Mobile Bay and the Gulf

Hi Everybody,

Happy Birthday, Troy!!  He is our son-in-law married to Carrie.  He brought the family to Louisiana to see us.  What a guy!!

The beautiful weather continues.  Today we crossed into Alabama for our one night in this lovely state.  We are down on the Gulf of Mexico on an island separating the Gulf and Mobile Bay.  Dauphin island is the home of Fort Gaines which we have not seen.  To get to the Island we crossed a huge bridge on which we took pictures and videos.  It looked pretty formidable from the RV but the bikers say that it looked downright impossible to them.  You approach it on a slow grade but then the climb to the top is steep.  It feels as if there is no end to it until the pinnacle is reached and then you can see the island stretched out before you.  Dauphin Island has about 1300 inhabitants.  There is one main road which leads from the bridge to the Fort.  Reminds me of the Outer Banks in North Carolina--houses on stilts, sand everywhere, boats of all shapes and sizes and the smell of fish and sea water.

At one of our stops today to wait for the cyclists, we parked in a Baptist Church parking lot (Dees, AL).  By the way, we are very fond of church parking lots because they offer us a great place to turn around if we need to!!!  While we rested, I walked around the cemetery looking at names.  The name Dees was on lots of grave markers.  The most interesting one was a large granite slab on top of a gravesite with a beautiful grand piano etched into it.  I found it fascinating to match up families by following the wife's maiden name,  finding brothers, parents, and seeing how many families were related by blood and/or marriage.

When Paula and I got to our campsite and went to unhook the trailer in order to maneuver the RV into the slot, we found that the crank on the trailer was missing.  We have no idea when it fell off, but we have made some very rough entrances and exits from various spots in the last few days and it could have dropped off anywhere.  We haven't had to hook up the trailer since Monday morning.  Mike thought it was on this morning but couldn't be sure.  Another camper came over to see what we needed and helped us jack it up with a wrench far enough to get it off the RV and then set it on some blocks.  When the guys got here, they worked on it for a while.  It will work but we will just have to use the RV jack whenever we want to take it off.  Meg, we will get it fixed before you have to use it on the farm!!

Paula and I watched fishing boats and the ferry come in before the guys rolled in at about 3:30. The park is very nice and while we did laundry for 3 hours (!!!!) we talked to great folks who have been staying here for a few months from Michigan, both upper and lower, and keep coming back each year.  They said that this has been an unusually cold and wet winter.

Tomorrow we will take the ferry over to Fort Morgan then on to Gulf Shores and Pensacola.  I think that we will go on to Milton to stay, but Friday we will take an extra day off so Dave can go to the Naval Air Museum.

We could be done in 1 (ONE, that's a single, lone, 7 days, ) week.  We will probably take Easter Sunday off as well so maybe that will add a day and we will finish on Thursday, April 8.  Where has the time gone?????

Full moon tonight over the Bay.  Wow!!!

Love & Blessings,

Lana

M-I-double s-I-double s-I-pp-I

Hi everybody,

Another beautiful day---sunny, cool to start out with and then warming up nicely.  this was a 94 mile day.  This time the guys got lost and rode around a lake instead of on the north side of it.  Paula and I were parked along the road in a stand of tall pines with a soft breeze blowing and the sun coming in through the branches of the trees.  I was knitting (almost have the baby blanket finished) and Paula was reading.  We looked up and the guys were coming toward us!!  A first for this trip!  The riding is mostly flat and gentle rolling hills now.  We are on small, back roads and there is rarely any shoulder.  Paula drove slowly today so that we would not miss the little signs on the corners.  Here are some names of roads from today: Four Mile, Frank Snell, Sam Smith, White Sand, Archie Wheat, Foots Stevens, Firetower, Sunflower.

Tonight we are in Vancleave, MS at a nice RV park on a little lake.  We drove into another one but rejected it as it was so crowded, there were lots of kids playing in the street, and we had heard that it had substandard shower/bathroom facilities and noisy clientele (permanent residents).  However it was the only one on our map.  On the way to that one we drove by this one.  We are certainly going to write to Adventure Cycling and recommend it.  The manager just took it over this year and is making lots of upgrades as she is able.

The guys are very saddle-sore tonight.  They are really pushing themselves here near the end.  We may take two rest days this week--Friday and Sunday.  If we keep this pace, we will be in St. Augustine on Thursday, April 8.

No alligators or snakes yet!!!!!!

Love and blessings,

Lana

Louisiana: Bah, ya'll!

Hi Everybody,

Well, this is our last night in the state of Louisiana.  I say that confidently and with no thought that there would be anything that would hinder our crossing the Louisiana-Mississippi line tomorrow!  

We barely avoided the dreaded Walmart parking lot overnight.  The guys rode about 112 miles today and when they met us at Walmart in Bogalusa, LA at 7 PM we had not found anywhere to stay.  I had phoned the only RV park in town twice during the day and had gotten a machine and no call back.  The internet gave us a fairly good map to the place but Paula and I were unsuccessful at finding it in two attempts.  Maneuvering this hulking thing down small side streets was difficult and we gave up.  The bike map didn't show anything here for camping at all.  Dave and Mike convinced us to try one more time and so we set out in the dark to find Willa-Villa mobile home and RV park.  We got to laughing so hard at street names and numbering inconsistencies, that we about missed it until we found ourselves in front of the Willa-Villa Laundry.  As we sat there, my phone rang and it was the gal who finally got my message and said that we could stay the night.  It is nearly all permanent residences with just a few RV spots.  Oh well, we are just glad to have the hook ups needed although no bathroom or shower.

The earlier part of the day was a steady stream of missed turns, U-turns, and mis-read signs.  This is for the RV!!  When we miss a turn, it takes so long to find a good place to turn around that we sometimes have to drive 5 or 6 miles out of the way.  Louisiana is full of little country roads with numbers into the thousands and all very close to the actual corner where the turn needs to be made.  It is not possible to slam on the brakes and turn on a dime!  There are very few signs that indicate what town is coming up so we have to rely on our compass and bike map to keep going in the right general direction.  The bike map is very detailed but not always correct as far as the numbers go.  The last big turn to Bogalusa out of Franklinton was tricky and we had stopped in a large parking lot to see if Dave and Mike wanted to go on.  We watched them go ahead of us and when we pulled out to go they were already out of sight.  We drove the prescribed route and never saw them again until the Walmart.  They missed the first turn and took another route and it turned out better for them--more direct, less hills, and a nice shoulder.  Our route was prettier.

Carrie and family went home today and made it all the way in less than 12 hours.  They started up the Natchez Trail which she said was beautiful but decided the boys were too young to get much out of it.  So they opted for a less scenic but faster route to Illinois.  Today is her birthday!!

Three states to go!!

Love and blessings,

Lana

lazy day in Louisiana

Hi everybody,

Hosanna! Hosanna!!  Hosanna to the King of Kings!!  Happy Palm Sunday!

Our church experience today at the First Baptist Church of St. Francisville was less than ideal.  It is a beautiful church building but not a soul greeted us or talked to us afterward.  The service was nice.  The choir of 20 put on a musical play called "Come and See".  There were four actors who portrayed a widow, her young son, a blind beggar and Simon Peter.  The choir sang with recorded accompaniment.  It was very good and the two female soloists had nice voices.  The pastor gave a short sermon after the play and there were a few vocal "amens" at appropriate places.  Carrie took Isaac to the nursery and he did well there.  Zach stayed with us in the sanctuary.  The announcements were at the end of the service and the pastor even said that there were visitors in the audience and asked the people to greet them.  No one did.  We got one nodded hello in the hall outside the sanctuary.  Carrie said that the nursery people were very nice. 

We enjoyed a ride into the historic part of town and had lunch at 8 Sisters restaurant.  It was a small place but the food and friendly atmosphere were top notch.  The shrimp and sausage gumbo was absolutely delicious.  The host paid lots of attention to us and explained the dishes and the town to us.  We bought extra gumbo to eat tomorrow.  We asked about "ooey, gooey" on the menu and he brought us some to taste.  It is a sugar based dessert that is just yummy.  We even got an extra one to take home.  The host informed us that he was NOT one of the sisters!

We walked over to a cute house, now an antique store, and just looked around. It was no time before we had to head back to the RV site and get Katy packed up to go to Baton Rouge for her flight to Chicago.  Carrie and I drove her down with stops along the way to take pictures of some old plantation homes, a Presbyterian church, and a tiny sheriff's office.  We will miss Katy riding along with us both in the RV and on the bikes.  She showed herself to be a strong biker, a great photographer, and a willing participant in the adventure.

