Well, it has been a week since I last pedalled my bike on my trip across America and I am now in Pennsylvania fully recovered from my trip. I lost a total of about 10 lbs and have gained a little muscle in the process (mostly in my thighs). I tried to run yesterday and before I got to the end of the street, both of my thighs cramped up. They are sooo tight. It had been 51 days since I last jogged. I guess I will have to ease back into the jogging thing.
My plans now are to start looking for a job again. I guess as Georganne said, that is my next great adventure. I left my bike in Florida and hopefully will find a job there that I can be reunited with it soon. Don't get the wrong idea, I haven't changed my feeling about biking. I like to bike but my true passion for exercise is still running - I get that runner's high that I don't get when I'm biking. However, I really enjoyed biking across the country and am really glad that I did it. It is a memory/adventure that I will never forget!
Nice surprises from the trip...
I was really surprised at all of the nice responses I got from friends and family during the trip. I wrote the blog for something that I could look back upon to remember the little details. What I didn't expect is that so many people would be following along with me. I want to thank everyone for sending their love and prayers my way during my time alone out there. It honestly helped me a lot and I can truly say that I never felt alone out there because of it.
To the people that helped me on the road...I never really thought about people helping me along the way. As many of my friends will attest, I rarely ask for help and don't feel comfortable getting it if I can't give back. I will ALWAYS remember the kindness of the strangers that I met. I am a very untrusting person and the unselfishness of these people taught me the importance of giving.
I've put 2 new links on the blog for all of you. One link is a video that Joe took of me in my last 2 miles of the trip. It is of me riding my bike to the St. Augustine Beach. This is in addition to the video that is already out there (a bonus video if you like). The other link is all of the pictures that I took from the trip. These links are found on the right hand side of the blog (in the green section) under the Additional Links section - near the top of the page. The pictures can be viewed through a slideshow (there is a button) or you can manually look at them too. I tried to describe on each picture what day on the blog they're from (i.e. Day 30) and what state I was in when I took it. Hope you enjoy them.
Until the next trip I will say farewell and thanks for reading!
Live Life and Enjoy the Journey!
love, mike
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Day 45 - East Palatka, FL to St. Augustine, FL (The Finish Line)
Miles Today: 33.19; Total Miles: 3039.9
I talked with Joe a few nights before and we decided that on my last day we would meet in St. Augustine at the corner of King St. and Menendez Ave at 3 pm. Joe was in Florida on business and said that he would be glad to meet me and take video and pictures of this important day in my life. He said after all of the pictures he wanted me to come back to Orlando with him where we would have a celebration dinner. The next day I planned on driving to Linda's house in Tampa.
Last night I wanted to go to bed a little later so that I could sleep in on my final day. I did not even set my alarm clock. I thought if I have to wait to meet Joe at 3, I want to at least sleep in and make my waiting time shorter. I only had 30 miles to go so I knew it would not be hard to get there.
I went to bed around 11:30 pm and once again woke up at 5:40 am. I was frustrated that I could not get back to sleep and started watching TV around 6:30. At about 8:30, I called my mom and told her what my plans would be that day. As usual, she gave me the rundown of the weather conditions for the morning ride. She mentioned that the wind would be from the SE at about 15 to 25 mph but the high winds were only going to start around noon. The morning was supposed to be calm. I decided to leave around 10 am so I could arrive in St. Augustine before the winds kicked up. I got ready and was on my way at 9:50.
The ride was pretty good. I had a good shoulder the whole way and with the exception of a few gusts here and there, the wind was pretty calm throughout the ride. At 12:05 pm I arrived in St. Augustine - the finish line of the ACA route. I immediately called my mom and told her that I made it. After a few more phone calls, I decided to get some food. I found a local restaurant/bar and parked my bike out front where I could keep an eye on it.
As I ate my meal I watched people looking at my bike with curiosity. They would look at my bike and it's gear. One guy in particular approached with a woman and started walking around my bike. I started to get alarmed and started watching him more intensely. Then, to my surprise, I realized it was Kevin and his wife Susan. If you remember Kevin, he is the guy that I rode with back early in Texas. He was doing the cross-country tour with his wife who was following him in their camper. I was sooo excited to see them again. I jumped out of my seat and immediately ran out and said hi. They said that they thought it looked like my bike but were confused because it didn't have a garbage can on the back. I told them the story about my bike breaking down because of the garbage can and that I changed over to panniers soon after I rode with him. They ended up joining me in the restaurant and we shared all of our adventure stories over lunch. Apparently, Kevin arrived two days before I did. He must have really been putting in a lot of miles to get that done. They just stayed in St. Augustine for a couple days sightseeing. Amazingly, we just happened to cross paths today.
After we finished lunch, we said farewell and they headed off on their sightseeing. It was still only 2:30 and I had to wait a little longer for Joe to arrive. At about 3:30 pm, Joe came down the road in his car rental. I followed him to the beach where we took pictures, video, and even enjoyed some swimming in the Atlantic. Afterwards, we drove back down to Orlando and met his two coworkers for dinner. What a day! I am sooo glad that Joe could be there to see me come in. It was great sharing the moment with him.
Looks like I ran out of road.
I talked with Joe a few nights before and we decided that on my last day we would meet in St. Augustine at the corner of King St. and Menendez Ave at 3 pm. Joe was in Florida on business and said that he would be glad to meet me and take video and pictures of this important day in my life. He said after all of the pictures he wanted me to come back to Orlando with him where we would have a celebration dinner. The next day I planned on driving to Linda's house in Tampa.
Last night I wanted to go to bed a little later so that I could sleep in on my final day. I did not even set my alarm clock. I thought if I have to wait to meet Joe at 3, I want to at least sleep in and make my waiting time shorter. I only had 30 miles to go so I knew it would not be hard to get there.
I went to bed around 11:30 pm and once again woke up at 5:40 am. I was frustrated that I could not get back to sleep and started watching TV around 6:30. At about 8:30, I called my mom and told her what my plans would be that day. As usual, she gave me the rundown of the weather conditions for the morning ride. She mentioned that the wind would be from the SE at about 15 to 25 mph but the high winds were only going to start around noon. The morning was supposed to be calm. I decided to leave around 10 am so I could arrive in St. Augustine before the winds kicked up. I got ready and was on my way at 9:50.
The ride was pretty good. I had a good shoulder the whole way and with the exception of a few gusts here and there, the wind was pretty calm throughout the ride. At 12:05 pm I arrived in St. Augustine - the finish line of the ACA route. I immediately called my mom and told her that I made it. After a few more phone calls, I decided to get some food. I found a local restaurant/bar and parked my bike out front where I could keep an eye on it.
As I ate my meal I watched people looking at my bike with curiosity. They would look at my bike and it's gear. One guy in particular approached with a woman and started walking around my bike. I started to get alarmed and started watching him more intensely. Then, to my surprise, I realized it was Kevin and his wife Susan. If you remember Kevin, he is the guy that I rode with back early in Texas. He was doing the cross-country tour with his wife who was following him in their camper. I was sooo excited to see them again. I jumped out of my seat and immediately ran out and said hi. They said that they thought it looked like my bike but were confused because it didn't have a garbage can on the back. I told them the story about my bike breaking down because of the garbage can and that I changed over to panniers soon after I rode with him. They ended up joining me in the restaurant and we shared all of our adventure stories over lunch. Apparently, Kevin arrived two days before I did. He must have really been putting in a lot of miles to get that done. They just stayed in St. Augustine for a couple days sightseeing. Amazingly, we just happened to cross paths today.
After we finished lunch, we said farewell and they headed off on their sightseeing. It was still only 2:30 and I had to wait a little longer for Joe to arrive. At about 3:30 pm, Joe came down the road in his car rental. I followed him to the beach where we took pictures, video, and even enjoyed some swimming in the Atlantic. Afterwards, we drove back down to Orlando and met his two coworkers for dinner. What a day! I am sooo glad that Joe could be there to see me come in. It was great sharing the moment with him.
Looks like I ran out of road.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Day 44 - High Springs, FL to East Palatka, FL (I'll Take Wind To Go, Please)
Miles Today: 68.03; Total Miles: 3006.7
Hey, I made it over 3,000 miles!!!
Today is the last long day of my trip. I arranged my schedule so my last day of the trip (tomorrow) would be really short so today is the last time that I have to do mega mileage.
My route today will take me through Gainesville and then SR 20 E where I will stay until I hit Palatka.
I reached Gainesville in 23 miles and was feeling excited about this being the last REAL day of riding. It was about that time when the wind hit me. It didn't just hit me though, it bounced me around and tossed me to-and-fro. Winds had to be around 18 mph with gust up to 25 mph -- all coming out of the east.
The wind to me is probably my least favorite part of the trip with dogs being a close second. Today's wind was in my face for most of the remaining 40-some miles. It TOTALLY drained me. Even though this was a day with less mileage than usual, I felt pretty bad and was wasted by the time I got to East Palatka.
Tonight I am staying at the Quality Inn and Suites for my last night's motel stay. This motel is located right next to the beautiful and scenic St. John's River. Tomorrow I will only have 28 miles to make it to St. Augustine. My friend Joe (yes, the one that rode with me through AZ and NM) happens to be in Florida on business at this time and said that he wants to come at meet me at the finish line. Isn't that GREAT! He is going to pick me up and take me back to Orlando tomorrow to meet his coworkers. There we will celebrate my accomplishment. Then, on Wednesday, March 19th I will drive to my friend Linda's house in Tampa, FL with my bike. I will leave my bike and gear at her house and then fly home on Thursday, March 20th. This will put me at home in time for Easter weekend where my family plans on having a get-together.
Side Note: Again I want to thank everyone who is sending comments, emails, calling, etc. I have gotten all of the messages and I have to say they have helped my mental state TREMENDOUSLY. Before I started the trip I was really thinking that the mental part of this was going to be a real challenge. However, with all of your support I think things have gone surprisingly smoothly. Thanks Again!
Hey, I made it over 3,000 miles!!!
Today is the last long day of my trip. I arranged my schedule so my last day of the trip (tomorrow) would be really short so today is the last time that I have to do mega mileage.
My route today will take me through Gainesville and then SR 20 E where I will stay until I hit Palatka.
I reached Gainesville in 23 miles and was feeling excited about this being the last REAL day of riding. It was about that time when the wind hit me. It didn't just hit me though, it bounced me around and tossed me to-and-fro. Winds had to be around 18 mph with gust up to 25 mph -- all coming out of the east.
The wind to me is probably my least favorite part of the trip with dogs being a close second. Today's wind was in my face for most of the remaining 40-some miles. It TOTALLY drained me. Even though this was a day with less mileage than usual, I felt pretty bad and was wasted by the time I got to East Palatka.
Tonight I am staying at the Quality Inn and Suites for my last night's motel stay. This motel is located right next to the beautiful and scenic St. John's River. Tomorrow I will only have 28 miles to make it to St. Augustine. My friend Joe (yes, the one that rode with me through AZ and NM) happens to be in Florida on business at this time and said that he wants to come at meet me at the finish line. Isn't that GREAT! He is going to pick me up and take me back to Orlando tomorrow to meet his coworkers. There we will celebrate my accomplishment. Then, on Wednesday, March 19th I will drive to my friend Linda's house in Tampa, FL with my bike. I will leave my bike and gear at her house and then fly home on Thursday, March 20th. This will put me at home in time for Easter weekend where my family plans on having a get-together.
Side Note: Again I want to thank everyone who is sending comments, emails, calling, etc. I have gotten all of the messages and I have to say they have helped my mental state TREMENDOUSLY. Before I started the trip I was really thinking that the mental part of this was going to be a real challenge. However, with all of your support I think things have gone surprisingly smoothly. Thanks Again!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Day 43 - Madison, FL to High Springs, FL (Let's Make It A Habit)
Miles Today: 72.14; Total Miles: 2938.6
Once I noticed that my hotel was 6 miles off the route, I decided to find a better way to High Springs. I decided to continue south on US 53 and then pickup SR 27 which goes directly into High Springs. The ACA map had a distance for this section of 80.5 miles. I was hoping with the luck I had yesterday with a shorter distance that the same would be true on today's trip. As you can see from my daily mileage, I did save a few miles although it wasn't as much as yesterday.
Not knowing what SR 27 looked like was making me a little nervous but in the end it had the same size shoulder as US 90 so I was really happy to ride on it also.
I had a pretty easy day. The temperature of the mid 70s allowed me to ride without a shirt on so I was really happy to feel the breeze against my skin. I took it easy and arrived in good spirits around 12:45 pm.
My motel was only $40 and although it looked like a dive from the outside, the inside was bigger than my living room in my Cincinnati apartment. It was also not designed like a motel room. It looked more like an apartment. It had a full size refrigerator, microwave and a loft above the bathroom. The ceiling of the room was exposed showing it's wooden support beams. I've stayed in so many motels during the trip. Most of the time I can tie the price to the look of the room but this one didn't match up.
That night I had a really good pizza at the local pizza shop. It reminded my of good ol' Westgate Pizza in Bethlehem, PA.
Once I noticed that my hotel was 6 miles off the route, I decided to find a better way to High Springs. I decided to continue south on US 53 and then pickup SR 27 which goes directly into High Springs. The ACA map had a distance for this section of 80.5 miles. I was hoping with the luck I had yesterday with a shorter distance that the same would be true on today's trip. As you can see from my daily mileage, I did save a few miles although it wasn't as much as yesterday.
Not knowing what SR 27 looked like was making me a little nervous but in the end it had the same size shoulder as US 90 so I was really happy to ride on it also.
I had a pretty easy day. The temperature of the mid 70s allowed me to ride without a shirt on so I was really happy to feel the breeze against my skin. I took it easy and arrived in good spirits around 12:45 pm.
My motel was only $40 and although it looked like a dive from the outside, the inside was bigger than my living room in my Cincinnati apartment. It was also not designed like a motel room. It looked more like an apartment. It had a full size refrigerator, microwave and a loft above the bathroom. The ceiling of the room was exposed showing it's wooden support beams. I've stayed in so many motels during the trip. Most of the time I can tie the price to the look of the room but this one didn't match up.
That night I had a really good pizza at the local pizza shop. It reminded my of good ol' Westgate Pizza in Bethlehem, PA.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Day 42 - Talahassee, FL to Madison, FL (Off Route)
Miles Today: 65.82; Total Miles: 2866.5
Today was the first day that I decided to go off route on purpose. The route had scheduled a winding 87.5 mile course and after I looked at my Florida map I saw that US 90 went from point A to point B almost in a straight line. I really like US 90 because it has a consistent, clean 4 ft. shoulder and I thought it would be nice to just be on one road the whole time. Plus, I think that going off the route also adds to the adventure. In the end I travelled about 22 miles less that day. I was really happy about that too.
US 90 lived up to it's billing. It is a really nice road to bike on. When I arrived in Madison I had to go 6 miles south of town to find a motel. I stayed at the Super 8 and ate a $26 meal at Denny's (I'm a BIG tipper!). It wasn't expensive, I was just very hungry.
Today was the first day that I decided to go off route on purpose. The route had scheduled a winding 87.5 mile course and after I looked at my Florida map I saw that US 90 went from point A to point B almost in a straight line. I really like US 90 because it has a consistent, clean 4 ft. shoulder and I thought it would be nice to just be on one road the whole time. Plus, I think that going off the route also adds to the adventure. In the end I travelled about 22 miles less that day. I was really happy about that too.
US 90 lived up to it's billing. It is a really nice road to bike on. When I arrived in Madison I had to go 6 miles south of town to find a motel. I stayed at the Super 8 and ate a $26 meal at Denny's (I'm a BIG tipper!). It wasn't expensive, I was just very hungry.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Day 41 - Marianna, FL to Talahassee, FL (Beat The Rain)
Miles Today: 69.43; Total Miles: 2800.7
Today the weather called for thunderstorms starting after noon. My goal was to get out as early as I could and try to beat the rain...
After a restless sleep, I awoke at approx. 5:45 am and decided to just get ready and go. I showered and got dressed and after an hour I was out the door. Somewhere in Texas I adopted the mindset of starting my ride after daybreak because earlier in my trip I was starting at 5:30 am each morning and it was usually cold and I had trouble seeing street signs. At times it seemed to defeat my purpose of getting an early start because most of the time I would have to stop my bike to see the signs anyway.
Starting today while it was dark brought back those memories. Today's route took me through many back roads and at some point early in my trip I had to pull out and ride with my flashlight so I could see the street signs. I ended up starting about an hour and a half earlier than usual so that made me feel pretty good to already be 18 miles down the road by the time I usually start.
The sky was overcast with rain clouds and looked like it would rain at any second. I felt pretty good today while riding and tried to push the pace so I could make it to Talahassee before the rain. However, with about 10 miles to go the rain started. It started light but quickly picked up to the point where I was riding in a downpour.
I arrived in Talahassee at around noon and immediately saw a Subway Sub Shop and decided to eat there for lunch and try to dry out. I was so excited to make it to Talahassee because I seriously thought that the expected thunderstorm may have kept me in Marianna that day. I had set in my mind that I wanted to finish my trip on March 18th so I really wanted to make it to my next stop today (to stay on schedule). I called my mom and we both shared our excitement. It felt really good to beat that weather. The rest of the trip is supposed to have nice weather so today was the big one. Oh yeah, I am now in Eastern Standard Time. It took a while but I finally made it.
After my lunch I wandered down the road and found a really cheap motel to stay in (The Cactus Motel). It was only $40 /night and had a Chinese Restaurant across the street so I was set for the night.
Today the weather called for thunderstorms starting after noon. My goal was to get out as early as I could and try to beat the rain...
