Day 12: Rest Day in Kayenta, Arizona
Yesterday, we made our way from the Navajo National Monument to Kayenta, Arizona. A 30-mile ride. Though it was sprinkling most of the way, it was a nice ride because the first 9 miles were downhill for the most part. After I got back onto Highway 160, I had a moderate tailwind so I made good time….until I had another flat.
The typical Arizona highway has a 2.5 to 3 foot shoulder and on the left side of the shoulder is a “rumble strip”. It’s nearly impossible to ride on it, so you have to make a difficult choice to either ride just to the left of the rumble strip (which puts you nearly into traffic) or right to the right of the rumble strip (which puts you in a part of the road
where all kinds of gravel, glass, thorns, and other junk is). I’ve been choosing the latter and I think I’ve been picking up some of that junk as a result. It might be time to throw some of that True Goo into the tubes to see if it helps. Mike, the manager at my local bike shop, swears by the stuff and even races with it so I’m inclined to believe that the stuff works.
Today, we’re going to do some sightseeing in the Kayenta area. I’m afraid there’s not much in Kayenta itself, so we’re going to drive into the Monument Valley area and off onto some side roads that we probably won’t see tomorrow because I’ll be on the bicycle.
March 29th, 2006 at 1:22 pm
When riding in New Mexico, we used to swear that the state mineral was glass, usually the broken variety. The same probably applies to Arizona. Broken glass seems to be the product of (1) not having a bottle deposit law, and (2) drivers not wanting to get stopped and having the highway patrol find empty alcohol containers in the vehicle. In the West, the stuff never washes off the road either.
March 29th, 2006 at 4:13 pm
Pete, its fun reading your blogs and looking at the pics and video. Its inspiring to see you going after your dream.
Sorry about all the flats. If the goo doesnt work you can also get skins that go on the inside of the tire to protect against thorns and stuff. Or you can just slit open an old tube and wrap it around a new tube that way its twice as thick. Anyway thanks for keeping us up to date and entertained.
March 29th, 2006 at 6:41 pm
http://uuhsc.utah.edu/pubaffairs/pulse_detail.cfm?ID=35872
Hi Pete! You made it into the Pulse….
March 29th, 2006 at 8:10 pm
Pete if you have the time there are horseback rides out around The Mittens in MV. I endorse them completely. I took my ex on one and it is a high point in her life, even though I wasn’t. As far as flats go there are little wire metal scrapers made for bikes which might help. They have a small plastic/rubber keeper attaching the scraper to the holder that connects to the handlebar/ front wheel downtube in the front and the main downtube on the frame under the seat. They knock off debris when you pick it up on the first time around before the second time around the ground drives it into your innertube. ROCK ON!!!!