Orange County to Las Vegas, Oct 29 - 31, 2010: Introduction and Day 1

Introduction


I always thought my bicycle tour was about answering the question "Are you able to bicycle from Orange County to Las Vegas in 3 straight days?*"  Little did I know about the asterix (*) this question entailed.  The real question was "Are you able to bicycle from Orange County to Las Vegas in 3 straight days while pedaling mostly with your left foot?" 

Many people rode with their bicycles through the desert before.  Some even bike to the desert on a regular basis.  However, what made this trip a challenge is the time-frame in which I was attempting to reach the vicinity of Las Vegas, some 365 miles (587 km) away.  That meant bicycling -- partially through very long hilly sections -- every day at least 120 miles (193 km), partially through some of the most arid regions in the world.   


The longest bicycle trip I have made so far was from Orange County to San Diego and back -- about 130 miles (210 km) within a day.  But that was a one day trip and I was quite exhausted for days afterwards.  I wanted to find out what it meant to triple my limit, to aim for something truly out of my comfort zone.  Am I going to succeed?  Am I going to fail?  If I fall short, where?  When?  How?  I guess it is fair to say what drove me to this tour was a certain curiosity about my own limits.


I did a fair amount of preparation for the trip, from acquiring new equipment (such as several new bicycle lights) to fine-tuning existing gear, while conditioning physically and preparing mentally all at the same time.  For example, I rode to the Angeles National Forest beginning/mid October from Long Beach and climbed up to about 2,000 ft as part of a 90 mile-bicycle training ride on that day.  


I had great conversations with people who rode in the desert before such as Kevin Cook and TzuoHann Law (to both I am indebted for their advice), who taught me a great deal about what to do and what not to.   I studied maps over and over on google-maps -- viewed road conditions through google's street view feature and countless satellite images.  A great deal of preparation and planning went into this 3 day trip -- a little bit at a time for almost 2-3 months.


In the end it came down to what former President and General Dwight Eisenhower was quoted saying about preparing for battles: "Plans are useless, but planning is essential".  A lot went differently than planned, but the thorough planning process turned out to be essential for me to make the right impromptu decisions when original plans fell into the water.  


As a result, I was able to enter the desert from one end with some severe unexpected handicaps and yet come out from the other end alive and well, able to share a story while accomplishing the goal that I set my eye on.  Undoubtedly, a great deal of luck came my way as well.   


This bicycle tour has been an experience I will never forget for the rest of my life.  It has been a remarkable adventure to feel the desert so intimately, with nothing but the clothes I wear on my back and the few essential items I carried on a fragile bicycle.  The desert captures and captivates, it humbles and inspires, it takes and gives life at the same time.  I see in the desert a mirror whereupon our invigorating human spirit and condescending arrogance is reflected at the same time.   


Far more, this trip for me has been a refreshing reminder to learn from the past, to live in the moment, and not to be afraid of the future.  Aside from revealing a breathtakingly amazing place, this trip has been an invitation to dare to dream and to dream to dare.  You never know, you may actually get what you wish for.  As Theodore Roosevelt once so eloquently said, "The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena, who strive valiantly, and who put themselves upon a worthy cause.  Who -- at the best -- know the triumph of great achievement, and who -- at the worst -- fail, if they fail, while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."


Thank you for joining me on this trip in this blog and please don't forget to sign my guest-book / leave me your comments ! 

My bicycle and me in Amboy, California, in front of Roy's Cafe on Route 66.

(Oct 30, 2010)

Day 1:  Orange County -- Joshua Tree (Oct 29, 2010)

Day 1 was all about getting from Orange County to the outskirts of the desert.  The route lead me from Orange County to Riverside, Moreno Valley, Banning, Palm Springs, Yucca Valley, and ended in Joshua Tree.  

