Southern Tier Vlog--Episode 2

Making time

Hey folks,

I'm here in Mac Donalds, waiting on Episode two of the blog to upload to youtube. It's been a while since my last entry, and I apologize to those who anxiously check my site for updates (Haha yeah right!) 

I'm out here doing a lot. I'm shooting the film, riding the bike, seeing the sights, and constantly looking for something, always looking for something; campsites, water, food, easier routes, you name it. It's always a search. 

Right now I'm thankful that there is a guy sitting next to me, acting as a buffer. Some guy, probably on meth, is preaching about the New World Order. It's kind of hilarious. I dare not look up from my computer. Give me a break, man. I buy into some conspiracies, but people like this guy are all the same. They never have any new ideas. It's just a recycling of propaganda they've been fed through the media. It's currently POURING out of this guy. Anyway...

I’m currently in Quartzsite, AZ. I crossed the Colorado River this morning. It took a little longer than I thought it would, but its still a milestone nonetheless. If I had to quit today, I could still say “I rode a bike across the state of California.”  That feels pretty good. The landscape is changing as well. I’m in the mountains now and gained some altitude. The Cacti are getting to be the dominant features in the barren landscape now, although the sagebrush and tumbleweeds are still quite prevalent.

The temperature adjustment was extreme the first week. The transition was difficult, coming from Alaska, where it was only in the 50’s, to a place where the highs are in the triple digits. The sun here is intense. I got burned on the first day, despite using sunscreen. I apply sunscreen about every 2 hours. I’m starting to get a nice farmer’s tan!

I think the decision to switch to a beefier tire was the best one I’ve made yet. Sure, the road tires were faster, but when you’re traveling on a wide variety  of road conditions, it makes sense to go with something more rugged. I can definitely tell the difference in efficiency. Today, going up a hill, I stopped twice to see if I had something caught in my wheel. It felt like I was on one of those old stationary bikes with the little wheel you tighten to make the resistance increase. I was like, “ Why the hell is this so hard? Are my panniers pushing my brakes?”

After checking twice, I concluded that it was neither my brakes nor something caught in my tire. It was a combination of an uphill grade of about 4%, FAT mountain bike tires, and a 3-8mph headwind. Yep, that’ll do it. It took me almost two and a half hours to go 20 miles.

Riding the shoulder of the interstate is a truely unique experience. You have semi trucks whooshing by at 70 or 80 miles an hour. You have debris in the path that you MUST avoid. There’s no room for error. Go too far left and, boom, you just became road kill; fail to avoid a disintegrated car tire and, shhhhhhh, you just popped yours. The struggle is real. Here’s my suggestion: Put in some earplugs, or pop in your headphones and turn on the classical music and get in the zone.

I’m just now starting to get a routine going. My efficiency at mobilizing and demobilizing camp is getting better. I can be set up or mobbed out in about 15 minutes now, in the dark (stealthy!). I usually wake up about a half hour before dawn, which is about 6AM. I don’t usually eat breakfast right away, but sometimes boil some water and have a tea. I’m on the road at sunrise, which is about 6:45.

The first three hours of riding are cool and beautiful. Sometimes if the road is quiet, it’s almost like I can continue my dream that I was having before I woke up. It takes me about 30 minutes to really get warmed up and pedaling hard. I think about my destination and kick in the power. I’ve usually ridden 30 miles, or about three hours, by the time I’m ready for a break. I stop and make some food and proceed to stretch, chill, read, play music, or edit some video. That 3-hour break really helps break up the day.

About three or four O’clock, I pack my stuff up and hit the road. I like to ride about 20-30 more miles before I start looking for a camp site, or it starts getting dark, either one. This method can either be really good, or really bad. The impulsive setup has an exciting appeal. I haven’t been rousted from my tent by anyone yet, but I know it’s bound to happen. In urban areas, I ride through, get a hotel, or find a warmshowers host. 

I try and plan ahead 2-4 days at a time. There are too many variables to schedule out any farther than that. It’s not a race. I like having the ability to stop and smell the roses if there’s something that strikes my fancy.

I’m really excited to see what Arizona has in store for me. I almost saw an immediate change in scenery when I crossed state lines this morning. It’s like someone flipped a switch. I’ve always found it amusing, the sprouting of mountains out of nowhere, or the appearance of an oasis in the middle of a desert.

