The next adventure? Posted Oct 22, 2015

Well the restless spirit has taken full control over me.  I am desperately looking for the next adventure.  I saw a video the other day that was done by Tour d'Afrique about their South American trip that is going on now.  In the video one of the men they interviewed said something that resonated with me.  He said: once you have done one of these epic type adventures it makes you into a pathological traveler.  At first I thought that odd but thinking of it more, I agree.  It embeds in you a certain restlessness that keeps you looking for that next something.

Well that next something might have just served itself up to me.  I got an email yesterday from TDA about their Ruta Maya trip.  It was full but they just had a cancellation.  It seems as if fate knew I was restless and looking.  It starts in 3 weeks and is 5 weeks long.  That is just about the length I was thinking (maybe 1 week too long but beggars can't be choosers).  It goes through Central America: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatamala, Belize.  It is 2700 kilometers (about 1700 miles) in length.  It goes through the backroad and jungles of Central America.  The good news is it is all indoor accommodations,  NO CAMPING!  You ride through the jungle up and down the volcanic landscape and visit several ancient Mayan ruins.  Sounds pretty cool! 

All I have to do is decide to go....

Stay tuned.

The next adventure....

Yes, I have been home for three weeks and I am now letting myself begin the thought process of where to go next....   I believe my restless soul has a longing for what lies ahead.  What to do, where to go?  So many places, so many possibilities.  

Where would you go if you were to set out on your next adventure?

The Journey's End

The journey from the top of Africa, starting in Cairo, to the bottom of Africa, ending in Capetown:

The journey as depicted on the map looks impressive just on face view of it.  But the tale at the end of the tape is even more startling.  The journey took me over 7,000 miles of travel and over 187,000 feet of climbing (equivalent to climbing Kilimanjaro ten times on a bike).  It was a mammoth undertaking that I still cannot believe is complete.  I have been off the bike for a couple of days now but in the back of my mind I keep thinking that I am just on rest days and will soon climb back on her and ride again.  It is with bittersweet reality that I am finished with this.  I am sad that it is over because of how many amazing things I have experienced and seen.  Yet I am happy that it is over because of how hard it was.  The challenges were overwhelming at times as were the beauty and rewards.  So much has happened over the four months that it is truly mindboggling to try to come to terms with.  

I am now at the airport ready to begin the journey home.  It is almost surreal to think that the journey is now in the past.  I am certain that it has and will have a lasting impression upon me.  How much so, time will tell.  I don't think that there is another challenge that will be as tough or encompassing.  At the same time, I don't think I can do anything this tough again.  But the passage of time is always kinder to our memories and wipes away many of the worst of times and heightens the best.  So as the saying goes... never say never.  

I want to thank all of those that joined me on the journey through my site.  I got a great deal of comments, feedback and emails.  They certainly aided me in persevering through some of the times when I did not think I could go on.  It was of great comfort to know I was not alone in my trek.  Many of you told me that my descriptions helped them feel the trip in a small way.  I hope you enjoyed it and gained a little something of the flavor of Africa.  It is a much different world than what we experience in our lives.  It is hard to comprehend the lives that the people live and the hardships that they endure.  Yet they in their own way have a joy that we would find hard to see if we were in their circumstances.  

The African continent that I experienced seems to be of three different zones.  There is the northern Arab or Middle Eastern Zone, the central Tribal Zone which we most think of as Africa and the southern Colonial Zone of which is very westernized by its history of Dutch and German colonization.  But as a whole there is one thing that is common across all three... change.  Africa is in a state of change from what it was to what it could be.  There is a great deal of unrest which I felt as we rode through it. It is an unrest that is growing and will be seen over the next ten years.  I'm sure it will be unsettling for awhile but hopefully it will move to a better direction over time.

My final thoughts on my trip...  It is always good to ask the question:  would I do it again?  The answer is no, it was too hard.  But then again the answer is yes, because I would not have had the experiences or memories that I have.  Yet there is so much of the world that I have not seen yet.  So on to the unexperienced regions is where I will go.  For now, I think I will take some time to rest up as I am exhausted.  I want to feel a bit of normalcy before I start on a new journey.  So wish me luck in my rest and recovery and I will begin my contemplation of what lies ahead.

