Road Trip 2020 - Surviving the Desert Rats of Tucson, Arizona

Roadtrip - San Diego to Tucson, via Peoria, Arizona
January 28 - 31, 2020
Surviving the desert rats of Tucson, Arizona

Tucson Mountain Park glows red with the light of the setting sun.

    We departed San Diego on a sunny morning and felt that we were finally starting our road trip after spending most of January visiting family and friends in California. The next two nights, we would also visit a lifelong friend of Roger’s who lives in Peoria, Arizona, next to Phoenix. They have been friends since their Humboldt University days, and both have retired from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Roger and his friend golfed while I caught up on trip planning and writing. 

Hiking in Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona

     That night, we enjoyed a delicious meal at the Persian Room in Scottsdale. I don’t think I had ever been to a Persian restaurant. First, the server brought us a plate of warm naan with a side of fresh basil leaves and onion slices. We had to ask about how to eat it. She explained how to wrap the basil and onion in the bread  — it’s to prepare your palate, she said. It sounded odd to us but was quite tasty. The naan was so good, I couldn’t stop eating it, with or without the basil and onion. We then shared an appetizer called Chicken Eggplant Borani, a hot dish of sautéed chicken and eggplant in a tomato sauce with fresh lemon juice, seasonings, and topped with fried onions. For my entree, I ordered Fessenjan, a stew of chicken and ground walnuts, simmered in a sweet and sour pomegranate sauce with basmati rice on the side. Roger ordered Gyro, thinking it was a sandwich, but it was just the seasoned beef, broiled and sliced thin, served with basmati rice and a homemade gyro sauce. We shared Baklava for dessert. The restaurant was beautifully decorated, so it made the dining experience feel even more exotic.

The view from the rear window of the van.

     The next morning, we said goodbye to our friend and his sweet German short-hair pointer, Baylee Lu, and made our way to Tucson and Saguaro National Park. Saguaro National Park West does not have a campground, so we reserved two nights at the Gilbert Ray Campground in Tucson Mountain Park. I had expected the Tucson area to be flatter, but it was quite hilly with many up and down dips in the road. I was getting a little seasick as if we were on the ferry to Pelican, riding the swells of Cross Sound.

Barrell cactus

     Gilbert Ray is by far one of the most scenic campgrounds I have ever visited. Parts of it are still “campy,” for example, the hand-painted signs in the bathroom and the heavy wooden pegs on the wall, clearly made in the campground’s carpenter shop. The other campground guests were mostly retired people like us who seem to have a great appreciation for natural places.

     The beautiful desert landscape is full of a variety of cacti, shrubs, and trees. Some of the cacti are named after their appearance: teddy bear and staghorn cholla, hedgehog, beavertail, barrel, and fishhook. Of course, the stately saguaro cacti dominate the landscape. The mix of cacti, shrubs, and trees are on display as if arranged by a professional florist.

The sun begins to set in Tucson Mountain Park.

     We arrived just in time for the beautiful sunset, overlooking the city of Tucson. Sunset reminded me of being in Hawaii, everyone stopped for a few moments, turned to the west, and enjoyed a few peaceful moments as the sun dipped below the horizon, turning the sky fiery orange. 

Sunset at Gilbert Ray Campground

     As we settled into camp and prepared dinner (chicken and vegetable stir fry with leftover rice from the Persian restaurant), we noticed several of the vehicles parked nearby had their hoods up, and rope lights were strewn on the ground under the engine area of the trucks.

Beautiful desert scenery surrounds our campsite.

I then remembered a campground review I had read about how to prevent desert rats from eating the electrical and fuel wires of your vehicle. Keep the hood open and light on to keep the desert rats out. I told Roger about it, and he skeptically replied, “It does a good job keeping the giraffes out too.” The next morning, a man walked by and asked, “How come everyone has their hoods open? Can’t everyone be working on their vehicles?” We explained the story of the desert rats. “Hmmm, said the man. I don’t know about that.” 

The hills below the Tucson Mountains create
the perfect habitat for the saguaro cacti.

     The next day, we drove to Saguaro National Park West, which abuts Tucson Mountain Park. We went to the visitor center, where I looked for a rat mascot in honor of The Year of the Rat. Surely, with all these desert rats, there would be a cute little rat in the gift shop. I didn’t find a single rat. 

