Life is good, 1/12/2009

Some days are great. Sometimes all the hurdles and hassels seem so worth it. Today is one of those days. I'm lying a little wooded thicket in the Senora desert with the full moon shining down on me. Looking past the bushes I can seee the mountains of Arizona across the plain where the Colorado river runs, marking the border between California and Arizona. The stars and the clouds are playing out an endlessly varied dance for me to watch. Country music is playing from my clockwork radio as I snuggle up in my down sleeping bag, down jacket and wooly hat.

I am happy.

I have sucessfully cycled across California, from the Pacific Ocean to the Colorado River.

It the perfect end to a great day's cycling. 12 hours ago I woke up on the edge of this desert, just beyond the irrigated lands of the Imperial Valley. As the sun rose over the scrub and sand I set off into the day with, fresh legs, 10 litres of water, a couple of days food and only a vague idea of what lay ahead .

What followed was the most beautiful and contrasting desert land scape I've seen so far on this continent. Those of you who don't really know the desert might not be aware that it takes a great many forms. The classic sandy dunes and ridges ae only one it's many guieses. I have been to quite a few of the worlds deserts now and they are seldom alike, each has its own distinctiveness- this is how I have come to love them so.

My day began with sandy soil dried up bushes dotted here and there with the mountain ridge I crossed 2 days ago framing the horizon 60 miles behind me. Over the first hour the slight roll of the land revealed pure white sand off to the left and right beyond the vegetation and beyond that to the north dark brown mountains, to the south rocky mountains standing like distant islands in the plains.

I was really chuffed: this was what I'd been waiting for, the antidote to the semi-inhabited, fenced off scrubland of San Diego County and the sacrificial playground desert between Ocotillo and the Imperial Valley. A proper inspirational expansive wilderness vista. I could tell straight away I was going to enjoy cycling through it.

10 miles went by and soon enough highway 78 was clinbing up the Imerial Sand Dunes which had domintated my view as I pressed on into a slight headwind.

These big yellow, rolling sand dunes are slowly advancing westwards with the prevailing winds. They provide a playground for petrol heads south of the road. The northern side being reserved for the sensitive desert wildlife. The difference is noticable, the delicate sand dune vegetation has dissappeared from the ATV side completely.

It was quite a climb to get over them but I didn't mind too much I was just soaking it all up. Then a great reward to roll down the other side.Weeeee, free miles! Happy Days.

Next up was stony desert. There's an awful lot of this stuff in the deserts of the world, sandy soil with small rocks in it. Climbing up to 1000ft+ I crossed the Chocolate Mountains which close up looked lke they were made of crumbly sandstone and dried up mud. This part if the desert is lacking in scrubby vegetation but dotted with 6 inch- foot tall cactuses. Little spiky ones with arms sticking out to the side.

The road started to descend but undulated as it went . Like a rollercoaster ride I raced down the little slopes as fast as I could hoping the momentum would take me up the the other side without having to resort to "granny" gears. Fun, fun ,fun!

Through a border patrol check point at mile 35, the guys seemed bewildered as to why I would want to bike across this and incredulous when I told then it was the most beautiful part of the US i'd seen so far! Not everyone loves empty desert and distant mountains apparently.

A couple of miles further on it was getting a bit hot, time for lunch and a cup of tea. The desert had gone all dusty and plantless just when shade was called for, then sure enough I found a lonley tree in a dried up river bed. Some days everything is going your way.

Off again, new mountains to look at, grey ones this time mixed in with the dark brown ones. More rollercoaster dips to ride.

Chipmonks live out here it would seem, they ran across the road in front of me from time to time. No more cactuses anymore and dried up brown mud seemed to be soil type of the hour. As the road turns to the north I came puffing up from a particularly deep dip to see the Colorado Valley stretch out to the East, a wide valley with a flat floor covered in lush green and yellow bushes.

At around the 50 mile mark I realised that what I was looking at to my right beyond the valley was in fact Arizona. I decided to camp where I could wake up to savour a new day and gaze at the new state I'll be camping in that night.

As if by magic the rollercoaster dropped again and a little bushy area about ½ mile wide came into view. Firewood, cover and the views I fancied,with 50 miles under my belt and 2 1/12 hours to chillout before sunset. Perfect.

Days like this make all the hotel bills; broken bikes; sore body parts and dodging juggernaughts worth while. Ironically my camera ran out of battery yesterday. Nevermind that though: Brawley California to Paulo Verde California was the best stretch so far, bring on Arizona.

On the road, Life is good.