After a restless sleep, I awoke at approx. 5:45 am and decided to just get ready and go. I showered and got dressed and after an hour I was out the door. Somewhere in Texas I adopted the mindset of starting my ride after daybreak because earlier in my trip I was starting at 5:30 am each morning and it was usually cold and I had trouble seeing street signs. At times it seemed to defeat my purpose of getting an early start because most of the time I would have to stop my bike to see the signs anyway.
Starting today while it was dark brought back those memories. Today's route took me through many back roads and at some point early in my trip I had to pull out and ride with my flashlight so I could see the street signs. I ended up starting about an hour and a half earlier than usual so that made me feel pretty good to already be 18 miles down the road by the time I usually start.
The sky was overcast with rain clouds and looked like it would rain at any second. I felt pretty good today while riding and tried to push the pace so I could make it to Talahassee before the rain. However, with about 10 miles to go the rain started. It started light but quickly picked up to the point where I was riding in a downpour.
I arrived in Talahassee at around noon and immediately saw a Subway Sub Shop and decided to eat there for lunch and try to dry out. I was so excited to make it to Talahassee because I seriously thought that the expected thunderstorm may have kept me in Marianna that day. I had set in my mind that I wanted to finish my trip on March 18th so I really wanted to make it to my next stop today (to stay on schedule). I called my mom and we both shared our excitement. It felt really good to beat that weather. The rest of the trip is supposed to have nice weather so today was the big one. Oh yeah, I am now in Eastern Standard Time. It took a while but I finally made it.
After my lunch I wandered down the road and found a really cheap motel to stay in (The Cactus Motel). It was only $40 /night and had a Chinese Restaurant across the street so I was set for the night.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Day 40 - Crestview, FL to Marianna, FL (Easiest Day Of The Trip)
Miles Today: 84.51; Total Miles: 2731.2
What a GREAT day today...
It was a clear sky with temperatures in the 70s. I was finally able to ride with my shirt off and I LOVED it. The route was just on US 90 the whole day so although my original destination was Chipley which was only 68.5 miles, I decided to keep going until I hit Marianna. Marianna is a bigger city than Chipley so I thought that if I do get stuck because of the rain, I would rather be stuck in Marianna because there are more stores there...AND it has a Public Library where I can blog!
I had a really easy time riding and with no wind at all I got to Marianna without much trouble. Hopefully tomorrow I can avoid some of the rain but I told my mom that my plan is to make it to St. Augustine on Tuesday so I want to ride through the rain if I'm able.
I can't believe this adventure is almost over.
Thanks for reading the blogs folks, it really means a lot to me.
What a GREAT day today...
It was a clear sky with temperatures in the 70s. I was finally able to ride with my shirt off and I LOVED it. The route was just on US 90 the whole day so although my original destination was Chipley which was only 68.5 miles, I decided to keep going until I hit Marianna. Marianna is a bigger city than Chipley so I thought that if I do get stuck because of the rain, I would rather be stuck in Marianna because there are more stores there...AND it has a Public Library where I can blog!
I had a really easy time riding and with no wind at all I got to Marianna without much trouble. Hopefully tomorrow I can avoid some of the rain but I told my mom that my plan is to make it to St. Augustine on Tuesday so I want to ride through the rain if I'm able.
I can't believe this adventure is almost over.
Thanks for reading the blogs folks, it really means a lot to me.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Day 39 - Pensacola, FL to Crestview, FL (Short Day)
Miles Today: 65.77; Total Miles: 2646.7
I was excited about today. It was my shortest day in some time. I was really going to enjoy this one...
It was sooo beautiful leaving Pensacola in the early morning. My route took me alongside of the Gulf coast. It was great to finally see 'The Gulf'. I'm getting so close now I can feel it!
The only story of this day was that I made a wrong turn along the way that added an additional 3 miles to the day. I was not happy but 3 miles is really no big deal so I just shrugged my shoulders and said, "What can you do?"
My mom told me that there are scattered thunderstorms expected in 2 days with some severe. They are coming from Alabama so I just want to get as far east as I can as soon as I can and hopefully avoid them.
I was excited about today. It was my shortest day in some time. I was really going to enjoy this one...
It was sooo beautiful leaving Pensacola in the early morning. My route took me alongside of the Gulf coast. It was great to finally see 'The Gulf'. I'm getting so close now I can feel it!
The only story of this day was that I made a wrong turn along the way that added an additional 3 miles to the day. I was not happy but 3 miles is really no big deal so I just shrugged my shoulders and said, "What can you do?"
My mom told me that there are scattered thunderstorms expected in 2 days with some severe. They are coming from Alabama so I just want to get as far east as I can as soon as I can and hopefully avoid them.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Day 38 - Bayou La Batre, AL to Pensacola, FL (God Brought Me 2 Saints)
Miles Today: 79.35; Total Miles: 2580.9
Today I had 2 worries, the weather and the ferry.
I had to catch a ferry today to cross Mobile Bay in Alabama. The maps give the phone number of the ferry and say that you should always call the day you are supposed to take it because the ferry sometimes closes for inclement weather. This morning it is raining in Bayou La Batre...
So early this morning I called the number and heard that the message was still from the day before. I called my mom and asked her to keep trying the number because the call on my phone costs everytime I use it. She called me back maybe 10 minutes later and said that the lady on the phone said that currently the ferry was open but may close soon if the front they were expecting gets there. Her advice was that I should get there as soon as I could. Within 2 minutes I was out the door riding as fast as I could. It was raining the whole way (20 miles) to the ferry. I have to say although I was trying my hardest to get there, I was a little discouraged when I saw the "Ferry Closed" sign on my way. However, I kept pedalling...
When I finally arrived at the ferry, there was no one around. I took cover under an overhang of a shack near the pier. Right as I got myself settled in, a car rode up with potential ferry passengers. I asked them if they called the ferry to check if they're open. They said, "The ferry is open, they just didn't turn off the sign". With almost 60 miles still to go today, I was a little worried about the speed of getting to the other side and continuing my day.
Soon the ferry pulled up and cars started exiting. After all the cars exited, the teenager working the ferry waved us on. I walked my bike up the ramp and asked him if there was anywhere I could stay out of the rain. He said that there was not. This worried me because the wind was now starting to kick up and I was soaking wet...AND it was 9:30 in the morning so it was cold.
As I was standing there drenched, a car pulled onto the ferry next to me. A guy got out and paid his fare. He looked over at me and asked me if I wanted to wait in his car. He was in the car with his son and the back seat was free. Of course I said, "Yes" and introduced myself. This is how I was introduced to David and his son Tyler. David is retired and Tyler is a first year professor at Illinois State University. They just came down to Dauphin Island (where the ferry was) for some R & R during Tyler's university 'Spring Break'.
When I got in the car I immediately started undressing in their backseat. I said, "Don't mind me, potential hypothermia ya know". They said they understood and it was no problem. As we got to know each other in the car we kind of hit it off. Tyler was a soccer player since kindergarten so of course we had a lot to talk about. Also, both of them have done travelling and have many stories of their adventures. I had a lot of fun listening to their tales.
After about 20 minutes in the car, the ferry worker knocks on our window and tells us that because of the weather they were closing the ferry but it might open as soon as the rain blows over so we were welcome to stay in the car and wait it out or we could de-board the vessel. David turned to me and said that they are staying in a house just about 3 minutes from the ferry and if I want to I could follow them and put my clothes in the dryer at the house and get something to eat while we wait out the ferry. This was the beginning of a VERY interesting day...
When I got out of the car to get my bike the wind was whipping about. It was VERY cold and I soon was shivering. I followed their car on my bike. They set a great pace and we were there within minutes.
This house was absolutely gorgeous. It was in a gated community and was right on the water. David showed me the dryer while Tyler got on the computer to check the weather radar. As I was debriefing myself, David said that I could take a hot shower if I wanted to to get warm. I said, "Excellent". He then asked me what I wanted to eat. As I was taking my shower, he heated up soup, hot chocolate, made me a turkey sandwich with wheat thins on the side. He also cut up an orange for a side dish. I could not believe these guys. What a blessing!!!
After the shower, I warmed my insides with the soup and hot chocolate and gobbled down the turkey sandwich with no trouble. We all talked and shared our travel stories. These guys have really lived life. I had so much fun listening to all of their adventures.
Tyler saw on the radar that in minutes the storm will have passed. Unfortunately for us we would miss the ferry because it leaves at a predetermined time and we were passed that time. David and Tyler said, "Oh well, we could just take the alternate route around Mobile Bay and drop you off where the ferry would have originally (on the other side). This ride would take us almost 2 hours where the ferry ride would just be 35 minutes. I could not believe this. Now to be truthful, these guys were going to Pensacola anyway but the trip to the ferry on the other side was an additional 40 miles out of their way so this was truly an unselfish act.
We loaded my bike in their car and we were on our way. For the next 2 hours, we continued our conversation. David told me that they were Christians so when I called my mom to tell her my story and she said, "I'm not surprised, I prayed that God would be with you." I said, "Yeah, I think they are."
When we finally got to the other side, David and Tyler left me off on the dock and wished me well. Although the rain had stopped the wind was unbelievable. The dock was about 20 miles west of Gulf Shores on a penisula. I was getting hit with wind from every direction. It tired me out sooo much. After leaving David and Tyler I still had another 54 miles to go. That was the LONGEST day of the whole trip (mentally). I arrived in Pensacola (finally) at 6:30 pm. I looked for the 2 motels that were listed on my map but neither existed. I was really in trouble because it was starting to get dark. I saw a cop inside a Subway Subs shop and asked him where the motels were. He pointed to a street and said they were just up the road. Because of the time of day and my TOTAL exhaustion, I settled on staying at a Crown Plaza motel for $150/night...OUCH!!!! I will never forgive myself for that one.
Today I had 2 worries, the weather and the ferry.
I had to catch a ferry today to cross Mobile Bay in Alabama. The maps give the phone number of the ferry and say that you should always call the day you are supposed to take it because the ferry sometimes closes for inclement weather. This morning it is raining in Bayou La Batre...
So early this morning I called the number and heard that the message was still from the day before. I called my mom and asked her to keep trying the number because the call on my phone costs everytime I use it. She called me back maybe 10 minutes later and said that the lady on the phone said that currently the ferry was open but may close soon if the front they were expecting gets there. Her advice was that I should get there as soon as I could. Within 2 minutes I was out the door riding as fast as I could. It was raining the whole way (20 miles) to the ferry. I have to say although I was trying my hardest to get there, I was a little discouraged when I saw the "Ferry Closed" sign on my way. However, I kept pedalling...
When I finally arrived at the ferry, there was no one around. I took cover under an overhang of a shack near the pier. Right as I got myself settled in, a car rode up with potential ferry passengers. I asked them if they called the ferry to check if they're open. They said, "The ferry is open, they just didn't turn off the sign". With almost 60 miles still to go today, I was a little worried about the speed of getting to the other side and continuing my day.
Soon the ferry pulled up and cars started exiting. After all the cars exited, the teenager working the ferry waved us on. I walked my bike up the ramp and asked him if there was anywhere I could stay out of the rain. He said that there was not. This worried me because the wind was now starting to kick up and I was soaking wet...AND it was 9:30 in the morning so it was cold.
As I was standing there drenched, a car pulled onto the ferry next to me. A guy got out and paid his fare. He looked over at me and asked me if I wanted to wait in his car. He was in the car with his son and the back seat was free. Of course I said, "Yes" and introduced myself. This is how I was introduced to David and his son Tyler. David is retired and Tyler is a first year professor at Illinois State University. They just came down to Dauphin Island (where the ferry was) for some R & R during Tyler's university 'Spring Break'.
When I got in the car I immediately started undressing in their backseat. I said, "Don't mind me, potential hypothermia ya know". They said they understood and it was no problem. As we got to know each other in the car we kind of hit it off. Tyler was a soccer player since kindergarten so of course we had a lot to talk about. Also, both of them have done travelling and have many stories of their adventures. I had a lot of fun listening to their tales.
After about 20 minutes in the car, the ferry worker knocks on our window and tells us that because of the weather they were closing the ferry but it might open as soon as the rain blows over so we were welcome to stay in the car and wait it out or we could de-board the vessel. David turned to me and said that they are staying in a house just about 3 minutes from the ferry and if I want to I could follow them and put my clothes in the dryer at the house and get something to eat while we wait out the ferry. This was the beginning of a VERY interesting day...
When I got out of the car to get my bike the wind was whipping about. It was VERY cold and I soon was shivering. I followed their car on my bike. They set a great pace and we were there within minutes.
This house was absolutely gorgeous. It was in a gated community and was right on the water. David showed me the dryer while Tyler got on the computer to check the weather radar. As I was debriefing myself, David said that I could take a hot shower if I wanted to to get warm. I said, "Excellent". He then asked me what I wanted to eat. As I was taking my shower, he heated up soup, hot chocolate, made me a turkey sandwich with wheat thins on the side. He also cut up an orange for a side dish. I could not believe these guys. What a blessing!!!
After the shower, I warmed my insides with the soup and hot chocolate and gobbled down the turkey sandwich with no trouble. We all talked and shared our travel stories. These guys have really lived life. I had so much fun listening to all of their adventures.
Tyler saw on the radar that in minutes the storm will have passed. Unfortunately for us we would miss the ferry because it leaves at a predetermined time and we were passed that time. David and Tyler said, "Oh well, we could just take the alternate route around Mobile Bay and drop you off where the ferry would have originally (on the other side). This ride would take us almost 2 hours where the ferry ride would just be 35 minutes. I could not believe this. Now to be truthful, these guys were going to Pensacola anyway but the trip to the ferry on the other side was an additional 40 miles out of their way so this was truly an unselfish act.
We loaded my bike in their car and we were on our way. For the next 2 hours, we continued our conversation. David told me that they were Christians so when I called my mom to tell her my story and she said, "I'm not surprised, I prayed that God would be with you." I said, "Yeah, I think they are."
When we finally got to the other side, David and Tyler left me off on the dock and wished me well. Although the rain had stopped the wind was unbelievable. The dock was about 20 miles west of Gulf Shores on a penisula. I was getting hit with wind from every direction. It tired me out sooo much. After leaving David and Tyler I still had another 54 miles to go. That was the LONGEST day of the whole trip (mentally). I arrived in Pensacola (finally) at 6:30 pm. I looked for the 2 motels that were listed on my map but neither existed. I was really in trouble because it was starting to get dark. I saw a cop inside a Subway Subs shop and asked him where the motels were. He pointed to a street and said they were just up the road. Because of the time of day and my TOTAL exhaustion, I settled on staying at a Crown Plaza motel for $150/night...OUCH!!!! I will never forgive myself for that one.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Day 37 - Silver Run Lake, MS to Bayou La Batre, AL (Raining and COLD)
Miles Today: 107.56; Total Miles: 2501.6
This morning I started out groggy and grouchy, as usual. I knew within the first 2 miles that I made a MAJOR mistake in my directions. I had on my directions that the first turn would come at the 2 mile mark. I wrote this down on my paper wrong; it actually was at the 12 mile mark. Oh boy, what a boo boo. My day was supposed to be 97 miles today but with this mistake it would take me over 100 miles again. I was NOT happy, let me tell ya. After a half an hour doing circles, I finally figured it out and was on my way. However, I had to ride an extra 10 miles not really sure that my road would be there. That was not any fun.
I took a break at the 46 mile mark for lunch and called my mom. I was not in a good mood. I was drained of energy, mentally and physically. I knew I had another 60 miles to do too so at that point I just shook my head and said, "What can you do?" Luckily, my cheeseburger and fries gave me A LOT of energy and I was able to recover physically. I made it to Bayou La Batre in a lot better mood. I was very tired though and just rested as much as I could. This is my last day that I plan to go over 100 miles too so I was glad it was over.
This morning I started out groggy and grouchy, as usual. I knew within the first 2 miles that I made a MAJOR mistake in my directions. I had on my directions that the first turn would come at the 2 mile mark. I wrote this down on my paper wrong; it actually was at the 12 mile mark. Oh boy, what a boo boo. My day was supposed to be 97 miles today but with this mistake it would take me over 100 miles again. I was NOT happy, let me tell ya. After a half an hour doing circles, I finally figured it out and was on my way. However, I had to ride an extra 10 miles not really sure that my road would be there. That was not any fun.
I took a break at the 46 mile mark for lunch and called my mom. I was not in a good mood. I was drained of energy, mentally and physically. I knew I had another 60 miles to do too so at that point I just shook my head and said, "What can you do?" Luckily, my cheeseburger and fries gave me A LOT of energy and I was able to recover physically. I made it to Bayou La Batre in a lot better mood. I was very tired though and just rested as much as I could. This is my last day that I plan to go over 100 miles too so I was glad it was over.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Day 36 - Franklinton, LA to Silver Run Lake, MS (Hey, I made it to Mississippi!)
Miles Today: 69.98; Total Miles: 2394.0
Tonight is going to be the last scheduled "Camping" night. Although I like to camp, I definitely do not like getting up in temperatures in the 30s. That is no fun. So I was really excited that after tonight I would be staying in motels the rest of the way.
I rode through many back roads and through wooded areas. It was quite beautiful and scenic. When I finally got to the campsite, it was right next to the lake so it was really beautiful. The lake kind of looked like "On Golden Pond" - if you've seen that movie. When I say campsite I say that very loosely because the 'campsite' was actually at this 90 year old lady's back yard. She was very nice but I just paid my $5 and kind of kept to myself that night. She was entertaining people that night so I felt too much like an outsider to socialize.
I did ask the lady to take my picture by the lake. It was very beautiful and on another occassion I might have wanted to stay longer but tomorrow I was going to be in Alabama and I was really looking forward to that.
