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.