Memorial Day 1968 and Now

Memorial Day has always been that weekend where I get to remember some old memories. In 1968, I had joined the Marines back in March on delayed enlistment and now it was time to go. So the whole family got up at maybe 3 am and made it to the Trailways bus station in Johnson City. My friends Grady and Jim showed up and we all waited for the appropriate time and I hugged and said goodbye and it was off to the Armed Forces Induction Center in Knoxville about 80 miles away on the bus in the early morning dark.

An exciting day of getting some physical tests and then going into that little wood paneled room and raising my right hand with a bunch of other guys and we were sworn in. They gave me the packet of orders for myself and three or four other guys and off we went to the airport and my first commercial flight on a DC-9 I think, to Charlestown SC. Some time late in the evening they collected us and put us on a bus and away we went to Parris Island. We rolled into the base at maybe midnight ... hard to remember and then a DI came on and did the classic yelling at all of us to get ourselves onto those yellow footprints.

Well, I got through it, hard as hell sometimes, but did it and was lucky that I ended up in a place where no orders to go to the war ever came and pretty soon I was checking out and going home at the end of 4 years.  Those were some pretty good times in a lot of ways, I disliked big aspects of it and enjoyed the friendships and working with a lot of good people.

So in the middle of all of the Memorial Day sale car ads and furniture ads and such I have to also think about those guys that did go to the war and didn't make it back.  One of my high school friends, John Harlan is one of those names on the Vietnam Wall.  

John was a really good basketball player. A tall thin fellow, he played center and I guess I had thought that he would go on to play basketball for some college. We had a chemistry ( or physics ? ) class together I think. He was a year ahead of me. I knew he had been killed in Vietnam, but didn't know where and just recently stumbled onto what and where.  Just a place near the Cambodian border, in the mountains and jungle with an understrength unit running into superior numbers and too much cover and confusion for American air power to save the day for 24 guys including John.  John was 20 and recently married when he died.  You were a great guy John and left a hole in the lives of many in Jonesboro. Till Valhalla John!

Life is so precious. I'm doing a lot more introspection and thinking in the last year since I lost Susan. Just trying to understand it all. I've heard her voice in the middle of the night .... she would wake me sometimes when she was getting sick and I recently have thought she was waking me again. It was pretty unsettling and left me unable to get back to sleep for quite a while. I miss you so much Honey.

 

Just a Closet

I know that it's just a closet.

Your things have been in there for 8 months untouched since you left us. So today I decided to get some boxes and to do what I've needed to do.

Honey, this is so hard. I started slow. I was pulling all of your shoes out, and matching them pair by pair. I did pretty good but I think there were maybe a dozen singlets left over. Have no idea where the other shoe could be.

Then I worked on the hanging clothes. There were some of those jackets from the early '80's in there .. you know the ones with the big puffed up shoulders ... kind they wear on those old tv shows you used to watch all the time.

Finally I just pulled a bunch of sweaters and things down and put them in boxes and got them all in the car to take to Goodwill or some other place. You should have seen Socks and Trixie helping .. they were just right in the middle of it all ... you would have smiled and laughed at them.

It all seems just so final in so many ways. I kept putting it off as if to keep a connection between us but you are gone and you are never going to use that stuff ever ever ever again. And realizing that, really realizing that is so incredibly hard.

There is much else left to work through, this was just one of the big pieces. I miss you so much my Susan. 

Ruta del Jefe

 In March I am going to Sonora to do a bicycle ride in support of several organizations that are involved with our Borderland region. I was lucky enough to go to the Northern Jaguar Reserve a few years ago and am excited to see this new region north of the Sahuaripa region where the Reserve was located.

If you can contribute to these organizations it would be greatly appreciated. Look back here after I do the ride ( looks to be hard! ) and see how it all went.

Thanks so much

Mike

Contribute to Ruta del Jefe here

Update: 27 March

Wow, it was a fun event!

Got up early on Thursday morning, put my bike and camping stuff in the car and off we went. Managed to forget my instant coffee to my chagrin later on, but everything else was there and drove to Naco with an easy Border crossing.

Sarah had provided a GPX file for the drive to Rancho Nuevo, so loaded that into my eTrex and just followed it. Had read about Mexican truckers flashing their lights to tell you that you can pass and yeah that's true ,... did it several times, but one has to be careful on Highway 2 as you can be driving along on great pavement and then find a big city street type pothole!

Got to the ranch and directed to the 4WD parking area that I called "the beach" ,... big sandy area next to a creek. Setup my tent, checked in and then we had an 11 mile social ride.

The social ride went along a stream that we crossed about 20 times in a two mile stretch. Pace was pretty quick I thought and then we turned and went up a pretty steepish climb ... I did ok, walked a couple of places along with a few other people. Hung out for a few minutes atop a ridge that offered wonderful views of the multiple mountain ranges and then rode back to the ranch for a really steep "I'mma gonna walk this" descent back to the event.

