David and Carolyn
GO WEST

David's Statistical Summary and Thanks

Statistics do not really describe a trip, but they do help to give it a frame. In the end it is the people that we met that provided our most enjoyable times and memories. But we also appreciated the incredible diversity of creation and its creatures (most of whom Sophie barked at). Everyday brought its share of difficulties and delights. For me, David, the greatest treasure was having my best friend Carolyn to share it with. Days: 51 Nights: 26 camping, 24 Airbnb/Hotel, 2 trains Rain Days: None when we were riding, 2 when we were resting Flat Tires: 7 Bicycle Miles: 970 mi total, 140 mi in Missouri, 265 mi in Colorado, 565 mi in California Times Sophie escaped: 3 (not too often, but very memorable) Stuff we found on the road: a hammer (which we used to pound in tent stakes), leather work gloves (in good condition), a North Face stuff bag, 2 baseball caps (in good condition once they went through the washing machine), an umbrella, two red peppers (from a produce truck that rumbled by us). Times we stopped to buy food from anyone selling almost anything by the side of the road: just about every chance we got, including a jar of honey from a gentleman who did not speak English or Spanish near Sacramento, watermelon chunks from a young woman standing at an intersection at the end of an exhausting climb, a man and his son selling barbeque on the street in Oakland, and a food truck selling Mexican cuisine as we searched for the bike trail in Santa Maria. Mercies from our heavenly Father: Too many to count and new every morning.

Thanksgiving, Birthdays and Rest

After arriving with a deflated tire, we were very very tired and spent a lot of time sleeping. Both David and my brother Paul celebrated their birthdays here. At his 66th birthday, David enjoyed his wine form Napa which we shared with the family at Thanksgiving.

Family Times

Before chowing on Thanksgiving, we participated in a Turkey Trot celebrating with Delphi who was home from Graduate School in North Carolina to celebrate her dad's 55th birthday on the 24th the day after. Mom remains busy at 90 but definately slowing down .staying home from the community 5K run.

Sophie and Barry

Sophie has found a frenemy. She and Barry the cat are learning to co-exist and play nice. Sophie hates for Barrie to eat in peace, she attacks him eating his kibble high upon a countertop several times a day. It is a good opportunity for correction.

Sophie's Dog View

Sophie 's Dog View has always been different from ours. She had to look up at us, look out from the buggy and find spaces to nap when the bikes were not moving. We are amazed she managed to fit into the small space in the tent, on hotel beds, and now musical rooms at my mom's house. She is flexible and funny and ready for a walk any time of these 24 hour days.

Now HOW do we get home? Amtrak of course!

When we started this journey with our camp gear, bikes and dog, we were not certain how to get home. In the Rockies, David analyzed the costs of car rental and hotels would be about the same as taking the Soutwest Chief back to Chicago. We had already experienced two nights in an uncomfortable coach car, and were curious about a sleeper. Research showed that the earlier one purchased a ticket the more reasonable the price. So we bought the ticket to check our gear and bikes in Los Angeles and reserved a roomette. Research of youtube videos also shows that this tiny space for two people will be very very tight with our service dog. So our adventure ends with two nights on a train. Loving God is a journey not a plan. Stay Tuned

Hobson Beach

Hobson Beach holds 31 sites, each for a recreation vehicle, with a table, electric hookup. It was the smallest campsite we had visited. We were sandwiched between two large RVs , the last site we could obtain. Our neighbors were less than six feet from us in our tiny tent. Lights and generators competed for the sounds of the ocean as well as the traffic from the commuter trains, and the cars on the 101. Yet the view of the sunset justified the squeeze of people. We were delighted to meet bicycle travelers for a short chat. A couple came from Washington via train and bicycle as well. Our informal camp host, Lee, helped them find a tent space in her site. Lee had her truck in her site and spends months at Hobson every year.

Slow Rising Roads to Fillmore

From Hobson Beach the travel was again flat till Ventura. To avoid the 126 we took Telegraph Road till Santa Paula, an amazing town of artwork and nice restaurants. Our goal was to reach Kenny Grove Campground, our final bivouac before Santa Clarita.

