Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Critters of Joshua Tree National Park

Liz spotted this desert tortoise on the side of the road near the entrance of Joshua Tree National Park.

We saw countless lizards in the park. Most were sunning themselves on rocks and were very photogenic


We wouldn't have spotted the above lizard if not for a couple from New Zealand trying to get a photo of it. The only thing more interesting than the scenery in National Parks are the people from all over the world that one can meet.




Western Rattlesnake...Liz and I were hiking on a trail when we came across a guy from England hanging on to the "rattle" part of this snake. He was waiting for his friends to catch up with him on the trail so they could get a picture of it. The sight was quite funny.



Saturday, June 25, 2011

Two Unique Flavors...

Big Red and Dr. Pepper...two unique flavors...Wouldn't you like to ride bike to?

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is located 140 miles east of Los Angeles. The park lies at a convergence of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts. Of all the National Parks that I've visited it was the first time that I felt I was in the middle of nowhere. Liz and I visited the park on Memorial Day. We had the park to ourselves.


The park was commissioned as a national monument in 1936. It became a National Park in 1994.


There are countless trails in the park that pass through extraordinary scenery. Two warnings when walking these trails; 1) Bring water. 2) Watch for rattle snakes.

Yucca plants abound in the park as well as many kinds of wildflowers.


Joshua Trees are not actual trees...they are a species of yucca.



"I think the American West really attracts me because its romantic. The desert, the empty space, the drama" - Ang Lee



There are 5 mountain ranges in the park; Cottonwood Mts, Coxcomb Mts, Eagle Mts, Hexie Mts, and the Little San Bernardina Mts. There are countless rock formations like the one pictured above. Thankfully, park officials allow visitors to climb and explore all of the cracks and crevices that have formed over the centuries.

Below, Cholla Cactus Garden. These cactus could be seen for miles. I quickly found out that the needles were very sharp and very difficult to extract from skin and clothing.



Friday, June 17, 2011

Royal Wedding Snub

On May 20th, just South of Wickenburg, AZ on Hwy 60 I met Richard, Ian, Julie, and Dolly. I was pedaling North when I noticed their mini van parked on the side of the road with them sitting in lawn chairs. When I noticed the bicycles leaning against the vehicle I knew they were cross country bicyclists. I crossed the median to introduce myself.


The group was from England. They were very friendly and offered me a chair and blue berry muffins. Richard and Ian were the cyclists and their wives were driving the support vehicle. They began their trek across the Southern United States in Los Angeles 6 days earlier. They joked that because they were not invited to the Royal Wedding they decided to go to America for a long bike ride.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Sunset Cliffs

Just South of Ocean Beach in San Diego is some of the most beautiful Pacific shoreline that I've ever seen...Sunset Cliffs. Two days after finishing my trek across the United States I set out to explore this area by pedaling South on Sunset Cliffs Blvd.

Sheer cliffs are the dominate scenery in this portion of California.


Sunset Cliffs Natural Park is a public shoreline that is the entire strip of land that is immediately adjacent to the ocean. There is a generous dirt walking path between Sunset Cliffs Blvd and the drop-off to the rocky beach. By doing a search on line I found several stories of people falling to their deaths in this area.


I'm not big on urban bicycling, however, it doesn't get much better than this. Two songs kept coming to mind...California Dreaming and the perfectly titled California Girls.



Every portion of the road provided perfect views of the Pacific and its shoreline. While pedaling BIG RED I spotted surfers, sea lions, and 3 dolphins...all spotted from sitting on the saddle of BIG RED.



This was my favorite resting spot. My body still recovering from my trek across the America. I could have sat here for hours. The only thing missing was a margaretta or other icy cold beverage.




There were wild flowers everywhere in San Diego.


Thursday, June 09, 2011

Kenneth...Part 2

To fully appreciate this entry, you must the past post titled "Safford - Globe...Day 32".



After exploring San Diego, Joshua Tree National Park, and Los Angeles with my wife, I decided to drive back home instead of flying. After dropping Liz off at LAX I stopped at a grocery store to pick up some supplies. Because I was going to retrace about 300 miles of the Southern Tier bicycle route in California and Arizona I wanted to have enough granola bars and bottled water for cross country cyclists I would meet along the way. By the time I left the route and headed toward South Central New Mexico I had distributed over 30 granola bars and 2 cases of bottled water to 10 very appreciative cyclists.


Luckily, I purchased too much. As I drove Northwest of Las Cruces, NM on Hwy 70 toward Alamogordo I noticed what looked like a cyclist on the side of the road. As I slowed my vehicle I couldn't believe my eyes...KENNETH! Just like on May 18th when I first met Kenneth I drove around him, this time, looking at him in my side rear view mirror while contemplating the coincidence of meeting him for the second time in almost 3 weeks. With 4 bottled waters in my hands I slide out of my vehicle and walked toward this intrepid traveler.


"Kenneth, You look thirsty", I said with my arms extended handing him the water. He took the bottles and placed them in his cart. "How do you know my name" he asked. I explained that I met him almost 3 weeks earlier outside of Globe, AZ. He looked puzzled. I continued by saying that I was on my bicycle and had offered him food, water, and money and that he had refused everything that I offered. He said that he had met several nice cyclists over the past few months. I could tell he didn't remember me. I then mentioned the word "cigarettes". A big grin came across his face and he yelled "You gave me a lighter and matches!" Kenneth then reached into his cart and pulled out an unopened 3 pack of bic lighters and offered me one. I declined and said he needed the lighters more than me.


We chatted for a few minutes. Kenneth said he was going to take a few days off in Alamogordo which was another 7 miles up the road. I mentioned how hot it was and asked if he was ok. He confidently said he felt great. I couldn't believe it but he actually looked better than when I first him on that cold afternoon outside of Globe. However, today the temperature was over 100 degrees. While he was adjusting his cart I walked back to my vehicle and opened the back hatch to evaluate if I could get his cart and belongings in the back of the vehicle. There simply wasn't going to be enough space.


I asked him if he felt comfortable placing all of his belongings in my vehicle and leaving the cart behind. I explained that I would take him into Alamogordo to a campground. We could drop off his stuff and then hurry back to get his cart. Kenneth reached into his cart and pulled out a pack of smokes and lit one of the cigarettes. He was in deep thought.


After about 30 seconds he explained that he couldn't take a chance of someone stealing his cart while driving to and back from Alamogordo. I said that we could hide his cart off the road under countless tumble weeds that lined Hwy 70. I continued by promising him that if on the slight chance that his cart would be gone upon our return that I would make sure he got a new one from one of the grocery stores in town. He continued to silently think about my offer. Breaking the silence I said "Kenneth, my car temperature gage is reading 104 degrees...Let me take you into town".


After another silent 30 seconds Kenneth wiped the sweat from his forehead and said "You are right...it's damn hot...but I can't risk leaving my cart". In a weird way I understood where he was coming from. If the roles were reversed I wouldn't leave BIG RED under a bunch of tumble weeds in the desert in hopes that it would stay hidden for 30-45 minutes. I asked him if I could again take his picture and mentioned that he was a minor celebrity on my blog. He said "I'm a celebrity?...In that case take all the pictures you want".


For the second time in almost 3 weeks I wished Kenneth safe travels. Godspeed Kenneth!