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.