Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Day 25 Dodge City, KS to Great Bend KS

For the first time since I departed on 4 June 06, I started my ride without the long sleeve "under armor" like shirt. It was about 65 when we departed Dodge City and began this 94 mile journey.

After a great breakfast in our hotel and after some of our folks completed their complaining of last night's entertainment, we departed for Great Bend, KS. I started the morning off with a flat tire in my room--no I didn't hit a wire in my room, but most likely got the leak on the ride into Dodge City yesterday. This was simply a small "sense of humor" test that took me 5 minutes to change.

I went to bed late (around 11 pm), but felt good rolling out of town. As I crested a hill about 10 miles from the hotel, Mike Munk flagged me down to take my picture next to a huge Dodge City silhouette that greets drivers on the east end. I climbed up on this monument like display and hopefully got a really cool photo. Since my camera died yesterday, I am like Blanch Dubois who was always relying ". . . on the kindness of strangers." If I can't get my camera fixed pronto, I'll probably have to purchase another one.

As I was walking to get the photo taken, my front tire began that dreaded hissing sound.. After further examination, I noticed a weak spot in the side wall of the tire and just decided to change tire and tube and get on with it. Yes, God, I was smiling throughout!

With a new tire and plenty of enthusiasm, I rolled down the road with a quartering tail wind at 26-28 mph for about 20 miles, catching all my buddies and rolling into the SAG stop with Tim. We had a few snacks and then took some team photos at this geographic mid-point between San Francisco and New York City. Everyone was in good spirits and enjoying a strong tail wind effect.

Tim and I departed the SAG together and headed for a slight "off-route" excursion to Fort Larned, an Army outpost to protect travelers along the Santa Fe Trail from the Indians. This small fort was established in the early 1800's and was at one time the home of the Buffalo Soldiers from the 10th Cavalry Regiment. Sad sude note: white soldiers attacked the Buffalo Soldiers, killed over 20 horses and burned most of their possessions before running the solders off. Even more tragically, no one was ever prosecuted or held responsible for this horrendous event.

I learned all the above along with Tim from a US Park Service officer who was giving a guided tour to a group of New Zealand students. In addition to the above, he showed us a block house that was recreated on the original site as a last stand protectorate in the event of an attack. Most curious in this round rock built structure was the interior access they built to water. In the middle of this building was a coffin sized door that lend to a basement like area and tunnel. The tunnel was about 50 yards long and led to an underground well that ensured access to water even if the soldiers were cut off from the outside of the block house. Pretty ingenious!

After taking about an hour + tour, Time and I headed for another landmark along the way, Pawnee Rock. This historic site is today quite underwhelming, but enables the visitor to see from a point about 200 feet above the incredible flat Kansas countryside. Pawnee Rock was yet another important point along the Santa Fe Trail.

The last 12 miles to the hotel were in 95 degree heat and with a tail wind. We were red hot and, after 94 miles, the traditional milk shake never tasted so good. Another rocking day for Team Clydesdale with an average speed of 24 mph.

After checking in, the first order of business in to drag the bags to the room and then find the laundry. Since we all have basically the same stuff, at least 2 or 3 of us do our laundry together and freshen up. Next up is "Rap", our time to get together and discuss tomorrow's ride, and then its on to dinner at Montana Mikes.

Wishing you all tail winds and smooth pavement!

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Day 24 Garden City, KS to Dodge City, KS

Without a doubt, this 51 mile ride was the easiest ride thus far. We slept in until 0620 and didn't really blast off until about 0715. From the outset, the conditions were cool and clear with barely a breeze moving from any direction.

Larry and I decided to ride together for the duration and were swapping the lead every 1/2 mile just moving smartly and easily. After about 20 miles, Tim caught us and worked with us to the very end. With three strong amigos working together, we were pushing 23-26 lots of the time with no one hurting or suffering. And with the clean, smooth pavement, even a straight, long road in the middle of Kansas can be a lot of fun.

We had some great nasal stimulation yet again and I remembered how odd I always thought that baseball field next to the paper mill in Camden, Arkansas always looked. How could any baseball player focus on the game with that kind of distraction. Well friends, now I know. If you are working hard enough and distracted enough you don't even notice the scents floating in the air. Much.

We rolled into the Comfort Inn at 0930 and immediately went to the breakfast buffet to get a picture that confirms Larry and Tim and Steve made it to the Continental breakfast before it closed. I sure enjoyed that second cup of coffee 51 miles down the road after the first one!

Since we arrived early, we all explored this "Cowboy Capitol of the World" here in Dodge City. After walking about 4 miles to get a new camera battery, I joined a group of our folks and took the trolley tour around Dodge City.

In just a couple of hours I saw historic Fort Dodge, which is now the Kansas Home for Veterans. It was really cool to see the old Army post housing and buildings which now serve some 400 great retired Americans.

We also got a glimpse of the stockyards that hold 1.4 million cows a year! I'm sure you are thinking the same thing as I am . . . Phew! Every day, 4,600 cows give their lives so that others may dine. And on a happier note, dairy farmers from around Kansas bring their young cows to these stockyards to fatten them up for about 3 months and then they return to their original homes. It seems that their owners don't have enough grazing land to fill them out so they come "TDY" to Dodge City.

After the tour, we had our daily rap session and headed to King's Chinese Food for dinner, and then went to Boot Hill to watch a great gun fight and loooooooooooooong vaudeville shoe. The next time our leader, Mike Munk makes a recommendation to see something I will make sure to use my Chamois Butt'r before I attend. It was fun but too looooooooooong.

Off to bed and 85 miles and an old Army Fort along the way.

