Monday, May 31, 2010

Riding for 9 days to get to our rest day!!!


We headed out to Abilene today with all the appropriate attire and accessories. Check out my USA flag on my bike under my orange CrossRoads flag, all for Memorial Day to remember our war heroes.

Surprise, surprise, it was another windy day....yep we're still in Kansas. The first 30 miles was all about head winds. Somewhere in the first 5 miles of our ride, I also lost the top to my Camel Back water tube and all my water spilled out all over me. I'm back to drinking out of my water bottles until I get to Abilene.
The last thirty miles we rode north on Route 15 and still had winds, but this time they were crosswinds. Not much to see on our ride today, just typical farm country with corn, cows and horses.

I rode 65.7 miles in 4 hours and 4 minutes at an average speed of 14.8. Today was also our 9th straight day of riding. Needless to say it's been a long 9 days. Thank goodness tomorrow is a rest day!

There's lots to see tomorrow since Abilene is where Dwight D. Eisenhower's Library and Museum is located here. I'll also be visiting the Post Office since my bags are getting a bit over the 15 pound limit.
The "Snake Report" in a bit low today, I only saw one smooched snake, but lots of cows and horses grazing in the field.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Ride like the wind or how to beat the rain


This morning we all were in a hurry to get out of Great Bend and on the road to McPherson, to beat the possibility of riding in the rain. The weather report for today was not in our favor so we all left as quickly as we could. It wasn't until the sag stop in Workman Park at mile 31.4 that we saw the sun.

We also had cross winds in the morning which made riding a bit slow, but in the afternoon they were more in our favor. As a result I didn't stop to take many pictures, except at the sag stop and then at the end of the ride today. I'm wearing my lucky "Biker Chick" jersey.
The ride today was 63.38 miles and I finished it in 4 hours and 4 minutes at an average speed of 15.7. The total miles I've ridden are 1,539, also most time to change out my tires for new ones!! Speaking of tires, I was checking mine this morning before leaving and found a very small wire stuck in my back tire. Thank goodness I found that little piece of wire because it would have meant a flat back tire about 5 miles down the road. A crummy way to begin your day for sure!!!
The "Snake Report" is light today, I only saw one smooched snake. Even the snakes seem to be on vacation from "smoochville".

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Getting the heck out of Dodge

Today we "got The Heck out of Dodge City" on a bight and beautiful day. I'm wearing my "Big Dogs" jersey to give me added incentive to ride strong.

We knew that we would have cross winds early in the day, but then later in the day on the way into Great Bend, KS. we were hoping to have a tail wind. We got lucky and the winds were definitely manageable today, even the cross winds.

One of our interesting stops today was Midway USA located in Kinsey, KS. It marks the half way point between New York and San Francisco, 1,530 miles. I also noticed all the flags that were out for the weekend for Memorial Day. It's nice to know that our hero's are remembered and cherished for the love of their country and their sacrifices.
The ride today was 86 miles into Great Bend, KS. I road it in 5 hours and 4 minutes at a speed of 17 mph. The route we rode to the hotel took us through some of the local neighborhoods of Great Bend where we saw street signs that were all names after past Presidents.
The "Snake Report" is still continuing to add up, I saw 4 smooched snakes today. Including one that I saw slithering rather quickly into the tall grasses along side the road.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Say good-bye to Liberal Kansas and the "yellow brick road" and say hello to a great shoulder for riding and fantastic weather. It was nice to ride with Bill and Craig this morning, but for Pete sake, guys let's watch out for those snakes. Forget the glass and point out the snakes, thank you very much!!!!

I rate the shoulders today as 9.5, they were well maintained, very little debris and smooth. Even the wind wasn't that bad. Thank you to the Wind Gods!

Our only sag today was in Meade, KS. You probably don't know what's so special about the town, well let me tell you, the Dalton Gang's Hideout is located in Meade. What a cute little house and tunnel! The tunnel connects two houses and would give the Dalton Gang a jump on the police to get away...even if it was only from the house next door.
The last 20 miles of the ride today into Dodge City were a cyclist's dream. The winds were at our back, the shoulder was smooth without debris and it felt like we were riding down hill. I rode the 83.54 miles today in 4 hours and 47 minutes at a speed of 17.4 mph. A fantastic day of riding, in fact I had so much fun, I'm gonna do it all over again tomorrow riding to Great Bend, KS.
Now for the "Snake Report", it was an interesting day of snake sightings...just outside of Liberal, KS. there was a newly semi-smooched snake, can you say SCARY. You never know whether they are truly smooched and dead....wide berth, wide berth!!!! Then I also saw an Armadillo on the side of the road. Hey I thought that I was in Kansas, not Texas...when did Armadillo's migrate to Kansas?

