LIFE ACROSS AMERICA 2010

Today started out a little slow … slow to wake up, slow to get packed up, slow to get to breakfast, slow to get loaded, and slow to get started … and yet … finally on the road.  (Adella decided to ride with Lauren today, because she’s still having challenges with her knee.)

I started off with Tony, Wade and Fran (they were gracious enough to let me ride with them)  … I rode with them to the 1st SAG stop (this is the MIDWAY point between SF and NYC) … yet the longer I rested …  the more my legs, back and muscles stiffened up, so I decided to take off on my own to give myself a chance to warm up before they caught up with me … it wasn’t too long before Larry J … caught up with me and we decided to ride together … pulling from “mile marker” to “mile marker”

Wow!  Larry’s 75 years young … yet, he’s a very strong rider … so we were cruising along between 18-19 mph and guess what?

Noone caught up with us … so after the 2nd SAG stop … we decided to do it again!

Along the highway I saw a couple of Kansas State troopers who had stopped a big rig … I stopped and talked to a Master Trooper Stanton … and he agreed to a picture with me and I gave him a big “hug” and thanked him for his service and asked him to be safe out there, he then asked me what happened to my legs, so I told him.  He then told me how he had been “hit” in the back by a passing motorist’s mirror and told me to also “be careful”.

We continued our trek and started getting blasted with more “crosswinds” yet we were both very consistent and before we knew it, we were pulling into Great Bend, and Larry pulled off for a “smoothie” and I went to the hotel to help unload our luggage.

After I was finished I rode back over to WalMart to buy some lotion (Curel) and sunblock … also to get my glasses fixed … I guess when I hugged the state trooper, the eyeglass screw fell out. (typed with  a smile!) Yet the Vision Care lady was able to fix it right away… so now I’m a happy camper!

We are now receiving lots of media contact calls from Bethlehem, PA, Kansas City and St. Joseph, MO plus Richmond, Indiana, Gainesville, FL, Atlanta, GA, Mobile, AL and Dayton, Ohio.

A special thanks to our friends at the local blood centers … you are amazing!

If you get a chance … our pictures are now updated on Facebook … at Give Blood.

Wow!  Can you believe it?  Yes, it’s true …

We are already  in Dodge City, KS … and we’ve  cycled 1720 miles and we are on Day 24.  That is amazing to me!

Great job, Adella!  You are an amazing trooper … and we are almost 1/2 way to Portsmouth, NH.

I received an email from Paul Maher (my roommate in 2008) … he will be riding 5 days with us across upstate New York … it will be great to see and ride with him again.

We took lots of very neat pictures today … make sure to check out Facebook at the Give Blood account.

I again rode with Tony, Wade and Fran … they were nice enough to let me ride with them … after Adella decided to ride with Lauren.

Today was Wade’s turn to have a “blowout” on his rear tire … we stopped and got it fixed, then Gerard rode with us to the SAG stop and we were cruising at 2s6-27 mph. (He was just taking it easy on us!)

Today was a “fun”  ride … with a 19.5 mph average to the 1st SAG stop and a 17.5 mph average for the overall day!

We stopped for a lot of pictures … saw a lot of “feedlots” for thousands of cattle, they were huge and seemed to go on for miles.

We stopped in the quaint little town of Cimarron at an old time 50″s soda fountain … it was awesome!

I had a Hot Fudge Mikeshake that was delicious and I met 5 of the town’s most famous silver haired “foxes” … I can’t remember all of their names, yet, that had lived there for years.  One had a grocery store with her husband, one was a school teacher and a librarian, another said that she “waited on” her husband, and another one was a “blood donor” … they were amazing and allowed Adella and I to take a picture with them, they were funny and had a great sense of humor. (check out the pix of Cimarron’s Five Silver Haired Foxes)

We stopped to get some interesting pictures at the Santa Fe Trail historical markers, and at the Dodge City Cowboys tribute where Tony and Wade carried their bicycles all the way to the top of the monument for a picture.

We are now at the Dodge City hotel and getting ready for some much needed fun tonight at the Boot Hill Museum.

Also we were able to wash and dry our clothes … thank goodness!  (Clean shorts are a must for this kind of cycling tour!)

