Getting Ready for the Canadian section of the GDMBR

I bumped into my one confirmed blog fan this morning and they complained that I haven't posted anything in months.  Sorry Mark, it's true, I've been slacking on the blogging. However, I have been active in other ways to get ready for the Canadian section of the GDMBR so I'll start posting again.  Another impetus for looking at the old blog posts was a question this morning from a member of my new GDMBR group about SteriPENs.

I fondly remember our 2008 GDMBR group gathering around a water hole in the Gila in southern New Mexico to  use our various water purification systems for the first time on our ride.  I still get a chuckle remembering one of the group saying that he had convinced himself that his system was good, because he had filtered his urine with it and it tasted fine!  Meanwhile someone else was trying to get the green light to come on when they used their SteriPEN.  At the same time someone else was just taking their filter out of the box and reading the directions for the first time.

On that trip I used a MSR MiniWaterWorks ceramic filter and pump.  It worked fine until I dropped the ceramic filter and broke it.  Fortunately, that was after my trip was done. This time I am using a Platypus GravityWorks system that comes highly recommended from some bikepackers of the Colorado Trail.

I've also switched my bike, my sleeping systems, my cooking systems, and (sorry BOB) no trailer this time.

Okay Mark, get ready for some blog posts.

In the meantime here is taste of the country.

New Title and New Start

It has been way too long, but I am back. Many hard lessons were learned three years ago on the GDMBR, and I will not be repeating the same mistakes. The two biggest lessons were: (1) trying to haul too much stuff; and (2) having a bike that did not fit properly. I was glued to the saddle, because I could not stand up on when it was loaded. It was too unstable. I also carried too much weight (water) on my back, which when combined with being stuck on the saddle made me prone to saddle sores. There were many other lessons for sure.

A couple of weeks ago I signed up for the Adventure Cycling trip of the Canadian end of the GDMBR! Last Friday I bought a Trek (Gary Fisher) Superfly. Wow, what a ride! I was actually trying to buy a Cannondale Flash 2, but none were to be found in Albuquerque. There are various versions of the reason why there are no decent Cannondales in Albuquerque, but it does not matter anymore. The deed is done. I will be eating Alpo and sleeping in the doghouse for a while, but it is worth it.

The first time my wife saw me about 37 years ago I was carrying a bike up some stairs at the college where we met. I had just ridden it from Boston to Santa Fe, NM. I still use that bike to commute. I doubt my new carbon Superfly will last anywhere near that number of years, but while it lasts the new ride even beats steel.

I have had very painful bilateral plantar fascists for about a year and a half. Actually one foot healed up this summer, but the other has persisted. Other than a very pleasant half day bicycle tour in Atlanta this summer I have not ridden for well over a year. Yesterday I rode the Superfly about ten miles in some tough terrain in the foothills. I was able to do every trail with ease. This is the bike I have been looking for for several years.

As a bonus, my Epic Designs (now Revelate Designs) rackless system fit perfectly from the "Bloated Mule." I added a new rackless handlebar system, and I need to make some minor repairs to the the old gear. In any case it really feels good to be back on the bike again. It is also great to have a goal and a plan.

Busy Bees

Winter Gardening

It has been awhile since I have updated this blog. Although I have been slacking in that regard, I have been very busy working towards year-round gardening. In terms of the continuing the GDMBR tour, it does not look like 2010, will be the year that I get back on the GDMBR. It is more likely I will be available for at least a section or two in 2011. In the meantime, besides being available to help my dad after his stroke, and my wife after her hip replacement, I have put a lot of time and effort into our gardens. All of these pictures are from my yard in January 2010! It usually gets down into the low twenties (F) each night, and has been down into the teens a few times too.

This is broccoli raab in bloom. I am letting it go to seed.

The chickens are a big help (not). Greenhouse type plastic goes over the PVC hoops. I also use agcloth directly on the plants to keep them from freezing. The yellow sticking cards catch hatches of bugs very efficiently.

These greens taste even better than they look.