Tonight we had a fire and roasted hot dogs and had s'mores.  There was a great need for showers after that.  Zach and Isaac loved the old pool table in the game room and we all had a chance at playing various versions of pool with them.  We befriended two dogs who live here in the park--Mollie and Max.  They especially liked us at mealtimes.

Tomorrow is Carrie's birthday!  Happy 41!!!

We loved this park and have had a wonderful day of rest.

Love and blessings,

Lana  

plantations, ferries, and a 3# plate of crawfish

Hi everybody,

Gloria Runyan has corrected my flower ID from yesterday.  She thinks that the red/pink flower we photographed yesterday in Oberlin is a camelia not a magnolia.  I have seen magnolia trees like ours in IL since yesterday and they are decidedly different.  Thanks, Gloria.

The cyclists rode about 76 miles today on and off the bike route.  They  started out on another route in order to cut the day down from the original 100+ miles.  then an unexpected detour on that route added a few miles.  We were tooling along pretty well until we came to a dead end and an inoperative ferry.  It was supposed to go across the Atchafalaya River, a tributary of the Mississippi.  So we backtracked a little and got on a four lane highway, but came to the Morganza Spillway bridge which the bikes were not allowed on.  However, the RV had driven on ahead without knowing that.  So as we munched on Po Boy sandwiches, the bikers were sitting under a huge overpass waiting for us to answer our phones and come back for them.  We finally connected, picked them up, and brought them back for lunch.

We drove over some pretty narrow, rough roads into New Roads and drove up to a different ferry landing to cross the Mississippi.  Troy and I got out and walked up the levee to see what the situation was and judged it to be impossible for the RV and trailer to get across on the ferry.  Troy backed the RV up for us and turned us around to get out of the way of the other cars getting in line for the ferry.  A woman was selling homemade pralines (absolutely delicious, by the way) to the people waiting for the ferry.  She advised us that we could get in line and just wait and see what the ferry boatmen would say about our size.  She said that they would come up the hill when they saw you and measure your vehicle if there was any doubt.  The sign said that 50' was the limit.  We thought we were around 42 to 45 feet.  But it just looked impossible.  We waited for the 3 bikers to catch up.  When they did both Mike and Dave decided it was worth it to try to get on.  (in the meantime 5 cyclists got off the ferry coming west and are on the same route we are on.  They exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, you're almost done and we're just starting!!!)  When we got to the front of the line, up came the boatmen to measure---46 ft.!!  They allowed 3 more cars to get on ahead of us and then we lumbered down the hill and over the ramp, the last to board.  It was a thrilling ride across the great river.  Hope you get to see some pictures and videos.  We were the first off and drove up the hill into St. Francisville, LA.  What a beautiful town.  Tomorrow is our day off and we will spook around the myriads of shops and historical sites.  Lots of big mansions with drooping moss, a la Gone With the Wind.

Our park is Peaceful Pines and it is small, nicely kept up and we have sites side by side.  Our dinner out tonight was at Sammy's Grill, recommended by the manager of the RV park.  We all (9) piled into the White's van and drove several miles to the restaurant.  It was an hour wait, but we decided to stay.  The boys did very well and the meal was very good.  Wait until you see Dave's 3 lbs. of crawfish plate.  It took him a while but he finished it.  Zach couldn' t look at it--all the crawfish eyes freaked him out.

We are tired tonight but are glad to anticipate tomorrow's day off.  Katy flies back to Chicago tomorrow.  She has mixed emotions about leaving.  We will miss all her picture and video taking while riding her bike!!!  She also tells us a lot more about what they see along the way!!!

Thanks for all the encouraging words, the prayers, and the contributions.  Keep them all coming!!!

Love and blessings,

Lana

 

crawfish, cajun, and company

Hi everybody,

After the guys left on their bikes this AM, Katy, Paula and I took the motorhome to Kite Brothers RV repair to see if they could fix the hazard lights (they won't flash), the generator (it won't stay on for more than 10  minutes), and put more air in the tires.  Mark helped us and was really friendly.  It took only 1/2 hour and when it came to the bill he said that he felt bad about charging us the minimum amount for an hour of work that only took 1/2 so gave us a really good deal.  they sent Katy to the NAPA store for a part while Paula and I shopped at Walmart.  then we drove to a local grocery store and picked up some newspapers with the bikers pictures on the front page!!

Later during a stop in Manou, LA, we sent the bikers off and went to follow along but the motorhome wouldn't start.  I tried it again and again, but there was nothing.  Paula ran out and tried to yell loud enough to get Katy to hear, but they were too far away.  Our phones had not been working for a while but we called them anyway and could barely make them understand, but Mike started back.  there was a man spraying weeds around the area where we were parked and he came over when Mike got back.  After Dave had tried several things they decided the battery was dead.  So they used the guy's truck to jump the RV and it started right up.  Haven't been able to explain the reason for the dead battery for sure.  So it will be one more thing that we will have to think about before getting started each time.

On to Washington, LA where we will spend the night.  Saw lots of crawfish ponds and rice fields today.  This part of the country is so different than what we have seen so far.  As you all know the graves in the cemeteries are above ground.  The first one we saw was so startling with everything so crowded together and white with colorful bouquets everywhere.  I was driving and trying to take a picture so what I have so far isn't very good. Paula tried with my camera the next time but pushed the off button instead. Surely we will see more.

As we drove into the RV park Carrie and Zach and Isaac were waving and yelling at us.  That was so exciting!  They had arrived about an hour before.  Again we have a crazy park to stay in.  I think Troy would like to have moved but we are staying.  Willie's Washington Campground--bar--mobile home park.  the bathrooms are in the bar, no showers, but there are washing machines.  The good ole boys have gone home early, thank goodness.  We grilled out brats and hamburgers tonight after putting up two tents.  

Good to be with family and nearing the goal.  We hope to eat cajun tomorrow night.  At least some fish!!

Love,

Lana

last stop in TX

Hi, everyone,

Here we are in Liberty, TX, a little off the bike route but we had a hard time finding an RV park anywhere closer.  The bikers went 87 miles today from Navasota to the intersection of 105 and 146.  Paula, Katy and I had scouted out one place but it was really primitive and in a rather muddy field.  Katy found this park on-line and so we drove the 15 miles south to Liberty.  It isn't great (no bathrooms or showers), but has electric, water, and sewer hook-ups.  It has been sprinkling since about 4 PM when we stopped in Cleveland (now isn't that bizarre!!) at the Walmart.  A few minutes ago it rained rather hard but now has stopped.  Katy rode 55 miles today and was glad to quit in Security, TX.  We saw more funny named towns today such as Cut and Shoot, Groceville (we think that it is pronounced Grossville), and forgot to tell you about Peach Pu in AZ.  

It was another late start today after driving back to Navasota to start where they stopped yesterday.  We stopped in at the cafe where we had the ice cream yesterday and the owners were getting ready for the day.  they had called the newspaper yesterday after Dave and Mike had stopped in and set up a meeting this morning.  Rosemary Smith, managing editor of the Examiner, came by and talked to the guys and took pictures.  They took off at 9:30 while Paula and I stayed behind for more conversation with Rosemary.  We finally left at 10:25.

Riding through Conroe, TX, was busy and lengthy.  Seemed like a bigger city than 37,000.  Saw an absolutely beautiful Methodist Church that took up most of a block.  Wish we had had time to visit.  The RV girls continued on to Security, TX where we pulled into a Baptist church parking lot to wait for the bikers.  I went in to introduce myself, ask permission to park in the lot, and use the restroom.  the pastor met me at the door and came out to meet Paula and wait for the bikers.  His name is Hewey Jackson and he has been the pastor there for 5 years.  He was born and raised in this area and said that except for college and seminary (both in TX) he had not been beyond a 60 mile radius of his present church. He looked to be in his late thirties, early forties.  He was very interested in our venture and our cause.  His church has a Sunday School of about 100 and about 150 attend worship services.  This is where Katy decided to stop riding the bike for today.

Well, after 15 days in Texas, we will bid the Lone Star State good-bye and say howdy to Louisiana tomorrow.  I hate to mention it but we have not had a flat in 4 days.  Everybody knock on wood!!!

Carrie, Troy and boys leave Collinsville, IL tomorrow afternoon and will be with us in Louisiana on Friday evening.  Katy will head back to IL on Sunday from Baton Rouge.  

Hope to be back on the bike trail tomorrow.

