Hello everyone,
Our final day as I already mentioned was by far our longest at about 155 miles. The nice thing about this was we were able to give our bags to my sister in Palm Springs so we shed about 50 pounds off the bikes by doing that. We still knew we were in for a rough start as we were headed out of Palm Springs and saw tons of windmills off in the distance spinning like crazy. Before long we hit the strongest headwind of the trip that lasted for about twenty miles. If we stopped pedaling the wind literally blew us backwards. After we got out of the wind we had a slight problem that forced us to alter our route a bit. The Morongo Indians won't let anyone but tribe members on their reservation so we had to ride past the giant sign that said no bicycles for another little trip on I-10. I don't think the cops care too much about that law though because three of them drove past us and didn't even slow down. As we got closer to our destination and the giant cloud of smog that is Los Angeles enveloped us we seemed to have new life and our pace quickened. At the same time though we hit LA traffic lights and LA traffic, which in turn slowed us down. We took Wilshire all the way from downtown LA to the coast and it was definitely an adventure riding through traffic like that. At one point we were stopped in the middle of a traffic jam that we couldn't even squeeze through and Chris somehow managed to topple over. I think the people in the car behind us probably got a pretty good laugh about it. I think the most exciting part of the day though was when we reached Santa Monica and saw the Pacific Ocean (it was the first time Chris had ever seen it. We then just had a short ten mile ride along the coast to where we met my sister in Malibu. Upon our arrival I finally got to satisfy my sushi craving that I've had for the past 29 days, and I got to sit back and enjoy a beer with the knowledge that I didn't have to get back on the bike the next morning.
Just to give you a little overview of the trip, we averaged 13.7 miles per hour over the course of our 2,635 mile journey. We also had 90,670 feet of climbing over this distance, which is equivalent to climbing Mt. Everest....3 times. We aslo burned a total of 113,000 calories in our 28 days of riding. We would have to eat 210 big macs to put that back in to our bodies (which we definitely do not plan to do).
Well we are here but we are still a few hundred miles short of our goal distance so Chris and I are planning some day trips around the area that will get us up to 3,000 miles in the next few weeks that we plan to spend hanging out around Malibu. Also we want to thank everyone that has been so supportive during our whole trip. We will be sending out a letter to everyone that has pledged throughout the course of our trip with the details of donating. Also if you are reading this and would like more information or are interested in donating just drop me a line at cummingd@msu.edu. Some details are included in our post from Day 8 as well. We'll keep you posted on when we hit that elusive 3,000 mile mark and we look forward to hearing from you all again soon.
Thanks again,
Don & Chris
Friday, June 8, 2007
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Our final week
Hello again everyone, again I have a lot of catching up so I'll try to keep these posts a little shorter.
Day 22
On day 22 we finally got out of New Mexico as we rode about 97 miles to Show Low, AZ. Unfortunately the wind and climbing didn't stop at the border, but it was still a beautiful ride. Chris took his first fall of the trip that didn't occur while stopped. He somehow managed to tumble incredibly well and come out of it with nothing but a little scrape and a bruise. Once i realized that he was alright it took me quite a while to quit laughing. We met a couple of kids at a gas station that were in middle school yet somehow they new all of the terrain that we were going to ride through for the next three days. They were really helpful, but I'm not sure how they would know what they did considering they couldn't even drive.
The town of Show Low had a really interesting story about a couple of guys that used to own a huge ranch in town and played a game of cards for the ranch. One of them had to "show low" to win the game and he showed the 2 of clubs. After that they named the town Show Low and the main street is called Deuce of Clubs.
Day 23
The 110 mile ride from Show Low to Superior, AZ was the most amazing ride I've ever been on. We had miles upon miles of winding downhills through incredible canyons, the most amazing being the Salt River Canyon. The only problem with riding down to the bottom of a canyon is that you have to climb back out. We had about 8,000 feet of climbing today. We also reached our 2,000 mile mark early in the morning. That night Chris decided to hydrate with a huge chocolate milk and spent some time hugging the toilet, but I'm sure you don't want to hear details about that.
