And now for Texas and the Oklahoma panhandle! "Ohhhhhhhhklahoma!"

Have a look at the route through New Mexico! (Sorry for the delay...)

The land of Oz

Early this morning we were awaken by a thunderstorm. The sky cleared up by ride time proving that the good fairies were smiling on us once again. We only had a 40 mile ride to Liberal, Kansas. It hardly felt like a ride, just a warm up. The winds were in our favor so we arrived quickly. It was a nice day to just take it easy and talk while we rode. The scenery changed today to something I have been waiting to see - AMBER WAVES OF GRAIN. No kidding! It was so beautiful. The road kill is changing too- pheasant and armadillo were added to the snakes, skunks and birds.

I did remember to sprinkle my sand when we crossed from Oklahoma into Kansas today. The sign was in a construction zone of all places.

The Oz museum is here in Liberal but not being a Dorothy and Toto fan---- I will not be going there. My friends are teasing me about that too. Speaking of storms- there are some professional storms chasers here in the hotel!! Argh!

Remember Frank?? More bad luck for him. Yesterday he had to have a root canal! He did ride today though. And-- David did a face plant yesterday. Poor guy. Luckily we have a doctor on tour who took care of him.

Richard from Trinidad made a comment this afternoon about how strong the women riders are in this group. (Nice compliment!) He said no women would come on this tour if they weren't strong but wimpy men would!! He is always making me laugh.

Thanks to all of you who have made such nice comments on my blog. I do read them and it makes me choke up. I feel all of your love and support carrying me across the country. All my new friends are anxious to meet those of you who can come out to meet us either on Friday or Saturday. I look forward to seeing you all in about 2 weeks.

Heading to Oklahoma

During the night Joanna and I were awaken by a very strong wind pounding on our hotel window. I got up and looked out the window to see trees and bushes leaning over. The wind was howling!! I was a little concerned that we might have the wind in the morning too. This wind would not have been safe for riding. I have learned not to worry about anything so I went back to bed, covered my ears and went to sleep. This morning we woke up to calmer winds BUT for us it was blowing the WRONG way. It was a headwind/crosswind. Now all my riding friends know that I'm not fast in the wind but I get there. So to my relief, 2 of my new faster friends both named Jim wanted to go slower today. They are usually in the lead and I chase them all day. Today they rode with me and insisted on pulling all day for 73 miles. We formed an echelon and I was in the third position. I was still getting shoved around a lot from the wind. Everytime a semi came from either direction I had to hold on tight. When they come up from the back they shoved us forward. I could feel my jacket blow up my back. When they came from the front it felt like a slap in the face. AND when they came from both directions at once our bikes felt shoved forward and backwards at the same time. It was a very strange feeling. Luckily the weather was beautiful. The sky was bright blue with white clouds. It was really neat to see the blue sky meet the green of the landscape. FINALLY GREEN!! No more desert.

My pictures will not transmit still so I will catch that up when possible. I have pictures from crossing in to 2 states. I forgot to sprinkle my sand today at the Oklahoma line. I hope the fairies will still shine on me. They definately did today. Thanks to Jim Hall and Jim "Doc" for pulling me all the way today.

Stats:
73 miles
5:23 time
23.1 max
13.6 average
The stats tell you how difficult the wind can make a ride. Oh well, we made it! That is what counts.

Heading to Texas

Howdy from Dalhart, Texas- home of not much!

This morning we were treated to very strong tailwinds for our ride from Tucumcari to Dalhart. It was unbelievable!! We sailed along and had very little climbing. The road was smooth for the most part. Not much to look at today. I have noticed in the west that the roadkill is a lot different than Indiana. We have seen coyotes, snakes and lizards along the road.

Today we entered Texas where I sprinkled my sand so the good fairies will keep looking out for me. I took some pictures but the cell service is not allowing me to transmit them. I'll send them along when I can.

We rode past 3 cattle feed lots. There were thousands of steers in pens. From a distance the hills were all black. When we got closer we could see the cattle. I probably don't have to tell you about the smell. Plus there was a lot of bugs in the air. We were getting hit with them everywhere. I had to brush them off of my clothes, spit them out and wipe them off of my glasses. Nasty!! I felt bad for the animals. I was riding with Ray at the time. He said "there's my Big Mac!" Argh!

