One More Adventure!

Well the fun never ends. After getting to the Jacksonville airport on Friday, 6 hours before my flight home was to depart, I found out that my flight was going to be late taking off due to bad weather in Newark. That meant that I might not make my connecting flight in Houston that was to take me in to Seattle, where Dan would be waiting to take me home to my own bed. After discussing with the ticket agent at the gate my options (basically none!), I decided just to try to get into Houston and hope that my connecting flight would be late so that I could have time to get on it. Not to be. My flight from Jacksonville arrived in Houston at 9:03 and the flight out of Houston going to Settle left at 9:05. Even though I literally sprinted from one gate to the next, there was no way I could get on that flight, and no other flights going out to Seattle that night.

So, do I sleep in the airport or head for a hotel? That's when I met two delightful young ladies who were in the same predicament. We decided that the best option was to share a room, split the cost and catch the earliest flight to Seattle in the morning. So, we got an airport discount on a very nice room at the Sheraton hotel, caught a shuttle to the hotel and checked in with no luggage. I thought it was very funny that after sharing a room every night for 2 months with a different person, now I was sharing a room with two ladies I had never met before. We all hit it off just fine, and made the best of our mutual bad luck. After sleeping in our clothes, we got up and went to breakfast and then headed for the airport. Jena and Orlaith were wonderful room mates, and we all had an uneventful trip into Seattle.

It was wonderful having Dan greet me at the airport. He met me at the baggage claim area with a balloon bouquet with mylar balloons saying "Congratulations", and "You Did It". The funny part was that he also had some regular balloons that were looking quite droopy, barely floating above the floor. We had a good laugh when he told me that they had looked great last night--and had lost air during the night when I missed my flight! It was still a wonderful welcome home! Yeah! I get to sleep in my own bed tonight!

Finale in St. Augustine! May 1, 2008

Our final day of riding began with lots of nervous jitters. It was hard to believe that our last day of riding had actually arrived and that we were within 45 miles of reaching our goal. I was also riding on a patched tube on the back tire and didn't want to have a flat on the last day, ---or fall, ---or get lost, ---or be late arriving at the fire station, ---or a million other needless worries.

The ride itself was beautiful. It wound along back farm roads and quiet little communities. We had to keep telling ourselves to slow down, take a deep breath (famous Michelle words), and not rush through these last miles with our friends.

We arrived at the St. Augustine fire house, where we assembled for the final five miles in to the beach with a police escort. We arranged ourselves in two's, with the oldest riders leading the way, and the younger riders in back. Would you believe I was actually one of the middle ager riders, since there were quite a number of 60 to 68 year olds in our group. We all rode in together the final five miles. We were quite a site as we wound through the streets of St. Augustine, whooping it up, and waving to the curious onlookers. We crossed the Bridge of Lions and headed in to Anastacia Beach, where family and friends had gathered to welcome and congratulate the riders. It was surreal. Although I didn't have family or friends there to meet me at the finish, I knew my family was cheering me on toward this goal. When we got to the beach, I headed straight fo the water, and lifted my bike over my head in celebration of reaching the finish line. Since I was a SAG driver, I didn't bike all the miles, but I biked about 2400 of the 3100 miles. I was told that we climbed a total of 76,000 feet in elevation over the course of the trip. I rode with an incredible group of ladies! Every one made it in to the final destination in spite of minor misshaps along the way. Our celebration included a wonderful lunch at the beach before heading off to pack bikes for shipping home.

We said our goodbyes at dinner time. It was sad to see this trip end, but each of us realizes that it is time to return to our real lives, forever changed by the friends we have made, and the achievement we have accomplished together. I was looking forward to this being my last night in a hotel bed for a long while!

Rest Day in Wakulla Springs

It was wonderful to have a rest day. Some of us don't know the meaning of rest and opted to kayak for four hours on the Wakulla River. It was so peaceful and beautiful, looking like a picture postcard of Florida. Our efforts were rewarded with sightings of alligators (some very close up), manatee (an endangered specie), turtles, and a huge variety of birds. It was our last rest day and Ellen, Mary, Hanna and I mused about what we would each be doing a week from now. I am sure I won't forget this day.

Today (Monday) we biked 53 miles to Perry, Florida. It was a rainy day so we all just put our heads down and peddled as hard as we could for the hotel. After arriving, the weather cleared up nicely, then another storm cloud moved in and dumped all over again. Tonight we will eat our meal indoors to stay out of the rain.

Wakulla Springs Ride on Saturday

Greetings from Wakulla Springs, Florida. Today's ride took us along some very fast, fun rodes along SR 267 in Florida. After the first SAG stop, Hanna, Mary and I took off toward the State Park that was an option on our ride today. We had fun as Hanna pushed the pace, and we fell into a pace line, "peleton style". Sue tried to catch us and came close, but never could because of the advantage we had of drafting. It made for some great laughs at the next stop as Sue came up panting hard from her efforts.

Our ride had the option today of going to Wakulla Springs State Park. This was a wonderful park that had a 45 minute boat ride where we saw lots of alligators, turtles, fish, and birds. The boat looked a lot like the boats in the Jungle Ride at Disneyland--and it was a lot like it, only real! I kept expecting to see the hippopotamas come up to attack us! Ha! Others took advantage of the opportunity to swim in the COLD spring waters, and jump from the high dive. Since it was a short ride today we had lots of time to play.

