To San Luis Obispo

February 5, 2023

With a seven hour drive ahead, we get a jump on the day and are up and organizing for departure before six. The day gets a promising start when we step out the door and enjoy the last few minutes of a fast-fading sunrise that stripes the sky above the River Mountains. Turning back to the room, Rachael sees a perfectly full moon slightly haloed by the light morning mist. Good omens, both!

6 AM, Boulder City: the view to the east.

Unfortunately things go downhill from there - quickly, precipitously, and all the way to the floor in fact. Just seconds after completing and publishing yesterday’s post I stand up, walk toward the refrigerator to pour myself a bowl of muesli and only make it as far as the corner of the bed before collapsing to the ground in a twisted, ungainly heap and banging my head hard against the wall. In the course of the fall I interact with my bike in some way, knocking it away from the wall I’d leaned it against after yesterday’s ride.

I lie on the ground for a few minutes taking stock of my condition and wondering what the hell happened before slowly and carefully getting up again. I can’t mentally recreate it, but my best theory is that I tripped on the corner of the sheet while rounding the bed into the narrow space between it and the Rodriguez.

WTH? Probably the least interesting but most consequential photo of the day.

The self-assessment yields unclear results. My head hurts from the impact and I feel modestly achy in several spots - neck, left shoulder, upper back, left knee - and suspect the worse will come when I wake up tomorrow. The only immediate concern though is my right ankle, which I apparently twisted on the way down and which has a modest twinge in it. A sprain possibly? Hope not.

A half hour or so later we’re packed and on the road heading west toward Las Vegas. As we finish cramming the last of our gear into the car we both notice how cold and windy it is - probably too windy for riding comfort today, though neither of us had thought to look at the forecast. We certainly got the best of the weather in our stay here!

Windy today! We couldn’t have timed our stay here any better than this.

The drive is as good as can be hoped for - fast roads, reasonable traffic, and one astonishing view after another as we speed west across the Mojave Desert on the interstate through a string of B-towns: Baker, Barstow, Boron, Bakersfield. The weather is dramatic, with heavy, dark clouds blanketing the mountains west of Las Vegas and winds so strong that it propels large tumbleweeds racing down the freeway toward us. Definitely not a cycling day!

I don’t believe I’ve ever driven I-15 as it circles south of the Charleston Mountains and crosses the Mojave through Baker and Barstow. The small roads through places like Cima and Nipton give you a better feeling for this astonishing, desolate expanse, but for a freeway drive it’s quite exceptional. Over and over again I pester Rachael to grab the phone again and take a few shots of the next breathtaking view we come to.

Leaving Las Vegas. No views of the Charleston Mountains today.

Crossing the Mojave National Preserve, all set about with Joshua trees.

Passing through the gap at Mountain Pass, east of Baker. We didn’t quite capture the moment here, but as we approached the gap the sky was a dense tan from wind-blown sand. As we dropped below the gap into the open again the sand was blowing straight sideways across the freeway.

I think this ethereal view must be across Soda Lake, south of Zzyzx. It looks like there’s been enough recent rain that it’s wet at the bottom.

At Barstow we leave the interstate for SR58, the Mojave-Barstow Highway. If anything, this road is even more scenic than the miles that preceded it. We stop for second breakfast at almost the exact midpoint of the drive in Boron at the the 20 Mule Cafe, a promising diner Rachael scouted up In planning for the drive. Then, another hour of endless emptiness brings us to Mojave and finally the climb out of the desert into the Tehachapi Mountains. It’s blowing and raining hard as we cross the summit, but after a few miles we pass through it and drop to Bakersfield.

Second breakfast. Worth it if it’s the right spot for a break, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it.

Still crossing the Mojave, with the Tehachapi Mountains ahead.

Approaching Mojave we’re stunned by what must be the largest wind farm we’ve ever seen. There must be thousands of turbines in that forest. Later we’ll learn that we’re right: the Mojave Wind Farm is the largest in the country, and the third largest in the world.

It looks like we’re going to get a little wet leaving the desert.

Approaching Mojave we see another improbable scene ahead. Like the massive Boneyard in Tucson, the little Mojave Airport includes its own boneyard, this one for commercial aircraft like retired 747’s.

Beginning the climb toward Tehachapi Pass.

Into the gloom. Photography takes a break for a while as the windshield soon becomes rain-spattered.

Leaving Bakersfield, we continue west and soon find ourselves on another stunner - SR46, the Paso Robles Highway. The eastern part of the route is maybe less interesting as it crosses the San Joaquin Valley with its alternating bands of orange and lemon groves, nodding donkeys and miles of nut orchards; but at its end we come to country we’re familiar with from our previous stays in Paso Robles - the stunning rounded, eroded hills east of that city, an astonishing emerald green today that reminds us of the Palouse, or Yorkshire.

We make it to San Luis Obispo about 3:30, and I promptly sit on the bed with my legs outstretched while Rachael unloads the car, brings me the ibuprofen and fetches some ice to wrap my ankle in. In truth, seven hours of manipulating the gas and brake pedals probably isn’t the ideal therapy for a possibly sprained ankle. We’ll see what tomorrow brings, but for the moment it looks like some sort of activity break is in order.

East of Paso Robles. Such an astonishing vision after five weeks in the desert.

So beautiful. We recognize this country from our ride out Bitterwater Road last spring.

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Keith AdamsHope you're in good riding nick again soon.
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1 year ago

Susan CarpenterRats! All I can offer is RICE and empathy - and wishes for a quick recovery.
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonTo Susan CarpenterRats is right! There are worse places and times for it at least, as you know. Hopefully I’ll be back in working order soon.
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1 year ago

Rich FrasierHope it's not too serious, Scott! Hoping for the best!
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1 year ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesTry an elastic ankle brace, the pull on kind that should be available at any pharmacy, it will allow for some degree of normal ankle function while offering a level of support that will hopefully prevent further injury of the pulled muscles/tendons. Good luck.
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonTo Steve Miller/GrampiesThanks for the advice, Steve. Maybe I’ll take it.
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonTo Rich FrasierThanks, Rich. It’s definitely sprained but seems pretty modest. I’m guardedly optimistic that a few days off will improve things.
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1 year ago

Suzanne GibsonHope the ankle heals fast!
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonTo Suzanne GibsonThanks, Suzanne. Me too! It feels like Palermo is just around the corner now.
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1 year ago

Ron SuchanekI'm going to read ahead to find out what happens with your ankle!
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1 year ago