May 31 Day 18 Guyman to Liberal, KS

We must be in Kansas...at the moment we are under a tornado watch and experiencing a severe thunderstorm. Exciting! Earlier a troop of tornado chasers motored through town.

The ride today was a piece of cake... 40 miles, flat, and 20 mph tail wind. We slept in , got up late, and cruised into Liberal in two hours. Tomorrow will be more of a challenge...83 miles and a forecast head wind.

We did our fifth border crossing. A high point was the Wizard of Oz Museum, next door to the motel. A group of us got to meet Dorothy and got a guided tour of the movie set by her. The museum was well done, but Dorothy was so cheesy, she was a hoot. This poor sixteen year old was dressed up in period cloths and pigtails, and was mortified when eight of us wanted our pictures with here and had endless questions about the Wizard of Oz. We all had a great laugh.

My brother-in-law and his wife, Bob and Jean, drove down from Garden City and gave Terry, Ian, and myself a tour of Liberal and took us to dinner at the Cattleman's. It was great to visit with them.

Stats: 40 miles, 20 mph avg speed, 300' climbing, 55 - 75 deg, 15 mph tail wind.

May 30 Day 17 Dalhart to Guyman, OK

Another day and another state...the fourth. The wind really blows in Oklahoma! After a fantastic day yesterday, we got up to cool temps and a strong wind out of the north. We had a 73 mile ride to the NE...big time head winds. It was flat as a pancake with only 200' of climbing. I survived by getting in a pace line of six and spending over 4 1/2 hours grinding out the miles while looking at a back tire in front of me, when I wasn't leading. Bumber! Really glad this day is over. A number of riders decided it was just too much work and got a van ride into town along the route.

Frank, who just recovered from a knee injury, got up this morning with a tooth ache. We have five doctors and no dentist. He got driven to Guyman and spent the morning having a root canal. Hopefully the ride will settle down for him now.

We also experienced our first injury from a fall. Dave and Richard were finishing up their ride and when Richard braked and Dave didn't see it. Dave hit the bike and fell on his face. OUCH! He hopes to be on the road tomorrow, but will surely get the stares from the locals.

A great treat we had today was from a couple from Oklahoma that had done the ride some years ago, who had drinks and brownies for us at one SAG, and beer and wine at the end of the ride. It was a class touch for a hard day.

Tomorrow is a short 40 mile ride to Liberal, KS. We are almost in Kansas and the Wizard of Oz Museum!

Stats: 73 miles, 14.7 mph avg, 15-25 mph head winds, Temps 55- 70 deg, 200' climbing.

May 29 Day 16 Tucumcari to Dalhart, TX

May 29 Day 16 Tucumcari to Dalhart, TX

Another state crossing and we're into big country. Today was supposed to be a recovery day, but we had a tail wind most of the morning and good roads, so I went for a personal record century...and did it...100 miles in 4:45 and a 21 mph avg! Century number 21.

What can we say about Dalhart, TX...the feed lot capital of the world. Several of the ladies are vegetarians and had to ride several miles through the down wind of these huge feed lots. One tried to hold her breath with only limited success. The other said she was traumatized and felt ill after seeing the thousands of cattle penned up (she quickly recovered over lunch after a salad and Fat Tire beer). We also noted a big sign on the resturant door that said only licensed fire arms were allowed inside...what a relief!

I talked to Harry, from Boston, on the road this morning, and ask him if it were true that he had run 20 Boston Marathons. He said that not only had he done 20, but they were twenty consecutive marathons. Again I am humbled.

I also rode with Frank for 50 miles, who had hurt his knee after falling through a cattle guard. He was strong and did well, but is dealing with saddle sores. Randy gave us a vivid description of his saddle sores, which he said is black and yellow, and looks like hamburger. He consulted with the docs and is grounded until it heals up.

Twenty miles out of Tucumcari, we came across a guy dressed in a tux walking down the highway. Terry pulled over visited with a him, who is named Antonio, and is walking from San Diego to Washington DC to visit Pres Bush. His message is "Wake Up America", we need to be spending money on cancer research and not Iraq. He has no money and is successfully living on the generosity of people along the way. Again I feel humble comparing my journey to his.

