AZT 2010 Photographs

It is now just over a month since we returned from the US. I have been trying to get around to producing a short write up of our experiences but have been distracted doing entertaining things like riding in the welsh rain. I will write something soon. In the meantime, here is a link to some of the photos Nerys took during the trip:

http://picasaweb.google.com/crichards1976/AZT2010?feat=directlink

August 2010 : Back to North America

Some 2 years after travelling to North America to do the GDR I am about to return to do some more biking. The trip is the brain child of Scott Felter who met/stalked us on the GDR in 2008. The plan is to tackle 2 long distance bike trails over a period of about 6 weeks.

The first is the Kokopelli trail that extends some 150 miles between Fruita in Colorado to the town of Moab in Utah:

Kokopelli trailmap

Kokopelli trail near Fruita CO

The second is the Arizona Trail (AZT) which extends some 800 miles south from Arizona's northern border with Utah to its southern border with Mexico:

AZT Trailmap

AZT biking

The riders on this occasion will be Scott, Nerys and myself. There is a possibility that we will be joined on the AZT in Flagstaff by Cass Gilbert from Bristol who has spent the last 12 months living it up on a bike between Alaska and Guatemala in South America. In addition, I am keeping my fingers crossed that Harriet (of GDR 2008 fame/notoriety) might also be making an appearance. Unfortunately, Hywel's involvement on this occasion will be limited to driving bikes and kit to Heathrow airport.

We are going to be travelling fast and light with very different setups to the GDR. There will not be a pannier or trailer in sight as we are all equipped with bike bags designed and produced in Scott's living room/sweatshop in Banff. The kit allows the bikes to better tackle rougher terrain, although there is something of a penalty to pay in terms of overall carrying capacity.

Scott's setup

I think this particular endeavour is going to be a little tougher than the GDR. The AZT in particular will involve rough singletrack terrain, long sections of 'hike a bike', limited water availability and the small task of crossing the Grand Canyon. As on the GDR, we will be equipped with a SPOT device which will allow our progress to be monitored online.

Nerys and I should be flying in to Grand Junction Colorado at the end of August. Scott will be flying to the same location from Canada. The riding starts on Tuesday 31st August.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Well done the three of you!
Sheila and I are very proud of you and so glad that we could help. It seems like only yesterday we waved you off round that first bend at the trailhead in Banff (after you'd found the right one)! It's alright for you, Cennydd and Hywel; at least you can hang up your bikes and drive where you need to go. Poor Chris still has to saddle up if he wants to get anywhere!
Straight off the tops of your heads: if you wrote a book about the trip, what would you call it?
A lot of our workmates here followed the trip with great interest, envy and awe.
Well done again.
P.S. Where to next? Cairo to Capetown??

Last GDR post..

I have now been back in the UK for about 5 days. The wind and rain lashing against my window as I type this is a grim reminder that I am back in Wales, and am unlikely to see the sun until sometime next July. Oh joy.

BASIC STATS:

2722 miles travelled (on route)
61 riding days
12 rest Days
Total riding time of 237 hours
Average speed of 11.5mph
Punctures: Cennydd 0, Hywel 1, Chris - quite a few!
Several gallons of chocolate milk
Photos/Video taken by Hywel - 1047. Selection available here: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/crichards1976/GreatDivideRide200802#


SPECIAL MENTIONS:

There were a lot of people who helped make our GDR attempt an enjoyable and successful one. Particular thanks goes out to the following:

Sheila & Martin Flint

Mark Lynn

James Foulger

Mike Williams - http://greatdividecyclery.com/

Pat and Nancy Galyan

Maria and Robert at South Fork Ranger Station

Mike, Bobbi and Emily - http://www.hwl.net/

David & his wife at Como - http://www.comodepot.net/

Johnny, Gigi, Paul & Barbara from Steamboat Springs

Kim Barz at Lugers Campground

Aaron at Salida Mountain Sports - http://www.salidamountainsports.com/

Scot Banks at Absolute Bikes, Salida - http://www.absolutebikes.com/

Geoff in Abiquiu

Bryan McDonald - Out N' Back Trails Unlimited, shuttle service based in Silver City (575) 590-7795

KIT RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. Schwalbe Marathon XR tyres. Hywel and I both used them with Stans latex solution and had just one puncture between us over a combined distance of about 6000 miles.

2. Rohloff internal gears. Both Hywel and I used them with no problems at all. The only drivechain maintenance we did on the whole trip was to change our chains once, and occasionally clean and oil them.