While that was going on … Adella was playing piano and then Gerard and Robert decided to sing, play piano and harmonica. (They really sounded great together)

In the meantime, Adella played ping pong with Wade and it was “down to the wire” for each game … yet … they had a lot of fun playing each other!

This afternoon Gerard is teaching us some new “tips” on cycling, how to look back without falling down, how to make quick turns, how to dodge rocks, and most of all … how to make quick and much needed stops. (Boy do we need this!)

Tonight there will be a Gun Fight at 7 p.m. scheduled in honor of Michelle our cyclist “mom”, and at 7:30 we will attend the “Miss Kitty” show … a good time will be had by all in attendance or else!

The trick to Dodge City is not how easy it is to get here … it is how easy it will be to get out of Dodge City alive?

It should be a lot of fun … and … I’ll check in with you on the details later.

Note: A special thank you to Lauren Larsen for talking to Scott today … you are both amazijng.

Also this afternoon, both Adella and I did an phone interview with Gary K … from Life South in Florida … preparing for our visits in Atlanta, Gainesville, and Mobile.  (We have met before on the Five Points of Life ride in 1997 when we rode through to Gainesville, FL.

That should be enough for now.

Whoopee! 105 miles from Lamar, Colorado … to … Garden City, KS. (average speed 16.4 mph)

Yes, it’s true we are now in KANSAS! 

This is Day 23 of our trip … once again I rode with Tony, Wade and Fran …

What a beautiful state …  for us cyclists lots of “rollers” … and … unfortunately … lots of wind … mostly cross winds which means it’s really hard to develop an effective paceline, because, the “rumble strips” are always in the way for the 4th rider … because it stifles the proper echelon positioning to find the sweet spot. (the area of the draft where you are most protected from the cross wind.

Yet it was a great day!  Even though I had a flat on the road … it was right after Scott’s group also had a flat … so it must have been a “sympathy” flat!

Thanks to Tony … because he helped me fix it and Gerard came by with the pump … which saved me using a compressed air bottle.

Lots of cool pix today … both mine and Adella’s! (don’t forget to check out the pix at “Give Blood” on Facebook.

Later in the day … Tony had a real intense “blowout” which completely ruptured the tube and the tire … it was awesome!

He was able to ride it to a stop, just like the professional he is … good job, Tony!

Well, that all for right now … I may add more later.

Today started off very early … we said our prayers and read our scriptures.

Breakfast was at 5:00 a.m. and  load time was 5:45 a.m.

So we were on the road early … I rode by myself in the beginning.

Then I rode for awhile with Rand, his son, Will and his good friend … we were cruising along about 15 mph and I was waiting to see if Adella was going to catch up with me.

After a period of time I decided to move on up the road … and I guess that is when Adella caught up with Rand and he told her that I had just left because I thought she wasn’t coming … it was funny because she really sped up and caught up with me just as the SAG van appeared and she needed water and pulled off to fill up.

From that point on … I decided to hook up with Fran, Tony, and Wade … so we rode together all day … and … a total of 121 miles for me … 16.5 mph average.

We had 3 scheduled SAG stops and it was a long, long  day. 

Note: There are some very large “feedlots” in or near Lamar … with thousands of cattle being prepared for the market.  (Check out the pictures on Facebook)

Also Wade had a flat and I must say … his father, Tony is very fast and very efficient at changing a tire.

We are now at the hotel catching up on the blog and looking for a quick snack before we have our scheduled dinner.

That’s it for today … talk to you tomorrow.

Wow!  Today was a well deserved rest day.  We were picked up at 9:00 a.m. by Rudy Sosa, the Regional Director for BonFils in Pueblo, CO. area.  We were in competition with a huge annual Hot Rod car show held in Pueblo.

We spent the morning visiting with and thanking the local “blood donors” … it was awesome and we met some really incredible men and women at the BonFils blood center. (check out the pix on Facebook at “Give Blood”)

I was able to squeeze in a “haircut” in between the blood drive and the afternoon barbeque and birthday party for Kristin (one of Adella’s childhood friends from SR) which was held at her family’s home in Pueblo, CO.

We had a blast visiting with Merrill, Jody, and the rest of the family, who are friends of ours from the Santa Rosa, CA, area … you should see all the baby pictures … I loved it … surrounded by munchkins … hence the many pictures of babies on Facebook.

