29 Palms, CA, to Apache Junction, AZ

Day: -3
Date: 02/23/2013
Start Loc: 29 Palms
Stop Loc: 29 Palms
Miles: 0.0

This Blog is an attempt to document my upcoming ride on the "Southern Tier" bicycle route from 29 Palms, CA, to a friends home near Pensacola, FL. My plan is to publish this Blog in sections. Each section will appear as a separate post on the blog menu and will contain entries for 7-10 days.

This ride has been on my list for at least a year. I put it off last fall for financial reasons and by all rights I could do the same now but at my age I feel that if I want to do this I better go while the going is still good, money be darned. I will go and be as frugal as possible then clean up the mess later, in my old age perhaps.

My son and I have been trying to work out the timing so he can drive down from Northern California and follow me the first week, perhaps as far as Phoenix, AZ. This arrangement will give me a week of riding with a light load which will give my body and mind a chance to get into pedaling fairly long distances day after day.

The last few days I have been having many qualms about this whole project but now that departure seems eminent I feel much better about it. This afternoon I did some serious housework and washed and cleaned and lubes the chain on the bike. I need to pack a few personal items, meds and so on and do laundry and I am pretty much ready to leave. I am waiting to hear if my son will come tomorrow or not.

I will be using a set of maps purchased from the Adventure Cycling Association, a non-profit which has established and mapped many bicycle routes in the USA. The official route starts in San Diego, CA, and ends in Jacksonville, FL, and is covered by 7 maps. I will join the route on Map #1 at Hope, AZ, on AZ Highway 60, and reach my friends house about 60 miles short of the end of Map #6 (if I make it all the way). The maps are designed specifically for bicycle to uring and each contains about 10 panels of 30 route miles. 2-3 panels show in a handlebar bag map case which is very convenient and on the back is information for each panel about food, lodging, road hazards and so on.

Day: -2
2-25-13
29 Palms
Sheep Hole Valley
Miles: 47.5

Dan came at 1:00 Am this morning. I woke up about 6:00 and we got on the road about 11:45. I had to go back twice first because my tire pump was in Dan's car and then because I had not locked the door. Did 1.5 miles before I even started.

Dan and went for gas and food while I pedaled. He caught me 16 miles out on Highway 62. I had a soda and we talked a bit then he went ahead and I continued on a moderate downhill for 5-6 miles before starting the first of many climbs to come. This one was not too bad, about 1000 feet in 5-6 miles.

I came upon Dan again at mile 35. I had 2 hard boiled eggs and another coke then we started for the final 10 miles to Sheephole Valley. I arrived about 5:00 and we started down the dirt road to find a camp spot.

Dan went ahead. I stopped about 1/4 mile in because I did not want to go too far down on a dirt road I would have to climb in the morning. Dan went far enough down that I could not see where he was but could not see what he was doing. He finally came back and told me that he had pulled a guy who was stuck out of a hole. He said that there were better prospects for getting the car off the road where he he had been so I led the way down.

Here we are. This is not the best campsite but not so bad either. Apparently there is an industrial site down the road as large semi trucks have come by about once an hour since dark.

The afternoon was pleasant, warm while standing still but cool while moving. I ate nothing all day but 4 boiled eggs so I was a bit hungry when we landed. After putting up my tent and putting on some warmer clothes I had a peanut butter and honey sandwich, a can of ravioli, 1/2 of a cheap fast food chicken sandwich Dan had purchased but thought better of eating, 4 apple bars and a 1/2 liter of water. Dan forced down a can of Spam.

It cooled down quickly after the sun set. We both layered up. About 6:30 we got in the car and Dan ran the heater up. It felt very good but made me sleepy. I gave up and got in my tent a bit after 7:00. I fell asleep and woke at 9:00 with severe leg cramps. I had about 1/2 of a bike bottle of water then put a Nuun tab in and had the rest. That seems to have stopped the cramping and here we are. Apparently one bottle of electrolyte drink and 2 diet cokes are not enough fluid for 45 miles even on a cool afternoon. I will do better tomorrow.

