Today, Las Vegas NM to Tucumcari NM, 110 miles
We got a late start today, because we didn't get into town last night until about 8:45 pm. We thought today was going to be great, because it looked like the majority of the day was to be spent going downhill. We are almost to the point where we are not going to even look at the topography portion of the map. We believe there is little truth to where the hills lie. We are always climbing, from what it seems. Anyway, nobody in their right mind would have taken on this ride that we did today unsupported. Then again, none of us have ever accused dad of having a right mind. The reason no one should ever do this ride without support is because of the fact that it was 110 miles through the New Mexico desert with seriously only one gas station 75 miles down the road. We went to a gas station right before we left Vegas, and we both nearly vomited on the floor due to the smell of the breakfast burritos being prepared in the corner with what I can only guess were being deep fried in two year old engine oil. Not a great start to the day. We made it fine to the 75 mile mark to the gas station and we had a gourmet $21 gas station lunch. We then filled up our water bottles for the final 31 miles into town. It was not enough for the 96 degree heat. With about 10 miles to go we ran out of water, and it was tough making it into town. We immediately stopped at the first gas station we saw and both finished off a 20 ounce gatorade before we made it up to the cashier. We ate a huge dinner at a bar where they let us watch the three overtime epic between the Celtics and the Bulls. That is why I have not updated the blog until now. I will let you know about the other three days tomorrow...I promise. We only have to go 96 miles tomorrow, so I should have plenty of time tomorrow night to blog (but it all depends on the wind). Until then, goodnight.
Blake
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Albuquerque, NM to Las Vegas, NM
Phil and Blake didn’t get to their motel tonight until almost 9:00 p.m. mountain time, biking the last several miles in the dark. I believe their day was going very smoothly and they were going to get to their destination in good time until some of Blake’s spokes broke. They got a ten mile ride into the next town and were dropped off at a bike shop. I think they waited there a couple of hours while Blake's bike got two brand new wheels. I guess some mechanical breakdowns are to be expected on a trip like this. Since it was nearly 9:00 when they got to their motel (and they hadn’t eaten yet) there’s no blog from Blake again tonight. Tomorrow??
Hope
Hope
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Gallup, NM to Grant, NM and Grant, NM to Albuquerque, NM
When I talked with Phil this afternoon he said they had arrived in Albuquerque. The mileage from Gallup, NM (where they were on Sunday night) to Albuquerque is 146 miles and they decided to take two days to make that trip, rather than one. On Blake’s phone message this evening he said the motel in Grant did not have a computer and the internet was down at tonight’s motel, so I’m just letting you all know they made it to their destination today--and I think Phil is on the upside of his cold. I’m sure Blake will fill us in on these past two days when he finds a computer in working order.
Hope
Hope
Sunday, April 26, 2009
The last three days
Winslow AZ, to Gallup, NM 127 miles
Today, we had a very lame day. So lame in fact that by the end of it, the only thing I can compare it to was an episode of the hit 90's sitcom, Full House... long, dull and boring. The day started out at 7:30 with a family breakfast in the kitchen when dad and I compared this ride to building silos and painting houses while laughing hysterically. It's just the same thing over and over. After we left the hotel, we got on the interstate that we stayed on all day. The constant rumble of the traffic passing right by our faces was not unlike Bob Saget's pathetic and monotonous attempt at humor (remember "America's Funniest Home Videos?). Later on in the day, I made a few jokes to myself about Dad's hair, not unlike the whole cast ripping on Uncle Jesse for his constant obsession over how good his hair looks. Later on in the day I found myself imitating Jimmy's (you will find out who Jimmy is in a minute) voice not unlike the character of Joey Gladstone (who in a completely unrelated story I met one evening in Menomonie, WI, mere minutes before his leg was accidentaly used as a urinal in the facilities of a local watering hole...true story...seriously). All of this led up to a very lackluster climax of the episode that involved Dad getting a flat tire 20 miles before we got to our hotel. Anyway, it was 127 miles of interstate...not too fun. Hopefully this will be the last day of significant time spent on the interstate. We are staying at the Econo Lodge tonight, and it is quite ghetto. I will give them the benefit of the doubt that the towel I just used to wipe off my face used to be white. All in all it is a comfortable place, and we are happy we made it safe!