We got fed at supper and breakfast every day and the food was great. After Thursday dinner we watched American Scar about the destruction of the borderlands for Trumps fucking wall. You could see miles and miles of the wall on the drive over ... just hideous and it actually makes it easier for people to cross as there is now a road to walk on vs nothing but desert in the past. Dumbass idea.

Bed early ish and it was cold. Don't know the temperature but at about 2 am I could hear the trucks on Hwy 2 that were about 6 miles away. The sound just carried well.

6 am up and met up with some folks to do a little bird walk along the stream. Saw a couple, lots more flowers and some good folding of the rocks on the side of the road. Got back for breakfast and it was great ( loved the food ) ...  Played with the bike for a few minutes and then we had another ride at 11;30 .   Good sized group that left, rode along the entrance road for a bit, then cut up into the grassland area and close to Hwy 2. One little place where the trail more or less disappeared and two women and I were wandering around trying to find it ... first on one side of the track then on the other side of the track ... so it must be in the middle ... ah ... there it is!

Rode along an electric fence ... saw where some people ducked under it ... wasn't sure if it was energized or not ...remember getting shocked by one that my Dad had to keep our cow out of our garden!  Then another super steep switchbacky downhill that was loose and steep and I walked quite a bit of it and back to camp.

I attended a workshop with Cacao tasting ... various beans and types of chocolate produced in Mexico. So good. Then we had a happy hour with some cocktails that we could buy!

Friday night had talks from Cuence los Ojos, Borderlands Restoration, N'Dee/N'Nee/Nde Nation, Frontera de Cristo and Defensa del Rio Casas Grandes.  All great organizations and worthy of the donations that folks have raised.  Was getting pretty chilly towards the end .... nice and warm during the day but when the sun goes down one needs their layers!

Up on Saturday for the big ride. After Thurs and Fri I decided I was going to do the 27 mile ride vs the 40 I originally signed up for. Group was supposed to leave at 8:30 and 9:00, but didn't go until almost 9:30 as everyone got signed out and then we were off.  More of the water crossings including the big one by a beaver dam! and back up the same hill we did on Thursday afternoon. I was a bit slower on it by quite a bit ... but the aide station was frying bacon!!

Turned off onto a grassy two track and then rode pretty much by myself for an hour or so until we got to the second aide station. They had Cokes and Oreo's !!!  Lady at second station says those going the 27 mile distance need to turn at a bridge up the road ... got there and two guys were confused .... they went straight ... I turned and was getting further and further from the track ... something is wrong ..... turned around and two other guys ( one doing photos for Revelate ... Leo ?? ) came back down the hill going "that ain;t it" ... turned back to the bridge and went straight. Back on track but with that nagging little feeling of "dude are you sure this is it?"  

Finally got to where we could see Hwy 2, followed down hill and south of it for a couple of rough miles, then turned away and up a steep loose hill to aide station 3.  More cookies, sat down for a few minutes and then go up and rode the rest of the route .... felt really good to cross over ... Karla and some of the riders who had finished already were cheering everyone who came in, signed the log and I was done.  Hung out there at the barn cheering others in, then back to my tent and changed shirts and put long pants on.

Supper was great and we were treated to a spectacular sunset. Talked with Steve and Jenna for a bit, hung out more and they passed out awards for fundraising and I got a cycling cap and a handlebar bag. Sweet!  Last 4 riders came in at about 7 pm, three with lights and one riding with them without .... awesome efforts!

Saturday night had some music playing and there was dancing but was tired, so I bailed back to my tent down on the "beach" and went to bed.  About 3 am the rain came in and listened to the rain.  

Got up at 6:30 or so and finished packing my car. As I started to pack the tent a big gust of wind blew the whole thing about 100 feet or so into some mud so just packed it wet and muddy as something to deal with when I got home.  Had breakfast and then left.  Easy drive out .... creek crossings much have confused the tire pressure sensors on the car because I get a tire pressure light and a tire pressure system malfunction warning .... get out of the car, look at all of them and they all look aired up so get back in and drive to AP to cross the Border.  Had the most pleasant encounter with a CBP guy ever ... he was just really nice, asked about the bike, he rides some, told him there would be others coming from the same place to cross. Yeah, part of that was my privilege as I reflect on it .... I'am an old white guy and he was an old white guy so probably would have been different if I was black or brown. 

Drove to Hereford to see some old friends .. Mike and Mimi and then home on Sunday night. Glad to see Whisper and the kitties and many thanks to Paul for watching over them.

So I had a good time, lots of fun interactions with other riders, talking about people we know in common. Sarah and Karla and Daniel put so much hard work into this event and it was wonderfully planned and carried out.

But have to admit that I was really pretty lonely in a lot of ways during the whole thing ... my biggest cheerleader is no longer with me, so I didn't have anyone to call up and chat with for a minute or two at the end of the day like I would always do during any of my other rides. I miss my Susan so very very much and it's a thing that just comes along and weighs on me for a while and then I get up and move along.

