St Augustine, FL and Finale

The last day of the ride - hard to believe and I still have not processed the fact that I not only cycled across the U.S. but did it with only 2 flat tires - which both were in camp - no breakdowns of bike or body!!!

We had a 41 mile ride to St Augustine and Bubba did another great job of sending us down roads that had minimum cars - a really pretty route! Arriving in St. Augustine I had the privilege of riding with Mike who lives there and so he took me on a tour of the historic city. Thanks to Mike I saw the hotels - one for the billionaires and another one for the millionaires - go figure - the millionaires were considered poor. Today the poor hotel hosts the city hall with a beautiful courtyard where up to 7 weddings are conducted on a Saturday. They actually have a wedding and tux store on the premises. Makes me think a little bit of Reno and Las Vegas. The rich hotel is still a hotel...

Robin then caught up to us and she came along for the rest of the tour and then her husband Hugh with Harry and Beth came and we had lunch at Mike's favorite restaurant named "Harry's".!!!

Then it was on to meet the group for our ride to the ocean... We met as a group and had our pic taken at the Welcome to St Augustine sign.

It was time to take our final ride together whoopin' it up to the Atlantic Ocean to dip our front wheels. It was a lot of fun, exciting, emotional and almost a let down - it was over! done!! Look what we accomplished.... cycling 3000 miles!!! Safely!!!

Nita, Helen, and Nisha were there to watch me ride in and to congratulate all the riders... wat fun it was!!!

Bubba took us all out to our last dinner together..What a great time we had - then it was time for a rider meeting for the last time... it was melancholy - Bubba said a few words and then gave each of us a plaque with a group picture of us at the Pacific Ocean. Hugs and kisses all around and then it was over. I'm still processing what the heck I just did... I'm going to read my blog - thank goodness I did it because all the days mesh together..

there were 5 of us EFI'ers...the only riders that rode Every Fun Inch - Me, Harry, Steve, R.O. and Mike - out of 13 riders - Pretty Cool, heh!!?!??
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat... with Bubba? in a heartbeat!!!

Palatka, Fl

Well, today was a 80+ day. Once again a great route - we were on another tree-lined canopy road for a few miles and then we rode 18 miles on a bike path that was absolutely beautiful... tree lined, no cars, a couple of rivers... nice!!! We were in Interlachan, Fl which means many lakes - a really pretty area. We stopped there for lunch and the last 15 miles we had a head wind that was work... so glad to get in and then Lora and I went to the DQ and I had a chocolate malt... gotta give this stuff up in a couple of days.

You wouldn't believe it unless you were here with me but we are staying at the National Guard Armory in a huge room.... all of us... a little different...

We are doing now what we do everynite - sit around in a circle of sorts and chat...
40 miles to go tomorrow and we'll be at our destination. I understand it's flat and pretty!! We'll dip our front wheels into the Atlantic Ocean, have a last meal together with some kind of an awards show and then I'm off to Orlando with Nita, Helen and Nisha. What a trip... will check in tomorrow and let you know how the last day goes... who cries and who doesn't :-)

High Springs, FL

today was one of the best riding days - green fields, horse ranches, cattle ranches, forests, wild flowers in abundance and blue skies all day. We didn't care what time we got in because it was so beautiful but we did pull in at 2:30 on an 80 mile day ride.. not bad,heh!?!?!? Before going into camp we rode into town for sandwiches and shakes. I'm telling you I have some serious bad habits to break when this trip is over...

"Way down upon the Swanee river...." today we crossed the Suwanee River - correctly spelled by the way... I guess Suwanee didn't fit the song so the song writer dropped the u in the word...interesting... The county is named Suwanee also...

We're staying at a 7th day adventist camp - it's really nice and even has a zoo! Absolutely no alcohol allowed in the camp! Now there may be 3 less peacocks out there in the morning as they've been screeching all day and it sounds like they are crying for help. Dawn and I are once again sharing a cabin with 2 sets of bunk beds... we're both crackin' up as we are trying to climb up to the top bunk and it's not easy!! We're not teenagers anymore... You should have heard the lion this morning informing us it was breakfast..pretty cool!!!

We have our last layover day tomorrow and some are going tubing or kayaking down the river... I just wanted to go in town and shop... but most of the shops were either not open or they weren't the shops I was looking for. I have been in grubby clothes long enough and I wanted to buy something that makes me feel feminine!!! This town is big enough for some serious small shop shopping - naught!! I also heard they have the best cheesecake in the world here - naught. I gave my piece of cheesecake away and ate a cream puff instead - absolutely delicious!!!

Yesterday, we stopped at the Dixie Grill in Live Oaks where they are famous for their bread pudding... OMG it was delicious!!!

2 more riding days left... I've had the privilege, I guess you'd say, of riding through the rural and small towns of the southern part of the U.S. What an eye opener it's been...

For the rest of this day (Saturday) I'm going to lounge around the camp and enjoy a another beautiful day.

Wild and Crazy day to Madison, Fl

What a morning...it was crazy!! It didn't rain during the nite but at dawn it started to rain lightly. There was a few of us drinking coffee and Bubba took us to breakfast instead of fixing it because of the rain. When we got back from an All you can eat pancakes place - it started to rain and so we hurried and put our bags in the truck...Thank Goodness!!! For the next 2 hours it poured, the lightening was unbelievably close - like one hit on the other side of the tents!!! When I say poured I mean POURED!!! Then on the radio they had spotted a tornadoe 3 miles from us - exactly where Mike and I ate lunch. They were telling everyone to take shelter!!Bubba had scouted out a place for us to go if we needed it but we didn't and we all sat under the awnings and waited for the rain to stop... it became a small lake while we waited - unbelievable!! Finally it was over and we were able to leave at 10 am.

