Monday, March 30, 2009

Flat Earthers

December 31st to 1st Jan 2009

Leaving Guerrero Negro behind, desert riding develops a by now familiar rhythm. We've dropped out of the Sierra San Pedro Martir and Sierra San Borja ranges, the world turns flat and the road arrows off into the distance in a parody of those perspective drawings from school art class. All parallel lines and vanishing point symmetry. It just look too precise to be real...



You develop a form of cruise control. Tick tock. You turn the pedals. The world moves slightly. Tick tock, the world moves some more. Like some vast screen image where your legs crank the film past the projector lens. Tick tock, see some more. More vivid, more 3 dimensional than any celluloid could ever be. It's hypnotic riding and time dilates.

I take another picture in another place and the world looks the same...



Then the day is done and we sleep.

And do it again the next day. Tick tock.

There's a kind of freedom to this terrain. It's not strenuous and there are no distractions, your mind soars and wheels on flights of fancy. It's a kind of liberation you just don't feel doing anything else. A meditation. And a minute passes. Look again and 2 hours have gone. Where did they go?

The next day's road....



And still later....




Then we stop and the sky is ablaze, a conflagration, clouds a scorching inferno of colour...



Then we sleep.
This is cycle touring.
I am not in favour of compulsion.
Normally.
Except on this one thing.
Everyone should be compelled, coerced, driven to cycle tour at least once.
It is their duty.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Guerro Negro

December 29th to 31st

I used to be impressed by Grey Whales.
But not any more.

This is a creature that migrates annually from their summer feeding grounds in the Bering Straits along the coastline to the mating and birthing grounds in the warmer winter waters around the Baja Peninsular. A trip of some 6000 miles.

All impressive stuff.

Except they are late.

Tis a journey not dissimilar to our own and they had the advantage of a slight head start. Now we want to take a boat out to see them and can't - they are not here and Sue is very cross. Consider the facts....

1) Whales can travel in a straight line, we, on the other hand have to meander as the road takes us....
2) Whales need not climb hills, we however, must travel in a more 3 dimensional world....
3) Whales are able to travel both night and day where we must contend with Mexican drivers and El Bandido at night and so are limited to just the daylight hours...
4) Whales live for up to 60 years and have been doing this trip every year of their life, so they've had a bit of practice. First time for us....
5) Whales are not delayed by border crossings or inclement weather, get neither punctures nor other equipment failures. Punctures in the desert - don't need to say any more....

True they weigh 36 tons and this could be a factor and a hindrance to high speed maneuvering, however I can't allow it as water provides them with a certain buoyancy and eons of evolution should have ironed out any weight related issues....

They should be here by now and we are waiting for them.

We have to look at Pelicans instead....



And ospreys....



Susan is still cross....



Changing the subject slightly, Guerrero Negro invested in wind power at some time in the recent past and there are a string of turbines placed along the coast beyond the wild bird sanctuary. It would appear to have be a good plan too as this is certainly windy terrain. Sadly they now stand in disrepair, lonely sentinels staring serenely out to sea as they slowly decay in the salty air.



Make nice shadow photos though....



Since the whales couldn't make it, we're off.... Guerrero Negro is OK as a re-supply station, but without the whales we just feel a bit let down....

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Desierto Central

December 28th and 29th

Proper desert now...



Hot by day, freezing by night now we've climbed to around 1300 metres and it gets breezy too - all that flat terrain with nothing to stop a build up in air movement. Most of the vegetation attacks on sight. We budget on 3 punctures a day. It's all a state of mind and budgeting on 3 makes you feel quite happy when you only get 2. Conversely 4 doesn´t seem so bad. Previously the forth puncture of the day had me throwing things round in a demented rage, where now I can be quite mellow, and serene.

The road goes on....



Snaking up and over the next hill....



With occasional vegetation standing stark against a bleak backdrop....



Then suddenly, out of nowhere, there is an oasis, a real shock as everything had faded to washed out shades of brown. We camp in amongst soft grasses. Hummingbirds flick and feed between shrubs flowering briefly after their Christmas present of a storm deluge....



As an aside, hummingbirds are the most demonic of all creatures! They bait and tease and I follow clumsily with my camera poised, sluggish, in slow motion. They can teleport you see, and are faster than a tripping shutter. I have many blurred images of vanished birds where you can just faintly make out ripples in the air as it rushes back to fill the space of a disappeared shape. It makes a faint popping sound and I have heard it.
Demons.
Obviously.

