Bon, sorry to hear about your injury.  Almost a year and a half ago I fell doing yoga and hit my head on the concrete floor.  I got a nasty concussion but it doesn?t sound as bad as yours.  Anyway, it has turned my life upside down.  It was just a little bump and here I am a year and a half later still dealing with substantial post concussion syndrome.  I have a pretty good idea of what you are going through.

Dave

Thanks to those still posting here.  I refuse to trade my soul to Zuckerberg to access the FB group so I am in the dark other than watching dots and reading what is posted here.  I miss the old days when all the excitement was here.

Dave

It looks like Sofiane should have a 7mph tail wind to the finish.  An unbelieveable effort but there he is.  Well done!

I have a little off the grid place east of Pie Town outside of Magdalena and my neighbors sent me some photos yesterday of washed out roads and culverts so that area got hammered.  But with the monsoon one spot can get hammered and a mile away it is dry.  The year that the tail end of Hurricane Bud hit New Mexico I was riding South from Pie Town and a guy with a Cat Trike was heading North.  His tracks told the story, every 50 feet there were hand fulls of mud.

Emergency services in Fernie is seeking donations to help recover the costs of rescuing TD riders.  Here is the link:  https://ferniesar.ca/donate/

I have a sick feeling the whip is about to come down on the TD.  With earlier fire seasons and rescues it is only a matter of time before some desk jockey in the District of Criminals or their Canadian counterparts starts making noise about us.  We really need to be good citizens and minimize the negative impact on the small communities we pass through.  I have met many wonderful and helpful people on the parts of the route I rode.  So maybe it is time to give back a little, top off your Karma.

Beyond bold.  Kind of surprising after his snow adventure ended his past TD effort.

The weather is a bit different this year.  Here in Tucson the monsoon appears ready for an early start with the early heat.  It is predicted that this year's monsoon will be stronger than usual.  I was talking to a friend in Santa Fe today and she says Santa Fe was hotter than she ever remembers in the 40 plus years she has lived there.  A week ago I was camping on the Conejos and we had a rain and snow mix.  Crazy stuff.

I never understood why so many migrated from here to FB for the race discussion.  It started here and I think we should all consider who made these real time race discussions possible and Trackleaders too. 

Last year was going to be my year for the full route rather than just a section.  I felt super ready to tour it not race but then everything happened.  Then I had a major flare up of my MS like condition and I still haven't recovered enough to ride any real mileage.  Thus this year is out too.  Maybe next year.

It looks like JP made his move accidentally and hopefully not prematurely.  Having him lurking behind like a shadow has to be unnerving.

Border officially closed until at least June 21st.  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-19/u-s-canada-agree-to-extend-border-closure-for-30-days

It looks like the border will remain closed until later in June at least:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-canada/canada-us-are-likely-to-extend-travel-restrictions-until-june-21-sources-idUSKBN22P1IU

Matt, thank you for your post.

I am still planning/hoping to ride from Rooseville south but it all depends on what is happening on the route.  I certainly don't want to go where people have asked outsiders to stay away.  Perhaps I will have to settle for just doing part of the route.

Dave

Thanks for the info on Montana.

Here is the latest on Gallup NM:

https://apnews.com/34453564211d6bb77ba85a2fa5ce85a3

Another Son 28 question.  Recently I purchased a Son 28 and Sinewave Beacon and I love it.  I have been wondering if I should reduce the size of my Anker battery pack since I can now charge the battery pack anytime I am riding and thus there is no need for the large capacity and extra weight.  As far as electronics go all I carry is a Garmin 800, iPad mini (almost always off), iPhone (almost always off) and an In Reach Explorer (almost always off).  What are you guys doing?

Thanks

Dave

That was supposed to be NO interaction.

I got a little info from  friends near Magdalena NM where I have a little off the grid place.  I have been avoiding traveling there for my and their benefit.  Anyway they said there have been some cases at the Alamo Reservation, about a mile from my place as the crow flies, and at least one death in Socorro.  By road Magdalena is about 60 miles east of Pie Town.  As far as the route goes you have Gallup to the west.  With the restrictions on Gallup I am sure people are going to head to Milan and Grants for supplies so there are going to be problems.  Also people travel the dirt roads regularly from Alamo north to Laguna located on I 40.  If this doesn't die out soon its spreading in the area seems certain.  On the plus side people are naturally dispersed but in places like Gallup alcohol abuse is rampant.

I was thinking about a trip to the San Juan River but when I looked into it they are having a real problem there.  Further west Page, Tuba City and Flagstaff medical facilities are all seeing a lot of Covid cases, most from Indian land.

I am tempted to hook my sheep wagon up to the truck, fill a bunch of jugs with fuel and water, and head to the Gila.  Perhaps camp on the Plains of San Augustine for a week or so with interaction with anyone, the ultimate in antisocial distancing.

I am optimistic that things will improve as we get the summer heat.  Many viruses, but not all, appear to be heat sensitive.  There are many theories on this, the one that seems most logical to me and my non scientific mind is that the virus does not survive long on hot surfaces thus transmission is more difficult.  Another is that we tend to get more vitamin D in the summer months.  This is why there tends to be a seasonal pattern to many viruses.  How Covid 19 behaves no one knows yet.  I live in Tucson and I think the place to watch is Arizona since the vast majority of the population live in areas that heat up, Phoenix and Tucson.  I am watching the death rates that are a trailing indicator.  Test results don't really tell us much on a macro view.

