117 mile day with Monument Valley! Breakfast is at Denny's in the hotel parking lot - haven't eaten there in quite awhile though lots of my patients in the ER seem to be found in booths there unresponsive...

Have never seen a sign like this... So is it a cougar crossing? Or just a liability reducer in case you get eaten?

This guy was begging at our lunch stop - which was at a truck stop deli since there was no way we were eating outside today

Doesn't this look like a layered sand in a bottle craft project?

I'm sure I'd pay a significant sum for a skin treatment like this in a spa - although it was just one side of my body...

Grand Canyon Rest Day - Day 10

If you don't feel insignificant biking across the US, standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon (well, at least 6 feet back from the edge so I don't feel like I'm going to get sucked over) certainly does it. 277 miles long, up to a mile deep, the exposed rock up to 2 billion years old, the river carving out the terrain tiny bit by tiny bit (about a sheet of paper thickness a year) for the past 6 million years... Nine of us got a taxi to the rim for sunrise which looked like a bust and then a clear band of sky appeared at the horizon just in time for sunrise - amazing! Otherwise today was an IMAX presentation on Grand Canyon, laundry, pizza, and not much else - which was awesome...

This will be an incredible and challenging week ahead - tomorrow 86 miles partly along the canyon rim, next day Monument Valley (117), next day 4 corners (114 with the 12 mile detour to 4 corners), then 44 into Durango, 61 into Pagosa, and a mammoth 142 into Taos with 8500 feet of elevation gain (the most of the trip - including a 17 mile uphill segment from about mile 63-80; I kind of overlooked that one somehow) peaking out at 10,900 feet which is the highest we'll climb during the trip too. I'm tired just thinking about it :) - but the scenery should be amazing - and glad we're not in Montana where a blizzard is raging right now...

And me...or at least my shadow

Tusayan, AZ - Day 9

94 miles from Seligman to Tusayan, AZ today with 4800 feet of elevation gain. Seligman and Williams both were relatively recently (Williams the last town in 1984) bypassed by I 40 so retain a lot of the period Highway 66 shops and memorabilia, which is fun. Today's ride was tough both with the serious climbing and also 22 miles on the shoulder of I-40 and then a busy road up to Grand Canyon with a lot of RVs and buses that either have senile drivers or are all rentals and don't know how wide they area - the shoulder was OK a good part of the time, but you had to constantly be dodging glass and other stuff. Had my first two flats today, courtesy of small pieces of wire on I-40 - when semi trucks blow a tire the steel wire cores get run over and fragment and a lot of small and large pieces wind up on the shoulder - you can see the big ones, but not the little ones. Our group probably had at least 10 flats today. Beautiful weather though and climbing up from open plains to more forested altitudes (can really feel the 7000 feet elevation on the hills!) was pretty. Had zero interest/energy to ride the additional 4 miles to the canyon tonight (I don't think anybody did) opting for margaritas and fajitas instead but will try to make sunrise (or at least sunset) there tomorrow.

The Burma-shave picture below is a throwback - along historic 66 they have put up highway safety messages in the style of the old Burma-Shave sequential signs (usually 5-6 in a row with messages - like 'angels that help you...have a safe drive...usually retire....at 65'). Interestingly (at least to me) Burma Shave pioneered these billboards in Lakeville, MN and used them in many states, though they did not focus on Highway 66. Burma Shave was sold and the remaining signs came down in 1963 although the brand was resurrected in 1997 (though oddly, with a shaving brush - their claim to fame was the use of brushless cream). They've been a fun distraction on the road... Looking forward to some rest and laundry tomorrow - 711 miles in (not counting the warm up ride the first day) - wow...

No animal sightings today (though apparently, 65 miles of our route was a deer crossing - certainly saves on signage I guess)...