We are starting to see more wildlife along the road. One of the locals at the resturant warned me to stay away from the ditches because the rattle snakes were out. He also warned us to watch out for severe weather, and if it hits to take cover. The tour director said if there is no cover (which is almost always) then we were to go lay down in a ditch. Help!!

Stats: 100 miles ( including 4 extra), 4:45, 21 mph avg, 1500' climbing, 10-20 mph tail winds, temps 60 - 80 deg.

May 28 Day 15 Las Vegas to Tucumcari, NM

We passed the 1000 mile mark today and are 1/3 of the way to Boston!!!

Here is Ian showing off his Sahara Desert biking outfit. He is so bright you have to wear sun glasses with him.

One of the East NM canyons we rode through. You can see into Texas.

May 28 Day 15 Las Vegas to Tucumcari, NM

Today was Monday, so it must be race day! This route was 110 miles through desolate grass lands and valleys of Eastern NM...the views were spectacular! Century number 20 for me! It was all county roads where we only had a vehicle passing every half hour, and no services for 76 miles.

It was a perfect sunny day with light cross winds and temps starting at 50 deg and warming to 82. Since this was billed as the second hardest ride, many of us decided to work together and knock it out. We started with 12, and by the first SAG there were 10 at the second SAG, and eight at the third. At the 67 mile point the three veteran Jim's decided we needed to race, so we had a race up a .7 mile hill called the wall. I took 4th. Then they decided we should race the next 9 miles to the SAG. I managed to take second on that, but it was not a good strategic move. When we reassembled and started riding in to Tucumcari, I bonked at the 99 mile point while climbing a hill. I must have dehydrated because my legs started cramping. The remainder of the group, being merciless, left me and I limped into town, finishing 7th. I guess there is a lesson somewhere, but it was fun. I hope I don't pay a price tomorrow.

Another news flash. At dinner, last night, I learned from one of our Iron Man women competitors, that to get the best times, one does not stop to relieve themselves. While biking, you just go in your shorts and after some minutes, they are dry. This is the kind of insights you never read in a book. So now I know what to do if I am desperate to save a minute!

Tomorrow is Dalhart, TX... 96 miles and another possible century. Hopefully the winds will be with us, but we'll sprinkle some Pacific sand at the state line to help.

Stats: 109 miles, 4500' climbing, 18.7 mph avg, 40.1 mph max, 10-20 mph cross winds, 50-82 deg temps.

May 27 Day 14 Santa Fe to Las Vegas, NM

Today was a perfect spring day for cruising through the Pecos Wilderness. The sky was clear, temps cool, and winds light. We had to do about 5000' of climbing, and crested our highest point of the tour, Glorieta Pass at 7500'. We only had 5 miles of I-25 riding, which was easy on Sunday morning. We are now finished with Interstate Highway biking after a reported 300 miles of it!

I ran with the leaders for the first 20 miles and felt great. However, riding fast doesn't give you much opportunity to visit or sight see. Outside of Pecos I had flat number 4. After that I backed off and cruised with several friends. We had an unusual SAG stop at a country bar that was open Sunday morning and had a dirt floor.

The last 30 miles I rode with Ian, and we watched the clear sky turn cloudy and then black. We decided to race in to Las Vegas and try and beat the thunderstorm...we were close, but didn't make it. First we took refuge at a couple of farm homes four miles outside of town. Thank goodness the Rottweilers were friendly. The rain let up after 15 minutes and we were off again, but two miles out it started pouring again and we took refuge in a country church. A kind lady took us in and after visiting for 15 minutes, she said she would pray for our successful journey, and we were off again. A mile out of town we got caught in another downpour and took refuge under an overpass, with three local bikers and we got to visit. After that, Ian and I sought out a restaurant, where we waited out the remainder of the showers over a bowl of hot green chili.

Tomorrow is the second longest ride, 108 miles over remote country roads, to Tucumcari.

