I set off on my Erie Canal bike trip today. Originally I was going to leave Saturday, two days ago, but yesterday was predicted to be rainy so I waited.
I left Hilton NY around 2 so I only had a few hours until dark. The weather was fine, a bit windy in places but not bad. I'm trying to adjust to the cold weather cycling by taking more breaks to regulate temperature better.
My new saddle is going to take some getting used to. It's actually an old saddle that I pulled off my old bike an put on my touring bike. I think it is harder than the one I was using. It also has a groove down the middle for ventilation and circulation, so it should feel better once I get used to it.
For my first night on the Erie Canal I ended up finding a nice little pine forest area for the night. It's a bit close to a road, but nice soft ground and I'm well hidden. Tomorrow I should be spending the night in Lockport with a warmshowers host who also thru hiked the AT, so that should be good.
Adventuring around the country, one step, one paddle, one pedal at a time.
Showing posts with label touring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label touring. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
New Plans for a New Year in New York
Since I am currently in the Rochester, NY area, I plan on spending some time exploring the New York region. I grew up in Rochester, and have been to the Adirondacks quite a bit, but haven't done any long distance trips in New York. Obviously it is pretty cold, but as long as I prepare it shouldn't be too bad.
The first trip to explore New York is going to be along the Erie Canal. The canal runs from Albany to Buffalo, roughly 365 miles. The tow path, where the donkeys used to walk along the canal, is mostly converted to a bike path. I suppose you could say that I am following in the footsteps of a long line of asses.
Anyways, the Erie Canal was billed as the Eighth Wonder of the World when it was built. I figured that it will take me along the length of the state, and through a lot of small towns along the way. Since there is a bike path I can avoid biking through the slush on the roads, and avoid most of the car traffic as well. Probably another week or two before I start this trip, as I still have some planning left to do.
The first trip to explore New York is going to be along the Erie Canal. The canal runs from Albany to Buffalo, roughly 365 miles. The tow path, where the donkeys used to walk along the canal, is mostly converted to a bike path. I suppose you could say that I am following in the footsteps of a long line of asses.
Anyways, the Erie Canal was billed as the Eighth Wonder of the World when it was built. I figured that it will take me along the length of the state, and through a lot of small towns along the way. Since there is a bike path I can avoid biking through the slush on the roads, and avoid most of the car traffic as well. Probably another week or two before I start this trip, as I still have some planning left to do.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Cost of Biking
A lot of people that I meet on my trips comment about how expensive it is to travel, or how they wish they could do it, or even that I must be a millionaire.
So I decided to break down the total costs of the trip. I already had all of my camping gear, including stuff like a tent, sleeping bag, clothing, etc, so this is just the cost of the biking.
Bike: $450
Racks: $70
Panniers: $130
Tools: $65
Pump: $30
Maintenance: $15
Add-ons (mirror, pedal cage, reflectors, etc): $68
Replacement tire: $27
Misc (gloves, helmet, etc): $87
Total equipment: $942
Campgrounds (4 nights on California coast):$19
Hostel in San Diego: $22
Total lodging: $41
Total food: $479
Total Cost: $1462
Number of Days: Aug 22-Dec 12: 112 days
Cost per Day: $13.05
However, now that I have all of my equipment purchased, any future bike trips will be just paying for food, lodging, and any maintenance. That means roughly $5-7 per day. That's pretty reasonable for anybody.
Granted I was stealth camping or on public land most of the time, which saved a ton of money, but so can anyone else. Warmshowers helped out a bit as well, providing free places to stay in some towns. Even just staying in camprounds could up the price by $10-20 per day. I am used to camping in the woods, so I am fine not at a campground, and that adds up to a cheap way of traveling for me.
And no, I am not a millionaire :)
So I decided to break down the total costs of the trip. I already had all of my camping gear, including stuff like a tent, sleeping bag, clothing, etc, so this is just the cost of the biking.