     We drove the five-mile, unpaved, Bajada Scenic Loop and stopped to hike on the Valley View Overlook Trail (.8 mile) and the Signal Hill Petroglyphs Trail (.3 mile). Also in this area is the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Old Tucson Studios theme park. We did not take the time to go to either of these attractions. Several of our friends recommended the desert museum, but we just didn’t have enough time. I recall visiting Old Tucson Studio (or a similar place) many years ago on another visit to Tucson. 

Petroglyphs from the Hohokam period,
450-1450 CE.

     Thank goodness someone had the forethought to set aside these lands for the public to enjoy. As one of the displays described at an overlook, you can clearly see where the border of the park ends, and private ownership begins. If not for these parks, development would continue to encroach the desert and mountains, and we wouldn’t have these them to enjoy and appreciate.

View from a picnic area in Saguaro West Tucson Mountain District

“If much in the world were mystery the limits of that world were not, for it was without measure or bound and there were contained within it creatures more horrible yet and men of other colors and beings which no man has looked upon and yet not alien none of it more than were their own hearts alien in them, whatever wilderness contained there and whatever beasts.” — Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

#tucsonmountainpark #saguaronationalpark #gilbertraycampground #vanlife #me2ak #ontheroad #roadtrip

Road Trip 2020 - Detour: Las Vegas & San Diego

January 24-27, 2020 - Las Vegas, Nevada (Patte) & San Diego, California (Roger)

Las Vegas is better with friends

Red Rock Canyon is located just outside of Las Vegas.

     We sadly departed Jumbo Rocks Campground in Joshua Tree National Park after three magical days of biking, hiking, and stargazing. I was on my way to visit UMaine friends in Las Vegas while Roger would drive the van to San Diego and hang out with his brother and sister-in-law for the weekend. I had a Greyhound bus ticket from Palm Springs to Vegas. It made sense at the time. Cheaper and quicker than flying since there are no direct flights to Vegas from Palm Springs. 

We B 2 B Who B U B?

     Roger dropped me off at the North Palm Springs bus stop at a Shell station off I-10. The bus arrived about 20 minutes late. In the last minutes before the bus arrived, I went back to the van (thankfully, Roger was still there) and grabbed a couple of granola bars and two clementine oranges. (Lesson one, always travel with food and water.)

     The bus arrived, and I took a seat near the back. The bus originated in Yuma, Arizona, that morning and was heading to L.A. I would get a connecting bus to Vegas in San Bernardino. I settled in, looking forward to a relaxing ride to Vegas.

Not a happy bus customer

     At 1 p.m., a half-hour into the ride, after picking up new passengers in Banning, the bus chugged a few times then quit, and the driver pulled over to the side of Highway 10 near Calimesa, about 20 miles southeast of San Bernardino. The driver went outside and opened an engine compartment near the back of the bus. Then he tried to start the bus again. He repeated this procedure a few more times. It didn’t look good. 

     We sat on the bus for two hours before the passengers started to lose their patience. Some called a customer service number. Then someone said that everyone needed to call the number until we got results. This is wrong. We should get a refund. We need water.

New York, New York, in Las Vegas

     The customer service person said, “I’m sorry that happened to you. You need to call the customer service number.”

     The passengers said, “This is the customer service number. You are customer service. That’s you!”

     The customer service person said the phone lines must be overloaded because the calls were being forwarded to him. All we could do was call back. Eventually, one of the customer service people verified that indeed, we were broken down, the driver had filed a report, and either a mechanic or another bus was on the way. Which one? They didn't know. In this situation, the procedure was to send a mechanic, and if the mechanic couldn't fix it, then they would send another bus. How long would that take? They didn't know.

Feeling better in Red Rock Canyon

     There would be no real-time customer service. No questions or concern about our well-being. No offers to improve the situation. Just an apology and a remote customer service agent reading a script from a procedural manual.

     The driver then returned to the bus and announced that Greyhound was sending another bus FROM L.A.! It would be there in an hour. AN HOUR. We had already been sitting on a hot bus in the desert for two hours. Many of the passengers had no food or water.

I've been looking for a Year of the Rat mascot.
This story to be continued...

