I'll Be Taking My Name Back...

Hi folks. Thanks for coming back to my blog. The weather is turning here in PA and I think we may be in for our first "real" snow. I can hardly wait. I want to get back out there on the slopes with my "board"... oh yeah, thats right I sold my snow-board earlier this year with plans of getting a new one. We'll see.

For now, the news of the day is I will be taking back the domain: robgolden.net As of tomorrow, the address for the blog will be www.gowestusablog.com.

If the owner of robgolden.com would sell me that domain I wouldn't have to take robgolden.net back, but as I understand that robgolden is a DJ and he needs people to know who he is as well.

One more thing before I go, I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Updates...

Well for now I am back "home" in PA, but I will be hitting the road again in January. I would once more like to thank all of you who have "followed" me and supported me over the last few months.

Right now I am spending time with my family and friends for the holidays and then in early January, I will be traveling again. I will keep you all updated in the future.

As far as the book is concerned, I hope to be finished with it by the middle of January. Of course all of my supporters will receive a free copy.

Once again, thanks to all of you for your support!

Ciao!

Dallas, Texas via Nashville, Tennessee

I spent a day in beautiful Nashville, TN before getting back on the road on my way to Dallas. It was nice there and I had the chance to spend some time with one of my new friends that I made while I was on my "historic" bicycle ride. Nashville was very nice and the only problem I had there was that I didn't have enough time. I am looking forward to my next visit to that historic and culturally rich town.

A BIG THANKS TO ALL WHO SUPPORTED ME!

I have been finished with my ride for several weeks now and I would like to send out a great big THANK You to all of those who supported me. There are so many and you know who you are. Whether it was offering a bottle of water or some words of encouragement, I appreciate you all more than you will ever know. I made it safely home, and now its time to get started with the second part of the project.

Once again, thank you all and I love you.

Rob

Mission Accomplished!

Finally! After three months of cycling we have reached the Pacific Ocean! For the past two months, I have had the pleasure of cycling with a good friend and brother, Clive Rogers, and at 7:02 PM, October 13, 2008, we cycled our way to the beach at Marina Del Rey, CA.

We chose Marina Del Rey because we were supposed to meet a friend of a friend there, but that never happened. So after we arrived, we decided it was too dark to take photos, so we went to a local coffee shop (The Cow's End) and had a celebratory drink.

The day started off like most of the other days. We got a late start leaving Fontana. We knew that we were going to have a cross wind and sometimes even a tail wind. We had about 70 miles to go, so we decided to not drag our feet any longer. After a few hours, Clive had one flat tire and then another. He thinks it's because he's jinxed us the day before and said that we would not have any more flats. The second flat would turn out to be the last one of our journey.

We would have made great time, but we encountered way too many traffic lights. It seemed that every light on the way to LA was out to get us. We would sometimes get up to 20 mph between lights, but the lights were on just about every block.

Just as it was getting dark, we made it to downtown Los Angeles. We still had about 20 miles left to go and we were fighting LA Dodgers traffic. At this point, we knew would never make it before the sun was completely down so we stopped and turned on our inadequate lights for the remainder of the ride. We decided to take Venice Blvd because it went all the way to the beach, we made a left on Lincoln and then a right on Washington and before you knew it, we were there. Marina Del Rey, at the beach and our ride was over. We still had a little bit of an adventure in front of us, but that is another story.

I would like to thank each and every one of you who reads, or has read this blog, sent in donations, encouragement or thoughts and prayers. I never would have been able to do this without your support. And I would like to thank Clive, my cycling brother who made this adventure one that I will never forget!

ALMOST THERE!

Just a few miles left to go!

Getting Close!

After another late start - due to a huge breakfast (I had steak and eggs with pancakes and Clive forgot he was a vegetarian and had the BIG COUNTRY BREAKFAST with bacon and sausage), we finally hit the road. We got back on Interstate 15 and we made it for 6.5 miles before CHP told us to get off or we would get a ticket. That made things interesting because we had planned on taking I-15 all the way to Victorville. We had to find an alternate route and that took awhile. We finally got on Old Route 66, it was a little out of the way and by far the roughest road I have been on since I left PA. I had two flat tires due to the potholes, but we finally made it in to Victorville at 7:45. It was dark and it was cold, but we made it. According to Google Maps, we are only 94 miles from Los Angeles now. We just have to find another way down the mountain, I don't think we can cycle down the Cajon Pass. I guess that's what we'll work on in the morning. Goodnight!