Kenny Grove Campground

Kenny Grove is a campsite consisting of lovely sites in a forest of Oak Trees. All the land around it is covered with orchards. We picked persimmons, avocados and lemon from trees reaching over the fences. We continued on a road that was a continuous gentle incline, with few high hills. That there were not hard ups was a surprise.

Prepping to finish

David and Carolyn were tired, dusty and needed to wash clothes. The timing was perfect to finish the last 35 miles to Santa Clarita. The two of us by now were experts at setting up the tent, finding a place to charge the phones, filling water bottles with electrolytes and planning the map to destinations. Each day of travel had its adventure, the last did not dissappoint.

Highway 154 and God's Provision in our Travels

We studied the route options by bicycle, and working around Google and with Google. With bike routes Google sends us the most efficient route, which is not always the most scenic nor safe. Our objective was to avoid biking the 154 as much as possible. When June,our camp host, trailed us with her car lights blinking for six miles on the 154 highway to the turnoff at Stagecoach road, we were very grateful. This photo is a look back as we climbed Statecoach Road out of Cachuma Lake's valley. From that turnoff till arriving at Santa Barbara we crossed the 154 six times. Surprisingly we found it exhilarating, fun, curious and safe, with a few caveats. This was an answer beyond our expectations to our prayer request that went out to our prayer partners.

Around and Around

Stagecoach road took us around two mountains. We were set in our lowest gears for 10 miles slowly climbing. The grade was manageable without pushing, but very slow. We enjoyed passing under the 154 Arche Bridge and then passing it again from above. We crossed the 154 at Painted Cave Road, which switched north of the highway making a loop into Los Padres National Forest. This photo shows David and Sophie on the road dwarfed by the bridge above.

Painted Cave of the Chumash Indians: Historic Landmark

Carolyn asked Sophie to walk as David road his bike up the last 3 miles to the turn off to Painted Cave Landmark. The incline was hot and sweaty, but doable. Remarkably there were neighborhoods of homes bordering the National Forest. We found dozens of homes on this one lane road that held this historic landmark. Worth the trip on bikes. We saw a number of cyclists heaving up this tiny road bed. This link explains these caves. https://californiathroughmylens.com/chumash-painted-cave/

Down the Old San Marcos Pass

From the Painted Cave, we did not pedal at all, except to cross the 154 again and drop into Santa Barabara on the Old San Marcos Road. The number of switchbacks blanked our memories as we kept curving slowling around them. We had to stop and rest our hands as our brakes were quite warm from negociating the speed. But the view of the ocean and Santa Barbara sparkled spectacularly in the afternoon sunlight.

Lompoc to Cachuma Lake: A LONG Day

In order to reach Lake Cachuma from Lompoc, this day was broken in two parts. First we had to get to Solvang, traveling inland away from the coast. We ignored Google and studied the map to pass through Santa Rosa Road which took us close to Solvang, our first objective. This road travels on rough asphalt through a long valley with a number of mountains interrupting the agriculture. Wineries and vegetable field covered the valley floor on the 17 mile road. We intersected with the soon to be famous 154 to enter Solvang. We met only eight cars for two hours so Sophie was able to run the hills. While the scenery was elegant and cool breezes made the day pleasent, we were very happy to connect to the busy highway into Solvang with a smooth asphalt surface.

Juniper at Fourth

We left Lompoc early and arrived at Solvang by 12:30, knowing we still had another 19 miles to Lake Cachuma State Park. Juniper at Fourth restaurant gave us the boost to catch up with our tired legs. Farm fresh to table is the best food !

Passing Through Solvang

Solvang to Lake Cachuma via Santa Ynez and Chumash Reservation.

The closer we came to Lake Cachuma, more traffic was fed into the highways. We passed the Chumash Museum which was recently opened in May of this years. It definately a place to visit with more time. Twelve tough miles as the 154 narrowed and increased in transit with more double trailer trucks passing. We finally arrive to the Santa Barbara County Park Lake Cachuma before sunset.

