DAY 7 - Arizona!

Tuesday, April 28th, 2008

Location: Hope, AZ

Campsite: Ramblin' Roads Rv Park

Miles:

Ride Time:

Weight: ?

Temperature:

Odometer:

Average Speed:

(I forgot to record the info before I erased it...)

Again, I didn't wake-up until 10:30am, just enough time to get out before the 11:00am "get out of our Motel!" call from the office.

When I left the motel, I ran into someone I had met the day before who was also doing a tour. On day 6, there's a picture of someone else with a bike, he was going down the same road I was, and also had to hitch hike. I saw him as I was pulling out of the motel, and rode up to him and talked to him for a little bit more about his trip. He was going from California up to the Grand Canyon. We were talking about how we were going to get across this stretch of freeway that we both didn't want to ride down. I almost caught a ride with him on the U-haul truck he was going to rent, but he decided to stay there an extra day and I wanted to move on and keep going. So, I rode another 7 miles to the "Flying J" travel center, and hitch hiked with Danny and Ashley for 20 miles across that stretch of freeway.

Danny and Ashley are 21 and 19, and they met at college a few months ago. They found themselves living out of Danny's car for the last month to save money, etc. When Danny lost his job last week, he decided that there was nothing else tying him down to San Francisco (Redondo Beach area), and they both had nothing to lose, so one day they just decided to get in the car and drive down to Florida to live with Ashley's grandma. They are praying that they will make it on the little money they have.

Hitch Hiking is actually kind-of fun! I like it. I've met some really nice people so far, and met people I never would-have met otherwise. You get to learn about soemone else's life in just a short period. Danny and Ashley were very interesting, I'm glad I met them.

I then biked about another 20 miles or so until I got to Hope, AZ where it was starting to get late, so I decided to crash there for tonight. I stayed at the Ramblin' Roads RV Park. I went to the gas station across the street to get water and some other things, and I was talking to the lady behind the counter who was getting ready to close up and go home for the night. Her husband was there with their baby, and they decided to give me some of the spaghetti they were making, and told me they would drop it by my campsite in 30 minutes. Mmmmm, how delicious that spaghetti tasted! I was going to cook plain rice and eat it, I'm glad they were nice enough to bring me something better.

Spiritual Thought of the Day:

From the pages of the Book of Mormon...

In the first few chapters of the Book of Mormon, Lehi and his family leave Jerusalem and flee into the wilderness. Lehi asks his sons, Nephi, Laman, and Lemuel to go back into the city and get the plates (History of the Jews) from King Laban, who was a wicked man. Nephi believed that the Lord sent them to do this. But, when they went up there, this record wasn't just sitting on a column somewhere waiting for them, they had to work hard to get this record.

To make a long story short, they tried three different times to get the record. They finally got it on the third try. The moral of this story is, just because the Lord commands us to do something, or because we are doing something that we know is right, it doesn't mean that it's going to be easy. The Lord wants you to put forth your best efforts, and not give-up. Keep trying, persevere, and then the Lord will show you the answer to your problem, but not after you have shown him that you're willing to work for it.

DAY 6 - 3 Miles Per Hour

Sunday, April 27th, 2008

Location: Blythe, CA
Campsite: Motel
Miles: 24.8
Ride Time: 4 Hours 33 Minutes
Weight: ?
Temperature: 110
Odometer: 209
Average Speed: 4.4 mph


Today sucked.

I left at 5:00am so I could get to my destination before the hot heat came out and roasted me like a rotisserie chicken. I expected to go about 40 miles or so today, but my goals were shattered into a million pieces when the wind started hitting me. At first, it was just moderate winds, then as I turned due north a few miles down the road, the wind hit me at about 30-40 miles per hour.

OK, to paint you a little picture, imagine yourselves driving your car about 40 miles per hour, then knock out your windshield and feel the wind hitting you right in your face. That's how I felt when I was standing still on the side of the road. Then, I try to pedal INTO the wind, and it doesn't let me get very far. I could only go about 3 miles per hour consistently, which is slower than a jogger's pace. Now, imagine not only going that slow, but doing that for 5 hours! That's what I did. I only got 20 miles in 5 hours. I was about to lose it and go mentally insane.

