On the Way to San Diego Across the Desert: Happiness is the warm sun, wheels that roll true, and a smooth road

Left Tucson today well-rested and ready to keep on moving west across the Sonoran Desert. I made my way on122 miles up the road on I-10 and I-8 to Gila Bend. Tomorrow my plan is to go 116 miles to Yuma. On Thursday I will go as far as I can but from what I can tell, I'll be sleeping in the mountains east of the San Diego area and then heading in to San Diego on Friday. I still need to go back and finish my entries on El Chuco and Tucson. Look for these soon if I can find lodging with WiFi. (SEE Update on trip to San Diego below.)


Cool to see the sign for Aztec, AZ but there wasn't much there but some gas station ruins.


A border patrol truck sits atop the dunes south of I-8 in California. As I entered California, I began passing crops (lettuce, spinach) and workers in the field.

After crossing a steep mountain passage on the way into Yuma on Wednesday night I went for a walk down Redondo Rd. and saw 2 young men run across the road and hop a 6 foot fence separating the road from a ravine and a train yard. A few minutes later I realized they were running to something and not from something as the train prepared to pull out. I don't know how they knew it was getting ready to leave but I surmised that they were heading towards LA and I wondered and worried about their fate atop those trains.

Shortly after that a guy in a pickup asked me if I wanted a ride. I didn't, but we spoke for a few minutes. Turns out he was from Chicago but had lived in majority Mexican Old Yuma since the late 80s. I asked him about immigration to the area and he told me that lots of workers came through working the fields. At this time lettuce is being picked. He also pointed out that there was a steady demand for vaqueros to work in the big cattle ranches in the area.

On Thursday I went I crossed into California and changed time zones once again. About 20 miles into the state I was forced to get off the interstate so I rode Plank Rd., a road that appeared to be the highway that preceded I-8. It was in horrible shape and I had to ride about 2 miles on it into El Centro. It was hard on my body and hard on my bike. I went about 15 miles past El Centro that evening and set up my tent off the mountain road. It was cold and rainy that night so I wasn't able to enjoy the darkness. My plan was to head south and follow a smaller road just north of the border because the interstate directly into San Diego area was getting very steep very fast. I'd picked up some food earlier so I went to bed fairly early. The rain was hard and the darkness intense. I got up early and the mountain was shrouded by fog and rain . I went to the next exit where I was able to get breakfast and was advised that staying on the Hwy would be dangerous as would be going on the smaller road that was narrow and heavily traveled by semis. I was already soaked and cold so I decided that the most sensible option was to work my way back to El Centro and get a car that I could take into San Diego.

Tucson

I had a great visit in bike-friendly Tucson. I stayed at the beautiful home of Sandy Soto and Miranda Joseph in the historic neighborhood on the southern edge of downtown.



Hosted by teacher Alicia Gibson, on Friday I spoke to a couple of classes of extremely astute and politically aware middle school students at Paulo Freire Charter School.


Speaking about cross-country touring with a young woman who made a trip from Columbus, Ohio to Tucson by herself this past summer. Putting tassels on Sandy's bike before we go on a tour of historic barrio"el hoyo."

Signs about a controversial case involving the arrests of humanitarians who provide food and water to border crossers were out in abundance.

Mural on museo and shrine of El Tiradito. The wall is packed with little pieces of paper making prayers and promesas.







Sandy and Miranda hosted a wonderful reception for students and faculty at their home with some great food, including paella, on Saturday evening.

Arizona Daily Star columnist Ernesto Portillo gave me an amazing tour of the city and history of Tucson on Monday morning. We stopped to see Rebecca Tapia of the Yaqui Pascua community center. Ernesto

I had a super interview with elder, Adela Marmion, about her 93 years of life in the U.S. -Mexican borderlands. We ended the day with a stop at the Estrella Bakery where I had some of the best pan dulce ever.

Untitled from Louis Mendo za on Vimeo

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Adela Marmion on her education from Louis Mendoza on Vimeo.

Across New Mexico and into Arizona

I left El Paso on a beautiful Tuesday morning. I rode out Mesa Rd. until it turned into Hwy 2 and then into Hwy 478 heading north towards Los Cruces and then west on I-10 to Deming, New Mexico. The beautiful tree below was from a road just southwest of Los Cruces which can be seen in the background.


About 10 miles west of Los Cruces I went through a border patrol checkpoint on I-10. It was surreal to do so on a bike. They just waved me through.

It was a great day for riding with the air cool and the sun out but its heat muted by passing clouds. All day long I was happy that my tires were holding out, until about 5 miles from Deming my back tire went low on air. I decided to just add air and ride fast so i could wait to change it once I found my lodging for the night.

At the Motel 6 off the first exit in Deming, I ate, worked on some student grad school recommendations, then sat on the curb of a gas station so I could hitchhike on the La Quinta internet. When I finally got around to fixing the flat I noticed that my rear wheel was no longer true. it was wobbly and rubbing against the rear fender. I spent some time trying to adjust it but to no avail. A quick look on the internet revealed that there were not any bike shops for miles and miles around. I took off and discarded the rear fender and decided I had no choice but to try and ride it into Tucson--2 days away.

I had an ambitious day planned for Wednesday. My goal was to go 135 miles to Willcox, AZ. The wobbly wheel felt okay but my speed was decreased by this and the steady upwards climb as I once again passed over the Continental Divide. Ni modo, I thought. I'll just go slow and steady and get there by 8:00 or so. Oh, before I forget, about 15 mils from Deming I realized that I'd left my KamelBak in the motel. No way am I goin back, I thought. I didn't think it prudent to add 30 miles (2 to 2.5 hours or more) to my trip on an already long day. I made a note to drink and refill my water bottles at every stop. I actually felt lighter and cooler without this on my back.

