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I'm in the middle of touring Southern California, but don't worry. A trip summary is coming soon.

Day Forty-Six: "The End" (16 February) 49 mi

What else is there to say? Came in from Santa Clarita. I'll let the picture speak for itself. I'll have more to add tomorrow once I'm able to digest the weight of today. Because today was the greatest day of my life, no contest. 

Finish Line

I'll be ending right near Aloha Steakhouse on California Street in Ventura. Anyone in the area is welcomed to attend around 1-2 pm.

Day Forty-Five: "All Downhill From Here" (15 February) 81 mi

Wasn't sure where I would end today. So I paced myself early on as I headed to Palmdale. Getting into L.A. County was a hell of a milestone, good to finally get out of that huge San Bernardino. I had some serious climbs heading southwest from Pearblossom then it was ALL downhill. Sure a climb here and there but I couldn't care less. Also had my second tunnel on Soledad Canyon Rd. Now I'm in Santa Clarita just off I-5, looking at a 46 mile day tomorrow to the finish line.

Day Forty-Four: "Painted Rocks" (14 February) 87 mi

This day was interesting. I thought that it would be mainly flat since it would go around the San Bernardino Mountains, but I still had some serious climbs. One climb I had to abort and try a second time due to poor gear choice. A second one I sized up and decided to walk up (very smart decision). This is just north of the L.A. valley, and you can see boulders with urban graffiti on them. Interesting sight for sure. My body was exhausted, absolutely spent. My quads and glutes were throbbing in pain, probably the worst of the trip.

Day Forty-Four TBA

Too much else to catch up on, will post soon. ETA for Ventura is Monday, stay tuned.

Day Forty-Two: "California" (12 February) 110 mi

It only took half a mile to go from my motel in Parker, Arizona to the California border. I crossed the mighty Colorado River and entered the state of my dreams, posing at the newly installed "Welcome To California" sign with a sense of pride and wonderment. I tried to remind myself of the geographic context: I had made it! I was there. My whole life I had never been to the Golden State, I just read or watched it. I was now physically in California, and I felt this weight on my shoulders melt away. I had finally made it. So I cruised along, reminded of the task at hand. 110 miles, that's not a joke. This would take patience and endurance.
My last century (and also my first) was marred by three flat tires, and nonetheless I finished it at 107 miles in Fort Stockton, Texas. I reminded myself that that was on I-10, I was on a quiet desert highway. Clean road, clean shoulder. Nothing could go awry. I was very wrong about that. Nearly 16 miles in a spoke broke on my rear wheel. My heart sank, my head dropped. A slew of profanities raced through my head. A broken spoke was probably the single worst thing that could happen on this trip. I checked to see how bad the wobble of the wheel was to see if I could still ride. It was almost a whole centimeter. Too severe, and so I tried to loosen the surrounding spokes. Nothing. I could not true a wheel accurately enough to last me the remaining 94 miles, so I weighed my options. I gave my dad a call, he talked me through it. Then in the process of putting on the rear wheel I lost a spring. Without the spring I could not ride, so I frantically searched the surrounding area to no avail. Then, after nearly 15 minutes of searching I found it in a pile of rocks a few feet away. The needle in the haystack effect. Some consolation. My dad, being in law enforcement, had called California Highway Patrol before to tell officers I would be on the desolate Highway 62. I told him that it may be necessary to have someone pick me up since my rear wheel was rendered useless. Just as I hung up the phone, a CHP patrol SUV pulled up behind me. Out walked a tall (taller than me) CHP sergeant. He asked what the problem was. I told him I had broken a spoke. He asked if I was Kyle. We shook hands, he had talked to my dad the day before. I immediately felt relief, he and I were already on the same page. Sergeant Grogan offered to take me back to a bike shop in Lake Havasu City, Arizona to get it repaired. As much as I would want to remain self-sufficient, I had no choice but to take his generous offer. We loaded the bike in the back passenger seats, having to take both wheels off for it to fit. About an hour later we were at River Cyclery where I hurried in my bike. A bike mechanic, Taz, had just gotten back from lunch. Perfect timing. He trued my wheel, and it turns out the spares I had with me were too short, so it would have been a waste to try repairing it myself. Meanwhile, Sergeant Grogan and I grabbed some protein shakes next door. The woman who made them did so on the house, for Sgt. Grogan's good deed and for the cause I was riding for. As it turns out, her nephew also has Tourette's Syndrome. I was truly humbled. But as I went to pay, Taz rang me up at 4.56$ for some spare spokes. "I won't charge you for the truing." I was speechless, absolutely stunned. Even more stunning was Sgt. Grogan paying for the spokes, no questions asked. It was at that moment that I had really nothing to say, and felt very humble and grateful. Such kindness and selflessness, I will never forget that moment.
After filling up for gas in Needles he drove me back to where I last was. I was behind the count by three hours, and I knew I wasn't going back to Parker. I wasn't going to take a rest day and try it again tomorrow. I was going to finish off this damn century ride today. The hot sun mocked my decision as I sweated through the merciless Mojave Desert. Initially I was going 17-18 mph, looking like I could make it to 29 Palms by dusk. But then the terrain became hillier and the wind picked up, and soon I was back to 9-10 mph with no chance of recovery. I called my parents and warned them I would be doing night riding. Three hours I went in the dark, with only a meager front light to guide me and which I could only see 20 feet ahead. Just before 9 pm I arrived to 29 Palms, drained and exhausted, victorious. It was my first day in California, and one that I will never forget as long as I live.

