Stage 5: Golden Valley ~~> Peach Springs, Arizona (60 miles)
We wake up early behind the Dollar General store and take down our tent before the locals start moving around and wander why 3 guys are camping in the middle of town. It’s only 10 miles to Kingman so we grab some granola bars for a pre-breakfast and head towards the city. As we pull into town Jeff’s rear tire goes flat and we walk it into the T&A Truckstop. Dear God we must be living right because the truck stop has a delicious all you can eat breakfast menu. Jeff digs in on multiple omelets and “Fatty” takes down the pancakes with style. Meanwhile I devour 3 plates full of pancakes, French toast, eggs and hashbrowns. The ~4,000 calorie breakfast greatly impresses my traveling partners and provides the basis of many jokes over the following days. Riding for 6-9 hrs a day really increases one’s BMR (basal metabolic rate) and burns through the calories like nothing I’ve ever seen. I estimate we are burning 700-750 cal/hr so that means we are burning anywhere from 4,500 to almost 7,000 calories per day. The first few days I was eating about 6,000-8,000 calories, but we’ve pulled back the miles and the calories a bit since then (we averaged an astonishing 97.5 miles over the first 4 days which was a bit crazy). As we finished up our epic trucker breakfast the weather began to turn for the worse. Rain started falling from the heavens and the wind began to attack our bikes with violent gusts. Before we left town we received news that a horrible snowstorm was headed our way and that we would not be able to make it to Flagstaff. Not the news we were hoping to hear. I am thinking of alternative routes, but Jeff & Kyle are confident that we can make it through. All right here goes nothing; we tie plastic shopping bags around our cycling shoes in an attempt to keep our feet dry and brave the unknown ahead. The bags and our clothes only last so long before the rain, sleet and snow began to pound us towards the tarmac. Within 30 miles we are frozen to the bone and cannot feel our toes, fingers or faces. Along the snow blown “Route 66″ we wheel up to the tiny town of Hackberry and its lone store, which is a warm oasis from the viscous weather outside. We shiver towards the heated building and low & behold there is an old timey fireplace to dry our weary bones. Huddling up like homeless vagabonds we make ourselves at home and bask in the glorious warmth. The gentleman behind the counter enjoys our humorous situation and tells us entertaining stories of infamous travelers who have passed through before. A couple comes in and can’t believe we have been riding in these blizzard conditions; the man is a professional photographer and begins to snap away. He asks us to do numerous poses including multiple hoboesque scenes around the fire. His artistic inspiration was palpable and he even went so far as to grab one of our jerseys and put it on for a few snapshots. After hiding from the storm for a couple of hours we decide to brave the snow again and refreeze as the wind and snow increases. As we climb to higher and higher elevations the storm grows stronger and stronger. This frozen rolling escapade goes on for several more hours until we finally pull into Peach Springs, Arizona and seek refuge in the Hualapia Native American Lodge. We are so cold and tired that Kyle gets us a hotel for the night. No complaints from Jeff or I, we head to the hot tub all natural style as Kyle warms up with the first shower any of us has had in days. The power in the hotel goes out that night but we are warm and dry and happy.
Stage 6: Peach Springs ~~> Ash Fork, Arizona (62 miles)
We sleep in and enjoy the cozy comforts of a bed. As our stomachs growl we make our way towards the free continental breakfast (note to all hotels: Do not turn these “Bisiklet Boys” loose on an all you can eat buffet). After devouring wheaties, chocolate donuts, fruit loops, rice crispies, muffins, bagels, pastries and a breakfast burrito we retire back to the room for some additional R&R. The breakfast buffet closes at 10am so I run back at 9:45ish and raid the remaining breakfast items. My triumphant return to the hotel room includes 6 mini boxes of cereal, 3 milks, 3 breakfast burritos and a bagel bag full of muffins, donuts and pastries. Kyle & Jeff are delighted with the morning booty and we make off like breakfast bandits. Considering the room was $110 and we had no power we felt obtaining a solid breakfast was the least we could do get our money’s worth. By the time we left the lodge it was almost 11:30 and the roads were clearing up. Only a few hours ago everything had been covered in 4-6 inches of beautiful white heavenly snow but now the jet-black road cut through the winter wonderland like a uncoiled snake stretching on for eternity. The sight of a snow-covered desert was other worldly and we all felt honored to lay witness to such an incredible landscape. We had been warned by the bike shop guys back in Bullhead City that this stretch of the road would be cold (20s they had said), but we had no idea how frozen we would be until we entered the “Ice Channel” for ourselves. As the road snaked between two ridgelines the cold air coiled around us like a cold-blooded anaconda. Kyle took the lead and Jeff & I pedaled with all our might to hold on. Together we froze as one through the “Ice Channel” and finally emerged on the other side of the mountain with a nice climb that brought us out of the viper’s grasp and only a hop, skip and jump away from Seligman. We had hoped to reach this town the previous night but the unpredictable weather had put us 30 miles behind schedule. At this point we didn’t care though and were just happy to remove our icy clothes and step into the local gas station/A&W fast food restaurant. Kyle got his famous ½ coffee ½ hot cocoa (aka “Kyle Martin Special”) as I reheated donuts, muffins and burritos from the morning’s treasure chest. After a nice break we hopped on the bikes again for one of the fastest and most fun sections of riding thus far. The road dropped out of town and weaved up and the down the mountains in a serpentine pattern which allowed our bikes to soar over the earth with ease and great speed. At one point we were going so fast I got a brain freeze (just like you feel from eating ice cream too fast). The snow fell in perfect harmony all around us and we were as giddy as young schoolgirls. Just before reaching the next town we encountered a young woman hiking through the snow with a small push trailer. Ah hah, she had to be the young Chinese girl hiking across