Prepping For the Trans-Continental Bike Trip

I've been anticipating the Cross-Country Bike Tour.  This solo ride is set to begin on May 1st.

I have been studying maps both physical as well as online. My preference during preliminary planning is to come up with my own route as opposed to more established corridors such as those laid out by organizations such as Adventure Bicycling. 

My intent is to start from Boston Common. There is a Historical Family Connection to that spot which I'll return to at a later point in my commentaries.  For now, my main concern is to get out of the high population density of the East Coast as quickly as possible.  The first thing population density is that with it comes traffic volume.  Also, in New England, there are often narrower roads on corridors that are 250+ years old.  Houses and buildings often crowd toward the roadway and so in many cases there can be little space for generous road shoulders for cyclists. 

Also, as a bike tourist, I prefer to set up a tent at the end of the 'work day' when ever possible and not worry about making it to a specific destination each evening.  To me, having a daily destination and potential reservation at a motel, Airbnb or campground is a tedious detail I prefer to avoid.  But so much of the countryside in the east coast is taken up with homes and business properties.  I've found that people are not laid back about a tent suddenly appearing on the outskirts of their property.  So that's another challenge.  I might be forced to use motels. I hope not, but I'll have my credit card if need be.  My hope is that once I'm out of Massachusetts and Eastern New York State, this will be less of a problem.  So, traffic volume and camping are my two main pre-occupations for the first week of the journey.

A Generalized Corridor for My Ride

Over the last two weeks I've been piling panniers and gear on the living room floor. Sorting, weighing and contemplating the heap, laying there on the floor.

I also have started a specific bike touring blog on Crazyguyonabike.  I'll try to keep most of my bike ride info there. But some of it will probably leak over to this side of the ledger as well.  The link for the Crazyguy blog is this:  http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/MyFirstCross-CountryTour2022  

Pivot to Another Project

I Arrived Back in Wisconsin On Late Sunday Afternoon, March 6.  I started from Quartzsite Arizona the previous Friday morning and drove thru New Mexico, Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma Panhandle, Kansas and Missouri.  The last bit in Iowa and Minnesota is familiar turf.  Here in Wisconsin the snow depth looked to be on average over 10" and the temps were down to -7° the next morning.  Back to the Tundra &#$*!  Rumor is that next week the temps will be going up and a lot of the snow will be burned off.  That's my hope.

Back to the Frozen Tundra of Northern Wisconsin!

The next couple days entailed catching up on client matters, unloading the truck and doing laundry.  I've topped off all the 'house' batteries from the camper and now have them on the trickle chargers, awaiting future excursions.

This weekend I got out on the bike to try to maintain my legs and butt for the next project. As long as the sun is out and the winds are light, this is very doable. The trick is to not push so hard that I work up a sweat.  I don't like to get wet when out in the cold.

On Quiet and Clear Township Roads....

I have pivoted my attention to a planned Solo Trans-Continental Bike Tour starting at the beginning of May.  My short-term goals over the next couple weeks are to pack up the touring bike and panniers and associated gear and get this lot shipped out to Boston. Also, I need to book a flight to Logan Airport.  I've arranged for family members and neighbors to keep my home attended to during the duration of the trip which will probably take a little over two months.  As my departure date approaches, I'll set up a travelogue site for the ride on my Crazyguyonabike website. When on the road, I'm not always able to maintain these sites.  So I may have to come back to the site after the trip is over to fill in the gaps...   I'll probably drop some items on this site as well.

One problem that I anticipate for the bike tour is I don't expect to have a lot of opportunities for charging up devices such as phone, computer, etc.  I'm currently fiddling around with a portable solar panel I may be able to attach to the rear luggage so to charge batteries as I roll over the landscape..  But I've got serious doubts about the capacity of the system for seriously pumping up batteries.  I may get another digital camera that takes AA Batteries. I've used these cameras for the last 20 years, long before smart phones and they're great.. The batteries are usually easy to find at convenience stores and Walmarts.

I've My Doubts But I'll Give This Solar Charger a Shot....

Anyway, I'll keep this blog updated as I line up my ducks.

Eight Days on Plomosa Road, Quartzsite Arizona

Two years Ago in mid January, 2020, I came to the Quartzsite area of southwest Arizona for the first time. 

