Post-Trip Recap

The cross country bike trip has now been over for a few days and I have had time for some reflection. The trip was everything I expected and more - more challenging, more grueling, more interesting, and most importantly - more enjoyable. I rode with a bunch of great people, many of whom, became true friends over the course of the 40 days. This is a big, beautiful country filled with really nice people. Seeing it from a bicycle is an amazing experience. I've tried to relate many of the daily experiences as they occurred in my daily postings so I won't repeat them. Perhaps the best way to summarize the trip is that when asked what was the highlight of the trip I can't answer - there were just too many. However when asked what was the lowlight of the trip it's an easy answer - OKLAHOMA! Not only were the headwinds horrible, but so was the scenery. And to top it off, Oklahoma was the site of Brett's tragic accident. For those of you interested in following Brett's recovery his family has a very informative blog at brettsrecovery.tumblr.com . We were all saddened by his accident, but our spirits are buoyed by his ongoing recovery.

Some of you have asked for statistics. The 40 day trip covered almost 3300 miles through 11 states. There were 15 century (100+ miles) rides of which I completed 14. The longest was 142 miles and the hardest was the 127 mile ride in Oklahoma on day 21 into 25-40mph winds - I completed both. Over the course of the trip I had 4 flat tires - some riders had over 10. And to my great surprise, I actually gained about 5 lbs - I think it mostly went to leg muscle since I no longer recognize my own legs. My dietary strategy of eating anything, anytime, anywhere seems to have worked. In particular my reputation as a world class consumer of chocolate milkshakes is now firmly established - as evidenced by the trail of empty milkshake containers that mark my passage across the country.

Out of the 15 riders who started the trip across the country, a handful pedaled every mile - kudos to each of them! I was not one of them. After pedaling 1805 miles from Santa Barbara to the intersection of our route with I-35 in northern Oklahoma I finally had to get off of the bike on day 23 due to quadricep cramping. I missed 244 miles of riding between there and Branson as I took two self-imposed rest days and pedaled only part of two other days in an effort to relieve the cramping. Besides the rest, I had several massages, increased my stretching, made a slight saddle adjustment, and most importantly (in my non-expert opinion) started taking calcium and magnesium supplements. Together these measures worked. From Branson to Charleston I kept riding stronger and, if we hadn't bumped into the ocean in Charleston, I think I could have kept riding indefinitely. As part of my risk management strategy I did stay off the bike on the morning of day 29 due to the combination of heavy rain and heavy traffic; and I missed the day 33 ride into Nashville in order to attend a Southern Company board meeting. All-in-all I pedaled almost 90% of the 3300 miles of the trip.

So a question I've already been asked - "Are you going to complete the segments you missed?". The obsessive side of me says yes, but the rational side says no - and I hope the rational side wins. I know the exact segments I missed and with a little logistical support from Jan it would be relatively easy to cycle them during one of our annual Spring driving migrations between Arizona and Maine. But the fact that it would be easy, makes it completely out of context with the journey that I just completed. One of the reasons I did this trip was to challenge my physical limits at age 67 - the agony of the quad cramping was therefore an integral part of the journey. Overall I'm very pleased with my accomplishment and don't feel the need to check the "pedaled every mile" box. To those who might see it differently, I say "do the trip" and then let's talk.

Speaking of doing the trip. If you are an experienced cyclist or even just a "wanna be" cyclist like I was up until a year ago and have dreams of cycling across the U.S. my advice is don't over think it - just commit to it, train for it, and do it! You will never regret doing it - you may always regret not doing it. It is truly an experience of a lifetime.

I've include a few additional pictures which I hope illustrate the enjoyment I experienced in cycling across this wonderful country.

Signing off,


Steve

Day 40: Summerville to Charleston

We all arrived safely at the Wild Dunes Resort in Isle of Palms after an easy 33 mile ride which included a police escort through the heart of Charleston and great views as we crossed the Cooper River Bridge. Our final lunch was at Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's Island followed by an 8 mile celebratory ride to Wild Dunes where we dipped our wheels into the Atlantic. Jan and the Lucas' were there to greet me. There were smiles and hugs all around. Tonight we will continue the celebration with a nice dinner and slide show.
Tomorrow Jan and I fly to Arizona to settle in for the season. I'll take a few weeks off of the bike and start working on a challenge equally as daunting as biking across the country - improving my golf game!
I'll share some final thoughts on the trip and additional pictures in a final blog posting in a few days.

Steve

Day 39: Columbia to Summerville

As predicted, today's 109 mile ride was fast - almost 18 mph average with only a short lunch break and a few very short bio breaks. There were 6 of us in the lead group with Rob (early 60's investment banker from Australia) pulling the entire way. He is a terrific cyclist who doesn't like anybody in front of him - so we were more than happy to let him do the extra work. Weather conditions were again near perfect making for a pleasant ride except for a few too many sections of rough road.

Tonight we are staying at the Inn at Middleton Place in Summerville. Middleton Place is a National Historic Landmark and has America's oldest landscaped gardens - laid out in 1741. It's really a beautiful setting on the shore of the Ashley River with lots of activities available - kayaking, biking, carriage rides, etc. There's also a hammock right outside my room which is a lot more tempting than any of the activities.

Tomorrow's the big day. With only 32 miles to go, it will be an occasion to celebrate our accomplishments and be welcomed by family and friends as we dip our wheels in the Atlantic Ocean. We will have a police escort to help get us through the heavy Charleston traffic and then we can soak in the views of Charleston and its Harbor as we ride over the Cooper River Bridge towards are final destination at the Wild Dunes Resort.

Steve

Day 38: Spartanburg to Columbia

We literally flew though today's 103 miles maintaining a pace close to 20 mph most of the way while climbing 4700 feet over the rolling hills of central South Carolina. The scenery was not as dramatic today as it has been over the past week, so we put our heads down and went for it. The final 10 miles into and through Columbia gave me a chance to see the city in a much closer way than the several times I have driven through on the interstate. It is a very pleasant city - state capital and home of the University of South Carolina. We rode the last few miles on a great bike path along the river.

Tomorrow we do our last century ride as we head 109 miles to the Inn at Middleton in Summerville. We have very little climbing, so our pace will likely be as fast or faster than today's.

Jan and our friends, Don and Regina Lucas, are heading to Charleston tomorrow to be in place when we arrive on Tuesday, dip our tires in the Atlantic, and celebrate our accomplishment. It should be a great time - but first we all need to stay in the moment and make sure that tomorrow's century ride is a safe one.

Steve

Day 37: Asheville to Spartanburg, SC

The great rides continue! Today's 78 mile ride took us on a long climb over the Eastern Continental Divide through Hickory Nut Pass followed by a winding six mile descent into the beautiful little town of Chimney Rock. Although it was in the mid-40's when we started, the temperature warmed into the low 60's under a clear sky and light winds - perfect cycling weather. We crossed into South Carolina, our 11th and final state of the trip, at the 59 mile point and virtually sprinted to our hotel in Spartanburg thanks to a nice tailwind and flat terrain.

My riding continues to be very strong with few if any aches and pains. I went out aggressively today and stayed with several of the fastest riders for the entire ride. We still have two 100+ mile rides ahead of us, so I probably need to pace myself - but I won't. I'll just go out aggressively again tomorrow and see how I feel as the ride unfolds.

Steve

Day 36: Sevierville to Asheville

Another great ride! Although we had heavy traffic for the first 25 miles, the rest of the 90 mile ride to Asheville was very nice - sunny skies, colorful foliage, and the challenge of several long climbs. Much of the last 60 miles was spent pedaling along the very scenic French Broad River. We had lunch at the popular tourist town of Hot Springs. My favorite little town was Marshall where I pedaled down the main street getting stopped by the only stop light in the entire town. Marshall sits right on the edge of the French Broad River and has wonderful ambience. From it's somewhat rundown appearance it may not have yet been "discovered" - but it will be. So go take a look - you may end up investing in some real estate.