3. Panniers. At the risk of upsetting both Kate and Andy, having seen Bobs and Extrawheel trailers in action, I am convinced that panniers are the best kit carrying option for the GDR. Trailers proved themselves to be cumbersome on technical sections and prone to mechanicals.

4. Wool clothing. Useable across a wide temperature range, wools' main advantage is that it remains relatively odour free after many days of use. Garments by Icebreaker, Howies, Smartwool and Ground Effect featured heavily on the trip.

5. GPS unit with a trackback function. I used a Garmin eTrex Vista HCX with the TOPO US 2008 map package. Download the track points gathered by Paula & Scott on their 2004 trip at http://www.topofusion.com/divide/ (great site) and simply follow the yellow brick road all the way from one end of the USA to the other. Whilst the GPS is no substitute for the ACA maps, it does provide welcome reassurance that you are on route and heading in the right direction.

6. SPOT tracker device. Innovative product that allows those you leave at home to receive precise updates as to your whereabouts via text message and Google maps, and also allows you to raise the alarm in the event of an emergency no matter where you are. I think I paid about £150 for the unit in the UK. The unit has worldwide coverage. See http://www.findmespot.eu/en/ .

7. The warmest sleeping bag you can reasonably carry. I started the trip with a Marmot Atom which was woefully inadequate for the nighttime temperatures we were experiencing. Even with a thermarest, silk liner and my wearing thermals and a down jacket, I was being kept awake by the cold. As soon as I was able to I purchased a Marmot Hydrogen.

8. Small laptop. We didn't have a laptop with us but wished that we had. Internet cafes were few and far between. Libraries usually had internet access, but the opening times were erratic, the hardware often old, the connection speeds slow and the usage time limited. In contrast, almost every motel provided some form of Wi-fi facility for those guests with laptops. Something like the ASUS Eee would have been ideal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASUS_Eee_PC .

9. US mobile phone. I was a little surprised to discover that mobile coverage for UK networks in the US section of the trip proved to be almost non existent. As an Orange customer I did not receive any coverage at all after crossing the US/Canada border until I reached Colorado. Those with O2 products faired slightly better, but still the service was extremely poor. Anyone who intends to remain in touch by phone should consider purchasing a US mobile for the purpose on their arrival.

That's it from me. I would encourage anyone contemplating this trip to have a go. It is not particularly difficult, the scenary is spectacular, and the characters you will undoubtedly meet along the way will entertain you no end. If anything, returning home is proving to be the hardest part!

Various recent pics and video ....

Leaving Silver City for the border on 7th October

Final desert stealth camp at a disused ranching station

Strong crosswinds at our umpteenth and last continental divide crossing

Scott's desert taxis

The border. Chris was sheltering under a tree at this point.

General stupidity

Washboard simulator

Geoff's tow at Abiquiu

The three monkeys

Sneaking a ride

Red sky at night... get orf me land!

Silver City & mission accomplished

We crossed the border into Mexico this afternoon. After some celebratory cokes at the Antelope Wells border control offices we were collected by a pre-arranged shuttle and whisked back to Silver City. It was weird being sat in a vehicle after riding for so long. The riding is now over. I'm a little gutted about this. I have a tonne of things to write about and various pictures to post but will do so in a later entry.

GRANTS, New Mexico

Just thought I would post this quickly to let you know that we are now in Grants, NM. I have been a little slack on the posting front and am feeling a little bad about it....sorry. We are now about 7 riding days and some 3-400 miles from our border crossing destination. The weather is fine and hot and we are in good spirits. New Mexico landscape and topography is very much like that depicted in road runner cartoons.

I will post something more substantial along with some photos when we reach El Paso.

Everything is still looking good. Your GPS thing is amazing! It's good to see where you are. Get in touch about parcels etc? Talk soon.

It all looks sooo fab. Everyone reading the blog back here is green with envy. Not least as we have just left the wettest and greyest August on record for our first'autumn storm' that left 1 person dead in mid Wales and floods everywhere!
Keep pedalling and giving us our vicarious kicks.

Rawlins

We are in Rawlins Wyoming. We left West Yellowstone about 10 days ago and have had quite an entertaining time on our way here. We have completed a further 7 divide crossings, crossed various mountain passes, and encountered a variety of weather conditions and landscapes - including our first desert. The group has also very recently expanded in size from 6 to 7.

