Camp Wood--Vanderpool--Kerrville

The ride from Camp Wood to Vanderpool was only 39 miles, but with 3 major climbs it was a real challenge for me. But enjoyable! We are definitely in the Texas hill country now. It reminds me a lot of last year's ride across northern PA, except for the chip seal road surface here. We stayed at a place with rather rustic but comfortable cabins along the Sabinal River, with a dam to provide a nice swimming area.  They also had a number of bird feeders, and some of us spent a good part of the afternoon sitting on the office porch, sipping beverages, and watching the hummingbirds dart for the feeder then back to the trees. They are amazing in their speed and their ability to stop almost instantaneously.

I should have mentioned earlier that the days of transition also brought a change in weather. We had 3 days of overcast skies from Del Rio to Vanderpool--such a change from the unending sun we had experienced all the way from San Diego. We even had a thunderstorm in Camp Wood in the evening after dinner and all the dishes washed.  Great timing.  Lise and I opened the door to our room and enjoyed the sound of the rain. We even had dew on the grass this morning, and now when we cross streams and rivers there is actually water flowing

Unfortunately, I have not been sleeping well the last 2 nights, so this morning I was really tired.  The ride into Kerrville was 49 miles with 2 big climbs.  I made it over the first one (walking my bike on the steepest parts) with a great downhill, but I just didn't have enough energy to continue.  I caught up with the van at the "apple place" in a smalltown that claims to be the apple capital of Texas some 24 miles from our starting point. The shop is known for its apple pie and other things apple.

We have a rest day here in Kerrville so by Saturday I should be ready to go again.  And my bike should be ready to go also.  It's in the local bike shop at present to replace a bolt shaken lose by all the rough road and tighten others, as well as replace the chain.  I feel like I am abusing my bike riding it on these roads.  The road this morning was especially bad as the surface was relatively new and had not yet been worn down in the tire tracks, plus it was poorly laid so that not only were we dealing with the vibration from riding on this stone but also the jolting from the spaces where the stones were missing.  Ugh!  Might not have seemed quite so bad if I hadn't been so tired.

Spring is definitely underway here--it was wonderful to see all the various shades of green on the mountainsides as we rode and occasional wildflowers as well.  The redbud are in bloom.  We also saw a herd of buffalo today. One group of riders was startled by 3 deer dashing across the road in front of them.

We are now halfway on our trip to Florida, and all the big climbs are behind us!

Del Rio--Bracketville--Camp Wood

Just one more comment about the ride into Del Rio--although we descended from roughly 3,000 ft. to 1,000 ft., we actually climbed 3,200 ft. that day. The last part of the ride was thru the Amistad National Recreation Area and we continued to ride thru this area as we left Del Rio the next morning.  This is a huge reservoir formed by daming the Rio Grande, which has flooded all the nearby canyons and river valleys, and shared by the US and Mexico.

The two days after Del Rio represented a transition from the desert along the Rio Grande to the Texas Hill Country (looks more like mountains to me) with a noticeable change in topography and vegetation. On the way to Camp Wood we saw plowed farm land for the first time in a week.  We rarely see wild life but we know that it must be abundant because we see so much roadkill--mostly deer and skunks, but also oppossum, javelinas, a snake, and an armadillo. On the road to Camp Wood there was at least one deer carcass every mile and buzzards circling overhead continuously.  I did see a flock of wild turkeys and several scissor-tails.  The ranches appear to be getting smaller as the land gets more productive.  In Sanderson the average ranch is 25,000 acres.

I have to get off the computer.  I'll write more from Kerrville.