All and all a good first day. 45 miles down, about 2000 to go.

Day: -1
2/26/2013
Sheephole Valley
2 miles east of Rice, CA
Miles: 33.3

I woke at 7:45 this morning after a long cool night. Dan reluctantly got up and we got on the road a few minutes before 9:00. It was a great sunny morning if a bit on the cool side. I climbed about a mile back to the highway then had a 4 mile moderately down hill run before a pretty steep 4 mile climb up to the junction of 62 and the road south to I-10 at Desert Center.

After leaving through junction the fun began. After a short climb over a saddle into the next to valley or basin what could have been a nice 20 miles into the defunct town of Rice became a struggle because of a headwind. I did not get to Rice until almost 3:00. After resting a bit I announced I wanted to stop for the day. We looked around town and did not see an attractive camp site so we went and about 2 miles east and found a passable spot down a side road. I set up my tent with some help from Dan. The wind was brisk. Dan drove ahead to Vidal Junction to pick up some goodies. When he returned we sat in the car. I read until dark then went to bed.

Day: -0
2/27/2013
2 miles east of Rice, CA
29 Palms, California
Miles: 3.9

Yes, 29 Palms. The wind blew relentlessly most of the night. It had stopped when we got up about 6:30. We got on the road at about 8:00. After 4 miles of nice going the wind came up from 0 to 15 or so in a few moments. Dan came back and reported it was blowing ahead as well. We had discussed aborting yesterday and had decided to wait to see what today would bring. After a brief discussion we decided to pack it in. We turned back and found a suitable place to stop and load up the bike. This turned out to be quite a challenge as the car was already packed to the gills. After trying to get it in the back seat we have gave up took everything out and put the bike in the trunk thanks to the cars fold down rear seats then packed inverting back in on and a and round the bike.

We were back in 29 Palms in about an hour and one half, two days of effort undone in minutes. Such is life. After we sorted out the car Dan started for home.

My plan was to load up my car and drive to Florida but I found myself considering biking options such as using a different bike with a much smaller load. I made a list for a truncated load but in the end decided that the touring bike made the most sense. I did go through the entire kit and eliminated a number of items in order to reduce weight and volume as much as reasonably possible. After I finished this I was still indecisive about going and if so when. Monday made the most sense to avoid weekend traffic on Highway 62 but leaving immediately while I had to conditioning of the last two days available made sense too. By using this time it was too late to start so I had no choice but to sleep on it.

Day: 1
2/28/2013
29 Palms, California
Sheephole Valley Road
Miles: 46.3

I find it hard to believe but here I am camped a few hundred yards from the spot where Dan and I camped Monday. I did my best to talk myself out of starting again but I could not seem to keep from doing it. This time I did the ride alone and with a full load. It went well, not nearly as badly as expected given the load. I was very careful to be patient and take it easy on the climbs and that made the difference.

I started at about the same time and had to go to back the same two times and it seemed much slower on the climbs but I arrived at camp at about the same time. I did not stop as much for one thing. Anyway it is pleasing to see that this ride may work after all.

I turned around in the first half mile the first time because I noticed I did not have my bike computer. I took it off the bike yesterday and who knows what I did with it. I searched my kit this evening and do not seem to have it. The second return was because I could not remember locking the door. I had.

Over the past six months I have been experiencing some sort of attention problem. First I lost my irreplaceable fleece ear flap hat then I ran into a car in the grocery store parking lot then lost my almost new expensive polyester t-shirt and apparently my bike computer and to top it off I decided to bring my second very good polyester zip neck turtle shirt today and got too warm and took it off and apparently rode off and left it in the road. I don't know if these events are the harbingers of senility or a not but they sure are annoying and frustrating.

What a difference a few days can make. Monday it was just plain cold here almost from the time we arrived. I had to put on extra clothing during the night and never really got comfortable. This evening I am laying on top of my bag in my undies at 7:00 PM. Now a warm windfree day tomorrow is in order.