This was going to be my big year as I planned to start in Roseville and head to AW.  A couple of years ago I did the lower 400 plus miles and wanted to keep going when I got to AW.  I had pretty much given up on it with all the lock down and concerns of locals on the route.  However I started to think maybe things will open back up so I continued to train.  I am not a racer so my training is not overly scientific.  I am doing 60 mile rides every other day and mixing climbing and rest days between.  It works for me.  Yesterday I did 60 and it was 102F.  I have found that if I keep riding as it heats up I adjust to it up to about 106F when hydration and clear thinking becomes difficult.  I am an old fart, turning 65 in June.

What I would really like to see here on Bikepacking.net is reports on what is happening in the towns on the route.  It might not be possible to do the whole route this year but maybe large portions may be open.  I am concerned that many tourist the businesses might not open this year and that needs to be known for planning purposes.  I have no intention of riding through areas where the welcome mat is rolled up.

Back when I joined Bikepacking.net, I think it was around 2011, it was the only place for such discussions.  Now everyone seems to be doing the creepy Facebook thing.  Personally I would like that discussion to migrate back to where it started, on Bikepacking.net.  Maybe if the locals on the route start posting real time info that will happen.

I am going to go for a ride now and visit the rattle snakes, lizards and javelinas as they are the only living things out and about where I ride.

Dave

Thank you, I just ordered the connectors.

I finally bit the bullet and got a Son 28 and a Sinewave Beacon for my Ti Fargo.  I have been thinking about it for years and finally did it.  As I see it I can decrease the amount of AA batteries I carry and I can carry a smaller battery pack.  With the wheel build the cost came to about $1,000 US.  I have been riding with it for a few weeks and I am very happy with it. 

I do worry about water intrusion because with the light facing slightly downward the back with the jacks and switch is fully exposed to the weather.  I did find some rubber USB dummy plugs on Amazon that can help with the USB opening.  Sinewave does not recommend charging a battery and running the light at the same time so a dummy plug can fill the USB opening when the battery is disconnected.
 
My light is mounted on Jones bars using a mount supplied by Peter White cycles.  They were very helpful finding one that would work with the Jones bars.

Right now I have the wire running up the fork held in place with electrical tape.  I am still looking for a better solution than tape or zip ties.  Ideally a Velcro strap like they used to sell back in the 80s for holding a tire pump to the frame would work well if it wasn't that wide.  I like this idea because they had a neoprene cushion that kept the strap from slipping.  Such a strap would be easily removed and is reusable.  The weak point of these hubs appears to be the connectors on the hub. If you have to remove the wheel you have to disconnect the wires to the hub.  Having the ability to loosen the wire retainers would give more slack and facilitate avoiding damaging the connectors during removal.

I will be riding the route from Roosville south at about the same time the Tour Divide in happening.  I don't like the complications border crossings cause nor the limitations imposed by border crossings on the route.  Over the years my kit has gotten simpler and simpler.  My bike is a Ti Fargo.  For bags I have an Ortlieb a bar bag and small (front) panniers used on the rear and a gas tank.  I use paper maps and virtually no electronic navigation.  I have never liked using electronic navigation and since a prudent person always has maps for a back up why not just use paper maps.  Besides, when things really go south, you can't wipe your behind or start a fire with a GPX file.  I do have some tech, an In Reach and the dreaded cell phone.  This year I am having a Son 20 hub wheel made up with a Sinewave light and charger.

A couple of years ago I rode from Grants to AW and that was fun but too short.  Last year I didn't get any big rides in due to some injuries.  While healing from those injuries I realized we all only have a limited time to do these rides so this year is the year for me.  It is hard for me to believe but I will be turning 65 on the ride.

I am rambling here so I will wrap it up.  If you TD racers see some old fool in a mental haze unable to navigate a C store, no need for a silver alert, it is just me being me.  If you see some old fool sitting on the side of the trail enjoying a mid day cigar, don't shake your head in disgust, just wave.

I like to keep it simple, for consumables I just bring a bag of flour tortillas, some shredded cheese, a bottle of Tabasco and a bundle of cigars.

"The scenery is wonderful but the trail angels on the way proved to be just as inspiring. A pair of motorcyclists insisted that I take a litre of water about 20 miles out of Wamsutter, just to make sure I was alright. Chuck Snodgrass and his wife in Island Park picked me up, gave me dinner and a nice room in their house with no expectation of anything- he said 'just so I can give back a bit' and dropped me off the next day early exactly where I'd left the route (Chuck had offered this to all racers on the FB page so I had his number on my phone). Right at the turn off of the pavement to Grant, MT was a box with power bars and Gatorade, marked 'Tour Divide'...  I had a bad shift cable in Wamsutter and a passerby gave me a small screwdriver that I needed to clear the frays out of the hardware on the Rolhoff... So many people that simply cheered as I passed by (especially other cyclists not on the route themselves). I found myself very moved by the things people do to be kind to strangers."

This is so true.  After decades of touring and bike packing I am still amazed at the kindness extended by strangers.  I try to give back by being a Warmshowers host.  I drive through Pie Town fairly often on my way to my off the grid place in New Mexico.  I always stop for pie and when I pay the bill I pay for a piece of pie and ice cream for the next cyclist who comes though.  It is just fun knowing you put a smile on some tired cyclist's face. 

I also stop and offer water to touring cyclists.  Living in the desert means planning around water and that often means just bringing enough to get by, often not enough.  When some stranger comes out of nowhere and hands you a gallon of water it is a total unplanned luxury, you can wantonly drink at will.  It is a little thing to the stranger but it is a big deal to the cyclist, something they remember for years.

We all at times complain that there isn't enough kindness in the world but all of us can correct that one little bit at a time.

That is impressive.  A little surgery and he could do it as a woman too.