Day 38 76 miles 2824 feet of climbing 13.8 ave

Julian CA to Oceanside CA

totals:

3493 Miles
171,415 Feet of Climbing!

When you are riding in a long bicycle race the last 50 miles or so is the most painful. All you want is the finish line and the suffering to end. That is not the case with touring.

When we reached the “50 to-go” point we wished there was more. We all miss being home of course but we know we will miss the adventure.

The weather gods that had dished out beatings in the last month surrendered and gave us a perfect day. Winds of less than 10mph and bright sunshine was the forecast. We were still at more than 4000 feet so the temperature was a pleasant 65 degrees.

From this point on there would be some hills but we would loose altitude until we reached Pacific and sea level.

Julian is a beautiful mountain town with inns and great places to eat. We were told this was an anomaly for this part of southern California. There were plenty of expensive cars parked along the streets. Aston Martin, Jags and the first Ford GT 40 I ever saw on the road. What a bad looking machine that was.

As we headed down the hill and out of town we came across what looked like a police roadblock. There were at least eight highway patrol cars and twice that many cops outside of them with assault weapons drawn. This looked serious. They gave us a passing glance as we rode by. A mile or so later we spotted another SWAT team with guns drawn. Here they had some kind of military looking personal carrier with an armed officer coming out of the top of the large vehicle.

This would not be all the police presence we would see. Around every corner tucked into the weeds the black cruisers and SWAT teams could bee seen. Guns poking out everywhere. This must be some sort of police practice maneuvers or something. But why would they have their guns drawn?

Near the bottom of the hill we pulled into a convenience store for liquids. We asked the clerk what was all the police activity as another fleet of cruisers went by. He told us the Mongolians Motorcycle Gang was camping up on the mountain. They are archrivals of the local chapter of the Hells Angles and they did not want any trouble. I guess they did not realize that the Infamous Connecticut Biker Gang is more dangerous than both the Mongolians and Hells Angles. Maybe our spandex shorts scared them off.

As we got closer to Oceanside we knew soon more of the Race Across America riders would be coming by soon. The race is from Oceanside CA to Annapolis MD and we have followed most of this route. Then just in front of us one of the teams in a tight draft started approaching. Before we could cheer them on the lead rider yelled to us “ Hey we saw you guys on the road…you're awesome” …. We were flabbergasted. They must have spotted us on their way to Oceanside earlier in the week. The guys we look up to, the ultra riders calling us awesome…how cool is that?

The final leg of our trip was on a long paved bicycle path that led us to the beach at Oceanside. We pulled our bike across the sand and let the waters of the Pacific touch our bike as we did with the Atlantic just over a month ago. Our journey has ended.

Our next order of business was a shower and a good meal to celebrate. Ken’s mom had our dinner covered in spades. We ate everything on the menu along with a couple bottles of great wine and a rack of beers. A BIG thanks goes out to her.

The ride may be over but the work is not. We need to rent a car, package and ship our bicycles back home book airline tickets and get to the San Diego Airport. We will be busy. Hopefully we will have a couple hours to relax before we leave the west coast.

This has been a ride of a lifetime for us. Something we will never forget. The difficult winds and weather just made it more exciting. We would not have wanted it any other way. We did not forget that our families and friends helped us get to this point. They sacrificed also….we had the easy part all we had to do was pedal.

We saw a few RAAM riders on the road today.

Also today was the Finish!

Day 37 74 miles 4668 feet of climbing 11.9 ave

Brawley CA to Julian CA

When we woke up this morning we all knew only 140 miles remained to complete our transcontinental journey. The Pacific Ocean and the end of our ride in Oceanside was closing in on us fast. That distance could be completed in one day but we decided two days would be more reasonable. Once in Oceanside there would be plenty to do preparing for our departure for the east coast and home. Large cities have busy roads and they are always best traveled in the light of day for safety.

You know you are getting close to the California shore when you hear “The Surfing Report” on the news channel.

Today the heat of the dessert would not take us by surprise. Our bikes would have plenty of fluids on board this time.

None of us really expected so much dessert to be in California. We had all thought the largest part would have been in Arizona. But most of the Arizonian dessert expanses are actually just south of our route.

We still had at least 50 miles of dessert in California left with temperatures again well over 100 degrees before we would start a big climb to Julian CA.

Unlike the east coast, off-road use by ATV’s and other four-wheel drive vehicles is legal in many places. Along our route we have passed thousands of acres of land put aside for this use. Immense sand dunes and miles of dessert roads are there to transverse. This time of year the dunes are empty though. The off road season shuts down April just before the heat turns on. They start up again in October.

About thirty miles into our desert crossing we came upon the Blu-In grocery store. This is a small store in the middle of the dessert being operated by three friendly women. They told us the store is a very busy place during off-road season but now is slow. A couple of their kids were playing Monopoly on one of the tables. We sucked down glass after glass of ice tea and loaded our bottles with water. The store had a “Go RAAM” sign in front of the building. Remember RAAM (Race Across America) is the route we are following. And in fact we should soon see the first of the bicycle racers going by tomorrow if we are lucky.

The women took our photo for the stores web site being impressed with our adventure. http://www.bluincafe.com/ Is their URL address.

Today our route would take us from below sea level to over 4000’ feet. All of this elevation gain was in one short steep climb off the desert floor up the mountain to Julian.

It is amazing to watch the sparse dessert brush change into pines in just a couple thousand feet of climbing. One of the first things you notice is sweat appearing on you skin. In the dessert our skin was dry as the sweat evaporated before it even had a chance to cool us. This would be the final climb of the tour. From the top of this mountain we basically have a downhill ride to sea level.

Day 36 90 miles 2194 feet of climbing 13.3 ave

Blythe CA to Brawley CA

Who turned up the heat?

Things change fast when you venture into the dessert as we found out today. Our day started at 7:30 AM with an air temperature of 62 degrees and by noon we were roasting like pork sausage links at 104! Oh but it is dry heat…. Yea right, the sweat never has a chance to cool your skin it vaporizes before it even emerges.

