Day 18, Fri 9/25: Very Enjoyable Rest Day in Kanab

It is so nice to wake up in the morning knowing we do not have to get on our bikes. The only sprocket Kit got near was Sproket, the pot-bellied pig she met at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. While Bill painted at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Kit took the tour, Martha having done it last year. It is a huge, incredibly well-run, no-kill sanctuary...the best of the best.



Angel's Canyon, where Best Friends is located is so beautiful, and the site of many Western movies.







While Kit was enjoying all the well-cared-for animals, Bill headed to Coral Pink Sand Dunes for photographs and painting.






In the afternoon we headed (by car) to the home of Maynard Dixon. He is well known in Taos having spent one year living and traveling there, primarily before he moved to Mt. Carmel. What a lovely setting with a main house, bunkhouse, studio, and contemporary gallery. Bill had toured it yesterday, so it was Kit and Martha's turn while he painted. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and we recommend it to anyone traveling in the Kanab area.

Day 17, Thurs 9/24, Glendale to Kanab: Only 26 Miles and Drop Dead Gorgeous

After a lovely nights sleep under the apple trees, we arose late...8am. We only had 26 miles to go so packed up camp leisurely and didn't get on the road until 9:30. We had a fairly long climb between the pretty valley and town of Mt Carmel and Mt Carmel Junction. Bill spent his morning in Mt Carmel Junction at a very nice golf course. The climb was 4 miles, but with our now-seasoned muscles we rode like pros! It is getting easier, thank goodness, only took two weeks for us to feel it.


We enjoyed beautiful red rock formations, some reflected in small ponds. We had our first sighting of a very large tarantula , and wished it "good luck" crossing the highway. The newly asphalted road under Kit's tire tossed a chunk near Martha's eye, resulting with a red and swollen cheek the next morning, but a minor problem. A lesson to be learned: ride well away from your partner in those conditions.

We passed Best Friends Animal Sanctuary where Kit planned to tour in the morning on our day off, Martha having already been there, and Bill wanting to head elsewhere to paint.



Arriving at Kanab around noon, we headed for a cafe for food and espresso, then found the Hitch 'n Post campground where we ordered up a cabin for the married folks, and a tentsite for Martha. We had a leisurely afternoon with chores and rests. We dined at the Rocking V, a wonderful eclectic restaurant enjoying a bottle of Pinot Grigio and even dessert. The best Key Lime Pie, homemade, that won awards from Florida judges.


With a rest day tomorrow, we felt like we were on vacation.

Day 16 (9/25/09) Cedar City to Glendale - We came, we rode, we conquered!

So, we are starting this day really early as we are all hyped up for our big climb. Bill catches us on our porch swing stoking up for the big climb with low fat yogurt, a banana and granola bar! We know how to eat don't we?! But we have found a big climb on a big breakfast just doesn't work. We are off for our 18 miles, 3910 ft attempt. We have given Bill the day off as we arrange for him to stash some water for us near the summit. The climb through the canyon is just beautiful and made even more so by the stark contrast to the last 9 days of mostly sage brush, chamisa and a lot of barren land. It is cool and refeshing and even with the climbing we keep on our warmer cloths. Then, as it turns out, Bill has taken in his fill of Cedar Breaks National

Park and has come to check on us. So you see this picture of us riding up and up and up as most of the climb is an 8% grade. We even have a road maintenance fellow wish us luck and tell us the the worst part is almost over with. It gives us hope. Bill is waiting for us once again at the summit to take our photo and verify that we did in fact make it! Our total time for the 18 miles, 3910 ft climb was 3 hours and 10 min. YEA! We ride a little further down the road where Bill has offered to drive us up to Cedar Breaks. We
grab our lunch and hop in the car getting both a break and a view at the same time. While resting and enjoying the breathtaking view, Martha asks what town we are looking at in the far distance valley floor. When we inform here that is Cedar City, where we came from this morning her only comment is WHOAAAA! But, we still have 38 miles to go and despite our hope, it is NOT all down hill and so we must get back to the bikes. It is a beautiful ride sometimes through arches of golden aspens that seem to have been placed there just to congratulate us, sometimes through amazing vistas, and even once by a little place that had two pieces of pie waiting for us to eat them, and they insisted that we put ice cream on top of them!

