Day 4: Great Day, bad night!

Mileage today: 100

Total Miles so far: 255

I woke up feeling surprisingly good this morning and not nearly as soar as I had thought I would be. I got going at sun up around 7 again, and took off on a beautiful ride around Lake Cuyamaca and down past Julian where I got onto the 78 and had just a fantastic ride on a winding road that took me down the mountain through tree lined and very green country. It was an exhilarating ride as I flew down, leaning into turns. It was a little scary though as there was no shoulder or bike lane so you really had to keep your eyes open for cars and ride the brakes a bit to control your speed. With the added weight of the trailer my bike really gets going fast if I let it.






It was really pretty cool to watch the countryside turn from forested mountain country to scrub as I went out into the imperial valley. I caught a vicious 25mph headwind as I made my way down into the desert along the S2. I was literally laying down on my bike and pedaling my heart out but only going 7 mph! I actually had to pedal to go downhill! But the S2 turns south east and heads out to Ocatillo which is where I wanted to be going before my little detour yesterday and the headwind turned into a crosswind. It was so strong that I had to lean my bike into the wind like a motorcycle rider taking a sharp turn. My bike has so much lateral surface area that it catches the wind like a sail and a strong buffet would just toss me 3 or 4 feet. Good thing there was little traffic or that could have been very dangerous.





As I went out along the S2 I was in the serious desert. It is a beautiful ride but there are stretches of miles where there is nothing around at all. If you broke down out there you could be in big trouble. And, it was really hot! Much hotter than I had thought it would be in March. Good thing I can carry a lot of water as i was sucking it down fast. The ride was predominantly flat or slightly downhill so it was not that bad until a pretty steep climb about 10 miles out from Ocatillo. Coming off of that climb the wind turned into an awesome tail wind and I was flying down the road at 30 mph for about a half hour! It was amazing, I was just hauling serious butt.









After Ocatillo, which is about the most desolate town I have ever seen, I jumped onto old highway 80 and took off for El Centro. I had the tailwind the entire time and although it died out as the day went on, I averaged 24 mph for the last hour and a half of my ride, it was fantastic. I passed through some giant sand dunes and had to watch out for gusts of sand blowing across the road.



I made my first attempt at stealth camping, which for those of you that don't know is the practice of camping out for free. I was out in the country about 2 miles from El Centro, where there was nothing but farms everywhere. I was trying to find a spot to throw up my tent and crash when I spotted a building that was either abandoned (as tons of them where out there) or being rebuilt. I didn't see anyone around so I figured it would be a good spot. Well, as I was about to lay down for sleep, the owner of the place showed up and gave me a real ear full, which he had every right to do. So I first: felt like a total idiot, and second: packed up and cycled 2 miles down the road in the dark to El Centro along a road that has no shoulder or lights. That was incredibly dangerous. Thank goodness my headlamp has a blink mode which I turned on and put on backwards so that cars coming up on me would see my flashing light. It worked too as everyone that passed me slowed down and gave me lots of room.

So, in trying to save a buck I ended up having to get a hotel. Oh well, live and learn. Next time I will definitely be more careful of where I choose to sleep.

Also, yesterday may have been a bid detour, but it took me through some great riding and in the end, I may be behind where I thought I would be, but it was a great few days anyway, so who cares. It sure beats working!

Day 3, an uphill battle!

Mileage today: 35

Total to date: 155



I knew I would be climbing all day today, but knowing and doing are two different things. I took off at about 7 this morning and headed east from Alpine. Right from the word go I was climbing, a slow and steady uphill leading to the mountains. My buddies that I stayed with had been telling me how much I was going to get my butt kicked by the grade going over the hill there that runs for 3.5 miles and is a 6% incline. Well, to be honest, the 20 miles to get to the grade are far worse! The road that leads up to the big hill turns into rolling hills that are short but very steep. Climbing isn't so bad fully loaded if it is a gradual incline even over long distances, but if it is anything much over 7 or 8% then you really feel the weight of the trailer. I am going totally self supported too, so i have a lot of food, water, camping gear, etc. That thing is pretty dang heavy.