104 is the temperature in the shade. The temperature in the direct sunlight is much hotter. And as any car racing fan will tell you the asphalt (track temp) is always much higher. That additional heat radiates up off the pavement at a cyclist .

Our little traveling band left Blythe and headed south towards Brawley CA. The terrain was flat and winds light so we were making good time for the first few cool morning hours.

The sun started getting higher in the sky and the sparse vegetation became even thinner as we pushed forward. The few houses and farms soon disappeared and all we had left was a baron scorched landscape. We had also reached our lowest elevation of the tour. Lower than any of us have ever ridden a bicycle before. 90 feet BELOW sea level!!

We all loaded spare water bottles in the morning and figured we should have plenty. The first available fluid stop appeared to be about 60-65 miles away in Glamis CA. It really was not all that hot out right now anyway. Well we were dead wrong on that calculation. About half way to Glamis it was apparent we were not going to make it on water.

Running out of water in the desert seems like a bad way to go for sure. Without some more fluids we would be in trouble. Ken waited for the next car to pass and put his hand up like he was drinking water with out having a bottle. Bingo the car turned around and the driver offered the two bottles of water he had in his car to us. Next was a pick-up truck and they stopped and turned around after seeing the same hand signal. They had about a half-gallon to share. More great Americans. This should be all we need now.

Well as that sun beat down on us more and the temperature went up the water supply again started looking bleak. We would make it but it would be ugly.

Then about 20 miles from the Glamis we came upon on a US Border Patrol checkpoint. Joe pulled right in and asked for water. They gladly filled our bottles with nice cold water. What water we had left was already at least 100 degrees.

Then a car pulled into the checkpoint. He rolled down his window and said “Hey I saw you guys in Cottonwood Arizona a couple of days ago”. He was a contractor returning from a job somewhere in California. “You are easy to spot with the bright yellow shirts and bags.” That is a good thing to hear, at least we stick out in traffic.

Just as we were about to leave the Border Patrol checkpoint they told us the store we were counting on in Glamis may not even be open this time of year. That was not what we wanted to hear.

Lucky for us when we arrived it was open. We drank our fill and then some. We also purchased a few additional bottles to take with us. Even this cold water was warm as tea within 30 minutes. Hot water is very unsatisfying in the sizzling heat BUT it is much better than no water at all.

Tomorrow we will not make the same mistake with fluids.

Again our daily mileage was determined by the availability of a sleep spot as everyday is. With the desert heat and lack of watering holes we stopped at 90 miles.

Day 35 63 miles 1576 feet of climbing 12.8 ave

Salome AZ to Blythe CA

As soon as the sun came up we made our escape from the dingy red light motel. One nice thing about staying at a dumpy motel it gets you on the road quicker in the morning. We picked the bed bugs and other critters off our bodies hopped on the bikes and made a quick getaway.

The next available sleep spot was either at 65 miles or 150 miles away. Our route takes us into such remote areas the availably of motels is very limited. Knowing today we would be entering the final state of the tour we opted for the short day. That way we could get the laundry done and hopefully get to bed at a reasonable time for a change.

Arizona is a very mountainous state. Every time we cleared one set of mountains another massive mound of mountains appeared in front of us. This all started to change as we approached the state of California. For the first time since we left Connecticut we actually descended more than we climbed. We are now at elevation 250’. A far cry from the 10,800’ we were at a few days ago.

The wind gods were not as harsh on us today. The 30+ mph winds of blowing dust and heat were replaced with light winds and mild temperatures.

The Arizona landscape stayed flat and bland. Patches of saguaro and prickly-pear cactus mixed in with the low brush. Most places we passed were closed for the summer. Unlike the east coast where establishments close for the winter, here summer is the harsh season. It is not uncommon for temperatures to reach over 100 degrees for weeks at a time.

Today would be a new experience for all of us. We will actually be riding on an interstate highway for the first time…ever. This is legally allowed in Arizona on the approach to the California border. We merged onto I-10 about 32 miles from the border. A sign on the entrance ramp said for bicycles to say on the shoulder and off the roadway. Duhhhh. With the highway speed limit at 75mph and semi’s buzzing by we had already figured that much out.

Believe it or not the 32-mile highway ride was not all that bad. The shoulder was plenty wide and traffic light. The smooth surface and gentle grades made for some fast riding for a change.

The final major river crossing was just ahead. We have crossed the Connecticut, Hudson, Mississippi, Missouri and even the Rio Grande rivers. Now it will be the Colorado. The Colorado River is clean and dark turquoise almost like the Caribbean Ocean is. It is a truly beautiful site to see.

At the center of the bridge we saw the sign. “California State Line” ….. Wow, that sure is a long way from Niantic, Connecticut.

Once over the bridge we had to touch the Colorado. A boat launch just below the bridge served this purpose well. The air temperature was over 90 degrees and the cool river water felt nice even if it was only for a minute or too.

Blythe, CA would be our sleep spot for tonight. Unlike western Arizona this city had plenty of motels to choose from. We do not need the Ritz-Carlton or Hilton but please not another dump tonight.

We stopped at the first few nice hotels and shopped price. When we checked at the Regency Inn and Suites the manager at the desk recognized us! Hey, I saw you guys a couple hours ago on the highway outside Quartzite AZ.

Come to find out she was the regional manager for this chain and was traveling in from Phoenix at the time. She asked of our journey and was impressed with our feat. We then found out she had just completed her first full marathon and had the medal to prove it. Having suffered for 26 miles in the heat running she knew what it took to ride cross-country. For this we were given a nice room for a mere $49! THANKS!

Today may have been one of our easiest cycling days of the tour and was welcomed.

Day 34 102 miles 3676 feet of climbing 11.6 ave

Prescott, AZ to Salome AZ

And let the beatings continue…….