Eating our way from Pismo Beach to Santa Maria

Our last week of travel took us inland from North Beach State Park to Santa Maria. We heard of this amazing bakery Called Grover Beach Sourdough. Although bread is not usually in our diet, we heard it was very good. So we took advantage of the bakery on our way out of town.

Bubbles and Tea Coffeehouse

Our first stop in the suburb of Nipomo was a true surprise. North Beach had no electric outlets and we needed to charge our phones. It was also a great snack, boba and short nap.

Solaire Inn and Suites : Eco Hotel options in Santa Maria

Solaire Inn is located at the southern end of town. After days in a cold tent, we were very happy to find such a clean and pleasent room to rest, with lots of electric outlets to charge our phones, lights, and earphones. The room was spacious so we could bring in both bikes without a lot of complication.

End of a Day Ice Cream

As is our custom, we walked around Santa Maria, looking to refill our dog food supplies. After eating morning, late morning, and at the food truck, we decided to try NITRO ice cream. The mixtures are placed in a container and instantly frozen with a dry ice type of spray. Always someting new.

The Last Train of 2023 October 25

After two nights in Oakland, we took a deep breathe and realized that we were starting our last ten days of travel. We hauled out of our hostel, before dawn biking the two miles to the Amtrak Station. Our last train ride of seven hours from early morning to afternoon. By now Sophie knew the routine. If we pull out her pillow, she curls up and naps practically anywhere. She had to curl for seven hours to San Luis Obispo .

Walking Oakland

Before the next phase of our quest, our quiet day was spent walking. When we stay after a lot of biking we walk everywhere. This photo was taken for Taquan Banner who works at Popeyes to see that Popeyes is everywhere. The city is pleasent. We stayed at a hostel that hosts people who need housing. We had a lot of conversations with folk there and their lives. Cassandra Faces was very helpful to us.

View from the Window

Office manager

A beautiful day for a train ride. After working on our ticket Amtrak allowed our luggage and bikes onto the train. We enjoyed the quiet from 8 am to 3 pm. Sophie spent the time resting. We went through the large agricultural areas and waved at workers.

Colorful beauty before the ride

We were impressed by the amount of agriculture, the acres of cauliflower and orange chrysanthemums, the mountains. We did not get a view of San Luis Obispo SLO because we had to move fast before the early setting sun. At that time the sunset was 6 pm. We arrived at 3:35. We had 12 to 14 miles to arrive at Pismo Beach. We took an alternative route e, NOT the 101, which is the main artery north to south. The alternative route allowed us better hills and less agressive traffic. We completed it by 5:15pm. Praise God no accidents nor getting lost. Setting up the tent at our first beach campsite was amazing, but loud as the Highway One traffic took over the sound of waves on the ocean.

Beauty in the Beach

At last we made it to the Bay and found the most beautiful pathway to China Beach. Arriving at China Beach we found beauty and quiet and racoons. The racoons took our jerky and popcorn as we forgot to lock up all our food stuff. Lessons learned.

China Camp

Arriving on Thursday, we had the place to ourselves for two days and saw the woods in beauty. The bike and walking trails were stunning. This area has a long history of use by the Native Americans, Chinese immigrants (1800s to 1900s) and as a beloved park for the public.

Roadway views

We biked into San Raphael to eat and charge our phones, eight miles one way. On the way home at sunset, David caught a pelican in flight.

Next Stop San Francisco

After a bit of debate on bike trails and routes, we took the scenic route to Tiberon Ferry. The distance was longer and the hills continuous but the views were great. Ferries are a major mode of transport to San Francisco. We left traveling over the Golden Gat bridge for another day.... which came sooner than we thought.

Quiet days with Wine

Sleeping for 12 hours in 50 degrees at night means going to bed at 8 pm. We seem to get up at 7 am. We had lots of time to walk the trails and went to a winery across from the park.

Enjoying the Redwoods

This Forest suffered wildfire in 2020, yet many of the trees have survived. We made a long hike to see the extent of the fire.