Love and blessings,

Lana

Antique lovers come to TX

Hi Everybody,

Saw quite a site today.  For several miles before and after Round Top, TX, there were tents, semi-permanent buildings, trailers, and more on both sides of the road in the fields and then more right in town, block after block.  Turns out there is an antiques show here starting March 31 and people from all over come to sell, buy, trade and just walk around.  It is quite the deal.  I googled it and found out a little more.  It is a twice a year event and has been going on for over 40 years.  We ended up pulling in to one farmer's field where they were constructing 2 new covered areas with cement floors for expansion.  If you google Round Top, TX, antique show, you can see for yourself.  There is a Springfest and an Octoberfest.  Talked to someone who said that there actually is one 4 times a year.  We didn't take the time to look at anything, but it would sure be fun.  Of course, there are food booths and rides, etc. as well.  Ann and Howard said that last night their motel parking lot was full of cars and trucks pulling trailers all bound for this festival.  

Katy rode two segments of the trip today.  She felt really good until the headwinds and uphill climbs got to her.  

We stopped in Burton to warn the bikers of a particularly tricky turn and while waiting for them to arrive a local guy named Stanley drove up, curious about us.  When the bikers got there, his advice was to abandon the bike map for the  next segment because of narrow, shoulderless roads and drivers who characteristically do not give any courtesy to bikers.  Ann and Howard caught up with us here and among all of us a new route was worked out.  We bypassed the Sam Houston National Forest and lovely scenery for a safer road to Navasota.  This cut out some miles so the bikers won't have such a long day tomorrow.  Paula and I drove to Brenham to make lunch and wait for everyone to catch up.  

On to Navasota where the women enjoyed a visit to an antique store with rooms and rooms of stuff.  We got a few things to remind us of our visit.  Howard had stayed in the car while we shopped and found a great ice cream store right across the street from the RV.  He had talked to the owner about the bike trip and the owner offered free malts to the riders.  When the bikers arrived, that was the first place they headed.  

Ann and Howard decided to head for Tennessee so we said good-bye.  It was such a treat to share the time with them and have them get a feeling for our adventure.

We put the bikes in the trailer and, since there is nowhere to stay here in Navasota, we drove on toward Conroe.  We found a KOA Kampground in Montgomery and that is where we are tonight.  We have done laundry, pitched the tent, had supper, had showers and are ready for bed.  Katy will send the pictures and videos for the day.  It is nice not having to do that myself.

Love and blessings,

Lana

Bluebonnets, bikes, and buddies

Hi everyone,

We had a hard time getting out of the RV park this AM in Austin.  Just seemed that there were a lot of details to attend to plus getting Katy outfitted and her bike ready to go.  Lisa brought her by at about 9:15 and they had stopped at a bakery near Lisa's house.  Delicious goodies were enjoyed by all.  Although Lisa gave us explicit directions out of the park and onto the correct road, I managed to make the wrong turn right away.  Lisa saw me do it and called to tell us but we realized it ourselves and were able to correct it really quickly.  Poor Lisa must have been shaking her head.

Paula and I stopped just short of Bastrop, TX to wait for the THREE riders.  It was about a 30 mile ride.  They arrived at about 12:15.  Katy's hip was bothering her so she decided to ride the rest of the day with us.  We had lunch and then the guys started out again at 1:00.  We three girls stopped at yet another bike shop in Bastrop for more tubes (this is our "insurance policy" so that we do not have any flats!  Wish it would work!!We then tried to follow the bikers through a state park.  As we entered the ranger came over to the RV and suggested to us that we probably wouldn't want to continue into the park because of the overhanging trees.  She said that they could do some major damage to an RV of our size.  So I did a U-turn out of the park and we took a more major highway into La Grange.  (an amusing story from last night.  We asked Lisa to google a map for us today from Austin  to La Grange.  When she typed in the  city names the map came up with a direct route to La Grange , IL. ) .

As we drove into town we saw a hillside  of bluebonnets, the TX state flower.  They are just now starting to bloom and when in a big bed are simply breathtaking.  We had to drive by to find a place to park and go back to take a picture and in so doing we passed a Texas Stop Sign  (a Dairy Queen).  We couldn't park there so continued around the town and parked on a side street.  We walked back to the highway to take pictures of the flowers.  We actually had to stand on the road to take the pictures.  As we walked back to the RV a man stepped out in front of us from a driveway and started taking our picture.  I thought that some local was taking a picture of the crazy tourists taking pictures of his flowers.  Well the man lowered his camera and it was Howard Swan along with Ann.  We knew that they were going to try to catch up with us on their way home from Dallas where they were visiting their daughter Karen and her family, but we weren't sure just where they would find us.  As they drove into town he saw us taking the pictures of the bluebonnets.  We all went to the DQ and waited for Dave and Mike to join us.  Howard took pictures of them coming down the highway and Dave was really surprised to see them as well.  

They followed us to an RV park here in LaGrange.  We got parked and they went to find a nearby motel where they got the last available room.  They came back and we drove about 15 miles away to Fayetteville to a great little saloon called Joe's Place for Texas BBQ.  The town is very small but so quaint with old houses, many of which have been restored to their original style.  We had a great time talking and sharing stories.  Thanks, Howard and Ann, for a wonderful treat.

Tonight Mike is staying outside so that Katy can be in the RV.  It is a beautiful night and we hope that he gets a good rest. Went about 75 miles today.  Just 2 more nights in Texas.  We have been here a total of 12 nights so far.  A big state!!

Nite, ya'll,
Lana

Austin, capital of Texas

Hi Everyone,

Well we managed to fill up this day with a lot of things that were not all having to do with cycling.  I think that a ride in a fire engine was the most unusual occurrence along with a surprise visit from Gary Chezem, a member of our church, who just happened to be visiting an uncle in Dallas and rented a car and came to see us as well as take a trip to Houston to see the space station.

Our niece was finishing up a 24 hour shift at the fire station and so we got a tour of the station and a ride around the block in the engine.  She is the driver for the shift and it is amazing to be inside and see all the equipment, computers, uniforms, and instruments that are included in the small area of the cab.  They also have a small truck that is used especially for brush fires and a new boat for water rescue.  Lisa said that they all had to get checked out in the boat and that it gets up some real speed with a 90 horsepower motor.  

After her shift ended we drove to her house which is near the downtown area of Austin.  We passed the beautiful capitol and the University of Texas, home of the Longhorns.  Lisa lives near the downtown area in an older part of Austin.  It is a really charming neighborhood of old homes.  Her house is small but really cute and she has lots of plans for remodeling.  She has already made big changes in the yard and redecorated the interior.    We walked a few blocks to a huge Whole Foods Market where we had lunch .  This is where Whole Foods started and it is enormously popular  so there was a big crowd .  It was a huge place and the food displays were outstanding.  From there we walked across the street to an REI store to look for bike tubes and a few additional clothing items for the remainder of the trip.  

A friend of Katy's who had recently moved to Austin joined us for lunch.  

After walking around and window shopping in several interesting  shops, we walked back to Lisa's .  Dean and Betty decided to head back to Houston and Dave, Katy and Lisa went on to another bike shop and then out to the RV park to pick up Mike and Paula  and bring them back to Lisa's  so that we could go out to supper.  We walked to a great Mexican place called Z Tejas ,  a favorite of Lisa's.  She had taken Katy there on Friday and it had delicious food.  

We got back to the RV about 9.  Katy will stay with Lisa tonight and Lisa will bring her back in the morning.  Our nephew Paul, Lisa's brother, called to see how everything was going .

It has been wonderful to have a day with no cycling and all new experiences.  Thanks to all the Millmans and Gary for distracting us and feeding us so well.

Love and blessings,

Lana

Rain, lightening, thunder, and Austin

Hi everybody,

I guess that you should make that subject line ray-en, lahtnin', and thundah, ma'am!  this is what we awakened to early today.  It was loud inside the motorhome.  The biggest storm we've experienced so far.  I got to thinking that I would  have more respect for the road signs before every low spot that warn "Watch for high water on road" and the measuring stick showing the possibility of  up to 6 feet.  It did not look good for making up 18 miles from yesterday and still getting into Austin this afternoon.  

We ate a rather leisurely breakfast before the rain stopped and then proceeded to drive back to Blanco to get the guys to their stopping place from yesterday.  Paula and I drove on to Wimberley.  There was no rain  but now the wind is really blowing.  We found a really nice Hawaiian coffee shop, selling wonderful Kona coffee and waited.  They rode in at about noon and were really tired of battling the wind.  a little lunch revived them and they took off at 12:45.  

We drove on to Buda (can be pronounced Bew- as in pew, da or Booda)  and called Katy to tell her where we were and she said that she would drive Lisa's car out to where we were and lead us into Austin to the RV park.  Lisa is on a 24 hour shift at the fire station.  My brother Dean called to say that they were about an hour away from Austin and would go to their friends' house before coming to see us at the RV park.  An aside to Doug and Val:  they are staying with William and Sharon, except that Sharon is in Indiana).

