i finished the coast to coast mission yesterday afternoon (Tuesday 8th April). I arrived at the Pacific coast in san diego on a windy overcast day. unfortunately there were no crowds lining the streets cheering me down to the sea but Brad picked me up at the beach so at least i had a place to stay last night. had a fun day riding through the hills behing san diego and coming down the mountain. decided to treat myself to a decent lunch so i went to an italian restaurant in Lakeside. couldn't quite believe it when the waitress said: "do you want the buffet?". i had to ask her to repeat the question before demolishing about 5 plates of pasta, pizza and salad. then caught the end of the champions league footie game betwwen liverpool and arsenal and had a pint. then i ambled down to the coast using the momentum of my belly to take me down to sea level.
the whole trip has taken six and a half weeks including breaks i took in austin and new mexico. i feel like i should be getting back on my bike but i have to keep telling myself that its all done. anyway i am hoping to do a bit of cycling in northern california through some of the redwood forests but i will have to see. i wonder if i will get used to life not on a saddle! am going to get a CD made with some more photos so please wait for me to get round to it. think i will write some conclusions about the trip at a later date. just need some time to reflect and take it easy.
Wednesday, 9 April 2008
Tuesday, 8 April 2008
last bit
i ended up staying in Quartzsite for a rest day as i met a nice teacher called Kurt who was my age. we went to mexico on saturday to drink a few beers in the sun and listen to mexican music. the border town was quite strange as there were lots of shops selling medicine to all the retired americans. chilled out in the afternoon watching the semi finals of the college basketball tournament. am starting to enjoy american sports much more now.
on sunday i did a big day of over 120 miles. at first the scenery was rough desert terrrain but that slowly turned into flat field of lush green wheat crops with the odd palm tree (I imagine that is what the nile flood plain looks like) and then i travelled through sand dunes at a place called Glamis where there were loads of people riding quad bikes (some of them costing over $100, 000 for the buggies). finally made it to brawley which is in the imperial valley (below sea level).
monday was a challanging day as the wind was against me and from el centro the road was terrible. the bumps indeed vexed me and the steep incline pasted ocotillo on the highway 8 vexe more! it was tough fighting the wind and going uphill but i eventually made it to Jacumba which was a chilled but slightly rundown village. it is supposedly the drug capital of the states being on the border with mexico in the hills but i saw no evidence of any of that instead i met loads of really nice people, one of whom Jerry from yugoslavia, let me sleep in his shop and bought me some beers and a sandwich. he was an interesting man who was very bright and we had a long chat before i slept on the carpet.
on sunday i did a big day of over 120 miles. at first the scenery was rough desert terrrain but that slowly turned into flat field of lush green wheat crops with the odd palm tree (I imagine that is what the nile flood plain looks like) and then i travelled through sand dunes at a place called Glamis where there were loads of people riding quad bikes (some of them costing over $100, 000 for the buggies). finally made it to brawley which is in the imperial valley (below sea level).
monday was a challanging day as the wind was against me and from el centro the road was terrible. the bumps indeed vexed me and the steep incline pasted ocotillo on the highway 8 vexe more! it was tough fighting the wind and going uphill but i eventually made it to Jacumba which was a chilled but slightly rundown village. it is supposedly the drug capital of the states being on the border with mexico in the hills but i saw no evidence of any of that instead i met loads of really nice people, one of whom Jerry from yugoslavia, let me sleep in his shop and bought me some beers and a sandwich. he was an interesting man who was very bright and we had a long chat before i slept on the carpet.
Friday, 4 April 2008
almost there!
i ended up having a great time in phoenix even though i didnt warm to the city. stayed with jay who was a cyclist and it was fun to chat with him about his trip across the states and have a few beers. also i bumped into a friendly guy called terry and i went over to his house for some pasta with his wife. thanks terry and heather!
on thursday i rode through downtown phoenix and out of the city with terry who very kindly guided me through some nice areas and quiet roads for cyclists. yesterday afternoon was fairly uninspiring as the road was staight and uphill all the way to wickenburg. stopped off at a grocery store run by vietnamese people in a place called wittman. was really strange as everyone seemed high (perhaps it was all the meth-amphetamine that i hear is rife in small town america?). one guy even said he would come to england in a couple of weeks and asked if i wanted to phone home on his mobile.....i politely refused the generous offer! camped in wickenburg and raced all the mexican kids around the RV park trying not to win (was quite hard as i still have that bording school competative streak). read my book outside a mcdonalds in true hobo style. getting used to this lifestyle.