The next morning I woke up to my tent and sleeping bag covered in dew. It was mildly cold in the morning (thank God). Last night I kept food in my tent for the next day and only after hearing the many coyotes howling at night I started regretting this. I actually didn't get much sleep because I was just waiting for some animal to come investigate the smell.
Tonight is going to be the last scheduled "Camping" night. Although I like to camp, I definitely do not like getting up in temperatures in the 30s. That is no fun. So I was really excited that after tonight I would be staying in motels the rest of the way.
I rode through many back roads and through wooded areas. It was quite beautiful and scenic. When I finally got to the campsite, it was right next to the lake so it was really beautiful. The lake kind of looked like "On Golden Pond" - if you've seen that movie. When I say campsite I say that very loosely because the 'campsite' was actually at this 90 year old lady's back yard. She was very nice but I just paid my $5 and kind of kept to myself that night. She was entertaining people that night so I felt too much like an outsider to socialize.
I did ask the lady to take my picture by the lake. It was very beautiful and on another occassion I might have wanted to stay longer but tomorrow I was going to be in Alabama and I was really looking forward to that.
The next morning I woke up to my tent and sleeping bag covered in dew. It was mildly cold in the morning (thank God). Last night I kept food in my tent for the next day and only after hearing the many coyotes howling at night I started regretting this. I actually didn't get much sleep because I was just waiting for some animal to come investigate the smell.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Day 35 - Jackson, LA to Franklinton, LA (Don't Look Down)
Miles Today: 86.40; Total Miles: 2324.0
Hold onto your seats for this story...
OK, I left out of Jackson early in the morning as snow flakes were falling. The grass had a light covering of snow but you could still see the grass underneath. I left this morning feeling great about my experience in the historic bed and breakfast. Marjorie left me some cereal to eat and orange juice and the chef left me 3 blueberry muffins on a plate marked "Michael".
My ride was fine but a little cold. As I started winding through the country roads, I started realizing that I was getting close to the LA border. I think I really started to get excited about that. As I made the turn at the 12 mile mark I saw a sign at the start of the road that said "Bridge Out". I thought to myself, "Well, I will just go down the road and when I hit the bridge, I will just climb down the embankment with my bike and then just climb up the other side." WRONG ANSWER. When I got to the bridge I saw a sign saying, "Road Closed". There was a 4 ft. pile of roof tiles blockading my side of the bridge and a 4 ft pile of dirt (mud) blocking the far side of the bridge. The bridge itself looked like a covered bridge without the cover. In other words, it had a wooden frame. I did notice that on the far side the bridge was missing about 12 ft. of wooden planks that span the bridge. I guess they took those out because they absolutely did not want any vehicles to cross. What was left on that side were just the support beams about 18 inches apart. I thought to myself that I could still cross the bridge and just carry my bike across the support beams.
I first took a walk across it to see how sturdy it was. I also wanted to see how wide the support beams were. It looked kind of dangerous but I still thought I could do it. The drop, if I slipped and fell, looked to be about 30 feet.
I first took a picture of the bridge and then I started my adventure. I rolled my bike across the bridge until I got to the support beams. At that point, I took all of the gear off my bike and took them across the support beams one at a time. Now, there was a wooden railing that I could hang onto so I didn't have much trouble getting my gear across. When it came to my bike, that was a little trickier. My bike is light but it is kind of awkward to carry my bike in one hand while I grab onto the railing with my other hand. I just took my time and eventually made it over safely. When I had everything on the other side, I reassembled my bike and was on my way.
Now I'm sure many of you probably think I was stupid for risking my life like that but all I can say is that I only have one map, one route to follow and I don't have any alternate route. If I didn't traverse the bridge I would have had to ride and try to find a gas station somewhere where I could buy a map. Then I could make the alternate route although I don't know how long that would be. This way I knew it was just about 30 yards to the other side and I could continue.
When I finally made it to Franklinton I had to call and tell my mom the story so I could include it on my blog. THAT was probably the hardest part of the day.
That's an exciting story, isn't it?
Hold onto your seats for this story...
OK, I left out of Jackson early in the morning as snow flakes were falling. The grass had a light covering of snow but you could still see the grass underneath. I left this morning feeling great about my experience in the historic bed and breakfast. Marjorie left me some cereal to eat and orange juice and the chef left me 3 blueberry muffins on a plate marked "Michael".
My ride was fine but a little cold. As I started winding through the country roads, I started realizing that I was getting close to the LA border. I think I really started to get excited about that. As I made the turn at the 12 mile mark I saw a sign at the start of the road that said "Bridge Out". I thought to myself, "Well, I will just go down the road and when I hit the bridge, I will just climb down the embankment with my bike and then just climb up the other side." WRONG ANSWER. When I got to the bridge I saw a sign saying, "Road Closed". There was a 4 ft. pile of roof tiles blockading my side of the bridge and a 4 ft pile of dirt (mud) blocking the far side of the bridge. The bridge itself looked like a covered bridge without the cover. In other words, it had a wooden frame. I did notice that on the far side the bridge was missing about 12 ft. of wooden planks that span the bridge. I guess they took those out because they absolutely did not want any vehicles to cross. What was left on that side were just the support beams about 18 inches apart. I thought to myself that I could still cross the bridge and just carry my bike across the support beams.
I first took a walk across it to see how sturdy it was. I also wanted to see how wide the support beams were. It looked kind of dangerous but I still thought I could do it. The drop, if I slipped and fell, looked to be about 30 feet.
I first took a picture of the bridge and then I started my adventure. I rolled my bike across the bridge until I got to the support beams. At that point, I took all of the gear off my bike and took them across the support beams one at a time. Now, there was a wooden railing that I could hang onto so I didn't have much trouble getting my gear across. When it came to my bike, that was a little trickier. My bike is light but it is kind of awkward to carry my bike in one hand while I grab onto the railing with my other hand. I just took my time and eventually made it over safely. When I had everything on the other side, I reassembled my bike and was on my way.
Now I'm sure many of you probably think I was stupid for risking my life like that but all I can say is that I only have one map, one route to follow and I don't have any alternate route. If I didn't traverse the bridge I would have had to ride and try to find a gas station somewhere where I could buy a map. Then I could make the alternate route although I don't know how long that would be. This way I knew it was just about 30 yards to the other side and I could continue.
When I finally made it to Franklinton I had to call and tell my mom the story so I could include it on my blog. THAT was probably the hardest part of the day.
That's an exciting story, isn't it?
Friday, March 7, 2008
Day 34 - Simmesport, LA to Jackson, LA (Me and TJ)
Miles Today: 60.65; Total Miles: 2237.6
Last night there was an overnight thunderstorm in the forecast but it was supposed to be finished by morning. I woke up and stepped outside to take a look. It was not raining but the sky was filled with clouds and it was dark, windy and cold. The forecast said that the temperature was currently 43 degrees but would be falling throughout the day. I didn't care though, I was just happy to get in another day without rain. Today was going to be the day when I would cross the Mississippi River on a ferry at 46 miles into the ride.
Luckily for the ride I had the wind with me most of the way. There were gusts up to 20 mph that were just pushing me along. Once again I hit a 2.29 mile rode that was under construction. This road was better than yesterday, it was just a raw, beat up road covered in dirt and rocks. I know it sounds bad but I was just lucky that the dirt was not wet. Even though it was not the most desired road, I was off of it before I knew it.
Throughout my ride I was keeping warm because I kept pedalling until I reached the ferry. The ride across the river was VERY cold. I actually started shivering at one point. I was able to get my picture on it though so I was happy with that.
I had decided to stay in Jackson, LA tonight because it was further down the road than St. Francisville which was the next town on the map with a motel. Jackson is off the route but because of the additional mileage I wanted to stay there. When I arrived in Jackson I decided to stop in to Town Hall and ask them if they would recommend either the motel or the B&B that was on my list. I introduced myself to the ladies working as a biker that is going across the country. They said that they knew paying for accommodations every night gets mighty expensive and volunteered to call both places and try to work me a deal. What luck!
After the lady got off the phone, she said the motel would be $105/night but the B&B was willing to work out something with me. I rode over there right away. When I got there I met the caretaker of Milbank Historic House Bed and Breakfast, Marjorie, who offered for me to stay in the 'Thomas Jefferson' room for just $71/night. This is normally a $115/night room. Now, I have to say that this Milbank House is an amazing looking historical place. It is often used for weddings. It has the long dining table, Victorian chairs and furniture (I don't know if they're Victorian but that is the only way I can describe it). My room comes with cable TV, towels and my own robe, ha! Marjorie showed me around the place; to the bedroom and to the kitchen. She introduced me to the chef but said that she would not be there in the morning so I would have to make my own breakfast. She said that she would put out cereal for me but I was welcome to cook anything I wanted to (i.e. eggs and bacon). I said that cereal would be just fine. She then showed me the refrigerator and said that I could take as much bottled water that I wanted to.
I then told Marjorie that I was tired and I wanted to take a shower. She said, "Oh, I'm sorry, there is no shower, just a bath...I hope that's ok." Hey, when in Rome...
Marjorie then told me that I am going to be the only person in the house tonight so she wanted to show me how to lock it up when I leave. Sounds like it's time for a party!!!
I told my mom all of this and she said that I need to get a picture in my robe. She said, "It's too bad you can't get someone to take a picture of you in the bath tub blowing bubbles. All I can say is life's a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.
I'm just enjoying myself and soaking it up (pun intended).
Last night there was an overnight thunderstorm in the forecast but it was supposed to be finished by morning. I woke up and stepped outside to take a look. It was not raining but the sky was filled with clouds and it was dark, windy and cold. The forecast said that the temperature was currently 43 degrees but would be falling throughout the day. I didn't care though, I was just happy to get in another day without rain. Today was going to be the day when I would cross the Mississippi River on a ferry at 46 miles into the ride.
Luckily for the ride I had the wind with me most of the way. There were gusts up to 20 mph that were just pushing me along. Once again I hit a 2.29 mile rode that was under construction. This road was better than yesterday, it was just a raw, beat up road covered in dirt and rocks. I know it sounds bad but I was just lucky that the dirt was not wet. Even though it was not the most desired road, I was off of it before I knew it.
Throughout my ride I was keeping warm because I kept pedalling until I reached the ferry. The ride across the river was VERY cold. I actually started shivering at one point. I was able to get my picture on it though so I was happy with that.
I had decided to stay in Jackson, LA tonight because it was further down the road than St. Francisville which was the next town on the map with a motel. Jackson is off the route but because of the additional mileage I wanted to stay there. When I arrived in Jackson I decided to stop in to Town Hall and ask them if they would recommend either the motel or the B&B that was on my list. I introduced myself to the ladies working as a biker that is going across the country. They said that they knew paying for accommodations every night gets mighty expensive and volunteered to call both places and try to work me a deal. What luck!
After the lady got off the phone, she said the motel would be $105/night but the B&B was willing to work out something with me. I rode over there right away. When I got there I met the caretaker of Milbank Historic House Bed and Breakfast, Marjorie, who offered for me to stay in the 'Thomas Jefferson' room for just $71/night. This is normally a $115/night room. Now, I have to say that this Milbank House is an amazing looking historical place. It is often used for weddings. It has the long dining table, Victorian chairs and furniture (I don't know if they're Victorian but that is the only way I can describe it). My room comes with cable TV, towels and my own robe, ha! Marjorie showed me around the place; to the bedroom and to the kitchen. She introduced me to the chef but said that she would not be there in the morning so I would have to make my own breakfast. She said that she would put out cereal for me but I was welcome to cook anything I wanted to (i.e. eggs and bacon). I said that cereal would be just fine. She then showed me the refrigerator and said that I could take as much bottled water that I wanted to.
I then told Marjorie that I was tired and I wanted to take a shower. She said, "Oh, I'm sorry, there is no shower, just a bath...I hope that's ok." Hey, when in Rome...
Marjorie then told me that I am going to be the only person in the house tonight so she wanted to show me how to lock it up when I leave. Sounds like it's time for a party!!!
I told my mom all of this and she said that I need to get a picture in my robe. She said, "It's too bad you can't get someone to take a picture of you in the bath tub blowing bubbles. All I can say is life's a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.
I'm just enjoying myself and soaking it up (pun intended).
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Day 33 - Ville Platte, LA to Simmesport, LA (Who Let The Dog's Out?)
Miles Today: 70.14; Total Miles: 2177.0
Today was not one of my better days.
After eating a brief but filling continental breakfast at Best Western Ville Platte, I headed off to Simmesport. All I will say is that I met some very excited dogs along my route. I'm not going to get into the details because it has become a recurring story; just know that I love dogs and have had the pleasure to meet so many along the trip that I am just loving it (sensing sarcasm?).
Overall, I am enjoying riding through Louisiana. There has definitely been a difference in terrain between Texas and Louisiana along my route. In general, Texas has been brown and Louisiana has been very colorful with rich, green grass and plants and flowers of many colors.
The roads today were better than yesterday. They were long with gentle curves. There were many stretches of the road where you could see miles ahead so even though there was no shoulder, I felt like I was visible.
I did miss a turn but was able to get on a main road and made my way just fine to Simmesport - I might have even saved a few miles. I asked an old lady for directions but the road she put me on was not the correct one. I could not find anyone else to ask so I just took my best guess and went for it. It all worked out in the end.
The motel is just $42/night. It looks like it was decorated in the 60s with a bed, dresser, and TV from that era. Sorry, no phone or remote control in this room. It is clean though and the water pressure is outstanding. It's just for one night...
Today was not one of my better days.
After eating a brief but filling continental breakfast at Best Western Ville Platte, I headed off to Simmesport. All I will say is that I met some very excited dogs along my route. I'm not going to get into the details because it has become a recurring story; just know that I love dogs and have had the pleasure to meet so many along the trip that I am just loving it (sensing sarcasm?).
Overall, I am enjoying riding through Louisiana. There has definitely been a difference in terrain between Texas and Louisiana along my route. In general, Texas has been brown and Louisiana has been very colorful with rich, green grass and plants and flowers of many colors.
The roads today were better than yesterday. They were long with gentle curves. There were many stretches of the road where you could see miles ahead so even though there was no shoulder, I felt like I was visible.
I did miss a turn but was able to get on a main road and made my way just fine to Simmesport - I might have even saved a few miles. I asked an old lady for directions but the road she put me on was not the correct one. I could not find anyone else to ask so I just took my best guess and went for it. It all worked out in the end.
The motel is just $42/night. It looks like it was decorated in the 60s with a bed, dresser, and TV from that era. Sorry, no phone or remote control in this room. It is clean though and the water pressure is outstanding. It's just for one night...
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Day 32 - Deridder, LA to Ville Platte, LA (Where's the Road?)
Miles Today: 77.77; Total Miles: 2106.8
Today was one of the worst riding days of my trip. The day was nice but the roads were not. I'll tell ya, some of the roads on this route are horrendous. Some are not the fault of the makers of the map though and I guess today's roads would fall into that category. To the best of my recollection the roads weren't too bad until I came to mile 65 and turned on LA 104. At the start of the road was the flag person stopping oncoming traffic to warn them of upcoming road construction. Wow, what a road... The whole road (8 miles worth) was under construction. The first 2 or so miles was split with the opposing lane about 4 inches above my lane with a nice new layer of blacktop. My lane was covered in that sticky tar substance (you know the kind that they lay down prior to laying the blacktop). After that, the road was entirely covered in 6 inches or so of soft dirt. This went for maybe another 4 or so miles. I could not believe my luck. I just gritted my teeth and hoped that I could ride my bike through it. When I got to the other side, the road was then all chopped up in those parallel grooves that they make before they start repairing. I thought my bike was going to fall apart on me. It bounced around sooo much and hit many potholes too.
Ok, that is just making me relive the experience...you get the idea.
Luckily, My bike and I made it to Ville Platte in one piece. I did check it over that night and made sure all of the bolts were secured again (some had loosened during the day).
Today was one of the worst riding days of my trip. The day was nice but the roads were not. I'll tell ya, some of the roads on this route are horrendous. Some are not the fault of the makers of the map though and I guess today's roads would fall into that category. To the best of my recollection the roads weren't too bad until I came to mile 65 and turned on LA 104. At the start of the road was the flag person stopping oncoming traffic to warn them of upcoming road construction. Wow, what a road... The whole road (8 miles worth) was under construction. The first 2 or so miles was split with the opposing lane about 4 inches above my lane with a nice new layer of blacktop. My lane was covered in that sticky tar substance (you know the kind that they lay down prior to laying the blacktop). After that, the road was entirely covered in 6 inches or so of soft dirt. This went for maybe another 4 or so miles. I could not believe my luck. I just gritted my teeth and hoped that I could ride my bike through it. When I got to the other side, the road was then all chopped up in those parallel grooves that they make before they start repairing. I thought my bike was going to fall apart on me. It bounced around sooo much and hit many potholes too.
Ok, that is just making me relive the experience...you get the idea.
Luckily, My bike and I made it to Ville Platte in one piece. I did check it over that night and made sure all of the bolts were secured again (some had loosened during the day).
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Day 31 - Silsbee, TX to Deridder, LA (Out of Texas!)
Miles Today: 78.39; Total Miles: 2028.4
Ok, as you have read in the entry from Day 30, I have reached those 2 milestones...woo hoo!
Today was a day where I could tell I was anticipating the end of the trip. On my day off I realized that I have only a little over 2 weeks before I can dip my feet in the Atlantic. I was starting to imagine myself finishing and the great relief of an accomplishment reached. I started noticing that after Austin, TX, the air is a little more humid, the terrain is a little flatter, and my excitement is starting to build. Unfortunately, the dogs are still chasing me. I must have come close to being chased by every breed of dog by now. I thought when I left Texas I would be done with that but Louisiana has it's own pack of dogs just waiting for the biker passerby. I swear they must smell us a mile away - no comments please.