Can You identify this poo?

Perhaps we have had to clean up a lot of goat poop that we are curious about trail scat. David took this photo and showed it to the park ranger. Yes folks, this is bear scat. When asked if bears are common in the park, the answer: We don't talk about it too much. This pile is fresh r from this morning.

Calistoga Branch of Napa Valley Public Library

Sophie comes and naps at the Calistoga Library while we catch up on the travel blog. We are thankful for the quiet place to get work done.

Another hard day.

It was a miraculous day. Here we are at dawn in our dash to Sacramento Amtrak. and we arrived 13 hours later to Skyline campgrounds in Napa Valley. Upon arriving to a dry desert at Fairfield CA. We biked for 12 miles in the heat and traffic from that point, The lunch was fabulous. The temperature at 96degrees F. We became disoriented to the exit to Skyline camp grounds and pushed our bikes up a rocky trail for the last of 50 miles that day. Praising God for our resilience and absence of fear.

Biking up Napa Valley on Highway 29

After a lot of debate and advice from locals, we decided to take Highway 29 from Yountville. Arriving in Yountville was very easy in that we had a bike trail for 15 miles from our exit (a road) from Skyline. The 29 has a very wide bike lane. Here you can see Sophie checking to make certain David is following.

Trails and Calistoga : Reflection and rest

Our arrival to Bothe Napa State Park gave us five days of rest. We spent a lot of time on the trails of one of northern California's few redwood forests. The first thing one has to do in rest is laundry. Monday we went to the Laundry, bike shop for our tires which were blowing tubes, Ace hardware and good food.

Sophie enjoys breaks

Sophie enjoys treats at all times. We stopped at St Helena for a root beer float at an original A&W restaurant. The staff presented Sophie with whipped cream and dog treats. Very popular.

Amtrak From Denver to Reno

OCTOBER 1 At 6:30 am we hauled ourselves to the train station, dismantled our gear and boarded the Amtrak to Sacramento at 8:15. Sophie gave a scare as she crawled out of her 'SERVICE DOG' vest and headed to the main lobby as we were packing the duffels with bike trailers. She was a very good dog after that . 25 Hours later we landed in Reno, taking an extra rest day before tackling Sacramento California.

Beauty of the Mountains

We enjoyed for the most part the long rail journey over the Rocky Mountains. The view of the Colorado River was stunning. We also passed through Green River and contacted our friends as we went. It gave time to Pray for the them. After going to the bathroom in Salt Lake City, we hauled into Reno for a day of rest.

Reno, a Fine stopover

After being cramped on a train for a day and an hour, we checked into the Reno Suites 22 floor hotel room. We walked the bikes into the room from the elevator and took a long nap. From there we explored the area, bought a new pair of shoes for Carolyn and ate fusion Korean food (yum!). It is an interesting historical city. You can see David with Sophie facing the river, with the oldest red brick hotel on the left side. The evening of October third, we met William pastor as well as owner of comfort food and prayed for his congregation in Reno.

Sacramento: Race to beat the Sunset

Here we are at the Reno train station, preparing our minds to tackle the day A good rest was needed as we took the Amtrak to Sacramento, which was more than one hour late. This put us into Sacramento at 2:45pm. We needed to bike 30 miles before dark. Although we broke speed records on the Jedediah Smith Memorial Bike Trail, we did not arrive to Beals Point campground until 8pm. We biked the last three miles with our few lights and setup our tent in pitch black. We pray for Katy who used our parking spot to spend the night in her truck. We also praise God for Katy who helped us find our camp site in the dark.

A VERY HARD DAY

We decided to take the road of least possible traffic problems, which was impossible on a loaded trailer. Asphalt roads were the preference. We stopped taking photos after we left the beauty of Lake Pueblo. After meandering through neighborhoods we chose two highways with cement shoulders to fit into two lane traffic. Highway 50 took us to Penrose, where we drank 4 rehydration drinks. The owner of the grocery store told us that the north bound road, the 115, would be difficult due to road construction. Then ascent was 2000 feet. Carolyn blew a tire 12 miles from Cheyenne Mountain State Park. Praise God that Basis Projects, the construction oversight company gave permission to one of their supervisors to take Carolyn to the entrance of the park. David road the narrow width two lane, no shoulder the last 12 miles. Then 800 feet pushing bikes to the camp site. We were astounded that we had the resilience to arrive at dark , pitch a tent, and drop to sleep.

