I’ve decided to outsource the transcription of my Lewis and Clark Bicycle Tour journals. But rather then mail my precious notebooks to some seedy service in Bangladesh, I’m going to keep this job in-house. Hence, I now appeal to the American public and jaymekohler.com readers nationwide.
I have two journals that need typing. My first journal [...]
Parking access and trail head for Calavera Preserve.
Location: Oceanside, California
Trail head coordinates: N33.17320 W117.28253
Skill Level: Intermediate to advanced
Trail Type: Single track, out-and-back
Length: Low trail - 5.5 miles. High trail - ~3 miles.
Photos with corresponding waypoints and descriptive text.
Download GPS Map datum.
Description:
Calavera Preserve is a little known multi-use area (namely hikers, birdwatchers, and mountain bikers) encompassed [...]
September 2004 is when it began. My river envy. I was less than a week into the first half of my Lewis and Clark Trail bicycle tour, grinding through eastern Washington and wondering how the hell three weeks on a bike could have ever sounded like a good idea. I’d been riding the better part [...]
Published: August 24th, 2006I’m notorious for buying things, using them for awhile, buying something similar whether it be better or more useful, selling the old thing, possibly trading it for something entirely different, and so on and so on. I’ve come to realize that material possessions don’t do any good unless they’re performing to your needs. Who cares [...]
Published: February 2nd, 2006There’s a trail less than fifteen miles east of Interstate 5 that I consider epic. Just down Highway 74, it’s twenty miles of out-and-back (or rather, up and down) that commands stamina, concentration, split second reaction time, and plenty of guts. The summer months bring temperatures well into the hundreds that have baked my brain [...]
Published: January 21st, 2006It’s day twelve in Pierre, South Dakota and I’ve rendezvoused with Dale for the last three days of my tour. We’ve booked rooms at the Governor’s Inn (whirlpool, indoor pool, and kick ass continental breakfast included) and are going over our route through um-teen miles of road construction and a few Indian reservations.
The days are [...]
The morning of my departure for St Louis, Missouri has dawned colder than expected. Recent days past have begun in the high 30s, warmed up to the low 70s, and cooled right back down again at sunset. I should have expected as much. I’m about thirty minutes from a ride to the airport and less [...]
Published: September 15th, 2005It’s 2157. My bags are packed and loaded, I’m showered, and eagerly anticipating my 0300 departure on post-deployment leave. Colorado Springs, Colorado is my first stop. Residing there are the very same soldiers of the 506th I trained with in Iraq. It’s a reunion that’s sure to produce more than a few laughs. From there [...]
Published: September 6th, 2005There’s a hill behind my apartment that needs climbing. I sit on the left side of my couch, stare through the sliding glass door of the balcony, and imagine myself on that hill, crawling through the juniper, past the shaggy spruce trees, over the bald spot near the crest and to the top. I don’t [...]
Published: July 28th, 2005Tonight I ride again. It is only me and my shiny, German machinery with sloppy suspension, loose handlebars, strange valve stems, and reflective decals drawn for speed.
Across the sand parking area and next to the wooden, Turkish toilets with overflowing barrels positioned below each sawed out hole. The wind is thankfully westward. The flies busy [...]
