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“Well, we’re not in the middle of nowhere, but we can see it from here.”
This past weekend was one of the better adventures I’ve had in a while. The guys have been trying to get sections of The Stagecoach GPS finished… only they have a weakness for stopping in a pub at night and it just hasn’t happened. So, they sent in the “A-team.”
Sarah came out from San Diego and met up with me in Brawley where I had a speaking/screening engagement at The Rock Coffee Shop and Café. After screening Ride The Divide (a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation fundraiser) and entertaining a thorough Q&A, we headed over to Sandra and Carter’s place for a late night of map scheming.
Day 1:
We woke up at 5:30, packed up and headed out. Brendan dropped us at Christmas circle in Borrego Springs and headed back to Idyllwild for a 3-day Zanderventure.
From here, Sarah and I, excited like school-girls, headed south in high gear! We dove through the “Texas Dip” which was our first climb of the morning – it’s enough to wake you up!
Heading east on Old Kane Spring Road, the excitement was building as we started feeling pretty far “out there.” We dipped and dodged around and through perpendicular washes along this powerline road while also ducking out of the way of dunebuggies and atv’ers on our way to Split Mountain Road.
Sarah and I haven’t ridden long distances together, so this was a good opportunity to chat and get to know each other, a little better. We were able to ride side-by-side and catch up on all things bike and non-bike. She’s a pretty rad chica and it was great to hear she just got a part time teaching gig. I won’t lie, we also get to gab about the guys when we have a girls ride, which is great fun!
Split Mountain Road took us to Fish Creek Wash, which is one of the cruxes of this route. It’s also a geological dreamscape.
After climbing for about 5 hours through sand and again dodging off-roaders (probably the busiest weekend of the year in the wash) Sarah and I had both skirted our mental pain-caves and the chat minimized.
It was a welcome break when we could get out of the sun for a map check, to make sure we were still on track in the main wash. We did an excellent job of not veering off route, which was very important since we were running the gps track for the upcoming race.We finally reached the “Pinyon Drop”, which is a rock face that very few people have ever ridden down and quite a hike-a-bike chore to go up.After the drop, you head up through the squeeze (the wash is usually done in the opposite direction by motorized types) then crested the summit of Pinyon Mtn. road before beginning a very zippy 7.5 mile downhill to S-2 (the very windy “Earthquake Valley”) where we stopped for the night at the Stagecoach RV resort.We had considered continuing on to the bottom of Oriflame climb at night, but it was getting very windy and cold and the woman at the convenience store offered to upgrade us from a tent site to a cabin for free – it was settled. We got the key to our one room cabin, which looked a little like an 8×10 shed, only it was insulated and had a log cabin facade on the front.
Day 2:
We reached the bottom of Oriflame canyon around 7:30 and began the climb. We ascended for about 2 hours fighting wind gusts that threatened to throw us into the canyon and adding layers as we cut through the clouds. It was a very cold and rocky, but beautiful, climb. At the top of Oriflame, we took Pedro Fages trail to the Sunrise hwy. This was fast and fun and a very welcome change.Once we got to the highway, we crossed over and hit La Cima trail, which paralleled the highway, and kept us out of the path of traffic. There was a little more climbing on the trail, but with the terrain contours, so much gentler than the highway. La Cima hooked us up to Lucky 5 trail, which had a bit of horse wear, but was very scenic and special.After Lucky 5 trail, we hopped on the Sunrise highway climbing to the top of Noble Canyon (a very popular destination trail.) I had never been to Noble before and didn’t do enough homework to realize it was buried in snow at the top. This was a good snowmobike experience and Sarah’s first time riding on snow – it’s always exciting!
Descending Noble was a blast; you start around 5,800 ft and descend down into the desert near Pine Valley. Coming out near the bottom of a road they call l’alpe d’wheeze, we began a 30-minute climb where we gained 1,100 feet of elevation in just over three miles.