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Easy "Peasy" translation .....a perfect day to ride!

All the stars aligned today to make it a perfect day to ride. We started in Guymon, Oklahoma and ended up in Liberal Kansas. We began the day with breakfast at a local restaurant that was delicious. A treat for us since we normally eat continental breakfast at our hotel.

Our ride of 39.25 miles was on fantastic shoulders with the wind at our backs and a sunny day, no threat of a storm to be seen any where. I rate the shoulders a 10, they were wide, smooth and almost debris free.

We rode through the town of Hooker where some of us stopped to purchase a T-Shirt at the local Chamber of Commerce. They are doing a great business! The next stop was to take a picture of the Kansas state sign as we crossed over from Oklahoma into Kansas. It's amazing to think that we've crossed three state lines in three days.
As I mentioned the ride was 39.25 which I finished in 1 hour 30 minutes at an average speed of 17.8 mph. A day for cruising. It was a treat to have such a short day of riding, but tomorrow we're back to the longer rides.
The snake report adds four more smooched snakes and another turtle contemplating crossing the road. Run turtle, run!!!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Riding into the fog

This morning's ride began with fog, extremely dense fog, the kind that makes your sun glasses wet from the fog. For the first 5 miles I was constantly wiping off the lenses of my sun glasses. Then as we got further out of town it was gone.

I stop at 20 miles today to see the Cowboy statue, kind of a smaller version of "Big Tex" at the State Fair of Texas. I hope that you can see it as the weather was still cloudy. In fact we were all thinking that this was going to be our first day of rain.

Our first sag today was at 30 miles at a DQ boy was I excited!! But as I pulled in I realized I should have ridden slower because the DQ wasn't open yet. No grill cheese sandwich for me and had to use the "green door" again.

After heading out on the road after the first sag we ran into those nasty head winds again. This makes riding so slow!!! As I rolled into the state sign for Oklahoma, I felt like I had been riding for 40 miles when in fact I had only ridden 20 miles. Those 20 miles were really hard because of the winds.

After riding so hard but going so slow because of the head winds, I ran into Rick who asked if I wanted to draft off his bike for the last 20 miles into Guymon, OK. I was so thankful for the offer and the opportunity to ride with Rick, otherwise I might have still been on the road right right now, instead of sitting here writing my blog. Rick you are my hero!!! Thank you so much for your kindness and strong riding skills! :) :) I rode 72 miles today in about 5 hours 12 minutes, at a speed of 14.0 mph.

Today's "Snake Report" saw lots of smooched snakes, maybe 6 and one that was newly smooched. That was a little scary because we couldn't tell if it was alive of smooched until we were right on it. Needless to say, I was gave it a wide berth!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

From New Mexico to Texas

Today before we left on our ride, I had a conversation with a motorcyclist who was riding to "The Wall" in DC for Memorial Day and "The Rolling Thunder". He had been a Marine in the Vietnam War. Semper Fi Marine, safe travels.

Today's ride was 96 miles on straight roads, not many hills and manageable winds "whoopee". We rode from New Mexico into Texas and found that it's true about "everything being bigger in Texas". The shoulders were so wide that three cyclists could ride side by side.
I rate these shoulders a 9.5 because of how clean they were and smooth, smooth that is until the last 25 miles when they turned into an aggregate type road. Can you say "bumpy, bumpy, bumpy"!
I rode the 96 miles in 5 hours and 50 minutes at a average speed of 16.4 mph. I was very happy with my day and for the most part very happy with my ride. I especially appreciate Craig riding the last 30 miles with me. It kept me focused and on pace!
And now for the local "Snake Report". Today Bob was a good day for seeing smooched rattle snakes, I must have seen at least five, but I also saw a turtle trying to get across the shoulder, in fact I think he's still working his way across the shoulder. Hopefully by tomorrow he will have reached the other side!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Fighting the winds all day

When we left Las Vegas...New Mexico that is, this morning at 7:15, the winds were already blowing and as the day progressed they only got stronger. The winds were so strong that it felt like I was riding at an angle for most of the day. There really is only one word to describe the head winds we experienced today and that is "brutal". The worst that we've expressed to date.

