The Tale of Two Tires

Following the Fish Fork

It’s been one week since my dad (Leo Kesting, 63yo) and twin sister (Helen Kesting, 26yo) finished our beautiful trip down the entire length of the Fish Fork and the experience is still fresh in my mind. The idea of this trip was born nearly 50 years earlier when this remote canyon sparked my dad’s curiosity. He grew up in the small nearby town of Mt. Baldy and these mountains were his playground. However, his trip at the time was cut short by his brother taking a slip on their way down the river. While most who venture into this canyon take the easier approach by starting at Lupine Campground to the north of the canyon, we aimed to see the entire river from its humble beginnings significantly higher than where the standard route meets with it. Although our trailhead was only an hour from Northeast Los Angeles, the Fish Fork begins several hiking hours away, up and over Mt. Baldy.

Our route on days 1(yellow), 2(red) and 3(green)

The night before, we slept just minutes from the trailhead at Manker Flats. We began our hiking around 7am on September 6th where I had been racing just the day before during the brutal Mt. Baldy Run-To-The-Top race (9th, 1:14). My legs felt it but the pace was relaxed as we strolled past the yuccas and eventually reached the Sierra Club Ski Hut. I was glad to have my trekking poles. We were happy to have an early start because it was starting to get toasty nearly 5 miles and 4000 feet later at the summit of Mt. Baldy despite its elevation of 10,068 ft.

One of many yucca plants spotted on the trail

By noon we were eager for a lunch break of PB&J sandwiches at the saddle between Mt. Baldy and Dawson Peak at 8,800 ft. We couldn’t spot any water in the stream bed from here but were fairly certain we could see a faint line of water further down the canyon while on the summit the day before. After a shaded break, the journey continued. From here until our connection with the East Fork San Gabriel River over a vertical mile lower, we would be forming our own path as this canyon sees very little traffic from humans.

Peering down the beginning of the canyon

The day was nearing its hottest hour and still we could find no water. I drank the last of my blue gold and hoped more would be nearby. Once we got into the canyon where the river had previously run, some light bushwhacking was in order. Although trekking off-trail in Washington can be much denser, the California experience is much drier and pokier. It wasn’t much longer before I heard the unmistakable sound of a trickling stream (8100 ft). This was the small beginning of a creek that we would be within a stones throw for the next 48 hours. The Fish Fork was lacking in flow but the vibrant wildlife and flowers didn’t seem to mind.

Further down the Fish Fork we became much more shaded as the canyon narrowed and the trees became larger. Some of these cedars were massive despite being in areas that have heavy flooding. We knew we had to move efficiently if we wanted to make it out in 3 days time and a constant challenge involved estimating how long various routes down the river would take. At times it was faster to mov up on the side of the canyon to avoid the mess of trees and branches that can get stuck in middle of the flow. Other times we were able to travel directly through the water which felt great in the hot air. I would highly recommend water shoes and save your dry hiking shoes for camp.

We finally came to the first of what would be 10 rappels total over the 3 days. The second wasn’t much further and we decided to use a guided rappel. Helen had studied the system before the trip and it worked out perfectly. Any time we felt we couldn’t rappel without getting dumped into a pool below, we used this wonderfully designed system. Most importantly, it allowed our packs to stay dry. There is plenty of information online regarding how to set it up so I won’t go into detail. Helen was a total badass and set up all 5 of our guided rappels. She would rappel off one side of the rope with a beaner block at the top anchor. After thoroughly drenching herself at the bottom of every waterfall, she would find an anchor out of the water at the bottom and set up a pulley system that allowed the rope she repelled down to get very taught. My dad and I would lower our packs down that line and rappel off the other half of the rope while clipped to the taught line to avoid the water.

Our goal for the first night was to reach the area where most trips enter the canyon. This is where the Fish Fork and Little Fish Fork join together. It was getting dark and I knew we were in the general area so I quickly set down my pack to scout up ahead to look for anything better than what we had just found. After 5 minutes I couldn’t find the camp mentioned in many trip reports so we happily stayed in our surprisingly spacious space.

The next morning we awoke with another early start and began walking by 8. This was our full day on the river; man did it work us. After 2 dry rappels and a guided rappel, we came to the spectacular Chockstone Rappel. We had been anticipating this section of the canyon and it did not disappoint. As if it wasn’t amazing enough, there was a massive dead trunk of a tree at the bottom of the falls that stood with its roots up, a perfect spot for our lower anchor.

The rest of the afternoon we kept at it for a while and thought we had finished our rappels. We were likely the most remote people in the entire San Gabriel mountain range. While rounding a corner, the canyon opened up to a dramatic 80 foot waterfall. The name Bedrock Falls aptly fit this beautiful feature. We had about an hour of sun left and moved quickly down the massive falls and then one much smaller rappel directly after.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WQCLPiF6En0

All three of us had bivy sacks so searching for sleeping spots wasn’t too difficult. As we were making dinner we noticed a tarantula crawling our way. We had seen one earlier in the day that was floating down the river. This nighttime neighbor made me feel a bit less comfortable as I was sleeping with my bivy sac open to keep cool.

Day 3 and another morning of early rising. This time we got moving by 7 after several rounds of coffee from my AeroPress. After 2 very full days of moving from sunrise till sundown, we were wearing down and motivated to push hard for this last day to get back to the car. It began rather excitedly with 2 rappels before 8am! By 11 we had finally made it to the confluence with the East Fork San Gabriel River! After traveling the Fish Fork for roughly 8 miles and 4600 vertical feet, we had finally made it out.

Where the Fish Fork (right) meets the East Fork San Gabriel (left)

At this point, the traveling was generally a lot faster with the wider river giving way to areas of smooth bedrock. The trail eventually made itself easy to follow and we reached the Bridge to Nowhere, a strange sight in such a remote area and a reminder of the powerful forces of nature. The bridge was built in 1936 and just two years later a torrential winter storm washed away much of the roadway leading up to the bridge. The project was abandoned but the ambition of such a highway can still be seen today.

By this point in the day, we had reached nearly 2000 feet in elevation and the heat was relentless. The trail was flat and we cruised to the parking lot. Our long descent had ended but we still needed a car so I started to race the sunset and set off running up toward Mt. Baldy on a very beautiful and remote road up Coldwater Canyon, just 3/4th of a mile down from the Bridge to Nowhere trailhead. After 11 miles I was sufficiently tired and lucked out with hitching a ride once my dirt road intersected the Glendora Ridge Rd. What an awesome 3 days!

Some Things to Note

-We brought 300 feet of static rope but an 80 meter should be plenty long even for all the guided rappels.

-We also brought 100 feet of anchor webbing but 50 feet should be adequate. Extending the anchor to the fall lip can really assist with the guided rappels.

– The final dirt road I ran on to finish the trip had one short section (Thompson Ranch) that was marked as private property so if you don’t feel comfortable with “trespassing”, the long way around on Glendora Mountain Road adds another 10 miles or so.

-We were moving efficiently and it still took us 3 full days from sunrise till sundown

-Water shoes worked great and so did the guided rappels!