     Following the lead of another passenger, I decided to call a Lyft driver to take me to San Bernandino to catch the next connection to Vegas, scheduled at 4:45 pm. I had already missed my earlier connection. I felt bad about leaving my fellow passengers on the broken-down bus. Most of them were going to L.A. Another passenger and I shared the Lyft to San Bernardino where her ride would pick her up. 

Beautiful sunshine with beautiful people --
NJ - ME - AK - CO

     The San Bernardino Greyhound station was a rough-looking place. A security guard checked me at the door. “No guns or knives,” he said. “No, absolutely not,” I replied. Then he passed a wand over me just to make sure.

     The station was full of passengers waiting for the bus to L.A. and other connections, including mine. My bus was late because of the heavy L.A. traffic. The 4:45 pm connection I made didn’t leave San Bernardino until after 6 p.m. I arrived in Vegas around 11:30 p.m. (My original schedule was supposed to arrive at 5:30 p.m.)

Red rock at Red Rock Canyon

     Despite a terrible bus experience, I had a wonderful time in Vegas. I hadn’t seen two of my friends since moving to Alaska seven years ago. The third I hadn’t seen since I graduated in 1988. I’d write more about what we did in Vegas, but, well, you know what they say about Vegas.

     We rented a car on Sunday and drove to Red Rock Canyon for a hike and then had lunch at Cottonwood Station in the village of Blue Diamond, Nevada. 

A Joshua Tree stands guard in Blue Diamond, Nevada.

     Sadly, we were in Red Rock Canyon when we learned about the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven other people. The irony of the situation was not lost on me. The heavy L.A. traffic was the reason Kobe traveled mostly by helicopter. I hope L.A. does something to address its traffic and smog problems.

     A the end of the weekend, I flew (yes, flew) to San Diego to reconnect with Roger. We dined on lobster he and his brother caught the night before on a charter fishing trip. I hadn’t eaten lobster in a long time, and it was delicious. 

Roger caught our dinner -- a California spiny lobster.

     As I will continue to learn, traveling includes adventure as well as misadventure. It’s important to be prepared for the unexpected, but we don’t have to let the unexpected ruin our experience if we can help it.

#lasvegas #redrockcanyon #sandiego #vanlife #me2ak #ontheroad

Road Trip 2020 - The Magic of Joshua Tree National Park

January 15, 2020 - Malibu, Calif.

January 16-20, 2020 - Palm Springs, Calif.

January 21-23, 2020 - Joshua Tree National Park

Exploring the land by day and the starry sky by night

     After our visit to Pismo, we spent a few days in Malibu and Palm Springs, Calif., visiting family. We took in a UCLA vs. Stanford basketball game and also got a taste of the LA traffic. Our days in Palm Springs consisted of morning walks (with a bit of geocaching), pool and hot tub time, happy hour, and going out to dinner. Not a bad gig if you can get it. After a few days of rest and relaxation, we were ready to hit the road again and go exploring. (To the Harding family — hugs & kisses and thank you for a wonderful time!)

The namesake of Joshua Tree National Park

      According to folklore, when Mormon settlers first saw the Joshua Tree, it reminded them of Joshua, who lifted his hands to the sky in prayer. In contrast, the Joshua Tree reminds me of the cat from Bloom County. 

The Joshua Tree reminds
me of Bill the Cat.

It’s certainly an unusual looking tree, and no two look alike.

     Environmental journalist and natural history writer, Chris Clarke, has spent 20+ years researching the origins of the name of the Joshua Tree. In this 2013 article, he describes the history behind the nomenclature. For whatever reason, the name Joshua Tree stuck, and the tree and the park have inspired artists and musicians such as the band U2 ever since.

I never got tired of the desert landscape at Joshua Tree.

     Today, the park’s diverse desert landscape — a transition desert between the Mojave in the north and the Colorado desert in the south — attracts a variety of wildlife and plants as well as human visitors from all over the world. Rock climbers especially like to scale the challenging large rock formations.

Most campsites at Jumbo Rocks were along the roadside.

     We arrived at Jumbo Rocks campground shortly before sunset and noticed everyone wearing parkas and knit caps. When I stepped out of the van, dressed for Palm Springs, I understood why. As soon as the sun sets, the temperature drops. We settled in and enjoyed the night sky. Venus appeared first. Then I could see the faint three stars of Orion’s belt. Slowly, as the night progressed, stars, planets, and occasional airplanes illuminated the entire sky.