Day Forty-Two: Coming Tomorrow

Just got done with the day 30 minutes ago, will write on my rest day tomorrow.

Day Forty-One: "Howl" (11 February) 56 mi

I knew the winds would be bad today, but I figured they would be mainly from the north. I'm not used to variable winds in Florida, but today in Arizona I found out what they were. It seemed the winds would counteract every direction I went, blowing dust into my face and mouth. 12 mph on average, would gust up to 19 mph. It was dreadful, me sluggishly crawling at 9-11 mph. While it was mostly flat today, I did have some hills. And the worst part was that the day started off all downhill with no headwind, me going about 27 mph without pedaling. The winds tested me, howled in my face and aimed to tear me down like a tree in a hurricane. But I persisted, knowing that if I made it to Parker today, I would be rewarded with California tomorrow (and another century ride). But regardless of the mileage I'll put in tomorrow, at least it'll be in the place I have lusted after for four years. California. Wow, it's incredible to think I'll be there tomorrow. I'm so glad I decided not to drive there last summer; it only seems right to visit California by my own power. Maybe I should change this to Kyle In Cal.

Day Forty: "Euphoria" (10 February) 54 mi

Got a later start out of Wickenburg. The night before I had dinner with my grandmother at Anita's Cocina down the street. That certainly brought back good memories, hadn't been there in 8 years. I had a headache this morning, a surprising setback. I didn't drink at all last night, no crazy partying in Wickenburg or anything. Probably just from the heat. I decided to skip wearing my black cap and let my hair seep through the helmet vents. Popped some Tylenol then hit the road, and within an hour it was gone. But not only was it gone, my body felt so relaxed. I had a borderline out-of-body experience, it was a weird sensation. Maybe I just had an incredible cadence today, but I felt entirely in-sync and in rhythm. I had total clarity of thought, which is always appreciated. I was in a zone of bliss when I heard shouts from the side of the road. Two fellow tourers! I pulled over for a chat. Lindy and Carolyn were their names, they were westbound as well. We swapped stories, I gave my history and we moved on. I really enjoy running into other cyclists, it reminds me that I'm not the only crazy one.

Day Thirty-Nine: "Nostalgia" (9 February) 77 mi

It was great to be back in Phoenix, a city I called home for two months last summer as I completed my internship with Maricopa County Department of Public Health. I saw Camelback Mountain as I crossed the Rio Salado and themi entered downtown Phoenix which was still adorned with Super Bowl banners and posters. I passed places I went just six months ago, it was surreal. I couldn't comprehend that I was back! I was so excited and tempted to take a rest day to visit friends. But California was on my mind, I declined. I swung by my grandmother's house and to also see her neighbors who cheered me on. Her home had streamers and balloons, it was a joyous reunion. Then we met up in Wickenburg for a lovely dinner at Anita's Cocina, a place I ate 8 years ago. Today will be unforgettable. Phoenix, I'll definitely be back.