today has been a pleasure to cycle as i have made lots of progress without too much effort as i have been going steadily downhill most of the way. keep passing loads of RV parks where all the retired people from the north of the states come down to avoid the cold (snowbirds). it is a odd because they pick some pretty uninspiring places to park themselves for the entire winter. am now in quartzsite (just short of the california border). think i have 240 mile till i finish the trip so it should be 3 more days to go.
on thursday i rode through downtown phoenix and out of the city with terry who very kindly guided me through some nice areas and quiet roads for cyclists. yesterday afternoon was fairly uninspiring as the road was staight and uphill all the way to wickenburg. stopped off at a grocery store run by vietnamese people in a place called wittman. was really strange as everyone seemed high (perhaps it was all the meth-amphetamine that i hear is rife in small town america?). one guy even said he would come to england in a couple of weeks and asked if i wanted to phone home on his mobile.....i politely refused the generous offer! camped in wickenburg and raced all the mexican kids around the RV park trying not to win (was quite hard as i still have that bording school competative streak). read my book outside a mcdonalds in true hobo style. getting used to this lifestyle.
today has been a pleasure to cycle as i have made lots of progress without too much effort as i have been going steadily downhill most of the way. keep passing loads of RV parks where all the retired people from the north of the states come down to avoid the cold (snowbirds). it is a odd because they pick some pretty uninspiring places to park themselves for the entire winter. am now in quartzsite (just short of the california border). think i have 240 mile till i finish the trip so it should be 3 more days to go.
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
epic scenery to artificial suburbs
i manged to get my tent semi fixed with the help of an ex-marine Tom, who was starting his first tour aged 68. it was at loads of strange angles but it did the job in the end.
on tuesday i got an early start and without much wind i managed to rinse it on the arizona highway 60. went through apache territory which reminded me a bit of tibet as the surroundings were stunning but the local people lived in realtive poverty, shifting through the post office in the morning (i asume to pick up their pay outs). also on many of the native american land there are huge casinos which i think is a bit off key as the only jobs many of the indians have is working in an industry that many people feel is morally degrading. however i had a so much fun cruising that i made Globe by lunch and then Superior by the end of the afternoon. i managed about 100 miles in fantastic weather and i think i am actually starting to enjoy climbing up hills. seems a bit strange to me as well! the ride coming down was breath-taking as the road winded down through bare rock faces (sometimes at a 7% slope which was fun but a little scary at times with all the lorries passing by). managed to get a trailor to sleep in at an RV park where the woman said i should borrow her car to do some shopping. nice 1!
this morning i think i have seen the best views all trip. just past Superior there is some incredible scenery with huge cacti, rolling hills covered with yellow flowers and if thats not good enough, mountains with impressive outcrops of rock. then it was all downhill from there, in both senses. coming into phoenix (tempe/apache junction if you know it) was extremely surreal. loads of 1 story houses spread out in the middle of the desert but all with nice little gardens and trees. it is so artificial and the architecture is offensive. There are all these gated estates with the same house replecated over a whole block and then the next block will be a different style of houses. it seems i am in lego land and they even have golf courses with lush green turf in the middle of this monstrosity. i apologise to all phoenix residents but after the views of this morning i cant say i am too impressed. am staying with a cyclist tonight so hopefully i will see some of the cooler stuff that phoenix has to offer. i havent actually made into phoenix after cycling for about 20 miles through the city! aparently it is 90 miles from end to end.
think i have only about 400 miles till i reach the pacific ocean so i should be done in less than a week. cant believe it is coming to an end.
on tuesday i got an early start and without much wind i managed to rinse it on the arizona highway 60. went through apache territory which reminded me a bit of tibet as the surroundings were stunning but the local people lived in realtive poverty, shifting through the post office in the morning (i asume to pick up their pay outs). also on many of the native american land there are huge casinos which i think is a bit off key as the only jobs many of the indians have is working in an industry that many people feel is morally degrading. however i had a so much fun cruising that i made Globe by lunch and then Superior by the end of the afternoon. i managed about 100 miles in fantastic weather and i think i am actually starting to enjoy climbing up hills. seems a bit strange to me as well! the ride coming down was breath-taking as the road winded down through bare rock faces (sometimes at a 7% slope which was fun but a little scary at times with all the lorries passing by). managed to get a trailor to sleep in at an RV park where the woman said i should borrow her car to do some shopping. nice 1!