I should tell you, too, that I have now had my second and third flat on the road today. My first flat on the road came a few days back as I was almost into Florida. Then today my tire was flat when I got off the boat ride. I replaced the tube with my spare, which had been patched earlier. Later, I hit a rock and the patch didn't hold because it was so warm. I have been told that they don't bother to patch tires here for that very reason--they don't hold in the heat!

Tomorrow is a layover day--the last of our trip. We have just four riding days left. It's hard to believe the ride is almost over, and I keep asking myself if I really rode my bike all the way from San Diego to here. It's a funny feeling. I'm looking forward to being home next Friday night. I will try to get my pictures sorted and posted as soon as I can after getting home.

Update from Florida!

Greetings from Florida!
It's been a while since I have been able to update my blog, so let me catch you up on where I've been and a few of the highlights. We were only in Mississippi a few days, and then on Sunday, the 20th, we rode to Dauphin Island, Alabama. It is a beautiful resort-type of Island, and it made a wonderful place for a rest day. The big event in riding there was crossing over a humongus bridge, 3 and a half miles long, and very high. Our efforts were rewarded by getting to stay at some beautiful condos on the beach. I had my first swim in the Gulf of Mexico, and was surprised by how warm the water was. The next morning I went to the Audubon Bird Sanctuary where I saw lots of wildlife, including a gator!
On Tuesday we rode to Pensacola, Florida. It's my first time to be in Florida and I was very excited about it! The beaches were beautiful, with blue-green water, and beautiful white sand. After a lunch stop, several of us went to the Pensacola Naval Air Museum, home of the Blue Angels. We saw a great IMAX movie on fighter jets, and then spent a few minutes trying to see the Museum. There was far more to see than we could possibly take in, and it was frustrating not to be able to spend a few hours there. The last 5 miles of our ride in Pensacola took us along Scenic highway 90. Let me just say, it was a harrowing experience! The road was narrow, with no shoulder, and very fast moving, impatient motorists, who were not inclined to give bicyclists a break. A few of us had near misses with cars and motorcycles!
We are continuing our way into the Panhandle of Florida. It is very warm 85-87 degrees, and very humid. Yesterday we did a 90 mile ride along US 90--it was long a hard, just because it was so warm, and the scenery never changed much. We continue to see critters--snakes (even rattlesnakes!), turtles, and bugs, bugs, bugs.
It is hard to believe we are so close to the end. We arrive at our destination in St. Augustine next Thursday. We are talking about what it will be like to be done and return home to our families, jobs, and responsibilities. "Re-entry" is a term we are talking about a lot these days. I am anxious to be home, but know I will miss my friends on the tour, and the days of riding. After I return home, I will try to get all my pictures loaded on my Picassa page, and you can just click on the "My Photos" link on the right and see all of them.

A Big Ride Day -- 130 miles!

Yesterday I had the longest ride of my life. I left St. Francisville early in the morning with Sue (an emergency room doc in real life). When we got to the 25 mile point we encountered a sign that said "Bridge Out Ahead". Knowing that often roads that are closed to cars are passable by bike so we continued ahead. We saw what "bridge out" looked like when the last 10 yards of cross ties were missing. It could be walked across if one could balance on the beams that were there, but getting bikes across might be tricky. I decided I could try it by carrying my bike in my left hand and holding onto the railing with my right. (I rationalized that if I fell the ER doc was right there and could take care of me!) I got my bike across fine and then went back to get Sue's bike. She then crossed, and we proceeded on. When we got to a spot where there was cell phone reception, we called back to our guide to report that the bridge was out, and that we had already crossed. She didn't want anyone else to try to cross, but after we got up another 5 miles and stopped at a store to get water, we began to see other riders. All had harrowing stories of their bridge crossing, but we were all exhilarated that we made it and were able to continue on to our destination.

Lunch was waiting for us at the 60 mile SAG location, and we were glad to see it, since the SAG vehicle had to find another way around the bridge out location. With 60 miles down, we were game to continue on the next 65. We missed one turn, which added an extra 4 miles to our day. When we got in to Bogalusa, we had ridden 130 miles! I was fatigued, but excited that I had accomplished that goal. We had dinner and cleaned up as quickly as possible to get to bed, and the much needed sleep. Tomorrow would be another day of riding.

Today (Friday) we rode to Wiggins, Mississippi--a 53 mile journey from Bogalusa. My legs were extremely tired. I was so exhausted from yesterday's ride that I was very slow. We passed more dogs, which seemed to be a little mean, but stayed back when we told them to. We found out later that 2 of our riders had gotten bitten by those dogs, one lady rather badly. Add to that, one spill by another rider, and the day was not a good day for our group. We chalked a lot of it up to the fact that we were all so tired. The evening's State line crossing party seemed to lift spirits. Tonight it is storming very hard outside, but the day tomorrow is supposed to be nice. I hope so.

We are now in our sixth state, and I keep reminding myself that I have ridden my bicycle from San Diego to Mississippi! That's really amazing when you think about it. In less than 2 weeks I will be at the Atlantic ocean--realizing the completion of a dream of a lifetime!

