Hey all, I’m still alive! I just have very minimal internet access here in northern California.
A brief catch-up of the past few days:
I wrote the previous post from the balcony of my cousin Nathalie’s place in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. We enjoyed another all-too-brief visit of fun-filled conversation, after which I accepted a car ride from my gracious Warmshowers host to the delightful mid-century-styled house he shares with his wife in the neighboring Mount Washington area. I was very thankful for the lift; those hills were unbelievable! He was accustomed to scaling them, and in fact he had recently returned from his own cross-country bicycle trip: seven weeks from Santa Monica to Washington, DC! Much different pace, and level of athletic prowess, from me.
I biked down those scenic Mt. Washington hills the next morning, on my way to LA’s Union Station. (I love the aesthetics of that station, so I’m also sharing a few of those photos here.)
That bike ride led into a nice long trip on the train from LA up to the tiny northern California town of Dunsmuir, where I arrived at 4:58 am(!)
My also-gracious host Michael was kind enough to wake up at 3 am in order to pick me up from there, and drive me back in the dark over deeply rain-potholed roads into his gorgeous, remote off-grid cabin near Mount Shasta. (Check out the solar panel! Remind you of anything?)
We went up to the mountain yesterday, where I encountered snow!
We also serendipitously ran into a friend of Michael’s, who is one of the kind of people I was just writing about wanting to meet: Lewis Elbinger, who describes himself on Facebook as a “Multidimensional grandfather, yogi, poet, artist, traveler, diplomat, planetary citizen, [and] evolutionary.” He had worked as a diplomat for many years in Pakistan, as well as several other countries. He gave me a copy of the book he had recently published, “Meditation for Prisoners.”
It’s unbelievably beautiful and serene here. Please enjoy these photos, until I have the time and internet connection to share more in a few days.
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The other day I shared that I had, somewhat unexpectedly at this juncture, found myself back in the cactus garden in Balboa Park. That place is one of my favorite on Earth. It feels sacred and very resonant to me. When I visit San Diego, I always make a point to visit there at least once, and to sit for a while on one of the benches and sink into myself, observe my current life circumstances, and feel into where I might like to make changes or shift gears in my life.
When I arrived the other day, I had been feeling a bit out of sorts for a few days. I am about six weeks into this yearlong journey right now, and I have had a dizzying array of experiences, most of which have been thoroughly delightful. That was one of my biggest intentions for this trip: to optimize all aspects of my life as much as I possibly could. To know what brings me joy and pleasure, and to very actively and skillfully pursue it:
I know that I love temperate, sunny weather; beautiful natural places; riding my bike and on trains; meeting new people; connecting with friends and family in person; and enjoying all the locally made vegan meals and chocolatey treats I can find. This trip is like a paradise in all these ways.
And yet… I have been starting to feel that something is missing. I am needing to do more to fulfill my need to contribute. Another key part of my original intention—my mission—for this journey was to bring my presence and consciousness to bear on the problems of the world. I was seeking to connect with inspiring people, to learn about their own ideas, and their own work, toward solutions. I wish to learn about these various solutions, and to make a “mental map” of who is working on what, where. I also intend to offer my own emotional and/or strategic support to those people doing the ideation and the work. This is my favorite way of contributing to the collective. One part of that, which I really enjoy, is using my mental map to connect like-minded people with each other, for possible strategic collaborations and/or “fairy godfunding” of great ideas and projects.
Alongside all the wonderful experiences I’ve had so far, and shared here on my blog, I have also been witness to many problems. Among these are rampant homelessness; trash and vandalism of urban and natural spaces; many aspects of colonialism and the harms it has done to many marginalized communities; indicators of climate change such as droughts, fires, and wildly unpredictable and unusual weather conditions; rampant/excessive use of internal-combustion transportation technology, which brings congestion and human frustration as well as untold environmental destruction and community disruption via land use decisions that favor single-occupancy autos; and staggering amounts of solid waste, including single-use plastic.
These are just some of the problems I have seen and felt.
As I continue to stay connected to many people—both known and unknown to me—via social media, I also hear continual refrains of loneliness, as well, from people in all sorts of different life situations. Loneliness, discord, political antagonism, and lack of nourishing human connections are a modern-day plague (alongside the literal plague of COVID, which has exacerbated these problems in a variety of ways.)
We need solutions.
We really, really need a lot of solutions, to a lot of problems.