Day Thirty-Eight: "Life in the fast lane" (8 February) 77 mi

I have a very long day today. The 20 miles from Globe to Superior took me almost 3 hours to complete. There was a 7% grade most of the way, with steep climbs, the steepest I had ever seen in my life. With clipless pedals it can be nerve-racking to see the steep climbs because if you run out of the gears and cannot move any further you will fall over. There were a few times that I stopped before going in continuing up these mountains both to collect my breath and also to mentally prepare myself. After a quick late breakfast in Superior, I began to descend into the valley of the sun. It was a glorious just sent through Gonzales Pass and soon I was back in the desert. I had been here six months before for my internship during the summer. To be back in this beautiful area is shocking, just how quickly I was able to make it here. As much as I want to take a rest day, I know I must continue on to California. Because it is a mission I am on, and it must be completed. Here I go.

Day Thirty-Seven: "Climb After Climb" (7 February) 79 mi

Earlier start out of Safford because I knew I would have to do a lot of climbing today. Sure enough I did a lot of climbing and it pretty much beat me senseless. Add on to this the headwind and I was in dire straits. It didn't help that the background to this physical misery was impoverished Indian reservations, alcoholics walking in the street. I hadn't heard of the statistics of alcoholism in these reservations but seeing it firsthand really led to this culture shock. About halfway to globe I saw this cyclist coming down this hill. It turns out she was going to Jacksonville, my starting point. She, Maddy, was coming from San Diego and she had gone the Flagstaff so now she was on the southern tier route. It's always good to see someone as crazy as you doing something they love. Overall, a forgettable day mainly due to that headwind. But I made it.

Instagram

Check out my Instagram: www.instagram.com/kyle_to_cal

Day Thirty-Six: "Arizona" (6 February) 77 mi

Got an earlier start today out of Lordsburg. It was pretty cold, but it warmed up nicely. About 8 miles in I lost a lot of air in my back tire. I had used one of the patched tubes and I guess the air started to leak out again. So I just tossed that one and put in the regular non thorn-resistant tube. But to get out the very thick thorn resistant tube, I really had to ply off the tire. I only had one tire lever because the other broke yesterday when I tried to put the tube in. If you've never changed a bike tire before, let me tell you that you really should use tire levers because your hands can get extremely cut up from working with the tire. Also this just makes the process longer and more frustrating. Out of this frustration I sat on the side of the road to work with tire because I was tired of standing. A passing motorist saw me and thought I was in distress, he offered me a ride. I thanked him but declined. I was on a mission, I was not going to cut corners. So I proceeded and was rewarded with the Arizona state line! I shamelessly took several photos and video by the state sign, also since I am a geography nerd. As I entered Arizona the terrain changed very quickly and became very mountainous. I had a very high climb, a couple of them actually. Off in the distance I saw some snow covered mountains, the first sight of snow on my journey. Turns out one of them Mount Graham. I got to Safford then decided not to stay at at my Warmshowers host (for safety reasons), I would rather just put up the money for a motel. I also went to the bike shop, the only one in town, to get a new tire because my Gatorskin on the back tire was pretty much frayed. To my delight they had one left, a little larger nonetheless, but it was just what I needed. A Marathon tire which is geared specifically for touring cyclists.

Day Thirty-Five: "Divide and Conquer" (5 February) 63 mi

Took another late start from the motel in Deming because this ride was to be about 62 miles. And with the good tailwind expected I knew I could get to Lordsburg in a reasonable amount of time. There also happen to be a slight decline which helped propel me forward at about 22 miles an hour at times. I crossed the continental divide today at 4585 feet. It was a milestone that wasn't as emotional was say the Mississippi River, but nonetheless it was important, significant to me. I stopped at a gas station about 20 miles out of town and the clerks were very much interested in my trip asking where I was coming from, where I was going to. They said they get a lot of cyclists coming in doing the continental divide ride. I also had my first lunchable in probably 15 years, mainly because they had nothing else in the refrigerator section.  I'm about 10 miles from Lordsburg, I got this terrible clambering sound in my ear. Turns out it was a staple that was lodged into my rear tire and this lead to my fifth flat (fourth on I-10). Nonetheless I was able to get to Lordsburg and off the interstates forever!