Day 23 Lamar, CO to Garden City, KS

This 104 mile day came on the heels of the longest ride of the trip (120 miles) and was expected to be equally painful. Fortunately, the road was flat as a pancake and smooth as butter. The 33 miles leaving Colorado were a bit rough, but upon entering Kansas, we encountered wide, ultracomfortable shoulders that were actually better than many of the highways I've ridden on. And after that 120 mile ride, there were many tailbones that were happy with the "kinder, gentler" ride of Kansas.

With only light/no wind, the remaining 90 miles were really uneventful. Other than an occasional nose hair burn from the "local color" of Kansas, the trip was very pleasant. There were many times that I could see almost 10 miles of power lines climbing on their way to heaven . . . yes, sportsfans, the roads are that straight and long out here in the Plains.

I arrived at the hotel and was greeted by a kind man who was gracious enough to offer me a cold glass of orange juice. After a second century ride in as many days, that juice never tasted so good.

After my traditional Burger King milk shake, I cooled off in a very, very cold swimming pool and then had some laughs with my friends as we relaxed and traded some stories. For dinner we drowned our sorrows in mass quantities of food at the Golden Corral.

Onward and upward we go!

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Day 22 Pueblo to Lamar, CO

The 0445 alarm came really, really early after a pleasant day off. Since we had a 122 mile ride in front of us, our leader had us load at 0515 and eat breakfast at the nearby Kountry Kitchen at 0530. As always, we have 99% of our stuff packed and ready the night before, but it still makes the wakeups a challenge to get moving quickly.

Arlene and Michelle went far above the call of duty and joined us for breakfast. The restaurant staff did yeoman's work feeding all of us in about 15 minutes and by 0615 we had said our goodbye's, taken some photos and started peddling for Lamar.

The morning was cloudy for the first time in our rides. The temp was about 55 and there was little/no wind for the first 30 miles. The terrain was basically flat and brown with farms scattered along the road. I mooed at more than 100 cows and got no response. It was a quite morning!

I rode most of the day with David and Bill (2/3 Brits), Mark, and Paul. From mile 31 until mile 119, the wind increasing blew in our faces. Fortunately, the longer we all rode together, the better our pace line work became and by rotating the lead at about every 1/2 mile, we finished our ride by about 1:45 pm. As fate would have it, the last 1 mile to the Best Western Cow Palace (no kidding!) was directly with the wind and as always, the hotel was a welcome sight.

Immediately after putting our incidentals in the room (extra junk stored in our bike jersey), we headed off for the required milk shake and lunch/snack. Eating some carbos and something with glycogen right after the exercise is supposed to help us restore our energy soonest for the next day's activity. I hope this theory works, but my methods always put a smile on my face and fill my stomach.

Now it's time for my evening feeding. I'll regale you with stories of leaving Colorado for Kansas and another near 100 mile day tomorrow. Goodnight.

Day 21 Day Off in Pueblo, CO

The day off in Pueblo, CO came at a perfect time. Two days earlier, we climbed Monarch Pass, 11, 000 ft + and that was followed by a long ride from Salida to Pueblo. Physically, it was nice to have some leg rest following the hardest climbing week on this ride. It was also nice to have a mental break to both enjoy what we'd already accomplished and "let down" a little before the next 1000 mile push.

And to make my day off even better, Arlene flew into Colorado Springs, CO and drove to Pueblo on Friday night.

On Saturday morning, 24 Jun 06, we slept late until around 0800. We then headed off to the historic downtown area to see if we could find some breakfast. Eventually, we ended up across from the Pueblo public library, a giant artistically sculptured building. I can't for the life of me remember the name of the restaurant, but it was "the" place for breakfast in Pueblo, with over 100 people continuously served for all the time we were there.

After breakfast, we stopped into the nearby candy store and bought some truffles for Arlene's trip home and I bought a couple turtles for my ride on Sunday. Arlene and I both love a good candy store!

We then headed to the Pueblo Fair Grounds to see the National Hot Road Association gathering of over 500 of the coolest hot rods you've ever seen. If you are a car lover, mechanic or artist or anything in between, you'd have loved this event. And if you like to people watch, you would be in heaven! We wondered around this huge area for a couple hours before we decided to make a 2:30 matinee of "The DaVinci Code."

Although we had both read the book, Arlene and I had quite different reviews. She absolutely loved it and I was slightly confused and thought there was an excessive amount of narration. Nevertheless, it was fun just to hit the movies together and enjoy some great popcorn and fantastic company.

At the end of the day, we returned to the candy shop area so Arlene could buy some taffy for the folks in her office.

We then hit a great Mexican restaurant for dinner and enjoyed our meal on the patio with a cool margarita and a warm setting sun, slightly cooled by a light breeze. Life is indeed wonderful.

The evening ended with a knock on the door from Larry. He took Alan and Bill to his house for our day off and then took these two Brits on a tour of the Air Force Academy. Of course they absolutely loved it and Larry wanted Alan and Bill to show off their new purchases from the USAFA visitors center. Subsequently, Larry went back to his room to get Michelle, and phoned Alan and Bill to bring their treasures by our room.

Both these guys were so fired up about their trip to my alma mater. They bought sweat shirts, hats and polo shirts with USAFA emblems and logos aplenty. As always, Larry "made a memory" with some great folks.

Friday, June 23, 2006

Day 19 Gunnison to Salida, CO

We were all psyched for this ride fro some time--the crossing of Monarch Pass, 11,112 ft. This 66 mile ride was called a 43 mile ride by many--43 miles to the summit and then down hill to Salida.

