When I am riding at home in Berkshire County a 50 mile ride would be considered "long"....a half century for heaven's sake! But now, approaching the mid point of our ride across the country, a 50 mile ride falls into the category of a recovery day. And truly, if you were to remove the annoyance of the chip-seal road surface, the last two days have been pretty easy. I know for sure I am getting stronger. And that's good because the next two days in the Texas hill country west of Kerrville we will be doing some climbs that involve grades of 10%. Tomorrow we ride only 39 miles but pretty much all of those miles are either up or down...no level stretches to spin out your legs. These are the last days we will be doing any significant climbing as once we reach Louisiana the remainder of the ride is pretty flat. The challenge then will have more to do with heat and humidity.
This morning when we rode out it was misty and overcast and we couldn't see much more than the road surface a few feet ahead because of the mist on our glasses. But after an hour the clouds lifted and visibility improved. By noon there were breaks of sun and we had a pleasant and relaxing afternoon in a tiny town called Camp Wood. The town had two essential items: a laundromat and an ice cream shop. I now have a suitcase full of clean clothes and got to enjoy a traditional chocolate malted milkshake....the kind made with real ice cream and milk. Yum!
We won't have cell phone or Internet service tomorrow where we are staying so I won't be able to post again until we get to Kerrville on Thursday.
March 29, 2011
March 28, 2011
Annoying "bump" in the road...
Eighty happy strong miles into my century ride when a stomach bug hit and ended my ride after 82 miles. Disappointing as I know I had it in me to finish. It had finished its task of cleaning me out by late last night and I was back on the road riding today.
We are becoming vey familiar with a road surface here in Texas known as "chip seal"....a tar surface embedded with crushed rock that apparently hold up well to traffic but is hell for cyclists. It's so rough you get no "roll" from your pedal stroke so it's like riding through glue. It also causes perpetual vibration that numbs your wrists and punishes any part of your body that has contact with the saddle. Unfortunately Texas is a big state and we will be riding here for another couple of weeks!
We are heading into the Texas hill country tomorrow for a couple of days. It's supposed to be beautiful there and we are all hoping the bluebells will be in bloom!
We had a spritz of mist this morning and overcast skies. A relief from yesterday's heat!
We are becoming vey familiar with a road surface here in Texas known as "chip seal"....a tar surface embedded with crushed rock that apparently hold up well to traffic but is hell for cyclists. It's so rough you get no "roll" from your pedal stroke so it's like riding through glue. It also causes perpetual vibration that numbs your wrists and punishes any part of your body that has contact with the saddle. Unfortunately Texas is a big state and we will be riding here for another couple of weeks!
We are heading into the Texas hill country tomorrow for a couple of days. It's supposed to be beautiful there and we are all hoping the bluebells will be in bloom!
We had a spritz of mist this morning and overcast skies. A relief from yesterday's heat!
March 26, 2011
Getting Ready
Today's 54 miler was much like yesterday....an easy romp and into the town where our 50's style motel is. Arrived before noon. Most everyone is relaxing and mentally prepping for a long 111 miles tomorrow into Del Rio. It's going to be hot, which can make for a long ride even when the terrain is a gradual downhill with some rollers (according to the elevation chart). This is our only day with a century ride so I am hoping to make at least the first one hundred miles!
March 25, 2011
Joyful!
Our 60 mile ride today from Fort Davis to Marathon, Texas was pure joy. Rolling hills through open landscape with mountains in the distance and a gentle tail wind. Not a lot of gears needed and a wonderful easy cadence. Little traffic. Riding into Marathon after 30 miles of nothing I passed a freight train headed out of town and gave it a big wave. The engineer gave the tradition short toot of the horn in response. I remember this from my previous tours in the west. Fun!
The Gage Hotel where we are spending the night is utterly unexpected. Here in a tiny town way out yonder is a fabulous hacienda style resort hotel with green manicured gardens, shady verandas and all the amenities in the rooms. After checking in I went to a hamburger and ice cream place next door for lunch and had the best chocolate milkshake I have had in years. (I would never order a milkshake if I were going to continue riding so today was the perfect day to indulge.)