Day 24
On our 24th day we had a short ride of only 65 miles from Superior in to Phoenix where my grandpa flew down to meet us. We were in before noon so it actually felt like a rest day for us. Seeing my grandpa was a amazing and he spoiled us rotten putting us up in an incredible hotel and taking us out to a very nice dinner. Just seeing a familiar face was great for Chris and I both and seemed to give us a huge boost. We also had a chance to get in to a bike shop and get some much needed parts such as a spoke for Chris' rear wheel that we have no idea how long it had been broken for.
Day 25
Out of Phoenix it was really hard to leave our nice hotel room so we got off to a really late start. This was a bad idea considering our entire 110 mile ride to Salome, AZ was through the desert. It reached at least 110 degrees on our ride and we had to take lots of long breaks which made getting there even more difficult. It also didn't help that a road that was on our map somehow wasn't there and after a frustrating search for a new route we just rode on I-10 for about 35 miles. We rode our last 40 miles or so after that through the desert in the dark and finally arrived at about 11pm.
Day 26
With a short day of just under 60 miles to Parker, AZ we tried to get up early and get it over with but that was incredibly difficult due to our late arrival the night before. For some reason my eyes just wouldn't open, but we still got on the road at around 10 and got in to Parker pretty early. Parker was right on the California-Arizona border and the Colorado River. We took a walk down to the river and spent our afternoon relaxing.
Day 27
This was an incredibly long, and incredibly hot day. We rode 113 miles, about 95 of which were through the desert with no gas stations or anything to buy water at, and not even any shade to rest under. We each had to carry 2 gallons of water with us to make sure that we stayed hydrated, and we both drank all of it by the time we reached our destination. By about half way through the ride the 110+ degree weather had made the water taste like bath water and when we finally got to our destination of 29 Palms, CA (yes we made it to Cali) we both chugged what tasted like the best cold gatorade ever. The heat made this our worst day.
Day 28
It's my birthday! On day 28 we had a short ride of about 60 miles to Rancho Mirage, CA, right next to Palm Springs. The day was mostly downhill and went by really quickly. It was nice because we were in by noon and spent the afternoon hanging out by the pool having a few cocktails. My dad got us a nice room at Rancho Las Palmas for my birthday and they made a great drink there called a Palm Springs Lemonade. Around three my sister got there to spend the night with us and it was great to see her as it had been about a month since I had seen her last. We had a great dinner at the hotel with a couple bottles of wine and then called it an early night as we all fell asleep watching a movie.
Day 29
We made it! In 28 days of riding and 2,635 miles we made it from Hilton Head, SC to Malibu, CA. It was our longest day at 155 miles and I'll post all the details on this long eventful day soon.
Thanks for reading,
Don & Chris
Day 22
On day 22 we finally got out of New Mexico as we rode about 97 miles to Show Low, AZ. Unfortunately the wind and climbing didn't stop at the border, but it was still a beautiful ride. Chris took his first fall of the trip that didn't occur while stopped. He somehow managed to tumble incredibly well and come out of it with nothing but a little scrape and a bruise. Once i realized that he was alright it took me quite a while to quit laughing. We met a couple of kids at a gas station that were in middle school yet somehow they new all of the terrain that we were going to ride through for the next three days. They were really helpful, but I'm not sure how they would know what they did considering they couldn't even drive.
The town of Show Low had a really interesting story about a couple of guys that used to own a huge ranch in town and played a game of cards for the ranch. One of them had to "show low" to win the game and he showed the 2 of clubs. After that they named the town Show Low and the main street is called Deuce of Clubs.
Day 23
The 110 mile ride from Show Low to Superior, AZ was the most amazing ride I've ever been on. We had miles upon miles of winding downhills through incredible canyons, the most amazing being the Salt River Canyon. The only problem with riding down to the bottom of a canyon is that you have to climb back out. We had about 8,000 feet of climbing today. We also reached our 2,000 mile mark early in the morning. That night Chris decided to hydrate with a huge chocolate milk and spent some time hugging the toilet, but I'm sure you don't want to hear details about that.
