MATT + ZACH

 Matt watering his newly built and planted little garden box, Zach works on his bike.
A nice last day in Santa Fe. 

DURANGO

MAY 29-- Tomorrow, we head out of Santa Fe to Taos and then on to Colorado.... We should be in Durango in a few days. Its so nice to stop and hang out in a place for a while, drink some espresso, eat some tasty food, but then it always feels good to get back on the bikes and keep moving. We're going to hit mountains now, so the past months of training will be put to the test! Dread. A little bit of dread....this is serious business. But, I know it will be fine. Everything is conquerable in tiny incriments, that's one thing I've learned. And we hope to hit some great hotsprings on the way, which is good incentive.  Soothing the quad pain in a rock pool bubbling with hot, lithium-rich water sounds like the perfect way to end a day of endless climbing. Doesn't it? 

durango mountains photo by: evan gearing, click to link to his flickr

SLEEPING MATS + SCORN

When we left we both had massive sleeping mats--big blue Thermarest XL Luxury-Map pads; so comfy, yet sooo undignified. Everyone would ask 'whats that thing?' and when we told them what the giant item topping off our pack was they would just laugh or raise a friendly eyebrow, 'thats huge!'. (Travelers, as you may know, have a fetish for tiny, lightweight things.)

Until recently I've held onto my Fat Little Mat, arguing for sleep quality and the importance of being rested on the road. Zach ditched his long ago in Louisiana and replaced it with a blow-up mat that rolls up to about the size of a coffee can. It takes me a little more time to make big decisions and just two days ago I finally did the same. The mat I just got is about 60% as comfortable as the one I had, but much smaller. It won't catch the wind, and it lightens the load by a pound or two so that's good. Its orange.

I can't deny that I was attached to the old blue bohemouth, I'm sad to send it away now. I personally thought the thing was microscopic until I saw everyone elses... It's true, at times I am A TOTAL SHEEP... so easily influenced by the scorn of others. But, I insist: I'm not giving up my boots. And I'm not giving up my laptop. And I'm not giving up my jeans. No amount of laughter will make me part with those....

SANTA FE

We've made it to Santa Fe! Hello Turquoise + Stucco.

CREEPY CRAWLIES

Just for the record, things we've seen that scare me: 

4 Copperhead Snakes (3 live, 1 pickled-in-a-jar)
1 Rattlesnake
4 Tarantulas
1 Horny Toad
1 Black Widow Spider
1 Wolf Spider
1.5 million Bats
many lizards +
a few small alligators

HITCHIKIN'

 

 
 

On Monday (the 20^th) we made an executive decision to hitchhike. I’ve picked up many people thumbing a ride, and so has Zach so we figured our karma was good—even with the bikes and all our gear. We made some signs, I brushed my hair, we put on a smile and off we went to hang out by a truck stop on I-10. It’s kind of uncomfortable at first but eventually we got into it and pretty shortly a trucker named Joe picked us up. We strapped the bikes behind the cab and threw our stuff into these little side compartments in the truck. I’ve never been in a rig like that, bed and everything! It was pretty cool; we got a little glimpse into life on the road in Man Land. He took us out of Texas and into New Mexico, FINALLY! A new state. Texas, it was good to know you—but you are BIG. Too big perhaps. He let us off and headed west, we headed north. We had to ride about 10 miles to get ourselves to another good spot and we stood with our thumbs up as the sun went down on Las Cruces NM. North Please!! Victor, kind rock-climber, stopped in his little red Subaru and crammed us in. Bikes on top, me in back making PB + J sandwiches.  311 miles in one day. That’s 5 or 6 days for us on the bikes….pretty sweet for a change of pace.

Hitching was definitely the right thing to do. We’d gone 75 miles straight into 25mph winds on Sunday, totally exhausting ourselves, and there was no sign that it was going to let up. Hitching is perhaps a little impure for some cycle-tourists but we love to be a little bad.  And the point is to have fun. Riding into the wind isn’t fun (for us at least). There’s always more than one way to skin a cat. Santa Fe, here we come!

OBSERVATORY + THE F-ING SON OF EINSTEIN

 
 

Zach and I are big NPR geeks. We stream it on our phones even now during our camp-stove-cooking, tent-packing, French-press and oatmeal mornings. NPR has a little blip they do called Star-Date and it comes from the McDonald Observatory/Universty of Austin, its all about astronomy and which planets are where and doing what…We’ve heard it thousands of times over the years; so when we saw that there was a WarmShowers host AT the McDonald Observatory we were STAR STRUCK! Ha. Its true, we even incorrectly thought we might see Sandy Wood, who is the woman who presents Star-Date. Anyway—geekery aside, it was awesome.

Zach and I rode from Marfa to the observatory, a relatively short day (~40mi) but we climbed a small mountain to get there. As you might be able to imagine, the very last mile was the steepest and the most ass-kicking—a hard way to end a day, but satisfying.