We had the roads mostly to ourselves biking in Joshua National Park.

     The first thing we wanted to do was — finally! — try out our new bikes. We rode from the campground on the paved park road to the unpaved Desert Queen Mine Road. It was in decent condition with just a few sandy spots that caused me to fishtail now and then. Car traffic was minimal. A car may have passed us a few times, but honestly, I don’t remember. There was hardly any other bike traffic either, which surprised me. The scenery was so intriguing, and I kept my eyes open for signs of wildlife and kept scanning the landscape. That’s when I ran into the sand and almost wiped out a few times. We rode to Pine City, a backcountry camping registration site. 

Taking a break at Pine City

      We continued on the one-way Queen Valley Road, which brought us to the trailhead of Wall Street Mine Trail. We hiked to the old mine site and learned about the feuds for water rights. Apparently, a guy shot and killed another guy arguing over water rights. After serving his prison term for murder, the shooter returned to the site and erected a monument commemorating his shooting of his enemy. Talk about toxic masculinity. 

Some not-so-hidden history from the old mine

    Along the way, we met an Aussie who is biking across North America. He had already been to Alaska. He specifically mentioned Fairbanks and Juneau. (Read the following with an Australian accent.) “I picked berries they-ah. And ate salmon from a jah.” This guy (we didn’t get his name) is traveling by bicycle, and his girlfriend is traveling alongside by van. She works remotely, and the two of them rendezvous now and then. After chatting with the Aussie and hiking to Wall Street Mine, we rode our bikes back to the campground via Bighorn Pass Road. This area is home to bighorn sheep, but we did not see any. 

A good place to rest from biking and hiking

     That night, we enjoyed another beautiful night sky with a campfire this time. The next day, we tried riding the Geology Tour Road, an unpaved road for four-wheel-drive vehicles. Unfortunately, it was too sandy and washboardy for our hybrid bikes. We turned around after two miles of a downhill slope and had to climb our way back out. It was good gear training.

     When we returned to camp, we hopped into the van and rode to Hidden Valley and Barker Dam Trails. We hiked them, and then we rode to the Cholla (pronounced choy-ya) Cactus Garden.* On our way back to the campground, we stopped at Skull Rock and watched the sunset. Back at camp, we enjoyed another fire and the beautiful night sky. 

Cholla has become my favorite cactus.

     We had been looking forward to this part of our trip for a long time, and Joshua Tree didn't disappoint us. No wonder many of my friends list this park as one of their favorites. Many others have it on their bucket lists.

Skull Rock is the most popular attraction at Joshua Tree.

*Since this day, I have learned there are many types of cholla cacti. I think most of these are called Teddy Bear Cholla because of their fuzzy covering.

#joshuatreenationalpark #vanlife #me2ak #ontheroad

     

Road Trip 2020 - Winter Break in Pismo Beach

Chowchilla to Pismo Beach
January 11-14, 2020
Escape the cold in sunny Pismo Beach

Pismo Beach is a winter getaway for visitors from the North.

     During the winter months, Pismo Beach, California, hosts visitors from the North who seek sunny days and warmer weather. Yes, I’m talking about the monarch butterflies. 

     Butterflies west of the Rockies migrate 2,500 miles to groves in Central and Southern California. Pismo’s monarch grove happens to be adjacent to North Campground, part of Pismo Beach State Park. While the butterflies live there from October through February, we visited from January 11th to the 14th.

An intimate butterfly moment

     During our visit to the monarch grove, we listened to a nature talk by one of the volunteers. She described the life cycle of the monarch, Danaus plexippus, how the caterpillars eat only milkweed (and other monarch eggs), and how western monarchs fly to California in winter, and eastern monarchs fly to mountains in Central Mexico. She described how monarchs mate. The male flies after the female. While flying, he captures her, and they fall to the ground in ecstasy. (I added the ecstasy part.) There, they do their business. When they are finished, they fly to the top of a tree to rest and maybe do it again. 

     As if on cue, a pair of butterflies landed in the center of the circle for all of us to see. The male flapping his wings up and down. One by one, members of the audience got up close to take pictures. Roger got a good one.