St. Francisville, LA Rest Day

Today (April 16) we are taking a much needed rest day in St. Francisville, Louisiana. It is a beautiful, historic town, full of Southern charm, big oak trees, and Spanish moss. Half of our group is housed at the St. Francisville Inn B & B (where I am staying), and the other half is housed at the Butler Plantation B and B. Both are very nice settings, and very restful after our stay in Simmsport, which was very bleak (to say the least!)

Yesterday I had a great ride, as we rode along the Mississippi Levee, crossed over a long spillway bridge, and had lots of fun on very lightly traveled roads. My biggest event of the day came as I was pursued by a dog. Let me just say that dogs can be a biker's worst nightmare and we saw some pretty vicious ones on the previous day's ride. So when this little dog began to pursue me, I sped up, and started to shout at him. However, when I saw he was so little, and only wanted to race me, I decided to have some fun. I kept saying to him, "Okay, let's go, come on!"--and he kept coming, and coming, and coming! He ran along side of me for at least half a mile, while Ellen and Phyllis, who had been riding with me dropped back, laughing in hysterics! He was not going to quit, and when a few of his buddies decided to join in the chase, he chased them off so he could be the lone runner with me. Our SAG vehicle, with Micki driving pulled in front of us, and Micki got out and got a great picture of this little race. Ellen and Phyllis pulled up and the dog was happy to stop and get some tummy rubs and hugs. Micki put the dog in the car with her, and he was happy to get a ride back to his house (on her lap!). He had had the run of his life, and we were all laughing about this cute little doggie that just wanted some fun.

Tomorrow we have a challenging day as we are planning to go 127 miles to Bogalousa, LA. Many will probably take the SAG for a portion of the ride, but several of us plan to ride the whole way. Hopefully, we will not have headwinds to deal with, or else I may SAG part of it too.

Sunday April 13 DeRidder to Opoulosas

Today's ride was noteworthy in that it was the second day in a row for a 90 mile ride. I was driving the SAG vehicle today, and missed the thrill of getting lots of taliwinds to help move me along the road. My seat was glad to get the break from the saddle.

The other noteworthy thing was that our van broke down in the hotel parking lot this morning, giving us all lots of opportunities to beocme very flexible and adjust. The problem was that the starter motor had to be replaced, and finding someone who could do that on a Sunday morning was a dilemma. Apparently, the mechanic who answered the call was in church when he found out he was needed. He came and got the van repaired. Meanwhile, an alternate plan had already been worked out of Arda's husband (who is on the road and was in Navasota) coming and pulling the trailer into our hotel for tonight so that our luggage would arrive, and we could get cleaned up after a day of biking.

What it meant for me was that I was the only one out on the road with all of our bikers. Fortunately, the day was fairly uneventful, and most riders made it in within good time. Tonight we are going out to eat at a nearby restaurant since our cook hasn't been able to prepare a meal in the trailer today. Tomorrow's another day, and hopefully it will be uneventful.

I've arrived in Louisiana!

Yesterday (Saturday) we rode our bikes 93 miles from Kountz, TX to DeRidder, LA. It was a flat easy, long ride with some headwinds, but mostly nice riding. The highlights of the day for me included a stop at a small cafe called Elijah's in one of the small town's that we rode through. It was true "Southern-style" in that iced tea is called "sweet tea"--and it is sweet! It was so wonderfully refreshing that I downed 4 tall glasses during my meal. I figured that I had enough sugar to give me a super boost for the rest of the ride. I also had reason to make more stops :-)



After lunch we crossed the Sabine River and entered Louisiana. As we exited Texas we came across Texas State sign on the opposite side of the road, and it was perfect for picture taking opportunities. I'll try to post pictures soon for you to see.



I quickly realized that I was in Louisiana when I began to see that the predominate road kill was armadillo. They are nasty looking and smelly when they ripen on the road! Yuch! Also, I remember the mud towers from the crawfish seen all along the grassy yards that we rode by.



As I rode along toward DeRidder, I chuckled thinking about the fact that I had ridden my bike from San Diego to Lousianna. I left Lousianna in 1992, and never in a million years would have dreamed that the next time I saw it would be from the seat of a bicycle. It was so fun when we got to our hotel in DeRidder because a woman named Linda who did the tour last year was there to greet us. She lives in Lake Charles (where Dan and I lived for 1 year), and brought everyone MardiGras beads and some great gumbo and pralines! What a welcome.

It had to happen sometime!

Well, after having 5 weeks of riding in relatively good weather, we finally hit our first day of steady rain! We left Navasota, TX this morning with dark clouds in the sky and after biking about 20 of our 73 miles a light rain started. As the day progressed, the rain increased. A quick stop at a State Park allowed me a chance to get my rain coat out of the SAG car, even though I was already totally wet. It rained hard the rest of the way in and was I totally soaked from head to toe. Fortunately it was not cold so we just kept going! It was fun in a silly sort of way! We sang silly songs and laughed as we took the spray from the cars and trucks going by. All in all it was a fun day, and thankfully all arrived at the hotel safely.

Tomorrow, I drive the SAG vehicle, which is good because I doubt that my shoes will be dry before tomorrow. It is a major job to clean up bikes and get everything dried off after a day like this. For the most part, all of the ladies had a good attitude about biking in the rain. We made the most of it!