this morning i think i have seen the best views all trip. just past Superior there is some incredible scenery with huge cacti, rolling hills covered with yellow flowers and if thats not good enough, mountains with impressive outcrops of rock. then it was all downhill from there, in both senses. coming into phoenix (tempe/apache junction if you know it) was extremely surreal. loads of 1 story houses spread out in the middle of the desert but all with nice little gardens and trees. it is so artificial and the architecture is offensive. There are all these gated estates with the same house replecated over a whole block and then the next block will be a different style of houses. it seems i am in lego land and they even have golf courses with lush green turf in the middle of this monstrosity. i apologise to all phoenix residents but after the views of this morning i cant say i am too impressed. am staying with a cyclist tonight so hopefully i will see some of the cooler stuff that phoenix has to offer. i havent actually made into phoenix after cycling for about 20 miles through the city! aparently it is 90 miles from end to end.
think i have only about 400 miles till i reach the pacific ocean so i should be done in less than a week. cant believe it is coming to an end.
Monday, 31 March 2008
done new mexico and into arizona
emory's pass turned out to be not so bad and i hauled myself up the mountain without too much problem until i got over the other side where i was hoping for downhill bliss but instead was faced with a few more climbs and a fierce wind forcing me to peddle. it felt great to get that beast over with and i luckily managed to find a brilliant place to stay. i got in touch with pat at very late notice but she incedibly let me stay in her spare trailor and cooked me some delicious soup.
pat packed me up with choc chip cookies the next and they were devoured pretty quickly! passed through silver city and some nice mountains with juniper trees. then as i was sweating profusely up a gritty hill i bumped into janet who said "Wait, are you a brit?" having seen my flag. she was very sweet and invited me for a second breakfast! love it! met her husband larry and had a great chat as we were on a similar level about politics etc. ate some really good rosti which i havent had for ages and that gave me just the boost i needed. from silver city it was a nice downhill stretch and i made it to buckhorn at about 2:30pm where i decided to take the afternoon off as i was about to turn west into a powerful wind. finished reading a capote book and ate some pizza and.....slept in the laundry room. thankfully i am getting used to hard surfaces and slept like a baby (tranquilized by fatigue!).
today i have been over 2 passes but have made it to stafford where i got my tyres pumped up. got my second flat earlier in the morning but managed to fix it pretty quickly to my delight. actually quite enjoyed fixing it this time and manged to keep my trousers fairly clean. keep on meeting loads of retired cyclists coming the other way which is awesome. hope my limbs will still be able to carry me over mountains in 40 years time! well i guess now i have my second challange of the day: to find a roof over my head. love the unpredictability of not knowing where i will end up sleeping!
pat packed me up with choc chip cookies the next and they were devoured pretty quickly! passed through silver city and some nice mountains with juniper trees. then as i was sweating profusely up a gritty hill i bumped into janet who said "Wait, are you a brit?" having seen my flag. she was very sweet and invited me for a second breakfast! love it! met her husband larry and had a great chat as we were on a similar level about politics etc. ate some really good rosti which i havent had for ages and that gave me just the boost i needed. from silver city it was a nice downhill stretch and i made it to buckhorn at about 2:30pm where i decided to take the afternoon off as i was about to turn west into a powerful wind. finished reading a capote book and ate some pizza and.....slept in the laundry room. thankfully i am getting used to hard surfaces and slept like a baby (tranquilized by fatigue!).
today i have been over 2 passes but have made it to stafford where i got my tyres pumped up. got my second flat earlier in the morning but managed to fix it pretty quickly to my delight. actually quite enjoyed fixing it this time and manged to keep my trousers fairly clean. keep on meeting loads of retired cyclists coming the other way which is awesome. hope my limbs will still be able to carry me over mountains in 40 years time! well i guess now i have my second challange of the day: to find a roof over my head. love the unpredictability of not knowing where i will end up sleeping!
