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.

El Tour de Tucson 2008

Naran extended the invitation to join him in Tucson in November for El Tour de Tucson during our GDMBR ride this summer. It would be the only official century event I would participate in this year, because the GDMBR precluded most of my road riding. Despite limited riding for three weeks prior due to flu symptoms, lack of sleep due to a lousy room, and no breakfast I presented myself at the start five minutes before the gun. It took about twenty minutes to ride past the official start point after the leaders took off.




We had a mild headwind for the first 30 miles or so. After about 8 miles you have your first "river" crossing, which fortunately was not flowing at this time. The rules require you to walk your bike; carrying it is optional.

On the other side was the first rest stop and entertainment.

I learned the night before the race/tour that Naran had been stung by a bee earlier in the week and would not be joining me at the start. He decided to do the 66 mile version, and we promised to meet up near the second river crossing/ hike-a-bike section about 46 miles into my ride. Despite two flats I made it on time and we rode the rest of the race/tour together.

Sunset in Tucson from Naran's backyard.

Thanks Naran! It was a lot of fun!!

Pueblo Pintado

On my way home from the Chuska Challenge I stayed quite north of I-40, and for awhile I was on the alternate route of the GDMBR between Cuba and Grants, New Mexico. The Pueblo Pintado ruins are 1.7 miles off route, but well worth the detour if you have the time and ambition.

On GDMBR Map 5B on the Chaco Alternative somewhere near mile 53 (on the map) there is a marked sign to Chaco Canyon. If you are southbound then about a 1/4 mile past that are some large, tall water towers and another unmarked turn to the north. That is the turn to the Pueblo Pintado ruins. At first the dirt road seems like it is just headed for some house trailers to the west, but then it turns more northerly and curves around past the dirt track to the ruins on a little knoll.



This shot is looking back to the water towers where you turn from the main road (center of picture). Click to enlarge.



Watch out for rattlesnakes in the warm months.



A house on the hill.

Definitely click to enlarge and be able to read the description of the site.

Chuska Challenege 2008

The 2008 (14th) Chuska Challenge was progressing well until the rains came in. In the early afternoon the roads and trails were getting slippery, and then slick. Finally they became barely passable.



After slogging through mud for a couple of hours, around 5 pm, the main mission became to keep from getting hypothermia. Even in my Canadian military style jacket and high tech clothes I was starting to get cold whenever I stopped moving for more than a few minutes. Many of the participants just wore cotton jeans and sweat shirts with sneakers. Only a few had any kind of rain gear. Some of the kids were starting to get really cold.

The Navajo Rangers and others were starting to make their way to us through the mud in four-wheel drive pickups and one ATV. After loading my bike onto the back of an already full pickup I hitched a ride on the back of a four-wheeler (ATV). Along the way we picked up a shivering young man and stuck him between the driver and me to warm him up. Then we came upon a bonfire. We got off to warm up. More and more vehicles starting arriving to aide in the rescue operation. No one got hurt and we all got out safely.










These are some tough people, with excellent back country survival skills. There was never any anger; just lots of wonderful smiles and a willingness to help each other. What a great experience!

My camera stopped working due to mud and moisture about 2/3 of the way through the course. The above pictures are from Tom Riggenbach and below is a copy of an email from him. If you are charitably inclined, then please consider making a donation to this very worthy cause.

Good evening all, Though it's doubtful that the memories of Chuska weekend are likely to fade anytime soon, I thought I would send you all a few pictures of the adventure. [The photos will come in two batches of eight.] We're thankful for everyone coming out and supporting the cause, and really appreciate everyone keeping a great attitude through the challenge. The team spirit that you all exhibited - folks lending a hand any way that they could to make sure their fellow riders make it back safely . . . . that was an awesome thing to see! Ahehe to you all for that. If anyone would still like to make a donation to the cause or get your friends to do so, the Chuska fund-raising page is still open. It's at www.firstgiving.com/chuska2008. The race for the rug will end after the weekend. Right now, Dave Dunton is the top pledge collector, with just over $300 in pledges. Also, the final rug from the auction is still available at the Y.E.S. Trading Post, which can be found on the Y.E.S. website at http://www.navajoyes.org/. The Trading Post has lots of Navajo art, Grand Canyon prints and tons of outdoor gear! Check it out. Makes for some good holiday shopping, too. Thanks again for your participation and support. And a hearty thank you to our sponsors - Single Track Bikes of Flagstaff, BHP Billiton (Navajo Mine) and Ted's Shed of Kickapoo. Major thanks also to all the Chuska volunteers, the entire and amazing Y.E.S. board, the Navajo Rangers and Dine' College! Our year-round outings and programs for youth just got a major boost because of your support. The 15th Chuska is set for Saturday, October 10. Hope to see you all then! Take care. - Tom

Adobe Bike

I just got back from the Chuska Challenge and it took me four hours to clean up my bike and gear. We were out in the Chuska Mountains in the Navajo Nation just northeast of Canyon de Chelly in northeastern Arizona. My camera lens cover stopped working after my second wipe out in the mud so I was not able to document the whole experience. Despite having to be rescued out of the mud I had a great time and will write it up as soon as I can. In the meantime consider these photos.

This shot was the next day about half way home after I cleaned enough mud off to barely be able to lift the bike on to the rack. The camera dried out and started working again so I was able to document the mud. Keep in mind that there was actually 3-4 times as much mud on the bike. Every spoke was full so that it looked like a solid wheel. The tire looked several times larger. The brakes did not work. At one point another Chuska Challenger joked that it looked like I had a Harley. It really did look and feel that way too! I could barely lift the front wheel out of the bottom of the ruts. At times I would have to dig the mud off the wheels about every ten feet just to be able to push ten more feet.



I was having a little trouble shifting. Others noted that their chains were skipping too.









I hate to sound like a whiner, but my brakes were not working too hot either!



Oh, one last thing. I had some difficulty clipping in. In fact, I could not even find the pedals!!



Fortunately, the directions where clear ... well at least before I started carrying a stout stick on my handlebar bag to help clear of the mud every few feet so that the wheels could turn.



Every epic journey requires an Epic Designs frame bag.



Meanwhile, my wife was tracking my progress (or lack thereof) on my SPOT account. She was particularly interested to see whether I would be able to get back home today. I run the Spot on the dashboard so that she can see where I am and what route I am taking. It performed like a champ despite the conditions. I did not signal for a rescue, but the Navajo Rangers were amazing. They got us all out in about three hours; just before dark.





Riders were abandoning their bikes, because they could not push them or lift them out of the mud. A couple of boys were getting hypothermic. I pulled some warm clothes out of my Mary Poppins bag to share, and a Navajo fellow got a bonfire going while we awaited rescue. The fire was so hot that it melted one kid's helmet like a marshmallow from about three feet away. Fortunately he was not wearing it at the time.

I wish the camera was working, because it was an amazing event as well as a tremendous full body workout. I also really enjoyed being out there with the Navajo men and women, and seeing how they react to stress. It was very impressive. Everyone just calmly supported each other and took care of the kids. More later...

Valles Caldera Geology Tour

On Sunday we took a geology tour at the Valles Calderas National Preserve near Los Alamos, New Mexico. Like the archaeological tour that we did in July this one was also fantastic.


The van ride was quite an adventure by itself, but consider that each van had 12 people including the drivers and the tour guides. We started at 9:00 am and ended about 4:15 pm.



Frazer and Cathy, our geologists tour leaders kept us well informed of the composition and chemistry of each rock that we examined.


The ride back to the staging area from near the northern border of the preserve was about 40 minutes alone.