It's Official: Our Assignment

Even though we spoke to our placement officer on Thursday December 17th and she told us our invitation was in the mail, she couldn’t tell us where we were going. Today, the packet arrived and it’s official, we are going to Morocco. I would have been excited about Jordan but we are on cloud 9 about Morocco.

Our Assignment:
Program: Community Based Environmental Education and Awareness
Job Title: Environment Educator and Community Development Agent
Dates of Service: May 5, 2010 - May 5, 2012
Departure: March 1, 2010

We still don’t know where exactly in Morocco we will be living and we won’t find that out until the end of pre-service training. Reading the details of our assignment there is so much we could possibly be doing. We will likely be working with communities in or near national parks, reserves or other biologically or ecologically important sites teaching natural resource conservation and rural community development.

The entire concept of the Peace Corps is excessively exciting and daunting. Until now it has been mostly speculative, but at present there is a lot to think about, organize and prepare for. We will call to officially accept the invitation tomorrow. Hopefully someone is at the Peace Corps office before the Christmas holiday.

The Long and Coughing Road

It was a good thing we left the Grand Canyon when we did as it only continued to get colder and windier in the next couple days. We had our coldest temps (sans windchill) our second night at Jacob Lake after leaving the Rim, well below freezing. So getting ourselves to lower elevations was a good thing.

We rode next from Jacob Lake down 89a to Marble Canyon and camped at Lee's Ferry Campground in Glen Canyon Recreation Area on the Colorado River downstream from Glen Canyon Dam. The days ride was our shortest riding time yet. We rode 50 miles in 2-1/2 hours. It might have helped that we lost nearly 4600 feet in elevation and had a tail wind all day.

We did get to meet a nice Japanese man who asked to take our picture for his website introducing young Japanese to America. So who knows Dave and I could be the next advertisement for America. Now that's something to laugh about.

When we got to Marble Canyon we had some trouble deciding where to camp, but after weighing the pros and cons decided to ride the 5 miles off route to the developed campsite in Glen Canyon instead of trying to disperse camp in the vast and scenic nothingness at the base of the Vermilion Cliffs. I think we made the right decision. By the time we descended another 500 feet to the campground (just 100 feet above the flowing Colorado) the wind picked up with great intensity to over 40 mph. Luckily the campground had wind shelters and trees. It was also a beautiful ride in. Instead of just getting to see the cliff faces along 89a we got to turn in and see down some of the canyons and the backside of the Vermilion Cliffs. It was also a full moon, so while I was up all night hacking and coughing at least I got to look down on the moon reflecting in the gentle ripples of the river and listen to the calming repetitive sound of the small white water rapids a little further downstream. It was strangely soothing while my body was agitated.

The next morning, feeling worse for wear we crossed the Navajo Bridge over the Colorado and entered into the Navajo Reservation. Because of this we had to make the 80 miles to Cameron with no where else to camp in-between. And since the day prior was all down hill, of course, today was all uphill. The first 22 miles was steep, still on 89a, with no shoulder but mild traffic. At Bitter Springs we merged on to 89 with the rest of the Grand Canyon traffic and what could barely pass as a shoulder. Along with heavier traffic we also picked up a decent head wind. The grade and my lung capcity were the only things at this point that decreased.

By the time we made it to Gap at 48 miles, which was basically a service station some houses and a bunch of stray dogs the wind had really picked up, the coughing fits were non stop and I hadn't really eaten very much all day. The DayQuil I'd taken in the morning, which hadn't really been working anyway, was, I guessed, starting to wear off so I went into the gas station to try and find some more expectorant. As I hacked up what was left of my left lung, everyone in the store was looking at me. Afterwards I stepped outside to take my purchase when a young woman named Joanna approached Dave and I with a ride option. We really had a hard time deciding, and as much as I wanted to take the ride, I truly, equally didn't want to take the ride. But after 2 doctors, who were with Joanna, told me that I definitely had an URI and possible bronchitis, and that if it wasn't treated and I continued to push could easily become pneumonia we decided to let the ego of the trip go for the greater good of the trip. In the van we further discussed the symptoms and they said that antibiotics would resolve things quickly, but that probably just a few days of real rest would help too. Dave and I also rationalized that our 90 mile out and back to the North Rim would make up for the 70 mile car ride we took from Gap to Flagstaff.