The guys and Katy got to Buda where we were waiting at about the same time.  Lisa had made a detailed map of the bike trail through Austin to our destination so they took off confidently.  We followed Katy into the traffic around Austin and we pulled in here at about 5 PM.  Guys got here at about 6:10 and my brother arrived shortly thereafter.  Betty had made an apple pie which we practically devoured before showers or anything else.  Texas BBQ was our request for dinner so we drove to the Green Mesquite for the special Texas treat which proved to be delicious.  What the rest of us had left over, Dave and Mike ate with relish after finishing their own meals.  

We got back to the RV park at 10:15 and are ready for bed.  Day off tomorrow!!!!!  The night sky is clearing so maybe tomorrow will be a better day weatherwise.  Mike is still trying to get warm.

Goodnight, ya'll,

Lana

 

Halfway and just west of Austin

Hi Everyone,

We are just west of Wimberly, TX tonight, 6 miles short of our goal.  The steep hills slowed the bikers down and a late start didn't help.

We got away from our campsite in Ingram at a good time this AM (7:50) but only went a few miles to meet 2 newspaper reporters at the Walmart parking lot in Kerrville.  They were very interested and Dave took a long time explaining the reason for the trip and his background with the camps, etc.   

When the guys finally took off it was 9:40.  Paula and I finished up some shopping at Walmart and then drove on to the bike shop in Kerrville.  It didn't open until 10 so I paid a short visit to the health food store nearby.  Picked up some energy mix for the water bottles.  The bike shop had only 2 of the slime tubes so they are now in our possession.  After getting gas Paula and I headed out to find out how far Dave and Mike had gotten.  We drove our usual 20 miles and didn't see them so kept going.  We finally called them when we felt we had driven much farther than they could possibly have biked.  Sure enough they were way behind us.  Turns out we had taken the wrong route for a few miles and they were waiting in that short section we missed.  They found some freshly made tacos at a gas station and had plenty of water so we just stopped and waited for them to catch up.  

the riding today was like yesterday with lots of steep hills and some great downhill coasting, but as we approached Blanco and got closer to Austin the traffic really picked up.  Of course, it is Friday and people are going places as well as coming home from work.  the narrow roads we are using, with no shoulders and blind curves are treacherous when cars and trucks are at a minimum, but at this time of day it is very dangerous.  Some drivers resent giving any road space to bikes and seem to enjoy coming as close as possible.  (They are not the majority of drivers, but it would only take one and a slight swerve of the bike for something tragic to happen.)  Dave and Mike got to Blanco and decided they were tired of feeling like sitting ducks.  We picked them up and drove the 10 miles to the RV park.  We will drive them back to that point in the AM.  Tomorrow will be a short day, only 58 miles.  

Our daughter Katy flew to Austin today and our niece Lisa Millman picked her up.  Katy will ride with Dave and Mike for the next week.  My brother Dean and sister-in-law Betty will drive up from Houston tomorrow and spend tomorrow night and Sunday (our day off!!!!!!!) with us.  Our nephew Dan Runyan lives in Sugar Land and at one time indicated that he might be able to ride a couple of days with us, but we have not heard anything further from him.  

I know that I have said this before, but the countryside is beautiful here in the  hill country of Texas.  Spring is just around the corner and the trees are close to bursting into green.  Still have not seen the Texas state flower the bluebonnet but have been assured that we will very soon.  Many places along the roadside are covered with  yellow and lavender flowers.

 Some of the creeks have water running in them and a few of the rivers seem pretty high.  The roads have big dips at the bottom of the steep hills and all have signs warning of flood stage water, some even have a gauge showing possible depths up to 6 feet.

No flats today!!!!  Laundry and showers were available tonight.  Life is good!!!

Love and blessings,

Lana

The middle of hill country

Hi everyone,

Hope that you did not worry about us too much while we were out of service both on the internet and the phone.  The expensive gadgets that we got failed while Paula's Target track phone worked some of the time. 

So now to catch you up on our travels.  We are up to flat #18, we are in Ingram, TX, we had spaghetti for supper, we have to shower, etc. in the RV tonight because this park has no public facilities, we are 2 days from Austin, TX, THE MIDPOINT OF the TRIP, and life is good!

Yesterday, Wed., started well in Del Rio with an exceptional breakfast served by two women staying in the park for the winter.  They do this 2 days a week.  The park has a great kitchen/dining room and Betty and Sue and manager Dan served up biscuits and gravy, pancakes, eggs, french toast, bacon, sausage, coffee, and juice for $5.  Got our guys going in style!

At a stop in the afternoon a local rancher came up on a golf cart to inquire about our existence.  David Wied and his dog Fancy (cocker spaniel) live across the road and he invited us over to see a beautiful sight if we would like.  We all piled on to the one golf cart (with Fancy) and when we got into his yard he instructed Mike to get off and go over to a lean-to and pump up a tire on another golf cart.  Bullet, an old yellow lab, sauntered over and climbed aboard with Mike and Paula and we proceeded to ride down to the Nueces River, flowing through David W.'s 14,000 acre ranch.  It was very beautiful and he talked and talked about the land, his wife (he called her his "girl friend" which he also called his dog!), raising sheep, hunting, skeet shooting (had a little machine on which he sat and swiveled back and forth all the while releasing clay pigeons over the river), finding arrowheads, and drinking "adult beverages" (which he did the whole while we were with him).  In one of his sheds he had the most beautiful RV we've seen.  He is a Viet Nam Vet, married into the ranch.  We did not meet his wife.  It was a great experience.  Finally left about 5:30.

Paula and I drove ahead to the RV site in Camp Wood, parked and started to hook up when I discovered that I had left my purse on the seat of the golf cart.  We unhooked the trailer and drove back toward the ranch.  On the way we met Dave and Mike and stopped to tell them where we were going.  Mike asked if I was missing something.  I told him that my purse was at the ranch and he and Dave said that David W. had come by in his truck to return the purse.  So Thankful!!!!

Today, Thursday, March 18, we have rolled through breathtaking scenery in the hill country of Texas.  The biking was very hard and this morning Mike got stopped on a steep incline with a flat.  Dave came and got us, we drove back to Mike but couldn't find a place to turn around until we were back in Camp Wood where we stayed last night.  When we finally got back to Mike he was steamed at his bike and not being able to get up the hill, but wouldn't get into the RV.  He told us to go up to the top of the mountain and he would be there as soon as he could.  He made it somehow and kept going for the rest of the day.  

We met in Leakey (pronounced Lakey) for lunch.  Paula and I went to The Hog Pen for some food and visited with Penny, the local newspaper editor, in preparation for a picture to be taken of the guys when they arrive.    It is a very prosperous looking town with restaurants, antique stores, a nice market, 2 banks, and a wonderful woodworking shop that would make our friends Allen Monroe and John Styer drool.  Population:1700

We didn't follow the bike map after Leakey so that we could avoid too many more steep hills.  Along the way we met Paige and Matt, young couple biking from San Francisco to Austin.  They had everything on their bikes--really loaded.  We also met a group of young men riding west on the same trail we are on.  They started out with 6 guys:  2 dropped out in Pensicola, FL, finding the grind too much.  Here in TX they are not doing well together and may not hang on too much longer.  They met on the internet and planned the trip without ever actually seeing each other.  One of the issues is starting time in the morning (one wants to start out at dawn, another thinks that 11 AM is soon enough). 

We are along the Guadalupe River just west of Ingram.  Tomorrow we will be meeting two reporters in the Walmart parking lot in Kerrville about 7 miles away.  It is to be another hard day of riding through the hills.

We got an update on our phones so hopefully we will not be so out of touch in the future.  

Hope to be able to send pictures soon!

Love and blessings,

Lana

 

120 miles in a day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi everyone,

Let's hear it for the bicyclists!!!  121 miles from Sanderson to Del Rio today!!!  Yippee!!

Weather today was cloudy most of the way with intermittent sunshine, no rain (PTL) and some wind.  The scenery was really spectacular with canyons, mountains, rivers (some even had water in them!), and cactus, cactus, cactus!  

We started out (Paula and I) at the garage in Sanderson for wheel bearing repacking on the front wheels.  Then Paula and I started walking around town.  We stopped at a place called the Brown Bag.  Tomi Harrell the proprietor, cooked us up a breakfast taco and fresh, homemade cinnamon rolls.  Her cousin Scott and his son Josh were visiting and helped out.  Two town locals, Reid and Bebe, sat around and told us all the history of Sanderson they could in an hour.  The town has 200 kids in its school system and a football team that went to state several years back but one of the abandoned stores still had the proud notice in its windows "Good luck at State!!".  Tomi had the walls of the 10' x 15' room filled with pictures of her ancestors and she and Scott identified them plus other old timers.  It was like sitting in her living room while she cooked in the kitchen next to it.  Her menu has a picture of a 1950's high school band on the cover.