Once we get to HWY 89 we are in Long Valley, a very long valley that is so bucolic what with the apple orchards, alfalfa fields, horses grazing, and lovely farm houses. All this is backed on both sides by the reddist of red rocks making the red and green just pop out at you. However, it is also quite a fast down hill ride and so we did have to concentrate on the road and the traffic, detracting some from our enjoyment of the scenery. We finally arrive in Glendale, UT and Bauers's Ranch and RV Park. What a sweet little find and Bill has us set up on a grasses area amidst the apple orchard. We enjoyed our rest and our camp after a very full and exciting day. We have ridden a total of 57 miles and the total elevation gain was an amazing 8174 feet!

Day 15, Tues 9/22, Milford to Cedar City: A Short Easy Day

Before the journal begins for this day, here is advice for those that have expressed confusion over how to comment: At the end of a days post, at the bottom, look for "comments", click on that and post your comment. Then you must select a profile at "Comment As". Most people would choose "Google Account", then sign in with your email and a password. Click on "Post Comment", and you are done. It is wonderful to hear your thoughts as you follow our ride. We think of so many of our friends and family as we undertake this challenge, and reap the rewards. Thanks for cheering us on.

After yesterday's long and windy day, it was a relief to start out on a (relatively) short easy day. We bundled up in leggings, gloves and hat...the first time we needed them for the cool morning. We rode on the edge of a agricultural valley out of Milford, then had a long but easy climb over an unnamed summit. Another 30 miles of mild downhill, then flats, then a very moderate climb, and into Cedar City. 55 miles today.

Thank goodness for this day, we needed a mellow one, after yesterday's 84 miles of wind, and before the epic climb tomorrow up Cedar Canyon towards Cedar Breaks. We immediately went to a bike shop to get Kit's spoke checked out...just needed a slight truing (for proper tension.) Martha had the mechanic make a minor derailleur adjustment, and it shifts gears sweetly now. That was her third mechanic visit on the route; keeping them in business. We had a very good lunch at a Mexican restaurant. Isn't it refreshing to occasionally find good Mexican food away from northern New Mexico's finest?. Then on to the KOA where Kit and Bill stayed in a Kabin and Martha pitched her tent on the grass beside it. We joined Brian, our bike angel, for supper at a pizza place. We never rode with him, but shared two dinners and conversation. He is off on a different route tomorrow, towards Panguich, and we are heading to Kanab. He is pictured below, the next day as we part routes. He is going "all the way" to Virginia, having cycled down the CA coast from Portland, the east. Best wished for the rest of your trip, Brian.

By the way, Bill spent part of his morning golfing. In Milford he found the world's only (we assume) 5 hole course! It cost him all of $3. Bill has been very supportive. We thank him for providing water and shade along the way, for being our personal photographer, for taking on the role of the scout, checking out campgrounds and motels, setting up all but the tents, and being the master chef. He is enjoying some golf, and watercolor sketches in his journal. We could not do this without you, Bill.

Day 14, Mon 9/21: Baker to Milford, 84 Miles and a Dust Storm

Welcome to Utah!


