I feel like I owe everyone who reads this blog an apology. For nearly three weeks now I have been doing a positively horrendous job of keeping you informed on my travels. During the last week and a half, I have even had abundant access to a computer and the interweb, and I still have fallen short of what I feel I owe to anyone who takes time out of their week to check and read over this little patch of the interweb.
Since last Monday I have been, for the most part, stationary. I arrived at my Uncle Jon and Aunt Jenny's house in palisade Monday evening, and proceeded to stay for several days. It's tremendously easy to lose momentum. As soon as I have a warm bed, food, and the internet and TV to distract me, it's real easy to take a week and call it a rest. In addition, in fact perhaps most enticing, is having family around. Anyhoo, whatever the many reasons, I stayed in Palisade, growing plump on GrapeNuts and ice cream, until my Uncle returned his elk hunting camp. Him and several friends haul three canvas tents, a barrel woodstove, several coolers of food, over a hundred gallons of propane, and a ton of other stuff, in a couple trucks, a jeep, and a trailer, out to prime elk migration land. It's about a three hour drive from palisade, and here they spend the strangely divided elk season, five or so days at hunting camp, then a few at home, then back to the camp. My uncle suggested I go up with a friend of his who was going to watch over all the gear and the jeep they had left behind. My uncle would then join us at the camp a couple days later.
The friend's name was Chris, and we drove up to the camp loaded with two more coolers of eggs, milk, meat, etc. Chris was a great guy, and I thought we got along great. I have been dreaming about getting a canvas tent with a woodstove for a couple years now, so it was awesome to spend a few days sleeping and cooking in one.
Chris and I went to the camp on Sunday, and my uncle arrived Tuesday night. I considered staying longer, but I was beginning to get mileage fever. I was ready to get back on the iron horse.
So, at about two this afternoon I drove one of the four-wheel-drive pickups back to palisade. The roads leading back to the highway form the camp were quickly turning to soup under a light drizzle that changed to snow. Back on the highway, and back in two wheel drive, I turned on the radio, and headed back to Palisade.
Which brings us to now. Tonight I will pack my panniers and then tomorrow morning I will sling them on the trusty trucker and hopefully get to Moab and Arches National Park. Enjoy the pictures, feel free to comment, and as always, thanks for reading. -Alex
16 comments:
ha Devin beet you!
Alex, i thought you would be on the road again by now. oh well. it snowing here, its almost time to gear up the bridgestone - I'm not sure if that's spelled right-. i got out from ski practice yesterday to find me bike covered in a fine layer of ice. i had to chip ice off of the brakes and the bungee cords where stuck to the rack and like steel rods. keep going man, but remember, look around.
i bet you were in heaven in those canvas tents. i remember several ideas you had about building one and living in it in your backyard. i hope the raod continues to treat you well and nothing new to report on this side of the bike trip.
peace and love man
p.s. theo is now in england
Alex your reports make my day.
Stay well
great unc Dave
no need to apologize for not obsessively posting. You're the one biking across America, the rest of us are just sitting on our asses in front of the computer living vicariously through your heart-stopping adventures. Anyway you should try to put that arch back up in Arches National Park when you get there. I hear tourism has gone down along with the icon. I still don't get why everybody is all worked up about that. The bugger had a 10,000+ year life, and that sounds like a pretty damn good run to me.
Hey Alex—did you think about the symbolism of last week? You crossed the Great Divide on your bike at just about the same time the country crossed the Great Divide in the presidential election. Thanks for doing your part on both fronts. I worked as an election judge and I can assure you that your absentee ballot was counted because I opened it—without peeking.
What a trip. Don’t apologize for taking breaks because you’re making good progress, and your goal is pretty close to being in reach—unless we have three weeks of 50-mph south winds. And I’m not seeing references to being lonely anymore, so the advice those once-young veterans of bike trips gave you about it taking a while to adjust must have been right on.
Remember that lots of old farts like me would love to be in your bike shoes right now
from Steve Brandt, not Anker.
Alex,
Great story and photos! Can you attach a map of your route to date and where your headed?
Roger (Seth's dad)
Alex-
I am home now and wanted to say that it was great meeting you and spending some time at hunting camp together. I hope that your travels toward Moab and other westerly points are treating you well, my friend. Let me know when you are back in town as I am sure my family would like to meet you. Good luck on the road and if you need anything, write me or get my number from your Uncle Jon. Peace, Chris
HEY ALEX,
YOUR AUNT JULIE IS HERE VISITING IN NAPLES WITH US FOR THANKSGIVING AND SHE JUST SHOWED US HOW TO GET BACK ON THE BLOG (sorry, caps lock was on). We haven't been able to get on since you were in Boulder. Glad you had a nice time in Palisade and got fattened up, but we heard you left something IMPORTANT behind. Gramma hopes you had time for a shower and shampoo when you were there. Your pics and stories about the trip are so wonderful. Heard you stopped in Moab and visited with Barb Wheeler and are now in the Needles. Weren't the Arches incredible? Now, you have Canyonlands, Bryce and Zion to look ahead to.
We will be toast you on Thanksgiving, remembering many good times together. (Julie says please please check for mail at Montecello. She sent you something - should be there Tuesday, if not it will be there Wednesday at the latest. Don't leave without it!)
Stay Happy and Safe,
Grampa, Gramma
Dave- Thanks! It's always great to hear that people enjoy it!
Taylor- How long is your winter break from school? I'm working on a possible trip up to my grandpa's cabin and I know I still owe you a trip up there. How can I contact Theo?
Nick Ray- I didn't end up hiking the trail to the Broken Arch, but I say plenty of other that were absolutely stunning. Maybe I just don't et it because I never saw THE arch, but it seems silly to not to go to arches just because one of like, 20 arches fell down. I'm counting us all very lucky that the park allows the arches to fall naturally; it would be american park service stewardship to install scaffolding and braces to 'save' crumbling arches.
Steve- Good to know my vote made it! My 'goal' of the Grand Canyon may not be realized in this leg of the trip, as There is just to much to explore here in Utah! The weather is finally starting to look like winter, and I' have approximately 20-some days to see what I want to see. So, I can hurry to the end and miss lots along the way, or I can spend more time off the bike hiking and exploring along the way and not get as far this time in Utah. Also, so far, I have seen every bit of advice 'Old bike Farts' gave me be realized. It's a learning curve, and I am indebted to all the Touring sages that helped me out, you of course, included.
Steve- By the way, you don't wnt to be in bike shoes right now. No one, including me, would want to be in those shoes right now. They have recently picked up sand to add to the strange substrate that is forming in those shoes, if it was any warmer I'm sure there would be a flourishing little ecosystem in each shoe by now. Thankfully,
I'm not in my right mind, so I have no problem donning one of my two pairs of day socks and stuffing the whole mess into those shoes.
Roger- great to see you on the interweb! I will try to set up a map, although it is likely beyond my computering skills.
Chris- Likewise, it was great to meet you and hang out up at hunting camp! Next time i'm in the area I'll be sure to drop you a line. Thanks for checking the blog out!
Julie/grampa and gramma- Good to here fro you all! Hope florida isn't too hot. The last couple mornings and the coming forecast for my area have been putting thoughts of a florida tour in my head.
Julie, I am in monticello, it is monday, and I will be hanging around until you package gets here. Thanks so much for sending whatever is in it! I've been looking forward to it for days now! I am seriously planning on heading out to the east coast this february, we can talk about that eventually in person/over the phone.
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