This time of the year is actually as busy as any preparing new gardens and developing the older ones. One of my granddaughter helped me unload this horse manure for the compost piles.

Spec, a Speckled Sussex hen, hid this nest of eggs in an old dog house under the deck.

This weekend a goldfinch was making beautiful music high in our apple tree near where I was harvesting greens for the upcoming week. I was lucky to get a couple of quick snaps with the camera before he flew off.

I have not biked much recently. There has been a lot of major road construction on my commute route. I am sure it will be wonderful when it is completed, but it is fairly dangerous for biking right now. However, to help motivate myself to get off the winter feedlot soon, I did sign up for the Santa Fe Century in May. That was the same day my dad had the stroke last year. Hopefully it will be uneventful this year. In any case, I hope whatever, your plans are for 2010, that you have a great time.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

I was hoping to knock off another section of the GDMBR this summer, but all spring I had a feeling in my gut that it would not be possible. My wife had a Total Hip Replacement on April 1st, so I knew my time would be limited.


On May 17th when I finished up the Santa Fe Century I turned my phone back on and found I had a voice mail from my brother. I do not ever remember my brother calling so I knew it would be serious. Our 83 year old dad had had a stroke that morning. Fortunately my brother walked into the house as it happened and called 911 immediately. The EMTs responded very quickly and our dad survived.


I had one more week of teaching, including Final Exams to administer before I could easily depart. Within 3 days dad was transferred to a Rehab Hospital. It took almost another week to get the house in a condition so that my wife could function safely. Our gardens were coming along, and she was making good progress with her new hip. With mixed emotions I left New Mexico for New England. It is a long drive to do solo (about 2200 miles). Nevertheless I made it in a little over three days.

Even before I arrived I received a call from the Rehab Hospital and told that I needed to transfer him to a nursing home. I was also told that he would need 24/7 care for the rest of his life. However, when I arrived at the Rehab Hospital I really did not see the need for the nursing home. The unspoken reason he could not return home I discovered was that his house of sixty years was uninhabitable. It took five weeks and 45 cubic yards of dumpsters to clean it up enough to avoid serious health and safety issues. Then I started remodeling the house so that he could come home.

In this picture the yellow bowl that I am mixing the brownie mix in is the same bowl I had my first bath in in this house almost 57 years ago!




Although this may seem like a lot of junk, it represents less than 1% of the stuff that was removed from the premises.




This door had been unusable for the last 60 years. With the ramp and gentle stairs it is the main entrance now.







I did not take any before pictures, because I do not want to remember it that way. I literally entered the house with a sledge hammer in one hand and a Sawzall in the other. It was the result of several people with severe Hoarding Disorder living together. It is not worth remembering.



Dad is so much happier at home. They were good to him at the nursing home, but he lost a lot of freedom. Everyone is relieved to have a clean house with a functional kitchen comfortable bed to sleep in.

Home Sweet Home!

After two full non-stop months, and just moments before I departed in tears of joy and sadness.

Was it worth it? Absolutely!

Will it last? I think so. I hope so...

Close Call!

I made this video after a near disaster at the same intersection (Moon and Academy) on Tuesday. The most common complaint motorists have of bicyclists is that they run red lights. At about 5:55 am (according to my SPOT GPS tracker) on Tuesday I was approximately at this position on the street traveling about 17-18 mph when this traffic light turned green. There was one vehicle making a left turn and I was traveling straight through. As I approached the median I could see that the westbound vehicle on Academy was not slowing from the 50 mph speed limit. I braked hard at the median and the westbound vehicle braked suddenly too. Although I survived the near impact I was in the middle of the six lane (plus a median) intersection against the light. Shaken and with few options I continued through the intersection. The vehicle that braked was in the left lane and they abruptly turned right and followed me for about a quarter mile. No words were exchanged. Just as abruptly the driver did a U-turn and left me to my commute.