I spent some time walking around downtown Asheville this afternoon and had an excellent dinner at Vincenzo's near our hotel. It's a very nice city surrounded by great venues for almost every type of outdoor activity.

Tomorrow's 78 mile ride to Spartanburg SC will take us over the Eastern Continental Divide and into the eleventh and last state of our cross country trip. It should be a beautiful ride, although weekend "leaf peepers" may be out in force so traffic could be heavy.

Steve

Day 35: Crossville to Sevierville

Today's 107 mile ride was quite enjoyable. Our route took us on many quiet backroads and though a number of pleasant small towns and mid-size cities. Pedaling though Tennessee over the past several days has re-enforced by already positive view of the state - it is a beautiful and very livable place. Our timing was perfect - strong storms moved through overnight and left us with wet roads, but no rain as we started this morning. As an energy guy and a former TVA employee, it was interesting to ride by the Kingston Power Plant and over the Tellico Dam. The route also took me close to EPRI's Knoxville office - I wish there had been time to pedal by and say hi to all of the great people who work there. I did capture the ride on my iPhone App so you EPRI folks can check my tweet and see how close I came to the office.

Although it stayed overcast all day, we did get a nice view of the Smokey's as we approached Sevierville. I am really looking forward to tomorrow's 88 mile ride to Asheville. The weather forecast looks good (in fact it looks good all of the way to Charleston) and the fall foliage will be spectacular.

Steve

Day 34: Nashville to Crossville

I had a great 125 mile ride today - one of best rides of the trip. The scenery and weather were superb; and I felt good and rode strong.

The first 12 miles getting out of downtown Nashville were not much fun due to heavy traffic but after that the route took us on many backroads heading east towards Crossville. The countryside in this part of Tennessee is some of the prettiest in the entire U.S. and the fall colors made it even better. I did capture the route on my iPhone App and have sent it out as a tweet. If you are ever in this area, take a little extra time and follow this route (either by car or bike) - you won't be disappointed.

Tomorrow we continue are journey across Tennessee with a 107 mile ride to Sevierville which sits near the entrance to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. It should be another beautiful ride, but morning showers are a possibility so it may start out a little wet.

Steve

Day 33: Nashville rest day recap

Overall I enjoyed the segment of the trip from Branson to Nashville. Having never spent any time in southern Missouri it was a real eye opener to pedal through the beautiful wooded rolling hills of the Ozark's - scarred by poverty, junk, and mean dogs. The poverty was worse than anything we saw in the small towns of Oklahoma and those further west. The ferry across the Mississippi was a key milestone in our journey across the country and one that I will always remember.

After my difficulties in Oklahoma, I was also pleased that my quads recovered enough to enable me to stay on the bike. However I did miss about 130 miles due to heavy rain on the morning of day 29 and the need to attend a Southern Company board meeting on day 32.

Tomorrow we start the final segment of our trip with a tough 125 mile ride with 7500 feet of climbing as we make our way up the Cumberland Plateau to Crossville. The weather forecast looks good and the fall colors are peaking - so it should be a great ride.

Steve

Day 32: Dover to Nashville

Instead of a bike seat I spent all day in a boardroom seat - an interesting transition after one month on the bike. I understand from the some of the other riders that it was a nice 92 mile ride with beautiful fall foliage and bright sunshine. It would have been great to be with them - but duty called.

Steve

Day 31: Union City to Dover

Today's 80 mile ride started in light rain and strong winds, but as the rain let up and then stopped, the ride turned out to be very enjoyable. We took a number of backroads as we left Union City and stopped for lunch in a park next to the town square in the little town of Puryear. Most of the buildings appeared deserted, but still in pretty good condition, and they reminded me of something you would see in a movie set in the late 1800's.

Shortly after lunch we crossed the Tennessee River on Highway 79 North and immediately started several long climbs which were made relatively easy by a strong tailwind. Even though it was overcast the trees were a riot of reds and yellows. I think we are right at the peak of color in this part of Tennessee.

I rode strong again today and now have two days out of the saddle while I attend the Southern Company board meeting. I'm sorry to be missing tomorrow's ride into Nashville, but look forward to riding out of town with the group on Wednesday morning after their Tuesday rest day.

Steve

Day 30: Poplar Bluff to Union City TN

I had a very nice 111 mile ride today - one of the best of the trip. Although it was foggy and damp in the morning I enjoyed riding through the many cotton fields (see picture) in the broad flatlands of the Mississippi River valley. Unlike yesterday in the Ozark's, the small towns and homes were generally well kept and fairly prosperous looking - and there were no dogs chasing us.

Ninety-five miles into the ride we reached the Mississippi River and after a short wait, boarded a small ferry (see picture) which took us to Hickman, Kentucky. It was a neat experience which marked a major milestone in our cross country trip. I was feeling strong when we got off of the ferry so I pushed the pace pretty hard over the last 16 miles zipping through Kentucky and into Union City.

My quads did not cramp up today - I kept expecting it to happen, but it never did. It's possible I found the root cause of the problem last evening when I re-checked all of my bike fit measurements. To my surprise I found that my saddle was 1 cm further back than it should have been. This may not sound like much to non-cyclists - but it's really a big deal. With the saddle properly adjusted, I immediately noticed more stress on my calfs and less on my quads. So tonight my calfs are sore - it will take a few days to adjust to the new saddle position. I don't know how and when the saddle was moved, but I'm sure glad I found it. I'm not declaring victory yet, but at least things are headed in the right direction.

Tomorrow we have a relatively short 80 mile ride to Dover, but once again the weather may be a big factor. Strong storms are forecast, but their timing is not clear. We are planning an early start to see if we can beat the storms to Dover.

Tomorrow evening I am taking a short break from the trip to attend a two day Southern Company board of directors meeting in Atlanta. I'll only miss the Monday ride since Tuesday is a scheduled rest day in Nashville. Wednesday we ride out of Nashville to begin the final segment of our trip to Charleston. The fall colors should be spectacular as we pedal through the mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Steve

Day 29: West Plains to Poplar Bluff

The weather forecasters had it right. The start of today's 114 mile ride was delayed by lightning and heavy rain. Once the lightning ceased about half of the riders headed out on their bikes in moderate to heavy rain, including the 4 or 5 from our original group of 15 who have pedaled every mile across the country. It's probably fortuitous that my streak ended in eastern Oklahoma, because I had no hesitation getting into the van. Several who did start out ended up in the van before the morning was over.

The rain ended about lunch time so I got back on my bike and rode the last 61 miles to Poplar Bluff. I've included several pictures from our lunch stop. It was a beautiful setting and I thought you might want to see what a typical lunch stop looked like.

I soloed most of the way and had a nice ride except for the DOGS. I was chased at least a dozen times often by several dogs at a time. It appears that the number and meanness of the dogs is proportional to the amount of junk in their owners yard - and there are a lot of junky yards in the Ozark's.

Here are a few other observations from today's ride:

Armadillo's are not very good at crossing roads - based on the number of dead ones I saw today they are either very slow and/or have a very bad sense of timing.

I pedaled through the little town of Fair Dealing - they need to start cheating because it appears the town has not been dealt a good hand in a long time.

The last 40 miles of the ride passed through many areas that marked the western edge of the Civil War - the town of Doniphan was completely destroyed. As I grew closer to Poplar Bluff the terrain changed dramatically from the rolling wooded hills of the Ozark's to the table-top flat farmlands of the Mississippi Valley. Our route took me through many of Poplar Bluff's neighborhoods. It appears to be a nice mid-western town with a good industrial base - including a large Briggs&Stratton plant.

