Movement

I'm in Texas. The beginning of Texas, but Texas nonetheless. I left home for Oakland California 57 days ago and have since biked a good many miles down the coast of California, East to Joshua Tree, North to Prescott College, and along the Southern Tier Adventure Cycling Association route through Arizona and New Mexico. I have crossed one time zone and will soon be crossing the next, and yet, I have at least twice as many miles ahead of me as there are behind.

The sign says "Pecan Thieves Will Be Prosecuted

Thus far, I have biked somewhere between 1,400 and 1,500 miles in a slow, rambling and intermittent fashion. I won't have a bike computer for this trip, for I have gone through three and have therefore decided that it is not my destiny to know how fast or exactly how far I am going. The first bike computer just didn't work, so I activated the warranty and ordered a replacement which fell off my bike and broke the first day I rode with it. Then my dad ordered me a cheap one from Amazon and sent it to Twentynine Palms, but it stopped working by the time I arrived in Silver City, NM. So I have a rather large collection of button batteries and only the vaguest idea of my exact mileage for this trip.

The fact that I have managed to make it this far is a tribute to the kindness and generosity of many, many people who have housed, fed, encouraged, and taken care of me through all the struggles of this journey. Warm Showers hosts who I have never met have welcomed me into their homes and given me food, laughter and inspiration, random people wave to me as they drive by, and now that I am on the Southern Tier, I often see other touring cyclists who wave or stop and offer a few words of advice. I feel blessed to have been able to make it this far, and I have no allusions that I could have done it alone.

The highlands in New Mexico

However, I am only half way through my trip in time and less than a third of the way in mileage, there are many adventures before me. In 57 days, I will be standing on a podium on the softball field at Lamoille Union High School in Hyde Park Vermont inspiring my fellow classmates with a brilliant speech before we receive our diplomas and head off into the next stage of our lives. Or more accurately, I will be trying not to mumble as I attempt to express my excitement for all 129 students in our graduating class and the future we have ahead of us in a way that can be understood by everyone. It is a daunting task and I won't pretend to have written anything yet, but I have many more miles ahead of me to pedal and ponder.

Before I go tearing off into the future though, let me look back a little. I forget that y'all weren't biking alongside me through the mountains of New Mexico this past week. I climbed up into the mountains from southeastern Arizona and into New Mexico, stealth camping off the side of the road for the first two nights. There were a couple hard grades, but I like churning slowly uphill, it is humbling, and the satisfaction of arriving at the top of a pass is much greater than that of arriving somewhere after biking on a straight, flat road all day. I will have to get better at appreciating flatness though, for Emory Pass (8,223 ft) was the last 8,000 ft + pass I will bike over, and Texas will be much less mountainous than New Mexico.

Gila Cliff Dwellings

Most of my route through New Mexico was on very quiet roads, sometimes I would go as long as fifteen minutes without seeing a car, and because I was changing elevation so much, I saw a wide variety of flora and fauna. It is a very beautiful area despite the harshness of drought. The open spaces in the highlands reminded me of Ecuador, the cows weren't nearly as graceful as the ones we saw in the Paramo in Ecuador, but seeing them roaming freely under an open sky brought back the feeling of trekking to Cotopaxi with my semester friends.

After two nights sleeping out-one night I didn't even use my tent!-I arrived in Silver City where I was greeted by a wonderful warm showers host. I had a spectacular time with my hosts in Silver City, they were generous beyond words and great people to talk to. After a fun afternoon, a restful evening, and a delicious breakfast, I headed out towards Gila where I stayed at the hot springs.

Hot springs!

