Day 8: Casa Grande, AZ

Mileage today: 45

Mileage Yesterday: 75

Total So far: 516

Finally have some time to put some pictures up. I am in Casa Grande, AZ and decided to take a short today today to get a little rest. My knees were hurting this morning so i want to take it easy as I have about 70 miles to ride tomorrow to Tuscon.

Yesterday I took off from Gilla Bend trying to make it to Casa Grande but it was into a cross head wind and i was gaining elevation the entire day. SO i was going about half the speed I had hoped and had to camp out in the national forest, but it turned out to be pretty awesome as it was beautiful out among the Saguaros, which are the tall cactus with the arms sticking out. And i had my first rain. in the desert!! It was just a sprinkle really, but still! The scenery got a whole lot better as I went today going into the mountains with a lot more wildlife and plantlife to look at. The bike handled great over off road terrain and I think that I will be using that option more often as I have opportunities to camp away from people.

So far my equipment has worked perfectly, no complaints other than the flat tires on the trailers. The bike has proven itself to be a tank (knock on wood) and just goes through over or around anything in its way. Hopefully it keeps on trucking with few problems.

My little tin can stove is a champ! It works perfectly and weighs nearly nothing plus the fuels is very cheap. I seriously love that little coors light gizmo! I have been cooking up rice and pasta dishes most nights with lots of fruits and vegetables to keep my body loaded up with the vitamins it needs.

the tent works perfectly and goes up and breaks down fast. That camp chair is an all star as well and I know that it will only prove to be more useful as time goes by.

Casa Grande is an interesting place for sure, cant say i would want to spend too much time here. I passed through mile after mile of ranch land with cows by the hundred. It was really sort of a strange sight, to see so many cows in one place. and they would all run up to the fence when i passed by, i guess they were expecting food or something. Poor guys didnt realize they were waiting in line to become food.

Well, i need to head off, about 7 miles until the camp site i am staying in tonight. So far each day has been a challenge but in a good way. Every night I lay down to sleep (whereever that may be!) feeling good and happy. I love the freedom and easy going way of life this provides. Time will tell how I feel in the long run, but so far, I am glad to be living the dream!



Here are pics from Sunday climbing through the mountains up to Casa Grande.







Pictures from Saturday making my way through the desert, including my trusty shower in a bag!










Pictures from friday, riding through farm land, giant sand dunes and into Yuma along the bumpiest road ever!

Day 6 BFE AZ

milage today: 74

total: 396


I got a late start out of Yuma because I needed to get a spare tire for my trailer and I wanted to do something about my aching wrists. I got a thorn resistant tire this time and hopefully it lasts a little longer.

Johnny Yuma's bike shop in Yuma is a great place for bikes and the owner went out of his way to help me out. He even adjusted my chain for free.

I made good time and got 74 miles down the road before it started to get late so I pulled off and set up camp out in the desert. It was nice because i was about 45 miles from the nearest town and I could see all the stars at night. That is something I have always wanted to do. The only downside of the day was the 70 miles of near perfectly straight road I was on through the desert, I will be on the same road going the same direction all day tomorrow too! It gets a little tedious but not too bad. My wrists were still hurting pretty bad even with the new super gloves so i put both pair on and that seems to have done the trick.

Good thing I got a spare tire for the trailer as the replacement only lasted a day. I looked at it and it was worn out on the inside, the guy in SD sold me a used tire!! What a jerk. Oh well, the spare should go further but I will need to pick up a spare soon.

Desert riding is nice though and you can see for ever. lots of space out here in AZ and not too many people. I look forward to coming back through the grand canyon next time I swing through. I cant post pics today either as I have to make another 60 miles today and I am running out of time. I promise to pose some pics as soon as I have some free time. I hope everyone is well!

Made it to AZ!

milage today: 62

total milage: 317

Well I made it to AZ, one small step on one big journey. I can't write too much as I am sitting outside of a library trying to work with a weak wifi signal, so i will post pics later. I got a really late start out of el centro yesterday due to small personal business I had to deal with. I left around 11:15 and made it to Yuma. It was a rough ride though, windy as sin with sand blowing in my face for most of the ride and really rough road conditions. Evan Hewes, whoever you are, you should have uilt a better highway!!! I rode for about 25 miles over the most bone jaringly rough road i have ever seen. My wrists were aching by the end and i am going to pick up some extra bar tape today before i clear out of yuma.

the pacth gave up the ghost on my little trailer tire today, not surprising considering it was 86 degrees bumpy as hell. so i had to use my spare, i will pick up another today.

I found a good camp spot in Yuma, you can camp at the Paradise casino for up to two days for free which is nice, no facilities though. Pics to follow, I need to head out.

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!