Riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route: Part 3 – Wyoming and Idaho

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If you haven’t read Part 1- Arizona and New Mexico or Part 2 – Colorado, you should go back and check them out.

While Colorado was the state Jeff and I looked forward to the most, Wyoming, specifically the Great Basin, was the section we had the most concern about. Southbound riders told us many stories of fierce headwinds and thunderstorms, but few of sunshine and tailwinds. How much water and food should we carry, will a headwind slow us to a crawl, will a storm come and make the route impassable, etc? This all got put to rest after meeting the inspiring Todd family in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. When I asked Mike, the family ringleader, what his favorite GDMBR section was, he paused for a moment, then said “the Great Basin”.

Continue reading Riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route: Part 3 – Wyoming and Idaho

Riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route: Part 2 – Colorado

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First off, if you haven’t read Part 1- Arizona and New Mexico yet, you should go back and check it out.

ColoRADo, it’s the state we were looking forward to the most, and after dragging our bikes through the mud along Brazos Ridge, we were glad to finally arrive. With food supplies low we were also glad to arrive in the town of Horca, but that happiness didn’t last long. The one “food store” in town was closed for remodeling, so we scraped up what we could from the restaurant and gift shop, then rode on.

Continue reading Riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route: Part 2 – Colorado

Riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route: Part 1 – Arizona and New Mexico

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Heading East on the Geronimo Trail

Yes, I know the GDMBR technically doesn’t start in Arizona, but at least in my opinion it should. Logistically Douglas, AZ is much easier to get to than Antelope Wells, NM and while services are limited, it does have a Super Walmart and a pretty good Mexican restaurant. As for getting there, the option I’ve used in the past is to fly into Phoenix on Jet Blue, because they only charge $50 for a bicycle up to 99lbs and take the $40 Transporte Directo shuttle to Douglas. As for a cheap place to stay once you arrive, the Motel 6 in Douglas is clean, not too noisy, and under $40. All this aside, the best part of starting in Douglas is the Geronimo Trail, a mostly dirt road that stretches nearly 80 miles from Douglas Arizona to Animas New Mexico.

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Finding My Way With a Smartphone

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Reading a Map

While traveling, I’ve had quite a few people ask me how I navigate my routes. While I still use paper maps to get an overview of where I am and where I want to go, lately I’ve been relying on my phone’s GPS to help get me there. I’ve added a page under the Navigation heading describing what I use to find my way and how I use it.

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Summertime Wrap Up

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St. Elias Mountain View
Houses in Dawson City
Driving the Canol Road
Exit Glacier
Blowin Up Alpackas
Denali Reflection

I’ve been going through my photos from Yukon and Alaska, the two places I spent most of this summer in, and I’m still amazed by all the beautiful sights I saw. It’s hard to pick favorites out of all the places I’ve been, but if I had to pick three, I’d pick:

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From Phoenix to Sedona – Riding the BCT and back roads of Arizona

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After spending a few days taking in the big city of Phoenix and mountain biking in the South Mountain area, I headed north out of town with the plan to ride the Black Canyon Trail. With a late start and some confusion linking the various bike paths and urban trails, I made it to the Care Free Highway and found a great highway underpass camping spot

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