The road there is gorgeous, though very windy and hilly, and I managed to get a flat tire. No big deal right? Just pop off the tire, get out my tire levers and replace the tube, easiest bike maintenance there is. Except that my tire levers weren't in my tool bag. During this trip, I have lost many things. Scissors, a glove, one and a half pairs of socks, my Kroka water bottle (I left it in the airport in Vancouver and I'm hoping that whoever picks it up is like me and will look into Kroka and discover that it is the perfect program for them or some one they know or become inspired to contribute to the organization), my multi-tool, and probably a lot of other little things that I won't miss until I need them, but tire levers? What kind of a cross country bike tourer doesn't have bike levers? They are the simplest, most necessary bike tool in existence and I felt incredibly stupid sitting on the side of the road with my flat tire. Luckily, it was only a slow leak, so I managed to get to the campground by stopping every mile or so and pumping it up. The man who runs the campground and hot springs gave me some old worn out screw drivers to remove the tire with, and I was later gifted a set of tire levers by one of the folks staying at the hot springs. So it all worked out, but only because I was lucky.

I decided to splurge and stay at the campground for a whole two nights-$10, which is more than I have spent on lodging the whole trip, but the hot springs were right there and I could soak in them whenever I wanted to. It was great to leave my tent standing for a day and take a leisurely ride up to the Gila Cliff Dwellings before getting back on my bike to go to El Paso. I shared a camp site with a woman who has been living out of her truck for a long time and we had a great time together.

The creek I slept by in Kingston

Visiting the Cliff Dwellings was well worth the $3 entrance fee, for they are a special place. They have been inhabited by many different indigenous peoples over the years, the most recent group of which built very beautiful rooms inside the caves. I could imagine living in there, hauling water up from the bottom of the canyon day after day, but it was sad to see how distant the monument is from the people and the cultures that once called it home. In the park, it is merely an attraction to walk through and take pictures of, not a place to honor and remember the people who lived here before us.

The ride from Gila to El Paso went quite smoothly. Crossing Emory Pass was a breeze, and I found a lovely place to camp by a little stream just past Kingston on my way down. From Kingston to Las Cruces was close to 90 miles, but all downhill, so it should have been a relatively easy day. There was a breeze that day though, and a breeze is transformed into a terrible, exhausting headwind when you are biking against it. It is infuriating, you stop and you hardly even notice the wind, but as soon as you start biking, there it is again, pushing slowly but constantly against your tired body. The only thing that got me through that day was the local pecans I bought in Hatch. I had plenty of food, but I have never had an opportunity to buy local nuts before, and the quart sized bag of shelled pecans I bought was well worth the $8 I paid for it.

Luckily, I had a Warm Showers host in Las Cruces, so I had a comfy bed to rest in and good company at the end of the day. And the next day's ride was a mere forty miles, bringing me into El Paso, where I met my dad's bike at yet another Warm Showers host's house. It has been awesome to have a place to stay these past two days while I figure out my route and rest. The family I am staying with is so welcoming, and it is amazing to have a place where I can use a computer.

A beautiful piece of wood I found at my camp spot on the way to Silver City

And now my dad is here! I am really looking forward to biking with him for the next two weeks through Texas, it will be great to have a travelling companion. After he leaves me in Austin, we'll have to wait and see what happens. I may be able to go fast enough to bike the rest of the way home, but if I can't it won't be any less of an adventure.

Out and back

My nightly accommodations

Air travel is not my forte. When I was packing for the student admit weekend at Quest University, I made sure to leave all my liquids behind, but in a moment of pure stupidity, I decided I might as well take my pepper spray. I knew that I was possibly going to walk 7 kilometers to the bus stop at 2:30 AM on my way home and you never know who or what you'll encounter at that hour in rural British Columbia. In fact, I did see a rather large black bear that morning while I was waiting for the bus after taking a taxi with two other students. Not that pepper spray would have been even the slightest bit helpful if I had run into a bear on my walk, but it was at least a somewhat reasonable precaution.

Except that I was flying Vancouver, not biking, so I had to go through security. And that didn't go too well. They immediately found my precious pepper spray. One security personnel had to call in her superior who took me to yet another security officer who detained me while she contacted higher ups to determine my fate. My particular pepper spray unfortunately contained tear gas which the security officer-mistakenly-took as a sign that I might be possessing military grade tear gas. So I sat on the table by the officer's desk for another twenty minutes as a Homeland Security officer made came over to give his decision and another security personnel informed me that I ought to sign up for personal defense classes. I didn't bother to explain that I'm not going to be in one place for a long time. In the end, it all worked out, and the rest of my travels went smoothly, but the event reminded me why I like bike travel so much better than air travel.