Stats: 75 miles, 16 mph avg, 5000' climbing, light winds, temps 55 - 70 deg.

May 26 Santa Fe Day of Rest

We had our second welcome day of rest in two weeks, and got to sleep past 6:00 am. I got my cloths washed and bike tuned up. Terry decided, again, that he wasn't getting enough excerise, so did an hour run at 6:00 am.

Last night six of us rode the bus into the Santa Fe Plaza for a farewell dinner at La Fonda for Boris of Chicago, who had to leave (32 of the 42 that started in LA are planned to finish in Boston). We had a grand dinner and enjoyed Alien Beer from Roswell, NM. On the bus ride we met some colorful locals. One in particular, a Navajo we called Chief Red Hat, took a liking to us and in the end proposed to Kim, one of the lady bikers. I know it was the highlight of her evening.

We feel rested and ready for nine days of riding before we reach Abilene, KS, the third rest stop and 1500 mile point. We have only reached 900 miles out of 3400. This is really a big country we live in!

May 25 Day 13 Albuquerque to Santa Fe

Today was a picturesque ride down the Turquoise Trail on a beautiful NM day. After two weeks of riding, biking 68 miles and climbing 5500' didn't feel too hard. We must be finding our biking legs and toughening our butts.

The hardest part of the ride was the first 17 miles, riding uphill on Central Ave and then through the Tejaris Canyon into a 25 mph canyon head wind. We rode by Four Hills, the old neighborhood, but between the rush hour traffic and strong head wind, I didn't get to do much sightseeing. What I did see looked about the same as when we left seven years ago, this month.

The Turquoise Trail was a great biker's road, with little traffic, endless views, and two ghost towns. Overall, the weather was great...several hours after I got into Santa Fe, the sky turned black and we had torrential thunder storm. Again, I am grateful not to be camping.

Tomorrow is a much welcome rest day for washing three days of riding cloths and servicing the bike. Tonight we go to the Plaza for a local beer and say farewell to Boris, our colorful connection with George W Bush.

Stats: 68 miles, 15 mph avg speed, 5500' climbing, 64 - 70 deg.

May 24 Day 12 Grants to Albuquerque

We got up to a beautiful New Mexico morning where it was clear, cool, and light winds. The desert was green and flowers in bloom along the road.

In one of the little communities along old Route 66 we got chased by a big dog, which seemed to be good sport as the group of five of us raced to make sure we were not last in line for the dog to get. Later, Jeff, the 80 year old, biked by and he got tangled up with the dog. He took a fall, and skinned up his arm and leg (the dog took off). The biking docs fixed him up and he thinks he will be good to go tomorrow.

Another challenging part was a 35 miles of I -40 we had to ride. A five mile section was under construction with both lanes of traffic squashed into the east bound lanes. Our normal 8' shoulder with a rumble strip was down to two feet and no rumble strip. At least the trucks were only going 45 mph instead of 75 mph. It was unnerving, but with care we all got through. Some people elected to stop and be SAGed through. We are almost done with interstate highway travel.

After we got into Albuquerque, Terry and I got to have drink and trade stories with some long time friends, Dee and Ruth Friesen. We had a great meat meal at Applebee's, which was a welcome relief from pasta of the past two nights.

Tomorrow is down the Turquoise Trail to Santa Fe.

Stats: 80 miles, 2500' climbing, 15.7 mph avg, temp 40 - 70 deg, 5-15 mph head winds.

May 23 Day 11 Gallup to Grants NM

It is hard to believe we were in scorching desert our first week. This morning we got up to 44 deg temps, rain, and 15 mph headwinds. Most folks didn't have winter cloths or rain gear, so it was lots of layers. I had on arm and leg warmers, two jerseys and two jackets. Terry loaned me a pair of winter gloves. We also had shower caps over our helmets...quite a sight.

What an awful morning! A group of struggled through Gallup in the rain at 11 mph, and I got a flat before we left town. What a start. The rain stopped after an hour and the wind swung to the side, so that helped a bunch. After two hours we were getting a quartering 30 mph tail wind. It was a life saver. We arrived in town windblown and covered in dirt.