Nothing else planned in terms of rides. Going to walk dogs at the shelter tonight .... thinking of crewing with some folks doing Race Across America in June. I don't know, just have to sort my life out now.

Goodbye My Love

I don't know where to start. So maybe I'll start on Sunday night before we lost you. Your breathing had slowed and some morphine had been given you and you were resting and the room was quiet. Someone brought in one of your blankets from home and I stretched it out over you. And then I combed your hair and I just broke down. I don't think I have ever cried like that before as I knew I was going to loose you and would never be able to see you smile or laugh again. So how to begin?

I met you in 1971. I went to visit my friend Dan and I could hear his voice in the apartment next door, it being summer and the windows being open, so I knocked on the door. Your friend Terry answered the door and you were standing several feet back, long hair and a long dress and you were stunningly beautiful. A beautiful college girl "hippie chick". I'm not sure how the date got arranged, but Dan and Terry and you and I went to the Holiday Inn in Yuma for a dinner ( which was a pretty upscale place to eat way back then ) ... you told me later you didn't want to go, but Terry said "oh Susan, it's a free meal".  We dated that summer and someplace in all of that I asked for your hand and we got engaged. And then you thought better of it and we broke it off. I got out of the Marines and went home and you went to Cleveland, Summer of 72 was over and I came to Tucson to go to school and ran into friends from Yuma who were going to school here and they said "we ran in to Susan today!"  Somehow we reconnected and dated and decided to get married and there we were in Santa Fe with the infamous car fire being put out by Dan and I and your sister asking you as you two drove up "what are they doing ?  are you sure you want to do this?? "

I went to school and you sold waterbeds .. a DJ friend played "Tiny Dancer" for you on the radio. We got a washing machine when you and Nancy ran into a weird guy at a laundromat and then we bought our house that became our home for years to come. You loved everything about the house.  

You met my parents and they fell in love with you and you with them. You were their first daughter. They cared so much about you and you them.

And then you came home one day from classes at Pima and you told me you were pregnant. And you told me I should talk to your OB-GYN and I did and he told me a little bit about you and what you were dealing with personally. But I still didn't really know. And you carried our baby and then your water broke and I got you to TMC and suddenly I was talking to an anestheologist and he was visibly shaken by what was going to happen and suddenly I was too and we had a room full of people pulling for you and Paul and cheering as he came into this world.

You were strong and healthy and jumped into life with a new baby. That story of when you took him to the mall and an older lady asked you if your mother knew you had this baby out ... she didn't think it was yours and he was so tiny.

You and Paul and the other wives and kids picked us up when we came home from LA when I flew there every week ... you and he were home alone and I am sorry for that separation and then we moved and we were together again ...  LA was fun for a while but it was so good to get back to Tucson.  You treated it all as an adventure ... you worked selling baskets and plants in LA on Ventura Boulevard ( the Basket Case and Plant Orphanage )  driving our yellow Datsun pickup to work ...  You took ballet lessons with Marlene.

We traveled to visit relatives with most of our vacations, but got a few trips in to visit friends in Yuma and just goof off, you always looked forward to getting away and going places. I wish we had done more.

You went with me to the Fleetwood Mac concert wearing white coveralls. We had bleacher seats and our friends Mike and Mimi and others were on the field and we saw people jumping the fence and I pretty much tossed you over it and told you to "run" and you did run as a security guy came up. I still remember grass stains all over those white coveralls.

Somehow the 80's passed as Paul grew and I surprised you with a red VW one day while you were at work at Mervyn's ... I shouldn't have done such an expense without checking with you but there it was with Paul and a buddy in the back and me handing you the keys and I loved the surprise on your face.

You were always so kind to all of the animals in our house. Kitties and doggies and you turned me from a "they belong outside" to "they're welcome on the bed" and they enriched our lives. You so loved walking outside around our home, just looking at the cactus and the sky and the passing of the seasons. That time when I was trying to get Bandit our orange cat to go back to the house and he ran straight toward you and GreyBoy at top speed and GreyBoy jumped straight up in the air. We laughed so hard at those two.

You went to the hospital from time to time. I still didn't know exactly what your issues were, and then we got better imaging and names started being applied.  Atrial septal defect, pulmonary arterial hypertension.  And after one trip the doctors said you needed supplemental oxygen at home and the machine came and it was loud and you were so bummed out by it all, You cried and I hugged you and we figured out how to put it into another room and you only needed it at night and it was all ok.

And then you got close to 50 and I decided to surprise you. And your friends wouldn't talk to you in the week or so up to the party because they didn't want to blow the surprise. And your Mom and sister called you and wished you a Happy Birthday over the phone the day before. You were so bummed out that they weren't going to be here ( and they were at George's house laughing as they were right here in Tucson to surprise you ). You wanted a new phone because you were sad and I bought you a red phone to go with your red car and then we went to Tohno Chul and there were the folks from work and your Mom and Luly and Ed and Garrett and John and George and Paul and Heather and many other friends!  

