NICOLA, HYLA, PAUL NEMY. CYCLING THE SIERRA NEVADA. LEMON COVE, CALIFORNIA. U.S.A.

August 24, 2014

Our second day on the road.

Porterville, CA to Horse Creek Campground, Lemon Cove, California. U.S.A.

The best part of waking up.

(Thinking about getting a 

"Handicap Tag"

for the bike)

I see that Nicola. Almost 80k's yesterday.

Good start.

How to set up your bicycle computer in the world's most popular 

twenty three languages.

For Arabic turn over and upside-down.

Our original couple of days were scheduled over much more rural and much more hilly (which we will have enough by the time we will finish) roads.

Here our detour routing is little busy but with shoulders as wide as Mr. Clean.

We've all come with a good sense of:

Drink before you are thirsty. 

Eat before you are hungry.

Don't you just love Nicola's jersey.

Matches her water bottle.

And the corn.

Ride up Prickly Pear snack.

Funny.
That's what I was going to call my blog:
BULL BASH
(Kate didn't like the more truthful title:
BULL SHIT.)
Editor's note: I am responsible for what I write. 
Not for what you do and don't understand.

Here we will fuel up but leave slightly disappointed than we couldn't take along half a dozen of each.

Ethanol Power.

Corn on the cob on the bike.

These rocket roasters should be just done perfectly by camp.

I will become to wish that my bike was 22'1".

We will cross many paths that this man once travelled. 

The endless proponent of Yosemite and many things Sierra, including the club.

(I tried to convince the girls that this was

WOODY Harrison)

(Who do you think was the best barkeep at Cheers?

Woody or Coach. And don't say John Muir!)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

on behalf of the girls and myself,

WELCOME TO:

LEMON COVE, California

I'm sure somewhere close by there might be lemons.

Definitely light on the "Cove" part.

We here there is some water up the road.

If you've had one of those days that you just want to get away from it all.

WELL......

....and that's why we loved it.

So UP the road we shall go a camping.

NICOLA NEMY, HYLA NEMY, PAUL NEMY. CYCLING THE SIERRA CASCADES. PORTERVILLE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A.

August 23, 2016

DAY ONE

There comes a time that the flight has landed, the rental returned, the boxes emptied, the panniers packed and the only thing left to do is what you have come to do.

Go riding.

One can pick any one from of a kaleidoscope of emotions of what may lay ahead this day, week, or month.

All the preparation and learning of the trip may become secondary to what we may learn about ourselves.

We arrived and left Bakersfield, California knowing that we will immediately detour from our scheduled first couple of days due to some serious fires in and around our original routing.

Our first couple of days will have us ride through the San Joacqium Valley. 

The smoke on the horizon only reassures our decision to detour. We certainly don't need to be near any more heat than whats being thrown at us this way.

What appears to be no mans "use" land is still taken full advantage of. 

This is about as much shade as we could find for a good part of our day.

Target. 
Porterville, California. 

Farmland.

Solar and Almonds. 

Like so many desert travellers, here we rejoiced at an Oasis passing as a Shell station.

The next couple of days will see us top up our bottles in 4 litre increments.

We've all come looking forward to exploring the wonders of nature, but thought it would be a

COOL

idea to celebrate our success over the past twenty four hours by exploring this Motel 6.

Now hand me the control and lets see who gets chopped?

NICOLA NEMY, HYLA NEMY, PAUL NEMY. CYCLING THE SIERRA NEVADA. BAKERSFIELD BOUND

August 23, 2016

After our slightly delayed evening flight, we arrived in Los Angeles at a time of the night were it doesn't matter if you called it eastern standard or pacific time.

Our quickest and most cost effective routing once we arrived saw us rent a car, ram the team and gear into it so as not alarm the rental desk clerk and head out of LA.

(probably had the eight lane 405 all to ourselves as possible.

DAM. No police chases)

To pick up the Adventure Cycling Association's Sierra Cascade route that would meet our first two week schedule had us head to, with some truck stop napping on route, Bakersfield, CA.

(that's if we brought all the bits and pieces.

six wheels, check.

three seats, check

................)

 Thanks from the team to 

Parry Sound Bikes

for our travel boxes.

Check them out. They were voted best bike shop on Bowes Street or in Canada or something like that. 

Here evident by how clean Nicola's cassette is that it will not be till here and now that she will FIRST time ride this bike, let alone train as one would normally

do for a trip of this nature.

The first nation reserve that the girls were on previous to this trip is a fly in access only.

Making it a bit hard to get some training mileage in with no roads. 

I'm lovin' not normal

 There is always something about the roll out of a tour. 

With the usual few EXTRA nuts and bolts left over we're closing in on good to go.