During tomorrow's 111 mile ride we will be crossing the Mississippi River by one of the last remaining riverboat ferries. We'll also pedal across about 8 miles of Kentucky on our way to Union City TN - so 3 states plus a ferry ride. It should be an interesting day.

P.S. - Yes my quads are still a problem, but I'm trying to ignore them.

Steve

Day 28: Branson to West Plains

I was back in the saddle today and, in spite of sore quads, able to complete the 103 mile ride through the Ozark's of southern Missouri. The day started with light rain and heavy traffic in Branson but as the morning progressed the rain stopped, the traffic decreased, and we enjoyed a very hilly ride through the scenic Mark Twain National Forest. Unfortunately, the scenery was frequently marred by front yards full of junk cars and trash; and for the first time in the trip we were chased by numerous dogs. We ended up climbing 7,300 feet even though we gained almost no net elevation.

West Plains appears to be a pleasant little town of about 12,000 people. It's a county seat, but other than that, it's not obvious what drives the local economy.

Tomorrow's 114 mile ride to Popular Bluff will likely be a wet one as showers and thunderstorms are forecast throughout the day. The combination of rain and hills may make for challenging conditions. It's likely I'll spend some time in the support van to avoid riding in conditions which I deem to be too risky for my skill level.

Steve

Day 27: Branson rest day recap

Our last rest day in Taos seems a long time ago. I've described the trials and tribulations of pedaling across Oklahoma in earlier postings so I won't repeat them here. I would like to share a few thoughts and observations about the trip that have been new learnings for me and might be of interest to some of you.

The first is about the mental aspects of cycling across the country - yes, you have to be somewhat crazy to attempt it, but that is not the point I want to make. In contrast to long distance running, where at times the mind can almost disengage from the body, road biking takes total concentration and focus as the brain constantly processes and provides feedback to the body on real-time information regarding road conditions, traffic, nearby riders, wind, etc. As evidenced by Brett's accident, even a momentary lapse in concentration can have potentially tragic consequences. Maintaining this level of concentrated brain activity for 7 to 10 hours at a time, day-after-day, leaves little or no room in the brain for any other thoughts. This has resulted in something that was a real surprise to me - when the ride is done a sense of total calmness immediately takes over and lasts until the next day's ride. It seems that the brain's processor simply shuts off at the end of the ride and all of the thoughts that have been crowded out by the intense brain activity during the ride do not have time to seep back in before you begin the next day's ride. For me this has resulted in an almost meditative state where I have no interest in watching TV (which Jan finds very shocking) or reading. In 4 weeks I've watched only a few sporting events and the presidential debate - that's it! I wish this calmness and reduced interest in watching TV would carry-over to my post-ride life.

The second observation regards small-town rural America and its people. Since leaving California we have been pedaling through what some living on the coasts derisively call "fly-over" states. But on an even more granular level we have been pedaling down the main streets of what I call "drive-by" towns. These are small towns that can't be seen as we drive-by on the interstates and, therefore, they simply don't exist in our consciousness. We have been saddened by what we see in almost everyone of these small towns - abandoned buildings either boarded up or falling apart, junk cars, and dilapidated houses. One might think they are ghost-towns - but they are not. I am heartened when we meet the inhabitants - friendly, proud, independent, hard-working people. Whenever I get the chance, I having been trying to meet and chat with them. I could give you dozens of anecdotes, but here are a few:

The two boys(about 12 years old) who we offered cookies to while having lunch at a park in a small, run-down town in Oklahoma. As the boys walked away after reluctantly accepting the cookies, I heard one say softly to the other "It's been so long since I've had a cookie".

The farmer outside a small town in southern Missouri in whose driveway we parked the van during one of our "pit" stops. After a friendly greeting I asked him how things were going and how his crops did this year. Very matter-of-factly he looked me in the eye and said "It's been tough. This is the second year in a row that my crops have failed due to the drought and heat".

And of course there is the little stone church on Johnson Mesa in New Mexico. I didn't need to talk to anybody there - the poem on the wall of the church said it all.

There is a lot of talk about the plight of the middle-class in America - and rightly so. But, based on what we have seen on this trip so far (and I expect we'll see the same in the small towns of the Southeast) much more needs to be said about the plight of rural, small-town America. I sense we are witnessing the end of a way of life that has existed since these lands were first settled. This is probably inevitable, but it needs to be recognized and made part of our national consciousness. These are proud, independent people who don't want pity and won't ask for handouts - they will just try, like they always have, to figure out a way to get by on their own initiative and hard work - an interesting concept in 21st century America!

A few last observations on Branson. After walking around today I have not changed by initial two word impression of the town - hokey and excess. However, the mall at Branson Landing near our hotel is quite nice. And a final observation - at age 67 my presence has definitely lowered the average age of visitors to Branson.

Wish my quads well as I get back on the saddle tomorrow and attempt to pedal 103 hilly miles to West Plains.

Steve

Day 26: Neosho to Branson

This was another self-imposed rest day for me. I rode in the van, enjoyed the rolling wooded hills of southern Missouri, and tried to make myself useful. Maybe I have become too useful, since several people have suggested that I might have found a third-career opportunity guiding bike trips for seniors.

My quads are feeling much better this afternoon so, with the added help of tomorrow's scheduled rest day, I should be back in the saddle on Thursday enjoying the 102 mile ride to West Plains, MO.

The news regarding Brett, who was critically injured in a bike accident yesterday, is mixed at best. The surgery to decompress the hematoma in his brain was successful. However he remains in a coma (not medically induced) with a severely fractured skull and a broken collarbone. His wife is with him and their two sons will be joining her shortly. In a week she plans to have him airlifted to a facility closer to home in Palo Alto. We are all hopeful that he will regain consciousness in the near future and ultimately fully recover.

This is my first visit to Branson. Two words come to mind - hokey and excess. Tomorrow I will spend some time walking around "downtown", so maybe my opinion will change - but I doubt it. It's just not my kind of place.

Steve

Day 25: Bartlesville to Neosho, MO

This was not a good day. Brett, one of our riders was critically injured when he lost control of his bike and went over the handlebars striking and cracking his helmet on the pavement. He was first attended to by one of our other riders, who is the Chair of the Department of Surgery at Stanford, and then by members of the volunteer fire department of Welch, OK. A helicopter was brought in to transport him to the trauma center in Joplin, MO where according to the latest update he is undergoing surgery for hemorrhaging in the brain. His wife is coming from California to be with him. The priest who is part of our riding group led us in prayer tonight for Brett's recovery.

Although trivial by comparison, my leg problems continue. After extensive Google searching and article reading I've concluded that the problem is cramping of the quadriceps. It appears to be a fairly common problem among cyclists who greatly increase their mileage in a short period of time - which I have clearly done. Today my legs felt great at the start, but by mile 50 I decided to get off the bike due to cramping. I am trying all of the various remedies suggested in the literature - lower gears/higher cadence; magnesium and calcium supplements; stretching; massage; and rest. I will not ride tomorrow which combined with our rest day in Branson will give me two full days out of the saddle.

So that this is not an entirely somber posting, I have included a picture of the reservation dog which was rescued by the Trek Travel staff while we pedaled through Northern Arizona. He is a very sweet dog, with a broken hip, who has become the mascot for the trip, travels in the van, and is smuggled into the hotels at night in a cooler - he has never barked so there is little chance of detection. Two of the staff (they are being married next month) have decided to adopt him and have his hip fixed. He is one lucky dog!

And thank God we are finally out of Oklahoma! It has been a grueling experience which, as you can tell from my blog, has taken a major toll on my quads and ended my goal of pedaling every mile across the country - I did make it to I-35. Hopefully my quads will recover over the next several days so that I'll be ready to enjoy pedaling through the beautiful Southeast.

Let's all hope and pray that we hear good news about Brett tomorrow.