Yesterday, Cottonwood AZ, to Winslow, AZ 107 miles
Today was more along the lines of an episode of COPS. Nothing much happened all morning and into the afternoon. We had 55 tough miles of climbing to start the day, and then we had to get on the interstate in Flagstaff. We had 25-35 mph side winds that at some points were hitting us square in the back helping us along. Once we got 25 miles outside of Winslow, that's when it all started to unfold. There was traffic backed up for about 10 miles. We cruised past the stand-still traffic up to a road block in the middle of the interstate. We talked to the road block dude for a minute, and he told us there was a huge accident up ahead, but we could go through. Three miles up the road, that is when we met Jimmy. Jimmy is no older than I am, and he works as a highway patrol officer for the state of Arizona (we learned his name from the desk manager at our hotel who just so happened to know him). Although completely unneccessary, he felt the need to turn on his sirens right behind me after I was already half stopped. He got out of his car, and in his best I-was-under-constant-ridicule-in-highschool-and-that-is-why-I-became-a-cop-voice, said "didn't you see the road block back there?" I gave this a lot of thought over the past 24 hours, and I still can't quite figure out whether or not that was supposed to be a rhetorical question. Anyway, I answered it. I said in a very pleasant tone, "we sure did, but the road block guy said we could go through." Next, in his best I-barely-made-the-football-team-in-highschool-and-I-was-the-only-guy-on-the-team-that-had-a-clean-jersey-running-off-the-field-at-the-end-of-a-muddy-rain-game-voice said, "well there is a accident up ahead that involved five commercial vehicles, one of which was carrying hazardous materials and it might blow up." So, I came back with a very nice, "well can we just wait here?" Next in his best I-act-really-tough-but-secretly-I-am-just-angry-that-I-am-a-cop-and-can't-grow-a-moustache-voice said, "well you can go up two miles to exit 139, but if you go any further, I will have my guys arrest you for disobeying a police officer." We said that would be fine, and took off for the exit. We went under the overpass once we got to the exit, and about five minutes later, we see Robocop flying by doing about 80 miles an hour with his lights and sirens on in full force. If I were a gambling man, I would think a good wager would be to bet that he was listening to AC/DC at full volume staring at himself in the rearview mirror. Ok, if you can't tell, I was rather upset with the way he handled the situation last night, but now I can laugh about it.
Ok, fast forward two hours. We are standing at the abandoned tourist trap that Jimmy made us stay at. There was seriously nothing around, and we were freezing cold by this point. Dad decided it would be a good idea to go knock on the door of what looked like an uninhabited trailer house. He was out of my sight for only about 30 seconds as I gave it my best shot to protect myself from the wind. I looked back around the corner to see Dad nowhere in sight. After he did not return for a good five minutes, I was starting to think Buffalo Bill opened the door, billy-clubbed him over the head, and dragged him inside. All I could think of was, "It puts the lotion on the skin, or it gets the hose again." Well he came back after a while, and the people that actually lived in the trailer said we could sit in a broken down van outside their house. We hung out in there until about 6:45. We finally saw west bound traffic coming down the interstate, so we assumed that nothing was in jeopardy of blowing up anymore, and decided to go for it. About three miles up the road is when we came to the accident site where there were about 100 or so vehicles stopped right behind it. We talked to some bikers, and they said they were there for six hours. Ouch. Well, to wrap up this very long story, the nicer cop up front (with a full moustache) let us walk around the accident and ride the last 14 miles in the dark to our hotel. There was a wedding block right next to our room. That was no fun from 3:00am to about 4:30. Enough about yesterday.