By 3:00 p.m. I was exhausted and returned to the hotel for a well deserved nap … Adella woke me up later and said it was time to eat dinner … so off to dinner with Fran and Rob (fellow cyclists)  in the hotel restaurant.

We are now catching up on our packing for a 3:30 a.m. wake up … hopefully in time to get a “sunrise start” on our next long 120 mile day from Pueblo to Lamar, CO.

Not sure what the weather tomorrow will be like … it seems that we are getting “conflicting” weather reports … windy, possible T-storms, rain, wind at our back, wind in our faces … just not sure?

Too much to think about … I’m going to bed!

A special thanks to Julie, Rudy and his family, and all of the blood donors who are on the “tree of life” at the Pueblo, Bonfils Blood Center … there are so many who have helped saved “lives” of those in need … just like me!

Talk to you tomorrow.

Today was another awesome day.

An early start at 5:45 a.m. because we had a 95 mile day from Salida to Pueblo.  It started fairly brisk and chilly … yet, without too much wind, and a slight downhill … which was most welcome.

Last night, Adella had some “anxiety” about a line on her bicycle frame that she hadn’t noticed before … first she checked with me and I wasn’t sure  … so she decided to check this morning, with Gerard (the mechanic) who said it wasn’t a hairline “crack”, it was just a hard plastic decal and the edge of it looked like a crack.

After loading luggage and checking our tires for 120 p.s.i. … we then rode our bikes over to Patio’s for some incredible pancakes … I personally had their “blueberry” pancakes and I must say they were loaded with blueberries and very delicious. (lots of anti-oxidants for the day)

Adella suggested I go ahead and take off and ride my own ride for the day… which I did for awhile.

At first I rode with Lauren … then watched as “Big John” came whizzing by … he was too quick for me to jump in with him.

As I settled into a rythym of about 23 mph … I was able to clearly see all of God’s beauty surrounding me in the mountains and on the river banks, as I rode down 50 East adjacent to the Arkansas River for about 21 miles.

At about mile 23 I noticed Fran, Tony and Wade as they passed me … riding along effortlessly, so I rode with them for a little while, then they stopped for pictures and I decided to continue to hold my cadence and speed.

Within a couple of miles, I came up behind ”Kiwi Rick” from New Zealand, said “hi” and he said “Oh you’ve decided to stretch out your legs today, eh?  I said “yes”  and decided to stay with my original cadence, etc.

Somehow in my mind I thought the 1st SAG was at 27 miles … so when I didn’t see it there … I was really disappointed, especially when I doublechecked the route slip and the mileage said it would be at 37.8 miles.  (Darn, I had another 10 miles to go! Maybe I started out too fast, whoops!)

As I was cruising along … I noticed a small group of cyclists coming up behind me … so I slowed up a wee bit so that I would crest the hill that I was climbing at about the same time they were passing me.

Which gave me a chance to shift up a couple of gears and use the downhill to help me jump on the paceline with Rick, Kevin and Phil, it was a welcome bit of relief for me as I worked into their paceline and they carried me to the SAG in record time … 37 miles in a 20+ mph average … not bad, eh?

At the SAG stop … I took a lot of pictures … (see Facebook for the photos of lots of scenery, cyclists and even some mountain goats.)

After the SAG I continued on to the 2nd SAG … (did I ever tell you how much I love ORANGES?)  That’s my favorite snack at the SAG stops.  I usually don’t have much competition for the oranges … except when Tony is around … he loves them almost as much as I do! (Thank you Judy and the crew for making sure there are always plenty of great snacks at the SAGS … especially oranges!)

I spent the rest of the day cycling (on and off) behind Gloria and Nancy, they always “crush me” on the hills … and… then I seem to be able to “kick it up a notch” and sometimes catch them on some of the awesome downhills, like we had today.

Later in the day, Adella called me and asked me to wait on her … which I did … she said she wasn’t feeling good and decided to SAG in with only 10 miles to go. (I was surprised because at the SAG stops, Scott, Rob, Lester and some of the other cyclists had said how strong she was riding today,  oh well, sometimes we overdo it, and there is always a “fine line” between doing really good and just being exhausted!)

We were supposed to attend a blood drive in Penrose, CO, for Bonfils … however, the timing of it didn’t work out. (Sorry Julie!)