Over the previous two years of 2018-19 I have been watching a YouTube channel titled CheapRVliving by a fellow named Bob Wells. It’s been a very interesting series of interviews of folks who would done their own DYI designs or modifications of vans, old RVs, U-Haul trucks and even ambulances. Many 100s of interviews With each conversation and tour of the vehicle or trailer, there was some sort of backstory about the person who ended up living a nomadic life. These stories and the little homes on wheels were very interesting to me.

Bob Well's Youtube Channel

As I’ve written before, I’ve used minivans for several decades as tools for exploration and a means of economical travel. So this whole subculture of DYI projects appealed to me. Most of the interviews that Bob made were done in Southwest Arizona  and especially in the Quartzsite area. 

Why Quartzsite? The main draw is the weather during the depths of winter. In the southwestern desert, it is  relatively warm and stable and offers an economical alternative to the average experience of winter up north. Also, it has seemingly unlimited federal land on which people could Linger in their portable homes.

Average Temperatures in January (Note Southwest Arizona!)

I developed the impression that large groups of people accumulated in this vicinity and that it became a sort of scene for January February and March. So, besides my typical Texas trip, I thought I would add an additional 600 mile jump from my usual Fredericksburg, Texas destination and continue on to explore Arizona.

When I arrived back in 2020 January, I was amazed by the large number of people scattered across the desert floor. I am told that in January Quartzsite can easily attract up to 200,000 people, living in their various vehicles and RVs . So, I wanted to see it and I was most impressed. Almost aghast.

One Escapee Group's Announcement Board

I parked my minivan north of Quartzsite on Plomosa Road BLM (Bureau of Land Management) area and then spent the next 10 days exploring the area. I discovered a specific RV group called The Escapees which is very interesting because it has  many many tens of thousands of members and within the organization are scores of different interest groups. These people self organize and gather based on these interests and affiliations. When I visited at the height of the season in mid January, there were many large circles and groups of these types of folks out in the desert.  Various presentations and programs were being put on. Also breakfasts, etc.These groupings may be centered around such things as astronomy, religious affiliations, activity such as bicycling, rockhounds.  I had never realized!  had never thought about people getting together like this. It reminds me of migratory birds whether they be geese swans or starlings. Periodically migratory birds will gather into large flocks.

January in the Desert....

Using cell phones, and email these groups migrate about the United States and Canada, and periodically gather in various locations depending on the weather. In January, they might be in Quartzsite. As the seasons change, they may relocate further north and meet on other BLM or Forest Service lands. Or they go north of the border into Canada. In 2020 I saw many Canadian license plates.  They want to escape the long winters!

Plomosa BLM Camping Area in Quieter Times

From all the time I spent watching a DYI channels about RV tight camping, along with Bob Wells, and all the different types of equipment that I saw when out in the Quartzsite area, I came to the conclusion that I would probably want to go with the pop-up type camper that sits on a half-ton pickup truck. In the Autumn of 2020 I purchased my Silverado (V8 4x4) and then my camper and spent another two months integrating them together. I upgraded the truck to stiffer 10-ply tires and beefed up the suspension with adjustable air-shocks. This to handle the extra load of the camper and all my 'stuff'. I also added about 2" of "lift" to the frame so that I have a little more clearance.  I definitely have to climb up into the truck!  

My main idea was to have a vehicle that I could take up rougher gravel roads such as on BLM land as well as US Forest Service logging roads.  The lower center of gravity of the pop-up lends itself to this sort of sketchier exploration.  This is definitely NOT an "Off-Roader" rig. Those are way too much for my needs.  But I'd like to be able to get deeper into back country.  T

Exploring High and Desolate Country

In February 2021 I came back into the Quartzsite and Salome area of southwest Arizona and put this combination Truck/Camper to the test. Below are a couple photos from a drive up a long, steep and challenging mountain road. This turned out OK and I learned that the truck was capable although I alternately found that I had overstressed the water pump and soul back on the highways the truck started to overheat and ultimately I was towed back to  the Phoenix area and had a water pump installed. But all in all, I found the experiment very interesting and look forward to using this combination periodically over the next 3 to 4 years.  I also concluded that the January volume of campers was too much for me.  After a big RV show in January, the numbers diminish some.  And I found that numbers were also much less in a subsequent visit in 2021 during the height of the COVID epidemic.  