The first 30 miles were slightly uphill with a little headwind. I started near the end of our group and caught the leaders by the rest stop. I grabbed a banana, some breakfast bars and water and moved out with Tim Trelfa, a newly retired school teacher from Elizabeth, CO. We ambled about three more miles before "the climb" of 4000 vertical ft over 10 miles began. The road was well paved and the traffic flow was lift. With 3 lanes divided periodically between 2 up/1 down and 2 down/1 up, plus an occasional shoulder, I never flet exceedingly crowded. My pace stayed almost constant at 9 mph with spurts to 12 and lags to 8-8.5 mph. Climbing continuously for an hour is both physically and mentally taxing. I'd try to stay on my saddle (sitting) for one mile and then I'd shift to a much tougher gear where I stood for 60-100 pedal rotations. Since the climb was from 7000-11,000 ft above sea level, I tried to breathe deep and stay aerobic. I also had to grab a quick gulp of water every mile to stay hydrated--I've always been a sweat hog!

It took me almost an hour to make the climb and I still managed to take 3-4 photos of this magnificent country. I made it to the summit with a sense of euphoria I've not felt in a long time. I pulled into the summit commemoration point just as our SAG wagon arrived. After taking a few pictures, one of our leaders persuaded me to take the gondola ride up the hill next to the pass. From the hill (~800 ft above the pass). I could see over 50 miles in all direction. However, the highlight of my trip up the hill was my introduction to "Harley," an 85 lb golden retriever. Harley seemed a little out of breath, but happy to be outside. I took Harley's photo on the viewing stand and when he went to sit in the snow laying in patches on the hill.

After my trip up the hill, I cheered and congratulated my teammates as they completed their climb. Almost two hours after making to the top, I descended down the other side of Monarch pass at about 40 mph for 10 miles. At that point, we (5 of us) pulled into an RV park to avoid nearby lightening from an approaching storm. After a 30 minute respite, we continued into Salida. As we approached the town, we saw many fellow bikers participating in the "Ride the Rockies" Tour, attended by 2000 cyclists.

Another tremendous day on the adventure of a lifetime.

Day 18 Montrose to Gunnison, CO

This 77 mile ride started at 5500 ft and went up three times to over 8500 ft---total climbing for the day was a leg tiring 8000 ft. And yes, friends, the wind was again 15 mph in our faces as we left the parking lot in the morning.

At the 6 mile mark, I made a left off US Highway 50 to begin the 7 mile climb to Black Canyon National Monument. the road was winding, had little traffic, and passed several horse farms surrounded by tall, natural log fences. The road was steep in some sections (11% grade) but moderated near the top. After I'd ascended about 2/3 of the hill, I took a quick photo of from whence I came--Montrose, CO. since all of the 11 riders that preceded me left our breakfast restaurant before I did, I got to slowly "reel" each one in on the climb. Despite the significant challenge, all seemed enchanted by the ascent--of course they might have just been hypoxic!

Near the summit, as I was passing through the National Forrest Service toll booth, I met one of our ride leaders, Karen, and peddled along to a beautiful overlook and the visitors center. Black Canyon is awesome! This park has some beautiful viewing areas that literally put you over the Gunnison River, 1500-2000 ft below. As I stood on this viewing point I was struck by the quiet and serenity of this place, poen to all. This is yet another national treasure that abounds in our wonderful country.

After refilling my water bottles, I headed down the hill at over 40 mph and joined the rest of the route to Gunnison. After my adventure, I still had 57 miles to go from the bottom of Black Canyon.

And the wind was precisely in my face (ubiquitous whining!).

For the next 10 miles, it was up hill into the wind to reach the first 8500 ft summit. After a brief downhill, the second pass/hill appeared and this time was a shallower, steady 15 mile climb. By now I was definitely feeling a little tired as this was my 3rd major climb in the last two hours. On this hill I began seeing many of the folks who went directly from Grand Junction to Gunnison, bypassing Black Canyon. All seemed happy yet definitely exerted. With the SAG wagon at the summit at mile 55, I enjoyed a banana, some peanuts, and gatorade and headed down the valley lined by beautiful pastures.

Over the next 20 miles, I saw Colorado's largest lake, Blue Mesa, and again, the Gunnison River. With mountains surrounding its shores, Blue Mesa looked like a boating paradise. After one more 1000 ft climb, the road wound into Gunnison and the Days Inn sign on my right was a welcome sight.

With no mechanical issues and no flats, I had a superb day. Tomorrow, Monarch Pass, 11, 112 ft.

Day 17 Grand Junction to Montrose, CO

On the 20th of June 2006, we began the ride with an alumni from a previous ride leading us from the hotel to a bike path that led us almost 10 miles out of town. Over the next 50 miles, we climbed about 2000 ft with the wind again in our faces most of the time (sounds like whining, doesn't it!). While Colorado has more than its share of beautiful scenery, this ride was almost "vanilla" after yesterday's Moab adventure.

I had two flat tires (steel wires again) to bring my total for the trip to eight! Ugh! (more whining) The good news is that my tire changing skills are really improving.

So many blessing, so much fun, and your support. Life is indeed good.

Day 16 Moab, UT to Grand Junction, CO

One of our team members, Tony Free, approached me the day before and asked Larry and me to join him and Mike Brady on an "off route" section of Monday's ride. Tony rented a local taxi (a '80 Suburban--well dusted) and the four of us drove the 45 minutes south from Green River to Moab, UT. Marci, mother of 8, dropped us off exactly at the Moab National Park Service sign and we began our 50 mile journey.

I'm not exaggerated when I say that this adventure was the most exciting of the trip. Imagine 1000 ft mountains on both your left and right and the Colorado River singing on your left. The road turned and would like a New England country road with "view of a lifetime" for two solid hours.

Since potable water was hard to come by, we stopped at a dude ranch, the Red Cliffs Lodge, to fill our bottles before the last 45 miles.