I guess one the most disappointing moments of the day was at mile 51 when I crossed over the Sabine River and entered Louisiana. I had travelled 1080 miles in Texas and was looking so forward to finally getting the picture of 'Louisiana Welcomes You' or some facsimile of that when I crossed the river and did not find any sign. Of course, there was a sign on the other side saying 'Welcome to Texas' but my side was absent of said sign. Now this is the second time this has happened during the trip. First was when I went from California to Arizona. Again there was a sign on the other side saying 'Welcome to California' but I couldn't get any sign on the Arizona side. Now, I am not taking many pictures but I thought at least I would be able to get these...sorry, folks. You just have to believe that I have been to these states...there are no pictures.
The rest of the day went like clockwork. It was a nice sunny day and it seemed that I was with the wind most of the day because it just didn't seem too difficult. I made it to Deridder and headed right to the McDonalds for a nice fattening lunch. For dinner, I hit Subway (seems to be the pattern when I have these in the town I am staying).
Ok, as you have read in the entry from Day 30, I have reached those 2 milestones...woo hoo!
Today was a day where I could tell I was anticipating the end of the trip. On my day off I realized that I have only a little over 2 weeks before I can dip my feet in the Atlantic. I was starting to imagine myself finishing and the great relief of an accomplishment reached. I started noticing that after Austin, TX, the air is a little more humid, the terrain is a little flatter, and my excitement is starting to build. Unfortunately, the dogs are still chasing me. I must have come close to being chased by every breed of dog by now. I thought when I left Texas I would be done with that but Louisiana has it's own pack of dogs just waiting for the biker passerby. I swear they must smell us a mile away - no comments please.
I guess one the most disappointing moments of the day was at mile 51 when I crossed over the Sabine River and entered Louisiana. I had travelled 1080 miles in Texas and was looking so forward to finally getting the picture of 'Louisiana Welcomes You' or some facsimile of that when I crossed the river and did not find any sign. Of course, there was a sign on the other side saying 'Welcome to Texas' but my side was absent of said sign. Now this is the second time this has happened during the trip. First was when I went from California to Arizona. Again there was a sign on the other side saying 'Welcome to California' but I couldn't get any sign on the Arizona side. Now, I am not taking many pictures but I thought at least I would be able to get these...sorry, folks. You just have to believe that I have been to these states...there are no pictures.
The rest of the day went like clockwork. It was a nice sunny day and it seemed that I was with the wind most of the day because it just didn't seem too difficult. I made it to Deridder and headed right to the McDonalds for a nice fattening lunch. For dinner, I hit Subway (seems to be the pattern when I have these in the town I am staying).
Monday, March 3, 2008
Day 30 - Day Off (Stuck in Texas)
Because of severe thunderstorms travelling through Southeast Texas and Louisiana, I am stuck in Silsbee, TX for another night. The storm is supposed to be cleared out of here tomorrow so hopefully I will be crossing the Louisiana border tomorrow sometime.
Just like up north when there is bad weather, I am not happy about this. It is really difficult to just sit here another day but I guess I don't have much choice.
Tomorrow I will hit two milestones: 1) I will be out of Texas, and 2) I will have travelled over 2,000 miles. And I ride, on and on and on. Today I sit here and have NOTHING to do. Luckily, I was able to do this blog here at the hotel.
Just like up north when there is bad weather, I am not happy about this. It is really difficult to just sit here another day but I guess I don't have much choice.
Tomorrow I will hit two milestones: 1) I will be out of Texas, and 2) I will have travelled over 2,000 miles. And I ride, on and on and on. Today I sit here and have NOTHING to do. Luckily, I was able to do this blog here at the hotel.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Day 29 - Coldspring, TX to Silsbee, TX (Hi, Hi, Hi)
Miles Today: 71.63; Total Miles: 1950.7
Today was a very nice bike ride. I rode many miles on smooth roads with a wide shoulder. It was quite enjoyable. The only odd thing that happened today was that one of the roads that I was on had a bike ride charity event going on because I passed hundreds of bike riders going in the opposite direction. For probably 30 - 45 minutes I spent my time waving and saying hi to all of them. I'll tell you, that was interesting. After a while I didn't want to do it anymore but I didn't want to be rude so I said hi to all of them.
I was pleasantly surprised to arrive in Silsbee and find a McDonalds, Subway, Pizza Hut and KFC. It is nice to be in a town that has franchises. Eating at the local restaurants are nice but sometimes you just want to eat somewhere that you can trust.
Tomorrow I plan to be out of Texas, FINALLY! My next destination is Deridder, LA about 70 miles away. They are expecting severe thunderstorms in Southeast Texas and Louisiana so I might have to stay another night in Silsbee. We will see.
Today was a very nice bike ride. I rode many miles on smooth roads with a wide shoulder. It was quite enjoyable. The only odd thing that happened today was that one of the roads that I was on had a bike ride charity event going on because I passed hundreds of bike riders going in the opposite direction. For probably 30 - 45 minutes I spent my time waving and saying hi to all of them. I'll tell you, that was interesting. After a while I didn't want to do it anymore but I didn't want to be rude so I said hi to all of them.
I was pleasantly surprised to arrive in Silsbee and find a McDonalds, Subway, Pizza Hut and KFC. It is nice to be in a town that has franchises. Eating at the local restaurants are nice but sometimes you just want to eat somewhere that you can trust.
Tomorrow I plan to be out of Texas, FINALLY! My next destination is Deridder, LA about 70 miles away. They are expecting severe thunderstorms in Southeast Texas and Louisiana so I might have to stay another night in Silsbee. We will see.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Day 28 - Navasota, TX to Coldspring, TX (More Nice People)
Miles Today: 63.68; Total Miles: 1879.0
Today was a short riding day. I wasn't planning on having a short day, it just worked out that way.
I started out in a very dense fog. It lasted from the start of my trip, 7:15 am, to about 9:15. It was so thick that I had to keep windshield-wipering my glasses so I could see the road. I have loaded up my bike and myself with reflectors and lights so I was sure I was visible. And...from all of the cars taking wide swings around me I'm sure I was seen.
Once the fog lifted it turned out to be a very nice and sunny day. I arrived at the San Jacinto Inn in Coldspring about 12:45 pm. When I arrived there I was met by the owner and his wife. She asked me if I was biking across the country. I told her I was. She gave me a room for $38. I am not sure if that is their going rate or if that is a special for bike riders. She left and her husband took over the check-in process. I asked him if there were any nice restaurants in town. He said that there were 3, and that there was a Subway subs shop up the road. That is all I needed. Then, he told me that if I needed a ride anywhere he would drive me there. I jokingly said, "Wow, a shuttle service, how much will it cost?" He said, "Nothing. Well, we know that bikers don't feel like getting on their bikes after they are done so we provide them a ride to where they want to go." Can you BELIEVE THAT?
That day he took me up to Subway and at night I went again to a nice restaurant. Oh, I am eating like a horse too. I had 2 footlong subs, 2 bags of chips, and 2 cokes for lunch and then had a shrimp and rice dinner with salad. Actually, I couldn't even finish my dinner because I was so stuffed. I felt like I was pregnant. I rolled out of the restaurant and onto my bed that night. The next morning I felt back to normal and had no lasting effects.
Today was a short riding day. I wasn't planning on having a short day, it just worked out that way.
I started out in a very dense fog. It lasted from the start of my trip, 7:15 am, to about 9:15. It was so thick that I had to keep windshield-wipering my glasses so I could see the road. I have loaded up my bike and myself with reflectors and lights so I was sure I was visible. And...from all of the cars taking wide swings around me I'm sure I was seen.
Once the fog lifted it turned out to be a very nice and sunny day. I arrived at the San Jacinto Inn in Coldspring about 12:45 pm. When I arrived there I was met by the owner and his wife. She asked me if I was biking across the country. I told her I was. She gave me a room for $38. I am not sure if that is their going rate or if that is a special for bike riders. She left and her husband took over the check-in process. I asked him if there were any nice restaurants in town. He said that there were 3, and that there was a Subway subs shop up the road. That is all I needed. Then, he told me that if I needed a ride anywhere he would drive me there. I jokingly said, "Wow, a shuttle service, how much will it cost?" He said, "Nothing. Well, we know that bikers don't feel like getting on their bikes after they are done so we provide them a ride to where they want to go." Can you BELIEVE THAT?
That day he took me up to Subway and at night I went again to a nice restaurant. Oh, I am eating like a horse too. I had 2 footlong subs, 2 bags of chips, and 2 cokes for lunch and then had a shrimp and rice dinner with salad. Actually, I couldn't even finish my dinner because I was so stuffed. I felt like I was pregnant. I rolled out of the restaurant and onto my bed that night. The next morning I felt back to normal and had no lasting effects.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Day 27 - La Grange, TX to Navasota, TX (Someone's Looking Out For Me)
Miles Today: 70.97; Total Miles: 1815.3
Today was probably the best day of the trip so far. I couldn't believe the change of events that happened.
With all of my problems with the rack in the past, I was really looking forward to a nice ride through the Texas countryside. Everything was going great and the weather was in the 70s. The sun was shining and the bike was as quiet as could be. While I was riding on the back roads, I started to reflect on the trip so far and began thinking about the days ahead. Some dogs chased me but none of them seemed to be out for blood; they just were trying to scare me.
Then, about 10 miles from Navasota my good day changed suddenly. As I was riding down this side road, three dogs simultaneously came out of their yard and entered the street. I was getting tired by this time and was in no mood to sprint away from them. I slammed on the back brake, skidding on some dirt and rocks, and was set to spray them with my 'Halt' spray. I reached back, grabbed it, and pointed it in their direction. I think I yelled out loud, "Ok, come at me!" After doing that, I realized that just pointing the spray at them seemed to scare them enough. I might not have to use that stuff after all.
After they retreated, I started to ride again. As soon as I did I started hearing a flapping noise coming from the back tire. I looked down and saw that a strip of rubber on the outside of the back tire had come off and a remaining rubber strip was still attached, but flapping. What was I to do? The tire still had the radial cover beneath the rubber that was protecting the inner tube from blowing, but how long would that last? I checked the map to see where the next bike shop was on the route. It was over 400 miles away!
My options were to try to find a major city off the route that might have a bike shop and ride there or just go to Navasota and see if there was any tire repair shop in town. I decided on the latter. I was just hoping that I would not have a blowout before I got there.
I arrived in Navasota about 12:30 pm and immediately found a car tire repair shop. I rode over there and asked them if they could repair my tire. They said that they could not but that there was a lawnmower/car/bicycle tire repair shop around the corner. They pointed the way and I went over there for some help. It was called Notos Repair Shop. When I got there, I met Shawn who said he might have a tire that fit. Now this was a small town repair shop so they did not have the latest of anything. It looked like all of their stuff was already used in some way. Anyway, Shawn came back with a tire and we tried to fit it to my rim. It was too big.
As I started to panic, I asked him where the closest big town was and he said that Houston was 90 miles away (a LONG bike ride - especially on a tire like that). Then he said that College Station, which is the home to Texas A&M, was only 23 miles north of Navasota and he happened to be going up there to pick up supplies. Not only that, but he would be leaving in just a few minutes and had planned to be back to Navasota within the hour! What luck! He said that they have a really nice bike shop up in that town and they would surely have a tire to fit my bike.
Well, to make a long story short, Shawn drove me up there, I was able to get a tire to fit my bike, and we got back to Navasota within the hour. I offered him money for his trouble but he refused to take it. I am sooo glad there are people like this in the world. I do not know what I would have done if Shawn was not working that day. Oh yeah, another thing, he rides a Harley Davidson motorcycle but that day he brought his truck to work. I told him that I was really lucky that he didn't bring his motorcycle that day. He said, "Yeah, I don't ride with no man straddled to me in the back, people would talk". I said, "I don't either."
I was feeling very good after that whole thing. I finished the day at the local Best Western restaurant which had Domino's Pizza right across the parking lot from it. All and all a GREAT DAY!
Today was probably the best day of the trip so far. I couldn't believe the change of events that happened.
With all of my problems with the rack in the past, I was really looking forward to a nice ride through the Texas countryside. Everything was going great and the weather was in the 70s. The sun was shining and the bike was as quiet as could be. While I was riding on the back roads, I started to reflect on the trip so far and began thinking about the days ahead. Some dogs chased me but none of them seemed to be out for blood; they just were trying to scare me.
Then, about 10 miles from Navasota my good day changed suddenly. As I was riding down this side road, three dogs simultaneously came out of their yard and entered the street. I was getting tired by this time and was in no mood to sprint away from them. I slammed on the back brake, skidding on some dirt and rocks, and was set to spray them with my 'Halt' spray. I reached back, grabbed it, and pointed it in their direction. I think I yelled out loud, "Ok, come at me!" After doing that, I realized that just pointing the spray at them seemed to scare them enough. I might not have to use that stuff after all.
After they retreated, I started to ride again. As soon as I did I started hearing a flapping noise coming from the back tire. I looked down and saw that a strip of rubber on the outside of the back tire had come off and a remaining rubber strip was still attached, but flapping. What was I to do? The tire still had the radial cover beneath the rubber that was protecting the inner tube from blowing, but how long would that last? I checked the map to see where the next bike shop was on the route. It was over 400 miles away!
My options were to try to find a major city off the route that might have a bike shop and ride there or just go to Navasota and see if there was any tire repair shop in town. I decided on the latter. I was just hoping that I would not have a blowout before I got there.
I arrived in Navasota about 12:30 pm and immediately found a car tire repair shop. I rode over there and asked them if they could repair my tire. They said that they could not but that there was a lawnmower/car/bicycle tire repair shop around the corner. They pointed the way and I went over there for some help. It was called Notos Repair Shop. When I got there, I met Shawn who said he might have a tire that fit. Now this was a small town repair shop so they did not have the latest of anything. It looked like all of their stuff was already used in some way. Anyway, Shawn came back with a tire and we tried to fit it to my rim. It was too big.
As I started to panic, I asked him where the closest big town was and he said that Houston was 90 miles away (a LONG bike ride - especially on a tire like that). Then he said that College Station, which is the home to Texas A&M, was only 23 miles north of Navasota and he happened to be going up there to pick up supplies. Not only that, but he would be leaving in just a few minutes and had planned to be back to Navasota within the hour! What luck! He said that they have a really nice bike shop up in that town and they would surely have a tire to fit my bike.
Well, to make a long story short, Shawn drove me up there, I was able to get a tire to fit my bike, and we got back to Navasota within the hour. I offered him money for his trouble but he refused to take it. I am sooo glad there are people like this in the world. I do not know what I would have done if Shawn was not working that day. Oh yeah, another thing, he rides a Harley Davidson motorcycle but that day he brought his truck to work. I told him that I was really lucky that he didn't bring his motorcycle that day. He said, "Yeah, I don't ride with no man straddled to me in the back, people would talk". I said, "I don't either."
I was feeling very good after that whole thing. I finished the day at the local Best Western restaurant which had Domino's Pizza right across the parking lot from it. All and all a GREAT DAY!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Day 26 - Austin, TX to La Grange, TX (Call Me The Breeze)
Miles Today: 75.66; Total Miles: 1744.4
I am having no luck when it comes to wind. Today I had about a 25 mph headwind most of the way. One thing I can say...hills don't seem to be a problem anymore, but the wind is another thing entirely. It will take the wind right out of you...ha!
Today was also the first full day with my new back rack and rear panniers (saddlebags). They are GREAT! No problems and because of the lower center of gravity I can now stand up on my bike to do hills. Before my garbage can would sway back and forth too much and really threw off the bike's balance. I am really glad I switched. I hope it keeps up.
Anyway, getting out of Austin proved to be more difficult than I thought. I started today at 7:15 and headed southeast out of Austin. I could not seem to find the road I was looking for. I had to backtrack at least 3 times on the same road until I finally decided a different plan of attack. The rush hour traffic didn't help either. When I finally got out of the city I had driven an additional 7 miles! Fun, Fun, Fun.
Then, about 20 miles into the day I rode through Bastrop State Park. The directions on my map were too vague and I ended up taking the long way through the park (additional miles, of course). I was trying to be patient but it was making me a little upset, I have to say.
I arrived in La Grange at approx. 2:15 pm. I found a Best Western to stay at for the night. These motels are emptying out my wallet. I am seriously thinking about starting to camp out more to save money.
Tomorrow, my destination is Navasota (the last destination on Map 4). Starting Map 5 means that I only have 3 more maps (out of 7) to go so I am making some real progress.
Side Note: I wanted to say that I am really enjoying all of your comments and emails. I really appreciate that you take the time and write a little something. It really refreshes my spirit when I read them. Thanks!
I am having no luck when it comes to wind. Today I had about a 25 mph headwind most of the way. One thing I can say...hills don't seem to be a problem anymore, but the wind is another thing entirely. It will take the wind right out of you...ha!
Today was also the first full day with my new back rack and rear panniers (saddlebags). They are GREAT! No problems and because of the lower center of gravity I can now stand up on my bike to do hills. Before my garbage can would sway back and forth too much and really threw off the bike's balance. I am really glad I switched. I hope it keeps up.
Anyway, getting out of Austin proved to be more difficult than I thought. I started today at 7:15 and headed southeast out of Austin. I could not seem to find the road I was looking for. I had to backtrack at least 3 times on the same road until I finally decided a different plan of attack. The rush hour traffic didn't help either. When I finally got out of the city I had driven an additional 7 miles! Fun, Fun, Fun.
