DAYS 112 - 141 🇺🇸 CALIFORNIA 2/3: GOOD AND BAD SURPRISES

What was supposed to be only a two week break from cycling turned into over a month of being stuck in/around Los Angeles, including an unexpected surgery. But how did we get there?

Tim had surprised me a month prior by booking a flight out to LA to spend two weeks together exploring California off the bike. We also took this chance to pay a visit to our former colleague Juan and his family, as well as visiting NASA's JPL. So far so good.

While the doctor back in San Francisco had ruled out an appendicitis and sent me off to cycle south, claiming I probably just ate something wrong (thank you for not taking my symptoms seriously...), I had since been feeling pretty off.

Finally, listening to my gut feeling, I went to see another medic in LA, two days prior to Tim's return flight date and my planned departure towards Mexico.
And what can I say...you should always listen to your intuition!

It turned out I had seversl large ovarian cysts that had formed due to a chronic condition called Endometriosis, which until then I didn't know I had. And, unfortunately, they would not be going away by themselves. Continuing to cycle would bare a very high risk of them causing serious, and extremely painful complications, which is not something you want to have, especially while riding through the backcountry alone - I had already had a little sneak peak of what that would feel like back in San Francisco and would not wish that on anyone.

So, I had a decision to make. Fly home and wait to get surgery there, meaning accepting the end of the journey and project 100 bikes...or try to get the surgery done asap in the US and hope my body would bounce back quickly after it?

Well, what can I say, I'm as stubborn as it gets. So obviously, option one was never really an option (to me).

Somehow, the doctor managed to get me an appointment for robotic surgery three days later - I'm a nerd, so I got pretty excited to be operated on with a DaVinci robot - and after some very chaotic back and forth with my health insurance (lost documents, approvals that got lost in Limbo etc) everything miraculously worked out in the end.

It was only with the help of the warmshowers network and several incredible host who took us in before and after the surgery and gave me a place to recover that this was possible.
And, of course, the support I got from Tim, who pushed back his return flight back by several weeks to take care of me when I couldn't and (quite literally) help me get back on my feet, one little walk at a time.

And, what can I say. Three weeks later, I was back on my bike and on the way to Mexico. Ready for some more adventures!

An especially big thank you to everyone who has donated to Project 100 Bikes during that time, it means a lot!
We are getting really close now. Just two more bikes to go! 🧡🚲 🚲 🧡

DAYS 96-111 🇺🇸 CALIFORNIA 1/3 - BACK IN CIVILIZATION...? 🚗

The second I crossed into California, THEY were there...people, cars, traffic. After several months spent either off-road or in some of the more rural parts of the country, this sudden change in population took me quite some time to adjust to. It also didn't help crossing the state line in Lake Tahoe, one of the Bay Area's favourite getaways right on Labour Day weekend, one of the busiest holidays of the year!

After a couple of days at Lake Tahoe I made my way over the Sierras, through the Central Valley and towards the coast. Of course not without some extreme weather: this time a heatwave and 40+ °C on a two day stretch with very little shade.
But at least being back in "civilization" meant I didn't have to worry much about water resupply, which was a nice change.

Travelling in a much more densely populated state also meant I suddenly had many more random encounters and conversations with strangers along the way who were interested in what the heck makes someone want to take such a trip on a BIKE and not in a car.
But hile I really enjoyed the social interactions I could help but miss the wide open skyies and feeling of absolute freedom I had the months before.

My first stop on the coast was San Francisco, a city which I fell in love with at first sight, as the ferry I'd boarded docked at the pier and I got a first glimpse at Karl - San Francisco's mystical fog bank that engulfes the city each evening - which made the city look like something straight out of a movie.

I had planned to be there only for two days but ended up having to stay over a week, as I got sick (more about that in a later post). But I forced myself back on the bike, and continued south towards LA.

Because of the delay, the fact that the coastal road around Big Sur was closed and the nice surprise of Tim coming to meet me in LA for two weeks, I hopped on the train from Salinas to Santa Barbara a couple of days later, to make it just in time to meet Tim at a beach close to LAX!

