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05/17/2004: "Update from Kevin"

music: the sound of silence

Greetings from Flagstaff, AZ (6900')!

I'm sorry I haven't been able to give you regular updates on the ride due to infrequent internet access. Sherene and Ilan will keep you updated when I am not available. Sherene is checking my email daily, so if you send a message to kjstour@aol.com, I'll get the message within 24 hours.

First off, thanks to all of you for sponsoring and supporting me on this great endeavor. I have dreamed of biking cross-country since middle school and the fact that I am raising money for Cancer research makes it very meaningful and personal. I have printed off all of your sponsorship emails and carry them with me on the ride. Your stories, loved ones, and experiences with Cancer keep driving me onward.

It took 6 months of planning and training to get to this point and I am glad I can now let the "rubber meet the road." These emails will be a combination of experiences, stories, "bike speak," and a little bit of architecture stuff (I can't get away from that).

When you are biking across the country by yourself, life gets pretty simple. Your bike becomes your house, mode of transportation, and your life. Your priorities are as follows:

1. Drink water. (about 2 gallons a day - 3 if you are crossing the desert)
2. Eat regularly. (once an hour while riding - you can't bonk!) I rotate between PowerBars, Power Gel, bananas, and Nutrigrain bars and then start over again.
3. Pace yourself. You are not racing anyone and if you get hurt - that's it! I watch my heartrate via a monitor to make sure I am not going too hard.
4. Focus on the core skills. Everything I have learned on a bike I must keep in place when riding.

The following are short updates from each day. I am keeping a very detailed journal, the thought being that the journey may get published in a book someday.

Day 01 - San Diego to Julian
Sherene, Curt, and I got the day started off from the beach. I was cruising down the coast till I made a turn and hit the wall (a steep climb up a hill). Coming up another hill, I road through a small swarm of bees (fortunately I wasn’t stung). We then ran into road construction and I had to carry my bike through to get to the other side (all 70 pounds of it). Sherene and Curt had to head to the airport after about 10 miles and I was then on my own for the rest of the ride. I then started to get into some of the major climbs for the day. I passed ranches and more rural areas. The last climb was 1000’ over a 7 mile stretch. I was pretty tired pulling into Julian at 4200’.

Day 02 - Julian to Brawley
The day started off nicely. Julian was at the end of the mountains, and I was welcomed to a 7 mile downhill to start the day. After that, the desert began. As I got further into the desert, you could see for miles. The road seemed endless and the heat kept coming. I stopped for a lunch break at Ocotillo Wells. This is a moto-cross outpost and there were all kinds of bikes, dune buggies, and 4-wheelers there. I continued on. It was hard to keep going with the monotonous landscape, but I urged myself forward. I took my last break in Westmoreland and met Mark VanderDussen. His donation and enthusiasm for the cause helped me get to Brawley.

Day 03 – Rest Day
I attended First Presbyterian Church in Brawley today and had an amazing experience. The congregation welcomed me with open arms. I still can’t believe everything they did for me, including paying for my motel stay, sponsoring me, giving me donations, taking me out for dinner, and looking out for me on the next day’s journey through the desert. I can still feel their prayers each day of the ride.

Day 04 – Brawley to Blythe
This was the hardest day of the ride so for. I started early and tried to get in as many miles before it got real hot. It was 103 degrees that day (no joke)! I rode through the dunes and got some great photos. About 35 miles in my feet were killing me. When your feet reach 100 degrees they swell a lot. I ended up putting on my tennis shoes for the rest of the ride (52 miles). Fortunately there weren’t that many hills to climb. I pushed through to Palo Verde and was relieved to see some green again. Unfortunately, I still had 21 miles to go and it was 103 degrees. You can feel your body shudder every so often when it is that hot. Probably because your body can’t believe how hot it is while it tries to adjust. I made it to Blythe, having drank at least 3 gallons of water. After dinner, I ordered a new pair of cycling shoes.

