Day 28: Vanderpool to Kerrville, Texas
Miles: 50.20------------ Total Mileage 1,566.39
Theme: The Indestructible Blue Bike
Today was a fabulous ride. There were some STEEP and I do mean steep hills, but I love a challenge. But where to begin.
Perhaps I will start with my story - The Indestructible Blue Bike. When I was a kid and we lived in Pennsylvania I had this blue one speed bike. I loved that bike. No matter what I did to it, it stood up to it all. I would ride the Indestructible Blue bike and then jump off it and see how far it could go before it fell over. I would see how fast I could go up or down a hill. I don't think of that bike often but whenever I do, it brings a smile to my face. Today as I was flying down a hill, pedaling as fast as I could with a smile plastered to my face - I remembered that Indestructible Blue Bike. I felt like that young kid again, simply pedaling her heart out and enjoying the shear speed (and terror), the air in my face, the sense of freedom! And at that moment I thought it only fitting that the theme today should be The Indestructible Blue Bike!
But I digress, back to the day. When we started off it was quite chilly so I had on a jacket as well as leg warmers. I know I have said it before, but I do believe this really has been my favorite day. Riding in the hill country of Texas was stunningly beautiful. I am quite sure I wouldn't have had the same appreciation from a car. Perhaps Ernest Hemingway said it best (thanks Kelle - she just sent me tree mail and this quote was in it) "It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle."
As I mentioned however - the hills were STEEP! I have only breathed hard a couple of times previously in the riding. Today - wow, was I breathing hard. I have a new scale of deciding how difficult a hill is. If my sunglasses fog up, it is one heck of a hill!!!!! On the first step climb in the morning they steamed up so much I had to take them off. It was a good thing that the climb was early in the day because it was a killer climb. I honestly believe it is the steepest climb I have done. Like yesterday though, we were rewarded by a fabulous down hill afterwards as well as amazing views!
We saw a fair amount of wildlife as well. As we started down one hill three young deer jumped out in front of us and an approaching car. Fortunately there were no collisions of deer and bikes, deer and car or car and bikes! Everyone was relieved. We went down another hill and on the right was a herd of bison. They are big animals - it was fun to see them. And then at the field right next to the bison were long horn cattle. Now if you recall one of the first days in Texas a rancher told Marge that there was a bison herd and a herd of Long Horn cattle right next to them just a mile down the road. I know that everything is Texas is bigger --- but I really can't believe the miles are that much longer! I told that to Tex and she just started laughing. The countryside was beautiful. There are a lot more trees, fields, and ranches. It isn't as desolate.
Other things to note about todays ride. At mile 24ish, there was a place that sells all sorts of apple things - including apple pie. Of course a few of us thought it was only appropriate that we try the pie. I can say without any hesitation that it was nowhere close to being as good as my Mom's. All those calories for a mediocre piece of pie. Well I guess the climbing equals out the calories!
And on we ride. We did have one more climb today. Well remember when I told you the earlier climb was the STEEPEST hill I had ever climbed. That record didn't last long. This one was worse. At one point I wasn't sure I was going fast enough to keep the bike up. I got a bit nervous, so I unclipped from the pedals. Unfortunately that was a mistake as it took away any moment that I had (which believe me wasn't much). So I had to stop. And as you may know, starting on a hill is not easy on a recumbent - especially a hill like that. So I had to walk about 10 yards before trying to start again. What a hill it was! I did make it to the top though - so all is well. I was huffing and puffing at the top.
What I loved about today was the physical challenge, the interesting scenery - and the courteous drivers. Because there were many hairpin turns, cars would just wait until they knew it was clear. We all really appreciated that - especially with the size of trucks in Texas.
We finally made it to Kerrville - and of course there was on last hill to climb. It was not nearly as bad as the earlier one, but still it was a hill at the end of a tough ride. We went right to the bike store - as a number of people had issues with their bikes. Mine is working fine but my odometer is off, so I am getting that fixed and while they are at it they will clean and lube it. Cleaning and lubing my bike isn't really something I want to do when I have a bit of down time.
When I got to the hotel, it felt great to get a shower, organize a few things - and then I started on my blog. As I sat with the window open, who should arrive but Kate. It was great to see her. I got her a beer and we talked each other's ear off as we tried to catch up on things from the last month. It is so nice to be able to have her meet all these new friends and really put names and faces together. There are so many stories to share! Well I had better stop now, but wanted to at least write of my highlights of the day. Hope your day has been good!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Day 27: Camp Wood to Vanderpool, Texas
Day 27: Camp Wood to Vanderpool, Texas
Miles: 39.40------------ Total Mileage 1,516.59
Theme: Keep on Climbing... the reward comes at the end!
We had a lovely rainfall last night -- after we finished up doing the dishes! It was nice to hear the rain beat down, especially since we weren't on our bikes! Greta and I shared a room last night. I always enjoy staying with her. She is a very gentle person, cares about others, and very patient and kind. She has done lots of self supported bike touring over the years. She was a teacher before retiring, then went into the Peace Corp. I look forward to hearing more about her adventures the next time we room together or ride down the road together.
We woke around 7:00, packed up again, got ourselves ready for the day ahead. For me that meant doing my stretches! The stretching has really helped and I have had far fewer issues of my toe going numb. I will continue doing the stretches as long as it works!
We took off down the road - everyone basically saying take it easy, ride your ride... As we left the town of Camp Wood - there was a BBQ place called 2 Fat Boys. Never saw the guys, but at least they have a good sense of humor. We quickly got out town. After about 8 miles the first climb began. It was a noticeable climb but nothing terrible. Marge was driving the Sag today and the first time we were to meet her was at mile 15. Well as we reached the crest at around mlle 10.4, there was Marge. She decided that since it was so cold people might want an earlier sag in case they needed more before they headed downhill. It was great to see her. Many decided to put on more clothes - as it was chilly! We are definitely in Hill Country. In some ways it reminds of the some of the terrain going over San Marcos Pass just outside of Santa Barbara.
As always, one never knows what one will see when you go around the corner. Going up a hill, there was a pine tree with all sorts of Christmas ornaments - and then big packages underneath. Now I don't know why I didn't think about it until now - but heck I should have checked to see if one of the presents had my name on it. It was humorous and it made me stop and take a photo, even on an uphill!
On we rode - up and down, up and down, but continually climbing over all. We got to the town of Leakey (population, just over 400). We had decided that we would stop there as there isn't much else on our route today - and we all needed to warm up. And it just happened that there was a gift shop that had all sorts of things made by Texan woodworkers. I had to go in. There was a beautiful bench with inlaid turquoise. It was made of mesquite wood. If I were incredible wealthy - I would of considered getting it. Shipping it would have cost about $400. I guess I will have to settle with a photo of it! I went out and told some of the others about the beautiful woodwork inside. Let me say, the owners were happy with more coming in, especially when several people dropped some dollars. We spent a long time at that shop!
Finally we got back on the bikes and headed up the next set of hills. At one point I caught up to Victoria. She had stopped and was looking at her bike. Never a good sign. She said her bike was making a weird noise. When I got up and rode beside her for a bit, it sounded much like my bike did in Blythe. I think she might have a spoke issue. We checked to see if any were obviously loose - but we couldn't find any. I told Victoria that I would ride with her the rest of the way just to make sure she was okay. We were told there was a very steep downhill at the end --- needless to say she didn't fly down it. Even with hanging back and feathering the brakes, at the end I let loose and I flew. My odometer isn't working but I would guess I was doing at least 45. My fastest to this point was 43.5 but this felt much quicker. Ah the reward of the downhill, always worth the climb!
We got to our destination around 1:00ish. It is a rustic campground with cabins. I am sharing a cabin with Diane and Ruth. There are 2 private rooms and the living room with a separate bed. It is nice to have After grabbing some snacks to eat, I jumped in the shower. Ah - a nice hot shower at the end of a ride never gets old.
And now I sit on the porch of the office to the camp grounds. It's the only place that I can get an internet connection. When I walked up there were 4 of our group sitting staring into their computers, sending emails... As you can tell since you are reading this blog, the Internet is more and more available each year. You must all think that I am crying wolf about no internet connect. So far every time I have said I won't be able to post --- I have been able to. And so it has happened once again!
Tomorrow Kerrville - which means Kate will be here, bringing me all sorts of things I requested. It will be great to catch up with Kate for a a couple of days. We are officially 1/2 through our journey. Can't wait to see what the 2nd half brings!
Miles: 39.40------------ Total Mileage 1,516.59
Theme: Keep on Climbing... the reward comes at the end!
We had a lovely rainfall last night -- after we finished up doing the dishes! It was nice to hear the rain beat down, especially since we weren't on our bikes! Greta and I shared a room last night. I always enjoy staying with her. She is a very gentle person, cares about others, and very patient and kind. She has done lots of self supported bike touring over the years. She was a teacher before retiring, then went into the Peace Corp. I look forward to hearing more about her adventures the next time we room together or ride down the road together.
We woke around 7:00, packed up again, got ourselves ready for the day ahead. For me that meant doing my stretches! The stretching has really helped and I have had far fewer issues of my toe going numb. I will continue doing the stretches as long as it works!
We took off down the road - everyone basically saying take it easy, ride your ride... As we left the town of Camp Wood - there was a BBQ place called 2 Fat Boys. Never saw the guys, but at least they have a good sense of humor. We quickly got out town. After about 8 miles the first climb began. It was a noticeable climb but nothing terrible. Marge was driving the Sag today and the first time we were to meet her was at mile 15. Well as we reached the crest at around mlle 10.4, there was Marge. She decided that since it was so cold people might want an earlier sag in case they needed more before they headed downhill. It was great to see her. Many decided to put on more clothes - as it was chilly! We are definitely in Hill Country. In some ways it reminds of the some of the terrain going over San Marcos Pass just outside of Santa Barbara.
As always, one never knows what one will see when you go around the corner. Going up a hill, there was a pine tree with all sorts of Christmas ornaments - and then big packages underneath. Now I don't know why I didn't think about it until now - but heck I should have checked to see if one of the presents had my name on it. It was humorous and it made me stop and take a photo, even on an uphill!
On we rode - up and down, up and down, but continually climbing over all. We got to the town of Leakey (population, just over 400). We had decided that we would stop there as there isn't much else on our route today - and we all needed to warm up. And it just happened that there was a gift shop that had all sorts of things made by Texan woodworkers. I had to go in. There was a beautiful bench with inlaid turquoise. It was made of mesquite wood. If I were incredible wealthy - I would of considered getting it. Shipping it would have cost about $400. I guess I will have to settle with a photo of it! I went out and told some of the others about the beautiful woodwork inside. Let me say, the owners were happy with more coming in, especially when several people dropped some dollars. We spent a long time at that shop!
Finally we got back on the bikes and headed up the next set of hills. At one point I caught up to Victoria. She had stopped and was looking at her bike. Never a good sign. She said her bike was making a weird noise. When I got up and rode beside her for a bit, it sounded much like my bike did in Blythe. I think she might have a spoke issue. We checked to see if any were obviously loose - but we couldn't find any. I told Victoria that I would ride with her the rest of the way just to make sure she was okay. We were told there was a very steep downhill at the end --- needless to say she didn't fly down it. Even with hanging back and feathering the brakes, at the end I let loose and I flew. My odometer isn't working but I would guess I was doing at least 45. My fastest to this point was 43.5 but this felt much quicker. Ah the reward of the downhill, always worth the climb!
We got to our destination around 1:00ish. It is a rustic campground with cabins. I am sharing a cabin with Diane and Ruth. There are 2 private rooms and the living room with a separate bed. It is nice to have After grabbing some snacks to eat, I jumped in the shower. Ah - a nice hot shower at the end of a ride never gets old.
And now I sit on the porch of the office to the camp grounds. It's the only place that I can get an internet connection. When I walked up there were 4 of our group sitting staring into their computers, sending emails... As you can tell since you are reading this blog, the Internet is more and more available each year. You must all think that I am crying wolf about no internet connect. So far every time I have said I won't be able to post --- I have been able to. And so it has happened once again!
Tomorrow Kerrville - which means Kate will be here, bringing me all sorts of things I requested. It will be great to catch up with Kate for a a couple of days. We are officially 1/2 through our journey. Can't wait to see what the 2nd half brings!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Day 26: Brackettville to Camp Wood, Texas
Day 26: Brackettville to Camp Wood, Texas PLEASE NOTE, WE HAVE BEEN TOLD NO INTERNET OR CELL COVERAGE TOMORROW -- and I think it for real this time.
Miles: 49.20------------ Total Mileage 1,477.19
Theme: S.I.T., S.O.C.S.
The morning started off much like yesterday - with a heavy mist. It is much cooler with the cloud cover - and one just needed a light jacket to start off with. It wasn't raining, but the mist was thick enough that I wished I had windshield wipers on my glasses! We are all appreciative of the cooler weather though especially given that we are still in Texas and as you have learned that means we are on chip seal (note - that is not a complaint, only an observation). Last year a rider on this trip just started using the initials S.I.T. (Still in Texas). I have decided to use S.I.T.,S.O.C.S. (Still in Texas, Still on Chip Seal).
I have to admit the C.S. didn't seem as bad as yesterday. Perhaps it was because I didn't ride 111 miles the day before. I think they should have a grading system for the size stone that is used so one has proper forewarning of the ride misery prior to deciding whether to ride or not that day. As we rode out of Brackettville Nancy and Lise challenged us all to make up a song about C.S. Here is what Tex, Kathie, Diane and I came up with (sung to: I've Been Working on the Railroad"
We've been riding on the chip seal
All the livim long day
We've been riding on the chip seal
Just to melt our butts away.
Can't hear Di - a - shouting
Rise up and down to ease the pain
Can't you see the riders crying
Oh, oh ouch what pain.
Chip seal won't you go
Chip seal won't you blow
Chip seal won't you go away
REPEAT
Someone's in the shoulder with Lisa
Someone's in the shoulder I knooooow
Someone's in the shoulder with Lisa
Siren - Sheriff - Here we go
And saying
Please Commish - repave the roads
Please Commish - repave the roads
Please Commish - repave the roads
So none of us has to EXPLODE!
As we were riding along, we blurted out lines. We agreed that Tex and I would write up a final version and then we would gather about 1/2 hour before dinner and practice - then preform it after dinner tonight. The plan was hatched and it kept us entertained during the ride this morning.
Because of the mist, there really wasn't much to see. We came across a ranch called Mountain View - and I wondered what mountains. There were none to be seen today! We did however see a few deer, vultures as always, as well as some dead armadillo. That is the first armadillo siting, hopefully we will see some live ones soon. At one point I was in the lead and up ahead I saw an animal sauntering across the road. As I came closer I realized it was a skunk. Needless to say I slowed way down (as did everyone else) so that the skunk passed without spraying anyone! The only other animal incident we had today was with a dog. We were coming up to a house (in the middle of nowhere) and I spied a dog out of the corner of my eye. It saw us and took off at full speed. It ran across the lawn, jumped a small fence and was right on us. Tex was closest and had to come to a completed stop. Diane and Kathie pulled out their whistles and blew like crazy, while I yelled at the dog to go home. Fortunately it decided not to come any closer and backed off. Dogs can really be scary when you are riding bikes. No harm done with this one - but it did get our adrenaline going!
We had under 50 miles to go today, so again it is a recovery day. (By the way when did 50 miles become a recovery day???) That used to be a long ride for me! We rolled along fairly quickly given that it was C.S. - so we ended up getting to the town of Camp Wood around 1:00. As we approached the town I saw a sign that read: "Ice, Ammo, Sodas, Fishing Gear, Chips, Bait, Ice Cream and More. All are welcome." There was also a confederate flag flying. I am not so sure about this town. We cycled in and found our hotel. We noticed that there were a lot of cars parked in front of the cafe across the way (that is usually a good indication that the food is decent). We asked the hotel clerk the best place to eat in town, he pointed across the street. So off we went. As other cyclists got in some joined us. We were all hungry and it didn't take long to wolf down our food! As always locals in the cafes are interested in learning where we rode from. When you tell them you came from San Diego and are going to Florida they are amazed! It never gets old to see their expression!
The rest of the day was spent doing laundry, checking out the town... Believe it or not there is a store that sells hand made Mohair coats here. We are literally in the middle of nowhere. The town consists of State Route 55 going through the downtown (the only street in town) and many of the stores are boarded up. And yet here is a shop selling tailor made mohair coats. I went in and tried one on. It was very nice, but I resisted. Two from our group did buy jackets.
There is very little cell phone reception here. I could not get any reception so walked down to the gas station to see if they had a phone booth. They didn't - but the all purpose store across the street did. The phone was on the outside wall. So there I stood and talked to Kate for a bit. As I was there a little chick scampered by my feet. Next thing I know a dog is running after it. Fortunately for the chicks sake, a woman told the dog to come, and it obeyed - the chick was spared (at least for now). It was humorous trying to have a conversation with Kate with city life going on all around me. Ah the big city of Camp Wood, Texas.
I had to get back for our big rehearsal for our song tonight. Tex and I finished up the words, then Diane and Kathie met us in the Washateria (the laudrymat)to practice. We decided to strap our pillows to our back side with the reflective WomanTours triangle hanging off them. Fortunately no one was there, so it was the perfect rehearsal space. Then it was off to another fabulous dinner. When dinner ended, the performance began. While we may not have been in perfect harmony --- everyone loved it and was laughing hysterically! We were asked for an encore but said it would have to wait for another night. Lise then got up and did a Chip Seal rendition of Hey Jude. The Beatles would have been proud!
We then had our map meeting and were told that tomorrow is only 39 miles -- but we have been warned it is not a recovery day. We officially get to the hill country and there are some 12% grades -- ouch. My motto continues to be one revolution at at time. I will do just fine - taking it one revolution at a time. The skies were getting very dark by the time our map meeting ended so we quickly did the dishes (Marge, Katherine, Young Pup, Tex, Alice and I) and now I sit writing my blog. It is raining out and there has been some lightening. Hopefully it will clear up by the morning. This part of Texas really does need the rain though.
It has been another good day with lots of laughs, good riding and deepening friendships. Can't ask for more than that!
P.S. And yes Graham - I have been looking at the birds, wishing you were here to identify them. There is one in particular that I am trying to figure out - more on that later!
Miles: 49.20------------ Total Mileage 1,477.19
Theme: S.I.T., S.O.C.S.
The morning started off much like yesterday - with a heavy mist. It is much cooler with the cloud cover - and one just needed a light jacket to start off with. It wasn't raining, but the mist was thick enough that I wished I had windshield wipers on my glasses! We are all appreciative of the cooler weather though especially given that we are still in Texas and as you have learned that means we are on chip seal (note - that is not a complaint, only an observation). Last year a rider on this trip just started using the initials S.I.T. (Still in Texas). I have decided to use S.I.T.,S.O.C.S. (Still in Texas, Still on Chip Seal).