Steve

Day 24: Ponca City to Bartlesville

Today I took a self-imposed rest day and rode in the support vans for the entire 71 miles. Although I don't expect to make it a habit, it was interesting to see all of the behind-the-scenes logistics which are part of making a trip like this successful. I also tried to make myself useful to the guides and fellow riders so that my day was not totally unproductive.

Fortunately I did not put on my riding attire this morning or I would have been tempted to get back on the bike as the temperature rose and the winds remained light. It definitely would have been a mistake. My legs have been feeling better as the day has progressed and I fully expect to be back in the saddle tomorrow morning for the 106 mile ride to Neosho MO. As I reflect on yesterday's physical breakdown, I should not have been surprised and I'm not sure I could have done anything short of stopping to prevent it. Riding 535 miles in 5 days since leaving Taos into strong winds with only about 12 hours to recover between rides was simply beyond my physical limits. My mind pushed by body to go beyond its limits - and yesterday I paid the price.

It was interesting to watch the landscape change from open wind-swept prairie to wooded rolling hills as we approached Bartlesville. This is clearly a welcome forerunner to the beautiful fall scenery that we should experience during the remainder of the trip to Charleston. Bartlesville is an energy town of about 50,000 population where both ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66 are headquartered. Although most refining is done elsewhere, there is still an industrial look and feel to the town - with one exception. Price Tower, the only high rise building designed by Frank Loyd Wright is located in downtown Bartlesville and as you might expect is quite distinctive in its appearance. (see picture)

I look forward to tomorrow. Although we will have a cold start (32 degrees), the winds are forecast to be at our back and it will be a really great feeling to give Oklahoma a fitting salute as I pedal across the state line into Missouri.

Steve

Day 23: Enid to Ponca City

Oklahoma and it's incessant headwinds finally got the best of me as I decided to get off my bike at the lunch stop (just as we crossed over I-35) and ride in the support van for the final 30 miles of the day. Although I felt ok when I started this morning, my pace kept slowing and I lost contact with the pace line. At that point I was totally exposed to the headwinds and soon reached the point where I simply could not will my legs to turn the pedals anymore. While disappointed that my goal of pedaling every mile is no longer achievable, I do join the majority of riders on this trip who have spent some time in the van.

Now my focus is on recovering my strength such that I can enjoy the post-Oklahoma portion of the trip. With 30 degree temperatures forecast for tomorrow morning, I will likely decide to declare Sunday a "day of rest" and ride in the van for the relatively short 70 miles to Bartlesville. This will hopefully get me rested for the 100+ mile ride out of Oklahoma and into Missouri on Monday.

I'm sure those who live in Oklahoma or were raised here have a real fondness for their state. As a cyclist trying to get across the state I have a somewhat different view. Simply stated, I can not imagine anyone wanting to live here unless there is an oil or gas field under their property.

Steve

Day 22: Woodward to Enid

The Oklahoma winds are certainly living up to their reputation among cyclists traveling west to east across the state. Again today we battled strong (~20mph) NE winds as we pedaled 114 miles to Enid. However, the ride was much better than yesterday's and thanks to ample use of Ibuprofen I was able to stay on the bike and out of the support van for the entire day. We have pedaled 440 miles over the past 4 days fighting strong headwinds most of the time - and I'm pooped!

Our route today was fairly complicated due to Trek Travel's use of relatively scenic backroads that minimized our time on busy highways. I did capture the route on my iPhone App so, if interested, you can find the tweet of the details. We passed through Fort Supply where an Army Outpost was established in 1868 to supply General Sheridan in his famous (or infamous) winter campaign against the Southern Plains Indians. I wish there had been time to look around. Not much else to report on the scenery front - everything in this part of Oklahoma pretty much looks the same.

I had another massage tonight and the Trek Travel therapist that's traveling with us identified (based on my screams) that the pain I am dealing with is in my left abductor muscle, not my quadricep. She worked on it really hard and hopefully it will be less painful on tomorrow's ride. In any event, I've tolerated the pain for the past 300+ miles, so I'm planning to keep on pedaling.

The next 2 days are relatively short (~70 miles each day) as we make our way to Ponca City and then on to Bartlesville. Hopefully this will give all of us a chance to recover somewhat from the grueling mileage of the past 4 days. But, with the forecast of strong and cold NE winds our hopes for recovery could be dashed.

It sure will be good to get through Oklahoma!

Steve

Day 21: Guymon to Woodward

The combination of yesterday's 100+ mile ride, my very sore quads, and 40 mph winds made today's 127 mile ride very challenging - perhaps the hardest physical endurance effort I have ever attempted. But I did it! As one of our guides says "the pride lasts longer than the pain".

We headed out of Guymon at first light on Highway 3 heading east towards Woodward with the wind blowing so strongly that it was difficult to keep our bikes on the road - and it continued to blow hard all day from the NNE as we tried to head east. So we all know Oklahoma is windy - and you also may think it is flat. But try cycling from Guymon to Woodward and you will discover that the land is an endless series of rolling hills and valleys - offering another challenge to cyclists.

There really isn't much scenery to look at, which is a good thing because I would have missed it while concentrating all day on keeping my bike from being blown off the narrow shoulder - I did go into the dirt once but got back on the shoulder without incident. The only notable landscape feature was the appearance of the first big wind farm of the trip as we neared Woodward - I'm sure we will see more as we continue across the state. We rolled into Woodward about 6:30pm after over 9 hours on the saddle.

Tomorrow we do our third 100+ mile day in a row with a 114 mile ride to Enid. While I am proud of keeping my streak of biking every mile alive, there may come a time when my body says ENOUGH - and it could be tomorrow.

Steve

Day 20: Clayton to Guymon

Today's ride took us 107 miles on Highway 64 through the grasslands of the Oklahoma panhandle. I had never been in the panhandle before and was struck by its vastness and emptiness. I can only imagine what early settlers must have felt when traveling in these grasslands with only a few ruts in the dirt to follow.

We had a favorable wind from the Southwest which allowed us to make great time for the first 80 miles ( 20+mph). However, I slowed dramatically for the last 30 miles do to very sore quadriceps. They bothered me yesterday afternoon and somewhat this morning, but really clobbered me this afternoon. It could be that I did yesterdays's steep climb to aggressively or it might just be the accumulated impact of 1600 miles of cycling over the past 20 days. In any event, I am having a massage this evening to see if I can get some relief before tomorrow's very tough day.

Tomorrow's 126 miles is the second longest of the trip as we head to Woodward. However, of even bigger concern than the mileage is the forecast of a strong cold front moving through the area tonight generating NNE winds at 25-35 mph throughout the day tomorrow. It nows appears that it will be the most demanding day of the trip. So far I have pedaled every mile across 1/2 of the country. Stay turned to see if I can keep the streak alive!

Steve

Day 19: Raton to Clayton

Today's 93 mile ride was very enjoyable - a marked contrast to the anguish of yesterday afternoon's headwinds. We headed east out of Raton on Highway 72 and for the next 39 miles there was almost no traffic and terrific scenery. After a steep (~12% grade) 1 1/2 mile climb we emerged onto Johnson Mesa which sits above 7000 ft elevation and is beautiful in it's starkness - rolling prairie as far as the eye can see with virtually no trees or shrubs. However, in the middle of this empty mesa sits a little stone church built in 1897 whose door is always open. It was beautifully maintained and inside there was a poem hanging on the wall which really captured what the mesa and the people who have lived here are all about. I've included a picture of the church and the poem. If you enlarge the picture of the poem it is very readable - and definitely worth reading.