Bike: $450
Racks: $70
Panniers: $130
Tools: $65
Pump: $30
Maintenance: $15
Add-ons (mirror, pedal cage, reflectors, etc): $68
Replacement tire: $27
Misc (gloves, helmet, etc): $87
Total equipment: $942
Campgrounds (4 nights on California coast):$19
Hostel in San Diego: $22
Total lodging: $41
Total food: $479
Total Cost: $1462
Number of Days: Aug 22-Dec 12: 112 days
Cost per Day: $13.05
However, now that I have all of my equipment purchased, any future bike trips will be just paying for food, lodging, and any maintenance. That means roughly $5-7 per day. That's pretty reasonable for anybody.
Granted I was stealth camping or on public land most of the time, which saved a ton of money, but so can anyone else. Warmshowers helped out a bit as well, providing free places to stay in some towns. Even just staying in camprounds could up the price by $10-20 per day. I am used to camping in the woods, so I am fine not at a campground, and that adds up to a cheap way of traveling for me.
And no, I am not a millionaire :)
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Reassembly and Homebound
After getting in to the Greyhound station in Rochester NY around 8:00pm I had the fun job of putting my bike back together. Fortunately there were only 4 other people in the small station, so I didn't have people wandering around me all the time. The greyhound employees were also behind a wall from me, so they didn't have the opportunity to yell at me.
Overall it took about an hour or so to put the bike back together, making sure everything was working as I went along. The other people in the station gave me some strange looks, but went back to normal disinterest after a bit.
Since the station was in the middle of the city I had to ride out for about 10 miles to get to a good spot to camp. Along the way I ended up having to re-inflate my tires 3 times. Apparently the slime that had been holding my tires together doesn't like freezing temperatures. It probably doesn't distribute properly in the tire to seal any leaks. While its not fun to deal with flats at any time, it especially sucks when its dark out and freezing cold.
After setting up my tent for the night I changed out one of my tubes for my last spare, and called it a night. The next morning I did the last ten miles to my parents house, and the spare seemed to hold. Now its time to do some long needed maintenance on my bike, and try to enjoy the holidays.
Overall it took about an hour or so to put the bike back together, making sure everything was working as I went along. The other people in the station gave me some strange looks, but went back to normal disinterest after a bit.
Since the station was in the middle of the city I had to ride out for about 10 miles to get to a good spot to camp. Along the way I ended up having to re-inflate my tires 3 times. Apparently the slime that had been holding my tires together doesn't like freezing temperatures. It probably doesn't distribute properly in the tire to seal any leaks. While its not fun to deal with flats at any time, it especially sucks when its dark out and freezing cold.
After setting up my tent for the night I changed out one of my tubes for my last spare, and called it a night. The next morning I did the last ten miles to my parents house, and the spare seemed to hold. Now its time to do some long needed maintenance on my bike, and try to enjoy the holidays.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Another Greyhound Adventure
After spending my last night on the bike trip, my host drove me and my boxed up bike to the Greyhound station around 7:30am, since she had to work around 8:00. I knew the bus wasn't supposed to leave for several hours, so I checked in my box and waited. The bike box actually weighed in at 53 pounds, over the limit, but the station attendant let it slide, which probably saved $40 in overweight charges.
Then the fun began. The bus coming in to Roswell was more than two hours later, coming from El Paso. According to the driver it was due to icy roads, but that doesn't really account for all the time. Then, leaving Roswell we were traveling around 30mph down an absolutely clear highway. Finally one of the passengers complained and the driver said there was engine trouble, and it was smoking, so we pulled off the side of the road for her to check something.
When we pulled back on the road the smoking had stopped, but we were still only doing around 30mph, even with the pedal all the way down. The driver announced over the PA that we could either limp along the highway towards Amarillo, or wait for a bus to catch us from El Paso. The Amarillo option was faster, so that is what she was going for.
When we got to the next town the dispatch called her and told her to stop the bus there, and they would send another bus from Amarillo, which would take about 3 hours. Fortunately there was a McDonalds close by, and a Dollar General.
When we finally got to Amarillo we were 8 hours late, so they had to reroute everyone. They did give complementary meal tickets, but they were for the in-station restaurant, which was typical really bad food. When I finally got rerouted they sent me through St. Louis and Cleveland, instead of through Memphis, and I would have to wait about 5 hours for the next bus.
The positive side of the reroute was that from there on out I was on the newer style of bus, including electric outlets and wireless. Also, for some reason the baggage handling policy was different on that schedule, so the handlers would actually move my bike box over to the new bus for me. Usually you have to move it yourself.