Home

This will probably come as a surprise to most of you but I’ve decided to head home. I’ve had it on my mind for about three weeks now but I couldn’t come to admit it to myself. I kept a positive attitude and did my best not to let it get me down. Over the past week I was the most miserable I’ve ever been in my entire life and I couldn’t ignore it no matter how hard I tried. It was only getting worse. I was hoping that after three weeks off the bike I’d be refreshed and ready to go but I felt even worse. To add to it all the winter weather is terrible.

Trying to continue on without enjoying it for months didn’t make any sense to me. I set out to learn more about myself and after 4 months I’ve certainly done that. This trip has changed me so much and I can’t wait to apply what I’ve learned back home. I’m so happy that I made this decision and have no problem saving Asia for 4 or 5 years down the road.

You can expect many more big adventures from me in the future and I can’t wait to share them with all of you! Some thoughts so far include a mountaineering expedition, multi-month backpacking trip, or something involving water travel. I’ve decided to put aside most of the money from GoFundMe for the next grand adventure. Thank you all so much for the support and I’m unbelievably excited to be back in Washington!

Here are some journal entries and I haven’t journaled the past couple nights.

Day 112 (Saturday, 2nd of January, 2016)

Today was difficult to get through. It was emotionally the hardest day of the entire trip up till this point. It’s a lot to process when you say goodbye to your brother then girlfriend while facing a Winter of biking ahead. Sometimes I stress about feeling down but it would almost be strange if I felt completely fine. I can’t help but think about the many more bad days I’ll have in the future. That’s not the way I should be thinking and I know it. I’m teaching myself to focus on taking one day at a time and acknologing that inevitably I’ll have days where all I can focus on is being home. The best I can do is just keep my head up.

I didn’t do much today. Having been up for 26 hours yesterday I slept in till a comfotable 1 pm. While I was away in Greece the chainring that I ordered did arrive here in Istanbul alought I was skeptical if it was the right part. I was eager to check and see if it was going to fit. It didn’t. I should’ve researched it more but it’ll be alright. Lesson learned. Shit happens. I’ll most likey have the correct part shipped to Tblisi, Georgia after I find out what it is. I then finished my blog post which seemed to really bring up my mood. I’ve found that blogging has really been healthy. Although I can’t be with you all at home it helps to let you know how I’m doing.

Day 113 (Sunday, 3rd of January, 2015)

My last night of my three week break. I’m eager to start progressing into the trip again and head for Ankara. I’m doing the best I can to keep a positive attitude but it’s been difficult. I wish more than anything that I don’t have an emotion breakdown while biking to tomorrow. What really makes things challeging is that I’m homesick and on top of that I have freezing weather to bike through and snow that’ll most likely cause problems.

I felt badly homesick again today and it gives me a deep pain in my stomach. I can’t seem to get the thought of home out of my head. If I were to be put back in Olympia right now I’d be the happiest person in the world. That’s the kind of thinking I keep having which is really unhealthy. I know it’s normal to be homesick at 19 in a country completely different than my own after 4 months away but that doesn’t ease my pain at all. It’s hard to appretiate that I’m following my dreams when the constant thoughts of home are easily making their way into my head. I have to stay positive even when the times get tough.

Today I got ready for leaving tomorrow and chatted for a while with Kirby. We were talking about meditation and happiness as well as how to live fully in the present. Instead of worrying about the furture I need to be soley observing the present and grateful for what I have.

Day 114 (Monday, 4 of January, 2015)

This morning loaded my bike up and said goodbye to Kirby. It was very kind of him letting me stay for a total of 8 days. I went back to the Uzbeckistan consulate and after 3 hours I finally had my passport with the visa. With the snow my feet were already starting to get wet and I hadn’t even started yet. I went to a supermarket and got some plastic bags to put around my socks to prevent further soaking. The booties definitely help keep my feet warmer but water can still get it. I’m thankful to have them. I rode down to the ferry that would take me over to Asia and out of Europe. The first continent treated me well and now to see if I can tackle this one. The riding today was terrible as I rode out of the massive city. I called it a day after about 75 km and I’m still in a densly populated area. I guess the fifth largest city has to span out quite a ways.

I’ve never felt worse. Homesickness and lonliness are in full swing. I don’t know how much I can take of this but before the trip I told myself and others that if I’m miserable for an extended period of time ith no sign of getting better I’ll call the trip off. I’ve never been depressed in my life but it’s starting to take root. I need to get better. It was hard to find a place to camp in such a densly populated area but I settled on a gravel field littered with trash with sound of the freeway not far off. It’s pretty demoralizing when you’re camping in a shithole. I’ve noticed that I’ve lost a lot of my appatite. Anyone who even kind of knows me would think that impossible. For breakfast I had a bowl of cereal and didn’t have anything to eat until now at dinner where I had to force down some noodles with cheese and summer sausage. Tomorrow I’ll remeber to eat more. It’s so hard when I know going home would solve all these problems. Even typing the word “home” feels like a punch to the gut. On a positve note, the snow wasn’t a problem as I was on busy roads. It’s still terribly cold however.

Greece

Happy new year! I apologize for the lack of blog updates the past two weeks. My time with Astrid was limited and I didn’t want to spend any of it journaling or blogging on the computer. Without day to day journal entries I’ll revert back to how I used to blog and summarize the best I can. I will say that I’m really enjoying the day to day writings. It feels great to break down the events of a day while lying in my tent. It allows me to pick out special moments and make every day distinct from one another.

I actually got in two journal entries before flying to Athens.

Day 93 (Tuesday, 15th of December, 2015)

Today I really don’t have too much to blog. I slept in and ordered a replacement medium rear gear. I had some concerns with international shipping and customs but a friend of the bike shop I had repairs done informed me that if an order doesn’t exceed 75 EUR then it should clear customs no problem. I’m within the limit so all I can do is cross my fingers. It should arrive by the time I return from Greece. Later that night I went out with a Madeline, a Swede also staying with Kirby, Kirby, and his Turkish girlfriend, Didem. She didn’t speak English too well and I was skeptical of how a relationship like that would work. It was surprisingly smooth and they both seemed very happy together. My cold is easing up and my homesickness has more or less gone away. One thing I’ve learned over the past 3 months is that you have to believe a situation will get better with time. Whether that be an hour, day, or even a week. I’ve acknowledged that in the future of this trip there will be some truly testing times. A week may go by of absolute grueling misery. I have to remember to believe that the suffering will subside and it will get better.

Day 94 (Wednesday, 16th of December, 2015)

This morning I got up early to bike to the Uzbekistan consulate about 10 km north. Istanbul is without a doubt the least bike friendly city I’ve been in. After finding my way through a multitude of roads I finally arrived at an empty building and a sign posted with an address. I was happy to see that the new building was in Levent and only a kilometer and a half from the apartment. So back I went and found the Uzbek officials very kind. It was a long process involving going back a forth between two buildings on separated ends of the street but I finally ended with a man saying I have to wait 10 days for processing. Perfect! I was happy to know that I had been given special treatment as well. Apparently it’s usually required to have an LOI (Letter of Invitation) but because I looked like a “good guy” he let it slide. Astrid always tells me that my luck is beyond normal. Sometimes I believe it. Back at the apartment I began to pack my things for Greece. Packing for a trip while on a trip really makes me feel like I’ve been on the road for a long time. Tomorrow I fly to Athens!

