Collin and Smash Ride Bikes Across America

The last 12 days on the road...

2010-04-27T22:08:00.000-07:00

Upon leaving Arizona, we experienced what could be called 'rider fatigue' i.e. we wanted to be done riding, and had 550 miles to go! It took half the day to exit the 'burbs of Phoenix, but we had a nice ride in to Wickenburg, AZ. There, a storm grew and the skies darkened and we dove for cover under a bridge after a confusing conversation across a round-a-bout circle.

There we met Victor, a principled homeless man (one of two in town) who said we could share the area down below. We cooked a large meal with beans and quinoa and veggies. In the morning we saddled up against the elements, feeling that this time, yes this time, we would triumph over the continuous rain.

After two hours in the cold and rain the wind suddenly increased from the side as we entered the heart of the storm, soaking us to the bone in seconds. We ran for shelter through the thick mud to a utility building where we assessed our options.

“Effing weather! This is ridiculous!”

“Yeah...so rain gear....doesn't really work, at all, after 2 hours. Never again, let's never do this ever again”

“Tragic. Really really tragic. I agree. Let's stop at the first cafe' we can find for coffee, and maybe a laundry mat.”

Aguila, AZ. We warmed up in the cafe' and checked the weather. “Showers Likely” more “Cold.” While I was changing into warm clothes two locals originally from Massachusetts befriended Collin and offered us a place to dry our clothes. Pamela and Ada lived nearby and we visited with them while our clothes and shoes dried out. We ended up staying the night and being entertained by Ada's sassy attitude. Ada, an accomplished knitter, gave me her slipper pattern and Collin and I were each gifted a pair. The following day we would spend a good hour riding side-by-side to Quartzite, AZ discussing who should be the owner of the coveted lavender slippers. Thankfully, we were able to reach a resolution and I now find myself looking back with laughter and amusement that the incident was our most argued debate on the trip.

Quartzite, AZ, the self claimed Rock capitol of the world!
We spent a couple hours here in the morning, both of our knees were experiencing some discomforting pain so we puttered about the rock and trinket stalls where we left with an assortment of silly things, and of course, more rocks for my collection. It was here that I picked up my Ammonite necklace. Slowly, and against the headwind we made for the California border just before Blythe, CA. Success!

It was dark when we reach Palo Verdo, a very VERY small town consisting of a grocery mart, gas station and RV park. In this rural community, sleeping spot were few and far between. Tired and anxious we inquired at the mart and were fortunately directed to the RV park area which was open to bikers (despite appearances). Yay! We stayed on the river and contemplated the surprising, but amazing ability to find sleeping quarters no matter where you're traveling. Two people in that town tried to talk me out of my Arizona license plate I'd found on the road. To no avail though, the plate is mine!

Outside of Palo Verde we rode up and down short steep inclines in, you guessed it, another 30 mph headwind.

40 miles later we sat just outside the California sand dunes which run along the fault line in Imperial Valley and gigantic gold mine. Spirits were frazzled as we contemplated the best way to cover our bodies against the sand gusts.

“I'm not having any fun.”

“Yeah, me neither. This is terrible.”

“This trip is about fun too. How about we hitchhike? We haven't done that yet.”

“Okay, but only if we wear our sweet shades.”

Several minutes later...

“Do we look crazy?”

“Mm....definitely. This could take awhile, also there's nothing out here except dune buggies and miners.”

“Well...let's try for a bit and then ride another 7ish miles and find a place to make camp.”

30 minutes late John rolled past us and hit the brakes. “I think....he's stopping!” -Ash “Don't just stand there! Hurry up! He might not stay if we don't roll up right now!” -Collin

Frantic bike pushing ensues.

John was from El Centro, CA, southwest of us, and where we were to pass through the following day. (Yay!) John hooked us up with some trail mix, water, and told us about the area, rural farms, the mine, the sand faults, and dairies. We were invited to have dinner with him and his wife Michelle, which we enjoyed at a tasty Mexican restaurant in town. Ron, the Pastor of the Methodist church in town had invited us to set up our tent in his back yard. We met up with him and his wife Sarah and learned about the progressive social justice aspects of the methodist church there, and were entertained by their two cats.

The following day we would enter the mountains before San Diego.
It look a long time to get to the base of the mountain. Steadily uphill, we toiled along reach the base around 4pm. It was another 10 miles to the top. We went for it, passing giant boulders three times Collin's height and enjoying the 8% grade up into the hills. We ran out of daylight just at the top.

It's a little awkward asking a border patrol vehicle if you can pitch a tent on a mountain a half mile from the border, but what else was there to do??? We were instructed to pitch our tent and not move for the night.
One of the worst nights of sleep ever.

We were nearly run over by a trailer absentmindedly turning around; and were continually circled by the border car.

Gross.
The following day's ride along the border and up and down the mountain was beautiful and enjoyable. There were some fascinating sediment lines on rocks and some creepy small stature manikins which we decided against photographing.

DOWNHILL.....amazing downhills into Alpine, CA where we crashed, exhausted outside an elementary school.
We were tired, but determined to reach the Pacific Ocean, some 50 miles from Alpine in San Diego. Along the way we met Nate, a med student from a cycling family who invited us to stay at his house!
It took ages to cross the 'burbs into San Diego...but we passed through the beautiful mission trails....

and after some confusing riding on trails, reach the boardwalk and viola! The Pacific! I ate two giant tacos, the best tacos I'd ever had.

We watched the sunset. At Nate's we ate dinner with his family who were passing through town on their way to Mexico to building houses with their church group. Nate discussed with us the trails and tribulations of medical school and we shared tips and stories from the road. His Dad was an eccentric bike builder, and his whole family was going across the country on bikes to try out all of the different models. In the morning he pulled out his stitching kit and fixed our safety flag which had been flag-less since we reach California!