The really bad part of the reroute was that instead of getting in around 10:30am in Rochester, I would be getting in at 8:00pm, well after dark. Originally I was planning on riding all the way to my parents house that day (~20 miles), but the darkness changed that around.
Then the fun began. The bus coming in to Roswell was more than two hours later, coming from El Paso. According to the driver it was due to icy roads, but that doesn't really account for all the time. Then, leaving Roswell we were traveling around 30mph down an absolutely clear highway. Finally one of the passengers complained and the driver said there was engine trouble, and it was smoking, so we pulled off the side of the road for her to check something.
When we pulled back on the road the smoking had stopped, but we were still only doing around 30mph, even with the pedal all the way down. The driver announced over the PA that we could either limp along the highway towards Amarillo, or wait for a bus to catch us from El Paso. The Amarillo option was faster, so that is what she was going for.
When we got to the next town the dispatch called her and told her to stop the bus there, and they would send another bus from Amarillo, which would take about 3 hours. Fortunately there was a McDonalds close by, and a Dollar General.
When we finally got to Amarillo we were 8 hours late, so they had to reroute everyone. They did give complementary meal tickets, but they were for the in-station restaurant, which was typical really bad food. When I finally got rerouted they sent me through St. Louis and Cleveland, instead of through Memphis, and I would have to wait about 5 hours for the next bus.
The positive side of the reroute was that from there on out I was on the newer style of bus, including electric outlets and wireless. Also, for some reason the baggage handling policy was different on that schedule, so the handlers would actually move my bike box over to the new bus for me. Usually you have to move it yourself.
The really bad part of the reroute was that instead of getting in around 10:30am in Rochester, I would be getting in at 8:00pm, well after dark. Originally I was planning on riding all the way to my parents house that day (~20 miles), but the darkness changed that around.
Monday, December 10, 2012
One last night
I decided a little while ago that I would be temporarily ending my bike trip, for a couple of reasons. Originally I was going to be working in Florida for the winter, but that fell through. The company wasn't able to figure out if they could insure me or not, since their insurance company never responded to more than a month of calls and emails.
Ending the trip is a bit more complicated than I had originally thought. I had to figure out where I was going to end it, try to set up a warmshowers host, tear apart and box up the bike, and buy a greyhound ticket. Boxing up the bike was definitely the most complicated part of the process.
I ended up deciding on Roswell NM partly because of the greyhound schedules and partly because of warmshowers. If I had ended the trip in Carlsbad it would have meant an extra day on the bus, since the first bus schedule would have taken me back to El Paso, then a roundabout route from there. Instead, I can go more directly from Roswell, and save myself that extra day.
Then came the dilemma of the bike. I figured that any bike shop would be able to supply a bike box, so I wasn't too worried about that aspect. However, when I got into town there was only one small bike repair shop, and they were closed. It seemed likely that they wouldn't have a box anyways, given the type of shop.
I tried behind a Sears, but all of their cardboard was crushed right away, so I went to the dumpsters next door behind a family dollar. Their cardboard wasn't crushed, but it was smaller boxes than I would have liked, but I would have to make due. I ended up grabbing a couple of bigger boxes and tying them on the back of the bike.
Fortunately when I got to my warmshowers host she had planned ahead a bit, since I had emailed that I was hoping to box up the bike. My host had saved several boxes, including a wheel box left behind by previous bikers when they had ordered a new wheel online. Probably the best part though was that her neighbor was visiting her, and mentioned that she had just gotten a mattress, and still had half of the box left over.
I ended up using the mattress box, plenty of packing tape, and a bit of rope to keep the box together. It wasn't a perfect packing job, but after taking the bike all apart the box fit relatively well. The torn apart bike was all taped together, in hopes of reducing damage from greyhound baggage handlers.
And the next morning was a perfect ending to the trip. I had avoided snow the entire trip, and on the last morning I woke up to a wonderful view:
Ending the trip is a bit more complicated than I had originally thought. I had to figure out where I was going to end it, try to set up a warmshowers host, tear apart and box up the bike, and buy a greyhound ticket. Boxing up the bike was definitely the most complicated part of the process.
