Live for the Path

37 miles in 3.25 hours

I wake up rather early (not surprisingly) and lay in the tent for a long while doing nothing. This is because I know I have a short day ahead of me, and also because it is quite cold out. I eventually get up and pack up and head up the road. I quickly blow my back tire, which has had a slow leak for a while, so I throw a new tube in. However, as I am doing this, it begins to rain. Brilliant.

Anyway I trudge on past various Naval Bases (there are either several here or the one that is there is HUGE).

I stop for some T-Bell for an early lunch in a cute town called Port Hueneme, and talk to two people there – one who bought a Surly Long Haul Trucker frame (the bike I have) for his brother who turned it into a fixed-gear (!!), and another older couple whose daughter had done a bike tour around Europe with some friends when she was in high school.

I headed back out into the gloom and made it to Ventura pretty early. I called my Warmshowers host and then found a Starbucks. This always seems to be more of a hassle than it would seem because when I search for them half of the time they turn out to be the kind in grocery stores, which is not what I want. Eventually I found one, spent a few hours updating the website, and then headed over to my hosts’ house, not sure what I would find.

Anyway, I spotted the house pretty quickly because of the Race Across America painted van sitting in the driveway. This is a fairly large cross country bike race that occurs every year. It turns out that one of my hosts, Nicole, holds the record for fastest two woman team in this race (around 8 days… yikes). RAAM seems like a good time, and is something I would like to do recreationally one day, perhaps in a 8 man team (definitely not two… nothing recreational about that).

Turns out Jae and Nicole were great hosts, and I got a shower, to do laundry, and a fantastic dinner. Jae, a bike mechanic, even looked at my bike and made some tweaks for me. Thanks guys for being great hosts. Anyway, shortly after dinner everyone did some reading and then went to bed. I suggest that any tourers check out www.warmshowers.org.

48 miles – 4.5 hours Saddle Time

I left Ian’s at around 8:15 and headed back down the bike path towards the ocean. I stayed on that around Marina del Ray and headed up another bike path on the beach through Venice and Santa Monica.

Eventually I was forced onto the Pacific Coast Highway (known forevermore in this blog as the PCH) and began the trek northward in earnest.

I was rewarded with some stunning views that cannot be captured in my pictures, and some ridiculous hills that cannot be described. None of the hills were very long, but their steepness was obscene. I both had to use the granny gear for the first time of the trip today, and also set a new speed record at 30mph, and I was holding back big time. But I will have to get used to these hills, as they are going to be with me for at least the next month.

Anyway I headed through Malibu, stopping at a McDonald’s (of course) and then at a Bank of America (I was very low on cash).

I got to a Starbucks and sat online for a little while, and then headed to my campground.

I got there at around 2:15, and set up my tent early. The best part about the campgrounds I will be staying at for the next month is that they all have hiker/biker spots specifically for people in transit by bike or on foot. They are between $3 and $5.

I walked to the ocean a few times before heading out to meet a friend from school for dinner at a place called Neptune’s Net at around 4:00. I hung out outside at the cliffs while I waited for him to arrive.

I ate a lot of fried seafood, had a 24 oz. Miller Lite, and then departed for the campground. I return to find nothing disturbed, and get into the tent and quickly fall asleep at around 6:30 (!!).

Day 8 – Yorba Linda to Pico-Robertson – 81 miles – 7.25 hours saddle time

Woke up in the morning, ate some breakfast at Tim’s house, and lazed around a little bit while I put off leaving. I eventually got going, and got on the Santa Ana River Bike Trail, which took me literally from right outside Tim’s door all the way down to Huntington Beach and the Pacific Ocean. This trail was convenient, but not all that nice, but there were a lot of bikers on it despite the nasty weather (it had been overcast and cold since Day 6 in LA).

I got down to Huntington Beach and took a nice bike path on the beach for a while.

I then hopped on the Pacific Coast Highway for quite a few miles, which was nice for a while with a wide bike lane, and it was horrible for a while, with no bike lane and the most narrow right lane I have ever seen. And of course this happens in the bad neighborhoods, but I had to get on the sidewalk for a while to not be run over. Once I got back down to the ocean again I got back on another bike path, and lo and behold – the sun was there!

I ride down this path for many miles and love it. If I were to ever move out here though, I would have to work on my beach volleyball skills. It seems that is what everyone 18-34 does on the LA shore. I guess I could handle that since my dad allegedly played volleyball for his college team. Anyway, I talk to some people for a while on the bike path about my Surly and touring, and then head inland.