In something approaching chronological order, this is what we have been up to:

1. Yellowstone car trip

Apart from myself and Kate who were doing the driving, the rest of the team treated the day as an opportunity to catch up on sleep. Chris in particular showed a remarkable ability to sleep just about anywhere. We visited quite a few of Yellowstone's attractions, including the Old Faithful geyser which I managed to miss completely by visiting the bathroom just before it went off. The day was a reasonable one, but I think that we all felt a little detached from our surroundings being sat in a car. Cycling through the southern portions of the park the next day was definately way more entertaining.

2. Travis and Lucas

Our ride south through Yellowstone resulted in us meeting two lone cyclists. The first was Travis. Starting in May 2008, Travis had cycled from New York to LA, headed north to Vancouver and was on his way south when we bumped into him, before heading east to Columbus. A former USMC officer who had served in Iraq, Travis' total mileage of some 7000 miles was seriously impressive - particularly when account was taken of the fact that he done it all carrying a laptop computer, an electric guitar and recording equipment.

The second cyclist we met was Lucas - a sport science student from Switzerland who was cycling from Calgary to San Diego. Lucas joined us for dinner at Grants Village, along with Mischa & Susanne from the Netherlands who were travelling from West to East across the USA.

3. Union Pass to Pinedale

Union Pass is a high mountain pass in the Wind River Range of western Wyoming. The pass is located on the Continental Divide between the Gros Ventre mountains on the west and the Wind River Range on the east. The pass was historically used by native Americans and early mountain men. Last Friday we climbed it on our bikes. On descending the other side, a ranger in a 4x4 stopped to say hello - Maria suggested that we might like to stay the night at her Ranger Station in order to avoid the local bears.

Some hours later we arrived at the station to be met by Maria, Robert and their dogs - the only trace of civilisation in hundreds of square miles of wilderness. What followed was a very entertaining evening complete with hot showers, homemade lasagna, beer and trivial pursuit. It turned out that Maria's grandfather was at one time the British High Commissioner in Panama, and she herself had studied at Cambridge. Robert was a retired federal agent from Alabama and a very funny man. Robert informed us that due to a sickness that was killing local cattle, the surrounding area had become a smorgasbord for bears and wolves. The situation was such that they had recently been forced to send 2 bears to 'bear heaven' due to their aggressive behaviour around camp. They had found one of the bears in their kitchen. Needless to say, we needed no persuasion to stay the night. The next morning Robert topped off our visit by instructing each of us in the use of his 44 magnum.

4. Mike, Bobby and Emily

We were to experience the kindness and generosity of strangers once again on Monday. We had left the town of Pinedale and were on our way to travel across one of the tougher sections of the route - the Great Divide Basin. The basin is a desert at about 6-7000feet that occupies an area of almost 4,000 square miles. Our intended route across amounted to a distance of some 220 miles and would take 4 days to complete.

The first leg of some 55 miles took us to a small informal campground next to a water source known as Little Sandy Creek. We arrived in afternoon sunshine but, during the course of the evening, the sky filled with clouds and the wind increased. By 10pm we were in the grip of a storm that lashed our tents with strong winds and rain. The next morning the weather was still bad. Hywel went to visit the only other occupant of the campground to try and get a weather report. Mike worked as a rancher but also ran a business providing horse riding vacations for experienced riders (http://www.hwl.net/). Mike used the location as his base. He immediately suggested that we join him in a large tent for coffee and then got a wood burner stove going. Whilst we were having breakfast and warming up in his tent it actually started to sleet/snow. Cycling the 54 miles to the next camp would have been a little dangerous in the circumstances so we ended up staying with Mike until the next day. We learnt all sorts about ranching, horses, and dog mushing (Mike's daughter Emily being something of an up and coming dog sled racer). During the afternoon Mike's wife Bobby and Emily arrived in a 4x4. That evening they prepared us food before entertaining us with songs and Bobby;s guitar. They were lovely towards us and made what would have been a difficult and challenging day in cold and wet conditions a very enjoyable one.

We awoke the next morning to find ice on both the inside and outside of our tents. After breakfast with Mike and his family we continued on our way under a clear sky. The snow remained on the surrounding mountains making for some great views. The remaining ride across the basin was uneventful but spectacular. Chris' video provides some idea of just how big and empty the Great Divide Basin proved to be..