Jim from the Tallahasee bike club took us through the town and we made a stop at this 300-500 year old Oak tree. It was awesome - my picture doesn't do it justice but maybe you can get a feel for it - the limbs are humongus and actually some of them lay on the ground.

We rode through the most beautiful road - a canopy of trees from both sides of the road - shading the road for miles.. absolutely the most beautiful road I've ridden on...Just lovely!!!

We stopped in Greenville, the birthplace of Ray Charles. They have a statue of him in the park - they did a great job on it with a plaque describing his life there.

Leaving Greenville we knew it would rain again so we pedaled and hoped that it would wait until we got to camp. Not to be... we were a couple of miles from camp when the lightening and thunder started and it just poured buckets. The sag was waiting for us to pick us up but Mike and I decided to ride the last 1 1/2 miles to camp. Soaked and praying I wouldn't get hit by lightening! We made it! I'm a little crazy cuz other than the lightening I was enjoying the downpour. All is well that ends well and it did!!

We're on an 80 mile ride tomorrow to High Springs with a layover day...

Tallahasee, Fl

So today as yesterday we rode through the Florida Panhandle - 56 miles today with the same rolling hills and great hiway with wide shoulders. The wind was strong and most of the time it was a headwind. Roland was so freaked out by the fact we were going to have high winds that he got up and was gone before breakfast. As it turned out the wind was bearable for everyone - even for him - but he was the first one in this time. His claim was always to be last with R.O. but he just couldn't quite do it. He sagged when the winds were so bad coming out of Seminole State Park - he said he just knew something bad would happen.

I have to admit after 7 weeks the rolling hills (which I normally would call inclines) feel like hills... but we just take them one after another. We are staying at a RV resort with a lake again. It's very pretty - but didn't take any pics today. I have about 300 pics so will make a great scrapbook when I get home.

We're 180 miles from St. Augustine, Fl - 4 riding days left with 1 layover day. So many of the riders are ready for it to be over with. I have mixed emotions about it. I want it to continue but for how much longer...? I've enjoyed every day of it.

We're having pot roast tonite. Our meals are better at camp then in restaurants, I think.

Marianna, FL

So today was a 68 mile ride... great roads, rolling hills, green trees and grass. We crossed Aligator Creek and Krash said there was a 5 ft aligator in there... I think he was spoofing me though.. We stopped at this bbq diner - I must say stopping at these diners along the way are a great way to go.. you meet so many of the locals and they all want to know what we're doing so it's a good way to chat with them.

Our campgrounds tonite are next to a lake - it's really pretty but there's a lot of bugs and mosquitoes. I'm told to expect them from now on cuz we're in Florida. We have plenty of OFF to spray so we should be covered.

Mike and I were talking about the roads today and we decided the best roads are in Florida and the worst roads were in Texas...they were continually bad!!! Judy just left for Ohio - her dad will have a part of his lung removed as it is cancerous. He's 85 so it can be pretty dicey. I hope everything works out okay for him. So Mike and I are riding alone again.

I think tomorrow is another 65-70 mile ride..It's funny that when we first started riding 50 miles was a long day - now you hear us saying "50 miles? that's a short day" and make plans for the afternoon.

DeFuniak Springs, FL

So today was a good day for riding after the ride we had yesterday. 55 miles of flat good roads with a bbq diner thrown in for lunch. We're staying at a mobile park that has a swimming pool and a beautiful lake across the road. We're all just lazin' around this afternoon waiting for our dinner. Some gal is fixing us Grouper (a fish I've never heard of) with biscuits and all the Florida fixin's.

Bryan, you crack me up and keep sending me those comments. I'm sure those dogs were southern dogs - their bark was worse than their bite!!! and I keep looking for those guys with the better tans but haven't seen any yet - I'll keep looking.

I forgot throughout all this that most of our groups have names.

The Alphas or the 3 aces - Steve, Ted and Harry (the fast riders)
The Bears - Mike, Judy and I - guess which bear I am... (when Dan decides to ride with us - he's Goldilocks)
Rand and Dan - no nicknames for them - just ran and dan
RoRo - Roland and R.O. - their claim is to leave camp last and come in last. They work very hard at it..
The Trykes - Lora, Phil and Dawn - they ride the recumbant trykes.
We have 2 frenchman that came in - Jacque and Pierre. Poor Pierre has had a very bad experience...after everything else - he sprained his ankle and has been on the bike only one afternoon - their claim? they don't do hills so Jacque sags most of the day.
Electric Dave (rode last year) came in to ride until Friday and then he joins another group...
It's quite a diverse group...and it's been a lot of fun. I'm the only female (and the oldest) that has ridden every mile so far...and hopefully will continue to ride every mile!!!
People stop us everywhere asking what we are doing and it starts many a converstion. A lot of fun - I suggest everyone do it..... even for those who think exercise is getting into a tubful of water, pulling the plug and going with the current :-)

To Milton, Florida

We left Dauphin Island on the ferry and as we were coming into the dock across the bay there were pelicans just waiting and hoping for food, Iguess. But what a great picture I got of them...

Today was an 87 mile ride - quite flat but for the first 40 miles we had a head wind which was beating us up.. The route was fabulous riding along the gulf shore with the water on the right. Gulf Shores, Alabama has condos and time share along the coast. There were times I was wishing for more condos and trees so as to cut the wind but it's a ride where taking a picture does not do it justice. At at mile 32 we crossed into Florida - our last state. Judy and Mike are from St. Augustine, FL - they are riding home and so they were really excited.

On the route we crossed over Blue Angel Parkway and to the right was the US Naval Air Station of Pensacola, FL where the Blue Angels are based. I didn't see any of them but that was pretty cool... just crossing over and knowing it...

