Miles and Miles of Miles and Miles

Day 16
Today was supposed to be a simple 77 mile run to El Paso, TX. Ha Ha... It was the hardest day of the trip so far. While the forecast was for 6 building over the day to 12 mph headwind along the route but we ended up with a starting headwind of about 12-15 and just at 20 with harder 25 to 30mph gusts for the last few hours. It was a direct headwind luckily into only gentle climbs but it was relentless. It took us longer to do the 77 today than the 100 on Friday!

I left the school on my own to make sure I was in El Paso early to see Cita's great friends Kim and Kyle McElhaney (both UF Cycling Team riders) but once I felt the winds I started looking for a strong group of riders to paceline with. After the first SAG stop, Hargy and I were together but it was just too brutal for just two of us so when I saw Scott and Mike and AD and Hans, all strong guys, up ahead I buried myself to catch them. I hit 17-18 to catch them and when we did I just hung on the back for many miles trying not to throw up! We then had a paceline of 6 and were lucky to see 15 mph into the wind and 11-12 on the uphills for a couple of hours. After a while we lost a couple of the guys then a couple more and in the end Scott, the Aussie from Canada (don't ask)  and I were the only ones left. The first to cross into Texas, our fourth state, and the first to arrive at the hotel in El Paso. I admit I sucked wheel the last three or four miles, I couldn't take even one turn on the front! We were truly wiped.

After a WONDERFUL HOT SHOWER in the hotel, Kim and Kyle picked me up for a quick shopping spree to Albertson's for soap and batteries then to a great Mexican restaurant called the J & J Cafe. Had a fun time and we all chatted with Maggie and Victoria.

Turns out Kim knows Chandler, our Gainesville/UF based Bike Mechanic! They had a small reunion in the lobby when we came back to the hotel.. Small world, huh??? I am back at the hotel typing the last of this but I'm too tired to do the pics so I'm sorry but you'll have to wait till I have internet again. I'll even look at the typos and spelling too.. someday, I promissssssssssssssssss......

Our fourth state

Kim & Kyle

Day 14
Today was our first century. For you non-cyclists that mean a hundred mile ride in one day. We left Rodeo early with dawn over the mountains to the southeast. We had a gradual uphill and a slight headwind for the first 25 miles but then the wind began to clock around and by the time we were at 50 miles we had a gentle tailwind.and by mile 72 we had about 15 mph direct tailwind and withing a few more miles it was up to around 20! I was riding with my friends Roland, RO and PW and we were peddling and chatting and doing well over a 25 mph average. It was a great ride!
Our lodging for the evening is at an Elementary school in Columbus NM. Since we arrived on a Friday afternoon after school was out we had the use of the gym and facilities until we left on Sunday. Saturday was our second rest day. All of our meals while there were prepared by the school's cafeteria staff and was a nice change.
On Saturday (officially Day 15) we were shuttled to the Fort Furlong museum and park. We had a lecture about the Poncho Villa raid into Columbus, NM on March 6, 1916, which we were told, was the last time that America was ever invaded by a foreign force. Remember the marble staircase at the Gadsden Hotel and count your blessings..
We then walked across the border and had lunch and did some shopping at the Pink Store. A few brave souls in our group got free haircuts at the town square from the ladies in the Barber School... no, not me. I don't have much hair but I value what I do have...

OK, only 96 miles to go!

Crossing the Continental Divide

see those mountains? That's where we're going today

Roadside facilities??

soon to be tired legs

our gym for the night

Ferdi's and my corner

America's first armored vehicle cir 1906

"the Fence"

in The Pink Store

Doc Dean get a free hairdut

Local hero, Pancho, rides again...
and again... and again

Day 13
Today we rode from Bisbee to Rodeo, NM so into our third state. Rodeo is VERY funky! a TINY town, the population of which we probably doubled with our arrival. Some of us stayed in the community center and others camped at a very quaint campground/RV park/cabin/? place. I did some laundry because somehow I missed the laundry call in Tombstone.
We rode through Douglas, AZ and visited the Gadsden Hotel which is amazing inside. HUGE marble columns and a huge marble staircase that Poncho Villa rode up on his horse because he was either A) riding up to the balcony to look for the "enemy", or B) plastered. Take your pick.....
After dinner we all went to the only bar in town where a Border Patrol office whom Bubbba had befriended a few years ago, gave a talk about the Border Patrol's job and problems they face. A very nice gentleman and his talk was very interesting .