Navasota, TX April 9

We have arrived in Navasota, TX for another rest day. We will be in Texas only two more days and then we arrive in DeRidder, Lousianna on the 12th. Texas is a very big state, and I know it first hand now after biking across it!

Today I was able to visit with my Uncle Bud (James) and Aunt Mary Jane and their son-in-law, Gama. It was a great time to visit with them, and they enjoyed seeing what these amazing ladies are doing. Tomorrow, my cousin Margaret Ann will drive up and join me for dinner when I arrive in Cleveland, Texas.

Yesterday's ride took us through some of the prettiest country that we have seen in Texas, as there were lots of wildflowers in bloom, and lots of big oak trees. The Texans are very proud of their Blue Bonnets and talk about them a lot. It was a very warm and humid day with temperatures in the high 80's. That is hard to fathom when the weather back home in Lynden is still cold and wet. We rode 70 miles yesterday, and it is hard to believe how we all just do this like it is no big deal. We have all gotten stronger (and thinner!). We have also all managed to get some very funny tan lines.

It is hard to believe that we have been on the road so long, and that we only have about 3 weeks until we reach our destination in Florida. As much as I am looking forward to getting home, I am wondering about how hard it's going to be to say goodbye to all my new friends, and leave this life of eating, riding and sleeping. It has been quite the experience!

We've Reached the Half-Way Point!

After riding through the Texas Hill Country for the past two days, this group of strong women has reached the half-way point of our ride. Here we are getting ready for a nice restaurant meal in Kerrville, TX the site of our layover day. The last two days has challenged our hill climbing ability to the max! I am feeling stronger as a result, and less intimidated by the hills. We were informed that the ride we did yesterday from Vanderpool, TX to Kerrville, was over the same hills that Lance Armstrong and the U.S. Olympic Cycling team uses to train. Many of the grades and climbs were over 10 -12% grades, with hills that had sharp hairpin turns and climbed for 1 or more miles!

One of the things that motivated us was the promise of a cute little apple pie shop in Medina, the halfway stop for the day's ride. It was very cute, and had the most wonderful apple pie, strudel, and coffee. We all enjoyed the treat, and the wonderful hospitality. See the picture on top.

When we left Vanderpool yesterday, the sky was dark and cloudy and it was very windy. I was very nervous about the ride, thinking that we were going to get poured on. Although the weather was misty at times, and humid, the rain never did open up on us, and the cloud cover kept the temperatures down. We were all very thankful for that. This morning we found out that just a few hours after we left Vanderpool yesterday, it hailed with ping pong ball sized hail! How thankful we missed that! I continue to be amazed at the "bubble" of good weather that we have gone through--barely missing storm systems, staying dry for the most part. Thanks for all the prayers for safety and good weather that so many of you have been faithful to pray for us.

I'm Back! No April's Fool Joke!

Hello! Today is April 1, and we have just arrived at CampWood, TX. If you wondered why I haven't been posting to my blog, the reason is that hotel computers have been non-exixtent since we left El Paso. As a matter of fact, there have been motels that have not even had water when we arrived! That was in Van Horn, TX. The riding has been good. We have been on a lot of highways that have very course chip seal, which makes riding very difficult.

So, a few highlights of the last week include the ride from Sanderson, TX to Del Rio, TX. It was a 110 mile day, which is significantly long in and of itself. Add to that the weather was a slight misty rain at the start for about the first 40 miles. Then it dried out and just got hot. Then the roads began to get rougher with the chip seal just before lunch. We had a lunch break at 60 miles, and I was feeling terribly tired--to the point of not being able to eat and fuel properly. The winds began to pick up (strong headwinds!), and the hills began to get tougher. I flagged down our SAG driver and got a lift for 10 miles, some fuel and water and a brief rest. Then I decided to ride the rest of the way in, barely making the 100 mile mark by the time I arrived at the hotel. It was the hardest, longest century ride I have ever done! For many of the women, it was the first time they had ever done a century ride, and it was quite an accomplishment. We were one very tired, beat group--glad to get to bed early.

We are now out of the dry, desert part of TX and have come into warm, humid weather. Today's ride from Brackettville to CampWood started in a mist, then warmed to hot and humid. We crossed the Nueces River, and many took the opportunity to jump into the water and get cooled off. I enjoyed getting my feet in the water at least.

I hear that the wildflowers ahead are supposed to be beautiful. For now, it is time to get ready for a hilly ride tomorrow into Kerrville, TX and our next layover day. I'm still dreading the hills, but am more prepared to just take them slow and easy. We have now reached the half way point of the ride, and have settled into quite a routine of riding, eating, sleeping, riding, etc. I may need to have time for re-entry when I get back home! God Bless, All!

Easter Day in Major Winds

Sunday's ride took us into El Paso, Texas, our fourth state! I drove the SAG vehicle, and was happy to do so as the wind whipped at up to 30 mph. It was a hard ride for those who persevered all 67 miles of it. Many opted to take the ride in the van to escape the wind, and I can't blame them. As you can see above, Micki and Ann (a mother/daughter team) are having fun with their bunny ears blowing sideways in the wind!

The fun part was that someone bought all of us rabbit ears and so our riders had ears on with their bike helmets. It was a comical site. We were all feeling very festive until the wind started whipping up. Today's ride is a short 47 miles on flat road, so we are all trying to relax and not hurry off this morning. It's amazing how perspective changes. 47 miles seems like nothing now, and we are in no particular hurry to get going. We have 20 days across Texas, so might as well take a deep breath, and smell the roses along the way.