Conditions were so bad that a hand full of folks decided to shuttle in. At dinner tonight, Joc a doctor from Guatemala, said he looked at the faces of the bikers as he being driven out of town and he said all he saw was anguish, and he knew he made the right decision.

Frank from Salt Lake, one of guys I was riding with yesterday, decided to walk his bike over a cattle guard instead of riding when we stopped at a SAG. His foot slipped and he fell through, hurting his knee. He shrugged it off and we rode on for several hours. Last night his knee locked up and he couldn't ride today. The good news is that he has five doctors tending to him, but he doesn't know when he will be able to ride, and is disappointed.

Tomorrow we are off to Albuquerque, where the forecast is afternoon showers.

Stats: 68 miles, 1500' climbing, 16 mph avg speed, temps 44 - 70 deg, 15 - 30 mph head/ crossing tail winds, early rain. Flat number 3.

May 22 Day 10 Holbrook to Gallup NM

A day of flying down I- 40. I said goodbye to Sandra for another two weeks and got on the interstate highway, peddling hard with the morning sun in my face, and not quitting until it was overhead. The winds were 15 - 25 mph to our backs, we climbed 2500', and temps were in the 60s. I managed to do the 87 miles in just over four hours, averaging 21 mph. This is the way to travel! We did note that if we were going the other way, it could have been a hard 10 hour day. As usual, this started out to be an easy day and evolved into a race for some - I couldn't resist and arrived 7th overall.

We stopped at our second border crossing and sprinkled Pacific beach sand at the base to ensure continue favorable winds. Tomorrow should be an easy 60 miles to Grants.

Stats: 87 miles, 21 mph avg, 2500' climbing, temps 50 - 70 deg, 15 - 25 tail winds. It doesn't get better than this!

May 21 Day 9 Flagstaff to Holbrook AZ

A few pics from the day's ride: Standing on the corner in Winslow Arizona (from hit Eagles song); watching a 100 car Army troop taking equipment to the port; the Wigwam Motel, where my sister and I spent the night in the '50s.

May 21 Day 9 Flagstaff to Holbrook AZ

The wind gods were with us today with 25 mph quartering tail/cross winds. We started out at 7:15 with temps about 40 deg, so today we had to wear jackets. After getting lost in Flagstaff for a half hour because of construction, we got out on I-40 and cruised most of 100 miles. There were times dust and tumbleweed blew across the interstate, but we flew. Today, when I checked the speedometer it seemed like we spending a lot of time going 25 mph on the flat. I finished my 19th century, and fastest, averaging 19mph and peddling 5 1/4 hours. It is good to have that behind us. Sandra will be joining me tonight in Holbrook, and I can pass off my desert gear. Then she will be making her way to Kansas. Tomorrow is a 95 mile day to Gallup, NM. Then we will start asking "are we in Kansas yet."

Stats: 100 miles (cruised several miles around town to reach it), 19 mph avg speed, 20-30 mph quartering/cross winds, temps 40 -84 deg.

May 20 Day 8 Flagstaff Rest Day

A welcome rest day to service the bike, wash cloths, and rest for a near century tomorrow. Most were tired from the previous week. It was also a day to sleep in, but habits are hard to break...most were up at 6:00 am. Terry was also up at 6:00 and decided he was not getting enough exercise, so went off for a one hour run around town. Go figure!

This was also an opportunity to meet my fellow bikers and trade stories over a beer. Kim, one of the women, told us that over her athletic career, she had competed in 115 triathlons! Ian, the Brit, told us he started out as a guitarists with a rock band in the 1960s in Manchester, and then switched to bike racing centuries where he completed one in just over four hours, and did a 12 hour race where he covered 228 miles! Terry and I were wondering what we were doing in this group! Then there was Boris, a veteran cross country rider, who graduated from Harvard Business School in 1975 with George W Bush (who he was unimpressed with).

I have another 40 stories to go. I'm just an ordinary retired guy biking cross country!