Day 111 (Saturday, 2st of January, 2016)

Seeing Astrid for the first time in over three months filled me with an overwhelming happiness. I knew I’d be happy but not that happy. Her familiar face gave me a smile that lasted the next two weeks. I can’t even imagine the emotions I’ll have when I return home.
We took the subway from the Airport to the city center about an hour later. As we talked I was still in slight disbelief that she was here with me. The subway became jam packed as we got into the city and bodies were jostling. Suddendly I felt several fingers slide their way into my front pocket. I hit the arm away and yelled some vulgar phrases at the man who then acted as if he had done nothing. After the ride Astrid told me she had the same experience with her phone in her back pocket but dealt with it much more calmly and quickly moved it to her front pocket. It probably didn’t help that we were obviously tourist with all our luggage and thereafter we where far more cautious.

The first couple days we took it pretty easy because Astrid fractured her toe pretty bad in the hotel. However, it worked out well as nearly all the tourist attraction were closed due to a workers strike. While we where in Greece we could almost feel in the air that the economy wasn’t doing too well. The strike eventually ended and we visited the National Archaeological Museum of Athens; a short walk from our hotel. The ancient artifacts and sculptures dating back to around 500 BC were fascinating and we were thoroughly impressed. One of the days we also visited the Plaka. It’s a complex network of small streets with countless shops cramming the space. We then walked past the ruins of an ancient marketplace on our way up to a rocky outcrop overlooking the city. As we sat in the setting sun we looked out of place wearing warm weather clothing while the locals were bundling up for Winter.
On the 22nd we got on a ferry for 8 hours that took us to one of the most popular of the Cyclades Islands. The four days on Santorini was one of my favorite parts of my whole this far. We rented an ATV and with it we had the freedom to explore the Island. We watched the sunset in Oia where the movie, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was filmed. Other days were filled with relaxing at the beaches in perfect mid 60s heat, exploring the small town of Thira, and ATVing around.

Then came Christmas morning! Astrid brought over gifts from home and I eagerly opened them. My parents gave me lots of items to face the harsher weather of Asia this Winter. Included were booties, a rain hat, gloves, wool socks, and running tights. I got a Steripen which I’ll have to start using to treat my water in Kazakhstan. And finally some more books to last me through the rest of the trip. I was so happy to be able to spend the day with Astrid. The timing of everything was perfect. She was on break from college and I needed some time off the bike after Europe.

We spent our last our last five days together back in Athens. It’s packed with things to see and we went to the Acropolis, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Mount Lycabettus, and walked around the Plaka again. Mount Lycabettus was a favorite of mine. We walked up the steep hill to see a stunning view of the city and surroundings below. The 30th marked a year of us being together. Again the timing was perfect. The next night we celebrated the new year 10 hours before home and only got a couple hours of sleep before waking up to head to the airport for Astrid’s early flight. Hailing a taxi almost instantly brought two cars to our side. A taxi ride to the airport is around 50 Euros ($55) and they both wanted it. They began to yell at each other while urging us to get in their own taxi. Tensions rose when one put his hand on the other’s shoulder and I was sure a punch was going to be thrown. Fortunately they settled down and we quickly got in the first taxi that pulled over.

Saying goodbye to Astrid wasn’t easy. I’m so grateful for her visiting me and can’t thank her enough. This trip as been a part of our relationship since the very beginning when I told her about it on our first date over a year ago. It was weighing on the back of our minds the whole Summer and it felt like a countdown of days till I left. I can’t even imagine what it’ll be like when I return home and don’t have this trip constantly on my mind. Thinking about it everyday got me more and more excited but it did get mentally exhausting.

Astrid and I said our final goodbyes and I watched her disappear into the crowd as I stood and emotions flooded over me. I was now alone. I won’t see another familiar face for over 4 months and it will be my most difficult endeavor. Challenge results in growth. Astrid’s flight was at 7 am and mine was to depart at 10 pm. Weather was bad in Istanbul and many flights were delayed so mine was pushed back till 2 am. The majority of those 19 hours I was alright but a couple times I felt a deep homesickness by being alone. The rest of the trip I’ll have to teach myself the best ways to cope with loneliness. So far I’ve come to realize that just sticking it out and believing it will subside seems to work pretty well but I’m sure I’ll discover better ways to help.

So here I am back in Istanbul where it has snowed about 5 inches and everything is white. It’s beautiful and I’m hoping to visit the Hagia Sophia again before I set out. I have to wait till Monday to head out because the Uzbekistan consulate is closed on the weekend and I’m unable to pick up my visa. From here in Istanbul I’ll then heading up onto the Anatolian plateau at 3000 feet where it’s sure to get colder but it tends to be drier so it’s a trade off. After four days of biking I should be in Ankara, Turkey’s capital.

Last picture with my stache. RIP

Cheers to Astrid visiting me.

Goofin

Astird’s first time in a bar

Bronze weapons from the Archaeological Museum.

View from our hotel on Santorini.

Oia

Cheesin

Astrid in a box

We had far too many Gyros.

Christmas! Astrid got me those boxers and my parents gave me a waterproof hat.

View from the Acropolis.

The Parthenon.

Walkin up Mt. Lycabettus

2016!!! I’ll miss her like crazy.

I got back to Istanbul with fresh snow.

Istanbul

Day 84 (Sunday, 6th of December, 2015)

Joe and I didn’t feel too hot this morning after last night and slept in till nearly one. It was alright because Burgas historically doesn’t have too much to show. We roamed the main pedestrian square to get the cheep street food that Eastern Europe has in plenty. Two lev or about a buck and some change will buy you a small personal pizza. We then headed to the Sea to read and relax till it was dark. I finished the fellowship of the ring and now ready to get the 2nd and 3rd from home when Astrid comes over. It seems nearly impossible to get a book in English over here so they hold their weight in gold. We took tonight a bit easier and watched Casino Royal while facetiming Mom and Dad in the middle. It feels great to get contact with home. In some ways I miss home more after while at the same time I feel refreshed and happy in knowing things are going well on the other side of the world. Today I thought a lot about my route after Istanbul. I’ve made some minor changes and have decided on adding Uzbekistan after Kazakhstan and before Kyrgyzstan. I’ll have to get a visa for it in Istanbul and possibly a letter of Invitation from a travel agency.

Day 85 (Monday, 7th of December, 2015)

Leaving Burgas. We’re getting down to a lot of Joe’s lasts. His last time leaving a big city by bike. Again we had to stop by a bike shop before heading out to get an extra tube. It’s been a while since we haven’t had to. We also had to get some cheap street food for the road. The ride out was beautiful as we biked south along the bright and sunny coast of the Black Sea. We camped just as we turned inland and approach entering Turkey tomorrow. I really can’t say thank you enough to all the people supporting me back home. It’s an unbelievable feeling knowing that in hard times of the future I’ll have my home to push me on. Tonight we made a campfire while jammin to music with the speaker. It’s a clear night with the stars bright above us. Life has been feeling pretty great recently as we’re wrapping up Europe.