Again, thank you for joining me on my journey.  I hoped you enjoyed it as I did.

Michael 

I did it !!!!

The end of a very long Epic Journey!

May 8 - Day 120

Today was a fabulous day!  It seemed everything came into alignment to make for a special last day of riding before entering Capetown.  It was a crisp cold start to the day.  I had on my windbreaker vest jacket, my arm warmers and my windbreaker jacket and I was still freezing.  Even when the sun was up it took a while to warm up.  It had that crispness of fall in the air again.  The ride was wonderful as we rode past orchards of Apple trees and groves of maple and oak trees painted with beautiful fall colors.  It was a quintessential fall day.  All we needed was a hay ride and some hot chocolate to make it a full midwestern fall day.  Priceless....

Sign sharing humor:

There was a sign on the road today.  It read:  Potholes Ahead.  Most people would have thought... Ok, thanks I will be on the lookout.  But of course, I thought about in a different way.  My first thought was... A complaint must have come into the highway department and brought up at a meeting.  The meeting probably went something like this...  the head of the department asked what is to be done about the pothole complaint.  And a person attending the meeting responded, let's call him Dilbert.  Dilbert said those potholes can be dangerous and cause accidents and injuries.  The boss responded with a high degree of concern... We need to do something, what should we do?  Dilbert responded...  we should warn them with a sign.  Everyone at the meeting agreed that it was a good idea.  Dilbert was assigned the Pothole Sign Warning Project and told to report back with progress on a regular basis.  Dilbert called the graphics department and asked for them to work on mock ups since there were no stock "Pothole Warning" signs.  Graphics works up several different versions and sends them to Dilbert.  But Dilbert doesn't want to make a decision of this magnitude on his own so he sends it to a committee.  The committee orders several more revisions until they arrive at one that then needs to be sent to the head of the department for final sign off.  Once that has taken place, Dilbert can order the sign department to make up the sign.  The sign department sends an order over to the paint department who makes the sign background, yellow color of course and sends it to the lettering department.  Once this is done it is sent to Dilbert who sends an order to the road crew to have a post put up for the sign.  The road crew sends an order to the survey crew to assign the right spot on the roadway for the sign.  They go out and mark the spot with a marker.  They then contact the road crew to go out and dig a hole for the post.  Then a crew comes out to pour cement to solidify the post.  Then an order is dispatched to the installation crew to come out 5 days later to allow time for the post to set in the concrete.  Once the installation crew comes out and affixes the sign, then I can ride by it and read it and wonder ....  Why in the hell didn't they just fill the pothole and save everybody all the time and money and aggravation?!

(See what 4 months on a bike can do to your mind?)

Here is another sign you won't see on one of your weekend rides:

Tomorrow is the day we ride into Capetown and finish this Epic of Adventures.  It is so hard to believe, it has been an amazing hard fought journey.  Four months of an adventure...  Wow!

By the time you get up tomorrow (Saturday) I will have finished my ride.  It will be bittersweet.  :)      :(

May 7 - Day 119

Today was an excellent day!  It was about 50% off road and 50% pavement.  I did not ride the first part which was off road but did the second half.  It was such a great ride.  :)  It put a smile across my face that was ear to ear.  I took the ride at a very leisurely pace and went for the experience rather than the speed.  This might sound strange but it was a perfect fall day.  After all this is late fall in this hemisphere.

The trees were turning colors and there was a crispness to the air.  The coolness of the air reminded me of late October.  As I was riding I had a pleasant thought...  this year I have had two falls and No Winter.  That is the best of all.

The scenery was fabulous.  This is one of the days I will remember for a long time.  It just felt so good.

The landscape and scenery are changing as we travel south.  There are vineyards and orchards popping up out of the desert landscape.  