Day 24
On our 24th day we had a short ride of only 65 miles from Superior in to Phoenix where my grandpa flew down to meet us. We were in before noon so it actually felt like a rest day for us. Seeing my grandpa was a amazing and he spoiled us rotten putting us up in an incredible hotel and taking us out to a very nice dinner. Just seeing a familiar face was great for Chris and I both and seemed to give us a huge boost. We also had a chance to get in to a bike shop and get some much needed parts such as a spoke for Chris' rear wheel that we have no idea how long it had been broken for.
Day 25
Out of Phoenix it was really hard to leave our nice hotel room so we got off to a really late start. This was a bad idea considering our entire 110 mile ride to Salome, AZ was through the desert. It reached at least 110 degrees on our ride and we had to take lots of long breaks which made getting there even more difficult. It also didn't help that a road that was on our map somehow wasn't there and after a frustrating search for a new route we just rode on I-10 for about 35 miles. We rode our last 40 miles or so after that through the desert in the dark and finally arrived at about 11pm.
Day 26
With a short day of just under 60 miles to Parker, AZ we tried to get up early and get it over with but that was incredibly difficult due to our late arrival the night before. For some reason my eyes just wouldn't open, but we still got on the road at around 10 and got in to Parker pretty early. Parker was right on the California-Arizona border and the Colorado River. We took a walk down to the river and spent our afternoon relaxing.
Day 27
This was an incredibly long, and incredibly hot day. We rode 113 miles, about 95 of which were through the desert with no gas stations or anything to buy water at, and not even any shade to rest under. We each had to carry 2 gallons of water with us to make sure that we stayed hydrated, and we both drank all of it by the time we reached our destination. By about half way through the ride the 110+ degree weather had made the water taste like bath water and when we finally got to our destination of 29 Palms, CA (yes we made it to Cali) we both chugged what tasted like the best cold gatorade ever. The heat made this our worst day.
Day 28
It's my birthday! On day 28 we had a short ride of about 60 miles to Rancho Mirage, CA, right next to Palm Springs. The day was mostly downhill and went by really quickly. It was nice because we were in by noon and spent the afternoon hanging out by the pool having a few cocktails. My dad got us a nice room at Rancho Las Palmas for my birthday and they made a great drink there called a Palm Springs Lemonade. Around three my sister got there to spend the night with us and it was great to see her as it had been about a month since I had seen her last. We had a great dinner at the hotel with a couple bottles of wine and then called it an early night as we all fell asleep watching a movie.
Day 29
We made it! In 28 days of riding and 2,635 miles we made it from Hilton Head, SC to Malibu, CA. It was our longest day at 155 miles and I'll post all the details on this long eventful day soon.
Thanks for reading,
Don & Chris
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Lots of Catching Up
Hello everyone we finally have a computer again to post with. It's probably a pretty good thing that we didn't post sooner though because Chris and I were both pretty miserable all through New Mexico. After the day in to Roswell we didn't think it could get any tougher but...
Day 19
On day 19 we headed out of Roswell to head towards Carrizozo, New Mexico and it was an incredibly eventful day full of ups and downs, both literally and figuratively. We left Roswell and headed straight up in to the Capitan Mountains. Although Capitan Peak loomed to the north at over 10,000 ft. we only climbed up to just over 7,000 ft. (which was plenty high for us). The climbing was the toughest we had faced yet and the wind didn't get any better. The day had some interesting sites as we passed through Lincoln, New Mexico, which is where Billy the Kid used to hang out. It was a really cool town, although we felt like we stepped back in time when we rode in. We also rode past the spot were Smokey the Bear was found. We didn't know there was an actual Smokey but I guess it was a bear cub that they found clinging to the top of a tree badly burned but still alive after a forest fire. Those were the high points of the day, the lows were the two separate thunder storms that we had to ride through, one of which hit when we were at our highest point (7,017 ft.) and was complete with hail and freezing cold wind. That made the descent out of the mountains a little tricky and we couldn't feel our hands or feet by the time we reached Carrizozo. It was a very interesting 92 miles and we've decided that the cooler the sites we see the more we get punished for it. Oh yeah and I forgot to mention that upon arriving in Carrizozo we found out that the motel had given our room away and all they had left was a room with a king size bed. I slept on top of the covers and Chris slept under them.
