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Just as Lewis and Clark did on their expedition, Lewis and I have decided to split up so we can cover more territory. This split also developed because Lewis is embarking on his cross country, coast to coast bicycle ride. The Paint the USA by Bike idea was born almost two years ago. The original idea was to bike/paint from plein air event to plein air event, promoting plein air painting along the way with endorsement and sponsorship from Eric Rhoads and his crew. For those who don't know Eric, he has been a champion and creator of the current day plein air movement with an annual convention, a production studio for videos, podcasts etc.

The pandemic has almost defeated the organized plein air movement last year and so far this year. Lewis' scheduled departure is March 1st of this year...merely a couple of weeks away and he is going anyway.

With the original motivation for the ride sidelined, Lewis is undeterred and has changed the ride to promote the National Historic Trail System. Our in evolvement with the Old Spanish Trail is just the beginning. Although Lewis will be on his bicycle and following the original Armijo route of the Old Spanish Trail, back to Santa Fe, I will be in my pickup and travel trailer following the Northern or Main route back to Santa Fe.

Initially, there had been talk of me doing the ride with him on my motorcycle, you know, my Artist on a Harley thing, but there are a couple of complicating factors that don't make that real feasible at this time. First off, it is still winter in these parts. While Lewis will be starting his ride by dipping his front tire in the Pacific Ocean at Solana Beach CA, just north of San Diego, he will then turn east and pedal his way along the Armijo route which runs along the southern Utah, northern Arizona border. It's warmer along that route, and his 40 or 50 mile days will keep him in that relatively warm climate for some days to come. PLUS he will be supported by his wife in their camping van where they can eat and sleep.

Me on the other hand, riding my motorcycle, could motel it every night but that is prohibitive in cost. I would have to, and prefer to, camp along the way. Unfortunately, all of the camping in California is closed down right now, not to mention the snowy/cold conditions I would have to incur riding my Harley to California. They will be driving in their van.

Additionally, I was having trouble figuring out how to limit my days to his slower pace. I have to have a certain amount of forward motion just to stay upright...alas I decided, the best thing to do is split up so we can cover two routes and I can do mine in the pickup and trailer...initially. Eventually I will join him on my motorcycle when I don't have to worry about the cold and snowy condition on my more northern route.

Besides, when we get to Santa Fe, we have decided to continue east on the Santa Fe Trail. This will be in early  summer, so doing my Artist on a Harley thing will be more feasible. I'm only going to Franklin, MO however, the beginning of the Santa Fe Trail. Lewis will continue on to the East coast, finishing up his ride by dipping his tire in the Atlantic Ocean at Bar Harbor, Maine.

The Santa Fe Trail is having it's bicentennial this year and there are celebrations all along the trail. There will be a large celebration in La Junta, Colorado and at Bent's Fort down the road in September. We are scheduled to have a showing and a presentation of our adventure on the Santa Fe Trail. I have proposed to them to allow our Old Spanish Trail work to be presented as well but have yet to hear back on that.

Ultimately, I would really like to do this on the Harley in one fell swoop but the economics aren't in my favor. I will at least be doing the Old Spanish Trail in segments, coming back periodically to get caught up on framing orders and any other pressing matters. Then I can venture out again for another week or two and work more of my route until I reach Santa Fe while Lewis is plugging along on his bicycle. If I time it right, we can enter Santa Fe together which would be kind of cool.

So right now, the plan is for me to leave Montrose on the 26th of February, spend the night at the Elks Lodge in Cedar City, Utah and arrive in Victorville, CA on the 27th where I will base out of at the Elks Lodge for a couple of days. I will then venture into Southern California on Sunday, the 28th. There I plan to visit the San Gabriel Mission and the Los Angeles Plaza which is the end of the trail, if you are going from east to west. However, in the research I have been doing, the trail from west to east was just as important.