Despite the strong head winds, I'm happy to report that I have finished my first 1,000 miles of my 3,415 mile journey. As you can see I can barely keep the sign from blowing away and the flag on my bike has been blown out of the picture!

We rode through another change in the terrain. As we descended down one mountain pass we came into what is called the Canadian Escarpment. The head wind let up a bit and we had some tail winds, but then as the road straighted out, the head winds hit again.

I rode 108 miles today in five hours and 45 minutes at an average of 17.3 mph. When ever I had a tail wind, I really cranked out the miles to make up for riding in the strong head winds. I can't forget that we also had a number of hills today too. These were mostly rolling hills not mountain passes so it almost felt like riding in Virginia.

That was until I came upon the one smooched diamondback rattlesnake I saw today. It made me realize I'm still in New Mexico, at least for one more day.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Are we done climbing yet?????


We left Santa Fe this morning, so sad to be leaving, I really enjoy spending time and money there, ha, ha!

What a beautiful morning to be riding out of Santa Fe and on to Las Vegas....New Mexico that is. Again the morning began with hills and climbing. We even rode for 5 miles on I-25 this morning. This was the last time we will ride on the interstate. We spent the rest of the day riding on country rodes and at one point, watching for dogs that love to chase cyclists. But I have to tell you the dogs I saw wouldn't even chase their own shadow!
The sag stop today was at the El Alto Bar, a local watering hole located off Route 34. As we left the sag stop the route map said "climb to hotel". To be exact, that was 32 miles of climbing to the hotel. But the silver lining was that there was a Dairy Queen just one mile from the hotel.
I rode 73 miles today in 5 hours at an average of 14.7 mph. With the hills and climbing I am very happy with those results!
Now for the daily "snake report"...Bob I saw another smooched diamondback rattlesnake and have "unofficial" snake sightings by other riders. I also rode by a smooched skunk, never saw it, just smelled it.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Hail To The Shaman

What do all these things have in common:
No hills
No head winds
No flat tires
No green door breaks
No snake sightings

It means no cycling today, that it's rest day in Santa Fe!
So I've traded in my cycling shoes for a good pair of walking shoes and headed into town to the Indian Market located around the Plaza. What a great place to do some shopping. Unfortunately my favorite store the "Clay Angle" has closed but I did find a new favorite store "Some Galleries" and found something special for myself.
I've been joined by Jyl Voss who will be riding with me the next two weeks and my sister Kath who was generous enough to drive Jyl down to Santa Fe. Thank you Kath for driving Jyl down. Tomorrow we head to Las Vegas, New Mexico but for now I'll continue to enjoy my day of rest. Hope you've had a great day too!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Climbing, climbing and more climbing

Today was a day for climbing and climbing we did the minute we pulled out of the hotel and headed out of Albuquerque. First it was ever so slight of an incline and then wham, the first of many long hills as we rode our way to Santa Fe.

The other thing I noticed was the change in the landscape. Gone were the red rock formations and now we see rolling hills and mountains with lots of greenery and did I mention rolling hills!!!!

After our sag stop we began what seemed to be the longest climb ever, even though it was only 11.4 miles long. My "controlled descent" took me into Madrid where I stopped at the Mine Shaft Tavern for a refreshing diet coke with Craig and Doug. Madrid is the town where the movie Wild Hogs was filmed. The picture you see is me with my new ride (ha, ha) in front of the Maggie's Diner which was used in the film.

From Madrid we had another 18 miles to Sante Fe. Those were some pretty long miles, as the sun was hot and we continued to climb into Sante Fe. I finally made it, after 5 long hours and 66 miles at an average speed of 13.1. Like I said we climbed all day long.

Bob I only saw one rather large smooched snake today just as we were heading into the foothills east of Albuquerque. I was going slow enough to notice that it was for sure a diamond back rattlesnake. I was extremely glad that it was smooched. Later in the day I thought I saw a streamer on the road, no I wasn't hallucinating because as I got closer I realized it was a small snake making its way across the road. I immediately took evasive action and pulled my feet from my clips as I rode by screaming "Snake". The funny thing was that I was the only one around to hear the warning, oh well it made me feel better!!!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Burr It's Cold Outside, Are They Calling For Snow???

Where are my long johns, it's 35 degrees outside, burrrrr! And no Michel, I'm not expecting snow!! Of course after 5 miles of riding off come the leggings and my full fingered gloves. Yes I am a wimp!