You could still go to Santa Fe and see your Mom and sister and spend precious time with them. And Paul went with you and I would work.  And then one day Paul introduced us to Heather and you and I had a daughter in our lives and you loved talking with her and spending time with them as a couple and then they gave us a grandson and now you were someone's Mimi!

There were other birthday parties, some I don't remember. You were so sad with the passing of Luly and then of your Mom and Connie. It was really good that you could spend time with her and your health was still good enough that you could get out.

You worked so hard all of our lives together. You went into Mervyns on cold winter days, I would drop you off at Christmas time and pick you up so you wouldn't have to walk out into a dark parking lot at 11pm. You got a cosmetology license and you learned stenography and court reporting and took legal assistant classes. And you did office work for Madson Brown until the big recession shut down real estate and it was time for you to retire. You were sad that you wouldn't be working but you now had time to play bridge and do stamping and make cards and craft things and go to a book club and enjoy some other things. And I was glad to see you enjoy that stuff.

But as the years passed each little hospital visit would take a bit out of you and leave you a bit weakened from where you were before and that hurt me to see, but you were so strong and so resolute through it all.  

I loved that little trip we made with Whisper to Ocean Beach, just a few days watching her at Dog Beach when she drank all that ocean water and she couldn't eat or poop for maybe 3 days .. you were so happy.

Connor gave you great joy. He loved to sit on the couch with you and watch a tv program or you would play a game or cook something in the kitchen. Nothing like cooking with Mimi and having Connor over and reading to him before his bedtime.

More hospital trips, new kitty cats. You came back from the hospital trips and I got used to telling the doctors what your oxygen saturation levels should look like and how many liters of o2 you were using at home. And they would pump you full of oxygen and give you antibiotics and I knew that was the combination that would keep you going forever.

Your Aunt Janet turned 90 and we went to Maine and I got to see some of your childhood places. Such a wonderful trip with you.

I started leaving on bike trips. I guess I never really though about how lonely you would be when I was out there in the middle of nowhere for days at a time and you were home with the kitties. I am so sorry I was so selfish.

You would call me Bear and I would call you Bugit. You would draw these little smily girl pictures on cards that you would give me for Valentines Day and birthdays. On our honeymoon we went to Yosemite and we got to a hotel and you had a bad dream in the middle of the night and you said "bear .. bear's going to get me" and I was a mean little boy and teased you. I'm sorry Honey..

The pandemic came  and I worried about you and we had you "grounded" for a long time. You got all your shots and you were so much happier when you got to go out and do grocery shopping. You really liked going down to Safeway and getting your coffee at Starbucks and talking to the people there ... sometimes I know it took a bit out of you even with your portable oxygen generator but you were still getting outside and seeing people.

You loved our 50th anniversary party, it was so sweet and you were totally surprised. And right up to the end you were still doing little trips out and going outside and looking at the sky.  You went out that night to watch the incoming storm and you fell and hit your head hard and then called out for me. And we went to the hospital and I thought you were ok and we came home. But you weren';t and I called an ambulance and they took you away and you had seizures and Honey I started loosing you and they gave you all the oxygen and it wasn;'t enough this time and there you were in that bed and so quiet and I was so helpless.

I love you Susan. I love you so damn much and you brought so much happiness and light and fun into the lives of so many people. You were a treasure to all of us who knew and loved you. Goodbye Honey.

Ride Across Arizona 2023

So, Stagecoach 400 was hard and I didn't finish it, so why not sign up for something even longer? What could go wrong?

I rented an Enterprise car and drove up towards the Needles/Bullhead City area. The ride was going to start on a Monday morning in Topock, which is right at the crossing of the Colorado River by Interstate 40. First, I drove to the Burro Creek Campground to check it out as it's a possible water resupply point ... water was off at the restroom and the faucets outside. That means the first day is going to be long and dry with no resupply for 105 miles.

Drove through Oatman. Oatman is a hoot, was full of Route 66 motorcyclists and lots of burros in the street. It's about a block or two of little shops and bars. Took a couple of photos of the burros and moved on. Got to Needles, grabbed a hotel for two nights and ate. Up the next morning and drove to Bullhead City to drop the car before it got to hot and rode back to the hotel in Needles. Needles is a little town that has just seen better days, a few hotels, couple of chain restaurants and a couple of local restaurants and that's about it. It seemed like they make their living off BNSF railroad employees, working on the railroad and etc as there were a lot of their vehicles at the hotel. Sunday came around and I figured I would ride to the start at Topock and camp and be ready to start RAAZ without having to ride 15 miles before the first 105.