When you live in one place for so long, you start to get “acclimatized” to you surroundings. You forget that the earth isn’t just sycamores and grey clay creeks, or black spruce and decomposing granite faces, buried in in the morning’s termination dust. Your connection to you’re territory becomes synced. You become a part of the seasons; as much as the trees or the rocks, or the creatures that roam your vicinity.

Put in a new, unfamiliar place, you’re senses get put into overdrive. Everything comes in at full power. The smells, the lighting, the colors, the feeling of the dust on your skin, the presence or lack of humidity in the air, and the cultural nuances that come with every small town or area, seem like data that your brain scrambles to gather in an attempt to “acclimatize” you. It tries to prepare you, to strengthen you to succeed in a new environment.

When you don’t stop, when you keep on pedaling, you are under a constant bombardment of inputs and data. Things change and keep you on your toes, hyper-alert, but in a good way. I like it. 

Stuck in Jacumba

Hey Everyone,

I'm still in Jacumba! As I rode out of town last night, I hit a HUGE rock that completely shredded my front tire. After trying to repair the tire, it was getting dark. I set up camp, just off the road in a trailhead parking lot, frequented by the local border patrol. I know that it is frequented by them because they came through about 10 times in the middle of the night. Each time, I wondered, is this a Mexican drug cartel on the run? Am I about to get knifed by a muchacho for witnessing his escape?

A bit of a back story, for folks who don't know, Jacumba is a border town. You can see the huge fence. This is a highly active zone for illegal trafficking, smuggling, etc. While I was basking in the hot springs earlier that day, a local told me about all the high tech stuff they have to catch the people trying to cross. He said that there's a guy on the mountain just north of the town with infrared binoculars, and a sound dish that can hear cows chewing grass from 5 miles away. Maybe exaggerated, but believable. I saw the jeep at the top of the hill.

So, no, I didn't get knifed. I ended up limping the bike 3 miles back to Jacumba. I had to stop every 3-5 minutes and re-inflate the tube. I made it though. Once in town I ordered a set of new tubes to be over-nighted to Jacumba. Now I'm just catching up on my Life stuff. Planning my route for a few days. Setting up interviews in El Centro.

Hopefully everything will even out after I get these new tubes. It seems like I haven't gone far at all for how long I've been on the road. Getting out of the city is slow. Climbing 4,000 vertical feet is slow. I was ALMOST to the downhill part before the blowout. I'm just glad I didn't crash or blow the tire going down that hill. It would have been bad. When you're going like 40mph on a loaded bike, things get squirrely.

I held true to my promise of submitting a short film for the Talkeetna Film Festival also. I wish I could have perfected it by getting some extra shots I wanted, but there just wasn't enough time before I left. I'll attach it here.

Enjoy

Carterhttps://youtu.be/ONj_hcbEsOA

My Life :) Ep. 1 "Long Road Ahead"

Adios AK!

Adios Alaska!

Wow. The past week has flown by. I’m sitting at the airport now; I got through TSA with no trouble. My bike was packaged in a box that I saved for over a year, for reasons I don’t know, but it worked out perfectly. It was hard to tear that thing apart and stuff it in a box. I packaged it as best I could, but geez, I won’t breathe easy until its assembled in San Diego.

            I ended up getting a ride from Jen and Dillon Hales, some friends from Talkeetna. They exchanged me for their grandma. What a deal! We made it in perfect time, as it started raining about 10 minutes before the airport. I’m really glad my box didn’t melt.

            Sitting here, the disbelief still hasn’t faded. I’m about to be on my own, in a new environment, and it’s going to be a really hot one. I would describe my feelings as: Anxious, excited, curious, and a bit rigid. I’m just preparing for the worst, and hoping for the best.

 I got a bit wrapped up in finishing a short film I produced last night, and slightly neglected a few chores that needed to be done before my departure. The result was a long day of rushing and some frantic packing. In my haste to make the appointment for my ride to Anchorage, I’m guessing that I forgot something. That’s usually how it goes, right? At this point there’s nothing I can do about it.

Good news on the Charity front! I had 3 cash donors in the past week. I haven’t looked at the Gofundme page today, but last time I checked, it was at $480.With the donations that came in this week, we’re now sitting at $910! Heck yes! That’s almost four bikes. The goal of $2500 is really in sight now, and that’s really exciting.