The mountain passes are spectacular as they lead from one picturesque type of scene to another.  

This trip is winding down and I am trying to relish the moments.  So much has happened over the four months it really is hard to put it all in perspective.  Time will help with this....  :)

Getting close now!!!

Only 3 days left and 348 kilometers to go!

May 6 - Day 118

I must admit that the off road corrugation has gotten the best of me.  My bad ankle was so swollen and painful last night I could not walk.  It was due to the relentless pounding the off road and the clip-in position has wreaked upon it.  So I could not post this morning.  :(   I had to truck the ride today.  It is sad but there was not much other than amputation that could have worked.  I chose the truck versus the other drastic option.  

But the scenery through the day was fantastic.  There were two passes and numerous valleys and mountains that made the day spectacular!

This is the desert plains giving way to the encroaching mountains.

The reds and oranges of the rock faces of this Mesa were hard to capture but unbelievable to see.

As we came to the summit of this mountain pass we were treated to a breathtaking view of the mountain ranges yet to be climbed... by us!  :)

Hopefully the ankle will settle down and riding tomorrow.  Only three days left.  :)

May 4 - Day 116

Today was to be an easier day, again. The tour leaders said that it was off road/dirt but last year it was fairly smooth and that it should have been graded recently. Therefore, there could be some corrugation but not too bad.  Well... I would say that it had been graded recently and it had received a grade of "F" for you would be foolish to ride it.  Or "F" for failure to measure up to the minimum standards to be called a road!  :)

As you can tell it was rough going on the ride today.  The corrugation was so tough that when your front wheel went down in the valley of the corrugation you would lose sight of it.  :)   Then there was the sand, deep and unforgiving.  As your front wheel found the sand it would do some strange maneuvers.  Each one flirting with disaster.  But I survived...  barely.

Here is the best of the day:

The rising sun shone on the rocky hills to add a beauty to the already stunning landscape.

There are hills and mountains that appear to be collection of boulders from somewhere else.  The sand is prevalent but the boulders foreign.

The endless road....

It doesn't look bad in the picture but get on a bike and you would see the adventure of which I speak.  :)

May 5 - Day 117

Today was a mix of off road and Tarmac. The off road was as I have spoke. To in the past days... something that you could only wish on someone you do not care for.  But then came the tarmac.  Yes!  It was a sight for sore eyes.  It felt so good to be back on a real road.  There was significant climbing but I will take the climbing to anything that off road serves up.  The rolling hills and steep climbs were wonderful to attack.  I went flying along with a smile on my face.  It is what makes cycling enjoyable.  :)

This is a picture of the cold front coming through.  The clouds gathered so thick they appeared to be originating from the ground itself.  As I was climbing through a pass the wind started to pick up.  It got to a howling pitch and the temperature started to plummet.  The temp dropped 12 degrees Celsius from start of climb to the summit.  Brrrrrrr it got cold.  Made me pick up the pace to get to camp quicker.  Nothing like a little bit of motivation to get the legs moving and the speed accelerating.  :)

The off road and corrugation has taken a toll on me though.  My wrists and shoulder and ankle woke me up last night with their midnight protest.  They collectively raised the chorus of pain to a level which could not be denied and therefore woke me up and sent me for relief.  It is amazing how beaten up you get from the off road bumps and grind.  :(

The open desert landscape.

The mountains and mesas that popped up from the desert floor and added such wonderful views.

May 3 - Day 115

Today was to be one of the easier days of the final week.  Notice I said was to be...  It turned out to be a pretty tough day.  It was an 83 mile ride on pavement.  Sounds like one of the nicer set ups.  Not!!!  We first crossed the border and then began climbing.  We climbed a steady grade of 2-3% for 28 miles.  It would peak up to 6% every now and then but consistently climbing the entire distance.  No rolling hills, no short downhills to give the legs a break... just climbing.   Oh and to make it even better, a headwind came up shortly after we started the climb.  It increased with intensity as the sun continued its ascent and the temperatures climbed as well.  