5. Scott

Just before leaving camp early yesterday morning we were somewhat stunned to see a lone cyclist pulling a trailer ride into camp. Scott's opening words were 'Hi - I've been trying to catch up with you guys for a month'. Scott had started on the great divide route in Banff in early August. It seems that on his way south he had been told various accounts of 6 cyclists travelling the same way ahead of him (including some woefully inaccurate acount of two 'attractive girls' from the UK travelling with 4 guys from N.Z). Scott is originally from New Orleans but has been living in Banff for a few years where he works as a ceramic artist and carpenter in an art gallery. His arrival has increased our team to 7 and has provided us with our first 'native' member. He had ridden 120 miles across the desert on Wednesday in order to catch up with us - he is clearly a little bit rock. As for the welsh contingent of the team, we are all quietly impressed by the fact that Scott is not carrying any underwear with him at all (the Bristol girls were already disgusted about the fact that we were only carrying one pair of boxers each). You can find out a little more about him here: http://porcelainrocket.blogspot.com/

Anyway, tomorrow we head into Colorado. With a decent tailwind and good weather we hope to be in Steamboat Springs sometime early next week.

To all those nice people who have read and commented on this blog/drivel so far - thanks for doing so! Your messages are a welcome source of entertainment when we get to towns with internet facilities.

Canucks can't spell!

Doh! Happy pedalling........

Would you like some cookies?

Hi guys. I am sure you are just about ready for another care package....Take care and peddle safe!
Sheila Flint

Hywel is getting a little obsessed with these..

Updated pics..

Chris with 'energy drink'

Chris without 'energy drink'

On our way to Beaverdam

Harriet descending Fleecer Ridge

Chris on lower section of Fleecer Ridge

Hywel tries one of Pat's Bear bullets for size

Harriet riding 4 miles in a straight line

Road from Bannack to Morrison Lake

Chuck Norris at Lima

Our long held fears confirmed...

Tattoos seemed like a good idea at the time..

Lunchstop on road to Lakeview

Antics on divide crossing No. 6

West Yellowstone

We are in West Yellowstone - just outside of Yellowstone National Park. We have travelled about 1000 miles since leaving Banff on 28th July. The journey south from Helena has taken us through some quite remote areas, and has resulted in us meeting some interesting characters along the way.

First mention has to go to Ian who we met at a campsite in Basin several nights back. Ian was a man in his 60s who was in town in order to take part in a shooting competition the next day. He was kind enough to not only show us his small armory of weapons, but also allowed us to play with them too - even Hywel. Kate has some photos kicking around somewhere - I will see if I can get some up at some point.

Second mention goes to Mike Williams from the bike shop in Helena. Mike's customer care knew no bounds. Having had enough of her trailer, Harriet wished to switch to racks and panniers. Unfortunately, the required racks were not available in town. As a result, Mike offered to take delivery of the panniers and drive them to our camp in Butte the next evening. Not only did he do that, but he also agreed to take responsibility for shipping the discarded trailer back to the UK. Mike was a top bloke.

On our way to Beaver Dam campground a day or so later we met a solitary walker - Jim . Jim was a retired chemical engineer who was walking the great divide route from the Mexican border to Canada. He had been on the road since May and was expecting to finish his stroll in September. It was somewhat reassuring to meet someone even more mental than ourselves in terms of the physical task being undertaken - at least we get to roll down the mountains.

Last but not least there was Pat and Nancy. We met them while we were sheltering/cowering from the heat of the midday sun outside a small mercantile store in Wise River. They were camping some 10 miles south of Wise River along the same route that we were to travel that afternoon, and invited us to drop in on their camp on our way past. This completely by chance meeting resulted in us being provided with shower facilities and being entertained all evening with food, wine and endless stories about their own travels and (formerly) delinquent children. In the end we stayed all night and were treated to breakfast too. They were great. I particularly liked them because they relentlessly took the mickey out of Hywel for all sorts of things...

The current plan is to remain in West Yellowstone for a few days before heading on south, so the SPOT signal is not going to change location until about Tuesday. Harriet and Kate have sorted out a hire car which will allow us to see more of Yellowstone National Park than we will be able to get to by bike alone. At the moment nobody actually wants to drive the thing, mainly because none of us actually understand how American intersections work! Any pointers will be gratefully appreciated.

Good to see you're doing so well: keep it up. Love the beards! I'm dead jealous.

Is that Butte as in buttee (sandwich), butte as in butt (arse) or Butte as in beaut (Australian for lovely)?

Updated pics....

Montana washboard gravel

Montana roadside sign.

Ben & Kevin with their 'Nepo' flag

Morning stretches....

Afternoon snoozes.

Gunslinger Cafe in Ovando

Harriet re-enacting bear event No. 1

Coopers Lake/Bike wash

Hywel's tent at Coopers Lake

Not entirely sure what Chris did to deserve this

Continental Divide crossing No. 1

Continental Divide crossing No.2

Continental Divide crossing No.3 (Priest Pass)