I am especially thankful for all my friends who have been praying for me as I make this journey. We have had great weather, for the most part. I have felt good, slept well, and enjoyed each day, and the new friends I have made. God is good! Blessings to all!

Las Cruces, New Mexico

Today was a fast, fun, and long ride. After spending the night in Kingston, New Mexico, we quickly dropped in elevation and had a mostly flat ride, except for one little 3 mile climb. Highlights of today's ride included seeing elk in the early morning hours as we started out, crossing the Rio Grand river, going through chili growing area, and having frozen yougurt at the end of the ride. I'm amazed at the changing terrain, as today we rode through mountain, desert, and pecan groves. It is extremely dry here and we saw lots of evidence of fires.

The total milage today was 88 miles. Tomorrow we will ride to El Paso Texas--now our fourth state. It will take us 20 days to ride across Texas, so it will be a while before we have another state line crossing party.

Random Observations from this Biker Lady

I have had the opportunity to learn a few things as I've been on this trip. Here are a few of them--in no particular order.



1. Chamois butter is well worth the high price they charge.

2. Never say "that's the last hill!" There's always more.

3. Some people actually like riding through the mountains up strenous hills!

4. I'm not one of those people mentioned above.

5. It's amazing how you can bond with a group of people when you are sharing a destination like riding cross-country.

6. Age is no barrior when you are on a trip of this nature. You would be amazed at what some of these women can do.

We've reached the highpoint!

Today we left Silver City, New Mexico, and headed for the little town of Kingston, past the "Kneeling Nun" rock formation, past copper mines, and up the mountain. The views were spectacular and the climb was challenging (a major understatement!!). We had a 40 mile climb up to Emory Pass, at 8225 feet elevation--the highest point of our tour. Let me just say, I found it quite challenging, at one point was wondering if I could complete the ride. I heard later that we were on some 10% grades and climbed a total of 4700 feet. Of course, what goes up--must come down. We had an 8 mile downhill ride into the tiny little town of Kingston, where we are being housed at Black Mountain Ranch Lodge. The view at the top of the pass was very rewarding. You could see all down the valley into Kingston.

Tomorrow, we have one of our longer rides--88 miles into Las Cruces. Hopefully, there will not be hills :-)

Eating on the Road

For those of you who wonder what we eat on a tour like this--let me assure you we eat well. Linda, our traveling chef prepares the most wonderful meals out of the back of this trailer. The "kitchen" area is the 6 foot section in the back of the trailer, and Linda is very creative, making great use of this kitchen and Dutch ovens for cooking gourmet meals for 30 women, with options for those who have food allergies, or who are vegetarians. Linda will be featured in the May issue of Bicycling magazine. Her meals are healthy, tasty, and geared to fuel the needs of bikers who are putting out lots of energy on their bikes. And the really amazing thing is she makes it look easy and does it all with a smile.

Now in Silver City, New Mexico

Yesterday's ride took us up over the Continental Divide and into Silver City, New Mexico. It was only a 46 mile ride, but was so hilly, it was a very challenging ride. The climb out of Lordsburg was so gradual that it was deceiving. We then entered a mountainous area with steep, steady climbs. The fun part of the trip up was that my cousin Karen was driving to Silver City, and found me amidst the other bikers on the road, so she pulled over, took my picture and cheered me on. Then she drove up farther and waited for me to reach the Continental Divide, where there were lots of riders and photo ops.

The ride into Silver City continued to climb, with our total climb being over 3500 feet. Silver City is a town that has a lot of memories for me, as my Aunt Modeen and Uncle Carroll live here, and we visited here often during my childhood. Besides that, there are lots of cute shops, and places to explore today on our day off. I'm looking forward to going downtown today, and then going out to a favorite place called the City of Rocks. It has lots of fun rock formations that make for interesting exploring and hiking.

Tomorrow promises to be another great climb when we go over Emory Pass at about 8000 feet elevation, and probably about 3000 feet of total climbing. So, pray for me! I am not fond of climbing, but can do it. It is hard work for me, but feels like such an accomplishment when it is done.

We're in New Mexico

Greetings friends! I'm now in Lordsburg, New Mexico. I drove the SAG vehicle today, and had a good time making sure that everyone made it in today. It was a beautiful day as we left Safford, AZ this morning, in cool weather. It was a 75 mile ride straight down HWY 70 into Lordsburg, New Mexico. There was quite a tail wind at the end of the day, so all the riders were having a wonderful time flying down the road at top speed. I sure wished I could ride with them, but tomorrow is another day.

I will continue to try to post pictures as I get a chance, but I suggest that you follow the links on my page to some of the other sites where there are pictures. You will get the drift of what we are seeing.

Tomorrow, we ride across the Continental Divide into Silver City. I am looking forward to spending time with my Aunt and Uncle, and two cousins. Should be a great time together for my layover day. Hope all of you are well. Debbie

We Made it to the Tunnel

This is how far we made it today. We were disappointed not to go all the way to Globe, but still had fun together. As you can see, there was not much shoulder to ride on and the drivers were not exactly thoughtful to us as bikers.