The next two hours combined both sensory overload and physical challenge. The river canyon tour lasted about an hour and a half and then we had one hour of peddling over rolling high desert. It was HOT!! (~95). We joined our fellow riders at I -70E with still 40 miles to go. As we were about to drive down I-70 and pick up the pace, Larry and I realized that Mike had turned around to go back down the on ramp to find Tony. To make a long story short, Tony had a heat event that required a short trip to the emergency room. Fortunately, after a short IV, he bounced back and was ready to ride the next day.

Minutes later, we arrived in our fourth state, Colorado!

The ride ended with more heat and some light tail winds into Grand Junction.

Last note: one of our Brit riders, Alan stopped by our room after dinner and we did some brainstorming with Larry on how to make his 34 lb bike a little lighter and faster. We adjusted his seat position to make him more efficient and we removed the carrier on his bike to bring it under 30 lbs. Alan was pleased and our bike diplomacy was complete.

Day 15 Price to Green River, UT

Nothing like a 72 mile, low wind/no wind/tail wind ride. Mostly flat, almost a recovery day. On one downhill, I set a new personal best speed record of 48.5 mph. I was cruising along, really enjoying the moment until yet another flat tire interrupted my solitude. After rapidly changing the tire (I now have lots of experience!), I tried to pump up my tire with my pump.

What I had forgotten was that yesterday, on the descent into Price, I heard something go "bump, bump, bump . . . " and decided it was the handle of my pump. When I prepared my bike last night, I decided it was still usable and hence, on the side of a 90 degree F road, I was doing my field test.

Well sportsfans, you know what happens next. Of course the pump was basically worthless and I was forced to wait for the next rider, my friend, Tim Trelfa, to help with his pump. Although Tim didn't have a pump, he did have a couple CO2 cartridges that are supposed to inflate your tire to about 100 lbs in just 3-5 seconds. Sure wish we had that video camera as Tim and I blew threw 2 cartridges and we still had a flat tire.

With God smiling on us (probably laughing at us), the SAG truck drove up with a conventional pump and Tim and I screamed on in together, passing the 10 folks that were laughing at us as they rode by. Sweet revenge!

Day 14 Provo to Price, UT

Another gorgeous day with some strooong winds coming from the east as we started a slow climb into the mountains. Our leader, Mike Munk, told us to expect the winds in our face until we climbed well into the hill. Then, as predicted, the wind reversed itself and actually helped us in the day's first major climb. Call me weird, but I genuinely love the challenge of climbing--staying aerobic, keeping my speed and pedal cadence constant. I once read that the challenge of a marathon is to fight the urge to slow down. I feel the same way in my climbs. I rolled into the rest stop along with 3 of our new riders, Tony, Mike and Mary.

While Tony and I sat at the Public rest stop, we watched a woman with a Marmanduke-like dog receive the riot act treatment for allowing her dog in a "no pet zone." The queen of the rest area chewed her out, recorded her license plate and then called the local sheriff. Five minutes later, Sheriff Bufford Pusser showed up, heard the whole story from the queen and raced off in hot pursuit to deliver a $299 ticket. Just another day in Utah.

After the excitement, I departed solo for a one hour climb to the 5900 foot summit. Slow, steady, while admiring world-class scenery. The climb was really gradual and there was again a slight tailwind. After cresting the hill, I zoomed downhill for the better part of 10 miles, taking some great photos along the way to include the "balancing rock" and some classic ranges.

I rolled ito the Holiday Inn and then headed to Burger King for a refreshing milk shake with Tim Trelfa and then I went to Albertson's for a little cold medicine and some fresh watermelon. I'm still feeling a little under the weather, but I am definitely getting better.

Day 19

Hello sports fans! I'm writing from the Pueblo Hotel and Convention Center in Pueblo, CO. I'll recount today's activities and then as time permits, catch you up on what you've missed during the "hotels with no computer available" days.

Today, 23 Jun 06 was absolutely wonderful!!! We peddled from Salida, CO to Pueblo, 95 miles along US 50 and the Colorado River. For almost 50 miles, we had the Colorado on our left, a downhill slope and a tailwind to boot. Life as a cyclist never, repeat never gets better than this. The only "however" for some was the 2000 cyclists participating in the annual "Ride the Rockies" event that used some of the same highways as we rode. I found most courteous, smart/experienced (you'd expect folks riding 4 days in the Rockies to have both) and fun to ride along with. Arlene and I have biked with 10,000 people in the Wichita Falls, TX, "Hotter than Hell 100" six different times. Biking with 10,000 while driving a tandem is much harder than navigating my light, manueverable single around 2000.

Sights along the way included the beautiful federal prison at Canon City, and for some, a side trip to the Royal Gorge. I passed on the Gorge as I'd seen it a couple times before and I wanted to rest and relax prior to Arlene's arrival later tonight. Other cool sights along the way included literally hundreds of National Hot Rod Association participants and their pride and joy hot rods. Hope to see the show on Saturday with Arlene.

I discovered a national secret today. In fact, I think I personally tested the PDEWS. That is, the Prairie Dog Early Warning System (PDEWS). As we rolled out of the mountains into the more arid, desert like terrain, the prairie dogs abounded. When they'd see or hear me, they sounded a loud squeal that would make all the other prairie dogs take cover from the 215 lb cyclist. These rascals were as cute (and smart) as they come.

Our last SAG stop was at mile 71 and from there to the hotel was hot and the tail wind ceased and Mr. Cross Wind started to blow. The terrain is now rolling and bounding compared to the steep climbs we'd experienced in the last few days.

