Oct. 14th – Nov. 19th. – Central Utah to Phoenix, Arizona

We’ve cycled around another 730 miles pushing the total trip milage to about 2,400 miles. We made it through the cold October highlands of central Utah, took in the epic views of the Grand Canyon and descended our way into the warm lowlands of Phoenix – where we are currently baking our biscuits off. Ance continues to dominate as being the best mother and person I’ve ever met and the children are little plotting vagabonds. Augustine hasn’t absorbed the rare enormity of being 10 and having to peddle her little butt all over the country – hopefully the humbleness continues on throughout her life. Ophelia, for her part, I think has the slightly distorted impression that all families take a year long vacation to tool around on bicycles.

They’ll likely revolt, as I’ve been told, when they are teenagers. We will see. We all wish the very best to everyone during the upcoming holidays.

Happy Travels,

Latvian Alaskan Family

Oct. 14th – 15th – Delta to Milepost 34

40 miles. Finished family blog updates, packed up our insane amount of gear (including 16 liters of water for the 74 miles of absolutely nothing to Milford). We took some back roads out of Delta through the small villages of Oasis and Deseret – then a left turn south. A little bit of tail wind and mostly flat, cruising around 8 to 10 MPH all day. Jettisoned the roadway for a lunch break. It is bewildering that just a few days ago we were holed up, tarp up, shivering, watching the snow dance in a flurry of cold reality. Now, I am toasty, eating chips and contemplating our good warm fortune.

Back on the bike for another 20 mile stint through this flat highland desert surrounded by snow speckled mountain tops in the far distance. At 5:45 PM, pulled off and setup tent on a bumpy, thorny patch of lonesome ground. Ance made vegetable soup and we quickly retreated into the tent. We are still at 5,000 ft, so when the sun dips behind the horizon the temperature precipitously crashes.

We tucked into our sleeping bags and put on a movie in the middle of nothingness.

Oct. 16th – Milepost 34 to Milford

34 miles. Tailwind the whole day. Woke to a thick layer of frost. The sun yawned over the easterly ridge-top slowly pushing back the freeze of night. Continuation of easy riding from yesterday. One minor climb of a low saddle that appeared to turn us into a new wide valley. Another 20 miles before a pull-off to some gravel piles for lunch. Chicken and cheese quesadillas. The kids pretended to ski down the mini-gravel mountains. While sitting, the NNE wind is brisk and chilly, while riding, however, wet beads of sweat flow. Rolled into Milford around 4 PM, the wind whipping and the sun shining. The girls went for a quick playground romping before an evening of schoolwork and reading, topped off with Ance’s fancy ramen. Finished off the night with the 1999 classic – Iron Giant. A real crowd pleaser.

Oct. 17th – Milford to Minersville (Beaver Fairgrounds)

15 miles. Didn’t hit the road until 11:30 AM. A modest but steady uphill to Minersville. Took us 2 and a half hours to get 14 miles to Todd’s Market in Minersville. Rammed down a snack of doughnuts and a chalada. Filled up on water and asked the clerk where we might be able to pitch a tent for the night. The headwind today was just a whiff of the 45 MPH gusts forecasted tomorrow. Ance and I are trying to get out of the game of punishing ourselves for 2 hours to squeeze out 10 miles – so we will likely be taking a day.

Rolled into fairgrounds, while windy, not too cold yet. Ance and I opted for a river bath – brain freezes and goosebumps all around. The wind began to kick up a bit more. Schoolwork, dinner, and off to bed early.

Oct. 18th – 19th – Minersville to Cedar City

40 miles. Had a rest day in Minersville fairgrounds while the wind howled and cumulus clouds raced on by in the sky. Spent it lounging in the morning sun, which switched to overcast and cold in the afternoon, schoolwork powered through the gusts and then in the tent for an afternoon out of the light sprinkles of rain and gales for movies.

On the 19th, we were not entirely sure we could make the 40 miles to Cedar City, so we swung back into Minersville Todd’s Market to load up on some extra water, a loaf of bread, and doughnuts. The essentials.

Hit the road up to the pass around 10:30 AM. Around 11:30 AM, a man hopped out of his pick-up truck and crossed the lonely desert road towards us. “Don’t slow down, you’ve got a hill just up ahead,” he said while holding out a small stack of twenties he was offering me. I put on my biggest smile and idiotically blurted out, “oh, no thank you, my man, we are all good! But thank you so much!” Ance stopped to briefly chat with and thank him for his gracious offer – since I am incapable of cordial human contact with strangers, no matter how sweet.