Colorado Springs to Monument Colorado

We now learned more about following Google. Instructions took us through Fort Carson, which is closed to the public. We had no desire to get on the 115 again to arrive near Monument. The guard told us to get a pass to go from Gate 1 to Gate 3. So we walked into the guard house to obtain permission to travel the two miles through Fort Carson's residential area. From there we were on quiet suburban streets, beautiful bike paths, and difficult commuter highways to north part of Colorado Springs. We had a good room and sleep before going to Monument for breakfast the next morning.

Descents

After Monument, we chose the another rural two lane called the 105 which took us to Palmer Lake, two miles later we began the descent into Castle Rock. Suddenly biking became fun again. Praise God for good days.

Castle Rock

Amazing we arrived to Castle Rock before 2pm. The Castle Pines Motel, located in downtown, provided the space and good location to find food.

Stop For Beauty

We had a lot to see in God's creation as well as our own interactions. The Katy Trail had lovely stops. We found beautiful Missouri River views, benches to rest on and the occasional rest stop of beauty. This is the Sunflower farm, with a painted silo and large variety of sunflowers set up in a maze.

Watch for Opportunities to Share

Eating becomes imperative on the trail. We enjoyed a rest at the Caboose in Augusta Missouri. John the owner said we ate most of the menu. He is beginning a Forrest Gump run for President in October.

Beauty in Reconciliation

We enjoyed the view of the Missouri River for over one hundred miles. The greatest memory was learning to set up tents and manage camping for three days. Our own daily reconciliation involved learning to appreciate each other and work together with the 70 pound loads on the trailers. At the end of that time we found ourselves in Jefferson City, Missouri's capital. Because we could not find a campground we chose a Jeff City hotel to rest

Pray about Changes

We had completed fpir full days of grinding to our daily destination of over 45 miles. Three days on the Katy was enough and we felt burdened by the rides. So we bought a ticket to Kansas City on September 20. Planning and praying we decided that the trip from south Colorado to Denver needed more days. So we changed our tickets that would leave in the evening of the 20th. Jefferson City is on the commuter train route. We arrived late to Kansas City with only 25 minutes to haul our gear out of the commuter train and onto the spot to load at 10:50. Then the three of us took the last two seats in Coach section and spent the night arriving to La Junta Colorado. Out of the pot and into the fire. We rested on September 21 and then spent seven continuous days of biking to Denver.

Carolyn, David and Sophie on the Train

Early Morning departure from Chicago Amtrak

Arrival to St Louis !!!

By Noon we were at the St Louis Amtrak Station

Pack it up at Amtrak

12: 01 pm Train to St. Louis , a very restful trip with a kind luggage handler to carry our gear to the ticket office. By 1:30 pm we were packed, set up. ready to ride. Our greatest memory was meeting William a fellow Christ follower who shared his faith with us. We prayed for each other before pedaling down the road.

God's Grace to us on trails

3:00 we managed to arrive at Shaw Park our first stop. Along the way Sophie burst out of the buggy, had a near miss as she chased David across an intersection. So she ran for a mile on the Washington University campus trails to burn off energy. She then traveled strapped to the overhead bar with her leash and barked her way to St Charles. It is a training process. By 4:30 we arrived at St; Louis Bubble Tea exhausted and really thirsty. We ordered 4 large bubble teas and finished them quickly. Sophie wanted to chase rabbits.

Our GOAL Arrival to the St Charles on the Missouri River

After 30 miles, many on beautiful bike trails, with a fair number of hills, we arrived at our hotel at dusk, and discovered a hot tub in our room to soak out the muscle cramps. Praise God for safe arrival!