The wind has become sick and tired of the light and fluffy daily reports we have been posting lately. The wind no longer wants to hear about nature’s scenic beauty, perfect weather or the good bike spirits being with us. The cycling fantasy world we have rode for the past few days came to an end today.

Our morning started with the sun shining and pleasantly cool temperatures. Prescott is in the higher elevations of Arizona around 6000 feet. We left the Hampton Inn at 7:15 and started a relatively easy climb over the mountain.

Once we cleared the mountaintop a winding road of switchbacks appeared below us. This turned out to be one of the better downhills of the tour. Fast turning and with only one-way traffic made this decent fun and fast.

But the fun and games ended abruptly at the valley floor when the wind handed down its sentence……20 to 25 mile per hour head winds without the possibility of parole.

The beautiful and colorful rock formations of the last few days were replaced with a bland flat landscape of low-lying brush and occasional cactus.... But at least you still had the surrounding mountains to look at in the distance through the clear sky. The wind was a steady 20 to 25 mph blowing in our face.

The wind robs you of one of you important cycling senses. That sense is hearing. All cyclists use their ears as well as their eyes and mirror to detect approaching traffic. When you have the wind screaming in your ears you loose the “eyes in the back of your head” so to speak.

About 15 miles outside the town of Congress we spotted another cyclist with panniers. He was flying from the opposite direction with the wind at his back.

The rider an economics teacher on his way to Chicago from San Diego. He was no cyclo-touring amateur either. Harley (the cyclist) was on his 9th tour from the west coast to Chicago! He was using part of the RAAM route as were we on this trip. Just before we departed he spotted one of Ken’s custom made mirrors and asked about it. “Email me when you get back home and I will make you one” Ken told him. We exchanged information and parted ways.

I think the wind was upset with our momentary socializing with Harley. It did not like the smiles on our faces as we chatted. It only likes to see pain and suffering.

Our little wagon train was now in for even more punishment. Our new sentence would be 25 to 30 mile per hour winds heated like a blast furnace to 90+ degrees. And the clincher, this would be high winds of blowing dust off the baron landscape. The huge mountains we once could see in the distance became nearly invisible now by the blowing dust.

Just what a cyclist needs to make for a perfect day. Heat, headwinds and air filled with fine dust to breathe. Gosh what else could anyone want? Air to ground lightning?

The availability of water to replenish supplies on the bikes in this part of Arizona are few and far between. And as far as motels go…. well forget it. We knew there were only two choices about 100 miles down the road. The “International Inn” …sounds impressive right? And another real sweetheart, the infamous Sheffler’s Motel. We could see the “International” was a real low life dump directly connected to the local bar. We went with Sheffler’s.

We knew this was a nice town when we stopped at the town’s only grocery store. The outside of the establishment was completely surrounded by a six-foot tall steel bar fence with razor wire garnishing the top. The windows and doors also had bars covering them. After we passed through the open gate I was not sure if this was a store or the entrance to San Quentin.

When we arrived at Sheffler’s we knew this was a 5-Star motel. The glowing red neon tubes surrounding the building was a dead give away. We asked the 150 year old women running the place where we could get some dinner locally. Well in the town of Salome AZ there are no restaurants. Just a gas station that will fix a flat change your oil and whip you up the most disgusting pizza you could ever want.

This would be our reward for a day of pain and suffering. Undercooked gas station pizza and a sleaze bag motel. Got to love it….

Day 33 88 miles 6167 Feet Of Climbing (Basically one BIG hill…ouch!)11.7 ave

Flagstaff AZ to Prescott AZ

We left Flagstaff for Prescott AZ under bright sunshine and warm temperatures once again. The route to Prescott would take us down the mountain through Sedona.

Our day opened up with a spectacular 30-mile downhill through Oak Creek Canyon. The road (89 Alt) was filled with steep grades and tight switchbacks. The beautiful red rock cliffs and Ponderosa pines that were everywhere made it hard to keep your eyes on the road. These sights are again something you need to see in person to truly appreciate. No description or photograph can describe the beauty nature has created in this area.

Sedona is a terrific picturesque western style town surrounded by its famous red rock monuments and mountains. This was a town that required a second look so we stopped for a quick lunch treat of hot dogs and ice cream. After sitting on a city bench for 15 minutes we did not want to leave. We could have easily spent the day wandering through the town’s shops and stores and looking at the sights.

As always we do not have the time to linger in any one spot for too long. After our small feast we hopped on the bikes and continued on to Prescott. Just as we were about to leave a man approached us to ask of our journey. When we told him our route to Prescott he chuckled. “You boys have one heck of a climb coming up”.

We already knew we had a climb - but after talking to him we realized this could be more of a climb than we had originally thought. In the next 12 miles we would give back all the elevation and more we dropped in 30 miles from Flagstaff.

You know the old saying …..”what goes down must come up”….. Well that is not exactly how it was originally penned but that is how it is in “bicycle lingo” anyway.

About halfway up the mountain is the old mining town of Jerome. All of its buildings are built into the mountain walls along the switchback two-lane road. It looked very much like a town in the Alps.
The climb was impressive to say the least. The road twisted and turned steeply on its way up the mountain like a snake. No complaints though. We will take a stiff climb over the wind anytime. And this was a stiff climb too.

We were rewarded with a swift 7-mile downhill to the Prescott valley floor.

This is another area we have put on the list of places we would like to return to and spend a little time to enjoy the sights.

Day 32 85 miles 3886 feet of climbing 12.5 ave

South Rim, Grand Canyon to Flagstaff, AZ

We took one more quick peek into the “big hole”, saddled up the horses and headed out of town.

All the effort of yesterday’s 30-mile climb up to the canyon rim was traded in for a quick down hill to the valley floor. Off in the distance we could see snow covered mountains. Without even looking at our route we knew that was where we were going. Seems like we climb all the mountains. Why miss this set?

Again our day developed into a great day to be riding. Sun, mid 70’s low humidity and almost no traffic. What more could you want…aahhh maybe a motor…. Naaa…too easy it would take all the pain out of it.