This morning when I got up I found a plastic bunny rabbit and an egg by my tent door - at first I thought some kid had been playing around the tent and then I had an "ah ha" moment and realized - that's Bubba! Everyone had the same. For breakfast Harry gave us a demonstration on how to peel a watermelon... we called him our cable cooking show for the morning.. yesterday morning he fixed omelets for us.

Well my bike bag is broken and I'm holding it togethr with a bungy cord...well, a little squirrel decided to check it out - put his head inside my bag and got my pack of kleenex and scampered up the tree with it. He finally lost it but it was pretty cute...

tonite for dinner Bubba fixed us a great Easter dinner..ham, sweet potatoes,green bean casserole, veggies..and banana cream pudding for dessert... A great meal and a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dauphin Island, Alabama

We had a 74 mile ride yesterday leaving Mississippi and riding into Alabama.
It was a really pretty ride in mostly rural areas that had beautiful homes... more traffic than normal though. But I did take note on all the things I need to know about Mississippi and I can tell you - I ran into no rednecks but 3 hungry dogs that wanted to chew us up but we didn't let them.... we got the best of them - in fact they were confused by the time Mike, Dan and I got through with them... No bumper stickers on my bike either:-)

Other than a great lunch at the Blue Heron with everyone that was there - shrimp po boy - it was an uneventful ride. We're staying at a campground on Dauphin Island and it's really nice. The weather is good, the beach is right down the path from us with white sand and warm water. We actually have trees that we can put the tents under for shade... once again it's the little things....

Today there were 9 of us that went to Mobile, AL and went aboard the USS Alabama for a tour. As Jerry was in the Marines and on the Ranger which was stationed in Alameda many many years ago - he was able to give us information that is not on the tour sheet. It was really interesting and it's a big ship!!!

There is a building which houses many of the old aircraft...here is a pic of the before Katrina and after Katrina hit...absolutely amazing... and what a mess!!

Also while we were there the memorial area was hosting an egghunt for the children and they came from everywhere. They didn't expect the number that they had - cars were lined up for so long that they just pulled over and stopped so their kids could get to the egg hunt. The pic shows only half of what ended up there... the reporter we were talking to was really worried that it would become a news item and not just a feature - but it was all good!!

Tomorrow we take the ferry across the bay and head into Florida...our last state. I can't believe I have 8 days total left of this ride. It's probably a good thing as my camera display is broken, my bike seat is ripping and my bike bag zipper disintegrated and I'm holding it together with a bungy cord...I'm sure I look like a bag lady on a bike...my clothes are forever stained and dirty and no matter how much they get washed - they look like they haven;t. Oh yeah, I also don't comb my hair anymore... I just towel dry and if it looks too bad I put a hat on it!! Life on the road is pretty simple!!!

Vancleeve, MS

Todays ride was 70 miles with lots of rollers... love those kind of routes! You can tell we are all getting a little ansy as we only have 9 riding days left with 2 layover days. When Mike, Dan and I got into town today we headed straight for the ice cream place...it was hot and muggy - we worked hard so I decided on a chocolate shake and an ice cream cone... I'm hoping that I've been working all this ice cream off!!! I've eaten more ice cream on this ride than I have in probably 5 years!

We're at a really nice RV park with the river running through it and also a pool. The exciting part is we have 6 showers to use just in the women's room. Last nite in Poplarville - we had one in an old shed... too much- some of these RV parks are a little raunchy for tenting.

Last nite at dinner this guy came in - sat down and decided to play us some songs on his ukele. He is with a band but never played by himself before - he was so bad that slowly we all left and he left to go to church. Just a little wierd!

Tomorrow we head for Dauphine Island in Alabama with a layover day there. I'm looking forward to this island that I've heard so much about... will tell you about it in a couple of days!

Poplarville, MS

I didn't get a chance to blog the other nite as there wasn't service. The ride was a quick 44 miles going over the bridge into Mississippi. the only excitement happened to 3 of our riders. In Boglausa, LA a town we rode through had an armed robbery at a bank. The robbers took off with the police in hot pursuit over the bridge into MS. The 3 riders were on the road and saw the car flying down the road with the police following...didn't think much about it...until they heard gunshots and they didn't know where they were coming from... As it turned out - the car was shot up, tires blown out and 2 of the men were shot and ended up in the hospital at Hattisburg,MS. The other one was still at large. More excitment on the route than the riders wanted.

Poplarville,MS is known for the area that Prez Bush circled by helicopter during Katrina.

By the way we had 2 french guys fly in from France and are doing the last 2 weeks of the ride with us. Jacque who speaks some english and Pierre who speaks absolutely none.

The turkey in the picture I displayed is a real one who is the boss I think of the plantation... he struts around with his chest out and feathers displayed...

Franklinton, LA

Today was a 75 with fun roller coaster hills. it was a good ride but nothing spectacular. Tonite we are staying in a motel - always nice for showers and bathrooms. I wanted to put a pic of the choir we heard last nite but couldn't get it loaded onto the blog so here it is.

and here is the turkey that runs the Oakley plantation... I just had to add him...

Tomorrow we will be in Mississippi....!!!! We are getting to the end of our trip - hard to believe...

Layover Day in Jackson

Okay, Zydeco music - I can only say the instruments included area fiddle, drums, washboard, guitar, accordian -it is toe tappin' black cajun music... I don't know how else to describe it...it's infectious - you just want to hear more and more of it cuz it's fun to dance to it.

Yesterday was our day off and what a great day it was. first off, a few of us explored the Oakley Plantation. It is the setting for John Audubon who was hired in 1821 to teach art to the plantation owners daughter. Well, in his spare time he drew birds... today we have the Audubon society because of him... Here's a pic of the plantation...

