Thursday, September 27, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Day 9: Grand Canyon to Tuba City, AZ
85 miles, 4000 feet of climbing.
Today was an easier day on the road, so our guides decided to set out the water and snack table later and encouraged everyone to take their time getting started and on the road, because nothing would be waiting for us in Tuba City except maybe an internet café, plus it would be a chilly morning. We took this advice and rolled out at 9:00 am, only to find that we were the very last ones to leave. Most people had left an hour before us, and were rehydrated, showered and massaged by the time we finally rolled in.
We took our time and dawdled all day, stopping at scenic lookout points on the Grand Canyon along the way, taking photos, and trying to be kind to our bodies. It was a pretty spectacular day, with occasional breathtaking views of the canyon. We left the forest and re-entered the desert, only this time with red sand and stone formations, and found ourselves in Navajo Nation territory. Lots of little roadside craft shacks, as well as “dinosaur footprints.” (We didn’t stop for either.)
We’re finally hitting that mental wall of “why in the world did we think this was a good idea?” Getting started and excited in the morning is taking longer and longer, but we feel better by the afternoon. The next four days until the rest stop are going to be brutal, all over 100 miles, with one final 140-mile push to Taos on Saturday. We’ll be happy to pass through Monument Valley tomorrow, though, and lots of other great sights to take our minds off our butts. E-mails make us happy! So does the promise of a day off this weekend =)
Today was an easier day on the road, so our guides decided to set out the water and snack table later and encouraged everyone to take their time getting started and on the road, because nothing would be waiting for us in Tuba City except maybe an internet café, plus it would be a chilly morning. We took this advice and rolled out at 9:00 am, only to find that we were the very last ones to leave. Most people had left an hour before us, and were rehydrated, showered and massaged by the time we finally rolled in.We took our time and dawdled all day, stopping at scenic lookout points on the Grand Canyon along the way, taking photos, and trying to be kind to our bodies. It was a pretty spectacular day, with occasional breathtaking views of the canyon. We left the forest and re-entered the desert, only this time with red sand and stone formations, and found ourselves in Navajo Nation territory. Lots of little roadside craft shacks, as well as “dinosaur footprints.” (We didn’t stop for either.)
We’re finally hitting that mental wall of “why in the world did we think this was a good idea?” Getting started and excited in the morning is taking longer and longer, but we feel better by the afternoon. The next four days until the rest stop are going to be brutal, all over 100 miles, with one final 140-mile push to Taos on Saturday. We’ll be happy to pass through Monument Valley tomorrow, though, and lots of other great sights to take our minds off our butts. E-mails make us happy! So does the promise of a day off this weekend =)
Monday, September 24, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Day 7: Kingman AZ to Seligman AZ
85 miles, 4000 feet of climbing
Today was our recovery day from yesterday's long, long day. It's pretty sick when you start looking at 85 miles as a "recovery ride," but we have to. We (and most of the group) took it really slow today, still feeling yesterday a bit in our muscles but mostly on the seat. Can I (Nancy) just say that there was a good 5-mile steep climb at about 100 miles yesterday, and Ed tore up it like he'd just rolled out of the hotel and had fresh legs? Amazing. I, meanwhile, was a little less graceful. But we made it and were still smiling when we rolled in.
We got our kicks on Route 66 today, spending the whole ride on this historic road. The scenery in the past 2 days has gradually changed from barren dessert to something more plains-like. Rather than flats, rocks, sand and cacti, we've now got small mountains, long grasses, bushes big enough to duck behind, and even some small wild sunflowers on the side of the road. The road could be a whole lot smoother-- couldn't they have repaved it for us? =)
We are really in the middle of nowhere. I'm shocked this little motel in this little outpost has wifi! And good pizza. Dinner tonight is at the local Roadkill Cafe. Speaking of which, this trip has introduced whole new species into my roadkill vocabulary, including a rattlesnake and a coyote. The grasshoppers here are massive-- I'm talking the size of my two thumbs together. We figured out why when we saw one eating a dead grasshopper. Cannibalism has it perks.
Hopefully today's slow ride, post-ride nap, and a good night's sleep will re-energize us for tomorrow's full day to the Grand Canyon.
Today was our recovery day from yesterday's long, long day. It's pretty sick when you start looking at 85 miles as a "recovery ride," but we have to. We (and most of the group) took it really slow today, still feeling yesterday a bit in our muscles but mostly on the seat. Can I (Nancy) just say that there was a good 5-mile steep climb at about 100 miles yesterday, and Ed tore up it like he'd just rolled out of the hotel and had fresh legs? Amazing. I, meanwhile, was a little less graceful. But we made it and were still smiling when we rolled in.