Ft. Davis--Marathon--Sanderson--Del Rio

TThe ride to Marathon was great--good weather, no big hills, downhill rollers, and varied scenery. Still some cacti and yucca, but grassier than earlier and the desert shrubs shrubs and trees are turning green. I saw several monarch butterflies and wondered if they were on their northern migration out of Mexico. 60 mi this day. We stayed in the historic and rather fancy Gage hotel.

the ride from Marathon to Sanderson (54 mi) was uneventful.  We were on US 90 the whole way--no towns, about one vehicle/hr. We have begun to see some flowers along the roadside--the first in a number of days. There are only 2 towns in Terrell Co., the 10th largest county in Texas, and Sanderson is the county seat.  The nearest stoplight is 65 mi away. The student population preK thru 12 is 170. The motel where we stayed is run by a couple and the man is very interested in snakes and other desert creatures and has a snake collection in a room next to the office.  I never realized there were so maThe ride from Sanderrrny varities of rattlesnakes.  He also had acouple tarantulas.  I liked the snakes better.

The ride fromm Sanderson to Del Rio is 111 mi all on US 90 and I DID IT! I didn't think ' would be able to do it, but I just kept plugging along. It was really hot out there with temperatures in the low 90s and unrelenting sun. We are again very close to the border, and we saw a lot of Border Patrol activity. There was a dirt road on either side of the highway and paralleling it. The BP were partolling these dirt roads very slowly looking for any signs of human presence. Each day after this check they drag acollection of big tires along these roads which makes a pattern which they can check for disturbance the next morning. The things one learns riding cross country! That's all for today. I'm tired and am going to bed.

Ft. Hancock--Van Horn--Ft. Davis

I've been without connectivity for nearly a week, so I have some catching up to do.  The ride out of Ft.Hancock was greatN  We had a 13-15 mph tailwind, and on the second of the 2 mountain ranges we went over I could actually feel the wind pushing me up the hill. I was actually upshifting on the climb--what a way to ride!

The next day's ride was just the opposite.  -e started out before the sun was over the horizon, riding on I-10 into a headwind and on a chip seal road surface.  ' only made it to the first sag stop (21 mi) before quitting for the day.  t his day was one of the most difficult riding days because of the amount of climbing to get to Ft. Davis.

We had a rest day here and stayed in the lodge at Ft. Davis State Park about 4 mi west of town. We had a shuttle into town and I got to visit  the old fort. While there I hiked the nature trail up Sleeping Lion Mountain.  Great views and Ilearned tthe identity of a number of the plants I've seen along the road.  i also visited the Overland Trail Museum which had little about the trail, but the dirt road in front of the museum was part of the original trail.

To give you an idea of the ares we are riding thru, Jefferson Davis Co. is the size of Rhode Island and has a population of 1200, 800 of whom live in the town of Ft. Davis which is the county seat. No rain in the area since last September. Humidity around 5%.

El Paso to Ft. Hancock

Well there have been some changes in this part of the world since the tour was here  last year.  Ft. Hancock now has cell phone and internet service!

We started out from El Paso this morning along the Mission Trail.  I stopped at all 3 and was able to go into 2. Rather disappointing for altho the mission sites were old, the buildings were from the 1800s and not particularly interesting. They were, however, the  most interesting part of the ride.  The rest of the was thru farmland and occasional desert with strong wind--mostly crosswind, sometimes headwind, and rarely tailwind. Plumes of dust blew across our path and sometimes dust devils whirled thru the fields.  The sil here is very fine and appears to me to be overworked and therefore blows easily.

There is almost nothing in Ft. Hancock.We stopped here because  there is a motel here and it would have been to faar to our next destination.  Thedaily mileage breakdownin Texaaaaaaaaaaas varies considerably and seems to be determined by motel availability.

Las Cruces, New Mexico, to El Paso, Texas

We started the day continuing down the same valley as yesterday, passing miles of pecan groves including the largest family-owned pecan farm in the US. After about 10 miles, we began seeing more farm fields--grass for hay, alfalfa (I think), a field of onions or something in that family, and lots of cotton fields not currently planted but remnants of cotton everywhere.  I have been amazed at how much cotton is left behind after the automated pickers have gone thru. It dots the fields and blows along the roadways.

Lots of local bike riders out for a Sunday ride along the route and a few others traveling across country.

It was only 47 degrees when we started out and most of us had not dressed for it, thinking that it would quickly warm up on such a sunny day.  Not so!  My hands and feet were painfully cold and I didn't take my jacket off until 2 hrs into the ride.  But when it warmed up it was immediately hot, and by afternoon the temperature was in the low 80s.