Two days ago, Wickenburg, AZ to Cottonwood, AZ 100ish miles
Mark this day on your calendar, folks. Take next year off work, drop the kids off at a babysitter and get ready to celebrate. I never thought this day would ever come. It was the first time in my 25 years on this planet that dad admitted he was sick. I know, right? As Dave Barry would say, "I am not making this up." We had tough climbs all day, and dad could not make it up the last of three very significant ones. That is when Whitney picked him up and and hauled him 20 miles into Cottonwood. I finished the day solo. That last climb about killed me, so it would have done dad in. When I got to the top 5 miles after dad got picked up, I had a 15 mile descent into Cottonwood. I made it in record time. Mom...DO NOT read the next sentence. Mom, why are you still reading this...you're not supposed to...ok, DO NOT read the next sentence. I passed a motorcycle at one point doing about 50 mph. It was really fun, and I am glad dad wasn't with me, or I would have freaked him out. Well, I made it to town safe, and I waited for dad outside the Super 8 for him to get back from his hose-job at the urgent care place. We ate a nice dinner across the street, and went to bed. Pretty uneventful day.
Alright, I am tired of typing, and we are going to Taco Bell... goodnight.
Blake
P.S. It's day eight on the beard, and she's starting to get pretty trashy...
Today, we had a very lame day. So lame in fact that by the end of it, the only thing I can compare it to was an episode of the hit 90's sitcom, Full House... long, dull and boring. The day started out at 7:30 with a family breakfast in the kitchen when dad and I compared this ride to building silos and painting houses while laughing hysterically. It's just the same thing over and over. After we left the hotel, we got on the interstate that we stayed on all day. The constant rumble of the traffic passing right by our faces was not unlike Bob Saget's pathetic and monotonous attempt at humor (remember "America's Funniest Home Videos?). Later on in the day, I made a few jokes to myself about Dad's hair, not unlike the whole cast ripping on Uncle Jesse for his constant obsession over how good his hair looks. Later on in the day I found myself imitating Jimmy's (you will find out who Jimmy is in a minute) voice not unlike the character of Joey Gladstone (who in a completely unrelated story I met one evening in Menomonie, WI, mere minutes before his leg was accidentaly used as a urinal in the facilities of a local watering hole...true story...seriously). All of this led up to a very lackluster climax of the episode that involved Dad getting a flat tire 20 miles before we got to our hotel. Anyway, it was 127 miles of interstate...not too fun. Hopefully this will be the last day of significant time spent on the interstate. We are staying at the Econo Lodge tonight, and it is quite ghetto. I will give them the benefit of the doubt that the towel I just used to wipe off my face used to be white. All in all it is a comfortable place, and we are happy we made it safe!
Yesterday, Cottonwood AZ, to Winslow, AZ 107 miles
Today was more along the lines of an episode of COPS. Nothing much happened all morning and into the afternoon. We had 55 tough miles of climbing to start the day, and then we had to get on the interstate in Flagstaff. We had 25-35 mph side winds that at some points were hitting us square in the back helping us along. Once we got 25 miles outside of Winslow, that's when it all started to unfold. There was traffic backed up for about 10 miles. We cruised past the stand-still traffic up to a road block in the middle of the interstate. We talked to the road block dude for a minute, and he told us there was a huge accident up ahead, but we could go through. Three miles up the road, that is when we met Jimmy. Jimmy is no older than I am, and he works as a highway patrol officer for the state of Arizona (we learned his name from the desk manager at our hotel who just so happened to know him). Although completely unneccessary, he felt the need to turn on his sirens right behind me after I was already half stopped. He got out of his car, and in his best I-was-under-constant-ridicule-in-highschool-and-that-is-why-I-became-a-cop-voice, said "didn't you see the road block back there?" I gave this a lot of thought over the past 24 hours, and I still can't quite figure out whether or not that was supposed to be a rhetorical question. Anyway, I answered it. I said in a very pleasant tone, "we sure did, but the road block guy said we could go through." Next, in his best I-barely-made-the-football-team-in-highschool-and-I-was-the-only-guy-on-the-team-that-had-a-clean-jersey-running-off-the-field-at-the-end-of-a-muddy-rain-game-voice said, "well there is a accident up ahead that involved five commercial vehicles, one of which was carrying hazardous materials and it might blow up." So, I came back with a very nice, "well can we just wait here?" Next in his best I-act-really-tough-but-secretly-I-am-just-angry-that-I-am-a-cop-and-can't-grow-a-moustache-voice said, "well you can go up two miles to exit 139, but if you go any further, I will have my guys arrest you for disobeying a police officer." We said that would be fine, and took off for the exit. We went under the overpass once we got to the exit, and about five minutes later, we see Robocop flying by doing about 80 miles an hour with his lights and sirens on in full force. If I were a gambling man, I would think a good wager would be to bet that he was listening to AC/DC at full volume staring at himself in the rearview mirror. Ok, if you can't tell, I was rather upset with the way he handled the situation last night, but now I can laugh about it.