Our day of riding took us back on Route 66 for the first part of the morning where we saw some beautiful rock formations, I don't think my pictures do them justice. It was nice to be able to ride on the road today instead of the shoulder of a highway. But then again the day wouldn't be complete without riding on the shoulder of Route 40. So after our first sag out we went to ride the shoulder and today's shoulders were pretty good, I would rate then a 9. we were also treated to some beautiful red rock formations.
The ride today was 75 miles but I had a few more added because of my miss direction, yep, took a wrong turn. Oh well I wasn't lost , just exploring. My average speed was 16.8mph. I'm very happy with that and 4hours and 45 minutes.
Bob, big snake sighting today, think it was a smooched rattlesnake. Biggest snake sighting to date!! Also saw a slow coyote along side the road, poor guy.
One more thing, just want to wish Jan a very Happy Birthday! You go girl!!!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Cruising Down Route 66

Today was a very special day for me. It began with visiting the Navajo Code Talker Museum.

To see the memorabilia of these brave Navajo Indians who joined the USMC in WWII was very moving. As we all know it was the Navajo Code Talkers that helped to win the war in the Pacific.

After visiting the Museum I headed out onto Route 66..."Cookie, Cookie lead me your comb. OMG I've just shown my age!!!

It was an enjoyable ride until we got on Route 40. If yesterday the shoulders were rated a 8.5 today I rate the shoulders a negative 10, they were so hard to ride through with all the gravel and then we rode into a work zone where tar was being layed so we hopped off our bikes and walked them past the machine that was laying the tar.

Back on Route 66 we crossed the Continental Divide, elevation 7,275 feet. The last 37 miles of the day went smoothly and it was great to see the DQ in Grants, New Mexico where we all stopped for a well deserved lunch. I'm really loving the DQ grill cheese sandwiches they make, they really hit the spot as do the french fries. These are my two new "refueling" foods! Can you say "Please Sir, my I have some more?" boys and girls!!!

Today we rode 68 miles my average mph was 17.3, I'm thanking the wind Gods for that, and finished the ride in 3 hours and 55 minutes. Bob, no snakes again today, but we did get a few "barking" greetings from some four legged furry locals. Thank goodness for the fences that are put up by the NMDOT to keep them off the highways.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Clear the shoulders we're rolling through

What a great day of cycling!!! The winds were finally in our favor and made the ride so enjoyable! I also would give the shoulders an 8.5 out of 10, best I've ridden on yet and the number of flat tires was significantly lower today. As we rode along I-40, I saw this sign about entering the Navajo Nation. Home of the Wind Talkers of WWII in the Pacific. Sempre Fi!

I have been hydrating so well that I had the opportunity today to visit a number of the local Indian Jewelry stores along I-40 and it wasn't so I could go shopping. Instead of the 87 mile ride today, I did an extra 3 miles because of these detours. Despite the detours I rode 90 miles in 5 hours and my average speed......an amazing 18 mph! Thank you to the Gods of Winds and smooth Shoulders.

We also saw some beautiful scenery. The Window Mountains were located just 10-15 miles before the New Mexico state line. The colors of the rocks were amazing! Then we entered into our third state, New Mexico! We were burning up the roads today.

Bob no snakes again today, I thought I saw one but when I got closer it turned out to be a smooched bungee cord, oh will. So the count stands at 7 smooched snakes, one smooched skunk and one smooched bungee cord. Keep the faith, tomorrow is another day. I know they're out there somewhere!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Windy........


Today was a long and windy day, or I should say a very extremely windy day! 94 miles riding in the cross winds, forget about the average miles per hour....but just in case you were wondering, it was 14.9.

We also experienced some pretty bad shoulders to ride on, full of gravel, holes and tire debris. At last count there were 17 flat tires today. I say thanks and bless you to the Tire and Tube Gods that I was not one of those 17. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

On our way to Holbrook, we rode through Winslow AZ and "Stood on the corner of Winslow Arizona.......just me and the Eagles baby.

We stopped at the Jack Rabbit for one of our last sag stop and got to have our picture on "Mr. Rabbit", can you say Yahoo boys and girls!! Makes you feel like a kid again.
6 hours and 21 minutes after beginning my ride, I finally pulled into the hotel. Can you say "wind blown and gritty" boys and girls!
Sorry Bob no snake sitings again today, I just don't think they like living close to the Highway. Too noisy.

So now I must get ready for our ride tomorrow. I've heard it windier, has hills and we ride for 88 miles. Can you say OMG boys and girls!












