Cartoon-lands!

My preference would be to climb in the cool of morning and descend in the afternoon but that's not always how the land lies and there is much to be said for starting the day with an exhilarating downhill - three times in the last section, wahoo!  The long slog up Mingus Mountain in the heat of the day is not easy to forget especially the discovery that it was far from over at the road summit.  Another 3kms of even steeper, rough dirt track to camp seemed unnecessary.  A quietly beautiful site with huge, aromatic Ponderosa pine trees soothed our indignation and the prospect of hurtling out of camp and snaking down for seven miles in the morning positively cheering!

Down it goes...

As far as the eye could see in the low morning light.

Bike trails tend to wander so we've ridden very few but an exception this week was through an ancient granite landscape with features called 'dells', strongly reminiscent of the tors on Dartmoor and well worth a bit of traffic-free dalliance.  The trail eventually delivered us on to a highway across the Arizona desert and that's where things turned cartoonish.

The dells 

I must report that Roadrunner is disappointingly smaller than I'd imagined and extremely camera-shy but Wile E Coyote is indeed prone to disaster and sadly most often seen squashed on the road.  The Saguaro cacti are weirdly wonderful and apparently it's about seventy-five years before they put out a second finger - no wonder they point defiantly skywards!  The classic three-finger image would be approximately two-hundred years old and inside that green, prickly, juicy-looking exterior I'm told there's a skeleton as hard as a regular tree trunk.  It took a bit of time to get my eye in for the desert but gradually I could pick out and enjoy the amazing variety of cacti and grasses, the beautiful range of subtle, soft colours and stark, weird shapes.

Seguara cactus

Other roadside cacti

Statement entrance...

We have a rest day in Yuma when we'll be rejoined by Isabelle, hurrah, this time with her partner Pascale, taking the French Connection to a noisy six, and five guys variously from the U.S., Australia and Germany.  We then continue south to cross the Mexican border, the U.S. done and dusted and just three thousand kilometres to go.  I'm looking forward to hanging close to the coast down the Baja California - it's been a long time since we saw the sea.

Next post from Mexico!

So long

Viv x

Rocking on....

So many amazing rocks - The Canyonlands, Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon!  Not many words this time but I hope the pictures tell the story....

This one literally.  The petroglyphs are roughly 2000 years old, of Navajo origin and called 'The rock that tells a story' and now popularly known as 'Newspaper Rock' 

Green River Canyon has been carved by millions of years of erosion and the unusual pale rim is a layer of hard sandstone formed from ancient coastal dunes.

Canyonlands of Utah

Shy but perky.

This colourful floral display was unique along the road and lifted our spirits no end!

One of the impressive natural arches near Moab.

Another one!

The twins.

Monument Valley was magnificent.  It was unfortunate that we fell into a horrible tourist trap where a firm called 'Gouldings' have sewn up every aspect of the visitor 'experience' in the most exploitative way.  Although a rest day we had to camp in a hot and desolate sand pit at the top of a steep climb; the only place to eat was expensive, the food unpalatable and the final straw, it was dry!  Biking in a hot place requires at least the occasional cold beer, especially on a rest day!

Yep, that's John Wayne...

So many layers, so many colours...

We took an early tour to catch the morning light on the extraordinary sculptural forms; this is 'The Thumb'

Mexican Hat

Elephant Feet 

I've tried to resist 'awesome' but 'The Grand Canyon' truly is!  We rode all round the southern trail, stopping at the major viewpoints and each revealed new topographic wonders under the huge skies; groups of raptors displayed serenely, drifting in the thermals; pairs of Ravens tumbled and gossiped.  

Happy day!

I've struggled a bit to comment positively on American culture but the National Parks are brilliant.  Staff are friendly, enthusiastic, seem genuinely pleased to share information and facilities are scrupulously maintained including immaculate compost toilets.  Best of all, signs are discreet, their tone expecting compliance, not loud and authoritarian assuming misbehaviour.  With few exceptions people are respectful.

I had a reverie as I rode yesterday about why I find this often arduous trip so rewarding.  It is a mirror of the school holidays of my fifties childhood.  So long as I stay out to play on my bike all day with friends, appear on time with clean hands at stated mealtimes, look after my own stuff and behave respectfully, it's pretty straightforward!  There's even the occasional tricky adult to negotiate like the camp ground marshal that made us move our tents from the shade at the edge on to a small scorched patch of earth in the middle of a deserted four acre campground 'in case we put other people off'....