I have to admit the C.S. didn't seem as bad as yesterday. Perhaps it was because I didn't ride 111 miles the day before. I think they should have a grading system for the size stone that is used so one has proper forewarning of the ride misery prior to deciding whether to ride or not that day. As we rode out of Brackettville Nancy and Lise challenged us all to make up a song about C.S. Here is what Tex, Kathie, Diane and I came up with (sung to: I've Been Working on the Railroad"
We've been riding on the chip seal
All the livim long day
We've been riding on the chip seal
Just to melt our butts away.
Can't hear Di - a - shouting
Rise up and down to ease the pain
Can't you see the riders crying
Oh, oh ouch what pain.
Chip seal won't you go
Chip seal won't you blow
Chip seal won't you go away
REPEAT
Someone's in the shoulder with Lisa
Someone's in the shoulder I knooooow
Someone's in the shoulder with Lisa
Siren - Sheriff - Here we go
And saying
Please Commish - repave the roads
Please Commish - repave the roads
Please Commish - repave the roads
So none of us has to EXPLODE!
As we were riding along, we blurted out lines. We agreed that Tex and I would write up a final version and then we would gather about 1/2 hour before dinner and practice - then preform it after dinner tonight. The plan was hatched and it kept us entertained during the ride this morning.
Because of the mist, there really wasn't much to see. We came across a ranch called Mountain View - and I wondered what mountains. There were none to be seen today! We did however see a few deer, vultures as always, as well as some dead armadillo. That is the first armadillo siting, hopefully we will see some live ones soon. At one point I was in the lead and up ahead I saw an animal sauntering across the road. As I came closer I realized it was a skunk. Needless to say I slowed way down (as did everyone else) so that the skunk passed without spraying anyone! The only other animal incident we had today was with a dog. We were coming up to a house (in the middle of nowhere) and I spied a dog out of the corner of my eye. It saw us and took off at full speed. It ran across the lawn, jumped a small fence and was right on us. Tex was closest and had to come to a completed stop. Diane and Kathie pulled out their whistles and blew like crazy, while I yelled at the dog to go home. Fortunately it decided not to come any closer and backed off. Dogs can really be scary when you are riding bikes. No harm done with this one - but it did get our adrenaline going!
We had under 50 miles to go today, so again it is a recovery day. (By the way when did 50 miles become a recovery day???) That used to be a long ride for me! We rolled along fairly quickly given that it was C.S. - so we ended up getting to the town of Camp Wood around 1:00. As we approached the town I saw a sign that read: "Ice, Ammo, Sodas, Fishing Gear, Chips, Bait, Ice Cream and More. All are welcome." There was also a confederate flag flying. I am not so sure about this town. We cycled in and found our hotel. We noticed that there were a lot of cars parked in front of the cafe across the way (that is usually a good indication that the food is decent). We asked the hotel clerk the best place to eat in town, he pointed across the street. So off we went. As other cyclists got in some joined us. We were all hungry and it didn't take long to wolf down our food! As always locals in the cafes are interested in learning where we rode from. When you tell them you came from San Diego and are going to Florida they are amazed! It never gets old to see their expression!
The rest of the day was spent doing laundry, checking out the town... Believe it or not there is a store that sells hand made Mohair coats here. We are literally in the middle of nowhere. The town consists of State Route 55 going through the downtown (the only street in town) and many of the stores are boarded up. And yet here is a shop selling tailor made mohair coats. I went in and tried one on. It was very nice, but I resisted. Two from our group did buy jackets.
There is very little cell phone reception here. I could not get any reception so walked down to the gas station to see if they had a phone booth. They didn't - but the all purpose store across the street did. The phone was on the outside wall. So there I stood and talked to Kate for a bit. As I was there a little chick scampered by my feet. Next thing I know a dog is running after it. Fortunately for the chicks sake, a woman told the dog to come, and it obeyed - the chick was spared (at least for now). It was humorous trying to have a conversation with Kate with city life going on all around me. Ah the big city of Camp Wood, Texas.
I had to get back for our big rehearsal for our song tonight. Tex and I finished up the words, then Diane and Kathie met us in the Washateria (the laudrymat)to practice. We decided to strap our pillows to our back side with the reflective WomanTours triangle hanging off them. Fortunately no one was there, so it was the perfect rehearsal space. Then it was off to another fabulous dinner. When dinner ended, the performance began. While we may not have been in perfect harmony --- everyone loved it and was laughing hysterically! We were asked for an encore but said it would have to wait for another night. Lise then got up and did a Chip Seal rendition of Hey Jude. The Beatles would have been proud!
We then had our map meeting and were told that tomorrow is only 39 miles -- but we have been warned it is not a recovery day. We officially get to the hill country and there are some 12% grades -- ouch. My motto continues to be one revolution at at time. I will do just fine - taking it one revolution at a time. The skies were getting very dark by the time our map meeting ended so we quickly did the dishes (Marge, Katherine, Young Pup, Tex, Alice and I) and now I sit writing my blog. It is raining out and there has been some lightening. Hopefully it will clear up by the morning. This part of Texas really does need the rain though.
It has been another good day with lots of laughs, good riding and deepening friendships. Can't ask for more than that!
P.S. And yes Graham - I have been looking at the birds, wishing you were here to identify them. There is one in particular that I am trying to figure out - more on that later!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Day 25: Del Rio to Brackettville,Texas
Miles: 44.6 ------------ Total Mileage 1,427.99
Theme: Good Vibrations (thanks Tex)
Well most everyone seemed like they were no worse for the wear from yesterday. Today is going to be a fairly easy day - only about 44 or 45 miles. Good opportunity to rest our legs a bit and recover for the Texas Hill Country that is ahead.
Last night I could hear the wind howling - seems that a cold front is moving in. Unfortunately the wind direction is not in our favor this morning. I guess we should count our blessings for not having the headwinds yesterday. The good thing is that there is a cloud covering so we aren't baking in the heat today.
Now I know I have mentioned once or twice that I don't care for Chip Seal (C.S.). Well the C.S. was the worst I have ridden on so far. Hence the theme - Good Vibrations. I can say that the vibration however was anything but good. Those on normal bikes had it worse than me however because not only were they saddle sore, but the continual vibration really stresses the wrists as well. I was starting to get a headache from all the jostling.
I have now learned to plug my nose when I see a bunch of vultures. Some of the road kill can be especially ripe! Other than some cattle, we really didn't see much today.
It was an uneventful day - other than the C.S. and I'd rather not remember that! Good thing we didn't have far to go today. 43 + miles on C.S. - especially C.S made with really large rocks is extremely draining! I did however see some beautiful flowers at the side of the road. At first I thought it was Indian Paintbrush - but on closer examination, it wasn't. It was a beautiful pink/red color. So nice to see something other than brown. Of course I had to stop and take a photo. Any excuse to stop the jarring for a minute!
We stopped for lunch at a place called Julie's about a mile from Fort Clark Springs in Brackettville, where we will spend the night. Everyone was a bit bouncy from yes - you guessed it the C.S. Almost all of us ended up at Julie's. Kathie, Tex, Lisa, Liz, and I ordered lunch -- next Kathryn (sag driver for the day) came and ordered something. In came Eva and Greta, then Victoria, Lise and Nancy followed and then Ruth. I think the waitress wondered if the stream of women bikers would ever stop!
Turned out the Judge of Bracketville was celebrating his b-day there. Katherine went up and said "Happy Brithday to the JUDGE (in only the way Katherine can with her southern accent and Big personality). She ended up talking to him - turned out they had a mutual friend. Is there anyone Katherine doesn't know? A short time later another fellow came in and Katherine asked him if he was from the Road Department because she wanted him to know we didn't appreciate the surface of the roads. We was a good natured fellow. We all had fun --- and all the other customers in Julie's appeared to enjoy listening to us.
We finally decided we had to face the C.S. for one last time today and rode the last mile to Fort Clark Springs were we will spend the night. This is an old army station that they have turned into a hotel and condos. There is a natural spring feed pool that is enormous. I stuck my feet in, but decided that was enough for me. The pool must be about 25 meters wide and 100 meters long. It is enormous. But you guessed it, everything is BIG in Texas. After a while I decided to come back up to the room, finish the blog and just rest for the afternoon. It's been another good day, but I am ready just to relax until dinner.
Texas is a BIG state - and that means lots more C.S. I am not sure I will ever come to appreciate C.S. I will try not to complain about it anymore - but I don't guarantee that I will succeed! May your travels be smooth - and C.S. free!
Miles: 44.6 ------------ Total Mileage 1,427.99
Theme: Good Vibrations (thanks Tex)
Well most everyone seemed like they were no worse for the wear from yesterday. Today is going to be a fairly easy day - only about 44 or 45 miles. Good opportunity to rest our legs a bit and recover for the Texas Hill Country that is ahead.
Last night I could hear the wind howling - seems that a cold front is moving in. Unfortunately the wind direction is not in our favor this morning. I guess we should count our blessings for not having the headwinds yesterday. The good thing is that there is a cloud covering so we aren't baking in the heat today.
Now I know I have mentioned once or twice that I don't care for Chip Seal (C.S.). Well the C.S. was the worst I have ridden on so far. Hence the theme - Good Vibrations. I can say that the vibration however was anything but good. Those on normal bikes had it worse than me however because not only were they saddle sore, but the continual vibration really stresses the wrists as well. I was starting to get a headache from all the jostling.
I have now learned to plug my nose when I see a bunch of vultures. Some of the road kill can be especially ripe! Other than some cattle, we really didn't see much today.
It was an uneventful day - other than the C.S. and I'd rather not remember that! Good thing we didn't have far to go today. 43 + miles on C.S. - especially C.S made with really large rocks is extremely draining! I did however see some beautiful flowers at the side of the road. At first I thought it was Indian Paintbrush - but on closer examination, it wasn't. It was a beautiful pink/red color. So nice to see something other than brown. Of course I had to stop and take a photo. Any excuse to stop the jarring for a minute!
We stopped for lunch at a place called Julie's about a mile from Fort Clark Springs in Brackettville, where we will spend the night. Everyone was a bit bouncy from yes - you guessed it the C.S. Almost all of us ended up at Julie's. Kathie, Tex, Lisa, Liz, and I ordered lunch -- next Kathryn (sag driver for the day) came and ordered something. In came Eva and Greta, then Victoria, Lise and Nancy followed and then Ruth. I think the waitress wondered if the stream of women bikers would ever stop!
Turned out the Judge of Bracketville was celebrating his b-day there. Katherine went up and said "Happy Brithday to the JUDGE (in only the way Katherine can with her southern accent and Big personality). She ended up talking to him - turned out they had a mutual friend. Is there anyone Katherine doesn't know? A short time later another fellow came in and Katherine asked him if he was from the Road Department because she wanted him to know we didn't appreciate the surface of the roads. We was a good natured fellow. We all had fun --- and all the other customers in Julie's appeared to enjoy listening to us.
We finally decided we had to face the C.S. for one last time today and rode the last mile to Fort Clark Springs were we will spend the night. This is an old army station that they have turned into a hotel and condos. There is a natural spring feed pool that is enormous. I stuck my feet in, but decided that was enough for me. The pool must be about 25 meters wide and 100 meters long. It is enormous. But you guessed it, everything is BIG in Texas. After a while I decided to come back up to the room, finish the blog and just rest for the afternoon. It's been another good day, but I am ready just to relax until dinner.
Texas is a BIG state - and that means lots more C.S. I am not sure I will ever come to appreciate C.S. I will try not to complain about it anymore - but I don't guarantee that I will succeed! May your travels be smooth - and C.S. free!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Day 24: Sanderson to Del Rio,Texas
Day 24: Sanderson to Del Rio,Texas
Miles: 111.06------------ Total Mileage 1,387.25
Theme: I Can See For Miles and Miles...
Well everyone was up and ready to go early today. We wanted to start out asap as it is over 100 miles today. We ate breakfast (made my Linda) in the dark while waiting anxiously for the sun to rise and the okay from Carol and Linda that we could get going. We were all chomping at the bit. Finally we started off - all of us thinking lets get as many miles in the "cool weather" as possible. The sun was just coming over the hills as we started out. Of course there were vultures circling. I think there are more vultures in Texas than people.
Five of us started out together. Liz, Kathie, Tex, Diane and me. We were going to try to support each other throughout the ride. It is a long day today --- 111 miles. Now I have never ridden a century - so this is definitely a record day for me. I really wasn't worried about the distance until our map meeting last night. Carol and Linda emphasized repeatedly the need to eat and drink throughout the day --- and not to waste time at the Sag stops. I went to my room last night nervous. It was good to be rooming with Lise as she has done lots of Centuries. Basically she said "Ride your ride and just make sure, especially after the 1st or 2nd Sag that you continue to hydrate and eat small amounts throughout the day." Basically the same words of wisdom that Carol and Linda gave us. I woke up feeling fine - just saying take it one mile at a time...
The first 20, first 40 miles went by really well. The five of us were sticking together, slowing down to let others catch up when need be. It was interesting for me to sense that riding as a group was going to be a better accomplishment than if I had just ridden on my own. I liked that we were there to support one another, to help each other succeed.
The landscape was fairly desolate today - so unfortunately that didn't distract us from the number of miles ahead. We are still in Texas so of course the road surface is Chip Seal. Did I tell you how much I don't like Chip Seal roads! Before we knew it however we made it to our lunch stop --- created by Linda of course. We had finished 60 miles!
The one thing of interest this morning was the number of vultures as well as the number of Border Patrol Officers. I would estimate that 80% of the cars or trucks that passed us were Border Patrol. Also for the last day or so every now and again I noticed a number of large tires at the side of the road - on the dirt road just off the highway. I wondered what they were for. There were usually 3 larger tractor tires all chained together. I now know what they are for. A Border Patrol Officer will drive down the dirt road dragging the tires in order to smooth the surface so they can see footprints of people who cross later.
I can't imagine trying to hide in the heat of the day in the desert landscape that we are riding through. To have gone through so much to try to get to the United States, and then to be caught and taken back. How sad. I know illegal immigration is a problem, I do not know how it is solved. It just seems so unfair to be born on one side of the border and have so little. To have the desire for a better life - and to literally risk your life to come here - and then to be denied. Harsh realities. We saw several buses pass us for people who are caught. We could not see in to determine if they had caught people but to have two buses for this purpose, they must get a fair number. And here I am being able to take 2 months away from my job to ride freely across this country. I don't even know what to say.
And so on we ride. Several times in the last few days we have run into a couple who have literally ridden all over the world on their tandem. When they were working, they would work 7 years and then take a year off and hop on their tandem again. I believe their names are Hobb and Deb. Nice couple. They carry all their own gear. What stories they have from all of their adventures. Now don't worry, I am not going to follow their pattern of 7 years on, 1 year off!
Lunch was great. Linda had made lunch and set up right next to a convenience store. The owner said pull the trailer here in the shade and feel free to use the restroom. This guy was a big burly Texan. As we ate I noticed some beautiful cactus blooms and photographed them. Out came the big Texan to talk to me about when the other cactus bloom, how beautiful it is... The people of Texas have been outstanding and certainly are shaking up my stereotype!
After lunch we got on our bikes and started out one more time. Again we could see for miles and miles and miles. Liz left before the rest of our gang as she was having trouble with the heat. She wants to get this ride over as quickly as she can. So we are down to four - Tex, Kathie, Diane and me. There is not much to distract the eye. After a bit I say, "I spy with my little eye, something beginning with H." And so we play Eye Spy on and off the rest of the afternoon. It helps divert our attention and take our minds off the miles ahead. We have fun amusing ourselves as we continue to turn the pedals over and over.
All day we have been on Chip Seal. Did I mention before how I don't like Chip Seal???? On we go. It makes sense the number of vultures we have seen. There is a lot of road kill! Unfortunately that also means we have had to ride past and smell many dead animals. Not a pleasant thing to do especially in 90 degree weather! After riding a bit after lunch Diane is struggling to stay with Kathie, Tex and me. At the top of one hill we wait. When Diane gets there we ask how she is doing. Immediately she says, "You guys have to ride your ride. I know my pace is slower. You go on, I'll keep riding and others will meet up with me." It was very gracious of Diane and I can say quite honestly the longer I am out - the harder it becomes as my toe acts up... I was grateful for Diane's generosity. She has done a lot of cycling and bicycle camping over the years. We went on knowing she was fine and knowing that she wouldn't have it any other way.
And so we rode on. As we crested a hill and came down the other side all of a sudden we came to the Pecos River. I have never seen such beautiful green water in my life. It was especially nice to see given all the brown barren landscape we had ridden through. All of us were amazed by the beauty as it seemed to appear out of nowhere. We snapped a couple pictures and continued on.
Kathie was riding strong and was in the lead. I caught up to her on some downhill. She had stopped to take a break in the only shade around for miles. It was a downhill so I asked if everything was fine. She gave me the thumbs up, so on I went. Turns out she was over heating! Tex stopped with her and once I realized that were pretty far back, I waited to see what was happening. When they met me at the top of the hill, I found out the story. The three of us rode on, Tex leading, Kathie in the middle and I took up the rear. Kathie noticed a small store and wanted to get something cold. We pulled in - but alas it was closed down. I asked Kathie is she wanted to rest there in the shade for a bit. She did. As we rested a guy pulled up in a big truck. Uh oh, what now. He rolled down the window and asked if we needed anything! He went out of his way to try to help up. Again I am amazed by the people of Texas. We asked about water and he said there was fresh water from the tap just over at the house there, or a small store a mile up the road. We thanked him and then went up the road to the store. We got COLD water there and gulped it down, used the restroom and then as I was waiting for the other two I decided to take advantage of a clean floor so laid down and did some stretches. The woman at the store was very nice and found us amusing. Can't imagine why!
We made it to the last Sag stop of the day. Marge sagged in the afternoon (Katherine in the morning). The highlight of the sag stops now was getting cold water poured over your head. It was so refreshing!!!!! Ah --- life is good. We only have about 16 more miles. Kathie, Tex and I are going to make it. We are a team that has held together through thick and thin. At various times each one of us has needed the support of the others. We have worked well together. At mile 100 we all gave big holler and then started counting down until we finally reached our destination - Lake View Hotel. In the distance you can see the reservoir - hardly a hotel I would recommend, but boy it seems like a palace to us today - a nice shower, a bed.... what more could a girl ask for. Shortly after we got in Eva rolled in and Ruth as well. This was a record day for them too. It was also the first time Young Pup (Lisa had ridden 100+ miles).
Ah life is good and we rode 111 miles today!!!!!
PS: In the Eye Spy game, H stood for Horizon (they never guessed it, I had to tell them).
Miles: 111.06------------ Total Mileage 1,387.25
Theme: I Can See For Miles and Miles...
Well everyone was up and ready to go early today. We wanted to start out asap as it is over 100 miles today. We ate breakfast (made my Linda) in the dark while waiting anxiously for the sun to rise and the okay from Carol and Linda that we could get going. We were all chomping at the bit. Finally we started off - all of us thinking lets get as many miles in the "cool weather" as possible. The sun was just coming over the hills as we started out. Of course there were vultures circling. I think there are more vultures in Texas than people.