I ended up deciding on Roswell NM partly because of the greyhound schedules and partly because of warmshowers. If I had ended the trip in Carlsbad it would have meant an extra day on the bus, since the first bus schedule would have taken me back to El Paso, then a roundabout route from there. Instead, I can go more directly from Roswell, and save myself that extra day.
Then came the dilemma of the bike. I figured that any bike shop would be able to supply a bike box, so I wasn't too worried about that aspect. However, when I got into town there was only one small bike repair shop, and they were closed. It seemed likely that they wouldn't have a box anyways, given the type of shop.
I tried behind a Sears, but all of their cardboard was crushed right away, so I went to the dumpsters next door behind a family dollar. Their cardboard wasn't crushed, but it was smaller boxes than I would have liked, but I would have to make due. I ended up grabbing a couple of bigger boxes and tying them on the back of the bike.
Fortunately when I got to my warmshowers host she had planned ahead a bit, since I had emailed that I was hoping to box up the bike. My host had saved several boxes, including a wheel box left behind by previous bikers when they had ordered a new wheel online. Probably the best part though was that her neighbor was visiting her, and mentioned that she had just gotten a mattress, and still had half of the box left over.
I ended up using the mattress box, plenty of packing tape, and a bit of rope to keep the box together. It wasn't a perfect packing job, but after taking the bike all apart the box fit relatively well. The torn apart bike was all taped together, in hopes of reducing damage from greyhound baggage handlers.
And the next morning was a perfect ending to the trip. I had avoided snow the entire trip, and on the last morning I woke up to a wonderful view:
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Another National Park day, this time just a day trip to Carlsbad Caverns. In the caverns there are a few options for which caves to explore, including self guided and ranger guided trips. I decided to go down the Natural Entrance and then explore the Big Cave, which are both self-guided trips. That covers more than 90% of the actual caverns, so I didn't miss much by skipping out on the ranger guided trips.
The first thing I was impressed by was the sheer scale of the caverns. In the Natural Entrance, you start going down a steep path, and then you just keep going down further and further. Looking up in the caverns gives you a feel for the scale of the caves, but they are gigantic.
Then you start factoring in all of the 'decorations' of the caves, which are the stone structures that have been created over thousands of years. A lot of them are pretty plain, but some are actually quite intricate, with all sorts of ripples, folds, and coloring. The whole cave is lit by electric lights, but in an appropriate way. The lighting lends a feel of being in a cathedral, and everyone tended to talk in whispers.
Probably my best pictures:
See the rest of my Carlsbad pictures here.
The first thing I was impressed by was the sheer scale of the caverns. In the Natural Entrance, you start going down a steep path, and then you just keep going down further and further. Looking up in the caverns gives you a feel for the scale of the caves, but they are gigantic.
Then you start factoring in all of the 'decorations' of the caves, which are the stone structures that have been created over thousands of years. A lot of them are pretty plain, but some are actually quite intricate, with all sorts of ripples, folds, and coloring. The whole cave is lit by electric lights, but in an appropriate way. The lighting lends a feel of being in a cathedral, and everyone tended to talk in whispers.
Probably my best pictures:
See the rest of my Carlsbad pictures here.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
I just spent the last three days exploring Guadalupe Mountains National Park, finally spending a night in one of the parks. They allow free backcountry camping, so I left my bike at the visitor center and took off for two nights to go backpacking for a bit. The only catch is that there are no water sources in the backcountry, so I had to carry all of my water with me. I had already been doing that on the bike, so I had enough capacity, but it was still pretty heavy. Good thing I'm in good shape from previous backpacking and now all the biking.
I left the visitor center in the afternoon and hiked about 4 miles up 2000 feet to a campsite called Pine Top for the first night. Thankfully there were a bunch of trees in the area, because it was pretty windy all day long. Camping in a bunch of trees is definitely a nice change from what I have been doing. Also, getting away from any traffic noises was a nice reward for the steep climb up.
The second day I went for a day-hike from my camp, on a loop called The Bowl, which is basically a big depression on the top of the mountains, which has been home to a Ponderosa Pine forest. There was some fire damage from a forest fire in 1990, but the forest has regrown quite a bit since then.