Sunday, May 16, 2010

Flagstaff, Arizona Rest Day One

Today, no stop lights, no "false flats", no mountain passes, and no dead snakes spotted.....it's a rest day! Wahooooooo

So no pictures of cycling, just rest and relaxation. I had the most marvelous massage that worked out all my kinks. We head out to Halbrook, AZ tomorrow, so as Willie sings....."On the road again".........

I hope you all have a great week, I know I will!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Through the "Vortex" and on to Flagstaff







Yes, I am writing this before all my East Coast family and friends go to bed, it was another short day to ride 46 miles, plus no pictures of me because of the beautiful landscape of Sedona, need I say more. I just hope the pictures I did take do justice to this amazing place!

The route went straight through Sedona right by the Pink Jeep Tour Office, up Oak Creek Canyon then up to the Coconino National Forest and into Flagstaff. The Coconino National Forest had some incredible views too!

Sorry Bob no snake sightings today. If they were smooched on the road, I missed them as I took in all the beautiful scenery. I did see a smooched skunk, does that count?

Tomorrow is a rest day, one well deserved as we have ridden over 500 miles during our first week and climbed to many hills and mountains and ridden through about 100 stop lights since leaving Manhattan Beach last Sunday May 9th.






Friday, May 14, 2010

Climb Chris Climb


Today was another short mileage day, 44 miles, but it certainly wasn't easy. We had one more "false flat" where Jeff, Sandy and I encountered a swarm of bees flying over our heads, we pedaled as fast as we could to get out of there, Jeff won that race!! No one was stung and then we began our 10 mile climb up Mingus Mountain. At the top awaiting us an elevation of 7,023 feet. Not as high as you'll be climbing Tim when you do Ride the Rockies this year, but that elevation works for me!

I had a very controlled descent, stopping a couple of times to take pictures, ...or at least that's my story and I'm sticking with it!!! The road you see in the picture was part of our descent. Can't see it get out your magnifying glass. When we rolled into Jerome we stopped for lunch and even had time for a little shopping.

My ride time today was 3 1/2 hours at an average speed of 12.9 mph, I'm happy with that especially with the hills we covered. Bob the snake count for today is one more smooched snake. Guess they must have heard I was coming and they stayed off the roads.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

False Flats and Mountains



Today was an extremely challenging day despite the fact it was a short day of riding, 59 miles.

We took Route 89N to Prescott climbing two mountains. The first mountain began with what are called "false flats". That means the road that you're riding on looks flat but actually has a small incline.

Once we rode this, we began a 7.3 miles up the mountain to Yarnell Pass. One false flat and mountain climb down, one more to do. That 5.7 climb was from Skull Valley/Kirkland Jct. to Prescott and at the top reached an elevation of 6,100 feet. My time today was 5 hours 41 minutes at an average speed of 10.6 mph.

I did have help riding today, I worn by Cadillac jersey which I know kept me going up the mountains! Thank you again Art for the great jersey!!!
I have another snake update, Bob not only did I see about 5 "smooched" snakes, I actually ran over one that was crawling across the white shoulder line that I happen to be riding on. I never saw the black and white ringed snake until my front tire rolled over it. Make that 6 smooched snakes!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

From California to Arizona


We crossed our first state line today. In addition to that it was our first back to back Century days. Today was actually a Century Plus day, 115 miles. I road that in 7 hours 34 minutes at an average speed of 15.3.
We entered Arizona on Highway 10 then turned on to Route 60 which was a pretty good road for the first 20 miles, then the shoulders got rather rough. We rode through a town called Hope and I thought wouldn't it be nice if we could just "hope" for better roads and it happen. Well let me tell you just when we were "beyond Hope" the shoulders smoothed out, it was amazing! Seriously, there is a sign leaving town saying "you Are Now Beyond Hope"!
We spent a lot of the day climbing, 7 mile hill here, 11 mile hill here but riding into Wickenburg was all down hill which was greatly appreciated those 15 miles.
By the way Bob, I forgot to tell you that on day 2 I saw 4 smooched snakes and I saw another one today. Just wanted to let you know that I was thinking about you! Ha, Ha!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Rolling Down I-10

Today we spent the day riding the shoulder of I-10, another crazy day for miles 100.5 and average speed 16.8. We began by climbing for 12 miles, don't think we're in Virginia anymore!! Now that voice in my head is screaming at me about something...I was so busy peddling that I couldn't understand what she was saying! Then after a sag stop we climbed 11 more miles but not as steep. Now I know we're really not in Virginia anymore!