I eventually gave-up and admitted defeat. I was running out of water, and very tired, and had lost all hope that I could make it. So, I pulled out my bright McDonald's-colored "Help" sign, waved down someone to take me past all that into a town where I could rest and rejuvenate myself. I eventually got picked up, right in the middle of my mental breakdown I was having, half because of the wind, and half because I was out of water. An older couple picked me up and took me into the town they lived in and dropped me off at K-Mart.

I went into K-Mart, and went back to their backyard set-up where they had some lawn chairs and gazebos, and I actually fell asleep in one of the gazebo chairs for a couple hours, being woken up once in an while by someone walking by looking at me like I was a crazy homeless person. (You've got to remember, I've got a beard, and longer messed-up hair because of the bike helmet.)

I ended up staying in another hotel room later that day. I was too tired to try to find a place to camp.

Today was a vary hard day. I was getting very discouraged, and was feeling very alone, and helpless at times. My cell phone was getting no reception, so I couldn't call anyone and get some words of encouragement either. I'm not going to lie to you, today was one of those days I had told everyone about where I was questioning why I had decided to do this, and have the desire to quit, to stop and not go any further. Today was one of those days that I came within inches of losing hope in myself. But, later that night, my phone got reception, and I called a friend that was able to help put things into perspective, and gave me a good idea...

One of the things I fear the most, is like the one I experienced today. Being out in the middle of nowhere on a very long stretch of road, and running out of water in the heat of the day with no way of getting to somewhere by the afternoon. So, what we came up with, is something I might do. The hardest stretch will be between the cities of Mesa, AZ and Albuquerque, NM. There are a lot of hills, and long stetched that I am just not confident that I can make because I am not in the best physical condition. So, I'll probably catch a bus from Mesa to Albuquerque, and then keep going. That I think, will save me from a lot of fear, and unnecessary risks. Thanks friend.

This is undoubtedly the hardest and scariest thing I have ever done, but I can feel it changing me, and know that it will make me a better person if I just have faith in myself, and in God.

DAY 5 - Cows, Mexicans, and Sand Rails

Saturday, April 26th, 2008

Location: Glamis, CA
Campsite: Sand Rail Gathering in Desert
Miles: 23.6
Ride Time: 2:10
Weight: ?
Temperature: 105
Odometer: 185 Miles
Average Speed: 10.8


I didn't get out of bed until 10:30am, because I was sleeping so good in that hotel room. I got packed, and spent the next couple of hours in town trying to locate a phone charger so that I could send home my batteries which were too heavy, along witha lot of other gear that I wanted to get rid of to lighten the load. Overall, I ended up sending home about 17 pounds of gear. That's about 26 pounds total since I left on this trip.

I took off in the heat of the day which was a bad idea, and rode about 25 miles. It was so freaking hot, I had to take a break every 30 minutes,a nd hope that I could find shade. There were farms with these aquaducts full of water, and I kept imagining myself jumping in there and swimming around like a wild animal after a long day in the sun. I felt like the sun was sucking the life right out of me!

As I was riding, I saw this huge farms, full of cows. I have neevr seen so many cows in my entire life, there must-have been tens of thousands of cows at my best guess, all eating, preparing to be sucked dry of all their milk. I took some pictures, it was pretty cool to see.

Now for the fun part of my day. Something happened at the end of my ride that day the I am very happy about... I biffed it hard on my bike and fell straight to the hot pavement. I had slipped on some sand, and down I went, hitting my elbow. What happened was, there's this huge group of people with RV's, tents, and all-terrain vehicles, jsut having fun in the desert, there were hundreds of them. I looked over at them, and when I did, I fell over.