After Adella  was safely in the SAG van … I put the hammer down and tried to get back into my original “cadence and rythym” , although it was much harder because … it was now about 98 degrees outside!

Luckily we still had a slight tailwind … so I was able to cover the last 10 miles fairly quickly.

As I came into Pueblo … I saw a Dairy Queen with several bicycles parked there … I couldn’t resist and gave in to the “sugar addiction” and stopped and ordered a LARGE chocolate milk shake … Ummmm, Gooood!

That literally was the “ice cream on top of the cake” … and a nice exclamation point to a very good and strong day for me!

Then finally on to the Holiday Inn and checked in … Adella was already there … and had moved our luggage to the room, thank you Adella!

(One minor inconvenience today for me and Adella … mosquitoe bites … where we develop “huge huge welts” which itch intensely!  Yuck!  It reminds me of my days in Vietnam … every evening the eternal battle with the mosquitoes and the intense itch that goes with it!

Wow!  Can you believe it? We’re already in Pueblo, CO, and we’ve ridden almost 1500 miles so far, in 20 days!

Tomorrow is our rest day, yet we have a blood drive to attend from 9:00 a.m. to noon.  (Rudy from Bonfils will pick us up at the hotel at 9:00 a.m.)

That pretty much covers it for today … talk to you later.

Today started off very hectic … because the “wake up call” at the hotel didn’t happen and I woke up about 45 minutes later than usual.  That meant that Adella woke up late and we were running around trying to get breakfast, and load luggage on time.

Adella went to eat breakfast with the other cyclists and I had “hot oatmeal” in our room.  I decided to skip the group breakfast and ride alone … about 5 miles into the trip I realized that we had to do our “call in” to KZST at 7:50 a.m.

Adella called me to remind me,  but she wasn’t able to catch up with me in time … so I talked to Brent at KZST (100.1 FM) in Santa Rosa, Ca., and said “hi” for her … if you visit our website … on the “How to follow the journey page?” you can click on the KZST link to listen to the interviews.

Adella caught up with me a little later and we rode together up the mountain for awhile, until she “kicked it in” and scampered away from me …

Wow!  Adella is getting to be quite a good climber and she really enjoys it!  Even Judy C., one of our co-leaders (who I rode across America with in 2008) said she even noticed how strong Adella is, and has noticed how much stronger she is getting on a daily basis.

I sure noticed it today … as I watched her pedal her way past me and several other cyclists as she pedaled up the 9 mile climb to the summit of Monarch Pass … 11,312 feet!

It took me a long time to climb the 9 miles to the summit.  Yet it was worth it!  Adella was waiting and we took our ceremonial pictures in front of the Monarch Pass sign which says 11,312 feet.  (Just like we did when Aaron and I climbed the Pass in 1996 together.)   Check out the Facebook pictures for today … they are awesome!

Once the picture taking was over … Adella and I took the Tram up to the top of the mountain to 12,000 feet and were able to take some amazing and awesome pictures!  We were able to see 14,000 Foot Peaks in all directions!

Then we bought a shirt and a sweater that says … “I climbed Monarch Pass!”

Then came the most incredible downhill of 20+ miles and then a really nice tailwind … all the way to the hotel … it was awesome!

The best descending day that we’ve had so far …

When we arrived at the hotel … there were some little kids selling lemonade at the hotel … it was really cool so we bought some lemonade and we took our pictures with them.

I thought I would share some excerpts from the journal entry in 1996 as we climbed up over Monarch and then down to Salida, CO.

• Today we started out from Gunnison and rode 66 miles to Salida, Colorado.  It was a very cold crisp morning to start out with… 36 degrees.  But the wind was either at our backs or no wind at all.  So it was a perfect riding day and then we started climbing up to the summit of Monarch Pass, a 10 mile climb up to 11,312 feet in altitude.  
•  Finally after our first sag stop we started climbing and we climbed and we climbed and we climbed!  Finally we could see the summit and we made it… we took pictures of us and the bikes. 
•  The views today were even more tremendous than yesterday.  The more we climbed the better the views. 
•  The winds at the top were really blowing so we had to dress warm for the downhill. 
•  Then Aaron and I started on our 20 mile downhill into Salida, it was awesome because we never got below 30 mph and most of the time were traveling about 38 mph even though we had to be careful because of sidewinds. 
• We arrived at the Days Inn at 1:30 pm.
•  Today was a great day and probably the high point of this Life Across America ride.