Day Thirty-Four: "Bad Winds" (4 February) 62 mi

Decided to get a later start because it was going to be relatively short day. There was a very good Cline coming out of Las Cruces and certainly by the end of it I was pretty tired. But I was rewarded with a very nice view of the Organ Mountains which are east of Las Cruces. I also cross the "mighty" Rio Grande River, which was all dried up. Tried to stay off interstate 10 is much as possible using the frontage road but eventually I had to use the interstate. The shoulder was extremely rough and just a displeasure to ride on. I actually had to stop to kind of let out some anger and just frustration about how uncomfortable the riding was. And then as usual I collected myself and talked myself off the cliff and continued on, slowing my pace and adjusting according to the shoulder conditions. I think I was incensed by the fact that was the frontage road was closed off because one of the bridges was out. I had hoped to stay off the interstate as much as possible but I ended up going an extra 15 miles because of that. I also crossed a US border patrol inspection station. They had a bit of a quizzical look on their faces because of a bicyclist coming in. They asked if I was a US citizen I said yes. And then they asked where I was going and  I told them where I was going. They wished me luck. It was a pleasant experience. The whole day was constant uphill with strong headwinds.

I did get to Deming in pretty good time and now I'm at the Days Inn which is a nice motel. I do have to give them credit because they have a very nice breakfast selection and clean rooms. That's really all I need. It's off to Lordsburg tomorrow.

Day Thirty-Three: "Back To School" (3 February) 47 mi

Said goodbye to my host Erica after we shared great conversation over breakfast. It was great to have a local show me around El Paso, which happens to be a really nice city. Today was a short day so I opted for a more scenic route through the Rio Grande Valley (not I-10). Highway 28 took me through wine and pecan country, stunning. Got to the town of La Mesilla for lunch at Emilia's (good call, Erica) and made it for 50 cent tacos Tuesday. Walked around the historic plaza before I went to my hosts near NMSU. They're college students and I went with one, Denali, to a lecture on border violence and globalization. Camilo Perez Bustillo is the professor, very passionate teacher. Stayed 2 hours, great use of my time.

Day Thirty-Two: "La Frontera" (2 February) 38 mi

Started off the morning with a very delicious breakfast consisting of almond butter, granola, pecans and berries. It was immaculate, our host Craig really did a fantastic job. Lois and I said our final farewell and we also say goodbye to Bill and Erica. Lois left before me and then I headed down the driveway towards highway 20. Just over a mile in to day 32, my front tire got a flat. I just laughed at this one, a front flat? Unheard of. I was just glad they didn't have to take off the panniers and unscrew everything. After about 15 minutes of casually messing around with the tire (it was 38 mile day after all) I hit the road again and moved along to El Paso. It wasn't long until I hit the city in the traffic began increase. But one thing straight out: I was never honked at that today. It was incredible, remarkable and not a single person honked at me even though I was on a very busy road. I meandered my way to downtown through some detours and was impressed with the city. You had some hills on the northside that were a bit tough to get over but other than that it was a very bikeable city. I decided to take my bike straight to the Crazy Cat Cyclery on Mesa where Erica my host would meet me. Instead of meeting Erica right away, I came across an old friend. Lois. We just happened to bump then to each other at the right place at the right time, and she was just checking out. I dropped my bike off for two hours and we said our final final farewells before Erica and I saw her off as she rode to Las Cruces, New Mexico. Erica was a great host, giving me chores of the city so I can sightsee and take pictures. El Paso is just really cool and then you can Ciudad Juárez on the other side of the border. I saw the fence and everything was really surreal, just to be there in the presence of another country. 

Day Thirty-One: "Mexico" (1 February) 85 mi

Had an early leave from Van Horn and very sunny weather. Continued again on interstate 10 as usual and about 30 minutes then I crossed my second time zone into mountain time. I am now two hours behind home. Immediately the mountains seem to get larger and more pronounced though the ascents today were not that bad. I was really captivated by just the sheer size of these mountains. Ironically they were in Mexico which I found out when I was looking at the map. That didn't take away the incredible nature of my surroundings. I got up close and personal with the Mexican border today seen the fence was really incredible. You always hear about in the news, it really is the modern Berlin wall. Now I'm staying on a farm just a half-mile from Mexico. I came across to cyclist going east, Danny and England. They were interesting folks to talk to they offered me some rice cakes which I happily gorged. The host I'm staying with, Craig, put together a terrific dinner which I have provided a picture of and he's also hosting two other cyclists who are a brother and sister Erica and Bill. They are doing the four corners of the United States and had started in Wickenburg Arizona on the first of January.