Messages

1

Gear Talk / Night reflective material source

« on: February 11, 2008, 04:42:22 pm »

Just found, just ordered a few items from reflectivelyours to customize my reflectivity visibility from the rear, both sides and front.
Don't know what I'll do yet, but should be fun. My Trike flags with reflection for sure.

HERE: http://www.reflectivelyyours.com/
__________________


Terry
Rides West Deserts, Mountains

2

Gear Talk / trailer pulling and old guys

« on: March 04, 2008, 01:52:47 am »

I'm 67 and trike-camp 2-4000mi a year.
Two years ago I switched to a very low geared recumbent tricycle.
Four years ago I switched to a BOB trailer.
Six years ago I switched to a hybrid bicycle.
These were prudent and practical changes.
In 2025 I'll add a motor.

Terry
Rides West Deserts, Mountains

3

Routes / Yuma to Gila Bend,AZ

« on: February 02, 2008, 02:57:39 am »

So if you got me from Joshua Tree to Yuma, perhaps you also can route me to Gila Bend on my way to Organ Pipes Cactus National Monument?
How about the seconday (tertiary? tracks?) roads on the north or south side of the Gila River?
I'm on a recumbent tadpole trike pulling a BOB trailer.  Most any maintained road is makeable.  Freeways are extremely difficult.

Terry
Rides West Deserts, Mountains

This message was edited by tytrike on 2-2-08 @ 5:03 PM

4

Routes / Joshua Tree to Yuma

« on: February 02, 2008, 02:52:16 am »

I'd like a secondary road route from the south exit of Joshua Tree National Park to a Colorado River crossing at Yuma.  Perhaps to the east shore of the Salton Sea then secondary roads.  I'm on a recumbent tadpole trike pulling a BOB trailer - freeways aren't so good.

Terry
Rides West Deserts, Mountains

5

Routes / Big Sur - Mogollon Rim - Fredonyer Pass

« on: January 28, 2008, 05:08:55 am »

terry
South Surrey, near Vancouver BC
 
A trip :-)
Part I: my profile
Part II: the route
 
 Big Sur, CA to Fredonyer Pass, CA the longer way via Organ Pipes NM, AZ then Grand Canyon NP, AZ.
This will follow the season of Spring the enter loop, won't it?
 
Leave home on Tadpole and BOB trailer loaded from South Surrey, BC on March 19,2008
Drive Tadplole and trailer loaded into a rented one-way van in Bellingham, WA
Drive to Palo Alto into the care of family who on March 23, deposit all at Big Sur, California.
March 24, I start pedaling some 2500 miles over 80 days (more or less)
 
 Part I:  Following is a description of my ways.
 My ways seems to work out differently than described, usually better if well advised.
 
 It's  Trike-Packing (equivalent of Back-Packing) on a Tadpole pulling a BOB trailer.
    Single person,    Self-supporting,     Sleuth campsites 3 of 4 nights.
     Trip legs are 270 miles each, pedaling  6 out of 9 days ,   doing 45 mi.& 2500 foot rise / day  
 
YES TO:
Trikers knowledge about trike useable roads
    State, County, 3 numeral, Named, Land Management, Forest Service, National Parks, Indian Nations Lands.
    Light traffic (days)
    Maintained gravel OK but not forever.
    ANY HILL is OK, but levels before sunset..
Sturdy simple gear and kits [I'm OK]
    Apt for 3 Seasons and rain
    Full(er) repair kit
    Water for 3 days
Cyclists campsites (1 of 4 nights)(Battery charging)
Local secrets (like hot pools)
 
NO TO:
Pushing the loaded rig
Trike unuseable roads:
    Interstates and most US Highways
    Any RUMBLE strips
    High volume, narrow shoulders
    Rutted 2-track roads
Urban areas
Eating out
Motels.
 