After a lovely night's sleep we awoke to the sound of sandhill cranes in a nearby field. With optimistic thoughts, we started our day to Milford. We had three passes to climb, and 84 miles to go. It was a beautiful morning, through a pretty and green agricultural area for a little while, turning to gray and brown landscape enlivened only by the ridges forming an interesting skyline and the yellow-gold glow of the chamisas. We crossed the border into Utah, happy that we conquered Nevada and the Loneliest Highway. We flew along the edge of the valley watching vultures, raven, and later a peregrine falcon and a kestral. The first climb to the summit was short and mellow. Then after the downhill, the side wind came at us through the valley. We had to ride almost side by side, the windward rider buffeted by the strength of the wind. The next climb up to Wah Wah summit was windy and long. The road just kept going and going and going and going. Waaah waaah, we were whining as we climbed up to Wah Wah, tiring from the wind and the climb. After slow going, and many thoughts of "it is just around the corner", we finally got to the top. Bill was waiting with water, the chairs set out in the sun, and we ate grapes and cookies to get psyched for the downhill, then the last climb. As we got on our bikes, just starting downhill, we saw the dust storm along the valley in the distance. Waaah, waaah. We were buffeted by the wind on the downhill and through the valley as we headed into the dust. We felt like Lawrence of Arabia crossing the desert. It was a real slog, again taking turns riding side by side. Fortunately the dust storm abated so we only had the wind to battle up to the next summit. We made it, then another 14 miles down into Milford, a small town but major railroad stop. The campground was "a joke", dirt and spindly small trees so we opted for a room at the Oak Tree Inn. The diner next door provided our afternoon snack, and supper. A shower, jacuzzi and a good night's sleep completed the day. It certainly was one of the most difficult, right up there with the first day's Oakville Grade ordeal.


Dust Storm Ahead!

Day 13, Sun 9/20: Ely to Baker, A Good Day and an Angel

It was a good day today. We got on the road before 7 am and enjoyed the beautiful early morning light, with scattered clouds. We passed a pretty little lake full of ducks, and lots of historic markers telling about the old mining towns.
Only two passes today, a fairly gentle slope up Connors Pass with one of those incredible long, fast downhills with no traffic, and smooth pavement.


We stopped at Major's Place, one of those old establishments long in need of cleaning, dollar bills covering the walls and ceiling, a surly bartender, and this Basque sheepherders' wagon as yard art.

















Sorry about the underline, a mystery.

Then we had a longer and steeper climb up to Sacramento Pass, a 6% grade, followed by another joyous downhill all the way into Baker. It was a 63 mile day. After a snack, heading to the campground, one of Kit's spokes popped out of the wheel. That put a damper on our spirits as we realized she would have to drive 170 miles to Cedar City for the possibility of repair. We carry extra spokes to at least have the parts available for a professional to install. We dumped some of our gear to save our place at the campground, and hopped in the car with Bill for the 12 mile scenic drive up towards Nevada's Mount Wheeler. The aspens were glorious. We were impressed by huge old knarled mountain mahogany shrubs, as big as big pinons. We were too tired to walk the 2.8 mile loop to see the bristlecone grove, but Bill decided he would do it in the morning.

















Upon returning to camp, we met three cyclists who were doing an entire coast to coast trip. One, Brian, was very competant bike mechanic. He was our angel. With his experience, and the leatherman tool that Chris insists Martha carry, he was able to fix the spoke. Hurray! We will have to stop at a bike shop in Cedar City for a checkup, but at least we can get on the road in the morning. What luck. That great fortune, a shower, and good grilled dinner lifted our spirits, and gave us the optimism to tackle the tomorrow's ride, 84 miles with 3 passes. A quiet campground and beautiful starry night topped off the day. It was a good day today.





Kit and Bill admire the mahogany in Great Basin National Park, Mt Wheeler scenic drive.







Bike Angel, Brian, working on Kit's spoke, below.

Day 12, Sat 9/19 REST DAY IN ELY, NV

Our rest day entailed laundry, groceries, tidying up our possessions, cleaning our bikes, updating the blog (which is a big time consumption, so read and appreciate it!) Somehow, we didn't get much rest, but being off the bikes for a day is a relief to our bodies. Unfortunately, Ely is lacking in massage therapists, so we did not have that luxury.


But while we have a rest day, Chris, at home in Taos, is hard at work. Good job, honey.

Day 11 (9/18/09) Eureka to Ely

We have a fun day ahead of us after the flats of yesterday. We have 4 passes ahead of us. Pinto Summit is straight up and out of Eureka, 7351 ft. Then Pancake Summit which is in fact flat

as a pancake at the top at 6,521 ft. Then onto Little Antelope Summit which was probably the
largest elevation gain for the day at 7,438 ft.