Burros in Oatman

Well, that was kind of a bad idea ... it got hot, I rested under some shade, then went to Topock at the bar and checked out the Colorado River people. Bikers and river people galore. Came back to the area and then a Warden came by and told me "you know you can't camp here" ... I was going to but had not set anything up and she hung around kinda making sure I was going to leave the Catfish Paradise day use are. That actually worked out ok because I bailed back to Topock and went up the hill between the railroad and the Interstate and found a great spot, cooler and out of the wind.

6 am, we were at Topock with everyone else and boom ... we're off on I40 heading east. 

Getting Ready to Start at Topock

I stopped at the Pilot and got my extra water, an Endurolite, some chips and etc and continued. We turned off the Interstate at mile 13 and immediately I was pushing my bike up a sandy steepish little hill!  First day was hard, it got warm and we had a wind from the southeast that slowed everyone down. A couple in a white pickup truck were doing support for another rider and they gave several of us extra bottles of water and refilled some water. Alamo road went well, but Coyote Springs road was a PITA with all of the sand ... I was pretty fried at about mile 60 and bagged it for the night at Signal ( or where Signal used to be ).

Day 2, got up and rode the rest of Signal Road and up Seventeen Mile Road ... I enjoyed that one, it had lots of climbing but the surface was great! We hit US 93 and had a few miles up the hill past Nowhere AZ where a gas station and curio shop used to be about 40 years ago!  Zoomed down the other side to the turnoff to Bagdad and a bunch of rollers, then a climb up to the top of the mountain. Keep looking ahead thinking "they didn't put this town on the top of the mountain did they?"  ... yeah they did!

Bagdad was great. Giant Coke. Hit the diner and got a grilled ham and cheese and recharged my phone and Wahoo. Got a couple of things at Basha's and left and got about 10 miles into Camp Wood road before camping in the bushes on the side of the road.

Near Yolo Ranch on Day 3 .. Deer in there someplace

Up early, looked like it was going to rain on me, but had a good morning with Camp Wood road. Passed Yolo ranch, saw some deer. Never did figure out where Camp Wood was exactly ... looked like just a farmhouse at that location ... have to go back and look that up again. Great descent heading east, beautiful views and then when I turned north toward Sleigman, the wind was behind me!  Got 80 something miles in and made it to the hotel there. Girl says we only have a pet suite available and I go "yeah that'll work" so I got the Elvis theme room.

Outside Sleigman

Wind Alerts on the phone for the next day. Hard climbing east, wind behind me when I turned north. At the northern most point I turned southeast and the wind was atrocious. Crazy hard to just walk the bike .. just energy draining. Finally got close to Williams and now the wind was cold, cold, cold. I had all my stuff on and was freezing. Note to self: when you get to Flagstaff go shopping!  Cool little town Williams, had fajitas and a great breakfast the next morning. 

The "Peaks" in Flagstaff in the distance

Trailhead on the way to Flagstaff from Williams

The ride to Flagstaff had some nice sections and a power line road that was a little rocky, nothing too hard. Bit of rockiness and climby in the forest and then it topped out and finally hit the Flag area. Think I was there by noonish. Ate at a Freddie's, got a room and left the bike at the hotel and Uber'd downtown. Bought a sweatshirt and a down puffy hoodie and felt much better. 

Lake Mary with a Kayaker

Headed down Lake Mary Road the next morning. Pavement for 55 miles and the wind wasn't bad. Sometime in the afternoon I got to Happy Jack's RV Park. Big barn like place with a country western dance hall/restaurant and lots of dead animals hanging on the walls. But a great burger and piece of strawberry pie. Left there, down AZ 87 just a little bit and onto the Rim Road. I got to a great viewpoint of the Mogollon Rim and it was getting late and wanted to camp. The campground was closed .. not open for another week and was full of snow and water. I saw the privy and it was dry and so that's where I ended up for the night. 

Mogollon Rim

Rim Views Forever 

Got to Forest Lakes the next day before the store closed at 3!  Everything else there seems to be closed or a step backwards on the route. The fellow running the store was really nice, let me recharge my stuff on his patio and stay after he left. Had two burrito's, chocolate milk, Coke ... all the necessities. Back into the forest, saw some horses that seemed to be wild, passed a fire tower and camped for the night.  A little windy, but not too bad.

Fire Tower at Campground between Forest Lakes and Show Low

And More Rim Views .. Powerline for TEP in Tucson runs in the distance
 

Next day's goal was Show Low and I got there around 2:30 and stopped at Motel 6. Washed my clothes, and walked across the street to get a prime rib. Recharging electronics and eating ... that's pretty much it. Breakfast at McDonald's ... their big breakfast has about 1000 calories, hard to beat.