I get to Pico-Robertson and go to Wendy’s to get a burger and then to Starbucks to update my site. At right around 7 I get a phone call from the friend I am staying with that night, and I head over at around 7:30. We go get ice cream that they make in front of you, and then we relax for the rest of the night over tea.

Day 9 – Zero Day

Another day where not much happened, much to my delight. My buddy and I went to Venice Beach for some tasty breakfast (Benice – recommended) and then he swung me by REI so I could get a few more tubes and patches. They didn’t have the normal tubes there though in my size (700×35 presta if you must know) so I had to get some of the slime tubes. I figured they are worth a shot anyway, and once I change one in I will let everyone know how they work. I have also had a slow leak in the back tire for a while, but it stays full for an entire day if I just fill it in the morning, so I haven’t done anything about it yet.

Anyway, after that we head to his work (a tea shop in Century City – nice place) and then I walk back to the Starbucks near his apartment and get a ton of work done on the website. I chill for 6 hours or so there and then go back to Ian’s apartment, play him in a game of Chinese Chess (kinda sorta like Shoji – but with some really strange pieces) and then go to bed. Thanks to Ian and his roomates for their hospitality. I also want to thank Facebook, because without it I would not have seen Tim for the first time in 12 years or Ian for the first time in 8. So thanks Facebook, and thanks to my old friends for being so inviting!

Day 6 – Banning, CA to Rowland Heights, CA – 73 miles – 6.5 hours saddle time

I got up fairly early (especially considering that I was in a real bed) and got cranking towards my buddy in Rowland Heights. I went through a small town called Beaumont which I thought was cute and then (after taking a road closure detour…) up a great pass called San Timoteo Canyon Road. This is another bike ride I recommend if you have the opportunity.

I came out in Bryn Mawr and went through Loma Linda (nice) and then crossed the highways and started the long ride through the inland empire (not as nice). I got the pleasure of having someone sneak up right behind me in a lane that was literally wide enough for two cars, honk, and then squeel around me. Screw you Herbalife salesperson. First time that has happened, but I figure that since the people that honk encouragingly have outnumbered this ass at least 20-1, it is alright.

Anyway, I am having trouble getting in touch with my friend by the time I make it over to close to his place, so I chill at a McDonald’s and relax for a while. He eventually calls me and says that he is almost home and he wants to pick me up in his pick up truck. Okay, sure. I head a little down the road towards his place, he gets me, and we head back. I am treated to a great dinner and a relaxing night watching the Lakers-Nuggets game. Thanks to the entire Blessman family for their hospitality. Sorry for the reduced number of pictures… I assume you have all seen suburban sprawl before.

Day 7 – Zero Day – Rowland Heights, CA to Yorba Linda, CA

Great day. I sent probably 15 pounds of stuff home (including my cooking stuff which had not been used once). The rest of the day I relaxed, either on the couch, at Starbucks updating my site for a while, or again on a different friend’s house. Special thanks to Blessman for driving me from his place to my other buddy’s place, and thanks to Tim for the hospitality and driving me from Starbucks up his mammoth hill. Tim and I finished the day playing a game very like Acrophobia, which we played non stop probably 12 years ago. No pictures today.

PS – Route was rode in a car, not biked.

42 miles – 5.5 hours saddle time

(A note on saddle time: this is automatically calculated by my bike odometer and only counts the amount of time I am actually moving. Therefore, really hard days like this are going to show less saddle time than there actually was because I was off the bike resting, cursing the wind, etc. more often than days that are going well.)

I got up a little late, and set out at around 8am.

I stopped at a Burger King on the main street of Palm Springs, which was quite nice (Palm Springs, not BK). Anyway, heading north out of town I thought everything was going great, only to find when I reached the 10 that I did not take a turn that I was supposed to take to stay on the 111. Along the way I rode through one of the largest wind farms in North America.

So now I was a few miles farther East than I wanted to be. I spent around an hour trying to follow a path that I found on Google Maps to take me through the first part of the pass without getting on the 10 (now apparently illegal). I got to the road that was supposed to take me there, I got stopped by a fence saying it was private property. Lame.

I turned around and went back down the hill I had climbed, looked around, and saw no alternative to taking the 10, so I got on it, apparently illegally. (Note: it may have actually been legal and missigned, as I found out later that night on the internet.) Anyway, I hauled ass for the next two miles to the next exit, and got off and took a gravel path for a few miles. This was a horrible idea, and I ended up walking my bike for a while.

I eventually got to another road that I could actually ride on. I stopped at a McDonald’s and chilled for a little while, because I was exhausted from the wind.