From here, we descended on dirt for about a mile until hitting the Indian Creek Trail. We took a left and began a pretty rocky climb that would mellow out before winding through some beautiful meadows and bringing us to a primitive campsite. At the campsite, we hit a blazing fast doubletrack road for about 4.5 miles, and flew down to highway 79, with black clouds looming overhead.
Sarah and I were freezing by the time we got to the bottom of the dirt road. I was very worried about getting caught out in weather as we didn’t have great gear to be out in rain at these temps on a route we didn’t know well. I was a little confused about what lie ahead and just wanted to get us both warmed up, plus we were both out of food since we hadn’t had a resupply for the entire day. We decided to turn off the GPS and blast down to Descanso for the night.
We pulled into the Descanso fruit stand and market just before dark only to find out there was no lodging in Descanso – oops! Fortunately, the woman who ran the fruit stand offered us a ride BACK to Pine Valley where they had a nice motel room waiting for us. At least it was only 5 miles by highway.We got a room at the only hotel in Pine Valley, grabbed burgers at Major’s Diner, and crashed out after cleaning a bit of mud off of ourselves and our bikes. Our plan was to get a ride back to the route in the morning, which usually isn’t difficult for two smiling women to do 
Day 3:
Major’s Diner opened at 6am and we rolled in at about 6:30. There were a few trucks outside, but no real suspects. The group of high-school kids seemed hung over and the middle-aged guys who owned most of the trucks were already paid up by the time we sat down. After getting a couple mountain muffins (english muffins with bacon and egg) we also grabbed a large sweet roll in a ziplock for later in the day.
The waitress told us about Ernie, a retired cowboy who usually hangs out at the gas station next door. She said she trusts him, so he’d be the one to ask for a ride. We headed over to the gas station to find Ernie – big grey beard and black cowboy hat. If he didn’t have a pipe, he should have! We interrupted his morning bench warming outside the gas station and he was happy to help us out. He told his friend, he’d catch him a little later. I’m sure they resumed right where they left off after Ernie’s morning adventure of dropping us back at the trail.
Ernie dropped us back at the bottom of the fire-road and we bundled up and hit some great singletrack. We then jumped back on the highway and descended for a couple of miles before slipping through a gate onto the Merrigan trail – a very fun doubletrack which took us back into Descanso.
From Descanso, we climbed up to the top of the ridge then took a screaming descent on Old Viejas road to the Viejas reservation. Here we jumped on some twisty fun singletrack paralleling the interstate. I love looking down at the “other half” living life on the interstate going 85mph. The singletrack took us into Alpine, a very cool little town, where we quickly breezed through to avoid the temptations of creature comforts – we still had a ways to go.
Leaving Alpine, we headed through a residential area before cutting back out into wilderness. This skirted Loveland Reservoir, Syucan Peak and McGinty Mountain before dropping us into Rancho San Diego.
Winding and climbing through the trail system next to Sweetwater Reservoir, the work for the day wasn’t over, but it was rewarding with views of a beautiful wetland and well preserved little getaway.
After the reservoir, we started getting close to civilization with horse trails, and bike paths along the sweetwater river. We passed under interstates where homeless made shelter and rode along the river all the way to the harbor. The harbor was a welcome site, but as Sarah admitted, will be difficult for anyone living in the area as it feels pretty close to home. It was nice smelling all the restaurants and the ocean at this point. We headed north along a bike route and eventually streets to tie into the GPS route Brendan, Zander and I created weeks ago.
Success!
By this point, Sarah and I were a bit spent and happy to head to her house for pizza and unwinding. This was the best women’s ride I’ve ever had. Sarah was a blast to follow on the dowhills and we both pushed each other on the climbs. We kept moving and had lots to chat about, also.
Brendan and Zander met us at Sarah and Ernesto’s house and I got one of the best baby hugs ever. This was the first time I’d been away from Zander overnight! and it was for 3 hard days of pedaling.
More Pictures
Back at the salt mine now, with this to dream about!
Just after high school, someone told me “you should write a book.” I’m not much of a writer, but I am beginning to build some great stories in this big adventure.