We pulled into a gas station for some fluids. For the next 40 or 50 miles there would be no services at all. So different than the east coast where you can’t go 10 miles without finding at least “something”. From the mid-west on there are vast expanses of undeveloped land with “nothing” … and I mean nothing!

At the gas station a couple of tour buses had stopped while we were there getting supplies. It was not long before we were in a question and answer session with the people leaving the buses. It seems like everyone wants to know where we are going and where we came from.

Flagstaff is actually at a higher elevation than the canyon plateau we dropped off from in the morning. That meant after a nice downhill and ride on the valley floor it was time to end the day's climbing. We completed our 25 mile climb by 5pm and entered Flagstaff ending up on the famous Route 66! Cool!

Today we reached the 3000 mile mark of the tour. Tomorrow we will again drop to the valley floor on our way to Sedona.

Day 31 86 miles 5060 feet of climbing 12.1 ave

Tuba City, AZ to South Rim Grand Canyon, AZ

The good bike spirits are following us again as the weather made for a perfect day of cycling. It was a nice sunny day in the mid 80’s with low humidity. The best thing is again we had little or no wind to torture us.

The slightly bland landscape again started to change for the better. Mountains, valleys and plateaus of pastel colors started to appear. You could tell something big was just around the corner.

After a relatively flat ride out of Tuba City we started a steady 30-mile climb up to the Grand Canyons south rim.

We had expected this stretch of road to be busy with lots of tourist traffic. To our surprise it was not. Even after we entered Grand Canyon State park traffic was very light with long periods with no cars at all.

Once we entered the park out first thoughts were for fluids. Not any sight seeing. Tim was completely out of water and Joe and Ken were low, only having a couple mouthfuls very warm water left to quench their thirst.

As we approached the park store we could see “something” just ahead. Obviously part of the Canyon. After drinking a belly full of cold juice and Gatorade we filled our bottles and headed to the rim.

I have enough trouble just typing theses blog reports, so I will not even bother to try and describe one of the 7 greatest natural wonders of the world. Also our photos are just for proof that we were actually there. This, as Monument Valley is something you need to see with your own eyes. Photos by even the best photographers cannot show the enormity of this place.

We stopped a German couple that had a rented RV to ask how they liked it and how much it cost to rent and operate. This would be the way to bring our families to see the west.

The park road is over 25 miles ling and follows the south rim. All along the way you have openings in the trees and other areas to see the Canyon. These “interruptions” slowed our forward progress. Now remember we are not on a sight seeing tour. It would be nice but was not our plan. All total we only spent about an hour gazing into the canyon from various points. A mule trip to the bottom, helicopter ride or raft tour would have been a blast. We even missed the best part of the day to view the canyon’s beauty …sunset. We were in our usual panic to shower, eat, do chores and get to bed when this happened….next time.

We ended our day at a Park Lodge. While waiting for a table at dinner some people had recognized us as the three guys on the bikes climbing the big hill. As with everyone we meet they had questions about out journey. I remember asking the same questions to the first person I met who rode cross-country. We never get tired if answering the questions. It seems like this kind of adventure is almost everyone’s dream.

Once seated the people at the table next to us spotted our Wild West Tour t-shirts. They also had seen us on the climb. After a few questions we found they had visited Eugene O’Neil Theater in Waterford, Connecticut. Our waitress had a distinctive New Your accent. She looked at our shirts asked what is the Wild West Tour. When we told her she replied she was a welder once at Electric Boat In Groton, Connecticut. Small world…..

Day 30 101 miles 2892 feet of climbing 12.5 ave

Monument Valley, UT to Tuba City AZ

We entered the state of Arizona traveling through the lands of the Navajo People. The scenery is still beautiful but after Monument Valley it seems to be missing something.

The threat of rain is now a thing of the past. Arizona has little rainfall this time of year. Even though we had a headwind it was only a 10 to 15 mph breeze most of the time and not a problem. Temperatures were in the 80’s and the sun was bright.

The sun has fried our bodies from the weeks on the road. The worst is our lips. They are burnt chapped and split. Anything other than ice cream hurts to eat.

Other exposed body parts are peeling badly. Our tans would not make a good Coppertone commercial. The raccoon eyes from sun glasses the pure white feet from the sock line down. And our legs… bike shorts are long. Our tan line stops just above the knee. Put on a regular pair of shorts and flip flops and we are a site to see. White eyes, tan face… white thigh tan knees to the ankle white feet. Tan arms white hands from gloves.

The first couple we met from France has been on our website blog. So cool! We wish them the best of luck in the USA. It is much easier for us to cross the country by bike than it is for them. We know the store chains and motels etc they do not. Even though they have a good grasp on the English language it still can be hard to communicate.

We need to send out a couple of special thank you’s today. Kelley shipped our bicycle boxes out to the west coast today. We are getting close to the finish line. Also Kelley is the person that keeps our blog in order. Special Thanks go out to Al for keeping our yards under control. And again thanks to Rick Kushman for setting up the entire blog and web thing. It has worked out well!

Day 29 101 miles 5070 feet of climbing 12.4 ave

McElory Canyon, CO to Monument Valley, UT

No winds, bright sun, warm temperatures and non-stop scenic beauty was the order for today.

Our day started early. We were out the door and riding by 7:15. The original route had us riding 115 miles to Monument Valley. A little short cut saved us a few miles and by 8AM we had entered our 12'th state of the tour – Utah!

Along about mid morning we spotted another cyclist with touring bags mounted on his bike. To our amazement it was another person from France. He, like the French couple we met yesterday was headed to Chicago. A fit looking man in his 30’s he was traveling alone. We chatted and exchanged email information before parting ways. What are the odds of coming across three people from France cyclo-touring the US two days in a row?

Within a couple hours we came upon small village called Bluff. Once outside of town the terrain began to change. Red rock monuments and plateaus started appearing.