I had separated from my group during the climb to the mesa and enjoyed the solo riding so much that I asked them to leave from the church without me. I slowed my pace and for the next 30 miles had a wonderful time riding solo across the mesa and descending down it's other side on a winding tree-lined road devoid of traffic. And guess where I ended up - in Des Moines! It is a small, tired village of about 150 people (as of 2000 census - probably less now) which reminded me of Ree Heights, SD where my parents grew up. It had a gas station and cafe/gift shop - that was about it. I heard later that several of the riders stopped at the cafe and had a great freshly baked cherry pie - I should have stopped.

At Des Moines I turned onto Highway 64/87 East towards Clayton and stopped for a roadside lunch shortly thereafter. Our riding group re-formed after lunch and, thanks to favorable winds, we made great time covering the 40 remaining miles to Clayton.

Clayton is a small town of about 3000 people which is located about 12 miles from the Oklahoma border. Clayton was an active community during the 1800's as trade caravans and homesteaders traveling through the Cimarron Cutoff of the Santa Fe Trail passed through the town.

Tomorrow we head into Oklahoma where we will spend the next 6 days traversing the entire length of the state - and a long state it is! For cyclists who have made this trip, it is also notorious for the strong prevailing easterly winds.

Steve

Day 18: Taos to Raton

Today we left the mountains and entered the high plains. The ride can be summarized by the quote "It was the best of times and the worst of times". The first 50 miles of the 94 mile ride was the best of times. We headed out of Taos on Highway 64 East and soon began a long, but not overly steep, climb through beautiful early morning mountain scenery. After reaching the top of the pass at 9100 feet we had a steep 5 mile descent into a broad valley which we pedaled through for another 10 miles. After another short, but steep, climb we began the 20 best miles of biking I have ever experienced as we descended through the Cimarron Canyon. The descent is gradual enough that you can coast at 20mph without braking or maintain 25mph with some easy pedaling - I did a mix of both. The road was heavily wooded on both sides providing a wonderful display of fall colors made even better by the stream that flowed along side the road the entire way. We exited the canyon at the Cimarron Canyon Historic pullout where we had lunch and raved about the first 50 miles of our day.

Things started changing for the worse when we passed through the town of Cimarron and Highway 64 turned towards the northeast following the old Santa Fe Trail. The gusty winds we had experienced when descending through the canyon suddenly turned into steady 25-30mph winds from - you guessed it - the north-northeast. We battled the wind all the way to our hotel - draining every bit of energy that I had stored up from yesterday's rest day. Even through our heads were bowed into the wind most of the time, we did see some pretty neat stuff - a big herd of buffalo and hundreds of Pronghorn Antelope. But in the end - the wind won.

The final portion of our journey was on I-25 north into the town of Raton. You might notice that I am giving more details as to the route we followed. That's because I am giving up on my Cyclemeter App and the daily tweets. It seems to get messed up almost everyday and is simply not worth the hassle. I'll try to give you enough details about each day's route that, if interested, you can easily follow my progress with a road map.

Tomorrow we begin heading across the Great Plains with a 94 mile ride to Clayton, NM. I note that our route will take us very close to Des Moines - not the real Des Moines where I grew up, but an imposter out here in New Mexico.

Steve

Day 17: Taos Rest Day Recap

Our journey has now covered 1270 miles and we are over 1/3 of the way across the county. We've pedaled across the deserts of California and Arizona; climbed past the Grand Canyon; through the Colorado Plateau; and into the Rockies. Over the course of the next week we will leave the mountains behind and enter the grasslands of the Great Plains. Although Jan and I have driven through most of these areas, experiencing the sights, sounds, and smells of the environment from a relatively slow moving bicycle provides a perspective unlike anything one can get traveling by car. I'm pedaling with a nice group of people and, for the most part, encountering friendly people wherever we go. The only exception is a certain male personality type that drive pickups with big tires who seem to hate cyclists.

My aches and pains report is very short - I have none - just the normal muscle soreness from pedaling 90+ miles a day. I attribute by lack of issues to several things. First, several weeks of high mileage cycling has toughened me up. I've also focused on pre-ride stretching and post-ride stretching, icing, and massaging. For the massaging I use a rolling pin type of device and a tennis ball. ( I was never much of a tennis player, so this is the most productive use I have ever made of a tennis ball.) I am also trying to stand and pedal for about 15-30 seconds every 5-10 minutes. Finally, and most importantly, I made a small adjustment in my saddle position - rotating the nose of my Brooks B17 leather saddle about 2 degrees to the right. Because my right hip is about 1/2" lower than the left, this rotation creates a little more space for my right sit-bone and a little less for my left sit-bone. With the saddle rotated the ache on the right side of my butt goes away; when I straighten it out, the pain comes back. On yesterday's 142 mile ride, with the saddle rotated, I had NO discomfort even after 9 1/2 hours in the saddle. This problem is behind me!

I've enjoyed a quiet rest day in Taos at the El Monte Sagrado Hotel - a very nice resort type hotel. This evening our "core" group of riders went to Orlando's, a great Mexican restaurant, that Jan and I enjoyed when we were in Taos earlier this year. From left to right in the picture taken at Orlando's are Larry, Kelly, Bruce, me, and Rob.

Tomorrow, we have a tough 94 mile ride to Raton which starts with several big climbs coming out of Taos. As a western U.S. history buff, I am really looking forward to the last 30 miles when we will be riding along the old Santa Fe trail.

Steve

Day 16: Pagosa Springs to Taos

This was really a great 142 mile ride. It had a little bit of everything (beautiful scenery, changeable weather,varied terrain, tough climbing, etc) and I felt strong the entire way. ( For those following on Twitter, I again messed up starting my Cyclemeter App and only have the detailed route data for the 91 miles from Chama to Taos.)

We started at 6:45am when there was just enough light to safely bike. The temperature was in the mid-30's so we were layered up. We headed south on Highway 84 traveling 47 miles to Chama. Although cold to cool all of the way, the ride to Chama was very pleasant with great scenery and light traffic. This is ranch country with many cattle grazing in the pastures, set against a mountain backdrop highlighted by patches of yellow aspens.

We had an early roadside lunch in Chama where we pondered the almost 100 miles and long climbs that lay ahead. We headed south out of Chama on 84 and then turned onto Highway 64 headed towards Taos. At mile 70 of the ride the fun began with the toughest climb of the entire trip - 10 miles with a grade I would estimate at 6-8%. At this point our 5 person pace line broke apart and it was every person for themselves. I fell into my climbing rhythm and headed up the mountain.

It was a defining climb for me - one which I thoroughly enjoyed and well always remember. With an "aggressive" climbing pace I was soon well ahead of the rest of my group and riding solo to the top. It was then that the storm clouds which had been building over the mountains since late morning decided to do their thing. The sky grew very dark to the south of me with loud claps of thunder and flashes of lighting increasing in frequency and intensity - and the temperature dropped sharply. Although I had a rain jacket with me, it was clearly not going to be adequate if the storm cell moved over me. Plus there was no way I was going to continue biking in lighting. Since I could still see blue skies off to the east and north, I pushed the pace as hard as I could hoping to get some distance between me and the storm - and with a little luck it worked. I made it to the top without getting wet, said a quick hello to the waiting Trek Travel van, and took off on a long descent hoping that the storm would stay in the higher elevations.

However, I soon rode into a cold light rain (but no lighting) and then chose this inopportune time to have my first flat tire of the trip. As I stood there in the rain forlornly getting ready to do my clumsy job of removing the rear wheel, one of the Trek Travel guides appeared on her bike (she had left the van at the summit shortly after I passed by). With great relief and humility, I stood by as she quickly and efficiently replaced the tube and got me on the way.

Others in the total group of 30 riders were not so fortunate. Depending on their timing in going over the summit, some were caught in heavy rain and hail. At least one rider suffered hypothermia and he and several others had to finish the day in the van.