The only surprise on the way in was the change in the name of the hotel--as of 1 March, our "Ramada" changed to the "Pueblo Hotel and Convention Center." After touring hotel row here in Pueblo, I called the hotel and learned that I was close. I checked in, hit the hot tub and started making a few calls to Mark Reid (USAFA 79 classmate), Pete Larsen (stopped in at Gunnison on way home to near Salt Lake), and my sis Carole.

The luggage truck just arrived and I am well trained to on/offload the truck. Looking forward to seeing my sweetheart tonight and relaxing for a day here in Pueblo. Sunday, its on to Lamar, CO and 120 miles. Happy Landings to you all!

Friday, June 16, 2006

Day 12--1st Day OFF!

Our day off in Salt Lake City was wonderful. I stayed to my normal schedule and arose at 0600 to help keep my sleep schedule on course. After a great hotel breakfast and a cover to cover read of the paper, I took about a 3 mile walk around the business park near the hotel, and then I cleaned up my bike and got it ready for the next day's ride. One of my tires had died from a wire that I'd obviously hit on the day before.

Later in the morning I caught the local shuttle to the airport with my two British friends, Allen and Bill, and then we caught the bus to downtown Salt Lake. We took a tour of the world famous Mormon temple and were briefed by four missionaries from Phoenix, Haiti, the Philippines and Japan. They guided us around the temple grounds and gave us some of the details of their religious beliefs and calling. Their genuineness and sincerity was obvious to me as well as my British buddies.

Touring and walking made us all hungry so we stopped in at the nearby mall and had lunch at the Playbox, a sports bar. We had a healthy filling lunch and toasted our 850 miles with a Corona all around. Just 1 . . . heh, heh, heh.

With our tummies full, we started walking find a bike shop to replace some of the gear that Bill and Allen needed to continue the trip. In about 3 hours, we found 3 bike shops and found exactly what we all needed.

We then caught the city bus back to the hotel to get organized for the next day. At the hotel, we all shared the appetizer the hotel provided for us and then watched the Mavs and Heat game. Yes, friends and family, another totally hedonist day and I couldn't do it without your support and love.

Stay tuned for the Salt Lake to Provo report tomorrow!

Day 13

Today's ride from Salt Lake City to Provo was really a pleasant, low pressure ride. Over 62 miles we saw some beautiful mountains, the BYU campus and transited the town of Orem before arriving in Provo. Since the segment from San Francisco to Salt Lake City ended yesterday, we said goodbye to 9 folks and said hello to 6 new participants who'll go with us to Pueblo, CO.

The only real challenge today was navigation. We follow a "Cue Sheet" that gives you distances to travel and locations to turn. This Cue Sheet today was literally 3 pages long with lots and lots of turns. Reading the cue sheet while avoiding cars, trucks, rocks, road debris etc is a real challenge. My intention today was to follow the crowd and let others navigate, but instead I rode with two of our new participants, Tony from Decatur, TX, a bike manufacturer, and Mike, a real estate broker from Santa Barbara, CA. We had a very comfortable ride and although we almost had one major snafu, we really had fun.

We arrived at the hotel around noon and some of our folks still don't have a room as I finish this at 5 pm. Ugh! Yes, we've been spoiled earlier with near immediate check in's and now our patience is being tried just a little. Most of our folks are handling the wait with great spirits and humor.

Somehow I got the sore throat and cold yesterday, so I'm sniffling a little and hoping to get as much rest as I can. My previous experience has shown me that no matter what I do, it takes 10 days for my cold to run its course. This will be my first attempt at combating a cold while peddling about 800 miles over the next 10 days. I write this not to whine or complain but to let you know that "life happens" and somehow we still figure it out.

Looking forward to a good ride to Price, Utah manana!

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Day 11

The ride from Elko, NV to Salt Lake City, UT was wild and woolly from the start. With breakfast at 0500 with a load time/start time of 0600, we were poised for a 117 mile ride. Unfortunately, the Nevada DOT was doing construction 10 miles down the road that would not allow our passage. Consequently, our ride leader put our slower riders in the two vans along with their bikes on the roof racks and took them 20 miles down the road through the construction and dropped them off for a 97 mile ride. He then returned with the vans to the beginning of the construction at the 10 mile point and picked the rest of us up at the rest stop. Our 10 warmup ride took us out of Wendover with a 20 kt tailwind and overcast skies.

By the time we got to the rest stop, it began raining and the wind picked up still more. After loading the vans with our bikes, we headed through the construction zone and then offloaded our machines. We were zipping along at 25 mph when the rain caught us along with some pea sized hail. Fortunately, our speed helped us outrun this slow moving storm and we only got mildly wet. Sure could have been worse!

It was sooooooooo cool riding 28-35 mph on the flat, smooth road adjacent to one of America's true "proving grounds" for speed, the Bonneville Salt Flats. Strangely enough, they didn't look too fast to me and it was because they were wet from recent storms. Looked pretty gooey!

The clouds and cool temps with prevailing winds from the west made for a fast ride. I didn't check my average speed but I'll bet it was darn close to 24 or 25. And even though I tried to push a bit, I still took the time to look around and smell the roses. More gorgeous mountain ranges and lots of sage brush!

About 25 miles out, we headed along the south edge of the Great Salt Lake for almost 10 miles. Grand dame indeed! Riding this frontage road to the hotel was pleasant, with no traffic all the way in.

Just had a wonderful shower and cleaned up, had a snack and I'm now waiting for my luggage. After 10 days and 800+ miles, I've decided that the "honeymoon is over." With 3000+ miles remaining, we need to pace ourselves for the 10 days to Pueblo and then 10 more to St Joe, MO and 10 more to Indy and 10 more to Erie, PA.