Then, about 20 miles into the day I rode through Bastrop State Park. The directions on my map were too vague and I ended up taking the long way through the park (additional miles, of course). I was trying to be patient but it was making me a little upset, I have to say.
I arrived in La Grange at approx. 2:15 pm. I found a Best Western to stay at for the night. These motels are emptying out my wallet. I am seriously thinking about starting to camp out more to save money.
Tomorrow, my destination is Navasota (the last destination on Map 4). Starting Map 5 means that I only have 3 more maps (out of 7) to go so I am making some real progress.
Side Note: I wanted to say that I am really enjoying all of your comments and emails. I really appreciate that you take the time and write a little something. It really refreshes my spirit when I read them. Thanks!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Day 25 - Day Off in Austin, TX
My day off was spent with my friend Georganne, her husband Mark, and their 2 kids Adi and Doug (sorry if I didn't spell your names correctly). I had a wonderful time with them driving around Austin and checking out the sites. We went to a park on a beautiful, sunny 68 degree day and just walked and talked...oh yeah, we rode the miniature train too. I am so glad that I reunited with Georganne and that I had the downtime to spend with her and her family in Austin. Thanks guys, I really enjoyed it!
This is a picture of the Imperial Sand Dunes on my way to Brawley, CA. You don't see these in Pennsylvania.
This tunnel was about 2 miles out of Superior, AZ. As you can see it was pretty dark and scary. We ended up walking our bikes through here with the bikes on the road and ourselves on a small sidewalk. This is also the same place where that dog followed us out of town. The dog was scared to enter the tunnel and left us at that point.
Well, I finally got my first roll of pictures developed. These are just a few pictures from San Diego, CA through Superior, AZ. Hope you like them.
This is the traditional picture of me in San Diego dipping my back wheel in the Pacific Ocean symbolizing my trek from West to East. It was the start of my trip. Unfortunately, it was really rainy and windy that day and I had sand in my gears, brakes and tires until I hit El Centro miles later.
This is a picture of the Imperial Sand Dunes on my way to Brawley, CA. You don't see these in Pennsylvania. 
This is a bridge coming out of Superior, AZ. We crossed it on the way up to the tunnel in the following picture.
This tunnel was about 2 miles out of Superior, AZ. As you can see it was pretty dark and scary. We ended up walking our bikes through here with the bikes on the road and ourselves on a small sidewalk. This is also the same place where that dog followed us out of town. The dog was scared to enter the tunnel and left us at that point.
Here is me and Joe the morning we left Coy and Kat's house in Three Way, AZ.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Day 24 - Blanco, TX to Austin, TX (Seeing Georganne)
Miles Today: 68.71; Total Miles: 1668.7
In Austin I will not only see Georganne again, who I haven't seen in 20 years, but I will also have a day off (my first since Phoenix, AZ). Let's get to the ride...
I went from heat to wind. Winds were gusting to 25 miles/hr from the north. Guess which way I was going? The whole trip was slow and windy. I left Blanco at 7:15 am and made Austin by 11:30 am. I got good directions to the bike shop and heading there first. I had my rack replaced and put panniers on the bike. I hope this will solve my problems.
An interesting thing happened after I left the bike shop. I called some of the motels that the ACA recommends on the maps. I called the first one but it was booked for both nights. The second had a phone number that no longer worked. I finally got through to the third one. They quoted a price of $90 for both nights. I looked at the map and rode over there. When I got there I asked the girl behind the counter for a non-smoking room. She said, "That's ok, they don't smell." I said, "No, I want a non-smoking room please." She just gave me a blank stare. I knew something was up. Then I went to pay. I pulled out my credit card and she told me that they only take cash. Just then her mom came into the office. They had a conversation and FINALLY I paid and got the key to my room.
You should have seen this room. It looked like the WORST broken down room you ever saw. There was a TV but no remote control. There was no rug and the floor was stained from some unknown substance. I said to myself, "I am NOT staying here". I made a call to 'Information' and asked for hotel phone numbers. Within 10 minutes I was out of there. I gave the girl a story about a sudden 'family' emergency and she bought it and gave me my money back. Hey, I don't recommend lying but in those times, you gotta do what you gotta do.
I ended up the night at the Days Inn with a really nice room and this computer to update the blog. Georganne is coming to town tonight and said that she wants to meet with me for dinner. It is going to be a GREAT day off tomorrow. I am really looking forward to it.
In Austin I will not only see Georganne again, who I haven't seen in 20 years, but I will also have a day off (my first since Phoenix, AZ). Let's get to the ride...
I went from heat to wind. Winds were gusting to 25 miles/hr from the north. Guess which way I was going? The whole trip was slow and windy. I left Blanco at 7:15 am and made Austin by 11:30 am. I got good directions to the bike shop and heading there first. I had my rack replaced and put panniers on the bike. I hope this will solve my problems.
An interesting thing happened after I left the bike shop. I called some of the motels that the ACA recommends on the maps. I called the first one but it was booked for both nights. The second had a phone number that no longer worked. I finally got through to the third one. They quoted a price of $90 for both nights. I looked at the map and rode over there. When I got there I asked the girl behind the counter for a non-smoking room. She said, "That's ok, they don't smell." I said, "No, I want a non-smoking room please." She just gave me a blank stare. I knew something was up. Then I went to pay. I pulled out my credit card and she told me that they only take cash. Just then her mom came into the office. They had a conversation and FINALLY I paid and got the key to my room.
You should have seen this room. It looked like the WORST broken down room you ever saw. There was a TV but no remote control. There was no rug and the floor was stained from some unknown substance. I said to myself, "I am NOT staying here". I made a call to 'Information' and asked for hotel phone numbers. Within 10 minutes I was out of there. I gave the girl a story about a sudden 'family' emergency and she bought it and gave me my money back. Hey, I don't recommend lying but in those times, you gotta do what you gotta do.
I ended up the night at the Days Inn with a really nice room and this computer to update the blog. Georganne is coming to town tonight and said that she wants to meet with me for dinner. It is going to be a GREAT day off tomorrow. I am really looking forward to it.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Day 23 - Kerrville, TX to Blanco, TX (Hot, Hot, Hot)
Miles Today: 63.07; Total Miles: 1600.0
I am officially half way through my trip!
I started out this morning waiting in front of the Kerrville Bike Shop. The shop opened at 10 am but I was there at 9:12 am. I had 60+ miles to do today so I was just hoping that the shop owner would see me out front and let me in early. That didn't happen.
When 10 o'clock rolled around he opened his door for business. I told him about my problems and he went to work on my bike. He found 2 brackets to replace mine and started assembling them. As we were chatting, he noticed that one of the vertical bars of my rack was bent. I then told him that I should replace the whole darn thing instead of just the brackets. Unfortunately, he did not carry the size that I wanted so I decided to take a chance and try to get to Austin before anything catastrophic happened. I was sure that Austin would have a better selection of racks there. He finished fixing my brackets and tightened all of my bolts.
I ended up leaving Kerrville at 11:16 am. I was used to starting at 7 am so I was just hoping that I could make Blanco before dark.
Can you say, "Hot, HOt, HOT?" It just so happened that today reached a record high of 92 degrees! I put on my sunscreen but left my shirt on so my body would not get burned too badly. I worried a little bit about the rack but because all of the bolts were tightened, I did not hear any squeeking anymore. This kind of put my mind at ease.
I started looking around again as my mind was not consumed with my problems. I continued through Texas Hill Country and saw a lot of deer, bulls, and billy goats. It was a beautiful ride with great countryside. I even traversed the Guadalope River several times.
This was also the day that everyone was waving at me. I had people driving towards me waving at me, people in the river saying hi and waving, and cars beeping at me (in a nice way). I guess the nice weather brings out the good in people...or, they just think I'm crazy to be riding my bike in this weather.
Also, I am really meeting a lot of people that are asking what I'm doing. I am answering the same questions over and over but the general feeling is that everyone thinks it is really cool and they wish they could do it too.
When I finally arrived in Blanco I stopped at one of the local gas stations. I got to talking to the girl behind the counter. She was another person that took interest in my story. I ended up eating a pizza at the gas station and having 2 bottles of Gatorade and an Iced Tea. It felt really good to be in the air conditioning and I was just eating it up (no pun intended).
I am officially half way through my trip!
I started out this morning waiting in front of the Kerrville Bike Shop. The shop opened at 10 am but I was there at 9:12 am. I had 60+ miles to do today so I was just hoping that the shop owner would see me out front and let me in early. That didn't happen.
When 10 o'clock rolled around he opened his door for business. I told him about my problems and he went to work on my bike. He found 2 brackets to replace mine and started assembling them. As we were chatting, he noticed that one of the vertical bars of my rack was bent. I then told him that I should replace the whole darn thing instead of just the brackets. Unfortunately, he did not carry the size that I wanted so I decided to take a chance and try to get to Austin before anything catastrophic happened. I was sure that Austin would have a better selection of racks there. He finished fixing my brackets and tightened all of my bolts.
I ended up leaving Kerrville at 11:16 am. I was used to starting at 7 am so I was just hoping that I could make Blanco before dark.
Can you say, "Hot, HOt, HOT?" It just so happened that today reached a record high of 92 degrees! I put on my sunscreen but left my shirt on so my body would not get burned too badly. I worried a little bit about the rack but because all of the bolts were tightened, I did not hear any squeeking anymore. This kind of put my mind at ease.
I started looking around again as my mind was not consumed with my problems. I continued through Texas Hill Country and saw a lot of deer, bulls, and billy goats. It was a beautiful ride with great countryside. I even traversed the Guadalope River several times.
This was also the day that everyone was waving at me. I had people driving towards me waving at me, people in the river saying hi and waving, and cars beeping at me (in a nice way). I guess the nice weather brings out the good in people...or, they just think I'm crazy to be riding my bike in this weather.
Also, I am really meeting a lot of people that are asking what I'm doing. I am answering the same questions over and over but the general feeling is that everyone thinks it is really cool and they wish they could do it too.
When I finally arrived in Blanco I stopped at one of the local gas stations. I got to talking to the girl behind the counter. She was another person that took interest in my story. I ended up eating a pizza at the gas station and having 2 bottles of Gatorade and an Iced Tea. It felt really good to be in the air conditioning and I was just eating it up (no pun intended).
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Day 22 - Leakey, TX to Kerrville, TX (Rack Troubles Continue)
Miles Today: 68.18; Total Miles: 1534.4
What a day I had. I got really lucky today. I left Leakey at a little after 7 am with my patched up back rack (it still had the duct tape on it). I knew that Kerrville had a bike shop and I could get my broken bracket replaced so I was just praying for a nice smooth road that would take me there without any problems. This did not happen.
The first road out of the town had a 6 mile stretch that was under construction. There was actually no road, just dirt and a whole lot of rocks (actually boulders). I said to myself, "I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS!" I tried to be as careful as I could, riding as slowly as I could, but my bike was bouncing up and down and within 4 miles of the start I snapped another bolt on the rack. Luckily, I am carrying a bag full of bolts with me so I was able to extract the remaining part of the bolt from the bike and put on a new one. I would like to say that this was the end of my troubles but they continued.
As I reached about the 25 mile mark I stopped riding for a drink of Gatorade and a quick break (I like to take them every 10 miles or so just to refresh myself). I picked a nice shady spot off the road to take my break. As I was drinking a couple that was doing the same 'Southern Tier' from east to west approached me going the other way (of course). Their names were John and Karen Poole. This couple were VERY experienced bikers and have done the cross-country trip before. They were so nice. They stopped and wanted to take a picture of me with my 'garbage can' bike. I, in turn, took a picture of them too. We then got to talking. Even before I mentioned the problems I was having with the rack, John mentioned that the height of the can would cause stress on the rack and possibly cause it to fail. He said that I should get panniers (those saddle bags that go on either side of the rear wheel). He said that the panniers have a lower center of gravity and would not cause the stress. I then told him that I had bolts breaking left and right. I said at this point I would seriously consider changing to the panniers.
Then, as we were talking Karen pulled out maps of Kerrville and Austin and asked me if I wanted them. They had just been through there and did not need them anymore. I was excited to have more maps and accepted them. Then, John started telling me that the bike I purchased was one of the best touring bikes that were made. I didn't know that but was very excited to hear it. The reason I got the Trek 520 was only because I read a lot of blogs from people that have previously done the route and it sounded like the bike to get.
We started to share some of the stories of our trip. I told John of some of the bike problems that I encountered and mentioned that I almost burned out my brakes coming down some of the hills in California. With that John goes into his panniers and pulls out his tools. He ended up tightening up my front and back brakes for me right on the side of the road. I could not believe the generosity of these people. They even offered me food. However, even though I was starving, I felt like they bought the food for themselves so I just told them that I was ok with food and left it at that. I said goodbye and wished them luck.
Then, within the next 5 miles my bracket totally broke off. I got to the side of the road and had to unload the garbage can and then duct tape the rack to the bar that holds my seat. This made me EXTREMELY nervous and I just hoped that I could make it to Kerrville and the bike shop there before the bike came apart at the seams. Oh, I forgot to mention that John said the bike shop in Kerrville was really good but it was closed today (Sunday). I would have to get the bike fixed on Monday. They opened at 10 am.
The rest of the ride was ok until about 7 miles to go. That is when my duct tape failed. I decided to use some bungie cords to keep it all together. I finally made Kerrville at 4:30 pm. It was a LONG day and I know that I have to get the rack fixed as soon as possible.
What a day I had. I got really lucky today. I left Leakey at a little after 7 am with my patched up back rack (it still had the duct tape on it). I knew that Kerrville had a bike shop and I could get my broken bracket replaced so I was just praying for a nice smooth road that would take me there without any problems. This did not happen.
The first road out of the town had a 6 mile stretch that was under construction. There was actually no road, just dirt and a whole lot of rocks (actually boulders). I said to myself, "I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS!" I tried to be as careful as I could, riding as slowly as I could, but my bike was bouncing up and down and within 4 miles of the start I snapped another bolt on the rack. Luckily, I am carrying a bag full of bolts with me so I was able to extract the remaining part of the bolt from the bike and put on a new one. I would like to say that this was the end of my troubles but they continued.
As I reached about the 25 mile mark I stopped riding for a drink of Gatorade and a quick break (I like to take them every 10 miles or so just to refresh myself). I picked a nice shady spot off the road to take my break. As I was drinking a couple that was doing the same 'Southern Tier' from east to west approached me going the other way (of course). Their names were John and Karen Poole. This couple were VERY experienced bikers and have done the cross-country trip before. They were so nice. They stopped and wanted to take a picture of me with my 'garbage can' bike. I, in turn, took a picture of them too. We then got to talking. Even before I mentioned the problems I was having with the rack, John mentioned that the height of the can would cause stress on the rack and possibly cause it to fail. He said that I should get panniers (those saddle bags that go on either side of the rear wheel). He said that the panniers have a lower center of gravity and would not cause the stress. I then told him that I had bolts breaking left and right. I said at this point I would seriously consider changing to the panniers.
Then, as we were talking Karen pulled out maps of Kerrville and Austin and asked me if I wanted them. They had just been through there and did not need them anymore. I was excited to have more maps and accepted them. Then, John started telling me that the bike I purchased was one of the best touring bikes that were made. I didn't know that but was very excited to hear it. The reason I got the Trek 520 was only because I read a lot of blogs from people that have previously done the route and it sounded like the bike to get.
We started to share some of the stories of our trip. I told John of some of the bike problems that I encountered and mentioned that I almost burned out my brakes coming down some of the hills in California. With that John goes into his panniers and pulls out his tools. He ended up tightening up my front and back brakes for me right on the side of the road. I could not believe the generosity of these people. They even offered me food. However, even though I was starving, I felt like they bought the food for themselves so I just told them that I was ok with food and left it at that. I said goodbye and wished them luck.
Then, within the next 5 miles my bracket totally broke off. I got to the side of the road and had to unload the garbage can and then duct tape the rack to the bar that holds my seat. This made me EXTREMELY nervous and I just hoped that I could make it to Kerrville and the bike shop there before the bike came apart at the seams. Oh, I forgot to mention that John said the bike shop in Kerrville was really good but it was closed today (Sunday). I would have to get the bike fixed on Monday. They opened at 10 am.
The rest of the ride was ok until about 7 miles to go. That is when my duct tape failed. I decided to use some bungie cords to keep it all together. I finally made Kerrville at 4:30 pm. It was a LONG day and I know that I have to get the rack fixed as soon as possible.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Day 21 - Brackettville, TX to Leakey, TX (Breaking Rack)
Miles Today: 71.98; Total Miles: 1466.3
Today I rode with Kevin whom I met in the RV Park on Day 20 (see blog). As I was finishing up my blog that day, Kevin asked me if I wanted to ride with him the next day. I thought it would be fun and accepted.
We started out our ride in a strong headwind...man, that tires you out quickly. Kevin was a more experienced biker than me (with thousands of miles on his bike) and his pace was a little faster. He is also doing this trip across the country along with his wife who is following him in a camper and is taking all of his equipment with her so Kevin is only carrying a light load. I, on the other hand, am carrying about 45-50 lbs of weight with me so I had a hard time keeping up with him.
I had some trouble today with my rack on the back of the bike. Apparently, the garbage can that I am carrying with all of my camping equipment and clothes is causing the rack to periodically break bolts. The weight distribution of the garbage can design is causing too high of a center of gravity and is causing the rack to sway back and forth from side to side. This stressed the brackets that were holding the rack and caused bolts to break and a bracket to snap today. I did the best I could to splint the break with a tire lever and duct tape it together. This fixed the problem for today but is not the best solution. I was worried about it the rest of the day but did not have any further problems. All I was thinking was, "I hope this holds because if it doesn't I will be out here with no way to get my stuff to my next destination."
