Y Well I made it to Flagstaff Arizona a really nice lady put me up in a hotel for the night which was awesome I got a good dinner and everything is back on track I think. It was just a rough hot day bad shoulders to ride on heat was really cranking up didn’t make it as far as I planned on making it but it seems like I just needed a good night of rest being I fell asleep almost a minute I got here. It’s about 1130 mountain time right now and I just woke up. I think the climb that finally did me in it was about 23 miles of climbing some 6% grade. One of those steep ones were the big rigs have to have their flashers on because they’re going so slow. I think I was experiencing some major calorie depletion maybe a bit of dehydratuon. I’m feeling pretty good now.
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I finally had to stop for the night I’m about 15 miles out of Seligman but the temperatures are dropping way too cold and it is I’m just getting tired better just to stop here’s me and my bivvy sack trying to stay warm.
Welll this saw this evening didn’t pan out too well I’m sitting under an overpass gonna be down for a while and take a nap I realized I had 40 miles to go to the next town as it’s gonna take too long it’s nothing but I’ll be climbing for hours and hours so anyway hopefully I’ll probably just take an hour nap or stone and try to get up and make it a little further
Big big claims this morning getting through Oatman Arizona just switch bags like 2600 feet of elevation gain. I did get to pet a few wild donkeys that are left over from the mining days. I got a good lunch break down I’m king man. I decided to just take a nap in a park under a tree where it’s nice and cool to get out of the roasting afternoon sun and then I’ll get moving again
I have come to the conclusion that bicycles are not supposed to cross the Mojave desert. It is an extremely long way to go with very very little resources I was curing a tremendous amount of water and drinks and snacks and blew through all of it. Luckily my timing was pretty good and was running out just when I was coming upon a rest stop. The temperature was probably up to about 104 in the hills you have to climb anywhere from 5 to 20 miles long.
The cool thing was in Ludlow I talked to a state trooper and he kind of gave me permission to ride on the section of the freeway that has a few more oasis to stop at. And it appears that if I would’ve taken the other route there was still a section of road that was close that was not on Caltrans website so that would’ve been fun. Well I’m making my way across the Mojave desert. Have a good tailwind but suns really start to heat up fast I think it’s only like 730 or something in the morning. Hopefully I can make it to the next couple towns here before really starts to cook probably I’ll probably rest down this afternoon and then write some through the night
I’m going to text for a while because my Weebly is having a hard time finding photos for some reason on my camera roll so if anybody knows how to fix that shoot me a comment let me know to I was able to stay at the Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow in California last night. A big thank you to Base Executive Officer Major Herzog for putting me up for the night. It gave me peace of mind and helped me to sleep well knowing our Marines are guarding the gate!
As I head out this morning, I want to take a minute on this Memorial Day to remember a couple coworkers from GKN St. Louis who sadly passed away this past year. John Haight, United States Marines, was a great guy. He was always in high spirits and good for some sarcastic humor or wisecrack whenever I worked with him. He was also a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan. John always sought me out when it came to donations for The Joshua Chamberlain Society (JCS), when I would do these crazy rides. He wanted to make sure wounded Marines and Soldiers were taken care of. I want to thank his wife, Ronda, who donated on his behalf this year. I know the JCS Heroes will benefit greatly from her generosity. Darrel Fastzkie, United States Army, was the first person I was assigned to 20 years ago to train me at GKN. He always called me “College Boy” and gave me trouble because I have a 4-year degree. Darrell was rough around the edges and during meetings sometimes I felt like sinking into my chair, but the other side of Darrell I found out about was that he really enjoyed volunteering at the USO Santa Express in St. Louis. He enjoyed seeing children of active-duty military families meeting Santa, getting a present, and enjoying the day. Both of these men have gone too soon and are missed by many. Please take a moment today and remember the Marines and Soldiers who lost their lives in service to our country. I arrive at LAX. My bike was missing. Seems it was marked as cargo and taken to the other side of the airport. Needless to say a bit of panic was brewing.
When I told everyone what I was doing. Southwest came through and found it quickly and made a special trip to get it over fast. I assembled the bike in the terminal and Southwest got rid of the shipping box and all the packing stuff. overall great service in the middle of what could of been a crisis for me. Good thing I know better, having an AP license and having worked for TWA, this missing part is no big deal!!!
Made it through security. Bike box was too big but they let it go through anyway. I drink lots of honey in this trip and like a big dummy have it in my carryon. Needless to say a pound of liquid like that raises questions so they had to test it. I told them that is needed energy for the Mohave desert. Everyone thinks I’m crazy crossing deserts!
somfar so good next stop LAX. Almost finished packing. I leave tomorrow at 9:30 for the airport. If you have Sirius xm turn to RadioNemo at 9:30 for a live interview with me. They are going to feature me a number of times during my journey.
now let’s just hope everything arrives safely. Well trackleadera shows that my ride begins in 8 days. Still a lot to do, sorting and packing. Luckily I don’t take very much with me. Below is everything I need for 21 days. I like to say if it is bigger than a soda can it’s not going.
On the fundraising front. We have been doing a silent auction at work that has gone really well. I want this to be the highest amount I’ve ever done for JCS. Sky is the limit! Days are flying by. In addition to jogging, circuit, and cycling there are list upon lists of thing to get together. Since I’ll be eating gas station garbage for weeks I need lots of supplements to keep up the energy and health. Each day is in a pill baggy so I can keep track better when the mind starts to switch off.
Batteries, batteries, batteries I’ll be going through lots of batteries keeping GPS, SPOT tracker and I always have a red strobe going day and night. Energizer lithium is probably the best battery out there! It is hard to believe I am flying out in about 41 days. There are so many things to finalize, packing gear, training, shopping for supplements and worst of all getting my wheels rebuilt.
A week or two ago I noticed a ticking/popping sound coming from my front wheel. the best we could trace it to was the welded joint in the rim. Needless to say with over 10,000 miles on them it was time for a rebuild. Thanks to Big Shark Bicycles here in St. Louis we should have them rebuilt next weekend and I should be able to put some good training miles on them. Better to iron all these things out now than in the middle of nowhere!! I have started fundraising already...........Once again I am riding for the Wounded Marines and Soldiers of The Joshua Chamberlain Society. Soon you will be able to follow my DOT (GPS location) on trackleaders but in the meantime consider making a donation. I self fund my ride for the shear pleasure (I think) of riding a great adventure so 100% of your donation goes to the Heroes of JCS! Stay tuned for May 29 starting in Santa Monica |
Don ForthBeginning May 29, 2022 I will embark on a 3100 mile solo bicycle ride with no support vehicles following. As with my rides in the past I am raising money and awareness for The Joshua Chamberlain Society Categories |