The road was virtually traffic free which seemed odd for such a picturesque place. Where was everybody? This place is amazing.

As we got closer to Monument Valley nature’s beauty almost became overwhelming for us. Around every bend in the road another natural wonder appeared for us to see. From the painted mountains to the natural caves and arches this place was simply amazing.

Our cameras were firing off photos like Tommy guns. Then we all realized no photo taken by anyone could show this beauty in its enormity. Sure a picture will give you an idea what it looks like but unless you see it with your own eyes you can’t possibly comprehend this natural wonder.

Our sleep spot tonight is right in the heart of Monument Valley. For the night the only available room was a 4-bedroom 2-bath house sitting on a bluff. What a shame. The cost for this palace was only $185. I am typing this report outside on a patio over looking the monuments.

The manager of the restaurant asked us about our journey. When I said we started in Connecticut he asked what town because he use to live in New London. Small world.

It would be nice to spend a couple days here and go on a bus tour or visit the sites but we can’t. Our little wagon train will be hitting the dusty trail in the morning. This tour is just a recon mission so we can bring our families to the “good stuff” in the near future. Skip the scruff we will know where the action is.

--Check out yesterdays Kayak Video Clip...!

The Real Day 28 62 miles 3618 feet of climbing 11.5 ave

Durango, CO to McElmo Canyon, CO

Durango is one of those towns you would want to come back to some day. A bicycle friendly place that is also one of the USA's Great Mountain Bike hot spots. Many other sporting events originate here also.

As we were leaving the city Tim spotted what looked like a cycling trail along a River that had some serious rapids working. It was headed in the right direction so we jumped on it. As we rode the bike path we came across a kayak race course. The corse is marked by gates a kayaker would have to navigate his boat through while battling the rapids.

Then up river we spotted two kayakers preparing to do battle with the roaring current. We watched as they used every trick in the book to get through the boiling water and complete the turns through the gates. These guys are nuts! No way…no how was that for us we all agreed. Give me a spot on the Niantic River and a 4 foot striper any day.

We had a big hill to climb out of Durango and just at the crest we came upon two other cyclist carrying panniers (saddlebags) going in the opposite direction. We all stopped and asked where each was going. We immediately detected a French accent. The man and women I would guess their late 30’s were from France. They landed in Las Vegas a few weeks ago to cycle America. Their plan was to cycle to Chicago. We talked for a while exchanged information and went our separate ways.

Soon after that we experienced a mechanical problem. Joe had felt his hamstring tightening and decided his seat may be a tad low so he stopped to raise it. When he did the bolt snapped and was stuck in the seat post clamp. Now the seat would no longer stay up, down or straight. A roadside fix that included some hose clamps and vice grips worked fine. Over the years we have found mini hose clamps and vise grips able to fix most ills.

We proceeded to Cortez where we found a well-equipped bike shop. They had a new clamp and the fix was made.

Our day ended in McElmo Canyon just outside of Cortez. Here we are staying at a bed and breakfast Inn that has come nice cabins also. It is in the middle of an archaeological preserve. They have on display some of the pottery and other artifacts that have been found on the grounds. It was amazing to see what we were able to make so long ago.

The sun was bright all day and the temperature was in the low 70’s. Real good for riding. Our day had to end here due to the lack of sleep spots. The next one for us is about 115 miles away. That will be our goal for tomorrow.

Day 28 ?? miles ???? feet of climbing ?? ave

Durango, CO to somewhere (we hope) in New Mexico or Arizona

Team Eliminator seems to have gone missing again. The only word received from the team yesterday was a brief message, "Broke seat clamp bolt" and a picture of the broken part and some plumber type repair ingenuity.

We aren't sure if the part failure is what caused a delay for the team or if they are simply sight seeing in the desert...Updates as they arrive!

Day 27 75 miles 3987 feet of climbing 12.6 ave

Pagosa Springs, CO to Durango, CO

Wednesday morning we were eating in the motels dining area when the waiter a man in his late 30’s started asking us about our cross-country cycling trip. He then asked if we would do him a favor because he has no computer at home. Mail his 11-year-old daughter some photos and our little story to help him explain if “you set a goal it can be achieved”. It does not have to be a cross-country cycling trip it could be something as simple as good grade on a school paper. It is so cool to think our little adventure actually may help someone else achieve a goal in his or her life. We gladly took Emily’s address and will send her a nice package when we return home.

After leaving Rt 160 outside Pagosa our ride was on a nearly deserted road that went buy Chimney Rock. This is another archaeological marvel in this beautiful state of Colorado. Remember we do not stop and visit these sites, as our time will not allow. We do mentally absorb the beauty of these wonders as we ride by. If we were to stop at every interesting or scenic spot the tour would still be stalled in Ohio.

We “thought” all the major climbing was over but looming in the distance appears to be more snow covered mountain peaks. We are not sure what they have in store for us. Speaking of climbing we have already climbed 129,821 feet so far!!! And we are not done yet. Ouch!!! Gee…. we have almost done Mount Everest five times from sea level already. PLUS rode a couple thousand miles as a “side order”.

Our day ended in Durango Colorado with a nice bowl of pasta from Beaujos Mountain Bistro. An inexpensive but delicious meal for a change. Still not the home cooking we are all long for but better then Pizza Hut.

Day 26 90 miles 4433 feet of climbing 11.8 ave

Alamoso CO to Pagosa Springs CO

The dues we paid with the torturous winds Monday were payment for two perfect cycling days in a row. Both days were sunny with no chance of rain and only moderate winds of 15mph.

Tuesday we reached the highest point we will attain on this cross-country tour 10,800’ at Wolf Creek Pass. Here also is the place we crossed the Continental Divide. At the summit a bronze bar embedded in the asphalt marks the spot where the country’s rain is separated east and west.

Tuesday’s first 15 miles were flat riding on the valley’s floor as we approached the climb to the summit. The views up the 10-mile climb were spectacular to say the least. The grade was moderate and we had a large shoulder for most of the climb. Along the winding switchback road we pass through two tunnels carved into the mountain.