Anyway, the above puts in context my current February 2022 visit.

After leaving Tucson, I stopped in Gilbert, Arizona, Southeast of Phoenix. There is located a firm named Santan Solar  where I purchased a solar panel to complement one that I had bought the previous year. After making that transaction that I continued West on I-10 and arrived at Quartzsite around sunset. As of this writing (March 3rd) I have now been out on the same BLM spot off Plomosa Road for the last 8 1/2 days.

February2022 Plomosa Campsite

From here, I have gone out on 40 mile rides from my camp to the town of Bouse, and back each day. The road is paved and the traffic is light and lower speeds.  I wear my yellow vest, helmet and rear view mirror mounted on my sun glasses.  I apply sunblock prior to each days departure. 

There is a small range (Plomosa Mountains) and I go over Quinn Pass at just under 900' of elevation.  Plenty of long, gradual climbing.  My goal has been to continue to build up my cycling capacity for the anticipated cross-country trip which I expect to start from the Boston area in early May. My thoughts are that if I can do 40 miles each day here, and strengthen my legs, heart. lungs and toughen up my butt, I should be in good shape for the big bike tour. From October through early January I spent too much time sitting in the La-Z-Boy, so it’s always good to get back in the saddle, shake off the cobwebs, and re-introduce my body to gradually increasing physical stress.  Aclimate back to day-to-day work.

Climbing Over the Plomosa 'Mountains'

When I started bike riding here eight days ago, the temperature high for the day was only 60°. But generally the temperatures have been increasing, climaxing today at 91°. As a result I’ve been getting up and bicycling a little earlier each day as the sun and heat have become more intense. Tomorrow, the temperatures are supposed to drop dramatically, and the winds to increase. As I’ve done before, weather changes usually trigger my getting back in the truck and moving on. So this evening I disassembled my bike and camp. In the morning I'll get up, have breakfast, do my final packing and then lower the camper and clamp it down and then spend the next three days driving back to Wisconsin.

Anticipated Routing Home

I expect to be home by around 8 March. I will not be pausing to explore the countryside.  Just put down around 600+ miles/day and get my butt home.  This timing is over two weeks earlier that I would normally return.  But I want to be back in Wisconsin earlier since I have to arrange to ship my touring bike out east as well as book flights and make arrangements for taking care of my home while I am away on the tour, etc. 

Arriving back in Wisconsin I will experience an abrupt change in temperatures of close to a 50° ! Yikes!  But hopefully I will be able to get on the bike (with studded tires) through the balance of March and most of April and maintain my level of fitness so that when I start the bicycle tour in early May, I’ll be in good shape. Anyway that’s my goal . In the meantime, I’ll keep you posted….

Dawdling in Tucson

 From Benson I rolled into Tucson where I would remain for the next six days.  

Of the two large metropolitan areas of Arizona, I prefer Tucson.  I've stayed here in previous years...  In terms of population is is about a fifth that of the Phoenix metro.  With at a little over 1,000,000 people, it's not small.  But I can comprehend it.  Not New York or Los Angeles.  The main attraction for me is the bicycle system which is called "The Loop".  This is a paved bike trail system which is fairly easy to comprehend.  If I were going to move to a city for cycling, I guess it would be Tucson.  The Loop essentially follows two major river systems (hardly any water!) that go thru Tucson.  There are over 131 miles of paved trails which generally are totally removed from regular vehicular traffic.  For days and days of mindless cycling, you can't beat these.  Also, there are plenty of roads with good bike lanes as well.  So it is easy to cover the whole city on a bike.  Here is an online map of the Loop at the Pima County website.  I have a paper version which I keep in the map sleeve of my handlebar bag.

My Map of the Tucson "Loop"

As with the the desert, it's not about the aesthetics, but rather about the opportunity to cycle in the winter.  So I am very glad for the chance to get out each day and put in my miles and build a base for 2022.  I can only take so much of this desiccated world.  I miss the colors of deep lush green.  But for now, I'm happy...