Ok, fast forward two hours. We are standing at the abandoned tourist trap that Jimmy made us stay at. There was seriously nothing around, and we were freezing cold by this point. Dad decided it would be a good idea to go knock on the door of what looked like an uninhabited trailer house. He was out of my sight for only about 30 seconds as I gave it my best shot to protect myself from the wind. I looked back around the corner to see Dad nowhere in sight. After he did not return for a good five minutes, I was starting to think Buffalo Bill opened the door, billy-clubbed him over the head, and dragged him inside. All I could think of was, "It puts the lotion on the skin, or it gets the hose again." Well he came back after a while, and the people that actually lived in the trailer said we could sit in a broken down van outside their house. We hung out in there until about 6:45. We finally saw west bound traffic coming down the interstate, so we assumed that nothing was in jeopardy of blowing up anymore, and decided to go for it. About three miles up the road is when we came to the accident site where there were about 100 or so vehicles stopped right behind it. We talked to some bikers, and they said they were there for six hours. Ouch. Well, to wrap up this very long story, the nicer cop up front (with a full moustache) let us walk around the accident and ride the last 14 miles in the dark to our hotel. There was a wedding block right next to our room. That was no fun from 3:00am to about 4:30. Enough about yesterday.
Two days ago, Wickenburg, AZ to Cottonwood, AZ 100ish miles
Mark this day on your calendar, folks. Take next year off work, drop the kids off at a babysitter and get ready to celebrate. I never thought this day would ever come. It was the first time in my 25 years on this planet that dad admitted he was sick. I know, right? As Dave Barry would say, "I am not making this up." We had tough climbs all day, and dad could not make it up the last of three very significant ones. That is when Whitney picked him up and and hauled him 20 miles into Cottonwood. I finished the day solo. That last climb about killed me, so it would have done dad in. When I got to the top 5 miles after dad got picked up, I had a 15 mile descent into Cottonwood. I made it in record time. Mom...DO NOT read the next sentence. Mom, why are you still reading this...you're not supposed to...ok, DO NOT read the next sentence. I passed a motorcycle at one point doing about 50 mph. It was really fun, and I am glad dad wasn't with me, or I would have freaked him out. Well, I made it to town safe, and I waited for dad outside the Super 8 for him to get back from his hose-job at the urgent care place. We ate a nice dinner across the street, and went to bed. Pretty uneventful day.
Alright, I am tired of typing, and we are going to Taco Bell... goodnight.
Blake
P.S. It's day eight on the beard, and she's starting to get pretty trashy...
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Cottonwood, AZ to Winslow, AZ
I just heard from Blake…10:05 p.m. central time. They had just finished eating a bite and had arrived at their hotel. They would have been there much sooner, but there was a big accident on the interstate they were traveling on and the police closed the road to traffic. Blake will give you details in a future blog, but traffic was stopped (going both east and west) for six hours. I think it involved five or six semis. In summary, a guy at the first roadblock they came upon told them they could bike on through. So they continued for a few miles until a policeman (with an attitude, I guess) stopped them and told them to sit where they were and wait unless they wanted to get arrested. They were in the middle of nowhere and finally, after it got dark, decided to start biking again partly because they were getting cold. At least “if they got arrested they’d be sitting in the back of a warm police car”. Anyway, by the time they came upon the scene of the accident there was no problem and the police there told them to go through.
I was glad to hear the phone ring tonight.
Hope
I was glad to hear the phone ring tonight.
Hope
Friday, April 24, 2009
Wickenburg, AZ to Cottonwood, AZ
Hope again. I’ve been in touch with the guys many times by phone since mid-afternoon. Phil’s cold is bringing him down. Blake said that out of the 100 miles today, 86 were climbing—hard day. With about 20 miles to go a good Samaritan named Whitney drove by Phil (and didn’t think he looked too well). Then, she saw Blake up ahead, I guess, and after speaking with him, found out Phil was sick. She offered him a ride into Cottonwood. I had found a walk-in medical clinic online rather close to their hotel and had told Phil about it earlier in the day. Whitney dropped him off there. Isn’t it great to know there are helpful people out there like her?