Sand dunes surround North Campground
at Pismo Beach State Park.

     This is our second time visiting Pismo Beach. Last year we stayed at Pismo Coast Village RV Resort because the campground was closed because of flooding. Driving from Chowchilla to Pismo is one of my favorite rides. The land changes quite dramatically from flat in Central California to the rolling hills of Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. I never tire looking out the window at grazing cattle, hillsides covered with grapevines, or if you’re lucky to be there in early spring, after winter rains, fields of gold — the yellow California poppies. 

The road to Pismo Beach through Paso Robles.

     Luckily for us, our visit overlapped with the time friends from Juneau were also in Pismo. They rent a condo for five weeks every January. We enjoyed walking the beach, visiting the pier, going to dinner, and wine tasting. We ate at the Cool Cat Cafe. I ordered a salad and fried calamari. Roger got a fish burger. Another night we went to a Mexican restaurant called Los Amigos. I ordered chicken fajitas (my usual), and Roger ordered something we haven’t seen before. The ingredients were similar to fajitas, but it was served in a stone bowl called a Molcajete and had a layer of cheese at the bottom of the bowl.

A walk on the Pismo Pier at sunset

     We only played one round of golf at the Pismo Beach Golf Club. A rough, little, 3-par course that reminds me of the Mendenhall Golf Course in Juneau. A sign on the wall says, “It’s Pismo Beach, not Pebble Beach.” I prefer small golf courses like this one. We walked, but other people rented carts. The golf course is next to the campground, a 10-minute walk on the trail. We love our van, but sometimes it’s nice to walk or ride our bikes.

Friends, wine, and sunshine in the Edna Valley

     We went to Wolff Vineyards with our friends. Roger and I had been there before, and we enjoyed tasting wine and listening to grape growing and winemaking stories. Tastings cost $15, but the fee is waived when you buy a bottle of wine. Each couple bought two bottles, and our friends purchased a third and shared it with us on the patio overlooking the vineyard. I had packed a small picnic of bread, cheese, salami, fruit, and chocolate. What a memorable way to catch up with friends.

Vineyards surrounding Laetitia Vineyard & Winery

     We left Pismo on the 15th and stopped at another winery on our way to Malibu. Laetitia Vineyard & Winery specializes in sparkling wine. We shared a tasting. At this winery, the purchase of three bottles waives the wine tasting fee. Although Laetitia also makes red and white wines, we chose the sparkling wine tasting option. One of the wines is made with a specialized wine press called a coquard press. This winery has two such presses, the only two in North America. We bought four bottles of wine at this winery, three sparkling, and one pinot noir.

Shorebirds gather at water's edge.

     Leaving wine country behind us, we followed the coastal California route south to Malibu, where we would meet up with family and travel on to Palm Springs for a few nights of respite from the van, including a heated pool and hot tub.

"I been walkin' aroun' in the country. Ever'body's askin' that. What we comin' to? Seems to me we don't never come to nothin'. Always on the way. Always goin' and goin'. Why don't folks think about that? They's movement now. People moving. We know why, an' we know how. Movin' cause they got to. That's why folks always move. Movin' 'cause they want somepin better'n what they got. An' that's the on'y way they'll ever git it. Wantin' it an' needin' it, they'll go out an' git it. It's bein hurt that makes folks mad to fightin'. I been walkin' aroun' the country, an' hearin' folks talk like you." - The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

#pismobeach #vanlife #me2ak #ontheroad 

Road Trip 2020 - Golfing in Chowchilla, California

Sacramento to Chowchilla

January 9-10, 2020

Discovering a hidden jewel in the central valley

Teeing off in the sun! #GirlsGolf

     When Roger was a boy growing up in Visalia, Calif., he never would have believed that one day he would be vacationing in Chowchilla, Calif. It wasn’t that kind of place. Since then, Chowchilla has developed a retirement/golfing community. We discovered Chowchilla and The Lakes RV & Golf Resort last year when planning a Central California golf trip. Located two hours south of Sacramento, Chowchilla and the RV resort is a convenient place to stop for golf, drinks, food, and hot tub.

January golfing among the palm trees. No Taku winds here!

Our spot at The Lakes RV & Golf Resort.
We can walk to the golf course from here.