This is my work in the world.
I do my best to live in accordance with the kind of world I would like to see: minimizing my own auto/internal-combustion-engine use, minimizing my resource use and solid waste, minimizing human and animal exploitation in various ways, treating others with care and respect to the best of my abilities… and so on.
I’m not perfect, by any means. I continue to play a part in these problems.
But I do my best.
And, at the same time, my individual actions pale next to the enormity of these national and global concerns.
I still believe, as I wrote at the beginning of this journey, that my strongest gifts in this world are those of holding a vision for a better world, and doing my best to offer emotional and strategic support to those who are on the front lines of envisioning and/or bringing about this better world.
I haven’t connected yet with as many of those folks as I had hoped to. I want to increase my efforts. And, I want to enlist your help!
As I prepare to begin my bike loop of the US in earnest from northern California around November 1st (my October “southwest rail spur” having wrapped up by then) I want to redouble my efforts to have regular conversations with the people around the US (and/or Canada, and/or anywhere else in the world… but especially those along my route) who are engaged in thinking about these problems, and/or actively pursuing solutions.
Do you know people (or organizations) like that? People I could perhaps meet up with in my travels? I’m very open to phone or video chats as well—especially for those outside of my route—but I like the idea of meeting in person with people, seeing their physical efforts, etc. One great example of this was when I visited and toured the Earthships in Taos, New Mexico a few weeks ago. I’m also looking forward to meeting a really cool couple near Dallas, Texas who are working on solving many social and environmental problems in the world.
I dream of connecting with the sorts of visionaries I admire, such as South American city leaders like Enrique Penalosa, former mayor of Bogota, Colombia, or (the late) Jaime Lerner of Curitiba, Brazil. People like Conrad Wagner, of Mobility CarSharing Switzerland. Or Gil Penalosa, in Toronto, Canada (Enrique’s brother, who works as a global consultant on building vibrant communities). Or Daniel Suelo, “the man who quit money,” who spent years living in a cave outside Moab, Utah, and whose story has inspired many. Or Dr. John Francis, the “Planetwalker,” who didn’t drive or even ride in any motorized transport for 33 years, and who walked across the United States, connecting with and inspiring and teaching people all along the way.
I actually have met a couple of these folks already. (Shoutout to Conrad and Daniel, the latter of whom I recently “met” on Facebook.) I want to meet more!
I want to be like the Paul Erdos of planetary solutions, traveling the country by bike and train, staying with and/or supporting or collaborating with folks who are working on humanity’s thorny problems of the day.
Do you know people like these? Could you introduce us?
People have asked me for an itinerary of where I’m going. I think it would take too much space to list out all the cities, but you can see the general map in the photo. I plan to visit most major cities (and some small towns) along this map. If you know of inspirational people like this who would like to host me for a night or two, that would be a bonus—and would probably allow for more in-depth conversations—but hosting is not necessary, since I’m making extensive use of Warmshowers, Servas, and friend/friend-of-friend networks to find lodging. I am generally spending two nights and one full day in each locale, so that is enough time to meet for coffee or a nature walk or a tour of someone’s local project.
People have also suggested that I use video on this trip. This intimidates me, and I’m not sure I’m ready for it yet, but at some point, perhaps I could add video interviews or “news segments” of these inspiring people and their work to my journey. I want to share with a wider audience the work of inspiring people, and to help connect them with each other.
Thanks to everyone reading this. This journey is a collaboration, and I deeply appreciate all of your support!
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Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!
Want to be notified of future blog posts? Use the green “sign up” button to subscribe!
Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)
I made it to San Diego today! I hadn’t planned to visit there on this leg of the trip, although I am hoping/intending to spend at least a week or two in this area in late December. San Diego is my second-favorite US city after Portland, and I have long contemplated moving here, probably not year-round but maybe for the four or five dreariest Portland months of December through March (and possibly November or April).
But today, Michele was working away from Escondido for most of the day, and I took the opportunity to head down into town. San Diego is about 30 miles south of here, and it took me about two hours, all told, to get there: about 20 minutes to the transit center in Escondido (along the canal bike path) and then about an hour on the bus, which deposited me in the center of the I-15 freeway! (Very cool that San Diego has bus rapid transit. Portland is finally, belatedly, dipping its proverbial toe into this concept as I type, on SE Division Street out to Gresham, immediately outside my condo. It will be complete in 2022, presumably by the time I return in September, since most TriMet projects take effect on the Labor Day weekend.)