Gadsden Hotel's Staircase

Pancho was here

Our third state

Day 12
On a trip like this, where you need facilities for a group this large, we sometimes have to do especially long or short days to adjust the next day's stopping point. Today was a less than 30 mile uphill to the town of Bisbee, AZ. The climb was hard at times, especially near the top, a few feet less than 6,000 feet. And a thousand feet of that hard work was blown off in a few minutes descending into town. And since it was a windy, poorly paved, residential type area you couldn't even fly down!
 We were all glad we stopped here. It is a very interesting, very eclectic mix of styles: hippie, artist, brewery, top rated restaurants, and mining history. The town of Bisbee was a center of copper mining through the 1900s.
Our entire group was invited to a wine and cheese party at one of the boutiques in town. One side was expensive women's clothing, the other side an art store. The town is built up on the steep sides of the narrow valley/canyon, in the middle of which is the steep, main road thru town. The pics will explain much better than my words.
We had a great meal at The Table. Great service and food. Campground was a tad short on facilities.....

Ferdi and I on the climb to Bisbee

looking back on the climb

Bisbee

Roland and I at dinner

Bisbee's (in)famous copper mine

Cyclists Meet Wyatt Erp

Day 11
Today was a 73 mile run from South Tucson to Tombstone. The day started with a 2,100 foot climb for 24 miles then except for a few rollers, a gradual descent for the next 40 miles. After about 20 miles of that descent we made a turn east and got a nice 15+ tailwind so I was COASTING along at 20 mph at times and when I got bored I pedaled and was cruising along at over 30 for miles at a time! What fun!!! Little traffic and mostly nice to decent roads. Too bad ALL rides aren't downhill with a tailwind! ;-)
In Tombstone we are staying in a hotel for the first time. Dinner was prepared by the hotel as will tomorrows breakfast.   Still having some folks coming down sick but the number seems stable... I'm fine. so far;-)

Have to like the swinging Saloon doors to the bathroom..
Hey, It's TOMBSTONE!

View from our room

Day 10
A short 40 mile day from Catalina State Park through Tucson to allow everyone to visit the Pima Air Museum. I visited here last summer when I was in Tucson for the PSE Archery clinic. I was happy to go through again as it's a nice air museum. We had a great lunch there then headed to out campgrounds on the way south east.
A few days back a few riders got very sick very quickly and the norovirus was suspected. We now have 16 riders sick or recovering.. not a good sign......

Day 9
On our first rest day at Catalina State Park I spent the night at a nearby Holiday Inn with Mark and we ran my shopping errands and had some great Mexican food (you can never eat too many fish tacos!). Mark dropped me at camp Sunday afternoon and I was back into camping/tent mode. Marc took a box of stuff to Tempe to ship to Ft Lauderdale full of stuff I don't think I'll need on the trip...

And now we're in Tucson

Day 8
We rode 68.9 miles from Casa Grande to the Catalina State Park just north of Tucson. It is a beautiful place and is the setting for our first "rest day".  I rode alone for most of the day and arrived very early even though I wasn't trying to ride fast. I am staying in a nearby hotel with Mark who came down again to hang out and drive me around. I wanted to reorganize all my "stuff" in my duffle bags and this is a perfect opportunity.

Catalina State Park

Day 7
A great 77.4 mile speed fest from Gila Bend to  Casa Grande AZ. After a gentle climb of 800 feet or so we had a gradual downhill for 20+ miles. Scott, Mike and I had a paceline going at about 25-26 mph till we hit the next climb. THAT was FUN! Since there was little to no wind and even a brief stretch of a weak tailwind, we kept up a 20+/- run even on the broken up roads to a Mexican Cantina and Restaurant for some well deserved refreshments.