We saw the Pit where they grew vegetables in the winter time and the cookhouse where all the meals were cooked, the slave quarters.. inside the house we were told how the little girls fanned the mistress of the house to keep her cool and also how the slaves pulled the bed ropes to keep them taut. It was a subtle hint for visitors to leave when they quit pulling the bed ropes and the ropes started drooping...It was really interesting to see it all. Then we had lunch in St Francisville and did some shopping in the antique stores.
That evening we were invited to the Baptist church behind Lep and Perry's place for a gostpel singout... how awesome that was. The choir came in and rocked the place. You hated for it to end.

Jackson, LA

What a great trip this is... we cycled 74 miles yesterday...We crossed the Mississippi river by auto ferry...pretty cool!!!

We stopped in St Francisville for lunch at Eight Sisters - a soulful experience. Really good food before continuing on for the last 18 miles. Those last miles were absolutely beautiful riding the backroads of LA. We are stayed last nite and our layover day today at at Perry and Leps. They are actually hosts for cyclists when needing a place to stay. they're on the Adventure Cycling magazines list of hosts. They have a beautiful place - 5 acres - reminds me of my sisters place in Minnesota. Absolutely beautiful. Here we are sitting around the fire last nite. We started the fire by using fritos...really makes me stop and think when I open up a bag to eat- enough grease to start a fire - can you believe it!!!

Washington, LA

So today was quite a day...we did 95 miles and instead of camping out Bubba got us all rooms at the Holiday Inn Expess... great showers!!! And a TV to watch - wasn't sure how to operate it :-) and electrical outlets to charge my stuff... it's the little things in life that make a difference!!

The ride today was really pretty - we rode past wheat fields, rice fields, crawdad ponds - it was really nice... the wind sometimes was in our favor depending on which way we turned. At mile 60 we stopped at Fred's Lounge(bubba had suggested us not to miss it). What a great stop. Zydeco music from 9am to 2pm.. It was just foot stompin' great fun dancin' and just having fun... First I danced with Steve and stepped all over his toes, then danced with Ted and we did okay... then Rand and I did the fast zydeco and that was great...love zydeco music and the beat!!! After Fred's Lounge we went to Frenchies across the street for some real Cajun food!! Another Po Boy... Off to the last 35 miles with a stop for a Snowball which is like a snow cone only not the shaved ice...this is really good! Finally we made it to the Holiday Express and enjoyed a nice dinner and now to bed...

Tomorrow proves to be another interesting day with a ferry ride across the Mississippi river and staying at the home of some avid cyclists who now support all riders coming through their town!

Deridder, LA

So we finally made it out of texas after 19 days...wow!!! Did I tell you that white bread is still alive and selling well in Texas. Every time you bought bbq it always comes with 2 or 4 slices of white bread...

Todays ride was 75 miles - fairly flat and at times with a tail wind so we did quite well. 50 miles into the ride we crossed over to Louisiana.

We went to Cecils for lunch when we arrived in DeRidder and I had a Po boy catfish sandwich.... it was so good!!!!!!!!!!!

We arrived at camp and Bubba had made appointments for 5 of us (Bubba, Erica, Mickey, me and Dawn)to have manicures and pedicures. We took up all the pedicure chairs and they had to call in their kids to come in and help... This was the first pedicure that Dawn has ever had and when they started scrubbing the soles of her feet she was hysterically laughing.. it was pretty funny!

We were in an RV park and some guy was packing his trailer as he was moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan... he was packing throughout the nite and keeping everyone awake. Harry got up to go to the bathroom around 3am and the guy is out there and says very brightly "good morning." Harry was a little upset and said, "morning, my a$$, it's 3am... anyway, we get up and the guy goes to bed.... we thought maybe we should start honking horns or something to wake up the guy but we didn't...we're too nice!!!

Silsbee, TX

So tonite is our last nite in Texas...goodbye to the bbq's and hello to cajun food and zydeco music in Louisiana. Today was an uneventful pleasant riding day. We did 75 miles in record time -5 hours & 15 min... a personal best for the four of us...

When we were at lunch in Independence a couple of days ago, the pastor said we were in Baptist country...not sure if we still are but in the rural area before Sam Houston Natl forest there was this humongus statue of Jesus. At the bottom of the statue were the words "This is our Jesus of East Texas". Very strange as it was in the rural neighborhood of homes and it was facing the hiway. I've also heard a lot of Germans settled here so we see a lot of Methodist churches along with the Baptist churches.

Not much else going on today - Bubba was taking Erica, Mickey, Dawn and I to get manicures and pedicures this afternoon but in a small town they just didn't have enough time or people to do it. We were hoping to do it in Texas as everything is so big in Texas... guess we'll get it done tomorrow in Louisiana...

So one of our pampering items is to have our laundry done... well, someone left a tube of lotion in their pocket and what a mess.. all the clothes came out looking dirtier than when it went in. When I'm finished with this trip - my clothes are going into the garbage.... What's really funny is we are all recognizing everyone elses laundry when we're sorting it out..Crazy!!!

The next 2 or 3 days will be long - 80-85 miles...I'll let you know how it goes.

Coldsprings, TX

What a great 68 mile ride today...rolling hills with ranches, cattle, wildflowers...then we rode through the Sam Houston National Forest - it was so pretty and right in the middle of the forest is a lake....Cagle Lake... it was on both sides of the road... the lake was beautiful and humongus.. did you notice how I use humoungus a lot? Everything is big in texas...

After the ride we stopped at The Hop... I couldn't believe what I -ordered...double burger, fries, ice tea and a chocolate malt...OMG was it good...We had the waitress take our pic..