It’s been three years since I started my blog and I find myself at a crossroad… recovered from pregnancy and childbirth and back on the way up, physically. I now wonder, what next!? I’ve ridden my bike in all but a handful of states in the US, and seen some beautiful stuff, while doing so. I’ve accomplished lots in the bike world. I’ve also got a job I love in an idyllic place, a wonderful family, great friends… and a beautiful green bike (built by my husband, of course) with a trailer for my super cute kiddo! What more could a woman ask for 
The current chapter of this life novel, revolves around my beautiful new son, Alexander Ray. Having a kid has made me analyze my list of priorities and he’s number one. I want to provide the best possible for this guy. I don’t just mean financially, but all of the REAL stuff that a kid needs to grow up confident, secure and compassionate. I’ve been working on some cool projects with and for him and find that my blog will be taking a slight turn as I want to share this stuff. I mean… I will continue to adventure and explore, but he will be a consideration in that. I will continue to make cool stuff and learn about the world, but he will be there experiencing all of that with me. It’s a wonderful and exciting time for us both!
Now, to share some of our recent adventures and what we’ve got coming up…
We’ve been caught up a bit lately with Ride the Divide screenings. First Monterey, then Newport Beach, then Idyllwild. We’ve got another one coming up at a super cool pub in San Diego on Adams Ave: Blind Lady Ale House, June 21st
We may also be attending a screening in Tucson July 7th at the Loft Cinema, Tucson’s Nonprofit Independent Art House. Alexander is going to know this movie verbatim by the time we’re done with screenings.
Alexander has also had many personal developments in the last couple of months. He had his first long night with his daddy when I went to Los Angeles for a school fundraiser and tanked some bottles!
He’s four months old now and is holding his head up pretty well and is very engaged with people and toys.
We also made him a garden. Well, we built it and put dirt, compost etc. (been composting for about 8 months) in it, but haven’t planted the plants yet.
Now, just this week, he started rolling onto his side.
We’ve also been working on sign language with him. The only one that he seems to recognize, so far is for MILK. We’re also working on Change, Mommy, Daddy, Water (took him to the creek for that one), Sleepy and Toys. Those are most of the important things in his life right now.
He’s becoming very vocal, too. When we read books to him, or when he’s playing with his toys, he starts cooing. He watches our lips when we read and moves his along with us. It’s just so amazing to see this little guy’s brain soaking things up – we gotta get a video camera!
Brendan and I have decided that we need to concentrate on our own nutrition and exercise even more, so we can keep up with this guy. I’ve added flax and molasses into our diet. I have been making sourdough waffles from the starter that Brendan’s mom gave me and incorporating more nuts and seeds and fresh fruit. Brendan has been running and I have been getting up early to work out. It’s going to be a tough road… getting these core muscles back, and the first week was a bit painful.
We’re pretty lucky, so far, with this happy kid. He seems to soak things up and is growing like a weed. He has doubled his birth weight and his health and demeanor rub off on us!
I think that book will have to be written after I’m dead. The adventures keep happening so fast, there’s not even a break in the action for a different chapter.
Well… it’s finally here! This coming weekend April 2nd & 3rd in Vail Colorado will be the world premiere of Ride the Divide film during the Annual Vail Film Festival. The documentary covers the 2008 Tour Divide following Me, Matthew Lee, Mike Dion and other racers as we battled the Rockies over 2,700 miles from Banff AB Canada to the Mexican border along the Continental Divide.
We have decided to support the film by putting up a complete beautiful divide-ready bike; We definitely know what that means, since we’ve had 3 bikes finish Tour Divide… so far! The bike will be raffled off amongst people who purchase dvds from the Ride the Divide website.
There are screenings scheduled throughout the Rockies and also at Sea Otter and even here in Idyllwild, over the next couple of months. I will be going to some of the screenings to answer questions and will be signing posters at Sea Otter.
Stay tuned to our blogs and we’ll have more details on the divide-ready bike and screenings. In the meantime, good luck to the guys at the Vail Film Festival this weekend!