That day was the start of the Texas Hill Country and was filled with beautiful sites and a whole lot of hills. Unfortunately, because of my problems with the bike I was more worried about the bike and I missed a lot of the sites. The most exciting thing that happened today was that I was hissed at by a live armadillo. At first I thought it was a rattle snake but was pleasantly surprised when I saw him. Kevin stopped and took his picture.
When I finally arrived in Leakey I got a room at the motel and had a wonderful dinner at the attached restaurant. This town had such a nice family atmosphere that I calmed down and really enjoyed my night there.
Today I rode with Kevin whom I met in the RV Park on Day 20 (see blog). As I was finishing up my blog that day, Kevin asked me if I wanted to ride with him the next day. I thought it would be fun and accepted.
We started out our ride in a strong headwind...man, that tires you out quickly. Kevin was a more experienced biker than me (with thousands of miles on his bike) and his pace was a little faster. He is also doing this trip across the country along with his wife who is following him in a camper and is taking all of his equipment with her so Kevin is only carrying a light load. I, on the other hand, am carrying about 45-50 lbs of weight with me so I had a hard time keeping up with him.
I had some trouble today with my rack on the back of the bike. Apparently, the garbage can that I am carrying with all of my camping equipment and clothes is causing the rack to periodically break bolts. The weight distribution of the garbage can design is causing too high of a center of gravity and is causing the rack to sway back and forth from side to side. This stressed the brackets that were holding the rack and caused bolts to break and a bracket to snap today. I did the best I could to splint the break with a tire lever and duct tape it together. This fixed the problem for today but is not the best solution. I was worried about it the rest of the day but did not have any further problems. All I was thinking was, "I hope this holds because if it doesn't I will be out here with no way to get my stuff to my next destination."
That day was the start of the Texas Hill Country and was filled with beautiful sites and a whole lot of hills. Unfortunately, because of my problems with the bike I was more worried about the bike and I missed a lot of the sites. The most exciting thing that happened today was that I was hissed at by a live armadillo. At first I thought it was a rattle snake but was pleasantly surprised when I saw him. Kevin stopped and took his picture.
When I finally arrived in Leakey I got a room at the motel and had a wonderful dinner at the attached restaurant. This town had such a nice family atmosphere that I calmed down and really enjoyed my night there.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Day 20 - Comstock, TX to Brackettville, TX (Short But Sweet)
Miles Today: 65.97; Total Miles: 1390.9
I decided to cut back my mileage to give my body a little rest. It had been a solid week of close to century mileage so I knew my body needs a rest. I am planning on riding short mileage until I make it to Austin, TX where I will be reunited with one of my college friends Georganne who I haven't seen for about 20 years. She lives about 3 1/2 hours north of Austin and said that she would make the trip there to see me. I am really looking forward to seeing her too. I had previously planned to take a day off there so I think that will be VERY nice to have someone there to hang out with.
Today was a VERY easy ride. I stopped in Del Rio at the local IHOP for breakfast. I had to laugh because I ordered six french toasts, a spinach-mushroom omelet, and hash browns. The waitress was a little taken back by my BIG order. She said, "Do you want a smaller order of French Toast?" I said, "No, I am happy with what I ordered, Thanks" She was in disbelief. When she brought the order she jokingly said, "Do you want anything else?" I said, "No, I'm fine."
After I devoured my food I explained to her that I was biking across the country and was burning between 5 - 6,000 calories/day. She thought that was really cool. She asked my name, introduced herself, and shook my hand like I was someone special. She also told a lot of the employees what I was doing. I had people smiling at me and saying, "Good luck" until I left. I have to say that this has been the normal reaction when I tell my story. It is kind of nice.
Anyway, I arrived in Bracketville looking for their motel. The only motel, I found out, was booked for an event over the weekend. Luckily, there was an RV Park right by the motel. When I got to the office it was closed. I asked another resident/vacationer, Marlis, if and when the office would be open. She directed me to the lady that ran the place who was sitting in her own RV. I paid my $10 for the campsite which was down the road. I asked Shirley, the lady at the office, if the campsite had showers. She told me that I was NOT allowed to use the hot showers at the RV Park but I could use the cold showers at the campsite. Well, Marlis overheard her say that. Marlis waited until I was done with Shirley and stopped me and said that I could be a guest of hers and use the hot showers. She told me to park my bike at their trailer and just use them. Of course I took her up on the offer.
Then, as I was talking with Marlis and her husband Mike at their trailer, a 13 year resident and a friend of theirs pulls up on his golf cart and says that I can stay in his RV for the night. It has a double bed, TV, and an outlet for recharging my phone and iPod. Can't believe my luck!
I told Marlis that I had a blog and she offered up her laptop for me so that is why I am able to blog right now. I'll tell you, some nice people in Texas.
Oh, just a side note. I just met another biker going across the country named Kevin. He is riding alone and his wife, Susan, is following or leading in their camper. They have their 2 big dogs along for the ride. Kevin just stopped in while I was blogging and asked if I wanted to ride with him tomorrow. I am going to be heading out with him about 7:30ish. I will let you know how it goes.
I decided to cut back my mileage to give my body a little rest. It had been a solid week of close to century mileage so I knew my body needs a rest. I am planning on riding short mileage until I make it to Austin, TX where I will be reunited with one of my college friends Georganne who I haven't seen for about 20 years. She lives about 3 1/2 hours north of Austin and said that she would make the trip there to see me. I am really looking forward to seeing her too. I had previously planned to take a day off there so I think that will be VERY nice to have someone there to hang out with.
Today was a VERY easy ride. I stopped in Del Rio at the local IHOP for breakfast. I had to laugh because I ordered six french toasts, a spinach-mushroom omelet, and hash browns. The waitress was a little taken back by my BIG order. She said, "Do you want a smaller order of French Toast?" I said, "No, I am happy with what I ordered, Thanks" She was in disbelief. When she brought the order she jokingly said, "Do you want anything else?" I said, "No, I'm fine."
After I devoured my food I explained to her that I was biking across the country and was burning between 5 - 6,000 calories/day. She thought that was really cool. She asked my name, introduced herself, and shook my hand like I was someone special. She also told a lot of the employees what I was doing. I had people smiling at me and saying, "Good luck" until I left. I have to say that this has been the normal reaction when I tell my story. It is kind of nice.
Anyway, I arrived in Bracketville looking for their motel. The only motel, I found out, was booked for an event over the weekend. Luckily, there was an RV Park right by the motel. When I got to the office it was closed. I asked another resident/vacationer, Marlis, if and when the office would be open. She directed me to the lady that ran the place who was sitting in her own RV. I paid my $10 for the campsite which was down the road. I asked Shirley, the lady at the office, if the campsite had showers. She told me that I was NOT allowed to use the hot showers at the RV Park but I could use the cold showers at the campsite. Well, Marlis overheard her say that. Marlis waited until I was done with Shirley and stopped me and said that I could be a guest of hers and use the hot showers. She told me to park my bike at their trailer and just use them. Of course I took her up on the offer.
Then, as I was talking with Marlis and her husband Mike at their trailer, a 13 year resident and a friend of theirs pulls up on his golf cart and says that I can stay in his RV for the night. It has a double bed, TV, and an outlet for recharging my phone and iPod. Can't believe my luck!
I told Marlis that I had a blog and she offered up her laptop for me so that is why I am able to blog right now. I'll tell you, some nice people in Texas.
Oh, just a side note. I just met another biker going across the country named Kevin. He is riding alone and his wife, Susan, is following or leading in their camper. They have their 2 big dogs along for the ride. Kevin just stopped in while I was blogging and asked if I wanted to ride with him tomorrow. I am going to be heading out with him about 7:30ish. I will let you know how it goes.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Day 19 - Sanderson, TX to Comstock, TX (No Shower?)
Miles Today: 92.03; Total Miles: 1324.9
This was a day to remember. This was one of those days where all your plans get thrown out the door and you do with what you have.
I started out this day with a plan to stop in Dryden at the 20 mile mark. When I got to Dryden it was all 'Dry-ed up'. Nothing there but a few broken down buildings with 'For Sale' signs up. It looked like the only place that was working was the Grocery Store/Post Office building. Unfortunately for me it opened at 9 am and I arrived at 8:30 am.
I decided to eat an entire Powerbar and push on to the next town. At this point I need to remind you that I am not a breakfast eater. I just thought that I would get some food 'fuel' when I arrived in this town. Ok, so the next town with a restaurant was at the 61.5 mile mark so I had a ways to go before I could eat something substantial.
I motored on to Langtry (the previously said 'restaurant' town). Langtry was nothing more than a hole in the wall. The only food that I could scrounge up there was a bag of chips and 2 ice cream sandwiches. Now there's a good meal! I continued on...
As I approached Comstock I saw that the map gives no motels available. As far as the campsites there were 2. One was 8 miles to the west; it was the Seminole Historical State Park, but it was too far out for me. I decided to pass that one along the road and stay at an RV Park about 1.3 miles west of Comstock. When I arrived there I was informed that this campsite had no bathrooms and no showers! I couldn't believe my luck. I was so tired and hungry at this point that I just resolved myself to my fate.
I asked the owner if there was a restaurant in town. He said that the only restaurant was run out of Judy's house. It was 1.3 miles to the east (in Comstock). He called her and she said that she was going to close at 3 pm today because she had to pick up her kids at school. I checked my watch and it was 2:03. I was in luck.
She was a very nice lady and made me one of the biggest cheeseburgers I have every had. I also had french fries with that. When I told her that I might want more she scoffed at me and said that once I ate her hamburger I would not want anything else and would probably want to go to bed right away.
Needless to say, after the cheeseburger I had an additional 6 chicken strips! She obviously didn't know how hungry I was. I had not had anything but a powerbar, bag of chips, and a couple of ice cream sandwiches. That's not much when you do 92 miles.
After my eating thing, I went back to the campsite. I talked with the owner of the place and let him know that I was biking across the country. I guess he took pity on this city slicker because he said he talked to his wife and it was ok if I wanted to take a shower in his house (right on the property). YOU GOTTA LOVE IT!
I had a very nice sleep in my tent and was ready for another day of riding...starting at 7 am.
This was a day to remember. This was one of those days where all your plans get thrown out the door and you do with what you have.
I started out this day with a plan to stop in Dryden at the 20 mile mark. When I got to Dryden it was all 'Dry-ed up'. Nothing there but a few broken down buildings with 'For Sale' signs up. It looked like the only place that was working was the Grocery Store/Post Office building. Unfortunately for me it opened at 9 am and I arrived at 8:30 am.
I decided to eat an entire Powerbar and push on to the next town. At this point I need to remind you that I am not a breakfast eater. I just thought that I would get some food 'fuel' when I arrived in this town. Ok, so the next town with a restaurant was at the 61.5 mile mark so I had a ways to go before I could eat something substantial.
I motored on to Langtry (the previously said 'restaurant' town). Langtry was nothing more than a hole in the wall. The only food that I could scrounge up there was a bag of chips and 2 ice cream sandwiches. Now there's a good meal! I continued on...
As I approached Comstock I saw that the map gives no motels available. As far as the campsites there were 2. One was 8 miles to the west; it was the Seminole Historical State Park, but it was too far out for me. I decided to pass that one along the road and stay at an RV Park about 1.3 miles west of Comstock. When I arrived there I was informed that this campsite had no bathrooms and no showers! I couldn't believe my luck. I was so tired and hungry at this point that I just resolved myself to my fate.
I asked the owner if there was a restaurant in town. He said that the only restaurant was run out of Judy's house. It was 1.3 miles to the east (in Comstock). He called her and she said that she was going to close at 3 pm today because she had to pick up her kids at school. I checked my watch and it was 2:03. I was in luck.
She was a very nice lady and made me one of the biggest cheeseburgers I have every had. I also had french fries with that. When I told her that I might want more she scoffed at me and said that once I ate her hamburger I would not want anything else and would probably want to go to bed right away.
Needless to say, after the cheeseburger I had an additional 6 chicken strips! She obviously didn't know how hungry I was. I had not had anything but a powerbar, bag of chips, and a couple of ice cream sandwiches. That's not much when you do 92 miles.
After my eating thing, I went back to the campsite. I talked with the owner of the place and let him know that I was biking across the country. I guess he took pity on this city slicker because he said he talked to his wife and it was ok if I wanted to take a shower in his house (right on the property). YOU GOTTA LOVE IT!
I had a very nice sleep in my tent and was ready for another day of riding...starting at 7 am.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Day 18 - Ft. Davis, TX to Sanderson, TX (Downhill)
Miles Today: 108.03; Total Miles: 1232.9
I decided to do 108 miles today because the terrain was mostly downhill. This was my first century of the trip! I started at approximately 7 am and made it to Sanderson by 3:30 pm.
It was a very nice ride through some lovely countryside. I saw many wild animals during this stretch. Again it was hot but because of the earlier sunburn that I encountered, I decided to keep my shirt on this time. Unfortunately, I just deepened the burns on my arms. It's not a pretty site.
I rode through Alpine and Marathon, TX and finally arrived in Sanderson where I only paid $30.99 for my motel room (with AAA). I was overjoyed at my great find until the guys checked in to the room right next to me. I realized that the walls were made of paper and I could hear everything that they were saying. They decided to have a few buddies over that night.
I went to sleep with the TV turned up really loud to drown them out. All I can say is that I must have been exhausted because I didn't wake up all night.
I decided to do 108 miles today because the terrain was mostly downhill. This was my first century of the trip! I started at approximately 7 am and made it to Sanderson by 3:30 pm.
It was a very nice ride through some lovely countryside. I saw many wild animals during this stretch. Again it was hot but because of the earlier sunburn that I encountered, I decided to keep my shirt on this time. Unfortunately, I just deepened the burns on my arms. It's not a pretty site.
I rode through Alpine and Marathon, TX and finally arrived in Sanderson where I only paid $30.99 for my motel room (with AAA). I was overjoyed at my great find until the guys checked in to the room right next to me. I realized that the walls were made of paper and I could hear everything that they were saying. They decided to have a few buddies over that night.
I went to sleep with the TV turned up really loud to drown them out. All I can say is that I must have been exhausted because I didn't wake up all night.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Day 17 - Van Horn, TX to Ft. Davis, TX (It was a LONG hot day)
Miles Today: 90.86; Total Miles: 1124.9
I started off that day with some more I-10 riding. As I said before I really liked that. The only scary part of that stretch was that there was a construction zone where I had to go onto the highway to go around. This is a problem because I have been leaving so early in the morning that it was pitch dark and I was a little scared that the traffic would not see me. I'm still here so you know it turned out ok.
While on the highway I had to go through another Border Patrol Inspection Station. Unlike the one in AZ, the guy was just waving everyone through. That was nice because I didn't even have to stop pedalling.
After my I-10 part, I got on this lonely road for the rest of the 90 miles. This was long and hot. I saw deer, javelinas (they look like miniature wild bores), and a dead coyote. I took off my shirt while I was riding because the temperature was in the 70s - bad idea. I got a mean back sunburn. I told my mom that I have the strangest tan (burn) lines on my body. I have a farmers tan, my whole back is burned, and my face is tan but my forehead and bald spot are white because I am wearing a skull cap. Ya have to laugh...
When I finally got to Ft. Davis I was exhausted. I think the heat and the wind was really getting to me. The last 30 miles I kept checking the odometer and it didn't seem to be working. When I got to Ft. Davis I stayed in a really nice motel that was like a vacation/tourist resort. Management was renovating for the tourist season. He let me stay there for $52.99. I was the only person staying there that night. I had a bedroom, bathroom, full kitchen, and a living room. There were 2 flat screen TVs also. One was in the living room and the other was in the bedroom. I decided to do my laundry in the sink that night and lay out all of my clothes all over the place since I had so much privacy. It worked out great.
I started off that day with some more I-10 riding. As I said before I really liked that. The only scary part of that stretch was that there was a construction zone where I had to go onto the highway to go around. This is a problem because I have been leaving so early in the morning that it was pitch dark and I was a little scared that the traffic would not see me. I'm still here so you know it turned out ok.
While on the highway I had to go through another Border Patrol Inspection Station. Unlike the one in AZ, the guy was just waving everyone through. That was nice because I didn't even have to stop pedalling.
After my I-10 part, I got on this lonely road for the rest of the 90 miles. This was long and hot. I saw deer, javelinas (they look like miniature wild bores), and a dead coyote. I took off my shirt while I was riding because the temperature was in the 70s - bad idea. I got a mean back sunburn. I told my mom that I have the strangest tan (burn) lines on my body. I have a farmers tan, my whole back is burned, and my face is tan but my forehead and bald spot are white because I am wearing a skull cap. Ya have to laugh...
When I finally got to Ft. Davis I was exhausted. I think the heat and the wind was really getting to me. The last 30 miles I kept checking the odometer and it didn't seem to be working. When I got to Ft. Davis I stayed in a really nice motel that was like a vacation/tourist resort. Management was renovating for the tourist season. He let me stay there for $52.99. I was the only person staying there that night. I had a bedroom, bathroom, full kitchen, and a living room. There were 2 flat screen TVs also. One was in the living room and the other was in the bedroom. I decided to do my laundry in the sink that night and lay out all of my clothes all over the place since I had so much privacy. It worked out great.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Day 16 - Fabens, TX to Van Horn, TX (Riding on I-10)
Miles Today: 97.94; Total Miles: 1034.0
Today's the day I rode over the 1000 mile mark!