Time to stop.  So long until the Arizona Desert!

Love

Viv

Getting warmer

If this post is a touch haphazard it is because we have just completed an eight day stretch, riding more than a thousand kilometres over the Teton Mountains, in and out of Flaming Gorge and a dizzying amount of climb and descent, much of it in gusting headwinds; the brain has been alternately frozen and fried.  We're now in Utah and since we left Montana we've zipped through Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado with ever changing landscapes of high dessert, mountain, forest and now the spectacular canyon lands.

Yellowstone National Park was a fabulous highlight and four of us hired a car to make the most of our day there.  Francine is a wonderful organiser and had us breakfasted, equipped with a fine picnic and on the road by seven.  We did the recommended circuit backwards, starting at an almost deserted 'Paintpot', a heaving, bubbling volcanic area of hot pools, steaming vents and beautifully coloured salt crusts.  It was magical in the morning light and looking across to the mountains beyond we could see herds of bison grazing peacefully. 

Next the Yellowstone Grand Canyon with spectacular falls and extraordinary rock formations showing the ancient folds and striations, all the different layers eroded irregularly over millennia.  In a ramshackle nest on top of a central pinnacle an osprey preened, apparently oblivious to a fascinated audience and eventually swooped effortlessly away towards the falls.

The Osprey

The finale was 'Old Faithful', a geyser that erupts generously, predictably and frequently, the perfect feature for a tourist attraction!  The whole of Yellowstone is an ancient caldera with geysers, acidic pools, seething  mud and all the lively characteristics of an active volcanic area.  It was mildly unnerving to learn that the entire floor heaves up and down measurably every year. 

We liked some of the smaller geysers performing modestly away from the crowds

The 'Morning Glory' pool 

Speaking of volcanoes, I recall almost daily a moment from the Africa ride.  About halfway through Ethiopia, a normally affable Dutchman became ominously quiet, his expression suggesting a dark interior dialogue.  At the routine rider meeting one evening our leader once again described the next day's route as having 'rolling hills'.  The Dutchman erupted.  'Rollink hillz - zeez are not rollink hillz, zeez are bloody mountainz' and in a wonderfully John Cleese moment said it for us all!

Back in the USA!  Wildlife sightings have included a caribou bathing, a fluffy caramel-coloured baby bison and otherwise humbler critters - three indeterminate snakes, many prairie dogs outnumbered only by rabbits, a few skunk, a bald eagle, pairs of softly spoken grey jays, several ospreys; I remain utterly moose-less.  We went through the village of Dinosaur, so called because it is in the centre of an area where some of the earliest fossil remains and prints have been found.  In true American style they've maxed out on the dinosaur theme and malevolent looking plastic replicas lurk everywhere dwarfing gardens and forecourts.

Caribou  

Here in Moab the temperature is in the thirties and it's hard to credit that less than a week ago I crushed ice as I stuffed my tent in the morning and we were all frozen to the marrow for the first couple of hours riding despite layers and hotshots.  Heat is now going to be the biggest challenge and early starts and ample fluids essential as we head on south to Monument Valley.  I'll return to the canyon lands in my next post when I've sorted yesterday's photographs.

Millimetres matter on a bike.  I'd had a few odd twinges in my back and neck and the other evening realised that the cleat on my left shoe had slid backwards.  I picked and scraped the hard encrusted mud out of the Allen key sockets sufficiently to get purchase but to no avail and in the morning asked Liam, our good-natured mechanic, if he could have a go.  Before 6am, still on his first cup of coffee, he not only solved the problem but lent me a 'courtesy' shoe while he did so!

Bit rowdy but very comfy...

And that must be all for now.  Once again, posting was delayed for technical reasons but our next stop is in Flagstaff, in a hotel so with luck Canyonlands and Monument Valley will be up soon.

So long

Viv x

A weather post cast....