Sunday--Globe Arizona, SAG

Greetings friends. I am again at a place where I can't post pictures, but if you go to the links on my page, there are blogs from women who have their laptops and are posting pictures. I know I am in a lot of them. And we all look alike in our biking gear.

Today we were riding to Globe from Apache Junction. Last night the big buzz was that rain and snow were in the weather forecast. The first half of our ride was to Superior, and then after that was the really big climb up to Globe through the mountain pass where the bad weather was expected. So, we all stressed out over the forecast, and whether or not we could ride it. And how to dress for the weather. I made it up to Superior and started up the climb with a group of hardy ladies who wanted to make the ride. It was still dry, but clouds were ahead.

We got a few miles up the mountain and then came to tunnel where 2 other riders were waiting and there was a Highway Patrolman sitting there as well. He was not wanting us to ride through the tunnel because it was snowing on the other side. So we had to turn around and ride back down to Superior, and wait for the van to come back and SAG us in to Globe. It was disappointing not to be able to finish the ride, but I was glad to make a decision on the side of safety and be able to ride another day.

Tomorrow we also have the forecast for rain, so I'll break out that rain gear yet. We have an 83 mile ride tomorrow to get into Safford Arizona.

Saturday, March 15 Phoenix to Apache Junction

We arrived in Phoenix yesterday from Wickenburg. It was a very fast (17 mph average), very fun ride, with lots of downhill. We found ourselves stopping often to take in the scenery, as the desert bloom was in full swing. I got a kick out of the ladies who were from the East Coast wanting their pictures by the big Saguaro cacti. It was lots of fun, and we stopped often.

I veerred off of the official route for our group so that I could go visit several old "haunts" including our Kristal Way house, Northwest Community Church, and a few other places. There was a lot more traffic in Phoenix than I remember from 15 years ago, and it was interesting trying to navigate the busy streets on a bike. I later met up with my dear friend, Theresa, and she and I went to lunch at Valle Luna--a favorite Mexi place. Then we went to her house where we visited for the afternoon, and I got to love on her wiener dogs. Sorry Chico.

That evening there was a reunion of many students who were in our ministry years ago, so I got to see many old friends. What fun it was.

Today, we are off to Apache Junction and then Sunday we ride to Globe Arizona. The weather forecast is for rain and possible snow flurries going over the mountain pass. How nice that it just happens to be my day to drive the SAG wagon. I imagine I will be very busy shuttling riders out of the rain to the next destination.

Well, stay tuned. I'll try to post more pictures tonight when I get in.

For Joyce Curtis

This one is for Joyce. El Centro, California--the birthplace of Joyce Craig!

I'm in Arizona!

Greetings from Wickenberg, Arizona!



We crossed the state line yesterday from Blythe, CA to Salome, AZ. It was a wonderful day of riding, with about 23 miles of it being on Interstate 10 out of Blythe. We all stopped at Quartzite to have a look around, snap a few photos and get refueled. We got off of the Interstate at US 60, which is a fairly bumpy 2 lane road, but travelled nice. The weather was ideal for riding and we got in early to Salome--which I discovered was not such and advantage since Salome is just a wide spot in the road and the hotel was--well, let's just say it had lots of "character". If you can imagine the Bates Hotel in Psycho, you are close!

Before arriving in Salome, we passed through the little town of Hope Arizona. As you leave Hope, the sign says "YOUR NOW BEYOND HOPE". Yes, this is how it was spelled. We all caught the typo and had quite the laugh taking our pictures by the sign. So, now you know, I'm beyond Hope!

The highlight of the evening was the state line crossing celebration. It was a fun party with Margauritas, chips, and guacamole--before dinner. No, it didn't spoil my dinner--I ate a hearty meal after that. That's one of the fun parts about biking all day.

Today, (Thursday) was my day to SAG. It was a good day in SAG, the ride was a short 57 miles, with no misshaps, and only a few flats. Everyone was in good spirits as they arrived--and many have taken off to see the sights. Tomorrow, we ride 67 miles into Phoenix, and I am looking forward to seeing many friends once I get in.

I continue to be amazed at the goodness of God to be able to do this trip. So far, the weather has been perfect, the comraderie fun and hilarious, the food has been wonderful, and I have felt strong and great. Thank you all for your prayers. I feel them and appreciate them so much.

First Flat

For those who are counting, I had my first flat on our second day of riding. Before I left the hotel in Alpine, I realized that my front tire was down. So I quickly replaced the tube before getting on the road that morning.

Tuesday--March 11 Blythe, California

Greetings all. Today is our first layover day, so I have a chance to catch up with my blog. The rest is appreciated since we biked 90 miles across the California desert starting in Brawley yesterday morning. It was a very enjoyable journey in the early part of the morning, cool, crisp, sunny, and still. The sun was just coming up in the east (in our eyes) when we left, riding through green fields of whatever it was they are growing out there. We soon left that little oasis for sandy, scrub brush desert landscape, with straight, flat road for miles ahead.

The hard part of the day came about 31 miles into the ride, as we began a gradual climb into a stiff headwind. Fortunately, the lunch stop was at 40 miles where our WomanTours trailer and traveling cook had set up a little picnic lunch for us. It was a welcome respite. After eating, I headed out on my own over a 9 mile section of rolling dunes on a narrow two lane road with very little shoulder. I prayed a lot in this section, and was grateful for God's protection several times when wide loads passed me.