At least at the clinic Phil found out he did not have strep throat. Of course they weren’t quite sure what it was, but gave him a prescription for some antibiotics. He hasn’t filled the prescription yet though.
Blake said that Day 4 (today) and Day 6 are ‘signature’ days. Today was practically all uphill climbs and Day 6 is 146 miles…one of the longest days. He thinks after this first week (and after they’re through the mountains) things will get better.
Hopefully Blake will blog tomorrow night. He was expecting to write tonight, but he’s too tired.
Hope
At least at the clinic Phil found out he did not have strep throat. Of course they weren’t quite sure what it was, but gave him a prescription for some antibiotics. He hasn’t filled the prescription yet though.
Blake said that Day 4 (today) and Day 6 are ‘signature’ days. Today was practically all uphill climbs and Day 6 is 146 miles…one of the longest days. He thinks after this first week (and after they’re through the mountains) things will get better.
Hopefully Blake will blog tomorrow night. He was expecting to write tonight, but he’s too tired.
Hope
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Blythe, CA to Wickenburg, AZ
Hi, everyone. This is Hope. Phil called at 8:45 p.m. central time tonight. He has quite a bad cold (or allergies?)…it doesn’t even sound like him. In addition to that, he and Blake had another hot, hill-climbing day and they were both beat…too tired to blog, so they told me what their day was like. They called from their hotel room and were waiting for a pizza to be delivered…no restaurants nearby.
They jumped out of bed this morning at 4:45 and went to Denny’s to order breakfast and were back out on the road at 5:45 to start pedaling. Within a few miles they were on Interstate 110. Blake took a picture of a sign that said, “Bicyclists, stay on the shoulder.” I didn’t know it was ever legal to ride a bike on the interstate.
They continued a 45 mile climb into the mountains. The temperatures were heading to 90 plus degrees. They said 90º was cool compared to the 105º of yesterday. When they got off the interstate they inspected their tires and found all kinds of stuff in them that was picked up on the shoulders. They removed all of it but four miles later Blake had a flat. They were fortunate to be able to change the tire in the shade and continued uphill until stopping at a restaurant for lunch. Phil had a club sandwich (normal size) and Blake, an extra small (not on purpose) roast beef sandwich. As a result, he ran out of fuel later on. They stopped for something to drink (in the town of Hope!)…saw motorcyclists there and offered them big money for their Harleys.
On toward Wickenburg in the heat and headwinds…very hot and exhausting. They pulled along the side of the road in the middle of nowhere and waited for about 15 minutes until finally, Fran (who has been working at local restaurants and has watched bikers suffer in the desert) pulled over to give them a 25 mile ride into Wickenburg. They had a nice conversation with her and discussed Phil’s throat and nose problem. Being a retired nurse, she told him exactly which over-the-counter medicine to get. He said he feels much better after taking it.
Blake and Phil are both in good spirits despite Phil’s cold/allergies, extremely hot weather and everlasting inclines. They’re ready to rip into it tomorrow morning on their way to Cottonwood….a shorter 100 mile day. The elevation will top off at 7,500 feet with some very difficult climbing to do early on.
Hopefully, tomorrow night Blake will feel up to blogging. He’s much more entertaining than me.
Good night,
Hope
They jumped out of bed this morning at 4:45 and went to Denny’s to order breakfast and were back out on the road at 5:45 to start pedaling. Within a few miles they were on Interstate 110. Blake took a picture of a sign that said, “Bicyclists, stay on the shoulder.” I didn’t know it was ever legal to ride a bike on the interstate.
They continued a 45 mile climb into the mountains. The temperatures were heading to 90 plus degrees. They said 90º was cool compared to the 105º of yesterday. When they got off the interstate they inspected their tires and found all kinds of stuff in them that was picked up on the shoulders. They removed all of it but four miles later Blake had a flat. They were fortunate to be able to change the tire in the shade and continued uphill until stopping at a restaurant for lunch. Phil had a club sandwich (normal size) and Blake, an extra small (not on purpose) roast beef sandwich. As a result, he ran out of fuel later on. They stopped for something to drink (in the town of Hope!)…saw motorcyclists there and offered them big money for their Harleys.
