the unexpected happens

Yesterday as I rode up a hill, a rider came down on the same side. No helmet and on the wrong side of the road going downhill... We avoided a collision, but I couldn't help but wonder why someone would do that with traffic on the road.

Where was I? Riding around downtown Des Moines, Iowa. A little off route, you might wonder. How did I get from Cedar City, Utah to Iowa? I spent one day and ten hours on a Greyhound bus. Now that was interesting. There was a lot of thought but not a lot of time put into this decision to postpone the rest of the trip. Many factors were involved in this very quick decision. One was the weather - the day of our ride from Kanab, Utah to Zion National Park, it was 111 degrees. Heatstroke hot! Climbing mountains in blazing heat and suffering the dryness of the desert air while fighting a strong headwind was exhausting and very quickly demoralizing. I found that I was dragging myself along instead of riding with the enthusiasm that was constant at the start of my journey. So I mailed Camille and my panniers back to Seattle and hopped on a bus. I'd never been on a bus where the driver threatened to throw people off the bus and leave them by the side of the road before, but it was certainly an educational experience! I arrived in Des Moines on June 19th, tired and hungry. I've thoroughly enjoyed spending lots of quality time with my relatives on and off a bicycle!

At the start of my journey, I had some deep questions to ponder. Now I feel like I have more questions than when I started. Unexpected.

Zion National Park, Utah

It's been such a fantastic trip. Every time I think I have seen the MOST amazing scenery that could possibly exist, I find a new and equally spectacular vista before me. I am pretty exhausted though after 70 days and over 3000 miles on the road. It's been a beautiful ride and right now I'm in Zion National Park about to hike Angel's Landing...or at least make the attempt! It's pretty hot today, about 103 degrees and the last few days have been some incredible rides. We left the North Rim of the Grand Canyon at nearly 9000 feet and dropped to 3000 feet here at Zion in two days. A few tough mountain climbs but overall a truly spectacular ride. I can't wait to write about it all and put a selection of photographs together! Coming soon...

Phoenix, AZ

It was a quick trip across the mountains and the desert, but a truly amazing journey. The miles seemed to fly by as we left the coast and the ocean behind us. It was intense to watch the changing landscape as we crossed through dunes and desert. The riding was more intense, with an urgency to it, but I enjoyed every moment. It finally feels as if I've thawed out from the beginning of my trip! I can hardly believe that I've ridden from Canada to Phoenix on a bicycle. It just sounds too absurd and impossible, nevertheless I am biking on up through the Grand Canyon. I thought I could never tire of the ocean, but I was quite happy after almost 2000 miles of it to ride through desert. Now I'm looking forward to more of the desert and the legendary wonder of the big rocks. There have been many surprises along the way, and big challenges too, but time and time again, grace has abounded and proven abundantly sufficient. Lots of "firsts" on this leg of the journey: first visit to a Native American Indian reservation and casino, first night under the stars without a rainfly, first true flat tire, first broken spoke, first time to drink champagne out of a yogurt cup, first hot tub visit, first time to ride through a dust devil, first wheat field fire, and first stay at a place called "Jackson's Hide-a-way Adult RV Park"! There were many more, but you'll have to read the daily chronicle for those! Upwards and onwards we pedal.