Thereafter, steady slog up to the 6,750 ft summit. It was one of those climbs with false looking summits along the four of so miles of climbing – “This has got to be it…no, no, it is not.” Made it to the top after 2 1/2 hours and began a splendid decent into an epic empty desert looking bowl with Cedar City visible some 20 miles off in the distance toward the south. Pullout concrete lunch spot with trash vomited about by fellow humans.

Had 14 miles of smooth sailing, slow and steady mile or so of an uppity and to Cedar City we arrived. This is a pretty big milestone for us. Just before Missoula, a month ago, Ance and I began making plans to modify our route to head more directly south – with Cedar City as the goal. Now, 800 miles later, here we are, still in one piece and only one snow storm under out belts.

Potatoes, roasted chicken, and, for the first time on the trip, sour cream for dinner. Going to take an extra day to wash clothes, do a bit of bike maintenance and rest before some of our epic climbs around the Grand Canyon.

Oct. 20th – 21st – Cedar City to La Verkin

41 miles. Spent extra day in Cedar City to fix bikes (another broken bolt on my front rack), clean them (its been 800 miles) and ourselves (its been a few days). Kids got cartoon time and had school time during the late morning of the 20th. Ance ran all around town while I messed with the bikes. Family meal under the stars and off into the KOA cabin for family movie.

The morning of the 21st rose cold and clear. Packed up our chaos and hit the road around 10:30 AM. However, we had several stops to hit before leaving town, so we didn’t really start getting out of town until 11:45 AM. Slow busy climb out of town on main street. Took some back roads to join up on old highway 91. The southerly wind lashed at our faces making slight downhills a slog. Peddle, peddle, peddle.

Ontop the frustrating headwind roaring in the ears, we’ve rejoined our Adventure Cycling maps which calls for us to ride on I-15 – the freeway – for about 11 miles in total. I don’t like to ride or drive on freeways in cars. They are a hell of asphalt, blown rubbers, and trash. A roaring wasteland where steel hurdles across the earth at 80 miles an hour for the leisure and commerce of human will.

Got off the freeway for quick drops into La Verkin. After being punished with headwinds and steepy freeways, we headed to another night of luxury at Zion Inn, which turned out to be the nicest hotel we’ve stayed at so far on the trip. Including KOA cabins, we’ve stayed inside a building 6 times in the last 3 months, totaling some 10 days. 

Fell asleep like a Costco bag of flour cast into the cool dusk of the pantry.

Oct. 22nd – 23rd – La Verkin to Springdale, Springdale to Temple of Sinawava

21 miles / 17 miles (unloaded). Steep wall out of La Verkin. We are a little out of steep mountains climbing practice, so it felt a bit like a bare knuckle fight. 

We’ve all the sudden entered warmer weather and these insane jutting rock faces that seem to defy gravity and the known strictures of what mountains are supposed to look like – stately, portly, broad shoulder to a pinnacle head. These are jagged toothed maniacs on a bender.

Slow and steady all the way to Springdale. What to say of Springdale? It’s as if Disneyland and a woodland desert elf had a baby, in Whistler, British Colombia. Highly manicured, posh streets and buildings, crammed full of Patagonia safari hat wearing adventurous wandering a desert canyon. The landscape is bewildering and jaw dropping – which seems to have drawn the whole world’s people to this narrow rocky canyon.

We opted to stay another day at a $67 a night RV park – which is better than the $300 a night hotel options. With unloaded bikes, we sauntered on through Zion canyon on the Floor of the Valley road. If I believed in god, this is probably where I would’ve met her. A birth of carved stone, hewn in the spirit of art and awe.

Oct. 24th – Springdale to Twin Hallows (Mt. Carmel Junction)

19 miles. We got a ride from a tunnel angel named Robin. She is a Warshowers host out of Rockville. Apparently, she has been hosting a couple for over a year that were cycling for 6 years by way of Patagonia. Due to 2020, they were turned around at the Canadian boarder and had to make their way/living while the world shut down. Robin took them in – wonderful person with a great smile and warm soul.