Tucson has other charms for cyclists..  Mount Lemmon is a good long sustained climb just outside Tucson.  It's a sustained climb. Lance Armstrong used to use this as part of his hill climbing routine when down in the area.  I have a tweaky right knee and so I'm currently foregoing hard long climbs.  But in the past I've done Mt. Evans in Colorado and hope to do it again.  But for now I'm "ill disposed"...

Sabino Canyon is another popular destination for both cyclists and hikers.  If you like to look at a pretty desert canyon (there is water!) this is a good stop.

For the next 5 days, Feb 18-22, I boondocked at the Walmart on the southern end of town.  This specific Supercenter is at 1260 Tucson Marketplace Blvd.  Six nights of free, no-hassle existence.  Thank you Sam Walton!

Buying Propane at Walmart

As I appreciate the "Evil Corporation" from Arkansas, I try to show my gratitude towards it in my own actions.  I shop there for 90% of my groceries.  Also, I try to be careful to keep a low profile at the edge of the it's parking lots.  Periodically, I'll pick up refuse that I happened to encounter in the parking lot and haul it to the garbage cans.  At this particular Walmart in Tucson I ran out of propane and so went into the store and exchanged my bottle for a new one.  Net cost around $18.00.  I think that Walmart's benign attitude to RVers and other travelers is enlightened and I always hope that the beneficiaries don't  neglect nor abuse what I consider is a charitable (mostly) policy.  Walmart has gotten a lot of bad press over the years for 'destroying Main Street'. They've been tough competitors.   But I never heard of local merchants in America letting RVers or travelers stay in their parking lot overnight. They'd more likely have called the cops to have the people cleared out for loitering!  I credit Sam Walton's original decision to leave it alone and let people be. The corporation has continued to live accordingly. Enlightened for as long as it lasts.....

Myself and Other Walmart Guests in the Parking Lot

Each morning, I would attend to my daily rituals. Then I would drive the truck to a specific starting point on the trail by the late morning and run up around 30 miles on the bike.  The next day I would to to a new section, starting where I had stopped the day before and add more miles.

About to Start Another Day on the Trail

Life is Good

When the weather shifted and the temperature dropped and the winds picked up, it was time to go and so I pulled up stakes and headed west again, following the warmer weather to the west. My next stop was the Southwest Corner of Arizona.  

On To Arizona

From Fredericksburg I spent the next day and a half driving across the balance of Texas.  Back to "Road Warrior" Mode... 

On the way west on Interstate 10, the wind started to build.  Although it was still sunny out, the temperatures were in the 40s.  Not inviting weather for pausing.  

However, I did pull off for a brief pause at the exit to a notable destination, Balmorhea State Park.

I've taken this turn-off in years past and strongly recommend it for visitors passing thru Western Texas.  This is the turn for both the State Park as well as for anyone interested in the Alpine/Marfa area.  

Balmorhea is an old US. Cavalry location.  The 1st Calvary was here.  One of the main draws to this location is that it is a literal oasis in the middle of the desert. The artesian springs here put out between 20 and 25 million gallons of water a day!  A strange little ecosystem with it's own unique species of fish.    

Balmorhea: Snorkeling With Native Oasis Fish In Texas Desert!

In the 1930s the CCC dug out an amazing swimming pool that was then used by the Cavalry up thru World War II.  The pool is very large and has a unique shape. The bottom is not of concrete but rather of rock.  The native fish swim in the pool and the natural springs feet the pool, welling up from below!  Skin Diving Classes are conducted here!  When I first visited here nearly 20 years ago I was amazed.  

CCC Construction of the Balmorhea Swimming Pool in 1934

Postcard Aerial Shot of the Completed Pool Adjacent to the 
1st Cavalry Army Base. Note Horses to the Right...

Further south is Fort Davis which is a notable old cavalry fort run by the National Park Service.  I've visited there and also bike from there to the top of a small mountain (6800') where the University of Texas has the  McDonald Observatory. It's a good climb.