Day 86 (Tuesday, 8th of December, 2015)

This morning we made our way up and down many hills towards the border with Turkey. I had my first flat after assuring Joseph months ago that I wouldn’t have one throughout Europe. Three days too early but I’d say I’m pretty lucky to last over 3,500 miles without one or many bike problems at all for that matter. If anyone is planning on taking a bike tour as I highly recommend, I couldn’t give more praise to Surly. More specifically, the Long Haul trucker. It’s incredibly durable without sacrificing much in terms of weight and speed. Entering Turkey we had to use a visa for the first time. All the countries this far have been easy to enter but countries in the future may prove to be more difficult. Russia and Kazakhstan involved a complicated process of obtaining the visa. I’m hoping that’ll be enough and I won’t have to bribe any border guards. Only a couple hours into Turkey we experienced the hospitality that I’ve heard so much of ever since I started planing this trip over a year ago. In the first small village we stopped in a man in a cafe motioned me in through the window. I went in and a sweet teas was served as we had the usual conversation involving not much more than hand motions. We said our thanks and headed out to camp a couple kilometers down the road. I felt excited about the future and the time I’ll spend in Turkey. I still hold strong in thinking that good people is better than good weather. Speaking of, the wind outside is the strongest we’ve encountered at night and we struggled to put up our tents before they were blown down even with some baggage in them. Using the stove outside was without question not going to work so inside it came. I avoided death by carbon monoxide poisoning and no holes were burnt into my tent. Two days till Istanbul!

Day 87 (Wednesday, 9th of December)

The final full day of biking in Europe. We did it right. It began a little tough with the wind continuing into the morning and the hills failing ease up quite as much as expected. However the sun was peeping out between the clouds and we were quickly approaching Istanbul so it was hard to be in a bad mood. In the first village we rode through I experienced another Turkish stereotype other than their hospitality they give off. The abundance of aggressive dogs. It was Joseph’s turn to lead for the day so they targeted me behind him. As one dog turned into five they began to bark and growl while getting alarmingly close. We were riding up a hill so our speed was limited. A couple began to snarl and one sunk its teeth onto my rear pannier but failed to penetrate the material. We armed ourselves with sticks thereafter and tucked them into our panniers, easily accessible and prepared for the next time. By late morning we had gotten off the gravel roads and onto the highway where we hit a town and I withdrew a solid 800 Turkish Lira for the 3 to 4 weeks I’ll be in Turkey. We had to get a feel for how much you could get per Lira by eating a massive 12 inch hoagie sandwich (called a doner kebab) and sure enough it was 6 Lira or $2. Not much further we stopped at a vacant gas station where three puppies came out and pounced all over us. They were adorable at about 8 weeks of age. As the day went on the terrain flattened and we stopped again 25 km later in a larger town where my tire had gone flat again. Coming in I had the same incident with another dog but we dropped our sticks once we reached to highway. No damage again but I may want to keep a stick or small rocks with me whenever we’re riding. My tire was so worn out that it left a hole the size of half a dine. Initially I was going to just put another tire boot to cover the hole but decided to go to a bike shop instead and not wait to Istanbul to replace the tire. There a friendly Germany who spoke almost no English brought out a massively thick 2 inch tire with huge tread pattern . After spending north of an hour adjusting the fenders and brakes we were back out for Joe’s last night of camping. We had a fire again while reminiscing on some of our favorite moments and stretches of the past three months. It’s my last night of sleeping outside for a three week period. I know it’ll feel like a significant amount of time because even after 4 days in Rome without biking I became anxious to begin again. Tomorrow will be the last day of biking with someone. We’ll ride into Istanbul with ear to ear smiles.

Day 88 (Thursday, 10th of December, 2015)

Here it was! Last day of riding in Europe. The riding wasn’t that pleasant being on a busy highway that passed many sites of huge construction projects around Istanbul. I later found out that we rode near the area where the world’s largest airport is currently being built. The day continued through ugly roads near the freeway that confirmed people’s comments on the difficulty of getting into Istanbul. About halfway through the day we turned the corner the see a line of half a dozen dogs at the top of a hill barking at us. Joe and I gathered some rocks and thin tubes that acted as whips. It seemed to be straight out of a battle scene as we charged them side by side but they quickly surrendered and casually moved to the side. I’ve also found that yelling as loudly as I can and staring them straight in the eyes sometimes works just as well. As I was biking into Istanbul and queuing up some last songs to listen to the trip up to this point began to weigh on me. One continent down and one to go. At the present it’s time to celebrate the end of Europe rather than think about Asia. Again we were able to stay with a Warmshowers host willing to put us up for so many days. He’s even a fellow American! His name is Kirby and he moved here years ago as part of a long story but currently he’s here as a website programmer and software engineer. He has a flat on a top of a building with a terrace looking over the city. What a great start to my 8 days here.

Day 89 (Friday, 11th of December, 2015)

First morning of my three week biking break and I can’t sleep in. Tough. I headed across to the Asian side and stepping into the other continent for the first time to visit a bike shop catered specifically to bike tourers. Although Joe’s bike had taken a toll on itself more so, mine had still been quite beat up after the continent. After nearly 3 hours my bike was finally repaired and parts replaced. The only replacement that couldn’t happen was my rear middle cog. After searching another 5 bike shops I’ve decided that I won’t find a replacement in Istanbul. With the problem, the chain occasionally skips but at this point it happens rarely enough that I’m not too worried about it. I’m looking into ordering the part internationally and getting it when I come back from Greece in January. I finally headed back across the Bosphorus Straight to Europe when it was dark and in the midst of rush hour. The weaving and dodging of cars is exhilarating and the blaring horns never cease. I eventually made it back to the apartment to see Joe boxing up his bike. What wild feeling that’ll be many months from now.

Day 90 (Saturday, 12th of December, 2015)

This morning we headed out to the metro to go to the more historical part of Istanbul with the Grand bazaar, Topkapi Palace, and many incredible buildings and mosques including the Hagia Sophia. We started off at the Grand bazaar and prepared to haggle. It’s massive with over 3,000 shops crammed into a small amount of space. We bought some Christmas gift for some solid prices. There wasn’t as much diversity in products but it was a great experience none the less. The sold items mainly included jewelry, rugs, money changers, souvenirs, and bags. We arrived at the Blue Mosque just in time to get in before it closed. We took off our shoes and watched tourist females put on the required head veils in order to enter. I’ll be biking though mosque territory for the majority of the remainder of the trip. Inside it was just as different from churches as the outside. No sculptures lined the sides and it seemed comparatively simpler. The walls were absolutely beautiful and I quickly became mesmerized by it all. Unfortunately we didn’t quite get to visiting the Hagia Sofia but seeing it from afar for the first time was surreal in itself. Throughout Europe, this architectural piece of art seemed to me a far off foreign place and to finally be by it feels like quite an accomplishment. On the way back to the metro we got talked into coming into a carpet shop. We ended up talking to the owner of the shop as we sat us down for some Turkish coffee with a genuine conversation. He travels all over the world selling carpets hand made by women in eastern Turkey who sometimes take months to finish just one carpet. They had a very raw beauty and he mentioned at one point that he had a carpet worth a million dollars dating from the 15th century. His skill in selling was a piece of art itself and unlike anything I’ve seen before. He hit every criteria for a perfect sales pitch. After an hour Joe walked out with a carpet sold for $130. We kept our last night together pretty relaxed with cards, drinks, and good music.