Day 05 – Blythe to Parker
I crossed into Arizona early in the morning with a little fist pump. It felt good to be in another state and realize that I was slowly making it across the country. The rest of the road to Parker was flat and crossed through the Colorado River Indian Territory. This was all farmland, and they used the Colorado River to irrigate the crops. It was pretty amazing to see crops being grown in the desert. I made it to Parker around lunch time. This was the easiest day I have had so far.

Day 06 – Rest Day
I spent part of the day taking photos around town and down by the Colorado River. I relaxed the rest of the day.

Day 07 – Parker to Salome
I got to see Saguaro cactus for the first time. They would pop up every so often. The day had a few rolling hills but most of it was flat. I just put my head down and went. On my way to my last water stop, I ran over a snake crossing the road! The snake kept going – I did too! I had a small climb to get to the top of a ridge and it was downhill the rest of the way to Salome.

Day 08 – Salome to Wickenburg
Today I saw an unfamiliar site – clouds! It was the first time on the trip that they appeared. The desert slowly began to fade and trees were growing again. The last 10 miles into Wickenburg had some large hills. I could also see the mountains to the north that I would be climbing the next few days.

Day 09 – Wickenburg to Prescott
The easy days were over. The first 10 miles to Congress were pretty easy. I then saw the first mountain I had to climb. It was very intimidating. The road started straight up it. I climbed about 2000’ to get to the top. I then dropped back down into the valley. 17 miles to the end I stopped for water and asked what the rest of the road was like to Prescott. The reply was a gentle grade all uphill. I started off and took it one mile at a time. With about 3 miles left when I couldn’t take any more, the road went around one more curve and dropped into Prescott. Turns out I climbed to about 6000’ before descending to Prescott at 5300’. The descent was great. I got up to 43 mph! After a few more up and down hills through Prescott, I had made it. The shoes that I had ordered also made it to the motel (finally).

Day 10 – Rest Day
I attending Church today and of course called my mom (Mother’s Day). I explored the town and purchased supplies for the days ahead.

Day 11 – Prescott to Sedona
I was headed to the Red Rocks of Sedona today. Before doing so, I had to mail my old shoes and some unused supplies home. I left for the post office in Prescott Valley (7 miles away) with the box strapped to my bike like a courier. I was relieved to get it mailed. The next task was climbing Mingus Mountain. I started the climb at 5000’ and the wind was really whipping up. As I got into the trees surrounding the mountain, the wind wasn’t as much a factor. I made it to the top with a steady pace to 7023’. The descent down to the town of Jerome was exhilarating! There was an overlook where you could see the snow-capped peak of Mount Humphreys and the Sedona Valley. The town of Jerome was interesting to see. It was built right into the mountain and had many interesting shops and restaurants. From Jerome, the descent wasn’t as fun. The wind was whipping up and the bike was hard to control. I stopped at the base, needing to rest my hands from the strain. The road to Sedona had some up and down hills. There was one point where I was in a valley next to wall of rock and I could actually feel my bike being blown up the hill. Pretty cool! I’ve never had that happen before. I arrived in Sedona impressed by the incredible rock formations surrounding the town.

Day 12 – Sedona to Flagstaff
Last night I saw a postcard in the motel lobby of an incredible church built on top of a rock. I asked where it was and turns out it was an extra 10 mile roundtrip to see it. I decided to go anyway. It was worth the trip. The design was originally done by Lloyd Wright (Frank’s son) and was later finished by a local architect. The design was very simple and modern with 4 walls and a roof canted upward toward the heavens. A cross-jutted out from the south face, rising out of the rock. It was very impressive and the surrounding landscape complimented it perfectly. I headed to Flagstaff, inspired by the building. The Oak Creek Canyon Road that I took had to have been one of the best roads I have ridden a bike on. The canyon stream flowed next to you and the forest and red rocks danced around you. This was the first time I got to ride in the shade believe it or not. I followed the canyon road into the one major climb for the day. It went up about 1500’ to top out at 7000’. The views back down into the canyon were breathtaking. I jumped back on the bike to finish the ride. The rest of the way was through a hilly landscape of Ponderosa Pines. The scent helped to drive me on. I made it to the Millers (Drew, Karen, and Keegan) and relaxed the rest of the day.