I folded up the bike and took it up the elevator to University Avenue, then hopped on a #10 bus (which happened to be approaching the stop as I arrived, a lucky break for me since that line only runs once per hour.)
I took the bus out to the two vegan bakeries in the Hillcrest area that I love so much: Hazel and Jade and Starry Lane. I loaded up on sugary deliciousness, and then bicycled over to my favorite destination in this city: Balboa Park, and more specifically its desert garden.
The garden is a very sacred space to me. I never fail to visit it whenever I come to San Diego, and I find it to be a place of centering and renewal for me.
As I wrote yesterday, I had been struggling a bit for the past few days.
The desert garden worked its magic on this. I had a bit of an epiphany, or a renewal of purpose. I will plan to write more about this tomorrow, but suffice it to say my mood made a good turnaround while in that garden space this afternoon.
Afterward I crossed the pedestrian bridge into the Prado, which on a Sunday was truly the sort of vibrant urban gathering space most American cities can only dream of. The weather was perfect, and there were vendors (including a startup vegan sweets company, but I restrained myself this time) and performers, and many revelers of all sorts, out sharing the public space.
Then I biked back up to the I-15, and caught the return bus to Escondido, arriving at the transit center at just the right daylight point to cycle back to Michele’s place before dark.
I feel so good right now.
Tomorrow, back to LA for a couple of days!
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Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!
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Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)
Today was a pretty quiet day here in Escondido, about 30 miles north of my beloved San Diego. Honestly, my mind and emotions have been in a bit of a swirl the past few days, so I needed a bit of decompression, which I found in a local park that I biked to along the canal path. (I’m noticing lots of canal bike paths in these desert areas: Phoenix, LA, Escondido, even Klamath Falls in Oregon’s high desert. I think, as my friend Michele pointed out today, we don’t have many canals in rainier climates, but in dry desert areas, they have historically been needed to collect and harness the water that does fall. And now, with so many of them having walking/biking paths next to them, they are a different kind of public resource—one that I especially appreciate.)
This trip has been so wonderful so far, but I suppose it is the human condition to just feel a bit “off” sometimes. The constant travel can be exciting, but at times tiring. Interacting with lots of people is something I love, but it can still sometimes be a bit overwhelming to my introverted self, who mostly sat on my own couch for the past year! And general worries like staying connected to my existing friends, financial (in)security after “jumping into the breach,” concerns about whether the weather and topography, etc will continue to go my way in the rest of the year…. all these kinds of things can get into my head and feel a bit stressful at times.
Sitting in the sun in a cute little neighborhood park (Grape Day Park) helped with this, though, as did a good phone conversation with a close friend this evening. (Johnny, for those of you who know him. His clemency application is slowly moving through the process. Please keep your fingers crossed for him. We will all be better off if he has a chance to use his incredible skills and passions in service of humanity from outside those bars, where he can do even more powerful work than he has done inside.)
Also in that park today, I found the old Escondido train depot! You all know how much I enjoy train travel, as well as the visuals of old rail paraphernalia, so you can appreciate how I felt when I saw the building with its signs, and this old mail car. I like that they can remain in this modern-day city park.
Later in the afternoon, Michele drove me (and her trusty canine companion Dawa) up to a nearby nature park and campground called Dixon Lake. We drove up through the campsite area, and the views were gorgeous!
Tomorrow I may go in to San Diego. I had thought I might wait for that until I return to this area in December, but I really love Balboa Park (and the two Hillcrest vegan bakeries that are only a few blocks apart from each other!) so I may make the trek. Probably on the bus, since it’s 30 miles, and biking it would take more of the day than I would want.
To those of you reading this: thank you for following along with me on my adventures. Whether I’m having a euphoric day or a challenging one, it helps me to know I can share it with my larger community, all around the world.
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Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!
Want to be notified of future blog posts? Use the green “sign up” button to subscribe!
Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)
Another full day today! My friend Michele drove over from Escondido, north of San Diego, to meet me and join me at Joshua Tree National Park.
First we went to visit her friend Walt, who lives near my host Lauren in Yucca Valley. He teaches Qi Gong, and has built the large lot surrounding his house into an amazing property with both sacred and whimsical spaces. My photos weren’t great, so I’ll leave that to your imagination and focus on the main visual event of the day, but Walt’s place was cool. He even shared a pomegranate he had plucked from his own tree, right in front of my eyes!