I stopped for lunch before I hit the big monster and as I had thought, my light camping chair that I brought is worth its weight in gold. That thing makes life so much easier. Instead of sitting in the dirt or on a rock, I get a nice comfortable and very lightweight chair in which I can eat, read, fix my bike, etc. As I camp more I am sure this will become one of my favorite pieces of equipment.

I climbed the grade which runs right up the 8 freeway. That was an interesting experience with trucks and cars flying by me a few feet away. After I got to the top I turned into a quaint little town called Descanso, and the people were really nice, letting me fill up my water bottles and giving my encouragement. The scenery riding through here was beautiful too, rolling hills and trees, lots of cows and horses.



Somewhere along my way, I took a wrong turn. I was going up the 79 and missed the turn for the S1.The climb was supposed to top out at 3800 feet and then cut east out into the imperial valley, but I ended up going all the way to the top at 4900 feet! I have never even climbed 1000 feet in a day before on any kind of bike! I know some seasoned riders will laugh at that, but it was quite the climb for me. Needless to say, after 7 hours of straight climbing I was totally zapped, and I had only gone 35 miles! The last mile to the top took me an hour and a half! I was seeing black and yellow spots and getting tunnel vision pretty badly. I had to ride about 200 meters, then stop. Ride, then stop, over and over till I finally made it to the top of the mountain and a camp sight, which was a beautiful sight to behold. I stayed at Paso Pichacho camp ground which is a great place to camp and it is only $3 for hikers and bikers!




I fired up some dinner on my tin can stove which worked like a charm and had a great sleep in the tent. I learned something pretty amazing today too, the best tasting food in the entire world is....anything after you have just towed a tralier up a mountain! I had read that cyle tourists eat a lot and wow was that right on the money. I am eating like a horse and nearly anything tastes good too. It makes sense though, considering how many calories I am burning in a day.

I have not camped out in ages and I forgot how nice it was to be up in the woods. It may have been a pretty stupid mistake to end up going 6.5 miles the wrong way up switch backs, but I felt pretty good when I topped that mountain. And, tomorrow is another day with new surprises.

Day two: Short Day

Miles: 20

Ending location: El Cajon

I took a short day today for a few reasons. For one, I wanted to let my body recover from yesterday. Two, I had a bunch of things to do this morning like getting the bike tuned and getting a replacement tube for the trailer. Also, i had to update my blog and answer a lot of emails. I got a nice shot of Balboa Park, one of my favorite places to go in SD.

So, I rode out to El Cajon and am staying at a friends place. Tomorrow I have a really big climb. Actually, the entire day is going to be climbing, so I will only log about 50 miles or so I am thinking.

Tomorrow will be the first day truly out of my comfort zone, so this I think is the true beginning of my adventure. I hope everyone is well, i will update as frequently as possible.

First Day down!

And what a day of firsts it was!

My first century (100 miles in one day)

My first time cycle touring

My first flat tire

My fist time hauling a trailer with 70 lbs of gear over a mile

My first day of a new lifestyle and a huge adventure.

I set out Monday morning at about 6:45am, right at sun up. I was up till nearly 1am the night before getting last minute preparations out of the way and was up at 5am. It was tough to say goodbye to everyone, especially a certain girl who had become very close to me in the last few months, but my mind was set on making this dream come true.


I set out with my heart racing, after 4 years of anticipation, here I was finally leaving. It was a surreal feeling and after saying my goodbyes to my best friend and roommate, I set out towards the unknown.



I discovered one key factor quickly. Climbing hills with a 70 lbs trailer when you aren't in the best shape is about as fun as getting kicked in the nuts! Going along Pacific Coast Highway from just south of Newport Beach through to San Clemente is rolling hills. They are small but steep and consistent and after about the 4th hill I was contemplating calling 911! I also blew a flat coming up one such hill on my BOB trailer. Great! A flat on the first day after the first 20 miles! Not a good way to start. The tire liner I had put in the trailer tire to prevent flats had somehow folded over on itself and slit the tire. So much for that. Luckily a really smart girl had gotten me a patch kit for my birthday and I was able to keep going.





