Lake Isabella, CA.

Spent last night at Lake, Isabella, California on BLM land

on the Kern River. The area was beautiful but lots of weekend energy in a dusty area on the river was too much for me. Unfortunately, Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Yosemite are experiencing closures because of flooding from excess run off. So I decided to head to San Francisco to see Rob. I’ll stay here about a week and figure out what’s next.  

Joshua Tree NP.

Joshua Tree is like being dropped onto another planet. The scale, rock formations and plant life are remarkably unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Today I went to the Cholla cactus gardens, Arch rock, Big Trees trail (a psychedelic journey) and the Keys overlook area with views of the Coachella valley, the Salton Sea and 11.5k ft San Gorgonio Mt. 

Joshua Tree NP, CA.

Joshua tree is another otherworldly place.  Located in the Mojave dessert it has near 6000 ft peaks, crazy rock formations and views for days. I’m staying in the park at Belle campground which is non reservable. 

Last day in Tucson.

This morning I drove into Tucson to meet Carol Vare who moved here in December from Asheville. We met at Hummel Park for ecstatic dance and then to the Rillito farmers market for yummy decadent treats followed by a noon meeting. Unfortunately, I didn’t take many photographs of our meeting☺️

Tomorrow morning I’m meeting Todd for breakfast, and then hitting the road, headed towards Quartzsite, Arizona.

Santa Cruz River Trail.

Today’s adventure took me to the Santa Cruz river trail. This trail is part of a an extensive Greenway system for bikers and walkers that ultimately makes a loop around Tucson at 136 miles in total! I rode a small part of it (only 40 miles) and really enjoyed not dealing with cars for the day and riding at a leisurely pace. Most of the trail that I was on fallows the Santa Fe River, which is a drainage canal that goes through the city to divert large amounts of runoff during the rainy season.

After my ride back to camp for lunch, a nap and some housecleaning. One more full day in Tucson we’re all meet with my friend from Asheville, Carol Vare, and then breakfast with Todd on Monday morning before I head to Quartzsite Arizona.

A pleasant surprise.

I received a message yesterday from an old coworker of mine from Seattle, who is now living in Tucson. We spent the day catching up, sightseeing downtown out to lunch, and then to the Pima County fair with his family. It was great catching up with Todd Groenwold in Tucson!

Mt. Lemmon.

Mount Lemmon is in the Catalina national forest, just to the east of Tucson. It is well-known among cyclists to be a very challenging route to the top. The route is extremely beautiful and ascends from the desert floor to an alpine forest and several microclimates in between. At roughly 58 miles and 6400 feet of elevation gain this route really wore me out but the way back down was worth it. My max speed was 46.2 mph!

After refueling a little in Tucson, I returned to the camper and took my first outdoor shower, which was quite wonderful!