After our visit with Walt, Michele and I and her dog Dawa headed over to the park, and I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. We covered only a small section of the park, because it is so huge. Of course there were Joshua trees all over the place, but I was also struck by the topography of the place: all the huge rocks and mountains, of different shapes and colors, and the canyons. It was a sight to behold, and a place to feel deeply.
Afterward, on our way back to Escondido (where I’ll be staying for the next couple of days) we drove through Palm Springs, hitting it just during the golden hour. My photos from there don’t do it justice, either, so I’ll spare you, but the midcentury shapes and colors of much of the upscale housing stock, interspersed with all the palm trees and bright pink and purple desert flowers, and surrounded by large scenic mountains in the setting sun, was really worth experiencing. I’m glad I got a chance to return there after Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree.
Tomorrow will probably be mostly a rest day, though we may explore the local canal path by bike. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my time in New Mexico and Arizona, it feels good to be back in California. This state will be my home from now until the end of the year.
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Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!
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Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)
Today was a day to survey the scene in this area, before my trip to the actual Joshua Tree National Park tomorrow with my friend Michele.
I started the day with a house-call massage! (My host had one scheduled for herself, and suggested I snag an appointment right after hers.) This felt like a splurge, since I’m doing my best to minimize costs on this journey, but I think it was well worth it; I could really feel all the muscles throughout my body during the massage. I think I’d like to go ahead and plan on getting one per month while I’m on this trip. Seems like a worthwhile investment to keep my body in good working order.
After that, in the early afternoon, I headed out on my bike to check out two locally owned natural food stores—one in Yucca Valley and the other in Joshua Tree—knowing that in addition to enjoying browsing in these places, the journey would take me through the local landscape. The round trip was about 20 miles, and I did get to pass a great many of the local eponymous trees. They are legally protected: it is not allowed to cut down a Joshua Tree, even on one’s own property. My host has at least one in her yard. (See the photo in yesterday’s post.) Today I passed miles and miles of them. It sort of reminded me of the feel of the saguaro cacti in the Phoenix area, dotting sunbaked hills and mountains along many roads.
The desert climate and landscape take some getting used to for me. I wanted to “opt out of winter” in dreary and rainy Oregon, and I’m glad I’m doing so. (Today was 77 here, which I love.) But the starkness and desolation of these desert landscapes feels a bit harsh to me. I think I would find it challenging to live in such a climate. I feel the scarcity of water on a visceral level.
I’ve got lots more desert coming up later in my trip: pretty much all winter will be spent in desert areas in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. I think I’ll be ready for spring in the southeast; I might even welcome the dreaded rain and humidity by that time!
But tomorrow, I’m excited to explore Joshua Tree National Park, and possibly also a hot spring and a botanical garden.
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Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!
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Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)
Well, I slept from about 7:30 am until my alarm went off three hours later at 10:30, in the Palm Springs Motel 6. Getting there by bike in the dark (and a bit of sandy wind) was honestly a bit harrowing, but I made it safely.
The room was upstairs, though, so I had to once again unpack the trailer downstairs—trying not to be too noisy for the neighbors at about 6:15 am—and carry them upstairs separately. I struggled with the key card for a couple of minutes, too, which tested my patience after a sleepless night, but I eventually got myself and my belongings inside so I could rest.
Then at about noon, I checked out of the motel and headed south on Indian Canyon Road toward Palm Springs. I wanted to see the town—if only briefly—to experience the unique housing stock as well as hit a locally owned natural food store and Native Foods founder Tanya Petrovna’s to-go vegan restaurant and shop Chef Tanya’s Kitchen.
After I got some tasty goodies from those two places, I met up with my Yucca Valley host—another friend of my Oregon friend Judy—who picked me up at Chef Tanya’s to spare me the mountainous climb to her place right near Joshua Tree.
I arrived in the afternoon, just in time to meet several of her neighbors at a small happy hour gathering she hosted on the back patio. We had some good food and drinks, and talked about the local area as well as my travels.
After the other guests left, I took a few photos from the patio, of the beautiful Joshua tree environment.
I’m running on very little sleep now, so I’m losing steam fast, but after catching up on some rest tonight, I’m looking forward to a massage(!) tomorrow, which I think will be extremely welcome to my body at this point in the journey, and then I’ll head out and explore this unique and magical landscape!
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Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!