Day 20
On the morning of our 77 mile day from Carrizozo to Socorro, New Mexico I was on the phone with Lindsay and I told her that I thought we didn't have much climbing that day. Wow was I wrong. We rode through The Valley of Fires at the start of our ride which was a pretty desolate place and then we proceeded to climb in to the same strong headwind for most of the remainder of the day. I also had some tire/wheel issues that slowed our day down quite a bit with the 4 flats that I had to deal with. There was a light at the end of the tunnel though, Socorro Springs. When we got to Socorro there was a great brewery and restaurant called Socorro Springs that was right next to our hotel so we got some good food and great beer.
Day 21
On Day 21 we had what seemed like a never ending 107 mile journey from Socorro to Quemado, New Mexico. We went through 3 different mountain ranges, the largest of which was the Datil Mountains taking us up to about 8,100 ft. There was a lot more climbing and wind but that's no longer news. We met a group of guys from outside Chicago on Harley's heading to the Grand Canyon. They were really nice and we chatted with them for a while and took some pictures on the kind of bikes we wished we were on at that point in the day (motorized ones). We finally reached Quemado a little after dark to find the key to our room already in the door because the cafe that serves as the motel office was just closing up. We also couldn't get cell phone service anywhere in Quemado and there were no phones in the rooms so we couldn't make our nightly check in phone call to our parents and grandparents. As a result of missing this phone call we got 5:45am wake up from the woman who came to open the cafe saying there were numerous messages for us, some of which were from the state police who my mom & grandma had sent out looking for us. I think the people in Quemado thought we were a little crazy but at least Chris and I know that we are loved and have people worrying about us. Also when we got up in the morning there was a car across the street that had hit an elk in the middle of the night. Elk must be enormous because the car looked like someone had drove it in to a wall at 50 mph.
Sorry and I know we're not all caught up yet but it's been a very eventful week and we got a little distracted last night with my grandpa here in Phoenix with us. Also the disappointing Piston's game kept us up kind of late. We'll get all caught up next time we have a computer and we should be only be 5 days away so we don't have much more to post. Thanks for reading.
Don & Chris
Day 19
On day 19 we headed out of Roswell to head towards Carrizozo, New Mexico and it was an incredibly eventful day full of ups and downs, both literally and figuratively. We left Roswell and headed straight up in to the Capitan Mountains. Although Capitan Peak loomed to the north at over 10,000 ft. we only climbed up to just over 7,000 ft. (which was plenty high for us). The climbing was the toughest we had faced yet and the wind didn't get any better. The day had some interesting sites as we passed through Lincoln, New Mexico, which is where Billy the Kid used to hang out. It was a really cool town, although we felt like we stepped back in time when we rode in. We also rode past the spot were Smokey the Bear was found. We didn't know there was an actual Smokey but I guess it was a bear cub that they found clinging to the top of a tree badly burned but still alive after a forest fire. Those were the high points of the day, the lows were the two separate thunder storms that we had to ride through, one of which hit when we were at our highest point (7,017 ft.) and was complete with hail and freezing cold wind. That made the descent out of the mountains a little tricky and we couldn't feel our hands or feet by the time we reached Carrizozo. It was a very interesting 92 miles and we've decided that the cooler the sites we see the more we get punished for it. Oh yeah and I forgot to mention that upon arriving in Carrizozo we found out that the motel had given our room away and all they had left was a room with a king size bed. I slept on top of the covers and Chris slept under them.
Day 20
On the morning of our 77 mile day from Carrizozo to Socorro, New Mexico I was on the phone with Lindsay and I told her that I thought we didn't have much climbing that day. Wow was I wrong. We rode through The Valley of Fires at the start of our ride which was a pretty desolate place and then we proceeded to climb in to the same strong headwind for most of the remainder of the day. I also had some tire/wheel issues that slowed our day down quite a bit with the 4 flats that I had to deal with. There was a light at the end of the tunnel though, Socorro Springs. When we got to Socorro there was a great brewery and restaurant called Socorro Springs that was right next to our hotel so we got some good food and great beer.