DAYS 88-95 🇺🇸 NEVADA - CYCLING THE LONELIEST ROAD OF AMERICA ✨

Riding Nevada‘s Highway 50, also known as the loneliest road of America, was a tough one, but not for the reasons you might think. The road, which is roughly 700km long, traverses the central part of the state from Utah to Lake Tahoe in California and owes it‘s nickname to the fact that - surprise - there is pretty much nothing along the road except for the occasional (almost) empty ghost town or gas station.

For some reason I had assumed my route through Nevada would be pretty flat. Why did I think that? I don‘t know, probably wishful thinking…But I could not have been more wrong. Every day looked pretty much the same: Pack up camp in the morning, cycle towards the first mountain range, spend some hours working your way up, roll down on the other side and repeat! So far so good…if only the wind had been in my favour. The land I cycled through was absolutely barren, which meant that there was nothing to keep the wind from picking up speed and absolutely smashing through the open Pampa. The first days of the ride there were multiple wind warnings in place (of course always head and cross winds), and with wind speeds of up to 100 kph I was forced to hitch a ride to the nearest settlement twice, after being quite literally blown off my bike. As you might have noticed, I like to collect extreme weather events along my way, and so it was no surprise that temperatures suddenly decided to plummet down to the low teens during the day and below freezing at night for the first couple of days en route. And that in August!

I wish I could say that I felt like the views were a good compensation for the weird weather I faced, but to be honest the landscape felt rather monotonous and after the first day or so of marvelling at the vast emptiness in front of me, it just felt like yet another (mental) challenge, and I was very happy to have downloaded a ton of podcasts in advance to keep me sane!

DAYS 72-87🇺🇸 UTAH - LET’S GO CYCLE THROUGH THE DESSERT IN AUGUST 🥵✨

Even though I had pushed my departure from Denver as far back as I could, I still found myself crossing the desert state of Utah, and later Nevada, in the middle of August. And what can I say, the first few days of cycling into and around Moab where BRUTAL. 36°C +, no shade, no surface water to fill up my reserves if needed, thus always carrying 7L+ of heavy water up the climbs…to be fair, people had warned me that this was by far not the best time to attempt cycling through those states. BUT things changed drastically once I moved further south and then west.

August is usually not only insanely hot, but also Monsoon season for the southern part of the state. However, this year was especially wet and out of the ordinary - just yet another reminder that climate change is a scary beast. In fact the lightning storms, some lasting eight hours and more and accompanied by incredible amounts of rain that led to several flash floods along the route I was supposed to take, forced me to sit the worst of it out in the small town of Blanding. After experiencing a horrifying night camping in the midst of multiple thunderstorms continuously circling my tent and showering my close surroundings with lightning all night long, there was no way I‘d risk being caught by a storm like that again while riding through the big, open and remote space of nothingness that the next 200 km of road promised to be. No services, no water, no shelter + lighting storms ➡️ No bueno.

Once the worst of the flash flooding was over, I set off west, following some of the most scenic byways of the country. The route seemed to pass through a new national park, national monument or generally otherworldly landscape each day, and made Utah feel like the sketch book of an artist who might already know he loves warm earthy tones but is still trying to figure out his style. From red rock formation and arches, to limestone coloured canyons and cliffs, endless green and yellow fields to lush birchwood forests in the mountains. Utah has it all! One of the biggest natural highlights was Brice Canyon, with its otherworldly appearance given by its thousands of Hoodoos - tall, slim pillars of rock left by erosion - filling the canyon as far as the eye can see.

While I had successfully avoided getting myself into any flash floods, the weather was still wetter than expected, with large thunderstorms hitting most afternoons. To avoid having to camp in one of these storms again, I started asking communities along the way for shelter through various facebook groups, and felt extremely lucky and humbled by the hospitality I received! A big thank you to everyone who took me in on my way through this breathtakingly beautiful state!