Then we walked a little further and stopped in at the local newspaper and talked to Jim Street the editor.  Kim Rapp, a reporter and production manager, had come out to the RV park last night and taken a picture of Dave and Mike.  Jim is a former aviation reporter and when I gave him our address so that he could mail a paper to us he put ORD, the airport identifier for O'Hare, for West Chicago.  He is trying very hard to start a rebirth of Sanderson after buying the newspaper about 8 years ago.  

We walked through a little garden beside the tourist information shop that depicted much of what caused Sanderson to put itself on the map--the railroad, mining, wagon trains, a train robbery, Judge Roy Bean, and cactus.  They claim to be the cactus capital of Texas.  The Brown Bag crew just laughed at that!

When we got back to the garage they were about finished, helped us back up to hitch the trailer up, and off we went.  The guys had peddled almost 40 miles by the time we caught up to them.  They were ready for a rest.

We crossed the Pecos River flowing through a beautiful canyon and over the Amistad Reservoir into Del Rio.  Mike had flat #15 today and so before we got into the RV park we drove to the bike shop to deplete their supply of slime tubes, 6 in all.  

This is a very nice park with great bathrooms, showers and laundry (these are the important criteria on which we rate each park!).  

We will stop at the newspaper office in the morning on the way out of town.  Katy and Carrie have been working hard to set up interviews when there is any interest.

Goodnight, ya'll, ma'ams and sirs,

Lana

Sanderson, TX and wind and rain

Hi everyone

We were not able to get the motorhome looked at this AM in Alpine so we started out in the rain. Didn't get very far (actually on the outskirts of Alpine) and Mike had flat #14. In the meantime I returned the rented car and stopped at the auto repair place to get some names of places here in Sanderson that might look at the RV. Got a look at a REAL cowboy, hat, spurs, bowlegs and all. He was an older guy but as authentic as could be.

Got on the road around 9:50. At one of our stops this afternoon Paula and I were waiting on the side of the road when two bikers approached headed in the opposite direction. they stopped and introduced themselves, Luanne and Carl from Minneapolis traveling from San Antonio to El Paso. They have biked across the northern U.S. and portions of this route. (not all at once, but over a span of years) They were in dire need of a tire so I opened up the trailer and he found one that would work and paid us for it before cycling off. It turns out Luanne is originally from Minburn, IA, about 10 miles from where Mike and Paula live. They met up with Dave and Mike down the road and Carl said that they would make a donation to Pedal4Peace and took one of the business cards.

At a later stop just past Marathon, TX, the guys told us that the sheriff stopped them in Marathon, asked Miked for his ID, which is in the RV and warned them both that they could be arrested for riding over the solid, white line on the highway. He had passed them on the road and honked at them. We were glad to get out of that county!

The entire day has been difficult for the guys. The wind has been very strong and mostly across and head-on. Driving the RV has been hard as well. There were no wind advisories as we had in NM but it was treacherous at times. Mike said that he felt close to being blown over. The last few miles into Sanderson were downhill and it felt good to get into the campsite and off the road.

The scenery is beautiful with mountains on either side, some tall and rocky, others flat (mesa) and grass/bush covered. there are very few evidences of people, just a ranch here and there and a cell tower or two. Not much traffic on the road either direction and not near as many RV's as we are used to seeing.

Just after the guys arrived at the campsite a local newsperson arrived to take a picture of them and their bikes. She had been talking to Katy and had most of the info for an article. Katy has been contacting people along our route and this is the first time anyone has carried through.

Popcorn and cocoa and then bed! A very long day tomorrow to Del Rio--over 100 miles!

Blessings,

Lana

church, Fort Davis, pizza, and Marfa lights

Hi everyone,

We have had a busy day, but a relaxing one as well.  The weather was perfect, even hot.  After breakfast Paul decided to leave because of some bad weather coming in.  (Turns out that he did not get back to Denver, but stopped in Lubbock, TX to wait for better flying weather.)  Dave and I went to church and Mike and Paula took two bikes and rode up and down the streets of Alpine.  

Dave and I attended the United Methodist Church of Alpine.  It is an old building with lots of character--balcony, lots of wood and little rooms, wide staircases with wooden spindles and railings, and a great basement and kitchen.  The people were super friendly, welcoming us and inviting us to have dinner with them after the service.  Seems every second Sunday they bring large amounts of food to have a congregational meal.  We met the pastor Jane Vaughn before the service and she introduced us from the pulpit.  After the meal she showed slides of her trip to Israel with their bishop.  We stayed and saw some very familiar places.  She gave a very informed running commentary with the pictures.  

When we got back to the RV we all decided to drive up to Fort Davis, a town the guys would have biked through had they stayed on the bike route.  We visited a broom maker, a rock shop, a souvenir shop, and the old fort itself.  The town setting is very spectacular, set amidst towering rock formations.  The town and fort are named for Jefferson Davis, of Confederate fame, although when the town was named he was the minister of war under Pres. Lincoln.  Much of the original structure is gone but they have done a wonderful job of restoration of some of the buildings, including a small museum, gift shop and auditorium for showing a short film telling the story of the fort.

We came back to Alpine to get some pizza.  There was some activity at the local college  today and restaurants were full or running out of food.  We ended up at a tiny pizza place (for those of you in West Chicago, it was like Luigi's at 59 and Roosevelt).  We managed to be the last customers of the day and had a great time with the waiter and manager.  The waiter had seen Dave and Mike riding into town yesterday.  by the way, the pizza was fabulous!!

Then we drove the 18 miles to see the Marfa lights, a local phenomena of unexplained dancing lights on the mountains across the desert from the town of Marfa (of Prada fame!).  There were about 50 people at the observation point, some with elaborate camera equipment, just gazing across the expanse of the desert.  We thought we saw something, but it wasn't very definitive.  However, the night sky was breathtaking.  Haven't seen that many stars since canoeing in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota and Canada.  

We are ready for bed.  I must tell you that there will be an unscheduled stop at the repair garage before we take off tomorrow.  Sounds as though a wheel bearing may be loose on the front of the motorhome.  It is about 80 miles to the next stop so we are hoping it will be an easy fix!!!!  We were able to get the hearing aid batteries today but will need to gas up before getting away from much civilization for a couple of days.  Sanderson is our goal tomorrow night.  A newspaper reporter is planning to meet us  and do an article.  We'll see.  The two other reporters from Fort Davis and Alpine never called us back.

Goodnight!

Lana

Alpine, TX--brother Paul visits

Hello everyone,

Today there were NO flats, NO motorhome repairs and 70+ miles advanced toward the east.  It was a beautiful day of travel across the desert of western Texas through all but deserted towns and finally a mountain pass into Alpine.  Dave and Mike did well although they were never sure they were going to ride the whole way until it was downhill into town.  Paula and I stopped every 20 miles to wait for them to catch up, refuel, and ride on.  

When we rode into Alpine Paul Runyan was waiting at the RV park.  He has pitched a tent on our site and will fly back to CO tomorrow.  It is so good to see a familiar face.

We rode through Valentine, NM and stopped to take a picture of the sign.  It is almost deserted.  So sad to see the cafe, gas station, and homes just rotting away.  Reminds me a lot of driving into Mazatlan, Mexico from the airport.

An interesting sight between Marfa and Valentine.  Paula and I drove by a small, stucco building all by itself on the side of the road.  The sign said Prada Marfa.  It sat was in the middle of nowhere.  We had to go back by it to find the guys and wondered again what it was.  The third time by we stopped.  A small plaque off to the side said that 2 female artists in the town of Marfa had put up this building as an art piece.  Up close it looks like a small store with glass windows and a door and inside are handbags and shoes on display.  The door in inoperable.  It is like a piece of sculpture.  Quite unique.

The town of Marfa is best known for the Marfa Lights.  We stopped off at what is called an observatory where at night they sponsor programs about the lights that can be seen on the distant desert floor and mountains that are unexplained phenomena.  The explanation sounds somewhat like Northern Lights although the display is on the ground.  Our map says that there are luminous, pulsating lights dancing over the mountains and roads.  We are going to look into this.  It would be worth the 18 miles back to see tomorrow night.

During one of our stops along the road today a tow truck stopped to see if we needed help.  That was reassuring.  Thank goodness we could say no.

We have to turn our clocks ahead tonight but we will not have to rise early tomorrow, thank goodness.  There is a Methodist Church in town, so we may try that tomorrow.  Dave needs hearing aid batteries so that is next on our list.!  

Goodnight from west Texas.