The last day I hiked back down to the visitor center, then went on a day hike from the visitor center to a place called Devils Hall, which is a natural stone staircase at the bottom of a steep canyon with nearly vertical walls.
See the rest of my Guadalupe pictures here.
I left the visitor center in the afternoon and hiked about 4 miles up 2000 feet to a campsite called Pine Top for the first night. Thankfully there were a bunch of trees in the area, because it was pretty windy all day long. Camping in a bunch of trees is definitely a nice change from what I have been doing. Also, getting away from any traffic noises was a nice reward for the steep climb up.
The second day I went for a day-hike from my camp, on a loop called The Bowl, which is basically a big depression on the top of the mountains, which has been home to a Ponderosa Pine forest. There was some fire damage from a forest fire in 1990, but the forest has regrown quite a bit since then.
The last day I hiked back down to the visitor center, then went on a day hike from the visitor center to a place called Devils Hall, which is a natural stone staircase at the bottom of a steep canyon with nearly vertical walls.
See the rest of my Guadalupe pictures here.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Border Patrol
Today I passed through a Border Patrol checkpoint, one of several that I have been through. They seem to be permanent checkpoints, but they aren't actually at the border crossings. I think they are just to systematically check for any non-citizens.
This particular check was interesting because it was in the middle of nowhere so they were pretty surprised to see a biker. It was at least 150 miles of nothingness between the towns, so they wanted to make sure I had enough water, etc. Since I knew the distance, I had prepared by taking an extra gallon of water with me. I think they didn't realize the kind of distance that someone can cover on a bike, thinking that I would be out for a week or so between towns. They did offer me extra water just in case, but I didn't need any more, so after they confirmed I was a US citizen they let me pass.
This particular check was interesting because it was in the middle of nowhere so they were pretty surprised to see a biker. It was at least 150 miles of nothingness between the towns, so they wanted to make sure I had enough water, etc. Since I knew the distance, I had prepared by taking an extra gallon of water with me. I think they didn't realize the kind of distance that someone can cover on a bike, thinking that I would be out for a week or so between towns. They did offer me extra water just in case, but I didn't need any more, so after they confirmed I was a US citizen they let me pass.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Texas
Well, my first night spent in Texas and it's already living up to its reputation. I was camped out on BLM land just east of El Paso, a little ways back from the main highway. It seemed like a pretty good campsite, where I wouldn't hear the traffic as much, and where I wouldn't be bothered by anyone since it was public land.
Instead, about an hour after dark I woke up to several ATVs revving their engines, and then spent the next several hours listening to pretty continuous gunfire. I'm pretty sure they were't hunters, since it was well after dark, and they were firing off entire clips in a matter of seconds. I don't know how you can aim 12 shots in a matter of 15 or 20 seconds, but they didn't seem to care. Also, I don't know what they were firing at, since it was way to dark to actually see any targets, but they seemed boisterous and happy.
I guess that's what I get for camping to close to a major city in Texas on a Friday night.
Instead, about an hour after dark I woke up to several ATVs revving their engines, and then spent the next several hours listening to pretty continuous gunfire. I'm pretty sure they were't hunters, since it was well after dark, and they were firing off entire clips in a matter of seconds. I don't know how you can aim 12 shots in a matter of 15 or 20 seconds, but they didn't seem to care. Also, I don't know what they were firing at, since it was way to dark to actually see any targets, but they seemed boisterous and happy.
I guess that's what I get for camping to close to a major city in Texas on a Friday night.
Falling apart
My bike is finally starting to fall apart. I now have slimed both of my tires, since even the thorn proof tire was going flat. The slime seems to be holding up though.
Also, the tire that I bought back near Capitol Reef has several cuts going straight through the actual tire. Not sure what could have caused that, other than a knife or something, but it is bad news. The actual tread is still relatively fine though, so I'm planning on using the tire for a bit longer. So far it has almost 3000 miles on it. Not bad for a $27 tire.
The worst part happened today after I did some grocery shopping. My kick stand completely disintegrated. It wasn't just that it came apart, but that the metal actually snapped. To be fair, I did just throw a weeks worth of groceries on the rear wheel, but I wasn't expecting the kickstand, of all things, to break next.