I eventually got going, and had a route planned out to get to Banning without getting back on the 10. I start out up Fields Road, and come to a checkpoint for the Native American tribe who owned the land. I told them my situation, and they had no sympathy, and told me it was private land, and they turned me around and sent me back towards the I-10. I sighed, and turned around and looked for another route. I saw a Railroad Avenue that may or may not have been a real road the entire time, and started along it. I was going along (slowly due to the wind) and sure enough, another dirt and gravel path. I pushed the bike again, and eventually, finally, got to Banning. I was cruising down the main street of the town, saw a Travelodge, and got a room. I ordered takeout, and relaxed for the remainder of the night after such a brutal day.

Two quick postscripts: First I finally figured out how to use Google Maps correctly, so no more scrolling needed. Second, remember that this blog is updated M-F… so see you next week!

I get ready and head to the cafe at around 6:45 (but note I can see it, and I know the pastor is not there). Anyway, I sit inside and talk to the waitress for a while, but still no pastor. Oh well, no harm done. I order an omelet and get out of town.

I head up the hill and stop again to eat and to buy some stuff in Chiriaco Summit.

I talk to a trucker who offers me a ride to Indio. However, since I am in a town with Summit in the name, I decline, and am rewarded with an absolutely amazing ride down San Andreas Fault on Box Canyon Road. I highly recommend it to absolutely anyone who likes biking in the area. It is gorgeous and totally downhill all the way to Mecca.

In Mecca I go to another Starbucks for a few hours of WiFi. When I am done I head north on the 111 through the towns of Thermal, Coachella, Indio, and into the rich areas of town. The best part is that I have a tailwind the entire time. Once I get to places like La Quinta, Indian Wells (gorgeous), and Palm Desert it is getting dark, and I know that the police (and residents) of an area like this would not appreciate me free camping, so I begin to look around for lodging.

Someone who was next to me at a stop light yelled out if I was going to Palm Springs, but he was pulling away by the time I responded, and I never saw him again. Alas. There was not really any space which was not inhabited, so when I saw a Motel 6 in Rancho Mirage, I went to investigate. At $39.95 the price was right, so I got my first room of the trip, and immediately had my first shower of the trip. It felt good. I also managed to do laundry there (much needed), and watched a little bit of The Ultimate Fighter. It was a great day beginning to end, the best thus far on the trip.

I woke up at 5:30, made some adjustments to the still duct-taped rack (near disaster averted… mental note: fix in LA), and got on the road at around 7.

I quickly made it through Brenda, and onto I-10 towards Quartzsite.

I climbed a pass and then drifted down into Quartzsite (hit my max speed thus far: 28 mph – woo).

I rode along the main street there for a while and then stopped at McDonald’s. Thumbs up for them letting me charging my cell phone. Thumbs down for having a broken ice machine.

I left there and climbed another pass out of Quartzsite. I rode down another huge mountain into Ehrenberg and then crossed the Colorado River into Blythe, CA.

Now, I have never heard anyone say anything good about Blythe, but I thought it was fine. It is certainly industrial and farming driven, but people on the main street seemed friendly. I stopped at a Starbucks there for a few hours for some Wi-Fi and to get out of the heat.

(Editors note: I wrote the above in the Starbucks. After I went outside and went down the main road (Lovekin) to get some food, I see a little more where people are coming from. There were around a zillion homeless and otherwise depressed looking people around, but only on that stretch. Unfotunately that is the only part of town most people will ever see. Blythe needs to do something about this if they want to fix their reputation.) Anyway, I figured that I would do another 20-30 miles after Blythe and stop somewhere outside of Desert Center for the night. So I set out after my 3 hour rest at around 3:30 and got back on the road.

I did a couple of solid hours, the first one pretty sharply uphill. At around 6:30 I began looking around for a suitable stealth camp spot. Problem was there was absolutely nothing. The desert just had no plant life around at all except for really tiny bushes that offered no protection. I was forced to keep going and do my first night riding of the trip. It was miserable – I was tired, and all I wanted to do was sleep. Luckily I read a story earlier in the day by a guy that said that said that the proprietors of the Desert Center Cafe had let him camp outside. So I decided to keep going through the darkness. Finally, at around 8:45 I reached Desert Center, and walked into the empty cafe and asked the lady who was working if I could camp somewhere. She insisted that I just go to sleep in the post office across the street instead. I know plenty of bike tourers sleep in post offices regularly so I figured I would do it. Sure enough as soon as I walk in and start unpacking, two guys walk in (remember it is only 9:00 – late for me but not for regular people), and an awkward conversation begins (see video for more). Anyway it turns out to be fine, and I talk to one of the guys for a while who turns out to be one of the town pastors. Eventually, he needs to leave but offers to take me to breakfast at 6:30 in the cafe. Sweet.