The video is intensely boring, but instructive none-the-less. I read accident reports to glean tips to improve the safety of my bicycle riding. In that same vein I returned to this intersection early this morning with my camera to record whether my perception of the extremely short traffic light cycle was accurate. I was not far off. It seems that the green light from Moon to Academy at this time of the day (actually night) is about 7-8 seconds and the yellow is about 3 seconds. I believe Federal DOT regulations call for a minimum 4 second yellow light. However, if you count "0 and, 1 and, 2 and, 3," then that is at best all I see. What is one second among friends?

Well if the speed limit is 50 mph, and at that time of the morning the driver is actually going 60 mph, then that translates to approximately 88 feet per second. I am approximating that is more than the distance across the entire intersection. So, one stinking second makes a lot of difference! If a driver uses Academy at this time of the day regularly, then they have observed that the red light for them is quite short and they may be tempted to ignore it. Alternately, if they are diddling with their radio, coffee, or bagel, then they may not even notice that the light changed.

In any case, it does not really matter, because pedestrians and "bicyclists do not pay gasoline tax and should not be on the road anyway." Even if you run over a blind man with a white cane in this town no ticket will be issued, because he was not in a crosswalk. Unless drugs or alcohol are a factor, then essentially nothing will happen to the driver. Even then it is doubtful whether a citation will be given. Despite this the city has done some good things for pedestrians and bicyclists. Nevertheless, including this situation at Academy and Moon I have had 4 incidents with drivers during my commute this week. That is a extremely high, because it is usually 1 or 2 per month. I bike commute 31 miles per day, so my opportunities for problems is higher than most people.

I have been bicycling for about 50 years. It is a choice and a lifestyle. At the same time based on my extensive cycling experience in many places I have some serious issues with the city traffic engineers. For example, they have intentionally removed crosswalks at bike paths. This means you are J-Walking every time you cross an intersection at a bike/pedestrian path. In some places special lights have been installed to warn (tip off) drivers that there is a bicyclist or pedestrian potentially in the intersection (without a crosswalk). I say "tip off" because some drivers accelerate at you while you are crossing.

The especially dangerous intersections for these antisocial behaviors are at San Mateo and the Hahn Arroyo path and at Eubank and the Bear Canyon path. The most dangerous situations are when a westbound driver is making a left from Ponderosa to southbound San Mateo, and similarly from some strip mall/apartment driveway onto Eubank (same orientation westbound to southbound). They will consistently floorboard it at you. Since drivers do not seem to be able to control this impulse, I believe these turns should be made illegal. There should not be any left turns across a pedestrian/bike path. Furthermore, the speed limit should be reduced to a maximum of 25 mph at these crossings. There may be other places where this is happening, but those are the two places that are familiar to me.

The other very dangerous traffic engineering practice that regularly occurs all over this city is that the yellow lights are not always a full 4 seconds as per the DOT regulations. Combined with a very short green light for the side street traffic, the drivers on the main streets are essentially being conditioned to ignore their red light.

Getting back to the video you may have noticed the cyclist who happened to come along as I was filming. I did not know her, nor did I say anything to her, but she did what may be the most safe thing - she ran the red light when there was no cross traffic. At this particular intersection that is what I may have to do in the future. If a car does not come along, the detectors in the pavement do not recognize a bike. For a short while last summer they did and it was great, but that quickly changed.

Besides safely running non-responsive red lights, from time to time I hear reports of cyclists getting tickets for not touching at least one foot to the pavement at a red light or stop sign. This wise rider did not and I often don't either. At many intersections and crossings to start from a dismounted position is practically signing your own death warrant. It is too slow for the speeds that vehicles are traveling toward you. Even at 30 mph vehicles are traveling 44 feet per second. Where the heck do they drive only 30 mph in this town? Maybe in school zones?

If you dismount, then you are far more likely to be run over when you start up. However, if you stay on the pedals (sitting or standing) then you can quickly change directions and move out of their path. Personally I prefer to be standing on my pedals when I am at or in an intersection for two reasons. First it gives you a much larger profile; not that anyone will admit that they saw some big idiot dressed like a tropical bird on a bike. Second, if you get hit it is easier it launch yourself on to their hood instead of falling under their wheels. Smile, take the ticket, and live to tell about it.