If you remember from your studies, the trade from Santa Fe to Los Angles consisted of goods from back east and Mexico, all highly desired in Los Angeles. Of course the returning traders needed a "back haul" which consisted in a very important and highly prized commodity...horses, mules, oxen and other livestock. Therefore, the west to east trade became just as important as the east to west trade. Another reason I chose to do the west to east route is simply because it is warmer in Southern California right now, and by starting the work the first of March I will avoid the high summer temps across the desert. I figure a couple of trips out that way, spending a week or two at a time and coming home for a couple of weeks could take me to the end of April. By the first of June or so, the higher elevations will be opening up and I can resume my adventure...but I digress.

So, on the first of March I'll begin my work in the Victorville area moving the trailer to Barstow California for several days and then out into the desert to Tecopa, north of Baker, near the Nevada line. Somewhere around the 8th or 9th of March, I'll meet up with Lewis at the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, between Las Vegas and Henderson...I think. By then, depending on what demands I have at home, I may head back to Montrose for a couple of weeks and come back to pick the trail up again, from where I left off. From the Valley of Fire State Park, Lewis will pedal on, into a corner of Utah and down into Arizona, in and out of the Navajo Rez. Potentially we could meet up again near Chama, NM for our push into Santa Fe...and...potentially, I could do that segment on the Harley. We'll have to see.

While it would be nice to follow my chosen route from beginning to end without interruption I don't find myself in a position to do that. I equate the adventure to those who hike the Pacific Crest trail, the Continental Divide Trail, or the Appellation Trail. Few are in a position to do a straight through hike, mostly due to finances and obligations. The majority complete the hikes in segments and that is likely what I will have to do. I'm just glad I have the opportunity to do that much.

The farther I go with this the more interesting and revealing it gets. We just watched a dvd/video of some fellas who rode the trail from west to east, on horseback. Even they had to break it up into two segments. Of the some 1200 miles of the Main or Northern Route, the one I will be doing, they were able to only ride 800 miles of it...60 days all totaled. Much of the trail either is covered over with pavement, sidewalks or underwater as is the case of sections that went through what is now Lake Mead...not to mention on private property. I'm hoping to take my time and follow/paint as much as I can in detail, obviously requiring returning trips. This has already been established by our ventures into nearby Eastern Utah and Western Colorado...fortunately those are areas close enough that going back won't be a problem. I view those trips last summer as explorations. With the knowledge I gain from research and exposure to the material, it becomes evident what to look for and where.

For example, Lewis and I have wondered how the definitive route was decided these days, more than a hundred years later. The fellas in the video answered the question for us, confirming what I had surmised. In most places there isn't a definitive trail. It is more a network of trails through a given area. PLUS...the fellas said that while the trail going from east to west may have been an actual trail, with single file mules and foot traffic, the west to east routes were likely to have been very wide...up to 5 miles wide. Why you may be asking? I'm glad you did. I'll tell you.

The returning traders were bringing herds of horses, mules and other livestock. Hundreds of them. Sometimes thousands. Think about it. That much livestock needed grass to feed on, consequently they were driven over much wider and larger areas than a single file string of mules and burros. Makes sense.

Besides, in  my experience from my livestock days, while I only trailed less than a hundred horses at a time, I surely drove hundreds of cattle at a time. The lead animals may line out in a somewhat singular file but as the trailing herd moves, it widens until there are many abreast. Almost like a pointed pear shape sometimes up to a mile or more in length.

Another question was answered. Why several different routes? Turns out that Armijo was friendly with a certain tribe of Indians, several of whom were his guides. Consequently those guides took him through the country they were familiar with. Subsequent traders employed guides of different tribes, sometimes warring tribes of previous guides so those Indians took routes that avoided the conflict. Additionally, the more northern routes were more favorable because there was more grass and while longer, they weren't as harsh in terrain and climate as the more direct Armijo route.

So there ya go...more than you ever wanted to know.

I'll keep you posted with updates, photos and paintings as this adventure unfolds. Stay tuned.

Thanks for following along. I'll try to keep this more interesting than the Obituaries.