We got our kicks on Route 66 today, spending the whole ride on this historic road. The scenery in the past 2 days has gradually changed from barren dessert to something more plains-like. Rather than flats, rocks, sand and cacti, we've now got small mountains, long grasses, bushes big enough to duck behind, and even some small wild sunflowers on the side of the road. The road could be a whole lot smoother-- couldn't they have repaved it for us? =)
We are really in the middle of nowhere. I'm shocked this little motel in this little outpost has wifi! And good pizza. Dinner tonight is at the local Roadkill Cafe. Speaking of which, this trip has introduced whole new species into my roadkill vocabulary, including a rattlesnake and a coyote. The grasshoppers here are massive-- I'm talking the size of my two thumbs together. We figured out why when we saw one eating a dead grasshopper. Cannibalism has it perks.
Hopefully today's slow ride, post-ride nap, and a good night's sleep will re-energize us for tomorrow's full day to the Grand Canyon.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Day 6 - Parker, AZ to Kingman, AZ
Today was the longest day so far: 130 miles, 9400 feet of climbing, 8 hours 35 minutes of riding.
We got rained on for a little while at the beginning of the ride, but it soon cleared up and we had a hot, sunny day. The day was so long we had two lunch stops. I (Ed) was feeling pretty lousy at about the 80 mile mark, but a Coke from the support van perked me up, as well as some cheesy 70's music. Nancy teases me about it, but "Stayin' Alive" really works for me when I'm on the bike.
Our second lunch stop was in Oatman, AZ, a town known mostly for the burros that roam free around town. They were pretty much the highlight of a long day.
Leaving Oatman we had a hard climb, our first of the trip. Most of the climbs have been gentle, but long. They feel kind of like a headwind. This one you noticed. The views from the top were great, too.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Day 4: 29 Palms, CA to Parker, AZ
Sunrise in 29 Palms
110 miles, 3700 feet of climbing. Today was the longest stretch of road on the trip with no civilization in sight--91 miles of nothing but desert. It was a great day to ride, though. There were high clouds keeping the temperature down, and we had light tailwinds most of the day, giving us an average speed of 18 mph.
110 miles, 3700 feet of climbing. Today was the longest stretch of road on the trip with no civilization in sight--91 miles of nothing but desert. It was a great day to ride, though. There were high clouds keeping the temperature down, and we had light tailwinds most of the day, giving us an average speed of 18 mph.
Not much to write about today. I (Ed) pedaled, Nancy stayed on my wheel. Just to show you what a difference drafting (and being smaller & lighter) makes, Nancy's power meter says she burned 2000 calories today, while I burned 3000. Extra pie for me!
What's all this? I thought it was four days of dessert, not desert!
The shoe fence. There's a short stretch of fence on which people have hung hundreds of discarded shoes. A Trek Travel bag mysteriously appeared on the fence as well.
 | Long desert roads |
Welcome to Arizona! Our first state border sign! There will be, hmmm, let's see, 9 more: Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kentuky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
We're taking a rest day now. We're staying at the Bluewater Resort & Casino in Parker. It's a few miles outside of town, the food options are quite limited, and there's no Internet access. Vegas has spoiled me. Our guides were kind enough to give us a ride into town--one van went to the laundromat, the other to the library for Internet access. Which van will you board? Where are your priorities? Nancy, being the best wife ever, volunteered to take the laundry bus while I came here to the library to update the blog.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Day 3: Victorville CA to 29 Palms CA
I've been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can remember your name
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain
La, la, la ...
90 miles, pancake flat in the morning with sweet tailwinds. Nasty headwinds for 20 miles in the afternoon, then flats and descents
Desert, desert, desert. That was, in a nutshell and in great detail, our day. We started in an artificial desert suburb (sans accompanying urban center) and went through the desert on our carbon fiber horses. There was a nice 38-mile stretch without bathrooms of any kind, or a shrub big enough to squat behind-- sometimes being a girl sucks. Lots of sand, sandy hills, small sad shrubs, the occasional Joshua tree, and lots of big, mostly courteous trucks giving us lots of room on the shoulderless road.
The morning was nice and cool, and the road was wonderful (especially tucked in behind Ed, enjoying the benefit of his slipstream). The scenery was pretty for oh, about 15 minutes, and then it got boring, so we put in the earbuds and listened to our audiobooks for entertainment. After a nice lunch on the side of the road, the second half began with awful headwinds, but the last 20 or so miles were great so we're happy. 29 Palms is a Marine Corps base, and Ed's dad Jerry was stationed here for a bit when he was in the Marines. It's pretty small, and we're staying in a little adobe-style hut tonight. Ed's enjoying a massage as I write this, and I'm enjoying a cold Anchor Steam. Life is good.