Luis, one of the guys there came to my rescue and gave me some water, and asked if I was okay. I told him I was fine, but he was convinces that I was dehydrated, so he offered to have me stay there with them tonite, and they would cook me some carne asada, and give me plenty of water to drink. When I took a glimpse of the sand dunes ahead, and all of their nothingness, I made a wise decision and decided to stay with them tonite, and I'm very glad I did.

All these people had sand rails (which are vehicles you drive up and down on sand dunes with) and ATV's little 4-wheel drive vehicles. They were racing, riding, and just having a good time. I hung out with two different parties that day. The Mexicans, and the old white guys. Theyw ere both a lot of fun. I hung out with the old guys during the sunny times, and then hung out with the Mexicans later that night when they cooked me dinner, and we all had some fun conversations getting to know each other. Before it got dark, one of the guys who had a sand rail offered to take me out for a ride. Holy cow! If you haven't been on one of those sand rails before, make it a goal of yours! If you think that off-road in a jeep is fun, just magnify that by 100 and you get riding dand dunes. You go almost vertical sometimes, and these machines have no problem getting up them. It was a blast. I took some videos, and one time about 50 pounds of sand hit me in the face, and now my camera lense won't shut, but it was all worth it.

Back with the Mexicans, while we were eating our tacos, Luis and his friends were talking about how every time they come out here they run into interesting people, and this time it was me. They said, how if they hadn't have met me, they wouldn't have had half of the experiences they had that night, because I was involved in them. And if I hadn't have fallen I never would-have stopped there. We talked about having purpose in your life, Viktor Frankl, and searching for meaning in one's life. Our life experiences change as new people enter our lives.

Man, this is what this trip is all about! Having experiences like this is why I wanted to go on this trip. I know this is hard, but when you run across people like Luis and his friends, it makes the hard times worth it, and they recharge you for the next days's riding.

What a cool day!


Spiritual Thought of the Day:

DAY 4 - My Butt Hurts

Friday, April 25th, 2008

Location: Brawley, CA
Campsite: Motel
Miles: 70.1
Ride Time: 5Hrs 55 Mins
Weight: ?
Temperature: 92
Odometer: 158
Average Speed: 11.8 mph


My butt hurts a lot. Today was the longest day of riding yet, but it was the most bearable. You know why? NO HILLS! I actually had reached the end of the mountains for a few days, and I had to get on the freeway for about 15 miles, and it was all downhill. I was getting out of the mountains, and so the elevation was dropping almost 4,000 feet. Riding on the freeway wasn't as scary as I thought, even though I still don't want to do it very much. The scary part was that the wind was blowing very strong, and my bike almost fell voer a few times.

Now for the flat part of the day. After I got to the bottom of the hill, there was nothing but flat ground-I had reached the desert. It was hot, and no trees in sight. But you know the worst thing about that stretch of road? They haven't done maintenance on that road for a very long time. There are huge cracks, and holes, bumps, and you name it, it was probably put there to torture cyclists. My butt hurt so bad bumping up and down on that seat, the whole bike was rattling big time. I swear, that when they paved the road to Hell, I think they started in Plaster City, CA.

There were times during that day that I found myself with glazed-over eyes, looking like a zombie, and just pounding out the miles like a robot. Sometimes I felt half-conscious, not because I was dehydrated, but simply because I was doing the same thing forever.

You know what interestingly hurt worse than my butt? My elbows. I am holding myself up all day on the bike, and my hands would go numb - specifically my left hand, and then somehow that pain would travel up to my elbows, and it would feel like someone skewered me in both elbows and said "Ride, danggit!"

After that road from Hell, I reached El Centro, and after taking a break at McDonald's, I searched for a place to sleep that night. I soon discovered that El Centro was too populated of an area for me to just pull over and camp, and since I'm still getting used to this bike/camping thing, I wasn't sure what to do for a while. I almost stayed on some grass behind a funeral home, but was afraid they would get to work before I left, so I decided to ride another 12 miles north to Brawley. It was already dark by then. I couldn't find a safe place to camp, so I decided to suck it up and fork out $55 to stay in a hotel room there in town.