Day 21
On Day 21 we had what seemed like a never ending 107 mile journey from Socorro to Quemado, New Mexico. We went through 3 different mountain ranges, the largest of which was the Datil Mountains taking us up to about 8,100 ft. There was a lot more climbing and wind but that's no longer news. We met a group of guys from outside Chicago on Harley's heading to the Grand Canyon. They were really nice and we chatted with them for a while and took some pictures on the kind of bikes we wished we were on at that point in the day (motorized ones). We finally reached Quemado a little after dark to find the key to our room already in the door because the cafe that serves as the motel office was just closing up. We also couldn't get cell phone service anywhere in Quemado and there were no phones in the rooms so we couldn't make our nightly check in phone call to our parents and grandparents. As a result of missing this phone call we got 5:45am wake up from the woman who came to open the cafe saying there were numerous messages for us, some of which were from the state police who my mom & grandma had sent out looking for us. I think the people in Quemado thought we were a little crazy but at least Chris and I know that we are loved and have people worrying about us. Also when we got up in the morning there was a car across the street that had hit an elk in the middle of the night. Elk must be enormous because the car looked like someone had drove it in to a wall at 50 mph.
Sorry and I know we're not all caught up yet but it's been a very eventful week and we got a little distracted last night with my grandpa here in Phoenix with us. Also the disappointing Piston's game kept us up kind of late. We'll get all caught up next time we have a computer and we should be only be 5 days away so we don't have much more to post. Thanks for reading.
Don & Chris
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Days 16, 17 & 18
Alright we finally have a computer to use again so here's the past three days for you.
Day 16
We had a hard time getting to bed the night before because the Red Wings' game was a nail biter and a heart breaker. It was too bad they waited until the third period to start playing. At least we still have the Pistons. Anyways on Day 16 we headed from Haskell to Post, TX. Chris and I really didn't like the Texas roads that day. They seemed like someone just steamrolled gravel and were the bumpiest we've been on yet. I don't think the gps we use to navigate liked them either because it kept turning off on us. We also encountered an incredibly large, and very much alive snake. The total trip distance was about 108 miles, the last 60 of which we went through the middle of nowhere and there wasn't even a gas station to get water at. Chris was out of water and thought he was going to die with about 40 miles left to go. Thankfully the nice woman at the bunkhouse bed & breakfast in Clairemont saved his life and let him fill up his water bottles. I really don't think he would have made it without that. The terrain we rode through was very desolate, but was some of the most beautiful we've seen yet. So desolate that we couldn't find a place to get lunch and when we got to Post we each ate two Subway foot longs.
Day 17
Day 17 was 117.5 miles, but somehow it felt like our easiest day yet. We crossed in to New Mexico today, ending up in Tatum, NM, and we reached our 1500 mile mark. We got off to a late start due to the wild Thunderstorm that was going on when we woke up. Thankfully that broke and we got on the road. At the start of the day we had a big climb up to about 4000ft. and then the rest of the day was pretty much flat as we rode across what a bunch of elderly men sitting at a gas station called the "high plains." As we got in to New Mexico we saw a rather strange sight as there was a giant longhorn (a cow) walking across the middle of US-380 (the road we spent the whole day riding on). It was a crazy sight and I tried to get my camera out to get a pic but by the time I did the longhorn was over rubbing noses with the girl cows across the street over there fence. It was all rather confusing and almost made Chris run me over because he wasn't paying attention to the road. Then we got to the ghost town of Tatum, NM were we got to stay at the lovely Sands Motel (there is a hint of sarcasm there). It was an absolute dump where we slept covered from head to toe and were scared to touch the floor. When we went to check out at around 7 the next morning there was a sign up that said be back at three. I really hope that he got the key because we just slipped it behind the glass. I'm still not sure how you run a motel when you are gone for 8 hours of the day.
