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