On the positive side though, I got to take a shower, sleep in a comfortable bed, and enjoy air conditioning and a T.V. If I had started this whole trip from the beginning again, I probably would-have done credit-card touring, instead of loaded touring.


Spiritual Thought of the Day:

Find the good in every bad situation, it's the only way to secure consistent and long-lasting happiness.

DAY 3 - This Is Really Hard!

Thursday, April 24th, 2008

End Location: Live Oak Springs, CA
Campsite: RV Park/Campground
Miles: Bike - 25 Car/Bus - 15
Ride Time: 3 Hours 3 Minutes
Weight: ?
Temperature: 86
Odometer: 86
Average Speed: 8.3 mph

Okay, so today was a very hard day. I started going up a hill that lasted probably for over an hour straight, and I just about lost it. Right before the brink of sanity, I stopped at a casino/bar for lunch. I ordered this egg/bacon/tomato/cheese sandwich with fries. I didn't even care if it tasted good, I just wanted that food in me. You start to not care what food tastes like, and what you put down the gulley, as long as it gives you energy.

At the top of the hill, I saw a bus coming, and tried to catch it quickly, which didn't happen because I have so much junk to take off my bike. They bus driver got a little angry at me. At that time I was really feeling the weight of this trip, and the anxiety knowing I have over 3,230 miles to go, and lots of them will be hills like those today. Well, at that point I did lose it, and got a little crazy there for a few minutes, which scared the bus driver when she came back from her bathroom break after she dropped me off at her last stop. I just said that I've been told this would happen, and so it's totally okay, I just need to work through it and move on.

It was okay after I had prayed really hard to get back on track and refocused, and the Lord came through for me.

The frontage roads were going to end soon that I was riding on next to the freeway, and even though you're allowed to ride on the freeway, I didn't want to. So, I tried to hitch hike for 45 mins, and failed. Right when I was about to grin and bear it, Calvin drove up and let me bum a ride for 10 miles, which was the stretch of the freeway riding. (Plus, up a really big hill that I later discovered...about 1500 feet)

I have felt myself becoming humbled, and feeling "lower then the dust" like King Benjamin says. Today I just felt like I really needed the Lord's help today, and I wanted to do everything possible to have his help with me as much as possible. It reminds me of Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk in General Conference where he talks about being off a few degrees. Even that much can throw you way off. I don't want to be off even a millimeter.

Later that night I ran into some people who were on the side of the road talking. I learned that they were having a reunion from a trip they had taken previously, where they hiked a trail that goes from Mexico to Canada. It took them about 5-6 months. That was awesome, and the encouragement was helpful.

I stayed at another RV park tonite. I got there at 7:00pm. I'm tired. My muscles are burning. Glad to be here so I can rest.

Spiritual Thought of the Day:

Find some means of becoming "Lower then the dust" like Mosiah talks about it Mosiah 2:25, and the Lord will "immediately bless you" (Mosiah 2:24)

DAY 2 - I'm Going Slower Than I Thought

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008

Location: Crest, CA
Campsite: Glen Springs RV Park
Miles: 31.8
Time: 3:40
Weight: ?
Temperature: 78
Money Donations: $20
Odometer: 61
Average Speed: 8.6

I left the church right when the lawn care guys were trying to do some landscaping.

I went to a Jack In The Box this morning to write in my journal, and while I was there, I got into a discussion with a guy that wants to do the same thing I'm doing, but with his entire family. At the end of our conversation, he wanted to help me out so he gave me $20. What a nice guy. That helped later when I went to mail 8 pounds of gear home that I didn't want anymore because it was just dead weight.

This day was as crazy as the last. I am learning just how out of shape I really am. I only got half as far as I wanted to, 30 miles, that's all. I am realizing that the hilss herre are a lot steeper than I thought. I swear, Southern California is built on one big freaking hill that goes up from the coast and never stops. I am in for one heck of a trek ahead of me.

