"If you don't like the weather in Arizona, go 2 hours in any direction"

I finally made it to Prescott, and its snowing like crazy out.

A retired couple, Carol and Johnny, put me up in their rv for 2 nights in Salome over the weekend while I waited out the rain, I got to attend the Mcullen Valley chili cookoff, featuring a recreation of the shootout between Billy the Kid and Joe Grant, and more chili than anyone should ever eat. I don't think there is anyone under the age of 50 in Salome but everyone is very friendly. Carol and Johnny sent me off yesterday with some bottled water, informing me that they say its no good to refill water bottles, and the book of Mormon with their phone number written on the inside cover.

From Salome I biked through the desert for a bit until I hit a mountain, after much internal debate and whining of whether to camp out for the night at the base or just try and make it up, I finally worked myself up to just go for it, the flatness of the desert has spoiled me. The climb up was long but gradual and a beautiful ride. It brought me up into the mountain towns of Yarnell and Peeples valley.

The scenery was beautiful and seemed almost surreal, I was surrounded by fields and mountainous terrain covered in leafless gnarled trees that looked like they belonged in a horror movie. All of this was set against a grey overcast sky, it was breathtaking. I stopped at a pizza place for a cup of coffee and directions. The employees seemed more than eager to tell me all the possible camping sites ahead. We finally settled on a bridge about 5 miles ahead, I finished my coffee said my goodbyes and headed to the spot. It ended up being a nice soft sandy spot under the road, there was some barbed wire fencing blocking it off from the road but luckily I had just discovered the wire cutters on my pliers. I set up camp and built a nice campfire, then went to bed uneasily listening to some howling coyotes.

Then today came the snow, it started off lightly raining, then turned to painful sleet and fast winds, I did about 17 miles before stopping at a general store in skull valley for a burrito and 3 cups of of hot cocao. I hung out there for a bit to warm up and try to wait out the storm. A woman came in from Prescott and said it was snowing harder up there and offered me a ride, normally I'd decline, but biking in the snow sucks real bad. So I took her up on the offer, threw my bike in her pickup, enjoyed the snowy mountain scenery, and chatted with her 4 year old daughter.

Its kind of nice to see snow, its really coming down outside. My uncle should be getting off work just about now, so I'm off to a hot shower and dry clothing.

i'm a cowboy, on a trek horse I ride

Finally out of California, time to get down ta bidness. Isabel and I parted ways 3 days ago in Indio, so I'm back on my own. My first day out I did about 50 miles which I'm trying to make my new daily distance, its much easier biking through the desert, its been so flat. The towns are getting much farther apart, which keeps me motivated to do longer days.

I spend the first night out in a little town called desert center, even the title sounds like a nicer way of saying 'middle of nowhere'. it consisted of 2 roads, a diner, and a corner store. It was like a ghost town, there were abandoned markets and gas stations and train cars all around the diner. I really regretted not having a camera, I really need to pick one up. The woman at the diner told me I could sleep in the 24 hour post office thing but I declined and found a little place off the road to set up camp.

Made it just past the Arizona border yesterday, and got my first flat tire. After patching it up I found a place to camp under a tree along the freeway. I'm getting kicked off the computer so I'm off

3 Martini Ranch

Its been a while since i posted, i was lingering on the coast for a bit. I spent a week in ocean beach in san diego to see Michael and crash with him and his friend Travis at their friends' place like 3 blocks from the beach, mostly bummed around town. Isabel flew out last thursday and we met up in downtown san diego, we spent 2 nights there and saw the zoo which was enormous, the zoo is in this huge park that feels like a giant forest in the middle of the city. shit was tight.

we got rained out as we were leaving but weathered the storm til' it got really bad and we had to set up camp by the side of the road. We spent 2 nights at the san elijo state beach campsite and enjoyed the beach before we began heading east. The scenery east of san diego has been beautiful, we've been biking through mountains and valleys since we left.

HUGE miscommunication yesterday, we stopped to take a rest before getting on the highway and i forgot my banjo when we headed out. i realized i forgot it after about 20 minutes and turned around, i yelled the situation accross the street to isabel when i passed her but she couldn't hear me and thought i was telling her we went the wrong way so she turned around and went the other direction for a few hours. my bad big time. she decided to just catch a bus to somewhere near joshua tree and i'm just going to meet her there when i get there, so i guess it could be worse.

had a great ride today, it was pretty flat then ended with a 13 mile down a mountain in the anza borega state park, which brought me back to the desert. I really need to get a camera, words can't do justice to how beautiful it is here and i'm no writer. I'm in borego springs now, its a little town in the middle of the state park surrounded by mountains. I stopped at a hardware store and some guy offered me a pop out tent thinking i was buying a tarp to use as a tent. He brought me to his ranch to check it out and offered me to stay in his guest house. I got a hot shower and i get to do my laundry for the first time since I was in pasadena.

The ranch is beautiful, everything is very artistically arranged, the owner seems like a really cool guy. and there's peacocks here!

well i'm off to get some free dinner and clean clothes. Tomorrow I'm off to the salton sea, then from there to joshua tree. peace out


*update* hanging around borego springs another day, had a wonderful evening, did a duet of loveshack at this karaoke place next door, had a few beers, thc pills which i didnt even know existed and watched the spy who shagged me. isabel is catching a bus down here today and we're spending another night at the ranch.