The ride up to Los Angeles was amazing. For myself, nothing tops New Mexico, but Collin and I definitely agreed that Southern California was fantastically beautiful and full of cyclists, interesting and busy scenery and of course, the pacific. We stayed on an ocean cliff edge one night...
>
and the following night we experienced an insanely stressful night trying to find a suitable church to sleep in and finally settling in at a public park. 4 Taco Bell burritos helped to ease our frustration.

More and more beach riding!

In Santa Monica we stayed with Monica! An amazing fantastic friend of Collin's who took us to Malibu beach the following morning, and Ryan, who took us to Dume Park Beach for surfing and more sun relaxing time.

It was strange to think that we only had one day left.

17 miles into downtown LA, and then...done. What an amazing experience. We clumsily packed our gear into boxes at the train station after admiring the Morphosis Caltrans building...experiencing some shock and awe as we weighed our bikes and gear. So much gear. 115 lbs for myself, and 135 lbs for Collin, and we were low on food!

My friend Rachel housed us in Mt Washington in LA and we had dinner with her Dad Herb, and an El Salvadorian place a couple blocks from their house.
If you've never had a Pupusa before, go have one. Now please. We met Rachel's Mom Suzanne, had a glass of wine, and had a good night's rest.

The train ride...

My birthmom Brenda, and Morey her husband joined us on the train from Klamath Falls to Eugene, we were a bit haggard after 20+ hours on the train, but excited to be home. Morey made us sack lunches.
Across from the Steel Bridge in Portland the train got delayed for 40 minutes. This may have been the most frustrating moment of the entire trip. Domenika and Diana greeted us when we arrived at the train station and we both took a deep breath and said hello to Portland.

Drinks and merriment were had with our friends at our old stand by, the Bye and Bye and Kim and Brian made us a finish line banner to run through!

Now, weeks later, I'm moved into a new home, settled, catching up, working at the shops, adjusting to life with all sort of wonderful memories and moments in my heart.

I miss the days of riding, the endless hours outside. I don't miss the cold, and the storms, but I love the knowledge I gain from it. We had our fundraiser at Hopworks Brewery on the 5th and brought in around 60+ people and raised $320 for our organizations. A couple more donations are coming in and the total amount raised will be around $2,000. It's not a dollar for every mile, but we tried our best and rode our best.

3500 miles later, I feel complete.

www.moneyformilescampaign.info

Returning...

2010-04-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, Collin and I have been getting settled in. I'm typing on my computer, in my new room, freshly unpacked. Collin posted his last set of pictures, mine are uploading. We've got a couple more stories to tell, and the fundraiser to wrap up...more to come!

-Ashley

2010-03-19T09:15:00.001-07:00

Waiting at the LAX train station! We got to weigh our stuff at checkin. Total bike+gear 115lbs, Collin's was 135lbs. Yowza!!

2010-03-12T12:48:00.001-08:00

We're just outside Pine Valley in the mountains. Yesterday an 8% upgrade, today up and down the peaks. Looking forward to 15 miles of downhill soon!!

2010-03-11T09:38:00.001-08:00

120 miles from San Diego! Up into the mountains we go...last stretch before we reach the ocean! Pedaling out after a lovely visit in El Centro, CA.

2010-03-07T08:24:00.001-08:00

We cooked a large meal for all of us and slept the night away; dry, and peacefully. Rainy riding today.

2010-03-07T08:19:00.001-08:00

Wickenburg, AZ. Yesterday was nice, at sunset the lightening began. We took cover under a bridge, joining Victor, 1 of 2 homeless men in the town. (so he said)

Catching up...

2010-03-06T08:38:00.000-08:00

The home stretch...

We arrived in Phoenix on March 4th in mid afternoon after staying at a Methodist church outside Apache Junction. The Junction, at the edge of the suburbs, was still 55 miles from Arne’s house in North Phoenix by Shaw Bluff! We were excited to see bikeways everywhere leading into the city, canal trails, and a aside from a few honks (and okay…a car that ran a red light and skidded to a stop at the edge of our front tires) we made it unscathed.

We made a necessary stop at Trader Joe’s and Arne met us there and rode the rest of the way to his house. Ahh…relaxation! It was decided that 12 days of riding was enough, and a rest day was in order. Conversation was had, stories told, and much lounging in the sun, hammock, and hot tub was had. (in addition to lots of tasty quesadillas, something Arne had been missing since leaving for Spain) Arne also has an amazing rope swing which I will miss dearly! We headed out to downtown at the end of the day and went straight to the library. Wow…truly unique, beautiful, and probably my favorite this far (maybe more so than the Seattle library!)

Afterwards we set out to the arts district to find some interesting niches, and stumbled upon what looked identical to Alberta st’s Last Thursday! It was First Friday in Phoenix and Roosevelt St was closed, and filled with artists, galleries, food stands, live music, free hugs. It was both elating, and moving, and made me want to be back in Portland.

Afterwards we enjoyed a nice night ride back to Arne’s, more quesadillas, and a good night’s rest. Today we head for California.

Arizona plantlife…

Arizona is the greenest it’s been in years! There had been incredible droughts, and nearly all the time it’s brown and tan.

All the rain (and snow) has brought the wild flowers out. The cacti are full and happy, and the grasses are swaying happily in the breeze.

We traveled through a mountain pass to cross into Arizona
and were shocked when we woke up, still 6 miles from the top, to the tent caving in under the weight of snow! After some deliberation such as…

Will we be stuck up here?
Should we wait it out until it stops?
Maybe there’s a plow on Monday…
Oh boy….that would be a lot of time in the tent.
Frick. I hate snow.
Oh but it’s so pretty!