We also happened to me another cyclist – Robert. Quite possibly the most interesting person I’ve ever met. For the past 16 years, he has taken 6 months to travel by bicycle throughout the world. His day job? He runs a pedicab business in Washington D.C. called Nonpartisan Pedicab. He rides his bike year round for work and leisure. His calves are as thick as my head.

Robin dropped all of us (including Robert) off at the end of the longer tunnel and off we set through the eastern side of Zion park. I cannot properly put into prose the dazzling natural stone monuments that greeted us all throughout the ride. There is little in my life that has evoked a warm flood of what perhaps is love, perhaps a type of reverent awe. These sandstone mountains wrestled that from me, a beauty that tugs at your soul.

Trekked on up hill for two hours of so (Robert passed us with his hulk legs) and then a slow, then quick drop into Mt. Carmel Junction. About a mile out of town I got a pinch flat on my rear wheel. Hot dogs and filled up on some extra water at a gas station and then off to some free BLM camping just outside of town.

Oct. 25th – Twin Hallows to Kanab

17 miles. There are essentially two words to describe the majority of this day – slog and grand. Bit of a slow take off from the BLM site due to the frosty morning bite to the air. At one point, Ance and I went to stand in the sunlight that begun too warm the earth just a few hundred feet from our misplaced tent.

After some sandwiches, we hit the hill for the summit at 6,100 ft – a 5 or so mile climb that seemed to go on for eons passed the known future. Just keep peddling.

After reaching the summit we began a 1200 ft drop (mostly) to Kanab. The wind was blowing in our faces a good 20 to 30 MPH, making any slow downhill, mostly flat, and any incline a bit of a slog. The landscape radically changed again to western movies style canyon lands that highway 89 now snakes through.

We were aiming for Kanab to the cheapest hotel for an inside night due to the forecasted 40 MPH winds, rain, and thunder storm this evening. While checking in we were greeted by the owner/clerk with all the warmth of a lonely tombstone. After showering and school work, we opted to a treat at Al’s Burger for insanely good prices and even better fried food. 

Tucked in for the night listening to the lonesome wind and rain that fell in lakes and oceans of fury.

Oct. 26th – Kanab to Milepost 594

22 miles. Woke up fairly early and began schoolwork. Ance darted off to send some post cards to family and friends. We milked the 11 AM checkout time for all it was worth. Headed over to Lotso-Motso pizza joint where you can get an all you can eat salad bar and pizza slices for $6 bucks. We waddled out pleased indeed.

Off we set in a southerly direction to Fredonia. We entered into Arizona with a roaring side wind that transitioned into a tailwind once we turned east at Fredonia. Apparently, it was around this epic mesa filled land that the Outlaw Josey Wales was filmed.

Due to the relentless wind, we skipped lunch and trucked on for another hour or so to setup camp near milepost 594 on BLM land. After yesterdays rain, coupled with the steady 20 to 30 MPH wind, and clear skies, the temperature, even in the sun, seems a balmy 40 degrees. This categorically plummets upon the sun taking its nightly dip into the unknown celestial sea of darkness behind the horizon.

We retreated to the warmth of our sleeping bags for a movie night while the wind whipped the air about, a frantic jockey in the Kentucky Derby.

Oct. 27th – Milepost 594 to Jacob Lake (1 Mile Past)

15 miles. Crispy frosty morning bathed in peach juice once the sun blinked opened up its orange cyclops burning orb above the nearby ridge. Schoolwork in the morning – we’ve switched to just plowing through it right after waking because in the evening we all seem a bit less motivated.

On the road by 10:30 AM. By my own superb calculations, it took about 1 hr 30 mins to go 3 miles. If we didn’t have all this gear and 1 child to pull around, we’d be better off walking. Steep slow grade for the first 7 miles. At 7 miles, we stopped for lunch under the ponderosas – a tree we haven’t seen in some time now. While eating and warming in the sun, who else should roll up on their bicycle than Robert (we thought he had already blazed past us). He stopped to have some grub with us and we arranged to meet up at Jacob Lake to ride together down a bit to find a free wild campsite for the evening.

Following lunch, the hills mellowed out a bit, making for a faster paced clip into Jacob Lake. We grabbed a few supples (including cookies and beer) met up with Robert and off we rode. Went for just over a mile past Jacob Lake and pulled down a forested dirt road. Found ample flat spots for camping and poled up our tents. At Robert’s suggestion we gathered rocks for a fire ring and set some dead wood ablaze. Around the twisting orange tangle of light and heat, we enjoyed potato soup, warmth, and meandering conversation.