Our host, John Khune works there—part of the cadre of staff that keeps the telescopes and equipment running; the astronomers sign up for time and come and go, but the core staff live there and keep everything working. Tolerances are tight, if a mirror sags even “½ wavelength of light” the whole damn thing is garbage. Its pretty crazy. John's background is geology, but he has a stunning mind for just about everything as far as I could tell. One of these people who remembers the numbers and dates and names of ever piece of information they’ve ever heard. And he was a sweet man to boot. Took us up for a private tour of the telescopes and all that. It was a real treat, a highlight of our trip, up there with crawfishing (but totally different of course…). John said that one day a bunch of motorcycle guys had ridden up to the observatory and saw him walking down—one said to another that guy looks like the fucking son of Einstein, then noticed he’d heard and assured him it was a compliment. I was glad he told me that because I was thinking the exact same thing, and I meant it as a compliment too. In my head. 

WAITING FOR A CHAIN-RING

5-17: It's been a slow week. We haven't made it very far. First we rested. Then we had to do misc errands. We battled with the wind for a day (and my lips are still chapped from it!) Then we had to wait around for this damn chain-ring that we've been having the worst luck catching up with! Today, we got it (thanks Tara and Andrea)--and it works amazingly. Zach's knees will officially be smiling their way up the mountain roads tomorrow. We're in MARFA TX which is a strange oasis of art and hipness in the desert; staying with Hilary who very graciously put us up on short notice. Tomorrow we will ride to/sleep at the McDonald observatory! We are staying with someone who works up there which is very exciting. A big steep climb to get there but it will be worth it. Right now, its time to SLEEP! I've prepped the coffee and the oatmeal/chia mixture so its all ready to go in the AM. Mountains, I can handle you!

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT?

Quick question: What about our trip are you interested in? What are the parts you want to know more about?

Also-- I think a lot of people are missing the OUR FELLOW MAN page (look at the menu on the upper left)--so check it out if you haven't already! The stories there flesh this blog out. We meet a lot of people and I thought they deserved their own page. Some wild characters, some not so wild. I only really write up the people I can manage to get a photo of, so some good ones are missing. Sometimes I feel funny asking to take a photo, but I do whenever I think its appropriate. 

ANYWAY! If you've got time send me an email and tell me what you find interesting and what you want more of! 

CRUISING RT. 90

Hippie shacks. Stucco. Dry air. Bright sunshine. Expensive, tiny, under-stocked grocers. Tumbleweed. White faced steer. Cloud-shadows on the mountains. Open sky. Snakes in the grass. Chihuahuas, why do you ALL love to chase us? Retro painted-lettering, lights, agave-lined-drives. Hot skin. Thorns. Flat tires. Broken kick-stand. Cowboy hats galore. Peanut shells on the saloon floor. Tarantulas. Ooops, I ran over a Horned Lizard. And a dead rat. And almost, a Copperhead! Skinks with their blue bellies. A friendly chat. Some good advice. Breakfast with a new friend. Coffee and a cookie. $2/day beer budget. Cruising at 26mph today, with a tailwind. A squished PB + J sandwich. 

SUNDAY MAY 12, REST DAY, MARATHON TX

Beautiful Mountains. Sunshine. Perfect Temp. Had to take a rest because we were just about kicked. We've put in 180 miles in the past 3 days. Whew. Good place to chill for a day.  Check the PHOTOS and the OUR FELLOW MAN page for more good stuff.

XOX

30!!

On May 9 Zach turns 30. Minute? Momentous? Zach’s sentiment? ‘I get to bike 60 miles and then sleep in a camper! Yeah!’ We have a spot unofficially reserved in a little camper in Langtry TX (pop. 14), it has air conditioning and hopefully there will be beer and tortilla chips somewhere nearby to complete Zach’s Bliss Requirements. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE! You’re as beautiful and amazing as ever, ripening perfectly, I love you like crazy!

WITHERING INTO WEST TEXAS

TUES MAY 7—We’ve crossed into some new territory today, and I think its safe to say that we’re officially out of the Texas Hill Country. Over the course of 50 miles the land began to flatten out, trees greatly diminished in quantity, the ground got much dustier, and the cattle + sheep started looking bony, scraggly. The sky  o p e n e d up. The ride was easy and fast, even with a very shifty wind we were able to make good time—a nice break from several days of wicked winding climbs that left my legs trembling with exhaustion at times. The hills are hard, but totally doable--what’s tricky is planning around them. You plan on doing 70 miles, but its time to stop at mile 50 because some mountains ate up all your time; its 6pm and you’re DAMN TIRED. If there’s a place to sleep you take it and adjust the schedule, make the calls if you have service, re-figure the route. Tonight we’ve found a little campground in Bracketville, TX which is on the site of an old cavalry fort called Fort Clark. The air is dry as a bone and the pool is closed due to the drought but we’ve got a nice cold shower and a spot in a grove of Live Oak Trees.