Soon I caught a tailwind, and enjoyed many miles just flying along at 20 to 22 mph! That was fun! I caught up with some friends, and enjoyed the comraderie and sillyness that made the last tiring part bearable. It's great to encourage each other along the way, and also hear the stories of the other women's lives.

Many women gave up after lunch and opted to ride the SAG into Blythe, but my group of about 6 gals all bunched up and rode in together, the first of the riders to complete the entire 90 miles that day. We all continued the sillyness by quickly getting into our swim suits and cannon ball jumping into the ICE COLD pool! What a rush! The we made a dash for the warm jacuzzi and back and forth several times. It was very invigorating after the long ride.

I'm having trouble getting my pictures on the blog since I don't have my own computer, but if you link from my page to "Arda's Ride" --click on the link on the right side of this page, she has lots of photos posted, and I am in a few. I'll try to get some pictures posted soon.

Love you all. Thanks for your prayers. I felt strong for our first really big day yesterday, and I know it was the Lord giving me strength and joy as I rode. Blessings all.

First Fall! Can't believe I did this!

Can you believe this? Can't figure out how to turn this photo right side up, but I took a little spill. Hollie and Terry it was nothing like the spill I took by Hollie's house! Hopefully, I got it out of my system. This is a silly little fall, where I just forgot to unclip my shoes. I got up laughing--more embarrassed than hurt.

First Day of Riding--San Diego to Alpine, CA

Well, early this morning we dipped our back tires in the Pacific Ocean. It was 8:30 in the morning, clear, beautiful and warm. All 30 of us were down on the beach. It was awesome! I am having so much fun!

The ride started on trails and was at a moderate pace as we headed out of the city. It was a great day of biking, no wind or rain, but very warm for this Washington rider.

As the day progressed, it got quite a bit warmer (85-ish) and I did manage to get a bit of a sunburn on my right ear. We hit quite several good hills, mostly long climbs with 3 to 8% grades. There was one rest stop today, and I thought I was in the middle of the "pack" when I left the rest stop. I was quite surprised when I got to the hotel, and there were three riders sitting out front. When I asked where everyone was, I was told that this was it and I was number 4 coming in. Over the next 2 hours the rest of the riders straggled in, some in the SAG vehicle. After a dip in the pool, I did some laundry, and then we had a wonderful dinner of fish, potatoes, salad, and broccoli. I am so impressed that they feed us well.

I'm inspired by so many of the women I am riding with. One of the ladies I rode with today, had been diagnosed with non-smoker lung cancer last year. She had surgery just last December 2007, removing part of a lung lobe. She slowed down on the hills to catch her breath, but did really well. I admire her courage and tenacity to do the ride!

Almost ready to ride!

Well, I'm here in San Diego, where the sun is shining, it's 73 degrees, and beautiful. We have had a good trip down from Washington seeing family and old friends. My group rides out tomorrow morning from the beach in San Diego. To say we are excited, would be an understatement. We are all worried about the weight of our suitcases, knowing that if it is more than 50 pounds, something has to stay behind. I hope to keep up with blogging every chance I get and will have pictures to upload next time.



Since I am one of the four SAG drivers, I will be driving once every four days. And also the SAG drivers have clean-up duties each night after dinner. Our job is to keep track of riders along the route, help those who need help, provide water, snacks, and a ride if necessary. Should be fun! My first day to drive will be Sunday--a 68 mile ride to Brawley. So, I should have lots of extra time to take pictures.

Tonight, we will have a "kick-off" banquet. Then early to bed to be ready for tomorrow. Blessings to you all. Thanks for all your love, support, and encouragement.

Riding With a Purpose

Nkumba Boarding School
As I ride across America, I will be sharing with people the needs of a ministry that my husband Dan encountered on a recent mission trip to Uganda. While there, he met an amazing pastor with a huge heart. His name is John Mugabi. He oversees a Christian boarding school that takes in children, many of whom are orphaned by AIDS or who come from families who are unable to provide the barest of living necessities for these children. Let me give you a little of the history of this school.

In 2005, John was asked by church leadership in Uganda to pastor Nkumba Presbyterian Church and to direct Nkumba Christian Primary School. The boarding school is used to provide education and a clean place to live for the children who were living in prison with their incarcerated parents and for all of the orphaned children for whom he wanted to care. John agreed to take on the church and school, and under his supervision, both have flourished.

John quickly realized that just a primary school was not sufficient. A high school was necessary, too. He opened the high school, (May Christian College Nkumba) with the barest of necessities in February of 2006. With both the primary and high school operational, all of the sponsored children are now able to attend school on the same campus. This makes caring for them and ensuring a Christian education and spiritual training much easier.

Program Sponsorship:

$42 per month covers Christian education, room and board, medical care, personal hygiene items, and a school uniform and shoes. Most of the children who are sponsored are orphans, though a few have come from living in prison (with an incarcerated parent) or from exceptionally poor homes. As of today, there are 49 sponsored children, and plenty on the waiting list. The school also "stretches" the money we send, because they have many more students (orphans, etc) who attend the school who pay little or no school fees. As John phrases it, "We are always squeezing it up" (I think like a tube of toothpaste--squeezing it to get out the very most and not waste anything).