Here are my stats for today:
95.7 miles
5:08 time
32.8 max
18.6 average

The ride to Tucumcari, New Mexico

What a day I had today!! For all of you planning on doing RAIN, I am ready!! We rode to Tucumcari, New Mexico in perfect weather until the last 10 miles when the wind changed directions and was a headwind. The ride was 110 miles through hills and flats. There was one hill that is named "the Wall." It was a piece of cake. The steepest part was 9 % and it was 0.7 mile. On parts of the ride I was able to ride in my aero bars and fly. It hasn't been safe to do that on the interstate because of the blast from the trucks. I rode the first 5 miles with the peloton and the last 15 miles with Joanna. We were both tired of climbing near the end. I rode the rest of the ride by myself going as fast as I could without pushing too hard. The scenery has been changing gradually to green. The wildflowers along the road are just beautiful.

I have picked up a nickname within the group. Some people have been calling me "bluebell" because of my blue jacket. Others have been calling me hammerhead because I like to be with the fast group. We are having a great time. I just love being on this tour.

My stats for today are:
110 miles
7:16 time
34 max
15.1 average

Frank ( the man who fell in the cattle guard) is riding again. Today he is riding again but walking funny. I asked him about it and he said it wasn't his knee making him walk funny. He said it is his "male parts" hurting and making him walk funny. We talk about everything in this group!!!!

Riding to Las Vegas, New Mexico

Today started out with beautiful blue skies, no wind and perfect temperatures. By the end of the day we had been hit by hail, threatened by lightening and were full of mud. The ride itself was 74 miles. We started climbing right away. Then it was up and down all day. I hit a record speed on a downhill today!! I hit 38 mph without pedaling. I could see straight ahead so I let it fly. It was a lot of fun!! As I look outside the window here at the hotel I can see more storms approaching. Not my favorite kind of weather for sure. The staff pulled the last riders off the route when the storm hit really hard. They are always looking out for us.

Tommorrow we have a 105 mile ride. Some of it is desert and I understand that around mile 80 or so we have a 0.7 mile climb of 9%. The alumni call it "The Wall." I'll let you know what I think after I do it. Hopefully the storms will not come back to haunt us in the afternoon again.

Friday to Santa Fe

Hi everyone! I have access today to a very fast computer so I thought I would do my own post and give Carey the day off. She is doing such a GREAT JOB!! Hope you all are enjoying following me across the country. I am having a wonderful time. The last two weeks have been so awesome. At the end of last week I told Tracy ( our fearless leader) thank you for one of the best weeks of my life. It is hard for me to say. Our group has bonded like family already. We help each other in everyway. I know when I get to Boston it is going to be extremely hard to say goodbye to my new friends.

Friday, May 25 ( Happy Birthday to Brandon and Joanna)
We rode 68 miles from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. The beginning of the ride was extremely tough. We had headwind of 15 to 20 mph and HILLS. At one time I could only go 4 mph!! It was tough. I was not going to give up and ride in the van. The staff was standing at the top of the hill holding a big sign that said "we are going to Boston!" That's all I needed. The whole day was up and down of short and long hills. We had some great downhills too. I got up to 36 mph on one downhill. I have to say though that my fingers were cramping and the enamel on my teeth was coming off!! Just kidding! We stopped at a very small old mining town named Madrid. Believe it or not, I had a great buffalo burger! That powered me back up and I rode really good the rest of the way in which was about 22 miles. Today, Saturday, we have a rest day. Some people went sightseeing but I'm using the time to catch up and things.

Two notes about 2 of my new friends-
Frank ,from Salt Lake ,was walking across a cattle guard the other day. He fell in and twisted his knee. He has not ridden since but says he is getting better. OUCH!!!

And-- Ray, from Ct, has been giving me a tough time about the Colts winning the Super Bowl. He has been wearing a T-shirt with the New England Patriots on it. I try not to associate with him when he is wearing that shirt.

Thanks to everyone for their support. It means alot to me!