Well, that’s it for today … a day that started out “challenging” and ended up as one of the best cycling days yet!  Whoopee!

Talk to you soon.

Today started early because we had several climbs to do … up to the summit of Cerro, 7740 feet.

As usual the wind started just as siib as  we left the hotel and started our climb … the wind was very strong and in our face.(again)

This time I made up my mind early that I was climbing to the top or die trying … and … the bright side of the climb was that Adella is quickly becoming a very good cyclist and I watched her fade away in the distance as she climbed up and away from me.

The long and short of the day was that it was windy all the way to the top of the climb … then the wind settled down and we were able to enjoy a nice long downhill … all the way down  to the old general store that served “pies”. 

Everyone stopped there to enjoy the decor of the old place and the old man sitting in the store allowed us to take pictures with him. (see Adella’s pix on Facebook)

I decided to forego the piece of apple pie and started to climb up our next climb … which ended at the next summit.

Then came the downhill that we all had been waiting on … we descended all the way down to Blue Mesa Lake … it was very scenic and seemed to go on forever and ever.(lots of beautiful pictures and incredible scenery)

On the downhill I hooked up with Freddie and his friend, Sumner, for an enjoyable and quick descent … we had a lot of fun riding together. (by the way Sumner is a 4 GALLON blood donor … I made a special point to give him a “hug” and to say thank you to Sumner because it was blood donors just like him who saved my life!)

Then we stopped at the Pinnacles rest area and Adella caught up with us … then she and I rode the next 20 miles together all the way to the hotel (Days Inn)

We decided then to ride the extra 1-2 miles into downtown Gunnison … to go to the bicycle shops and get something to eat.

Neither bike shop had what I was looking for … a Cateye Strata with cadence and wireless … so I just bought some chain lubricant.

Afterwards we went to the Firestaff restaurant and had something to eat … and … there we met Randy and Heather … who were on their way to mountain bike some local peak this evening.

The 2nd bicycle shop had a little boy named Burke with a  brother named Bing … this little guy was riding a miniature 2 wheeler all around the store, in and out of the aisles and shelving etc.  He was really good and I had a heck of a time getting a picture of him.

After that we rode our bicycles to the hotel … changed and then attended route rap, mechanic’s hour and finally off to dinner at Mario’s restaurant in town.  Great food, great service and we left totally “filled up”.

Tomorrow will be another huge climb day … up and over Monarch Pass … 11,312 feet.

Gunnison is an amazing place and there are many things that you can do here:  Visit the Pioneer Museum which has an antique car collection and the first Gunnison Post Office, etc.

They also have the Cattlemen’s Days which is the Grandaddy of all Colorado rodeos … and has many events to make all your cowboys feel right at home.

This area around Gunnison has many scenic river tours with events such as: rafting, fishing, kayaking, and rock climbing.  I even saw a local notice inviting locals and tourists to go “zip lining”. 

Well that about covers it for today … talk to you tomorrow.

The ride today was from Grand Junction to Montrose, 68 miles … a climb of about 3500 feet and as usual a 15-20 mph cross wind and again what seemed to be our typical “wind in your face” kind of day that we’ve been experiencing each day so far.

There are some beautiful areas along this ride … the Rattlesnake Gulch … lots of views of the local rivers and the Rocky Mountains off in the distance. ( BTW, does anyone know where the “Utes” Indians lived? Was it on the rim of the Black Canyon?)

Also in the area are the San Juan Mountains, the Black Canyon National Park, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River,and the Blue Mesa is the largest manmade lake in Colorado.  So if you into fishing … this area is the thriving gateway to the wonders of western Colorado and is still considered the “Wild West’.  It is a  definitely beautiful area and a lovely place to visit and cycle through. (I can’t imagine what the cold winters would be like where everything is frozen.)

Here is an interesting tidbit … Did you know that the Gunnison river drops more elevation in 48 miles through Black Canyon than the entire 1500 mile long Missisissippi River, that’s an average of 96 feet per mile, and it drops 480 feet in one 2 mile stretch.  Wow!  Maybe that’s why the canyon walls are so steep?