My Charlie horse from two days ago did not make a reappearance today so I am hoping that is history. All is well.
The Gage Hotel where we are spending the night is utterly unexpected. Here in a tiny town way out yonder is a fabulous hacienda style resort hotel with green manicured gardens, shady verandas and all the amenities in the rooms. After checking in I went to a hamburger and ice cream place next door for lunch and had the best chocolate milkshake I have had in years. (I would never order a milkshake if I were going to continue riding so today was the perfect day to indulge.)
My Charlie horse from two days ago did not make a reappearance today so I am hoping that is history. All is well.
March 24, 2011
Charlie horse and a rest day!
We rode out at dawn yesterday into a steady head wind and a long gradual climb. Shortly before the first SAG stop I got a Charlie horse in my right thigh. Although I was able to continue riding until I reached the SAG it took me off the road for the day. And that might have been for the best as my body was feeling tired after several consecutive days of riding. Today we have a rest day and the bit extra will probably be good for me. The challenge of this kind of a ride is not only the daily mileage but the cumulative effort as well. We have a century coming up in three days (111 miles) which I would love to be able to complete. We all need to rest up for that.
The place where we are staying is a lovely 1930s built lodge at a state part next to the MacDonald Observatory. Many of you may know of it from NPR. They have night time programs a couple of nights every week but unfortunately not on the nights that we are here. So we are whiling the time away going into town to do laundry, doing necessary bike maintenance, and catching up on things like emails and blogs. I might even throw in a little nap :-) .
Life goes on as we ride each day.... Several of us have had unexpected unhappy news to deal with. Family members who have become ill or passed away unexpectedly. Or, as in my case, household problems of sizable proportions.....flooded basement, dead furnace and hot water heater in a basement with no previous history of flooding. Thank goodness for my daughter who has stepped in to manage the necessary repairs. Without her help I would have had to return home to do it myself. I am grateful to her for every day I ride. (I confess to having times when I really miss my family and friends and home though.)
Our good luck with weather continues to hold. Looks like the next several days will continue to be sunny and pleasant. Hope to be riding strong again tomorrow!
The place where we are staying is a lovely 1930s built lodge at a state part next to the MacDonald Observatory. Many of you may know of it from NPR. They have night time programs a couple of nights every week but unfortunately not on the nights that we are here. So we are whiling the time away going into town to do laundry, doing necessary bike maintenance, and catching up on things like emails and blogs. I might even throw in a little nap :-) .
Life goes on as we ride each day.... Several of us have had unexpected unhappy news to deal with. Family members who have become ill or passed away unexpectedly. Or, as in my case, household problems of sizable proportions.....flooded basement, dead furnace and hot water heater in a basement with no previous history of flooding. Thank goodness for my daughter who has stepped in to manage the necessary repairs. Without her help I would have had to return home to do it myself. I am grateful to her for every day I ride. (I confess to having times when I really miss my family and friends and home though.)
Our good luck with weather continues to hold. Looks like the next several days will continue to be sunny and pleasant. Hope to be riding strong again tomorrow!
March 22, 2011
18 miles per hour uphill?
Must be a tailwind!
Yesterday we rode 47 miles and were struggling with a crosswind much of the time. Tractors were out in the fields plowing creating big furls of dust that we often found ourselves riding through. Although the mileage was not long many of us arrived tired and ready to be off of our bicycles. The motel where we stayed was the only one in town and nothing to write home about. We were greeted by a new bicyclist's menace called goat heads, a nasty little grass seed with several sharp thorns protruding from it.....the sort that can work it's way through the toughest of tires and cause a flat. We carried our bicycles in and out. Our wonderful cook made us pad Thai for dinner so the day ended very well. There was also a store across the street that carried all kinds of unique specialty chile powders. I bought a few and the sales person gave me a bunch of samples to try as well. Very much looking forward to experimenting with them when I get home.