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It's still dark outside when I start -- 5:30a local time.  As expected, I encounter only light traffic.
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I'm riding mostly through towns and cities I'm quite familiar with.  Lake Forest, Irvine, Tustin.  The last thing I expected was getting a flat tire this early in the game.
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Sunrise in Orange County.
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This little bugger cost me about 2 1/2 hours of riding time, 2 flat tires, and a truck-load of agony.  I must have driven through this shrapnel somewhere in Irvine (among all places in the city known to be one of the most bike-friendliest and cleanest towns in California), which caused me the first flat tire.  It was dark, so when I changed the flat tire the first time, I didn't see this piece still stuck inside the tire and put a new tube in.  Naturally, it got a flat as well within the next 45 mins.   
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Frustrated about the 2nd flat tire within an hour, I stop at a gas station to refuel.  Air for my tires, water for my body and brain!  I was tempted to take this water/air dispenser with me to the desert!
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After the breakfast/flat tire break, I step up the pace to make up time.  I was averaging about 19-20 miles per hour (30-32 km/h) for the next 5-6 hours, riding mostly on bicycle lanes and trails.  This one is on Peralta Hills, north of Tustin.
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Peralta Hills drops to the Santa Ana River Trail on the other side and offers a breathtakingly beautiful view of the Angeles Mountain Range afar.  I just bicycled there two weeks ago.
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Man, am I glad I didn't have to go up this hill the opposite direction.  Instead I'm going downhill.  I achieve nearly 38 mi/hr (61 km/h).
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The Santa Ana River Trail (SART) - I have been here few times before over the last few months, so the familiarity helps a lot for me to keep up the pace.  I know what turns to take and what to expect.  The SART is a great place to bike here in Southern California. 
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The bicycle trails are as good as it gets.  Nicely paved, no bicycle traffic.  I fly on the SART like a high-speed train, trying to make up time.  On flats like these I achieve speeds up to 25 mi/hr (40 km/h).
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The SART takes on different personalities as it approaches Riverside.  It is getting warmer and drier. 
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Horses grazing... I tried to wave at them, but I think they were more interested in their food than my bike and me...
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I arrive in Riverside in record speed -- the landscape changes to showing more palm trees and ...
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Orange Trees!  In front is a big basket the farmers use to collect the citrus fruits.
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This is the 2nd time (within a month) I rode on this Boulevard -- called Victoria Blvd -- I think it is still pretty. Great place to ride as it has a wide bicycle lane, slow cars, great scenery.
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After lunch, I'm continuing with my trip to Moreno Valley.
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Didn't know people in Moreno Valley like to advertise their city letter into space...
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A look back on the major road I just took to arrive in Moreno Valley.
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Election?  Nahhh... really?  How can you tell that we have some elections coming up here in the U.S.?  And look, there's even an advertisement for a politician for sale!
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Hey, we're in a capitalistic society, ok?  So, why not rent out a tree?  ... j/k.  I think the ad was for some room across the street.
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Civilization after Moreno Valley vanishes pretty quickly... 
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I like the view, though.  It's a beautiful day and one can see for miles and miles.
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Relatively clear skies and perfect temperature (about 80 F /26 C) for riding.  I'm about to climb the mountain range seen at the end of the street.  Behind these mountains is CA 60 Highway and I-10 which will lead me straight to Palm Springs.  

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Getting to the entrance of the mountain range (Jack Rabbit Trail) is no easy matter.  It involves riding for about 10 miles on Gilman Springs Road where cars are riding near freeway speed -- 70 mi/hr (112 km/h).  Many portions of the road don't even have a shoulder to ride your bicycle on.  No fun, but I survived.
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And here it is -- the sign that directs me to the trail to the Jack Rabbit Trail Canyon.
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It starts innocently enough...  nice road, no cars allowed.  Sweet!
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The trail gets gradually worse, and steeper, and riding through the canyon the temperature rises considerably.
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In a way, the Jack Rabbit Trail is a very monotone trail, one small canyon after another, one hill that looks almost exactly like the other.  It is easy to get lost here.  I'm glad that there is one main road here which I can stick to and follow.
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And it goes on... and on...
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... and on ... and on... and on... and every view looks like the next one.


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I thought this was a great illustration how monotone the landscape here is.  One hill range after another, all about the same size and shape, forming an endless labyrinth of canyons.  As mentioned, I'm glad I'm not riding here at night off-trail.  Must be easy to get lost in darkness. 

