Day 17 - Silver City, NM

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/602598955

Woke up today to total darkness at 0600 and 36 degree temps.  We changed time zones rolling into NM and climates going up to over a mile high.  The one thing about this adventure is variety.

We has a nice 44  mile ride into Silver City.   It involved a lot of elevation gain, but it was a gentle grade and not to punishing.

I got a photo of crossing the continent divide (the first of three times),  one of Silver City from above and one from downtown.  I had food from a food truck that was excellent - Vietnamese Noodles.  Anything but a peanut butter sandwich is heavenly.

Tomorrow is a layover day and my legs and butt are looking forward to it.  I think we may rent a car and head up to the cliff dwellings and hot springs.

Day 16 - Buckhorn, NM

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/602599653

Wonderful ride today.  We started with a 2000' climb over a 6200' pass.  We got into the pine tree's and entered New Mexico.  The Vistas all day were stunning.  I hope my pictures do it justice.  Low traffic,  tailwinds, it does not get much better than this.

I was on my decent, tour de France style and ran into a few cows and calves.

It was my night to cook with another rider.  We had got to the campsite and the local store was cleaned out of fresh food.  I happen to see the Swan's truck, so we chased it down and will be eating good tonight.  The only thing left in the store was canned beans and spam.

No cell coverage tonight, so I will post tomorrow in Silver City.  Good news is that it is a layover day.

Day 15 - Three Way, AZ

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/601073473

What a difference a day makes.  We had a wonderful 34 mile ride.  There was a good climb,  but the grade was gentle and scenery were magnificent.  I have a few pictures,  but imagine that in all directions for the entire ride.

I rode solo today, getting to camp second before noon.  There was a good road and big decent into camp, so I violated my 30 mph max rule (because of the risk of handling a loaded bike) and let it creep up to 40-45 mph.

Camp is at a park near this very little town.  I think my afternoon will be sleeping and reading under an Aspen tree.  Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Finally, I added a shot showings dinner being prepared.  Pretty typical with a couple of people cooking and the rest standing around the "kitchen. "

Day 14 - Safford, AZ

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/600254549

What a day.  We had pretty good roads and gorgeous scenery all day.  It was one of the longest days of the ride at 78 miles.  Unfortunately,  we had a torturous headwind (10-20 mph) that resulted in speeds near 10 mph.  That gave us a good 7+ hours pedaling.   The challenge is that the panniers act as big sales.

I rode with a couple very strong riders and we switched off the lead job.  We were first to the camp arriving at 4:30.

Got a few pictures of the scenery.

Day 13 - Globe, AZ

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/599431778

Much tougher day today than expected.   Last night it was 95 degrees when I tried to go to sleep.  I did not sleep all that well as a result.   The road all day was very busy.  It was beautiful,  but with variable shoulders on the road and the trucks buzzing us, all of the riders called the day tense.

I was feeling sluggish much of the day.  I checked my rear tire pressure on arrival and was running 20 lbs instead of 75.

It has clouded over and cooled off here in Globe, so I  looking forward to a good night's sleep tonight.

Day 12 - Apache Junction, AZ

Greetings from Globe.   I messed up the GPS today.  The ride was a basic 50 miles through the Phoenix suburbs.  We were in the environs of Phoenix for 65 miles total.  I will be happy to head into the wilderness tomorrow.

I took a picture of Cubs stadium, which was very cool, thinking of Chicago land natives Tom and Mary (sorry if you are Sox fans).

The beautiful part of the ride was the absolutely beautiful Superstition Moutains on the horizon much of the afternoon.

I snapped a quick picture of the group and one of my blogging cot in front of my tent.  Life is rough as you can clearly tell :-)

Day 11 - Layover Day Phoenix, AZ

Wow.... It is amazing how quickly your standards change on road.  I woke up in a Motel 6 (which was just fine).  I got picked up in the morning by my Mom, Dad, Sister Maureen and Nephew Chris.  What a luxury to be in a vehicle going at 45 mph.  Now I am typing on an actual keyboard and 27" screen instead of a 5" smart phone.  Don't expect more brilliance in writing though.


We went for coffee, to the meca of outdoor enthusiasts (REI) and out for lunch that I did not need to cook, scrounge for, or eat food at way above normal temperatures because it had been on the back of a bike for 6 hours at 110 degrees.


We went to a wonderful place to eat where I had beer at 11 AM, ate Pork Confit Eggs Benedict, shared a flight of 8 different Bacon's and a maple, bacon glazed donut.  The restaurant featured bacon (obviously).  I got a picture of the group and my breakfast.


Now I am sitting in the business center of the Homewood Suites (where they are staying and I will probably spend the night in air conditioned luxury).  I am doing my laundry and doing the regular activity of re-organizing my gear.