This afternoon we are all lazing around at the RV park. We seem to have the porch to ourselves which is pretty cool. We have one more day in texas and then we will cross into Louisiana. I have to say I have a different perspective of Texas - the areas we've been in are really pretty and nothing like the area of Odessa and Midland. People are really friendly and helpful and impressed that we are riding across country... so they are even nicer...:-)

Off Day in Navasoto

A group of us took off for College Station and visited Texas A&M today. The campus is huge and really nice and I guess it was lunch time cuz there were hundreds of students everywhere and then when we left - they were all in class. here's a pic of us in the quad where the old campus actually stood...all the buildings look like they have been replaced.
A student stopped and asked if we wanted her to take our pics and so she had 4 or 5 cameras she was working from - just a real nice gal.

We also visited the Bonfire Memorial at the campus. Remember the bonfire that killed 12 people and injured 27 back in 1999. The memorial is so large and takes up a lot of property so I couldn't take a picture. It's beautiful and quite somber. Of the 12 that died they have a column with a pic of the person and notes about or from each one... I had a hard time with this one young man who had sent his mother a very simple note...

We then went to the Bush Library on the campus. It's pretty cool and really interesting. We couldn't be there without visiting the library.

There is a statue of horses leaping over a piece of the berlin wall it's a great interpretation with the horses representing freedom. Pretty Awesome!! Behind the building is a lake with Barbara Bush's rose garden...really pretty!! check them both out....

I hope you enjoyed the pics... it was a fun day with a lunch stop at the firemen's subway shop for a tuna fish sandwich....and now we're all lazing around the Pampered Zone watching the single engine planes landing and taking off. I guessI didn't tell you that our campsite is on the side of the landing strip at the small airport.. You just never know where your campsite is going to be each night....it's all in the adventure.

On another note one of the things I've noticed throughout Texas is how proud these Texans are... there is the star on their homes, mailboxes, gates, cars and anything they can stick the star on. The Texas flag is flown more than the American flag... too much......

Navasoto..

So last nite at Brad's was a lot of fun. Actually last year one of the riders just happened to meet Brad in the town. Brad asked what the route was to Navasoto and the rider told him. Brad told him to have Bubba contact him and he would give him a better and safer route. so that is what happened and he invited bubba to bring his riders this year to his house. What a personable man he is... and what a host. What a beautiful house he has - not my style but really nice!!!

By the way, La Grange is famous for it's Chicken Ranch Brothel... The ""best little whorehouse in texas" broadway play was made from this brothel. they say the owners gave a lot of money to the town and that's probably why they were never closed down. There were also a couple of movies made in this town - one which I can't remember the name - but Brad Pitt was in it!

So anyway, today we did Brad's route and I have to say as far as scenery - this was my favorite ride so far... 70 miles of green pastures, beautiful homes, cattle and rolling hills. I saw some donkeys this time too. It was so beautiful and there is no way you could take a picture... it wouldn't do it any justice.

Bubba asked us to be at 50 miles for lunch that he had someone to describe the area to us. Independence, Tx which was beginning of this whole area. Sam Houston was from here....and still has generations later of his that live here. Anyway, when bubba called the museum to see if we could use the site for lunch...he called back and said yes but this friend of his wanted to do a bbq for us at lunch. It's all about hospitality he said and they fixed bbq ribs, beef brisket, sausage, coldslaw, beans, jambalaya, and green chili bread... talk about hospitality and then they gave us the rest and we are having it for dinner tonite. Pretty cool, heh!!

Tomorrow is our day off.. not a big town so won't be doing much but laying around. We plan on going to Walmart for shopping.

La Grange, Tx

So we finally made it to La Grange...65 miles. On the way we stopped at a texas bbq shack. It's been in the family business for 30 years. The family shortened their church so they could open early to accomodate us. It was good but I'm sure it wasn't as good as Blackies in Lockhart...

You will never guess where we are staying at the home of Brad Cutright. He invited us an we are spending the nite in his very large back yard. Check out his home...

Brad is a "Florensic Architect He takes houses and strips them down to the bare bones and redoes them. He doesn't flip houses. He has quite a business here in this small town of 4500...Brad is the guy standing with the sunglasses. Mike, Judy and Dan are sittin in front. What a nice guy he is...and pretty cool and fun...

It's a cool backyard and all the tents fit and there is still room. His home is contemporary and beautiful inside...

On the way to Navasoto tomorrow and another day off....

Tomorrow

To Fentress, TX

Well, for starters, today was 74 miles of headwinds -the first 45 miles was more roller coaster hills. Now I love those hills but by the 3rd day I was darn tired of them. Then all of a sudden we turned and there was flat roads and fields where you could see off in the distance. It was amazing - just a turn in the road. Very pretty but still those headwinds!! The Texas wildflowers are finally coming out. There's been a delay because of the freeze and drought... but if you could see the fields that had them -absolutely beautiful. Pinks, blues, purples, yellows, rusts, reds - what a wonderful sight. With the headwinds coming at us I just kept looking at the flowers - trying not to think that I could only go 8-9 miles an hour...It was tough for everyone. We all dragged in.

I forgot to tell you all that we took the staff out to dinner in Kerrville. We took them to Margaritas which is like Chevys. It was a lot of fun and we told them it was Dawn's birthday and they did like they do at Chevy's. She was a good sport as she was surprised when they clapped a sombrero on her head and started singing....

I didn't get to the BBQ in Lockhart because it was actually at 60 miles and we only skirted the town. I have no idea where the place was and I was too tired to care at that point but we did pass the courthouse - check it out. A little elaborate don't you think? They say it took only 8 months to build it - a little hard to believe....

I'm tired to nite so this is it... We're on our way to La Grange tomorrow. I understand it has a lot of history...

Blanco, TX

Today we cycled 57 miles to Blanco. We're staying at a beautiful state park. It was another day of great riding roller coaster hills with ranches and farm animals out in the fields. We went through a very cute and small town called Comfort. For some reason I want to say one of the American Idol contestants last year or year before came from Comfort. It had the antique stores and cafes that make it great for tourists. When we arrived at Blanco we had lunch at the Bowling Alley Cafe - it used to be a bowling alley. There is a great area for swimming in the river and some of the guys did playing cannonball....