Now for a flash back. In 1956 my parents took my sister and I to Flagstaff to visit a memorial to the 128 people killed in a TWA/UAL midair collision over the Grand Canyon - the worst aviation accident then. Here is a pic of the memorial, a mile down the road from the hotel. It is amazing what impressionable children remember. Kim and here brother Scott (the German also biking with us) said their parents drove them to the Grand Canyon in a motor home and tied them to the roof as they drove around the canyon tosee the sights.

Yep, this trip is turning out to be stranger than fiction.

May 19 Day 7 Cottonwood to Flagstaff

Standing on the cliff wall overlooking Oak Creek Canyon. A lady tourist ask to stand by me and have her husband take a picture to prove that she had truly met some crazy bikers going from LA to Boston.

May 19 Day 7 Cottonwood to Flagstaff

This was the ultimate day of biking - cool temperatures, calm, and breathtaking scenery. It was one of our shorter days, although a huge climb day of about 7000'.

We rode from Cottonwood up a steady climb through high desert with bright red rocks in the background to Sedona, where we stopped at a bakery and had a coffee. It was a great break just taking in the sights of downtown Sedona. Then we started the ride and climb out through Oak Creek Canyon. It was a magnificent ride along the creek and down in the bottom of a thousand foot deep canyon. There was lots of weekend traffic and the road was somewhat narrow, but all the cars drove slow and gave the bikers plenty of room. At the end of the canyon we did the thousand foot climb with lots of switchbacks out to the top of the canyon, and it was exhilarating. At the top we were met by our SAG and a large Indian market underway. All of us were quite the curiosity of the tourists, who can't believe we would be biking coast-to-coast.

Flagstaff was an easy cruise, where it is 7000' high and cool temps. Now it is time to get out the jackets and warm cloths.

Sunday is a rest day and an opportunity to clean the bike and do wash, before we start spinning out the big distances over Route 66.

Stats: 47 miles, 11.5 mph avg, 7000' climbing, temps 60 - 70 deg, winds calm.

May 18 Day 6 Prescott to Cottonwood

May 18 Day 6 Prescott to Cottonwood

Today was a fun day, riding only 45 miles to Cottonwood and climbing 2600'. Since the ride day was relatively short, Tracy let us sleep in an hour and hit the road at 8:15.

I woke up at 6:00 and went down to the lobby for coffee, only to find most of the bikers were already eating breakfast. Some of them said they were so tired from the previous day's climbing the were in bed asleep at 9:00 pm.

We agreed to have a leisurely ride and have a long lunch in Jerome, because we couldn't get into our rooms before 1:30. Prescott has a beautiful old down town and lots of new construction on the outskirts. No sooner than we got out into the country than my riding group charged by and I had to join for another day of racing. So much for an easy day. The ride up to Mingus Pass was 2000' of climbing through Ponderosa forest with perfect weather. We had a break at the 7000' pass and flew down the mountain to Jerome.

At Jerome we had an hour lunch at the Jerome Hotel where they specialized in haunted hamburgers. We got lots of stares from customers, but find the motorcyclist want to chat with us. Everyone inhaled their lunch and then it was down to street to the English Kitchen for world famous pie. The best part of this long distance biking is we get to up our calories to 6000 a day.

The lunch talk centered on who had the biggest saddle sores and how to treat them. One of our doctors recommended putting a banana in your shorts. He is a retired heart surgon, so what does he know.

Tonight we are bedded down at the Cottonwood Best Western, next to the best Mexican restaurant in town, where Sandra and I eat when we visit her cousin. Tracy has us go across the street to the Sizzler where we can have a buffet. Forty of us thin bikers piled into the place to chow down and found the folks staring at us are huge 300 -400 pounds. This is a big deal for Terry, who is noting which restaurants across America have the biggest customers, so he can warn Canadians when he returns to Alberta.

Stats: 45 miles, 13.7 avg mph, 2600' climbing, 3 1/4 hours riding, 40 mph max speed.