Five of us started out together. Liz, Kathie, Tex, Diane and me. We were going to try to support each other throughout the ride. It is a long day today --- 111 miles. Now I have never ridden a century - so this is definitely a record day for me. I really wasn't worried about the distance until our map meeting last night. Carol and Linda emphasized repeatedly the need to eat and drink throughout the day --- and not to waste time at the Sag stops. I went to my room last night nervous. It was good to be rooming with Lise as she has done lots of Centuries. Basically she said "Ride your ride and just make sure, especially after the 1st or 2nd Sag that you continue to hydrate and eat small amounts throughout the day." Basically the same words of wisdom that Carol and Linda gave us. I woke up feeling fine - just saying take it one mile at a time...
The first 20, first 40 miles went by really well. The five of us were sticking together, slowing down to let others catch up when need be. It was interesting for me to sense that riding as a group was going to be a better accomplishment than if I had just ridden on my own. I liked that we were there to support one another, to help each other succeed.
The landscape was fairly desolate today - so unfortunately that didn't distract us from the number of miles ahead. We are still in Texas so of course the road surface is Chip Seal. Did I tell you how much I don't like Chip Seal roads! Before we knew it however we made it to our lunch stop --- created by Linda of course. We had finished 60 miles!
The one thing of interest this morning was the number of vultures as well as the number of Border Patrol Officers. I would estimate that 80% of the cars or trucks that passed us were Border Patrol. Also for the last day or so every now and again I noticed a number of large tires at the side of the road - on the dirt road just off the highway. I wondered what they were for. There were usually 3 larger tractor tires all chained together. I now know what they are for. A Border Patrol Officer will drive down the dirt road dragging the tires in order to smooth the surface so they can see footprints of people who cross later.
I can't imagine trying to hide in the heat of the day in the desert landscape that we are riding through. To have gone through so much to try to get to the United States, and then to be caught and taken back. How sad. I know illegal immigration is a problem, I do not know how it is solved. It just seems so unfair to be born on one side of the border and have so little. To have the desire for a better life - and to literally risk your life to come here - and then to be denied. Harsh realities. We saw several buses pass us for people who are caught. We could not see in to determine if they had caught people but to have two buses for this purpose, they must get a fair number. And here I am being able to take 2 months away from my job to ride freely across this country. I don't even know what to say.
And so on we ride. Several times in the last few days we have run into a couple who have literally ridden all over the world on their tandem. When they were working, they would work 7 years and then take a year off and hop on their tandem again. I believe their names are Hobb and Deb. Nice couple. They carry all their own gear. What stories they have from all of their adventures. Now don't worry, I am not going to follow their pattern of 7 years on, 1 year off!
Lunch was great. Linda had made lunch and set up right next to a convenience store. The owner said pull the trailer here in the shade and feel free to use the restroom. This guy was a big burly Texan. As we ate I noticed some beautiful cactus blooms and photographed them. Out came the big Texan to talk to me about when the other cactus bloom, how beautiful it is... The people of Texas have been outstanding and certainly are shaking up my stereotype!
After lunch we got on our bikes and started out one more time. Again we could see for miles and miles and miles. Liz left before the rest of our gang as she was having trouble with the heat. She wants to get this ride over as quickly as she can. So we are down to four - Tex, Kathie, Diane and me. There is not much to distract the eye. After a bit I say, "I spy with my little eye, something beginning with H." And so we play Eye Spy on and off the rest of the afternoon. It helps divert our attention and take our minds off the miles ahead. We have fun amusing ourselves as we continue to turn the pedals over and over.
All day we have been on Chip Seal. Did I mention before how I don't like Chip Seal???? On we go. It makes sense the number of vultures we have seen. There is a lot of road kill! Unfortunately that also means we have had to ride past and smell many dead animals. Not a pleasant thing to do especially in 90 degree weather! After riding a bit after lunch Diane is struggling to stay with Kathie, Tex and me. At the top of one hill we wait. When Diane gets there we ask how she is doing. Immediately she says, "You guys have to ride your ride. I know my pace is slower. You go on, I'll keep riding and others will meet up with me." It was very gracious of Diane and I can say quite honestly the longer I am out - the harder it becomes as my toe acts up... I was grateful for Diane's generosity. She has done a lot of cycling and bicycle camping over the years. We went on knowing she was fine and knowing that she wouldn't have it any other way.
And so we rode on. As we crested a hill and came down the other side all of a sudden we came to the Pecos River. I have never seen such beautiful green water in my life. It was especially nice to see given all the brown barren landscape we had ridden through. All of us were amazed by the beauty as it seemed to appear out of nowhere. We snapped a couple pictures and continued on.
Kathie was riding strong and was in the lead. I caught up to her on some downhill. She had stopped to take a break in the only shade around for miles. It was a downhill so I asked if everything was fine. She gave me the thumbs up, so on I went. Turns out she was over heating! Tex stopped with her and once I realized that were pretty far back, I waited to see what was happening. When they met me at the top of the hill, I found out the story. The three of us rode on, Tex leading, Kathie in the middle and I took up the rear. Kathie noticed a small store and wanted to get something cold. We pulled in - but alas it was closed down. I asked Kathie is she wanted to rest there in the shade for a bit. She did. As we rested a guy pulled up in a big truck. Uh oh, what now. He rolled down the window and asked if we needed anything! He went out of his way to try to help up. Again I am amazed by the people of Texas. We asked about water and he said there was fresh water from the tap just over at the house there, or a small store a mile up the road. We thanked him and then went up the road to the store. We got COLD water there and gulped it down, used the restroom and then as I was waiting for the other two I decided to take advantage of a clean floor so laid down and did some stretches. The woman at the store was very nice and found us amusing. Can't imagine why!
We made it to the last Sag stop of the day. Marge sagged in the afternoon (Katherine in the morning). The highlight of the sag stops now was getting cold water poured over your head. It was so refreshing!!!!! Ah --- life is good. We only have about 16 more miles. Kathie, Tex and I are going to make it. We are a team that has held together through thick and thin. At various times each one of us has needed the support of the others. We have worked well together. At mile 100 we all gave big holler and then started counting down until we finally reached our destination - Lake View Hotel. In the distance you can see the reservoir - hardly a hotel I would recommend, but boy it seems like a palace to us today - a nice shower, a bed.... what more could a girl ask for. Shortly after we got in Eva rolled in and Ruth as well. This was a record day for them too. It was also the first time Young Pup (Lisa had ridden 100+ miles).
Ah life is good and we rode 111 miles today!!!!!
PS: In the Eye Spy game, H stood for Horizon (they never guessed it, I had to tell them).
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Day 23: Marathon to Sanderson,Texas
Day 23: Marathon to Sanderson,Texas
Miles: 53.33 ------------ Total Mileage 1,276.19
Theme: Fattening Us Up Before the (no we won't say that)!
Oh - the Gage Hotel, can it get any better than that???? After a very restful night sleep, I decided that I wasn't going to waste the opportunity to get a fabulous nice hotel shower, so I took a shower prior to breakfast. Ah - it felt good on my muscles! And the breakfast. Yummmmmy. Everything was way to good. All freshly made that morning, including all the breads. I think we all want to stayed at the Gage for at least a week!
But alas, the bike was calling - and so it is off down the road again. Today is a short day - only about 54 miles, much like yesterday. The thing is I know that tomorrow is our 111 mile day - the longest day we will have on the entire trip. So - it does kind of feel like sheep being fattened before the slaughter! My thought however is enjoy these nice short days while you can. I am sure we will do fine tomorrow, so I am going to enjoy today!
The ride was very much like yesterday - the terrain similar - and paralleling the train track. This meant good speed and easy riding. Fattening us up before tomorrow! Everyone was in good spirits just flying along. Tex, Kathie, Liz, Linda (the chef extraordinaire) and I rode together to the first Sag. The 20 miles went by before we knew it. Marge was Sagging and told us that a farmer had been here when she first pulled up. He said there was a Bison ranch about a mile up the road and a Long Horn Cattle Ranch on the other side. So off we went looking intently for the two ranches. One mile passed, then another, after the third mile, still no Bisons or Long Horns. They were either way back in the distance or didn't exist. I am guessing the former. I did see other cattle as well as a few deer but certainly no bisons or Long Horns. There were however lots of vultures. Some would just sit on the fence posts watching us go by, others would fly off as we approached. I hope they weren't thinking we would be their next meal!
I have enjoyed seeing various birds as we have been biking along. Sometimes the birds seem to fly along with us for a short while. I love watching them fly - seeing them soar effortlessly. I have seen many hawks, but of course we are going by too fast (yes too fast even on bikes) to be able to identify them. There is so much to see, to take in each day. And we only see a fraction of what is out there.
We made it to the 2nd Sag in no time and only had approximately 12 more miles to go and we would be done for the day. Today the destination is Sanderson - a town of about 800 people. We are staying at the Oasis Motel. Let me just say it is nothing like where we stayed last night! But there is a hot shower, a clean bed... so all is good. We ended up getting in shortly before noon. Our rooms were ready so we quickly stowed our bikes, put on walking shoes and headed into town to find the one restaurant that was still open the Eagles Nest. Now there is no way I would have stopped at this place in my normal travels. After riding 50 miles and wanting something to eat, anything edible is good. It was barbecue day, so everything on the menu was barbecued. Unfortunately for the vegetarian in our group, the choices were very limited. She asked if she could have a cheese sandwich. The waitress thought they could do that. When all our meals came - Lisa got a hamburger bun with two slices of American Cheese in between. No mayo, lettuce, nothing just two pieces of American Cheese. Oh well - she put some barbecue sauce on it and ate it anyways.
We had heard there was a Dairy King (yes King, not Queen) down the road. Tex, Lisa and I debated whether we wanted to walk down there to get an ice cream. We couldn't see it in the distance, so decided to just get something at the mini market across from the hotel. Lisa went across the street to use an ATM. As Tex and I were walking back - along came Marge and Katherine in the Sag car. Just our luck they were going down to the Dairy King, so we jumped in with them. Later we passed Lisa and she was like, what's up???? But alas we got down there and it was closed. We were bummed! Oh well, to the mini market it is. We each bought an ice cream sandwich. I haven't had one of those in years. Marge was going back on the road to see how Lise and Nancy were doing. They had stayed in Marathon for quite awhile this morning, so they weren't in yet. I asked Marge if I could go out with her. I haven't had the opportunity to spend much time with Marge - so thought this would be fun. As we bought our ice cream sandwiches I thought it would be fun to get one for Nancy and Lise. Now Lise LOVES ice cream. I thought this would be a fun treat for them since they were riding in the heat of the day - and would never expect that in the Sag wagon.
Marge and I took off. After not too many miles we saw Lise and Nancy. They gave us the thumbs up - indicating they were fine, no need to stop. Marge turned Little Bo Peep (the Sag Wagon around) and drove up and parked up ahead of them. When they rode by, Marge yelled to them "We have ice cream." Nancy yelled to Lise, "They have ice cream." There was some excitement in her voice. When Lise heard, she immediately turned around and came back. It was pretty comical! They were both very excited and happy. It was fun to do something so simple to make their day!
Ah - life on the road. Tonight Lise and I are rooming together. It has been really fun to get to know her better (as well as the others). Lise is retired Colonel from the Army. She was a family doc and not too long ago did a tour in Iraq (prior to her retirement). One of these days, I will tell you more about each of the women on this tour. It is an amazing group. For now I will sign off.
Think of us tomorrow. We have our long day - 111 miles. I find I do best when I break it down into smaller pieces. I know some are worried about the ride tomorrow. These last few days have allowed us to rest our legs a fair amount (fattened us up) so I think if we all just take it at our pace, all will be fine. The vultures won't be getting any of us for dinner tomorrow!
Miles: 53.33 ------------ Total Mileage 1,276.19
Theme: Fattening Us Up Before the (no we won't say that)!
Oh - the Gage Hotel, can it get any better than that???? After a very restful night sleep, I decided that I wasn't going to waste the opportunity to get a fabulous nice hotel shower, so I took a shower prior to breakfast. Ah - it felt good on my muscles! And the breakfast. Yummmmmy. Everything was way to good. All freshly made that morning, including all the breads. I think we all want to stayed at the Gage for at least a week!
But alas, the bike was calling - and so it is off down the road again. Today is a short day - only about 54 miles, much like yesterday. The thing is I know that tomorrow is our 111 mile day - the longest day we will have on the entire trip. So - it does kind of feel like sheep being fattened before the slaughter! My thought however is enjoy these nice short days while you can. I am sure we will do fine tomorrow, so I am going to enjoy today!
The ride was very much like yesterday - the terrain similar - and paralleling the train track. This meant good speed and easy riding. Fattening us up before tomorrow! Everyone was in good spirits just flying along. Tex, Kathie, Liz, Linda (the chef extraordinaire) and I rode together to the first Sag. The 20 miles went by before we knew it. Marge was Sagging and told us that a farmer had been here when she first pulled up. He said there was a Bison ranch about a mile up the road and a Long Horn Cattle Ranch on the other side. So off we went looking intently for the two ranches. One mile passed, then another, after the third mile, still no Bisons or Long Horns. They were either way back in the distance or didn't exist. I am guessing the former. I did see other cattle as well as a few deer but certainly no bisons or Long Horns. There were however lots of vultures. Some would just sit on the fence posts watching us go by, others would fly off as we approached. I hope they weren't thinking we would be their next meal!
I have enjoyed seeing various birds as we have been biking along. Sometimes the birds seem to fly along with us for a short while. I love watching them fly - seeing them soar effortlessly. I have seen many hawks, but of course we are going by too fast (yes too fast even on bikes) to be able to identify them. There is so much to see, to take in each day. And we only see a fraction of what is out there.
We made it to the 2nd Sag in no time and only had approximately 12 more miles to go and we would be done for the day. Today the destination is Sanderson - a town of about 800 people. We are staying at the Oasis Motel. Let me just say it is nothing like where we stayed last night! But there is a hot shower, a clean bed... so all is good. We ended up getting in shortly before noon. Our rooms were ready so we quickly stowed our bikes, put on walking shoes and headed into town to find the one restaurant that was still open the Eagles Nest. Now there is no way I would have stopped at this place in my normal travels. After riding 50 miles and wanting something to eat, anything edible is good. It was barbecue day, so everything on the menu was barbecued. Unfortunately for the vegetarian in our group, the choices were very limited. She asked if she could have a cheese sandwich. The waitress thought they could do that. When all our meals came - Lisa got a hamburger bun with two slices of American Cheese in between. No mayo, lettuce, nothing just two pieces of American Cheese. Oh well - she put some barbecue sauce on it and ate it anyways.
We had heard there was a Dairy King (yes King, not Queen) down the road. Tex, Lisa and I debated whether we wanted to walk down there to get an ice cream. We couldn't see it in the distance, so decided to just get something at the mini market across from the hotel. Lisa went across the street to use an ATM. As Tex and I were walking back - along came Marge and Katherine in the Sag car. Just our luck they were going down to the Dairy King, so we jumped in with them. Later we passed Lisa and she was like, what's up???? But alas we got down there and it was closed. We were bummed! Oh well, to the mini market it is. We each bought an ice cream sandwich. I haven't had one of those in years. Marge was going back on the road to see how Lise and Nancy were doing. They had stayed in Marathon for quite awhile this morning, so they weren't in yet. I asked Marge if I could go out with her. I haven't had the opportunity to spend much time with Marge - so thought this would be fun. As we bought our ice cream sandwiches I thought it would be fun to get one for Nancy and Lise. Now Lise LOVES ice cream. I thought this would be a fun treat for them since they were riding in the heat of the day - and would never expect that in the Sag wagon.
Marge and I took off. After not too many miles we saw Lise and Nancy. They gave us the thumbs up - indicating they were fine, no need to stop. Marge turned Little Bo Peep (the Sag Wagon around) and drove up and parked up ahead of them. When they rode by, Marge yelled to them "We have ice cream." Nancy yelled to Lise, "They have ice cream." There was some excitement in her voice. When Lise heard, she immediately turned around and came back. It was pretty comical! They were both very excited and happy. It was fun to do something so simple to make their day!
Ah - life on the road. Tonight Lise and I are rooming together. It has been really fun to get to know her better (as well as the others). Lise is retired Colonel from the Army. She was a family doc and not too long ago did a tour in Iraq (prior to her retirement). One of these days, I will tell you more about each of the women on this tour. It is an amazing group. For now I will sign off.
Think of us tomorrow. We have our long day - 111 miles. I find I do best when I break it down into smaller pieces. I know some are worried about the ride tomorrow. These last few days have allowed us to rest our legs a fair amount (fattened us up) so I think if we all just take it at our pace, all will be fine. The vultures won't be getting any of us for dinner tomorrow!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Day 22: Fort Davis to Marathon, Texas
Day 22: Fort Davis to Marathon, Texas
Miles: 59.46 ------------ Total Mileage: 1,222.86
Theme: Every Day Is Better Than the One Before! How Can This Be?????
Well after a day of rest yesterday, it is back in the saddle again. We had a great breakfast at Fort Davis Indian Lodge. We ordered from their menu so everyone was happy. Sleepy - but happy! People straggled in one by one, but soon everyone was there. When Diane came in various people said hello, but she heard nothing. So the entire table said "Good Morning Diane." Diane is a bit hard of hearing. She finally heard her morning greeting however! Nancy came - still trying to wake from her sleep. She mentioned that when she walked over she heard some rustling and lo and behold it was a Havalina. I have seen a few dead on the roadside and had wanted to see a live one. So I took the opportunity and it was still there. The ranger warned not to get to close as they can be vicious. It looks like an overgrown pig with very bristly hair. When it is annoyed it raises it bristles to look bigger. Havalinas are actually called Peccaries. They are medium-sized animals, with a strong superficial resemblance to pigs. Like pigs, they have a snout ending in a cartilagenous disc, and eyes that are small relative to their head. Also like pigs, they use only the middle two digits for walking, although, unlike pigs, the other toes may be altogether absent. Their stomach is non-ruminating, although it has three chambers, and is more complex than that of pigs.
Peccaries are omnivores, and will eat small animals, although their preferred food consists of roots, grass, seeds, and fruit. Pigs and peccaries can be differentiated by the shape of the canine tooth, or tusk. I took a very close look to make sure it was a Peccary - yeah right! In European pigs the tusk is long and curves around on itself, whereas in peccaries, the tusk is short and straight. The jaws and tusks of peccaries are adapted for crushing hard seeds and slicing into plant roots], and they also use their tusks for defending against predators. As you probably guessed I didn't rattle that info from the top of my head - I copied it from Wikipedia.
After breakfast we got our snacks for the day and then had our map meeting. And then it was back in the saddle again. When we started out it was very cold. I had on my long fingered biking gloves, arm warmers, leg warmers and my light jacket. The 3 or 4 miles were downhill and it was chilly. When I stopped to take a photo my fingers were cold and clumsy! I am still finding the scenery very interesting - yes, the Texas scenery! The sky is so blue and there were wispy clouds. Against the golden straw and the barren fields, all of a sudden you will see the brilliant green of spring. The contrast is startling!