DAYS 60-71 🇺🇸 COLORADO - CHANGING THINGS UP✨

I am always impressed by how quickly landscapes change once you cross a state border in the US. Travelling from Wyoming’s Big Basin to Colorado‘s mountains was no different in that regard. Within two hours of cycling, we went from dry, brown oil fracking plains to lush green mountains, farms, and shade bringing trees! What a change!

The actual time spent cycling in Colorado was rather short. Tim and I finished our portion of the great divide in Steamboat Springs, a lovely, though overpriced vacation town in the northern Colorado Rockies. From there, we hopped on a bus to Denver from where Tim had to catch his flight back home to Germany a few days later. 😔 From here on, it would be just me and Odin (yes, I finally named my bike).

In Denver, we were very lucky to stay with Jeff, Evie, and their lovely cats TRP and Sherman, all of whom made us feel right at home! I ended up staying almost two weeks, as Odin needed a bit of a make-over (my knees and back were begging for it) and I was very glad to find a good and affordable place to get a proper bike fit. Incredible, how much difference a few centimetres here and there can make on the ergonomics of your bike setup! 🚴‍♀

Once Odin was ready to go, I was hyped to have Jeff tag along for the first two days back on the bike. Together we tackled parts of the epic Kokopelli trail, an MTB trail following the Colorado river along mighty canyons and scenic backcountry roads from western Colorado to Moab, Utah, before I finally carried on on my own. Lots of change in those few weeks!

DAYS 54-59 🇺🇸 WYOMING - THE GREAT DIVIDE BASIN ✨

After our detour through the national parks, we rejoined the Great Divide and made our way south through Wyoming. To reach Colorado, we still had to cross a big southern section of the state. This included sections of the Shoshone National Forest where we spent a night camping on the shores of the beautiful Brooks Lake and later the Great Divide Basin, a 200km+ stretch of sheer nothingness. No people, no water, no food... nothing but dirt roads, the empty horizon, and lonely oil fracking riggs. 🛢🏜

We had a couple of tough days on the road, battling bad road conditions, pesky mosquitoes, Tim's tires failing, and the weather throwing new challenges at us every now and then... from thunderstorms and peanut butter mud to forest fire smoke, you name it. But once again, the hospitality of the people and the diversity of the landscape surprised us in a positive way. People in Wyoming live there for a reason - they don't want too many people around. But they are welcoming to those who pass through.

Riding through the desert of the basin was an unforgettable experience. Although after some days of nothingness, we were glad to arrive in Wamsutter, where we got to enjoy the first shower in a while and gulp down some XXL fountain drinks, together with some food that was neither wraps nor peanut butter! Finally!🙏

DAYS 47-55 🇺🇸 WYOMING - BISON AND GEYSERS

After our short pit stop in Idaho, we ventured off the Great Divide MTB Route for a bit and into Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park. If you’re cycling the Divide, don’t miss out on the opportunity to visit these parks!

Many cyclists had warned us about the traffic, especially in Yellowstone, where cyclists share the very narrow, shoulder-less, and windy roads with hordes of Bison (beautiful) and oversized RVs (not so beautiful). But in the end the traffic was quite alright.

Both national parks were absolutely stunning, but Yellowstone was especially varied and simply seemed like i could easily be categorised into four or five completely different parks. We spent a couple of days exploring its geysers, canyon, and wildlife before spending some time hiking and exploring around the Tetons.

I'm so happy we made the detour and were able to fit in a few extra days to explore!

🦬 Close Bison encounters: 3
🫎 Moose spotted: 1
⛲️ Geysers watched erupting: 5

Days 45-46 🇺🇸 THE GREAT DIVIDE - IDAHO

The Idaho section of the Great Divide is a very short one, and was shortened even more by our detour to Yellowstone National Park. Nonetheless, we spent almost two full days in the state! 😂
We crossed over at Red Rock Pass, and could tell we changed States immediately. Roads were busier, there were more people, and most importantly: Trees! 🌲
It was also here that Tim got his replacement panniers from Patty and Chris, so we didn’t have to worry about bag number two completely falling apart too…at least the makeshift fix of bungee cords managed to hold it together for the last 80km of it’s life!