Seligman, AZ - Day 8

Today was basically out of the hotel onto Route 66 and followed it 85 miles to Seligman, AZ, passing through towns like Hackberry, Valentine, and Peach Springs (which inspired, at least in part, Radiator Springs from 'Cars'). We had a cooler morning, some rain that passed through (fortunately I and a few others were at a van stop when a downpour occurred, so we just sat on coolers in the trailer for 10 minutes and then resumed riding. Seligman was named for a railroad financier and originally was a hub for several lines in the area. The mainline follows 66 most of yesterday and today so we continue to see a lot of BNSF trains which is cool. About 15 miles out of town the wind shifted (sound familiar?) and was just pounding us. We're staying at the Route 66 motel - which is a legit motel with chairs outside (and ashtrays) and you can hear every freight that goes through across the street. Dinner at the Roadkill Cafe was good - they even had one of the clear dessert cases so you can see what kind of pie you want for dessert. The commercial district here has been designated a historic site, so it's pretty cool and probably the best example of the 'old' Route 66 towns. Sadly, the population here has decreased to the 400s and, like most towns we've been through there's a lot of closed businesses, garages, etc.

Today was also dangerous wildlife day - saw a skunk out this morning (fortunately down in a wash not on the road so out of spraying distance) and then in the afternoon stepped into the brush along the road to relieve myself and heard a loud buzzing noise which sounded like, and was, a rattle. A large rattlesnake was coiled up about 10 feet in front of me. I took a step back, and then a picture, and then found a less dangerous place to pee...

We're gradually climbing up onto higher plateaus into canyon country. More greenery, bigger bluffs, and more huffing and puffing - we're at 5240 feet now and will bike up to Grand Canyon (about 7000 feet) tomorrow - 94 miles and a lot of vertical... And I'm tired... but we'll get a rest day after tomorrow's ride. I have no plans to try to hike down the canyon on Saturday...

Kingman, AZ - Day 7

Getting our kicks on Route 66 - or maybe getting kicked... Route 66 was one of the first trans-national highways. Completed in 1926 (but not paved totally until 1938) it ran from Chicago, IL to Santa Monica, CA. An early attempt at publicity involved a footrace from CA to NYC along 66 and other roads! Also referred to as the 'Main Street of America' it carried thousands of families to CA from the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s and was a key driver of commerce and tourism along its route. The portion we're on is mainly preserved as a 'Scenic Byway'. Starting at Lake Havasu we climbed 6125 feet in total - the most we'll do in a day until the last week of the trip... Rolling hills gave way to steady uphill to Oatman - now a tourist 'town', once a thriving mining community. The miner's burros were let free and hang around the town for handouts. Out of Oatman a grinding climb up switchbacks to Sitgreaves Pass with amazing views on both sides. (This section of 66 was considered so dangerous that drivers would often hire guides to drive their cars up and down the Black Mountain passes). After a 7 mile downhill another (more gradual) uphill climb to the town of Kingman, AZ which is a highway and railway hub (named for Lewis Kingman who surveyed the initial railroad beds and supervised construction of a line to Winslow, AZ) and had a key role as a major training airbase during WWII.

Have to say that I was kind of dreading the 'epic' climb today but with all the other climbing it wasn't that awful. Still saddle sore but a little better now the past few days and feet and everything else are doing well, so I'm grateful. Showers have never felt so good - we're just covered in salt and dust by the day's end. BBQ tonight and I think a trip across the road to Sonic for a shake - that's the good thing about burning a ton of calories each day!

Lake Havasu, AZ - Day 6

Lake Havasu became a reservoir and source of western water in the late 1930s after the Parker Dam, but the city wasn't established until 1964. In order to draw additional visitors, the founder of the planned community Robert Murdoch purchased the London Bridge (which was being replaced) in 1967 and a channel was dug to establish a new island which the bridge could connect to land. The interior stone of the bridge was not used, but the facing placed over an iron lattice to save shipping thousands of tons of additional stone and also reinforcing the bridge. Lake Havasu gets 300 sunny days a year and today no exception, glad to be done early as it was in the mid 90s again today and the sun was intense. We'll be yearning for warmth by the end of the trip I suspect.