After putting out the fire, the cold descended into our bones quickly. Off to bed for some reading and sleep.

Oct. 28th – Jacobs Lake to Marble Canyon

40 Miles. The ponderosas sliced up the morning sun into icy shadows. Drank some coffee with Robert and off he went – well before were even close to moving our butts anywhere. Schoolwork and pack up. Augustine took her Unit II Language Skills post test, and other than missing a couple quotation marks, passed with extraordinary colors.

The first part of the ride consisted of one steep climb and then a 6% drop to the valley floor in front of the Vermillion cliffs. It is difficult to describe how your breath shallows and pupils widen once you break out of the rolling hills of the ponderosas to the vast expanse of openness overlooked by the red faces of Vermillion towers over an empty desert expanse that seem unfathomable to quarter. 

Stopped into a historical marker pull out for lunch. Stripped down to our shorts and T-Shirts. The temp was now 35 to 40 degrees warmer than it was when we woke up this morning.

Cycled on down a slow and stead grade in this incredibly wide open landscape that appears to stretch to  the curvature of the earth. Opted for one of our most expensive hotel nights of the trip in Marble Canyon – haven’t showered in a couple days, its been cold, etc. etc.

Met up with Robert again to have diner at the local restaurant. Topped off the evening sitting on a little patio in front of our room with some drinks and more wandering conversation. Off to bed inside with newly laundered sheets and blankets. I dreamt of a warm shower of cool, clean, smooth, slow falling stones that transformed me into a cliff face overlooking the desert of rocks and junipers. 

Oct. 29th – Marble Canyon to Mile 513

25 miles. Up and a’tem with pancakes and Harry Potter on the old boob tube. Robert took off down the road long before we even yawned. Took the morning slow to pick up a general delivery package from Juneau Grandma Lorrie. Unfortunately, and apparently, small rural places don’t accept general delivery for folks they don’t know. Whoopsie daisy. 

Off on the gray asphalt road we went. Down across the Navajo bridge just outside of Marble Canyon and into the Navajo Nation. Epic. Epic. Epic. 

Then a slow and steady upitty to Bitter Springs. We were going to head into the village on the west side of the road, when Brian with his white Pontiac stopped. When we asked him if he know where we could fill up our water bottles, he smiled and opened up the rear driver side door and pulled out three styrofoam to-go trays of food and three root beers, “Yeah, I’ve got water.” We then had a friendly disagreement about taking his food and that we just needed water. 

Brian indicated that he lived just up the hill and drove off to grab water – we followed a good distance off. He came back to meet us on the road to his house. He met us with a case full of plastic water bottles. As we filled our water bottles with his, Brian told us of working in Alaska as a welder. He gave an extra water bottle to Ophelia and after a photograph with our water angel, we set off again.

After a few mins on the road, Brian pulled in front of us with his Pontiac. “I just got an emergency call –  my daughter is dead.” Ance and I blinked in disbelief. “Do you have any money?” he asked, Ance offered 20, “do you have 30? I need to buy gas….” We obliged. Either we were being swindled or not by a man that just minuets ago was extraordinarily generous with us. Goodness and badness is a tangled knot. We continued on.

Our pace was slightly better. While it took us 2 1/2 hours to go 15 miles earlier, the remaining 10 for the day took just over an hour. Rolled off onto a small ungated road. The girls climbed around on the surrounding rocks and hills. We enjoyed the ala carte meals that Brian provided and off to bed. We have to thank Robert for our free camping spot – he’d been feeding us text message intel all day.

Oct. 30th – Mile 513 to 483

30 miles. Scrambled eggs with hot dogs on bread and tortillas for breakfast. High desert morning with a little frost. During the morning hours, Ance and I modified our Halloween plans to go 11 miles off route to Tuba City so the girls might have a marginal chance of trick-or-treating.

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Set off around 10:30 AM. Slow steady hill for 6 or so miles with an incredibly annoying shoulders – especially with the trailer in tow. The narrow shoulder coupled with the rumble strips causes you to bob and weave like a drunken clown cross stitching. Then, luckily, a pretty easy glide into Gap where we stopped for lunch. We also washed Ophelia’s sleeping bag – a little accident last night, and here is a laundromat in the desert.

