Day 24. Back on the ride. Alpine to Marathon, TX

Tuesday, April 1st. Alpine, TX to Marathon, TX

Sitting in the San Antonio, TX Amtrak station waiting for the Sunset Limited to arrive. The train seems to be the best, if not only, way to get back to the ride. It actually works out well as Alpine is the farthest west I can go without passing the Ride and I am getting there the soonest I could and it just happens to be the morning that thr Ride comes through Alpine. The train leaves in 2.5 hours, at 2:45 am. Arrives 10:38. Hope it is on time!

When I reach Marathon this evening, the ride will be finishing Day 24 out of 58. We will be at mile 1221 out of the 3105 total. I will have missed around 300 + miles, but I will finish the ride and declare the ride across the country completed. I will not reference the time away again. It was just part of the program, period.

I almost had an adventure getting to the train station. I had built up in my mind that getting a taxi might be an issue, little late at night, but it took all of about 10 seconds to find and get in one. Yeah!  Would have been a total success if the driver had actually carried me to the train station instead of the bus station. Cautious me asked 'are you sure' as I saw only bus signs and no he wasn't. I gave him the address and 'oh, sorry', a little later we're there.

Got a sympathy card from my friends on the Ride, so very nice. Tina really appreciated the effort.

Just a note about our group leaders. As pictured, Paul and Nicole.

our leaders, Paul and Nicole. They are incredible.  While we follow the basic east-west route as set up by Adventure Cycling, the riding logistics of where to stay, miles per day, leadership, etc are worked out by the group leaders. We are lucky to have such good folks, picking good places, keeping us going, organized but NOT feeling that we are 'prisoners of a schedule'. Pictures shown below.

Paul is retired, lives in Minnesota. Nicole went to Appalaichain State in Boone, NC, now living in Sante Fe. Good leaders, good folks on the ride.

Happy Birthday to Candy

 Happ

Day 16. Leaving the ride for a while

Tuesday March 25.

My Father in Law passed away this morning. We knew he had cancer, diagnosed just prior to my leaving for the trip, but thought that he had a few months.. Turned out to be just a few days. Robert A. 'Bob' Eberly. PopPop. A good man, he made a difference and will be missed. I will rejoin the trip next week.

I repost the group picture from the dipping of our wheels in the Pacific when I first met these good folks that I am riding with. Amazing as to how quick we have bonded and how much I appreciate their words and actions in regards to the sudden sickness and passing of PopPop. Thanks everyone and thanks for all of  the many noted and expressions of condolences.

Day 15: Emory Pass, the day after perfection

Monday March 24.   It's all downhill from here.

Update. Spellcheck gave an incorrect spelling towards the end of my friend Ann Kirkpatrick.  I can't seem to correct it, so please know it is wrong. Sorry Ann!

I talked about Sunday being the day of the perfect ride.  It was. Monday was just a little under the Sunday standard, but not by much.  It too was a wonderful day.

We were still in a very rural area, but an area with a lot of ranches. We mostly worked our way through a valley heading up towards another crossing of the continental divide. Nothing steep, a lot of rolling country. Before we knew it we were on a steady downhill.  Apparently this continental divide didn't merit signage as such, or maybe they just didn't know where it was. After all, lots of hills and not much water, what does it matter. At some point you go down, that is all the indication I need that the line has been crossed.

I am not just being paranoid about the climbing and my lack of grace at doing such.  (Remember, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that they aren't really out to get you!). No, I have open    re-enforcement that others agree with my self assessment.  In our map meeting discussing the climb out of Silver City, Nicole, (one of our two leaders, so good, so nice, raised by a wonderful Mom. Yes, her Mom reads the blogs), suggested in a kind, gentle way that those with climbing difficulties might want to get out early. No problems with what was said, IF she just hadn't stared at ME the whole time she said it. Just me!  She followed up with a note, I thought of a 'just kidding' possibly? No, the note was of the local solar time tables and the soonest I could get out at sunrise!  Oh well....

The day was in the 55 mile range, not a lot but had about 6000 ft of climbing, a lot....but we would be rewarded with reaching the summit of 8,200 ft high Emory Pass, the highest point on the entirety of the trip. At a most literal perspective, it will be all downhill to Florida!  At least the next 9 miles were for sure to be downhill in coming out of the pass, good enough to get us to the night's lodging. I'll take that.

But, to get over the pass, we start the upward climb of 16 miles or so at just under 6000 ft. At times like this, the mileage left in a climb is interesting, but it's the elevation that matters. You simply have to get to the 8200 ft mark.  Long climbs can be hard mentally.  You want to be done, but you have to be patient.  You will be there for a while and that's it!  Suck it up whiny! Just do it!

