The Grand Canyon

The sun spins wide
round and round
Cross boulder and mountainside
every day bringing
new light
new thoughts, new images
as we ride





A symphony of reds and browns
surrounds me.
The earth alive
dripping from a tiny fracture in the bare stone
splatters about
Giving the plants insects and animals
their fix.
Earth's honey.



Some traveling wisdom from Whitman:

Traveling Souls

Allons! Whoever you are come travel with me!
Traveling with me you find what never tires.

The earth never tires,
The earth rude, silent, incomprehensible at first,
Nature is rude and incomprehensible at first,
Be not discouraged, keep on, there are divine things well envelop'd
I swear to you there are divine things more beautiful than words can tell

Allons! We must not stop here,
However sweet these laid-up stores, however convenient this dwelling we cannot remain here
However shelter'd this part and however calm these waters we must not anchor here
However welcome the hospitality that surrounds us we are permitted to receive it but a little while.



Yes. Nature never tires. The wind can change from a kiss on the cheek to a gale force stopping us in our tracks or push us up the mountainside. The mighty water rushing down through the stone for ages and ages, never tiring, creates the majestic grand canyon. Fire is always there when we need it to cook our meals, keep us warm, and put smiles on our faces (and smoke in our eyes). And mama earth, tirelessly spins and spins as we move across her beautiful vast landscapes.

But we tire! And now we've arrived in Tuba City on the Navajo Reservation. We found a campground in the back of a motel and are freshly showered! It's amazing how wonderful a shower feels after riding and sleeping in the same clothes for a week. We had some incredible breakfast burritos this morning made with homemade fluffy tortillas and eggs, hash browns, sausage and gravy. Last night we shaved our hairy faces in the middle of the desert with the help of a tiiiny bike mirror and feel great! The landscape has shifted very quickly from beautiful pine forests and high elevations to a high desert with very little vegetation and HOT! We will be riding early mornings and evenings as we trek toward canyon de chelly (E Arizona) and into New Mexico through the beautiful Hopi and Navajo lands.

Hope you all are enjoying the summer love in your respective parts of the globe.
With love
Kyle and Max

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Part of trip: Southwest Bike Trip - Summer 2009

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