Sitting in the middle of Hurricane

By the time I got up and got myself going, and then going here and there to buy the few little things that I wanted for the trip, I finally made it out the door and onto the freeway at 10:47am. I set the cruise control at 90km/h and settled into the right hand lane for the long haul to Hurricane, UT.

The trip would have been much better to do in the dead of night because at least that way I wouldn't be able to see that there was nothing to see.

Vast expanses of monotonous desert landscape stretched around me without even the suggestion of hidden treasures. The only interesting thing that I noticed were the areas on the freeway tarmac that had multiple skid marks going in every-which direction. There seemed to be too many skid marks to suggest that it had been a multi-car pileup, but on the other hand, the regularity with which patches of cement were dotted with black skid marks made me wonder.

I'm sold on the benefit of driving at 55 mph now more than ever. I left Encinitas with a half tank of gas. When I filled up again, I had gone 80 extra miles on a tank of gas from what I would have used had I been driving at 65. The first full tank of gas had gotten me to 225 miles on a half-tank. When I drove at 65 I would only have gotten to 150 miles on a half tank. It's also a lot less stressful than driving faster because I'm out of that "I'm trying to be first" mentality.

Anyway, I woke up this morning looking forward to riding and enjoying conversation with the Russel from the Color Country NMBP. Then, I rushed though a shower so I could grab something from the free breakfast before it ended. When I opened the door I was greeted with a San Diego winter day. It was cold and raining. Not a great way to start a vacation!

I grabbed some fruit and coffee, headed back to the room and called Russel and we agreed to meet up tomorrow for a ride. Hopefully this storm will blow over by then. Now, at around 1:30 in the afternoon, the rain has mostly ended and the sky is starting to lighten up.

Going to Moab

So, I finally decided to go on a trip, and I decided I'm going to Moab. Even if going to Moab for a mountain bikingr is a bit cliché, I guess it's one of those places that one has to experience just because of all the hype.

I am putting out the word that I would like other's to come along, but even if I don't get anyone else interested, I'll go alone. I just am not going to let the fact that I can't find anyone here in the San Diego area to go with me be a barrior to my enjoyment. I assume that since I'll be in the 'mecca of mountain biking' I should have no problems finding others to ride with. I've been downloading everything I can find about Moab: Hotels, hostels, trails, GPS data, maps, travel information, etc.

I've decided to stay at the Virginian Motel thanks to a recommendation from Rich J. I had been considering staying at the hostel, which would have been dirt cheap, but figure I can afford a bit more luxery. I ended up reserving an upstairs kitchenette, so even though I'm paying a bit more, I figure I can skimp by cooking my own meals. It will, of course, be healthier, and I don't have to worry so much about finding vegan or vegetarian food at restaurants.  On the other hand, it might be a bit less social. So, I'll just have to plan on inviting lots of people back to my room for dinners!

I've created a composit GPS file that I will upload to my GPS unit that includes all the trails and tracks that I was able to find online. I've got most of the major rides, and beyond that I'll just do a bit of exploration.

I'm really excited about this trip. It will be my first real MtB specific trip since I tried to bring my bike to India in 1997.

Looking for 'love'

I want to go on a MtB trip. There, I said it! Actually, I REALLY want to go on a mountain bike trip. One of those trips with 5 or 6 days in the saddle.

The part about choosing where to go is probably the easiest part. As long as there is great scenery, lots of single track, good vegetarian food, and I can sleep in a warm and dry tent, I'll be happy.

I've been looking into those MtB tour companies to see what they have to offer. Choosing one of them to supply all the support won't be all that difficult either, since there are only a handful of companies with the requisite reputation.

The problem isn't a lack of money that's getting between me and going on one of these trips. After all, if I'm even looking at those tour companies money isn't a limiting factor.

The reality of the matter is that I want someone to go with me on the trip. I want someone to share the experience with me. I want someone with whom I can return home and have a more solid emotional and intellectual bond. I wish it was another androphilic man, to make the physical nature of the experience even more intimate, but it doesn't have to a guy. In the old days (e.g. up until two years ago) I would have packed up my son and paid his way to do the trip and we would have had a great trip. But when he turned 17, started the teenage smoking thing, stopped doing much physical exercise, and then moved out when he turned 18, my built-in buddy thing ended. I get really nostalgic about it, because it was so nice to have someone to expose to so many different activities and experiences.

A friend of mine suggested that I return to Harbin Hot Springs (about 2hrs north of San Francisco) where I could go riding at Boggs Mountain State Forest. It would certainly be an enjoyable place to ride as I've done it during the past two years, but it's not exotic--I want to go someplace I've never been before where the trails are the main attraction rather than the place I'm staying. Still, I might take her up on the idea, because it's better than nothing for the short term and the liklihood of meeting a nice guy there is probably much higher than say mountain biking in Idaho.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll figure something out in the near future. I'm going to start a concerted effort to find other androphilic mountain bikers. I'll post more as things happen.