This morning's weather was similar to yesterday as Mom and the group set out to Albuquerque. It was a chilly 31 F, and some participants opted not to ride because of that. For Mom it meant many layers: 2 on her legs, 4 on her torso, 3 for the arms, 2 for her head and 4 for the feet! She, Joanna and Cherise rode in a paceline to the first SAG of the day. Others were commenting that they were "machines"! Later, Mom was on her own for a 5 mile climb up I-40 at 7 mph. She enjoyed the scenery and the flowers that were planted along the way. Albuquerque finally came into view at the top of the climb before the 7 mile descent into the valley. She had to slow to about 2o mph due to a crosswind and the 1 ft shoulder area in a construction zone. Semis whizzed by within about an arm's reach! Mom said she'd never been so scared on a ride. The route crossed the Rio Grande, which Mom said looked very full, and took a 1/2 mile detour into old Albuquerque. She had plenty to keep her busy tonight, with a trip to a bike shop for a new tire. Her front tire exploded at a SAG, causing much laughter among the group. Several of the men surprised Mom by changing it for her while she was in the restroom. Tomorrow's ride continues to Santa Fe and will be followed by the second rest day of the tour.

Wednesday morning's weather in New Mexico was far from ideal as Mom and the group set out to Grants. The wind chill was 39 F, with rain and a headwind to boot. The rain stopped after about 20 miles but started up again to wash away some of the mud that was caked onto the riders and their bikes. Thankfully the route only followed the interstate for a short while today, with the remainder on frontage and side roads. Mom had another flat, around mile 25. She later encountered a fellow rider, Cary, walking along the road about 17 miles from the finish. He had a punctured tire, so she stopped to give him her spare tube, tire and last CO2 cartridge. Mom got a "thank you" lunch in return, and later will get a replacement tire. Cary has been telling everyone that Mom picked up a hobo walking along the road! Her stats for the day: 68.9 miles, 4 hr 18 min, max speed 29.8, avg speed 16.8. As you can see in the photo, Wednesday's highlight was crossing the Continental Divide, elevation 7275 ft. When Mom called this evening, she had already eaten three snacks and it was an hour before dinner! Yes, she's still chowing down!

Here's a map of the previous days' progress through Arizona...

Mom crossed her second state line today, with another sprinkling of sand and shedding of a few tears of happiness and excitement. The day didn't start as planned, as one of her tires went flat this morning just prior to the group's departure from Holbrook. She had a hand in getting it fixed, but not fast enough to depart with everyone else. The day was then spent mostly alone trying to catch up with the faster riders, with the goal of not being the last one in! Her tire was discovered to be low by the time she reached the first SAG, giving her two flats for the day. She and Tom also assisted fellow rider Felicia with a flat. Mom met her goal of not being last, passing many riders, but never did catch the faster group. Luckily, she had the help of a good tailwind. Rick, one of the mechanics who was riding today, had to work hard to catch up with her! Her overall stats were surprisingly better than Joanna's, who arrived at Gallup before her. Total distance - 88 miles; time - 4 hours 27 min; max speed - 35.6 mph; average speed 19.8 mph. As you can see below, Mom paused at a frybread stand for snack. For a background on the high calorie treat, try this Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frybread

She's been eating so much on this ride that her friends respond with "tell us something we don't know" whenever Mom declares she's hungry!

Thanks for your patience! Here's yesterday's ride update:

"Today I was standing on the corner in Winslow, Az. Really! I have pictures on my digital camera to prove it!" And yes, that's our fearless rider atop the giant jackrabbit at the Jackrabbit Trading Post there. She rode 96 miles on I-40 to Holbrook in just over 5 hours. They had a tailwind the majority of the ride, with a bit of a crosswind too. Holbrook is apparently a neat old western town, "just like in the movies", but their hotel was so far outside it that the only sights to be seen were tumbleweeds! Mom says she's doing great, and it sounds to me that she's having plenty of fun! The group did, however, have a total of 21 flat tires due to glass and tire wires from the semis. So far, it seems drivers have been kind in giving the group room on the road. Since bikes technically aren't allowed on interstates, the tour leaders have been giving notice to local police when the route will utilize one, and police in turn have alerted passing truckers to be on the lookout. Mom gave a " thank you" wave to one driver and got friendly horn toot in response. She's enjoying all the comments that have been left for her here, so keep them coming!

Mom and Dan enjoyed the visit to the Grand Canyon on Sunday! Joanna and Tom rode along with them. Later they bumped into some fellow riders.