Also, the tire that I bought back near Capitol Reef has several cuts going straight through the actual tire. Not sure what could have caused that, other than a knife or something, but it is bad news. The actual tread is still relatively fine though, so I'm planning on using the tire for a bit longer. So far it has almost 3000 miles on it. Not bad for a $27 tire.
The worst part happened today after I did some grocery shopping. My kick stand completely disintegrated. It wasn't just that it came apart, but that the metal actually snapped. To be fair, I did just throw a weeks worth of groceries on the rear wheel, but I wasn't expecting the kickstand, of all things, to break next.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Cops
How to make money from cops:
I was riding along the shoulder of I-10 in New Mexico when a cop pulled over in front of me. Since he didn't have his lights going I checked behind me to make sure no trucks were coming, and then just went around him. As I was going by he yelled for me to pull over, so I did, figuring he just wanted to make sure I was ok.
Instead, he started questioning me about what I was doing, where I was going, etc, so I explained the basis of my trip. After talking for a bit he told me that I wasn't allowed to ride on the interstate, and he would have to give me a ticket. Now the rules differ by state, some allow you to ride interstates only if there isn't a similar parallel route, others allow it as long as there isn't heavy traffic, etc. I wasn't sure of the NM rules, but I knew that all the on-ramps had signs saying that pedestrians and motor driven cycles aren't allowed, but that bicycles should use shoulder only.
Knowing this I told him I was pretty sure I was allowed to be there, and could show him signs proving that. He was pretty skeptical, so I ended up making a bet with him, unofficially of course. If I could prove that I was allowed to be there, he would pay me the fine for the ticket he had tried to give me. If I couldn't immediately prove that I was allowed to be there, I would have to take the ticket and pay the fine. Fair enough by me.
I ended up locking my bike to itself with the rear wheel locked up, then jumping in the back of the police car. We took a U-turn on the interstate and went back to the last exit/on-ramp to see if there was any signage. Sure enough, there was one of the little "bicycles use should only" signs. The cop was pretty surprised, and said he was going to look into the relevant laws later, but drove me back to my bike and paid for the bet. Not a bad way to make a few bucks, although it was pretty stressful to deal with any kind of cop in that situation.
I was riding along the shoulder of I-10 in New Mexico when a cop pulled over in front of me. Since he didn't have his lights going I checked behind me to make sure no trucks were coming, and then just went around him. As I was going by he yelled for me to pull over, so I did, figuring he just wanted to make sure I was ok.
Instead, he started questioning me about what I was doing, where I was going, etc, so I explained the basis of my trip. After talking for a bit he told me that I wasn't allowed to ride on the interstate, and he would have to give me a ticket. Now the rules differ by state, some allow you to ride interstates only if there isn't a similar parallel route, others allow it as long as there isn't heavy traffic, etc. I wasn't sure of the NM rules, but I knew that all the on-ramps had signs saying that pedestrians and motor driven cycles aren't allowed, but that bicycles should use shoulder only.
Knowing this I told him I was pretty sure I was allowed to be there, and could show him signs proving that. He was pretty skeptical, so I ended up making a bet with him, unofficially of course. If I could prove that I was allowed to be there, he would pay me the fine for the ticket he had tried to give me. If I couldn't immediately prove that I was allowed to be there, I would have to take the ticket and pay the fine. Fair enough by me.
I ended up locking my bike to itself with the rear wheel locked up, then jumping in the back of the police car. We took a U-turn on the interstate and went back to the last exit/on-ramp to see if there was any signage. Sure enough, there was one of the little "bicycles use should only" signs. The cop was pretty surprised, and said he was going to look into the relevant laws later, but drove me back to my bike and paid for the bet. Not a bad way to make a few bucks, although it was pretty stressful to deal with any kind of cop in that situation.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving!
I didn't even think about today being Thanksgiving until yesterday, when I heard some people talking about the holidays. I wasn't really hoping for much, since I didn't have anything really set up through warmshowers for a place to stay, so I was probably going to be on the side of the road camped out somewhere.
Until JB stopped me on the side of the road. It was getting a bit late, almost sunset, and he wanted to know if I had anywhere to go or someone to celebrate with. I told him I didn't, and ended up going back to his house, which I had pretty much just passed. JB didn't have anything really planned, and he would have been spending the holiday alone as well, so it worked out nicely for both of us.