Rode to Vernon and then on to Greer. The wind really really picked up in the afternoon and I was getting low on food. The route doesn't go to Greer, there's a turn in the forest way above it. So I went down the hill not realizing how deep of a hole Greer was it, and it got steeper and steeper and I was committed and it was still going down and now I was going to have to go all the way back up this damn thing. Stopped at the little store and got some goodies. Asked the lady if the Motel was open and she said yes. Went outside and walked over to the Motel and looked for the office. Tom was sitting there and he says "it's behind you in that building". Went back and she had closed the store ( it was 5 pm closing time ). So no motel for me tonight! Talked to Tom for a bit and he and his buddy offered me a ride back up the mountain and I took it and got back to the route. Rode about 5 miles or so and camped on the side of a paved highway near a snow plowed area. Heard the elk "bark" that night.

Not that long of a stretch, about 9500 feet 

Wed morning comes around, cold start. I really thought the Big Lake store would be open, got close to it and then realized they didn't open for another week. I was off route at the Apache Trout campground and stopped at the little kiosk looking for an electrical outlet. None on the outside and a door that said employee's only. Hmm ... tried it and it opened! Power strip inside and I started charging. Forest Service guy drives up and I tell him what I'm doing and he says OK!  Looked around and They Have a Microwave and I heat up my Jimmy Dean egg/cheese/sausage ... WIN, WIN!   More riding, a nice long descent through a burned area, more forest road, just getting closer to US 191.

Crossed 191.  Up a hill and inventory what I have. Part of a Nestle crunch bar, couple litres of water, a bag of M&M. and a Cuban beans and rice back packing meal. Down into the Blue and the beginning of the Blue Wilderness. It's 9 miles down, down, down. Windy, crazy windy with dirt blowing in my face. Finally got down to the relative quite of the Blue River Road. Think it was about 8 miles to the Finish, took a while as there was still some wind and a little climbing and I was tired. And then I look at my Etrex 32 and I have run out of track.. we are done. Am in New Mexico and I look behind me and there is a sign saying welcome to Greenlee County.

Dropping into the Blue 

Along the Blue River 

Figured I was going to camp down there someplace and was walking the bike and a truck comes by and I flag him down and ask for a ride and he gives me a lift the 8 miles up to AZ 180. And it was still light out. I get to Alpine, get turned around trying to find the motel ... Alpine isn't that big but i got confused anyways ... tired, cold and the hotel had a vacancy! Put the bike inside and walked to a bar and had a great burger and fries and listened to a live band with a whole bunch of Willie Nelson lookalikes.

Rolling a 5:30 am in 25 degrees to get to Springerville to pick up a rental UHaul. Put my bike in it and drove home. Dead tired, but I did it and 9 days and 10 hours.  No idea what to do next .. get some house stuff done this summer I think.

This is an awesome ride. Craig and Minnie put a lot of work into it. It hits desert, mid desert, mountains, forests .. it will test you and it isn't easy and it's pretty rewarding to be able to have finished it. Get out there and give a piece of it a run, you won't be disappointed!

Stagecoach 400 Winter Forever

Off to Southern California to do Stagecoach 400 again! They've had a lot of rain this year and just got snow in Idy last week, so it all promised to be interesting.

First up was the rider's meeting held out by the flagpole in Idy with snow coming down as Meg passes out a few last minute comments about where to start in the morning, parking, etc, and then off to get some pizza and go to bed.

It's snowing during the rider's meeting in Idy

Got to Alpaca Coffee kinda early, scored a breakfast burrito and coffee and watched everyone else come in.  8 am came really quick, and we were outside, lined up and GO.  Up the hill, on an icy road with a bunch of other bicycles, didn't see any crashes as the hill was pretty steep and soon we were on dirt and right into several inches of snow.

The snow got everyone around me off their bikes and the pushing began. It was just a long line of bikes and walker pushing them. We went through an area of fog, then back out into sunlight and more pushing. Fortunately it was downhill, but still hard. And on and on and on. You could see places where some people were riding, still people pushing behind me and in front of me.

There was a very large washout. Guy in front of me was already down in the hole helping a couple of others and I handed my bike to him. Then I tried to get down in the hole and slipped and landed on my butt and left arm in the mud and muck. He scrambled out of the hole and I picked up my bike and put it on the bank and then scrambled up through the snow on the other side.  More snow, more walking, more mud.

There was single track. Might have been nice to ride but full of mud, I walked pretty much all of it. I waded the creek where the Sideshow bunch from the week before had made a bridge .. looked too slippery and my feet were already wet. Close to Hurkey Creek I could ride and rode to the Hemet store, and got a drink and a quick snack.

Rode the double track that had been added ... went a little too far, figured it out and made a u turn and told 4 other riders they had missed the little trail at the bottom of a switchback. Got to Hwy 74 and saw those guys take the pavement and I went down the CRHT, saw a guy coming back the other way looking for his tracker. Finally got to Sunshine Market ... like 1 pm or so, we've been at the thing for 5 hours and have covered about 25 miles.

