With four full hearts, we would like to send our family, friends, and hundreds of new faces we’ve met along the road a very happy holidays.  We hope for you a new year filled with health, happiness, and of course…wild adventures.  The unwavering kindness, support, and encouragement we have received over the past three months has lifted and propelled us.  If it were possible to express just how grateful we are to all of you, we would offer those sentiments a thousand times over.  For now a simple thank you will have to suffice.  We hope that you may realize how each of you has contributed to our restored faith in this nation and the confidence that people are inherently good.

We have made it back to our respective homes and families by air travel, conquering our total trip mileage in less than 10 hours.  The northeast may hold our comfy beds….but this generous country has got our hearts.

with love and peace…and until the next adventure…

the quartet

The next morning we awoke in Carmel to be treated to a car driven tour from Michael of the Carmel mission and the incredible Carmel shore.  As everything is along the Pacific coast, it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! From there we continued along the incredibly picturesque route 1, following the coast and enjoying the view the whole way. 

As the day progressed the weather took a turn for the worse, and it started to rain.  By the time we arrived in Aptos we were cold, wet, and bedraggled.  Just when we were beginning to get really cold, out of no where a woman by the name of Margie stopped her car and offered us a place to stay!! She and her daughter Linnea welcomed us into their home, offering us cozy sleeping quarters, internet access, and hot showers.  We were SO grateful for the warm and dry place to stay, and loved meeting these two kind and relaxed individuals!! The next morning Margie whipped us up a batch of bearty oatmeal, filled with fruit and raisins (YUMMY!) and we biked off feeling restored. 

It was another soggy day but this time we knew we had a warm, dry place to stay in nearby Pacifica.  Christine and Barry, the awesome mountain biker folks we had stayed with in Fillmore, CA, had hooked us up with their friends Jay and Jim who live in Pacifica.  It was another beautiful ride, but low temperatures and a cold rain made us exceptionally glad to arrive inPacifica at the end of the day.  Jim wasn’t home, but Jay welcomed us and we had a great time talking with him and getting to know him that evening.  Jay is also a bike tourist who has gone on many exciting international tours in places like Sri Lanka, France, India, and more!! A great biker and a great guy (:

We departed with trepidation…. we were only about 15 miles away from the golden gate bridge.  Our final day of biking! NOOOOOOOOO!!! Sad and exciting at the same time!

It was rainy (yet again), but the rain could not bother us on our final day on the road.  When we arrived at the golden gate bridge we biked slowly across, savoring the moment of arriving.  Some of us laughed (Jeanie), and some of us cried (Rica), and we ALL felt very emotional.  We couldn’t believe we had MADE it! WE HADE BICYCLED ACROSS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!!!! It still doesn’t really feel real…. wow! Amazingly, almost as if to celebrate the moment with us, the weather cleared up for the brief span of time of us crossing the bridge.  The rain ceased, and the sun and a blue sky came out….. briefly.  Just long enough for us to reach the other side.  WOW.

As we neared the end of the bridge we encountered Lauren’s brother Chris, who videotaped our arrival.  (We will try and put up the recording in the blog too!) At the other side of the bridge we were also greeted by Sarah’s uncle, Mark, who congratulated us warmly.  Chris and Mark celebrated with us as we hugged and ate marshmallows that Lauren had hauled across the country from Wellesley, MA to San Francisco…. yes, really REALLY old marshmallows.  In fact, marshmallows that at one time had been infested by fire ants. ew. Well, we all survived….

From the golden gate we retraced our pedals back to Baker Beach, a short ride away.  As we biked there, Rica’s former Merrowvista camper Marley greeted us!! We all headed over to the beach where the four of us first dipped our front tires and then bounded into the water, freezing rain and all.  It was….. well….. surprisingly not as cold as we expected, but it was no hot tub (: It was AWESOME!! We had MADE IT! And just as we began to leave the beach, another friend, Karl, arrived to cheer us on! Karl was Lauren and Sarah’s counselor at Merrowvista their first year there, and had been the first person to introduce them to the world of outdoor adventure, so it was so cool to see him! Plus he is a really awesome guy…. (:

There was nothing left to do but bike to our four star hotel, the Omni, courtesy of Rica’s brother.  And MAN this hotel was NIIIIICE!!!! We all enjoyed sipping some complimentary hot cider under the chandeliers in our dripping wet, sandy bike clothes as Rica checked us in.  When we arrived in our exceedingly posh room we all jumped into the fuzzy robes and slippers the hotel offers their guests.  As we were lounging around in our robes, room service knocks on our door.  We all thought room service must have mixed up rooms, to we protested…. but it turned out, the front desk had sent up a complimentary bottle of champagne and a little martini glass of truffles (complete with decorative flower!) to us to congratulate us!!!! It was soooooo nice. I think we screamed a little too loud in exctement for such a fancy hotel… oops (:

That evening we headed out to a dueling piano bar where Chris, lauren’s brother, was performing.  It was so cool to go to a dueling piano show, which is pretty darn fun, especially so because we got to watch Chris perform.  He did a great job and we had the best time requesting songs and singing along at the top of our lungs. 

The next day we relaxed and watched movies in our robes until around 3, when we headed out to explore the city.  We checked out union square, did some shopping, and ate chinese food. 

OK….. this is where is gets REALLY good.  That evening Sarah’s aunt and Uncle, Cheryl and Mark, picked us up at our hotel to take us out to dinner at a Vietnamese restuaurant in Ghiradelli square.  They took us to the original Ghiradelli factory, where they treated us all to a bar of DELECTABLE peppermint bark chocolate (Sarah’s favorite christmastime treat!!).  From there, we proceeded to the restaurant, excited because none of us had ever tried vietnamese food before.  It turns out this was a really REALLY nice, fine dining kind of restaurant and we had the most AMAZING, DELICIOUS, PERFECT dining experience that any of us have ever had!  Mark and Cheryl treated us to wine, appetizers, soup, an entree, and dessert, and it was ALL the most delicious food ever! All the flavors were so delicately balanced….. MAN it was GOOD!!!! We also had so much fun hanging out with Mark and Cheryl, talking and getting to know them.  What a great couple! They are such nice, fun people, with great taste for food (: Oh yea! One other awesome thing about the restaurant was the names of the dishes…. things like “pool of serenity” and “monks purse” and “paradise found.” Awesome (: 

On Tuesday we celebrated Christmas early by having our very own Christmas day!  Snuggled up in Lauren’s brother’s studio apartment, we listened to Christmas music all day long while we made/decorated sugar cookies, peanut butter fudge, desserts that look like hamburgers, and watched Christmas movies.  Later that day we also had the chance to visit with Rica’s college friend, Megan who came to visit.  Then that night Lauren’s brother made us the most unbelievable salad and four cheese pizza.  It was out of this world!  We had a wonderful day inside getting ready for the holidays and enjoying each other’s company.
 
Wednesday was a sad day indeed, as we finallly had to say goodbye to the bicycles who had so faithfully gotten us across the country.  In the afternoon, we had our last bike ride into Pacifica, where Jae (who we had stayed with the night before San Francisco) offered to help us box and ship our bikes.  So not only did he get the boxes and everything we needed, he helped us disassemble our bikes, tape them up and drove us to the UPS store.  It was unbelievable that he took that time out of his day off to help us.  That night we stayed with Jim and Jae and Jim made us the most amazing meal of two different kinds of fish, rosoto, salad, wine, and brownies.  I cannot express how good this meal was and it was wonderful to finally meet Jim.  We had a wonderful night with Jim, Jae and their friend Debbie and laughed right untiil we went home later that night.  We are so thankful to the two of them for their endless kindness!

Sorry this is so hastily written but my internet session at the library is about to terminate!! Thanks for reading!!!!!!!!! And most especially, thank you to all those who have supported us, talked with us, fed us, encouraged us, given us a place to stay, given us advice, and basically given of themselves to us.  We could not have accomplished this without the help, encouragement, and inspiration of the amazing people we have met along the way.

…it was farewell to our friends hayley and rob in los olivos…off to another familiar face in San Luis Obispo.  After a late start, we ventured through endless vineyards and the rolling hills of the wine vallyes.  We knew we would be in for some cold/wet weather approaching the next few days, but a restful stay gave us momentum to beat the chill and battle mother nature for the HOME STRETCH of our journey. 