I got right outside San Diego and stopped in a small town called Santee. I went to the post office, then to the computer, then I decided that I was really hungry so I went to a Chinese Buffet - and stuffed myself like a Thanksgiving turkey. The lady at the Chinese Buffet wanted to give me $5 for my journey, but I said that it was okay. I thought she felt obligated because I told her about the other guy this morning.

I took a nap later that day after going up and down and up and down and up and down some hills. Some guy stopped and woke me up because he was afraid that I was injured or something.

I tried to camp at a pretty run-down RV park tonite, but they denied me and said that I can't. Plus, they had NO GRASS. So, I felt the impression to go up the hill a little bit, and I found a very luxurious RV park with grass, palm trees, spa, showers, etc. and asked if they would care if I stayed there that night, and they said it didn't matter to them. They said the manager leaves at night and doesn't return until 9am the next day, so he wouldn't even see me. Basically, I was freeloading a campsite.

Spiritual Thought of the Day:

Introduction to the Book of Mormon, and testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith:

It is amazing, all the things that had taken place for the Book of Mormon to be brought to us. How strong Joseph Smith must-have been to got through so many persecutions, yet stay 100% faithful, and dedicated to the cause in which God and Jesus Christ themselves had entrusted him with. The Lord chose the right man to be his mouthpiece, just like Adam, Moses, Abraham and all the others from the Old Testament. We should be very greatful to have the Book Of Mormon!

DAY 1 - Fun in the Sun

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008

Location: Downtown San Diego
Campsite: Church Grounds
Miles: 29.5
Time on Bike: 3 hrs 45 mins.
Weight: 250 pounds
Temperature: 69 Degrees

Today was quite the day. After reassembling my bike, I learned that my braking system on my back wheel had gone bad. So, I spent the first part of the morning at the bike shop buying a new one.

For the rest of the afternoon, I just rode my bike around town checking out San Diego, giving my suitcases away to homeless people, because I didn't need them anymore. I rode over to the beach where I took a picture on the beach, and ran into someone who is from SLC, and found me because I had a sticker of the bike shop I go to and he's been there too.

Having the "Coast to Coast" T-Shirt is proving helpful. Many people asked me about my trip because when they looked at my shirt, they immediately knew what I was doing. Many people slowed down, and told me they think what I'm doing is awesome, and told me to keep going. I talked to a guy on a motorcycle at an intersection who just thought it was cool. I also ran into a cyclist who rode next to me for 10 minutes while we discussed my trip and his journeys as well. Then I get people who just honk to show appreciation.

Then, I made my way up three HUGE hills to make it to the temple. I just about died on those hills. I got there right before the last session of the day, and it was AMAZING! That temple is so beautiful. The architecture is all based on aome type of hexagonal star-pattern theme, and everything in the temple revolves around a circular/central theme. There's an atrium on the top floor, which has flowers and plants, and the ceiling is open so you can look out and see the angel Moroni on the top. Very cool. Seriously the coolest temple I have ever been to. One of the ladies that was at the temple helped me to get a better route out of San Diego. People are very helpful, and are very inquizitive into what I'm doing. It has only been one day, and I already feel like my trip is packed with experiences.

The guy at the front desk told me I could stay at the nearest church building's grass behind the building, so I went there and set up camp behind a "Deseret Industries" donation trailer. I fell right asleep, and didn't wake-up the entire night. I could get used to that.


Spiritual Thought of the Day:

From the Book Of Mormon: When Alma talks about looking forward with an eye of faith (Alma 5:15), he hits on a HUGE important point. We must always be looking forward, and not backwards. That's how we progress, and draw strength, looking forward to where we are going. Seek the Lord to improve your future, and he will.

DAY 0 - It's Here! Traveling to San Diego

Monday, April 21st, 2008

Day 0 has arrived! I have made it on my trip. Sunday at Midnight, I took a train all the way to Sacramento, CA where I would then catch a bus all the way down to San Diego, CA.

