Month: November 2011

Bikes & food in Yucaipa

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Homemade dessert at my welcome dinner. I knew it was going to be a good visit!

Months ago, I received an email from one very enthusiastic mom asking if I could fit in an SFT stop at her children’s school in Yucaipa, CA. After a bit of schedule shuffling I confirmed my arrival with the principal and we began planning. I was immediately impressed with Yucaipa Christian School (K-6) due to their dedication to cycling. Get this – each year the school’s bicycle club takes a tour from Yucaipa to Phoenix! That’s 350 miles; a long ways for elementary school kids.

Two excellent map helpers!

I was excited to speak with classes who already had a concept of what bicycle touring entails and these students did not disappoint. The young audiences were full of thoughtful questions and were very engaged in my trip and curious about my mission. The class presentations were great but the best part of the day came after the bell had run. Kids streamed down the hall decked out in bike shorts and jerseys to meet up for a ride to the local Three Sisters Organic Farm.

The super-awesome riding crew!

Smiles on the road.

The fast group set off first – we were going to pedal the entire 12 mile route – while the less experienced riders cycled about half way and were then shuttled out to meet us at the farm.  Three Sisters Organic farm is a small family-owned operation. Abby and Jason along with their two kiddos met us at the driveway and after a quick introduction on the patio of their straw bale home, we took a walk around the property. Three Sisters is a certified organic farm and uses biodynamic farming techniques. Our students tasted basil, kale, arugula and other tasty treats during the tour and were amazed at the flavors, smells and textures that accompany farm life.

Abby point out some delicious eggplant.

Mini kale nibbler.

The train passing by was a fun addition to the afternoon.

Jason pulled a turnip out for the kids.

The day concluded with a group photo and promises to stay in touch. Had my timing been better, I could have participated in the Go Strada Corsa Lynn Pletcher Memorial Ride the following weekend. This event is a road ride fundraiser for the bike club and childhood obesity programs in the valley. I hope the weather was great. Huge thanks to the students and parents at Yucaipa for making me feel so very welcome in your homes and school!

Riding for childhood obesity. Awesome!

A young Strada Corsa rider!

The School Food Tour plus two!

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Last week I was lucky to have two wonderful friends along for 5 days of SFT riding through the Arizona desert. Felice and Brenna have supported the idea of the SFT from its inception and they were both able to squeeze a quick road trip into their busy lives.

Biker chicks.

The goal was to meet in Joshua Tree and then head east across the desert to Phoenix where Brenna could catch a flight back to Oregon. We hadn’t done a ton of planning – the only details I gave them were a solid date to arrive and vague directions to a campsite. However, knowing that they were both extremely intelligent girls, I was confident that they would track me down and be ready to ride on the designated morning. Sure enough, I opened my tent the next day to a beautiful sunrise and the sight of Brenna, curled up next to my bike and trailer.

A nighttime arrival makes the sunrise even more spectacular!

Brenna snuggled up next to my bike... "I knew you would return here eventually!" she said.

After a multiple cups of tea, lots of catching up and a delicious breakfast of whole wheat pancakes with homemade canned peaches courtesy of my dear friend Ben, Brenna and I hit the road on our bikes while Felice took the first turn at driving support.

Greeting the day!

Delicious pancakes by our favorite Chef Ben = happy girls!

Brenna and I roll out of camp.

50 miles later we arrived at our first camp of the trip. A small outcropping of rocks provided perfect shelter from the sun and a privacy from the nearby highway. We ate a yummy but healthy dinner, goofed around with our cameras, listened to an episode of Radiolab and it was time for bed.

Happily standing at the stove for dinner duty!

We soon settled into a routine. Up early, steel cut oats for brekkie, pack lunches, fill water bottles, load the car and roll out for the day. Either Felice or Brenna would drive ahead to scout camping and resupply food and water while myself and the other would start pedaling. Once the person running support had everything settled at our day’s destination she would hop on her bike and ride out to meet us; each day ended with three happy but tired girls giggling around a Coleman stove amidst cacti and dust clouds. After nights in Parker, Hope & Wickenburg, we safely rolled into Phoenix 4.5 days later, much in need of a shower and some time away from the sun.

I can’t tell you how special it was to share this experience with two dear friends. Their companionship and support was and continues to be priceless. Stay tuned for the girls’ perspectives on School Food Tour life – they will both be writing guest blog posts very soon!

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A synchronous encounter in Joshua Tree

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So there I was. Pedaling underneath the pink skies of Joshua Tree National Park on a nondescript October evening. Although it was the end of a long 70-mile day that had presented upward of 4,700 feet of climbing, the gorgeous desert scenery kept me smiling as I rode along the last few miles into my campsite.

Car after car of weary rock climbers and sun-drenched tourists waved and whizzed past on their way home from another day of desert adventures. All of  a sudden a red Subaru passes by, just like all the others, but then oddly it slows, pulls into the nearest parking lot, turns around and then waits at the entrance. I could feel the passengers’ eyes on me and so feeling a bit self-conscious, I kept my head down when I pedaled past the idling car. As soon as I cleared the driveway the same little red Subaru pulled up along side of me and the unexpected occurs.

A girl who I had never seen in my life leans her head out of the window and says, “SARA?!”

I glance over with a ‘who in the world are YOU?’ look on my face and affirm that I am, in fact Sara. “HI!!!” she yells. Still befuddled, I say hi timidly and look to her with a questioning expression. “It’s Chris and Justene!!” she says… after a momentary blank stare, finally, it clicks: Chris and Justene are an amazing duo from Bozeman, Montana who I had been corresponding with via email for the past 6 months regarding our similar bicycle and food-driven projects. These two great folks make up the Human Powered Mountaineers – a project started by Chris that combines alpine climbing expeditions, bicycle travel and organic farms into a single sustainable effort.

They  just happened to take a road trip that just happened to be to Joshua Tree, and they just happened to be driving back to camp at the same time I was on the road. They recognized my cycling jersey, thought “No way. Could it be her?” and took a chance on yelling out my name. Once it clicked for all of us we pulled over and Justene jumped out of the car to give me a big hug. After countless exclamations of “How random!” I quickly invited them to my campsite and continued to roll through the park as night time approached. They stopped by later and we spent the evening storytelling and marveling over our fortuitous meeting.

The next morning they came by to see me off and take a few photos. Please be sure to check out their project and read their account of our serendipitous meeting on  The Human Powered Mountaineers blog. 

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