We could die out here…(okay not really)
It’s going to ice over.
I think it’s melting…okay let’s go!

As we traveled up, the snow on the road increased and we were in a complete white out! It was amazing, and challenging, Collin’s tires were slipping, I was riding the brakes on the downhill, hoping not to slip off. We made it down, and there at the bottom was a rancher, Erik, who had seen us on the mountain and was headed back up in his truck to find us. We ended up going to his ranch in a beautiful canyon.
We warmed up by the fire, drank hot chocolate and tequila, ate bowls of hot homemade soup, and learned about ranch life, building straw bale houses, solar power, Arizona frost, foreign policy and other interesting tidbits from the family. Joe gave us a lift back up the road in the morning (the drive way was 1.5 miles of thick mud!) and were back on the road and witnessing Arizona’s crazy terrain, mining towns, and crazy drivers. Steep inclines, and fast descents pushing 35 mph…

New Mexico was my favorite place to ride thus far. It really and truly captured my heart and I would like to move there at some point, it’s now part of the 10 year Smashley plan. Our first night coming in from El Paso, TX was spent in Mesilla, NM a small town community south of Las Cruces. We met “Wild” Bill Towers, John, and Scotty outside of gas station and quickly got to talking.

It was decided that we’d camp in his backyard, with loads of wild growing mustard greens, and a large garden. His adobe house was in the midst of repairs, and dated back to the 1850’s. We talked about the up and downs of life, the shitty times, the lost times, the finding your way times. In the morning we visited the town square, and ate the tastiest cheddar chili scones we’d ever tasted.

Flat tires…Collin had had 5 flat tires our first day in NM. It was decided we’d procure some ‘thorn resistant’ tires which could withstand the numerous goat heads. (plus according to Collin’s ‘philosophy’ the other person was to own a beer for the net difference in flat tires. He’d had 29 at this point, and I 5, which meant I owed him a 24 pack…interesting no??? I fail to see how this is fair at all!) I also procured a new helmet after an incident involving a slide at the park and some bad decision making on my part…anyway. We traveled on.
Passing the Rio Grande several times (where I collected many rocks), rolling hills, desert, beautiful.

We passed giant cottonwood trees with bright chartreuse mistletoe, which I would later learn is an invasive species, and you’d better cut it out of the tree (by limb) or else suffer the trees disastrous fate.

It seems comical that the misteltoed cottonwoods were the subjects of so many desert photos displaying NM’s beauty!

After Caballo Lake we started heading up towards the mountains. After a hard ride we stopped in Hillsboro, NM and ate at the only open café, the General Store. We met a collection of locals, including Embry, born and raised in Hillsboro, a photographer of pictographs, and teller of stories about traveling through Israel. There we also met Brian and Bob who both had owned bike shops I California. Bob invited us to stay at his house in Kingston, another 9 miles up, and encouraged us to do the 8,100 ft climb to Emory Pass in the morning. After a giant bowl of green chili con carne, we decided to stay. The ride up was remarkably breathtaking, and Bob’s house a pleasant treat.

A large back yard along a creek, a iron work cow named Freewheel, one of who’s eyes I noted was a Suntour Winner freewheel.

We set up camp and then were treated to a tasty dinner with salmon and chicken, salad, wine…oh my! We met Mark, their friend, who introduced us to the album, ‘The Traveling Wilburys’ created at Roy Orbison’s house, with Tom Petty, George Harrison, Bob Dylan and Jeff Lynne- and a bootleg copy of the home movies of its creation. We talked bikes, rocks, local shenanigans. Bob sent me rolling on with a square tapered nail, a rock, and a broken axel (French threaded he thinks) in need of a replacement. It will make for a fun search back in Portland!

Emory Pass...

Was no small feet…but it was incredible. And peculiar to be sweating up it in shorts and a t-shirt with snow piling up on all sides! We climbed and climbed and reached the top! The descents came in waves, some a bit hard to enjoy in the cold, but fun nonetheless. We traveled on giddy, and a bit out of sorts. Up and down, in and out of the mountains we went. In Hatch, NM (the Chili Capital of the World) we bought some green and red chilis.

In Silver City we ran into Bernie,
a season traveler, who we heard would be traveling through back in Louisiana, from our random encounter with Hilary who introduced us to Hog Cracklin’. We were not expecting to see him roll up at a Wal-mart two states over!

Texas...

East Texas was amazing! The San Houston National Forest lends itself to rolling hills and tall pines. We met four people on horse back, which I’m sure most of you have heard by now, treated us to cold beers from their saddle bags, and jello shots. We stayed at several Baptist churches, notably one in Silsbee with soulful gospel singing to fall asleep to, an outdoor and kind-of creepy church outside Cold Spring, and on Valentine’s day, a Baptist church in Burton, TX where we went to the service and then out to Dairy Queen with the whole congregation! We made it to Austin, exhausted after 25 days in the saddle.

We were greeted by wonderful care packages! Thank you soooo much!!! (you know who you are!) and Mike, Collin’s friend who introduced us to Michelada, a spicy beer beverage.

El Paso...