On toward Wickenburg in the heat and headwinds…very hot and exhausting. They pulled along the side of the road in the middle of nowhere and waited for about 15 minutes until finally, Fran (who has been working at local restaurants and has watched bikers suffer in the desert) pulled over to give them a 25 mile ride into Wickenburg. They had a nice conversation with her and discussed Phil’s throat and nose problem. Being a retired nurse, she told him exactly which over-the-counter medicine to get. He said he feels much better after taking it.
Blake and Phil are both in good spirits despite Phil’s cold/allergies, extremely hot weather and everlasting inclines. They’re ready to rip into it tomorrow morning on their way to Cottonwood….a shorter 100 mile day. The elevation will top off at 7,500 feet with some very difficult climbing to do early on.
Hopefully, tomorrow night Blake will feel up to blogging. He’s much more entertaining than me.
Good night,
Hope
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Beaumont, CA to Blythe, CA
Even though it is earth day, I wasn't too pleased with the earth at all.
Today was as unpredictable as Dad's next sentence out of his mouth. Some days are just all about survival. We left Beaumont at 5:50 am, with no breakfast, becuase it was all downhill 30 miles to Palm Springs. We left with no leg warmers, so we knew it would be very hot later on. We had a great wind on our back and could easily cruise at 20 to 25 mph with little effort. We felt so good when we got to Palm Springs, we took time to get a picture of me with good old Sonny Bono on the Palm Springs walk of fame. We then stopped at Don and Sweet Sue's cafe after another ten miles up the road, which will stack up as one of the better breakfasts of the entire trip. After breakfast, we started pedaling and got to the 50 mile mark. At that point, it was hotter than the 105 degree gatorade we were drinking on our 8 mile climb to Beaumont yesterday. We now had to head off the Interstate into the desert with very limited stops and water supply. The predicted temperatures were 100 degrees with an additional 10 degress on the pavement. When we finally got to Blythe, the lady at the motel said it was 106.
At the 50 mile mark, we made an executive decision. We would either get a ride or risk a heat storke. We elected to get a ride, and pedaled up a half mile to the Interstate on ramp. Before we knew it, Richard and Mark came in their truck after about one minute. They were on their way back to Tucson, AZ, and they picked us up in a safe spot, loaded our bikes and headed to Blythe. It so happens that Richard is an avid cycler and Ironman triathlete. We had great conversation, and found out they had been parachuting with the Air Force in Perris, CA for the past week. Once we got to the Super 8 motel, they unloaded us, and spent ten minutes helping dad with the gears on his bike. Much thanks goes out to you guys!
We walked into the Super 8, and we felt very guilty for having accepted a ride, even though we knew it was the right and sane thing to do. We had a long conversation with the desk manager, Ana, who has been here for many years. Two days prior, America By Bicycle, dad's group from two years ago, also rode in extreme heat. They only had 12 riders this time, 6 of which got in at 6:00 pm being hauled in the support van. The strongest riders finished the ride, but they didn't get in until 9:00 pm. Two years earlier, there were only a few riders that got rides for a total of 60 miles the whole trip. This lightened our moods a bit. We spent more time talking with Ana, and she ended up feeling so bad for us that she gave us a free room! Dad can always work a good deal, but he couldn't even believe this one.
We hope to be at Denny's at 5:00am tomorrow, and if the food doesn't kill us, we hope to be spinning by 5:45 to beat the heat. We have a tough day ahead of us, but we feel with an early start, we can make it all day. Hopefully the weather will cooperate with us. Well, its again 6:30, and we are thinking about bed. Have a good night.