We are traveling mostly on backroads to avoid traffic. Most of the towns that we go through are very tired and so many of the buildings are boarded up. Without the Railroad and I-10 freeway these small towns have withered away. Kerrville was the largest town we were in since Tuscan. It's really quite sad to see these small towns slowly dying.

Let me tell you about Texas roads. They are all about chipseal (spelling)-and they are lousy and rough. It's amazing when you get to an affluent county - the chipseal road smooths out some. When it's not affluent - the roads are rough and really bumpy! You think you are rattling your brains loose and also the bolts on your bike.

Another thing we've gotten into now.... Humidity!!! I guess we'll have humid weather from now on... not looking forward to that! I feel like I've been in a sauna.. and we're now just getting into it!!!

Tomorrow is another 70 mile day with more roller coaster hills. We go through Lockhart which is the BBQ capital of Texas or the world so the Texan like to say. One of the restaurants was on the Dives and Diners. I think we will be going through too early in the morning for them to be open - will have to wait and see...cuz I would like to try it... will let you know...

Kerrville - the Halfway Mark

We had a great day of cycling 74 miles to Kerrville - the route was fabulous.. really fund roller coaster hills and then cycling the last part along the Guadalupe river. It's the same color as the Pecos river ... what do they put in it to make it that beautiful color.... A great route!

We passed many ranches and the one thing I noticed. The elaborate gates to their ranch. It's almost like a status symbol. Makes me think of the cowboys who where the humongus (spelling) belt buckles. One of the huge ranches we passed was the Faulkner ranch - they say it's about 400,000 acres... you know it's big when you have numbered gates along the way. This is the ranch where Cheney "accidently" shot his friend when they were hunting...

You will not believe this but I saw an all white deer - albino... I couldn't believe it myself. Harry said he saw a deer that was about 8ft tall from hoof to top of antlers...course we asked him what the had been smoking! this was on the Faulkner ranch and part of his exotic animals he keeps there..

Kerrville is halfway to the Atlantic. I can honestly say I never once have asked myself what was I thinking when I signed up. I'm loving it... I like my tent alot - it's my home! I actually think camping is the way to go because you become more of a unit with the others...you don't take off to the motel room and watch tv. The group and the staff are great and we have lots of fun together...we are a small family. Everyone was back last nite and healthy! I can't believe how fast the time is going.

What surprises me are the number of women cycling solo and self supporting across the US. Bubba is a great guy and when we meet up with them they are always welcome to share dinner and the campsite.

On the scenic lookout along the way was a sign posted that read, "Dont' push the cliff campers or swimmers off the edge."

It seems Texans are really proud of their state - everytime you meet one they ask you how you like the "great state of Texas." I never ask tourists in ca how they like our great state.

Today is an off day so a few of us are going in town for lunch and shopping!

On to Utopia

Day before I didn't have any verizon access so didn't post. We cycled that day 72 miles to Garner State Park - named after the former governor of Texas- John Nance Garner. Halfway through the route we started the Texas Hill Country...how sweet it was...green trees, green grass and hills to climb. That nite at camp we stayed by the river and you could hear it running behind us. What amazes me are the stars at nite..it's like lace covering the sky. We don't have that in Alameda. Just about every day we stop at a local diner for lunch... it's always where the towns people go and the food is always delicious... except for this one spot which was the only spot in this small town. I asked for a BLT on toasted wheat and I ended up with white bread that was put in the toaster once (or maybe it was just stale bread)as it wasn't brown. It's amazing what you will eat on the road that you wouldn't normally!

Seminole Canyon Park and Ft Clark Springs

Yesterday was a challenge... 76 miles of hills... long uphills and short downhills but no relief because we had headwinds. Had to pedal all the way down. then it turned hot!!! Out of 13 riders only 6 of us completed the day. then of course, last nite we also had more winds and it was ripping through the tents. To top it all of Judy had heat exhaustion, 2 of guys got sick and Ben (staff) had a kidney stone and ended up in the hospital. So it was a trying day for everyone.

but there was beauty and a great point of interest. Pico River canyon - absolutely beautiful with river running through it.

For lunch, we ate at Judge Roy Bean's museum... remember him? All the criminals had a trial with a monetary fine which Judge Roy Bean pocketed. Here is a pic of the saloon where he held court.

Today's ride was 73 miles with very strong cross winds. the kind that you have to hold onto your handle bars and hope the wind doesn't put you into the ditch. One of the riders was too freaked out to ride it out and so he sagged in....
Tonite we are in Ft Clark Springs... an old Calvary post dating back to the 1800's, Beautiful stone structures that were renovated into paying rooms. No tenting tonite... how lucky are we...

Road to Sanderson

Today was a 55 mile ride with some headwinds and a few inclines. Besides the horizon with the mountains were the buffalo... It was quite cute as we came upon them - a mother took her baby away from us...

Tomorrow is going to be a 77 mile ride with hills (finally) but it is going to be very hot...will let you know how it goes. Remember we are getting into a remote area of Texas so I may not be able to blog for a few days. Not sure what campsite that starts...

I promised you a pic of the "riders in the buff"... so here it is...

Bubba has a friend that is starting a new business making and selling buffs. He gave Bubba a bunch of them for us and so we put them on our heads and he took the pic......(smile)...../we originally were going to wear them in the different styles but they were too hot. How we do amuse ourselves... Tonite we had chicken dinner at the gas station/restaurant in Sanderson. I guess this is quite common in the Texas area.

Big Bend National Park, Tx

We took of this morning for a full day of sightseeing at Big Bend. What a beautful area. I guess I think of parks as having trees and grass somewhere but this park is not like that. It is thousands of acres of vegetation and mountains and rock. no trees and definitely no grass. I took some pics but it doesn't do it justice. Here's a pic of us at the entrance to the park.