Lana

More than 6 miles

Hi Everyone,

Where to begin?  Maybe the beginning.  We went to our 8:00 AM appointment this morning to have the front end aligned.  We unhooked the trailer and drove to the bay as directed.  They drove it in.  We all rejoiced.  Then they backed it out.  We all gasped.  The manager told Dave that they didn't know that it doesn't have a straight axle, unlike a big truck, and they couldn't do the job.  They called around and found another place which happened to be only 2 blocks from the bike shop we visited two days ago!  Drove there, but they couldn't do it either.  They sent us across the street and, miracle of miracles, they could do it but we had to wait an  hour while they finished up with a Hummer stretch limo.  Once they took us in it took less than one half hour.  It was fascinating to watch.  They drove it over a pit where a guy could stand up and work under the vehicle.  

We drove out to Fabens, TX to continue the biking.  A couple of stops for pictures of the Mexican mountains across the Rio Grande River and on into Sierra Blanca.  Dave has had another flat (#13) so we picked up the guys and made plans to drive to Van Horn for the night.  Before we could get underway, I found that my camera was missing.  We searched the motorhome and then I remembered that when I was taking pictures of the mountains I put it on a fence post to take some videos.  I could not remember picking it back up.  We drove back 30+ miles to the spot and there it was.  

We drove back the 30 miles and then 40 more to Van Horn.  We pulled in to the RV park, fixed a quick supper and then went to the Dairy Queen!!!!

I have to tell this story on Mike.  On the way back through Sierra Blanca after picking up the camera, we took a potty stop at a gas station.  Then while Mike was frying some bacon tonight I looked over and hanging out of the waistband of his pants was a length of toilet paper!  Paula pulled it out and threw it away before I could get a picture.  So Dave took some off our roll and stuffed it back into Mike's waistband and we got the picture!!  We laughed a lot.

Tomorrow our goal is Alpine, TX.  We are getting inventive about the route we will take to get there by nightfall.  Whether to go over the mountains or skirt around them is the big question.  With all the fiddling around in El Paso and Phoenix and the flat tires we are about 63 miles behind on the bikes.  The long way around the mountains will help make up some of the miles.

We lost an hour today just outside of Van Horn as we got back into Central Standard Time.  And then tomorrow night we lose another hour when Daylight Savings Time starts.  Where does the time go??

Goodnight from western Texas.

Lana

El Paso, El Paso, El Paso

Hi all,

Well, we have made progress today--6 miles.  Yes, that is right.  6 miles is the total number of miles we have advanced toward the east since this morning.

The tale:  We did laundry before pulling out since the bikers were out of riding clothes. We left the RV park at 9:45 to take Dave and Mike out to the bike route to begin today's ride.  Mike drove the motorhome and commented on the noise from the front right wheel.  When we pulled over and got the bikes out, Dave took a look and said that the towing was very off and that the right front tire was wearing badly on the inside.  The left front tire had also started to wear.  The bikes went back into the trailer and it was decided to have it looked at here in a large city rather than try to find something out in the boonies.  Who can help us?  The second place we tried had the right size tires and so we had both left and right tires replaced.  This took three hours.  However they could not do the alignment.  Went to three places that couldn't do it.  The fourth place can do it tomorrow at 8 AM.  We are staying in El Paso another night 6 miles east of where we stayed last night and a much nicer place.  The guys are going to ride their bikes for about 20 miles on a loop road to make up some of the time lost today.  It is now 4:10 PM.

Paula and I will fix a baked potato, chicken, and salad supper while they are gone.  There is some frustration in the air!!!!!!!!!!!

You know what Dave says-----"It's not so bad!"

Our goal for tomorrow?  More than 6 miles!

Love and blessings,

Lana

TEXAS!!!!!

Hi everyone,

Hey, we made it to El Paso!  Not easily, mind you, but we are here nonetheless.

The winds continued into the night, really howling around the motorhome.  We got up early and were on the road by 7:25.  Paula and I stopped for gas before leaving Deming and the people there said that by 10 there would be a wind advisory on the road to Las Cruces.  We hustled back onto I-10 and stopped at 8:25  after about 30 miles to wait for Dave and Mike.  When they arrived an hour later they were ecstatic about the tailwind that at times helped them peddle almost 30 MPH.  Dave had a flat tire somewhere along the way.

On to Las Cruces, just passing by, turning south and stopped at Voda.  Dave had another flat before they arrived at 1:00 PM.  While Paula and I waited for them to arrive a young man came up to us with a sad story about his wife sitting in their broken down vehicle on the interstate while he came ahead in their second vehicle to get help.  The state police had helped him get a tow truck to take the stopped vehicle to Albuquerque for $100 less than the tow company wanted but he was $36 short of the total amount.  He assured us that he would pay us back, told us his name was Tim Tyler, that he was a vet, and left his cell phone # with us.  We said that our husbands were minutes away and we couldn't do anything  until they arrived. He left to go and stay with his wife while we waited for Dave and Mike.  The guys came minutes later, we told them the story and when Tim came back Paula and Mike went out to talk to him.  We decided that he was sincere.  He and his wife were on their way to help take care of his grandfather whose wife had just passed away.  In the last year his brother had been killed on a bike ride (not encouraging to us!).  We gave him the needed money and told him that instead of paying us back he could donate it to our cause.

We drove on to El Paso, got on a loop road and were able to avoid the city itself.

However Dave called with instructions to find a bicycle shop to get more tubes and buy some more durable tires.  (Peter Campbell, your advice about Armadillo tires is finally being followed!)  In addition, Mike lost one set of keys this AM so we need to also find a hardware store to have a set made!  We had to drive about 10 miles into the city to find the shop suggested by our Adventure Cycling map.  Crazy Cat Cycling was easy to find and I went in to try to get help on how to get better strength tubes and tires.  They were very helpful and had a supply of tubes to fit the bikes we have and also offered to drive to another of their shops to get the Armadillo tires and be back in an hour.  At this point Paula and I decided to scour the motorhome and trailer for the keys before going to the hardware store to have a new set made (about 6 or 7 keys in all).  We looked through all of Mike's pockets, the cupboard with their clothes, and in all the nooks and crannies of the living area.  i went back into our bedroom and started shaking all of Dave's clothes out to see if I could  hear anything.  Aha, in Dave's jeans pocket are the keys! It is not Mike who has lost them and later he tells us how relieved he is that he is not at fault.

 Dave called saying he had had another flat and they wouldn't make it to the shop before dark.  We would have to drive back 10 miles to pick them up and then back to the cycle shop.  The bicycle shop closed at 8 and we got back there at 7:45.  Dave approved of what had been selected and we drove away to find an RV park in the dark.  We had called ahead and reserved a spot.  We stopped for a bite to eat as no one had the energy to cook tonight.  We found the park with only a few missed turns.  It is not the greatest but has hook-ups and a pull-through for our lengthy motorhome and trailer.  

The total flats count now is at 12.  Everyone we talk to says it is very common in this part of the country due to the cactus spines.  Dave and Mike say it is a combination of spines and the remnants of shards of steel from the steel radial tires on the big semis.  Whatever, it certainly slows progress.

We are a little ahead of the planned route so now the next two days won't be quite so grueling.  This is our 4th state out of 8 but will take the longest to cross.  We are looking forward to seeing Dave's brother Paul in Alpine (he is flying down from CO) and Katy will join us in Austin where we will also see our niece Lisa Millman, who is a firefighter there.  My brother Dean and sister-in-law Betty will come up to see us from Houston.  Our day off doesn't come until Sunday!!!!! 

Got to get some shut-eye!

Love and blessings,

Lana

Deming, NM and THE WIND

Hi everyone ,

Well, the day started out well even though we decided to spend the  morning driving up and back from Silver City to a bike shop for the tire tubes.  It was a beautiful ride and the town is quaint, old, and very touristy.  Took some pictures which Katy will post on website tomorrow.  

After lunch back in Lordsburg at the RV site, the guys took off.  We followed with the plan being to stop at the Continental Divide for pictures.  We met 8 miles short of the Divide to have a snack and visit a tourist trap which reminded me of Wall Drug in North Dakota.  As we approached the Divide we kept looking for a place to pull off and set up for shots of the guys riding up.  I was driving and Paula was navigating.  All of a sudden the sign came and went with no opportunity to stop or anything.  Just a green highway sign stating "Continental Divide, 4,600 ft. elevation".  We couldn't turn around so we called Dave, who said that he was trying to take pictures on his phone but it wouldn't work.  So, we have no documentation that we actually crossed it.  You'll just have to take my word for it!!!