Anyway....

Back to the road....



Nothing as far as the eye can see in all directions....
Anyone care to explain this....



We finally roll in to Guerrero Negro and it really is a bit strange. 12,000 people here - by far the most we've seen since Ensenada 10 days ago. Having made 45 dollars last 6 days we can finally get to a bank and re-supply. I feel a binge coming on....

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Catavina Boulder Fields

December 26th and 27th

Then the storm is over. I guess there is just no more water left. The day dawns blue skied and cheerful and innocent, like nothing happened yesterday.
But I remember!

Thanking the town's folk of San Augustin, we head on out and the population again slumps to it's pre-boom levels of six. We ride through Catavina, Desierto Central's largest community and we're in danger of developing Sociophobia as the population soars to double figures. This is the first (and only) petrol stop for 150 miles in either direction....

Into the Catavina boulder fields. A weird landscape that appears out of the nothingness consisting of hills and valleys of smooth, rounded rocks, ranging in size from marbles to boulders as big as buildings. Take some sand and blow it across the desert for millions of years and you expose bedrock which is then sandpapered into this....



Vegetation, sheltered in crannies flourishes like and sprouts like the spines on a porcupine....



It's on a pretty vast scale too....



Then over in to the next valley and just as suddenly as it all appeared, it's gone and you're back to this....



With the occasional incongruous pile like this...



The next town is Guerrero Negro now - 240 kms (150 miles) south. We need to get there fast as we have completely run out of money. On the bright side there have been no shops for 75 miles either, so our spend rate has dropped a bit...

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Santa, Why hast thou forsaken me

December 25th

Flap, flap, flap....

Huh??

Drrrrrrrrrr.....

What the &%$$^ is that??

It's pitch black - middle of the night.
And that is the sound of rain - and the tent destroying itself. It's blowing a gale and the tent wants to take to the skies and be free....

Apparently I have to stop it.... Sue says so.... These things don't make too much sense at 3am when you are rudely awoken.

I open the zip, and a weird thing happens. Like flicking a switch, I am transformed.

One second I am warm, cosy and dry.
Half a micro-second later, I am freezing, soaking, and very, very unhappy. It really is slightly inclement out there as I grope about and try and rescue tent pegs. Then I stand bare footed on a thorn and my mood reaches the high gears of vexation. Stupid desert....

Rocks are piled on top of canvas and I just hope it all goes away.

Back to bed.... and sleep... slightly moist now.

Morning; and a bad thing has happened.
Santa has not been.
No pressies. None! Sleigh must have been grounded in the night.

And that's the story of Christmas 2008. No photos. The rain pounds the entire day.

I am the deranged insides of the canvas drum!

Sue wants her own tent. She thinks I am not good company and accuses me of lacking festive cheer. I just want to kill her.... Not just her - Santa too.
And everyone else!

It's not all bad though. The entire town turns out for Christmas dinner and both of them bring us Tamales....

Happy Xmas 2008....

Friday, March 20, 2009

Now this IS Mexico

December 20th to 24th

Ensenada is a largish (quarter million people) city catering mainly to cruise ship tourists and Americans who made it past Tijuana. We head straight out in search of something a bit more authentically Mexican. We camp at Santo Thomas having the whole 4 acre site to ourselves. We wake to hear Bing Crosby Christmas carols blaring out from the connected motel. "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" - in Mexico, are you crazy?? No, we need to go further for authentic Mexico.



We climb inland....



And the terrain gets bigger....



And longer....



A sign says 1176 kilometers to La Paz which is the next city en route. There's pretty much nothing above 5000 people in between here and there, and we're getting a big empty country type of feeling....



Occasionally the road does get busy....



And then, finally....
I reckon this is a bit more authentic. 30 feet tall cacti....



This is the Cardon - the world's largest cactus and this is a baby. Full grown they can tower a colossal 60 feet. And perhaps this....



This is the "inverse carrot cactus" - all orange and green in swapped places. Officially it's called Cirio or "The Boojum Tree" (no really - it is) and they occur only here on the Baja. Seriously weird stuff. Smells of honey as well.... One of the world's slowest growing plants, (managing a foot a decade) it looks like a stick for about 100 years, when in a fit of activity it divides into 2 or more branches. This means this mature fifty-footer may be more than 500 years old.