     Some of you who are old enough might remember a 1976 news story about three men who kidnapped a school bus full of children and the bus driver. The kidnappers hid them in a box truck buried underground. Fortunately, the driver and the children escaped. Since then, Chowchilla had been known as the place where the school bus full of children was kidnapped. I’m sure the good people of Chowchilla would like to move on from that terrible experience.

We had a 1 p.m. tee time, and the sun was just beginning to set teeing off at hole 18.

     Chowchilla is a Central California community located off CA-99 between Sacramento and Fresno. Yosemite National Park is a short distance to the east. The downtown area is neatly organized in city blocks full of locally owned businesses, such as Do It Best Hardware and Conchita’s Mexican Food, where we ate dinner on Thursday night. (Roger ordered a chile relleno and enchilada combo plate. I got chicken fajitas and a ceviche tostada appetizer. All the food was freshly prepared, delicious, and inexpensive.) Last year we got an oil change at TF Tire & Service. They had a clean shop and provided friendly customer service.

Beautiful houses of all sizes line the fairways at Pheasant Run. 

     Outside of town, on the other side of the highway, across from a large, open field, is The Lakes RV & Golf Resort, adjacent to Pheasant Run Golf Club and a gated community with houses built along the golf course. This community reminds me of The Villages in Florida. We saw big, fancy, McMansions as well as smaller, more modest-sized homes. We also saw empty house lots, already developed, just waiting for a buyer and a builder. If you’ve always wanted a home on a golf course, now is your chance.

Pheasant Run has a nice bar and restaurant with a friendly and lively clientele.

     The large open field on the other side of the development looks as if it could be the site of future development. I hope Chowchilla will resist the urge to develop another ugly shopping center full of big box stores, chain restaurants, and parking lots. The United States is losing its cultural roots to these monstrosities that line the highways of almost every community. Don’t get me wrong, we shop there too, but when is enough, enough? I hate to see the beauty of the land give way to this corporate, concrete, consumer world.

"The big towns are getting bigger and the villages smaller. The hamlet store, whether grocery, general, hardware, clothing cannot compete with the supermarket and the chain organization. Our treasured and nostalgic picture of the village general store, the cracker-barrel store where an informed yeomanry gather to express opinions and formulate the national character, is very rapidly disappearing. People who once held family fortresses against wind and weather, against scourges of frost and drought and insect enemies, now cluster against the busy breast of the big town." -- Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck

#chowchilla #vanlife #me2ak #ontheroad

Road Trip 2020 - Buying Bikes in Sacramento

Juneau > Sacramento

January 7-9, 2020

How buying bicycles restored our faith in humanity

"Looks easy, jus' settin' here till you put in your eight or maybe your ten or fourteen hours. But the road gets into a guy. He's got to do somepin. Some sings an' some whistles.... A few takes a pint along, but them kind don't stick long." -- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

     We departed Juneau on Alaska Airlines 5:10 a.m. flight. Roger checked a large, 50-pound duffel bag. I checked a 25-pound dry bag and a 35-pound box. The bags will easily fold up for storage, and we can dispose of the box once we get to the van. We each also carried on full backpacks. We had almost everything we needed for a two-month road trip. What we didn't have already, we would buy.

We arrived in foggy California.

     We arrived in Sacramento in the fog. Thankfully it was beginning to lift, and visibility was much better than what it had been a couple hours earlier, according to our Uber driver. We Ubered to Morning Star RV Storage and retrieved the van. It was in good condition. We thanked the friendly staff at Morning Star and said we'd return in a year or two.

     We had an errand to run and a friend to meet in Vacaville, so we headed west on I-80. We opted to overnight at the Vacaville Moose Lodge. (Roger is a member of Juneau lodge, and many lodges offer RV overnight spaces.) It cost $18 and included electricity and water. While there, we visited the social club for a drink with a few of the members. Unfortunately, we missed out on Taco Tuesday because of a lack of volunteer cooks.

     The next morning, we stopped at McDonald's for breakfast, hoping to use the wifi to work. The wifi was too slow, and posted signs asked customers to limit their visits to 30 minutes while eating. Later in the day, we worked at a Starbucks where the wifi was reliable, and the tea was hot.