We drove to Deming.  Last evening and this morning my brother and my nephew Paul  both emailed that this is the hometown of Paul's partner Todd Davis.  They included the phone number of Todd's mother Jackie.  I called  her as we approached Deming and she said she knew we were coming and wanted to take us to dinner and would meet us outside of town and lead us to a nice RV park.  That worked out and we made plans to be picked up after the guys got in and cleaned up.  Jackie's friends Kay and Johnny came by and got us and then we met Jackie at Irma's Restaurant for dinner.  We had a great time over great food getting acquainted.  After dinner Jackie took us to an old house that is now a museum where she volunteers.  It has been lovingly restored to much of its original beauty with poured adobe walls, lovely wood floors, authentic furnishings, and the charm of the late 1800's and early 1900's.   It was evident that Jackie has poured much of her heart and soul into this endeavor.

We enjoyed all this in a town that isn't on the route we planned, with people we had never met.  I knew that Todd was from the southwest, but not the town, and I had never met his mom.  Thank you, Dean and Paul, for following our progress and giving us the heads up.  Jackie had also prepared a wonderful bag of "Made in Deming" delicacies--cookies, fresh tortillas, enchilada sauce, canned jalapenos, and some great rolls for breakfast.

The wind is really blowing hard tonight.  Jackie, Kay and Johnny all warned us about the hazards of driving on to Las Cruces tomorrow if it continues to blow.  They said that sometimes it gets so bad that you can't see your hand in front of your face with all the dirt in the air.  So we are planning to get up early to see if there has been any improvement. We won't take any chances.  If we can go, we will have caught up with the bicycle route in Anthony, NM tomorrow night.  If not, we will be behind again.

From a rockin' motorhome,

Love and blessings,

Lana

New Mexico

Hi Everybody,

This morning at 6 AM it was 43 degrees and raining.  It was hard to get going!!!  Dave and Mike finally took off at 8:32.  Today they are traveling off the planned route to stay away from ice and snow in the mountains.  Most of the day was spent on I -10 sometimes with a tail wind and sometimes with a cross wind and rain.  It was somewhat uphill but not drastically.  At one of the stops along the way, they tried to help a guy in an old panel truck get going after he pulled in next to the motorhome with the motor banging badly.  After a few minutes of heads under the hood, bodies underneath looking up at the chassis, it was decided that there was no hope and the man called a friend to come a get him.

We stopped just short of the New Mexico line and the guys called to say that Mike had had a flat.  That is # 8 total flats for the trip.  The rain has mostly quit, just sprinkles now and then.  

We crossed into New Mexico and went 22 miles to Lordsburg and a KOA campground. It is cold tonight, about 45.  The guys didn't get here until about 6--just getting dusk.  They rode 86 miles today.  Dave had a flat (#9) just west of Lordsburg.  Now the problem is that they have used up all the spare tubes and there is no bicycle shop closer than 42 miles.  The plan is to be in Anthony, NM by Wed. evening. We will rejoin the Adventure Cycling route map at Las Cruces.  So if we make it in 2 shorter days that will be easier on the bikers.  However, to find the needed tubes we will have to go farther tomorrow.

If this all sounds confusing, join the crowd.  We will probably have to go off route to find something tomorrow.  One of the advantages of staying on the prescribed route is that all the bicycle shops are listed for you on the back of the map. 

A note to all the Lions' Club people about the Melvin Jones Memorial.  Bert Miller, our niece Kea's dad and a Lions' Club member, emailed to say that he was sure that I had the wrong name for the town where the memorial is located.  He was right.  It was Fort Thomas not St. Thomas.  Sorry, all you Lions!

Please remember that Dave and Mike are riding for a cause.  Thanks again to those of you who have already contributed to CFOI, CFO and UPT.  Please visit the website for all the information.  We really believe in this lay movement that encourages people all around the world to seek a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through attending camps and retreats.

Love and blessings,

Lana

Last stop in Arizona

Hi all,

We are settled in a very nice RV spot in Safford, AZ.  This park was not on the Adventure Cycling list, but we found it in a directory of RV parks in Smith's van.  It is right on the cycle route and next door to a Walmart.  What more could we ask?  

It was a hard day of cycling for Dave and Mike as the winds were very strong -- both cross and head winds.  Some uphill as well but then nice downhill areas to follow.  The rain seems to be all around us, but we did not have any directly on us yet.  The winds are continuing to blow hard tonight and sprinkles have begun at 6:30.  Driving the motorhome in the wind was a little scary but I managed to stay off the yellow line and the rumble strips most of the time.  The last few miles into Safford the wind switched and became a tailwind.  They liked that a lot!  The mountain peaks to the south of us have snow on them.

One of our stops for rest today was in St. Thomas.  Paula and I just pulled off the road to wait for the guys and across the street was a kind of memorial park, small in size but very manicured (made it stand out from the rest of the area).  I walked over and it was a memorial to Melvin Jones, the founder of Lions' Club International.  He was a resident of St. Thomas early in the 20th century.  There was a brick walkway that contained engraved bricks (like the one in downtown West Chicago) from different Lions' Clubs around the world.  I looked for WC but didn't find it. Some were from individuals as well as clubs.  I was very impressed by the simplicity yet the sincere sentiments displayed.

Mike grilled hamburgers outside and Paula made guacamole for supper tonight.  It tasted really good.

I am proud of my ability to back this rig into a very narrow slot today.  We had help from another visitor and the manager with hand directions.  Paula and I can now unhook the trailer and get completely hooked up by ourselves.  We still don't like to back up with the trailer still connected.

More laundry tonight and maybe a trip to Walmart if it doesn't rain too hard.

Oh, forgot to tell you about a stray dog we encountered in Peridot, our first stop this morning.  He was the saddest looking animal--a pit bull that has been through many fights.  His face and head were a mass of scars and he hung around the motorhome while we were parked.  We gave him several morsels of food. He liked the attention we paid him.  He just stood there wagging his tail and we talked to him and pet him. It was an interesting grocery store there.  Paula and I were the only caucasians in the place.  All the patrons and clerks were Apache and Navajo Indians.  There were even Indian words on the walls over the different sections of the store.

All for now.  Into New Mexico tomorrow.

Love and blessings,

Lana

Globe, AZ

Hi Everyone,

We have arrived at Globe, a copper mining town, not in its heyday anymore but still a quaint little town on a mountain creek.  We are in a very bare bones RV park right along the creek across from the scenic railroad line that takes tours of the copper mine each day.  We do have electric and water hook-up but have to use the RV's bathroom and shower.  They are working well!!  It rained a little as soon as we got the motorhome situated but stopped after some big claps of thunder echoing off the rocky hills. 

We walked over the bridge and railroad track for supper at a little Mexican restaurant recommended by the park owner.  It was fantastic and we chowed down for $6.99. The owner's son was behind the counter and entertained us with his jolly personality. He was in awe of what Dave and Mike are doing.  

The ride for the guys today was very strenuous as we climbed to 4400 feet.  The scenery was spectacular.  We went through a tunnel and over beautiful bridges spanning the gorges.  Mike and Dave are really tired tonight.  Paula did the driving today and white-knuckled some of the curves but did a great job.  

Had a great stop in Superior, AZ earlier today.  The Buckboard City Restaurant was so full of history and boasted the smallest museum in the world, fountains made of all sizes of truck tires and wheelbarrows, and great cinnamon buns and orange juice.

I took lots of pictures and they will be on the web.

Tomorrow will be less strenuous as far terrain but there is a storm coming so the weather could present some interesting cycling.  We should be almost to the New Mexico line tomorrow night.

Goodnight!

Lana

Cubs win! Cubs win!

Hi Everyone,

My thrill of the day was to go to the Cubs spring training game in Mesa.  I was the only one who wanted to go (I've been thinking of it since we started) so we got as close as we could in the traffic and I hopped out and walked the rest of the way to the stadium.  It was a gorgeous day and people here are Cubs crazy.  Even when playing the Diamondbacks there were more Cubs fans than anything else.  I didn't have a ticket and all the scalpers on the street were saying that it was a sell-out.  But I got a really good ticket right by first base in the first row behind the walkway between the sections.  Carlos Zambrano pitched the first two innings and he looked great.  He has lost lots of weight and his hair is buzzed.  Most of the players today are the new players or the ones trying to earn spots in the rotation.  I did see Micah Hoffpauir, Bobby Scales, Sam Fuld, Jeff Baker, Koyie Hill, and Kevin Millar play.  Lou Pinella has also slimmed down a lot.  The score went back and forth a couple of times but they pulled it out in the ninth.

The other three spent the time grocery shopping and getting the bike tires fixed.  We drove to Apache Junction for the night in a KOA Kampground.  Tomorrow it is back on the road.  We have two more nights in AZ and then on to New Mexico.  

Sorry we missed the Meslows and Elaine Kienitz here in AZ.  Dave's brother Paul is planning on flying down to see us in Alpine, TX.  That will be fun.