Blake
Today was as unpredictable as Dad's next sentence out of his mouth. Some days are just all about survival. We left Beaumont at 5:50 am, with no breakfast, becuase it was all downhill 30 miles to Palm Springs. We left with no leg warmers, so we knew it would be very hot later on. We had a great wind on our back and could easily cruise at 20 to 25 mph with little effort. We felt so good when we got to Palm Springs, we took time to get a picture of me with good old Sonny Bono on the Palm Springs walk of fame. We then stopped at Don and Sweet Sue's cafe after another ten miles up the road, which will stack up as one of the better breakfasts of the entire trip. After breakfast, we started pedaling and got to the 50 mile mark. At that point, it was hotter than the 105 degree gatorade we were drinking on our 8 mile climb to Beaumont yesterday. We now had to head off the Interstate into the desert with very limited stops and water supply. The predicted temperatures were 100 degrees with an additional 10 degress on the pavement. When we finally got to Blythe, the lady at the motel said it was 106.
At the 50 mile mark, we made an executive decision. We would either get a ride or risk a heat storke. We elected to get a ride, and pedaled up a half mile to the Interstate on ramp. Before we knew it, Richard and Mark came in their truck after about one minute. They were on their way back to Tucson, AZ, and they picked us up in a safe spot, loaded our bikes and headed to Blythe. It so happens that Richard is an avid cycler and Ironman triathlete. We had great conversation, and found out they had been parachuting with the Air Force in Perris, CA for the past week. Once we got to the Super 8 motel, they unloaded us, and spent ten minutes helping dad with the gears on his bike. Much thanks goes out to you guys!
We walked into the Super 8, and we felt very guilty for having accepted a ride, even though we knew it was the right and sane thing to do. We had a long conversation with the desk manager, Ana, who has been here for many years. Two days prior, America By Bicycle, dad's group from two years ago, also rode in extreme heat. They only had 12 riders this time, 6 of which got in at 6:00 pm being hauled in the support van. The strongest riders finished the ride, but they didn't get in until 9:00 pm. Two years earlier, there were only a few riders that got rides for a total of 60 miles the whole trip. This lightened our moods a bit. We spent more time talking with Ana, and she ended up feeling so bad for us that she gave us a free room! Dad can always work a good deal, but he couldn't even believe this one.
We hope to be at Denny's at 5:00am tomorrow, and if the food doesn't kill us, we hope to be spinning by 5:45 to beat the heat. We have a tough day ahead of us, but we feel with an early start, we can make it all day. Hopefully the weather will cooperate with us. Well, its again 6:30, and we are thinking about bed. Have a good night.
Blake
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Newport Beach CA to Beaumont, CA, 90ish miles
We never want to bike again...period. 90 miles straight uphill from Newport Beach. We are very demoralized. It is about 30 miles straight downhill to Palm Springs, where we were supposed to make it today. We can't make it, because we feel we might take a digger from lack of strength. Mom, total jello legs right now. Dad says he "cannot understand what happened today...uphill all day, wind in the face, and 90 degrees... I feel whipped." We are staying at the El Rancho motel (R.I.P. to the Winona El Rancho...) where Crystal, the front desk lady, told us people come right back to this hotel versus staying at the one down the street.
We almost felt like throwing in the towel after 60 miles. It didn't help that we had next to nothing to eat all day...menu...1 banana, 1 english muffin, 3 hard boiled eggs, and a handful of trail mix for the first 60 miles. We destroyed a pizza at that point in which we both almost up-chucked on our last 8 mile hill straight up into Beaumont. We had to stop on the hill about once a mile. Earlier in the day, we almost flipped out on a gas station owner (we were in NO mood to be confronted with) after he accused me of filling up my water bottle with pink lemonade. I only filled my bottle that was half full with my own powerade to the top with ice. That was after we listened to him railroad a cute young girl over wanting a glass of water...he wouldn't let her have it for less than 50 cents. Dad almost let him have it on our way out... we are ornery, for real. It is supposed to be just as hot tomorrow, so tomorrow, we will be on the road at 5:30 and we are going to go until we can't stand the heat anymore.
When we left our hotel this morning, a lady we met in Natchez, MS on our first trip saw us off in the morning. Her name is Valerie Nelson, and she hauled me to a bike shop in the morning after I had a breakdown four years ago. She lives about 10 minutes away from our starting point in Newport Beach, so she came to wish us good luck. It was great to see you, Valerie, and thanks again for all your help in Mississippi!