     Our goal of the day was to purchase bicycles and a bike rack. Roger already had a two-inch hitch installed on the front of the van. We want the bike rack mounted in front because we want to leave the rear door accessible and available as an emergency exit. Roger also had read that a front mount puts less stress on the hitch because it is closer to the wheelbase than a rear-mounted bike rack.

     Another consideration was the price. We didn't want to spend too much in case they were stolen or damaged on the trip. We wanted bikes to use recreationally on pavement or gravel. A couple of used hybrids in good condition would do.

     While in Vacaville, we stopped at a few places, including Ray's Cycle. Ray's has a good reputation and a long history as a bike shop; however, they only sell new bikes that are beyond our price range.

     On our way back to Sacramento, we stopped at the Green Bicycle Depot in Davis. They sell both new and used bikes. We were able to test-ride a few possibilities, but we felt even the used bikes were priced a little too high for what we wanted.

     Perhaps a cheap, new bike would work? Continuing on I-80 back to Sacramento, we stopped at Target. New bikes sold for a little over $200. There were a few options for me, but none that would fit Roger. We would keep looking but keep Target and Walmart as options.

     We arrived at Cal Expo RV Park, and after a rest and something to eat, we went to REI to look at bikes and racks. Again, too expensive for what we wanted.

     Then Roger suggested we go to a place called the Sacramento Bike Kitchen. "It's only open from six to nine at night. It's run by volunteers. They fix and sell bikes. I know it's a long shot, but we should check it out."

Fix your bike at the Sacramento Bike Kitchen.

     What a gem of a place! The Sacramento Bike Kitchen (SBK) is a community-centered bike shop. For a suggested $5 donation, a person can use the shop, its tools, and the advice from volunteer bike mechanics to work on their bikes. It's a loosely structured, non-profit organization run entirely on volunteers and donations.

A volunteer sets out bikes for us to test-ride.

     As soon as we arrived and explained what we wanted, a volunteer wheeled a few bikes out for me to try. Roger was a little harder to fit because of his size, then someone said, "How about this one? It just came in today." The bike was covered in dust and cobwebs as if it had been sitting in a garage for years. It had two flat tires.

Patrons pay a suggested $5 donation to
to use the resources of the Bike Kitchen.

     Right away, someone grabbed it and put it onto the workbench to fix the tires and tune it up, so Roger could test-ride it. In the meantime, I was test-riding three different bikes. All were good options until the DiamondBack blew a tire with a loud POP that sounded like a firecracker. I was disappointed because that DiamondBack looked sweet. Like new. Pretty blue.

     Again, before I realized it, they had a new tire on it, so I could try it again. It was the one. We walked out with my DiamondBack Vital2 and Roger's Marin Sausilito for $150 total.

     The volunteer staff at SBK impressed us with their friendly customer service and with their sense of community service. The atmosphere was social as well as productive.

     We observed that some of their patrons might be experiencing homelessness, and I picked up a brochure at the front counter about a group called Mercy Pedalers. I had never heard of them before. Mercy Pedalers are bicyclists who reach out to people experiencing homelessness in the spirit of "Works of Mercy" and "Welcoming the Stranger." Their mission is guided by the value of treating all people with dignity, respect, and love.

     One of the volunteers told us, "I hate to see perfectly good stuff go to the landfill. So many people see bikes as disposable now. They're cheaply made, and when something goes wrong, they're thrown away. I'd rather see them fixed and go to someone who could use them."

     Another volunteer said when he started volunteering, he could do a few things, such as fix a flat tire. Now he can do so many more things. Everyone helps each other. They're always learning.

     A sign on the wall states, "We'll help you fix your bike, but we won't fix it for you."

We'll be able to explore more of the world with our new bikes.

     Purchasing our bikes at the Sacramento Bike Kitchen was one of the most inspirational shopping experiences I've ever had. Every community should have a Bike Kitchen.

     Before leaving Sacramento, we made a final stop at Rack N Road and found the perfect bike rack. We experienced superb customer service and practical advice. Roger put the rack together on the sidewalk outside the store, and the shop tech came outside a few times to ask if Roger had any questions or needed help, then they made sure we secured the bikes correctly.

     Finding our bikes was a labor of love. We were both exhausted by the time we arrived in Chowchilla for the night. Now we just need some golf clubs.

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