That was the first part of the day.  The second part was rolling hills with 6-10% grades to climb and the headwind of course.  It was one of the toughest 83 miles of the tour.  

Tomorrow is a 95 mile day off road on the dirt.  I think that they are trying to kill us before we can get to Capetown.  I think that way they save on meals for the final celebration banquet.  :)

Here is the scenery that I saw on the grueling ride:

Pretty desolate country...  still in the desert.  

MILESTONE ALERT

I am crossing into my 11th and last country of my journey!  I am leaving Namibia and entering South Africa.

This is the last week of my adventure.  This Saturday the 9th about 1 pm South Africa time I will be crossing the finish line.  (For those back in the US... when you get up Saturday morning I will have finished this epic adventure.

But before it is done I will have to climb over 27,000 feet this week alone.  Wish me luck.

May1 - Day 113

Today was a leisure day as the bike demanded as well as the legs and more appropriately the mind needed a break.  The trip has been grueling both physically and mentally.  The day in and day out grind and the extreme miles and the road (or should I say no road) conditions have taken their toll.  A break was demanded and a break was given.

......................................................

Here is a picture of where we are:

We have seven more cycling days and will be in Capetown next Saturday the 9th of May.  I am astounded when I look at the map and see where I am and where I have come.  It is an amazing feat to have come so far.  There has been so many things that have happened, so many adventures, so many miles...  It has been amazing!

As we rode today we saw endless desert and sand.  But there appeared a strand of green as we entered the afternoon.  It was like when the the sands of the Sahara Desert along the Nile were turned green on either side of the river for a hundred meters or so.  This was the same.  This time it was the Orange River the was performing the miraculous transformation.  As we got farther south the green expanse grew in size.  There appeared vineyards of grapes that stretched for miles and miles along the river.  These vineyards were pumping water from the river to create the greenage and the wine industry of southern Namibia.  

The vineyards that appeared out of the sands of the Namib Desert.

To support the vineyards and the wine industry a shanty village of thousands of shacks has been erected.  There are people everywhere.  The shacks have no running water, no sanitation, no electricity or any normal comforts.  The shacks are sitting in the blaring desert sun.  A tough life for them.  But they are probably better off than many others....

April 30 - Day 112

Today did a magnificent ride to the Fish River Canyon.  Remember it is supposed to be number two to the Great (Grand) Canyon.  After seeing it, I must say it is a distant second but it was beautiful....

Here are some pictures:

Oops, I snuck in the picture...  :)

But you can see the canyon in the background.

On the trip I was treated to the sight of an Ostrich crossing the road at a full run. It was really neat in that it didn't move its head or body but it's legs were moving at a rapid pace.  It kind of reminded me of the roadrunner in the cartoons...  beep beep. :)

I also scared up a Springbok on the road.  He was about 20 meters off the road and I must have startled him.  He took a couple of running steps and then began to bounce or spring up into the air as he moved off.  It was a real treat to see.  

We are getting closer and closer to the end.  :)

April 29 - Day 111

Today's ride had a nice surprise.  It was mostly paved.  Thank god for the Chinese.  They are paving Africa. 

It was paved with some fairly good hills and of course a headwind.  But it was paved!  The ride today was through very remote desert/rock conditions with high mountains and plateaus like yesterday.  I came across a rider from last years tour who ran out of water on the same road.  He didn't say much as I don't think he faired well as a result.  Here is a picture of him:

I was hoping for the SAG truck to come along with water so that I could avoid the same fate.  Lucky for me, it did.  :)

Saw a couple of interesting signs on the route today...

HUNGRY?  It asks???  I have been hungry since Cairo.  I can't wait til I can eat real food!  Maggianos spaghetti, Galway Arms Guiness Stew, Five Guys burger,  and oh so many other tantalizing treats.  It won't be long now...  :)

Oh and this sign was a prophesy of things to come.  At the point where the sign was, I was already riding into a 15-20 mph headwind.  So I thought I had already encountered what the sign was saying:

But Nooooo, the best was yet to come.  Wind it said and wind is what it delivered.  This was coming into a mountain pass.  As I entered the mountain pass the wind came up in gusts hard and strong.  I had to go down into the drops and try to make myself and the bike as aerodynamically flat as possible.  If I sat up straight all progress ceased and I would be blown backwards.  Heck, if I put up a sail it could have blown me back to Cairo.