Day 18
On day 18 we hurried out of Tatum to head to Roswell, NM. It was supposed to be a short and easy day of only 75 miles. It turned out to be anything but that as we faced the strongest headwind we've seen yet (and probably the strongest I've ever ridden in to). It made the day incredibly frustrating, although Chris got through it by simply laughing at my frustration. We saw more of the usual on the ride, snakes & cows, as well as a lot of antelope. We didn't know that they had antelope in New Mexico. But the real story starts when we got to Roswell. I knew that there was the whole alien crash site deal, but I didn't know it was this big. Even their McDonald's is shaped like a UFO here. We went to go check out the UFO museum but got there just a few minutes after it closed. According to my mom (who has been there for some reason) we didn't miss much at all.
Today we head out of Roswell to Carrizozo, NM to stay at the Rainbow Inn. We're keeping our fingers crossed that it is nicer than the Sands Motel. Oh yeah and I've got great news, Chris doesn't fall over anymore, now he just rides off the road occasionally.
Thanks for reading and we hope to talk to you all again soon.
Don & Chris
Day 16
We had a hard time getting to bed the night before because the Red Wings' game was a nail biter and a heart breaker. It was too bad they waited until the third period to start playing. At least we still have the Pistons. Anyways on Day 16 we headed from Haskell to Post, TX. Chris and I really didn't like the Texas roads that day. They seemed like someone just steamrolled gravel and were the bumpiest we've been on yet. I don't think the gps we use to navigate liked them either because it kept turning off on us. We also encountered an incredibly large, and very much alive snake. The total trip distance was about 108 miles, the last 60 of which we went through the middle of nowhere and there wasn't even a gas station to get water at. Chris was out of water and thought he was going to die with about 40 miles left to go. Thankfully the nice woman at the bunkhouse bed & breakfast in Clairemont saved his life and let him fill up his water bottles. I really don't think he would have made it without that. The terrain we rode through was very desolate, but was some of the most beautiful we've seen yet. So desolate that we couldn't find a place to get lunch and when we got to Post we each ate two Subway foot longs.
Day 17
Day 17 was 117.5 miles, but somehow it felt like our easiest day yet. We crossed in to New Mexico today, ending up in Tatum, NM, and we reached our 1500 mile mark. We got off to a late start due to the wild Thunderstorm that was going on when we woke up. Thankfully that broke and we got on the road. At the start of the day we had a big climb up to about 4000ft. and then the rest of the day was pretty much flat as we rode across what a bunch of elderly men sitting at a gas station called the "high plains." As we got in to New Mexico we saw a rather strange sight as there was a giant longhorn (a cow) walking across the middle of US-380 (the road we spent the whole day riding on). It was a crazy sight and I tried to get my camera out to get a pic but by the time I did the longhorn was over rubbing noses with the girl cows across the street over there fence. It was all rather confusing and almost made Chris run me over because he wasn't paying attention to the road. Then we got to the ghost town of Tatum, NM were we got to stay at the lovely Sands Motel (there is a hint of sarcasm there). It was an absolute dump where we slept covered from head to toe and were scared to touch the floor. When we went to check out at around 7 the next morning there was a sign up that said be back at three. I really hope that he got the key because we just slipped it behind the glass. I'm still not sure how you run a motel when you are gone for 8 hours of the day.
Day 18
On day 18 we hurried out of Tatum to head to Roswell, NM. It was supposed to be a short and easy day of only 75 miles. It turned out to be anything but that as we faced the strongest headwind we've seen yet (and probably the strongest I've ever ridden in to). It made the day incredibly frustrating, although Chris got through it by simply laughing at my frustration. We saw more of the usual on the ride, snakes & cows, as well as a lot of antelope. We didn't know that they had antelope in New Mexico. But the real story starts when we got to Roswell. I knew that there was the whole alien crash site deal, but I didn't know it was this big. Even their McDonald's is shaped like a UFO here. We went to go check out the UFO museum but got there just a few minutes after it closed. According to my mom (who has been there for some reason) we didn't miss much at all.
Today we head out of Roswell to Carrizozo, NM to stay at the Rainbow Inn. We're keeping our fingers crossed that it is nicer than the Sands Motel. Oh yeah and I've got great news, Chris doesn't fall over anymore, now he just rides off the road occasionally.
