Biking the Rockies

The past two days we spent mountain biking some of the best ski resorts in Colorado; taking the ski lift up is certainly the way to go. We went to Breckenridge on the first day and spent today tearing it up at Keystone. The ski towns are defiantly more my past. Denver was great, but its tough to beat being surrounded by one of the greatest mountain ranges in the world.

We got to Keystone on the second day, and I kept wondering why I seemed to be the only person on the mountain without a rear suspension, but it didn't take long for me to find out. The trails were steep and rocky, but tons of fun. I feel like the mountain and I bonded after a left some skin and blood out there, but man my whole body is sore. After a few hours on the trails we decided to try and make it to Buena Vista, Colorado. Jesse's mom told us before we left that if we go to Colorado, we had to try and find the restaurant where she worked when she was in her twenties. Well Mrs. B-K, it is! We don't know what we will do tomorrow, but we will find out soon enough.

We made it to the Rockies

Despite a brief run in with the law, we have made it to Colorado. A sneaky cop in a pickup truck caught Jesse moving a bit too fast through town, but after no ticket issued, We made it to Colorado Springs. The Walmat parking lot was great; clean bathrooms and two dollar gatorades and a view of Pikes Peak make ideal camping. After one attempt of the 9-miles of downhill my legs were shot and my arms were bloodied, so local bike shop owner set me up with some new tires. Everyone we me was awesome, and made us feel like we are more than just a couple guys living out of a van.

After the best loss in American soccer history, our few days in Co. Springs came to an end and we decided to head north to Denver. We got in at about noon yesterday, and we are both looking forward to showers.

Colorado

We have finally gotten our first glimpse of the American Great Plains. Taking interstate 70 clear across Kansas we were both amazed at the views allotted when there are no trees to get in the way. You can literally see for miles while driving along the long, straight highway. The state is certainly beautiful, but I can imagine living there would not always be the most exciting. We had originally planned to camp somewhere along the road, but cruising at 75 MPH, we were across the state in no time.

Guided by the most spectacular lightning storms I have ever seen we crossed into Colorado by 11 CT and we were both beat. Unencumbered by trees, we were able to see the storm from many miles off, and again, it was just spectacular. We stopped in a small town alongside the highway called Vale, Colorado and were able to find an unpaved road to camp alongside.

We woke with the sunrise at about 5:30, and I decided to take a quick walk along the border of the empty field near Sven. On this walk I saw a young buck that seemed just as interested in me as I was in him, and after giving me a great walking companion for about 100 feet he pranced off into the sunrise.

Feeling euphoric about the experience we decided it was time to hit the road, but Sven had other plans. When I tried to turn the key nothing happened, so after attempts to jump start the old Ford van I decided to ride my bike down the muddy, unpaved road into town for further assistance. I must say that after this experience if anyone needs to breakdown in Colorado, the town of Vale is not a bad place. I met a very nice middle-aged woman who sent her father and his 4-wheel drive truck to our aid, and after about an hour we were on the road again.

Today we are heading for Colorado Springs and hope to hike the 14,000 ft Pike’s Peak, and with some great suggestions from our friends in Vale we have a whole agenda to attend to while we experience the state.

I've driven miles and miles of Kansas...

After a hot night at the Nashville Walmart we decided it was time to live like rich people. Jesse has family in Memphis TN and their hospitality served as our first real stop of the trip. We spent two nights in the area by swimming in pools and eating steak, a far cry from instant mashed potatoes, spaghetti, and a lot of dude sweat. This stop also allotted me the opportunity to test the childproof capabilities of my new underwater camera!

We did not do many of the touristy things in Memphis but we were able to see the Lorraine Motel were Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968. My mom told me that we needed to see it, and it was just as she described. We have all seen pictures of this infamous motel in our history classes, and it looks exactly the same. It was quite an odd experience; we literally had the entire block to ourselves. Standing directly in front of the motel a reef hangs to commemorate Dr. King, and directly behind is the open window where the assassin took his shot. While we were standing there it was difficult not to wonder how the world would be different had this motel remained an obscure building in history, but despite the gravity of this site we pushed on with our journey.

We originally planned to make it to Dallas that day to try and watch the USA Portugal game with a buddy, but the distance proved too great so we stopped in the hometown of Walmat, Bentonville, Arkansas, to meet some of Jesse’s old neighbors.

To be honest, I did not have high hopes for the state of Arkansas. I mean seriously, who does? We drove up interstate 540 to and met Jesse’s friends in the very northeastern part of the state and made it just in time for the game. Jesse and I came decorated in all-American attire—Jesse even surprised me with the most outstanding pair of American overalls I have ever seen! The result was positive, although a bit heartbreaking, and after a few drinks we retired to the friend’s house on the outskirts of town.

Bentonville, much to my surprise, is actually a pretty cool town! The Walton family (founders of Walmart) apparently has been pouring money into the town and even our guide was surprised at some of the improvements the town has made in the past year. We saw the original Walton 5-10 (the first real Walmart) and after taking a tour of the Walmart museum we both have a new respect for the company and the people who run the largest company in the world. I think after our visit we both agree that living in Arkansas would not be so bad. We would like to thank our hosts for outstanding hospitality!

Since the beginning stages of our trip we had planned on going through Texas, but our overwhelming desire to make it west currently has us driving through the great state of Kansas as I write this current post. According to GPS we have a solid 9 hours to cross the state, so we will most likely not make it tonight. Looks like we have a little time to chase tornadoes and camp in fields, so check in soon for our first glimpse of the Rockies.

Sven: the rolling adventure van

Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Public Works Administration to put people to work during the Great Depression, the blue ridge parkway is 300+ miles of some of the prettiest driving in the county. The winding roads artfully complement the natural scenery and moving from mountain top to mountain top, gave us breathtaking views at every turn. 

After a quick detour to see the new river gorge in West Virginia, we took rt. 77 to meet up with the parkway. We made it just over the boarder to NC before we called it a night. This was our first night sleeping in Sven. Retrofitted for sleeping it was exciting to finally be doing what Jesse and I had been talking about for months. We are now in the midst of a great adventure.

The next day we made our way to great smoky mountains national park. We read that great mountain biking lye ahead of us, and we were not disappointed. We took some beautiful single frame to breakup the monontiny of driving.

We are now spending the night in a walmart parking lot in a Nashville walmart and hope to push to Memphis tomorrow. As for me in tired and going to bed. 

Initial hobo stage

After 9 months of "planning" we have finally embarked on our adventure. We would both like to thank all the family and friends who gave us a great sendoff fueled by beer, BBQ, and Clint Dempsey's dazzling footwork, but now that Jesse and I have taken our vows of poverty, the van is packed and we are officially on the road.

It took a while to get out of Goochland so with an eagerness to get on the road we just started throwing things in the van and told ourselves that we will organize later. After stopping in Roanoke to eat Paul and Aris's deceptively delicious vegan chili, we spent the first night in Blacksburg, VA, and although we had a great time with great friends, the magnitude of our journey ahead hasn't quite set in for either of us. I fantasize about the first time we will see the muddy banks of the Mississippi and I can only imagine that is when the trip will feel real.

We spent the morning outfitting the interior of the van with shelves and organizing our things, and after observing Jesse's handy-work Sven is starting to feel like home. We plan to make it to the New River Gorge today and will try our hands at some of the best mountain biking in the Great Smoky Mountains today or tomorrow, so as we will soon leave familiar surroundings we are preparing ourselves for the adventures ahead.

Check back in a day or two, and I will have pictures of Sven's inner-workings and one of the deepest pie pans in 'merica.

-Matt & Jesse