My plan was to start doing more days of close to 100 miles because Texas is so long that I just wanted to get through it from a mental standpoint. The Texas route covers 1080 miles so it is literally 1/3 of the trip.
I rode about 60 miles on I-10. The maps have the riders ride on a frontage road right next to I-10 but because of the condition of the frontage road I decided to stay on I-10. This was possible because the road just parallels the highway. I also like riding on the interstate because I like when the trucks go by and give me a little push. Plus, the shoulder is sooo much smoother than any of the side roads.
I stopped for lunch in Sierra Blanca and called mom. That night I stayed in the Motel 6 paying only $42.99 with my AAA membership which I LOVED. Got some Pizza Hut that night so I was feeling pretty good.
Today's the day I rode over the 1000 mile mark!
My plan was to start doing more days of close to 100 miles because Texas is so long that I just wanted to get through it from a mental standpoint. The Texas route covers 1080 miles so it is literally 1/3 of the trip.
I rode about 60 miles on I-10. The maps have the riders ride on a frontage road right next to I-10 but because of the condition of the frontage road I decided to stay on I-10. This was possible because the road just parallels the highway. I also like riding on the interstate because I like when the trucks go by and give me a little push. Plus, the shoulder is sooo much smoother than any of the side roads.
I stopped for lunch in Sierra Blanca and called mom. That night I stayed in the Motel 6 paying only $42.99 with my AAA membership which I LOVED. Got some Pizza Hut that night so I was feeling pretty good.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Day 15 - Las Cruces, NM to Fabens, TX (Which Way?)
Miles Today: 79.37; Total Miles: 936.1
This is the day I entered Texas. I spent the morning riding for my life trying to get away from dogs. I must have outrun maybe 7 dogs! I actually carry a product called 'Halt!' that is pretty much pepper spray. It is sold in bike stores. They say that the Postal workers also use it. Well, fortunately I have not had to use it. I was able to outrun the dogs to this point although I have to say I had some close calls.
I travelled through El Paso. All I remember about that town is that it was a very long stretch through a lot of street lights. I kept asking people along the road for directions because I HATE having to backtrack. Unfortunately, I took a wrong turn because of a road closure and detours. Luckily, I didn't get too far off track though.
After El Paso I ended up at the Fabens Inn in Fabens, TX. It was a small motel but nice. Where else would the Fabens Inn be anyway?
This is the day I entered Texas. I spent the morning riding for my life trying to get away from dogs. I must have outrun maybe 7 dogs! I actually carry a product called 'Halt!' that is pretty much pepper spray. It is sold in bike stores. They say that the Postal workers also use it. Well, fortunately I have not had to use it. I was able to outrun the dogs to this point although I have to say I had some close calls.
I travelled through El Paso. All I remember about that town is that it was a very long stretch through a lot of street lights. I kept asking people along the road for directions because I HATE having to backtrack. Unfortunately, I took a wrong turn because of a road closure and detours. Luckily, I didn't get too far off track though.
After El Paso I ended up at the Fabens Inn in Fabens, TX. It was a small motel but nice. Where else would the Fabens Inn be anyway?
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Day 14 - Hillsboro, NM to Las Cruces, NM (Downhill)
Miles Today: 81.20; Total Miles: 856.7
Today was pretty easy. It was all downhill. Nothing exciting happened. In Arrey, NM, I stopped for breakfast and finally reached my mom on my cell phone. I wished her a happy birthday and caught her up on my last day's travels. I just cruised into Las Cruces. I had the bike shop lube up my bike. I was also able to spend an hour and a half updating my blog for you fine people. I am anticipating leaving New Mexico for Texas tomorrow.
Today was pretty easy. It was all downhill. Nothing exciting happened. In Arrey, NM, I stopped for breakfast and finally reached my mom on my cell phone. I wished her a happy birthday and caught her up on my last day's travels. I just cruised into Las Cruces. I had the bike shop lube up my bike. I was also able to spend an hour and a half updating my blog for you fine people. I am anticipating leaving New Mexico for Texas tomorrow.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Day 13 - Silver City, NM to Hillsboro, NM (Snow?)
Miles Today: 56.55; Total Miles: 775.5
I talked to my mom (my weather lady) and she told me that Silver City and the surrounding areas were expecting snow that night. She told me to watch the weather reports closely and not go anywhere if there is going to be snow. My first thought was that I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible to avoid the snow. Silver City is on a mountain and I knew that if I was there when it started snowing, I might be stuck there for a couple days.
Joe left early in the morning for his flight home and I left about a half hour after that. The weather report said that the snow and rain was expected at about 11 am. I raced out of there at 6:44 am. I thought that maybe I could out run the thing. Well, I did avoid the rain and snow but something happened that I didn't expect. It was VERY COLD!
This day took me over Emory Pass. This is a mountain pass with the highest elevation of my trip (8,228 ft). I started up the hill in the morning. Because of the constant hill I was climbing it was slow and FREEZING. My plan was to make Hatch, NM which was 90 miles away but when I got to Hillboro about 56 miles in I was so cold that I decided to stop there for the night. The motel I stayed at had something to be desired. There was no phone and 2 channels on the TV. Also, my cell phone did not have coverage so I knew my mom would be worried.
I arrived at 12:30 pm and had lunch. After lunch I went to the motel and fell asleep until 5:15 pm. I went outside and looked for a nice restaurant to have dinner. Little did I know that the whole town closed at 3 pm. It was not my day. I was just hoping that I would not be snowed in in this town.
That night around 9 the rain came and then the snow soon after. The snow covered the ground but not the street. I thought that I HAD to get out of this town and get to lower elevation to avoid any more snow.
I talked to my mom (my weather lady) and she told me that Silver City and the surrounding areas were expecting snow that night. She told me to watch the weather reports closely and not go anywhere if there is going to be snow. My first thought was that I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible to avoid the snow. Silver City is on a mountain and I knew that if I was there when it started snowing, I might be stuck there for a couple days.
Joe left early in the morning for his flight home and I left about a half hour after that. The weather report said that the snow and rain was expected at about 11 am. I raced out of there at 6:44 am. I thought that maybe I could out run the thing. Well, I did avoid the rain and snow but something happened that I didn't expect. It was VERY COLD!
This day took me over Emory Pass. This is a mountain pass with the highest elevation of my trip (8,228 ft). I started up the hill in the morning. Because of the constant hill I was climbing it was slow and FREEZING. My plan was to make Hatch, NM which was 90 miles away but when I got to Hillboro about 56 miles in I was so cold that I decided to stop there for the night. The motel I stayed at had something to be desired. There was no phone and 2 channels on the TV. Also, my cell phone did not have coverage so I knew my mom would be worried.
I arrived at 12:30 pm and had lunch. After lunch I went to the motel and fell asleep until 5:15 pm. I went outside and looked for a nice restaurant to have dinner. Little did I know that the whole town closed at 3 pm. It was not my day. I was just hoping that I would not be snowed in in this town.
That night around 9 the rain came and then the snow soon after. The snow covered the ground but not the street. I thought that I HAD to get out of this town and get to lower elevation to avoid any more snow.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Day 12 - Three Way, AZ to Silver City, NM (Where Did New Mexico Come From?)
Miles Today: 84.92; Total Miles: 718.9
Ok, we have to make Silver City because Joe's flight leaves tomorrow morning.
The day started off with some KILLER climbs that left me gasping for breath and Joe walking and biking most of the time. I told Joe that I really wanted to try to climb this mountain pass so I went ahead of him. I would periodically stop along the way and wait for Joe. To traverse the Pass you had to go up a series of switchbacks. This was great because as I was climbing I could see Joe making his way up. It was a VERY tough climb but Joe and I made it up in record time (if that record is for the slowest ascent). On the other side of the mountain we found New Mexico - I was wondering where that was. We stopped to take our pictures in front of the sign. One day I will get that picture up but for now you just have to imagine it.
After we got into New Mexico the terrain really changed. It went from all of these brown, jagged, beautiful mountains with lots of shadows to softer looking mountains with high, haylike grass that blew in the wind. From a riding perspective we were riding directly into a strong headwind. Joe wanted to draft off of me and save his energy for the mileage. He kept saying how great it was to be out of the wind. For me, it wasn't so great. The wind totally drained me. The terrain was a series of humpback hills and mostly flat but I felt like they were some VERY hard miles.
We decided to stop in Buckhorn, NM for lunch at a place called the 'Last Chance Liquor' place or something like that. It was just a grocery store and restaurant with a catchy name. The lady there was very nice and when our cell phones did not work, she let us use her phone to call ahead to the hotel and bike shop. We spent about an hour and a half in there and had lunch.
Before we got to Buckhorn I was feeling drained but after I was ready for some more miles. I guess a little food energizes me. Luckily for us the wind had died down so the rest of the ride was not as tough. With about 10 miles left before reaching Silver City we both started to get ancy so mentally it got really tough.
We were happy to arrive at the hotel and ordered some Dominos which is ALWAYS a good idea in my book. I fell asleep soon after but Joe had to box up his bike for the flight home so he said that he got to sleep about 1 am.
This was the last day of my trip with Joe. I hated that he was leaving tomorrow. I had such a great time with him. Joe is an amazing person and I am so glad that I know him. Lorie, you said that I was the most determined person you met. You have not met Joe. He came into this trip without much training and gritted his way through all of these miles. Unfortunately, I did not take it easy on him either. To make it 300 miles in 4 days you have to put in some SERIOUS mileage and Joe toughed out every last mile. He told me in the beginning that he wanted to make the mileage but it might take him all day to do it. What can I say, I have never met anyone in my life that has a 'No Quit' attitude like Joe. I honestly thought it was impossible to get to Silver City on time but he proved me wrong. Thanks Joe for contributing to some GREAT memories for this trip!
Ok, we have to make Silver City because Joe's flight leaves tomorrow morning.
The day started off with some KILLER climbs that left me gasping for breath and Joe walking and biking most of the time. I told Joe that I really wanted to try to climb this mountain pass so I went ahead of him. I would periodically stop along the way and wait for Joe. To traverse the Pass you had to go up a series of switchbacks. This was great because as I was climbing I could see Joe making his way up. It was a VERY tough climb but Joe and I made it up in record time (if that record is for the slowest ascent). On the other side of the mountain we found New Mexico - I was wondering where that was. We stopped to take our pictures in front of the sign. One day I will get that picture up but for now you just have to imagine it.
After we got into New Mexico the terrain really changed. It went from all of these brown, jagged, beautiful mountains with lots of shadows to softer looking mountains with high, haylike grass that blew in the wind. From a riding perspective we were riding directly into a strong headwind. Joe wanted to draft off of me and save his energy for the mileage. He kept saying how great it was to be out of the wind. For me, it wasn't so great. The wind totally drained me. The terrain was a series of humpback hills and mostly flat but I felt like they were some VERY hard miles.
We decided to stop in Buckhorn, NM for lunch at a place called the 'Last Chance Liquor' place or something like that. It was just a grocery store and restaurant with a catchy name. The lady there was very nice and when our cell phones did not work, she let us use her phone to call ahead to the hotel and bike shop. We spent about an hour and a half in there and had lunch.
Before we got to Buckhorn I was feeling drained but after I was ready for some more miles. I guess a little food energizes me. Luckily for us the wind had died down so the rest of the ride was not as tough. With about 10 miles left before reaching Silver City we both started to get ancy so mentally it got really tough.
We were happy to arrive at the hotel and ordered some Dominos which is ALWAYS a good idea in my book. I fell asleep soon after but Joe had to box up his bike for the flight home so he said that he got to sleep about 1 am.
This was the last day of my trip with Joe. I hated that he was leaving tomorrow. I had such a great time with him. Joe is an amazing person and I am so glad that I know him. Lorie, you said that I was the most determined person you met. You have not met Joe. He came into this trip without much training and gritted his way through all of these miles. Unfortunately, I did not take it easy on him either. To make it 300 miles in 4 days you have to put in some SERIOUS mileage and Joe toughed out every last mile. He told me in the beginning that he wanted to make the mileage but it might take him all day to do it. What can I say, I have never met anyone in my life that has a 'No Quit' attitude like Joe. I honestly thought it was impossible to get to Silver City on time but he proved me wrong. Thanks Joe for contributing to some GREAT memories for this trip!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Day 11 - Bylas, AZ to Three Way, AZ (Let's Get There!)
Miles Today: 70.39; Total Miles: 634.0
We were ready to get out of Bylas. Joe arranged for us to stay in a campsite in Three Way. We went through Geronimo and had lunch in Safford where Joe got new tires for his bike at the bike shop. He told me earlier that his back tire had a slow leak and he was working really hard during the days to keep up because of it. He was really happy about the new tires and said that he definitely noticed a difference after that.
Unfortunately, we spent so much time in Safford that we arrived in Three Way at night. But that is not the whole story. When Joe called ahead to the campsite he also asked when the grocery store closed. The campsite owner said that it closed at 8 pm. There was a time during our day where we discussed our options. Joe was very concerned about us not eating and said that we HAD to make it to the store before it closed. He also said though that if we kept going at his pace we would never make it. At 5:22 pm with a monster hill facing us and 14 miles to go, we decided to split up and I would try to get there by 8. He said that he would meet me at the campsite. He said that if I had any problems or concerns to just call him (we both had cell phones).
I took off like there was no tomorrow. I've never gone that fast up a hill before; I guess the adrenaline kicked in. The hill didn't feel too bad. However, the downhill on the other side had to be the most scary ride I have ever had. Picture this...about a 7-mile downhill in the dark (I had a light on the front of my bike), half way down the hill there was a construction zone with only one lane of traffic available that continued the rest of the way! I was white-knuckling it down and praying along the way. I didn't want to use my brakes because I didn't want to burn them out so I just let the bike go. I just got in the middle of the right lane and FLEW down the hill. I ended up doing 46.6 miles/hour...Oh My!
Anyway, I got to the store in one hour. When I got in there I called Joe and asked what he wanted (in the way of groceries). I also told him about the hill he was about to descend. All I could say was "BE CAREFUL!" Unlike me Joe did not have a front light on his bike...need I say more.
I did not skimp on our groceries. I bought enough to fill up a box. I loaded that on the bike along with my other load and went to look for the campsite. I went down the road and looked for it but in the dark it was tough to find anything. I stopped in the driveway of a house to call Joe and see how he was doing. Before I made the call, the owner of the house came home on his motorcycle and asked me if I needed help. I told him I was looking for the campsite and he said it was about a half mile back up the road. I told him what I was doing and he graciously offered for us to stay with him and his wife. His name was Coy and his wife's name was Kat. He works supplying the power for the local mine workers and Kat was in construction. I told Coy that I would come in as soon as Joe arrived. When I called Joe he had arrived at the grocery store (about an hour later). I told him that a person I met had offered for us to stay with him and his wife. Joe said that this sounded great and he would meet me in a little bit. I think we were both longing for a bed by now. Joe showed up about 10 minutes later.
Coy and Kat were so nice and accommodating...thanks. They offered us each our own rooms with a double bed in each. We did our laundry, checked email, and they even offered us food. We told them that we bought our own.
I can't say enough about them. Unfortunately it is rare to meet people like that and we are sooo grateful that we chanced into staying with them.
We were ready to get out of Bylas. Joe arranged for us to stay in a campsite in Three Way. We went through Geronimo and had lunch in Safford where Joe got new tires for his bike at the bike shop. He told me earlier that his back tire had a slow leak and he was working really hard during the days to keep up because of it. He was really happy about the new tires and said that he definitely noticed a difference after that.
Unfortunately, we spent so much time in Safford that we arrived in Three Way at night. But that is not the whole story. When Joe called ahead to the campsite he also asked when the grocery store closed. The campsite owner said that it closed at 8 pm. There was a time during our day where we discussed our options. Joe was very concerned about us not eating and said that we HAD to make it to the store before it closed. He also said though that if we kept going at his pace we would never make it. At 5:22 pm with a monster hill facing us and 14 miles to go, we decided to split up and I would try to get there by 8. He said that he would meet me at the campsite. He said that if I had any problems or concerns to just call him (we both had cell phones).
I took off like there was no tomorrow. I've never gone that fast up a hill before; I guess the adrenaline kicked in. The hill didn't feel too bad. However, the downhill on the other side had to be the most scary ride I have ever had. Picture this...about a 7-mile downhill in the dark (I had a light on the front of my bike), half way down the hill there was a construction zone with only one lane of traffic available that continued the rest of the way! I was white-knuckling it down and praying along the way. I didn't want to use my brakes because I didn't want to burn them out so I just let the bike go. I just got in the middle of the right lane and FLEW down the hill. I ended up doing 46.6 miles/hour...Oh My!
Anyway, I got to the store in one hour. When I got in there I called Joe and asked what he wanted (in the way of groceries). I also told him about the hill he was about to descend. All I could say was "BE CAREFUL!" Unlike me Joe did not have a front light on his bike...need I say more.
I did not skimp on our groceries. I bought enough to fill up a box. I loaded that on the bike along with my other load and went to look for the campsite. I went down the road and looked for it but in the dark it was tough to find anything. I stopped in the driveway of a house to call Joe and see how he was doing. Before I made the call, the owner of the house came home on his motorcycle and asked me if I needed help. I told him I was looking for the campsite and he said it was about a half mile back up the road. I told him what I was doing and he graciously offered for us to stay with him and his wife. His name was Coy and his wife's name was Kat. He works supplying the power for the local mine workers and Kat was in construction. I told Coy that I would come in as soon as Joe arrived. When I called Joe he had arrived at the grocery store (about an hour later). I told him that a person I met had offered for us to stay with him and his wife. Joe said that this sounded great and he would meet me in a little bit. I think we were both longing for a bed by now. Joe showed up about 10 minutes later.