Thanks for reading and we hope to talk to you all again soon.
Don & Chris
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Days 11-15
Alright everyone, we finally have a computer to post with so we have a lot of catching up to do I'll give a little day by day run down here.
Day 11
On day 11 we rode from Marshall to Mineola, TX. It was a short day at only 82 miles but we reached our 1000 mile mark! We stayed at a bed & breakfast that was incredibly nice and had the best homemade chocolate chip cookies I've ever had. It was called the Fall Farms Country Inn and if you ever find yourself in the area I would highly recommend it (although I'm not sure most of you ever will). Even everyone we met there was incredibly nice. The Falls (the man & woman who ran and owned the place) actually let us borrow their car to go get food for dinner because all the restaurants were over 5 miles away. Also we met a group of sister's that were also staying there that were incredibly nice and are now actually blog readers. Staying at this romantic little b&b did present one problem though, only one giant bed in the room. We also had a tv room attached to our room so I slept on the pullout in there. We had another surprise when we were out picking up dinner and looked for somewhere to pick up a six-pack to celebrate reaching 1000 miles. It turned out the closest place was about 20 miles away, that was a bit of a shock.
Day 12
On day 12 we left the b&b bright and early to head to Dallas to meet my dad who came down to spend a night with us. On the day that we really wanted to get there early it seemed like everything was against us. Somehow Chris got two flats (our first ones of the trip) and we had a small directions mishap that sent us about 12 miles out of the way. We must have been really excited to get there though because the 96 mile day brought our moving average up to 13.7 miles per hour. It was great to see my dad and we got an incredible dinner at Del Frisco's (a local steakhouse). We also visited a few bars in the area and had a good time that night.
Day 13
We finally had a rest day! We were incredibly lazy and spent most of the day sleeping. I did have to get on the bike for about ten miles to go pick up some much needed parts at a local bike shop, however Chris couldn't come because he managed to get another flat without leaving the hotel room by snapping the valve stem off his tube.
Day 14
On day 14 we left civilization and headed out of Dallas to Jacksboro, TX. The total mileage for the day was just under 100. It was a pretty dreary day and although it only drizzled a bit we didn't really see the sun all day. It made it tough to really be motivated but we still managed to get through the day pretty easily. We felt like we were riding on an interstate for part of the day which was pretty frightening but that didn't last for too long and at least there was a big shoulder. Also we get more and more frightened of snakes every day because somehow the snake roadkill just keeps getting bigger. We also encountered our first live snake but it was just a little guy and not too scary.
Day 15
Today we rode from Jacksboro to Haskell, TX which was just over 100 miles. It felt like the easiest hundred miles we've ridden yet and seemed to fly by. It was nice that we were in the middle of nowhere and cars were very scarce so we could ride side by side and talk almost the entire day. Also we are finally getting in to what Chris and I thought Texas would really be like: hot, windy, flat, kind of deserty and with lots of cacti. We also saw a crazy looking river that I'll put up a picture of when we finally do post pictures. It was so red that it almost didn't look like water.
Sorry that was so long and I'll try to blog more frequently but we can only do it when we have a computer available. Anyways thanks for reading and we now have to go catch the end of the Red Wings game.
Don & Chris
Day 11
On day 11 we rode from Marshall to Mineola, TX. It was a short day at only 82 miles but we reached our 1000 mile mark! We stayed at a bed & breakfast that was incredibly nice and had the best homemade chocolate chip cookies I've ever had. It was called the Fall Farms Country Inn and if you ever find yourself in the area I would highly recommend it (although I'm not sure most of you ever will). Even everyone we met there was incredibly nice. The Falls (the man & woman who ran and owned the place) actually let us borrow their car to go get food for dinner because all the restaurants were over 5 miles away. Also we met a group of sister's that were also staying there that were incredibly nice and are now actually blog readers. Staying at this romantic little b&b did present one problem though, only one giant bed in the room. We also had a tv room attached to our room so I slept on the pullout in there. We had another surprise when we were out picking up dinner and looked for somewhere to pick up a six-pack to celebrate reaching 1000 miles. It turned out the closest place was about 20 miles away, that was a bit of a shock.