Another stellar weekend with Idyllwild fall weather. Saturday, I went to Orange County to have a girls night with CarolAnn and her friends.
Sunday, was for riding and enjoying Idyllwild.
As I passed 7 months and the belly is starting to touch my seat when climbing, I’ve gone to only shorter rides. This weekend I had a nice little ride out by the Arts Academy and Brendan took some fun pics. We ran into Don, Marlin, Dave, Doug and about 10 other people on a nice group ride. It was good riding for a brief time with those guys, but they’re too fast to be in the photos.
It’s kinda funny what the new curve does to argyle!
I definitely think the baby got in a nice nap while rockin’ and rollin’.
Last weekend, our good friend Matt traveled out from Tucson and we hit Palm Canyon, once again. I’m now 7 months along, so it was quite a ride!
We couldn’t have asked for better weather and even though the guys had a huge ride the day before, we still got a decent start time in the morning.
I’m blaming it on the pregnancy brain, but I totally forgot my wingnut at home and put my new cleats on backwards!! Fortunately, the guys had enough food and drink to go around – plus, I’m carrying this growing kid (weighing in at 2lbs 5oz the week before) and all the extra padding for him!
Fortunately, I’ve put on some beefier tires recently, so the new center of gravity isn’t throwing me off too much. I’m still able to shred the good stuff.
Towards the end, I took the shortcut down Dunn Road while the guys shredded the uber-techy Art Smith trail. I was a little worried about that part, not to mention, a bit tired.
I decided, at the end of this ride, that it was my last long one. I feel like I’m going into a tough home stretch where the kid is taking my energy again and the weight is taking it’s toll on my back. I’ve already gained over 20 lbs and it’s only starting to pick up now. He’s constantly kicking and moving (at the last ultrasound, we saw him punch my bladder!!) I think, with all this movement, is a happy and thriving, developing kid.
What an exciting time!
You can also read Brendan’s post about our Vegas/St. George/Hurricane trip but here are some pics from a few days off. We met some pretty cool people, hung out with some old friends and shred some new trails.
It started with Vegas Thursday morning. We helped out a little in the World Bicycle Relief Booth and also met up with many good friends. At the Magura booth, I met Nadine and Martin who are just about finished with their around-the-world ride. They’ve been riding since 2003 and cover between 50 and 80 miles a day. They live off of $3,000 USD per year, camping and cooking on a little stove. Nadine said their gear weighed between 130 and 150 lbs at any point. They’ve seen temps between -1degree and 120degrees F. and ridden between -1,292ft and 17,500ft and canoed about 2,600 miles of the route.
Here’s Nadine and Martin’s website – www.weltenbummler2003.de (click on the british flag for the English site.
I also met up with Tour Divide aficionados Matthew Lee and Jay Petervary at Cross Vegas. Matthew had ridden from Salt Lake to Vegas with a Cannondale crew and a Mercedes Unimog as a sag vehicle. It was good to meet Jay and catch up with Matthew.
Cross-Vegas Craziness – always fun to watch!
The other Vegas Spectacle that we indulged in was a VIP RaceFace party at some beautiful estate north of Vegas. RaceFace is a sponsor of mine, so they sent me an invite. How I got mixed up into this downhill/freeride crowd, is a little of a mystery, but they know how to throw a party. The party was sponsored by pinkbike.com and RaceFace and was hosted by Tippie and Wade Simmons as a preview to the new freeride flic – What’s Next? – a film by Aaron Larocque. There was a waterfall spilling into the pool with a hot tub behind the waterfall and a huge movie screen to watch the premiere. I felt a little old at a party of big-bike guys and gals, but it was a fun scene.
Cameraphone pic, but you get the idea – RaceFace limos out to the premiere
View from the balcony looking down into the pool with palm trees and the big screen.