As we gained elevation the snow started to appear on the ground. Once we reached the Pass at 10,800’ the snow was about 24” deep off the road. The air temperature was about 50-55 degrees.
The route follows the Rio Grande River to its beginnings at the top of the mountain. Here is where the mighty Rio Grande River that separates Texas from Mexico originates. It is incredible to think the crystal clear small streams and creeks formed by snowmelt converge and find their way south 1800 miles to create that river.

At the summit we ate a snack and put on some warm gear. The downhill past the summit was steep and very fast. We had to stay on the brakes the entire time to keep speeds at a reasonable rate. Again the views were something our cameras cannot convey. Spectacular rock formations, waterfalls and panoramic views were everywhere to be seen.


We ended our day at Pagosa Springs Colorado. Here we found the world's largest and deepest hot mineral spring. These springs range in temperature from 85 to 109 degrees. The mineral deposits in the hot water create volcanic looking miniature mountains with water erupting instead of lava.

Some have the distinct smell of sulfur as they flow. People use these springs year round. Imagine coming out of the springs 100+ degree water on a cold winters day.

We pulled up to the first motel to check prices when an couple came up to us and said……” you guys are awesome!” At first we were confused. Are they trying to sell us something?? Then they explained that they had passed us hours ago in their car while we were climbing to the Wolf Creek Summit. Having done some cycling themselves they knew the level of difficulty it took to get the heavy bikes to the top. They also told us they were part of the “Warm Showers” network. These are generous people who offer their homes for sleeping to traveling cyclist. http://www.warmshowers.org/ Again just plain good Americans.

Day 25 70 miles 4305 feet of climbing (all in one hill)10.7 ave

La Veta CO to Alamosa CO

Wind is a four-letter word… and we called it a few other four-letter words I will not share with you. These words were shouted repeatedly at the wind like it would make a difference.

Our day started with a 20-mile climb out of the valley to La Veta Pass. The air was cool but the sun was shining as we reached the top. Snow can still be found on the ground above 9000 feet in the Rockies. The grade is not extremely steep but it is a steady 20-mile climb that eats up horsepower. Life is good….

We knew our efforts of climbing would be rewarded with another fantastic 25-mile downhill to the valley floor. Then we had another 20+ miles of relatively flat running to Alamosa before the climb up to Wolf Creek Pass. This was going to be a good day to make up some lost time.

Just as we cleared the peak and started the downhill we were hit with a windblast that was equal to the jet wash from a 747. It can’t be possible…. No Friggin’ way….. A couple of words of disappointment could be heard on our two-way radios as we started down the mountain.

This may be had to comprehend to a non-cyclist but the wind hitting us with a direct head wind at 30 to 35 mph required us to pedal to go downhill. We had to pedal to go up the hill now we have to pedal to go down. Even pedaling downhill speeds were only slightly faster than our climbing speed as incredible as it may seem.

I can’t explain the disappointment we felt having been robbed of our downhill by the wicked wind. In our minds we knew this could not last all day. Not agin…impossible. The wind must just be at altitude. When we get to the valley floor it will die down for the long flat run to Alamosa. No need to panic.

The trip down the mountain was only slightly faster than our trip up. A real bummer to put it lightly.

Sadly for us the valley’s winds were even possibly stronger. Our bikes were continuously being bullied around on the flats by the gusts. Most of the day we were not able to achieve speeds greater than10mph.

Physically our bodies have the power to keep the bikes moving forward even with the wind fiercely pushing us back. Mentally is another matter. You know you are dishing out enough horsepower to be going 18mph easily but you are only going 8. That is hard to take for day or even two but we have endured this mental torture for nearly 800 miles. Our planned “big” day was again going to be foiled by the wind.

We stopped at a roadside rest on the valley floor to eat some canned pears we had brought along. The wind noise was so loud it was hard to even talk to each other. Even opening the cans posed a problem. Expose the cans liquid to the wind and it would blow out onto the table. It was that bad.

We had our snack and hopped onto the bikes for some more abuse. Joe pulled ahead while Tim and Ken made an attempt to draft each other. Normally drafting another rider is an easy task but with saddlebags and a 35mph wind it is almost impossible. The lead rider can hardly run a straight line for the other rider to follow. The wind grabs the front panniers (saddlebags) and turns them away from the wind like a weather vane on a barn roof. Now the lead rider is almost in the weeds. The rider behind gets a sudden blast of wind and now he is in the weeds.

At one point Ken got off his bike let it drop onto the ground and said…”I have had enough”. Tim was feeling no better at this point but handled the situation “slightly” better. They jumped back on the bikes and pushed forward.

When the caught up to Joe outside Alamosa the decision had already been made. Joe said it was over. If we were to continue on to even the next available sleep spot it would be after 8PM. By the time you eat do laundry and our other duties it would be midnight. Having only traveled a mere 70 miles you just needed to stick us with a fork…we were done…well done.

According to The Weather Channel we are being tormented by stubborn low-pressure system that will not move. We should be glad we are on the west side of this system because the towns we just left like Dodge City are being hit hard with rain and golf ball size hail.

Tomorrow we will climb out of the valley to Wolf Creek Pass, which is over 10,800 feet and the beginning of the end of our crossing of the Rocky Mountians.

We will cross the Continental Divide in that area. The Continental Divide in the Americas is the line that divides the flow of water between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. Rain or snow that drains on the east side of the Continental Divide flows toward the Atlantic Ocean while precipitation on the west side drains and flows toward the Pacific Ocean.

I will have to say we put up a gallant fight but again the wind was the victor. We will lick our wounds and give it hell in the morning.

Day 24 67 miles 6014 feet of climbing 11.1 ave

Trinidad, CO to La Veta, CO

There was a reason for going east to west against all those nasty head winds for over 2000 miles. That was to save the best for last.