Day 91 (Sunday, 13th of December, 2015)

Today we went to the Hagia Sofia and it was something else. We spent 2 hours in it but I could’ve been there for a couple more. The history of it is fascinating having been used by Christians and Muslims at separate times since its construction in the 4th century. For dinner we had the pleasure of eating homemade food with a foreign exchange student that went to OHS between 2006-2007. My spanish teacher, Mrs. Chan, made the connection happen. We ate traditional Turkish food and I learned a lot about their culture and what I was to expect in my 3 weeks of biking in Turkey. We left a bit later than we planned and rushed back to the apartment to get Joe’s bike box. His flight is early tomorrow but he’s going to the airport tonight. He was going to be too late to catch the last metro so a taxi it was going to have to be. It was an odd feeling as I helped bring the bike box outside to catch a taxi. I had been with Joe for practically every waking hour the past three months. I’ve had far less alone time on the trip than when I was back home. I imagine it’ll take me some time to adjust to being solo after several months of being with someone. We said our goodbyes and I stood on the roundabout watching the yellow cab disappear down the street.

Day 92 (Monday, 14th of December, 2015)

I woke up this morning feeling like a different person as it’s now only me making decisions and I’m fully in control of what I do. I headed to the metro and went to explore the Topkapi Palace. It’s massiveness allows it to be a city a city within a city for the Ottoman Sultans for over 400 years. It contains schools, a library, mint, hospital, and many other buildings. I then wondered through the Grand bazaar and back to the metro because I was starting to feel pretty sick. My head was throbbing and I had a bit of a sore throat. I’m feeling a bit homesick tonight and I can hardly wait to see Astrid in Greece. Although I won’t get to go home for Christmas I’m more than happy a part of home can come to me.

Black Sea Coast

Turkey!!

Flags are seen everywhere around Turkey and their pride is very apparent. Possibly because Turkey is such a new country established in 1923.

swarms of pupies

many many miles

The massive interior of the Hagia Sophia.

This mosaic is nearly 800 years old.

Hagia Sophia

View of the Blue Mosque from a window in the Hagia Sophia

Joseph packing up and heading home.

The end of the beginning

Day 76 (Saturday, 28th of November, 2015):

Damn. 76 days. It seems a bit late to start journaling but better late than never I suppose. I’ve decided to do this for the trip and hopefully continue even after. I feel it’ll be a very healthy, stress-relieving improvement in my life.

Today we left Skopje and entered into Serbia. We got a relatively early start, went to the post office, grocery store, and went in search of Insulin for Joseph but was told we couldn’t get it in Macedonia. In a lot of Slavic countries there are often highways right next to freeways and so we rode on this for the entirety of the day. We entered Serbia, country number 11, just before we stopped for lunch. It’s interesting to see a lot of the ethic boundaries. Eastern European countries, and even parts of the countries, have different amounts of Islamic influence. A village is always easy to spot with a thin, narrow minaret pointing to the sky. We continued north to the town of Vranje and finally found a pharmacy that supplied insulin. We’re trying to push for Sofia, Bulgaria, 265 km from Skopje in 2 days to allow for some relaxing days in the last week or so before Istanbul. Leaving Vranje we planned to bike another 25 km in the dark as it was raining but settled on 8 and took shelter under a bridge when the rain really picked up. The road under the bridge had little traffic so we sent up our tents to the side of it and called it a night.

I woke up to the now familar tone of the police sternly repeating “NO SLEEP!” We handed over our passports and got slightly frustraded as they continued to say “NO SLEEP!” even as we were packing up. They left and we rolled out about 6km down to road to a field where the police where sure not to bother us. We had to cover 100 miles the next day to reach Sofia so we set the alarm clock for 4:30.

Day 77 (Sunday, 29th of November, 2015):

Today has been once of those days that’ll be memorable for a long time down the road. Sleeping in past the alarm and leaving camp around 7:30 we had some doubt whether we’d make it all the way here to Sofia, 100 miles later. We biked on and to our sides the hills rose with the snow line clearly visible. Pretty soon we were in those hills and for the first time of the trip, it was snowing! My feet became colder and eventually (and thankfully) became numb for the remainder of the day. We climbed higher and higher. Higher than we expected. The snow picked up and visibility became poor. We got up to an elevation with about half a foot of snow to the sides of the road. We were in it! It was thrilling, exciting and even better because we knew we would get a hot shower that night. We crested the top and headed downhill approaching the Bulgarian/Serbian border. To our sides the snow rapidly decreased on the trees and ground as we coasted down. We reach the border and finally entered into a new time zone having been in the previous since Portugal 10 weeks earlier. We’re now 10 hours ahead of the clock back home and the next zone will be in Georgia. We had about a little over 2 hours of daylight and 95 km. The sky began to clear up really for the first time since Rome and a beautiful sunset was revealed. We stopped in the first town we came, 40 km later, to check on our Warmshower prospects. We got a positive response with an address! It was a crisp -1 degrees Celsius as we biked into the darkness for another 3 hours. Not unusually, I had my mind on Asia and post Istanbul. I thought a lot about about mental preparedness and the importance of it. It was below freezing and it was incredible. The stars were clear without a cloud obstructing them. My feet may have been colder but I couldn’t feel them. There wasn’t a whole lot I could do about it at the moment either. Coming over a hill and looking into the valley we could see the many lights of Sofia and the surrounding suburbs. We coasted into the valley towards the sea of lights. It was just slightly below freezing and the ground was slightly wet. A perfect recipe for black ice. Coming down a straight stretch of road my bike with all it’s weight suddenly lost control and crashed to the ground. My bike and I slid along the black ice for 10 yards with my leg trapped underneath. My knee and hip were scrapped and bruised up along with a rip in my down jacket but besides that I was great. I took a bit of time to recover and bend back some parts on my bike. I took the remainder of the down hill pretty cautiously and decided on changing both of my tires in Istanbul. We rode into Sofia and reached our host’s house by 10pm. Success ran through our minds having finished 12 hours of biking. Our hosts are a super friendly couple with a 1 year old son. The man, Georgi, is an avid outdoorsman and it’s been interesting hearing about the climbing scene in eastern Europe. I’ll sleep real well. Goodnight!

Day 78 (Monday, 30th of November, 2015):
And sleep in I did. As usual when we make it to a big city, we lazed around long into the afternoon. We made food and played with the host’s adorable 1 year old boy named Vladimir. Eventually we made it out around 6:30 after Joe patched a flat that mysteriously appeared over night. Sofia is a beautiful city with massive rectangular buildings that reminded me of London oddly enough. Passing the largest church in Sofia, St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, we then rode to the oldest building in the area, the St. Sofia church. There we caught onto a free guided tour to a fantasy land looking Russian church. After we biked back to the apartment, chatted with our hosts, Rumi and Georgi, we watched the second Austin Powers movie.