Well, it is 6:30 pm, and we are seriously going to bed soon. Have a good night.
Blake
P.S. Dad just called Mom "the bomb." Crystal and I just had a good laugh about that...
We almost felt like throwing in the towel after 60 miles. It didn't help that we had next to nothing to eat all day...menu...1 banana, 1 english muffin, 3 hard boiled eggs, and a handful of trail mix for the first 60 miles. We destroyed a pizza at that point in which we both almost up-chucked on our last 8 mile hill straight up into Beaumont. We had to stop on the hill about once a mile. Earlier in the day, we almost flipped out on a gas station owner (we were in NO mood to be confronted with) after he accused me of filling up my water bottle with pink lemonade. I only filled my bottle that was half full with my own powerade to the top with ice. That was after we listened to him railroad a cute young girl over wanting a glass of water...he wouldn't let her have it for less than 50 cents. Dad almost let him have it on our way out... we are ornery, for real. It is supposed to be just as hot tomorrow, so tomorrow, we will be on the road at 5:30 and we are going to go until we can't stand the heat anymore.
When we left our hotel this morning, a lady we met in Natchez, MS on our first trip saw us off in the morning. Her name is Valerie Nelson, and she hauled me to a bike shop in the morning after I had a breakdown four years ago. She lives about 10 minutes away from our starting point in Newport Beach, so she came to wish us good luck. It was great to see you, Valerie, and thanks again for all your help in Mississippi!
Well, it is 6:30 pm, and we are seriously going to bed soon. Have a good night.
Blake
P.S. Dad just called Mom "the bomb." Crystal and I just had a good laugh about that...
Monday, April 20, 2009
Costa Mesa, CA
Greetings to all from LA! First of all, I would like to say a huge thank you to my cousin Ben. Ben and his wife Lauren live in town here, and he picked my dad and I up yesterday from LAX and drove us down to our hotel in Costa Mesa. Ben and I were entertained by my dad thinking he knew exactly where he was going, because he thought he recognized things from his trip here two years ago. The first time he "recognized" a turn from last time happened to be in Long Beach. For those of you not familiar with L.A., Long Beach is about 25 miles north of our destination here in Newport Beach. He saw a McDonalds and insisted that we turn right at it. We would have ended up in the ocean after about a half mile. As a result, I will be very apprehensive in taking his word for it when he recognizes turns. Before I know it, we will make a wrong turn and end up in Timbuktu unknowingly volunteering ourselves to play knife games with a guy named Raging Bull. Although very adventurous, I would pass on that. But in all seriousness, Ben, thanks a lot, we could not have done it without you, and it was great to see you!!!
We checked into the Ramada in Costa Mesa which is the same place dad stayed two years ago (he was POSITIVE it was a "La Quinta") and it is about 1.2 miles away from the Pacific where we will be dipping our tires tomorrow at about 6:00 am. We had a rest day today where we just hung out after we built our bikes and took them to "Two Wheels, One Planet" bike shop. The guys there were very helpful and helped fix a minor problem on my bike. Everything seems to be in order, with the exception of my speedometer, but I will get that running soon.
Well, not much has happened yet, but I'm sure the stories will start piling up very soon. We just got back from a huge meal at the Outback Steakhouse, and I am ready for bed. Thanks for checking in, and I will see you after 124 miles tomorrow!
Blake
We checked into the Ramada in Costa Mesa which is the same place dad stayed two years ago (he was POSITIVE it was a "La Quinta") and it is about 1.2 miles away from the Pacific where we will be dipping our tires tomorrow at about 6:00 am. We had a rest day today where we just hung out after we built our bikes and took them to "Two Wheels, One Planet" bike shop. The guys there were very helpful and helped fix a minor problem on my bike. Everything seems to be in order, with the exception of my speedometer, but I will get that running soon.
Well, not much has happened yet, but I'm sure the stories will start piling up very soon. We just got back from a huge meal at the Outback Steakhouse, and I am ready for bed. Thanks for checking in, and I will see you after 124 miles tomorrow!
Blake
Sunday, April 5, 2009
What were you doing on June 15, 2005? Odd question, I know, but I remember exactly what I was doing. My dad and I went on a 100 mile bike ride that day from
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