I go to bed shortly thereafter, and am only awakened once by someone checking their mail during the middle of the night.

I wake up at around 6, lay in the bag until 6:30, and then packed up and hit the road at about 7:15. I stop in Wickenburg at McDonald’s (clearly) and have some breakfast. I notice here that I am not really able to eat anything at all. Since breakfast the day before I had one and a half McDoubles, and I barely choked down a sausage burrito and a sausage McMuffin today. I guess my body still is in some shock about what is going on. Luckily I have around 3 cups of sweet tea each time to get some calories in me.

I leave there and have a really nice ride up a pass and down to a run down town called Aguila. This place has a ten foot barbed wire fence around the convenience store (still open). Everything, literally everything has bars on it. I quickly leave and head towards Wenden and Salome.

I had been looking at my map and saw that I was going to basically losing 2500 feet of elevation between the pass just beyond Wickenburg and Blythe. I was excited that I was only going to have to pedal maybe 5 times during these 150 miles, and even considered doing my video at the top of the pass to brag about this. Well, I did not take a 15-20 mph headwind into account. It was in my face all day long after Aguila and it was brutal. I was going 8mph on flat ground and maybe 12 at most on downhills. What should have been an easy day where I could take some time off became a marathon in the saddle. I hate the wind.

Anyway, I stopped a a cool little cafe in a little town called Wenden (no barbed wire in sight!). It was pretty neat, and the ladies that ran it gave me a bunch of almonds and raisins to take with me.

I then hopped right back on my bike and continued through Salome where I chilled under a canopy of some closed business for an hour (it was hot). I then hopped back on my bike again, and stopped at a little diner in Vicksburg Junction (population 0 – the diner is the only thing there) where I ate pie and ice cream.

I did a few more miles and then bed.

Some quick other thoughts. It is a little sad riding through a lot of these towns. You can look at them and tell that they were really bustling back in the 40s and 50s, but once the interstates were built, and they were not selected to get one through their town, it was over for them. Some have limped along, but the for sale signs and closed businesses are everywhere. One more thing: it seems that the ladies in the small cafes that I stopped in are not from the area originally, don’t really know how they got there, and don’t really like it there. Strange.

 

When I got up in the morning, it didn’t really seem like anything was that different, and I didn’t have trouble sleeping the night before at all. I thought this was a little strange, but was glad that I wasn’t freaking out.

Anyway, I walked to McDonalds for breakfast, said goodbye to the roommate (he left before me) and did the final packing of the bike. I set out at around 8am.

I am rolling along, not far away from roads I have ridden 1000 times, when I look back and I see that my tie down on the back rack is suddenly very loose. Not only that, but when I stop I hear a loud hiss coming from my front tire. Upon further inspection, my tie down has become loose because my sleeping bag is gone. Just gone.

I sigh, since I cannot ride my bike backwards because of the flat tire, and not wanting to fix the flat because I want to snag my sleeping bag before someone else does if it is on the side of the road. I walk my bike back probably about a mile before giving up on the sleeping bag, when I proceed to unload my bike, turn it over, and look at my tire. I take off the tire and look at the tube, and there is a giant gash across the tube, which I suspect was put there by the tire liner. I had gotten a similar one a few days earlier on the back tire (which I miraculously patched), so I just took out the tire liner and set about trying to patch this, though I was not optimistic. While I am patching this I leave the pump attached to the valve like a dumbass, and when I am done I try to take the pump off the valve, and the whole thing breaks off. So much for my patch job. One tube totally ruined.

Down to no tubes in reserve, and without a sleeping bag, I return to Tempe to go to the REI. I wait outside for it to open for around half an hour, and then buy a sleeping bag, two tubes, and a U-Lock. Finally I head back out to restart my trip. Suffice it to say that my back tube quickly blows out, with a second gash (remember I patched one several days before). In goes one of my new tubes.

After all of that, I finally have a fairly quiet ride through Phoenix on the bike paths and side streets.

I stop at a McDonald’s at around 2 and have a lunch before beginning the climb from Phoenix to Wickenburg. The climb is pretty uneventful, with the exception of a hole in the front tire, which I just replace with the other new tube that I got, since I did not want to sit on the side of the hot hot road and fiddle with patches.

I eventually get to just outside of Wickenburg at around 7pm and find a secluded stealth camp spot. The only downside is that I get to share it with swarms of killer ants and a bed of rocks is the only place I can set up my tent. Ce la vie. I get set up and go to bed.