The mountains are the backdrop of Quest

As did my night in the airport. I slept very little, ate spaghetti with fried garlic and tomato sauce (which I made at the Camelbackpackers Hostel in Phoenix-camelbackpackers.com-where I was able to stay through a wonderful warm showers host who runs We Cycle USA-wecycleusa.org) for breakfast at 2:30 AM, and spent two hours pouring over my maps while the employees of the fast food place I was stationed next to gave me funny looks and a fellow airport beneficiary dreamed the night away. Despite the rough night, I managed to make it through the rest of the day of travel, exploring Quest University, and meeting my hosts, though I did fall asleep at 7:00 PM and missed the open mic night.

All in all, my stay at Quest was very pleasant. Quest was created in 2006 by a group of professors who wanted to design a true liberal arts college that could prepare students to thrive in the 21st century's dynamic work force. The result is a college which has a foundation program spanning a wide variety of disciplines and two years, followed by a two year concentration phase during which students pursue answers to questions (sort of like their major) which they form at the end of their sophomore year. Classes are taught in 3 1/2 week blocks so students only take one class at a time, and there are no lecture halls or departments. Thus, Quest has been able to effectively create an intriguing multi-disciplinary approach to education. I like the ideas behind Quest, and I did enjoy my time there, especially the long afternoon I spent bouldering in their climbing gym and the evening cabaret performance put on by current students. However, it felt very isolated from the rest of the world and I couldn't see myself going to college there.

WATER!!!

British Columbia, on the other hand, is definitely a place I want to spend more time in. Its majestic snow capped mountains that rise into the clouds are stunning. The second I stepped off of the airplane in Vancouver, I could immediately taste the moisture in the air and it made my heart sing. I drank in the cloudy, rainy days in British Columbia joyfully, and when I went for a short hike on some of the many mountain bike trails surrounding Quest, I stumbled upon a stream with the cleanest, purest, most delicious tasting water I have had since I left home. All the clouds and rain in British Columbia invigorated my withering soul, giving me strength to return to the parched Midwest where the only rivers are canals and most tap water comes from miles away. It truly is a disaster that has already happened.

But I am learning to love the desert too. The longer I spend here, the more I see in its bleakness. I am now in the land of the Saguaro cacti and red, brown and gold streaked mountains that climb proudly into the open sky, revealing striations in the rocks that formed them so long ago. There is much more than meets the eye here; I am constantly discovering new species of wildflowers and I am often surprised by the wildlife that crosses my path. Last night, I slept by a dirt field and listened to a coyote call to neighboring dogs while I watched the moon and stars. Rain is so rare that it is safe to leave the fly off my tent at night and my clothes out of their zip lock bags.

Since I left Phoenix, I have climbed into the mountains. Biking from Tempe, where I was lucky enough to spend a restful evening with a warm showers host, to Superior, another awesome warm showers host, was an easy ride. And a good thing too, for yesterday was my longest day yet, 85 miles including one treacherous climb over a 4,600 ft. pass. I rose early and biked straight through the day, only taking a few very short breaks, but I made it to Fort Thomas by 4:30 and found a place to camp by 5:00. It was a hard day, but it proved to me that I am getting stronger. From here on out, I will be biking continuously for a long time, and it is encouraging to know that my legs are able to handle more than they could at the beginning. I can't navigate airport security, but I can bike, and that is completely fine with me.

Love, peace and exploration,
Sonya

PS. My mom told me that I re-posted my Etsy blog from a while ago. I was trying to edit the blog about Prescott from my phone, and I guess when I published that, it sent out the Etsy blog some how, the app isn't particularly good. Sorry about that!

PPS. I have pictures but I can't upload them on the library computer, so I will post them later.