We found a place to stay in Flagstaff for the night and the next morning headed to the walk-in clinic to see a doctor and get some drugs to kick this thing quick. He basically confirmed what the Brits told me and wrote me 4 prescriptions for an antibiotic, prednisone, serious cough syrup and an inhaler. To make a long story short, three days later and we are still in Flagstaff, literally eating through our budget, and feeling only marginally better. The plan is to finally move out of The Knight's Inn, where we seem to have settled in, but I'm not really sure I'm much better then I was a day or so ago, but I think we need to keep moving or we might have to start looking for jobs in Flag. I guess there is only one way to find out, so check back to see how it goes.


-- Posted from my iPhone

Picturesque Parks

So we made it from Cedar City to Zion, with only a few small hurdles. I had a blowout on my rear tire while riding on the interstate, so we got to change the tube on the shoulder of I-15. Other then that, it being over 100 degrees and the start of some sort of cold or infection it went pretty smoothly.

Coming into Springdale at the entrance to the park we made one of the 2 best stops of the trip so far (the other being Hope Valley Resort, coming off Carson Pass) at Springdale Orchard. The best apple I've ever eaten!!

We got to take a day off in Zion and went for a couple of nice hikes. It's amazing how small you can feel looking up at these magnificent towering cliffs that have been forming for hundreds of thousands of years.

One of the hikes we did was up to a series of pools. Oasises in the desert, Emerald pools. I can only imagine this place during the spring run-off. The cascadig waterfalls and lush vegetation.

The other hike was along the Virgin River, a mellow winding path at the top of the Zion scenic canyon. Dave and I were both amazed at how green it was, even in the end of August. I can definitely understand why the Paiutes would have settled here.

This is the view from our campsite, the first night in Zion. We had to move to a different site the second night.

The next day we climbed our way up to the tunnels the first of which you can't bike through, so we waited. The tunnel was built in the 1930's and is barely wide enough for 2 modern day SUV's to pass side by side and there are still no lights in the 1.1 mile long tunnel so Dave and I waited for a truck with room and willing to take us through.

After about 20 minutes a truck pulled into line with a little room in the bed of their truck, so we decided I go first. We loaded my bike into the bed and I hopped into the cab and waved goodbye to Dave. The two guys who gave me a ride were very nice. They were both from Georgia and on a several month road trip around the U.S. checking out the National Parks. They dropped me off on the other side and kept going toward the East entrance.

While I was sitting on the East side of the tunnel waiting for Dave I guess a couple waiting in line to drive through saw me sitting around and when they made it through pulled up to Dave and asked if he needed a ride. I guess they decided we needed to be together, so they loaded Dave and his bike into their truck turned around and got back in line to drive through the tunnel. After they dropped him off by me, they once again turned around to head through the tunnel a third time and down into the park. Dave and I continued up and out of the park.

The rest of the day was mostly downhill to Mt. Carmel Jct. and then uphill again for a while to Kanab, were we pulled into the Hitch-N-Post RV.

After Kanab we left Utah and entered into Arizona.




We rode pretty much uphill at around a 6% grade all day, with a fierce headwind yhe first 17 miles, to a small little junction called Jacob Lake. We found some nice, easy dispersed camping and saved our money to get breakfast the next morning at the Jacob Lake Inn instead. We did indulge in some fantastic cookies, though before heading to our campsite.

After our breakfast at the Inn, we rode the 45 miles into the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It's pretty undulating the whole way, with several steep descents and climbs. It was a perfect beautiful fall day as we wound through the burned forest area and into lovely changing Aspen groves and mixed evergreen trees and sweeping meadows. We hit our highest point so far at 8840 feet. Except for the last steep winding hill into the campground it was a great ride. And the best part yet was that they have non-reservation first come first serve hiker/biker ONLY campsites, which have by far the best view of any other campsite and possibly on the rim as the site is right on the rim.


We are taking another day off here at the rim, but now both Dave and I are trying to get rid of this nasty cold/sinus infection thing, so we are taking it pretty easy.

Now we are trying to decide if we want to actually ride around to the South Rim or veer from our planned route and ride down through Flagstaff and Sedona and into Prescott. We would be riding on 89 the whole way and we are not sure what the shoulders are like and what the climbing from Flagstaff through Sedona and Jerome is like. If any of you know that road/route please leave a comment and let us know.

On the road again

We are back in Cedar City, UT from our brief trip to Las Vegas. We lost $2.00 gambling on the strip and got to spend some quality time with family.

I'm a little nervous about getting back in the saddle. I'm hoping that the few days off have helped the saddle sores. We shall see in just a few minutes time when I take that first pedal.

I know I haven't been great with posting, but I'll try and be better from know on.

Pictures to come!