60 miles later, we found ourselves comforted by the funky college town of San Luis Obispo, home to Cal Poly University and more than 19,000 students.  Here we met up with a good friend, Jack Lamont from Merrowvista Summer Camp.  It was wild to see 3 camp friends in less than 24 hrs….so far from the white mountains we’re all used to.  Jack joined us for a delicious dinner of honkin’ burritos and pizza….that’s right…we sure can eat.  He then showed us to our deluxe accomodations for the night in his college dorm room common area.  We assured Jack that the close quarters were not an issue, rather a familiar sight on our trip.  Thank goodness for the indoor space because that night  brought a monsoon of wet weather and wind with temperatures dropping down.  The following day was no different but we had to pedal forward, battling the elements and hilly conditions.  It was on this day that most of us found ourselves talking to the headwind with intense fury, the occasional profanity thrown about and a frequent feeling of defeat….Seriously, the headwind was consistent at about 20 mph with gusts up to 20 or even 40mph.  As if we were made of hay, we were tossed along the highway, yet always away from the day’s destination.  We finally reunited in Cambria, a great friendly town tucked away in deep valley just before the famous Hearst Castle.  Here we were lucky enough to meet our saviour for the night Jim.  He was ringing the bell for the salvation army outside the grocery store and after a brief chat about mutual cycling adventures, he was kind enough to let us stay in his vacation trailer in the backyard.  We cannot thank Jim and his wife Tish for their endless kindness, sharing homemade butternut squash soup, oatmeal, stories , their adorable dogs (molly and belle), and their incredibly generous donation to the Merrowvista Scholarship Fund!!!!!

A comfy stay left us well-prepared to enter the remote stretch of coastline known as BIG SUR.  Grand in every measure, this stretch lives up to the hype we’d been hearing even back in New Mexico and Arizona.  Mid Morning we past the infamous Hearst Castle….neglecting to visit due to a tour charge of $30 per person.  The hillside view was sufficient and in fact, we were more concerned with the absolutely ridiculously hilariously akward and entertaining Elephant Seals abundant in one specific cove along the route 1.  For more than an hour, we watched in disbelief as these 1000 pound sea creatures showed off their many personalities and crowd-pleasing antics.  They would battle, blush with a fin covering their huge beady eyes, nuzzle up to a friend, squirm across the sand mounds, and belch unbelievably loud….even more boisterous than our Champion Belcher JeanMarie Gossard….we did not think the day would come….but she has officially met her match. 

The pacific continued to inspire and impress….the mountains meeting the harshness of the ocean with cliff and crashing surf.  We were lifted from the sea on roads somehow carved out of the mountain side, curving narrowly around the many inlets.  It felt like a video game, surely we could not be so lucky to be a part of this environment, part of the winding roads and power of the coastline.  We would battle the switchback curves than experience the most epic downhills slides, throwing us seemingly into the raging waves.  Yet we were never truly decieved by the land….instead it was the most real biking some of us had experienced…needing to replace the hinge on our jaws from too much awe.    Our ocean side lunch spot was alright…..are you kidding….it was the most stunning/heart-stopping view  we could ask for to gorge ourselves on the ever nourishing peanut butter.  the afternoon brought more of the same…..thousands of “Oh My Goodness” moments.  That night we ended up in the very very very small town of Lucia with maybe 50 townies, maybe.  A general store, restaurant, and lodge is Lucia, the whole of the town.  With no other options and a frost warning in effect for the night…not to mention Rica’s black-lung coughing/sickness….we gave in to a wonderful cliff-side cabin at the Lucia Lodge for the night.  Certainly a splurge for us, but well worth it for the view, MINTS on the PILLOWS, and a continental breakfast that surpasses all the rest. We must give a shout out to our new friends Jessica at the front desk who was a huge help and fantastic company while we entered our slightly usual debate about spending money.

The morning feast set us up for another PERFECT day of biking along the big sur coastline…..

To be continued…. more about our fantastic stay in Carmel!

4720 Miles Salem, MA to San Francisco, CA

only 10 miles south of the big city, the ultimate goal, the grand finale, the whole shebang.

DANG…

tomorrow’s the day

SAN FRANCISCO

and the icy bay

To the north we pedal, inching scarily close to San Francisco. We have since avoided conversation about just how close we are to the bay. As difficult as it is to realize and even harder to admit, we must reveal that only 300 miles separate us now from our final destination. Hot dog!

From our first coastal stay in Goleta, we pedaled northeast heading up the full-bodied coast then inland toward the lovely wine-tasting mecca of Los Olivos where resides our good friends Hayley and Rob from Merrowvista. With an unusual tailwind at our backs, we were able to cover some serious mileage between our 7/11 breakfast and lunch. The morning offered some insane vistas of California cowboy ranchers, wine vineyards, and roads cut out of the mountainside. Just before our midday stop, we passed by Ostrich Land…a slew of wild ostriches and emus frolicking about in the fields. Later we would pass a miniature horse farm. We couldn’t help but confront the question, “Why the heck are their miniature horses?”