Coy and Kat were so nice and accommodating...thanks. They offered us each our own rooms with a double bed in each. We did our laundry, checked email, and they even offered us food. We told them that we bought our own.
I can't say enough about them. Unfortunately it is rare to meet people like that and we are sooo grateful that we chanced into staying with them.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Day 10 - Superior, AZ to Bylas, AZ (A Little Scary To Say The Least)
Miles Today: 72.47; Total Miles: 563.6
You're probably wondering why I say it was scary. Well, let me tell ya.
When we got to Superior, everyone that we talked with was telling us to be careful. The terrain is pretty hilly with no shoulder going out of Superior and there was a tunnel about 2 miles into our ride. The lady at the gas station where we were filling up with fruit and powerbars for the day was telling someone in the store that her father was the local mortuary and there were 5 fatalities in the last 3 days. Three of the fatalities were from one car wreck; there was another car wreck involving a teenager and a motorcycle crash. Luckily, there were no bicyclists killed.
So Joe and I started on our trek about 8:30 am. Before we left Joe needed to send home some of his items he brought to lighten his load. We stopped at the Post Office and he mailed them home. There we met a stray dog. Joe and I are both dog lovers so of course we said hi to him. Unfortunately, this led the dog to follow us all the way out of town and onto US 60! We could not shake this dog. I was yelling at him telling him to go home and Joe was VERY concerned about him being on the highway. Well, the dog followed us to the tunnel and then was too scared to enter into it. There was a car that actually stopped on the other side of the tunnel and waited for us. When we got through, they asked us why we did not carry the dog through. We told them that it was not our dog and we could not get it to stop following us. They said that it was cowarding next to the road in the front of the tunnel.
Anyway, we picked Bylas because it fit more with the 75 miles/day we were planning on doing but it was a town that did not have a motel or a campground so we were playing it by ear. It is located on the San Carlos Apache Reservation. Joe called ahead to the Post Office in Bylas to see if they had any ideas of where we could stay. They said that we could stay in a Rest Area that was designed for travellers that was located right next to the Post Office. We thought that sounded like a good idea so we went for it.
We arrived at about 7 pm and headed straight for the only grocery store in the town. This was a hang out for all of the local teenagers. We asked and brought our bikes into the store so we could watch them closely. Inside we had a lot of interest by teenagers on where we were going and how much our bikes cost. Joe was very accommodating for all of the questions but I was more untrusting of their motives. One of the teenagers said that we could stay at his mother's house for the night but we both turned it down.
We bought some microwave meals in the store and used their microwave to cook them up. The store worker didn't seem to mind that we were setting up shop in there. Joe is very good at making people feel comfortable and is a very nice person to talk to. He asked if there was a place for us to take showers in town. The store worker said that the fitness center had showers and arranged for us to use the showers for $5 each. We headed for the fitness center, showered and left as they were closing (around 8 pm). We then made our way to the Rest Area. When we got there there was a sign that stated, "No Camping". Joe called the Police Department and asked if it would be ok for us to camp out there for the night. They suggested that we sleep in front of the EMT station. They said that it would be safer for us there. We called over to the EMT station, told them that we talked to the police, and they welcomed us with open arms. They said that they could not let us stay inside but we could pitch our tent in front of their place. This was good for 2 reasons (the way we saw it): 1) We could keep our bikes in their storage room where they would be safe, and 2) We were camping inside of their fenced-in EMT station. Little did we know how cold it would get that night. I am lucky because my sleeping bag is good for 0 degrees but Joe's is only good to 40 degrees. He woke up in the middle of the night FREEZING and said that he put every piece of clothes that he brought to stay warm. I felt so bad for him.
In the morning, Mark (the EMT that looks like a tank - or someone in professional wrestling) came out to give us a nice 'Good Morning'. He said that we could use their restrooms to freshen up and even made us each a hot chocolate! In talking with him that morning he also informed us that the Apache Reservation was the second most dangerous reservation in the country and that is why the police wanted us to stay at the EMT station (for protection). I guess you never know what you are getting into. We dodged a bullet there. On the good side, we felt protected and secure and Mark was a great guy to talk to.
You're probably wondering why I say it was scary. Well, let me tell ya.
When we got to Superior, everyone that we talked with was telling us to be careful. The terrain is pretty hilly with no shoulder going out of Superior and there was a tunnel about 2 miles into our ride. The lady at the gas station where we were filling up with fruit and powerbars for the day was telling someone in the store that her father was the local mortuary and there were 5 fatalities in the last 3 days. Three of the fatalities were from one car wreck; there was another car wreck involving a teenager and a motorcycle crash. Luckily, there were no bicyclists killed.
So Joe and I started on our trek about 8:30 am. Before we left Joe needed to send home some of his items he brought to lighten his load. We stopped at the Post Office and he mailed them home. There we met a stray dog. Joe and I are both dog lovers so of course we said hi to him. Unfortunately, this led the dog to follow us all the way out of town and onto US 60! We could not shake this dog. I was yelling at him telling him to go home and Joe was VERY concerned about him being on the highway. Well, the dog followed us to the tunnel and then was too scared to enter into it. There was a car that actually stopped on the other side of the tunnel and waited for us. When we got through, they asked us why we did not carry the dog through. We told them that it was not our dog and we could not get it to stop following us. They said that it was cowarding next to the road in the front of the tunnel.
Anyway, we picked Bylas because it fit more with the 75 miles/day we were planning on doing but it was a town that did not have a motel or a campground so we were playing it by ear. It is located on the San Carlos Apache Reservation. Joe called ahead to the Post Office in Bylas to see if they had any ideas of where we could stay. They said that we could stay in a Rest Area that was designed for travellers that was located right next to the Post Office. We thought that sounded like a good idea so we went for it.
We arrived at about 7 pm and headed straight for the only grocery store in the town. This was a hang out for all of the local teenagers. We asked and brought our bikes into the store so we could watch them closely. Inside we had a lot of interest by teenagers on where we were going and how much our bikes cost. Joe was very accommodating for all of the questions but I was more untrusting of their motives. One of the teenagers said that we could stay at his mother's house for the night but we both turned it down.
We bought some microwave meals in the store and used their microwave to cook them up. The store worker didn't seem to mind that we were setting up shop in there. Joe is very good at making people feel comfortable and is a very nice person to talk to. He asked if there was a place for us to take showers in town. The store worker said that the fitness center had showers and arranged for us to use the showers for $5 each. We headed for the fitness center, showered and left as they were closing (around 8 pm). We then made our way to the Rest Area. When we got there there was a sign that stated, "No Camping". Joe called the Police Department and asked if it would be ok for us to camp out there for the night. They suggested that we sleep in front of the EMT station. They said that it would be safer for us there. We called over to the EMT station, told them that we talked to the police, and they welcomed us with open arms. They said that they could not let us stay inside but we could pitch our tent in front of their place. This was good for 2 reasons (the way we saw it): 1) We could keep our bikes in their storage room where they would be safe, and 2) We were camping inside of their fenced-in EMT station. Little did we know how cold it would get that night. I am lucky because my sleeping bag is good for 0 degrees but Joe's is only good to 40 degrees. He woke up in the middle of the night FREEZING and said that he put every piece of clothes that he brought to stay warm. I felt so bad for him.
In the morning, Mark (the EMT that looks like a tank - or someone in professional wrestling) came out to give us a nice 'Good Morning'. He said that we could use their restrooms to freshen up and even made us each a hot chocolate! In talking with him that morning he also informed us that the Apache Reservation was the second most dangerous reservation in the country and that is why the police wanted us to stay at the EMT station (for protection). I guess you never know what you are getting into. We dodged a bullet there. On the good side, we felt protected and secure and Mark was a great guy to talk to.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Day 9 - Phoenix, AZ to Superior, AZ (City Riding)
Miles Today: 94.03; Total Miles: 491.1
Joe was riding with me from Phoenix, AZ to Silver City, NM. I originally thought that we would be riding together for 5 days but was told by Joe that he could only ride with me for 4. This was a problem because the total trip mileage for us was about 300 miles so we would have to average approximately 75 miles/day to make it to Silver City. When I informed Joe about this he said that he was willing to do the mileage but he would have to take his time during the days with a lot of breaks to be able to accomplish it. I personally thought that the mileage was impossible to make because Joe said that he had been doing something every day but had only been doing about 20 miles when he would ride at home. He just thought that he would do his best and if he couldn't make it, he would just take a cab to Silver City to catch his flight back.
The trip out of Phoenix was filled with city driving. We went through Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa through all of the city streets (with stop lights). It was a very slow 94 miles. We ended the day in Superior tired and wanting a motel bed. We arrived late at night and stayed at a very basic motel right in town.
I was AMAZED that Joe could do all the miles. At the end of the day he said that his cardio was fine but his knees and butt hurt a little. We will see what the rest of the 3 days brings. I just thought it was great biking with Joe and a lot of fun talking and laughing along the way.
Joe was riding with me from Phoenix, AZ to Silver City, NM. I originally thought that we would be riding together for 5 days but was told by Joe that he could only ride with me for 4. This was a problem because the total trip mileage for us was about 300 miles so we would have to average approximately 75 miles/day to make it to Silver City. When I informed Joe about this he said that he was willing to do the mileage but he would have to take his time during the days with a lot of breaks to be able to accomplish it. I personally thought that the mileage was impossible to make because Joe said that he had been doing something every day but had only been doing about 20 miles when he would ride at home. He just thought that he would do his best and if he couldn't make it, he would just take a cab to Silver City to catch his flight back.
The trip out of Phoenix was filled with city driving. We went through Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa through all of the city streets (with stop lights). It was a very slow 94 miles. We ended the day in Superior tired and wanting a motel bed. We arrived late at night and stayed at a very basic motel right in town.
I was AMAZED that Joe could do all the miles. At the end of the day he said that his cardio was fine but his knees and butt hurt a little. We will see what the rest of the 3 days brings. I just thought it was great biking with Joe and a lot of fun talking and laughing along the way.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Day 8 - Day Off (Hi Joe!)
Today Joe is coming from Cincinnati around noon. I will spend today resting and Joe will have assemble his bike and get it ready for the trip.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Day 7 - Aguila, AZ to Phoenix, AZ (Hi Linda!)
Miles Today: 68.96; Total Miles: 397.1
All I was thinking about today was seeing my sister Linda. Family to me is a great motivator and this was no exception. I was cruising down the road. I tried to call my mom on the phone again after about the 35 mile mark but it still did not have coverage. I'm sure she was beside herself.
In Phoenix, I will meet up with Joe for our New Mexico leg. It will be great to ride with him again. The last time we rode together was a 100 miler (for me - 55 for him). He says that he's in shape and all ready to go.
I left at 5:50 am that morning because the event that was bringing everyone into town was starting in mid morning and the police would be closing down US 60 for traffic during the block party. This is the road I'm using. I wanted to get passed the town of Wickenburg, AZ (where the event is happening) before they closed it off.
Ah, success. I was able to go through Wickenburg with no problem and finally reached my mom by phone at the 43 mile mark. When I talked to her she asked, "How was camping?" I said, "How did you know?" Well, apparently she was not satisfied not knowing where I was and called the Jim Burro motel. The manager there said that she sent me to the campground. She called the owner of the campground and he confirmed that I had checked in. I had to laugh, can't put anything past Mom.
When I arrived in Phoenix I was greeted by Linda and her 2 English Cockers. We spent the day going to the dog park and had Asian food at night. Can't wait to see Joe and have a day of rest.
Here's a picture of me that my sister Linda took. Yes, that is a kitchen garbage can I have my tent and clothes in.
All I was thinking about today was seeing my sister Linda. Family to me is a great motivator and this was no exception. I was cruising down the road. I tried to call my mom on the phone again after about the 35 mile mark but it still did not have coverage. I'm sure she was beside herself.
In Phoenix, I will meet up with Joe for our New Mexico leg. It will be great to ride with him again. The last time we rode together was a 100 miler (for me - 55 for him). He says that he's in shape and all ready to go.
I left at 5:50 am that morning because the event that was bringing everyone into town was starting in mid morning and the police would be closing down US 60 for traffic during the block party. This is the road I'm using. I wanted to get passed the town of Wickenburg, AZ (where the event is happening) before they closed it off.
Ah, success. I was able to go through Wickenburg with no problem and finally reached my mom by phone at the 43 mile mark. When I talked to her she asked, "How was camping?" I said, "How did you know?" Well, apparently she was not satisfied not knowing where I was and called the Jim Burro motel. The manager there said that she sent me to the campground. She called the owner of the campground and he confirmed that I had checked in. I had to laugh, can't put anything past Mom.
When I arrived in Phoenix I was greeted by Linda and her 2 English Cockers. We spent the day going to the dog park and had Asian food at night. Can't wait to see Joe and have a day of rest.
Here's a picture of me that my sister Linda took. Yes, that is a kitchen garbage can I have my tent and clothes in.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Day 6 - Quartzsite, AZ to Aguila, AZ (Hear Those Coyotes)
Miles Today: 70.46; Total Miles: 325.7
My whole ride today was on US 60. It was a GREAT road with a very nice shoulder (although I mostly rode in the road anyway). It was flat and uneventful. I listened to music and watched the flat scenery go by. It's a day like this that makes me thankful for all of the music you guys came up with.
By the time I reached Aguila I was ready for the motel. I got to good ole 'Jim Burro' motel and they told me that they did not have any rooms available. This is the only motel in town. Then, they said that the next town does not have any room either because there is a special event going on during the weekend and all of the motels in the area are filled. The lady suggested a campground about a mile back up the road. With no other options, I decided to stay there for the night.
This is the first time that I was camping because the mornings have been so cold. I've been staying in motels because I knew that in the morning I would have to assemble the cargo on my bike and it is a lot nicer to be in a warm room when you are doing that. The campsite only costed me $10 and included the shower. I camped next to a german couple (man was 69, wife was 58) who are biking the whole world. They told me many stories of their travels. They said they had logged more than 46,000 km so far and still have 666 days to go. In light of this, I saved my travel stories for another day.
I tried to call my mom on the cell to tell her about my day and I could not get through. This is the first time that I did not have cell phone coverage. I knew that my mom was probably panicking at this point because I've called every day at lunch and after my ride to talk with her and let her know I'm ok. Unfortunately, this is supposed to happen for a long stretch through New Mexico so maybe this will prepare her for it later.
In the middle of the night a train went by and blew it's horn. One lone coyote started wailing. On the second horn blow hundreds of coyotes joined in. That was so cool (only because they were far away)!
Got going to Phoenix at 5:50 am the next day.
My whole ride today was on US 60. It was a GREAT road with a very nice shoulder (although I mostly rode in the road anyway). It was flat and uneventful. I listened to music and watched the flat scenery go by. It's a day like this that makes me thankful for all of the music you guys came up with.
By the time I reached Aguila I was ready for the motel. I got to good ole 'Jim Burro' motel and they told me that they did not have any rooms available. This is the only motel in town. Then, they said that the next town does not have any room either because there is a special event going on during the weekend and all of the motels in the area are filled. The lady suggested a campground about a mile back up the road. With no other options, I decided to stay there for the night.
This is the first time that I was camping because the mornings have been so cold. I've been staying in motels because I knew that in the morning I would have to assemble the cargo on my bike and it is a lot nicer to be in a warm room when you are doing that. The campsite only costed me $10 and included the shower. I camped next to a german couple (man was 69, wife was 58) who are biking the whole world. They told me many stories of their travels. They said they had logged more than 46,000 km so far and still have 666 days to go. In light of this, I saved my travel stories for another day.
I tried to call my mom on the cell to tell her about my day and I could not get through. This is the first time that I did not have cell phone coverage. I knew that my mom was probably panicking at this point because I've called every day at lunch and after my ride to talk with her and let her know I'm ok. Unfortunately, this is supposed to happen for a long stretch through New Mexico so maybe this will prepare her for it later.
In the middle of the night a train went by and blew it's horn. One lone coyote started wailing. On the second horn blow hundreds of coyotes joined in. That was so cool (only because they were far away)!
Got going to Phoenix at 5:50 am the next day.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Day 5 - Palo Verde, CA to Quartzsite, AZ (Arizona here I come)
Miles Today: 46.27; Total Miles: 255.2
Today is the day that I said goodbye to California, Whoa Hoo! It is also a day of short mileage that I planned on after 2 days of long mileage (relatively speaking, of course).
The morning was beautiful but still cold (40ish). The California leg of the ride was flat and fast. I made some really good time bopping to my music along the way. I passed a sheep farm with hundreds of sheep all standing in close proximity to each other. I wanted to take a picture but I figured it was too dark and it would probably not turn out so I continued on.
I walked my bike across the CA/AZ border along a River Pedestrian Crossing that spanned the Colorado River. I got a BIG smile on my face when I crossed that line. One state down and 7 more to go! I ended my day in Quartzsite, AZ and felt fresh after an easy day.
Today is the day that I said goodbye to California, Whoa Hoo! It is also a day of short mileage that I planned on after 2 days of long mileage (relatively speaking, of course).
The morning was beautiful but still cold (40ish). The California leg of the ride was flat and fast. I made some really good time bopping to my music along the way. I passed a sheep farm with hundreds of sheep all standing in close proximity to each other. I wanted to take a picture but I figured it was too dark and it would probably not turn out so I continued on.
I walked my bike across the CA/AZ border along a River Pedestrian Crossing that spanned the Colorado River. I got a BIG smile on my face when I crossed that line. One state down and 7 more to go! I ended my day in Quartzsite, AZ and felt fresh after an easy day.
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