After LV, we headed to St. George to catch up with our friend and fellow beautiful-bike builder Jon Hanson of Sabrosa Cycles (he models his own softgoods because he and the bikes are beautiful.) Somehow – we’re still not sure how this good fate fell upon us – Jon scored a tour of the supersonic test track on Hurricane Mesa wher Brendan’s great uncle worked in the 50′s. Jack was excited to show us around the largest privately owned test track in the U.S. and they still do ejection seat testing for private companies and the military. Jack said the track is “rated for mach 2, but we try to keep it around mach 1.”
The end of the track – where they used to fire things go off the Mesa (in ejection seats) – including pigs and chimps!
It was great hanging out with Jon, his wife Daleena and daughter Noelle in St. George. Wonderful people with beautiful bikes and VWs, an awesome garden, chickens and pomegranate bushes.
We headed out to Gooseberry Mesa for the night, only to end up back in Hurricane Saturday morning to meet up with friend and divide racer Dave Nice. He works at Over the Edge Sports in Hurricane. He had to work in the morning, but then we were able to get out for a ride on “Guacamole” with a group of good guys.
Need Coffeeee……
Ride leader – Dave Nice – super sweet guy and great rider
Saturday night, Over the Edge hosted “afterbike” which is an annual event with Dave’s chili, beer boiled brats, and lots of locals who brought potluck dishes. I also met Lucy Ormond, a local nurse, at the bbq. Unfortunately, no pic of Lucy, but she just finished riding coast to coast on the northern tier. We talked a little about that readjustment to every day life, which is what she’s going through right now. It was great to hear her stories and there are more to come on her blog “Lucy’s Big Adventures” http://clucygo.blogspot.com I always love meeting Lucy-types. She’s done lots of other long distance tours and has plans for future escapes and is working on a book.
Saturday night we headed back to the mesa for camping. I was feeling a little under the weather, so in the morning, when Brendan met up with a bunch of guys for a ride, I decided to go for a hike instead. I figured it’s good practice for when the baby comes and I’m wearing him around in a sling or backpack. I was also able to get lots of great pics that we normally wisk by when riding.
Many of you have probably noticed that my blogging has been lighter than usual for the past few months. Well… I’ve been spending some time and energy with this little guy.
It’s the sweet pea, there between the cross hatches. This ultrasound was done a couple of months ago when the little guy was just over 6 weeks old. Now that I’m past the first trimester, I am a little more comfortable sharing all of this, plus it’s becoming obvious!
Brendan and I are elated at this big change in our lives. I think every day of something I’d like him to make in the shop. It’ll be a little while before the Siren push-bike, but a musical mobile made at the Siren shop will surely be beautiful
My biking hasn’t needed to change much. During the first trimester, they say that you should keep your core temperature and heart rate down so you don’t cook the little guy but other than that and of course you can’t wreck. I’ve definitely reeled it in on the technical stuff but I’ve still been able to do some overnights. The baby has already covered a good number of trails in the area, to include climbing up San Gorgonio and exploring the Idyllwild area extensively.
In the last couple of weeks, the guys have been feeling more fit as I slow down a little. The tables are turning as my strength to weight ratio isn’t exactly what it used to be. Even though the guys are catching up, I still have a lot of fun shredding for two!
This will add a new dimension to my blog and a new chapter to my life. Last year’s story was about the Tour Divide; this year will be about training and exploring with a Baby on Board. I will continue to share pics of the beautiful places that we explore, but also share insights into this new realm.
What an exciting weekend so far. My old teammate, Todd and the other Siren/WBR guys went to the 24 hours of Big Bear in West Virginia. Unfortunately, Todd and Chris both wrecked out late in the day yesterday, but were holding awesome in 5th and 6th at the time. Brad, however, pulled through with 3rd place – Congratulations Brad!
The other excitement this weekend was the beginning of Tour Divide. This will be a fun one to watch and is especially fun for me since I know a lot of what they are facing. Matthew Lee joined the racers and is tearing it up out there.