Continued on downhill for a great grand easy ride for the remainder of the 15 miles. Pulled off near some painted-like hills and called a local non-profit number posted for a permit to camp for the night. Soup for dinner.

Oct. 31st – Mile 483 to Tuba City

13 miles. wakey, wakey, fried onions, bologna, and eggs for breakfast. 6% 3/4 mile up-sitty to start of the day. Then rolling hills until the last sassy little hill before Tuba City. Stopped into a 7/11 for some snacks and refreshments. Locals directed to the nearby flea market. We got fruit cups for $2 bucks. The girls put on their witch and angel costumes and began milking the local business for all their candy.

Rode to Erik’s house (our warmshowers host here in Tuba City), dropped our bags and went to one of the few restaurant joints opened on this fine Sunday Halloween – Denny’s. After our fill, we trucked back up the hill, bought some candy to pass out and then headed back to the hospital housing district.

The whole neighborhood was flooded with with paw patrol clad, dinosaur stomping, pokemon tossing, killer clown grinning, pumpkin squashing folks begging for their candy lot. We ran out of candy in 20 mins and the girls went to the back of the house to review their plunder and enjoy their spoils. 

After Ericka got home we shared a hodgepodge delicious dinner together with rambling conversation until 10 PM. Off to bed.

Nov. 1st – Tuba City to 5 Miles Past Cameron

30 miles. Cereal with milk and toast? Oh my! This is a big thing for the girls since we can’t carry milk. Slow load up and pack up. Stopped for a resupply and visit to the Navajo Interactive Museum. The creation story of the four worlds, which describes the emergence of light, plants, animals and the coming together of man and woman throughout each successive world is beautiful and wild.

Rolled downhill to the grocery store for some veggies and doughnuts and finally at 12:30 PM we rolled out of Tuba City. Fairly easy 23 miles to Cameron where we stopped at the Trading Post restaurant recommended by Erika. Low and behold, who should it be – Robert. He had tweaked his back the day before so was taking some rest days to recover. We had  Navajo beef stew and a burger – the burger was between two pieces of fry bread, mmm nummies. 

We said our goodbyes to Robert (once again) and off we slogged for another 5 miles or so until 6 PM. Not a great spot, but dropped off the side of the road for the evening to avoid riding in the dark. Movie night and snacks in the tent.

Nov. 2nd – 5 Miles Past Cameron to Milepost 470

21 miles. If slog had a face, it looks like a stubbled treed hill. We awoke from our roadside dreams for sandwiches and schooltime. And another flat tire. My back tire has had a flat everyday for the past 4 or 5 days. Fantastic.

The world is a desert with low laying shrubs and dried blood red soil. An earth well baked for eons. We setoff on our climbing journey at 11:30 AM. We pushed against our peddles, and breathed, and sweat. Ascending the red earth to the blue sky with its wispy white sails drifting slowly in a sea of atmospheric gas. 

After 2 hours and 45 mins we made it 12 miles. We pulled off for a lunch of hot chicken cheese quesadillas. The kids played off in the rocks and Juniper trees. We spent 2 hours in the sun, eating and snacking. Back on the road at 4 PM for some more slogging. At above 6,000 ft the Junipers become more dense, transforming the desert into what could pass as a forest.

Rode until a little after 6PM, pulling off onto a NPS road for the night. Quickly setup the tent, visited RV neighbors to ask for a few bottles of water. Ate some dinner and snacks then retreated into the tent at 7:30 PM. We’ve been on a Harry Potter movie kick for the past few nights, so we wrapped that up with the 7th, 2nd part finale. I forgot that Snape turns out to be a good wizard.

Nov. 3rd / 4th – Milepost 470 to Mather Campground

30 miles. Day full of upsies and downsies. Robert passed us before we even broke camp – he ended up doing merely 60 miles throughout the day. Morning was brisk with a side of chilly. Low on water, so breakfast of sandwiches. Rode 5 miles to Desert View. Stopped in at the entrance fee station. Found out that it is cheaper for a family to drive through the Grand Canyon National Park than to cycle – which seems ass backwards. A sign read “first view of the Grand Canyon,” just past the fee station.

After filling up our waters, running into Robert again, grabbing some snacks (and beer, we’re off the reservation now) we set off for this first view of the canyon some few hundred feet away. As far back as my little brain can recall geography, this thing called the Grand Canyon has been sloshing around my hippocampus. Read the text book, saw the documentary – it is a big hole in the ground, gouged out by the Colorado River, got it. 