NOPALES

  

I'm going to get better at this! I've eaten Nopales (Prickly Pear Cactus Pads) many a time in Mexico--and its pretty good. And its fresh and wild and free if you pick and prep it yourself. We need to get better at cutting out the spines in a reasonable amount of time--but then...we'll never starve, even if we wind up lost in the desert! And we'll be all hopped up on Vitamin C too. Tastes kind of like a slightly tangy Okra, meets Green Pepper, meets Green Bean? Fresh, sauteed, boiled, its all good.

1000 +

Thurs May 2-- About 60 miles ago we passed the 1000 MILE MARK! It took us a month and at least 12 of those days were "rest days"--but I think we're going at a good pace for us for now. Thats exciting. Now we're legit.

I THINK I CAN

Hills are a bitch sometimes. We weighed our bikes last week and mine came in (bike + gear) at a cool 99 pounds. I weigh in at about 150 so, you do the math. Its a lot to haul up a steep hill! My quads are getting the brunt of the pain, but getting better! We're now in Texas Hill Country. So basically it works like this: I put it in the easiest gear and Zach gets behind me and says encouraging things and we go 3.5 miles an hours up the hill. And then we do it again. And again. And in between we get to ZOOM really fast downhill at 10 times the speed. Thats the good part. Today I caught myself thinking of The Little Engine That Could, and it helped.  I think I can I think I can I think I can, in time with my pedal strokes-but I thought of it like: I THINK I CAN therefore I CAN, not, I think I maybe might be able to. Thinking of myself as a small slow engine is good.  I feel strong then. This is just prep for the mountains. I'm already SO MUCH STRONGER. I almost think I caught a glimpse of my 4 pack in the mirror the other day. Zach of course, can do it all no problem--but he very sweetly just stays behind me and is awesome. 

ESCAPE FROM AUSTIN

MON APRIL 29-- Austin: the land of tattooed cool-kids, food-trucks, BBQ and boot stores. The land of neon signs and Excellent Tacos. The land of Hippie-Texans and Honky Tonk Bars. Whole Foods, Bats, Barton Springs. We’ve taken 8 whole days here to take in culture, coffee, food and social life after a long stretch of rural roads and campgrounds. We ended up riding almost 30 miles a day just around town finding spots to check out, doing errands and seeking the elusive cup of tasty coffee. We’ve been drinking cheap stuff on the road, and though we brought a French press—you can really taste the difference between the freshly roasted, freshly ground, shade-grown, fair-trade organic stuff and Maxwell House. It’s our last day here before we head west through the Hill Country. Barton Springs was great, and we got to see the bats fly out from under the bridge downtown too. It’s pretty amazing to see a plume of 1.5 million bats fly out for their nightly mosquito feasting. There was so much to do we thought we might never leave. Sad to leave but happy to get out on the road again.  

EASY TIGER

THU APRIL 25--Easy Tiger is an Austin institution. Maybe that’s too strong of a word, but, lets just say it’s a must visit kind of a place. Built in the rocks, black + white, golden tiger graphics, tile, outdoor beer-garden, bakery, bar. I immediately recognized it because my interior inspirations folder on my desktop has a bunch of photos of the bar/bakery/cafe. It’s very pretty, link HERE, because my photos are terrible! Ommegang Brewery of Cooperstown sends a lot of beer to a lot of happy Austinites via Easy Tiger, so we stopped by at the recommendation of Friend of The Peddlers and Ommegang Super-Girl Tara Aitchison. We tried a couple of beers, one of their famous pretzel platters and the Ruben. All awesome, really. Matt, café manager took good care of us and sent us on our way with about a pound of their house-made beef-jerky--the perfect cycling energy snack. The opposite kind of protein snack as my sprouts, but I’m not complaining. We rock both sprouts and jerky.  I cut it up into little pieces and stuck it in our Snack Bag. The VERY IMPORTANT SNACK BAG. Always evolving, always rapidly diminishing. Here's my idea: New York Ommegang/Maple + Texas Beef=Easy Tiger Cycle Jerky Super Snack. How 'bout it guys?

AUSTIN!

SUNDAY 4/21: Made it to Austin yesterday evening! We begin exploring today! So much to do/see.... We've gone about 800 miles so far. Chipping away. 

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

I’m a roadie cook. These are my utensils. Swiss Army knife that C.L. gave me back in Louisiana, very sharp, keep cutting my thumb with it. Opens cans too. And an ultra-light titanium SPORK. I never thought I’d be a person who uses a spork. Now I am. I like it. I keep it in my handle-bar bag, stashed in the zippered-pocket with the pens and the pepper-spray. Sporks and skorts, weird words for two-in-one things.  Don’t worry, I don’t do skorts. YET. You just never know what I might do after a trip like this. I hope to never wear a skort, remind me if I get too practical for my own good.