We quickly reached the first Sag Wagon - and of course all the layers came off as the day quickly began to heat up. Today feels like a short day, only 60 miles. The riding is fabulous. We are basically riding parallel to the train tracks, so when it is uphill it is very mild. We are cruising along! It couldn't get better than this, could it?
We leave the Sag and start off toward the town of Alpine. It is a cute town of just over 5,000 and the Texas State College of Sul Ross is located here. Unlike most days, we (Liz, Tex, Kathie and I) decided not to stop in Alpine but to ride through and get to our destination earlier rather than later. Destination - Gage Hotel, Marathon, Texas. Again we were just flying down the roads - with the wind mainly at our back. It felt wonderful. There is literally nothing between Alpine and Marathon. So when we came over a rise and saw some sort of city in the distance, we knew it must be Marathon. We were finished riding before 1:00. We easily found the hotel --- and I can say without question that this is an amazing place to stay!!!!! Thank you WomanTours! I have to say that Tex. Liz, Kathie and I all looked a bit out of place standing to check in. Here we are in our biking shorts, jerseys and shoes ---- to top it off, helmet hair Now this is a top rate hotel! Fortunately the hotel is used to WomanTours coming each year so they didn't chase us out!
Our rooms are ready so we can go to the rooms, drop off the bikes and get lunch. The rooms are fabulous! It can't get better than this! The hotel is very well maintained. I certainly can't do justice in describing the place. It is an made up of adobe buildings with a courtyard in the middle with water fountains, flowers and western items such as old saddles and the likes hanging on the walls. The rooms are spacious with large spanish tiles on the floors, an old wooden chest, hardback leather chairs... Hanging in the bathroom are two robes and a fabulous shower. Oh life can't get better than this! Tex is threatening to declare tomorrow as another rest day just so we can stay here again! Now that's not a bad idea other than it would mean doing about 175 miles when we got on the bikes again. I guess we better enjoy our night here!
As always there is much more to write, so many things that happen between the cracks! This experience continues to be fantastic. All of us on this tour are so, so, fortunate. Pinch me and tell me this is all real! As Tex says; "Each day you think, it can't get better than this, and yet somehow it does. Amazing!"
Miles: 59.46 ------------ Total Mileage: 1,222.86
Theme: Every Day Is Better Than the One Before! How Can This Be?????
Well after a day of rest yesterday, it is back in the saddle again. We had a great breakfast at Fort Davis Indian Lodge. We ordered from their menu so everyone was happy. Sleepy - but happy! People straggled in one by one, but soon everyone was there. When Diane came in various people said hello, but she heard nothing. So the entire table said "Good Morning Diane." Diane is a bit hard of hearing. She finally heard her morning greeting however! Nancy came - still trying to wake from her sleep. She mentioned that when she walked over she heard some rustling and lo and behold it was a Havalina. I have seen a few dead on the roadside and had wanted to see a live one. So I took the opportunity and it was still there. The ranger warned not to get to close as they can be vicious. It looks like an overgrown pig with very bristly hair. When it is annoyed it raises it bristles to look bigger. Havalinas are actually called Peccaries. They are medium-sized animals, with a strong superficial resemblance to pigs. Like pigs, they have a snout ending in a cartilagenous disc, and eyes that are small relative to their head. Also like pigs, they use only the middle two digits for walking, although, unlike pigs, the other toes may be altogether absent. Their stomach is non-ruminating, although it has three chambers, and is more complex than that of pigs.
Peccaries are omnivores, and will eat small animals, although their preferred food consists of roots, grass, seeds, and fruit. Pigs and peccaries can be differentiated by the shape of the canine tooth, or tusk. I took a very close look to make sure it was a Peccary - yeah right! In European pigs the tusk is long and curves around on itself, whereas in peccaries, the tusk is short and straight. The jaws and tusks of peccaries are adapted for crushing hard seeds and slicing into plant roots], and they also use their tusks for defending against predators. As you probably guessed I didn't rattle that info from the top of my head - I copied it from Wikipedia.
After breakfast we got our snacks for the day and then had our map meeting. And then it was back in the saddle again. When we started out it was very cold. I had on my long fingered biking gloves, arm warmers, leg warmers and my light jacket. The 3 or 4 miles were downhill and it was chilly. When I stopped to take a photo my fingers were cold and clumsy! I am still finding the scenery very interesting - yes, the Texas scenery! The sky is so blue and there were wispy clouds. Against the golden straw and the barren fields, all of a sudden you will see the brilliant green of spring. The contrast is startling!
We quickly reached the first Sag Wagon - and of course all the layers came off as the day quickly began to heat up. Today feels like a short day, only 60 miles. The riding is fabulous. We are basically riding parallel to the train tracks, so when it is uphill it is very mild. We are cruising along! It couldn't get better than this, could it?
We leave the Sag and start off toward the town of Alpine. It is a cute town of just over 5,000 and the Texas State College of Sul Ross is located here. Unlike most days, we (Liz, Tex, Kathie and I) decided not to stop in Alpine but to ride through and get to our destination earlier rather than later. Destination - Gage Hotel, Marathon, Texas. Again we were just flying down the roads - with the wind mainly at our back. It felt wonderful. There is literally nothing between Alpine and Marathon. So when we came over a rise and saw some sort of city in the distance, we knew it must be Marathon. We were finished riding before 1:00. We easily found the hotel --- and I can say without question that this is an amazing place to stay!!!!! Thank you WomanTours! I have to say that Tex. Liz, Kathie and I all looked a bit out of place standing to check in. Here we are in our biking shorts, jerseys and shoes ---- to top it off, helmet hair Now this is a top rate hotel! Fortunately the hotel is used to WomanTours coming each year so they didn't chase us out!
Our rooms are ready so we can go to the rooms, drop off the bikes and get lunch. The rooms are fabulous! It can't get better than this! The hotel is very well maintained. I certainly can't do justice in describing the place. It is an made up of adobe buildings with a courtyard in the middle with water fountains, flowers and western items such as old saddles and the likes hanging on the walls. The rooms are spacious with large spanish tiles on the floors, an old wooden chest, hardback leather chairs... Hanging in the bathroom are two robes and a fabulous shower. Oh life can't get better than this! Tex is threatening to declare tomorrow as another rest day just so we can stay here again! Now that's not a bad idea other than it would mean doing about 175 miles when we got on the bikes again. I guess we better enjoy our night here!
As always there is much more to write, so many things that happen between the cracks! This experience continues to be fantastic. All of us on this tour are so, so, fortunate. Pinch me and tell me this is all real! As Tex says; "Each day you think, it can't get better than this, and yet somehow it does. Amazing!"
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Day 21: Fort Davis, Texas -- Rest Day
Day 21: Fort Davis, Texas -- Rest Day
Miles: Big Fat ZERO ---------- Total Mileage to Date: 1,163.40
Theme: Chilling!
Oh - it felt good to sleep last night. I have to say though that I was still excited from the ride and it took me awhile to just mellow out and go to sleep. When I did though, I was out like a light! I woke up a couple times in the night and enjoyed looking at all the stars. They were beautiful and without all the light pollution, you could see so many stars. I woke about 5:00 a.m. Around 6:30 the sun peaked over the ridge. It was a fabulous sunrise! When I went to breakfast around 7:30 I could still see the moon. I love the setting of this Lodge. It is run by the Parks Department and though quite simple, it is extremely nicely done. What a great place to have a day off.
My goals for today, do laundry, clean my bike a bit, and take it easy. I really am going to make this a rest day! Around 9:00 a group of us went down to the laundry mat in town. We started our washing and then left to explore the town. For most of us that meant the one market that seemed to be the hub of the town.
Tex and I walked down a bit further after the market and came across a broom maker. An older man was working on a sanding belt outside sanding a broom handle. We talked to him as he showed us the brooms. I asked if he had one I could ride - but unfortunately he didn't. We explained that we were on our bikes so wouldn't be making any purchases today. Turns out he sells over 1,000 brooms a year to a company on the East Coast that sells them.
Tex and I then walked about a block in the opposite direction. We came upon a pecan shop. They had all different types of pecans - chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, spicy... They tasted wonderful. Tex bought some to ship to a friend. I however simply sampled! Yum!
Then it was back to the laundry. At one point I was inside and the rest of the gang was outside, sitting around sharing stories. It was fun to hear the laughter as people were sharing stories. This group has really come together well! While the washers and driers weren't the most efficient, it was still great to get clean clothes!
The 2nd order of business for the day was to clean my bike. Oh yes, but before that I had to keep good on my promise - and that meant changing Katherine's back tube. It took almost no time and she was so appreciative! Now to my bike with the seemingly endless chain. Given last time I cleaned my bike I had trouble that almost kept me from riding the entire way, I have to admit I was hesitant to do too much. I did a quick job - hopefully enough to make it easily to our rest stop next week where I will have the shop look over it and give it a good cleaning. Even cleaning bikes there was plenty of laughter and fun. What can one expect with Marge, Tex,and Katherine!
Two of three goals accomplished. My third goal - taking it easy. Currently the wind is howling outside and I am about try to complete a Sudoko - a tree mail surprise from my friend Kelle. I am not sure if my brain is settled however from riding over chip seal all day yesterday. At least I can use that as my excuse. After a few Sudoku's, then it's time to take a snooze! And then I will have accomplished all my goals for the day! What a great day to CHILL! Hope your day was good as well!
PS: Well I never did get the nap but accomplishing 2 out of 3 goals isn't bad. I found today that while it was good for the muscles to have a day off, it also made me realize how much I miss my family, friends, co-workers (who I also consider my friends!). I wouldn't give up the riding... and the fabulous new friends that I have --- but I miss my regular routine and contacts as well. So I guess I have the best of both worlds, love my regular life and all the people in it, getting to have an incredible experience and meet wonderful new people. I did shed a few tears today though as I missed folks. You know me, always wear my emotions on my sleeves!
Miles: Big Fat ZERO ---------- Total Mileage to Date: 1,163.40
Theme: Chilling!
Oh - it felt good to sleep last night. I have to say though that I was still excited from the ride and it took me awhile to just mellow out and go to sleep. When I did though, I was out like a light! I woke up a couple times in the night and enjoyed looking at all the stars. They were beautiful and without all the light pollution, you could see so many stars. I woke about 5:00 a.m. Around 6:30 the sun peaked over the ridge. It was a fabulous sunrise! When I went to breakfast around 7:30 I could still see the moon. I love the setting of this Lodge. It is run by the Parks Department and though quite simple, it is extremely nicely done. What a great place to have a day off.
My goals for today, do laundry, clean my bike a bit, and take it easy. I really am going to make this a rest day! Around 9:00 a group of us went down to the laundry mat in town. We started our washing and then left to explore the town. For most of us that meant the one market that seemed to be the hub of the town.
Tex and I walked down a bit further after the market and came across a broom maker. An older man was working on a sanding belt outside sanding a broom handle. We talked to him as he showed us the brooms. I asked if he had one I could ride - but unfortunately he didn't. We explained that we were on our bikes so wouldn't be making any purchases today. Turns out he sells over 1,000 brooms a year to a company on the East Coast that sells them.
Tex and I then walked about a block in the opposite direction. We came upon a pecan shop. They had all different types of pecans - chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, spicy... They tasted wonderful. Tex bought some to ship to a friend. I however simply sampled! Yum!
Then it was back to the laundry. At one point I was inside and the rest of the gang was outside, sitting around sharing stories. It was fun to hear the laughter as people were sharing stories. This group has really come together well! While the washers and driers weren't the most efficient, it was still great to get clean clothes!
The 2nd order of business for the day was to clean my bike. Oh yes, but before that I had to keep good on my promise - and that meant changing Katherine's back tube. It took almost no time and she was so appreciative! Now to my bike with the seemingly endless chain. Given last time I cleaned my bike I had trouble that almost kept me from riding the entire way, I have to admit I was hesitant to do too much. I did a quick job - hopefully enough to make it easily to our rest stop next week where I will have the shop look over it and give it a good cleaning. Even cleaning bikes there was plenty of laughter and fun. What can one expect with Marge, Tex,and Katherine!
Two of three goals accomplished. My third goal - taking it easy. Currently the wind is howling outside and I am about try to complete a Sudoko - a tree mail surprise from my friend Kelle. I am not sure if my brain is settled however from riding over chip seal all day yesterday. At least I can use that as my excuse. After a few Sudoku's, then it's time to take a snooze! And then I will have accomplished all my goals for the day! What a great day to CHILL! Hope your day was good as well!
PS: Well I never did get the nap but accomplishing 2 out of 3 goals isn't bad. I found today that while it was good for the muscles to have a day off, it also made me realize how much I miss my family, friends, co-workers (who I also consider my friends!). I wouldn't give up the riding... and the fabulous new friends that I have --- but I miss my regular routine and contacts as well. So I guess I have the best of both worlds, love my regular life and all the people in it, getting to have an incredible experience and meet wonderful new people. I did shed a few tears today though as I missed folks. You know me, always wear my emotions on my sleeves!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Day 20: VanHorn to Fort Davis, Texas - Surprise we have Internet Connection!
Day 20: VanHorn to Fort Davis, Texas
Miles: 88.75
Theme: What a Difference a Day Can Make!
Wow - what a day in Texas. We ate breakfast at the hotel this morning at 6:30. We wanted to get out as soon as possible as we were warned it would be a long and hard day. Well unfortunately the sun didn't cooperate so we all were standing around for about 1/2 an hour waiting until it was light enough to ride safely. We finally started out around 8:00. We are officially going to get into the Texas Hill Country today. But first we have to bike about 44 miles on I-10. Certainly not our preferred route, but sometimes there is no other choice. Yesterday we were on quite farms roads, today the din of Interstate 10! Yesterday we were flying down the road, with a fabulous tailwind. Today not so lucky! As soon as we left the hotel we rode straight into a full on headwind today - ugh!!!! And of course the road surface in Texas is horrible - chip seal (and we will have a total of about 20 days of it!). As I mentioned yesterday pedaling on chip seal is extremely difficult. It takes much more effort than on a typical road surface. I believe if Texas changed the surface of their roads we could save millions of gallons of gasoline per year. In fact, maybe we would be able to be free ourselves from our dependence on foreign oil!
It really was tough going. We reached the first Sag (Marge is the Sag driver today) and got more water and had some snacks to eat. Then we pushed on - or that was our intention. Kathy, Tex and I were riding together. We had agreed to switch the lead biker every mile in order to try to keep everyone as strong as possible. As we started off, I almost fell over but fortunately got my shoes unclipped just in the knick of time. Kathy and Tex had started down the on ramp (you the on ramp for I-10). I got clipped back in and started again. The ride was bumpy - but then again so was the road. Maybe not that bumpy though! I stopped and looked down and saw I had a flat tire. Dang it! I tried to yell at Tex and Kathy but with the din of the freeway, they didn't hear me. I tried waving them down but no luck. I turned around frustrated, feeling sorry for myself and walked back up the on ramp to the Sag Wagon. I figured Kathy and Tex would go on and I would meet them at the next stop - mile 48 - our lunch stop.
As I was changing my tire I asked Marge if she would mind calling Tex and letting her know to go ahead - that I would be coming along asap. Marge was only able to leave a message. Several others came to the Sag stop (Liz, Greta, Eva, Ruth, Diane, Katherine). There I sat on the road changing my inter tube. I had just finished when Katherine noticed that she was low on air. Diane and Katherine attempted to put in more air, but were having trouble getting a good seal on the tube. They were getting frustrated and thought the pump was bad. I mentioned that the pump was fine as I had just used it. I tried to pump air in the tube and could hear the air coming out immediately. There was a hole right at the stem.
Katherine was ready to throw in the towel and just take the Sag - she was so frustrated. That feeling I could relate too! I told her I would be happy to change it for her and proceeded to do so. It only took me about 10 minutes. In the middle of doing it, Tex called Marge. She had stopped just down the road and was waiting for me. She had heard from others I had a flat. Marge gave me the phone and I said - go ahead, I'll be coming along as soon as I finish Katherine's tire. She said, no, I am waiting for you. Tex has been an amazing friend and riding partner on this trip. Simply amazing!!!!!
Finally I finished and caught up with Tex --- and off we went. We certainly didn't need the delay given the headwind and what was ahead. We slowly but surely kept pedaling down I-10. Riding on the shoulder is tricky, not only because of the trash in the shoulder - especially metal shards from steel belted tires, but the noise from all the semis is deafening. We finally turned off the interstate and got on 118, there was silence. You could actually hear the birds... And not only that, but the wind was gone. The bad news, what was flat and easy riding yesterday -- well they don't call it Texas Hill country for nothing! The scenery was very interesting (again opposite of yesterday), with golden fields, with trees and cactus in the hills. After quite some time we made it to the lunch stop at mile 46. Linda and Carol did an amazing job as always. The lunch spread was superb. They had also unloaded the luggage from the trailer so we could get at the cold drinks and have chairs to sit on. In the middle of nowhere - we are served a spectacular lunch. Yesterday we ate PB & J on the steps of a closed down restaurant.
At our lunch stop we had completed about 1/2 of the total miles we had to do for the day. So without too much further delay, though it was tempting to stay longer - off we went. And this is where the hills really started. Let me just say ouch!!!!! The chip seal was not only bumpy, but when you hit a hill it felt like we were riding through quicksand. All I can say is that it was hard work. We stopped fairly often and when we did I took the opportunity to do some of the stretches. I would either lean on my bike and stretch my back, or lie on the road and do other stretches. I am sure if any one was going by they would wonder what the heck I was doing. All I know is that it is really helping! And so we continued UP the road in this fashion. We were in the heat of the day now and it was hot! Mile by mile we were SLOWLY getting closer to our goal - Fort Davis State Park. At this point in the ride the hills were tough! At one point I thought I need to shift to my lowest gear (called the granny gear). As I tried to shift down, I realized I was already in my granny gear - I just groaned! What was so frustrating was the hills didn't look that bad. It was incredibly deceptive and depressing. On some hills I thought I might have to get off and walk! We pushed onward and upward. I was a bit faster up the hills (but believe at this point not much) so I would go ahead and then wait at the crest of each hill. At one point I was waiting and Kathy came around the bend and then Diane came around. She had caught up to us. I asked her if she passed Tex and she said "yup she was right behind me." Tex still didn't show up, so I stared to get concerned that something happened. I told Kathie I was going to go back and see what was up, but told Kathie to go ahead. As I cycled back, there was Tex with a flat tire! I had told her earlier in the day "I know I shouldn't say this but I hope at some point you get a flat tire so I can change it for you and repay you for all the kindness you have shown me." Big mistake, never wish that on anyone!
So I got to change a third inter tube today. As I started doing this Eva and Victoria passed by. Both asked if we needed help but we waved them on. It was a long day for all and we still had hills to conquer. Finally the tire was fixed and we were back on the bikes. Tex and I were the last two rides now. We simply told each other, one mile at a time, we will do this. It might take longer than we had expected, but it really doesn't matter. After another couple miles of climbing we finally reached the MacDonald Observatory and had a glorious down hill ride. It is amazing how a good down hill can refresh one's body and soul! After a very long day we had one last hill to climb to Fort Davis Lodge. We did it - we stuck together and helped each other once again! I am proud of how we rode today. Tex and I are like sisters - we have each other's back. Oddly enough Tex has a younger sister who was born the same day and year as me.