So far, so good. Thanks to you all for reading and enjoying my adventure. I sure appreciate your humor, encouragement and friendship.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Day 10

Forgive me if I keep this short, but I just wrote the previous 2 days and I'm a little tired and hungry.

The 13 Jun 06 ride from Elko to Wendover was 107 miles, and yes, uphill and into the wind most of the way. I rode by myself most of the way and stayed down on my aero bars to contend with the 20+ mph head/cross wind. We started at 0600 knowing that the elements would challenge us.

Suffice it to say that this ride kicked all our tails. My most memorable experience was coming into Wendover flying down a hill that would normally be 40-50 mph. With a storm rolling in and a 30+kt cross wind, I nearly went down on my bike a couple of times. I was braking and doing 28 and just hoping I would get to the hotel before the storm fully hit. As I entered the hotel, the rain and storm pounded us. Whew!

As the day went on, more storms and bad weather hit many of our folks. In fact, about 10-15 were picked up by the vans and brought to the hotel to fight another day. Great decision by our ride leader, Mike Munk.

Tomorrow is another 100 mile day into Salt Lake City. From our perch here overlooking the Salt Flats, we will be praying for those elusive tail winds.

Day 9

Still catching up here in Wendover, NV.

The 12 Jun 06 ride from Battle Mountain to Elko, NV was 72 miles and took us to the right side of 600 miles. Out of the hotel I rode with Laura and Doug. With a cool temp in the air, we were cruising along about 20 and rotating the lead. After going up a slight rise, I noticed that I was alone and decided to wait for Doug. We rode together into a 10-15 mph wind for about 20 miles and he then dropped off on a climb to the rest stop. I did a quick touch and go and began the steady 10 mile climb to the top of Emmigrant (yes, Randy Larsen Emmigrant) Pass and the wind kept blowing. The Nevada scenery is genuinely breathtaking--mountain range after mountain range with high desert that seems endless. The downhills were again 40+ buth the head winds gusting pushed my 210 lbs around a lot!

One of the prettiest areas we saw was Carlin Canyon. While we rode about 60 miles on I-80 again, we were not allowed to enter the Carlin Tunnels (1/2 mile long). Instead, we rode through Carlin Canyon along the banks of the Humboldt River and enjoyed more of God's wonderful handiwork. This route took us around the mountain and tunnels but led us back to the I-80. The last 10 miles to the hotel were along newly paved shoulders (you become a pavement specialist on a trip like this) with a 10 kt tailwind (yeah!).

I was rolling along with just 1 mile to go to the hotel when my back tire went flat from yet another wire (steel belted radial wire). I used some of the tips I learned yesterday and fixed it quickly and headed to the hotel. The High Desert Inn was quite nice and we received great evening meal of spaghetti and all the trimmings. Larry, Scott Terpstra and I had our pictures taken next to replica Clydesdales standing in front of a nearby casino. I can hear you minds turning as I type--one big horse and 3 horses a.......! Keep smiling!

Day 8

Catching up on Tues, 13 Jun 06, from the Peppermill Casino in Wendover, NV.

On day 8, we rode from Winnemuca to Battle Mountain, NV. With the wind in my face most of the day, I rode with Doug, I pulled most of the 1st hour and stayed down on my aero bars. After a quick SAG stop at 26 miles to fill the water bottles and grab a banana and some breakfast bars, it was on to the Golconda Summit and a 1000 foot climb. The downhill ride was a visual and physical thrill. The Pumpernickel Valley is exactly what the writer of the lyrics siting "purple mountain majesty" had in mind. As I move through Nevada at 8-44 mph, I am struck by the awesome beauty one would never see while listening to Sirius or XM radio, with the air conditioning on and driving 80 mph. I feel blessed indeed.

The constant headwind required me to focus on "spinning" and enjoying the "pull" of a passing 18 wheeler. It is not unusual to pick up 2-5 mph when those big boys go by just 6 feet to my left. I never thought I'd enjoy their closeness as I have crossing the Nevada countryside!

My "aha" of the day came when I began daydreaming for just a scant few seconds and had the rumble strips wake me soundly and harshly. I think every bone in my body got that wake up call.

Arriving at the hotel in Battle Mountain, we were all chagrined to find the pool with water the color of a Martian and the hot tub was empty. Consequently, I enjoyed the Reno Sun and, when Larry arrived, we went to McDonalds for a shake and fries. We then meandered over to a lush city park and sat in the grass watching the young bike riders of the future play at the city park.

Just before dinner, our ride leader, Mike Munk, put on a wonderful flat tire changing clinic. We all learned lots of things that will be helpful in the days ahead.

For dinner we had a filling meal at the Owl Club and then watched the Mavs dismember the Heat. It wasn't pretty. We then picked up a few magazines and a book at the local super market. We continue to enjoy ourselves, feel more healthy every day and we really are having fun in lots of ways. Looking forward to the push to Salt Lake City.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Day 7

Waking up in Lovelock, NV, the sky was clear and the wind was blowing briskly from the east, yes folks, the east. Since we were headed to Winnemucca, NV, a 72 mile jaunt eastward, our day ahead would be a bit challenging. After assisting with the loading of the van, I left the parking lot about 15 minutes behind the main group. I initially rode with Larry Fariss, Scott Terpstra, and ride leader, Mike Munk. After about 2 miles of warmup, Mike started revving the pace up and I followed, while Larry and Scott followed their own inner rhythm. To make a long story short, I rode with Mike the entire 72 and we pushed the pace into the wind. Noteworthy sights along the way included the giant grasshoppers at about the 10 mile point. The gradueur of the surrounding terrain and mountains is enchanting. Mile after mile of towering, yet desolate mountains and countryside. Best news of the day: no flat tires and great company to ride along with. I think Mike and I talked almost the entire way, and arrived in Winnemucca about 12:30 local time. That included a couple/three stops for "fuel" and a light Subway sandwich along the way. When we arrived in Winnemucca, the luggage truck was still about an hour out, so Mike and I went downtown to the local bike store to pick up a new handlebar end piece and a new Croakie (sunglass strap). We met some Americorp volunteers along the way who had just participated in the annual Basque Parade. They were peddling a 3 wheeled covered wagon with a horse head on the front. Local color is everywhere! After a refreshing spin in the hot tub, a large milkshake at Burger King and a filling dinner a Dos Amigos, I watched a couple of bad movies and hit the rack. Another tremendous day on the road! See you tomorrow!