This “grassroots” program is administered by Global Training Network, the mission organization that my husband Dan and I are a part of. We are sponsoring a young girl, who has recently lost her father, and without this help would not be able to go to school. I invite you to consider sponsoring a child as well. It only takes a little money to make a huge difference in a child’s life. If you are interested in this and would like more information, please contact Cindy May at cindy.may@integrity.com.

Today's Training Ride

Well only two weeks of training left before we head down to San Diego for the start of the cross-country ride. We finally got some beautiful Northwest weather (clear, and cool) to ride in. I decided that today I would do a favorite loop that goes out around Semiahmoo. It's a fairly hilly ride--not my strong suit! When I had climbed to the top of the final hill, there was a street sign that gave me a chuckle. It's called "Puffin Place". I thought that was pretty appropriate since I was puffin' in that place! I had to take a picture.


It turned out to be a great place to stop and rest. The views were spectacular. The fog was rolling in over the water, but the mountains in the distance were still visible. I was struck by the beauty as I looked out between the leafless trees.

How many flats will Debbie get?

I'm known as the "Queen of flat tires". For some strange reason, I seem to get more than my fair share of flat tires when riding a bicycle. One advantage to this is that I have gotten very good at changing flat tires by myself . Would you care to venture a guess as to how many flats I will get in the course of a cross country ride? You can just hit the "Comment" button and enter your best guess. I'll let you know at the end of the ride who came the closest. Just for your information--I'm predicting at least 10 flats for me.

Route Across the Southern Tier

This map shows an overview of the route we will be taking for this trip. The total riding milage is 3,098 miles.

Training for a Cross Country Ride

Here is a bit of what it looks like outside in Lynden in January:

How do you begin to train for a ride like this? Well, a better question to ask is, how do you train for a ride across the country in the Northwest's winter-time? While it would be great to get on my bike and do lots and lots of riding, pushing progressively higher and higher milages, the reality is something different.

In January I have had one round of a good whopper cold, a week of the flu, as well as snow, wind, and freezing temperatures outdoors. So, my training has been limited so far this year. However, that said, I have been pushing the gym routine very hard. I do 24 minute rides on the Lifecycle, which has progressively higher and higher hills, as well as running on the treadmill for 12 to 15 minutes. Then, back to the bike again, another round on the treadmill, and finish with a weight lifting circuit. All this leaves me quite tired, but feeling like I got in a good workout. Hopefully, it will be enough so that when I start out on those hills east of San Diego, I can make it. I know all of us have had to adjust to the limitations of weather in our various areas of the country, so I am not the only one struggling to get in enough riding on the road. I also have the assurance that if I need to get a ride from the SAG vehicle to make it, I can do that, too. So, no worries. I will give it my best, and encourage my fellow riders along the way. We will make it!

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Are you crazy?

Are you crazy? That's the response of some people when they hear my plan to ride across the Southern tier of the United States. What makes me want to do something so physically challenging, time consuming, and risky?

The dream of riding my bicycle across the United States goes back to my childhood. I loved getting on my bike (a 26" blue Schwinn) and exploring neighborhoods and vacant fields, going up and down hills with the wind in my face. I never wore a helmet, never had an odometer, or padded Lycra shorts. I just rode and rode. The feeling was exhilarating. I wondered what it would be like to pack some food and ride from town to town and just be free and independent.

In 1976, when the United States had it's two hundred year anniversary, the bike culture captured the spirit of the Bicentennial, urging bikers to see the US by bicycle. They called it the "Bike-centennial". Many riders packed up belongings and headed out to see the country and told their stories in bicycling magazines and various other publications. I dreamed of getting to participate in such an adventure, starting at one coast and ending up at the other coast several weeks or months later. At the time, I was in my early 20's, newly married, and just getting established in a career. So taking off that much time was just not feasible. However, my husband and I did manage to get enough time off to bike part of the California Coast. We spent a week with bicycles loaded down and managed to ride from our home in San Fernando, to Santa Maria. The scenery we saw was incredible.

As life moved on and children arrived in my life, the dream faded and other priorities moved to the forefront. Less time was available for biking, and soon my old bike sat in the garage, unused and unusable. In 1999 I began riding again. I invested in a new bike and soon was riding distances I never dreamed of doing in my earlier riding days. With new enthusiasm, I again thought about how fun it would be to do a trip of length on my bicycle. I rode in some local rides like RSVP (Seattle to Vancouver, B.C.) and STP (Seattle to Portland). When I read about Woman Tours and their Southern Tier Cross Country bike trip, I was immediately interested. Finding the time to take 58 days for a trip of this magnitude is not easy. But last year it looked like 2008 might be the year for it. So I signed up with fear and trembling, not sure if this would be at all possible financially, physically, or practically.

As I thought about, and prayed about my decision to do this trip, the passage from Psalm 37:4 jumped out at me. It says: "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." I have sensed that God is giving me this desire of my heart as a gift to me, because He is a loving Father who delights to give good gifts to His children. I am in amazement that I have this awesome opportunity to fulfill this dream. This is the perfect time for me to do it. Both of my kids are grown and on their own. My full-time job has ended, and I can now focus on something that I have wanted to do for a long time. So, thank you Lord! Here we go!