It was a long and hard day. Yesterday no flats, today a total of 6 flats among the group. Yesterday we loved the wind, today we were cursing it. Yesterday quiet farm roads, today the I-10. Yesterday - we flew down the relatively flat roads. Today we labored over the Texas hills. Like everyone we are all ready for a day off tomorrow!
Miles: 88.75
Theme: What a Difference a Day Can Make!
Wow - what a day in Texas. We ate breakfast at the hotel this morning at 6:30. We wanted to get out as soon as possible as we were warned it would be a long and hard day. Well unfortunately the sun didn't cooperate so we all were standing around for about 1/2 an hour waiting until it was light enough to ride safely. We finally started out around 8:00. We are officially going to get into the Texas Hill Country today. But first we have to bike about 44 miles on I-10. Certainly not our preferred route, but sometimes there is no other choice. Yesterday we were on quite farms roads, today the din of Interstate 10! Yesterday we were flying down the road, with a fabulous tailwind. Today not so lucky! As soon as we left the hotel we rode straight into a full on headwind today - ugh!!!! And of course the road surface in Texas is horrible - chip seal (and we will have a total of about 20 days of it!). As I mentioned yesterday pedaling on chip seal is extremely difficult. It takes much more effort than on a typical road surface. I believe if Texas changed the surface of their roads we could save millions of gallons of gasoline per year. In fact, maybe we would be able to be free ourselves from our dependence on foreign oil!
It really was tough going. We reached the first Sag (Marge is the Sag driver today) and got more water and had some snacks to eat. Then we pushed on - or that was our intention. Kathy, Tex and I were riding together. We had agreed to switch the lead biker every mile in order to try to keep everyone as strong as possible. As we started off, I almost fell over but fortunately got my shoes unclipped just in the knick of time. Kathy and Tex had started down the on ramp (you the on ramp for I-10). I got clipped back in and started again. The ride was bumpy - but then again so was the road. Maybe not that bumpy though! I stopped and looked down and saw I had a flat tire. Dang it! I tried to yell at Tex and Kathy but with the din of the freeway, they didn't hear me. I tried waving them down but no luck. I turned around frustrated, feeling sorry for myself and walked back up the on ramp to the Sag Wagon. I figured Kathy and Tex would go on and I would meet them at the next stop - mile 48 - our lunch stop.
As I was changing my tire I asked Marge if she would mind calling Tex and letting her know to go ahead - that I would be coming along asap. Marge was only able to leave a message. Several others came to the Sag stop (Liz, Greta, Eva, Ruth, Diane, Katherine). There I sat on the road changing my inter tube. I had just finished when Katherine noticed that she was low on air. Diane and Katherine attempted to put in more air, but were having trouble getting a good seal on the tube. They were getting frustrated and thought the pump was bad. I mentioned that the pump was fine as I had just used it. I tried to pump air in the tube and could hear the air coming out immediately. There was a hole right at the stem.
Katherine was ready to throw in the towel and just take the Sag - she was so frustrated. That feeling I could relate too! I told her I would be happy to change it for her and proceeded to do so. It only took me about 10 minutes. In the middle of doing it, Tex called Marge. She had stopped just down the road and was waiting for me. She had heard from others I had a flat. Marge gave me the phone and I said - go ahead, I'll be coming along as soon as I finish Katherine's tire. She said, no, I am waiting for you. Tex has been an amazing friend and riding partner on this trip. Simply amazing!!!!!
Finally I finished and caught up with Tex --- and off we went. We certainly didn't need the delay given the headwind and what was ahead. We slowly but surely kept pedaling down I-10. Riding on the shoulder is tricky, not only because of the trash in the shoulder - especially metal shards from steel belted tires, but the noise from all the semis is deafening. We finally turned off the interstate and got on 118, there was silence. You could actually hear the birds... And not only that, but the wind was gone. The bad news, what was flat and easy riding yesterday -- well they don't call it Texas Hill country for nothing! The scenery was very interesting (again opposite of yesterday), with golden fields, with trees and cactus in the hills. After quite some time we made it to the lunch stop at mile 46. Linda and Carol did an amazing job as always. The lunch spread was superb. They had also unloaded the luggage from the trailer so we could get at the cold drinks and have chairs to sit on. In the middle of nowhere - we are served a spectacular lunch. Yesterday we ate PB & J on the steps of a closed down restaurant.
At our lunch stop we had completed about 1/2 of the total miles we had to do for the day. So without too much further delay, though it was tempting to stay longer - off we went. And this is where the hills really started. Let me just say ouch!!!!! The chip seal was not only bumpy, but when you hit a hill it felt like we were riding through quicksand. All I can say is that it was hard work. We stopped fairly often and when we did I took the opportunity to do some of the stretches. I would either lean on my bike and stretch my back, or lie on the road and do other stretches. I am sure if any one was going by they would wonder what the heck I was doing. All I know is that it is really helping! And so we continued UP the road in this fashion. We were in the heat of the day now and it was hot! Mile by mile we were SLOWLY getting closer to our goal - Fort Davis State Park. At this point in the ride the hills were tough! At one point I thought I need to shift to my lowest gear (called the granny gear). As I tried to shift down, I realized I was already in my granny gear - I just groaned! What was so frustrating was the hills didn't look that bad. It was incredibly deceptive and depressing. On some hills I thought I might have to get off and walk! We pushed onward and upward. I was a bit faster up the hills (but believe at this point not much) so I would go ahead and then wait at the crest of each hill. At one point I was waiting and Kathy came around the bend and then Diane came around. She had caught up to us. I asked her if she passed Tex and she said "yup she was right behind me." Tex still didn't show up, so I stared to get concerned that something happened. I told Kathie I was going to go back and see what was up, but told Kathie to go ahead. As I cycled back, there was Tex with a flat tire! I had told her earlier in the day "I know I shouldn't say this but I hope at some point you get a flat tire so I can change it for you and repay you for all the kindness you have shown me." Big mistake, never wish that on anyone!
So I got to change a third inter tube today. As I started doing this Eva and Victoria passed by. Both asked if we needed help but we waved them on. It was a long day for all and we still had hills to conquer. Finally the tire was fixed and we were back on the bikes. Tex and I were the last two rides now. We simply told each other, one mile at a time, we will do this. It might take longer than we had expected, but it really doesn't matter. After another couple miles of climbing we finally reached the MacDonald Observatory and had a glorious down hill ride. It is amazing how a good down hill can refresh one's body and soul! After a very long day we had one last hill to climb to Fort Davis Lodge. We did it - we stuck together and helped each other once again! I am proud of how we rode today. Tex and I are like sisters - we have each other's back. Oddly enough Tex has a younger sister who was born the same day and year as me.
It was a long and hard day. Yesterday no flats, today a total of 6 flats among the group. Yesterday we loved the wind, today we were cursing it. Yesterday quiet farm roads, today the I-10. Yesterday - we flew down the relatively flat roads. Today we labored over the Texas hills. Like everyone we are all ready for a day off tomorrow!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Day 19: Fort Hancock to VanHorn, Texas
Day 19: Fort Hancock to VanHorn, Texas
Miles: 84.30
Theme: Things change on a dime!
The motel we stayed in last night was - well what can I say, not a place that I would recommend. My mom always taught me if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. I will stick with my mom's advice!
Because this hotel didn't have a complimentary breakfast (thank goodness) Linda made up scrambled eggs and the fixings for breakfast burritos, hot oatmeal, coffee... I have to admit I personally prefer when the hotels don't have breakfast as Linda's is a much better way to start the day! After breakfast, we loaded our luggage in the trailer, filled water bottles and headed down the road. Tex, Kathie, Liz and I were riding together today. Given the winds that came up yesterday we wanted to get in as early as possible in case the wind was in our face!
We started out and we were sailing down the road. The countryside wasn't that interesting. Once again we are very close to the Mexican border so you see a lot of border patrol vehicles as well as the Bush Fence. The ride was relatively flat (maybe even a bit downhill and with the wind at our backs, we were cruising. Since we started early as well, the weather at this stage was fantastic! It also made for fun shadows. I could see my own shadow of me riding the "BarcaLounger (Ms. B as my friend Kelle has dubbed my bike). What can I say, life was a breeze. I did enjoy however the lines of deep furrowed fields - as they lead the eyes to the mountains. Of course I had to stop and take a photo or two
We quickly came to mile 19ish, where Lise, Nancy and Lisa caught up with us. At the intersection Nancy (aka Sacagawea) looked at her directions while riding and said go right. Those three quickly put some distance between Kathie, Tex, Liz and me. The four of us were cooking down the road, pleased with our pass and thinking that we wouldn't have too much trouble with the 75 miles we were suppose to ride today. The road was empty so rode 2 abreast. It was nice to have some conversation and see the miles quickly go by. Given that the scenery was rather barren, conversation and a tailwind were greatly appreciated.
Off in the distance I saw a group of cyclist coming in the opposite direction. It is fun to see other riders as occasionally you meet up with others going across the country. As this group got closer I saw an orange jacket. An orange jacket is fairly unusual and the only person I know who has one is Lisa (Young Pup). As they got closer it dawned on all of us that it was the three from our group. As they passed us they shouted we went the wrong way at the turn --- 6 miles back! Our hearts sank! To top it off when we turned around, what was a beautiful tailwind was now a very UGLY headwind. Oh, how my heart sank! Tex and I both took a quick bathroom break and then started up the hill -- yes to add insult to injury not only did we now have a head wind, but we also had to go uphill! As we got over the small rise (that felt like a BIG HILL) Liz, Kathie, Nancy, Lise and Young Pup were all talking.
Lise is an M.D. and also was a colonel in the Army. She knows about leadership and leading a team. She said "okay ya all, we are going to ride a pace line and this is how it works." She explained that we would have one person in front, breaking the wind, then that person would drop back and the next in line would take lead. The idea is to lead just for a short time so everyone keeps fresh legs and benefits by drafting the person in front of them. Most of us hadn't ridden a pace line before. It took us a bit, but we quickly got the hang of it. It also helped that Lise (pronounced "please" but with out the "p") used her colonel voice. We kept a good pace and probably most importantly, we kept strong mentally! In a relatively short time, we were back where we should have turned left instead of right!
I was really thankful for Lise's leadership and how she helped turn a situation that could have been very frustrating - and people could have pointed fingers at one another, into a time where we all worked together and actually enjoyed the experience. Liz said to me a bit later you know we just learned in about 30 minutes what takes many people a lifetime - and that is teamwork. We all are the wiser for the experience and the price --- well it wasn't painless, but wasn't too hefty!
Lise, Lisa and Nancy went on ahead now that we were all back on track and the 4 of us set off again at our pace. The next few miles were somewhat painful. We were again riding into a headwind and to top things off the pavement was what is known as Chipseal. Chipseal is basically a coat of tar with small works thrown on top of it. It is a cheap way of making roads and leads to a ride that is very much less than comfortable! Also, it makes for a very inefficient surface for riding on. I have come to truly appreciate smooth roads! Unfortunately there are a whole lot of Chipseal road in Texas - and as you know, we are going to be in Texas for a very long time!
We finally got to the first Sag stop which was at mile 26ish. For us it was more like mile 36 however. Katherine was driving Sag today and was so relieved to see us. She had tried to call several of us. She tried me twice as others informed her that we must have taken the wrong route as we were ahead of them. I have always just carried my phone in case of an emergency - and had a rule not to answer if it rang while riding. I am not sure I would have heard it - but I am definitely changing that rule!
Katherine was a sweetheart as always, encouraged us to no end and gave us everything we needed. We headed out once again - this time we hoped that we would read the cut sheet a bit more diligently! We hammered out the next 20 miles and meet up with Katherine again. At this point we had to decide whether we would stop to get lunch at one of the two options in the town or simply eat from the Sag wagon and keep pushing on. We all decided to get what we needed from the Sag - or things we had made in the morning (like a PB & J) and go on. It was getting hot and again we didn't want to be out in the sun any longer than we had too - and we didn't want to deal with winds changing directions... We ate sitting on the steps of a old restaurant which had been abandoned. All the glass windows had been broken... It might have been in nice at one time, but that must have been quite some time ago!
And off we went once again. Thankful the wind continued to be a tailwind for the rest of the day. We were all very grateful! We finally caught up to some of the others who had stopped for a proper lunch. We kept speeding down the road. We we got to the last Sag stop of the day - Katherine was there once again. And this time she had Zinc Oxide. Several of us had quite badly burnt lips - so magically she either went and bought some or had it hidden away somewhere. Katherine gave us all a squeeze of it and told us to put it on. Well some of us are better at putting on lipstick than others! I could not look at Tex or Liz without busting a gut laughing! Oh my. And so that that is how we ended up the day. Faces filled with Zinc Oxide. I told Tex that the cars coming the other direction up Interstate 10 would be blinded if they didn't have on super-duper sun glasses! But I want to tell you, I am not sure if Tex ate something special at the Sag stop because up the last hill of the day --- she was a rocket. Then again maybe she thought if she went fast enough - no one would see her. I can understand why she might want to do that!
As we were gathering to go out for dinner tonight - (we went out to dinner - due to the windy conditions - or so we were told at the time). Before that Marge updated us on her sister. If you recall Marge found out from her sister a couple of days ago that she was told she had ovarian and pancreatic cancer. Today was the day for surgery. Thankfully what they thought was ovarian cancer was a very large cyst which they removed. The did find that she had pancreatic cancer but the good news is that it is stage 1. So given the initial outlook, no one could have hoped for better. We were all very glad for Marge and her sister!
After that news, we went to a Mexican/American restaurant. It was great. As always, with a group of 17 women cyclists, we decibel level increased many fold when we came in. We all ordered off the menu. Not a problem, until the waiter came to Liz. She had to order 4 times as every time she ordered something they ended up being out of what she wanted. To top it off at the end of the meal Liz and a couple others wanted dessert. She asked what they had. The waiter sheepishly said they had sold out of one of the desserts and they only had one piece of lemon fruit cheesecake left. She immediately said I want that - and get it now! She did get her homemade lemon-fruit cheese cake. It was a good thing - as who knows what might have happened had someone else snatched it before her! Liz was a good sport about it all!
We got back her to the hotel and did a quick map meeting. Tomorrow we will have a 90 mile day --- and unlike most long days there are some really steep hills (about 15 miles of climbing) --- and they are nearer the end of the day. Ouch! I just have to say it's just mile by mile, not to worry, just go one mile at a time.
Linda then told us about the hotel. Again we have been warned that there is no Internet connection. We will be in a state park and so I really do think we won't have connection this time. There is also very limited cell phone connection. We will be having a rest day here, so I may not be able to post my blog for a couple of days. As always, if I can I will, but I am doubtful this time.
... Good night all. Stay safe, be well!
Miles: 84.30
Theme: Things change on a dime!
The motel we stayed in last night was - well what can I say, not a place that I would recommend. My mom always taught me if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. I will stick with my mom's advice!
Because this hotel didn't have a complimentary breakfast (thank goodness) Linda made up scrambled eggs and the fixings for breakfast burritos, hot oatmeal, coffee... I have to admit I personally prefer when the hotels don't have breakfast as Linda's is a much better way to start the day! After breakfast, we loaded our luggage in the trailer, filled water bottles and headed down the road. Tex, Kathie, Liz and I were riding together today. Given the winds that came up yesterday we wanted to get in as early as possible in case the wind was in our face!
We started out and we were sailing down the road. The countryside wasn't that interesting. Once again we are very close to the Mexican border so you see a lot of border patrol vehicles as well as the Bush Fence. The ride was relatively flat (maybe even a bit downhill and with the wind at our backs, we were cruising. Since we started early as well, the weather at this stage was fantastic! It also made for fun shadows. I could see my own shadow of me riding the "BarcaLounger (Ms. B as my friend Kelle has dubbed my bike). What can I say, life was a breeze. I did enjoy however the lines of deep furrowed fields - as they lead the eyes to the mountains. Of course I had to stop and take a photo or two
We quickly came to mile 19ish, where Lise, Nancy and Lisa caught up with us. At the intersection Nancy (aka Sacagawea) looked at her directions while riding and said go right. Those three quickly put some distance between Kathie, Tex, Liz and me. The four of us were cooking down the road, pleased with our pass and thinking that we wouldn't have too much trouble with the 75 miles we were suppose to ride today. The road was empty so rode 2 abreast. It was nice to have some conversation and see the miles quickly go by. Given that the scenery was rather barren, conversation and a tailwind were greatly appreciated.
Off in the distance I saw a group of cyclist coming in the opposite direction. It is fun to see other riders as occasionally you meet up with others going across the country. As this group got closer I saw an orange jacket. An orange jacket is fairly unusual and the only person I know who has one is Lisa (Young Pup). As they got closer it dawned on all of us that it was the three from our group. As they passed us they shouted we went the wrong way at the turn --- 6 miles back! Our hearts sank! To top it off when we turned around, what was a beautiful tailwind was now a very UGLY headwind. Oh, how my heart sank! Tex and I both took a quick bathroom break and then started up the hill -- yes to add insult to injury not only did we now have a head wind, but we also had to go uphill! As we got over the small rise (that felt like a BIG HILL) Liz, Kathie, Nancy, Lise and Young Pup were all talking.
Lise is an M.D. and also was a colonel in the Army. She knows about leadership and leading a team. She said "okay ya all, we are going to ride a pace line and this is how it works." She explained that we would have one person in front, breaking the wind, then that person would drop back and the next in line would take lead. The idea is to lead just for a short time so everyone keeps fresh legs and benefits by drafting the person in front of them. Most of us hadn't ridden a pace line before. It took us a bit, but we quickly got the hang of it. It also helped that Lise (pronounced "please" but with out the "p") used her colonel voice. We kept a good pace and probably most importantly, we kept strong mentally! In a relatively short time, we were back where we should have turned left instead of right!
I was really thankful for Lise's leadership and how she helped turn a situation that could have been very frustrating - and people could have pointed fingers at one another, into a time where we all worked together and actually enjoyed the experience. Liz said to me a bit later you know we just learned in about 30 minutes what takes many people a lifetime - and that is teamwork. We all are the wiser for the experience and the price --- well it wasn't painless, but wasn't too hefty!
Lise, Lisa and Nancy went on ahead now that we were all back on track and the 4 of us set off again at our pace. The next few miles were somewhat painful. We were again riding into a headwind and to top things off the pavement was what is known as Chipseal. Chipseal is basically a coat of tar with small works thrown on top of it. It is a cheap way of making roads and leads to a ride that is very much less than comfortable! Also, it makes for a very inefficient surface for riding on. I have come to truly appreciate smooth roads! Unfortunately there are a whole lot of Chipseal road in Texas - and as you know, we are going to be in Texas for a very long time!
We finally got to the first Sag stop which was at mile 26ish. For us it was more like mile 36 however. Katherine was driving Sag today and was so relieved to see us. She had tried to call several of us. She tried me twice as others informed her that we must have taken the wrong route as we were ahead of them. I have always just carried my phone in case of an emergency - and had a rule not to answer if it rang while riding. I am not sure I would have heard it - but I am definitely changing that rule!