As we got closer to El Paso, the farms gave way to suburbs and all the fast food and other strip mall stores seen everywhere in the US. Of course, the traffic also picked up, but because it is Sunday it wasn't too bad.  I stopped at the bike shop to get my handlebars rewrapped and had lunch while I waited.  After riding thru downtown El Paso, we got onto loop highway 375E (also known as the border highway) and rode along the border with its fences and border patrols for 8+ miles.

Just before getting to the hotel, I spotted a Dairy Queen and, of course, had to stop for a refreshing strawberry milkshake.

We now have 3 states--California, Arizona, and New Mexico--behind us, but it will take us nearly as long to cross Texas as to cross those 3 states or to cross the 4 states east of Texas.  We're out in the middle of nothing tomorrow with no cell phone and no computer service.  I'll write again when we are back in civilization.

Kingston to Las Cruces

We started today where we left off yesterday--9 more miles of downhill from the pass, followed by some beautiful rollers, the kind where you can get up enough speed on the downhill to carry you up or almost up the next hill.  And, we had a tailwind as we headed east.  But then we turned south and the strong tailwind became a strong crosswind or headwind depending on the turn of the road.  At this point we were back in irrigated agricultural territory between 2 mountain ranges and the wind had a clean sweep across miles of flat land. I'm riding along at 7-10 miles an hour and figuring that the 62 miles remaining would take 6-8 hours more of riding.  Not good! Occasionally, the road would turn and I again had a tailwind, and I would think "Oh, this is not so bad," until the road turned again.  Finally, at a little over 60 miles, I called it a day and sagged in for the last 20+ miles.  However, Greta (with whom I was riding) and I had a bit of a wait for the sag wagon because the sag had a flat tire.

Redbud trees in bloom here.  We passed lots of chile processing and packing plants and grove after grove of pecan trees.  Who knew that they grow pecans in New Mexico.

Silver City to Kingston

Only 48 miles today but oh what a 48 miles!  We started the day with long, steeper-than-I-like rollers, then climbed up over a mountain range followed by a long downhill (got up to 39 mph) with which we lost most of the elevation that we had gained.  Next came the climb up to Emery Pass at 8,000+ ft.  I thought I wasn't going to be able to do it because I was having such difficulty breathing at that elevation.  But I did it! Four of us--Marge, Eva, Greta, and me--were more or less riding together and encouraging each other along. Total elevation gain today was 4,735 ft.

Although it was a tough ride and I'm exhausted, it was also a great ride--the weather was perfect, the scenery beautiful.  We were up high enough that there were lots of trees and not much desert.  It was lovely riding with the scent of pine in the air, and the views as we rode thru a canyon area were just spectacular as was the view from Emery Pass lookout.  Then there was the 8-mile downhill from Emery Pass with the roadside dropping off steeply into a deep canyon.  You better believe that I did not hug the side of the road as it twisted and turned going down.  I was out there in the middle of the lane and the cars could just wait if they couldn't get by.  Great fun!

Tonight we are staying at the Black Range Lodge, which is a rather funky, environmentally friendly place.

Silver City, NM

The forsythia and Bradford pear are blooming in Silver City!  I spent much of the day wandering around the historic oldtown which is now filled with art galleries, antique shops, cute cafes (I had lunch at The Curious Kumquat), and other things to attract tourists. Diane, Alice, and I were quite surprised by the height of the curbs on the streets (15-18 inches or more in places).  An older man explained that they are so high because the streets flood after heavy rains and the water is channeled along the streets and into the Big Ditch.

Having learned that the local museum has an exhibit on the Big Ditch and having seen the Big Ditch, I decided that it was worth learning more about it. Turns out this area bordering Old Town was once Main Street with all the major businesses located there.  Floods in 1895 and again in 1902 following what were described as monsoon rains washed away Main Street and most of the buildings on it, digging a channel some 55 ft below grade at places.  Now the streets that are perpendicular to the ditch end with spillways to drain any flood waters into the ditch. The earlier serious floods were the result of over grazing and clearing of timber.  In the 30s the Civilian Conservation Corps planted lots of trees and grazing was brought under control, so flooding is not as severe now.