'Excitingly variable' proved provocative to the weather gods and no sooner had I posted my last blog than they tried us on cold, wet, relentless!  After two days the sun finally shone and steaming quietly over a treat of huckleberry pie and coffee, we watched the storm clouds head off towards Calgary whilst we would go south towards a wide blue yonder.  With about 40kms to camp we set off cheerfully but with increasing urgency as blue turned to black and deep rumbles warned of yet another storm and this time all the stops were out.  Deafening thunder, massive jags of lightening, first lashing rain then huge hailstones driven by a ferocious wind caught us unprotected on an open road over a high wide pass - took me right back to Rannock Moor but on an American scale!  Eventually the truck came and pulled us off and we discovered that behind us, even the sweep had hunkered down in the ditch!   The upside was that attempts to wash my grubby jacket had proved futile but the hail worked like a washboard and beat it back to almost clean!

This section is called, I believe without irony, 'Ride to the sun' and began in a marvellous mountain area in the National Glacier Park bringing us into Montana.  When the rain stopped, the temperature dropped.  Even prepared for the cold and climbing hard it was difficult to stay warm and I was introduced to 'Hot Shots' by the Canadians who tuck these magic little sachets into their shoes and gloves where they emanate a gentle warmth for several  hours; such comfort.  The Logan Pass was spectacular and we were extremely fortunate to go through on the last day of clear skies before smoke drifting from literally hundreds of wild forest fires shrouded everything in acrid haze.  When visible the sun has been a strange blood orange orb in a pewter sky - the photo doesn't show the colour but hopefully conveys the atmosphere.

Montana began with serious cowboy country, massive ranches, horses, guns, whips and hats.  We've ridden out of First Nation Flatfoot people's lands into Flathead country and seen beautiful examples of traditional crafts in museums and shops.  And Casinos everywhere.  

    Spot the fake!

It's been two short, three-day riding sections divided by a peaceful rest day in Kalispell, a pretty town with old painted wood houses and we're now in the state capital, Helena, before an eight day blast to Moab. There we'll have two rest days to explore Yellowstone and celebrate the halfway point of the trip.  Riding wise I'm happy to report that I think I've finally achieved a degree of equilibrium and am able to push as hard with the right as the left!  Wariness went to the winds on the morning the thermometer said minus two degrees C as we rode out of camp and for the first time I can remember ever, windchill made the downhills more challenging than the ups.  It's fun to be riding strongly again.  

The group is down to a hardcore sixteen now and has found a comfortable, functional way of being together.  We've been blessed with the addition of the company accountant, ostensibly to oversee the border crossing back into the U.S.  He collects unusual car plate numbers and has all the interpersonal skills that that implies... It's been a wee bit testing for us but he's off on Monday.  Two more sectional riders join this evening and more down the line, which gives a nice fillip to the core group.

A few signs....

    Hmmm.....

That's all for now, so long,

Viv x

Back in the Rockies

Two more weeks on the road and we've just arrived in Jasper, a pretty, touristy town tucked into the most exhilarating mountain scenery of the trip so far.  We're back in the Rockies in southern Alberta after long stretches through rolling arable farmland that felt homely initially and then a bit bland.  

I intended to post from Fort St John, our last rest day, but it was such a dispiriting place that I never got it together.  The entire town was recently thrown up to support the extensive oil fracking activity and had all the charm of an industrial estate.  Our hotel was on the fringe, 5 kms from the laundromat, it rained persistently and we fell into a collective glum that it seemed unnecessary to share.  Isabelle was so concerned about spending additional time there that she paid to change to an earlier flight out.  I was feeling sad to lose my riding partner.   

Things have perked up considerably since then and each day has had its rewards and challenges.  We reached Mile Zero at the south end of the Alaskan Highway and it's been good to have less traffic and construction sections.  By and large truck drivers are pretty considerate but some of the RV folk seem unaware that their mirrors and rear sections are wider than their cosy cabs and swoosh past like giant fly swats.

The brief summer (July!) is the only opportunity for road repairs and the extreme winter frost causes extensive damage - 'ice heaves' and 'shivers'.  Many of the road workers are women both driving the huge machines and controlling the traffic; people in the long queues are notably patient and calm.  On a couple of occasions we had to load our bikes into the back of the control pickups to be ferried past active machinery a few at a time - significant hassle for the workers treated like a fun diversion with banter and goodwill.  Less fun for us were the half finished sections with corrugation, loose gravel and clouds of invasive dust.