Day: 2
3/01/2013
Sheephole Valley Road
Parker, AZ
Miles: 66.7

An interesting day. It took 3 hours to go the 30 miles between Sheephole Valley and Rice (6 hours hours Tuesday), then 2 1/2 hours to do the 18 miles into Vidal Junction and 1 1/2 hours for the final 18 to Parker. The uphill against the wind 18 miles between Rice and Vidal account for most of the weirdness.

I had planned to stop somewhere between Vidal and Parker and camp in the bushes but the ride went so well I decided to go into Parker and get a room and a good dinner.

Day: 3
3/02/2013
Parker, AZ
Hope, AZ
Miles: 49.5

Another interesting day in the neighborhood. I did not sleep well in the crummy smoking room I was in. I slept 2 3 hour stints, got up at about 8:00 and go on the road about 10:30. The first 12.5 miles to the Highway 95 cutoff went well in spite of some crazy traffic and even crazier AZ drivers. I could editorialize about Arizonans and their unenlightened and crude Darwinian world view but suffice it to say I feel lucky to have survived to day.

After the cutoff I started to drag. Sadly I was still 15 miles from the next town, Boise. It was a bit of a slog and I was seriously considering stopping for the day in Bouse but after I got to the store and loaded up on hot dogs, Coke and other junk I felt revived enough to continue which I did. I left Bouse about 3:15 and reached Hope a bit before 6:00. I went directly to the market for Coke then pushed the bike across the street to see if the RV park accommodates tent campers. They do and here I am as happy as a clam after a shower and a can of beans and one of corn. I will turn in soon. Tomorrow offers 50 miles of steady uphill to Wickenburg.

Day: 4
3/03/2013
Hope, AZ
Aguila, AZ
Miles: 36.0

It is 3:30 AM and I have been awake since 1:00 working on getting the first segment of this blog posted. I am writing it in Office Pro on my Android tablet because of the larger keyboard and screen and much better battery life than my phone. Sadly the tablet is not very compatible with Google Blogger. I finally realized I must put all the HTML tags in the "Word" doc then paste the whole mess into the Blogger because the Android keyboard and Blogger do not play well together. HTML use symbols and letters which require some tricky manipulation on an Android keyboard. I think I have finally mastered a cut and paste method for propagating the required HTML. If any of you have suggestions for doing this process more easily I would appreciate hearing from you. Time for more sleep (I hope).

It is now 5:40 PM and I am well settled in an old but nicely kept motel room. I am showered and in clean duds and will go next door for dinner with a biker from AL who is staying two doors down. Here he is headed for San Diego on a Surly Long Haul Trucker towing a Bob single wheel trailer. Naturally we have a lot to talk about.

When I woke up at 8:30 this AM it was windy, cloudy and cool/cold. I seriously considered laying over at Hope but decided to shower and give it a shot. I went across the street to the market at about 10:00. I got some Cokes and a can of "Ranch Style Beans". At one end of the building was a picnic table with an A/C outlet on it. I ate the beans, charged the phone, talked to a security guard who was across the street guarding the copper wire at an AZ water project yard and generally had a great time until I left at about 11:30.

The ride started with a 4-5 mile grind up a pretty steep grade. I took my time and it went fine. I blew through Harquvar and Salome but hit the market in Wenden for more Coke and a big cheese roll. The roll was a disappointment but it kept me fueled for quite a few miles. It is 23 miles from Wenden to Aguila. I planned to stop at the RV park in Aguila and was disappointed to find it defunct. I thought my choices were to push on the 26 miles to Wickenburg or camp in the bushes along the way so I was pleasantly surprised to see this place after passing through town.

The day did warm up although the clouds persisted. The wind eventually came around behind me and the route, Highway 60, has a nice if somewhat bumpy shoulder. There was plenty of Sunday traffic to but I had no problems avoiding it. All in all a good Sunday ride.