The Rocky Mountains are an impressive site. Huge snow covered peaks as far as the eye can see. You wonder how the first American pioneers cleared this huge obstacle. It is a big deal for us to do even on a paved road with GPS.

We can notice the effects of altitude as we approached the 10,000-foot mark today. The power you have to push the loaded bike up the hills at 2000 feet is not there at 10,000. You can feel the slight lack of oxygen on the body.

Our day started in Trinidad with a later than normal start. We were still a tad beat up from yesterday’s 125-mile battle with the winds and a 1 AM bedtime.

Today we knew we had some lingering winds and long climbs in the mountains to reach Cuchara Pass at 9950’.

We were glad to see a country store at Stonewall Gap about 25 miles in. This is a very small mountain village and this was the only store of any kind we saw today. Inside we found a friendly gentlemen in his mid 60’s who owned the store. We purchased some liquids and an ice cream bars to consume on the stores covered porch.

The owner, seeing our loaded bikes asked of our trek. When we told him we left from Niantic Connecticut and planned to ride to California. He then asked if Niantic was anywhere near New London. We told him it was only a couple miles away. He then told us he was a bass player in a band that in 1967 played at the Mabry Hotel near Ocean Beach New London.

Then he said there was a diner in that town that had the best food he had ever had. He described the diner to a tee and said the guy who ran it was named Jack. Of course we knew right away he was talking about Jacks Place that just recently closed. To be so far from home and find a person who after 40+ years can still describe the layout of a diner he once ate at. Pretty cool..

We immediately put in a call to Team rider Jay Sullivan who lives near-by “Jack” who owned that diner. We left him a message to tell Jack (real name Joe) he still has fans in Stonewall, CO.

We ate our snacks and continued on up the Mountain. As we reached Cuchara Pass we could still see patches of snow that had not melted yet. The sun was shining and the air was warm. We were rewarded for our 20 mile climb with a spectacular 17+ mile downhill to La Veta.

Of course first thing in the morning we need to climb out of the valley to La Veta pass that is again at 10,000’. We will repeat this scenario a few time to clear the Rockies.

All in all a spectacular cycling day.

Day 23 124 miles 5117 feet of climbing 10.1 wind blasted ave

Springfield, CO to Trinidad, CO

We knew we were in for a tough day before we even started. We had to run more than 120 miles to get to the next town with a motel and the wind was forecast to blow in our face.

Well this time the weatherman hit the nail on the head. The wind kicked up early and hot coming out of WSW. Basically a dead on head wind for the road we were traveling. It blew at a steady 25-30 mph reducing our forward speed to less than 9mph on a flat road most of the day.

I know I have said it before but any cyclist will tell you nothing is worse than the wind. She (the wind) dished out a severe and deliberate beating to us today. We must have called her one too many names over the last few days. And today we had no way out…no back-up plan other than sleep on the side of the road.

This part of Colorado is a vast grassland that is part of the National Forest Service. You may as well be on the moon because once you pass Kim ,CO there is not a thing but thousands upon thousands of acres of dried grass. Not a house, store …not even a stop sign. To put in better perspective the school in Kim, CO handles grades K-12. It’s district covers 1500 square miles!!!! And for all of that territory the school has 67 students …total!!

We started the morning buy stocking the bikes with extra food and water. We bought 24 bottles of water, snacks and a grinder. Each rider took 8 bottles.

The wind along with temperatures in the high 80’s sucked every drop of moisture out of us. All of our lips are chapped badly and we are faces fried from the sun.

Our journey today was all on RT 160 in southern Colorado. This road sees almost no traffic at all. You can ride for hours in the middle of the road and no cars will pass you. Most of RT 160 is as straight as an arrow and the scenery does not change…..Grass…grass and more grass.

It was about mid-day and the sun was bright and hot. All of our water was warm and you really get no satisfaction drinking it. The water is just to keep you hydrated. One of the very few vehicles to pass us went down the road for a stretch then turned around and stopped. As we approached the driver and his wife got out of the pick-up. “Do you boys want something cold to drink?” These people went out of their way to stop and offer us something they knew we needed. Cold fluids. We graciously accepted the offer and out of their cooler came some nice cold sodas. They also had some food to offer but we still had a good supply on-board.
They were from Oklahoma traveling in Colorado. We gulped down the cold sodas and talked a while. They even offered to travel in front of us at bike speed to block our wind since we still had 50+ miles to go. All of this took place in the middle of the road. Like I said desolate. Another example of great Americans always ready to help. They were just plain old good people.

As we got closer to Trinidad the next set of bumps began to appear in front of us. They consumed the entire horizon and rose all the way into the clouds. The Rockies! A very impressive sight to see, almost scary. But after all this wind “Give us the Hills”

The wind slowed us down so much we did not arrive at our sleep stop until 10:30 PM. To be honest Joe put it right… the wind takes the fun out of riding. He is right, today was torture.

Day 22 76 miles 2294 feet of climbing 11.5 ave

Ulysses KS to Springfield CO

Our day started off with moderate winds and plenty of sun. A major improvement over yesterday’s gale force winds so we were happy campers. The forecast was for more high winds but it appeared the weatherman missed this one. At least we thought he did…..

When you travel west the days get noticeably longer. Eventually the sun is still up at 8:45 PM. Of course the correction for this are the time zones. Today we entered the Mountain Time Zone. Pushing us now 2 hours ahead of the east coast where we started.

About 40 miles into our day we reached the Colorado border. Boy you really know you are far from home when you see that sign. We were all ready for a new state too. Kansas is a big place and took five days to traverse. I saw fields of wheat that were bigger than Connecticut.

We knew we had a relatively easy day planned of about 75 miles. The reason for this again is motel availability. Places to stay are getting few and far between and our day’s trek is always based on that.

We squandered some of our time at water stops knowing we had plenty of time to spare. All of our “spare” time got sucked up quick when the predicted winds finally did kick in. In a matter of minutes the slight breeze turned into a steady 30 mph cross wind.