We stayed at a High School that has a culinary class so the students cooked our dinner and breakfast the next morning. My good friend Mark Penman drove over from his home just 20-30 minutes away and had dinner with us.

Day Whatever: We're in Gila Bend

I missed a few days for lack of service and one long day in the saddle.
To read this in the correct order, read this post from the BOTTOM UP please!

Day 6
Today, from Dateland to Gila Bend was a short, 50.1 miles with a slight headwind and went fast. We had a number of miles on I-8 again and I was sailing along at 20+ and having a blast. Had a nice Mexican food lunch at Sophia's in Gila Bend. Now at the campground and typing this up while waiting for dinner.
It's also the first WiFi we have had.  I  have not had enough cell phone data bandwidth for PDAnet to let me use my laptop and updating this from my phone is a pain.
Oh, and our "End of Ride" pre-dinner, snack today was fresh, homemade guac and chips... Lord how I do hate roughing it.

Day 5
Yuma to Dateland was 70.1 miles. The longest to date. Also a headwind day but not too bad... Had a Date Milkshake! haven't had one in DECADES! I made excellent time and had a great ride. I may suck in the mountains (ascent AND descent) but this flatlander/Florida boy can fly on the flats, headwind or not.
Today we rode through the ag area where 90% of the romaine, broccoli, spring mix, etc  for the US (not Florida) comes from. It was a lucky chance the the fellow I was riding with and I arrived just as Bubba and the land owner arrived. The three of us got the "Senator and Congressmen" presentation. Here's a pic of me munching on HEADS of romaine. The gentleman just kept picking them and letting us (well, me) taste them. Let me tell you, they were amazingly sweet being so fresh.

Ferdi and I chowing down on Romaine

Campground in Dateland

Day 4
. We rode from Calexico to Yuma. We stopped at one of the strangest places on the planet: The Center of the World.... huh? I'm still not sure what it is and I was there!! The video in the normal building (IE NOT the pyramid) claims it is (and this is a quote) "The History of the World in Granite in Summary"....
How to put this gently: It's like a Frenchman, living in Arizona, laser engraved a Reader's Digest Condensed "History of the Wold" (from a VERY distinctly French point of view) onto thin slabs of Granite, glued them together in the shape of a prism with triangular granite endcaps so it looks like solid Granite, 100 foot long blocks, and tells everyone that they are "Guaranteed" to last 4,000 years....... Oh, and by the way, it seems that the location for the "Center of the World" was chosen from the seventh printing of a children's book..... You can't make this shit up. And please, don't ask me anything about it.. As your mom and dad used to say, "Look it up"....
The road to get there was terrible.. I mean TERRIBLE.. but when we left there and got on the old road to Yuma... THAT road was about a million times worse and it was 7-8 miles of teeth jarring, wheel breaking, brutal, broken road.
In Yuma we stayed in the National Guard Armory/Community Center and Wind Tunnel.... OK I'm joking about the wind tunnel part but the AC made the main armory/gym room the coldest, windiest room I have ever been in. We froze from the AC! I had to use everything I brought to sleep in: 10 deg sleeping bag, fleece blanket/liner and I wore fleece pants and a long sleeve T shirt.. AND still froze! I was FAR colder than in the Mountains east of San Diego! What a hoot.

The, uh, Center of the World

Yuma National Guard Armory and Wind Tunnel

Day 3
Boulevard to Calexico was scary/exciting. the first 16 miles were a hilly ride to the on ramp of I-8. then a 10+ mile serious downhill to the off-ramp to Calexico. I was on the brakes almost the entire descent, trying to keep my speed under 35-36 mph. A number of the upright folks experienced in mountain descents hit 40+ and a couple of the recumbents hit well over 50! It ain't le Tour but wow....
We Stayed in the Calexico Mission School's gym and were served vegetarian dinner and breakfast by the students as a fundraiser. The town across the street in Mexico (Mexicali) has suffered greatly since 9-11. In the 50s folks could literally walk across the street (any street) into Mexico to visit, shop or eat. Then after the typical checkpoints were put in you'd go thru and spend five minutes (if that) clearing Immigration and Customs. Now it's a two hour line of cars, many lanes wide... no one goes to Mexicali for dinner or anything else.
My Camera battery died so I don't have a pic of the descent but I'll get one form another rider and post it later.