I left the following day for Bulverde to see my Birthdad, Diane, and my brother and sisters. It was my longest day of riding, just shy of 85 miles through Texas Hill County, beautiful, and my most favorite stretch being on Purgatory Rd, which runs alongside Canyon Lake. Collin rode down a couple days later and we traveled to El Paso, TX the next day, passing numerous wind power generators,

and watching the terrain change to desert as we flew by. We stayed the night in El Paso and Dave took us to an Indian Casino (I’ve never been to a casino) and introduced us to the penny and nickel slots (Dave gave us some ‘fun‘ money), and buffet dinner. I can’t say I’m a fan of casinos, I much prefer arcade games where I’m guaranteed happiness and joy as opposed to losing money! We rode one the next morning passing through amazing highway intersections, old cemeteries underneath them, and watching Mexico's flag billow in the wind in Juarez.

The border is a strange place. I can’t wrap my brain around the large fence, the vehicles, the coyote runners, border patrol. It’s the same land, but you cannot enter here, and you’d better know what you’re doing if you head there. It felt wrong, and I longed for a day of difference.

And now...the best thing I've found for $2 that I love unconditionally...

-Smash

Weather (and nomadic minimalist lifestyles)

2010-03-04T20:11:00.000-08:00

The weather and I have developed a new relationship on this trip. We’ve gotten much closer – maybe too close. I’m fully aware that I sound like a hippie writing blog posts about such things, but spending nearly all 24 hours of the day outside has opened my eyes to the full power of the sun, the wind, and nearly all forms of precipitation.

Since the prevailing winds aren’t in our favor, we’ve had words and long wrestling matches. I hate to admit that each time the wind’s come out on top. Me and the sun, however, are good buddies. I never knew how much I could miss the warming beams of the sunshine, or been so happy for them to return. It’s been an unusually cold winter for the south, and it’s impeded our progress in ways I hadn’t anticipated. Rain, sleet, and snow have been a mix of irritating, painful, and magical, depending on the situation. A recent tent collapse under the weight of snow, however, produced a brief “Shit - we could die out here” moment.

Even though we’re at the mercy of whatever mother nature throws at us, we have all sorts of fancy, high-tech gear does a pretty good job keeping us warm and dry. Sure, we have to be deliberate and methodical about our systems or risk being unpleasantly cold, sun burnt, wind chapped or soaked, but we’re well equipped.

You know who were really badass? Eskimos.

-Collin

2010-03-01T18:28:00.001-08:00

We're in Ft. Thomas, AZ. Sunny and warm in the valley today, strange considering we were buried in snow on a mountain yesterday morning. More to come...

2010-03-01T09:25:00.001-08:00

Hey folks, we're in and out of mountains and desert most of the time now, we'll check in when we can. Look for more photos and a blog post in 3 days. -smash

2010-02-22T20:07:00.001-08:00

The desert is beautiful in NM. We're in the mountains on the Rio Grand. I love the sun, pecan trees, morning doves, sand. It's supposed to snow...miss you!!!

Hog Cracklin’

2010-02-11T11:15:00.000-08:00

I’d like to think I’m a relatively disciplined vegetarian. Sure, there’ve been some slip ups. In 2007 I ordered Jambalaya in New Orleans. A couple summers ago I couldn’t resist trying some bacon ice cream on the fourth of July. Sometimes they sneak sausage into the breakfast burrito menu description towards the end and I miss it, but have been known to eat it anyway. More recently I’ve shifted to a “flex-itarian” diet, if you will, eating meat if it’s headed for the trash or seems culturally appropriate. For me avoiding the consumption of animal flesh is not a spiritual practice, I’d just like to minimize my support of factory farms and related cruel and ecologically destructive practices.

Keeping all this in mind, allow me to thoroughly recommend Hog Cracklins, a Louisiana specialty. Cracklins are crispy, spicy, melt-in-your-mouth morsels of fried pig skin (with layers of fat and meat still attached) fried and coated in Cajun spices. A friendly gentleman by the name of Hillary (Bill for short) introduced Ashley and I to this culinary delight, and we couldn’t have been more satisfied. Sometimes eating animals is just the right thing to do.

Not only did Bill buy us a pound of Cracklins, he also transported us nearly 10 miles via pickup truck over a section of US 190 with a 65mph speed limit and no shoulder. What a guy! He stopped us at a convenience store and told us he’d be happy to take us over the nasty bridge, and we were mighty thankful for his offer. Were it not for Bill, we may have ended up a highway fatality statistic. More importantly, we would never have tried Hog Cracklins.

Bill has hosted touring bicyclists before, and provided at least one with work harvesting pecans, he told us. He filled us in on a variety of topics of regional significance, including corruption in Louisiana politics, deer hunting, pecan crops, and the importance of local rivers on commerce and farming in the area. Bill said he trapped 92 hogs on his property northwest of Baton Rouge in 2009, but has yet to make hog Cracklins. Bill, what’s the hold up?

-Collin

2010-02-10T16:49:00.001-08:00

Cell reception is patchy out in Texasland. Fear not if you don't see an update! Austin on the 15th, I'll be in Bulverde til the19th at Pappy's house.

On the Eve of Texas...

2010-02-08T21:17:00.000-08:00

We're currently in Oberlin, LA (50 miles from Texas) in the Fire Station House. We stopped for lunch at a church and checked the weather report, thunderstorms and rain through the night. Since I've been fighting a cold (booo hiss) we decided to putter over to the library, and then find a place to sleep BEFORE the rain hit, thus saving us a trip to the laundry mat first thing in the morning with half our clothes wet. We were soon greeted by Donnie, a volunteer firefighter who told us that they [fire department of Oberlin]house bikers that roll through all of the time. We met Lawrence the fire chief, and made ourselves at home. We did see them roll out with the engine, a tree fell on a house, and the resident's truck, and their car too! (Truck good, tree bad...)

Here are some highlights from the last week, with more to come soon from Collin.

Coming into New Orleans felt like we were going to pedal ourselves straight into Lake Pontchartrain before actually getting there. The horizon there is just water, there's only a tiny strip of land that'll take you to New Orleans along the Gulf.

