The show must go on
After Renata reached San Diego and prepared for the next part on land,
sad news reached her from home. Her brother had suddenly past away. She
put the expedition on hold and flew back to the family in Sweden for some
few days.
Back in San Diego again, in the beginning for October, Renata knew that
there was not much more that she could do. Right now so she looked forward
to start cycling as soon as possible. The time on the bike will give her
the time to think and remember. Fortunately she was not alone on the first
part. Her boy friend was joining her.
Even if she knew that she wouldn't reach that long during the first day,
leaving 4.30 pm, she decided to start. Now she is on the way again. The
bike was a little unstable with the kayak behind, but she made 21
kilometers during the first day. Not bad.
After almost two weeks of no training, it was a smaller shock to get
out on the bike for a whole day. The burning sun and the steep up hills
made it not easier. She knew that she had some hills to pass that reached
1000 meters, so this is a new challenge.
Crossing the Colorado River, she reached Arizona and finally same flat
terrain. She took the opportunity to stay an extra day in Yomo to get her
bike tuned and to prepare for the dessert ahead.
On the way through the dessert she tried to avoid the freeways and
highways as much as possible. She has decided to not take any unnecessary
risks, so she is not traveling to close to the boarder. She had already
seen hundreds of Border Patrol cars and a quite few helicopters too. All
that action makes you a bit more alert.
Having traveling almost 900 kilometers with the bike, the view has
changed a bit. Gone are the cactus and now she was in the wild prairie and
the cowboy country. Passing by the town of Tombstone, she made a break and
took the opportunity to visit the museum and learn more about the Wild
West. All the stories about the trigger happy gun men made her wonder if
it was much safer back then.
Crossing the border to New Mexico was very un dramatic. The first stop
was Rodeo where Renata filled up her water supply. It has been a long
stretch between the water holes and even though the map indicated small
towns, most of them were deserted. There are still signs of the the Border
Patrol, so in an emergency she can get water from them.
There is still a long way to go to the coast and we will see next month
if she is on the water again.
SportsGearGuide.com - Patrik Nilsson
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