Katherine was a sweetheart as always, encouraged us to no end and gave us everything we needed. We headed out once again - this time we hoped that we would read the cut sheet a bit more diligently! We hammered out the next 20 miles and meet up with Katherine again. At this point we had to decide whether we would stop to get lunch at one of the two options in the town or simply eat from the Sag wagon and keep pushing on. We all decided to get what we needed from the Sag - or things we had made in the morning (like a PB & J) and go on. It was getting hot and again we didn't want to be out in the sun any longer than we had too - and we didn't want to deal with winds changing directions... We ate sitting on the steps of a old restaurant which had been abandoned. All the glass windows had been broken... It might have been in nice at one time, but that must have been quite some time ago!
And off we went once again. Thankful the wind continued to be a tailwind for the rest of the day. We were all very grateful! We finally caught up to some of the others who had stopped for a proper lunch. We kept speeding down the road. We we got to the last Sag stop of the day - Katherine was there once again. And this time she had Zinc Oxide. Several of us had quite badly burnt lips - so magically she either went and bought some or had it hidden away somewhere. Katherine gave us all a squeeze of it and told us to put it on. Well some of us are better at putting on lipstick than others! I could not look at Tex or Liz without busting a gut laughing! Oh my. And so that that is how we ended up the day. Faces filled with Zinc Oxide. I told Tex that the cars coming the other direction up Interstate 10 would be blinded if they didn't have on super-duper sun glasses! But I want to tell you, I am not sure if Tex ate something special at the Sag stop because up the last hill of the day --- she was a rocket. Then again maybe she thought if she went fast enough - no one would see her. I can understand why she might want to do that!
As we were gathering to go out for dinner tonight - (we went out to dinner - due to the windy conditions - or so we were told at the time). Before that Marge updated us on her sister. If you recall Marge found out from her sister a couple of days ago that she was told she had ovarian and pancreatic cancer. Today was the day for surgery. Thankfully what they thought was ovarian cancer was a very large cyst which they removed. The did find that she had pancreatic cancer but the good news is that it is stage 1. So given the initial outlook, no one could have hoped for better. We were all very glad for Marge and her sister!
After that news, we went to a Mexican/American restaurant. It was great. As always, with a group of 17 women cyclists, we decibel level increased many fold when we came in. We all ordered off the menu. Not a problem, until the waiter came to Liz. She had to order 4 times as every time she ordered something they ended up being out of what she wanted. To top it off at the end of the meal Liz and a couple others wanted dessert. She asked what they had. The waiter sheepishly said they had sold out of one of the desserts and they only had one piece of lemon fruit cheesecake left. She immediately said I want that - and get it now! She did get her homemade lemon-fruit cheese cake. It was a good thing - as who knows what might have happened had someone else snatched it before her! Liz was a good sport about it all!
We got back her to the hotel and did a quick map meeting. Tomorrow we will have a 90 mile day --- and unlike most long days there are some really steep hills (about 15 miles of climbing) --- and they are nearer the end of the day. Ouch! I just have to say it's just mile by mile, not to worry, just go one mile at a time.
Linda then told us about the hotel. Again we have been warned that there is no Internet connection. We will be in a state park and so I really do think we won't have connection this time. There is also very limited cell phone connection. We will be having a rest day here, so I may not be able to post my blog for a couple of days. As always, if I can I will, but I am doubtful this time.
... Good night all. Stay safe, be well!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Day 18: El Paso, TX to Fort Hancock, TX --Unexpected Surprise - Internet Connection
Day 18: El Paso, TX to Fort Hancock, TX Unexpected Surprise - Internet Connection
Miles: 48.17
Theme: Team Alice
Today the ride is suppose to be flat and rather boring - according to our map meeting last night. We will be stopping in Fort Hancock - and the reason we are stopping there is that there is nowhere else to stop within a reasonable riding distance. We aren't leaving until 9:00 this morning --- and the goal is simply to take it easy and don't be in a rush as there is absolutely nothing to do in Fort Hancock.
Nancy thought that it would be nice if we rode as a large group today and supported Alice. Alice has had a tough time on the trip so far. Like me, she is riding a recumbent bike. The difference between our recumbents is night and day however. Alice has a brand called Bike E. These are good bikes to ride in the city - in the flats, but they are tanks. Mine is like driving a Ferrari in comparison. Alice has had to get a bump every day so far - so today seemed like the perfect day to ride with her and help her do the entire ride. I should also mention that Alice has a single room - unlike the rest of us who has a roommate each night. In talking to Alice today I learned that she did this because she was used to working nights and isn't into a regular sleeping pattern yet. She was afraid her getting up at nights would disturb her roommate. The unfortunate part about rooming by yourself is that it makes it harder to connect with others. All the more reason for the rest of us to gather around her and support her in this ride today.
So today was all about Alice. When I talked to her before we started, I could tell Alice was nervous. She didn't want to hold everyone back... I told her, go at her pace and everyone would do what they needed to do. Just as we were about to start, Liz noticed that her tire was losing pressure, so everyone but Liz and Carol started out. (They would catch up later). Alice really preferred not to lead, so Diane set the pace, with Alice following her. And off we went. Today we were on the Mission Trail. We would pass 3 missions along the route. We got to the first mission, but it wasn't open yet. So we went on. The 2nd mission had some restoration work taking place, but we were able to go in and look around. Several of the women made the sign of the cross when they went in, went to a pew and knelt and said some prayers. It was very moving to see them kneeling with biker shirts and a few still had on their helmets, saying their prayers. I am sure some prayers were said for Marge's sister, as well as for our safety.
From the Mission we were on a search for a bathroom. One of the guys working on the restoration of the Mission said there was a convenience store just down the way. As we were try to find it Nancy spied a gallery and asked the guy if it was open. It was, and even more important, they had a bathroom and we were welcome to use it! So we jumped at the opportunity. Now remember we are really in the middle of nowhere with nothing around for miles. We walked in the gallery and were amazed! This gallery had some fabulous art - out here in the middle of nowhere. Everyone was shocked and yes credit cards came out as soon as we heard they ship stuff! I bought a beautiful clay pot which will go well with some that Kate has collected from the Southwest.
Once I made my purchases I waited for others to finish their shopping spree. I didn't want to be tempted to buy anything else so I took the opportunity to do some stretches in order to help those tingling toes! Kate sent me an email with some stretches that I will do faithfully as the tingling toes aren't much fun. Tex took a picture of me on the ground doing stretches so I had proof that I really was doing the exercises! Once everyone was done and we thanked Barry (an artist - as well as the person running the gallery) we hopped backed on our bikes and started down the road once again.
We knew there was place to eat about mile 27 or 28. It didn't take long before we were there, but we didn't see the restaurant. Rather than bike around in circles, I went up to a local man in his car with his family and asked if there was a restaurant nearby. He talked to his wife and then said follow me. So here we were 9 bikes following this man across the highway, over the railroad tracks to a place called Wencho's Cafe.
There were two gentlemen in the cafe - having a peaceful lunch and then Team Alice appears. I should say at this point Team Alice consisted of Alice, Diane, Marge, Catherine, Kathie, Tex, Lise, Nancy and me. There were 2 women running the cafe. One spoke no English. Getting our orders was an ordeal! But even better was figuring out who ordered what when all the food came. The waitress would say something in Spanish and either Catherine or I would have to say it back in English. The waitress was laughing, we were laughing... We were all having a grand time. We decided to call Young Pup (Lisa) who was on Sag duty today to tell her to join us for lunch rather than wait for us to get to the Sag stop. A few minutes later she appeared. Catherine went back and yelled to the kitchen, "un mas enchilada sin carne por un otra persona por favor." The din in the place from all the talking and laughing was deafening.
The two men were about to leave when Catherine asked one of them to take a photo of our group. The poor man ended up taking many photos and answering lots of questions. Turned out they were farmers of alfalfa and pecans and any other crops that they can make some money on. So next came the questions - Why are the trees panted white on the trunk ? A: To protect the trees from the sun. Q: How often are the bases of the trees flooded? A: About every couple of weeks. Q: How do you keep the fields under the trees so flat and clear? A: Herbicides... Finally we stopped asking questions - they wished us well on our journey and said be safe!
We had a great lunch - and before you know it, it was time to ride the last 18 miles. Alice was doing great, but the Sag was available if she needed it. We told her, you can do it Alice. We are all riding with you. The winds had picked up tremendously while we were at lunch. It was mainly a cross wind, but sometimes it was a head wind as well. We rode in pairs side by side, with Lise bringing up the rear. I was positioned next to Alice so I could block the wind for her. As we got closer we would count down the miles. Alice needed to take a couple more breaks, but she was determined to make it. We finally saw the hotel in the distance. By now it was a welcomed site for everyone! As we pulled into the parking lot we started chanting "Alice, Alice, Alice..." Those who already arrived came out and greeted us. Linda (the chef) was practically in tears, Carol came out and gave high fives all around, and Liz took photos of Team Alice. This was the first time Alice had not taken the Sag. Alice explained to us that part of her reason for coming on this trip was to get back some of her "Mojo." Alice then said, "I got my Mojo back today."
Today was a good day for all! Go Team Alice!
Miles: 48.17
Theme: Team Alice
Today the ride is suppose to be flat and rather boring - according to our map meeting last night. We will be stopping in Fort Hancock - and the reason we are stopping there is that there is nowhere else to stop within a reasonable riding distance. We aren't leaving until 9:00 this morning --- and the goal is simply to take it easy and don't be in a rush as there is absolutely nothing to do in Fort Hancock.
Nancy thought that it would be nice if we rode as a large group today and supported Alice. Alice has had a tough time on the trip so far. Like me, she is riding a recumbent bike. The difference between our recumbents is night and day however. Alice has a brand called Bike E. These are good bikes to ride in the city - in the flats, but they are tanks. Mine is like driving a Ferrari in comparison. Alice has had to get a bump every day so far - so today seemed like the perfect day to ride with her and help her do the entire ride. I should also mention that Alice has a single room - unlike the rest of us who has a roommate each night. In talking to Alice today I learned that she did this because she was used to working nights and isn't into a regular sleeping pattern yet. She was afraid her getting up at nights would disturb her roommate. The unfortunate part about rooming by yourself is that it makes it harder to connect with others. All the more reason for the rest of us to gather around her and support her in this ride today.
So today was all about Alice. When I talked to her before we started, I could tell Alice was nervous. She didn't want to hold everyone back... I told her, go at her pace and everyone would do what they needed to do. Just as we were about to start, Liz noticed that her tire was losing pressure, so everyone but Liz and Carol started out. (They would catch up later). Alice really preferred not to lead, so Diane set the pace, with Alice following her. And off we went. Today we were on the Mission Trail. We would pass 3 missions along the route. We got to the first mission, but it wasn't open yet. So we went on. The 2nd mission had some restoration work taking place, but we were able to go in and look around. Several of the women made the sign of the cross when they went in, went to a pew and knelt and said some prayers. It was very moving to see them kneeling with biker shirts and a few still had on their helmets, saying their prayers. I am sure some prayers were said for Marge's sister, as well as for our safety.
From the Mission we were on a search for a bathroom. One of the guys working on the restoration of the Mission said there was a convenience store just down the way. As we were try to find it Nancy spied a gallery and asked the guy if it was open. It was, and even more important, they had a bathroom and we were welcome to use it! So we jumped at the opportunity. Now remember we are really in the middle of nowhere with nothing around for miles. We walked in the gallery and were amazed! This gallery had some fabulous art - out here in the middle of nowhere. Everyone was shocked and yes credit cards came out as soon as we heard they ship stuff! I bought a beautiful clay pot which will go well with some that Kate has collected from the Southwest.
Once I made my purchases I waited for others to finish their shopping spree. I didn't want to be tempted to buy anything else so I took the opportunity to do some stretches in order to help those tingling toes! Kate sent me an email with some stretches that I will do faithfully as the tingling toes aren't much fun. Tex took a picture of me on the ground doing stretches so I had proof that I really was doing the exercises! Once everyone was done and we thanked Barry (an artist - as well as the person running the gallery) we hopped backed on our bikes and started down the road once again.
We knew there was place to eat about mile 27 or 28. It didn't take long before we were there, but we didn't see the restaurant. Rather than bike around in circles, I went up to a local man in his car with his family and asked if there was a restaurant nearby. He talked to his wife and then said follow me. So here we were 9 bikes following this man across the highway, over the railroad tracks to a place called Wencho's Cafe.
There were two gentlemen in the cafe - having a peaceful lunch and then Team Alice appears. I should say at this point Team Alice consisted of Alice, Diane, Marge, Catherine, Kathie, Tex, Lise, Nancy and me. There were 2 women running the cafe. One spoke no English. Getting our orders was an ordeal! But even better was figuring out who ordered what when all the food came. The waitress would say something in Spanish and either Catherine or I would have to say it back in English. The waitress was laughing, we were laughing... We were all having a grand time. We decided to call Young Pup (Lisa) who was on Sag duty today to tell her to join us for lunch rather than wait for us to get to the Sag stop. A few minutes later she appeared. Catherine went back and yelled to the kitchen, "un mas enchilada sin carne por un otra persona por favor." The din in the place from all the talking and laughing was deafening.
The two men were about to leave when Catherine asked one of them to take a photo of our group. The poor man ended up taking many photos and answering lots of questions. Turned out they were farmers of alfalfa and pecans and any other crops that they can make some money on. So next came the questions - Why are the trees panted white on the trunk ? A: To protect the trees from the sun. Q: How often are the bases of the trees flooded? A: About every couple of weeks. Q: How do you keep the fields under the trees so flat and clear? A: Herbicides... Finally we stopped asking questions - they wished us well on our journey and said be safe!
We had a great lunch - and before you know it, it was time to ride the last 18 miles. Alice was doing great, but the Sag was available if she needed it. We told her, you can do it Alice. We are all riding with you. The winds had picked up tremendously while we were at lunch. It was mainly a cross wind, but sometimes it was a head wind as well. We rode in pairs side by side, with Lise bringing up the rear. I was positioned next to Alice so I could block the wind for her. As we got closer we would count down the miles. Alice needed to take a couple more breaks, but she was determined to make it. We finally saw the hotel in the distance. By now it was a welcomed site for everyone! As we pulled into the parking lot we started chanting "Alice, Alice, Alice..." Those who already arrived came out and greeted us. Linda (the chef) was practically in tears, Carol came out and gave high fives all around, and Liz took photos of Team Alice. This was the first time Alice had not taken the Sag. Alice explained to us that part of her reason for coming on this trip was to get back some of her "Mojo." Alice then said, "I got my Mojo back today."
Today was a good day for all! Go Team Alice!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Day 17: Las Cruces, NM to El Paso, TX Note: No Internet Connection tomorrow
Day 17: Las Cruces, NM to El Paso, TX
Miles: 65.42
Theme: Shaking Up Prejudices
BEFORE YOU GET TO THE BLOG FOR TODAY, I JUT LEARNED THAT WE WILL HAVE NO INTERNET OR CELL COVERAGE TOMORROW, THEREFORE I WON'T BE ABLE TO POST UNTIL THE FOLLOWING DAY. SORRY.
Ah - today will be another border crossing, this time into Texas. It will be quite some time before we have our next border crossing - so we better enjoy the margaritas tonight! We were told that our ride would be similar in terrain to what we experienced yesterday - but that we would be doing a lot more city riding as El Paso is a big city!
We started off around 8:00 this morning and it was surprisingly cold! I was debating whether to wear a jacket this morning and am I glad that I did. Even with that on, it was chilly. I regretted my decision only to wear my short fingered gloves though. At one point I stopped to take a photo of the field of Pecan trees - and I had trouble operating the camera because my fingers were so stiff and cold. The trees were interesting. They were mature pecan trees that had all the branches cut off and were topped off at about 10 feet. The trunks were painted white about 6 to 8 feet up. It is the oddest thing to come across. I am assuming the trees will grow back and produce more nuts. I also learned these last few days that the way they water Pecan trees is to flood the field basically. They obviously are using some pesticides as nothing else is growing other than the trees. We are seeing groves and groves of pecan trees. Earlier it was fields of cotton, now it's pecan trees.
We reached the Sag at mile 20. Marge is driving the Sag today. It seems like the tradition now is for the Sag driver to wear Lise's cowboy hat for the day. Marge was sporting the hat quite nicely! It was finally getting warm so I could take of my jacket now, though my fingers still took some time to warm up. It is actually lovely riding weather - no wind and fairly flat roads with interesting things around the corners. One never knows what one will see. One thing that was notably different is that as we got closer to the big city of El Paseo, we definitely saw a lot more cyclists. It dawned on me, duh, it's Sunday - and all the bikers our out getting in their ride before the heat of the day. It made me realize how fortunate we are to not just get to ride on Saturday or Sunday - but we get to ride every single day of the week. I am truly loving getting up each morning and spending the day cycling.
As usual, I was biking with Tex and Kathie. As we came around a corner, something caught my eye, so of course I had to stop to take a photo. Hmmm, how do I describe what I saw. Well it was folk art for sure. Even looking at the picture as I try to describe it doesn't help much. Okay, there was a rusted out old truck body - in the front where there should have been the cab was some sort of stuffed animal with a hat on, with teeth bared. In the bed of the truck was some other animal made from straw bale construction - perhaps a dog. There was also a mattress with springs and on top of the springs were old CD's. And to top it off there was a skeleton on a bicycle. One never knows what one will run into around the corner!
I just started going again, knowing I would have to ride hard to catch back up with Kathie and Tex, and lo and behold along comes a guy traveling in the opposite direction on a recumbent bike similar to mine (with two large wheels). He came to a screeching halt, crossed the road and started talking away. His name was Bruce and he had to give up cycling because he had neck problems... and now he is in 7th heaven because he has a recumbent and can ride again. Then he talked about a guy he just passed on his bike who is riding solo and started in Mississippi and is going all the way to Alaska. I think Bruce would have stayed and talked for hours if I hadn't finally said to him, "well it's nice meeting you Bruce, but I really have to go and catch up to my group now." And so we parted. I now had to sprint to try to catch up to Kathie and Tex before we had to turn off the road we were on. As you might remember, I keep my cue sheet in my bike bag instead on my handle bars because it blocks too much of my view of the road. I didn't want to make an error, so sprinting to catch up was necessary to avoid a costly mistake. I did reach them right as they were about to make the turn! They were just gliding to a stop to wait for me when I caught them.
After the second Sag at mile 40 we quickly got more and more into the burbs and eventually the city of El Paso. On one of the hills there is a small sign that reads: Foot Hurt? - The Foot Institute. I thought it was a cruel joke to play given the issue I have been having with my toe! We didn't stop, but it did make me laugh! We did howeve take advantage of the last bike store we would see for a couple of days. I went in because I needed the small chain guard near the front of my bike tightened. I needed a tool that I didn't have handy so I thought I would just pop in and get that fixed. The other gals as well as Liz stopped with me. Now of course we couldn't go into a bike store and not buy anything! I found arm coolers which I purchased. This will help as the continual sun has made me turn to long sleeve shirts. This will give me the option of taking off the arms any time I want. THe young man who adjusted my bike was so helpful. I would ask a question and the answer would always be "Yes Ma'am." Of course he wouldn't take anything for tightening down the chain guard. It was simple enough to do and will sure make the rest of todays ride much nicer!