For yet another peanut butter and honey lunch feast, we pulled into Solvang, CA. A town settled by Danish educators, it is strange explosion of Dutch architecture and culture with baked goodies up the wazoo. Here we met another touring cyclist named Eric, a spirited young guy who has pedaled from Philadelphia to the west coast, ending also in San Francisco. His estimated arrival is this Monday. Oh snap….we’re so darn close. Was great to meet another east to west cyclist as they are few and far between.

From the eirily utopia-like town of Solvang, we traveled to Los Olivos. Known for their great pino noir, olive oil, and celebrity townies, Los Olivos defiantly was all ritz with probably 20 wine tasting shops on the 1/4 mile downtown stretch. A five mile pedal from “downtown” brought us through the thick of the grape vines, to a narrow valley and Midland School. As we pulled into this rustic private boarding school nestled in the mountains, we could not have been more excited to reunite with our buds Hayley and Rob. They have been working here for a year and a half, Hayley in Admissions, Rob the director of the Outdoor Program. Through the forested thickness of their central campus we saw a flash of red hair and knew right away it was Hayley. Rob in all his burlyness was zoned into his most recent construction endeavor but quickly stopped to greet us warmly. What an absolute great and surreal site, such familiar faces over 4000 miles away from home. They gave us a brief tour of the grounds and we settled into their quant cabin, smack dab in the middle of the campus and conveniently located 100 ft from the eating hall!!!!! Food was clearly the first thing on our minds so a dinner plan of chicken Parmesan was set into action. We lucked out with Rob and Hayley having the night and the entire next day off. After heaps of delicious chicken parm, salad, brownies, and ice cream, we hunkered down for the night with a movie and seriously full bellies. Tomorrow we would stay for more rest, relaxation, and time with two great friends doing great things! Our BIGGEST thanks to you two for such a rejuvinating stay. We love you guys!

We had an awesome first day relaxing at Midland with Rob and Hayley. Hayley made us a delicious egg breakfast in the morning and then Rob and Hayley took us to the downtown of Los Olivos to check out the local vibe. Los Olivos is a tiny wine tourism town that is soooo pretty. Probably about half the businesses in town were wine shops, and apparently during the weekends the town in inundated by wine enthusiast tourists. We checked out a wild west shop and ate AMAZING sandwiches at a shop called Panino’s. From there we drove to Solvang to check out the local ostrich, yes that’s right, OSTRICH farm. They were selling Ostrich & Emu meat and eggs, which reminded us of Mark and Belinda who we stayed with in Lamesa, TX and who used to raise emu’s! We miss you guys! The woman working at the ostrich farm said ostrich eggs tastes just like chicken eggs and we were dying to try some scrambled ostrick egg but it cost 40 dollars. These are big eggs, but not THAT big. We then went to this awesome frozen yogurt joint called Kate’s Yogurt where you buy your frozen yogurt and toppings by the pound…. which means YOU decide how much and how many toppings to put on. Some of us may have gotten a little carried away in the bliss of topping freedom, but it was soooo worth it.

In frozen yogurt coma’s, we headed back to Midland for naps and, for Jeanie, Hayley, and Rob, a hike around the beautiful Midland property. That evening we all got gussied up and went out to the (only) nearby bar, Maverick’s. There was a truly ROCKIN’ country band playing and we learned how to do “black velvet,” a line dance!! We also (tried) to learn the two step, a waltz, and enjoyed some country swing. It was so fun! For those of us who needed a break from the dancing, Big Buck Hunter filled our every want and need. It was an awesome night and we all left happy!

Today we enjoyed a second day at Midland. Jeanie and Rica woke up early and were able to sit in on a freshman drug education program, Freedom from Chemical Dependency, FCD. They thought it was a great program and really enjoyed the opportunity to observe. Lauren and Sarah slept in and woke up to watch a bizarre Johnny Depp movie by the name of Dead Man. We spent the rest of the day alternatively lounging, playing ping pong, lounging some more, and eating delicious food from the Midland dining hall (It’s really exceptionally good. They even have panini machines). Tonight we’re going to have a game night with Hayley!! WOOOOO! What a great rest day!

P.S We forgot to mention that Midland is directly across from Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. If you hike up behind the school, you can get some sweet views of the ranch compound. Though we could not get too close up, we did approach the epically grand gate and read all the crazy fanatic messages on the stone wall entrance. It was a rather bizarre sight to behold.