Day 79 (Tuesday, 1st of December, 2015):

The first of December! A month of relaxation as we take our time to make it down to Istanbul and I fly to Greece to be with Astrid for a little over 2 weeks. I can hardly wait having just booked my plane ticket and made hotel reservations for 4 nights. I also sent out Warmshower requests and quickly got a reply from a man who will me stay for 6 nights between arriving in Istanbul and flying down to Greece. I’m constantly surprised by the amount of hospitality of we receive. We got out around 4 and said our goodbyes. We have less than 350 km to cover in the next 4 days. That means waking up late and setting up camp set while it’s still light. I’m excited to be living real easy these next several days. The weather will be clear as we head to the coast of the Black Sea and approach on the final days of Europe. As I’m closing in on the beginning of Asia, I’ve never been so confident about my ability to face the hardships that are guaranteed to exist in the Winter alone. The foreignness of the remainder of the route has never felt to intriguing. I won’t say that I don’t miss home but I have still so much love for this trip and ready to push my mental and physical limits. Asia is where it starts to really get physically demanded. Temperatures will be below freezing for days on end and the Turkish interior consists of rugged landscapes of beautiful mountains, lakes, and lush forests. I just want to be there now! It’s hard for me to not think of it when I feel I should be soaking up the ease and celebration of the next month. It’ll have the completion of Europe, celebrating hard with Joe, Greece with Astrid, Christmas, New Year Eve, and looking forward to the mystery and adventure of Asia. And with that I’m going to close up the laptop and go to sleep with a smile on my face.
Day 80 (Wednesday, 2nd of December, 2015):

Today we continued east and after sleeping in and reading in the morning, we headed out around 10. Before lunch, Joseph’s chain had broken again. Four day with a new chain was all it took. I think it’s fair to say it’s a problem with his components as it’s a Shimano chain and of high quality. Hopefully it doesn’t break as often as the last. From Sofia to 5 days later in Burgas we’re riding on one highway for essentially the entire time. It feels like a sample of some of the roads I’ll be on in central Asia where I may be pushing a thousand kilometers of monotonous steppe on a single road . Except the highway we’re on is just over 350 km with beautiful hills and peaks to our sides. I’ve really enjoyed it so far as I feel more in touch with the natural landscape surrounding me. A highlight of the day was definitely a dwarf herding his cattle that must’ve been nearly twice his height. Good for him though for not letting his height stop him. As it was getting dark we took a separate road into another valley that led to a town architecturally preserved in the tradition Bulgarian style of the 19th century. It was too dark as we got into town to view it but we’ll check it out tomorrow. It’s starting to rain but I hope the forcast for nice weather is still right.

Day 81 (Thursday, 3rd of December, 2015):
We woke up after a night of little sleep as the loud wind kept us up. Fortunately, when it got light the rain subsided. We camped on the higher part of the town on an open hillside. I was standing outside a hotel waiting for Joseph to be ready when man inside invited me in for tea. Another kind act by a stranger. We scoped out the town. Joe and I rode back to the main highway both agreeing that the 25 km deviation probably wasn’t quite worth it as it didn’t seem that different. We continued east down the valley to a city where Joseph could finally find a bike shop and get another tube along with a spare chain link. Farther down on the highway a man we had exchanged a couple words with earlier in town flagged us down for a couple of drinks. He was a pretty odd guy but we graciously accepted the drinks. We pushed for a super late lunch past 4 in a city with a Thracian tomb dating back to to 4 century BCE. A couple miles on we camped. Dinner was more exciting than usual. As I was unscrewing my canister of fuel from the stove a fireball of an explosion a couple feet high appeared right in front of me. Frightening as it was no one was hurt and my noodles were ready to eat. Somehow the canister wasn’t quite screwed on directly and gas began to leak.

Day 82 (Friday, 4th of December, 2015):

Today was a relatively simple day. The landscape was beautiful as we continued through the open valley. The flatness allowed us to comfortably crank out 130 km. We set lunch to be at a spot 100 km from Burgas which happened to be in the middle of nowhere. After a long lunch with some reading we headed back out for another 50 km. It feels pretty wild to have just 5 more days of biking till the end of Europe.

Day 83 (Saturday, 5th of December, 2015):

We finally made it to Burgas around noon after an easy 50 km in the morning. We were planning to stay with a friend of someone we met at the Thanksgiving dinner but that fell through. We rode to the Black Sea and it marked a point of accomplishment. I looked out into the vastness and envisioned myself way out there in Turkey, Georgia, and Russia. We rode to a hostel and relaxed a while before celebrating at 2 bars and a disco tech. We collapsed into our beds at 4 am.

Next post will be from Istanbul!

Kind People and New Countries

Nov 17th-22nd Rome,Italy to Durrës, Albania

Well actually we haven’t made it to Durrës yet and are currently on an overnight ferry. It’s supposedly 10 hours long. After an Albanian woman informed me that the ferry yesterday took over 24 hours due to rough seas I’m not so confident.

The past week has been possibly my favorite part of the trip and a perfect way to end Italy. After spending four days in Rome we were eager to track down our package from the Italian Post Office and get back on the road.

A couple hours of riding brought us to a warehouse complex and there it was. It was an early Christmas present. So here I am, typing with a keyboard again.

Almost instantly I felt a difference in the people in southern Italy as opposed to the north. More honks. More waves. More smiles. The attitudes toward us by the locals has been a huge factor in our overall experience of a country. When they show interest in us and our bikes, it’s always re-energizing and reminds me of how great this experience is.
Lunch on the second day out was a tad different than others when an older man in his 60s talked with us for 30 minutes on his views of the world. “Man is a chicken” was his central theme. His reasoning was that we beginning soft and lovable and mature to loose our soft outer feathers and are constantly rubbing up one another. He had some interesting points sprinkled with some pretty ridiculous remarks. Joe and I laughed about it and rode on to Naples the next day. Being renowned for the world’s best pizza, we helped ourselves to 2 medium pizzas each and strapped them onto the back with a bungee cord. We looked like pizza delivery men as we road to what we found to be a makeshift soccer field for all the kids in the neighborhood of middle school age. The second we stopped, they swarmed us like bees and begged for pizza and beer.

That night we rode out of Naples and headed up to Mount Vesuvius. We biked to the base, hiked up by headlamp, and reached the top of the crater by midnight. The view was spectacular. It was clear and individual lights of houses, cars, and streetlights could be seen for miles. We were in a cloud of fog for the sunrise so any view was obstructed but it opened up slightly as as we hiked down.

Like I said, people are far friendlier in the south. The only exception was a man who called the police on us for setting up our tents in his building which consisted of solely concrete pillars and several floors. I doubt he had any plans to finish it. Half an hour passed as the police took our passports before then handed them back. I don’t know why it took so long because they let us on our way and nothing seemed to have happened. We biked on and settled for another night in a field.