Kim, Tom, Mom, Joanna, and Ray

I'll be posting new photos as I receive them. The first two are from last Monday's ride to Indio, CA...

and these are from Friday's ride up Mingus Mountain.

Thanks to Mom's riding buddy Tom, I have more photos to post. Here's a group shot...

Saturday's ride, from Cottonwood to Flagstaff, was another climbing day - including the largest hill Mom's ever tackled. "It was over 2 miles of just switchbacks and UP!" She, Joanna and Tom paused prior to starting their ascent to join hands and yell "bakery" for motivation (can't imagine whose idea that was). Previous ride participants had warned her the climb would be harder than Friday's and to expect a speed of only 4 mph. She did "just fine" and managed 6-7 mph! Her celebration at the top consisted of jumping up and down and yelling "I am woman, hear me roar!", which she had been singing to herself during the toughest parts! The scenery, in Oak Creek Canyon, was "unbelievable. The drop offs, the rocks, smell of pine trees..." The temperature varied between hot and cold with a few welcome sprinkles. Needless to say, Mom's very excited and proud of herself! Sunday was the first rest day, which she and Dan spent at the Grand Canyon. We're looking forward to hearing her impression of it.

Today was another climbing day, this time up Mingus Mountain in Prescott National Forest. Mom's quite proud of herself for her latest accomplishment, climbing to an elevation of 7,023 ft (as you can see in the photo)! Dan and Darrell met her in Jerome for lunch at an English restaurant, where they had some great blackberry pie (and hopefully something more substantial too), before the group continued on to Cottonwood. The 10 mile descent rattled Mom a bit, as it was full of switchbacks, but she did fine. Today's 44 mile ride brings the cumulative distance up to 571 miles - and she's not sore! The group has been understandably attracting attention as they roll along. A truck driver waiting at a stoplight asked where they were going. "Boston!" "Boston?!? No sh*t!" Saturday's route continues up to Flagstaff, passing Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon along the way. Mom says the canyon is visible from Cottonwood and it looks beautiful. Dan will meet her in Flagstaff this weekend for her first rest day and they plan to visit the Grand Canyon, after which Dan will begin his return to Indy. Of course he's told Mom, "I'm driving home. You're not. You have to ride your bike." :-)

Here are two of Mom's new friends, Joanna (her roommate and a triathlete) and Tom (from CA). They've all been riding together every day, as they're so well matched in style and speed. Wednesday's ride wound up in Wickenburg, AZ after a hot and windy day. On crossing their first state line everyone sprinkled some CA sand for good luck! They'll do this at each state line, and once they finally reach Boston the remainder will be mixed with a bit of Atlantic sand for a memento. Mom's mileage today was 101, about 20 miles less than planned due to fresh tar and oil on the road. Some of the riders passed through before it was laid; others weren't so lucky and had some damage to their bikes. Mom opted to ride in the van for this portion.

Today, enroute to Prescott, she climbed her first mountain! This was the day Mom had been fearing most, but she's "ecstatically happy" because she completed it with no problems. The route was 60 miles with lots of switchbacks. One of the ride staffers was waiting at the top, yodeling to everyone below! Mom kept thinking there was no way she'd make it all the way up there, but of course she did, at a slow but steady 6-9 mph. Tears of joy apparently followed. The downhill portion allowed her to go zipping along at up to 31 mph with some brake tapping. "It was wild!" She says "thank you" to everyone who gave her all the great advice on climbing the mountains!

Here's a map of Mom's route so far... (click on it to enlarge)

As you can see, Mom was quite a sight after the ride today! She's plastered with sand, etc. Today was their first century, which she completed in 6 hours and 50 minutes. The route followed I-10 again, this time all day, and took them through the Mojave Desert to Blythe. Temperature today topped out at 111 F! The group was hurried in and out of the SAG stops, where they were sprayed with a welcome dose of cold water. They also doused themselves along the way with water from their own bottles. Mom did "great" on an 11 mile climb on this technically challenging day. There wasn't much time to look at the scenery, as she was concentrating on fighting a crosswind and blasts from the semi traffic. She, and several others, took 3-4 minute turns pulling. This evening there will be plenty to keep her busy. After scrubbing and scrubbing herself she'll have to clean her bike, wash her clothes and get to dinner on time. Then it's early to bed and early to rise!