Be sure to check out Midland School online at http://www.midland-school.org

Who ever said the desert was hot?!  Or did the southeast just set us up to be wimps?  Our 15 mile jaunt into the town of Joshua Tree, CA was colored by a cold wind and rain.  The quaint but quirky town of Joshua Tree welcomed us with a farmer’s market.  Somewhere in the search for warm beverages to ease the morning chill or in the case of Jeanie to pour on once again inanimate toes, a certain motivation for biking was lost to the allure of homemade cinnamon swirl bread and fresh fruits.  Woops…looks like another rest day!  The better part of the day was spent perusing the book section of the local thrift store, modern art galleries, and loitering (perhaps a bit too long) in the local coffee shop where the specter of life beyond the trip crept in to haunt our conversation.  A town welcoming of hikers, bikers, rock climbers, and travelers alike we were able to find a free place to camp called “The Pit,” and settled down to an early bed following a rousing game of hearts in the tent.

Although we awoke to the sound of pouring rain as if on cue the sky cleared upon exit of our tents setting us up for a relatively nice, cool, but windy day.  I guess if lakes, palm trees, and paradise oases exist in the desert it shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise to come upon the INTEGATRON, a scientific masterpiece at the center of one of the earth’s geo-magnetic vortices. (http://www.integratron.com/)  But per usual, we were blown away and immediately agreed to a “sound bath,” a relaxing and rejuvenating experience like none other we had ever had.  The science behind the structure which was designed and built by the aeronautical engineer and test pilot George Van Tassel and the history of its change of ownership and evolution into its current use is not only impressive but inspiring.  We were lucky enough to get to chat with Nancy one of the two sisters who has co-owned the integatron for 20 years and put hard work into its building and upkeep for many more.  Just a small taste of her wisdom topped off this other-worldly experience and sent us riding into the desert re-filled, synapses firing.

A night out in the desert provided us with a spectacular sunset and sunrise.  A slim dinner of beans and rice brought us back to earth and reminded us that we are still in fact on a camping trip J  A beautiful day of relatively flat terrain with snowcapped mountains in the distance as our scenic backdrop brought us practically flying into Pear Blossom, CA where no answer at the local church left Sarah and Jeanie knocking on doors in search of the pastor’s number.  On their third try Deanna peeped her head out from behind her door and came to our rescue.  Next thing we know Deanna is yanking an extension cord out from the garage to hook up a lamp and toaster in her trailer for us.  As if free bread, butter, bologna and a warm place to stay for the night wasn’t enough Deanna also woke up early to bring us a hot pot of beans for breakfast and wish send us off with heartfelt prayers that will certainly remain with us for many miles.

A long downhill brought us out of the desert (a place our parents weren’t sure we’d make it out of alive), past the beautiful orange orchards and fog covered mountains of the California countryside.  A long lunch left us feeling a little crunched for daylight time in the late afternoon when all of a sudden Jeanie’s tire decided to throw up air.  Jeanie who had stopped to de-layer was biking with Sarah when the fiasco occurred.  Luckily Sarah had all the tire-fixing equipment with her as well as the hand-held (craptastic) pump.  Jeanie did her usual, “I’ll fix it and catch up just keep going” routine and Sarah pedaled off…little did she know she was never to see her friend’s smiling face in the daylight again.  After patching the source of the flat…or so she thought…Jeanie hopped back on her bike ready to pedal madly the 20 remaining miles to Fillmore.  Unfortunately Jeanie made it about 100 yards before her feelings of pride over a job well done were spewed out with the rest of her tire’s air.  At this point darkness was beginning to settle in.  Unable now to see or hear the source of her flat tire, Jeanie sat by the side of the road fending off panic with the reassuring thought…”well good thing I’m carrying the tent.  I could always just set that up by the side of the road here ”  In between thoughts of hitch-hiking (I hear that’s real safe these days…), walking, and tenting out alone, Jeanie concludes the best method would be to focus on the tire, look as helpless as humanly possible, and wait for a hero (meanwhile Sarah is in tears, the guilt of leaving Jeanie eating away at every corner of her conscience as she breaks the news to Rica and Lauren).