Now this IS Mexico, and the road is just incredible too....



This is San Augustin...
All of it...



I mean the whole town is in the photo. We camp a night and double the population. It's Christmas Eve, and the place is swinging!!!
Getting excited now and I just hope Santa knows where to find us....

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Baja California

December 17th to 20th

Baja California! Sandwiched in between the Pacific and the Sea of Cortes; 1200 kilometers (750 miles) in length makes it the second longest peninsula in the world. Don't know how long the longest one is, but 1200 km sounds enough for now. We get off to a slow start as the rain storm in San Diego seems to have caught us again, and for 3 days, opening the door reveals a scene like standing behind a waterfall. It's freezing as well. All we can do is eat burritos and wait... Welcome to Mexico!

But wait... it's stopped...

We emerge blinking into the sunlight - and Mexico can begin....

Leaving Tecate there are a few reassuringly familiar signs - that sickly sweet brown drink and the golden arches of flattened cow. Apart from that it's chaos....



Route planning however, is not difficult. Today 85 kilometers (53 miles) on Route 3 to Ensenada, then Route 1 for 1110 kms (700 miles) until we fall off the bottom of the Baja.

But Route 3 is tricky. Not since Washington have we hit such hills and our legs have adapted - little stick like things, very fast and aerodynamic for flat ground, but a bit weedy for the vertical stuff...



Suddenly we're at 1000 metres. Well not suddenly really, there's all that slow moving huffing and puffing first and then we're at 1000 metres. And in wine country. It's all gone surprisingly green....



And then we can see the sea... and a snaky ribbon of black tarmac zigging and zagging giddily downhill to get us there....



Riding in to Ensenada, it's funny how bicycles on roadside graves never make a cyclist feel that good. Bit of a warning about Mexican driving skills methinks. Still nice view behind it....



And for those still wondering whether they have left the USA and perhaps they might just be in a whole other country, there's a subtle reminder. I am standing 4 miles away to take this picture just so I can get the whole of the Mexican flag in shot and the cruise ship funnel behind is to scale. The flag poll is over 2 miles high, and the flag 1 mile across - so huge it can be seen from the surface of the moon....



Well not quite, but it is rather large.
And not too subtle.
Welcome to Mexico....

Monday, March 16, 2009

Mexico!!

December 16th

San Diego to Mexico! Easy - 15 miles down I-805 and cross the border at Tijuana; this seems to be the popular route taken by other cyclists.
However it's madness.
Tijuna is a city of 1.5 million and this is the busiest border crossing in the world. It's a major freight route and I've seen the pictures of lanes and lanes of backed up traffic, plus the ride through the city is a nightmare.
We definitely need an alternative.

I-94 is a little used scenic highway heading East out of San Diego....



We travel inland 40 miles to the alternate crossing point at Tecate. This is a small border town that does nothing except supply the whole of Mexico with beer. 60,000 people live there and 59,995 of them work in the eponymously named Tecate factory. The other 5 people man the border crossing.

The ride is a joy along twistys up into the rocky hills...



Lunch stop...



And cresting the last hill in America; finally a first glimpse of Mexico...



Strange after so long, we are finally within sight of the country where this tour was supposed to start (before the slight Canadian and American diversions).

But first a border crossing and they are never what you expect. We need to close our US visa before leaving, but where to go? Unfortunately and unsuspectingly we cross a line and have already left the country before we can sort out the bureaucratic niceties, a point made clear by serious looking border guards wielding serious looking guns. We find a small office behind another building where Mexicans heading North are queuing and an officer takes our visas from us assuring us there is nothing else needed to be done. Slightly worrying as we were told we needed to officially close the visa within it's 90 day limit. Oh well....

Entering Mexico is similarly perplexing. In order to be allowed in to the country one must pay for a visa application. In order to pay the visa application one must visit a Mexican Bank. In Mexico.... So having entered Mexico to go to the bank, we return to the border to be allowed to enter Mexico.


Once we're officially allowed in and we visit the bank once more to get some Pesos.

Been looking forward to this bit - the budget was getting a little tight in the states. We hit a burrito stand and suddenly discover we can afford to eat like hogs again. I already like this country!!

We take stock....
Totally different here - full of life, and loud! There´s music, traffic and people everywhere in a chaotic boiling maelstrom of activity. Maybe it´s the contrast with the USA´s quiet and calm, you suddenly realise just how tranquil and ordered the States were.