Note. Kit Carson originally guided athe a Army of the Wast thru this pass in 1846. This was prime Apache country. Real west.

Yet this climb, while tough, was easier on the mind and body. In a forested, canyon area, lots of curves so you don't get the sight of the full climb all at once, some slight flat to down hill portions, cool, quiet, really nice. And then you are there. Top of the world! Vast open country to the east! And down!  A great day. Not quite perfect, but close.

Note. Since we cleared Tempe thru the rest of Arizona and for all the ride in New Mexico, we were in the Congtpressional District currently represented by Ann Kithpatrick-AZ and the District previously represented by Harry Teague-NM.  Harry's district was bigger than the stare of Penndylvania. These folks were two of my very best friends in DC, still among my very best friends, and absolutely great people. I felt very honored to be in their part of the world.

Pictures. Just the ranch lands, the climb, the Bkack Range Lodge and me.

Day 14 add on for Gila Cliff Dwellings Nat'l Monument

Pictures.

Day 14: THE. PERFECT. DAY.

Sunday March 23.   From Silver City to The Wilderness Lodge at Gila Cliff Dwellings Nat'l Mon

Text after pictures this time. Not sure how, but...

erness Lodge at Gila Cliff Dwellings Nat'l Mon.

Note of correction.  I mentioned that I didn't remember crossing a river with water before the Gila, well there is that little thing called the Colorado River that we wandered across.  There, correction made.

Started today from Silver City, elevation at 6,000 ft and very dry. When the sun goes down, the jackets go on  and when camping, the mornings in the 30s make for shivering a risings. As yesterday was a rest day, the legs appeared fresher today and we were off to what seems to all to be the best day yet.

Note. We were looking at reduced mileage for the day, as we wanted to allow time to tour the cliff dwellings and that helps, but still had the promise to be a challenging day.  It turned out to be THE  PERFECT  DAY!

Another note, one of our riding friends, Candy from Canada, had a birthday today. She turned 73. She is amazing.  Knocking out the miles, her third cross country trip, first on the southern route. HB Candy.

So what made today the best, perfect. The temps were incredible. Beautiful, clear, pristine skies allowed abundant sunshine. The sun was warm on the climbs, the descents a hair cool. Perfect.

The climbs were significant, up and over the continental divide, 7100 ft and then another that was higher. I think the highest climb got to 7800 ft., but great in between downhills, not killer grades and a great road surface. Little traffic as we were going to the Gila Cliff Dwelling NM, in a wilderness area, real remote. If you were there, you were among the few....

Two other aspects set the trip in the perfect category. The vistas were vast and far reaching in places. At one time we were actually looking down into the remnants of two super volcanoes, combined to total around 25 miles across. Each about 1000 times the force and power of Mt St Helens.

The forests though were special. Pine and cedar, dense and ongoing for miles. BUT, the ultimate add on not felt on this trip was the smell of the Forest. Pine scent. Incredible.

I have often noted that biking is special because it engages all of your senses of perception. Sight, sounds, feeling (pain is feeling), but today, the smell of the Forest was the best.

We finished the riding portion of the day, went to the a Wilderness a Lodge at the NM area and toured the monument. Lots of pictures!,

Days 12 and 13. Silver City, NM.

Friday and Saturday, March 21 and 22   To Silver City and a rest day

We rode 38 miles from Buckhorn to Silver City, NM on Friday, resting here today Saturday. Crossed the continental divide for the first of three times on the trip.

Interestingly enough, I can't find anyone that has seen the movie Rat Race where all the characters are racing to ....Silver a City, NM!  Sad, sad.

Week Two was some week. Now up to approximately 700 miles of riding and unmeasurable memories already.

Hope to find more time for day to day updates,not weekly catch ups, but as you might have noticed , time is in short supply at times. Want to talk more of the folks on the ride, great folks from all over. A good group.

I think the highlight for me this week came when we topped the big climb Thursday, still having 30 miles to go, realizing that we were going to make it. Not just for the day, or the week, but for the whole ride. It's hard to train for such a ride. How can you do this mileage ahead of time and not be burned out before you go? I certainly couldn't even if I had wanted to. Life just doesn't allow but so much of an escape, still don't know what the next 6 weeks will entail ,but for that moment, it felt good. So if you have to ride yourself into shape and if what doesn't kill you might in fact make you stronger, perhaps, just perhaps I feel stronger.

Of course when they say the slow climbers might want an early start, they still look at me, but now it doesn't seem to shock everyone that I make it!  (So far)

Tomorrow should be a great day. Going to visit cliff dwellings and stay in a lodge. Hot springs!  Oh yeah, cross the continental divide. (wonder if you have to climb to cross the divide).