And last but not least Robinson Summit at 7,588 ft.

The climb up to Antelope Summit was quite lovely through a very nice canyon which if we weren't struggling so much we could have enjoyed even more. But we do take breaks and drink water and give the butts a rest on the way up. At the top Bill has been painting and awaits us with water and camp chairs to rest in while we have our mid-day break. Now we have 22.5 miles to Robinson Summit and another break before the 18 miles downhill into Ely. The downhill is fun but we are tired, a bit too tired to truely enjoy it as we should. All we can think of is a hot shower and our day off!Totals: 4 passes - 78 miles

Day 10 (9/17/09) Bob Scott to Eureka,NV

After enjoying spacious camping we pack to leave for Eureka when Martha finds yet another flat, her second and third of the trip. At least we are in an easy place with floor pump no less to fix it. She makes short work of it and we are on our way. A fun and fast down hill from our camp area and across another flat old lake bottom then up to our only pass of the day, Hickison at 6,594 ft and the site of some nice petroglyphs. We descend into a very big valley that seemed to last forever. We luckily find a shady place to stop for our break and another stroke of luck, Bill finds us and resupplies our water. We are always thankful for that. The flat gets very monotonous and we are happy that Bill has booked us into the Best Western in Eureka as the camping in Eureka is worse than dismal!

TOTAL: 1 pass -64 miles

Day 9 (9/16/09) Cold Springs to Bob Scott Campground

Off nice and early today at 7:30. Martha and I ride so well together, drafting off one another to get an rest after every mile. Despite a little head wind we are 17 miles down the road after one hour of riding. Our first of four summits that day is New Pass 6,348 ft where Bill takes our picture.
Then a fun down to the next summit climb, Mt. Airy at 6,679 ft then on down into the Reese Valley where we take a break and happily see Bill coming with more water. before climbing up to Austin, NV. It is a steep 7% grade up to and out and over Austin Pass, 7,484 ft. The night before we had discussed that maybe we couldn't make it even to Austin, let alone Bob Scott Campground which it at the top of the fourth pass and 7,195 ft. But by our break time we are feeling stong and say...go for it! We did have another break in Austin before tackling the really steep part. Perhaps the expresso milkshakes we had there helped! From this photo you can see the valley where we started and a part, but not all, of our climb. After reaching the summit we are greeted with the lovely vegetation of pinon and juniper and it is in this lovely setting where we camp for the night. We are first into camp, actually Bill is, and grab a big site where we settle into before others arrive for the evening.

TOTALS: 4 passes - 57 miles

Day 8 (9/15/09) Fallon to Cold Spriings Station

We leave Fallon, still on a wonderfully smooth road surface and accompanied by Naval fighter planes out of the U.S. Naval station located just to the south of town. What a tremendous roar they make. We see them later after cresting Sand Springs Pass @ 4644 ft and heading down into Edwards Creek Valley. You could hear them but not see them. However the thud of the bomb and the large cloud of dust it produced was evidence of their target practice out in the old dry lake bottom valley. On over Drumm Summit @ 4600 ft and down to Middlegate where we meet up with Bill for a break at the old pony express station there. It was quite the Nevada experience which included cow punchers we had seen while riding come in on their horses. The station itself has probably not had cleaning or maintenance in 20+ years but it was entertaining and they made good hamburgers. We take several pictures one is to the left with us by I Survived The Lonest Road sign. The next picture is THE SHOE TREE just to the East of Middlegate! Guess this is what one does for fun in these parts. We end the day with a nice little climb over a rise (this is what we call a hard climb with no name) and down to our destination for the night, Cold Springs Station. This you would miss if you were driving by at 60mph. It was an old pony express stop. The main part burned down a year ago but luckily they still had four rooms, which while not camping, were almost like camping. We are ready for a rest and hot shower as somewhere in the middle of our ride the road surface turned to chip seal and the vibrating was tiring on hands and behinds. But then those two parts would get tired no matter what.