Another Windy Day

Today's wind was just as bad as yesterday's. We were only able to average 6 or 7 miles per hour. Our goal was to make it to Barstow, only 38 miles away. Well, we made it. It took some effort, but eventually we stumbled into town. The first couple of miles weren't so bad, but after that the wind really picked up. We were still riding the shoulder of I - 15 and the gusts were up to 40 mph. It was slow going, but Clive and I are both ready to be finished with this trip so we kept going. We are so close we can almost smell the ocean. Julie called ahead and has us set up tonight at the Super 8 Motel. A shower and a bed... wow! We are just about 140 miles away from our destination, now. That means just a few days! Hallelujah!

Tomorrow, the wind is not supposed to be as strong. That's good news because we are trying to make it down the mountain tomorrow.

It's An Ill WInd...

Today was one of the hardest days of the entire ride. The wind was so strong that it was blowing us all over the road. That is not the situation you want when you are on one of the busiest interstates in the country. We struggled to get just 27 miles today. We were hoping to get to Barstow - 62 miles away from Baker, but we only made it as far as the Afton Road exit. There was a mini market there, so we went inside for a drink and the owner suggested that we just pitch our tents and stay for the night. The name of the "stop" was the Desert Star Ranch. It was an unexpected Oasis that was much needed. It was truly in the middle of nowhere, but they had wifi available for us and sometime in the middle of the night we were treated to live music. The only negative is, because the wind was so blowing so hard it snapped one of my tent poles even though we set up our tents behind a huge water tank to shield us from the wind. I tried duct tape, we will have to see if it works.

Leaving Las Vegas... 4 Real

Staying true to form, we got another late start today. After getting supplies and finding the route, it had to have been 2:45 by the time we hit the road. We got stopped by the Nevada Highway Patrol after about 10 miles on Interstate 15. The officer told us to get off at the next exit and travel the service road. We did that for about 12 miles and then got back on I-15 and traveled that for another 15 miles. We did about 42 miles total and stopped for the night at Whiskey Pete's Casino and Hotel in Primm, NV. Primm is right on the Nevada/ California border. We have 26 miles to the first rest area and then about 25 more miles until we get to Baker,the home of the world's largest thermometer. It is hot and this is the REAL desert, so I have to go before it gets too hot. Los Angeles here we come!

Leaving Las Vegas

First of all, I would like to give a big THANKS to the Palace Station Hotel for opening their doors and making my stay in Las Vegas a very comfortable one. The staff was accommodating and hospitable.

Tonight, I begin to focus on the last leg of my journey, Las Vegas to Los Angeles. I have been in Las Vegas for two days now, but I have to say I am ready to leave. I am not a gambler, a smoker, a drinker and I don't have anything that I want to do that I don't want anyone else to know about so that I can leave it here because it happened here. The interviews that I came here for didn't pan out, but Clive did meet up with some of his friends and participate in the Rock-a-billy Festival. I've met his friends and they are way cool.

Our journey will take us out into the desert for a couple of hundred miles, but they will be the last couple of hundred miles of our journey. We have gone over the maps and determined the best route for us to take. The weather has been good, not too hot or windy, I hope it holds up for us. Next stop, Primm, Nevada. Primm is right on the CA, NV border. After Primm, we have a long way to go to the next town. Every mile we do is one less that we have to do down the road.

Congratulations to "Two Babes on Bikes", I knew you could do it. Stephanie and Molly, we'll see you on the slopes.

Friends...

These are just a few of the people I've met who have my journey one of the most enjoyable of my life. I hope you enjoy.

Finishing Up in Los Angeles..

OK Folks. I have to decided to finish this U.S. Tour in Los Angeles! I will be in Las Vegas this weekend for some interviews and publicity... after that on to LA.

Hobbling In to St. George

After a brief stay in Cedar City, it was time to move on to St. George... and beyond. Another late start today and the bicycle route to St. George wasn't very clear. Of course you could travel the interstate (I-15) all the way there, but not on a bicycle. I called the highway patrol and got only an answering machine, I called some other numbers and tried to get some clarity about the laws regarding bicycles on the interstate. Since western Kansas, I have been hearing that you could indeed ride the interstate. So what did I do, I rode the interstate all the way to St. George. 53 miles, in total. I didn't see one highway patrol vehicle in all that time. What I did encounter though, was three flat tires. That is the worst thing about riding on the interstate. You have all the wire from the "blown" truck tires, just waiting to give you a flat. The first one wasn't so bad, the next two were very annoying as they came one right after the other. I was making good time, but after all the flats it started getting late and the sun was going down.