I was very lucky to have a very good high school friend, Dave Devlin, his wife Joey and two lovely children join us for drinks and dinner.

What a fun day to have a day off and visitors.

Day 10 - Phoenix, AZ

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/597348633

Today we hit our stride with a fast 50 miles to Phoenix.   It was downhill with a tailwind.  The road was a 4 lane with a nice shoulder,  so there was not much in the way of scenery.  I grabbed an iced coffee at Starbucks in a suburb and did miss the isolation of the past week.

I have a quick photo of some co-riders on the bike trail along the wash in Phoenix.

I took a side trip to the first apartment of Julie and married life at the place formerly known as Windrush Villiage.   We lived in the 500 Sq ft apartment for 1 1/2 years and paid $375 per month.  We had lots of visitors from Wisconsin and a lot of good memories.

Tomorrow is a day off!!  My parents and sister are coming up for the day and night.  I hope to do some wash, re-provision at REI and do anything except ride a bike.

To be honest, I feel very good.  Cycling with a load is getting easier and easier.  The group is a lot of fun.  The routine is getting comfortable.  Things are good.

I appreciate the comments and emails.

Day 9 - Wickenburg, AZ

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/596821527

Another lovely day of cycling in Arizona.   Got an early start and took a picture of the green hills after sunrise.

Got into town about noon and got to go to lunch at a Mexican restaurant and went to a local museum.   There was amazing amount of western art including Remington sculptures and paintings.

I grabbed a six pack on the way to the camp site and they all went fast when I got back.

The last picture is the campsite.  My tent is on the right.   It is amazing how comfortable you can be with a cold beer, grass camp are and a little shade.

Day 8 - Salome, AZ

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/596089282

Another bright and sunny AZ day.  It was 40 miles with a slight headwind and uphill grade.  It was not hard, but difficult to get into a riding groove.  I made it anyway and it was fun.

We are staying in a motel in a very small town.  There is a picture of the bar across the street.  The sign said "Bikers Welcome" but there were a bunch of Harleys out front so I chose not to go in with my spandex bike shorts.

We went through Hope, AZ.  I took a picture on the way out of town.

Right now I am laying on my camping cot on tne grass under a tree, reading, relaxing, eating and of course blogging.  The owner said that there were a couple of rattler snakes in the area a few days ago so I am motivated sure about napping.

In all honesty,  I did slip on a pair of shorts and went in the bar, had a Pacifico with a lime and watched a bit of the Giants football game.

Day 7 - Quartzite, AZ

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/594957464

Great day for a ride.  We made it to Arizona.  I rode solo today which was fine
I caught up on the weeks news listening to podcasts while I rode.  I have a speaker on my handlebar which connects to my phone by bluetooth.

We started in the agricultural area near the Colorado River and rode into the Arizona deserts.  Having lived here, I can see the beauty in the area.  It looks green to me, probably from the heavy rain two weeks ago.

I took a picture of an jet on a truck and our lodging (Quartzite Yacht Club), which indicates to me that the folks around here get a little too much sun which gives them an odd sense of humor.  I am staying in the US Constitution trailer. 

I am at McDonald's doing the blog.  I had a young woman run up to me and ask me where I was from and where I was going.  That happens a lot.  We stayed at a youth center a few nights ago and the leader asked us about the ride.  He said the kids were curious.  The rider offered a map to show them the trip and he said that they understood where we were going, but could not understand WHY?

Day 6 - Brawley to Palo Verde, CA

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/594187977

Not much of a cell signal and no wifi so I will probably not publish this until tomorrow.

Very nice day today.  We went 70 miles at over 12 mph.  There was one town with a single store enroute.  It was a pretty desert ride.

I took pictures of the dunes, my bike at the store and my recovery meal.

Tomorrow across the Colorado River and into Arizona.

Day 5 - Boulevard to Brawley, CA

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/593624232

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/593477914

Pretty short again tonight.   It was the night for my team to cook.  I was the only one in at a decent hour,  so I have been shopping, cooking and cleaning for hours.

We had a big down hill,  4000' down to the imperial vally.  We had 20 mph TAILWINDS.  We went about 70 miles.  We had wind in our face at the end.  When I looked at my bike computer, it read 116.  I tried to take a picture of it, but it turned out to be a selfie.

I have a picture of the boarder fence and one of Ron who I rode with for much of the day.

Day 4 - Alpine to Boulevard, CA

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/592990463

This is going to be pretty quick today.  I am sitting on the steps of a restroom in an TV park and am not sure how long my battery or this signal will last.  It was a short day, 35 miles and plenty of climbing, heat and head winds.   It was a beautiful ride.  I learned a lot of lessons yesterday including drink lots of electrolytes often and eat that made me feel much better.

We had three very nice folks drop out today, which is very sad.

Got a picture of part of the group on the road and one of the scenery.