The weather has been excitingly variable and within a few moments we can be in full waterproofs against cold, driving rain then applying sunscreen as the temperature shoots up once the sun comes out.   Sometimes the headwinds are brutal.  'Allez, allez, allez, on n'est pas a la plage!' comes the cry if you slow down too much - when conditions are harsh it's great to have the encouragement and camaraderie of other riders!  One of the pleasures of the trip is being able to ring the changes of riding solo, in a pair or small group according to mood and circumstance.

    In a forest camp

Four of us decided to ride our bikes to the gondola station on the rest day, only 5kms but all between 10 and 15% climb we soon discovered, to go to the top of Whistler Mountain and in retrospect I'm so happy that we did.  At the top of the lift we hiked up to the summit and could see snow covered peaks and glaciers for miles in all directions.  Little groups of ptarmigan sheltered in the rocks unfazed by our presence and we caught a glimpse of some rare mountain sheep, long-legged and with dramatic twisted horns.  The wildlife tally has increased glamorously this section and now includes beavers, deer, a lone wolf - still no moose.

    Bear Lake - turquoise because sunlight reflects on the fine silt in suspension.

    Athabasca Falls

    When my neck tires from gazing upwards the verge is full of colourful wild flowers

And so I tried to post this in Jasper and there was insufficient WiFi signal...... 

We're now in Banff after the best three days of the trip so far. Cold starts at 2 or 3 degrees then beautiful sunshine for the fabulous mountain, glacier and lake views all along the way.  The climbs have been hard and it was funny to be clapped into a lay-by by a group of coach tourists from South Korea!

    Looking down on Jasper

At last a Scrabble player has joined us for a few days and I've a game to play over breakfast.  We haven't resolved the English or American spelling issue yet.....

Love

Viv x

    Last of the midnight sun

Onwards and upwards and downwards and upwards.....

Hi Everyone,

I last wrote in Tok, northernmost point in our journey and we have just arrived in Muncho Lake, British Columbia, for our third rest day. We've ridden another 1,187 kms in eleven days along the Alaskan Highway. We stopped in Whitehorse after five for the second 'rest' day, which evaporated in a flurry of bike cleaning, tent drying, laundry, phone calls and re-packing!  No working WiFi was a disappointment and despite status as the capital town of Yukon it had distinct echoes of Princetown, enhanced by the chilly, wet, windy conditions!

Out on the road the scenery is genuinely awesome; it's as if we're travelling through the lungs of the earth, every inch below the rocky peaks densely covered in trees.  Wild fires occur routinely, a natural element in the cycle of growth, decay and regeneration and even the stark skeletons are beautiful against the sky.  Some of the hardest climbs are rewarded by spectacular views of rivers and lakes far below and realisation of the immensity of it all.

I've seen bears, bison, a coyote and best of all a most elegant lynx who slid out of the forest, walked unhurriedly across the road ahead then turned for us to see full face and tufty ears before slipping back into the trees.  Pretty little chipmunks and squirrels routinely busy themselves around our camps.  So far, not a single moose and not because I'm saving it for afters. There is abundant bird life topped by a close encounter with a white eagle; every day has a sound track of cronking ravens and distant calls I can't identify but sometimes the familiar hecking of a hawk.

The last week on the bike was pretty brutal with the longest stretch on the fifth day in cold, driving rain that made even the downhills painful, stinging eyes and face and seeping gradually through protective layers.  Packing a wet tent in the morning is never fun knowing it won't be any drier when you dig it out in the evening.... What joy when the sixth day not only brought us to this comfortable lodge but included the Lower Liad River Natural Hot Springs along the way.  Our many aches were soothed in the beautiful pool with seriously hot water at one end graduating via a jacuzzi-like fall to a cool stretch where a fresh stream joined.  I could have stayed for ever.

Later, a bit of excitement was generated when one of our trucks pulled on to the shoulder to give water to a tired rider and became stuck in deep, soft gravel.  Various efforts to dig it out failed and only the good offices of a passing Australian with a 4x4 truck succeeded in dragging it free and then not until the entire load of bags and equipment had been heaved out on to the road side.  It happened to be the tour mechanic at the wheel so he's suffered a wee bit.