Silver City as its name implies, was once a center of silver mining, but now the major mining activity in the area is copper--the third largest open pit mine in the US.  That's it for my tales of Silver City.  Tomorrow's post will be tales of a 40 mile climb.

Lordsburg to Silver City

Wow what a day! We were at about 4000 ft in Lordsburg and climbed over the continental divide at 6355 ft then went down and up and down and up and down and up--you get the idea--into Silver City which is at about 6000 ft.  Total elevation gain of 3900 ft.  Some really great downhills, but we paid for everyone with a commensurate climb. Good roads and good shoulders and little glass--wonderful. Weather was good with a tail wind on the initial climb and an afternoon temperature of only 68 degrees.

For once I wasn't the last one in because my camera battery went dead so I wasn't stopping all the time to take photos. Such a shame because there was some beautiful scenery, and because we are up so high there are lots of trees.  We passed the Tyrone copper mine with huge, huge piles of tailings and materials shunted aside in the strip mining, which are now in the process of reclamation.  I took a photo with my cell phone but not as good as with a camera.

Tomorrow is a rest day before we resume climbing up to an 8300 ft pass then its downhill (ha!ha!) to Florida.

Safford, AZ, to Lordsberg, NM

I had my first flat today about 24 miles into a 74 mi ride and decided to bag it for the day.  As it turned out, I had already ridden the most difficult part, but my head wasn't into it today.  It was a bad flat day with 5 riders having flat tires, one close enough to our motel that she was able to walk in.

We were all glad to leave Arizona largely because of all the debris on the road shoulders and the rumble strips, but it remains to be seen whether New Mexico will be any better.

The thing I have been most surprised by riding across the desert from California to New Mexico is the large portion of the desert that is fenced for cattle grazing. We look at it and wonder how the cattle can get enough to sustain life let alone get big enough to send off to the feed lots. And while earlier there were a number of flowers in bloom, the last two days there has been virtually nothing and almost no cacti, but lots of shrubs which I think may be mesquite or maybe creosote bush.

On to Silver City and the continental divide tomorrow.

Globe to Safford, AZ

Well, tonight I am 78 miles closer to St. Augustine.  Today was a relatively easy if long ride thru mountains and desert and then back into irrigated farm country in the Gila River Valley.  We crossed an Apache Indian reserveration for some 40 miles.  So sad!  There was trash everywhere, mostly plastic bags and glass bottles, many smashed on the road shoulder, which forced me to ride on the road much of the time.  It reminded me of Jordan, tho there was much less glass there.

We had snow topped mountains on the south for almost the entire day and can see Mt. Graham with its snowy summit from our motel.  But Spring is definitely coming to southern Arizona--fields are being prepared for planting and trees are leafing out in that delicate green of spring. A good day!  We cross into New Mexico tomorrow.

Apache Junction to Globe

I sagged again today.  That climb up above the 4000 ft mark was too much and the grade was more challenging.  Of course, I had already climbed up over 2000 ft before we descended so we could start to climb all over again.  I have no idea what the total elevation gain was today but I would guess it was close to  six thousand ft. The scenery as we went thru the mountains was just incredible.  I took so many photos that I filled my memory card and then was disappointed to find that my camera did not accept the back up card I had with me, so I had to switch to using my cell phone as camera. 

While I was in the sag wagon we passed an enormous copper mine operation.  A local with whom we chatted said that his well had been polluted by the mining operation and now he has to haul water from town in a one hundred and twentyfive (the five doesn't work on the motel computer I am using) gallon tank.  He also noted that all the local mines are now owned by foreign corporations.

We switch roommates every night which is a great way to get to know everybody.  It's an incredible group of women.

Phoenix to Apache Junction

Not much to report on today. We just made our way around the eastern edge of the greater Phoenix area. We are now staying near the Superstion Mountains, and tomorrow we have a 4000 ft climb up to Globe,AZ.