Having said all that … it was not an easy day for me … especially after doing a hard 102 miles yesterday … my legs and back was screaming for relief … not to mention the pain that the “seat” was inflicting on my “butt”. 

We decided to “sag” for a few miles today to save our strength for the major climbs coming up tomorrow and the next day … 8000 feet and then Monarch Pass … 11,312 feet.

When we rode into the town of Delta, we stopped at the  City Market and picked up some Curel … which will hopefully cure the “butt” discomfort, or at least allieviate it enough so that I can climb with a minimum of pain.(although I have a great poem titled “Pain Is My Friend)

In Delta,  we decided to stop at a restaurant for a hamburger and something to eat … after that we started riding the final 20 miles toward Montrose in the headwind, etc.  ( After a few miles … that’s when we decided to “sag” in because Adella was hurting also.)

As we pedaled along the highways we saw a crew of men working on the highway, so we stopped for a picture with them right in the middle of their project as they were fixing the  road. 

 They were “good sports”, took a picture with us and wished us a lot of luck on our journey. (Check out the pictures on Facebook.)

When we got to the EconoLodge  hotel on Main street … we all pitched in to help upload the luggage.  It’s nice place and a lot better than where we stayed last night!

Adella is going out this afternoon with some of the other cyclists to visit the Black Canyon National Park … which is a major tourist attraction.  (I’ll bet she takes some awesome pictures.)

It’s interesting how the older we get … our mind plays tricks on us.  I really didn’t remember today’s ride as being “tough” in 1996 until I decided to review my 1996 Journal of our Life Across America ride, and here is an excerpt from our 1996 Life Across America ride with (at the time) 13 year old son, Aaron and I:

• Today we started out from Grand Junction, Colorado. Then we rode 68 miles to  Montrose, Colorado, the first 29 miles were really tough because we not only were climbing 3500 feet but we had a 30 mph wind in our face.  So I was really happy to see the first sag stop.  Aaron was really struggling today in the wind and couldn’t even draft at 8 mph, so asked him if he wanted to get into the sag wagon and he said “yes” so he took it easy today.
• After he got into the sag, we started riding again and the scenery is really changing, much more mountainous and very high mesas with much more greenery everywhere.  We have crossed the Colorado River several times and each time we see it I am amazed of the sheer power of the water rushing on its way to the Colorado Dam.  It is so powerful and its scary to think that man could harness that kind of power.

So as you can see … sometimes our memory “buries” the tough memories … in an effort to keep us positive and uplifted! Hmmmm?

Talk to you later … and a special “thanks” to Jennifer S. and to Julie Scott from Bonfils.

Today was a wonderful ride of 102 + miles, and the weather was beautiful. 

The morning started out a little chilly and the wind Gods were nice to us for most of the day … some tailwinds and some downhills.

Adella decided to ride by herself and gave me permission to ride with some of the other riders … so I rode with other groups, sometimes by myself and finished up riding with Scott, Lester and Robb as we finished the day. (see Facebook photos)

The terrain was lots of desert with some amazing vistas of the Colorado river and the upcoming mountains … by the time I finished today I was exhausted … because a great day of riding will do that to you … you keep trying to take advantage of the tailwind or you want do you best to enjoy the downhill … which means you must work harder to keep up the heightened pace that you’ve selected for yourself or provided by those you are riding with … in a paceline! 

Either way … you are expending a lot more energy to finish that 102 miles before the winds change, and make your beautiful day of cycling turn into a “day of torture”.

Once we arrived at the hotel … Adella and I walked over to Denny’s to order a Western Burger and a large chocolate and strawberry milkshake. 

As soon as we walked in … we met a very interesting  local couple John and Virginia Trujillo … Virginia was very friendly and wanted to know all about our nation-wide blood drive and why we would even want to do such a crazy thing as ride across America on bicycles.  So I was able to share my blood recipient story and give her one of our Life Across America business cards.

By the time we had finished dinner, another couple, Frank and Helen came up and introduced themselves and after hearing the story and what we were doing … Helen offered to pray for our safety and to help us finish the trip still in good health.

Grand Junction seems to have a lot amount of retirement age “seniors” in the area and it really is a beautiful to visit or take a vacation.

Because I was riding so hard today … I didn’t take as many pictures … so check them out on our “Give Blood” account on Facebook.

Talk to you soon.