Part II: Here goes 2500 miles
 
LEG 1
Big Sure to Guadalupe.  East over the Coast Mountains, touch the farms of the Central Valley and rise to Tehachape Pass, the south tip of Sierra Nevada
LEG 2
***** From Tehachapi, I think I should head for Joshua Tree National Park (NP) and hang-out there a day or two.
The East Slope of the San Bernadino Mountains appears to be highlyl populated = many roads and unkown campsites.
Barstow may be an alternative?
LEG 3
***** From leaving Joshual Tree to crossing the Colorado to Gila Bend, AZ before going south to Organ Pipes National Monument (NM),
no matter which route and roads, it looks like a compromise. Nothing strikes me as preferred or even desireable EXCEPT it is the Sonoran Desert.
LEGS 4 AND 5
***** Splitting between Tuscon and Phoenix  to Catalina, AZ, I'd be looking at one of the edges of the earth The Mogollon Rim.  
 From my hours on the internet exploring this phenomena, maybe I'll just stay there ... anyway I added one leg to my trip to just hang out .
From Eager to Strawberry, several roads access the crest, SR260 partially follows the crest, partially drops below.  It looks like a maintained Forest Service Road goes from Strawberry to Forest Lakes right on the crest.  I'm thinking sort of a figure-8, high and low, over its 100 miles length.
LEG 6
Then, say Show Low ,AZ  to the Pertrified Forest NP over the Painted Desert on Navajo Nation Lands to Grand Canyon
LEGS 7, 8, 9
The rest of this trip is like being home, only I'll get to places I want to be only had made choices to go other ways.
Kanab, UT - SR14 above Zion NP - Cedar City - Extraterrestial Hwy,NV - Tonopah - Austin - Lonliest Hwy - Pyramid Lake - Susanville - Fredonyer Pass. (North tip Sierra Nevada)
 
 
The ***** legs above need more clarity , especially getting to  Joshua Tree and Organ Pipes.
 
If you have trikers knowledge about 3-wheeler useable roads, features to visit, local secrets, good cyclist campsites NAND about roads to avoid, places to skip... might you let me know?
 
 
terry
South Surrey, near Vancouver BC
tytrike@telus.net
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 


__________

Terry
Rides West Deserts, Mountains

This message was edited by tytrike on 1-28-08 @ 8:08 AM

6

Routes / Desert tour-salton sea

« on: March 15, 2008, 03:35:43 am »

Thanks for the info.  Within a week of April 10, Ill join HWY 111 from Joshua Tree National Park via Box Canyon Rd (I presume its trikabale) down to HWY 78. Do you know if the secondary and tertiary roads from Yuma to Gila Bend are vandal safe?  If reasonable that's what I'd like.  Otherwise Its a HWY 78 loop NE then SE back to Gila Bend on the way to Organ Pipes Cactus Nationa Monument.

Terry
Rides West Deserts, Mountains

7

General Discussion / Communication from the road

« on: February 23, 2008, 12:57:55 am »

I camp with a trailer so bringing my 12" Dell 710m works out ok as far as packing safely.  It has a clear screen, lots of memory and drive space AND ESPECIALLY has fast WiFi.  Between random Access Points (in the strangest places at times) and Town Libraries Internet Access is acceptable. For phoning, I subscribe to Skype, an internet-phone provider AND bring a Headset with mike.  I use my gmail e-mail account rather than my home providers e-mail as it sometimes doesn't work.
A PDA size gizzmo is pretty useless.  I shouldn't comment on cell-phone  as I don't use it because of lack of service in remoter places.

Terry
Rides West Deserts, Mountains

8

General Discussion / Desert travel

« on: February 04, 2008, 05:48:30 am »

The Basin and Range High Desert is awesome.  Going East to West, the slopes up from the basins to the summits of the ranges is somewhat gentler than going down to the next basin WHERAS those descents are why I cycle ... zoom zoom.  Some distances between summits are say 5 miles to 50 miles.  Ascents from say 500 to 3500 feet.  Slopes are like rising out of bathroom basins - gentle to start, steep (maybe 10%) at summit.
     The area is the home of the "Wayward Wind".  It is of a particular factor starting in the afternoon.
I imagine air circulating in large cells so the direction and speed constantly change.  Tailwinds are how things are supposed to be so are not noticed.  The rest of the wind is either a headwind or from the side trying to blow cyclists off the shoulder or into the semi.  Or is it I just ride too long in the sun?
     The wind is dry and very dehydrating.
For 3 reasons I carry up to 20 qts of water 2 and 1/2 or more days supply.
     1. Some legs are over 100 miles between water taps and I travel not more than 50 mi per day.
     2. Its my preference to camp at the top of summits sometimes with a layover and walkabout there.
     3. A water squirt on skin is like a refrigerator.

Perhaps one lower gear, one pace slower.
Desert light weight water wicking clothing and hat.
Summit temperatures get cold at night.
Checkout "Mormon Crickets", Scorpions under tents.
June was great.




Terry
Rides West Deserts, Mountains

This message was edited by tytrike on 2-4-08 @ 8:00 AM