We haad a lovely few miles today on a bike path thru a lovely park with lakes and ball fields, etc.  The most surprising thing spotted today was a multiplex outdoor movie theater with 5 screens.

We,re back on route 60 tomorrow which is the route that was so unpleasant on Friday and again today for 6 miles.  I'm hoping that  on Sunday there will be less traffic.

Not    to be too negative, let me note that I am sitting out on our balcony  in lovely 70 degree weather while writing this.

Wickenberg to Phoenix

We started the day with news of the  earthquakes and tsuamiin Japan and ended it with TV news reporting on the disaster.  So difficult to imagine and so different from our day.

For me this was not one of our better days.  We rode with heavy traffic the entire 67 mi day, much of it on rough shoulders. But there was lots to look at--a group of road runners, large stands of saguaro, flowers along the roadside, and mountains.

We started the day with sunrise and my hands were numb for the first half hour.  But once the sun got up in the sky it warmed quickly.  This unremitting sunshine with 80+ temperatures is getting to me!

Wish I could show you the photo of the doggie school bus.

March 10

I seem to  be having trouble with this blog. The one I posted for the 4th and 5th days seems to have disappeared into the ether.  The key event for the 4th day was a 7 mile ride thru a sand dunes area with a 30 mi cross wind driving sand at us.  It was great and the dunes were lovely.

The 5th day was a  rest day in Blythe, CA, near the border with Arizona.

The last 2 days we have been riding across the Arizona desert. Visually wonderful--mountains surrounding us and the desert  surprisingly varied. Lots of saguaro and other cacti. And unexpected things along the way like the stack of 8 dinner plates along the roadside today.  There are also ranches with cattle grazing in the desrt where it seems impossible to me that they could find enough  to sustain life.

Days 4/5

Another great experience! We rode 7 miles thru the Imperial Sand Dunes rec area with a 30 mph crosswind, sand stinging our arms and legs and getting into our eyes and mouths.  But it was great! I would have loved to stop and explore but it didn't seem like a good idea with the wind.

I rode 83 miles which isa new one-day record for me but i'm not sure it should count since we had strong tailwind and flat terrain most of  the way.

we spent today in Blythe, CA, resting and cleaning the sand off every part of our bikes. Visited  the historical museum here in Blythe asnd learned a bit about the agricultural history of area. They have been raising large amounts of cotton here since the early 1900s.

Tomorrow we cross the Colorado river into Arizona.

Day 3 D

What a ride today!  We started with a few miles of uphill to around 4000 ft.  Then we had 10 mile downhill on the shoulder of I-8. Wetwisted and turned thru mountains that were basically piles of boulders with sand and with winds buffeting us from different directions.  Really exilerating.  In constrast we then had a 20+ mile nearly flat ride across the Yuha desert below sea level.  Got to see the Border Guard patrolling by pickup and helicopter but didn' spot any illegals.  In fact almost nothing was moving in that heat except us silly cyclists. We finished the  day riding thru the Imperial Valley where they are using scarce water resources to grow hhay in the desert. i'm beat and dubious about the 89 mile ride tommorrow.  maybe I'll ride the sag wagon part way.

Day 2

Whew what a day!  We climbed up over 4000 ft then had a screaming downhill just so we could climb back up to 3890 ft. But I did it!  We're spending the night at Jacumba, CA, which is right   down on the border with Mexico.  As we rode into townn we had a good view of the bbbbbbborder fence which has been erected over the past decade. I had hoped to add some pictures but that will have to wait until i have access to a computer.

Having a great time--friendly people, good food, comfortable beds--what more could one ask? And tommorrow it's mostly downhill or   flat. Woohee!

Day 1 D

We started this morning from Dog Beach on the Pacific and headed up to Alpine at an elevation of 2000 ft. A surprisingly easy ride because the grades were gentle tho the hills were long.  Once out of San Diego. the scenry was rugged but not very attractive.  There a lot of flowers in bloom. and was nice after so much winter back home.  Tommorrow is more uphill. then on Sunday we drop down to below sea level and begin our desert experience.