My cousin Bill has started a Google Map of this journey. Click Here

Day: 5
3/04/2013
Aguila , AZ
Surprise, AZ
Miles: 62.4

Like life the road to Phoenix has its ups and downs. Today the ups were not bad and the downs were a joy. When I left Aguila at 10:30 I had some anxiety about getting 60 miles to Surprise before dark but thanks to a favorable breeze and a beautiful day I made it by 4:00.

I had had visions of having to do the last miles including the Sun City area in the the dark. The average age of the drivers in the Sun City area is about 106 but on a positive note they have the vision, hearing and reflexes of a 200 year old. I know this from going through the area several times by motorcycle.

The day started with a 20-25 mile climb to Wickenburg followed by 35-40 miles of downhill to Surprise on a road with a beautiful shoulder and a tailwind most of the way. After I got to the motel the and showered I walked down the street in hopes of finding a mouse and small keyboard to use with my tablet. I did find a small travel mouse at a Ross type store. I think it will alleviate most of the problems I am having with Blogger.

I went all day on 8 Chips Ahoy cookies and a 20 oz. Diet Pepsi. I picked up a bag of burgers and tacos on the way back from my walk. Haha! I have to be careful. I might lose some lard.

Day: 6
3/05/2013
Surprise , AZ
Apache Junction KOA, AZ
Miles: 60.3

A long day. I got on the road at 10:30 with 60 miles to go to the night's lodging in Apache Junction.

Day: 7
3/06/2013
Apache Junction KOA, Apache Junction, AZ
Apache Junction KOA, AZ
Miles: 00.0

A Rest day! I pushed it a bit hard the last 2 days so I will take one off. This is probably the most affordable place to park in the Phoenix Metro Area and it is a decent environment with good amenities so I will take advantage of it. I started in on my entry last night after getting in bed but quickly lost interest and decided to go to sleep and finish it when I woke up at the usual 12:00-1:00. For the first time I slept all night. Your loss (of my pithy observations and fine prose) but my gain.

I arrived here about 6:15 last evening pretty well wrung out. I set up shop, took a shower, bought canned food at the park store and ate it, then visited with my neighbor, John, a retired Canadian Air Force man who is riding from San Diego to TX. Yesterday's route was a bit tricky in that it followed the Arizona Canal Bike Path part of the way and a rather elaborate route on city streets for the remainder. I made 2 small errors and had to backtrack a few hundred yards. It could have been worse. The last 28 miles from the ASU Stadium in Tempe to the KOA was a bit of a chore but obviously I made it.

Along the way I saw a Best Buy store so I pulled in a purchased a small Microsoft Bluetooth keyboard which I am using now. What a huge difference over typing on the tablet's virtual keyboard! Between it and the mouse I expect to have a relatively easy time updating the Blog as well. Hopefully I will get the blog in good enough shape today to send the link to my entire list of victims

So It is a beautiful morning in the shade here. My solar battery is sitting out recharging and I have had some Coke and feel rested so all is well. The next 50 miles involves the first serious climbing of the trip so I am happy to have a day to rest for it. I plan to do about 30 of it tomorrow to Superior, AZ, where there is a small dive type motel I stayed in once before on a motorcycle crossing.

4:20 PM: A nice day so far. I messed with my journal/blog, did a load of laundry and visited with John. He took his bike to a shop for some maintenance this morning and I gave him some cash and he got me a nifty new computer which I installed. We are sitting around in the shade visiting with the neighbors across the street. It is cooling off nicely from a 80 degree high.

7:20 PM John is in the hot tub and I am guarding the fort. We have been charging our tablets and battery packs at a pillar across the street and have our stuff scattered all over. I may go in the tub for awhile when J comes back. I had a satisfying dinner of canned corn, canned spaghetti and meatballs, a small bag of Cheese-It crackers, a small pack of fake Oreos and a Mounds Bar. Tomorrow is moving day. I plan to go at least to Superior, 31 miles away. I do not know if John will ride with me or not. Either way it will be fine. It is slkated toi rain Friday. We will see how that goes.