And there are children here... The absence of something is often hard to recognise, and It´s only now that you suddenly realise how few children you see outdoors in the US. I know most people are safely ensconced in their cars so you do see fewer people generally, but kids are everywhere here and it´s a stark contrast. And a noisy one too!

We never really planned to tour the US and a bit of Canada - Mexico was always the destination. Starting further North was just a way for Sue to get some miles in before the greater challenges south of the border. When we began looking at flights, extreme cheapness meant we started a couple of thousand miles further North than planned - in Vancouver. And yet we're so glad we did. Apart from the stunning scenery - that's obvious from the photos, what's been such a surprise has been the hospitality and approachability of the people.

In Britain, strangers are regarded as just that - strange, something to be wary of and generally avoided. In North America, strangers seem to be regarded as... just people you've not spoken to yet. That's good. Mostly.
There are times when the old British reticence kicks in and you would rather just be left alone, but in the vast majority of cases it's been great.

And the hospitality has been amazing too, from being bought breakfast by hunters in Washington, to Bill and Tracy adopting us in Portland and providing a list of people down the coast who offered us accommodation... to any number of shop keepers who added little extras for the trip, to just countless little niceties.... I'll definitely be back for a coast to coast trip. it's been a great..... so far.

Chapter 2!! Mexico....

Saturday, March 14, 2009

San Diego

December 13th to 16th

In San Diego we meet up with Tim with whom we cycled into LA. like LA with Michael we get another much appreciated guided tour of the city.

And you can only go and visit decommissioned Air Craft Carrier the USS Midway! Commissioned in 1945 as the US navy's flagship, she was operational in Vietnam and during Desert Storm. There's an audio guided tour taking you through the vessel and it's collection of restored naval aircraft on the flight deck. We spend half a day there and it's not enough.



The San Diego skyline from the flight deck....



The F-14 Tomcat featured in Top Gun loaded up with Amraam and sidewinder missiles plus it's 20mm cannon. Gis a go....



There's a Huey helicopter gunship used in Vietnam, Skywarrior, FA-18 Hornet, F4 Phantom plus others. For me the star is this SH-3 SeaKing rescue helicopter that was actually involved in the rescue of astronauts after the Apollo missions 8, 10, 11, 12, 13. People who have boarded this craft - Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, Pete Conrad and Me!



View from the bridge, the catapult launching aircraft, 0 to 150mph in 3 seconds....



San Diego apparently "enjoys mild, mostly dry weather with 264 sunshine days annually". December has 33 millimetres of rainfall apparently, which is interesting as it all falls in a single day on the 14th. January has 58 millimetres and that falls on the 15th. It's the worst rainstorm in the city for 10 years. Apparently. No more rain needed until February. We hole up and drink tea. And think about Mexico.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

To San Diego

December 11th and 12th

Leaving Mickey behind in Anaheim, we cycle beautiful Palm tree lined boulevards to rejoin the Ocean at Newport Beach. Exclusive homes cling to the cliff side, sun light gleaming on their walls of glass.



Golden sunsets and a moon rise....



At San Onofre State Beach we discover the camp site has closed down. Of course we only discover this after the tent is pitched the stove is on and we are relaxing with a coffee. A passing ranger is adamant we need to move and we are forced to make an 8 mile nighttime retreat to San Clemente adding a tough 16 miles to the day. I hate retracing my steps especially past smoking nuclear reactors. We pass by 3 times....



At San Onofre the cycle route departs from the main highway and crosses Pendleton Marine Base. Dire warnings threaten arrest should you stray from the designated route and armed marines at check points demanding ID does little to increase the welcome....



Cycle path and emergency runway share a strip of tarmac - uncomfortable riding looking over your shoulder for incoming ordnance....



Big boys toys...



Foolishly I allow Sue to navigate and within minutes we are lost. I guess the idea of spending a night locked in a building with muscle bound, uniformed marines is less threat and more invitation to this girl.

Fearing the worst we are forced to stop and admit we are lost, whereuopon a big marine whips out a phone and calls for help....
Directions rather than backup! Sue is disappointed not to be arrested on the spot.
He then drives the route to make sure he is sending us the right way. Meanwhile a medic arrives and checks we have enough water for the trip and these guys just couldn't be more helpful.

We finally find our way off the base and it's just a few miles into San Diego. Passing Mission Beach as the sky turns to fire....