Bike making horrible noises mostly from brake pads with dirt in them as I headed south towards Warner Springs. Was a bit tired, not nearly as strong riding this as last year. More riding, just exhausting this year and got to the pavement by Warner Springs well past the gas station closing hours. Dan, Pat, Nik and I. Wind was blowing, I was freezing and while they were chatting I setup my tent and got inside and changed my socks. Went to bed. Got up at 1 am, heated up a can of soup that tasted really good and went back to sleep. I think 52 miles for Day 1.

Saturday morning rolling at 5 am in fog, Deep fog, Climbed up Mesa Grande in fog. Loved the ride down Black Mountain road, that was so much fun! Getting to Ramona and decided to go for breakfast, was starving and wanted real food and it absolutely hit the spot. Ran into Randy and Dan as I left and rode down Hwy 78.

Above the fog on Mesa Grande early Saturday morning

Dan and Randy were first at the trail angel snack bar that was left for up. Had a Coke, OJ, some fruit, that was really nice!

Trail angel cooler full of goodies with a chair and a muscle roller 

Couple of fun little single track pieces going to Escondido, I bypassed it and opted for lunch at Hernandez Hideaway. Can't go wrong with Mexican food.

Yum and it's right on the route!

Different route into the San Diego area to avoid mud. Couple of steep hills, a deep water crossing, finally got to Del Mar, ran into Dan and Randy again who had passed me while I was eating ( I had passed them while they went to Escondido I think ). 

Ocean Beach, Saturday night by the Deli

Didn't spend much time at the Ocean, headed right toward UCSD, got lost in the forest for a bit and pretty soon was at Ocean Beach. Crazy busy on a Saturday night, Stopped at the same deli as before, great roast beef sub and over the hill ( slower than last year ). Missed a turn on the downhill, rode back uphill a bit, back on course, and scored a hotel room. Maybe 110 miles for Day 2.

Early up, went to McD's and they weren't open yet ... past the Midway and on to Chula Vista. Turned on Palomar Street and hit the McD's there.

Some good street sections, traffic not too bad, long stop lights and I hit a lot of them. Some pretty walking paths and trail sections interwoven in the Otay area.

It was a good day, a nice dirt road with almost no traffic on it, and we by passed the whole Sweetwater trail section with the pagoda and all. 

Looking back at the puddle that came all the way up my inseam

At the old bridge I went north and hit the Carl's for a burger. Back on course after lunch, up the highway toward Dehensa, onto Sloan Canyon and back up the California Bike Pushing trail ( actually not that horrible, the majority of the road had been dragged by someone and was smooth, just the upper 1/2 mile or so was a lot of pushing ).

I get to Alpine, sit at the Shell and think it's really chilly here and the sun is out, and why not just stay here?  So I call the hotel and they have a room and it's back to the hotel for the night, Mexican food in the little strip mall next to the hotel and off to bed. Dan and Randy had the same idea.  Day 3 is about 50 miles or so ,,, we're at mile 203 now,

Day 4, Monday, Wind Alerts from the Weather Service, Windy up Viejas Grade .... I can see the wind blowing the dirt around wiping out Dan and Randy;s tracks in front of me. They disappeared over the hill, and down Boulder Creek we go.

So much easier when I rode this in 2013

10 years ago, I rode Boulder Creek on my road bike doing something called the Dirty Devil. The road looked completely foreign this time ,,, I sure went fast on it back then, this time, I'm pushing into wind, It was really, really hard. Had lunch under some oak trees in a really pleasant little place, but the wind was just howling. Rode Engineer Pass fairly well as the mountain blocked most of the wind and finally got to Lake Cuyamaca and it was open and Dan and Randy were getting ready to leave,

Salton Sea and Desert awaits 

Had food, headed out, down Oriflamme ... rode the top part, walked most of the bottom and then got to the big wash out where the creek has turned what was a sandy road into a river. Wet feet, into the water and back out of it over and over and over,

Freezing feet again, dirty bike making all sorts of noises. Dark out and I get to Vallecitos and camp for the night. I wash my shoes and socks out, change into dry socks, stuff the shoes with paper towels ( I paid $24 for the tent camping spot ,.. used several of them! ). Was a chilly night, stars were out but my plans for riding on were kinda busted by the chill.  60 miles I think for Day 4.

Day 5 ,,,, the desert. Ranger lady was lowering the flag to half staff ,,, another school shooting, I hadn't heard any news. She says "I'm glad I'm  out here" 

Lost my rear blinky on the road. Turned into the desert, Rode well to Diablo I think, Fish seemed much harder than last year and I was getting some saddle sores, probably from riding in wet shorts ....

Getting ready to turn into the desert

Fish Wash ... looks flat ... it ain't, bumpy and washboarded and sandy 

Iron Door is always closed when I go by, I snagged a little recharge for my phone by the Elvis statue, and left, got a couple of sodas at the little store when you turn west at the ATV rental place. First part was ok and then someone turned on the wind. Getting to Borrego was just plain hard, and I was kinda done for the day. Got a room ( lot of mid century furnishings ).