Let me clarify one thing. During the day when the traffic lights are running according to a programed cycle instead of on demand (for vehicles, not for bicycles) I stop and rest one or two feet on the ground at red lights. However, at night it depends on the circumstances. For example, during the winter months my glasses fog up within 10 seconds if I am not moving. How safe is that? I wear big lobster mitts and cannot doff and don my glasses quickly. What is the safest thing to do (besides stay in bed or drive to work)? Enough complaining. It is a beautiful day and I am going for a long ride. Be safe!

Trail Magic, Trail Curse

Last summer I responded to an Internet request for help from one of the Tour Divide racers, Domink Scherer. Unfortunately, I did not review the Tour Divide Race rules prior to lending my rear wheel to Domink to finish the race. His request for help that was posted on the Tour Divide Race Blog completely threw me off guard. I assumed that the request would not have been posted if it was not legitimate. I was wrong. The consequence was that the Trail Magic that I performed became a Trail Curse. Domink was disqualified.

I received an email to that effect from Matthew Lee last October. I respect Matthew and would never intentionally do anything to interfere during the race. In the future I will avoid following the race(s) so that I am not tempted to lend assistance again. Perhaps an "UnWanted" Poster would be appropriate to warn future racers against the danger of fans like myself? In my case it will not be necessary, because I will not be supporting the races in the future.

I had never had any contact with Domink prior to lending him my wheel. At the time I had interpreted the rules, which I vaguely remembered, to mean that there could not be any "prearranged" help or resupply. However, according to Matthew the key point that the disqualification rested on was the fact that I drove the wheel to Dominik rather than shipping it to him.

Apparently Matthew was pressured to enforce this particular rule. However, while we are remembering rules let's also remember a rule that a race event through any National Forest must have a permit. Neither the GDR or the Tour Divide have ever bothered to obtain a permit to pass through any National Forest. This fact has been plainly discussed in various online forums. I believe that it is only a matter of time until someone dies during one of these races.

It was very close for two racers in northern New Mexico a couple of years ago. Last year it was challenging to discern real danger from whining in the Gila National Forest for one particular Tour Divide Racer. He said that he was in a "life or death" struggle. However, he rode right past the only help in many miles during a monsoon rain. Perhaps he was just lucky, or perhaps he exaggerated his situation. In either case it is only a matter of time until something tragic happens. The most likely place is in New Mexico when the racers are most fatigued and the food and water logistics are the most challenging.

About a month ago I receive a German mountain biking magazine from Domink containing an article about about his Tour Divide experience. He included a translation for me, and I was very touched. The article mentions how his participation in the rescue of the lady who drove off the side of a mountain in Colorado changed the whole race experience for him. We discussed it after the race and I shared with him a situation in my life that fundamentally changed my life forever. I have never been the same person since then, and a similar thing happened to him during that rescue.

So, in some ways it does not matter at all that he was disqualified. What does matter is that the races are conducted in a manner that fair and honest. Since I apparently inadvertently upset that balance I will also disqualify myself from following the races in the future. That is not to say that I don't think the races should continue. However, I am skeptical about the quality of decisions that some racers make when it really is "life or death." New Mexico can be harsh to the unprepared and the misinformed. Be safe. Ride hard. Enjoy.

The main impetus for this blog came from reading harrowing accounts of GDMBR riders and racers as they traveled through New Mexico. I hoped to provide enough information about the realities here to make your GDMBR journey through New Mexico more interesting and safer. I did not include the usual statistics about how many miles we rode each day and how much elevation we gained and lost. I have included a lot of logistic information and captioned photos.

My wife is in desperate need a a hip replacement, so I probably will not be able to continue my GDMBR trip this summer. However, as I do continue on the GDMBR I will update this blog. For those who are planning to either ride or race the GDMBR feel free to contact me about the conditions in New Mexico.