Collin called up friend and coworker Chris Cook who gave us some good information on places to check out in New Orleans, and where to eat.

We explored the french quarter and the city park before stopping for a bite at Liuzzas. I had a shrimp po'boy, some oyster spinach soup, and some tasty jambalaya.

During lunch Collin contacted Ben and Kate, who lived in the Bywater neighborhood and had responded to our request on Warm Showers. Yay! Ben is an freelance illustrator whose biked all over the place, east coast, west coast, and has been in New Orleans for just a couple of months. You can check out his awesomeness here! Kate is an artist whose paintings and artistry really inspire. We enjoyed crashing at their shotgun apartment and hanging out at the local bar listen to spoken word poetry.

The following day we also stopped at Iron Rail, an anarchist bookstore which you should visit if you're passing through...

Rain, rain, cold and wind leaving New Orleans, and HWY61 was well...a *bit* dangerous. We had to take the full lane otherwise risk passers coming too close and too fast for comfort. After passing the NORCO oil refinery we found a place to sleep at a boat launch vowing ever again to ride in the pouring rain. HWY61 continued to worsen as we got closer to Baton Rouge turning into shoulders with giant pitted cracks that were several inches deep every 3 feet. YUCK. Another scary stretch on the HWY.
But! We did find a spot to sleep in that smelled like Christmas. Collin enjoyed stacking the trees around us just for fun,and we slept well.

Lots of Mardi Gras floats on the road headed to parades all over Louisiana...

The bridge out of Baton Rouge to cross the great Mississippi constituted the last stretch of 'oh please, let us make it through this unscathed' roadway moments in Louisiana. This bridge has no shoulder, and required us to take the lane, headed up and then dropping down out of sight lines.

We traveled on towards Opelousas in hopes of finding a local bar to watch the superbowl, which of course would be conveniently located next to someplace we could sleep, 'cause being out on the road after the game seem...unwise no? We stopped at a gas station and met a nice fellow who after a brief conversation with Collin gave us $30 for whatever we needed! On top of that we'd just met Hilary, or Bill for short...and you'll hear about our adventures with him from Collin...

We made it to Eunice, LA for the game. Kick off was in 30 minutes and we searched eagerly for the perfect spot. We found nothing. Not to be dissuaded we asked the attendant at the gas station who pointed us in the right direction. After some searching, and conversations that went like...

Smash- "This place seems great, I don't like the heavy smoke, but the folk seem nice."

Collin- "Yeah but they don't have seating, seating would be nice. I think we should keep looking."

Smash- "But kick off is in 20 minutes, this seems fine."

Collin- "Meh...I think we can do better. Standing for the whole game is no fun."

Smash- "Yeah, but are we going to find a bar with seating? I think all the chairs are going to be booked."

Collin- "Looks like there are a couple of bars on HWY190."

Smash- "Meh."

Collin- "Okay, how about Ronnie's Place."

Smash- Frown.

Collin- "How about we rock, paper, scissor whether we go or not."

Smash- "No no, let's go and see."

As we pulled up to Ronnie's place we were warmly greeted by several customers who hooped and hollered and told us to hurry up and come inside for some free BBQ, cake, and beer. A nice women bestowed us with mardi gras beads and a cool guy gave me a beer coozy when I couldn't find my 'Just Rope It' coozy I picked up in Alabama. It looked like we'd found the perfect spot! locals watching the game there were so much fun to hang out with. Ronnie, the owner let us try his Jamison Whiskey Balls (WOW) and cheered the Saints on.

During the game we met 'Chicken' Dave who had helped out another biker with a flat tire. He insisted that we crash at his place. Since he didn't have a truck we were wary to ride our bikes the 3 miles there...but then in conversation he just asked Ronnie for his truck and Ronnie just dropped the keys in his hand just like that. We've never seen so many folks give so freely and honestly. We clinked our beers together and gave a cheer for Louisiana. (Or rather Acadiana as the locals say, to distinguish themselves from other parts of LA)

It was so exciting to see the Saints come back after a 10-0 difference, and that last interception touchdown was so great!

(Smash, Chicken Dave, Collin)

Lastly, I present to you, the best road sign I've ever seen.

-Smash

2010-02-07T04:51:00.001-08:00

Who Dat? Geaux Saints go! Headed to a small town bar at the west edge of Louisiana to watch the game. Pedalpedalpedal...

2010-02-05T10:21:00.001-08:00

It's a sad dark day in Louisiana when your Ipod up and dies. Will you live again? Attempts to revive are failing...

Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

2010-02-02T12:32:00.000-08:00

Hey folks, we know we've been negligent in keeping up to date with blog posts. It's been more challenging than we thought! Here are a couple small moments from the last couple of weeks...

In Ormond Beach, FL we had the opportunity to see the Fairchild Oak Tree reported to be 2,000 years old! Later we had dinner with Andrew's parents Fred and Alice, and as it turns out, Alice played a pivotal role in saving the land from development. I think she's my new favorite superhero! She gave us Fairchild Oak ribbons from the rededication ceremony, and I've just sent mine home for safe keeping.

Outside of Gainsville, FL we came across a telescope in someone's yard.

We were perplexed! I knocked on the resident's home and were greeted by Vivian. Turns out her husband purchased the telescope for $10,000 and designed the platform and 'faux' NASA text for it. He's a member of the Planetary Society and takes photo after photo of the moon, planets, and stars. Unfortunately he was at work, so were were unable to see the 'scope inside. It was however, a great experience.