He ended up getting a prepared takeout meal from somewhere in town, and we talked for quite a while about a lot of outdoors type stuff. He works as a landscaper, but is really a naturalist at heart, and spends quite a bit of time outdoors. All in all, a good way to spend the holiday.
Saguaro National Park
I'm not quite sure what I was expecting for Saguaro National Park, but this wasn't really it. I visited the eastern portion of Saguaro National Park, which is right on the border of Tuscon, AZ. Essentially this visit consisted of an 8 mile loop road that went through a bunch of desert terrain. It was pretty cool to be zooming downhill past a bunch of really sharp plants on either side.
The actual "saguaro" forest has been coming and going since the creation of the park. Apparently a variety of environmental factors have caused a lot of them to die off, creating much less of a forest appearance. Then, restrictions on grazing rights in the park have caused an increase in the number of new saguaro plants growing, so we'll have to wait and see if the forest can recover.
See the pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61247038@N02/sets/72157632090894504/
The actual "saguaro" forest has been coming and going since the creation of the park. Apparently a variety of environmental factors have caused a lot of them to die off, creating much less of a forest appearance. Then, restrictions on grazing rights in the park have caused an increase in the number of new saguaro plants growing, so we'll have to wait and see if the forest can recover.
See the pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61247038@N02/sets/72157632090894504/
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Biosphere2
While I was heading down I-10 from Phoenix to Tuscon I saw a billboard advertising "Biosphere2." I remembered from a while back about the project, and decided to go see it, even though it was probably at least a day out of the way for me.
The original bioshpere2 project was a study in closed environments. They originally had 8 people sealed in the dome for 2 years, studying the environment and conducting experiments. The next group only lasted a couple of months before they closed it down. The problem was that most of the time was spent gathering food, rather than conducting experiments.
The end result is that the biosphere2 project was opened up, and used as a giant ecosystem laboratory. They also have turned it into a giant tourism place, with tours going out every 20 minutes or so into the biosphere, showing off the old exhibits as well as the current research. It was pretty interesting to see the entire building as one giant greenhouse, as well as the efforts that went into controlling the ecosystem and creation of the weather.
See the pictures here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61247038@N02/sets/72157632086715637/with/8214731284/
The original bioshpere2 project was a study in closed environments. They originally had 8 people sealed in the dome for 2 years, studying the environment and conducting experiments. The next group only lasted a couple of months before they closed it down. The problem was that most of the time was spent gathering food, rather than conducting experiments.
The end result is that the biosphere2 project was opened up, and used as a giant ecosystem laboratory. They also have turned it into a giant tourism place, with tours going out every 20 minutes or so into the biosphere, showing off the old exhibits as well as the current research. It was pretty interesting to see the entire building as one giant greenhouse, as well as the efforts that went into controlling the ecosystem and creation of the weather.
See the pictures here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61247038@N02/sets/72157632086715637/with/8214731284/
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Chance encounters
Since I was basically in the middle of San Diego, I decided to stay in a hostel in the area, rather than trying to find an out of the way spot to camp for the night. I ended up at Banana Bungalow Hostel, right on the coast, with nice beach right out the front door.
It was pretty much a standard hostel from my experience, but the coolest part was in the morning as I was about to leave. As I was heading out the door another guy was coming in the door. As he passed by I thought his backpack looked familiar, so I called out to him. It turns out that he was the same guy that I met in Tehachapi, CA, who was hiking the PCT going southbound. We stopped and talked for a bit about what had transpired since we met, and how our trips were going. He had finished up the PCT by Campo, and was taking some time off at the hostel in San Diego to cool off. He also had some plans to buy a boat at one of the marinas, so that could be interesting.
It was pretty much a standard hostel from my experience, but the coolest part was in the morning as I was about to leave. As I was heading out the door another guy was coming in the door. As he passed by I thought his backpack looked familiar, so I called out to him. It turns out that he was the same guy that I met in Tehachapi, CA, who was hiking the PCT going southbound. We stopped and talked for a bit about what had transpired since we met, and how our trips were going. He had finished up the PCT by Campo, and was taking some time off at the hostel in San Diego to cool off. He also had some plans to buy a boat at one of the marinas, so that could be interesting.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Los Angeles whirlwind
I spent the day touring Los Angeles. Fortunately I was traveling by rail, after leaving my bike at a warmshowers host in Long Beach. Much easier way of traveling, I must say. It was a very brief overview of the city, since I only had a day, but I packed a lot into that day, starting at Union Station.