Thanks, Peter, Paul and Dean, for the hints about the cause for the flat tires and a suggested cure.  That took the bulk of the day for the guys but they are confident that they are ready to set out again tomorrow. 

Goodnight from Apache Junction!

Lana

Flats, flats, flats, flats, and flats!!

Hello from Mesa, AZ,

We are in a beautiful park north of Mesa.  However they are full and we are parked in the overflow area with no hook-ups and 10 minutes from the bathroom/showers.  Paula and I pulled in here last evening to wait for the guys to catch up after driving (I was driving) through rush-hour traffic for an hour.  We had stopped around noon to visit with Ed and Craig Roberts, Dave's and my Merrill Lynch financial advisors.  Their office is in Sun City, really close to where my folks lived in the 70's and 80's.  They are great people and loved hearing about the adventure.  They gave us good directions both for the bikers and the motorhome drivers to get to Mesa.  

When we went back to get moving again, Mike had a flat tire.  He had already had one in the morning on the way into Phoenix.  As they were fixing his tire, Mike looked over at Dave's bike and said, "Dave, you have a flat on the front".  So they proceeded to fix them both.  At 4:30 they took off to ride right through the city and we took the loop road.  That is when we encountered the rush-hour traffic. 

Paula and I pulled into the archery range (closed down for the day) here in the park and waited just a short time before Dave called and said that they had had 2 more flats and that they needed to be picked up because it was getting dark.  We drove back an hour to find them.  It was very confusing and in the dark rather difficult, but we made it.  We all stopped at a Carl's Jr. (popular fast food place out here) to eat and drove back the hour to the campground and pulled into the overflow, walked the 10 minutes in the dark to the bathroom/showers, and fell into bed.  

Today, Friday, we got up late (7:30) and decided to use this as the day off instead of Sun., get the bike tires repaired, maybe a Cub game for me (yippee), go grocery shopping, wash clothes, make up the 20 miles from yesterday.  We'll see what we can accomplish.  The day is gorgeous and the sun will be pretty warm by afternoon.

Looks as though I am staying.  Can't believe I said that, but here I am and we'll work out the details.

Love and blessings,

Lana

ARIZONA! Mountain Time

Hi everyone,

We are in an RV park in Aguila, pronounced ah-(hard "g")gee-lah, population 600.  I never knew that so many people had permanent residences in RV parks.  All of the ones we have been in except in San Diego have large sections of permanent mobile homes.  This one doesn't seem to have any kids around, but the others have, with school bus stops and everything.  There are some pretty interesting set-ups, as you can imagine.  This one seems to have a lot of unoccupied ones at present.  We are happy if they have showers and bathrooms!

This was an 80 plus mile day for the guys with lots of uphill going.  They did well.  Mike told us at supper that he found himself falling asleep while following Dave the last 15 miles or so.  He said that he was staring at Dave's spokes and the next thing he knew he was almost on top of Dave's bike.  It really surprised him.

This morning after the guys left Paula and I went into Blythe and stopped at the hardware store before getting on the road.  We met up with them in Quartzite.  they felt that we should go into the RV place there and get the steps repaired.  They went with us and the guy said that he could get to it in an hour and the work would probably take a half hour.  With that Dave and Mike took off.  Paula and I were there for over 2 hours, the repairman had a terrible time just getting under the motorhome to get started and kept coming up cursing because one thing or another wasn't going right.  However, the steps are now working and we keep stumbling into them since we are used to jumping down to get out and standing close to the door and pulling up on the railing to get in!  Here in Quartzite Paula and I also met a cute, toy poodle puppy named Max.  He travels with his owner in a big semi or on a Harley.

We met in Hope, AZ for lunch.  After they took off again, Paula and I walked across the highway to a lovely little restaurant and had a dish of ice cream.  

Another character that we have met is Rags, a man of undistinguishable age, riding on the same route we are, but with 80 lbs. of gear on the bike as well.  He is alone and is heading for Georgia.  He told Mike that he did this trip last year as well.  He left San Diego the same day we did.  He rides up to 150 miles a day and just plops down on the side of the road or hops a fence into an RV park when he gets tired.

Paula and I arrived here at about 4:30 and Dave and Mike arrived around 5:15.  We have traveled 326 miles so far.

More uphill tomorrow before we drop down into Phoenix.  I would love to go to a Cubs game in Mesa if there is one on.  We shall see.

Goodnight, and love and thanks for all your prayers and thoughts,

Lana

Last California stop--Blythe

Hi from Blythe,

Well, here we are in a nice KOA Campground on the Colorado River on the California side.  This is our last stop in CA.  The bridge into AZ is right outside the campground boundaries.

We have had a delicious chicken, rice and Asian salad dinner and showers are in order now.  Dave and Mike biked 100 miles today and were in the campsite by 5:15.  They left our campsite in El Centro this morning at 7:10.  We met for lunch in Glamis, a non-town in the sand dunes.  We are told that there are upwards of 20,000 people there on certain weekends during the year to ride dune buggies and party.  the only "buildings" there are white tents (looks like the Denver airport, but smaller) except for an auto repair place.

Hope you enjoy the following story demonstrating my brilliance.  Paula and I made a stop early in the day in Brawley after the guys were on their way.  We pulled into a nice shopping area which included both a grocery and a hardware store.  I had been asked to pick up a couple of items at the hardware store.  Paula went to the grocery store and I went toward the hardware store.  When I went to go in, the doors wouldn't swing open.  I backed up and tried again.  Nothing.  I checked the opening time and it was well after that.  Then a man came through the exit doors with no problem and carrying a purchase.  I kept thinking that maybe I would just wait until someone else came and follow them in.  Suddenly it dawned on me.  It was not an automatic door!!!  I had to push the door to enter!!!  Thank you, Lord, that no one came along that I could ask how to work the door!!!

Another funny story:  After Glamis we planned to stop and wait for the guys to meet us in Palo Verde to check on their condition because it would still be 20 miles to Blythe.  We stopped in the parking lot of a bar and grill--used the bathroom and bought a coke.  Our phones were not working so we couldn't call and were getting concerned that they were taking a long time getting there.  Dave finally called and it went through.  I thought he said that they were coming in to Palo Verde after taking a 20  min.  break so we went out to the road to watch them come in.  They didn't come (it should have taken about 3 minutes).  Finally, as we were looking down the street, they pulled out of a gas station 1 block away from where we were parked.  They had been there for half an hour resting and having a cold drink.  What Dave thought he said to me on the phone was that they were in Palo Verde, had been there for about a half hour and were going to start out again. Communication breakdown!

They were ready to complete the trip to Blythe, they said, so we drove on, found the campground and waited again.  We started supper and they arrived.

Showers and laundry tonight and to bed early.  Tomorrow's ride has some stiff uphill sections but isn't as long milewise.  

It is wonderful to read your responses and get your encouraging words.  Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.

Love and blessings,

Lana

In the desert

Hi Everyone,

Well, tonight we have two tired bikers.  The ascent out of Pine Valley this AM was a killer.  We were to meet them for a mid-morning snack in Boulevard, CA.  We waited until 11:30 before they showed up.  Not only was it steep but they had a head wind as well.  The plan from there was to meet at Ocotillo and regroup.  It was downhill and they were really flying.  We were now on the desert and on the way to El Centro which is below sea level.  Now the plan was to get to El Centro, 14 miles before the goal for the day and see if they could go on.  Paula and I got to El Centro and after one false start found the RV park, pulled in and got the rig into a spot.  That is a real trick, but there were a few empty spots in a row which helped in our maneuvering.  We arrived at about 3:15 and then waited.  the guys finally showed up at 5:30.  They were very sore after traveling on a bumpy road for about 20 miles.  the decision was made not to go on to Brawley so now we are 14 miles behind schedule.  

The scenery is very bleak--lots of rocks, sagebrush and little else.  We are and have been very close to the Mexico border and every other vehicle is Border Police.  Paula and I went through a check point today but did not have to stop.

This RV park is not as nice as the one in San Diego.  There are quite a lot of permanent residents and we are very close to Interstate 8.  There are not many trees and the spots are very close together.  We are glad that it is not full and were given some breathing space. 

It is so encouraging to read your emails and we appreciate your prayers and concern.  Thanks so much to those who have been able to contribute monetarily to the cause.  There seems to be something unexpected every day which adds to the stress in some ways but keeps it interesting.  this is a part of the country I have never seen before and, in its own way, it is beautiful.  

We are tired tonight.  There is a full moon and Mike is sitting outside in a lawn chair taking it all in.  Wonder if he still thinks this is a good idea?!?  

Goodnight all.

Love and blessings,

Lana