I’m probably going to scale down  the promoting  a bit this week. I really need to get my bearings, as well as get in the routine of life on the road. This trip is not just opportunity to raise money. It’s also a chance for me to relax. It’s been a busy summer, and now it’s time for me to get my own mind right, look inward, and reflect on who I’ve been and who I want to be.

I like to look back in my journals and see what goals I’ve accomplished. I also think it’s important to set new short term goals frequently, and re-evaluate the long-term ones. My life changes by the month, as does my attitude, so there’s no reason to reach for a goal I’m not passionate about anymore. Life’s too short to do things half-way, without heart.

            Well, I have about 1.5 hours before my flight leaves. I’m going to get off this thing and read a little bit of my new novel I just started, the classic sci-fi masterpiece, Dune! Stay tuned for my next update in a few days. Hopefully I can keep up with the Vlog. I’m predicting that I’ll be about three days to a week behind. I have to shoot the video, edit it, and find wifi to upload each video, so it’s going to be a logistic that I’m constantly dealing with. I’ll figure it out though.

           

Florida or Bust!

Carter

Scramble!

Greetings!

I've been busy lately. With the recent launch of the GOFUNDME campaign, my YouTube video, and EMS shifts, I haven't had much time for the blog. I've also been developing a media packet that I will present to local radio, TV, and newspapers along my trip. It turned out to be about 5 pages long!

When I first decided that I wanted to make riding for charity part of my trip, I had no idea it would be this much work! It's all good though. My multi-tasking skills have definitely been put to the test recently. My EMT-I recertification is coming up in January, so I've been rushing around trying to complete all the tasks associated with that.

 If you're interested in working in emergency services, I caution you; it comes at a price. If you think you can just put in minimal effort here and there, and still be a quality responder, you are gravely mistaken. We spend countless hours in training are required to participate in a minimum number of shifts per quarter. Don't let this steer you away, but understand the commitment level before you get involved.

The Go fund me has taken off so far! It made over $400 in 2 days. I'm really excited to try and meet the goal, and spread the word on my trip. I did read an article before I set up the page, stating that most campaigns only make about $1,000 before "capping out". This is due to using up your "close friends and acquaintances." I guess the key is sharing. I really need to work hard to get as much exposure as possible if I want to meet my goal of $2500. I remain confident that the goal is attainable. But if you're reading this blog, PLEASE be my advocate and SHARE, SHARE, SHARE!

I've been riding a lot lately, when I can. It's been really cold in the mornings (30 degrees), so my feet have turned to ice on many occasions. I've told myself to think of the desert heat I'll be exposed to in the near future, and how much I will appreciate Alaska's cool weather when that time comes. It keeps me going. I've been putting in about 14-40 miles every other day. The panniers I purchased have already been getting quite a bit of use, as I have been biking to the station for my shifts (8 miles away). It's easy to fill up the panniers when you know you will be at the station for 24 hours straight. I've attached a picture of my "office bag" contents. Accompanying is also the "laundry bag," and the "cold weather/rain bag," and the "lunch and snack" bag. Oh, and the "sleeping" bag...

In other news, I've secured my first night in San Diego with a "warm showers host" named "Lu Lack" and his girlfriend. They live somewhere right across from the airport. They answered up to my call, looking for a place to crash on the first night. They seem nice. My contingency plan if that falls through for any reason, is to stay at the Ocean Beach hostel @ $30 a night. Not a bad price for such a good local. Upon arrival to the airport, I'll have to get my bike box and reassemble the bike right there in the airport. Once that is done, Ill head to the local bike shop to get all of the bolts torqued to the right spec.  From there, I'll travel to Dicks Sporting Goods to pick up some fuel for my camp stove, then head for the pacific ocean 5 miles away. I want to touch my tires in the ocean before I leave so that when I arrived in St. Augustine in a few months, I can dip the same(hopefully) tires into the Atlantic; truly crossing the U.S. from sea to sea.

Well, I'd love to write some more, but I still need to finish my HAZMAT refresher for EMS, and who knows how long that is going to take.

Till next time,

Carter

 

Cycling for Kids! GoFundMe launch