Prescott College

Climbing the crack 

There were tears running down my face as I biked out of Prescott on Tuesday morning. The six days I spent on campus were fantastic, and I made friends I will be sure to keep in touch with even if I don't end up going to college there. I went rock climbing, visited classes, went to a student council meeting, biked around the town, wrote letters and talked to friends and family from home, talked to various different colleges, and generally enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere in Prescott. It is now one of my many homes, Prescott AZ, and I will go back someday, as a student, or a teacher, or to work, I cannot say, but I will go back.

Rationally, it doesn't make sense. Prescott College is smaller than my high school, the student body is lacking in diversity, I can't afford to go there in the fall, and they don't have a music program. But I could start a small ensemble if I wanted to. And their Environmental Science program is awesome. The orientation is a three week backpacking trip, and nearly every class has a field work aspect. The classes are tiny, 14 students max, and the ones I visited were great. They reminded me how much I miss school. Or at least taking classes. I am definitely glad to be biking now, and not at home taking classes, but I am nevertheless looking forward to going back to school soon. Where that will be, I couldn't tell you, but it will all work out one way or another.

My Prescott friends :)

If you're curious, my college choices are: UVM, UC Berkeley, Prescott College, Quest University, Warren-Wilson, Berea College, and Saint Michael's College (I didn't get in to Yale and I was wait listed at Grinnel, Whitman, UChicago, and Colorado College). So decisions did a pretty good job of limiting my options by knocking Colorado College, UChicago and Whitman off the list. And financial aid packages were even better at reducing my choices. Berea is the only college I can go to in the fall without incurring debt, though my debt for UVM would be minimal. With Berkeley, I could likely graduate with no debt if I move to California and go to community college and work for two years while I acquire residency and then apply again as a California resident and a completely financially independent adult. It would be a big commitment to California because I wouldn't even be able to go home for long in the summers in order to prove my residency, but it would definitely give me a sense for what it is like to live in a city and I would learn a lot about how to deal with annoying government policy stuff through applying for residency and filing taxes.

In the end, it's all just my own useless rationalization, and the right decision will come from my heart, not my head. And I can always transfer. The whole college process is thoroughly frustrating and I don't agree with it in a lot of ways because the expense is so limiting. The loan industry is appalling and there are so many young people who have the potential to do amazing things in college but will never be able to because their families can't afford to support them financially or emotionally. It's definitely possible to pay for your own education, but the logistical implications are huge, and it is very difficult to do without some form of guidance and moral support from parents. Nevertheless college level classes do challenge students in ways that high school can never manage to and there is so much more to learn.

But as I have seen, learning is not at all limited to the classroom. Biking has already taught me a lot, and I know it will continue to show me new perspectives and challenge me as I make my way home. I still have a very long ways to go, and I won't be able to leave Phoenix until Sunday, because I am flying to Vancouver tonight to visit Quest University for the weekend. My schedule is starting to get tight, but if my knee continues to improve, and I get stronger, I should be able to bike the whole way home before graduation. I won't be able to take any more long breaks, though I can, of course, take a train for part of the way if I really fall in love with a place I go to or my knee deteriorates.

In some ways, it doesn't feel like this trip has even started. I have biked a very rough estimate of 900 miles and it's true, I have already crossed one state border, but I have been taking so long breaks, it doesn't feel like I am really "on the road" yet. But perhaps that is a good thing. It has challenged my expectations for this journey and that has taught me to become more flexible and settle into the true mindset of travel, living in the moment with no expectations for the future.

The perfect camp site. It was only 2:45 when I spotted this place on the side of the road, but I decided to stop anyway as I didn't have to go far the next day, and I enjoyed a relaxing evening in this beautiful little gully shielded from the road by trees. 

The mountains in Prescott are lovely, and cool! It even snows in the winter. The 5,000 ft. elevation gain from Phoenix is pretty remarkable, you can watch the climate change as you climb or descend, and it is only at 6,000 ft. that the large Ponderosa pines that are so common in Prescott start to show up. 

Wildflowers, they are everywhere at this time of year.