To make a long story short, finally made it St. George and Motel 6 where they kept the light on for me. Courtesy of Peg Wolff. Thanks, Peg.

Cedar Breaks

After a quick pseudo breakfast, we pack up and get ready to hit the road. We say our goodbyes and before you know it, another late start. I don't know how that always happens. The climb from Panguitch was gruelling, right from the start. I started thinking, "How am I going to do this?" The first two and a half miles were really tough, and then it started becoming a little more reasonable. I knew it was going to be a long day and we had 35 miles of climbing to do, so I had to pace myself. There was little traffic, but a lot of signs warning about bears and mountain lions, so that helped me keep up the pace. At 15 miles, I stopped for real food, which I knew would slow me down, but I was hungry. It did slow me down and I still had 20 miles to go before I reached the 10000 foot summit. It was 1:44 when I left the cafe, and it was slow going. At times, I was only going 3 mph. Up, up, up it didn't seem like it would ever end, but like all things it did end. There were a few false summits, but just as the sun was going down, we reached the summit sign. Clive wanted to camp there, but there was no way I wanted to camp that high. It was all downhill to Cedar City, so we decided to go for it. It was 17 miles down and getting late, so we had to use our lights, but we made. This is the first real city with traffic lights and chain restaurants in about 3 weeks. It feels a little weird. And I had a tough time trying to sleep in a bed after sleeping on the ground for so long.

That brings me to where I am now. I woke up at 5:19 and started responding to email, uploading photos and making phone calls. And updating the blog. In a few hours, I will be heading off to Nevada. It'll be nice to have warm temperatures and food options again.

First Entry in Several Days...

Wow! So much has happened since my last entry. Let me see... well, we stayed in Escalante for three glorious days. While we were there, I got my new tent (did I mention that we were camping?) and almost immediatley one of the poles broke. That was a bummer, but I had to make do. I am still working with the company to get a replacement. The reason I stayed in Escalante? Steve Roberts. We were kind of hijacked (in a good way) and he wanted us to stay for their Art Festival. The Art Festival brought artists from all over the country, and it was on the weekend. We had a chance to meet a lot of the artists and spend some time in what Steve called, Small Town America. It was a really good place to hole up for a few days. The only problem is, it's hard to get going after such a long rest. So we were there for 3 days and then we were off to those mountains, that were patiently waiting for us.

From Escalante, we traveled to Bryce Valley KOA. A nice campground and a stunning rainbow awaited us. We tried to capture it, but the photos don't do it justice. We arrived at the KOA just before dark, had a quick meal and headed off to bed. The next day would be a tough one, but a short one. We were going to Byrce Canyon.

The ride from Bryce Valley to Bryce Canyon was all uphill. The views were amazing, like all the other days before. It's difficult to make good time because you want to capture all the beauty before you. So, because of taking so many photos, we got caught in a storm. We found a place to "hole up" called, "Mossy Cave". The cave is famous, not only for the moss, but because it maintains a cool/cold temperature throughtout the year. You can even find ice there in late June. After we were there for awhile, it looked as though the rain wasn't going to let up and it started getting late, so we decided to push on in the rain. Did I mention that my jacket is no longer waterproof?
We still had a several thousand foot ascent to get to our destination. That was tough. About a mile before our stop for the night, there was a Subway restaurant. We stopped there for coffee (I don't even drink coffee), and to warm up. After some soup and sub, the rain slowed up enough for us to ride the last mile and a half in the campground, shivering.

The campground was Ruby's Inn RV Park and Campground. A nice place with a unique history. After we set up the tents (mine is still broken), we noticed that someone left us a nice gift of firewood. It was wet, but I was cold and wanted a fire. This would turn out to be the coldest night of the entire trip. After the fire was good blazing, I tried to warm my cold, wet feet and one of my wet socks caught fire. Did I mention that it was cold? Also, my sleeping bag got wet from all the rain... needless to say, I had a miserable night. The next day I went and tried to thaw out in the hot tub. While I was thawing, Clive decided to go and check out Bryce Canyon. He had never been, so he jumped on his bike and rode into the park. That meant that we would be getting late start today. We would only be going as far as Panguitch, it was all (mostly downhill), but we didn't leave until 4:19. Better late than never.