One of the rail stations, I forget which one, had a bunch of flying people in it. No idea why, but that seemed to be the decoration theme for the area
A few other highlights:
...some nice fountains in the Grand Park area
...and the Space Shuttle Endeavor
... and ending the day at Watts Towers, a huge pile of artistic scraps
One of the rail stations, I forget which one, had a bunch of flying people in it. No idea why, but that seemed to be the decoration theme for the area
A few other highlights:
...some nice fountains in the Grand Park area
...and the Space Shuttle Endeavor
... and ending the day at Watts Towers, a huge pile of artistic scraps
Friday, November 2, 2012
Sails and Seals
After a couple of dreary days on the coast the weather has drastically improved. Clear skies, sunny, and no wind. Also, the terrain has leveled out, so I am one happy camper/biker.
With the change in weather I have seen more people out and about, including kite surfers, something I had always wanted to try. Basically surfing, but you have a giant kite that pulls you along.
I also stopped by a small cove, which looked like it had a bunch of bags washed up on the shore. It turned out they were all elephant seals. A lot of them looked pretty dead, but a few were moving around the shores and a bit more active.
I ended the day by Morro Bay, which has a giant rock sticking up out of it. I had set up a warmshowers host, which worked out quite nicely. Lately I have been having much better luck with warmshowers than I did in the beginning. It might be that I have a few more miles under my belt, which makes me seem much more like a biker than when I first started
With the change in weather I have seen more people out and about, including kite surfers, something I had always wanted to try. Basically surfing, but you have a giant kite that pulls you along.
I also stopped by a small cove, which looked like it had a bunch of bags washed up on the shore. It turned out they were all elephant seals. A lot of them looked pretty dead, but a few were moving around the shores and a bit more active.
I ended the day by Morro Bay, which has a giant rock sticking up out of it. I had set up a warmshowers host, which worked out quite nicely. Lately I have been having much better luck with warmshowers than I did in the beginning. It might be that I have a few more miles under my belt, which makes me seem much more like a biker than when I first started
Dreary, Hilly Coast
So far I have been on the Pacific Coast for two days, and haven't really seen the sun at all. Its been pretty foggy and overcast. While I can see the road ahead for a few miles, it is not very picturesque. To top things off, this area of the coast is pretty hilly, so I am always climbing. The Big Sur area is supposed to be one of the best parts of the Pacific Coast route, and I can definitely understand why, but unfortunately I haven't really seen it for myself.
There was one really nice spot, which I was glad that I took the time to get off the bike and see. There was a state park along the beach that had a pretty good size waterfall off of a cliff right onto the sandy beach along a little cove.
There was one really nice spot, which I was glad that I took the time to get off the bike and see. There was a state park along the beach that had a pretty good size waterfall off of a cliff right onto the sandy beach along a little cove.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Hitting the Coast
I finally made it over to the Pacific Coast today, but not in a very dramatic fashion. I rode through the town of Watsonville in a dense fog, so I couldn't really see that much. There seemed to be a lot of industrial buildings on the ocean side of town, and then a bunch of agriculture beyond that. This was my first time on the Pacific Coast Bike Route, which I followed trying to get to a beach and the ocean. That didn't work out too well, so eventually I just ended up cutting over based on directions from google maps, which didn't work out either. The directions took me through a gated community, where I had to explain what I was doing to a local to get in, and then I had to drag my bike across a bit of dunes to get to the water (a real pain with a fully loaded bike).
Finally I got to the water, and the fog lifted a bit so I could see up and down the coast for a little ways, but still not a nice beach day. I did see a seal in the water though, which I haven't seen before. After taking a nice long break I headed back inland to the Pacific Coast Route and turned south.
Finally I got to the water, and the fog lifted a bit so I could see up and down the coast for a little ways, but still not a nice beach day. I did see a seal in the water though, which I haven't seen before. After taking a nice long break I headed back inland to the Pacific Coast Route and turned south.
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