Since I purchased the tickets to get to San Diego, I have begun to really feel the weight of this trip. I mean, all the way across the entire United States by a bicycle. I was starting my table of contents for my journal, and I numbered all the days I will be riding, and I quickly realized how long it actually is.

I have always wanted to take a train, so this was an awesome treat for me. I met a few people that I enjoyed talking to while I was on the train. I met two girls that we got along pretty good and made the trip go a little faster. I had a few talks with the conductor too, which was very informative.

During Monday morning, I was talking with the conductor, an elderly couple, and this other guy down in the train's cafe. The conductor told us some funny stories about different things the train hits from now and then. He said they hit deer every once in a while, we actually hit three last night. It's not common, but sometimes they stick to the front of the train. He said the one time the deer was stuck to the front, and when some kids got off the train to leave, they freaked out because when they rounded the front of the bus, there was a huge dead deer there. He said the worst is when they hit sheep. He said that when you hit sheep, they explode. Their body parts just start flyting everywhere, ans the passengers see chunks of wool floating by the windows. He said one time they hit a flock of 20 sheep that had wandered into a tunnel, killing them all. The engineer had to crawl through 20 remains of exploding sheep to repair some brake valves their bodies had dislodged. Gross.

Then the older couple talked about how when they were on a bus, this guy accidentally shot himself, killing him dead with his own gun. It was in his bag, and he didn't have the safety on. They also told of a time that at 2:30am, a lady stipped off her clothes and started yelling and running up and down the bus aisle. Wow, that does not get me too excited to travel by bus.

It was nice, on the bus ride I got the chance to make some last minute changes to my plans for my trip, and it has really helped in putting things into better light.

One time on the bus, I got off to use the bathroom, and when I got back on, there was this guy in my seat, asleep, using my duffel bag as a pillow. I didn't mind, I figured he would get up in a minute. Well, he didn't, and all throughout the night he was sleeping on my seat which was actually about three seats connected together like a bed in the very back of the bus, and using my bag as a pillow. I talked to him later, and tried to communicate with him. He only knew Spanish, and was traveling to Tijujuana. I tried to use every single Spanish word I knew in a sentence to feel like I acutally knew what I was doing. I want to elarn Spanish so bad, it's unbelievable. You can communicate with so many more people when you know Spanish.

Spiritual thought of the Day:

Out of the Book of Mormon = Moroni 10:32

Deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and he will make your trials bearable.

Keep the Holy Ghost close to you like it was your best friend, and include it in everything. It will be the most important thing to have with you to make any journey in life a success.

Wish me luck!

It's Coming Closer...

The picture I added today is just another picture of my bike all ready to go. This was at a park where I was practicing my balance on the bike. It gets a little wobbly, so I need to learn how to stabilize the bike.

Wow, it's almost time for me to begin my trek across the country! I am getting a little nervous. Sometimes I get a little nervous, thinking Iwill be riding my bike for pretty much 2 1/2 months straight. But most of the time I am pretty excited about it. I am excited to accomplish this goal of mine, it will really mean a lot to me when I get it accomplished.

One of the cool things to observe is people's reactions to the idea of be cycling across the entire nation. Some people are excited for me, and they think it's awesome. Some people are jealous that they can't go. Then, there are those that are scared for my life, they are the fun ones to talk to. "That's impossible! You're going to die! Someone's going to hit you with their car! You will defninitely get robbed and someone will steal your bike! What does your Mom think about this?" All very fun comments to respond to. Trust me guys, I've done my research, everything will be fine. Hundreds if not more people do this every year.

I still need to find a ride to San Diego, but everything else is falling into place for the trip. I have a place to store my truck and my belongings, and I'm taking care of all my bills, etc. After all that the last thing is to find someone to replace me at my apartment. due to the circumstances at our apartment, I find myself responsible for finding 4 spots, and not just my own. So, added stress prior to leacing on my trip.

Anyways, I will blog a few more times before I leave, to give those receiving my business cards and checking out my T-shirt I made, a little bit more information about my trip and what's going on.