Cycling and other musings
69 miles, 2457 feet climbed, weather: comfortable to start, warm but not blazing hot, at the end
Today would have been a 99 mile day but for road construction, which made a 30 mile stretch of I-10 impassable (well, seriously unsafe) for us. Staff had to shuttle us between the second an third SAG stops. There we no complaints about the reduced mileage, especially when we saw the work zone (photo below). And I had no flats to fix.
Continue reading “Day 4: Indio to Blythe, CA”90 Miles, 1998 Feet Climbed, Weather-overcast/cool to begin, sunny and warm, but comfortable at the end
It looks like we’re going to have unseasonably moderate weather for a while. Today started cool, which made the major climb on highway 79 into Banning easier. We grouped up on the western border of the Morongo Tribal Reservation. Going through the reservation avoided a nasty alternative route. The tribe insisted that we go through as a group, not individually.
Continue reading “Day 3: Moreno Valley to Indio, CA”84.5 Miles, 2493 Feet Climbed, Weather: Low 60’s, overcast to start, sunny after Anaheim, low 70’s at finish.
Today’s ride took us through old haunts and areas I still visit yearly; tomorrow’s will be a little more of the same. First off, some stats from yesterday’s orientation. We have about 25 riders and 7 staffers. They include folks from the Brighton, UK, Israel, and Vancouver, Canada. Two of the riders are apprenticing part time as staffers. There were a few scratches before the ride, whose places were given to a few riders who were registered for this year’s cancelled America by Bicycle tours.
Continue reading “Day 2: El Segundo to Moreno Valley, CA”0 miles, 0 feet climbed
After 3 years, here’s the Epilogue I promised back in 2019 at the end of the America By Bicycle America North tour:
If I had profound thoughts to share, I’ve forgotten them. I do believe that the small changes to the route were good–getting off the highway between Astoria and St. Helens on day 1 and the diversion through the Badlands in South Dakota. On the other hand, the narrow stretch of Highway 26 north of the Warm Springs casino, avoided in 2004, was nasty, with narrow or no shoulders and kamikaze logging trucks. The routing the next day between Madras and Prineville wasn’t much better for truck traffic on narrow roads. I hope that some money is freed to maintain the Elroy-Sparta bike trail, a highlight from 2004 and a muddy slog this time.
Continue reading “2019 Epilogue . . . 2022 LA to Boston Day 1: El Segundo, CA”