There were several more short, but tough, climbs as we headed east towards Taos. At the 110 mile point we crossed Highway 285 and began a long, gradual 20 mile descent to the Rio Grande River Gorge with beautiful views of the Taos and Sangre de Cristos Mountains in the distance accented by a rainbow appearing to hover directly above the town of Taos. I coasted for much of these 20 miles enjoying the scenery as others in our small group rejoined me. We all stopped on the bridge (the fifth highest in the U.S.) over the Gorge to take in the dramatic view of the river far below. It is really amazing that you can be a few feet away from the bridge and have no idea that a 650 ft gorge lies just ahead.

Strong headwinds, which I would estimate at 20 to 30 mph, hit just as we left the bridge and they stayed with us the remaining 13 miles into Taos. The winds combined with heavy traffic, no shoulder, and fatigue made this the least enjoyable stretch of the ride. But after over 9 1/2 hours in the saddle we arrived at our hotel at about 6pm with a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

I feel great and am enjoying my day of rest in Taos.

Steve

Day 15: Durango to Pagosa Springs

Today's 61 mile ride was somewhat of a mixed bag. The surprisingly heavy truck traffic combined with a narrow shoulder made it difficult to enjoy the beautiful scenery and great weather. It would appear that truckers use this portion of Highway 160 to cut between I-40 and I-25 - nothing else would seem to explain the large number of 18-wheelers.

It was 37 degrees when we started riding this morning, so I began the day with three layers of clothing, full gloves, and a nifty biking hat with ear flaps which I wore under my helmet. However, I began shedding layers after about the first hour of biking and was down to one layer before lunch. We can leave our discarded layers with one of the Trek Travel support vans which we typically meet up with about every 10-15 miles.

As we approached Pagosa Springs, the view of the San Juan Mountains was magnificent. The town gets it's name from the Utes who called the sulfur-rich mineral springs "Pah gosah". The hot springs are located at the Springs Resort where we are staying tonight. But the smell of the sulfur and the "lobster pot" analogy are sufficient to keep me from wading in.

Well, tomorrow is the big day - 142 miles and 8100 feet of climbing - as we make our way over the Continental Divide to Taos. I have thought about this ride since signing up for this trip at the beginning of the year - and not all of my thoughts have been positive. However, tonight I am feeling positive, confident, and actually looking forward to the ride. And why not? I'm riding strong, my aches and pains are pretty much gone, and the weather looks great.

See you in Taos!

Steve

Day 14: Cortez to Durango

It keeps getting better! On today's leisurely 44 mile ride we were blessed with beautiful weather and the splendid fall colors of the Rocky Mountains. As we left Cortez heading east on Highway 160 we passed the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park and continued on to the little town of Mancos where most of us stopped at a quaint cafe/coffee shop for an excellent cup of coffee.

As we headed east out of Mancos the mountains ahead were covered with the yellow of the aspens mixed with the orange and red of the underbrush. Added to this were fluffy cumulus clouds and cattle grazing in the grasslands - a truly beautiful setting to be cycling through.

I would strongly recommend to any of you cyclists that you pedal this stretch of 160. Traffic is fairly heavy, but the shoulder is very good and the scenery is magnificent.

We arrived in Durango shortly after noon and checked into the General Palmer Hotel in the heart of the historic downtown. Durango is another of the great little Southwest Colorado towns - made even better by today's splendid weather. Speaking of weather, it looks like we may get this great weather all of the way to Taos - clear skies, highs in the low 70's and lows in the upper 30's. We've asked Bruce, the Catholic priest in our group, to speak to his boss about the weather - and so far he has really delivered.

Just after publishing this the first time, the Durango & Silverton train pulled into the station directly behind my hotel. I've added a picture of the steam engine.

Tomorrow we should have another beautiful day of riding through the mountains as we cover the 61 miles to Pagosa Springs. We may even be able to do a post-ride soak in what's called the "Lobster Pot" at the Springs resort where we will be staying. As a part-time "Mainer" I'm not sure the image of the lobster pot works for me - so I may pass on tomorrow's cooking opportunity.

Steve

Day 13: Mexican Hat to Cortez

Today's 101 mile ride was the best of the trip so far. We left Mexican Hat soon after sunrise getting a nice view of the rock formation that gives the town it's name and then rode for about 40 miles through the San Juan River valley with the rising sun lighting up the beautiful red cliffs and rock formations along the way. Winds were light, temperatures were cool, the road was good, traffic was light, and our pace was relaxed. We did have one steep, but short climb at about the 18 mile point which got our hearts jump started for the day. We also had a nice view of Shiprock which, although it is far away in New Mexico, rises out of the plains with it's very distinctive profile.

We passed out of Utah into Colorado at about the 57 mile point and we began fighting headwinds as we did yesterday. As we covered the last 40 miles into Cortez I enjoyed looking at the beautiful mesas and thinking about the Anasazi's who lived in this area 1000 years ago. If I remember right, there were probably more people living here at that time than live here now.

I felt strong today and, with the relaxed pace that we kept most of the day, I finished with "fuel in the tank". Tomorrow is a relatively short 43 mile ride as we climb our way to Durango. Hopefully, I can add a little more reserve to my fuel tank. The next 2 days are all about conserving energy for Saturday's 140 miler.

We have a Walmart right next to our hotel, so this evening after dinner I will be a Walmart shopper. There is also a Sonic on the way to Walmart so a large milkshake is definitely in my future. Based on extensive taste testing over the past 13 days I have concluded that Sonic has the #1 chocolate milk shakes.

Steve

Day 12: Tuba City to Mexican Hat, UT

The wind gods finally caught up with us today. We had moderate to strong headwinds for the entire 117 miles making for a long day in the saddle - 7 hours thirty three minutes and 57 seconds to be exact. However, in spite of the wind, I felt great and really enjoyed the day. The first 72 miles of the ride was on Highway 160 to Kayenta. We then turned onto Highway 163 which took us all of the way to Mexican Hat. The rock formations combined with some really neat cloud formations (and a few light rain showers) provided for spectacular scenery as we rode through Monument Valley. We also saw wild horses several times during the course of the day.

So that's it for today. I am headed off to dinner - something that I definitely don't want to miss. My diet consists of eating anything and everything whenever I can - and the more calories the better.

Tomorrow we do another 100+ mile ride with lots of climbing as we make our way to Cortez, CO.


Steve

Day 11: Grand Canyon to Tuba City

Today's 80.5 mile ride started with a great ride out of the park along the South Rim. We stopped several times for photo opportunities, one of which is shown below. You can't see much of the canyon in the picture, but you can see my "core" group - the 5 people on the right of the photo. From right to left is Larry, me, Rob, Kelly, and Bruce. The other 4 were riding with us at the time. This is the first morning that I have put on any cold/cool weather riding gear. Temperatures were in the low 40's when we started out, but shortly after this picture was taken I had shed all of the cold weather gear as the sun rose higher and we dropped lower in elevation.

We continued east out of the park on Highway 64 descending for almost 50 miles until we intersected with Highway 89 where we had lunch. We made a brief stop along the way at the Little Colorado River Gorge scenic overlook. We then headed north on Highway 89 passing the Trading Post at Cameron and continuing to the intersection with Highway 160. We had a strong tailwind wind as we headed north on 89, which became a strong side wind as we turned onto 160 and rode the last 10 miles into Tuba City. Shortly after arriving at our hotel, the wind storm turned into a dust storm with a few drops of mud mixed in.

Our hotel is the Moenkopi Legacy Inn which is located on the Hopi Reservation. Moenkopi means " a place of rejuvenation" - an appropriate place for us cyclists. As I write this I am watching a group of about a dozen Hopi teenagers running intervals up a steep hill in a dust storm - perhaps there is a future Olympian in the group. It's also interesting that the Hopi Reservation is surrounded by the larger Navajo Reservation and they operate on different time zones. We went across the street for a milk shake and gained an hour then came back to the hotel and lost it.