📊Stats:
Days cycled: 1/2
Distance cycled: 50 km (2320 km total)
Elevation climbed: 340 m (20945 m total)
“New” bags for Tim: 2

Photo credit: @Patty

Days 37-45 🇺🇸 THE GREAT DIVIDE - SOUTHERN MONTANA

After the lush forests of northern Montana we spent a good week cycling through the almost treeless south of the state. The combination of a heatwave, lots of climbing and almost zero shade made for a couple of tough cycling days, but the encounters along the way absolutely made up for it.

📍The week in a nutshell:

🙏HOSPITALITY: We were once again hosted by some amazing, genuin people along the way in Helena and Butte. Thanks Meghan and John for having us!

🥵HEAT: Boy, it was HOT. Each day a new high, with 34C on the cooler days.

🌾NEW LANDSCAPES: Forests made way to wide, open fields and more arid vegetation.
👻 GHOST TOWN: Visiting Bannock state park we got to experience a beautifully maintained Ghost town from the times of the American gold rush!

🧳BROKEN PANNIERS: It happened…Tim’s panniers gave up on an especially gnarly stretch of gravel somewhere in the middle of nowhere between Lima, MT, and Idaho. Yet, we were incredibly lucky as Patty and Chris, our friends from the Llama Ranch were ending their trip two days later and offered us to use their panniers for the next weeks!

📊 Stats
Days on the bike: 8/9
KMs cycled: 629 km (2.273 total)
Elevation climbed: 6900 m (20.945 total)
Nights in the tent: 6/9
Bikes financed by now: 91/100 🤯

Days 26 - 35 🇨🇦 ✨THE GREAT DIVIDE - NORTHERN MONTANA✨

Crossing into Montana, the landscapes changed instantly, and you could tell right away that this was not Canada anymore.

For the first day or two, thick woods and snowy mountains gave way to large plains that gave us a first glimpse into how big this country is and how much open space there is.

Soon, it was time to head back out into the backcountry, where both woods and mountains returned, and each day brought new endless climbs on often quite washed out and almost unrideable roads. But, I wouldn't want to have missed it for the world!

I have to admit I didn't do much research about Montana before, and so I didn't really know what to expect. But what I found were incredible and diverse landscapes, challenging backcountry trails, as well as warm and generous people. Now I'm hyped for what comes next! Stay tuned!

So far, we have donated 91 bikes to the World Bicycle Relief!🤩 Can we reach 100 by August?

Days 22-25 🇨🇦 ✨THE GREAT DIVIDE - CANADIAN ROCKIES✨

After some rest days in Calgary, the next chapter of the ride started - the first section of the Great Divide MTB Route!

And it began with a big surprise: Tim did not fly back to Europe as planned, and is instead joining me for one more month on the bike, until we reach Denver 🥳 Seems like he enjoyed his first bike packing adventure, and the cold nights and hilly roads did not scare him off.

So together we set off to cycle back to Canmore, where we stayed with Kristen and Lyle who pampered us and two other cyclists with amazing food and a warm and a cozy bed before we headed for the Canadian section of the Rockies the next day. Switching smooth tarmac for gravel felt great and unfamiliar at the same time and it took a bit getting used to the slower pace. But who wants to race when you‘re riding through picture perfect backcountry anyways?

The ride was everything I expected, and more! We spent the following four days cycling through thick woods, past clear lakes and over steep mountain passes, making our way down towards the U.S. border. One thing we learned pretty quickly is that along the Great Divide, the type of roads change all the time and very quickly. One second you‘re on easily ridable gravel, the next you‘re pushing your bike up a loose, rocky slope. I‘ll be honest, not all of the segments were great, but at the end of the day the pain is always quickly forgotten, and what stays is the satisfaction of having made it one step further along the route and all the incredible views you get to take in!

In Fernie, our last stop before the border crossing, we got to stay again with very amazing Warmshowers hosts Randal and Lisa, who despite our very short notice, warmly welcomed us and let us pitched our tent in their lovely garden. We also got to use their barbecue (happy Tim!) on their patio, under which apparently a family of skunks had found their home (which we didn’t meet 🥲🦨 ).


