The Honda's Cruise through Mojave, Joshua Tree, Salvation Mountain, and Baja Mexico

My First Motorcycle Tour

I rode the Honda 750 from Las Vegas to San Marcos, where I spent a day with Grandma, and then I rode from San Marcos through Death Valley to meet with my Dad in Furnace Creek. We spent the night at Furnace Creek, then rode the next day back into Reno along the Eastern Sierras.

The Matt-packing Trip

I arrived in Salt Lake City by bus this morning at about 5:30 AM. As soon as I left the bus I went looking for breakfast with a fully-loaded pack and Patagonia messenger bag, and found a great little place in a hotel. SLC is an absolutely gorgeous city this time of morning, but judging a city at 6:00 AM is a bit like judging a newborn baby while she's asleep. Still, this seems like an excellent place to be.

I asked the maitre d' if the restaurant had wireless internet, and she looked me up and down disapprovingly before saying that they did, but I could not stay for too long because they were very busy that morning. At first I was offended, but then I realized that my appearance closely mirrored that of a homeless person and that her reservation was at least understandable, albeit rude.

I shoved my backpack into the booth with me and got out my computer. I booted up my Rosetta Stone: Mandarin for Beginners, and started to do the Pronunciation Lesson that I couldn't do last night on the bus because it would have been too loud for the other passengers. I then realized that I was only fueling my already poor social image by staring gravely at my laptop and pronouncing the Mandarin word for "boy" one syllable at a time, often repeating the same syllable until the computer felt I had pronounced it adequately. I think it's safe to say that I am high in the running for the craziest person in this breakfast restaurant right now.

My Dad mentioned yesterday that I did not write nearly as much for this tour as I had for my previous tour, even though I had Internet access just as often. I had noticed this myself, and the reason was perfectly clear for me; touring with other people is a lot more of a social event than a solo tour, which is more introspective. On a solo tour, I was constantly fussing over technical aspect of my bicycle, constantly poring over the map, and writing much more. With other people, I was more focused on enjoying my time with friends.

Touring alone has its benefits, as does touring with others. I think that part of the reason that I tried to write so much while I was touring back in 2008 was because I constantly wished that I could share the experience I had with others: to allow others to see what I saw, meet the people I met, etc. Even writing though cannot capture the absolute joy one feels when riding with a strong tailwind; the written description is nothing when compared with the sensation itself.

I think that may be why I didn't write so much this trip. I think that talking with Laura and Sam about the absolute simplicity and beauty of such a trip, being able to instantly laugh or scoff about some minute detail was the outlet I needed all along, and the reason the blog allowed me to go so far in the first place. Still, the Chronicle is a nice record that hopefully I can compile someday, and I will try to write down the various days of our trip before they escape my memory.

-TH

Day Three

The first two days of this tour have gone perfectly; a strong wind out of the North pushed us further South on Highway 95 as the temperatures rose and the elevations dropped. We camped our first night in a culvert, had breakfast in Searchlight on the second day, and camped just North of Needles, CA on the second night.

Today has not been so lucky. The arm of my trailer broke off, apparently overstressed, poorly crafted metal on the new trailer. On top of that, my oversight in not doing constant repairs and diagnostics left me with very weakened spokes, along with the busted trailer. There are no bike shops in Needles, and very few bike shops would have the part I need anyway; we might be heading to the welder.

On the bright side, it is great to have Sam and Laura along. The pictures, as well as the company, is vastly improved. We're having a lot of fun playing Texas Hold'em with Rocks and night frisbee. Most, if not all, of the pictures I upload will be from Sam or Laura's camera.

-TH

Southern Winter Loop: Touring Again.

It's January 2011, and I'm finally using this Chronicle again to follow a bicycle trip: nothing makes me happier than to write those words. I'm poring over maps, counting tent stakes, and checking the weather like only an adventurer can, and with with the necessary importance of someone who lives at the mercy of the weather and his own preparation. It has been almost a year and a half since Eli and I rode down to Yosemite, and nearly two years since I left on the trip that would come to shape so much of who I am. I don't know what has taken me so long to get back into the saddle; maybe it took until now to find the strength, both mentally and physically, to embark on such a large adventure.

I am thrilled to report that I have two new recruits along with me: Sam Turman and Laura Reaney. We are going to head from my house in Las Vegas down to Lake Havasu, and continue South (hopefully) all the way to the Sultan Sea and Salvation Mountain. Frankly, I don't care where we go. We have three great bikes, three racks, and two trailers. I don't know how we are going exactly because there are no published maps for the route we plan to create. All I know is that I'm publishing on this Blog again, and with a vigor that I have not felt in quite some time. 11 is my lucky number, and 2011 is beginning to seem like it will be a lucky year. Here's to comebacks. Cheers to everyone, and thank you for following me.

-TH
January 3, 2011