Day 2 Alpine to Boulevard CA

Well it wasn't a very long ride today but it was brutal. We had LONG climbs and descents of up to 10% grade AND headwinds of 20 to 30 miles per hour with higher gusts! We even rode a few uphill miles on I-8 today.

The great news is that I rode with  a couple of guys who helped me find my climbing "rhythm" and I felt much better today than yesterday during the climbs and at the end. I was pushing too hard yesterday and today, even though most of the riders were complaining that it was much worse than yesterday, I actually felt much better about the ride. Don't get me wrong. It was a pretty brutal day but I never felt like it was too much. Many thanks to Roland, RO and PW! I'd have been a lot worse for wear without their help and advice!!!

And I had my massage at the end which made any stiff or sore muscles all go away!

I also hit 36 mph on descent. I discovered that not having hills in Florida to learn climbing on also means we don't learn descending skills either! I thought I was going pretty good, guardedly flying down hills at 33-35 mph in stiff, very gusty headwinds when my two companions passed me like I had got off to check the tires, easily clocking somewhere over 40 on the descents. Never before on a bike was I ever happy to see my speed drop below 25!

Tomorrow after a few hilly miles we hop on I-8 for a 13-15 mile descent into the desert then on to Calexico for 62 miles on the day. And a slight tailwind is expected too!

cruising along on Interstate 8

our first tumbleweed sighting

Day 1, San Diego to Alpine

Well day one is in the bag. For this Florida flatlander it was a hard day. Up to 13% grades with a headwind!

I did have fun and rode with and had a great lunch with some nice people.

Dinner here in Alpine was salad, prime rib, chicken, roasted veggies, baked potatoes and brownies for dessert! Not too shabby for a bicycle camping trip huh?

Tomorrow is even more climbing :-( but the great news is that I have booked a massage with our in house masseuse for after the ride!

Is all this just plain decadent or what?

What is seriously cool/interesting/startling, at least to me, is how relaxed and unconcerned I am. I am so use to being in charge of every detail, every aspect of everything when I bike (or just about everything) . I am usually spending all my time thinking about and planning and worrying over whatever needs to be done later that day or the next day or the next. I am really enjoying not having to concentrate on basically, ANYTHING but riding.  Very different for me and very cool.

Being the guy who always likes to take care of others, I find I could get used to being pampered!

Posting this from my phone, in my sleeping bag in my tent with poor data service here in the mountains. I'll try to add some pics but might have to wait to do that tomorrow afternoon with the campgrounds Wi-Fi.

the traditional dipping of the rear wheel at departure

somewhere east of SD

home for the night

Hello from San Diego!

I arrived in San Diego yesterday, managing to just miss the storms, floods and bad weather that just left SoCal. The hotel is great, right on the beach and a few yards from the bike path we will depart from Saturday morning.

Met Bubba Baron, our fearless leader and some of the staff. Very nice people all!

I've been busy unpacking my stuff from the boxes I shipped to the hotel, organizing and repacking it all into my allotted duflel bags, wandering around Ocean Beach and mostly eating way too much great food!

Went to South Beach Bar & Grill for excellent fish tacos last night and to Hodads for a HUGE Bacon Cheeseburger for lunch today. It was WAY too much food but in my lame defense I could only manage to eat 1/2 of it so that burger is gonna be dinner tonight and probably breakfast tomorrow tooo! Tomorrow night will be the OB Noodle House... See,  this way I can probably fast till St Augustine... Unless of course we manage to stumble across more DD&D eateries!

Roger at Bernie's Bike Shop did a great job assembling my bike before my arrival so I went out and did some intervals this morning and will plot a longer ride up in Mission Bay for tomorrow AM.
Couldn't be better!

at Dog Beach in Ocean Beach