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Once a while you are rewarded with a nice view to Moreno Valley.
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Another nice view from the Jack Rabbit Trail.
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Nearly at the end of the trail, looking back.
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It turns out the Jack Rabbit Trail is a one-sided mountain range, meaning there is no "down" after riding up for almost two hours.  Coming from the south it is almost all uphill.  The entire "downhill" section is a short 100 ft stretch as seen here.  I'm enjoying it though and savor every inch.
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Interesting ridges... earthquake related, perhaps?
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I take a short break at a rest stop on CA 60 Highway.
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My trip leads me further to several cities along the I-10 corridor.  One of them is called "Banning".  That makes some interesting store names ... a tabacco store called "Banning Tabacco"... jeez.
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Some bicycle paths along I-10 are just awful and I hardly would call them as such, opposite to what maps have indicated.  I have road-tires, so such mountain bike roads are not good for my bicycle.  Fortunately, they are not long.  But still....
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ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!
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*&^^%$$#@#$%$%^ !!!!!  
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What the *&&&*&^%$%^^&^%$#@$ is this to call this a road bicycle trail???????  It is next to a miracle I didn't get another flat here...
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Hahahaha.  I somehow have a hard time believing this sign in the middle of nowhere...
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And all of a sudden, they appear.  Like ghosts, like guardians of Palm Springs/Desert... white ghostly windmills turning with the wind...
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They are all over the place, including on the hills...
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Looks like a garden full of them...
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Arranged neatly like tulips in the garden...
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Guarding like soldiers against the "bad winds" that may flow into the desert...
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White Water.  That's the narrow throat of the valley where the winds flow together.  Typically windmills left of the white water river point to the left, while all wind mills right of the river point to the right.
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I thought this was an interesting juxaposition -- electric lines and the wind mills that create them.

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First time -- riding on the US freeway (I-10).  Few weeks before riding on this interstate, I contacted CalTrans (California Department of Transportation) and got explicit permission to ride on the freeway.  In the western states, federal law usually allows people to ride on the freeway, but there are many restrictions issued by the state.  In this portion, it turns out it is permitted to ride on the freeway. 

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Although cars are zooming by me rather quickly (as expected), I feel rather safe.  Wide shoulder, newly surfaced highway, rumble-strip.  I have to say, opposite to expectation, I enjoyed riding on the freeway.

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After leaving I-10 to hop on the 29 Palms Hwy, I see the sun slowly, but surely receding.  Few snapshots before the sun completely disappears.
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Sunset in Palm Springs.  I can definitely feel much closer to the desert.

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It was about 5pm Pacific Time.  The sun has set behind the mountains and it was getting dark very quickly.  I wished at that time that I was close to my destination, Joshua Tree, and at first it seemed I was.  It looked close on the map -- about 26 miles away and given the speed was able to achieve throughout the day, perhaps not too bad, conservatively perhaps 1- 1.5 hours max.  What I didn't take into account was the infamous 29 Palms Highway -- perhaps one of the most dangerous highways in California.  What I didn't take into account was that my right knee / lower quad was severely hindering my performance, where I couldn't pedal with the right leg any more.  26 miles seemed like 260 miles away. 

The ride on the 29 Palms Highway turned into a nightmare, especially the ride up the Indian Canyon which separates the valley of Palms Springs from Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree.  Indian Canyon has in certain places an inclination of nearly 5% and would be considered  dangerous even for a car to traverse.  It is a four lane highway with very narrow shoulders (about 1/3 of the width found usually on freeways), high speed traffic and huge trucks threatening to crush any bicyclist who is in their way.  My ride up to that highway reduced to a crawl in pitch darkness, with no houses, no civilization to be found anywhere near.  I would ride for few feet and wait on the edge of the highway for any passing traffic, especially with trucks.  In spite all the precaution, one car didn't see me and nearly ran me over, passing by me with nearly 40 miles per hour with less than a foot of space to spare.  

After about 3 hours of stop and go riding which included a 1,000 ft (300 m) of elevation gain, my blood sugar dropped like a rock as a result of intense concentration to avoid traffic, and cooling air temperature.  I was getting dizzy.  I could hardly stay on the bike, and I was shaking and trembling as my body core temperature was dropping.  About 10 miles before Joshua Tree, just passed Yucca Valley, I stopped at a parking bench.  I couldn't pedal any more.  I was too cold, too hungry, too pale, and mentally too exhausted.  My right knee was giving me a lot of pain.  I was considering giving up.    

Something inside however gave me new energy, I munched on some cashew nuts, mixed myself some energy drink and I found out that nearby there was a cafe still open at this hour where I could get some hot water to warm up.   I rested for about 30 mins to regain my strength and to refocus on the task at hand, and pedaled on.  10 more miles.  Giving up here, so close to the destination for Day 1 felt unacceptable.  I had to move on, I had to finish this leg of the trip -- which I eventually did.  

It was 9:30p Pacific Time.  What I thought would take 1-1.5 hours took nearly 4 hours, but I arrived in Joshua Tree.  Barely alive, but safe.  


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Click here to continue the Journal on Day 2:  Orange County to Las Vegas - Day 2