Tomorrow we will be traveling through the Navajo Nation for almost the entire 117 miles to our destination of Mexican Hat UT. Although it will be a long day, it should be a great experience as we pedal by the many spires and towers of Monument Valley.

Steve

Day 10: Grand Canyon Rest Day Recap

We have biked 725 miles over the past 9 days with much of the time spent in the 100+ degree deserts of California and Arizona. While it has been hot, we have not encountered any strong headwinds nor any rain. Almost all of our riding has been on the narrow shoulders of highways with traffic ranging from light to moderate. For the most part drivers, particularly truck drivers, have been been courteous. and we have tried to return this courtesy by riding single file, stopping at all stop signs and red lights, etc. So far out of the 30 riders there has been only one significant incident - a touching of wheels in a pace line causing a fall which cracked the rider's helmet and gave her a mild concussion. We do have two surgeons and a neurologist in the group, so medical expertise is close at hand. Also several lawyers and a Catholic priest - so we have all bases covered.
The group of 30 riders has divided into a number of sub-groups based on a variety of factors - skill and conditioning; preference for solo or pace line riding; couples riding together; frequent stops for photos; coffee shop affectionado's; etc. As mentioned in earlier blogs, I have been riding with a "core" group of 4 others. Bruce is a Catholic priest from Kentucky who is in his mid-50's and rode over 11,000 miles in 2011 and will equal that this year. Larry and Kelly from Houston are very experienced riders and are doing this trip for the 3rd time. Larry is in his mid-50's and owns a sheet metal fabrication business which has done substantial work for the GE Oil and Gas business. Kelly is the youngster in the group - she is a strong and consistent rider. Rob is an investment banker from Australia in his early 60's. He is still very involved in his business activities, but has clearly found the time to stay in top-notch physical condition - he is always pushing the pace. The 5 of us are doing the complete trip to Charleston (13 of the 30 are stopping in Taos) so I expect that we will be riding together the entire distance.
Our group of 5 is usually joined by several other riders over the course of each day often resulting in a pace line of up to 10 riders. I think 5 to 7 works the best and anything over 10 is too many. As the lead rider rotates to the back of the line there is a period of time when we are two abreast - the longer the line the longer the time that we are exposed to the increased risk of two abreast riding.
Now for my medical report. (Unless something major happens I will only subject you to my aches and pains report on rest days.) Overall I am very pleased with my conditioning and riding strength. I have experienced only moderate fatigue at the end of each day while keeping a pace which has our group among one of the first few to arrive at each day's destination. My only significant chronic ache is in my right gluteous maximus muscle (a fancy term for my "butt"). I attribute this problem to my dislike for stretching exercises - I know the exercises to do - I just don't like to do them. Over the coming days I am going to focus on stretching, icing, and massaging to see if I can get this problem "behind" me.
Tomorrow we start on the second leg of our journey ending up in Taos NM for our next rest day on the 30th. The scenery should be fabulous. There will be lots of climbing as we go through the Rockies and weather conditions are likely to be quite varied - cold, wind, and rain (hopefully no snow or sleet). The segment ends on the 29th with an "epic" 142 mile ride with over 8000 feet of climbing as we go over the continental divide from Pagosa Springs CO to Taos NM. I'm trying to stay in the moment - but the thought of this ride keeps lurking in the back of my mind.
Steve

Day 9: Seligman to Grand Canyon

We had an excellent 105 mile ride today. The first 18 miles on Route 66 was the best segment of the trip so far. Cool temperatures, light winds, beautiful scenery, and a few antelope made for a nice ride. We then turned onto I-40 East and traveled about 22 miles to the Williams exit. While I had dreaded the idea of biking on interstate highways, it is really ok. Tire debris on the shoulder is by far the biggest concern. However no flat tires or incidents in our group of about 10 bikers.

Near Williams we had lunch in Kaibab Lake Park and then headed north on Highway 64 for 60 miles to arrive at Grand Canyon National Park. We had a great tailwind for the entire 60 miles and made excellent time.

As we arrived at the Yavapai Lodge parking area we were greeted by the very large elk shown in the photo. Our group then scattered to many different lodges around the park. I am at the Maswik Lodge which is an easy walk to the El Tovar where our group is having dinner tonight. I am heading there in a few minutes to see the sunset over the canyon.

Tomorrow is our first rest day. I plan to get up to see the sunrise, take a walk along the south rim (definitely no descents), watch some golf, and ice some body parts.

Steve

Day 8: Kingman to Seligman

Today's 83.7 mile ride was entirely on Route 66 and was mostly in big wide-open country with numerous grazing cattle. As we climbed in elevation the scenery became very beautiful with green grasses, wildflowers, and distant mountain ranges. We were also entertained by the humorous red and white Burma Shave signs which appeared in groups along the route. The scenery combined with clear skies, light winds, and temps in the 80's made for a very nice day of riding. We slowed the pace for the last 40 miles after lunch in an attempt to conserve some energy for tomorrow's tough 106 mile ride up to the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

Seligman is an "interesting" little town located along Route 66 at an elevation of 5200 feet. Tonight's dinner will be at "The Road Kill Cafe" - which might help you understand what I mean by "interesting" little town.

Steve

Day 7: Lake Havasu City to Kingman

Today's 85.5 mile ride went well. The combination of climbing, distance, and elevation was challenging but I felt strong all of the way and had no problems. At the 20 mile point we turned onto I-40 west for about 9 miles, which was not a road I ever thought I would do on a bike. However, the truckers all moved over to the center lane when they saw our line of 10 bikers and the shoulder was wide and in good condition - so not really too bad.

We then turned onto and spent the rest of the day riding on Historic Route 66. The highlight of the ride was the little town of Oatman. It is a former gold mining town which has undergone a renaissance of sorts due to the popularity of Route 66. Wild burros roam the streets and the main street looks like it is right out of a western movie. It is definitely worth a visit - although not particularly easy to get to.

After leaving Oatman we had a steep 2 mile climb up to Sitgreaves Pass at 3550 ft elevation. Although it was very hot, I had just been energized by a high calorie lunch and actually enjoyed climbing to the top at a fairly brisk pace. I definitely like to climb - words I may come to regret as we get into the Rockies.

As we neared Kingman I could finally feel some cooling in the temperatures - all the way down to the low 90"s. Temperatures for tomorrows ride up to Seligman should be in the upper 80's. High temperatures will go down another 10 degrees as we climb up to the south rim of the Grand Canyon on Saturday. Then I will start complaining about the cold 40 degree mornings.

We will be on Route 66 all day tomorrow so it should be fun.

Steve

Steve

Day 6: Parker to Lake Havasu City

Today's "active recovery ride" was 43 miles at an easy to moderate pace. After breakfast at a local diner in Parker we headed back across the Colorado River and then wound our way up the west bank of the river to Parker Dam. The scenery was nice and we encountered our first wildlife of the trip - about a dozen wild burros on and around the road. Having never been along this stretch of the river I was somewhat surprised by the rather dense concentration of homes, marinas, etc. along both sides of the river. There was not much activity on the river at this time of year, but I can see where it would be very nice during the winter months.

We crossed over Parker Dam as we headed back into Arizona. The dam, which was built in the 1930's is a concrete arch-gravity dam that is 320 feet high, 235 feet of which are below the riverbed, making it the deepest dam in the world. It's architecture is very pleasing to the eye. We were greeted by 2 federal security people as we pedaled across the dam - no passenger vehicles are allowed to cross the dam and even bikes can not stop.

Even though our pace was moderate, we still arrived in Lake Havasu at about 10:30am. Since we knew the hotel was not going to be ready, several of us pedaled to a nearby bike shop and then to Starbucks - the first Starbucks stop on the trip - but certainly not the last.