Well tomorrow seems to be promising.  Back to some pretty messy off road stuff.  But we are going to be going to the Fish River Canyon.  It is supposed to be the second biggest canyon next to the Great Canyon in the United States.  Yes, yes, I know that it is the Grand Canyon but the tour person from South Africa called it the Great Canyon.  :) 

The pass between the mountains...

April 28 - Day 110

Today was another off road day but surprise, surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon portion of the ride.   The afternoon section was on hard packed freshly graded gravel/dirt.  It was almost like pavement.  When we hit it, amazement filled my mind.  My legs could not believe it and asked to be released.  I granted their request and let them run.  And run they did.  I was hitting 45 kph on flat sections.  Can you believe that?  I know I couldn't.  It refreshed my joy of cycling and replaced the drudgery of the 10-12 kph that I had been slugging it out under.  What a great feeling.  

And there was one section where...

Yes!  You recognized it.  It was paved!!!  As we came into the little town of Helmeringhausen we were thoroughly bedazzled with the appearance of real asphalt pavement.  The only sad part was that the pavement ended at the town limit.  :(   But it was the first pavement we have seen in weeks!

The ride took us through areas that reminded me of the southwest US.  We rode along canyons and plateaus.  Here are some pictures of the views we saw today....

Very interesting that the one lone rock is balanced on top of the peak.

The heat of the day is making riding a chore in the afternoon.  We start out in the morning shivering in our light windbreakers but by 8:30 the temp has climbed to the point where we shed them.  Then by 11:00 we are sweating profusely and by 1:00 the sun has put us on high bake.  Kind of reminiscent of biking the desert in Sudan. 

April 27 - Day 109

Today was back on the bike after a rest day.  Have I said ...  I HATE OFF ROAD, yet?!  Although someone pointed out that it really isn't off road since they technically have scraped a section of the earth with a road grader then covered it with dirt and gravel and sand and rocks then called it drivable, or rideable.  But you can't fool me.  It is off road.  As one of the riders who is a mountain biker said today... "no self respecting mountain biker would ever ride on this crap and call it fun!"

But beside the corrugation and the deep sand/dirt there was some sights to see.  I saw a herd of about 50 Oryxs cross the road ahead of me.  I also saw Springboks, Ostrichs and Mountain Zebras.  Mountain Zebras, you ask?  What are Mountain Zebras?  They are of the Zebra family but have shadows of their black stripes that are on their coats. These shadows make the white area appear to be darker or tan.  Here is a picture of them:

The next question you probably had while reading this was....  what is an Oryx?  Here is an Oryx:

They are a very strange yet beautiful creature.  They are much larger than the gazelles and Impalas and have spiral horns.  They are very tasty.  I have had an Oryx steak as well as an Oryx burger.  I have also eaten Kudu, Springbok and Impala.  Oryx is the best of these.

Here is a picture of a birds nest:

It is of the Sociable Weaver.  They keep building on to the nest until it breaks the limb of the tree and then move on to another.  They are a small bird and about 40 of them inhabit a nest like this.

And lastly,  something that fits into the Really?  category.  We are riding through the Namib Desert and here is a road sign that I came across:

Really?!  You need to call out sand while people are using a road in the desert???

 

April 26 - Day 108

Did a trip to the Dunes of the Namib Desert. It was awe inspiring.  It looked like they could have filmed much of Lawrence of Arabia there.  We went and climbed the dune and watched the sunset.  Nothing in words could describe it.  (Yes, I know you are thinking ... he is out of words?!)   And no pictures could begin to capture it.  But here are some pictures that I took.