We rode down to the Rio Grande River - one side US and the other side Mexico. There is a sign that states that this area is not a legal port of entry and if found crossing the river - we are illegal. course Dawn and Gopher both waded across. The river is way down and very low. I guess the border patrol isn't too worried about illegals crossing at this area as to come from Mexico they have to climb over some very steep high cliffs.

We saw a javeline crossing the road on the road back and I've seen several Road Runners in the last week....

Tomorrow is a 55 mile day on our way to Sanderson. My understanding is that we will be sharing a sight with the trains. I bet we get lots of sleep. I will say the trains run regularly in the South and usually at nite when you're trying to sleep. I'm down at the kitchen area and realized I forgot to load my "riders in the buff" picture. You'll have to wwait until tomorrow....

Marfa Lights

We did see some lights last nite. it was spooky and very intriguing the way they appear, disappear and then reappear again in different area...wow!!! They are so fascinating! The town of Marfa built a viewing stand strictly for people to watch for the lights. They don't appear every nite but sounds like quite often.

Today we are in Marathon, TX and it's quite nice. We are taking a van trip to the Big Bend Mountains tomorrow. It was a 55 mile ride today with some "hills" - I think of them as inclines... I'm sure I will be changing my mind when I get to Utopia and Kerrieville from what it sounds. I also took a pic of the Hotel Gage when Elizabeth Taylor would stay when filming the movies here. This part of Texas is really pretty with mountains arounds.

Today on the road we saw quite a few Prawn Tailed Elk (I think that's what Mike called them). He seems to know all the birds and animals around. Other than that - it's been a few cows, a few coyotes and that's about it. Hopefully we'll see some more animals tomorrow at Big Bend. Tonite it's bbq hamburgers for dinner...last nite roast pork.

A Typical Day of Riding

Igot a request to describe a typical day of riding and what tent life is like.
We usually have coffee around 6 or 6:30 and breakfast at 7 or 7:30. And then we all get ready to ride. We leave camp when we want to - not as a group but when we're ready. Usually Roland and R.O. are the last ones one. Judy, Mike and I are either the first ones or second ones out...
Tent life is fun... I have no problems with it. We have great mattresses and you only need to make sure you are warm through the nights so far. It usually gets down into the 40's. The crew sets are tents up and brings our bags to our tent. They feed us - usually really good food - not gourmet - but good! Some of the riders like their beer after the ride and we all sit around with either, beer, wine or soda... not many drinkers on this ride though. I guess last year everyone drank their share. When your ready - hit the tent to sleep. I'm totally enjoying this whole adventure of mine - from tenting (which I thought might be a challenge) to the riding... I find the riding not as challenging as I thought it would be as it is more flat than hilly. I understand it changes when we get to the Texas hill country. We have sag stops every 18-25 miles with lots to drink and eat. It just depends on the length of the ride... I'm trying to think of what else you might want to know... let me know if I missed anything or anything specific that you would like to know. This is the 2nd post I did today so make sure you read the Marfa Tx post.

Marfa, TX

The road on the way to Marfa today was filled with lots of stuff... It was a 73 mile ride with tailwinds the last 15 miles.

First you should know that this area in Texas has seen a lot of movie sets with many celebreties staying in and around this area. Giant back in the 550's was filmed here plus many other movies - So for that reason, Marfa has a Prada Shoe store - who would have thought that...

On the way to Marfa we stopped at the Library in Valentine - so named because the first railroad stopped there on valentines day. The Travel club in the school was having a fund raiser selling burritos and brownies. We, of course, helped them raise some funds. Awesome burritos and the brownies were full of pecans - to die for....

Here we are in Marfa RV park and you have to see our "outside shower" absolutely an adventurous fun shower. We were cracking up... Steve, Harry and Ted were on their side and I was trying to take a shower on my side and we were hysterical... It is so open that when the wind blows it can be not only cold on you but the water is going away from you...you only need to see the pic to understand.

Tonite after dark we are going to see the strange lights that appear in Marfa. They say they cannot be explained and they've been showing up for years... pretty spooky... could be aliens!!! Will let you know tomorrow nite.

Van Horn, Tx

Well, there is one thing I can say about Texas so far... TREES!!!

I thought this picture was pretty cute. We all came in from the 75 mile ride to Van Horn, took showers and were hanging out in the only shade we had....
I call it the Rogue Gallery!....

Van Horn was a railroad town - a stop off at one time for the stagecoach. It's a nice little town with a large Dairy Queen...where a bunch of us went. Hot fudge sunday for me!!!

Fort Hancock

This was a 75 mile ride -flat and fast.... not much to this town except this is where they filmed part of the Shawshank Redemption. Also, the town was named for this man Hancock who was on the south side of the Civil war and his best friend was on the North side of the war. They fought against each other at Gettysburg.

We tented on the church grounds and our showers were at the school gym. For a small town they had a beautiful school and gym. We went to this small restaurant where they fixed beef brisket for the group. It was excellent and fun and very loud.

Just a reminder I'm in Texas now and Verizon doesn't hit all the areas like AT&T does so if I don't blog - just know it's because I can't.

El Paso, TX

When leaving Columbus this morning I snapped a pic of the old Columbus Jail. Sure would have hated to spend any time there...

Hi ya'll...reporting from the grand state of Texas... It was a great ride today...some tailwinds and mostly flat 75 miles. Saw more Yucca plants. I don't think of stopping to take pics but it reminds me when we were kids laying on the grass looking up at the clouds and reminding us of different images... Here's a pic of the first group to Cross the Rio Grande river.

