The last few days have been unbelievably scenic. All of those tough, hot days in the Texas desert were worth it. It just keeps on getting better.
After spending the night in Buckhorn, I was up ready for another productive day. The landscape is getting flatter every day. Today was one of the last days going through the hills. They’re a whole lot more fun when you are looking down.
I went through Gila and Apache National Forrest in the mid morning. There were more trees than I’ve seen in the past two weeks. It’s crazy that these forrest are surrounded by desert.
I’m now officially in Arizona. Now, Arizona is still in Mountain Time, but they do not recognize daylight savings time, so I’m effectively on Pacific Time.
Apache National Forrest was especially beautiful. The mountains are impressive. The rock formations are a sight to see.
There was a small uphill battle through the forrest, but as always, it was totally worth it. It was about a 6,000 ft pass, which is a piece of cake at this point.
I rode about 15 miles uphill, then 30 miles downhill. Not having to peddle for 10 miles at a time is different. I always feel bad when I see a cyclist struggling uphill as I coast downhill.
So, I’m heading into flatter, hotter and drier terrain. There are different kinds of cacti in this desert.
So, I’m looking at the map, and less than 600 miles away from San Diego. The anticipation is killing me. I feel like I’m on my own personal gold rush. Still, I’m not sure what I’ll find in California.
Once I get to San Diego, I’m going to ride up Hwy. 1, which I’ve heard is the most beautiful highway in The United States. I’m going to take Hwy. 1 toward the San Francisco area, hopefully visiting, Cupertino, Mountain View and Palo Alto on my way to Point Reyes National Seashore. This is still not set in stone. My family is coming to visit me on June 1 (I can’t wait to see you guys!).
I’m considering taking a train home instead of flying. If I take a train, I could make this trip complete a lap around the United States. One thing I’m sure about, however, is that I’m going to spend a considerable amount of time in at least one National Park, most likely Yosemite.
Planning for the last portion of the trip is surreal. I’ve been so focused on each and every day, that I’ve lost track of my progress. But now that California is back on my mind, I can’t get it out.
Rutger Myers 
Totally recommend Hwy 1, Pacific Coast Hwy.! Just becareful as it will be narrow in a lot of areas! Since you are going that way, I suggest a restaurant to stop in to eat:
NEPENTHE
48510 Highway #1, Big Sur, California 93920
(831) 667-2345
E-mail Nepenthe
Awesome! I’m going right through there, so I’ll check it out.
The traffic is definitely a concern. I ended up ordering another set of maps from Adventure Cycling. It looks like this route avoids some parts of Hwy. 1 with heavy traffic. It’s never fun to ride on a dangerous road.
Jason ran a marathon in Big Sur…he said that the views were absolutely wonderful!
Probably already on your itinerary, but just in case – go visit the Google and Stanford campuses! 🙂
Oh yeah, Silicon Valley is a major part of this trip. I can;t wait to see all these places I read about.
I was wondering if you were going to go up the Pacific Coast Highway. Ive never been, but Ive also heard of how beautiful it is and my fiancee and I were just talking about you yesterday and I was thinking that would be an amazing addition to your trek. Id vote in favor of the train. After such a long voyage, it seems sort of anti climactic to be back home in a matter of hours, and you bring up a great point about seeing more of the country. The same way that you were talking about having a completely unique perspective from your bike, there is a unique perspective when riding the rail. Whatever you choose, good luck on the rest of your journey!
Thanks! I can’t wait to see the West Coast.
I’ve pretty much decided to train home. It’ll be a nice way to easy back into my life back home. I love flying, but a plane ride would be such a culture shock.