My footprints going up to the top of the dune.  ;)

Lastly, my sand angel that I made in the dune.  :)

April 25

Today was the Naked Mile Bike Ride.  :)

Rest assured that this person did not partake in what appeared to be a highly anticipated event.  My black Brooks saddle would have been a very hot thrown to have parked my royal arse on.  So in due deference to my highly prized Brooks saddle, I decided to forego the prestigious event.  That and there isn't enough money printed yet to get me to do something like that!

But there were some very enthusiastic participants.  A number of individuals rode the entire 83 kilometers in the altogether...  Yes, in their one and only permanent set of clothes that Mother Nature provided.  Some very gutsy people, some of which I do believe in light of Namibia's road beautification program should have put on more clothes instead of taking them off.

Well we are in winter here according to the locals.  You wake up and it is cold but by 9:30 it is hotter than hell.  Very hot to ride in.  And TDA is not doing a good job with SAG vehicles providing water.  Yesterday I did not see a single vehicle from mid morning through the end of the day.  I ran out of water and was cycling through the desert for 24k before a vehicle finally came with only 10k left.  I was starting to feel I was getting into trouble.  I couldn't even spit I was so dehydrated.  But there wasn't anything to do.  There was no where to go as it is a stark desert with no houses or inhabitants.

The scenery is beautiful though.  It has been changing from an arid landscape to a true desert.  We are skirting the Namib Deserts eastern side.  Tomorrow is a rest day and we will camp in Sesrium which is close to the Dunes.  They are supposed to be unbelievable.  We shall see.     :)

The arid landscape of scrub grass and brush.

The more rocky, sand and desert setting.

April 24

Last night we camped at Weisenfels farm.  I talked with the owner and he told me about the wildlife in the area.  They have springboks, kudu, oryx, leopards, cheetahs and zebras.  He has about 140 head of horses and some crops.  He talked about the zebras in a negative way.  He said the farmers and ranchers in the area look upon zebras as a nuisance animal.  He told me they knock down fences, eat crops and decimate the food stock for his horses.  But you need to get a permit to shoot a zebra and you can only take 10 a month.  There is a herd of over 600 on his property and growing.  That and he says zebra meat tastes bad. The locals eat it so he gives them away.  He also has a rogue leopard that is downing his stock.  Six kills so far this month.  He needs to get the neighbors dogs that are bred for tracking and treeing cats.  It was interesting hearing his take on the area.

Now on to today's ride.  Let me start off by saying...  I HATE RIDING OFF ROAD!

There I got that out of the way.  I think I did that yesterday as well.  :)  Today was not much better just longer.  Someone commented that the roads don't look so bad.  Well let me tell you...  riding these roads is like being strapped to a washing machine whose load is out of balance.  And those are the good sections.  The rougher section is more akin to riding a mechanical bull.  :(

When there is not deep corrugation there is sand and/or loose dirt.  It is usually 2-3 inches deep and either pulls your wheel one way or the other, or slows if not stops your bike.  You have to pay attention to the road and read the holes, the corrugation, the sand for depths or hidden rocks.  You can look around at the scenery only very infrequently.  Because if you look away for too long one of the hazards will have you down.  I have been more exhausted riding 77 miles on this stuff than when I rode 106 and 117 miles.  I can hardly close my hands and make a fist because of the weakness and pain from holding the handlebars through this stuff.

But now let me touch on some of the highlights of today:

We crossed the Tropic of Capricorn today!

We rode through some rough terrain and up through a pass.  Once over the top we were treated to the most amazing view I have ever seen...

The Namib Desert just laid out across the valley.  This picture doesn't even come close to what I saw.  It was a "Oh My God" moment!  I have never seen anything like it in my life.  As other riders came up over the pass they all said the same thing...  Oh my god!!!

It seemed to go on for a hundred miles.  It looked like you could film a movie that was set on another planet right there in the desert.  It looked so other worldly.

And lastly, here was the sunset over the mountains and the Namib Desert...

Lest I forget... tomorrow is the naked mile bike through the desert.  Yes, you read that right.