Want to be notified of future blog posts? Use the green “sign up” button to subscribe!
Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)
Well, it’s 11:38 pm, and I’m here in Maricopa, Arizona, just south of Phoenix. The train to Palm Springs was scheduled to depart here at 9:02 pm, and deposit me at (oof) 2:02 am. But fate had different plans for that train. I’m not sure the source of the delay (probably freight train traffic, the station attendant tells me) but it is now scheduled to arrive at 12:39, and get me to Palm Springs at 5:08 am. I suspect it will be further delayed before I board; it seems like about every half hour it gets pushed back a bit more. [Update: we arrived in Palm Springs at 5:45. I got maybe an hour of sleep on the train.]
I had already booked a hotel room in Palm Springs for tonight, which I think I’ll still be charged for. Maybe I can still sleep a few hours there, in the morning…? I hope so, because if not that would be an awfully long day for tomorrow. [Update: I made a few calls from the Maricopa station and then from the train, and the Motel 6 staff—“We’ll leave the light on for you”—were very helpful, changing the date of my reservation, even though I had made it through Expedia, and saving me the very last room for the new date.]
Oh well. I’m naturally a night owl, and I don’t feel sleepy at all yet. Perhaps I can sleep on the train; it should be at least a four-hour trip.
Today in Tempe was pleasant. I got to meet up with my Salem, Oregon friend Summer—the awesome co-owner and kitchen wizard at the all-vegan Infinity Room—and her mother, who lives in Sun City, just outside of Phoenix. Summer was in town visiting for a few days, so we took the opportunity to meet up at a vegan restaurant in my host’s neighborhood. The restaurant, Solar, was part of an indoor food court with a unique, modern ordering system: you first enter an unstaffed room with a tablet in it, and choose which restaurant you want (there are about ten) and then order online from their menu. The system calculates the tax and suggested tip amount, and then you charge yourself using the attached card reader. You enter your phone number into the system, and then wait nearby for the kitchen to text you when your order is ready. You go pick it up, and eat indoors or outdoors around the food court. Pretty neat!
Later in the afternoon, I biked over to the site of Culdesac Tempe, an ambitious and inspiring effort to build a car-free, self-sufficient community for 1,000 households, right in the middle of Tempe. I first heard about it just a few days ago, from my first Tempe host. Later, a Portland friend (my former boss Dave Brook, an innovator in his own right, who founded CarSharing Portland back in 1998) saw on Facebook that I was in Tempe, and suggested I visit. Finally, I was talking to today’s Tempe host, and realized that the planned development is within about a mile of her house. She has talked to some of the planners, and is very impressed with them and the project.
I had hoped to see some construction in progress, and to meet and chat with the planners, but unfortunately I arrived to see only a large dirt lot, fenced off and clearly ready for construction to begin soon, but sadly not yet underway. I later learned from my host that the planners have offices nearby, but not directly on-site. I hope to contact them, and perhaps chat about their vision. Maybe I could even meet them in January, when I come back through Arizona.
Tomorrow: Palm Springs, Yucca Valley, and/or Joshua Tree!
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Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!
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Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)
Today was another wonderfully full day. I left my Warmshowers hosts’ place in the morning to go to my next host’s house, a couple of miles east but still within Tempe. On the way I stopped into a local city park to take a photo of some gorgeous towering palm trees.
RoniSue—a former Oregonian herself, from Eugene many years ago—welcomed me warmly. After a quick shower and getting a few things in order, I met up with my old Portland friend Brian in the neighboring suburb of Mesa. We went for a walk in another local park, with more beautiful trees. I appreciate the open aesthetic of the Phoenix-area public parks I’ve seen.
After a rich conversation with Brian, I spent a couple hours on my own exploring the Desert Botanical Garden, a truly magical place. I had visited there once before, about a dozen years ago, and remembered really enjoying it. The cacti, succulents, trees, paths, and surrounding rocky mounds were just as I recalled.
As I entered the garden, I was passed by four patrons just leaving, who were very taken with my Brompton. I always enjoy talking with people about it, and demonstrating folding and/or unfolding it. I love that this is my primary vehicle at this point in my life!
With twilight approaching as I exited the garden a couple of hours later, I biked over to a local vegan restaurant, Green, and enjoyed a burger and an oatmeal cream pie. The vegan restaurant options in the Phoenix area have increased exponentially since my last visit here. So have the bike paths. And, the area now even has a light rail line. It’s cool to see these steps forward toward sustainability in this area.