From there we really got into the heart of El Paso. It was fun riding through the city. At one point a truck full of workers - were in the back of a city truck. We came up to a stop sign and they asked us where we were going. When we said Florida, their jaws dropped. The light changed and off we went. We meet them at the next red light and I said, you guys work on Sunday. One young man took out his ear buds and said yes, we are repaying our debt to society. Turns out all of them were in the state corrections facility. They couldn't have been nicer or more polite. Things aren't always what they seem. Who knows what any of the men had done - but it could have easily been any of us. By the chance of the family you were born into, the color of your skin, the people you hang out with, what side of the border you are born on, it could easily have been any of us if circumstances had just been slightly different. As they drove off I shouted to them, "Be safe, be good". They shouted back "good luck, have fun."
Shortly after we left downtown El Paso, we had to take highways. Not my favorite type of riding but sometimes a necessary evil. It gets a little scary when you come up to an on ramp. One has to make sure no cars are entering as they don't expect to see bicycles going between 15 and 20 mph, when they are quickly getting up to 55 or 60 mph. All went well and we exited about 8 miles later. It was a relief to just be on normal streets. Well it was, until we noticed that we had a bridge to go over and they were doing road work, which meant one lane in each direction. We came up to a stop sign and there was a guy in a VERY BIG truck. He rolled down his window and said "Go ahead." I was leading, followed by Tex, Kathie and Liz. The guy tucked in behind LIz, turned on his flashers and protected us from all the traffic. We were all so appreciative. I was teary at the kindness of this stranger. Here I thought this man would jump out as quickly as possible so that he wouldn't have to ride behind bikes over this bridge. Instead he escorted us through. My preconceived ideas and prejudices about Texas and Texans are being shaken!
One of my concerns about this trip was that we would spend 20 days riding across Texas. My stereotype of Texas isn't very positive. I told Kate several months ago that I will really need to go through Texas with an open mind. Well I can say, that Texas welcomed us with open arms so far. I am thankful for such a positive first experience! I am happy to have my prejudices all shaken up!
Well, I am once again doing some laundry since we got in early. It is nice to take it easy for the afternoon. There are so many other things that happen during the day that never get shared on this blog. This continues to be an absolutely fabulous experience - and certainly an experience of a lifetime. How lucky am I!
Miles: 65.42
Theme: Shaking Up Prejudices
BEFORE YOU GET TO THE BLOG FOR TODAY, I JUT LEARNED THAT WE WILL HAVE NO INTERNET OR CELL COVERAGE TOMORROW, THEREFORE I WON'T BE ABLE TO POST UNTIL THE FOLLOWING DAY. SORRY.
Ah - today will be another border crossing, this time into Texas. It will be quite some time before we have our next border crossing - so we better enjoy the margaritas tonight! We were told that our ride would be similar in terrain to what we experienced yesterday - but that we would be doing a lot more city riding as El Paso is a big city!
We started off around 8:00 this morning and it was surprisingly cold! I was debating whether to wear a jacket this morning and am I glad that I did. Even with that on, it was chilly. I regretted my decision only to wear my short fingered gloves though. At one point I stopped to take a photo of the field of Pecan trees - and I had trouble operating the camera because my fingers were so stiff and cold. The trees were interesting. They were mature pecan trees that had all the branches cut off and were topped off at about 10 feet. The trunks were painted white about 6 to 8 feet up. It is the oddest thing to come across. I am assuming the trees will grow back and produce more nuts. I also learned these last few days that the way they water Pecan trees is to flood the field basically. They obviously are using some pesticides as nothing else is growing other than the trees. We are seeing groves and groves of pecan trees. Earlier it was fields of cotton, now it's pecan trees.
We reached the Sag at mile 20. Marge is driving the Sag today. It seems like the tradition now is for the Sag driver to wear Lise's cowboy hat for the day. Marge was sporting the hat quite nicely! It was finally getting warm so I could take of my jacket now, though my fingers still took some time to warm up. It is actually lovely riding weather - no wind and fairly flat roads with interesting things around the corners. One never knows what one will see. One thing that was notably different is that as we got closer to the big city of El Paseo, we definitely saw a lot more cyclists. It dawned on me, duh, it's Sunday - and all the bikers our out getting in their ride before the heat of the day. It made me realize how fortunate we are to not just get to ride on Saturday or Sunday - but we get to ride every single day of the week. I am truly loving getting up each morning and spending the day cycling.
As usual, I was biking with Tex and Kathie. As we came around a corner, something caught my eye, so of course I had to stop to take a photo. Hmmm, how do I describe what I saw. Well it was folk art for sure. Even looking at the picture as I try to describe it doesn't help much. Okay, there was a rusted out old truck body - in the front where there should have been the cab was some sort of stuffed animal with a hat on, with teeth bared. In the bed of the truck was some other animal made from straw bale construction - perhaps a dog. There was also a mattress with springs and on top of the springs were old CD's. And to top it off there was a skeleton on a bicycle. One never knows what one will run into around the corner!
I just started going again, knowing I would have to ride hard to catch back up with Kathie and Tex, and lo and behold along comes a guy traveling in the opposite direction on a recumbent bike similar to mine (with two large wheels). He came to a screeching halt, crossed the road and started talking away. His name was Bruce and he had to give up cycling because he had neck problems... and now he is in 7th heaven because he has a recumbent and can ride again. Then he talked about a guy he just passed on his bike who is riding solo and started in Mississippi and is going all the way to Alaska. I think Bruce would have stayed and talked for hours if I hadn't finally said to him, "well it's nice meeting you Bruce, but I really have to go and catch up to my group now." And so we parted. I now had to sprint to try to catch up to Kathie and Tex before we had to turn off the road we were on. As you might remember, I keep my cue sheet in my bike bag instead on my handle bars because it blocks too much of my view of the road. I didn't want to make an error, so sprinting to catch up was necessary to avoid a costly mistake. I did reach them right as they were about to make the turn! They were just gliding to a stop to wait for me when I caught them.
After the second Sag at mile 40 we quickly got more and more into the burbs and eventually the city of El Paso. On one of the hills there is a small sign that reads: Foot Hurt? - The Foot Institute. I thought it was a cruel joke to play given the issue I have been having with my toe! We didn't stop, but it did make me laugh! We did howeve take advantage of the last bike store we would see for a couple of days. I went in because I needed the small chain guard near the front of my bike tightened. I needed a tool that I didn't have handy so I thought I would just pop in and get that fixed. The other gals as well as Liz stopped with me. Now of course we couldn't go into a bike store and not buy anything! I found arm coolers which I purchased. This will help as the continual sun has made me turn to long sleeve shirts. This will give me the option of taking off the arms any time I want. THe young man who adjusted my bike was so helpful. I would ask a question and the answer would always be "Yes Ma'am." Of course he wouldn't take anything for tightening down the chain guard. It was simple enough to do and will sure make the rest of todays ride much nicer!
From there we really got into the heart of El Paso. It was fun riding through the city. At one point a truck full of workers - were in the back of a city truck. We came up to a stop sign and they asked us where we were going. When we said Florida, their jaws dropped. The light changed and off we went. We meet them at the next red light and I said, you guys work on Sunday. One young man took out his ear buds and said yes, we are repaying our debt to society. Turns out all of them were in the state corrections facility. They couldn't have been nicer or more polite. Things aren't always what they seem. Who knows what any of the men had done - but it could have easily been any of us. By the chance of the family you were born into, the color of your skin, the people you hang out with, what side of the border you are born on, it could easily have been any of us if circumstances had just been slightly different. As they drove off I shouted to them, "Be safe, be good". They shouted back "good luck, have fun."
Shortly after we left downtown El Paso, we had to take highways. Not my favorite type of riding but sometimes a necessary evil. It gets a little scary when you come up to an on ramp. One has to make sure no cars are entering as they don't expect to see bicycles going between 15 and 20 mph, when they are quickly getting up to 55 or 60 mph. All went well and we exited about 8 miles later. It was a relief to just be on normal streets. Well it was, until we noticed that we had a bridge to go over and they were doing road work, which meant one lane in each direction. We came up to a stop sign and there was a guy in a VERY BIG truck. He rolled down his window and said "Go ahead." I was leading, followed by Tex, Kathie and Liz. The guy tucked in behind LIz, turned on his flashers and protected us from all the traffic. We were all so appreciative. I was teary at the kindness of this stranger. Here I thought this man would jump out as quickly as possible so that he wouldn't have to ride behind bikes over this bridge. Instead he escorted us through. My preconceived ideas and prejudices about Texas and Texans are being shaken!
One of my concerns about this trip was that we would spend 20 days riding across Texas. My stereotype of Texas isn't very positive. I told Kate several months ago that I will really need to go through Texas with an open mind. Well I can say, that Texas welcomed us with open arms so far. I am thankful for such a positive first experience! I am happy to have my prejudices all shaken up!
Well, I am once again doing some laundry since we got in early. It is nice to take it easy for the afternoon. There are so many other things that happen during the day that never get shared on this blog. This continues to be an absolutely fabulous experience - and certainly an experience of a lifetime. How lucky am I!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Day 16: Kingston, NM to Las Cruces, NM
Day 16: Kingston, NM to Las Cruces, NM
Miles: 88.78
Theme: You never know what is around the next corner!
We had a wonderful time at the Black Range Lodge last night. We had a turkey dinner with stuffing and the whole works. Yummmmm. The only thing missing was the pumpkin pie, but I am not sure any of us had room for it anyway! Shortly after dinner I was off to bed and slept the best I have all trip. I woke to the sound of a rooster!
For breakfast Steve (I believe that was his name) cooked up fresh eggs with chili peppers, french toast using home made bread, oatmeal... It was great to have such a feast at breakfast. Some of the motel breakfasts are a bit lacking if you are riding all day. Enough about the food. We quickly got on to the bikes and were headed down the road. We have a pretty good idea of the terrain ahead each day as Carol leads a map meeting each evening. The first 9 miles were down hill. That was nice as we will be riding 88 miles today. What Carol didn't tell us is to watch for the cattle in the road. I hadn't gone but a couple of miles when I came across about 6 cows - all on the side of the road. Well not all, one was checking out the can that someone had dropped. I didn't check if it was a soda or beer, but the cow didn't stagger away, so whatever it was, there wasn't much left! Some of the cattle were quite big with long horns, so I went as far away from them as possible!
The first 26 miles went by very quickly today. It was mainly downhill and the scenery included some rock walls at first, then it changed to what I would call high desert. The grasses are a golden color and swayed in the wind. You could see the mountains in the background. Once again, very picturesque. After that, the land quickly became more barren however and seemed a bit more desolate. I can't imagine living there. I would ride along and all of a sudden there would be a single house with an out building out in the middle of nowhere. At one point we came across a sign that read "Caution Congestion Ahead. You went around the corner and there were about 5 buildings. It must be terrible at rush hour!
At mile 26 we went around a bend and all of a sudden there was a large lake ahead. It seemed to appear out of nowhere. That is the first big body of water we have seen since leaving San Diego. This was the first stop for Lisa (Young Pup) who was driving the Sag Wagon today. Given how quickly we got to mile 26, it felt like doing 88 miles wouldn't be too bad today.
And then we started off again. Our plans were to have lunch around mile 50. As soon as we left the Sag we headed into a head wind. So much for the rest of the day being easy! It seemed that no matter what direction the road turned, we faced a head wind. The scenery wasn't that great so you you noticed the head wind all the more. At one point when I was riding I noticed some little hut type things. There were literally hundreds and hundreds off them. As I came closer I realized they were shelters for young calves. Seems like a miserable life out in the middle of nowhere to be penned in like that. I think the cattle I saw on the road this morning had a lot better life, even if it comes to the same end!
The landscape was fairly barren and didn't hold my interest that much today. With the wind blowing, everything just seemed brown and dirty. The one point of interest was the number of chili pepper drying and processing plants. As many of you know, New Mexico is known for it's chili peppers. I had to stop and take some photos of the bags and bags of chili peppers!
We finally reached our lunch destination - well actually we rode past it and came out the other end of town, so had to stop and ask someone how to get to Sparky's. All the locals told us that Sparky's was the best place to eat. Note to self: next time we ask where to eat, also ask for directions! Sparky's was quite the place. How can I describe it, let's see outside was the Statue of Liberty, Ronald McDonald, The Colonel Sanders, Uncle Sam. You name it, it was there. The recommendation for lunch was the chili cheese burger. So you guessed it, that's what Tex, Kathie (minus the chilis) and I had. I scarfed it down. I didn't realize how hungry I was!
We then got back on the bikes. We meet up with Victoria, Lise, and Nancy. We learned a couple of things from Victoria. First the Sag Wagon had a flat tire, so it meant that we would be on our own for the rest of the ride. That really isn't a problem if you have enough water. Second, Victoria was told that the road up ahead was closed but the town folks thought that we could get through on bikes. So what the heck - we were all game. It turned out that we only had to get off and walk the bikes for about 200 yards, so it was the right decision. At the end I took a photo of everyone standing around the Road Closed sign.
From there we rode on. The head wind just wouldn't stop this afternoon so the last 15 miles seemed long. We thought that we would hit a visitor center around mile 72 but if it was there, no one found it today. Given that the Sag was down, their wasn't much spare water. We all made it though some a bit more parched than they would have preferred.
I think I mentioned yesterday that I was having an issue where my toe is going numb. It happened again today. At one point I just let my right foot hang down for a bit and pedal with my left leg only. I already am a spectacle given my bike, so I am sure people were really wondered about me as we pedaled into Las Cruses just using one leg. All is well though. It was another good day of biking. I'm off to bed now though as I am tired. Tomorrow we will head out of New Mexico and start the BIG state of Texas! El Paso, here we come.
Miles: 88.78
Theme: You never know what is around the next corner!
We had a wonderful time at the Black Range Lodge last night. We had a turkey dinner with stuffing and the whole works. Yummmmm. The only thing missing was the pumpkin pie, but I am not sure any of us had room for it anyway! Shortly after dinner I was off to bed and slept the best I have all trip. I woke to the sound of a rooster!
For breakfast Steve (I believe that was his name) cooked up fresh eggs with chili peppers, french toast using home made bread, oatmeal... It was great to have such a feast at breakfast. Some of the motel breakfasts are a bit lacking if you are riding all day. Enough about the food. We quickly got on to the bikes and were headed down the road. We have a pretty good idea of the terrain ahead each day as Carol leads a map meeting each evening. The first 9 miles were down hill. That was nice as we will be riding 88 miles today. What Carol didn't tell us is to watch for the cattle in the road. I hadn't gone but a couple of miles when I came across about 6 cows - all on the side of the road. Well not all, one was checking out the can that someone had dropped. I didn't check if it was a soda or beer, but the cow didn't stagger away, so whatever it was, there wasn't much left! Some of the cattle were quite big with long horns, so I went as far away from them as possible!
The first 26 miles went by very quickly today. It was mainly downhill and the scenery included some rock walls at first, then it changed to what I would call high desert. The grasses are a golden color and swayed in the wind. You could see the mountains in the background. Once again, very picturesque. After that, the land quickly became more barren however and seemed a bit more desolate. I can't imagine living there. I would ride along and all of a sudden there would be a single house with an out building out in the middle of nowhere. At one point we came across a sign that read "Caution Congestion Ahead. You went around the corner and there were about 5 buildings. It must be terrible at rush hour!
At mile 26 we went around a bend and all of a sudden there was a large lake ahead. It seemed to appear out of nowhere. That is the first big body of water we have seen since leaving San Diego. This was the first stop for Lisa (Young Pup) who was driving the Sag Wagon today. Given how quickly we got to mile 26, it felt like doing 88 miles wouldn't be too bad today.
And then we started off again. Our plans were to have lunch around mile 50. As soon as we left the Sag we headed into a head wind. So much for the rest of the day being easy! It seemed that no matter what direction the road turned, we faced a head wind. The scenery wasn't that great so you you noticed the head wind all the more. At one point when I was riding I noticed some little hut type things. There were literally hundreds and hundreds off them. As I came closer I realized they were shelters for young calves. Seems like a miserable life out in the middle of nowhere to be penned in like that. I think the cattle I saw on the road this morning had a lot better life, even if it comes to the same end!
The landscape was fairly barren and didn't hold my interest that much today. With the wind blowing, everything just seemed brown and dirty. The one point of interest was the number of chili pepper drying and processing plants. As many of you know, New Mexico is known for it's chili peppers. I had to stop and take some photos of the bags and bags of chili peppers!
We finally reached our lunch destination - well actually we rode past it and came out the other end of town, so had to stop and ask someone how to get to Sparky's. All the locals told us that Sparky's was the best place to eat. Note to self: next time we ask where to eat, also ask for directions! Sparky's was quite the place. How can I describe it, let's see outside was the Statue of Liberty, Ronald McDonald, The Colonel Sanders, Uncle Sam. You name it, it was there. The recommendation for lunch was the chili cheese burger. So you guessed it, that's what Tex, Kathie (minus the chilis) and I had. I scarfed it down. I didn't realize how hungry I was!
We then got back on the bikes. We meet up with Victoria, Lise, and Nancy. We learned a couple of things from Victoria. First the Sag Wagon had a flat tire, so it meant that we would be on our own for the rest of the ride. That really isn't a problem if you have enough water. Second, Victoria was told that the road up ahead was closed but the town folks thought that we could get through on bikes. So what the heck - we were all game. It turned out that we only had to get off and walk the bikes for about 200 yards, so it was the right decision. At the end I took a photo of everyone standing around the Road Closed sign.
From there we rode on. The head wind just wouldn't stop this afternoon so the last 15 miles seemed long. We thought that we would hit a visitor center around mile 72 but if it was there, no one found it today. Given that the Sag was down, their wasn't much spare water. We all made it though some a bit more parched than they would have preferred.
I think I mentioned yesterday that I was having an issue where my toe is going numb. It happened again today. At one point I just let my right foot hang down for a bit and pedal with my left leg only. I already am a spectacle given my bike, so I am sure people were really wondered about me as we pedaled into Las Cruses just using one leg. All is well though. It was another good day of biking. I'm off to bed now though as I am tired. Tomorrow we will head out of New Mexico and start the BIG state of Texas! El Paso, here we come.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Day 15: Silver City, NM to Kingston, NM
Day 15: Silver City, NM to Kingston, NM
Miles: 47.89
Theme: Climb Every Mountain
We knew heading out today that it was going to be a climbing day - we will climb to the highest point of our journey, over Emory Pass (8255 feet). I think there was some nervousness, excitement, as well as some sadness.
Yesterday afternoon Marge found out that her sister has ovarian and pancreatic cancer. Needless to say she is devastated. We all feel for her as the biggest concern for many of us coming on this trip was what if something happens to a loved one while we are away. Our thoughts and prayers go our to Marge and her sister... It is so, so hard. She is riding today, but needless to say she has a very heavy heart.