Our ride today took us along the Colorado river past thousands of RVs and condos, across Parker Dam, and up into the mountains before a fast descent into town - it was a huge relief to be finished after 42 miles today. No burros seen. One roadrunner spotted but not by me. Wore comfortable shoes, had Jimmy Johns, got iced tea at Starbucks, and walked to a brewpub for dinner (we were joined by a mouse at our feet during dessert), and got a brutal but effective massage. Hoping for a solid sleep before an 'epic' climbing day tomorrow.

  

                           

 

Parker, AZ - Day 5

Well, we're into Arizona territory after a really great 85 mile ride (unfortunately the total miles today was 114) with desolate but beautiful desert scenery - you would come over a rise and see the road in front of you for 10-20 miles, and then again, and again, and again... By lunch it was 107 degrees and about mile 85 the wind abruptly shifted and picked up and then it was like biking directly into a hair dryer the last 30 miles with some bad roads and a pit bull attack on one of our riders that resulted in some stitches thrown in plus two riders that had heat cramps so badly they couldn't grip their handlebars - needless to say we were glad to see the Colorado River...

Parker AZ is a town of about 3000 on the Colorado River bordering CA - the Parker dam (actually nearly 30 miles upstream) creates Lake Havasu, which supplies metro Phoenix and metro LA (as well as other large chunks of AZ and Southern CA) with water - oddly it's the deepest dam in the world with only 95 feet above the river and 235 feet below. Construction was started by California and the right to build a dam (and water rights) remained highly controversial until a Supreme Court decision in 1963. Much of the city and essentially all of the surrounding area is tribal (shared between four distinct tribes).

A little more about our group - aside from a graphic artist in his late 20s it's almost all retirees or transitioning (aside myself and a doc from Britain) - and they rock - only four women, the rest men, oldest is a former FBI agent that's 72 and awesome - many in their later 60s and many that have done the trip multiple times and spend a lot of time riding. Learning a lot about bike short laundry tips, pacelines, etc. Spending time in the pace lines when I can, especially when it's windy to save energy - though I like stopping to take pictures a lot... Very diverse group of retired nurses, financial, plastics, vending machine dealers, a retired orthopedic surgeon, lawyer, insurance agent, etc. No dot-com buy-outs which kind of surprised me...

Oh, and I wish that I could say that we're sampling the best of the regional cuisine as we work our way across the US but for practicality most nights we go somewhere and get served 'family style' or more realistically 'pack of wolves' style. But it can be really good - last night had grilled chicken on pasta with capers, lemon, and parmesan, also mushroom risotto, salad, etc. And we eat a LOT - I'm burning between 3000-4000 calories on the ride alone each day. Breakfasts are usual hotel buffets including chafing dishes of (allegedly) scrambled eggs, breakfast meat of some sort, usually fruit and yogurt, and some variety of carbohydrate that gives us a quick start on the day. Lunch is usually about 2/3 the way through the day with sandwich fixings, some salads, fruit, and of course PB&J, nutella, cookies, etc. Also, about every 15 miles or so the van will be at the roadside to refill water bottles (I'm going through about a quart an hour) and supply nuts, M&Ms, dried fruit, bars of various sorts, gels, blocks - ginger ale a new favorite - and other stuff. They'll also get you new tubes for flats, etc. (I've been very lucky so far - most of the group has had at least one - Dave holds the record from the northern XC trip at 14 and is on pace to break that with 5 so far).

A 'rest' day tomorrow of 42 miles to Parker Dam, Lake Havasu, and London Bridge - which is needed 316 miles in 3 days is a lot :)

Dawn in Twentynine Palms

Why start throwing shoes over an abandoned gas station awning in the middle of nowhere? Why not?