Dancing Saddle

As I landed on the continental United States for the first time my amazing friend Nolan was there to greet me and calm my nerves. It all became very real for what I was about to attempt. We headed back to his place, where he and his fiance, Marin, had made me more than welcome and had everything ready. A quick beer to catch up on what to expect over the next few days and it was off to get some sleep after the long journey from Korea.

My great friend Nolan and us from now and our ultimate frisbee days. He has always being and will always be a much better player than I

After a fitful night of sleeping due to jetlag, it was time to start assembling the bicycle and the rest of the gear I would need. Having lent me his car and space in his garage, I drove to his parents to collect the bike that would be my transport and home for the for the foreseeable future. I spent the day setting up the bike and going through the gear. There was definitely a lot of trial and error in the process but I was able to get a good start on getting everything together.

Thank you, Poseidon Bikes, for the great packaging and the pile of boxes that thankfully was mostly air that had to fit on in and around my bike.

Four days of getting everything together. Learning a lot about racks, cages, dry bags and straps. Panniers, burrito bags, frame bags and handle bar bags. Putting together my first ever disc brake and freaking out when I thought I had stripped the bolts but I was actually using hex instead of torx driver heads. From being unable to seat the tubeless tires, to watching the bike shop effortlessly do it in five minutes. These were just some of the new experiences I was being faced with.

Slowly assembling all the components together and learning how everything works. Part of the reason I chose a gravel bike is its similarities to road bike which I had a lot more experience with. And finally, everything assembled and put together and packed together. This was a proud moment. My beautiful Poseidon Redwood Dropbar.

Thankfully there were many happy distractions to keep me distracted from the journey ahead. Nolan’s birthday party was that Thursday. I got to meet many new people and I got to enjoy some amazing support and wonderment for the journey that was ahead. I really appreciated it as the whole experience was already weighing heavy on my shoulders. I also got to play some beach ultimate which I hadn’t done in years. I was gravely concerned by my lack of fitness but that would have to come the hard way.

One of the most rewarding moments was meeting Nolan’s parents, Peter and Lorraine. They told me some amazing stories about their own adventures. This was in a time before internet and GPS and free Wi-Fi at every cafe and store. It was truly amazing and beautiful to behold. Lorraine and two of her friends were one of the first woman to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. It even made the local newspaper. She would send the roll of film and written updates to be published. They inspired me and remotivated me for the journey.

A surreal moment was singing taTu in the original Russian in a Korean Noraebang in San Diego. And this amazing moment where I got to hang out with Peter and Lorraine, two very inspiring individuals. Thank you so much for sharing your time and stories.

Departure day had arrived. Nolan drove me to Chula Vista Golf Course to start the journey. It was a quick goodbye as Nolan had to go to work. And then the questions started to be asked. Had I overpacked? Yes. Was everything where it should be? No. Is everything working. I will find out soon enough. After 20 mins of double checking. Making sure sun screen is on, I started my journey.

My numerous lucky charms to keep me safe on my journey. Thank you everyone. I know it will do its magic. Everything set up and ready to go. The first pedal about to happen.

Within one hour. I had two issues already. The first was the rack. Which was not secured properly and totally installation error on my part. and then second was a dropped chain. When I changed gear underload. Both were relatively quick fixes. I was then on my way. The day slowly heated up and I had my first stop at a gas station.

The rest of the day was on road riding slowly crawling my way uphill towards the border town of Tecate. The roads and scenery were beautiful and I could feel the heat even in the late winter. I drank way more fluids than I thought I would and I knew I would have to be more prepared for the drier less convenient stretches of Baja. It was notable the number of helicopters that flew over the area.

I eventually reached the border. I stopped for some drinks and to change Dollars in to Pesos. The border guard asked me a few questions as he was very reluctant to check my multitude of bags. And to be fair, I was too tired and not in the mood to have to unpack everything for a full inspection. And i was in Mexico. The journey that I had been thinking about and wondering about for near on a year was now a reality.