In Tallahassee, FL we stayed with Lexi, Collin's awesome friend who gave us a place to stay for the night on a day that started with 30 mph winds and 97% humidity. Her and her roommates live in house with all of flair of a Portland house. So awesome! Her roommate Mary made a yummy vegan dinner and we had the best green bean casserole either of us have EVER HAD. Thank you Lexi and Mary!

Pensacola, FL...I met a man who has walked over 4,000 miles in the United States. Steven, is starting is working a project in which land will be set aside for a 200 mile walking tour of America History. With it, he hopes to create economic, social and environmental awareness to the problems we repeat, and have repeated over time. He told me that he has perfect Karma. A gift given to him by a woman he thought at the time, was crazy. On a 1,500 miles stretch he said it never rained on him once, even though the camera crew that was following him was drenched. It was FOX news. He said 'Why are you following me?' They wanted to take his picture, and then became fascinated with his journey. He said the reason they were drenched and not he, was his perfect Karma. They were after all, from FOX news.

In Perdido Key, FL a storm hit early. (4pm instead of 10pm). We quickly dove for cover and made a plan. We would sleep on the beach, and set up the tent under an awning first at a nearby resort, thus keeping the tent as dry as possible. First though, we would grab a margarita at the nearby Mexican restaurant. It continued to pour outside. Our plan *mostly* worked. We set up the tent, but hand not accounted for extreme wind. Have you ever tried to walk a tent out to the beach with 20 mph wind gusts? Good grief. We used my panniers to secure the tent inside. Collin grabbed the rest of our things while I secured water bottles to the tent rain fly ends. Feeling deserving of some comfort, we donned our swim suits and visited the hot tub at the resort behind us. It was a nice moment prior to a very long night. The wind howled, the lighting flashed, the rain thundered on the tent- and we waited patiently, for the morning.

Ahhhh.... Alabama! Our stay in Alabama was brief. We took the ferry to Dauphin Island. After looking for a place to camp we hit up the local tavern to write postcards and BE WARM. It was 40 degrees most of the day and we were cold! The Pelican Pub was just the spot. Here we met Paula, Grace, Karen, Randi, and Mitch who were watching the North vs. South football game and having a potluck dinner. Paula, the manager of the bar invited us to eat, and we stuffed ourselves with southern cornbread, cabbage, black beans, and dumplings. We had a great time chatting with them, and much laughter was had. Grace, of Grace Tyson,real estate, gave us a spot to sleep for the night in an awesome vacation house a 1/2 mile away. It was amazing! We've been completely blown away by the generosity that people have shown us on this trip. Paula, and Grace, thank you so so much!

Now we're in Bay St. Louis, MS about to enter Louisiana. Yesterday, after waking to a frosty morning, a couple stopped us on the road and gave us grapes and yogurt. Her and her husband lost their home in Katrina, and we felt humbled by their generosity in the face of having gone through so much.

Last night we stayed in Biloxi, MS. The Gulf coast here is somewhat eerie. Walkways that lead up to houses that no longer exist line the entirety of the coast line. New Casinos seems to be disrupting what looks like a small community trying to keep, or create its identity.

On a more positive note, we stayed behind a church and met Jonny this morning, a neighbor of the church, who made us cappuccinos!
Jonny was a messenger in D.C. for 12 years and has toured in Europe twice, and seen the Worlds, and was a devote Italian bike lover. He shared stories and photos while we sipped our coffee and gifted us with two wolf arrowheads from the region.

The days are packed with so many moments, it's hard to keep up! Pedaling on...

-Smash

2010-02-01T07:53:00.001-08:00

...a route to New Orleans instead. How can we travel across Lousiana and not visit New Orleans and Baton Rouge? And away we go!

2010-02-01T07:52:00.001-08:00

It's a frosty morning in Mississippi. Yesterday's Q of the day was...what is this trip for us? Prompting us this morning to set aside the ACA map and chart...

2010-01-27T16:29:00.001-08:00

And we're only in Mississippi for 115 miles before getting to Louisiana. Crazy! In other news, Smashley's ND side R rack brazon snapped clean off. Boo. Hiss!

2010-01-27T16:20:00.001-08:00

Well today was better! Sunny and not too much wind. Turns out we're so far south that we'll only be in Alabama (day after tomorrow) for 30 miles!

Mail Drop #2!

2010-01-26T13:08:00.000-08:00

We realized that we didn't really give you all adequate time to send us mail the first time, so this time you have more time to ship us things, should you feel so inclined. Feb 11th or so is our estimated time of arrival in Austin, TX.

Yes, we realize we're way behind schedule to make it to Portland. We're doing our best :) Anywho, here's the address, for those of you who have asked.

Collin and/or Smashley
703 E 47th St.
Austin, TX 78751

Items on Smashley's wishlist include:
- pictures
- letters
- trail mix
- power bars

Items on Collin's wishlist include:

- letters
- decorative flair for bicycle (Ashley's putting me to shame in the category of whimsical decorations)
- peanut butter (maranatha crunchy is my favorite)
- almonds and/or cashews
- cliff mojo bars
- prepackaged Indian food (my favorite is Punjab Choley and Madras Lentils from Trader Joes)

-Collin

Conversations

2010-01-26T12:57:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about our trip so far has been the conversations we've had with all kinds of people along the way. I had a lengthy conversation with an older gentleman yesterday, much of which focused on how Yankees misunderstand the genius of Rush Limbaugh. The hilarious part, though, was that when one of his buddies pulled up to the convenience store we were standing in front of, his buddy asked the older gentleman if I was his son. "You think I'd have a damn hippie for a son? Give me some credit here!" he replied. Pretty hilarious. We all laughed.

-Collin

Thank You!