Coming up to the south rim, however, looking out over the countless buttes of carved vertical standing rock in colors of red and earth, the way the stoney cliffs seem impossibly nailed up in an expanse that is too big, and too vast – my first impression was, “what? what is this?” That first glimpse near the watch tower wrought feelings of confusion, glee, and awe. Not to mention a queasy feeling of vertigo attempting to maintain a sense of up from down. A 12 million year old carving.

We stayed an extra day at the Mather Campground. We spent it walking the rim, grabbing some grub and beer, and jaw drop starting at the views all day long. Ophelia is the fearless one of the family, approaching sheer drops with a 4 year old wonder and and energy that ties my kidneys in knots. Robert is around as well – had two nights of dinner with him. 

Nov. 5th – Mather Campground to Valle

28 miles. Super easy enjoyable day of riding. Dropped some 1,000 ft over 28 miles with little in the way of rollies. A readjustment has to take place in our brains – not every turn around a corner or every available view can be breathtaking. Lower your expectations. Took 2 hours and 45 mins to get to Valle. Grabbed some snacks from a gas station sporting some antique cars out front. Sitting in the blaring sun, we considered our options. We could probably keep trucking for another hour or push on for another 20 miles. The former would land us in the middle of nowhere, the latter would be a big day with a sore butt without a huge payoff. So an afternoon and night in Valle it is.

We stayed at the Raptor Ranch. Should you think that the Raptor Ranch has only birds of pray who are fed on the grounds by a falconer, you are only partially correct and will be forgiven. Aside from Stinky the huge barn owl and Lacey, the paragon falcon, there is a 1972 recreation of the Flintstone’s Bedrock City. A dozen, or so, stone age looking buildings from Bedrock, including the store, Fred and Barney’s house, and the police station and jail. Then, the main attraction, a 30 ft statute of a dinosaur that incorporates a slide. 

Bedrock city itself is cast in sprayed concrete sitting on a few acres of land within the sparse desert of Arizona. It feels like the most bizarre time capsule you’ve ever seen. With all the abandoned Flintstone buildings, it seems an archeology discovery of some people that fled their concrete sprayed walls and plexiglass glass windowed homes due to a bomb threat or plague. The kids loved it. As an added bonus, if you stay in the campground, you get unlimited entry to Bedrock and the birds.

After a tour of Bedrock and feeding Lacy, we prodded onto Fred’s Diner. Serving hot dogs, pizza, French fries, and onion rings served up by kind smiling Mexicans. After our fill, we waddled to the tent where Ance and I decided to educate the girls on Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble. It became apparent while touring Bedrock that the daughters had no idea who or what this deserted stoney ghost town was about. We watched three episodes and called it good. I forgot how much of a jerk Fred is to Barney – watch episode 2, “swimming pool”. 

I still have that ridiculous theme song bumbling around in my head. Yaba daba doo.

Nov. 6th – Valle to Williams

30 miles. On the road by 9:30 AM. Steady headwind all day. Couple that with slow uphill, joy to the world. After 15 miles, pulled off for some lunch. The afternoon sunlight is abrasively bright, but warm, even as we approach mid-November.  Sent a text message to Robert letting him know where we were at – he showed up 10 mins later to have lunch with us. He jetted off just before us, but only after we had arranged staying together at the same hotel – The Gateway. 

The headwind and slow hills continued to grind at us for the rest of the day. Rolling into Williams, on Old Route 66, it is a cutesy old rail town with shops stuffed with Route 66 swag. 

Had dinner in the hotel room with Robert – a  carb-carnivorous terror – ribs, jojos, baked chicken, deep fried Brussel sprouts and a back drop of another Harry Potter movie. This is the last time we’ll hang out with Robert, so we partied like hungry animals until 8:30 PM. Then off like a brick to sleepily swim in cotton sheet dreams.

Nov. 7th  – Williams to 5 Miles North of Paulden 

39 miles. Early rise with a session of clothe washing and some breakfast doughnuts with Robert. Got on the road at 10:45 AM for a minor uphill and then a juggernaut drop on the freeway into Ash Fork. Gas station lunch of $10 dollar pizza and on the road again. 