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Day 6

Retirement Adventure #1

Day 6

The leg from Sparks, NV to Lovelock, NV was 90 miles of pure joy . . . almost. Hard to believe you could have a 10-15 mph tailwind for 4-6 hours, ride downhill most of the way, and have any complaints whatsoever. Well, "here's the beef." The weather was perfect and the whole group remained excited. Larry Fariss and I left the hotel and about 1.7 miles later, I experienced my first flat tire. As has been pointed out before, it is a long ride across the country and these things will happen and you just have to roll with the punches. While our ride leader can change a tire in 48 seconds, it took Larry and I about 10 minutes to fix the first one. Yes, I said the first one. Down the road we rolled and about 10 miles later, flat number two occurred. We had just entered I-80 East and that "mushy back tire" feeling happened again. Larry was again kind enough to lend me a hand and we climbed over the guard rail and well away from the 80 mph traffic. This change again took about 10 minutes and we were off again. The shoulder on I-80 really was quite smooth and had a good rolling surface. The only downside was the remainder steel belt spread in many places. These wires are of various sizes and it is the small ones that you can't see that seem to bite you. The next 50 miles were really a kick, with Larry and I riding along with David, one of our 3 UK members and Linda, a Battered Woman Shelter Director. The 4 of us motored along for a long while and kept us moving east at a good clip. Of course we found a little road construction, but our ride leader gathered the heard and gave us good advice for transiting about 4 miles of single lane traffic. With a monster red 18 wheeler at our 6 o'clock backing us up, we moved through this tight area. By now I feel like I have my "sea legs" underneath me. No aches or pains except for a slightly sore neck. As anyone who rides a bike knows, your tail, feet, hands, arms, back, knees and more can cause you problems. My minor neck tightness is nothing to worry about so far. And to our group's credit, we collectively have few injuries or issues. Keep your fingers crossed and pray for us. And with only about 10 miles to go, Mr Steel Belt bit me in the . . . tire one last time. One of those tiny wires penetrated the tire (Ultra Gator Skins--love'em!) and our man, Clarence, again came to the rescue. Clarence did the manly thing and pulled it our with his teeth. The tire remains good but the tube needs a patch and it too is "good to go . . . again." After pulling into the hotel, the Sturgeon Inn in Lovelock, NV, I gathered my bag, gathered my 6 days of dirty laundry and Larry's ugly stuff and dashed next door to the laundry room. I tossed it into the washer and returned for some quarters. Upon my return to the wash room, I found Lisa, who had just opened the one washer with our laundry in it and spewed, ". . . you _ _ _ _ _ _ _". In jest of course. Since we all have the same kinds of dirty biking stuff, we just put all of our junk in together and cleaned it up. After another great buffet featuring my favorite, fried chicken, we sat outside our rooms and cleaned our bikes and regaled our selves with tales of the ride. I hit the rack at 9 pm and was one happy biker.

Friday, June 09, 2006

Day 5
After a filling continental breakfast in Truckee, CA, we went out of the parking lot and turned left for a wonderful day of climbing and screaming down the back side of Mt. Rose. We began by peddling along the gorgeous north shore of Lake Tahoe on a crisp, 50 degree morning. With towering, sweet smelling pine trees abounding and streams running along the side of the highway, we began a 28 mile ascent. Moving at speeds of 7-10 mph, you have a chance to see the magnificent scenery while gasping for air as we ascended from about 5,000 feet to the top of Mt Rose at 8900 feet. With no wind and bright sunshine I decided to shed my long biking pants just prior to departure and only wear normal biking shorts, long sleeve under armor, cycling jersey and winter gloves. I was comfortable the entire ride to the top. Almost all 36 of us rode individual paces as their is little advantage to hanging together on the ascent. I sang every patriotic song I knew as I climbed to make sure I was breathing deep and staying aerobic. I stopped once at the 9000 foot mark to view the panoramic grandeur of the south shore in the distance and take a few photos. As I began the last hour of climbing I had to laugh when a local vendor was having a "Moving to Oklahoma" sale. Thought of you, Steve Pulley! Shortly thereafter, I took my "entering Nevada" sign picture and kept climbing. As I listened to my inner rhythm, I stayed on my 8.5 mph pace and stood up occasionally to keep the blood flowing to all extremities. With just 3 miles to get to the top, the dreaded "road construction ahead" sign surfaced. The locals were resurfacing the climbing lane and restricted traffic to one, roughed and tattered lane. After a short chat with the flagwoman and a waiting motorcyclist, I continued the climb past some monster machinery and a few dirt clouds. It was a very welcome sight to see the America By Bicycle trailer at the summit along with Barb Munk and her assortment of SAG drinks and eats. Since the summit temp was about 40 degrees with 20 knots of wind, I wore my new rain/all-weather jacket for the descent. I woofed down a banana, some peanuts and some gatorade and began my descent with Clarence, the retired rehab professor from Auburn University. Despite the gusty winds, we both smoked down the hill at speeds up to 43 mph before we scared ourselves too much on the windy, twisting road to Sparks. The 17.5 mile descent lasted almost 30 minutes and was a blast . . .with one exception. Clarence was descending at about 30 mph when a log truck cut directly in front of him and he had no choice but to swerve far right and barely missed the left front fender of the truck. Near the bottom of the hill, I stopped briefly to take my jacket off and Clarence pulled up to tell me his story. He was still shell-shocked and shaking. The last 10 miles to the hotel were pleasant and uneventful. As we waited for the luggage to arrive, several of us got the hotel to take us to In and Out Burgers, a CA deluxe burger place. It was the perfect place to get a great burger, fries and shake and discuss the day's ride. After our daily debrief of the days ride at 5:30 pm and outline of tomorrow's plan, we all enjoyed a great meal at the Nugget hotel where the buffet had every treat a tired, hungry biker could ask for. Another super day!