2010-01-26T12:12:00.000-08:00

Ashley and I have been completely floored by the love and support of our friends and family on this trip. We wanted to make sure all of you who have contributed in any way - either by making a donation to one of the organizations or by supporting our journey in other ways - know how much we've appreciated your generosity.

We've had amazing hosts in many Florida locations, who have provided us with delicious meals, hot showers, and shelter from storms. We know the road ahead will have less friends and family, so we'll have to be better self-supporting nomads in the future. Thank you so much for your hospitality! And for those of you who live far away from our route, thanks for everything you've done to support of our journey!

-Collin

2010-01-25T05:44:00.001-08:00

who is totally awesome. She introduced us to the game rummicube and her roommate Mary cooked a vegan meal with the best three bean casserole we've ever had!

2010-01-25T05:42:00.001-08:00

Good gracious! The weather yesterday was terrible! Incredibly humid and then wet. BUT! We met up with Collin's friend Lexi who hosted us for the night...

2010-01-23T16:40:00.001-08:00

Collin has a friend we can stay with in Tallahassee (yay) but... it's hard to make up miles w/ the storms! Hopefully the weather will look better tomorrow...

2010-01-23T16:36:00.001-08:00

Well we're about 20 or so miles from Tallahassee, FL making good miles to get to Alabama! But a big rain storm (i.e. 1 inch) is supposed to hit tomorrow night.

To Alabama!

2010-01-21T06:42:00.000-08:00

We're headed out from Gainsville, FL today towards Alabama. Florida has taken a long time to cover (as some of you have pointed out) but our zigzag tour of Florida was so much more fantastic than the Adventure Cycling Association maps would have brought us. It also takes a long time to build up daily mileage on heavy heavy bicycles. Now we've got our routine down, and we can get in 60 miles each day even if there is a nasty headwind. We've been on the road for 18 days now and are looking forward to pressing on into new territories.

Gainsville is primarily a University town, it reminds me of Ashland, OR actually, but with a southern flair. The UF mascot (pictured here) are the 'Gators' and come complete with a fantastically awesome statue that is both alarming, and entertaining. I think it's the combination of outfits, hand holding and bi-pedgatorism that may make it the most magical imagery I've seen thus far.

Here they are live in the wild...

Go Gators!

-Smash

2010-01-18T15:22:00.001-08:00

We're 25 miles from Gainsville. We've been in Ormond beach (more soon), where we viewed the Fairchild oak tree, 2000 yrs old and so breathtakingly beautiful.

2010-01-16T06:23:00.001-08:00

...pad behind the diner to sleep. He also gave us rad t-shirts, some citrus, and great conversation abour the town (Tavares) and local political shenanigans.

2010-01-16T06:20:00.001-08:00

97% humidity today. It's kind of like riding while in a steam bath. Last night we ate yuka, my new favorite root and the restuarant owner offered us the back...

A note about short posts

2010-01-15T12:51:00.000-08:00

For those of you wondering why our updates are frequent and short, as opposed to long and in-depth, there is an explanation. Most of the time we're posting from our cell phones, which only allow 160 characters at a time. We would love to write longer blog posts, but it's tough to make library time while out on the road. Nonetheless, we're doing our best to keep you updated.

-Collin

First Mail Drop!

2010-01-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

For those of you itching to send Ashley and I letters, delicious treats, playlists, and the like, you may send such items to the following address:

Collin and/or Ashley
507 NW 39th Rd Apt 237
Gainesville FL, 32607

Our estimated time of arrival is January 21st or so.
Items on Ashley's wishlist include:
- chapstick
- Tiger Balm
- gummy bears
- band aids

Items on Collin's wishlist include :
- Maranatha crunchy peanut butter
- Thai Chili and Lime Cashews from Trader Joes
- Punjab Choley and Madras Lentils prepackaged Indian food (also from Trader Joes)
- Stumptown coffee
- raw almonds

-Collin

2010-01-15T05:14:00.001-08:00

Smash would love some dried fruit and nut mix in leu of gummy bears, it's not as tasty, but admittedly is better for biking...sigh.

2010-01-13T19:48:00.001-08:00

...T-shirt the design fills in with color! And then goes back to black and white in the shade! No joke here folks...honest to goodness, so magical!

2010-01-13T19:46:00.001-08:00

...photo series that I know you'll all love. I picked up the most magical t-shirt there! It's a dinosaur in foliage with a volcano and when the sun hits the...

2010-01-13T19:43:00.001-08:00

Tonight we're in Lakeland staying with Collin's Poppa who is so kind and full of great storytelling. We had a fun time at dino world! Collin took a rad photo...

2010-01-13T18:46:00.001-08:00

Dinosaur World surpassed all expectations. Photos to come.

-Collin

2010-01-12T15:05:00.001-08:00

What was that? "A boar!" Wha-an ROUS-Rodent of unusual size? "Yea, w/ tusks." Are we safe here? "Oh yeah, I have this big stick!"

2010-01-11T16:27:00.001-08:00

We're staying with Collin's friend Adam Tonight who runs an organic farm here in Cortez. One giant margarita down, looking forward to a shower...

2010-01-10T16:30:00.001-08:00

...made for interesting riding. By the way...these short messages are best read from oldest to new, to avoid semantic confusion. Should warmer by Wednesday. <3

2010-01-10T16:27:00.001-08:00

...thankfully it was dry and sunny today. Though it didn't get above 47 degrees and neither of us could feel our feet for nearly all today. A 25mph headwind...

2010-01-10T16:24:00.001-08:00

Last night we slept in a church! Yay! The pastor was very nice and even brought us coffee in the morning. Wow! We headed to Sarasota 35 miles to the north...