TOTALS: 2 passes - 64 miles

Day 7 Carson City to Fallon (9/14/2009)

Today we are off to Fallon, NV after a great rest day. The road
is smooth and riding easy once we leave the traffic of Carson City. After 11 miles of smooth going we stop in Dayton for what will probably be our last cappuccino for many days. We also have to stop there for our second flat, this time Kits' back tire. This day is a lot of flat, slightly down hill and one small section of road work. We must follow the pilot car and when she (the driver) waves us on she yells out, "Good Luck!". A gesture from a stranger whom we will never see again, but is so touching for us. We ride beside Lahontan Reservoir which Bill, our resident expert and history buff, tells us once, thousands of years ago, covered the entire Great Basin area which we are now riding through. Bill plays 9 holes of golf in Fallon and is done just as we arrive in Fallon. We find our way to the fairgrounds where, after a nice hot shower, we camp for the night in the shade of cottonwood trees. Only downside is the major Trucker Traffic at the intersection where we have set up our tents.

TOTALS: no passes - 67 miles

Day 6, REST DAY IN CARSON CITY

Thank goodness, we took a well-deserved and needed break. Bill found us wonderful rooms at a Marriott. There is a casino next door which offered us good inexpensive choices of dinner last night, lunch today, and we just finished a wonderful Italian dinner. First order of the day was MASSAGES that were perfect for our tender muscles. Cindy, our therapist, used a technique called Ashiatsu, holding on to bars suspended up on the wall, using both feet instead of her hands for a good part of the massage. It is incredible that someone can train their feet to be sensitive to the placement and condition of muscles. She had a wonderful sense of what we needed. Then did laundry here in the motel, cleaned our bikes, got groceries, re-organized, had a hot tub, then the day was over. It went by too quickly, no lounging time at all, but we can get back on our bicycles in the morning feeling refreshed. Tomorrow to Fallon, 61 miles of slight downhill to flat all the way. Weather looks good, cooler, slight chance of rain in the morning, and 10mph west winds. Sounds perfect. In case you were wondering what Chris is doing home alone without Martha....besides getting in that well deserved nap....

Day 5, Silver Lake to Carson City: Over Carson Pass!!!

What a wonderful moment it was when we got to the pass! Days ago it was hard to believe that we would really get here. It was a 14 mile ride from Silver Lake to the pass, and still uphill but much easier that the previous day. Weather was cool, cloudy, even some raindrops. Whew! The ride down was wonderful. At first it was steep and fast, but with very little traffic and not to twisty so we didn't have to wear out our hands on the brakes. Then a mellow downhill through the beautiful Hope Valley to Woodfords for lunch. By then we were out of the mountains and just skirting the foothills, following (as we had the day before) the Morman Immigrant Trail. Rain was chasing us from over the mountains and the rest of the afternoon We got to Genoa for espresso and gelatto (well, we earned it!) And at times mid-afternoon we were fighting a headwind. It was mostly downhill still to Carson City, but again we were tired from our first five days, with almost a 60 miles today. While this was the easiest yet, it was still another exhausting day. We are ready for our rest day. Bill had gone on ahead and got us rooms at the Marriott...a well deserved vacation. Below are photos of the east side of the Sierras heading into Genoa.

Day 4, Placerville to Silver Lake: Why Are We Doing This?

