Kelso is not an actual town. It is a decommissioned train depot owned by the National Park Service in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Our plan was to ride almost 100 miles to it and camp overnight, thinking we would arrive after the employees had left and that we would leave before they arrived.
We rolled out in the morning with a tailwind which put us in a good mood. That and the massive Denny's breakfast. We ticked off miles eating girl scout cookies and talking about anything that popped into our minds. The tailwind eventually turned to a headwind and we spent the better part of two hours plugging away at a snails pace. Just before hitting a small town with one gas station called Amboy, my Dad called. He was passing through the area on his way to Vegas and had a plan. He wanted to meet us for lunch and drop off Chipotle burritos for us that night! After stoping for lunch in Amboy, which is nothing more than one gas station on old Route 66, we set out on what would be the hardest part of the ride.
We were halfway through the 100 miles and had 2 hours of solid climbing ahead of us. The hours ticked by slowly and our lively conversation turned to silence as we climbed out of Amboy, over I-40, and higher up into the Mojave Desert. On this climb I hit my personal low point of the trip. It was hot, I was getting tired, and the climbing was brutal. The great thing about a good riding partner is that they know how to read you. Taylor could see I was hurting and he let me roll ahead in silence. He knew I would get through it and he also knew I needed the space. We crested the climb and pulled over just pat I40. I took my shoes off, sat on the side of the road and started eating a bagel. Taylor was right there and slowly the conversation came back, along with our energy. As we were getting ready to keep rolling a California Highway Patrol Officer pulled up behind us and the officer got out. The conversation went something like this: "You guys alright?" Us: "Yeah we are fine, just out here on a bike tour. We are headed to Kelso." Officer: "You know thats not an actual town right?" Us: "Yes sir, we are going to camp out before heading on." Officer: "By choice?" Us: "Yep, this is a vacation." Officer: "Ha, ok."
With that we rolled on and climbed another 1,000ft through some of the most scenic desert landscape I have ever laid eyes on. The whole time I kept thinking to myself how amazing it was that I was being this remote part of our country on my bike. I was overwhelmed with appreciation for what went into making this moment happen. It wasn't just me or my bike. It wasn't just Taylor being so enthusiastic about my weird idea. It was my wife putting up with my obsessive preparation and being ok with me riding through the middle of nowhere without cell coverage right as we are buying a house. It was my Dad dropping what he had going on and flying out here to drive my car to Vegas and be available it shit got real. I had this moment of intense realization of how lucky I was to be loved and supported by so many people while I took on a rather selfish endeavor.
We crested the final climb of the day and enjoyed a 30 minute descent into Kelso just as the sun was starting to set. We must have super tucked for 99% of that descent flying at 40mph on fully loaded bikes into town. It was awesome.
My Dad was in Kelso waiting for us when we arrived. As promised he had Chipotle burritos, cokes, and breakfast for the next morning! Beyond stoked would be the best way to describe how we felt seeing this spread. We slammed our burritos and my Dad took off for Vegas.
Remember the time we spent a night in jail together? - THE COYOTES
After my Dad left Taylor and I started to setup our bivy. We were taking turns heading to the public bathroom when Taylor noticed a pack of coyotes getting a little too close to our bags, bikes, and food. After chasing a few off, they returned with some friends. Like 12 coyote friends. At this point it was the two of us vs a pack of coyotes and we weren't stoked on the odds. That is when Taylor pointed out the old two person jail cell on the museum property. We could throw our bikes in one side and sleep in the other, protected from the coyotes. It was getting cold, dark, and I was blasted. I reluctantly agreed and we setup for a night in jail together! While the train depot is decommissioned, the train activity is apparently not. That night, like clockwork, every half hour a train rolled by not 20ft from where we were sleeping blasting its horn. Not the best nights sleep after riding a century, but it is the most memorable one I've had yet!
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