2010-01-10T16:22:00.001-08:00

...tragectory so they didn't spray the tent. Collin said he felt very "manly" to have vanquished the sprinkler system. I was much appreciative.

2010-01-09T18:29:00.001-08:00

...degree angle saving us from mortal danger. Later at 4am the garbage truck scared me half away as I shouted "Oh sh*t!"

2010-01-09T18:26:00.001-08:00

Collin wins big points. Little did we know last night that our grassy patch had a sprinkler system which went off at 11pm. He successfully adjusted their...

Oh boy....

2010-01-09T12:59:00.000-08:00

Hey folks, Smashley here...writing to you from the library in Port Charlotte, FL. I only have 14 minutes to write, I've used the other 46 minutes catching up on emails and fundraiser stuff. SO! Looks like Collin's phone likes writing to Blogger while mine does not, unless I write until 160 characters...seriously who only writes that little...anyway, point being, we'll make more library stops to update.

Moving on...It's really really cold in Florida right now. Prior to today the skies have been clear an sunny, but most temperatures in the 50's, with lows in the 20's and 30's at night. Oh boy. Citrus farmers are going a little nuts trying to save their crops and homeowners frantically covering their ferns which can reach 50-60 years old if you treat them right. (Whoa) Today it's been raining and 38ish degrees, it's like Portland! We stopped for some wool knickers at goodwill, and I made some fleece knees warmers out of a well..fleece sweater thing...anyway. Much warmer now.

We're having a fantastic time and learning all sorts of fun things about Florida, such as...

Avoid sleeping on a sugarcane farm...they get up early and have giant tractors.

Enjoy eating tacos and milkshakes, but hesitate when consuming both at the same time.

Explore snail shells which litter the floors under giant oaks trees in nice loamy soil.

You can increase your ability to ride fast in a headwind if you ride into it every day...we're up to 10 mph in a 15-20 mph wind. Yay!

Collin can *almost* clear with a running start, an 8 foot moat to liberate some tangerines which were quite tasty and delicious.

Riding our bikes is fantastic...every day we get better, and build new and stronger muscles.

We miss you lots. Will write again soon!

Lichens do grown down from trees and can be distinguished from moss by their grey color.

-Ash

p.s. we're headed to Sarasota next to visit Collin's grandparents.

2010-01-08T17:52:00.001-08:00

Hey folks, blogger phoning is having issues. We'll repair it tomorrow at a library. We're in Punta Gorda tonight.

2010-01-08T14:43:00.001-08:00

Blogger seems to not be working...test...test...

2010-01-07T17:23:00.003-08:00

(2/2) explained. The answer, sadly, is no. And yes, I realize none of my blog posts thus far have anything to do with bike touring.

2010-01-07T17:23:00.001-08:00

(1/2) Ashley just asked me if I'd ever been to a "terrarium party." "It's where you make miniature ecosystems out of lichen, moss, cacti, and succulents," she

2010-01-03T15:26:00.001-08:00

So rude. Sausage is awesome. Collin has brought 17 oz of Sriracha. He's determined to get through all of it by trip's end. Will someone donate $5 if he does?

2010-01-03T15:07:00.001-08:00

Ashley's busting out her meat tube. Gross.

2010-01-02T20:37:00.001-08:00

Testing our text message blogger capability...ready...go!

And we're off...

2010-01-02T01:44:00.000-08:00

Headed through the Everglades towards Clewiston, FL...stay tuned!

Kick Off Party canceled due to snow storm...

2009-12-30T01:46:00.000-08:00

Wowzers! SNOW! As much as we love snow, we're bummed that a giant snowstorm hit on the day of the kick-off fundraiser forcing us to cancel the event. Butts! Angela and Chris held down the fort until I could figure out a way to get there, it took FOREVER, but when I got there, and saw 15 hardy souls there who'd still made it out for a beer...well damn, that just felt amazing.

Thank you so much to everyone there! And especially to Angela and Chris for their people gathering spirits and box making, Domenika for art and support, Vahid for walking there, Steve from Bike Farm, Dave for chaining up and driving, Leigh for bike/walking there, Rob for biking there and bringing a stuffed manatee, Tim for bike there, Daniel for biking there, Katy and Sarah for biking there and giving us a lucky 50 cent piece, Mike for biking there, Angelique for driving an hour to get there, and Katie, David, Kyle, and Alex for their love and support.

Thank you to everyone for your contributions! We raised $200 for our organizations on a wintery snowy night. <3

Kick-Off Party! December 29th!

2009-12-15T12:55:00.000-08:00

We'll be having a fundraising kick-off party at the SE Lucky Lab Brewery, who has generously donated their space, on December 29th from 5-9pm. The Coalition for a Livable Future and Bike Farm will be on hand to answer questions, come have happy hour with us before we take off!

Lucky Lab
915 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Directions

Postcards! Coming soon!

2009-12-10T15:16:00.000-08:00

Well it's almost time for the fundraiser kick off, we're working hard to get everything prepared!

The post card is almost done and ready to send to the printer...

Fundraiser gets going...

2009-10-26T04:48:00.001-07:00

There's so much to do! Collin is still waiting on his handlebars to come in, Ashley is busy working on getting the fundraiser up and running. The Coalition for a Livable Future is in! Bike Farm is really excited about what we're doing, and excited to hear more this coming Tuesday.

My bike is all finished now and ready to go. Pictures are coming soon!

Maps!

2009-10-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

We just got the route maps from the American Cycling Association! Yay! There tear proof and waterproof qualities definitely make them smell funny, but my goodness, they have everything! The whole route, elevation, temperatures, places to stop, etc etc.

Much excitement ensues.