It's crazy riding on the shoulders of the highway and looking for the perfect conditions, a tail wind which sometimes happened and the other time it's a head wind. We passed by the exit for the Twentynine Palms, salute to the Marines, Semper Fi!!!

The rest of our ride was windy and hot, but not unbearable. I rolled into Blyth about 2:30, that was a great time for me. Thanks to the Tire and Tube "Gods" no flats which is amazing considering all the thrown tires from trucks. To help with recovery, I used the whirlpool and drank chocolate milk. The whirlpool was delightful!

Tomorrow is another long day, 115 miles and hopefully not to hot. Time to get some sleep and finish my recovery!!!

Monday, May 10, 2010

34 MPH Without Pedaling, What A Day


Day 2 of my excellent adventure began with riding with headwinds and hills. On my way to the five mile hill, the winds were blowing, but not as bad as they blew in the afternoon...more about that later. I had to ride in my lowest gear to get up the hill at a speed of only 6-7 miles. I was very happy when I got to the top, because I didn't train on any hill like that!

No that picture is not of the hill I climbed. I took that picture right before turning onto the road that leads into Palm Springs from I-10. I thought it was pretty and I was really glad our route didn't take us there!!!!
The rest of the ride was very windy, we hit one area where there are fields of windmills and the 5 mile stretch along the fields you don't even have to peddle and you still cruise along. I hit 34 MPH and wasn't even peddling, it was crazy.

The road into Palm Springs was extremely windy but in a good way, because it was a tail wind! I was so happy. I finished my ride in 5 hours and about 15 minutes with an average speed of 15.6. That was 15 minutes faster then yesterdays ride and my average speed was a mile faster, plus we rode 85 miles today and yesterday we only rode 75. There is a math question in here somewhere, just can't figure out what it is......math was never my best subject.
Thanks to the "Big Dogs" for letting me ride with you the last 23 miles from Palm Springs into Indio. I appreciated the company and the draft.
Also want to thank Mike, another WSC alumni, for driving up from San Diego to visit. I enjoyed our dinner and the opportunity to get caught up.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Los Angeles to Boston...Or how to ride your butt off in 7 weeks


Today I began my journey to Boston by taking my wheel down to the Pacific Ocean. The weather was over cast and cool, perfect for beginning a 78 mile ride. We road through Manhattan Beach and many other towns, to many to remember, but what I do remember are all the stop lights. If there were 30 there had to be 50. It was unbelievable how many we rode through to get to Riverside, CA.

Our total miles were supposed to be 78, but two other riders and I ended up with an extra miles on our computers...can you say "Lost" boys and girls?

But that's not the best part of my day. Before even leaving the parking lot of the hotel, while trying to pump up my front tire, one of my fellow riders asked if I needed "help" and proceeded to take the pump from me and began pumping up my back tire...then before I knew it, my brand new tube exploded! Can we say "Oh Darn!?!?!?" boys and girls... I now have the dubious "honor" of being the only person who has had a flat tire before even getting out of the hotel parking lot! I don't consider this a flat, it was an equipment malfunction.
The ride took 5 and a half hours with head winds the last 15 miles. I was very happy with this and after a good nights sleep I'm looking forward to day 2. Upward and onward to Indio, CA.
Are we there yet???

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Fun in the Sun

It's my last day before beginning my ride so I had lunch with a dear friend, Craig, from WCS. We drove down to Hermosa Beach...I know you told me where we were headed Craig, but with all the talking we were doing I didn't pay attention, I think that's what you said. Promise I'll pay closer attention next time!

We walked down to the pier, watched a few volleyball games and then had lunch at a restaurant, Molly's Pub, close to the beach. It was great getting caught up, thanks again Craig for lunch and driving up to El Segundo, Geri you were missed!

In the afternoon, we had our CrossRoads Orientation meeting. It was nice to finally meet Tracy, Tom, Rick, Pat and Mack in person as well as be introduced to the other cyclist. It's an international group with one Canadian, four Brits and the rest of us are from the four corners of America. The reality that I will be cycling across country is beginning to sink in and I'm hearing a little voice in my head asking "What did you get yourself into girl?" I'm excited, a bit scared but mostly I'm ready to GO!!

Tomorrow we'll head down to Manhattan Beach where we'll take a group picture, put our back wheels in the Pacific and then head off to Boston. Our first day will be 78 miles........ so let the wild rumpus begin!