One thing we had going for us was the road was virtually without any traffic. At least we would not be getting bullied around by the tractor-trailers going by. The wind steadily increased and eventually turned directly into our faces. With less than 15 miles to go our forward progress had been reduced to less than 8mph pushing hard.

The wind has us begging for the mountains. Hopefully we will be protected from the wind and will only have to deal with the climbing. At least you have some control over that. You have no control of the wind.

Day 21 82 wind blown miles 3576 feet of climbing 11.8 ave

Dodge City KS to Ulysses Kansas

The wind finally won today and beat us into submission. We knew it was going to be a difficult day when we saw the weather report. South winds at 25-35 mph with higher gusts were predicted. There was also a threat of thunderstorm’s, hail and tornado's.

Our plan was to ride to Johnson City Kansas about 105 miles from Dodge City to a motel we had booked the day before.

The steady 30+ mph wind had us riding with our bikes leaned to one side like we were making a turn. When a large truck would fly by we would loose the wind momentarily and the bikes would right themselves only to get blown over a second later as the truck passed. This scenario played out over and over again. Occasionally two trucks would pass and you would get a “double whammy”. Wow… that would get you attention quick.

Along our route we came across a large wind-generating farm. It consisted of 170 wind turbines each standing 30 stories high from the ground to the tip pf the blade. They were lined up in rows planted in the wheat fields. The turbines only turning 28 rpm produce 112 megawatts of power enough electricity to power 37,000 homes.

It was oblivious why they picked this area for the turbines. The wind normally blows through there like a hurricane. The local’s say no matter where you go in Kansas it is windy much of the time. With no tree cover or hills the wind is free to terrorize the innocent cyclist.

We also passed huge cattle feed farms were thousands of head of cattle are eating all the feed and grain they want…. For a while anyway……

The road we traveled was without services of any kind most of the day. No gas stations, convenience stores…nothing. Just vast fields of grain as far as the eye can see in any direction. You can ride for 20 miles and not even pass a farmhouse.

The roads are straight, flat and end at the horizon. If you look down and pedal for an hour then look up it seems you have gone nowhere…the view is the same.

Again keeping enough fluids on the bike became a problem. Ken ended up needing to stop at a farm and asking to have his water bottles re-filled. Tim ran out of water a while later and rode quite a ways before his thirst could be quenched.

As we approached Ulysses Kansas the winds started to increase. Now blowing near 40 mph riding became treacherous. One big gust took both Ken and Tim right off the road into the grass. This was the wake-up call. It had become too windy to cycle safely. The idea is to actually make it to California without band-aids.

Joe had already pulled his bike to the side of the road and watched Tim and Ken fight the wind on their way up to him. We decided it had become too dangerous to continue. According to the weather radios have, the tornado threat was just behind us moving east not a problem. But the highest winds were still just ahead of us in the next county.

Our first thought was to find a place to hunker down in Ulysses for a while to see if it would calm down enough to continue. Less than a quarter mile up the road was a clean and relatively new looking motel.

We decided to cancel our Johnson City reservation 20 miles away and stay there. That ended up being the correct choice because even at 8PM the wind was still howling at 30 to 40mph.

Today the wind won the battle. Tomorrows forecast is not any better and possibly worse. The wind direction will be west (in our face) and still 25-30 mph. It is not going to be a pretty sight.

Day 20 84 miles 2668 feet of climbing 13.3 ave

Pratt, KS to Dodge City, KS

Today our plans included picking up the badly needed supplies in Ford KS via General Delivery and to continue onto the famous western cattle town Dodge City.

As every morning our first stop of the day is to stock the bikes with fluids and food. We pulled into one of the Love’s Country Stores. They are a large chain of convenience stores in this part of the country.

We were wondering around the store looking at our choices when the District Manager who was talking to the store manager asked Ken about our journey. After giving him a quick run down he said he admired us for what we were doing and then told us to take what ever we needed in the store it was on him!!! FREE!

“Get some drinks and food …you got a cooler on those bikes? Fill them up”. We grabbed a few things and the manager was looking around the store trying to find us some other goodies. Amazing how a nice a perfect stranger treated us. We almost felt bad taking the supplies but knew he wanted us to. Just another example of good people in this great country. Remember when you travel…Love’s Stores are the right choice.

The wind was blowing 25 to 35 mph but lucky for us it was coming out of the southeast. This gave us a stiff cross wind but a slight push from the rear. The forecast was for increasing winds with gusts over 50mph in the evening. We would be safe in Dodge City by then. We had a mostly sunny day but ended up traveling on a busy road for a few hours. It had a very wide shoulder so it was safe but noisy.

Our travels took us through the town Greensburg destroyed by a F5 tornado just a year ago. (Worth doing a Google Search). We were told by one of the locals who went through it and survived the tornado was just under over a mile and a half wide! Can you imagine what something that big and nasty looked like bearing down on you!! No thanks.

The damage was still evident even a year later. Any building now in town was new and all the trees still standing were snapped half way up. The town still looked like war zone in some areas.

After seeing all this we hear the weekend forecast is for severe weather where we are headed tomorrow. The storms are due in the afternoon and we have a 100 miles planned to make our next rest stop. Hopefully we can beat the worst of it.


Just past Greensburg we came across a huge collection of metal sculptures on the edge of a field. Hundreds of them!! Most were very comical.

When we arrived in Dodge City dinner was the first order of business after securing a room. We asked the motel clerk if she could recommend a place we could get some pasta. “PASTA?!?!” she replied….. “Not in this town, don’t you know where you are? This is cattle country.” Steaks, beef, ribs…. We realized we had almost violated a city ordnance by asking for a non-beef product and went to the closest steak house.

You know you’re in cattle country when the pie on the dessert menu is Beef Pot Pie…not Apple Pie.

Once back at the motel we did the necessary bike repairs and tire swapping from the supplies we picked up at the Post Office and laundry.

Kansas has been nice but is is time to “Get out of Dodge” and head for Colorado and the Rockies.