So what are our days like? We get up around 6 or 6:30 in the morning, change into our clean bike clothes, download the day's New York Times podcast if we have internet access, pack up and have breakfast. We try to roll out by 7:30 or 8:00 to avoid some of the afternoon heat. All the guests are free to leave whenever we want, so there's no mass start. Everyone does their own thing: the fast people go fast, the slow people go slow, we run into and get to talk to different guests at different points in the day, and everyone's in a great mood. (Granted, it's only Day 3.) Ed and I bike at our own pace all day. I'm amazed he's stuck to the program! We've found that even though sometimes we're thinking "ugh... we're going soooooo slooooooow," we end up being happy we're on the slow plan when we roll into the hotel in the afternoon and feel good, not miserable. Along the way, we stop for lunch where one of the 2 support vans is pulled over with lots of goodies for us (including a nice tortellini salad today-- don't ask how our guide Big Wave Dave managed to get that cooked without a stove!), and we can hail them over at any point during the day when they pass us to fill up on water, Clif Bars, sunscreen, or to ditch our wind vests like I did this morning when it warmed up. The afternoons have been much windier and hotter so far, and thus we're less happy, but we're always happy when we see the van parked in front of the hotel because that means we can shower, put on not-so-tight clothes, nap, maybe get a massage or post on the blog, and chow down. For dinner, we have a designated restaurant, usually at the hotel, and we can go down at any time and order off the menu. Sometimes we sit with other guests if they're there, otherwise we're tired, antisocial honeymooners. We often eat with the guides as it turns out, and they've filled me in on Trek Travel gossip over the past year. We're brain dead by 8:30 and try to get to bed by 9:00-10:00, and start all over the next day!
Tomorrow is supposed to be the most desolate day of the trip-- something like 90 miles of it will be without houses or a gas station or anything at all. Let's hope the water holds out! And then already our first rest day. They're easing us into the trip by treating us to a rest day so early. Off to dionner now.
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can remember your name
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain
La, la, la ...
90 miles, pancake flat in the morning with sweet tailwinds. Nasty headwinds for 20 miles in the afternoon, then flats and descents
Desert, desert, desert. That was, in a nutshell and in great detail, our day. We started in an artificial desert suburb (sans accompanying urban center) and went through the desert on our carbon fiber horses. There was a nice 38-mile stretch without bathrooms of any kind, or a shrub big enough to squat behind-- sometimes being a girl sucks. Lots of sand, sandy hills, small sad shrubs, the occasional Joshua tree, and lots of big, mostly courteous trucks giving us lots of room on the shoulderless road.
The morning was nice and cool, and the road was wonderful (especially tucked in behind Ed, enjoying the benefit of his slipstream). The scenery was pretty for oh, about 15 minutes, and then it got boring, so we put in the earbuds and listened to our audiobooks for entertainment. After a nice lunch on the side of the road, the second half began with awful headwinds, but the last 20 or so miles were great so we're happy. 29 Palms is a Marine Corps base, and Ed's dad Jerry was stationed here for a bit when he was in the Marines. It's pretty small, and we're staying in a little adobe-style hut tonight. Ed's enjoying a massage as I write this, and I'm enjoying a cold Anchor Steam. Life is good.
So what are our days like? We get up around 6 or 6:30 in the morning, change into our clean bike clothes, download the day's New York Times podcast if we have internet access, pack up and have breakfast. We try to roll out by 7:30 or 8:00 to avoid some of the afternoon heat. All the guests are free to leave whenever we want, so there's no mass start. Everyone does their own thing: the fast people go fast, the slow people go slow, we run into and get to talk to different guests at different points in the day, and everyone's in a great mood. (Granted, it's only Day 3.) Ed and I bike at our own pace all day. I'm amazed he's stuck to the program! We've found that even though sometimes we're thinking "ugh... we're going soooooo slooooooow," we end up being happy we're on the slow plan when we roll into the hotel in the afternoon and feel good, not miserable. Along the way, we stop for lunch where one of the 2 support vans is pulled over with lots of goodies for us (including a nice tortellini salad today-- don't ask how our guide Big Wave Dave managed to get that cooked without a stove!), and we can hail them over at any point during the day when they pass us to fill up on water, Clif Bars, sunscreen, or to ditch our wind vests like I did this morning when it warmed up. The afternoons have been much windier and hotter so far, and thus we're less happy, but we're always happy when we see the van parked in front of the hotel because that means we can shower, put on not-so-tight clothes, nap, maybe get a massage or post on the blog, and chow down. For dinner, we have a designated restaurant, usually at the hotel, and we can go down at any time and order off the menu. Sometimes we sit with other guests if they're there, otherwise we're tired, antisocial honeymooners. We often eat with the guides as it turns out, and they've filled me in on Trek Travel gossip over the past year. We're brain dead by 8:30 and try to get to bed by 9:00-10:00, and start all over the next day!
Tomorrow is supposed to be the most desolate day of the trip-- something like 90 miles of it will be without houses or a gas station or anything at all. Let's hope the water holds out! And then already our first rest day. They're easing us into the trip by treating us to a rest day so early. Off to dionner now.
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