And then it happened. I had my first flat of the day about 5 miles from the Tucson state line. No problem, I had three more tubes. Well, even though I'd added a new tire liner for flat protection the night before I started having a series of flats that made me adjust my goals for the day. By the time I go to San Simon, I'd used all my tubes and was riding and then adding air every 10-15 minutes. I ended up walking the bike in the last 5 miles to a truck stop on the far side of San Simon. Small town. Very small. No lodging. Ok, at least there was a 24 hour truck stop. After several hours of resting, eating, and piddling with the bike some more, I realized I was stuck for the night and went behind a vacated gas station and set up my tent in the desert brush. It was cool, but ultimately ok. I was more worried about getting hassled by some of the multitude of border patrol in the area than I was animal life--though the next day I was to learn that there are lots of wild javelina in the area. What you don't know can't scare you. I got up before seven the next morning, ate breakfast and showered at the truck stop and tried to look at my problem from a fresh perspective. The tire shop next door said there was nothing they could do for me so I set up a sign asking for a ride on my bike and called Sandy in Tucson to let her know that I might need a ride. One of the clerks told me that if I didn't get a ride by 2:00 when she got off work, she'd take me 35 miles up the road to Willcox. So that's what happened. It was rainy and very cool all day. I finished reading Running with Scissors while I waited for Sandy and Miranda to come get me after their classes--about 6:00. Once again, I ended up not making it all the way into the city on my own leg power--this time due to mechanical problems.

I'm in Tucson now. The rear wheel had to be replaced again. Turns out the one I got in San Antonio was only a single wall frame and it was warped beyond repair. Picked up a new rear tire for good measure and more tubes of course. I am tired and frustrated beyond belief with these ongoing problems. The only consolation I get is to learn that it's not something I'm doing that causing the problem. Met a young woman working at Ordinary Bicycle Shop here in Tucson who told me about a solo trip she took this summer from Columbus, Ohio to Tucson. I gave her my info and asked her to write me so I could link her MySpace page to the blog. This is where she kept the blog of her trip.

More on what I'm doing here next entry.
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(DRAFT) Struggles in the Borderlands: Working for Justice in El Paso

The many faces of El Paso: A scenic view, a view of the smelter that has been a source of environmental pollution for years, a rare November snow, and the Spanish-English newspapers (El Diario and El Paso Times) that offer two very different views of the city.

(Photo of Dr. Chavez-Leyva taken from http://www.elpasotexas.gov/library/archive/2007/news020707.asp)

My time in El Paso was short but intense at multiple levels. It was made particularly productive and easy by the presence of friends and family. I spent Friday evening and part of Saturday as guest of UTEP Chicana historian Yolanda Chavez Leyva and her artist- photographer friend Lucia. Over a wonderful home-cooked breakfast on Saturday morning I interviewed Yolanda about her work with Paso del Sur, an emergent organization founded to resist the urban renewal plans crafted by the city’s political and business elites who crafted a redevelopment plan for the downtown area and the historical segundo barrio adjacent that sits adjacent to it. The plan was developed and subsequently adopted by the city council without input from residents and has proven to be quite controversial because it involves the displacement of numerous people and re-design of the neighborhood that would destroy the barrio’s structural and historical integrity.

Paso del Sur website: http://www.pasodelsur.com/




Thanks to my father I had the wonderful opportunity to meet some 3rd cousins of mine for the first time while in El Paso. Lupe and Jesse Vega and their mother Paula (my paternal grandmother's sister) spent part of Saturday with me sharing familial history and their views on how El Paso has changed since they moved their in 1946 from Houston.

A view across the fence into Juarez along Paisano Rd. and a mural in Central El Paso off Piedras St.

Veronica Carbajal, a former student of mine who is now a lawyer with the Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid office and chair of the local ACLU chapter also hosted me in El Paso and took lots of time from her busy schedule to give me a tour and set up meetings with people. Born in EP, Vero grew up in Juarez and attended schools in El Paso. She has returned to her hometown to provide leadership and advocacy in several areas, including Environmental Justice and Housing. More on my conversations with Veronica soon. Pictured above to her right is Kevin McCary, also a TRGLA lawyer specializing in immigration. Over lunch at Mujer Obrera he discussed some of the cases he has worked on in this area as he assists individuals struggling to work their way through the complex bureaucratic system.

In the photos below in segundo barrio and the downtown area one can see the vibrancy of the neighborhood and visible signs of resistance against the development plan.















I had an inspiring and informative discussion with Carlos Marentes at farm worker center and safe haven in Segundo barrio located near one of the bridges and next door to a border patrol office. See videos below for segments.


Carlos Marentes (Part I): Centro de Los Trabajadores Agricolas Fronterizos from Louis Mendoza on Vimeo.




A very full Monday ended with a fantastic discussion with the amazingly committed staff at the Paso del Norte Civil Rights Project who took time to share their work, some of the legal and advocacy cases they pursue on behalf of individuals and policy reform and why they do this seemingly endless work. (Right to left: Brianna Stone, Gabby Garcia, Paulina Baca, and Valerie Noche, an intern with the Jesuit corps from N. California.) (More details soon.)



If you're interested in seeing more of my conversation with Carlos Marentes you can go here: http://www.vimeo.com/409602
It's a long video (15 minutes).