Saturday, 29 March 2008
forage to the north
in el paso i had an awesome time with Emiliano's family who looked after me and took me out. Had a great night eating mexican food and checking out the city from the mountains with Emiliano's sister and Jesse. The following day i decided to go up to santa fe in northern new mexico so i rented a car and drove for about 4 hours north. santa Fe is a cool city with loads of adobe houses (native american style mud houses with wooden beams) and i strolled around the square and surrounding area in the afternoon. luckily alan who i contacted through a cycling website let me stay in his house at very late notice.
woke up early on thursday and drove up to taos (on the scenic route) passing snow capped mountains and stunning vallies with bare rock faces. in taos i checked out some of the art and museums and went to visit some 'off the grid' sustainable earthship housing. was cool to see loads of these houses made out of recycled materials such as tyres and bottle etc. later in the day i went to jeff's organic farm where i stayed the night. Jeff is an artisit who owns about an acre of land which he farms vegetables and chickens. there were about 5 people living there and we ate an incredible dinner made be chooch. had a really relaxed time sitting by the fire chatting to the characters. i wish i wasnt renting a car and i could stay longer!
yesterday i drove all the way back to el paso and got on my bike at 1pm. i cycled over 80 miles in the afternoon following the rio grande river past las crusas and hatch. i couldnt make it as far as the lake i wanted to get to so i managed to stay in an old trailer owned by a mexican family. they were really kind and cooked me some dinner. wish my spanish was a bit better as i could only communicate with the children.
today i have a long climb up to emory's pass which is the highest mountain of the trip. it is 8500 feet so i am a bit daunted by the task! now i am in hillsboro so i guess i should get back on the saddle.
woke up early on thursday and drove up to taos (on the scenic route) passing snow capped mountains and stunning vallies with bare rock faces. in taos i checked out some of the art and museums and went to visit some 'off the grid' sustainable earthship housing. was cool to see loads of these houses made out of recycled materials such as tyres and bottle etc. later in the day i went to jeff's organic farm where i stayed the night. Jeff is an artisit who owns about an acre of land which he farms vegetables and chickens. there were about 5 people living there and we ate an incredible dinner made be chooch. had a really relaxed time sitting by the fire chatting to the characters. i wish i wasnt renting a car and i could stay longer!
yesterday i drove all the way back to el paso and got on my bike at 1pm. i cycled over 80 miles in the afternoon following the rio grande river past las crusas and hatch. i couldnt make it as far as the lake i wanted to get to so i managed to stay in an old trailer owned by a mexican family. they were really kind and cooked me some dinner. wish my spanish was a bit better as i could only communicate with the children.
today i have a long climb up to emory's pass which is the highest mountain of the trip. it is 8500 feet so i am a bit daunted by the task! now i am in hillsboro so i guess i should get back on the saddle.
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
definitely over half way there!
so i left Marfa in gale force winds and of course i get my first puncture. simply rubbish but i was up for the challange of fixing it myself as there wasnt a bike shop within 30 miles. manged to get the tyre fixed in about half and hour to the detriment of my trousers which are now black. so there i was crouched behind a picnic table getting shelter from the wind in the middle of the desert changing my inner tube. it was certainly character building! with my instant oatmeal blotched hoodie and the greasy trousers i have managed to amplify my hobo states to new levels (and thats not mentioning my gritty beard!) So i fought the winds and i got miserable on the 74 miles to van horn but there was some relief. a prada shop in the middle of the desert. brilliant. an artist with ambition showing us lesser mortals what can be done with a bit of creativity and vision. yup it was quite a surreal sight but it added context to the whole marfa experience.
yesterday i bike over a 100 miles and was in high spirits as it was mostly downhill with little wind. made it almost to el paso and loved being on my bike! what more can i say, it was just the complete opposite of the day before!
am now in el paso where i have got an apartment to stay in. i met maritza and art in marfa for about 2 minutes and they said i could stay in their place while they were camping in arizona. amazing. cant believe how much everyone trusts me especially as i look ridiculous (with my socks tucked into my trousers or sporting some heinous cycling top). now gonna take it easy for a few days as i have plenty of time to make it to san diego.
yesterday i bike over a 100 miles and was in high spirits as it was mostly downhill with little wind. made it almost to el paso and loved being on my bike! what more can i say, it was just the complete opposite of the day before!
am now in el paso where i have got an apartment to stay in. i met maritza and art in marfa for about 2 minutes and they said i could stay in their place while they were camping in arizona. amazing. cant believe how much everyone trusts me especially as i look ridiculous (with my socks tucked into my trousers or sporting some heinous cycling top). now gonna take it easy for a few days as i have plenty of time to make it to san diego.
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