The wind was at our backs these three days and we got by without many problems. However, this was the beginning of a phase of bike chain troubles for Joseph. Some of links were weaker and constantly broke off. He’d be biking along and the chain would break leaving us looking for the missing links for sometimes 15 minutes. This would happen sometimes 4 or 5 times a day.

We reached of port town of Bari with smiles as we finished Italy and looked onward toward eastern Europe.

Nov 23rd-27th

Well these four days of eastern Europe have been drastically different from what we left in the west. The formerly communist countries of Albania and Macedonia have been fascinating to bike through. The first thing that stuck out was how kind and curious people are. On our second day in Albania, Joseph’s chain broke again and within a couple minutes four people were helping by searching back and forth on the pavement for the missing links. The locals love yelling “Hello!”. They seem confused as to why an American would want to bike in their country but are welcoming none the less. This stretch of 10 days has taught me what the people of a country can do to your experience in it. I’d take warm people over warm weather any day. At least for now when it’s hovering in the chilly low 40’s/high 30’s and not quite freezing at night.

On our first day in Macedonia, rain poured on us more or less the entire day. We stopped in a small shack of a bike shop in a small town. The mechanic replaced Joe’s chain and gave us half a bottle of homemade Macedonian whiskey. Although the chain turned out to be even worse than the original, the whiskey was of great use at night when Joe and I would find empty, unfinished houses to camp it. Albania and Macedonia have no shortage of them. As the rain would pounded the roof, we’d be dry inside playing cards and jammin to music with our speaker.

This week couldn’t have ended any better. Through several connections, we had a place to stay with an American family living in Macedonia. Not only that, but it was Thanksgiving. So the middle of Macedonia I was still able to stuff my face with all the traditional food. Home suddenly didn’t seem that far away.

Today we’re heading out and pushing to get to Sofia, Bulgaria in two days while cutting through Serbia. From there we’ll cut east to the Black Sea and then south to Istanbul. Europe is coming to a close and nearly 3 months have passed since we left Washington. I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for you all. Family and friends have taken on a greater importance while halfway across the globe.

Beginning next post I’ll have a different format on this blog. I write these posts often many days after the events have already happened. To me it can seem somewhat convoluted and I sometimes forget key parts. I’m starting to journal and I’ll post my entries in this blog along with a short summary of what happened. I hope that this will give you all a closer and more personal look into this trip. Peace!

Loaded up

hoodrats and pizza

In Southern Italy, it seemed that most dogs hung out is gangs of 3 or 4.

Castle-like church in Bari

room full of treasures

Albania!

Too much mud for my fenders to handle

Alexander the Great, Macedonia’s claim to fame

Tobacco is sold by the box here

Photos from Florence to Leaving Rome

We made it to Albania! Here are some photos from Florence to Rome and I’ll have another post in several days!

the place of Julius Caesar’s assassination

St. Peter’s Basilica (largest church in the world)

The Pope!! Hard to see but he’s in a window in the upper right

The Final Leg

Hello! As I’m starting this post (I usually don’t write it all in one sitting) I’m standing in the longest line I’ve ever seen. It’s Sunday mass in the Vatican and I’m a quarter mile from the high security scanners most likely in response to the unfortunate events taken place in Paris the other night. The police are on high alert and are seen on nearly every street corner.
Joe and I got here in Rome on the 12th after leaving Florence on the 9th. We only made it 40 km out from Florence on the first day which left us with 380 km over 3 days. The first night back on the road we came across a massive abandoned farmhouse and after spending north of an hour exploring every inch of it including the roof we found a perfect room with a fireplace to set up our beds. Having not made a fire the whole trip, we took the opportunity to do so and cracked out our bottle of red label whiskey we had left over from Florence.
Next next morning we woke up at 5:30 to start another century ride and what turned out to be one of our hardest days. The hills were persistent with a gradient just steep enough to significantly slow our place. Our goal for the day was to reach a natural hot springs and the thought of it pushed us on. Long past dark at around 8 pm we eventually arrived at the the steaming springs. While finishing the whiskey we soaked for several hours and called it a day.
I could most certainly feel the 11 hours in the saddle from the day before. Thankfully the terrain eased up on us and our sore legs the next couple days. As I rode, I could feel the powerful presence of the past and the rich history of the land we covered. Even more so here in Rome.
We’ve been in Rome for what is now four days. Two days longer than expected. A package sent from home contained a new laptop and more importantly, a restock of Joe’s diabetes supplies. We’re anxious to get going but need to remind ourselves that being held up in Rome is hardly a negative. We’ve seen some incredible things and had a great place to stay.
Joe’s girlfriend’s best friend is here on more unfortunate circumstances. She flew out here to see her boyfriend who was in the hospital after a serious vascular complication while traveling. We were able to crash at her rented Air B&B for 3 days. The first day in we headed straight for Vatican City with the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world. Throughout the trip, the structures have dated back further and further. In the Basilica, I saw columns from the original building in the 4th century. The Sistine Chapel was an amazing piece of art the could easily take 30 minutes to fully enjoy it.
The next day we saw the Pantheon Church and it’s massive dome structure.
We then returned to the Vatican for Sunday mass. The pope gave a speech to a crowd of nearly 10,000 people packed in the the square outside the church.
Instead of waiting for the package we’ve decided to have it rerouted to a location in Naples, a two days ride.
It’s now the morning of the 17th. Hard to believe we only have slightly over 3 weeks of biking till Istanbul and the end of Europe. In several days we’ll be on a ferry headed across the Adriatic Sea to Albania! It marks the beginning of the final leg of Europe. I’m ready for less tourists and not these massive cities every several days. Eastern Europe will be a great transition into Asia with it’s countries I know very little about. The amount of things I can say about Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Romania amount to few, leaving large amounts to explore.
Yet again my phone is unable to upload photos. Sorry for the short and some what rushed post. It isn’t the greatest typing on a small iPhone keypad. I’ll try again to get photos up in a couple of days.
It’ll be a while till my next post but it’ll have a lot of content. We’re hiking up mt. Vesuvius, leaving Western Europe, crossing Albania and into Macedonia all within 9 days or so. I’ll get back to you all then!

Nice and Easy

Well the past week has been relatively uneventful compared to the week before. The four days of riding from Genoa have been easy for the most part and we’ve been here in Florence for two days.
The first two days we rode along the rugged Italian rugged coastline and home to the famous Cinque Terre, a group of five old fishing villages that seem to cling to the edges of the cliffs.
The second two days were on the flattest terrain of the trip so we cruised into Florence without sore legs.
Here in Florence we couldn’t find a host to stay with so we’ve been posted up in a hostel. It’s nice to stay with a local but we’ve been pretty lucky with Warmshowers throughout Spain and France.
As opposed to the day to day style of this blog, I’ll try and give you all an idea of what our average day looks like.
With our daylight hours shrinking every day, we’re having to start to really take advantage of it and wake up earlier. Recently we’ve set the alarm for 6 and gotten on the bike an hour and a half later. We switch off every day who leads. The first hour or so is usually without audio then throughout the rest of the day we’ll rotate through podcasts or music. Using our offline maps on our iPhones, we’ll bike till 1 or 2 then have lunch. 99% of the time it’s sandwiches. Even after 2 months, I still haven’t gotten sick of the standard bread, meat, cheese, and mustard. After a solid hour or so we’ll get back on the bike and often go until dark. We’ll usually supplement dinner with some jammin on our ukes, playing cards, and/or reading. Then sleep and repeat. Pretty simple. Some days the simplicity is monotonous and others it can be incredibly meditative with hours and hours of just you with your thoughts.
Four days and we’ll be in Rome! Miss you all!