Day 11 Dawn to Dusk

Thursday Match 20. A BIG day. Our third 80 mile day in a row. Stafford, AZ to Buckhorn, NM

We knew this to be a tough day, if from nothing else the cumulative effect of back-to-back-to-back  80 mile days.  Left early, again. Interestingly enough, my riding friend Gabe and myself both thought that the two big climbs of the day, (the first to 4600' and the second to over 6100') were after a designation in the road called Three Way.  So imagine our surprise to find that we were on a climb of significance BEFORE Three Way!  Up and up. To 4600', then one of the most incredible  downhill rides ever.remember, down beats up!  Great road,  about 6 miles, down to an actual river, with water!  The Gila, the first river that I remember on the trip do far.

Yes we gave up altitude, but what a ride. We were then in Three Way, the barest existence of anyplace that I can imagine and still call it service. Yet, there was this old drive-in theatre screen standing from the past. In my wildest of imagining, I can't provide a scenario that would put people there in any quantity that would justify a drive-in. Yet it was there, like us.

The real surprise came when we were told that the FIRST if the day's climbs, the easiest by far, had been the one BEFORE Three Way and now we only faced one climb, a monster.

Switchbacks, grade, miles;  all the components of a long afternoon, but hey, it is only one. Climb now.

We did it. In the process we left Arizona and entered New Mexico. Got in at dark to a town called Buckhorn. Not a big place, but the pizza was beyond description.

Pictured are the climbs, new friends that gave me much needed water and into NM.

Day 10 the (US) 70 show

Wednesday March 19

Another 80 mile day. Didn't really have the climbs, but did we ever have the views. Did finally leave my off and on friend, US 60 and said hello to US 70. I mentioned earlier as to some connections for US 70 and my life, also should mention that 70 was our main route to visit family in TN for years before I40 and 70 was the main road in my Mom's hometown of Huntington, TN.  It didn't disappoint.

This is how I choose to describe today's today's ride:  it was like being in an airplane at ground level.

Explanation. When you are in an airplane, you obviously are privileged to panoramic scenes, able to see across vast lands and vistas. That was today's ride. We weren't in high mountains looking down,  as noted, there weren't many climbs. This territory is simple immense.  And beautiful.

Today also presented the continuation of a new threat, the Creeping Crud. One of our riders got sick coming into Tempe. Two more came down with it today. Very intense intestinal sickness. As slow as I ride, something creeping seems more likely to catch me than others, but not yet. My sinus infection will be hopefully my assigned ailment for the ride.

Several interesting people and places along the way.  Pictures.

Crossing Apache Reservation. Two incredibly precious girls, Chloe and Callitha.

Ft Davis, the birthplace of the founder of the Lion's Club, an organization that I have been a member of for 40+ years.

An old friend, Hot Chocolate Sundae, quickly consumed.

A guy walking across the US

A beautiful day.

Day Nine: the Sixties won't go away

Tuesday March 18. You know day destroys the night, night divides the day...The Doors

We return to riding with vigor!  3 days of 80 miles each, hours in the saddle. Up before daylight, in after dark. Time is relative. Energy is elusive. The finish remains the finish, although at times that too seems to change.

We started in Tempe, going 80 miles to Globe, AZ. Getting out of Tempe was confusing, San Diego confusing. But once free, we make pretty good tome and miles to Superior. The Superstition Mtns loom in the distance, almost like a forbidden land of enchantment. Sheer sides elongating from the desert floor, the legend of the Lost Dutchman's mine seems to hover along with the mists.

Any illusion of this ride being easy ended in Superior. I refer to the Sixties not going away because we were at mile 60 when we got there. We stayed, and stayed, and stayed in the sixty mile range for hours. We were also still on highway 60 and I felt my age (63) more and more.  All 60's.

We were in the White Mountains. They could say White Sheer Cliff Mtns, or White Oh My Mtns, but they seem to feel that simply saying mountains is enough. They are beautiful. You climb, and weave and enjoy. There is a tunnel along the way that is rather interesting. Uphill, of course, just long enough to stay in traffic, no walking room, just turn on your lights and hope. There were two uphill lanes, that helped.

Eventually the cycle computer says 70, gravity says downhill and we're off to Globe, AZ. We went through the town of Miami, self proclaimed center of the copper world. Needless to say there were a lot  of mines in the area.

A word on downhills. There is no middle ground hill here. This is not a point of argument. Down beats up, especially after a grueling climb. This one saved me but it was still near dark when we rolled in.

Some pictures

The police telling us to get out if his town! Now! Just some scenes of the ride.