Grand Canyon supplement

I lived on the South Rim of the canyon back in the 70s for one summer with my family. I was 14 and my brother Dan was 16. We had bikes. I remember Dan had a really fancy one--a Peugeot if I'm not mistaken. Dan has now been an avid cyclist for many years and has been an inspiration for me. I remember him breaking his collar bone that summer on a fall from his bike in the visitor center parking lot. I made a point to visit the spot, which I still remember. I also was thinking back to when Dan was planning to ride his bike down to Flagstaff, maybe 80 miles, and remember thinking that was an incredibly and impossibly long distance for anyone to ride a bike. I was so impressed.

We had a lot of adventures together in the canyon (including the Hermit Trail trip he mentions in the comment below and his dog shitting on my head in Ten X Campground).

Dan is still an inspiration to me and one of the reasons I ended up on this epic trip. Thanks, Dan!

Day 11, Mile 892: Monument Valley, Utah

Today I biked: 65 miles (of the 117 mile route), about 4500 feet climbing, substantial headwind again!

Cumulative: 10 biking days, 818 miles, about 40000 feet of climbing, wildlife: coyote (2x), road runners, elk, raccoons, wild burros, wild horses, prairie dogs, lizards, small snake, countless other rodents and birds, desiccated bobcat in Grand Canyon Caverns (and others saw some bighorn sheep in the Black Mountains).

Today was both absolutely agonizing and absolutely thrilling. It was a long route, 117 miles with lots of climbing. First we climbed out of Tuba City, then spent the morning gradually climbing up along Black Mesa and towards Monument Valley on the Arizona/Utah border. Absolutely stunning scenery the entire day.

I was having a hard time from the start. I decided to get in the van for a few miles to give me a little boost and so I would get into lunch #1 (we had two lunch stops today) not too terribly late and having a chance at finishing the day before dusk. But even that didn't help much. I trudged against the wind all morning and got to a point that felt like bonking (bike term for running out of sugar in the muscles--a completely debilitating condition) even though I was eating regular and keeping hydrated. I just ran out of steam and the last five or ten miles into lunch #1 were just agonizing (and the climbing and headwind made it that much worse) and dead slow. So I got in the van and rode to lunch #2 stop, at the beginning of Monument Valley and 20 miles out of our destination of Mexican Hat, Utah. My body said no way, but I rode it anyway and it was really fantastic.

These decisions to hop in the van are indescribably difficult. I am already soooo disappointed that I am not biking every single mile. But at the same time, I want to maximize the total number of miles I ride on the trip without injuring myself. So you trudge on mile after mile debating and debating, trying to decide if you are just lacking willpower, in which case you should tough it out and go on, or if you are on the verge of hurting yourself and risking the rest of the trip and indeed your physical wellbeing. I hope I have chosen wisely. In the end, a 65 mile day with lots of wind and climbing is not too shabby, anyway.

The last 20 miles were fantastic, despite my physical condition. Tomorrow, I've already decided to spend a lot of van time so I can recover before the Colorado mountains coming up.

(I have lots more photos but not a good internet connection. I'll have to post them later.)

Day 10, Mile 775: Tuba City, Arizona

Today I rode: 80 miles, 4700 feet of climbing, some heavy cross and head winds in places.

Cumulative: 754 miles in 9 riding days, 35500 climbing feet.

Today's ride followed a wonderful entire day of rest at the Grand Canyon. But, I could have used a couple more... To start I had to wait over an hour to get a table in any restaurant last night and didn't get to bed until nearly 10 pm. It sounds funny that I consider that so late, but when you have to get up at 5 am, it is. Then I slept a bit fitfully, what, between my cold which is now a cough (how many more days!?), and the most dreaded sound to a cyclist--howling wind. The start was late (7:15), cold, and windy. I had on two layers of shorts, leg warmers, arm warmers, and a wind breaker, thinking back almost wistfully to a few days previous and the 100+ temp.

We made our way out along the beautiful south rim of the canyon through ponderosa pine and pinon/juniper forests, out to Desert View, about 30 miles. This is a gorgeous spot with a 1930's watchtower designed by Colter and a number of us stopped and checked it out. Then there was a long, long descent down to the Painted Desert along Route 89 and 160 and into Tuba City, the heart of the Navajo Indian nation.

There was a really fierce cross-wind down the descent which was difficult and scary, but it was nothing compared to the 16-mile long stint up Route 89 dead against a howling 20-30 mph head wind along with heavy traffic and a shoulder that was narrow and kept us hemmed in between the sand on one side and the rumple strip and the speeding semi trucks and RVs on the other.

Today my hero was Greg ("Doc") who pulled along a couple of us slower riders on his wheel for 12 miles of this pure hell until we all gave up and rode in the van for the last 4 miles of that treacherous stretch. The last 11 miles into Tuba City through the surreal Painted Desert--an alien and dead landscape that feels more like the surface of the moon or Mars--though windy and uphill, was more normal riding. We lost our first hour in time zone change and arrived around 5 pm.

Tomorrow is a long day up to Mexican Hat, Utah, through the Monument Valley--think Thelma and Louise. Oh, by the way, we are now 25% of the way across the nation!

