Cyclist / Sailor / Author / Speaker
Day 2 – Ottawa, KS to Warrensburg, MO
Later in 2012, I’m planning a bicycle trip from Kansas to Annapolis. While I’m in the planning stages, I’d love to get input from folks familiar with individual portions of the route, with suggestions on changes I might want to make.
Below is a map of Day 2 of the trip. Also, here’s a link to the map on Google if you’d like to drag the route around with suggested changes. Continue reading “Bicycle Touring in Kansas and Missouri – Planned Day 2”
Later in 2012, I’m planning a bicycle trip from Kansas to Annapolis. While I’m in the planning stages, I’d love to get input from folks familiar with individual portions of the route, with suggestions on changes I might want to make.
Below is a map of Day 1 of the trip. Also, here’s a link to the map on Google if you’d like to drag the route around with suggested changes. Continue reading “Bicycle Touring in Kansas – Planned Day 1”
Bicycle Touring in the West
Day 18 – Alamosa to Walsenburg
“I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”Â
 ~ John Muir
It’s a beautiful morning rolling east on 160 out of Alamosa. There’s a bit of damp air hanging close to the ground in places, feeling almost like a light fog – something we don’t see much of in Colorado. As we approach the Great Sand Dunes area off to our north, I realize that the hazy sky is most likely the result of fires they’ve been experiencing to our south in recent days and weeks. At times, I can actually smell a bit of smoke.
I know this is my last day of riding for this trip, and I’m more bummed than I thought I’d be. I find myself holding back and riding a bit slow – savoring the last tastes of the trip. Continue reading “Cycling in the West – Alamosa to Walsenburg”
Bicycle Touring In The West
Day 17 – Pagosa Springs to Alamosa
“I’ve learned that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.â€
 ~ Unknown
Today we’re back to a little more mileage, but still a tad shy of a 100 mile day. We cross the Continental Divide this morning at Wolf Creek Pass. It’s a day I’ve looked forward to throughout the trip – as much as a test of my fitness as for the beauty of an 11,000’ pass. Continue reading “Cycling in the West – Pagosa Springs to Alamosa”
Bicycle Touring in the West
Day 16 – Durango to Pagosa Springs
“Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.Â
 ~ Vaclav Havel
Durango is a big bicycle town. There are some world-class cyclists who hail from these parts, and I’ve heard many times of the great road cycling in the area. In addition, there’s a tremendous road cycling club in the area, and Ft Lewis College in Durango has what they bill as the “#1 cycling program in the nationâ€, with 17 national championships. There’s a really fun ride I try and do most years down here over Memorial Day – they call it the Iron Horse Classic and it’s a ride/race from Durango to Silverton where you’re racing the old Steam Engine up into the mountains. Lot’s of climbing, about 50 miles, and they close the road for a couple hours for the race.
Perhaps understandably, I have again set some expectations for the day. I’m imagining that cars in the area are accustomed to cyclists, and that the roads will accommodate safe riding. Continue reading “Cycling in the West – Durango to Pagosa Springs”
Day 15 – Towaoc to Durango
“Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain.â€
 ~ A Ute Prayer
We’re riding at early light on a cool morning. There’s actually a little wisp of fog now and again on the road this morning – something I haven’t seen since I left the Pacific coast. I can feel the moisture in the air as it hydrates the membranes of my lungs and sinuses. I’m surprised at just how good it feels.
Colorado isn’t a place known for moist air. When folks come out to visit us in Colorado, they usually complain about how dry the air is. But this morning, as I begin to climb back into my home state, I’m struck by how much more humid it is than the desert air I’ve been riding through for the last couple weeks.
I didn’t expect to feel a sense of “homecoming†yet, but I’m feeling it this morning. There’s active irrigation along this highway, so the fields are green and lush on both sides of us as we ride. The sprinklers are running, pouring water across the green that surrounds us, sparkling like fountains of gems in the early morning light. In the distance, the peaks of the Rockies are growing closer and closer with each mile. I’m back in my home state, and it feels good.
Our day today is a short one. We want to get to Durango early enough to do laundry, so we started early, though not as early as we might have if we had a long day. When we revised our route, we thought about planning a rest day along southern Colorado somewhere, but decided instead to just plan short days. Yesterday was our last long mileage day at about 108 miles, and today and tomorrow are both only about 60 miles. In our original schedule, today’s miles were the last 60 miles of a 146 mile day. I’m happy we changed, so I could enjoy this stretch of road early in the morning.
A cyclist’s perspective on the wildlife in an area is often a reflection of the dead stuff we see smashed on the road as we roll past it. This morning, the roadkill is reflective of a big change in habitat. I’m seeing possum and raccoon, as well as a snake now and again. The moist environment created by the irrigation supports a whole new community of critters. Continue reading “Cycling Through The West – Towaoc to Durango”
Bicycle Touring in the West – Day 14 – Kayenta to Towaoc
“Take a breath of the new dawn and make it a part of you.â€
 ~ Hopi proverb
Today is a longer day for us, and we’re on the road before dawn. We’ve got a little over 107 miles to ride today, and if the wind’s not kind, it could be a long 107 miles. We feel confident that we’ll be able to find water every 25 or 30 miles, which puts our mind to ease that worse case, it’s just a long day.
At first we’re a little disappointed that we’re not on the road 30 minutes before we are because of the long day ahead of us. Riding east out of Kayenta, the landscape around us explodes into magical shapes and beautiful pre-dawn colors. As the sun washes across the mystical hills and rocks to our north, we stop often to take pictures of the breathtaking sunrise. By the time we’re 10 miles down the road, we realize how lucky we are that we didn’t leave earlier, or we would’ve missed a spectacular sunrise show.
Once again, I’m struck by just how much I treasure the early morning on a bicycle. The remainder of the day happens – sometimes good and sometimes less good. But dawn is universally spectacular, sometimes mind-numbingly so. This morning is one of those mind-numbingly beautiful mornings. Continue reading “Bicycling in the West – Kayenta to Towaoc”
Bicycling in the West – Day 13 – Tuba City to Kayenta
“Time isn’t used, it’s experienced.â€
~ Hopi Proverb
We’ve got an easy day ahead of us today – only 75 miles. Unless the wind is hard on us, we should get done in less than 8 hours. We take our time and enjoy breakfast, and meet some interesting folks as we’re walking out of Denny’s.
It’s a small group of folks – sounds like just 2 couples plus an extra person. They’ve got a truck with a trailer, and the trailer holds a couple of little Vespa-type scooters. The women ride the scooters along the highway, and the men follow along in the truck. When they get tired of “scootingâ€, the men pick them up and trailer the scooters. It’s a grand adventure for them. They’ve always wanted to take a trip like this along the highways of the Southwest. When they hit the high plains of Texas in a few days, they’ll just ride in the truck to avoid the heat.
I’m curious about why the little scooters rather than just everyone taking motorcycles? Well, a good part of the reason seems to be that the scooters are so much more fuel efficient. Plus, they’re cute. That’s important for sure… Continue reading “Cycling Through the West – Tuba City to Kayena”
Bicycling Across the West
Day 12 – Sedona to Tuba City in Arizona
“What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.”
~ Crowfoot
Today I meet my friend Dave, and we complete the rest of the ride together. Our original plan was to meet at the Grand Canyon and ride from there. However, we’ve talked on the phone and changed our route a bit in response to concern over a section of road we were going to ride on. The road we’re concerned about is Highways 163 and 162 in Arizona and Utah, which takes us through Monument Valley. Dave’s experience on the road as he was driving down to his starting point was that it was very narrow, lots of curves, no shoulder, and lots of RVs.
We’re both fine with all of that – down to the RV part. My experience with the lack of safety and courtesy on the part of RV drivers so far on this trip has me pretty concerned about that section, and Dave feels the same way. So we modified our planned route, and I’m meeting Dave in Flagstaff this morning. From here, we’ll ride to Tuba City today. I’m clearly upset that we’re compelled – out of fear of our lives – to change our route because so many RV users are either incompetent or inconsiderate drivers. But it is what it is.
Riding through this upcoming section, the thing that makes bicycle trip routing difficult is the space between towns. There are only so many places where a motel exists, and we need to be able to fit a daily ride somewhat neatly between those spots. Our original plan, in fact, included a 140 mile day because of that difficulty. That’s a long day in the desert if the winds aren’t kind… Our new route keeps most of our days down to a little under 100 miles, though there’s one or two that go over 100 miles. Continue reading “Cycling Across The West – Sedona to Tuba City in Arizona”
Day 11 – Resting in Sedona
“Once, it was so damned dry, the bushes followed the dogs around.â€
 ~Nancy Dedera
My friend Dale is a former boss from many years ago. He’s a guy who was always renowned for his hard-hitting style, and his relentlessly demanding style. I helped him build his companies up into a tiny little empire, then I got bored and went on another of those eclectic little careens I talked about in this post. Dale and I parted as good friends, and a few years after I left he sold his companies and became very financially secure. Well, wealthy really.
I was busy careening… Continue reading “Cycling Across The Southwest – Sedona”