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Retirement Adventure #1

Retirement Adventure #1

Summary of Day 1, Day 2, Day3 and Day 4

Thanks to all the team members out there for your tremendous support! We are having a blast and the hills just keep on coming.

Since I decided not to carry a laptop, I'm only going to post info when the hotel has an available computer or a good friend (in this case, Nita Fariss, Larry's Mom) has a computer I can use. Needless to say, my blog will only hit a few high/low lights while the authoritative journal will be at bamacyclist.com (ride leader Mike Munk's journal).

Nevertheless, I want to jot down a few memories for posterity and your enjoyment.

Day 1
The ride out of Burlingame, CA, our start point, was wild and wooley (Randy Larsen, that means "very exciting" in French!). The combination of road/path closures due to the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon, running races, and road work made the trip to dip our rear wheel in the Pacific a real "cluster" event. The wheel dip occurred in the vicinity of the SF Zoo and was a great warm up of about 20 miles from start to feet wet. If I figure out how to post photos, you'll see them soon. If I'm either technically challenged or too tired, photos will come a bit later.

We then departed the Pacific to cross the Golden Gate bridge. We did an unplanned drive thru of the Presidio and only God knows where else before we had a crossing in the mist to Sausalito. It was a wonderful experience.

Just when we thought we'd had our navigating challenges behind us, we searched for a turn point that was now displaced by an overpass. About 10 miles later, the 20 of us had "bonded" and rearrived at the original turn point. This made our first day trip a 96 miler instead of an 86 miler. Small potatoes indeed and the entire group kept a great sense of humor and discovered that "Murphy" also travels via bike and helped us find the hotel in Fairfield.

Day 2
The ride from Fairfield to Sacramento was so fun and painless. Lots of shade and country riding. After the challenges of the first day, all enjoyed the lower stress of riding about 51 miles to arrive at the Best Western. One of our riders, Mark _____, from Davis, CA offered to guide us on a short "off route" tour of the UC Davis campus and nearby bike paths. We had a blast meandering among the beautiful coeds and settled down for a cup of Starbucks while Mark stopped in to his hometown bike shop. Yes friends, war and bike riding across the country can be hell. After ambling along for about 51 miles, we called it a day and had the pleasure of visiting at the house of one of our riders, Scott Terpstra. Kathy and Scott treated us to a great dinner and then we came home and crashed. 0600 still comes early.

Day 3
Our ride from Sacramento to Auburn gave us our first taste of hill climbing. Although we only ascended about 1500 vertical feet, there were some hills that required us to use all of that great technology on our bicycles to arrive in Auburn with plenty of energy for Day 4, the acknowledged most difficult day. Our hotel was right next to the river and the adjoining bike path which made the day's start super easy and pleasant. Larry Fariss, Scott Terpstra and I rode with the ride leader, Mike Munk (Lt Col USAF, retired) and learned some great things about biking. Mike has us very well organized and despite hurding 36 cats along a 3,840 mile course, he maintains a sharp sense of humor. We got our thighs warmed up after another 50+ mile easy day and arrived in Auburn knowing that the next day would challenge all 36 of us. After the ride, Larry Fariss and I drove to Grass Valley, CA to visit his Mom, Nita and visit the home of his brother, Brett. Brett and his wife, Sherry, hosted a birthday party for their son, Reuben and a cast of thousands (okay, maybe 15). Lots of love and hugs exchanged with Grandma Nita presiding and all celebrating Larry's visit to the neighborhood. After a 45 minute drive back to the hotel on autopilot, we again crashed for the 0600 wakeup.

Day 4
Whew! It is now Wednesday night, 7 June and I've peddled an enchanting 73 miles up over Donner Pass and rode from Auburn to Truckee, CA. This was truly an exhilarating day. We climbed about 7000 feet, again navigated around road work (at least some of us did--make that Steve did and Larry +10 didn't), rode about 20 miles on I-80 (15 miles with a wide, clean, beautiful concrete shoulder on the way up and then 5 miles down a dilapidated, torn up asphalt piece of shoulder at speeds that caused a few to blow a tire or two), and finished in the quaint town of Truckee. This 73 mile ride was not for the faint of heart. All members of the group finished this leg and had wide smiles after their first significant achievement. Larry and I are both excited because we finished with a good supply of gas left in our tanks. That is definitely a "good thing" for tomorrow we pedal over Mt Rose, an 11,000 foot peak and end up in Sparks, NV. The ride is about 20 up, 17.5 down and then 12.5 rolling. By this time tomorrow we will have more mountain climbing under our belts and I should be independently wealthy from winning my fortune at the roulette table!

Thanks to all your comments and support in the hinterlands. I am having as much fun at 49 with a bike as I did when I was 9. I cannot wait to get up tomorrow morning and do it still again.