A cycle route across southern Wales, from Chepstow to Fishguard, following National Cycle Network 4 (NCN4). Into Wales at Chepstow, over the old Severn Bridge, on a sunny afternoon. Narrow lanes with high hedges, and little traffic. Fortunately, because there was little room to pass and stinging nettles in the hedges! A pleasant night in …
The Western Way is the name of the first part of our summer of ’19 cycle trip. It is from south-east London (Greenwich) to Bristol first along the Thames and then following, where possible, the Kennet Avon canal. We’re near Bath at the moment, maybe 30 km ride from Bristol, waiting out some threatened thunder …
Whales and Stuff Ciudad Constitución is on Mex 1. Most travelers stop just long enough to fill up on gas before blasting on. Others hang a right to head to Puerto San Carlos and Magdalena Bay to watch some whales. Few stay for a night; there is nothing ‘special’ to attract the traveler/tourist. Apart from …
Mulegé Checking in on JD’s progress on the Baja Divide, I saw he was about to reach Mulegé. It suddenly seemed (and it proved to be) a good idea to make the short drive north to see him. I drove to Mulegé, bought a six-pack of cold Tecate, and navigated out the route to meet …
My room felt pretty empty after Bev flew back to Calgary but I stayed put for a couple days – there was rain in the forecast. And, in this case, the forecast was correct. Loreto’s streets are not designed to accommodate much rain so a couple of inches of water collected on the roads. Most …
Christmas in a resort town isn’t really our thing. When we were younger and had more energy, we might have driven the 2500 km of winter roads to camp and climb in Joshua Tree. More recently, they have been family occasions, at home in Calgary. I had expected to be cycling down the Baja peninsula …
Before I returned to university in the late ’90s, I was a carpentry contractor in the wonderful mountain town of Canmore, Alberta. One of the people I worked with was a French carpenter, Jean Daniel (JD) Recompsat. When I moved to Calgary to study, we fell out of touch. When he rode the Great Divide …
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument I slept out at Alamo Canyon campground, a ‘primitive’ camping area with just four sites. It was the first time in a while to be out under the stars. Magical. In the morning, I took my camera for a walk up the canyon. Inadvertently, my left hand brushed a cholla …
I finally escaped the clutches of Moab and headed south through Monument Valley to Flagstaff. After the magnificence and scale of the Canyonlands, Monument Valley always seems a little underwhelming to me. It is still a scenic drive, down Route 191. Pre-ski-season, hotel prices in Flagstaff were very reasonable (especially compared to the Sedona area, …
Riding I am not (yet) a mountain-biker. I’ve ridden maybe a dozen trails, all involving involuntary dismounts when the going got more than straightforward. But I’m keen to keep trying. My bike is built for adventure-touring. It’s steel-framed (read ‘heavy’) and has no suspension. It’s tough, and can be welded, if necessary, in just about …
Before my premature bailout from the GDMBR, Bev had booked flights to Loreto, in the southern Baja, so that we could spend Christmas and New Year together. I would need to book flights, too, now that I wouldn’t be riding down the Baja California peninsula. I wasn’t ready to commit to dates so soon after …
Friday 10th July, 2018. Calgary A bit of a frantic day, packing and doing last minute adjustments to a strange rear-brake problem. The brake caliper wouldn’t adjust so that the rear wheel would spin freely without moving washers from one side of the brake attachment to the other. A case of mechanical ineptitude on my …