Today we rode 76 miles with a sweet 15 mph tailwind all day, except for one 2.5 mile stretch. We had a long climb in the middle of the ride and at one point I glanced down at my bike computer and noticed that I was riding 18 mph uphill! That's what a tailwind can do for you. There was a fair amount of flat and rolling terrain and although the ride was almost 30 miles longer than the one yesterday I was less tired at the end than the day before.
Tomorrow we ride 90 miles, climbing up to 6000 feet, and will be staying in a state park lodge in Fort Davis, TX. The following day is a rest day and I am sure we are all going to appreciate a day off.
Hard to believe we have already covered more than 1000 miles since San Diego!
Yesterday we rode 47 miles and were struggling with a crosswind much of the time. Tractors were out in the fields plowing creating big furls of dust that we often found ourselves riding through. Although the mileage was not long many of us arrived tired and ready to be off of our bicycles. The motel where we stayed was the only one in town and nothing to write home about. We were greeted by a new bicyclist's menace called goat heads, a nasty little grass seed with several sharp thorns protruding from it.....the sort that can work it's way through the toughest of tires and cause a flat. We carried our bicycles in and out. Our wonderful cook made us pad Thai for dinner so the day ended very well. There was also a store across the street that carried all kinds of unique specialty chile powders. I bought a few and the sales person gave me a bunch of samples to try as well. Very much looking forward to experimenting with them when I get home.
Today we rode 76 miles with a sweet 15 mph tailwind all day, except for one 2.5 mile stretch. We had a long climb in the middle of the ride and at one point I glanced down at my bike computer and noticed that I was riding 18 mph uphill! That's what a tailwind can do for you. There was a fair amount of flat and rolling terrain and although the ride was almost 30 miles longer than the one yesterday I was less tired at the end than the day before.
Tomorrow we ride 90 miles, climbing up to 6000 feet, and will be staying in a state park lodge in Fort Davis, TX. The following day is a rest day and I am sure we are all going to appreciate a day off.
Hard to believe we have already covered more than 1000 miles since San Diego!
March 20, 2011
Hello Texas
Today we rode out of New Mexico and into Texas. While Arizona got a big thumbs down on bicycle friendliness New Mexico got a thumbs up. Good road surfaces, clean and well paved shoulders, friendly people, gorgeous views. Curious about how Texas will shape up.
The first 45 miles today were basically flat with a few little rolling hills through interesting countryside. We saw lots of pecan orchards, chile farms, cotton fields and even a couple of vineyards. The winds were kind to us today....mostly of a gentle nature. The last part of the ride was through the city of El Paso, and not being fond of city bicycling I chose to ride the last few miles into the city in the SAG. It was Sunday afternoon and there was a fair amount of traffic so was happy to a be in the Subaru.
Tomorrow we leave El Paso and ride off into nowhere where no services (WiFi or 3G) are available. I should be back online in Van Horn, TX on Tuesday. The national weather service has posted damaging wind warnings (up to 60 miles per hour) for Tuesday so don't know if we'll be riding our bicycles or riding in the van that day. The forecast can change so I'm not counting on anything just yet.
My bicycle is working very well and I am a happy camper!
The first 45 miles today were basically flat with a few little rolling hills through interesting countryside. We saw lots of pecan orchards, chile farms, cotton fields and even a couple of vineyards. The winds were kind to us today....mostly of a gentle nature. The last part of the ride was through the city of El Paso, and not being fond of city bicycling I chose to ride the last few miles into the city in the SAG. It was Sunday afternoon and there was a fair amount of traffic so was happy to a be in the Subaru.
Tomorrow we leave El Paso and ride off into nowhere where no services (WiFi or 3G) are available. I should be back online in Van Horn, TX on Tuesday. The national weather service has posted damaging wind warnings (up to 60 miles per hour) for Tuesday so don't know if we'll be riding our bicycles or riding in the van that day. The forecast can change so I'm not counting on anything just yet.
My bicycle is working very well and I am a happy camper!
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