Also, my bud Cannon is doing superb out there. He’s riding a Siren and a good friend of mine and Brendan’s. There arejust so many people this year including many women and a tandem. Cricket (super cool lady from North Carolina) is currently in the lead for the women. It’s bound to be entertaining! Stay tuned and watch the leaderboard and listen to Joe Polk’s mtbcasts.
http://mtbcast.com/wordpress/
http://tourdivide.org/leaderboard
It’s been over a month since I had a blog entry, but life has, in no way, been boring! Here’s a quick run-down of the past month, and if you can hang on till the end, my adventures have taken a turn.
The Julian Death March was April 18th. Gordon came out from San Diego for support and I rode with my Idyllwild guys, Doug and Ian, and had a blast. It was a bit harder this year with the addition of the Oriflame climb, but just as beautiful!
The following week I got my eyes checked and the doc asked me… “how have you been driving?” Evidently I was pretty badly nearsighted but you don’t know it until you see how things are supposed to look. I “scored” these faux carbon fiber spectacles and I can really see further ahead on the trail!
Then, I headed out to the Whiskey Offroad in Prescott to meet up with some Tucson and St. George friends. 
I camped with the Siren crew and made a long weekend of it. Prescott wasn’t about being competitive, it was about hanging out with the guys. Sarah K., Lynda, and Johanna all rocked it in the women’s field, though.
Post event ride with Brendan, Craig and Dan… always fun, and entertaining!
Then, a week and a half ago, Brendan came out and we volunteered for the local xc race (mostly because we’d both get chewed up and spit out if we tried to race it) and swept the long course. It was good to see a lot of the girls and fun to ride – again – with no pressure to go fast.
Lastly, this past weekend was another marathon driving weekend back to Tucson.
As Summer rolls around, the ghia prefers to drive at night. A black air-cooled vw just isn’t fun in 105 degree temps.
While in Tucson, we went and checked out the Kitts Peak Observatory in preparation for an evening of Star Trek. \\//
So, my upcoming adventures… well, they’ve taken a turn! As far as the divide goes, if I’m going to go back out there, I want it to be because I’m ready to do something amazing! I don’t think I’m ready to do that so I have decided to put the divide on the back burner for a year. I’ve got other fish to fry for now, but TD truly does get under your skin and I hope to be able to take another stab at it.
As I’ve always said, big changes provide a new wave to surf and I’m excited. Intense has been great to me, but I’m talking to a good friend about making me a hardtail and jammin’ together on the trails of Tucson! ♣
Exciting stuff again! We’re heading out to Interbike in a few hours and meeting up with lots of friends, sponsors and industry contacts. Looks like things are shaping up for us to do some cool stuff next year (more on that later.)
The fun part about going out is that we get to drive through the Mojave Desert in the middle of the night. (Hopefully, we won’t miss our turn this time… oops!) I’ll update with some pics once we get there, but we’re super excited. Tomorrow and Thursday will be appointments and some business. Then we’re going to the Fashion Show thursday night, where we’re hoping to meet up. After that, we’re going out with other racers and fun people.
Friday is time for Gooseberry Mesa! We’ll drive there in the morning, get some riding in later in the day and then camp under the stars. We might be able to sneak in another ride Saturday morning, before heading back home.
The other exciting news is a new partnership that I will have for 2009. Many of you have probably heard of World Bicycle Relief. For 2009, I will be teaming up with WBR to help promote the power of bicycles in developing nations. WBR does some super cool stuff and I’m really excited to join up with them. They partner with relief organizations to provide quality bicycles to people who need them (the bikes cost $109 each.) They also try to improve the quality of life for men, women and children in developing nations with bicycles.
We haven’t worked out the details of it yet, but maybe I can get people to pledge a dollar per mile for Tour Divide next year! (that could buy 28 bikes) OK, 50cents a mile (it is a long ways)? I can definitely take WBR info to hand out at races so you can all learn about them too.
So, we’ll have more on that, but for now I’m just excited to help bring awareness to what WBR is doing. It’s pretty cool to be a part of something bigger than yourself, which I hope to do.
We’ve gotta run, but I’ll leave you with a cool pic that Stephen Gleasner took of me on Tour Divide. This is what I’ve made up for Sponsors.
Adios!
Mary