McDonald Observatory In Southwest Texas

South of Fort Davis are the Towns of Alpine and Marfa.  These are in the BIG BEND area of Texas (where the Rio Grande takes a bend and turns north for a ways.  I love Alpine.  It has a small 4 year college and a minor league baseball team. No Walmart within 100 miles because there are not enough people in the area to support it.  A little bit like Balmorhea, a bit of an oasis in the middle of vast dry empty countryside.  Several films were made in this area including No Country For Old Men (2007) as well as GIANT (1956) with Elizabeth Taylor & James Dean.  Marfa is a funny little town which has become a bit of an Art Colony .  Lots of hip people float in and out of this desert town.  A number of art galleries and little cafes.  The locals have been scratching their heads for years.  But they appreciate the business, I guess.

After pausing at the Balmorhea exit, I continued along the way west on I-10.  At some point I encountered high winds coming from the side at well over 50 miles an hour.  I'm glad for the lower profile of the pop-up camper.  The Big Rigs get tossed around!

Big Dust Storm Clouds reached high up into the Sky and the truck/camper was scoured with the dust, it laid a coat of brown dust down on the truck and camper.  When I got out to take a short rest stop I noted this coating.

Obviously, it was a good day to be driving because I certainly would not have been bicycling in these high winds!  At the end of this first day of driving I arrived after dark in El Paso. I quickly found the Walmart and set up shop for the night.  Good Night!

The next morning I crossed into New Mexico and continued grinding out the miles. As I drove I listened to a couple cd’s of the Ulysses Grant  audio version of his biography. These continue to help me eat up the time while doing long drives.  

In past trips I have visited a few sites in southern New Mexico. About a decade ago I visited the Carlsbad Caverns which were very impressive. But one of the problems with New Mexico in the winter time is that much of the state is at generally a higher elevation, and with that cooler temperatures.  So I have generally not lingered long.  Too darn cold!

Deming Museum Looked Interesting From the Outside

I did pause in Deming New Mexico to take a look. But for whatever reason Deming was, in middle February, still enforcing a very high level of mask wearing. This is much different than what I had seen in Texas or Alabama. Most of the midwestern states have been relaxing for the last 6+ months.  But not Deming.  A number of art galleries and restaurants looked to have permanently closed. The museum had an emphatic warning of masks required so I skipped it. I was surprised to see most people outdoors wearing masks. Or driving alone in their vehicles with masks on.  Mystifying to me...  Whatever the reason, I prefer to stay maskless whenever possible. I just don’t like my face covered. It’s uncomfortable and I feel slightly smothered. So, after a quick walk thru town, I decided to get back in the truck and continue on down the road. 

That late afternoon I rolled into Benson Arizona which is about an hour east of Tucson. Since rolling into a big city at night or at rush-hour is something I avoid, I decided to stop early and take in Benson. I liked it.  I'm guessing I'll visit this town again in future years.

I drove around the town of Benson, gassed up the truck, and then found the public library. I went in and chatted with the librarian and asked if they had a historical section that covered the history of both Deming and the in the surrounding areas. They did and she was very helpful in selecting three or four titles for me to look at. It was 5 o’clock and so I had an hour before closing to read and also take some photos of the contents of the books.  Often if I find a book that has a lot of information and I am pressed for time, I may use the camera to take a series of photos of the pages. I did that here and came away with probably 40 pages for reading later in the camper. 

The town has a relatively small Walmart which is sized to a smaller town like Benson (under 5,000 for a population). I found a small cluster of trees on the west edge of the parking lot and parked the truck there.  I went into the store and bought some groceries and then went back to the camper, had dinner, crawled into bed, and went back to reading the history of Benson.

In the morning it was 19° on my thermometer! Benson is over 3500 feet in elevation and so was surprisingly nippy! One of the advantages of this camper over the minivan is that I have a furnace. On a morning like this it's nice to turn up the heat and raise the interior temperature from the upper 30s to around 60°. I also have installed a bubble-wrap based insulation called Reflectix  This works surprisingly well at helping retain the heat. In the minivan I'd have to start the van and let the engine run for a while before I could turn on the heater. One the engine was back off the van would cool down fairly quickly.  Pretty wasteful.

  
After having breakfast, I got back in the truck and drove on to Tucson.  As I drove west I also lost well over 1000 feet of altitude. So I was optimistic that I would have a warmer day in the store than I had for the last several.