AND A HERO SHE FOUND.  Two in fact.  One by the name of Judy, a kind woman who stopped on the side of the road to help the lunatic biker, and Christine, a state and national mountain bike champion who saw the helpless bikers on the road and offered her home up for the night.  Judy dropped Jeanie off at Christine’s where we met her son Ashton and husband Barry and were able to spend a great night getting to know two extremely inspiring people.  Our night with Christine and Barry was full of rich stories from the world of two avid and FAMOUS bikers.  We’re talking serious BIKING, of the most extreme and impressive type.  Mountain biking is a challenge even us three-monthers at this point were captured and blown away by.  Can you imagine a more physically and mentally challenging sport than one that involves hucking your body down dry ski slopes in summer at unreasonable speeds and unreasonable heights?  Needless to say their descriptions were AWESOME (mom and dad… I want a mountain bike from Santa and assurance that your blood pressures are stable).  We were also lucky enough to catch wind of Christine and Barry’s plans for the future which include starting a camp to inspire and empower youth working to get back up on their feet after juvenile hall.  We told them they already have four of their first volunteersJ.  Oh and Barry (one of whose several  kickass jobs is bike mechanic) tuned up our bikes (gears mostly) and the two of them sent us on our way with tons of electrolytes, new spare tubes, and sore abs from a ridiculous workout video called CYCLO-CORE.

It’s been maybe about 4 days since then and our abs are still sore… But we plan on doing the exercises twice a week anyway so we can be really REALLLLY buff (: From there we biked at a brisk pace 20 miles to Ventura, CA, our very first COASTAL TOWN of CALIFORNIA! It was there that we smiled for the first time (on the pacific coast), talked to people for the first time (on the pacific coast), and, best of all, we SAW the PACIFIC COAST!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAHHHWIEUW()$*)#(*$)#(&UJeNJLDF)ASDUF)(A*!!!!!!!!!!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY)(EW*R)(ASDUJSFO{IYSLRHJHWUASJID!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOODKFHSDOY*FHSKDJFNHKSDHU! We had officially made it all the way across the country, atlantic to pacific ocean!!!!! We waded in the water but refrained from dipping our tires; we’re saving that for San Francisco.  It was an epic moment filled with happiness and a delectable fruit picnic.
After we thoroughly celebrated our excitement at the Ventura beach we headed along the coast following an incredible bike path most of the way.  The California coast was absolutely stunning.  We biked through Montecito and Santa Barbara, two beautiful cities filled with amazing ocean vistas, gorgeous mansions, and really darn cool flora and fauna.  The elation of the day was SLIGHTLY dampened (and I mean, very slight) by a mishap that evening.  Somewhere along the way Lauren and Sarah got separated from Jeanie and Rica, and then both groups managed to get lost in the dark in the neighborhoods of Santa Barbara.  Oh well- we were reunited at long last and our separation only made us appreciate each other more!!

We finally pulled into Goleta, CA where we met up with Rica’s cousin Leslie, who let us crash in her apartment for the night.  Leslie took us to In & Out Burger, the BEST fast food burger joint EVERRRRRRR.  We ate burgers, double burgers, fries, animal fries (it has grilled onions, In & Out’s special sauce, and ketchup), grilled cheese, and milkshakes.  And it was AWESOME.

With throbbing abdominals and EVEN MORE to be thankful for HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Love,

The Fab Four

Hello from CALIFORNIA!! We’ve made it all the way to our last state!!!! But I’m getting ahead of myself….

So, after we finished our last blog entries in Sedona we went to explore the beautiful city of Sedona.  We biked the Red Rock Loop, a really cool road that took us around a beautiful red rock canyon.  That night, Lauren’s dad generously put us up in a comfort inn (!!!!!!!!) where we enjoyed a jacuzzi and hot chocolate with candy canes, all wonderful treats after the exceptionally chilly night we had spend camping out the evening before.  The next morning we stopped at one of the several famed spiritual vortexes of Sedona.  Sedona is known to be a swirling ‘vortex’ of spirituality, and their are several spots especially known for their spiritual power.  We visited a rocky peak by the airport that is considered a vortex.  It was GORGEOUS (as is everyplace in Sedona) and in true Sedona fashion Rica skillfully led us in guided meditation.  I think she has found a hidden talent….

That day we biked on towards Jerome, a mining ‘ghost’ town that has been rejuvenated by an influx of artists.  About 1953 the copper mines closed and the once large community dwindled into a measely population of 50.  Now it is a quirky tourist town built right into the side of Mingus mountain.  It’s so steep that they have a ‘sliding jail,’ an old building that has actually slid (intact!) down the mountain 20-40 yards since it was built! Woah!

