Arclight
SAR guy
This is a short trip I made last year. Some friends were going out to a regional caving festival near Ash Fork, AZ. Everyone was leaving Wednesday night, but I had to work until Friday. The solution? Put my bike on the Amtrak in Los Angeles, train it out to Williams Junction, and then ride the 35 or so miles.
Unfortunately, the Amtrak doesn't accept bikes or checked baggage going to Williams Junction. The station is little more than a slab of concrete in the middle of the forest, so anything you take has to fit in the overhead carry-on bin. They were quite clear about that.
The solution? Bring a folding bike, break it down, and pallet wrap the pieces. That, along with what I could fit in a backpack (and the needed tools) were going to have to do.
Here's what you get to work with:
Amtrak's "no expenses spared" station in Williams:
On arrival at about 0400 (there is a van that takes you into Williams):
Ready to go:
I made a couple of test laps around town to make sure everything was tight and then headed down I-40. The Circle-K was open at this hour, which was really nice, as I had forgotten to bring gloves with me. I also got a chance to warm up a bit before hitting the highway.
The first observation was that I should have brought a more powerful headlamp. While the shoulder is wide and drivers were very courteous, I kept running over bits of truck tire and other dark objects in the road.
Dawn was a welcome relief to this and let me pick up the pace.
The exit from I-40 is paved for a bit and then turns into a sandy dirt road. The semi-fat commuter bike tires handled this pretty well.
And...made it!
It's always fun to show somewhere on a bike that is normally never accessed except by vehicle.
Arclight
Unfortunately, the Amtrak doesn't accept bikes or checked baggage going to Williams Junction. The station is little more than a slab of concrete in the middle of the forest, so anything you take has to fit in the overhead carry-on bin. They were quite clear about that.
The solution? Bring a folding bike, break it down, and pallet wrap the pieces. That, along with what I could fit in a backpack (and the needed tools) were going to have to do.
Here's what you get to work with:
Amtrak's "no expenses spared" station in Williams:
On arrival at about 0400 (there is a van that takes you into Williams):
Ready to go:
I made a couple of test laps around town to make sure everything was tight and then headed down I-40. The Circle-K was open at this hour, which was really nice, as I had forgotten to bring gloves with me. I also got a chance to warm up a bit before hitting the highway.
The first observation was that I should have brought a more powerful headlamp. While the shoulder is wide and drivers were very courteous, I kept running over bits of truck tire and other dark objects in the road.
Dawn was a welcome relief to this and let me pick up the pace.
The exit from I-40 is paved for a bit and then turns into a sandy dirt road. The semi-fat commuter bike tires handled this pretty well.
And...made it!
It's always fun to show somewhere on a bike that is normally never accessed except by vehicle.
Arclight