Today's stop: Indio! Ride length was 85 miles and had two climbs. This photo was taken after a 5 1/2 mile climb with a 9% grade! The other climb was 3 miles with two different pitches. The route followed I-10 twice (lots of traffic) and the last 9 miles of the day were "brutal". Mom said, though, at one point she clocked 24 mph with barely a pedal! They rode in temperatures up to 113 F and in total logged a 2100 foot climb. A windmill farm in the Palm Springs area made for a dramatic sight. Mom says everyone is so nice, and the ride leaders continue to cheer for them. One was waiting for her at the top of a hill to yell "you go girl!" Organization of the ride seems very good. Everyone signs in and out of the SAGs for tracking purposes. Tomorrow holds a 17 mile climb enroute to Blythe. She says "thank you" again to everyone for their support and she looks forward to reading your comments and well-wishes when she has internet access again. New info: Following a cookout hosted by their hotel this evening, with burgers and all the fixings, Mom joined some of the group at an Italian place and proceeded to devour a 10 inch pizza - by herself! She said she couldn't eat fast enough!

Today was the first day of riding! The day began with a wheel dip at Manhattan Beach, and ended 70-some miles later in Riverside. The group is about 3 dozen strong, roughly two-thirds male. Mom's roommate, with whom she is pretty evenly matched in cycling ability, is from Chicago. The riders apparently made quite a sight going down the road with their group jerseys and orange flags. They had been told yesterday at orientation that there would be steep climb right out of the box. Everything is relative, because our "goat girl" had no difficulty with it! Part of the route was in fairly heavy traffic, but later followed a path lined with rose bushes and orange trees! Riot of fragrance, I'm sure. She says everyone is really nice. The tour organizers have been literally cheering them on, waiting on the side of the road to offer encouragement. Happy Mother's Day! 48 days to Boston! (Sorry for the low resolution photos- they were taken on Mom's cellphone...)

Friday went nearly as predicted: food, a ride along the beach, more food... A group of about ten of the cross-country participants went for a 31 mile ride to the beach and up the coast, with a stop for lunch. Later was the requisite bakery visit! Today is orientation day, officially day one on the ride calendar. Everyone will meet their roommates and weigh their luggage, as there is a limit on it. Mom can't eat most of the food provided for the SAGS, so they are allowing her to pack her own, with no penalty toward her allotted luggage weight. Sunday will be the first day of the ride, and she says her nerves are a bit "rattled". The ride leaders told her this is normal and she knows that "when my wheels start turning I will be just fine."

L.A. at last! They arrived yesterday evening, with a stop at In-N-Out for lunch (yum!), in plenty of time ahead of Saturday's orientation. So this allows a full day for riding, eating, maybe a walk on the beach (?), and probably more eating! :-) A note from Mom: "Tell all my training buddies with red trucks that everyone out here (Colorado and west) has white trucks!"

Yesterday's adventure, in mom's words...
"We had a very long day getting to St. George, Utah. Such a drive we had!
This morning when we left, the temperature was about 46. When we got to Vail, Colorado the temperature was around 34! When we got here to St. George the temperature was 94!! Now is that crazy or what!?
We were in the Rockies all day, up and down, road construction everywhere- it was a very tough day for concentrating on the road. The scenery was out of this world. We saw snow, green mountains, beautiful rock formations, the desert and beautiful green valleys. There were big horn sheep eating right next to I-70! We could have reached out to touch them. We saw lots of cattle, horses and sheep. I have never seen rock formations like I saw today. Beautiful layers of colors- purples, pinks, browns. We went through Eagle Canyon- took my breath away. When we were climbing up the hills my hands got sweaty just like they do when I get excited about climbing on my bike." Next stop: L.A.!

Our road warriors aren't in Kansas anymore, Toto! It appears to be an easy trip so far, with an overnight in Hays after a detour near Salina because of flooding. Then it was on to Colorado and today's stop in greater Boulder for an afternoon of window shopping, eating (dessert first, of course!), and a little bit of riding. Enjoy this photo of the Rockies taken with Mom's cellphone! Westward ho!

We are almost ready to head out. Monday morning we hit the road and head to Hays, Kansas.

Thanks to everyone for all the good wishes!