A Few Reflections And The Mexico Cycling Map

So of course, like any normal person, I decided I needed to take a vacation from my vacation after my vacation, so my time has been split between "chilling out" in Seattle (aka car shopping, mountain bike shopping, and planning trips to Oregon, Washington DC, and Moab) and a whirlwind trip to the Tuolumne Meadows side of Yosemite National Park, fires be damned.

Sometimes its worth exploring your own backyard.

Sunset views of the fire.

Yup, and that's why we go to Yosemite.

I could spend hours carefully crafting some deep thoughts about bike touring and life, the universe, and everything, but there's too much going on and too much to look forward to for me to sit in front of this computer for too long.

So in no particular order, some thoughts and random factoids about this trip:

• My handsome steed's tires survived without a single flat!

• I lost a total of 12 pounds, though, I'm guessing I lost closer to 15 pounds of fat and put back on 3 pounds of muscle.  This was more than 10% of my weight and I had a very hard time keeping the weight on during this trip, sometimes forcing myself to eat even when I wasn't hungry.  I suffered athletic amenorrhea for the entire duration of the trip and am currently trying to put on some lean muscle to remedy this, though my metabolism is still on overdrive

• I already miss the vast amounts of affordable fruit in Mexico, but I'm so happy to have a real selection of vegetables and red wine again.

• Some questions I would ask a future cycling partner that I did not think to ask this time would include ones about sleeping patterns (or, are you an early riser, a mid-day napper, etc.), ones about social tendencies (or, are you an introvert, an extrovert, a mix), and ones about cycling style (or, do you prefer to just crush out the miles and have extended stops, or cycle more leisurely with many short stops).

• Recently, someone asked me what my big takeaway from this trip was.  My answer was that it was the best "palette cleanser" ever from my years working in BigLaw.  But really, it was more than that.  It was a way for me to actively think about what it is I want out of life... all those hours on the bike let you talk yourself in circles until maybe, just maybe, you arrive to a point.

• It feels so good to be connected with my friends and family again... within days of my return, schemes of epic road trips, mountain bike festivals, and wedding shenanigans came my way.  I feel more strongly than ever that life is about people, not just adventure for the sake of adventure. 

• Surprisingly, I don't miss the bike tour... not yet at least.  Maybe it's because I have so many exciting plans on the horizon, including a bikepacking trip of White Rim Road in Canyonlands, but I feel like I'm home.

• Unsurprisingly, I'm scheming my next bike tour already... Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia?  Great Divide?  The possibilities are endless and I'm stoked.

This is a map of approximately where I bike  in Mexico.  It may not be exact at times if a dirt road was not recognized by Googlina or I just didn't double-check the GPS track (if you want the GPS track, please send me a message and I'll bug my cycling partner for it).

PART I


View The Kung Fu Cycling Map in a larger map


PART II


View The Kung Fu Cycling Map in a larger map