America Is Burning
Now part of your regular weather forecast…
Fire = Fire! Shapes with colors = air quality. Green is good and red is bad.
Although wildfires were in the back of my mind when I was planning this trip, it didn’t occur to me how much of an impact they would have on my journey. I first encountered heavy smoke while I was riding along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin, and a few days later it returned in earnest when I left Minneapolis. In fact, I rode through Minnesota on the day where they were having their worst air quality ever recorded. The air quality over the last week has frequently been “unhealthy” meaning that no one should be outside exercising in it. Since then I’ve bought some N95 masks, which I have worn for 2 of my last 3 riding days (recommended if you have to work outside).
Who’s excited for a bike ride?
The path ahead doesn’t look like it’s going to get better. While North Dakota and eastern Montana look relatively clear, everything after that, especially the northern part of Idaho, turns completely to fire and dangerous levels of smoke. Consulting with bicyclists from the Northwest, it seems like certain routes have already been closed. In a group where there are normally a variety of opinions, there was a pretty clear consensus: you probably shouldn’t be biking through the Northwest right now.
So now what?
I Could Call It
Well, an option that’s always on the table is to pack it in and say, “Hey you got really far, not much you can do about the fires, so at least you made it more than halfway! Time to hop on a train / rent a car / whatever.”
It’s an option I’m seriously considering, and it’s an option that should be on the table for anyone in a similar situation. It’s important to not box yourself in and to be flexible. Quitting at this point isn’t a reflection on my ability or lack thereof, my character, or anything else about myself. It’s a perfectly viable option.
Oh look, particles!
I Could Drastically Reroute
With the goal of going coast-to-coast in mind, there are other options. If I start to plow southwest now, I could head to somewhere like San Francisco. Once there, I won’t feel bad about hopping on a train up to Seattle for PAX West.
Any game designers in Denver want to wave at me as I sprint through?
Of course, something like this would add almost 600 miles to the trip, and leave me a bit clueless about where I’m going. I had mapped out my journey fairly well up to Fargo, ND, and it was here that I anticipated picking up an established bike route - if I take this detour, I’ll mostly be flying by the seat of my pants. Granted, I have three routing methods on my phone (2 biking specific apps, and google maps in bike mode), but I’m definitely a little uneasy about how unknown this route would be to me.
Another consideration, with the extra miles, is the weight on my bike. I think a reroute would shift the focus of this trip to feeling almost like a race, and anything that’s not just for biking would have to go. More weight = more tired = less miles. So, I think I’d realistically have to ditch this big heavy laptop that I’m writing on. There’s also an argument to be made for cutting my video equipment, a set of clothes, and this hoodie I’m wearing that’s allowing me to be comfortable in the library I’m writing from. Considering how unpopulated some of the areas I’m going to have to pass through will be, I may just be trading this weight for some extra food and water anyway.
I Could Press On and Hope Things Work Out
These trees were maybe 500 meters away? People were fading into the smoke quickly.
I could theoretically punt on this decision until the end of North Dakota, just plugging along my route and checking in on the fires periodically. My problem with that is the closer I get to the fires, the harder it will be to reroute, both mentally and from a proximity to smoke standpoint.
So What Now?
I’m honestly not sure. All of those options are on the table. I’m going to sleep on it.
If you have any ideas, let me know.