As we pedaled into Jerome, navigating narrow switchbacks and among the steepest terrain we’ve seen yet, we met John, an 85 year old cyclist and owner of the House of Joy, a local Jerome shop.  John is a fiery gentleman who regularly bikes to Sedona and back to Jerome, a 60+ mile round trip ride including the monstrous Mingus mountain!  John and his wonderful wife Mary let us set up camp in their side yard right in town, which enabled us to explore this unique town that evening.  We checked out a local band called Sir Harrison, King of Blues, which was AWESOMELY AMAZING!! We had a blast dancing to their incredible sound.

The next day we continued up Mingus mountain (a total of 12 miles uphill) and then down into Prescott, home of our friend Connor’s parents Dan and Barb (who are also friends of Merrowvista!).  The minute we arrived we felt so at home and comfortable with this warm and friendly couple.  Not only that, they actually cooked us an early thanksgiving dinner, including TURKEY, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, homemade cranberry sauce, bread, salad, two delicious pies, and MORE!!!!!!!!!! YUM!!! We all felt so incredibly grateful and just…. amazing…. that Dan and Barb (the chef) would do something like that for us.  Words can not express how amazing it was…..

The next morning we had a lovely chat with Barb before heading out to visit our friend Zach from camp, who attends Prescott College.  It was so good to see Zach and feel a little bit of Merrowvista on the road.  ALSO, he made us homemade french fries (YUM!) and gave us honey, olive oil, and quinoa…. yessss.  Thanks so much Zach!! He then gave us a tour of the college (which is awesome, by the way, the students are way empowered to work on incredible, real life applicable projects!).

When we finally tore ourselves away from Prescott in the early afternoon (it was just SO nice to see and spend time with people we know!) we made our way to Yarnell, AZ.  There we were lucky enough to run into a kind gentleman by the name of Andy at a grocery store who set us up for the night in the local Lighthuose Bible Church.  This was HUGELY appreciated as the nights have been getting colder and colder.

The next morning we departed early, and were lucky enough to watch a stunning mountain sunrise as we descended a couple thousand feet (thoroughly enjoying some wickedly fun switchbacks as we headed down).  Ok, now this is where it gets crazy.  That day, we ramped up our focus and intensity levels and managed to bike about ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FOUR miles in order to arrive in Blythe, CA, right on the border between AZ and CA!!!! This was definitely our longest days ever, and a day that marked one of our most exciting milestones: crossing into California.  Nothing can describe our excitement as we approached that welcome to California sign!! It was unreal!!!! We had officially made it to our last state!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!! That night Rica’s mom put us up in a hotel to help us celebrate our achievement, which was soooo wonderful after such a long day of biking.  We all very quickly fell asleep in our comfy beds, dreaming of all there was to see and do in California (:

The next day, Thanksgiving day (!), we headed for Desert Center, CA.  Unfortunately, as we arrived we quickly realized that Desert Center was an almost abandoned town with few resources for bikers.  Luckily, there was a sign for a town called “Lake Tamarisk,” only 2 miles away.  We were all a little skeptical… Lake Tamarisk?  We were in the middle of the Californian desert!  What was a lake doing in the desert?? Anyway, as we biked on we could see that Lake Tamarisk was a rather strange man made rectangular oasis of green in the desert.  It had palm trees and a golf course and two very perfectly shaped rectangular ponds.  How the heck they can get enough water into the area to maintain ponds, palm trees, and a full golf course, we don’t know, but somehow they manage it!  Anyway, we were worried as we pulled into town because it was Thanksgiving evening and we weren’t sure we would be able to find anyone to talk to or a place to camp.  Luckily, we ran into a nice fellow named John who offered to let us sleep on his rooftop porch, which offered an awesome view of the stars that evening!  John and his girlfriend Jan (and her mother) we’re so kind to us, and invited us in to use their kitchen, watch movies, and relax.  John also showed us a crazy invention he made for the Burningman festival he regularly attends: a FLYING CARPET!! Now, this thing didn’t actually fly, but it was just as cool as if it did.  It was this motorized, carpeted platform on wheels that John could drive around kind of like a remote control car.  COOL!!!

From Lake Tamarisk we headed to 29 Palms CA, pedaling through the gorgeous Joshua Tree National Park on our way there.  The park had all kinds of cool rocks, interesting cacti, and, of course, the famous Joshua trees.  We enjoyed an orange-pink sunset in the park as we departed, and we managed to arrive successfully in 29 Palms, CA in the dark, trailing a bike with a deflated tire.  The local fire department let us set up camp in their cushy back yard grass (and I mean this grass was exceptionally cushy) and we finished off the night with some pizza.