Day 12
On day 12 we left the b&b bright and early to head to Dallas to meet my dad who came down to spend a night with us. On the day that we really wanted to get there early it seemed like everything was against us. Somehow Chris got two flats (our first ones of the trip) and we had a small directions mishap that sent us about 12 miles out of the way. We must have been really excited to get there though because the 96 mile day brought our moving average up to 13.7 miles per hour. It was great to see my dad and we got an incredible dinner at Del Frisco's (a local steakhouse). We also visited a few bars in the area and had a good time that night.
Day 13
We finally had a rest day! We were incredibly lazy and spent most of the day sleeping. I did have to get on the bike for about ten miles to go pick up some much needed parts at a local bike shop, however Chris couldn't come because he managed to get another flat without leaving the hotel room by snapping the valve stem off his tube.
Day 14
On day 14 we left civilization and headed out of Dallas to Jacksboro, TX. The total mileage for the day was just under 100. It was a pretty dreary day and although it only drizzled a bit we didn't really see the sun all day. It made it tough to really be motivated but we still managed to get through the day pretty easily. We felt like we were riding on an interstate for part of the day which was pretty frightening but that didn't last for too long and at least there was a big shoulder. Also we get more and more frightened of snakes every day because somehow the snake roadkill just keeps getting bigger. We also encountered our first live snake but it was just a little guy and not too scary.
Day 15
Today we rode from Jacksboro to Haskell, TX which was just over 100 miles. It felt like the easiest hundred miles we've ridden yet and seemed to fly by. It was nice that we were in the middle of nowhere and cars were very scarce so we could ride side by side and talk almost the entire day. Also we are finally getting in to what Chris and I thought Texas would really be like: hot, windy, flat, kind of deserty and with lots of cacti. We also saw a crazy looking river that I'll put up a picture of when we finally do post pictures. It was so red that it almost didn't look like water.
Sorry that was so long and I'll try to blog more frequently but we can only do it when we have a computer available. Anyways thanks for reading and we now have to go catch the end of the Red Wings game.
Don & Chris
Friday, May 18, 2007
Day 10
We're in Texas! We had a long day yesterday of about 115 miles in just over 8 hours of riding. We got in a little after dark last night but other than that it was a pretty uneventful day. Our moving average has gone up to 13.5 mph overall for the whole trip. Today we have a shorter day as we head to a little bed & breakfast place in Mineola, TX and then on Saturday we meet my dad in Dallas for a good dinner and a nice hotel and we're even gonna take a rest day on Sunday. We'll its time to hit the road now, thanks for reading.
Don & Chris
Don & Chris
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Day 9
Today we left Vicksburg and headed in to Louisiana. After 116 miles and 11 hours (8:20 were riding) we made it to Ruston, LA. The morning had its fair share of hang-ups though. First we started heading out of Vicksburg and we had to cross the mighty Mississippi River. It turns out that they are doing construction on the bridge that allows bikes, and we would get arrested if we tried to ride on I-20. This created a little dilemma but after about an hour and a half we ended up getting a ride over with a bridge worker in his pickup truck (I didn't count those three miles in our total for today). Also during that hour and a half of waiting I somehow managed to step on a fire ant hill and get fire ants all over and inside my shoe. My ankle is still red from all the little bites and it took a while to get all the ants off my shoe. Also right after we got over the bridge Chris had his hardest fall yet, but don't worry it was still while stopped. After the eventful morning it was smooth sailing to Ruston. Also we determined that drivers in West Monroe hate cyclists and the area between West Monroe and Ruston looked just like northern Michigan and was absolutely beautiful.
Tomorrow we have another long day ahead of us as we head out of Louisiana and make our way to Marshal, TX. Thanks for reading and we're exhausted so it's bed time.
Don & Chris
Tomorrow we have another long day ahead of us as we head out of Louisiana and make our way to Marshal, TX. Thanks for reading and we're exhausted so it's bed time.
Don & Chris
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