Slow and steady for another 17 miles. I got another flat. This has now been a daily ritual with my back tire  for the last week or so. This was 4 miles from our campsite for the night. Not annoying at all. Kept on bouncing onto a road into the Prescott National Forest. ATV’er loading up his blue off-road ravenous looking hog. Great little spot under a Juniper tree with a flat piece. Made dinner under a peach sunset that moved to a dark blanket of night sprinkled with the glitter of the milky way, trailing off into the vast expanse of a twinkling universe.

Nov. 8th – 9th – 5 Miles North of Paulden to Prescott

30 miles. Started early (for us) at 9:30 AM. We had reserved a VRBO house in Prescott to hangout with our good Alaskan family friend Nathen – now on his way to moving to Hawaii.

First 5 miles an easy glide to Paulden and then 10 miles of pleasant riding into Chino Valley. Stopped into Safeway and cycled another 3 or so miles before pulling off to the side of the road for some lunch. Nathen showed up to hang out and took our bags for our last 11 miles into Prescott – lucky too, the rest of the ride included decent headwind and some steady steep hills. 

The place we got was by far and away the nicest place we’ve stayed indoors throughout the entire trip thus far. A private two bedroom with a deck and a grill. It was a holiday from our vacation. We spent our day off driving around in Nathen’s face hybrid, frisbee golfing, and heading out of town to a nearby Mexican market to gather supplies for carne asada on the grill. Gluttonous night of tacos and three movies including; Crocodile Dundee, Secondhand Lions, and the 6th Sense – I hadn’t watched a Bruce Willis movie in probably 15 years.

Nov. 10th – Prescott to Milepost 300 (about)

16 miles. Nathen had to get onto LA to ship his car to Hawaii, so he was up and at it around 5 AM. Obscene. We got up and at’em at 7 AM and began cleaning up the whirlwind disaster we created over the past day.

On the road by 9 AM. Had a steady slow stopping at a bike shop, then store. Continued on through another section of Prescott National Forest. Epic strewn spaghetti road with cliff hanger views. Pulled out on a satellite imaged road we’d spotted while trying to plan where to camp for the evening. A Canadian couple (Dan and Laura) stopped in for a chat. They were cycling in from Seattle – biked the divide, heading toward Baja.

Had to do school work with Augustine until sleepy time crept up on us at 7:18 PM. In order to avoid not going to sleep at 7:30 PM and waking at 2 AM, we put a movie on, which we all promptly fell asleep to at 8 PM. Oh, well.

Nov. 11th – Milepost 300 to Yarnell

22 miles. Woke in our little trashy desert alcove. Humans have the knack for getting their shit everywhere – rubber tires, laundry detergent container, PVC piping, etc. Low on water, so corn tortillas with beans and cases accompanied by small sips of water all around. Got at school work straight away to avoid the sleepy debacle of yesterday. On the road by 10:45 AM.

After a short bolt uphill, coasted down a zigzag to Paulden, where we stopped for water and ice cream. We then raced down a straightaway for 6 miles in 20 mins to Kirkland Junction where we were met with 3 or 4 miles of steady uphill and then some flats into Peeples Valley where we plopped down for some lunch and drinks. Accosted by a gang of badass grandmas interrogating us about our trip.

Following burning an hour or so, hit the road again for a short 3.5 miles into Yarnell. Pulled into the Oak Park RV and Campground with low expectations. Let’s just say that Oak Park has seen some better days under the sun. After paying $20 dollars cash, we found our spot next to the road and hit the showers in a dilapidated yearly uncleaned shack. Hot water though, so no complaints here.

Nov. 12th – Yarnell to Wickenburg 

25 miles.  Short unimposing half a mile hill in the morning, where you, in a fantastical crest overlooking a vast basin, begin a couple thousand foot drop clinging to a road which shouldn’t exist. While careening down the one way road, squeezing our brakes, three skateboarders went zipping past – think the Secret Life of Walter Mitty, just in the desert and even more insane. Got down to Congress and began a leisurely coast into Wickenburg. 

After dropping, the temperature is now slightly overwhelming. After being around and above 4,000 ft for the past two months and now arriving in what can actually be called the southern U.S., it is freaking hotter than a fresh loaf. Rolled into the north western edge of Wikenburg and stopped at a gas station to figure out where we were going to stay for night – we had neglected to figure this out yesterday or this morning, which is a little unusual for us. 