Don't you hate it when the weatherman is right.

Our mid morning temps are as predicted and past the ninety degree mark.

(ah, but it's a dry heat.

no shit.)

With the humidity in the ten percent range, it was different for us to read the reports:

Temp:Ninety Four

Feels like:Ninety One

Welcome to California 

“One of the great dangers of being a dreamer is that you can be taken for a ride. ”

John Razell

NICOLA NEMY, HYLA NEMY, PAUL NEMY. CYCLING THE SIERRA NEVADA. HEADING TO LAX.

August 22, 2016

Heading to LAX

The girls were back in Toronto from a couple of months in Cat Lake, Northern Ontario for but a day before we were off. 

Hyla Nemy, the bicycle blogger, Nicola Nemy.

Two out of three thumbs up.

Thanks for the lift Kate!

Coming into Los Angeles

Bringing in a triple of these

Don't touch my boxes if you please

Mrs customs woman, yeah

We laughed

and laughed.
I was caught off guard as what to do or say as we approached U.S. customs and immigration.
I view the girls as travelling companions more so than daughters at this point.

My uncertain answer to a half hearted approach to the immigration officer and his question if we are family was:
"SORT OF?"
His quick reply was:
So, are the drugs SORT OF in your daughters bags?
(I''m pretty sure he let us, mainly me, through based on the girls'  looks)

Now off to the moving floor,
and to take advantage of pre boarding:

"Anyone travelling family?"

I AM GOING ON A BIKE RIDE.

October 3, 2016

EDITORS NOTE: This is a rebroadcast of a previous post to lead off a little journal of the noted. Thank you for your little interest.

August 22, 2016

I occasionally get an insane calling to be where I’m not. Add to that a growing fear that with the world closing in on driverless cars that I’m sure will lead to self riderless bikes, I’m soon off, with bike, to where I’m not.

I am going on a bike ride.

As a young man, one of my first trips aboard was to the country of Morocco.

There I listened, learned and benefitted from a local Arabian saying that loosely translates to:

“pick your companions before you pick your road”

Like many times in my life, I will start my travels with not one but a couple of compasses. Direction I need. Compasses that I’ve and we together have shared many turns and travels.

The one last year cycled across Canada. Can’t go wrong sharing a wheel with a  “crazygalonbike”.  

Most anyone can be taught to ride a bike. Most anyone can sit on a saddle at the bottom of a mountain and wonder how they will get to the top, if possible at all. That you can’t teach. My other companion compass will also wonder , but with her will , will get to the top.

With the heart and grace to defy a greater risk for a greater reward and perhaps a mountaintop meal.

For two weeks, Hyla, Nicola and I will pick up Adventure Cycling Association’s Mexico to Canada Sierra Cascade route just north east of Los Angeles. California, USA.  Cycle through the national parks of Sierra, Kings Canyon and Yosemite on route to Lake Tahoe. There Nicola will set her compass for home and school.

Hyla and I plan on continuing for another three weeks, destination Portland Oregon. USA.

With our travels along, on top and below one of the greatest spines of North America, hoping to write more than one upcoming story that I’m over the hill.

Give or take a couple of wildfire detours, our week one and below week two.

A beautiful ride.

LET IT BE SPOKEN by Paul Nemy

October 3, 2016

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thought for a filler I'd rebroadcast a post from a couple of years ago. I am going to a mountain.


AUGUST 21, 2014 

LOOKING FOR THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN

I don’t remember when I was first taught how to ride a bicycle. The picture I envision can’t be far from the hundreds of home movies one sees. The kid riding down and beyond the end of the street. 
What I am sure about is the feeling of freedom it must have brought. Freedom in many ways.
A chance to see the other side of the mountain.

Freedom from such a simple pleasure. A freedom like many in the world that might come at a price. Maybe some Bactine and then a hug.

Today over fifty years later my bicycle brings me to a place and places of freedom that I know of no other in my life. Moments that only seem to come when I adventure by bicycle. A freedom brought on by tackling, and conquering in my own way, on and off bike challenges. 
I am passenger. 
I am engine. 
A freedom to chose my own burden and pleasure. I am finding in life the more I bang myself around, the more I know about this character. I call upon the cyclist in ways I normally wouldn't. I end each day with a special memory, unmarked tracks of a story in my life that I’m proud and so happy to share.

My ride is not of the twenty-one days, the kilometers, the up and down, the days and nights.
 It’s a story of stories of places, people and time, now and forever more,
on the other side of the mountain.
May my bike continue to slowly and safely deliver me to happiness.
Today I write of no start and no end but of the beautiful ride of life.

It’s like my story today.

let it be spoken
Paul Nemy

 I ride by myself but I am never alone.