May 17 Day 5 Wickenburg to Prescott

We finally got out of the hot desert and into the cooler mountains... in the heart of dude ranch country. This was a much more civilized day of biking, although we had co climb 6800' over 60 miles. The temps were more reasonable and the scenery through the mountains was out of a postcard. I even got to jettson my camel back to lighten the load.

I started out easy with Terry and some biking companions. It seemed like I spent most of the morning in low gear, grinding up a cliff face, going 7 mph. Half way we stopped for a coke and ice cream, and I got a big boost. Next thing I knew was I was taking on the mountain and reeling in the faster bikers. I managed to cruise by a group of three guys who had been priding themselves on being the first into the motel the past four days. Five miles out of Prescott I even ran into a rain shower. What a relief. I finished fourth overall for the day. Tomorrow is a short day, so we get an extra hour of sleep and sight see Jerome, on the way to Cottonwood.

Stats: 60 miles, 6800' climb, 12.6 avg mph, temps 70 - 86 deg.

May 16 Day 4 Blythe to Wickenburg

Wow! We finally did the ride from hell. Thank goodness that is behind us! Century 18 for me.

We had our first state crossing and did the ceremonial sprinkling of Pacific Ocean sand at base of the welcome sign to appease the wind gods. It didn't work today.

This was 115 miles through really desolate Mojave Desert. Temps topped out at 98 deg(104 on the road) and we sun was intense. Most of the day we had to fight a 20 mph crossing head wind and climb about 3000'. Several times we formed a pace line, only to find it fall apart after half an hour and I was riding alone. It seemed like I spent much of the day looking down at the speedometer, when I was maxed out, only to see I was only going 13.5 mph. I kept grinding away and the miles added up. I also kept hydrated by drinking every ten minutes, and taking a break after an hour. I was the eighth person to arrive in Wickenburg...half of the group had to be SAGed in, including my roommate, Terry. All were fit, but had trouble with the heat and wind.

One unusual aspect was part of the road outside Wickenburg was oiled today. A couple of people tested it and got their bikes gummed up with tar, before turning back. The tour director decided to shuttle us over the fresh tar and let us pick up the ride on the dry side. A hand full of riders decided this would violate the claim that they ride every inch of the route and pressed through it. They spent several hours cleaning tar off their bikes... and themselves. Yuck. I took the shuttle and have no regrets.

Tomorrow we climb 7800' on our way to Prescott.

Stats: 115 miles(102 actual), 15.8 mph, 70-98 deg, 20 mph crossing head wind, 3000' climbing.

May 15 Day 3 Indio to Blythe

Blythe, CA, the arm pit of Southern California, as the visitors affectionly call the town.

I completed century number 17...and what a tough one. Just before we got started I filled my tires and had a blowout. What an exciting way to start the morning. Pat, the mechanic from Hawaii, was there in a minute and put a new tire on. He figured the old one must have gotten pinched.

Terry and I had a dozen folks who wanted to ride with us and we all headed out of town together at 7:00 am for I-10. There are no secondary roads, so today we had to do most of the riding down the interstate.

Seven miles out of town we had to do a 10 mile climb and when I looked back there was only four of us together. What a tough climb in still 80 deg air with the sun in your face. At 20 miles I got together with the Brit, German, and nurse from Scottsdale and we were in a pace line the rest of the day. At the 50 mile point we had hot temps and a 20 mph crossing head wind to contend with, so the pace line was a life saver. The interstate felt safe, but was littered with blown out tires. I had a flat and the Brit had a flat we had to fix on the road. Everyone was tired, so the breaks were welcome. About a third of the group had flats from the steel wires in the steel belted truck tires.

Tracy, the tour director, said the only way to survive the desert heat is to continuously drink, and douse yourself with water. I for the day I drank three 60 oz camel back of Gadorade and water, and still arrived parched. Tomorrow I will have to concentrate on drinking more.

I was the sixth person to sign in at the motel, so did well. It was memorable, but the view was mostly the back of someones tire or leading and watching the road for debris.

Summary: 101 miles, 2500' climbing, 16.7 mph avg speed, 7 hours in the saddle, temps 70 - 102 deg.