We can get up and out fine, but then immediately everything slows down. Martha was greeted in the morning by her first flat from a thorn, so while Kit and Bill did some grocery shopping, Martha changed a tire. It was 9am by the time we got on the road. The first five miles were somewhat rolling, then just uphill, in mostly low low gear, covering 18 miles in 2 hours from Placerville. Jenkinsen Lake (pictured above) was our lunch stop where we met Bill, our "water boy" and savior. Yes, hot once again. Our legs are so tired from each day of climbing. Beyond Jenkinsen Lake, the climbing got even more intense. For the next 2 hours our bike computers rarely showed more than 3.5-5 mph, covering only 10 miles in two hours. Kit got stung by a bee and Martha fell over coming to a stop, so we decided that when our water wagon came by again,we would admit defeat for the day and get a car ride to Silver Lake. So we cheated, stopping 13 miles short of our intended destination. Our mileage was (only) 28 for the day, but went from about 2000ft to 6500ft elevation, with a total elevation gain of 9869 according to Kit's gps. No wonder we were beat. As Martha was riding she thought that since between the three of us we know the entire route pretty well, we could just drive back to Marin and hang at Martha's brother's house for 5 weeks, and bullshit our way through the blog! Once in camp, we got set up, had showers, and wondered how we would survive the rest of the trip. Had have we taken on too much? Were we really Crazy Ladies, or Stupid Ladies, or just enduring a very formidable mountain range? Bill, bless his heart, did all the dinner prep and we enjoyed a comfortable camp, and had a good night's sleep to prepare us for the final ascent over Carson Pass.

Day 3, Davis to Placerville: Ready to Climb

The morning found us saying goodbye to our wonderful hosts and cycling out of Davis escorted by Bill's nephew, Andy. We wound are way through town. It is a bicycle-friendly city, many of the bike lanes are as wide as vehicle lanes! A causeway runs a good portion of the way between Davis and Sacramento with a bike lane to the side. If we weren't deaf in our right ears before we are now with the oncoming traffic right next to us separated by a concrete barrier and chainlink fence. We cruised along over the now-dry wetlands and rice fields. Once in Sacramento we got on the bike path at Old Town, with brick streets and many old storefronts and railroad museum right on the Sacramento River (pictured above.) The bike path winds through riparian areas along the river, away from city life and traffic. At lunchtime we met Martha's father-in-law, Alven, brother-in-law Mike and wife, Tracy, and brother-in-law, Terry, at the Aquatic Center at Lake Natomas along the river. That was a wonderful breather, and hearty lunch. By now the temps were getting pretty high. The rest of the day was climbing on the path to Folsom, then Green Valley Road towards Placerville, on a busy but wide street. We had to stop several times along the way for water and shade. The day's ride was 60 miles, with an overall elevation gain of 5144 feet. We were totally fried (once again) as we met our hosts in Placerville. After a refreshing shower we enjoyed the company of 6 of Kit and Bills very good friends. The photos below show my in-laws, and Kit and Martha at Lake Natoma at mid-day.

Days 1 and 2, Kansas Seems A Loooong Way Away

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We started our day dipping our wheels in the Pacific Ocean at Dillon Beach, CA. Only one wheel as we are only going 1/2 way across the country, and we didn't want to lug the bike all the way from the parking lot to the sea. We had a short but steep climb from the beach to Tomales. First stop (after 4 miles) was BREAKFAST. Then through gorgeous rolling hills over rolling roads amongst dairy cows. Through the lovely old homes of Petaluma and narrow, no shoulder, fast traffic towards Sonoma. After a lunch stop we headed up Trinity Drive/Oakville Grade. Several friends had suggested alternate route to Napa. What they should have said was DON'T RIDE THE GRADE UNLESS YOU THINK YOU ARE LANCE ARMSTRONG!!! It was straight up for 5 miles, no shoulder, lots of hairpin turns, no water and it was the dumbest thing we have ever done! Then straight down, no shoulder, lots of hairpin turns and no water and it was the dumbest thing we have ever done. The last 20 miles were much nicer but we were so exhausted we couldn't appreciate it. We arrived safely at our destination 69.64 miles later. Day Two was more climbing but a piece of cake compared to day one and through the lovely Berryessa hills covered with old oak trees and vineyards down into the Sacramento Valley and total flats to our desination in Davis were friends took fabulous care of us. After 55 miles and 94 degrees temps we were greated with tri-tip steak, grilled shrimp, pasta salad and a welcome glass of wine. Yummy. Kansas seems a looong way away. But we'll take it one pedal stroke at a time. Tomorrow we tackle the heat of the Sacramento Valley up to Placerville. Stay tuned for more.