-- Posted from my iPhone

Leaving Glenwood

Dave and I have lived a lot of places and moved more times then I can remember, but none have ever been as difficult or bittersweet as leaving Glenwood Springs. Since I left my home in New Jersey for college, no place has really felt like home until Glenwood Springs; It is the place we got married and bought our first house and the first place we have really made lasting friendships. It's these friendships that made the departure so difficult.

We were thrown a couple of parties by the work clan but the most memorable was a somewhat impromptu gathering of our neighbors in our condo complex. On the night before we intended to leave all the neighbors and some of our friends from town gathered for a BBQ pot-luck at the picnic benches in the middle of the buildings. It was the most warm and genuine send off I could have imagined. We drank, laughed andtalked. At the end of the evening, with lasting embraces I can still feel days later on the train out to San Francisco, we said our goodbyes.

When we woke up the next morning the complex was quiet. Everyone was at work, but I could still hear the laughter as we passed the picnic benches while carrying boxes down the stairs to the U-haul. We didn't actually finish our packing and cleaning that day and spent another night in town. When we called friends to say we were staying another night no one hesitated to reply that they would be over right after work.

And with another night of drinking, laughing and, jokes that we would still be there by the weekend, we did say our final goodbyes.

The next morning we woke from the floor, not wanting to sleep in the bedroom after having finished cleaning upstairs. We picked up the last bags turned off the lights, drew the shades and locked the doors. The car was packed and we were ready to go.

Tomorrow we would be on the train and our renters would be moving in. Looking through the rear-view mirror of the car the canyon walls closed on Glenwood Canyon and the valley in front of us opened to a new type of relationship, with the road.

Fully loaded training ride to Redstone

I've been reading blogs and journals about bicycle touring and travel for the last several months and I've read how kind, curious and accommodating people tend to be to bicycle tourers. Today we took our first fully loaded training ride from Glenwood Springs to Redstone, with a stop in Carbondale for Mountain Fair, and from all I have read our training ride was akin to a classic day on tour.

As expected packing up the bikes took about twice as long as we gave ourselves. And where it usually takes us an hour to get to Carbondale, today it took us almost and hour and a half. With my bike weighing in at approximately 90 pounds and Dave's at 120 pounds we knew it would be a slow day.

While leaving Mountain Fair, a guy ran up to us and asked if we were planning on taking CO 133, which we were; and he preceded to tell us that there was a mud slide at MM60 and the road was closed. But knowing we weren't moving very fast we thought maybe it would be open by the time we arrived so we figured we'd keep going. A few minutes back on the bikes and it began raining a little harder then the few drops we'd been having, and as we made our way down the road, unlike our speed the rain picked up intensity.



Watching as cars, that had just moments earlier passed us, now coming in the other direction we wondered indeed if we would be able to get through the slide area. No sooner then we thought it, a police car pulled up alongside us to inform us as such, and that it would be a 2-3 hour wait. We asked where the slide was in relation to Redstone and he replied, right before, and drove away. Dave and I looked at each other and both thought that if the slide is after the hot springs we could go soak whilst waiting for them to open the road. So we kept rolling; but when we reached the line of cars several miles before the hot springs, our plan was thwarted. We learned, though, that they had one lane open, so it shouldn't be too long a wait. After 15 minutes or so, we were rolling again.

When we did reach the hot springs a couple miles later it was too crowded for our taste and already being 6:00 we figured we'd better get on to the campground another couple of miles away. A little stiff and tired we made it to the Redstone campground to learn that they charged $23.00 a night to camp. Thrown by the price, which we didn't even have after getting lunch at Mountain Fair, we stood discussing our options. These were to either pedal back or up about 5 miles to one of the other, only slightly cheaper, campgrounds or go in search of some form of dispersed camping. Well, we must have been standing there a while as a small RV had already been around the loop twice, when they came up to us and asked if we were planning on staying. When we said we were debating because of the price, they nodded in agreement and offered to split a site with us. With the other options not very appealing we humbly accepted their offer. And when I mentioned needing to get change from the camp host the gentleman in the couple said not to worry about it. Dave and I were both amazed at the attention we garnered throughout the day but this was indeed the apex of the day.

And as we sat our bruised butts down to eat dinner, the sky cleared up and we got a glimpse at the sunset and the sliver moon. We didn't travel far in miles, but we had rain and mud slides and the kindness of strangers, and I couldn't have had a better ride.

Weather training ride

Yesterday we got in a good weather training ride. It wasn't a very long ride but it was a good chance to try out our new rain gear which all seemed to work well. This was also my third ride with my new Brooks imperial saddle, which so far I am loving.

Hopefully we will have a signed contract by the end of the week, and this whole trip will truly become a reality.


-- Post From My iPhone