I stopped for lunch in San Onofre and that stretch of riding is fantastic. At this point, about 40 miles into the ride, I was loving life and having a blast. After lunch I packed up and took off through Camp Pendleton along the 5 into Oceanside. I stopped for another break in Leucadia at about the 70 mile mark and at that point I was hurting so badly that I was hoping someone would come and steal my bike! In retrospect I should have camped out there at San Elijo but I decided to keep on riding. I quickly regretted my decision as I had to climb a monster of a hill coming up into La Jolla. I want to go on record as saying that no hill has the right to be that steep!! But I kept riding and eventually made it to downtown San Diego, and boy was that a good feeling. I stayed the night in my ld apartment with some of my best buddies. I love San Diego and am always happy to come back to this wonderful city.


I knew the first two weeks would be painful as I got back in shape, but going for 100 miles fully loaded on my first day when the longest bike ride I had ever done on an unloaded bike was 40 miles, was not the best decision. But, I know that I am capable of doing it if needs be and in time will be able to get through rides like today with far far less difficulty. From here on out I will ride less miles and build myself up to my goal millage, and, not forget to put sunscreen on my thigh! It was a learning day and I learned a lot. I cant wait to get some more miles behind me!

I am offically unemployed

I quit my job yesterday, and am now just getting the last few details squared away before I leave the Monday after next. While I was coming home for the last time from work, it was a beautiful sunny day, people were hanging out at the beach and I thought to myself; I am leaving a really good life behind. I have great friends, live in a cool place and had an awesome job. But here I am forsaking all of it to be a vagabond for the next three years on a bicycle with a shoe string budget.

It really does sound crazy when I spell it out, but I feel compelled to go. I know I wont feel complete if I don't at least try and accomplish this goal I have set for myself. To see the world, and achieve a fairly spectacular feat is something most people in the world are unable to even consider. I feel lucky to even have the opportunity to try and do something like this. I know that if I were to take the safer road and stay here, enjoy the last of my twenties in Southern California, things would be relatively safe and certain but for me, boring! I would always regret not having taken the chance to do something amazing.

So I ready myself for the coming adventure and with a smile on my face turn my back on the safe path. The thing is the safe path is only safer by perception. I have lost two close friends in the past two months to freak accidents and their loss has only driven home to me the fact that our time here is limited and that we must all live our lives only the way that we want to live them because at any moment, we could be gone.

The bike, fully loaded!

I got a few pictures of the bike fully loaded and ready to roll. It handles a little sluggishly with all the kit and it feels like it may tip over if I am forced to take a sharp turn, but on the straights, it just sails right along. As I ride it more frequently with a full load, I am sure handling it will become second nature.

It is a somewhat strange thought that all of my worldly possessions for the next three or so years, will fit into that little yellow bag! It is a little scary to give up so many amenities that I am used to, but I have to say it is also really liberating to boil life down to the essentials. Time will tell how it plays out in practice.

One Month Till Lift Off!

I am coming down the home stretch in the countdown to freedom and adventure! I have my ducks lined up and am now in cruise mode until my departure date of March 10th. It is an incredibly good feeling to be able to relax and just enjoy the last 4 weeks remaining to me before I leave.

No more getting up at 4am for work, no more 12 to 14 hour days, no more stressing out. Now, I just need to tie up loose ends and prepare for departure. My average work day now consists of getting up at 6 or 7, a nice leisurely breakfast, ride my bike at cruising speed to work traffic free, take care of the day's tasks for a few hours and then head back home. Oh, and the ride is nice! I roll along the board walk for half of it!

Each day feels so great. After years of busting my butt, stressing and dreaming about leaving, my trip is so close now, I can taste it. Once March 10th comes, I will get on that bike and pedal off with a smile on my face from ear to ear.