I'm really enjoying the company of my fellow cyclists, especially the group of crazy, warm-hearted French Canadian women, skilled but modest riders who bring great energy and humour to it all.  Isabelle is in excellent form and we've quickly slipped back into the African pattern of early starts, short regular breaks and a proper stop at lunch.  I do wonder at eating a huge sandwich at 10.30 am having already consumed a hearty porridge breakfast but then the day started at 5.30!  

The early hours on the road are serene before the thrum of monster trucks and RVs (Recreational Vehicles) begin to disrupt the calm.  The traffic tends to come in short waves and is mostly considerate to the cyclist on the shoulder but the odd one is close enough to keep the adrenaline firing.  The RVs are the size of Intercity coaches, usually with a regular 4x4 in tow and to my amazement, once parked they expand widthways to create the living space of a decent terrace house!  One such drove off from a rest area leaving the pet Chihuahua behind, which was cared for by our lunch truck driver until he managed to forward it on with some friendly motorcyclists...

And that is undoubtedly more than enough!  The week ahead includes a 20km descent, tra la!  

Hope all's well with all of you.

So long,

Viv x

In the beginning...

Hi everyone, 

It was a tricky start. Farewells over and kindly delivered to LHR Terminal 2 by Kirstin, complete with boxed bike and two large duffle bags, I began my journey to Alaska, first leg to Frankfurt second to Anchorage, in mellow mood.  Things fell apart dramatically when at the boarding desk in Frankfurt I was told I couldn't fly without a return ticket.  I explained that I would be returning from Mexico City and showed the ride itinerary but to no avail. No previous officials had raised the issue but this guy was resolute. He said my only option was to buy a return in the fifteen minutes before the flight left. Despite a merry sprint back through passport control to the ticket desk I didn't make it and the plane went without me and my baggage.

Determined to make the start I managed to book new flights to to Anchorage via Chicago and Seattle, leave 5pm, arrive 8.30 am - I hoped I might even make some of the rider briefing meeting due to begin at 9am at the hotel.  It was a journey made more interesting by having to lug my bags and bike box through customs at each stage.  We landed just an hour late in Anchorage and flushed with relief I rushed to baggage claim. No bags or bike. I reported them missing and was promised they would be delivered to the hotel the moment they were found.

Meanwhile I went ahead to the hotel, worried but determinedly philosophical and it was great to meet up with Isabelle again (friend from the Africa ride) and join the group at last.  At regular intervals I rang for baggage news and was eventually told it had been traced and would be delivered at 4 am.  At 5am it arrived.  The bike box bore the ominous word 'Inspected' and we discovered all my careful packing awry - even the spare inner tube boxes had been opened.  

Liam, the brilliant tour mechanic, began putting the bike together whilst I tried to sort my stuff.  We have a bag with everything needed for riding and camping for the week, a permanent one with everything else, only accessible on rest days and a saddle bag for tools etc. with us on on the bike.  It was a bit of a challenge to think it all through in the time as things had been packed for shape and weight, not the tour system!

By 7.20 Liam had the bike in one piece despite the fact that the rear fork had been bent in transit and I was in cycling gear with a saddlebag full of something!  By 7.27 we'd attached carrier and saddlebag and at 7.30 I rode out with the group!  Not the perfect start but it felt like a triumph!

We're now in Tok and over 500 hilly kilometres from Anchorage through wonderful wild mountainous country.  Good roads with wide cycle tracks and little traffic make for comfortable riding, the scenery has been spectacular and the weather mixed but predominantly dry.  Camp sites have been quiet and simple, food delicious and only mosquitoes distract from the pleasure of it all!    

I'm gradually getting to know the group, which is cheerful and diverse and a fantastic staff team, coolly efficient, warm and good-humoured.  I found the first couple of days riding pretty hard on a significant sleep deficit - it's been great to have Isabelle's familiar encouragements 'so now I think we are getting somewhere...' in a rich French accent as we slog up another hill!  The dodgy ankle and knee have decided to play ball and seem to be improving day by day.  

A rest day is welcome and at last time to organise my gear properly and relax into the journey.  A short walk to the laundry in a minute and then coffee at the bakery - an uncomplicated life.  Connectivity is an issue in these remote areas but I'm assured it  will improve as we head south. 

I'm afraid this has been more about getting here than being here.  We've been told to deposit all smelly liquids and creams in the bear proof box at night throughout the next section.....I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for all the good luck messages and I hope you're all well and enjoying a good summer.

So long,

Viv x