In the slightly oppressive heat, we found a $10 a night campground at the Aztec RV Village – a site marked on the Adventure Cycling maps and turned out to be absolutely fantastic. After picking up some groceries, we checked in and shortly thereafter met Bob Wright – a fellow cyclists at the spry age of 68. While imbibing on a little too much wine (whiskey for me), Bob told us of his life and how he came to tour cycling. An engineer by trade, his dulcet quiet nature brought us into the late evening before we bumbled off to bed.

Nov. 13th – 14th – Wickenburg to Lake Pleasant

32 miles. Ended up staying an extra day at the Aztec RV village – we have some time to kill and we got to hang out with Bob another day – we’ll not mention shaking off a minor hangover. While lounging about in the heat of the day Tom, a New Zealander / Brit, showed up carrying a truckload of spirt and a whole river of dad jokes.

The girls found a local RV park friend – Miles – and wondered around most of the day, doing who-knows-what – couldn’t have been too bad, they didn’t kick us out of the park or anything. Tom told us of starting his cycling trip in Argentina and having to make some major modifications as Covid-19 set in during 2020. Before meeting us, he’d done a good section of the southern tier, having come from Mexico.

We finished off the day by going out for a group cyclist dinner and BBQ joint in downtown Wickenburg. We ate like the gluttons we are, topped off with some carrot cake and called it an evening.

On the morning of the 14th, we woke early and un-groggy. Washed up the last of our clothes, broke bread (doughnuts) and said our goodbyes to the cycling brethren. We headed off into the slowly rising heat of the morning. About 21 miles in, we pulled off for some lunch – tuna fish sandwiches. Pushing on, we made a small (but hot) little climb into the Lake Pleasant Regional park.

Scored a sweet little spot near the lake with a bit of shade. Made a beeline to the water after dropping our gear. Sat for the rest of the afternoon (until the blazing sun began slipping behind the horizon) dipping in the cool water and wasting the hours away with pure unadulterated leisure and laziness.

Nov. 15th and 16th – Lake Pleasant

No miles. We have more time to kill – holiday season is upon us – we have some friends coming to meet us in the Phoenix area and Ance needs to return to Juneau for a week for work. So, some lazy days on the shores of Lake Pleasant it is.

Nov. 17th – Lake Pleasant to Lake Baltimore Village, Phoenix

32 miles. Running low on food. Rice with sesame seed oil, eggs and hot dogs. Slow morning after spending the last few days here. School work and then insane pack up of our multi-day disaster. Our RV neighbors, Mike and Bill, who are essentially locals here, have taken care of us the last couple of days with generator power, bloody Mary’s, and goodies for the kids. We snapped a couple of out hosts photos before heading out. 

Fairly easy day with only one imposing hill. Hit the outskirts of the Phoenix sprawl with gated communities, well kept lawns, and schools. Probably about 20 miles into the day, a never ending strewn together stitch of homes and people. Luckily, we were able to hit up some bicycle trails for the latter half of the day.

Finished off the day at the eastern tail end of Sweet water street near I-17. Our hotel, Roadway Inn, has taken the brunt of poverty, drug addition, and an overall sense of being forgotten on the side of the freeway. Can’t complain too much – hot water, beds, and a TV – all the essentials. One moment that struck me, while unloading the bikes, bring gear inside, a woman opened the door just next door. She was pale and stricken red in the face, with a look of fear in her eyes. When I offered a hello, she promptly slammed her door. How many souls have been wrecked by poverty and addition? Trying to count is like enumerating the stars.

Nov. 18th – Lake Baltimore Village to Gilbert, Phoenix

33 miles. Probably the earliest start of the trip at 8:30 AM. After a brief roaring near I-17, hopped onto bicycle trails which continued for the vast majority of the day. An interesting thing about bicycle trails in big cities – while extremely pleasant – it takes considerably longer to go a significant distance on them. The combination of checking maps, stopping at crosswalks, weaving through other people, essentially adds 1 to 2 hours to a 30 mile trip. Nevertheless, we got to see the in and outs of Phoenix throughout our little trek to the eastern side.

Arrived at Chris and family’s house around 4 PM. We had met them back in Utah at the Brigham KOA. Chris was justing getting home after work (supervisor at a construction company) and his wife and kids pulled in just after we showed up. A night of beer, meandering conversation, the the four kids making a disaster of the place – plus some freezing cold pool time in the evening.