Today's ride is dedicated to the memory of Norma Goldschlag, who loved all the scenic highways of her beautiful Arizona. She was a wonderful and loving grandmother to my kids and will be terribly missed.

Day 8, Mile 697: Grand Canyon!

Toughest day ever, mentally and physically. Huge climbs, interstate riding, flat tire, horrible head winds, horrible traffic, riding mostly alone. Eight days in and we need to rest!! I started at 6:30 am and by 4:30 pm I was only at mile 80, so I jumped in the van and shuttled in the last 25 miles. Tomorrow is a whole, entire, glorious day of rest!! We had a nice dinner at the El Tovar Lodge and after we were greeted outside along the rim walk back to cabins with a bunch of elk and a little raccoon family! I'll post the GC photos on facebook when I get a chance.

Day 7, Mile 592: Seligman, Arizona

No internet in Seligman, folks, so am posting this after the fact. Was another section of old Route 66, through Peach Springs. Pretty non-eventful day, though my extra pedals saved the day when another rider's broke. I also stopped at the Grand Canyon Caverns for the tour of that cave. I was escorted up to the site by an eager 11-year-old, Jordan "Like the shoes" who was very interested in the racing bike. He told me about all the routes he knew to get around tomorrow's 20-mile stint on the freeway. Great kid.

The caverns were interesting. They found out that the air down in that 200' deep hole comes all the way from the Grand Canyon 40 miles away and takes two and a half weeks to get there. They also still have the civil defense shelter supplies from the 60s stocked down there for 2000 people. Creepy.

The last 25 miles from the caverns to Seligman were beautiful. Gorgeous flowers, strong tailwind, slightly downhill, straight as an arrow, cool air, and good road surface--the very stuff of a perfect ride. It was very fast and very enjoyable.

Day 6, Mile 506: Kingman, Arizona

Today: 85 miles, 5299 feet climbing (12% grade in places)

Cumulative: 506 miles, 22800 feet

Today was a miserable, incredibly difficult day. We left Lake Havasu, rode up to Interstate 40, rode 9 miles away from our destination along the interstate to pick up the old Route 66 to Oatman in the Black Mountains, over the incredibly high and steep Sitgreaves Pass

then down to the Golden Valley and into Kingman.

The morning was fine and even the climb up to Oatman was fun as I was going fast and feeling good. There were wild burros in Oatman (but I didn't have my camera--shit!). I saw my second coyote and some other guys even saw some bighorn sheep. The views from the pass were awesome, as well.

Dust-bowl refugees back in the 30's often had their Model A or Model T towed over Sitgreaves Pass in the cool evening before resuming their California-bound journey through the Mojave Desert. Then in 1953 Route 66 was re-routed over flatter terrain. By 1984 it was completely supplanted in Arizona by Interstate 40. It was cool to see this historic route. We follow it again tomorrow into Seligman.

But above Oatman up to the pass the road was just way too hard and steep and the descent wasn't even fun nor fast because it was too steep and winding and in bad condition. Then there was about 20 miles of the world's bumpiest road and I was already having problems with vibration sickness in my hands. It was incredibly hot, too. Then the day ended with even more climbing up into Kingman. Too much.

Two more hard days to the Grand Canyon where we will rest a day!

By the way, if you haven't watched Mike Hobin's video blog, make sure you do.

Day 5, Mile 421: Lake Havasu, Arizona

Today: 44 miles, 1148 feet

Cumulative: 421 miles, 17460 feet

Today was a blissful little hop back across to the California side of the Colorado River, up to Parker Dam which forms Lake Havasu and on to Lake Havasu City on the Arizona side.

This is what they're calling a rolling recovery day. Just what the doctor ordered! Not a whole day off, but only a three hour ride with the rest of the day to recuperate, do laundry, have a few waking hours off the damn bicycle besides just ride, eat, sleep, ride, eat, sleep... And, it was heaven! I felt really strong, even up the few substantial hills, despite my aches and pains and exhaustion. I've already begun losing belly fat--guess my body is in a big hurry to accommodate and adapt to this crazy new lifestyle. No complaints from me on that front. I'm saddle sore (saddle weary, really--my sit bones hurt), my knees ache a little, and I have limited strength and feeling in my right hand, my lips are chapped from the desert heat and air, and oh, and my quads are sore, duh. But the masseuse helps tremendously. I still have the cold, but that's another story.

I had lots of energy left after arriving and had a recovery milkshake with one of the riders, Mike, viewed the London Bridge (which was bought and reassembled here), showered, did the laundry, and tried the hotel pool. I attempted to get a group interested in renting jet skis, but strangely, not a single person was interested in returning into the blazing sun and 100 degree heat. So I went by myself. I took the jet ski up and down the lake a fair distance, drove it under the London Bridge (one of those things it seems you just have to do), and took a dunk in the wonderfully cool water of the Colorado River.

And now I'm ready to collapse and start again at 5 am tomorrow! We're off to Kingman, Arizona, 85 miles through, you guessed it, more desert, including lots of climbing. Forecast is for sun and 103 degrees. I have to keep reminding myself that I paid good money for this.