The ride to Panguitch was AWESOME. We rode through Red Canyon... beautiful. We took a lot of photos, but we were racing the sun. It was getting dark and cold again, so we picked up the pace and arrived just as it was getting dark. We stayed at the Panguitch KOA (I love KOA) as guests of Kim and Bob. When we arrived, we met Roy and Linda from Las Vegas. They were riding their Harley to Telluride, back the way we came. We talked to them for awhile, made a quick dinner and headed off to bed. We were still at just about 7000 feet, so it would be cold again tonight. In addition to the cold, the coyotes got started howling and made it almost impossible to go to sleep. At least that's what I thought. The next thing I know, it's 6:30 and time to get up. We have the toughest climb of this entire trip waiting for us...

Escalante Grand Staicase and... Escalante Outfitters

Today, after leaving Boulder we cycled through Escalante National Monument. This has been some of the most scenic areas of the country, thus far. Stunning plateaus, panoramic vistas and muti-colored cliffs as far as the eye can see. We had plans on going at least 60 miles today, but this was not going to be the case. We only made it as far as the town of Escalante. Once we arrived here, we were welcomed at Escalante Outfitters where, Steve, Holly, Vicky, Dennis and Dana made us feel at home and let us stay the night for free. Escalante Outfitters is a "desert haven for outdoor adventure set right in the heart of Utah Canyon Country." Once inside, you will find the Esca Latte Cafe, a store for all your outdoor needs, lodging (Vagabond Inn, cabins, RV hookups and campsites for tents), hiking, mountain bike rental, and guided fly fishing tours. Whatever you happen to need, or want you can find at Escalante Outfitters. Tomorrow, we will back on the road, in the desert drinking lukewarm water and eating energy bars, but tonight its real food.

Boulder Mountain

Today, we set out from Boulder Mountain. I have to say that I have been a little intimidated by the thought. 9600 feet to the summit. Up til now, the mountains have been brutal and every seems to get a lot of joy out telling me how difficult this one is going to be. I've put it off long enough. Here we go, I'll write more from the other side of the mountain.

Well now, that wasn't so bad. I guess it's like a lot of things in life. The thought of a thing is a lot worse than the actual doing of that thing. There was only a little wind, and that was only occasionally. What I thought would take us all day only took a couple of hours. And now that its done, we have to find a place to stay here in Boulder. What few motels they have are all booked and there is absolutely no camping allowed in here within the town limits. It looks like we have to go back the way we came and do some more wild camping. I don't like camping in the wild so close to a town, but it's getting late so that'll have to do.

Tot ziens!

Greetings From Torrey, Utah

It's been a few days and several hundred miles since I last posted anything. I have cycled through the desert and back into the mountains of Utah. Now I am taking a rest day here in Torrey.

Many people have asked, "Why are you doing this?" I guess the simple answer is, that we thought that this would make a big enough statement about the problem of teen homelessness in the United States, not just in our little corner of the world. Most people are so busy in their day to day lives that they may not even be aware of the problem.

In truth, I didn't know that this journey would be as difficult and rewarding as it has been. I did the research, bought the books and the maps, but I still wasn't sure what to expect. I am still on an old bike, I don't have the proper pedals or shoes, and I am seriously overloaded. But, I am just a few hundred miles away from my destination. I can almost smell the ocean... almost.

The important thing is that "we" not lose sight on why we are here. In reality, it does take a village. I would not have been able to make it this far without the love and support of all you wonderful people. I am continuing on, through more deserts and over more mountains, but I will come back with a renewed strength and purpose. God has put all of us here for a reason and this ride, crossing the country by bike, has been part of that reason for me. The lives that have touched mine, the barriers that have been broken (both by me and for me), all of that contributes to that purpose and will trickle down and touch the lives of the teens that we work with.

I know I am rambling, but I just wanted to share my thoughts with you before I get back on the road.

Dolores, CO

Yesterday, I left Telluride and got back on the road. I stayed in the town of Dolores, just a little under 900 people. It's warm down here, as opposed to up there in Telluride. I was freezing coming down the mountain, but it didn't take long to warm up in the lower elevations. Soon, I will be in the desert and will have other issues to concern myself with. Water, water, water. I hope that I will have enough. I will be traveling US 50, it is called the loneliest highway in America. I am kind of looking forward to it. I've heard that it is BEAUTIFUL, and I am that much closer to California. Right now I am off to Utah... at least I hope to be there by the end of the day.