May 14 Day 2 Riverside to Indio

Day two got tougher as we went from Riverside to Indio (next to Palm Springs). I rode with a group of six and when we were not visiting, we were working a pace line. That made the time fly and helped with the effort.

We had several long climbs out of the LA valley that were grueling, but temps were moderate. We flew down the back side into the Imperial Valley, until we hit the outskirts of Palm Springs. Then it got hot and the winds blew in our face. I drank four bottles of water, but they were not enough. The lesson tomorrow is to drink more and replace the electrolites. The sun is really birght and we are learning to use lots of sun block and keep covered. I am not used to riding in hot weather mid-day.

85 miles, 16.5 mph avg, 5 1/3 hours in the saddle, 3700' climbing, 60 - 100 deg temps, 20 mph head wind.

May 13 Day 1 LA to Riverside

May 13 Day 1 LA to Riverside

We're off and running! This morning 43 of us biked as a group down to Manhattan Beach, where we took our bikes out to water's edge and had a tire dipping ceremony. After that was the group picture, and we were off. Next stop was Riverside, which was 79 miles down the road.

Los Angeles was a tough ride because of all the stop lights (stop signs are optional). We must have gone through 100, which is hard to get a rhythm going. After several miles, Terry and I naturally formed up with a group of eight that were about the same speed and we took turns reading the cue sheet and leading the group. Early Sunday morning the traffic was light, but the restaurants were packed because of Mother's Day.

We finished averaging 15.1 mph in light winds were in the saddle 5 1/4 hours, and climbed 2500'. I finished feeling strong and in the top third. Everyone finished and there were few problems.

Tomorrow we climb out of the valley and go to Palm Springs where it will be about 100 deg.

May 12 Los Angeles

This morning Sandra and I had a farewell breakfast, and she was off to Las Vegas with her handy GPS.

Terry invited me out to a second breakfast with his friend, Ken and his wife Judy, a fellow petroleum engineer he had worked with in Alberta. It was interesting listening to stories of how to get rich in the oil business.

Terry and I then did a bike ride out to the beach, where we rode down the bike path to Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach. The weather was beautiful and there were lots of surfers, beach volley ball games, and bikers. We had to be vigilant with so many bikers on the trail.

This afternoon we had a two hour briefing by the Cross Roads owner and tour director, Tracy, who is a high energy young woman from Connecticut. Our group consists of 42 bikers, of which 12 are women, four are foreign (Canada, UK, Germany, and Guatemala) and six veterans from previous rides. Looks like a great, compatible group.

Tomorrow we are up at 5:30 am and off on a 79 mile ride to Riverside, after a Pacific Ocean tire dipping ceremony.

May 11 Day -1

Sandra drove Terry and I from Las Vegas to Los Angeles for the start of the cross country ride. We checked in and went out to Venice Beach for an early Mother's Day dinner, where we watched the colorful people stroll by and saw the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. A great evening!

May 9 Day - 3

Terry, my friend from last summer's three week Pacific Cost ride, and room mate for this summer's cross country, arrived in Las Vegas from Calgary last night. We went for a 50 mile ride through Red Rock Canyon with the biking club. Terry had not been on his bike since we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge together in Sept, last year. He did well, after a winter of running, spinning, and lifting weights. He did look a little white.

We'll do one more club ride and Sandra will take us to Los Angeles to start the cross country ride.

May 4 Day - 7

The Las Vegas Tour de Fire. This was a double century at Lake Mead, from Boulder Beach to Valley of Fire - a total of 124 miles, 9500' elevation gain, and a windy day. This was a grueling ride that started out with several hundred riders, but only 40 who went the long distance. Since this was an especially challenging course, most riders were teams of young hammer heads, so I wound up riding back alone at the back of the pack. Many of the hills were rolling, but all turned out to be a grind going into a head wind.

I was eight hours in the saddle and averaged 15 mph. I felt good, but was tired at the end.

196 miles for the week and two spinning classes. I am ready for the cross country ride next week!