One of the 5 villages of the Cinque Terre

The magnificent Duomo. Far and away the most beautiful church we’ve seen.

The Duomo has the largest brick dome ever constructed

We were able to sit in on a church service in the Duomo

The Alps

This past week has been pretty wild. It started with riding out of Montpellier with the knowledge that we’ll be on the bike for seven days straight. It began with a light drizzle and by the third day it was a torrential downpour and relentless headwinds for most of the day. Bike touring has it’s low lows and high highs and at times I certainly don’t feel like pushing out another day in the saddle. I wasn’t feeling too hot for parts of these initial couple of days. I wanna say it was my sedentary side pulling me in. After seven weeks of being a bike nomad, some things make it particularly hard to get back on the bike after spending a day off the bike. I miss the feeling after a shower, full stomach, and good nights sleep. Very rarely do these factors all come together. I left on this bike trip with a purpose of getting out of the day-to-day sameness but in someway I find myself getting right back into that pattern. Wake up. Breakfast. Ride. Lunch at 2. Ride till dark. Dinner. Sleep. Repeat. I’m still learning how to get out of these slumps but fortunately by the 4th day, I was was back with it and loving every moment of the day.

As it was violently raining I heard the distinct sound of a popped tire and Joseph came to a halt in front of me. We took shelter under a nearby house where a kind old Hungarian woman brought us hot coffee and chocolate cakes. We must’ve looked so miserably wet as we followed the standard protocol and changed out the tire there under the awning. We noticed a tear in the tire where the tube was slightly bulging out and dismissed it. Several hours before dark almost instantly we could see in the distance a clear separation from black clouds to open sky. It was absolutely gorgeous as the rain halted and two rainbows arched over the road ahead. By dark there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
The next morning it was gorgeous however Joseph’s tire was flat again. He changed it out and didn’t make it far before yet it went flat. We stopped by surprisingly one of the first lakes of the trip to assess the situation. After submerging the tube in the lake we found it was a patch that was leaking so we peeled it off, replaced it, and pumped it up yet again expecting to have figured it out and get on our way up into the Alps. I start to lead and after several seconds…”POP!!!!” We suddenly came to the conclusion that it was the tear in the tire lining that caused a bulge and too much pressure had it pop and leave a massive unpatchable hole in the tube.
The plan was for me to go on ahead and tackle the Alps solo while Joe would try and hitch a ride over the pass to a bike shop where he could get a new tire. I’d meet him sometime the next day. We wished each other the best of luck and split ways. Alone I was. A preview of the 9,000 miles I’ll face come 2016.
It was quickly apparent that the Swiss Alps will be tougher than the Pyrenees. After the first day I had already gone over two passes and set camp at a lower elevation to avoid the cold. I was unsure how the terrain would be tomorrow but I knew it would be a long one and with that I set my alarm for 5:30.
The day was off to a gnarly start with 3000 feet of elevation gain for breakfast. At the top of it I didn’t hesitate to go into a small grocery store to buy cookies, milk, and chocolate cereal. Cereal has definitely been the go to food of the trip and I’ll find myself shamelessness putting down 3 bowls in a sitting.
I cruised downhill for maybe 5 or 6 km before I noticed myself heading up yet another pass although with not nearly as much prominence as the first. Then down I went with snow capped mountains in the distance and some of the most beautiful views of the trip so far. A steep 15km later I found myself at 500 meter and I had to get over a 2,400 meter pass. It was noon but if felt like a full day’s ride already. This is when you keep your head down and turn the music up a bit louder.
Continuing up the river was much more gradual however it meant that the pass would have even more prominence than I expected. Nearly 5,000 feet of climbing I realized as I checked my altimeter on my phone. Damn. It was massive.
On the side on the road prior to it I read something I dreaded. “Col de la Lombarde-Closed”. With a big red “X” across it. No. I couldn’t have crossed 4 mountain passes and exhausted myself just to be stopped by the last one before crossing into Italy and cruising down to the coast again. I asked around and was constantly reminded that it was closed with curious looks as I persisted and tried to get a figure for how much snow there was. I hadn’t given up yet and the answers weren’t very confident but I assumed around 6-8 inches. I had about 4 and a half hours of daylight left. It would be a struggle but I was going for it.
With sore legs I began the climb and it was steeper than any of the other passes prior. Up to 10% grade in some places.
As I climbed, I had this gut feeling that something was wrong. I had 5,000 vertical feet to gain very little idea as to how much snow there really was. The side south, the way I was going up, looked very doable. But on the other side, there is far less sun per day so it was sure to have more snow.
About a forth of the way up I stopped, got off the bike, and took a deep breath. I suddenly realized that your conscious is there for a reason. What I was doing was…stupid. My gut instinct was telling me something and I was choosing to ignore it. It’s just not worth it. I turned around and didn’t second guess it even the slightest. I was avoiding the risk of being stuck at 8,000 feet in the snow at night. I felt a rush of joy as I realized I was growing up.
Back in the town before the pass I asked some locals for information about some of the other passes farther north. Closed. Too much snow. Up to 40cm.
I would have to go hundreds of miles out of the way if I wanted to cross the Alps and with that I coasted downhill for 40 miles right by the coast with an ear to ear smile spanning my face. I was absolutely exhausted with a dawn to dusk day of nearly 100 miles and 7,000 feet of climbing. The Alps will always be there. I’ll be back.
Up in the town I was able to get wifi and learned that Joseph wasn’t able to hitch a ride over and instead headed for the coast after getting a new tire. We were to meet each other in Genoa instead.
Several days on the coast brought me through Monaco and into Italy. The wind continued to come from the NE , against us. Some of the gusts reached 30 mph and just about knocked me off the bike. On the coast, there were endless packs of bikers with there high tech uni racing suits, carbon fiber bikes, and sleek helmets. Most left me in the dusk but one, gentlemen probably in their 60s, slowly passed me up and I hung with them for several hours trailing off the back. They seemed slightly frustrated that I was able to keep up with them despite my extra 70 pounds of luggage.
I finally made it to Genoa and waited for Joseph in a square we had set as a meeting point. Somewhere I had passed him on the coast and was now ahead. He arrive and looked pretty filthy. The reality is that I probably looked just as bad. We popped in a cafe to get wifi for several minutes and came out to find my solar panel sleeve unzipped and my laptop gone. So this post has been written on my iPhone and I’ll have another Chromebook shipped to a hostel in Rome. I didn’t wallow in my sadness for too long as there wasn’t anything I could do and I learned my lesson. At least that’s all the gypsy had taken and it was just a cheap Chromebook.
Wow. This was a long post. Well as always, much love to all you Washingtonians from here in Italy. We’re leaving Genoa today and headed for Florence! Ciao!