Rebranding

March 14, 2020

It’s an easy morning to self-isolate, as we sit around our condo looking out the window at an unusual sight in this part of the world: a snowfall in mid-March. A good morning to stay inside, keep warm, and turn to a very important concern: how to rebrand the journal.

So it looks like we won’t be going to Texas this month after all. Rather than exposing ourselves and others on a flight to Austin, we’ll do our part at flattening the COVID-19 curve by putting our tour of the Hill Country back on the shelf, hopefully to be taken out again in some future spring.

So it doesn’t make sense to subtitle the journal ‘From Austin to Albuquerque’ any longer, does it? Or to have banner photos of the Texas flag and an expanse of bluebonnets waving in the breeze. What to do?

The new plan, assuming it holds up in a world where the situation changes dramatically by the hour, is to drive down to Saint George. We plan on going forward with that ride from Utah to New Mexico, because why not? We have to go somewhere anyway, since we’re homeless; and what better way to spend our days than biking through an empty, open land where the communities are few and far apart? We’ll just get there by car, exposing no one but each other along the way.

We’d bike through Texas too for that matter, if we could get there cleanly. It’s really too far to drive in the time we have available though, and just doesn’t make sense to us.

When I created this journal, I wasn’t sure whether to treat the Texas Hill Country and the Utah to New Mexico rides as one tour or two. It seems clear now though. We’ll break this journal in half, and pick up with a new one when we leave for Saint George.

In the meantime, we’ve still got a few weeks to fill after we have to leave our current home ten days from now. Our new plan is to go east for a couple of weeks, with the Jetta. We’ve been saying for quite awhile now that we want to bike the Palouse some year, if we were only here in the right season. Well, we’re here! What better time to finally see Palouse Falls and Steptoe Butte than right now?

Steptoe Butte has been on my wish list for probably 20 years.

I’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest most of my life now, but have never seen Palouse Falls. Long overdue.

Tentatively then we’ll plan on driving east to Walla Walla, using it for a base for five days or so; move on to Pullman next; and then return to Portland for a night or two to shuffle our belongings and pick up a rental car for the drive down to Utah.

Sounds like a great plan. Better still, it fits in with our Looking Back theme for this year. We’ve been to Walla Walla before, we loved the cycling there, and have meant to return ever since. And it’s great news for Rodriguez and the Straggler too, who have been seeing much too little action of late. Perfect all around.

Southeast Washington is a pretty perfect place for social distancing.

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Gregory GarceauHi Scott and Rocky,
It seems I posted my last comment just minutes before this page popped up. As a guy who just toured the Palouse a few months ago, I'm excited to see it in early spring--especially through the lenses of your camera and go-pro. It could be kind of chilly though.
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4 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Gregory GarceauI suspect it will be a bit chilly, but it was two weeks earlier than this will be when we went to Walla Walla last time. With a car you don’t need much protection anyway. We can bike when it feels fine, and hunker down when it doesn’t.

I can’t believe it took so long for this idea to bubble up. It came to me in the middle of the night last night. It should be great.
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4 years ago

Susan CarpenterI lived on the Palouse for 4 years in the late 2000's - it's a pretty magical place. I'm pretty sure that you'll fall into the category of those who really appreciate the beauty of the rolling dunes. Be sure to visit Moscow - it's a bit more offbeat and interesting than Pullman.
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4 years ago

david alstonDavid Alston

When it comes time to rebrand the Utah part of your ride you might want to consider that you are going to be greeted by full strength and craft beer everywhere. Including a stand alone bar and brew pub on Main Street in St. George owned by Zion Brewery of Springdale. No more session beer.
BTW Maun and I returned just a week ago from riding the River Mountains Loop Trail and a pleasant stay in the Boulder Dam Hotel. Thanks for the tip.
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4 years ago

Scott AndersonTo david alstonNow that’s great news. The session beer scene was one thing about Utah that irked me a bit. I remember how happy I was to find Escalante Outfitters and Moab Brewery for a change of pace.

Glad you enjoyed your visit to Boulder City. If we go back through that region we’ll certainly stay there again.
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4 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Susan CarpenterI’m very excited about this idea, now that we’ve come to it. I’d already been considering a possible solo ride from Portland to Spokane this summer when we’re back in town, but it’s really the wrong time of year. Late March and early April should be very nice.

And yes, Moscow is definitely on the list. We definitely will ride the Chapman Trail, but maybe we should consider basing ourselves in Moscow for a few days too. Thanks for the tip.
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4 years ago

Jen RahnLove this win-win opportunity! Do your part to flatten the bell curve and see some beautiful places at the same time.
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4 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Jen RahnI have this mental image of us all jumping up and down, stomping on the top of the curve with both feet to flatten out the curve.
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4 years ago

Jen RahnBrilliant! Now just get busy with your favorite animation software and sell it to the department of public health!
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4 years ago