Sleepless night, worrying about the storm coming into the high country. I've been cold all weekend long. A couple of saddle sores, and not looking forward to pushing through the snow up high. So it was either stay in Borrego another day or so, ( which I don't really have because I have to mentor someone back at PACC where I walk dogs ), or look for a ride.

I messaged Rick in Borrego ( after a big zero with Uber and Lyft ), and he pointed me to a guy (Ed Beck) and I messaged him and away we went. Met Wesley at the Fudge place in Borrego, and he was getting a ride too. Going up the mountain to Idy from Palm Desert in the car we went through rain and a little snow and lots of fog ,,, was so glad to not have to deal with the weather ,, cold stuff that I just don't have the gear for. Back to my car at Brendan's house at about 3 pm on Wed. Freezing .... 35 degrees and cold.

Down the mountain ... the sun pops out .. then it rains. The wind howls. I just turn up the heater.

Stopped in Blythe for the night, then home by noon, clean socks in the land of washing machines.

Was a good adventure. Glad to have gone over to do it, would have been nice to have finished but I got 320 miles down. 

BellBreaker 2023

BellBreaker. Heard about it years ago, did it in 2020, right before the pandemic set in and everything changed for a year or so.  Nate who set it all up from BlueDog cycles has moved on to Los Angeles and Jenna and Steve from Transit picked up the torch and put something on IG back in December and I go "sure .. why not"

So we got the route, packed up the bike and drove to Paul's house to park my car and then ride over to The Hop Shop for a 5:30 am cold morning start. About a dozen or so of us at the start and around 5:40 off we went. Down the Loop, along Campbell, down Ina, La Canada and up the Loop towards Oro Valley.

Hop Shop getting read to go

Decided to grab a quick something from the QT, stopped for 5 minutes and back on the Loop. Then I heard a little different noise from the bike. Stopped, spun the pedals backwards and still heard it. Looked for something in the chain, didn't sound like that. Tried to figure out what to do and got on and the noise was gone. Well that stuck in my mind for a while.

Ran into Sarah and Ed as we went under the Big Wash bridge, we were fairly close to each other through most of the HoneyBee trail section, then on the PowerLine road out toward an electrical station off AZ 79. Someplace north of that I ran across Deidra. We rode along 79 for a bit, then met up with a couple of the guys doing it and we continued. 

Someplace out there, I dropped back, riding by myself. I kinda like that, I don't have to try to keep up. We had a really cool section through desert north of Freeman Road and east of 79, and then finally, finally got to 96 Ranch Road.

Crested Saguaro along 96 Ranch Road

Turned onto it and that was the northernmost piece of the route, so felt like we got someplace, about 63 miles in. I ran across Deidra taking a lunch break and continued on. 96 Ranch Road is a pretty gentle climb, mountains in the distance and you're getting closer and closer to them. Finally get into the hills and pass the old ranch house. It looked like it would have been a really cool place years ago. 

Someplace out there 96 Ranch Road turned into Barksdale Road, didn't quite realize that and I was a little confused, having ridden Barksdale years ago going to Florence. I ran into Julie H out there and another lady, they were out for a day ride from Florence and rode with Julie until Freeman Road.

96 Ranch House

Happy to get to Willow Springs Road ( finally ), and then 18 miles or so to get to Oracle. A little past 24 hour town, I ran into Damion A. as he was driving to 24 Hour Town and he took my photo. It was getting dark and colder. Totally dark by the time I hit AZ 77. 

Took a while to get here

I rode up to the Biosphere turnoff, and on that quiet pavement I heard the noise in the rear of my bike again. The more I thought about it the more I thought it was something in the hub. Turned onto a dirt track that is mostly under a power line that was going to keep us off the highway. Darker and much colder and pretty tired, I decided that I wasn't going to make an open restaurant in Oracle and bagged it for the night on the side of the trail.  

Moon was bright, stars were out and cold. Glad I took the sleeping bag liner. I actually slept pretty well. Nibbled at a sandwich I had during the night and woke up at 6:30 or so. Packed up a wet tent and rode/walked towards Oracle. Got to the Mexican restaurant and huevos rancheros ... you can't believe how GOOD it tasted. Food when you are starving hungry is so amazing.

Rode a little bit towards American Avenue towards the Circle K and decided the hub issue needed to be dealt with rather than continuing so I bailed. I got onto 77 and was doing pretty good until Oracle Ford and the freewheel quit .. turn the pedals, the cassette turns but the bike ... she no go forward!

Pulled over, pedaled backwards some, loosened and retightened the thru bolt and the whole thing seemed seized up ... put some pressure on it and it started working! Go on, rode to Tucson and got my car with a face full of wind on the way back.

Taking the wheel to a shop tomorrow to have it looked at.