We are on our own today for lunch and dinner so I went to lunch with several others at a restaurant that sits beside the London Bridge (see photo below). This is a re-construction of the 1831 London Bridge that spanned the River Thames in London until it was dismantled in 1967. The granite blocks from the original bridge were numbered and transported to Arizona to construct the present bridge which is part of the planned community of Lake Havasu City.

Tomorrow we begin heading for the higher elevations of northern Arizona. I'm getting mentally prepared for what could be one of our most challenging combinations of climbing (6000 ft), temperatures (100+) and distance (86 miles). I know we will all appreciate the cooler temperatures as we get to the higher elevations.

Steve

Day 5: 29 Palms to Parker

Today's 111 mile ride took us through the Sheep Hole Mountains and then across the southern part of the Mojave Desert. We crossed the Colorado River into Arizona as we entered Parker. There were some modest climbs and interesting scenery as we went through the mountains, but after that the last 60 miles were flat, barren, and HOT. In fact it was so hot that my iPhone shutdown due to high temperature at mile 96 and once again messed up my Cyclemeter recording. At least today I had the iPhone on with the app running so it did capture the first 96 miles of the ride. So if you look at my Cyclemeter Tweet don't be concerned that I was stranded in the desert - I did make it to Parker with no problems.

(Thanks to all of you who gave me advice about yesterday's Cyclemeter problem. My carrier is AT&T so it should not have happened. Of course with me there is also always the chance that it was operator error.)

There were about 10 in our group today and we stayed together the whole time. We rotated the "pull" position in our pace line about every 3 miles enabling us to average 18 mph for the day with a level of effort for me that I would rate at about 65%. As a novice pace line rider I am learning a lot from the experienced riders about operating a safe and efficient pace line. I've heard that riding in a pace line can be up to 30% more efficient than riding solo. Based on a few days of experience, it appears to be true. If I had tried to do today's ride solo at an 18 mph average pace my level of effort would likely have been above 90% - and that is definitely not sustainable over the course of this trip. So there will be no planned solo riding for me.

I continue to feel very positive about my physical condition and riding capability. As the old guy in the group I seem to be holding up pretty well. Yesterday I did have some pretty bad cramps in my quads after standing up from writing my blog, so today I am focused on doing a better job of post-ride recovery. We'll see how that works.

Tomorrow we have a 43 mile "active recovery ride" along the Colorado River up to Lake Havasu City. With a high temperature of 106 forecast along the river I'm sure we will all appreciate the relatively short length of the ride and will likely arrive at our destination well before noon.

Steve

Day 4: Victorville to 29 Palms

Today's ride of 98 miles went very well. I continue to feel strong and had fewer aches & pains than yesterday. There were no major climbs and we had a tailwind much of the way. The scenery was stark, but beautiful in its own way, with surprisingly few Joshua trees. We again started just after sunrise to avoid the heat and were at our lunch stop at the 59 mile point before 11am. The Trek Travel team sets up lunch each day at a convenient turnout. It's nothing fancy, but they do a great job of re-fueling our bodies for the post lunch riding.

During the morning I was in a pace line of about 12 riders which, with the tailwind, enabled us to keep a fast pace. All of my previous riding experience has been solo or with 1 or 2 others, so I am just beginning to appreciate the "magic" of a pace line. After lunch we divided into smaller groups. I rode with a couple from Houston (who are doing this cross country ride for the third time) and a Catholic priest from Kentucky. We are a very compatible foursome (18 mph pace) so I would guess we will ride together much of the time as we cross the country.

My only problem of the day was with my Cyclemeter iPhone App. I'm hoping one of you cycling techies can help me solve it (Franz?). I started the app at the beginning of the ride and then turned off the iPhone (the GPS keeps running) as I always do, and then put it away. During the morning I received a phone call which I didn't answer. At lunch I checked my Cyclemeter and to my surprise it had shutdown due to another app (the phone call) being opened. It didn't save any of the ride data, even the portion before the call. So if you look at my Tweet for the day you will only see the after lunch portion of the ride. I don't know how to turn off the phone without also turning off the GPS. Possible solutions may be to leave the iPhone on (which quickly drains both the internal and external battery) or to decline the call (which causes an unsafe distraction). Any ideas?

Tonight we are staying in a funky little hotel in 29 Palms which reminds be of places Jan and I have been to in the Baja. Tomorrow we end up in Parker AZ after a ride much like today's.

Steve

Day 3: Valencia to Victorville

Our ride distance today was 91 miles mostly through a desert landscape. It began with a 20+ mile climb which we started just after sunrise and completed before it got too hot. The remainder of the ride was mostly flat so the heat was not near as much a factor as it was yesterday. I rode with a group of 6-8 people most of whom I also rode with yesterday. We kept about an 18 to 20 mph pace on the flats and made effective use of a pace line for drafting. Remember you can see a map of the actual route on Tweeter @stevexcbiker.

The most distinctive feature of today's ride were the many Joshua trees which dotted the landscape as we approached Victorville. I expect we will see even more of them tomorrow since our destination of 29 Palms is where Joshua Tree National Park is located.

While I again felt strong and had no problem with the pace, several of the nagging aches and pains which bothered me in training have started to re-appear - not a surprise. I added a strained right calf to the issue list by having one of my zero mph falls due to failing to unclip in time when someone stopped abruptly in front of me. (I can stop quickly and unclip quickly - it's just that sometimes I have trouble doing both at the same time - and stopping takes priority.)

All-in-all another great day. I feel very good about my conditioning and riding strength; and there are no show-stoppers on the injury front. Plus I am riding with some very nice and very interesting people.

Steve

Day 2: Santa Barbara to Valencia

The 76 mile ride today went well in spite of temperatures over 100 degrees as we headed inland. The first part of the ride headed south along the coast including portions of Highway 101. For those of you familiar with 101 it is not a road you would chose for biking. However it has a nice shoulder with the ocean scenery on the right, so it was not too bad. As we headed inland we passed through mostly agricultural areas with light traffic much of the time. For those of you looking on Twitter for my detailed route you may see that it ended about 4 miles short of the hotel in Valencia due to my iPhone battery running out of juice. I have an external battery pack which I didn't connect today thinking I could make it on the internal battery. I won't make that mistake again.

I felt strong again today in spite of the heat. Although I vowed not to, I ended up in one of the lead groups. However, I stayed well within myself and don't feel that I pushed too hard. I guess I'll find out over the next few days as the rides get longer and the temperatures get even higher

It appears I am the oldest of the group by 2 years. The next oldest turned 65 today whereas I turned 67 one week ago. So I guess I am the standard bearer for the "Medicare Crowd".

I've included a picture of me taken at the beginning of the ride today by the beach in Santa Barbara.

Steve

Day 1: Santa Barbara

Everything went well today. We all met at noon for lunch and then headed over to get our bikes fitted. There are 17 of us going all the way across the country and 13 others who are stopping in Taos - plus 4 guides. It seems like a nice group of people who come from all parts of the U.S. plus Canada, Germany, and Australia. The bike provided me by Trek Travel is a Madone 5.2 with a triple. I have been riding a 5.2 since April so it was pretty easy to get the right fit. We then went for a 33 mile ride around the Santa Barbara area to make sure everything on the bike was working and that the fit was ok. I rode at a comfortable pace with two guys from Toronto. I had no bike issues and felt strong after a week of no riding and a lot of eating. The ride took us along the coast and then up into the mountains around the city. The mountain portion was very pretty with just enough climbing to make it interesting.

Tomorrow we start heading east!



Steve

Welcome

Welcome to my cross country bicycle trip blog.  The trip begins this Friday 9/14 with a 30 mile ride in the Santa Barbara area.  We start heading east on Saturday with a 76 mile ride to Valencia, CA.  I'll make my next post on Friday.