🚵‍♀️ KMs cycled: 468 km (Total: 1102.5 km)
⛰️ Elevation climbed: 3276 vm (Total: 7808 vm)
🐻 Bear count: 5
🚲 Fundraiser Status: 23/100 bikes achieved!

Days 7-17 🇨🇦 ICY NIGHTS AND MOUNTAIN VIEWS 🏔

The past 10 days have been filled with mesmerising sceeneries, beautiful encounters and 4 seasons worth of weather 😄

We have slowly made our way through Jasper and Banff national parks, riding up the Icefields parkway, past snowy glaciers, azure mountain lakes and stunning mountain ranges.

While we were prepared for some mixed weather, this year's exceptionally frosty spring had us testing our cold-weather gear's limits, especially during sub-freezing nights. And the cosiness of our tent made it difficult to get going in the morning. Imagine our delight when we met Karin and Mainhard, a german couple, spending their retirement travelling North America in their RV, who graciously invited us, not only for dinner but even for the next days breakfast (including real coffee!) Into their warm and cosy motorhome ☕️.
Luckily, the weather got better over time and the last days we were even blessed with blue, cloudless skies and the smell of pine woods in a summery breeze!

The sights of Jasper and Banff National Parks kept on giving, and each time we thought we now must have seen the absolute highlight of the route, we'd just turn the next corner to find a new one! The further south we moved the more impressive the Rockies glittered in the sun, but also the more crowded it got. With the peak of tourist population being at Lake Louise, where we hardly managed to find a spot to pitch our tent for the night , if it hadn't been for Ethienne, a fellow cyclist from Quebec who managed to sweettalk another couple to share their pitch with us. 🥳

The more people there were, the less wildlife we saw. Instead we met Murray one evening, a wildlife photographer who spent the last 50 years photographing Grizzly Bears all over Canada and who told us his tales of past days, close encounters and how to get the best Grizzly pictures. At least now if I meet one, I will be able to take a great picture of it before it eats me 👍

Our last stop en-route was the town of Banff, where we got to stay with Cesily (our first time sleeping indoors and in the warm since leaving Edmonton), whom I got to have aaaaall the bike nerd talk with as she's soon going on her own GDMBR tour with a group of 4 girls (how awesome is that?!) ! 🧡

Now we're spending our last days together in Calgary, before it is time to say goodbye on Wednesday and I make my way back towards Banff to start the solo off-road part of my journey!

🚴‍♀️ KMs cycled: 454
🐻 Bear count: 3
🍷 Bottles of wine received: 2
🐿 Chipmunks met: ♾️
🐦‍⬛ Bananas stolen: 5
🏞 Nature rating: 10/10

Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated to Project 100 Bikes, we have made it to 22 bikes! 🥳 💚 almost one quarter down, three more to go!

🍁 OH CANADA 🍁

We have reached 10/100 bikes even before the start of the journey, awesome!
Thank you so much to everyone who donated so far, it means a lot!

It's been a week now since arriving in Canada, and 4 days ago we started cycling!

The first 3 weeks Tim is going to kwep me company while we cycle and hike along the Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Banff.

The weather currently is rainy and cooler than usual for the season, but the views are nonetheless stunning! There is plenty of wildlife here too, including Elk, black bears and a Grizzly that roams our campground 😅

Now that the journey has started you can best follow daily updates on my social media, but I'll also add regular, though less frequent, updates here.

Instagram: @fraublaubaer
Facebook: laura bielenberg

P.s.: the dog in the picture, sadly, is not ours 🥲

*** Flights are booked! ***
Due to weather conditions en-route the start date has been pushed back to the 23.05.

I will be flying to Edmonton, Canada, together with my partner Tim, who will be joining for the first 3 weeks of the trip.

More updates to follow soon :)

And again a huge thanks to everyone who has donated so far! We are already at 794€.
That equals 5 x 🚲!

Wow! Still six more weeks to go to the start of the ride and we are already at 508€. That equals: 3x🚲 + 1x🛠

Thanks so much to everyone who has donated so far!