I know how beastly hot this place can get in the summer. By my own design, I have arrived at a very pleasant-weather time just now, and I thoroughly enjoyed the low-80s temps today.
Tomorrow I’ll be meeting up with yet another Oregon friend for lunch. In the evening, I will be catching an Amtrak van from the airport down to Maricopa, where I’ll be catching a 9 pm train to Palm Springs. I’m looking forward to savoring one more day here, before I head back to California.
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Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!
Want to be notified of future blog posts? Use the green “sign up” button to subscribe!
Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)
Today I took the Groome Shuttle from Prescott to the Phoenix airport, then biked along a canal-side bike path to my Warmshowers hosts’ house in Tempe.
Dori and Jon sent me off with a hearty breakfast (and a homemade burrito and some grapes for the road!) and Dori took me down to the Groome Shuttle office again. The driver was wonderful, and since there were only three of us passengers, there ended up being plenty of space in the back of the van to store my bike (inside the trailer this time) and two bags. I didn’t even end up needing to remove the wheels from the trailer, as I had thought I might.
The ride was pleasant and at times scenic (first, prairies with purple mountains in the distance, then some saguaro cacti!) although the van’s windows were not clean enough to take any photos. But the driver was chatty, and took an interest in my trip, so we talked about making life decisions to leave unfulfilling jobs when needed (he himself had done so in 2014, when he stopped working for the state and began the driving job, which he loves) and enjoying our lives to the fullest.
The two hours went by quickly. After the shuttle dropped me off, I reassembled my rig in the departure zone, then navigated through the airport to the Skytrain, as my Tempe host had helpfully instructed me to do. When I disembarked, I got on the canal bike path.
The temperature was a sunny 90 degrees, and I worried that my skin might get burned again, despite the sunscreen I applied immediately. (I’ll find out tomorrow, I guess.) The beginning of the path was industrial and not very scenic, but soon it became much more pleasant. Since it was right in the flight path of the airport, several planes flew close overhead as they prepared to land.
I crossed the river on an auto-free bridge that reminded me of Portland’s new(ish) Tilikum Crossing, or Salem’s Riverfront Park bridge. This is my first time in Tempe, and I really liked the feel of the riverfront path, and later the neighborhood streets, which reminded me of those of my beloved San Diego.
As I reached the south side of the bridge, I noticed that a half-Ironman race was just wrapping up, with several booths of volunteers cheering and handing out water and Gatorade to a few tired runners coming from the opposite direction. I navigated through them, and pedaled less than a mile more to my hosts’ house.
They were extra gracious to be willing to host me today, because they are in the process of moving (just a few blocks, and they did some of it by bike!) and had only spent their first night in the new house last night. Amazing.
Their new house and yard are beautiful, and they had various guests dropping by throughout the afternoon and evening, first helping to move and then just socializing on the porch in the evening, with pizza and drinks. I got to sample some gin that was made by their friends just a few blocks away in the neighborhood, and then a different gin made by different friends in Joshua Tree, where I will be visiting soon.
This is a serious cycling family, and among their many steeds are several Bromptons! Ryan is a cofounder of the “Brompton Mafia,” among several other bicycle-themed organizations, and he and his wife and four-year-old daughter go on many bicycle adventures all the time, including many short trips to places as far-flung as Mexico, Europe, and Japan.
Every January, they take part in a supported group ride from Phoenix to Tucson. They invited me to join them this year, and I’m considering it, since the timing may line up right. I’m very intimidated, though, since the ride is 100 miles, and they do it in one day! I’ve never done a “century ride” before, nor even come close. The most miles I’ve ever done in one day is probably around 60, and that was only once. I rarely exceed 50, especially on the Brompton.
But, who knows? Maybe after two months of cycling through California in November and December, by January I’ll be ready for such a challenge. We’ll see…
But I’m enjoying Tempe so far; I may want to even come back for a short visit in January when I’m in Tucson, even if I don’t end up doing that century ride.
Tomorrow I’ll be meeting another new host (whom I met through the Buy Nothing Travelers Network) who lives just a few miles away in Tempe. I’ll also be meeting an old Portland friend for a walk in Mesa, and then visiting the Desert Botanical Garden, which I first (and last) visited probably about a dozen years ago.
The internet isn’t fully set up in this new house, so I’ll need to post this tomorrow, hopefully before my full day of adventures!
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