Dan the runner who was in so much pain at the beginning of the ride... he healed -they moved his bike seat forward. Today he rode with me and Mike. I think he will be in the fast pack by the end of this week. He over analyzes everything and has a hard time making decisions. He is reading about Buddhism and embracing whatever situation you are in at the moment. He's a lot of fun and we all embrace him and his quirkynesses.... Dan is on the far left of the texas pic - he's from Asheville, NC.

Yesterday was Gopher's 29th birthday. We had a great dinner of grilled salmon, baked potatoes and green beans. then we surprised Gopher with a cake and noise makers. He's such a nice guy...he and Erica are expecting their first baby in August. I don't know what Bubba will do without them as they don't really want to continue this lifestyle after the baby is born.

Columus, NM - off day

So today we went to the Pancho Villa Museum...really interesting. In the middle of the nite March 9, 1916, Villa's 485 troops crossed the border and attacked Columbus, NM. There were 70-75 raiders killed, 10 american civilians and 8 US soldiers. They think Pancho was raiding to get supplies as they were not interested in killing the civilians. they have the original car with the bullet holes, a Curtiss JN-3 bi-plane and a armored vehicle and many other artifacts from that time. The place was pretty cool!

We then took a ride to Palomas, Mexico - had lunch. some stayed over to shop but some of us decided to come back. There were federalis at the gates going into Mexico - just the standard process returning to the US. The lunch place was called The Pink Store and of course they had the mariachi band playing to the tables. The town was really clean and I don't think they get many tourists - not much shopping, etc for the tourist.

Here we are at the statue of Pancho Villa in Palomas...

Just some other thoughts that I forgot to write about last nite. yesterday on our 95 mile ride - there are Yucca plants everywhere. they are like a fern growing up with stalks standing upward. It seemed like everyone one of these plants reminded me of something... one was an ostrich, another a laughing face and then there were 2 together and I swear it was 2 old men that looked hunched back walking.. there was also a porcupine... so many images - cracked me up then and still cracks me up but maybe it was all about the 95 miles (smile).

When Mike and I were racing to lunch at the 50 mile mark yesterday - we were both flying... Mike slowed down and said he couldn't keep up with me and I just laughed and said I was trying to keep up with him... we both slowed down - reminds me of an airport in Dallas, heh Marian??

Tomorrow we're on our way to the 4th State - Texas. We'll be in El Paso for the nite - 75 miles...don't know what the terrain will be like - will let you all know. I can't believe it's been 2 weeks on the road already! Time seems to be flying by...

Hey Phil, so glad to hear from you and that you're enjoying my blog...

Columbus, NM

Today was a 95 mile ride to Columbus... it was said to have fantastic tailwinds but the earlier riders like me and Mike didn't get much of them. We had headwinds which weren't bad and cross winds Towards the end of the day we did get our tailwinds though but not very strong. The route was slight inclines throughout the day...

We stopped at a rest stop in Hachita... check it out....

We crossed the Continental Divide somewhere on our route....

A little bit about this town... The mayor and the chief of police have been indited for selling guns and ammo to the drug cartels.. they are in jail as I write. It was quite interesting for us all as the mayor had originally set up the site for our stay here in the gymnasium. Everything was pretty much in the air when Bubba got here this morning as he wasn't sure we still had the site. Well we did - only the pipes had frozen in the gym and we couldn't use it so they opened up the school that no longer is in use. We all have our own classrooms - I'm in Room 12 and I have a sink but no bathroom.. We use the class bathrooms down the hall. We took showers over at this B&B which was a really cute place. The owner of the 3 Salsa restaurant gave us a combination dinner tonite that was excellent. We took up the restaurant! Will write more tomorrow on this place as we are going to the Pancho Villa park and then over to Mexico for lunch. It is safe for an early lunch.

Thanks to all of you for all your comments. I'm loving it!!!

Welcome New Mexico

What a great day for a ride...76 miles with the Chiricahua mountains to the right...Mike made the comment that there were no houses, no cattle, no people but it's all fenced in...crazy!!
We made it to New Mexico... Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We stopped and took a picture of the monument where Geronimo surrended out here in Arizona. For some reason I can't get it to load... sorry!

You will be happy to know that your federal dollars are at work as all we saw on this road was Border Patrol. They are in trucks and on horseback. I guess they did have 7 or 8 standing along side the road cuffed and ready to take to the center (wherever that is). They check to see if they are wanted for anything in the US...if not, they take them back across the border.

Tonite Rick a border patrol captain came over and chatted with us about the job they are doing out here. He said for 1000 illegals they catch, 100,000 get into the US. He also said that it's really not the mexicans that are coming over but illegals from all over the world - China, ecuador, slovakia, etc... not the mexicans.. interesting, heh?!!?? He also said that in years past it was the mexicans coming over to get a job but now it is all about the criminal aspect-Drugs! He was saying how they have these ultra lite planes with the load under the belly and they have prearranged drop spots and they drop it so the Border Patrol can never catch them.

There was a sign outside Douglas, Az that said "Trade Policy" Drugs in, $$$ Billions out!!!

We are staying at Mountain Valley RV place. The proprieter is DiAnne who I think might be lonely sometimes but very very nice! RV parks can be a real wonder as to what you are going to get or not get.... We have one tiny shower and one bathroom for the group of us... somehow we make it work.

As I ride along I always think of the things I'm going to write on my blog and then when I start writing I forget most of it.... like in Catalina State Park - the coyotes that first nite...you could hear them on one side and then others answered them. Maybe they were warning the others of the big wind storm we were going to have..

Rand is having a lot of trouble with his medical issues. I hope he can continue riding. His wife has flown in from Virginia and will travel with him to El Paso...not sure what they plan on doing after that. They will be staying in motels along the way. Phil and Lora are also getting tired of the camping...they are staying in a motel also tonite... me? I don't care - it's all about the adventure!!!