The ride from the hotel was a bit nerve racking because we were cycling directly into the morning sun. I was worried about cars noticing us. On top of that I was worried that I couldn't eaily see if there was glass or gravel on the road. Fortunately after just a few miles we turned north so the sun wasn't an issue after that. Because of the coolness this morning everyone was bundled up - so we were happy to see the Sag Wagon (and Kathryn of course) at 9 miles. Kathryn stopped at an vista point for Kneeling Nun. Diane was asking were was the Kneeling Nun. It was a rock formation off in the distance. While she was looking for it, Tex got down on her knees in a prayer position. I kept saying to Diane, no the kneeling nun is right here. It took her awhile, but she finally saw Tex. The main order of business at this Sag stop was to get rid of any extra clothes we didn't need. When we started today it was only 36 degrees. But once the sun comes out, things heat up quickly, especially when you are riding uphill!
The other thing that happened at this Sag stop is that Kathryn's brother John called her back. A day or so ago I had told Kathryn that I was having trouble with my toe falling asleep - like pins and needles. Often near the end of a riding day it is extremely painful. So - she immediately said I am calling my brother. He is a very well respected orthopedic. And so it was John returning Kathryn's call. Kathryn handed me the phone and he asked about why I was riding a recumbent... and then said, "the issue is most likely a nerve issue stemming from the back. I'm not sure you can do this, but you really need a good sports massage therapist to help take care of the issue." Such a nice man! I thanked him and gave Kathryn back the phone. I will try to see if I can get an appointment with someone in Kerrville. We will be there in about 2 weeks. We have decided that John is our official team doctor!
After that, it was back on the bike and more climbing! The next time we would see the Sag is mile 22. You can guess that this is an uphill day because of the frequent Sag stops and the fact that we are only riding 48 miles. Despite the climbing I continue to find the scenery fascinating! We moved from desert to pine trees as we increased in elevation.
The scenery brought me back to my backpacking days with Sea and Summit. As I was climbing one hill I thought of a lesson that I learned while at Sea and Summit. One day while backpacking everyone who was in my staff training group was hiking along. We were tired and wanted to get to our destination for the day. All of a sudden from the end of the line - Amos asked everyone to stop. He had a candy wrapper or some such piece of trash in his hand and said, "I can't believe that not one of you stopped and picked this up!" We all looked down kind of sheepishly. I have always remembered that lesson and find it difficult to go past a piece of trash on a path. So today, in the middle of a very steep climb, I see this red rag on the ground. I pass it by and feel a pang of guilt. I continue on and I come to another rag. (By the way, these are great bike cleaning rags. I passed it and feel guilty again. But this is a steep hill and stopping in the middle of a hill makes for a very hard start on a recumbent. And then thought - what are you doing? I stop, unclip from my pedals and roll back down the hill about 10 yards to pick up the rag. Ah - lessons learned that we keep with us!
I get back on the bike and continue up the incline. I feel better for picking up the rag! To my surprise after about the 20 mile mark, there is an amazing decline. My legs needed the break! However my head was also saying, you are going to pay for this, because what goes down - must go up - when you have a pass to get over! Climb every mountain... We came back down from the pines, back to more desert type landscape.
The Sag was near the bottom of the hill at Harrington Ranch. The scenery - spectacular! The blossoms on the cactus were bright yellow. We soaked in all the beauty and then headed out again. Next destination - Emory Pass. On the cue sheet it said that Emory Pass would come at mile 40. According to Liz the grade was from 6 to 10% on the climb. It just kept going up and up. I can say that with the increased altitude the going was tough. What is so disheartening is when it looks like it is flat and I can hardly get up any speed. You expect to give your legs a quick break and yet you are pedaling very hard. I was in my granny gear for a good part of the day! At one point as I was going along I looked up at the cliffs and saw Jesus. Was I really that dehydrated? Was I seeing things...? I stopped my bike, though there wasn't any shoulder and I was on a curve. I couldn't believe my eyes. I looked up the sheer cliff wall and sure enough there was a statue of Jesus. I had to take a photo!
I got back on the bike and continued to climb. I figured at mile 35 I would take a little break and then finish the last 5 to the summit. Climb every mountain! It seemed to take forever to get to mile 33, then slowly to mile 34. At 34.45 lo and behold there is Little Bo Peep (the Sag Wagon) and Kathryn. It was so nice to see her - and totally unexpected. I was grateful for the rest! I ate my PB & J that I had slapped together that morning. I figured a little more fuel would help me get to the top. After getting more water and finishing my sandwich - off I went. Oh those last miles were steep. 36 miles down, 4 to go, 37, 38, 39 --- and finally the summit! I can't tell you how happy I was to see it. Carol was there with Alice who needed a bump today. Turns out after only 3 or 4 miles into the ride she was feeling the effects of altitude sickness. At first she didn't want to get in the van and insisted they go on. As Carol looked in the rear view mirror Alice bent over and lost her breakfast. Gently Linda told her that she needed to get in the van, there would be plenty more riding another day.
There is a vista point at the Summit that I was told was spectacular. After waiting for a few more to summit, Kathy, Tex and I walked up to the viewpoint. I have seen a lot of amazing sights in my years of backpacking and traveling. This was without a doubt breathe taking. You could see forever and the view went from pine trees to desert to distant mountains. It was stunning! Pictures can never do it justice!
We walked back down to our bikes and began our 8 mile descent to our destination for the night. The road down was quite rough, so there was a lot of braking. It was nice not to have to pedal. My legs were glad! We got to our destination: Black Range Lodge. This lodge is built of straw bale construction. It is a great place. Lots of amazing carvings, a pool table, and best of all, I have my own separate room with a private balcony. But things get even better. Gary who works here is a sports massage therapist. Just what the doctor order. So I have to stop blogging now and take care of this toe issue. More to come later.
Ah - back from the message. My toe is not tingling. This place is really fantastic. Right now everyone is downstairs waiting anxiously for our turkey dinner that the owner is making. It smells heavenly. I'm going to sign out now and join in with the conversation and laughter taking place downstairs. This group has really grown close and enjoy spending time together. I don't want to miss out on the fun. Blog with you tomorrow evening!
Miles: 47.89
Theme: Climb Every Mountain
We knew heading out today that it was going to be a climbing day - we will climb to the highest point of our journey, over Emory Pass (8255 feet). I think there was some nervousness, excitement, as well as some sadness.
Yesterday afternoon Marge found out that her sister has ovarian and pancreatic cancer. Needless to say she is devastated. We all feel for her as the biggest concern for many of us coming on this trip was what if something happens to a loved one while we are away. Our thoughts and prayers go our to Marge and her sister... It is so, so hard. She is riding today, but needless to say she has a very heavy heart.
The ride from the hotel was a bit nerve racking because we were cycling directly into the morning sun. I was worried about cars noticing us. On top of that I was worried that I couldn't eaily see if there was glass or gravel on the road. Fortunately after just a few miles we turned north so the sun wasn't an issue after that. Because of the coolness this morning everyone was bundled up - so we were happy to see the Sag Wagon (and Kathryn of course) at 9 miles. Kathryn stopped at an vista point for Kneeling Nun. Diane was asking were was the Kneeling Nun. It was a rock formation off in the distance. While she was looking for it, Tex got down on her knees in a prayer position. I kept saying to Diane, no the kneeling nun is right here. It took her awhile, but she finally saw Tex. The main order of business at this Sag stop was to get rid of any extra clothes we didn't need. When we started today it was only 36 degrees. But once the sun comes out, things heat up quickly, especially when you are riding uphill!
The other thing that happened at this Sag stop is that Kathryn's brother John called her back. A day or so ago I had told Kathryn that I was having trouble with my toe falling asleep - like pins and needles. Often near the end of a riding day it is extremely painful. So - she immediately said I am calling my brother. He is a very well respected orthopedic. And so it was John returning Kathryn's call. Kathryn handed me the phone and he asked about why I was riding a recumbent... and then said, "the issue is most likely a nerve issue stemming from the back. I'm not sure you can do this, but you really need a good sports massage therapist to help take care of the issue." Such a nice man! I thanked him and gave Kathryn back the phone. I will try to see if I can get an appointment with someone in Kerrville. We will be there in about 2 weeks. We have decided that John is our official team doctor!
After that, it was back on the bike and more climbing! The next time we would see the Sag is mile 22. You can guess that this is an uphill day because of the frequent Sag stops and the fact that we are only riding 48 miles. Despite the climbing I continue to find the scenery fascinating! We moved from desert to pine trees as we increased in elevation.
The scenery brought me back to my backpacking days with Sea and Summit. As I was climbing one hill I thought of a lesson that I learned while at Sea and Summit. One day while backpacking everyone who was in my staff training group was hiking along. We were tired and wanted to get to our destination for the day. All of a sudden from the end of the line - Amos asked everyone to stop. He had a candy wrapper or some such piece of trash in his hand and said, "I can't believe that not one of you stopped and picked this up!" We all looked down kind of sheepishly. I have always remembered that lesson and find it difficult to go past a piece of trash on a path. So today, in the middle of a very steep climb, I see this red rag on the ground. I pass it by and feel a pang of guilt. I continue on and I come to another rag. (By the way, these are great bike cleaning rags. I passed it and feel guilty again. But this is a steep hill and stopping in the middle of a hill makes for a very hard start on a recumbent. And then thought - what are you doing? I stop, unclip from my pedals and roll back down the hill about 10 yards to pick up the rag. Ah - lessons learned that we keep with us!
I get back on the bike and continue up the incline. I feel better for picking up the rag! To my surprise after about the 20 mile mark, there is an amazing decline. My legs needed the break! However my head was also saying, you are going to pay for this, because what goes down - must go up - when you have a pass to get over! Climb every mountain... We came back down from the pines, back to more desert type landscape.
The Sag was near the bottom of the hill at Harrington Ranch. The scenery - spectacular! The blossoms on the cactus were bright yellow. We soaked in all the beauty and then headed out again. Next destination - Emory Pass. On the cue sheet it said that Emory Pass would come at mile 40. According to Liz the grade was from 6 to 10% on the climb. It just kept going up and up. I can say that with the increased altitude the going was tough. What is so disheartening is when it looks like it is flat and I can hardly get up any speed. You expect to give your legs a quick break and yet you are pedaling very hard. I was in my granny gear for a good part of the day! At one point as I was going along I looked up at the cliffs and saw Jesus. Was I really that dehydrated? Was I seeing things...? I stopped my bike, though there wasn't any shoulder and I was on a curve. I couldn't believe my eyes. I looked up the sheer cliff wall and sure enough there was a statue of Jesus. I had to take a photo!
I got back on the bike and continued to climb. I figured at mile 35 I would take a little break and then finish the last 5 to the summit. Climb every mountain! It seemed to take forever to get to mile 33, then slowly to mile 34. At 34.45 lo and behold there is Little Bo Peep (the Sag Wagon) and Kathryn. It was so nice to see her - and totally unexpected. I was grateful for the rest! I ate my PB & J that I had slapped together that morning. I figured a little more fuel would help me get to the top. After getting more water and finishing my sandwich - off I went. Oh those last miles were steep. 36 miles down, 4 to go, 37, 38, 39 --- and finally the summit! I can't tell you how happy I was to see it. Carol was there with Alice who needed a bump today. Turns out after only 3 or 4 miles into the ride she was feeling the effects of altitude sickness. At first she didn't want to get in the van and insisted they go on. As Carol looked in the rear view mirror Alice bent over and lost her breakfast. Gently Linda told her that she needed to get in the van, there would be plenty more riding another day.
There is a vista point at the Summit that I was told was spectacular. After waiting for a few more to summit, Kathy, Tex and I walked up to the viewpoint. I have seen a lot of amazing sights in my years of backpacking and traveling. This was without a doubt breathe taking. You could see forever and the view went from pine trees to desert to distant mountains. It was stunning! Pictures can never do it justice!
We walked back down to our bikes and began our 8 mile descent to our destination for the night. The road down was quite rough, so there was a lot of braking. It was nice not to have to pedal. My legs were glad! We got to our destination: Black Range Lodge. This lodge is built of straw bale construction. It is a great place. Lots of amazing carvings, a pool table, and best of all, I have my own separate room with a private balcony. But things get even better. Gary who works here is a sports massage therapist. Just what the doctor order. So I have to stop blogging now and take care of this toe issue. More to come later.
Ah - back from the message. My toe is not tingling. This place is really fantastic. Right now everyone is downstairs waiting anxiously for our turkey dinner that the owner is making. It smells heavenly. I'm going to sign out now and join in with the conversation and laughter taking place downstairs. This group has really grown close and enjoy spending time together. I don't want to miss out on the fun. Blog with you tomorrow evening!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Day 14: Silver City, NM Rest Day!!!!!!
Day 14: Silver City, NM Rest Day
Miles: 3.06 (just down to the bike shop and back)
Theme: Small Towns, Great Folks
Ah, how nice to have a day just to catch up on things. First mission of the day is to take my bike down to the bike store - just to have it cleaned up a bit and make sure everything is working right. I could do the cleaning myself, but honestly - it's not on the top of my list of things I want to do on my day off. And I'd rather have a pro do it correctly rather than worry that I might mess something up at this point. And remember how long I told you that chain on a recumbent is - that's reason enough to go to the bike store!
So off to the bike store a few of us went. There are two bike stores in the town of Silver City (population about 10,000). We went to Twin Sisters Bike Store though we also gave some money to Gila Hike and Bike Shop too. It's our American duty to help the local economy.
Annie - the owner of Twin Sisters is a quiet woman, but does she know bikes! My bike was really simply a clean, so there wasn't much to worry about. Tex took her bike in too as she was having some shifting issues. Annie went right to the heart of the issue. And then she went to Kathie's bike. Kathie described the problem and Annie immediately knew the what was the likely culprit. Our bikes are in very capable hands. Annie won't let a bike go out of her shop that isn't working correctly!
Then it was checking out the various stores in town. The major street is called Bullard St. which is about 8 blocks long. It has many coffee shops, some galleries and many other interesting places. Our group split up but Tex and I hung together most of the morning. She got a few items - but I can't say what as I can't give away any secrets - and who knows who is reading this blog : ) There are many murals down on Bullard St - and interesting store fronts, so I was busy snapping photos. The heart of the town is definitely the people however. The shopkeepers we met were fabulous - starting with Annie (Twin Sister's Bikes), Jack (Gila's Hike and Bike), the owner and shop keeper at Yada Yada Yarns... Tex and I had lunch at Un Mundo Cafe where Manny and his wife run the place. Everything is homemade including the bread the sandwiches come on. The food -- out of this world! We ended up getting a cup of soup and a roll each to bring back for our dinner tonight.
It has been a good day. My feet are tired from all the walking - but I am hoping by tomorrow my legs will be ready to climb Emory Pass. This is the highest point of the trip. We literally will be biking 40 miles uphill to the top. Tomorrow will be a tough climbing day, but I hear the view is worth every inch of climbing. Just so you know, I may not be able to blog tomorrow night and it isn't because I'm dead tired, but it is rumored that there is no internet connection and very little cell phone coverage where we are staying. I will give it a try, but will most likely have to post my blog the next evening.
One last note, Kathie and I spent over an hour this afternoon trying to figure out how to put photos on the blog. I know many have said they really want to see the photos, but sorry that is going to have to wait until I can show you in person. Kathie has called all kinds of tech support to no avail. I am officially not spending any more energy trying to figure this out. If any of you can give me step by step directions of downloading photos from an IPad to blogspot - I will try, otherwise you'll just have to stick with my descriptions for now. Sorry! Blog with you in a couple of days! Thanks for all the comments by the way. I am glad to hear that many of you are enjoying my blog. I've been enjoying recapping my experiences each day.
Well back to finishing up my laundry. Hope you are all doing well. After the laundry - it time to get everything packed back up and get a good night sleep for the ride tomorrow.
Miles: 3.06 (just down to the bike shop and back)
Theme: Small Towns, Great Folks
Ah, how nice to have a day just to catch up on things. First mission of the day is to take my bike down to the bike store - just to have it cleaned up a bit and make sure everything is working right. I could do the cleaning myself, but honestly - it's not on the top of my list of things I want to do on my day off. And I'd rather have a pro do it correctly rather than worry that I might mess something up at this point. And remember how long I told you that chain on a recumbent is - that's reason enough to go to the bike store!
So off to the bike store a few of us went. There are two bike stores in the town of Silver City (population about 10,000). We went to Twin Sisters Bike Store though we also gave some money to Gila Hike and Bike Shop too. It's our American duty to help the local economy.
Annie - the owner of Twin Sisters is a quiet woman, but does she know bikes! My bike was really simply a clean, so there wasn't much to worry about. Tex took her bike in too as she was having some shifting issues. Annie went right to the heart of the issue. And then she went to Kathie's bike. Kathie described the problem and Annie immediately knew the what was the likely culprit. Our bikes are in very capable hands. Annie won't let a bike go out of her shop that isn't working correctly!
Then it was checking out the various stores in town. The major street is called Bullard St. which is about 8 blocks long. It has many coffee shops, some galleries and many other interesting places. Our group split up but Tex and I hung together most of the morning. She got a few items - but I can't say what as I can't give away any secrets - and who knows who is reading this blog : ) There are many murals down on Bullard St - and interesting store fronts, so I was busy snapping photos. The heart of the town is definitely the people however. The shopkeepers we met were fabulous - starting with Annie (Twin Sister's Bikes), Jack (Gila's Hike and Bike), the owner and shop keeper at Yada Yada Yarns... Tex and I had lunch at Un Mundo Cafe where Manny and his wife run the place. Everything is homemade including the bread the sandwiches come on. The food -- out of this world! We ended up getting a cup of soup and a roll each to bring back for our dinner tonight.
It has been a good day. My feet are tired from all the walking - but I am hoping by tomorrow my legs will be ready to climb Emory Pass. This is the highest point of the trip. We literally will be biking 40 miles uphill to the top. Tomorrow will be a tough climbing day, but I hear the view is worth every inch of climbing. Just so you know, I may not be able to blog tomorrow night and it isn't because I'm dead tired, but it is rumored that there is no internet connection and very little cell phone coverage where we are staying. I will give it a try, but will most likely have to post my blog the next evening.
One last note, Kathie and I spent over an hour this afternoon trying to figure out how to put photos on the blog. I know many have said they really want to see the photos, but sorry that is going to have to wait until I can show you in person. Kathie has called all kinds of tech support to no avail. I am officially not spending any more energy trying to figure this out. If any of you can give me step by step directions of downloading photos from an IPad to blogspot - I will try, otherwise you'll just have to stick with my descriptions for now. Sorry! Blog with you in a couple of days! Thanks for all the comments by the way. I am glad to hear that many of you are enjoying my blog. I've been enjoying recapping my experiences each day.
Well back to finishing up my laundry. Hope you are all doing well. After the laundry - it time to get everything packed back up and get a good night sleep for the ride tomorrow.
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