the country that had passed through the same little “Route 66″ outpost in Hackberry. The dude at the store had told us about her and said she had walked through only 3 days earlier. We yelled for her to come join us at the Ranch House (a local café and a hidden jewel in the sleepy little town of Ash Fork, AZ). Once in Ash Fork the “Michigan Men” (Kyle goes to Michigan State Med School and Jeff goes to the Univ of Michigan Med School) went to check the score on the national championship hockey game (Michigan was in the finals) and I went back to meet this mysterious Asian adventurer. She was very nice and said that she had been on the road walking for almost 2 months. Her rosy red cheeks radiated happiness and not a breathe of fear pervaded her soul. Being in her presence was inspirational and it made me realize how often I worry about things that are of little importance. Here was this young woman walking across the country without anyone as a constant guide and she was fearless. Every night she would knock on doors and find a new person to stay with (what a great idea). I asked her why she was walking across the country alone and as soon as the words left my lips I realized I already knew the answer. “Why not” and “If you have to ask I can never explain it to you” were the two phrases that flooded my mind, but her response was kind and simple. “It was cold in San Francisco and none of the trees had any leaves on them so I decided to go somewhere else”. That was her reply and going somewhere else she was indeed, to where no one really knows. Soon thereafter the mysterious stranger went on her way and began to find a new home for the night. I returned to the Ranch House and joined my Michigan companions as we chowed down on the delicious Daily Special (little steak with over easy eggs, “Those Potatoes” (a house specialty) and biscuits with gravy). The hot meal was much needed after 2 days in the snow; something about home-style comfort food really warms the bones and lifts the spirit. It was prom night in the cozy little town of Ash Fork and before long the whole restaurant was full of young men and women in dresses and suits. We made our way out in colorful spandex and found a nice spot to camp right behind an abandoned building with an ironic billboard that said “Tire Repair”. How fitting after all of our flat troubles over the previous days.
Stage 7: Ash Fork ~~> Flagstaff, Arizona (53 miles)
We curl up in the fetal position and contort our bodies together trying to stay as warm as possible. The effort is in vain and I wake up constantly throughout the night. I’ve been colder and more uncomfortable before but these nights are never pleasant. You end up praying that the Sun will rise soon so that you can get warm again. I had to urinate so badly and it was so cold that I wound up getting on my knees and whizzing out the side of the tent. Jeff woke up from his slumber and asked with shock and force, “What are you doing man?” “Dude, I’m going outside the tent it’s OK” I reply. Jeff falls back asleep just as quickly as he had awoken and I put on every layer of clothing I have in an attempt to heat up. As daybreak comes we head to the local grocery store/gas station and hang out as the road thaws out. All the locals are excited to hear about our trip and one woman even comes up to us and begins telling us that we are truly special and emphasizes the importance of our current mission. She gives a deeply sincere prayer for our safety and begins to weep. We don’t know what to say but are grateful for her passionate outpouring of love, which she has bestowed upon us. I give her a big hug and we go on to meet several other cool people and interesting characters. The freeway heading towards Flagstaff is closed and multiple reports come in about jack-knifed 18-wheelers and black ice. All the motorized travelers are bummed and stressed but we are on bikes and know that closed roads don’t necessarily apply to us. We sweet-talk the police officer at the closed freeway on-ramp and he hands over the keys to the castle. All the vehicles are sent on a 100 mile reroute, but we are allowed to roll on Interstate 40 with impunity. For the next 20 miles we climb several thousand feet in elevation and have the whole freeway to ourselves. The occasional police officer and tow truck pass in the opposite direction and we witness a multi hour backup with 100s of drivers trying to get down the mountain. One long haul trucker even plays the guitar on his flat bed trailer and many wave as we pass by. We summit the climb in Williams, AZ and enter the local gas station with blazing smiles. The music coming through the loudspeakers radiates “Old School Rock-n-Roll” with classics from Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and The Doors. The tunes took me back to my days growing up on the farm in Arkansas and I rocked out with a little gas station song and dance. After a brief snack we are on the road again and Flagstaff bound. We roll into the city triumphantly and have successfully completed our riding goal for the first week. Our “Rest Day” was sacrificed en route and instead we settled for 3 easier days on the road. The weather had its way with us over the past few days and we are so happy to finally be here. Stop #1 is the rockin’ Bike Shop Hub bike shop (www.bikeshophub.com). They totally hooked us up with a new rear skewer for Jeff’s BOB trailer and gave us a personal tour of all the sweet touring gear in the warehouse. We even got some devilishly delicious chocolate cake and got to see a quiver of brand new electric bicycles. Robin from Bike Shop Hub invited us to crash at his house for the night and we all celebrated by going out to an awesome restaurant on Beaver Street and soaking in the local Flagstaff flavor. Wrapped up the evening with a few hilarious SNL skits on You Tube and enjoyed the hospitality of our new friends and the warmth of their living room. It seems that whenever you open yourself to the universe and embark on an adventure such as this you are guaranteed to meet amazing and generous people all along the way.
Stage 8: Flagstaff ~~> Tuba City, Arizona (Navajo Reservation) (77.5 miles)
Stage 9: Tuba City ~~> Kayenta ~~> Mexican Water, Arizona (114 miles)*
Stage 10: Mexican Water ~~> Shiprock, NM (57 miles)
Stage 11: Shiprock, NM ~~> Cortez, Colorado (44 miles in a killer headwind)
Stage 12: Cortez ~~> Trout Lake, Colorado (63 miles)
Updates for Days 7-12 coming soon… Thanks for following our epic odyssey across the USA. www.bisiklethaiti.com or see our photos at www.facebook.com/bisiklethaiti