Pizza.  A great way to end a day and a blog entry. (: Read on for further adventures in the next entry!!

From the parents of JeanMarie, Lauren, Rica and Sarah

A heartfelt THANK YOU to all the wonderful people who have fed, housed, supported and encouraged our daughters in their journey across our great country.  In their “Journey of Discovery”, the kindness of others has been overwhelming!  You each represent what we have all tried to teach our daughters about how to treat other people.  At this time of the year when we gather with family and friends, we will give special thanks to all of you for taking them into your homes and hearts.

 

Best wishes to each and everyone of you for a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration.

 

 

 

 

 

MMMOOUNTAINSSSS!! Leaving Pine was just as beautiful as entering it, and just as mountainous.  We started off our morning with a 10 mile uphill climb to the top of the “Mongollan Rim,” enjoying the vast beauty of the mountains as we went.  We were promptly rewarded for our labor with an incredibly fun 9 mile downhill (6% grade! woooo!).  One of the coolest things about these mammoth downhills we’ve been experiencing in NM and AZ is watching the scenery (and even feeling the temperature!) change with our descent.  As we got closer to the bottom the pine tree forest gave way to desert once more.

From Pine we coasted into Camp Verde, where we enjoyed a gourmet lunch of falafel and salmon burgers From there we checked out the bookstore next door to where we got lunch, and met a really kind couple who talked to us and gave us a HUGE bag of popcorn (: YUM.  We then proceeded to our evenings lodgings: A HOTEL!!!!!!!! Rhyne, who we had stayed with in Globe, contacted his friends at the Yavapai-Apache nation in Camp Verde about putting us up in the Cliff Castle Casino hotel, which is run by the nation.  We were so lucky and SO honored that the Yavapai-Apache nation welcomed us into the casino hotel, free of charge! We thoroughly enjoyed the luxury of hot showers, cozy beds, and most exciting of all, a HOT TUB!! We have all been talking about how much we want a hot tub for practically this whole trip, so finding one at the hotel was SUCH a treat.

The next morning we headed over to Montezuma’s Castle, a short 2 mile bike ride from our hotel.  Montezuma’s castle is an absolutely AMAZING cliff dwelling.  It is TRULY remarkable.  Hundreds of years ago the ancestors to the Hopi people built these ingenius dwellings right into the side of a veritable CLIFF.  They built it using ladders and carrying items up on their heads and backs.  AND! Get this: WOMEN did all the work! (: While there we met some really nice park rangers, one of whom taught us all about the desert animals, reptiles, and insects (including tarantula’s, scorpions, rattlesnakes, and javelina’s, a potentially deadly pig-like creature that is prominent here, and is actually related to the hippopotomas! Rica and Jeanie actually saw a live one, Sarah saw a roadkilled one).  Another ranger named John who lives in Sedona advised us on where to go and what to see once we arrived there, our next destination.  We all loved talking to both of these interesting rangers!

After we had toured Montezuma’s castle we headed over to the Tribal Administration Office of the Yavapai-Apache nation, where we met Karla and Chairman Beauty, two folks who work there and had been a part of getting us a free room at the hotel.  We loved talking with them and they even gave us each a t-shirt (a really cool t-shirt, by the way) and an informational booklet on the history of the Yavapai-Apache nation.  It was a sobering contrast after the decadence of the hotel to read about the atrocities committed against the Yavapai and Apache tribes, including a death march and fatally violent efforts to quench Yavapai/Apache culture.  It’s a depressing reminder to us that while we have benefited from the kindness of humanity on this trip, there is another side to humanity that is difficult to understand.  Anyway…

From Camp Verde we biked to Sedona, the land of the red rock.  It is a truly magical place! We all were significantly inhibited in our biking speed by our continual stopping for photos (: There is really no place like this that any of us have ever seen.  The rocks are, I mean, REALLY red.  REALLY red.  And the whole area is ringed by massively beautiful red mountains and cliffsides.  We spent a chilly night camping in a church yard, enjoying the stars and the brisk mountain air.  We had planned on continuing our journey early in the morning, but it wasn’t long before we decided we simply HAD to stick around for an additional day to see and enjoy all that Sedona has to offer.  It is just TOO darn beautiful to pass through so quickly!

Well, we’re off to enjoy Sedona, then!  More soon (: