Viva Las Vegas

So I made it into Vegas last Friday. I had to take my time from Hoover dam so I would be to the condo at check in time and not earlier. I made it and the guard at the gate enjoyed my arrival on a bike. So much so he remembered me when I walked back from the grocery store with full hands and opened the gate for me without my id. The check in people also remembered me and acknowledged me whenever they saw me.

My mom flew in later that night and when the shuttle brought her out the driver was worried about letting her out when there was a questionable character waiting out front. I had long hair and a full beard and looked homeless. She had to explain I was her son.

We spent a lot of time relaxing and also checked out the strip some. We saw David Copperfield and Bill Engvall. They were both very good. We also saw all the water shows and Fremont Street. We rented a car one day and I showed my mom Hoover Dam and Red Rocks. I hadn't driven in a couple of months and it took a bit to get used to.

We spent some time on the slots with money our resort gave us and won some money and a hat. We also won some before the Engvall show.

It's crazy seeing how much this place has changed in just the last couple of years since I was last here. We ended up staying off strip at a condo associated with my parents timeshare and had shuttle service to the strip every hour for free.

The strip got shut down for a while tonight due to the NASCAR trucks parading through town before their race this weekend.

I am headed to Utah tomorrow and then back across Nevada to California.

93, the Dam, and Me

Gold Rush Days was an experience to be sure. Enjoyed being able to see old friends and meeting new people. Nearly everyone I talked to that heard my plans for hwy 93 to kingman strongly discouraged me from taking that way. I still decided to go, however, since I have heard that before.

There were some places with no shoulder but traffic was light enough that most everyone got over. Some didn't, but you can get worse drivers with excellent shoulders. I decided to push a little my first day back and get as much of this bad road behind me as I could. I continued past Wikieup and went for a while before it was getting late enough to camp and I found a place decent enough to hide me in this desert. I found a mound of sand with big enough bushes that one had to be pretty much on top of me to see me. Traffic also died during the night.

Riding up the hwy again the next day confirmed I had found the best spot to hide. In 20 mi I was at the interstate and back in familiar territory from my days as a tour leader. I got to kingman fairly early and stopped for lunch. I didn't feel well the night before and thought some food would do me good. I then proceeded to a budget motel which cost the same as the KOA in town.

Headed to Hoover dam today with a migraine I woke up with. My meds weren't helping yet I pushed on. 20 mi from Hoover dam there is road construction for the new bridge. I had a slow leak in my rear tire so I aired it up, hoping it would get me to the dam. I made it 9 miles and had to air it up again. I aired it up two more times til just less than five miles away I switched it out.

I got to the dam and people are even dumber there than the last few times I visited, due to the new bridge. I had a guy not even look and step into the road right in front of me and I couldn't stop fast enough and had to swerve into traffic. A car just missed me. I decided pictures were out of the question due to this and other incidents, so I continued on. I crossed the dam at 6,000 miles.

As I went up the hill on the other side I had a few people cheer me on out their windows. I crested the hill and coasted to the visitor center for lake mead. I am now camping by the lake and will ride a short distance to Vegas tomorrow.

Gold Rush Days

So, apparently Gold Rush Days in Wickenburg, AZ is a big deal. Thousands of people converge upon this small locale every year for some good ole western fun. It just so happened that it is going on while I'm here.

I rode up from Phoenix today, after having stayed in a hostel last night. It was a fairly easy ride. After getting to town I met up with a couple of friends from Wyoming who live down here. We hung out for a bit and then I got taken to where I was going to stay.

Yesterday I took an easy day and rode across Tempe to ASU and then waited to meet up with my friend Neil, who lives in the area. We went back to his place and talked about the college days and caught up with each other.

As I was packing that morning the guys next to me, twin brothers from Michigan, started talking with me. They were members of the navy crew that picked up Apollo 11. They met Richard Nixon on that outing. We shared travel stories for a while and then went our separate ways.

The weather is finally starting to warm up and I was in shorts and a tank top today. I was able to just wear a shirt and no jacket yesterday evening. I am still having trouble staying warm, but that helps.

I have been eating in sit down restaurants a bit lately to help warm me up and be halfway nutritious and OT irks me that when a place gets a lone male they try to get them to go to the bar or else shove them in the most hidden corner by themselves. I also tend to get pretty poor service and usually neglected for long periods of time. If this is how soloists get treated it is no wonder there is so much depression and suicide and also obesity since home and fast food places are the only places one can oftentimes feel accepted. Anyways, enough of that.

Time to enjoy Gold Rush Days and then off to Vegas.

Cactus, Cactus Everywhere

I couldn't sleep in this morning even though I wanted to and had the time. I ended up leaving earlier than desired. I had a climb outside of town for about 1,000 vetocal feet and then it was all downhill to Tempe. Half the trip at 6-7% downgrade as well as other percentages isn't a bad day. It was also only fifty miles. I made Apache Junction before one and went to the KOA. I wasn't wanting to go to KOAs on this trip, but you do what you have to. I set up and shortly after it started to drizzle.

I spent some time in my tent reading and relaxing, then showered and ate dinner.

The whole way to town I saw numerous saguaro cactus as well as numerous other cacti. You know you are in the desert when you look at one small patch of ground and see more than five types of cactus.

I am now sitting near the pool and getting that wonderful view that greets you at so many retirement locations...an overweight elderly man in a speedo that is barely visible. Why???

The weather is to start warming up and stay nice all the way to Vegas. I also get to see comedian Bill Engvall while there. I enjoy his humor and it will be a great break. My mom is also coming to Vegas to see me and warm up once again. I am feeling rejuvinated towards finishing this trip again and have studied the map a bit and it seems I am nearly halfway on mileage. This is exciting and yet hard to believe, even though I have been traveling for over five months.

This is Horse Country

As I rode through the hills and mountains yesterday I was desirous to have my horse with me. The country around here is so much like it was at the time of the "Wild West" and the westward expansion, with some added roads and fences. It is so open and pristine. I was anxious to set out a-horseback and see the country in a different way than I have been of late. There have been other times on this trip where I have ridden in an area and smelled livestock a few miles ahead of me. It made me miss my time in Wyoming and everywhere else I have worked and lived around livestock. This makes me anxious to continue on and explore before we take away all we have left of the wilderness, but also makes me want to stop and go home so I can spend time with my horse.

Anyway, as I was riding along I slowly started seeing sporadic saquaro cactus along the road. This rejuvinated me because it means I am getting close to the desert and hopefully some warmer weather. Also, perhaps, less snow visible around me for such long lengths of time. I made an 80 mile ride yesterday, something I haven't really done in quite a while. It was exhausting, but also refreshing. It was overcast and cool and windy most of the day yesterday. I am usually pretty good about weather and can stay warm pretty easily. I usually loan out any gear I have to others to stay warm, because I rarely need it. However, as of late, I have been having a hard time staying warm when it is in the 50's and I'm layered up. I don't know what is wrong, but it is discouraging at times because I need to seek interior shelter more than I had desired when I planned this trip.

While I was riding yesterday, I got some free massages due to rumble strips on the side of the road. I also got some acupuncture I wasn't expecting when I couldn't get onto the road and thornbushes were out over the shoulder. It wasn't always the most comfortable, but it did keep me awake.

My next couple of weeks are going to be slow, which should help get my energy back, but also get me used to not pushing so hard. That is both good and bad. I will take the breaks, though, knowing once late spring comes I will probably take very few to wrap up the trip before it gets cold again.

Winter or Wind-ter?

After my run in with the snow, and the fact that my body was exhausted, I ended up staying an extra day in Las Cruces and half of that was spent sleeping. It warmed up a bit the next day and I headed down the interstate. There is a designated cycling route north of the interstate, but I knew it spent a lot of its time in the mountains. I'd hoped the interstate avoided this...it did. I had two flats and a slow leak on my way to Deming.

I made it in and fixed what needed fixed. The next day I headed to Lordsburg and hoped to camp. It was going to be thirty bucks on a gravel lot. It was a bit more for a room and breakfast, so I did that. I crossed the continental divide on my way to Lordsburg, but it hasn't all been downhill since then.

I crossed into Arizona today. It was supposed to rain, but I figured I could make it. I got to Duncan and it was windy and rainy and the clouds weren't pretty. I stopped and checked the weather and saw a winter advisory that wasn't there earlier. I called home to see if there was anything they could see. I was going to have a mountain pass and forty miles to go. I ended up waiting about an hour and then layered up and took off. I continued to pray for it to clear up. As I climbed the rain slowed and then stopped. I had a slow leak so I stopped and fixed it. I then proceeded on and eventually cleared the pass. The rain was all around me but God kept it off me. I got to town and found a place to stay.

I am slowly getting my energy and drive for this trip back. The rain hurts, but God keeping it away helps. I have about two weeks till Vegas and then get a week of rest. It has been nearly six months since I started this trip. I have about one more pass before Tempe and then I should be away from the snow and freezing weather for a while.

Into the Abyss

The prediction for weather today was a little rain and mid-40s. I have ridden in cold and wet before so I figured I could handle it. I headed out around eight. It was raining and in the mid-40s as I headed towards Las Cruces. There was to be a pass a little below 6,000 feet and the snow wasn't supposed to be below 7,000. As I climbed the pass I headed up to where the clouds met the road and as I got there I was met with a wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain. Though there were three lanes heading my direction and only a little shoulder, many cars decided not to get over and I got pushed into the slush a couple times. I had to ride my brakes half the way down due to the snow. I was also frozen for the next 7 miles or so. It was in the upper 20s at the pass. I got into Las Cruces still mildly hypothermic and shaking. I stopped to get directions to a motel I had a discount to and headed there. By the time I got there I was moderately thawed out. I have a couple more passes and then I should be into the desert by Phoenix. Hopefully it warms up again.

Forrest Gump

Last night I was very exhausted after my incredible ride. The place I stayed was very scenic and the 12,000 ft ski mtn was visible from the lot. Ruidoso seems like a neat destination, though I had very little time to explore.

This morning I tried to leave late because I had a short ride, I was tired, and I knew it would be cold. I left a little before ten and the roads were still icy. It is quite a challenge to control a loaded bike on ice and hills. Especially when the traffic doesn't want you on their road. At one point I was following this car and it went over a pothole about three ft wide and 6-10 in deep. I barely saw it and I was there. I hit my brakes and the ice didn't let me stop, but I could turn the front wheel to miss. My back wheel, however, entered in. I popped it out and continued on, dodging ice and snow piles all the way out of town.

Upon leaving town I had a 600 ft elevation gain followed by 3,000 ft of vertical drop over about 20 mi. It was cold but the scenery was beautiful and it spilled me out to a warmer valley.

I then headed south to Alamogordo. Five mi north of town I met a guy around my age running with a camelback. He asked if I was cross-country and then informed me he was too. He was going from huntington beach to Georgia and hoped to be done a couple months from now. We didn't talk long, so I don't know if he has a SAG team or how he's doing it exactly, but that's a bit more Forrest than a bike ride, though I'm going across more times.

UFOs and Snow

I took some time in Carlsbad to relax and let the first storm pass. On Friday the passes were still hazardous to severe driving conditions. Having driven hwy 82 a couple years ago I knew it was narrow. I also decided due to having driven it before I would go to Roswell and see if I could see any aliens. That also gave me motel options everyday if need be.

I left for Roswell on Saturday and had no major happenings. I got to town and went to the visitors center. I got some good info there and also a discount motel guide. I stayed the night and then went to the International UFO Museum and Research Center. It was an interesting place and makes one wonder what was happening in the area at the time. Whether it was a UFO or some military thing, who knows.

Today I rode to Ruidoso. About 15 miles out of town I ran into a mild headwind. It wouldn't have been so bad except for the 75 mi day and the 4,000ft elevation gain. I got to town around five and checked in to a motel. There is a ski mountain in view and snow along the street. There is also a storm moving in in a couple days. I plan on getting out of here tomorrow.