march 31, part 1

we are staying in an old barracks at ft. clark, TX. BEAUTIFUL. ALSO the wild flowers are beautiful. more later.

March 30

Are you ready for this, guys? tina, ellen, twila, jeannie and rona all made the entire 110 miles today in the headwind. it took them 10 hours but the made it. amazing. I was content with my 38.8. the first 20 weren't bad, even though there was a lot of uphill. but then the winds came.I wanted to tap out ( put my hand on my headto let the sag wagon know that I need help) but the sag was already full of others who had tapped out so I had to wait until she could come and get me. that meant I kept riding and finally she got me at 38.8.forgot to mention that the motel ownerIin sanderson was so impressed with women riding bikes that he took a group photo of us before we left. anyhow. we all plodded along all day, as did the members of bubba's group. we kept passing each other all the time. we all met up at langtry, where judge roy bean used to preside. bubba's group was only going as far as comstock (75 mi) because they camp or sleep in schools and don't have to find motels big enough for the group. Both groups are in the same town tomorrow and bubba has invited us to an ice cream social. a lot of their group sagged today, too. after we waited to see that our riders were ok, we drove on to the motel. we had a barbecue tonight and I was able to buy the sunday newspaper and wash clothes. what luxuries! tomorrow only 43 miles and an ice cream social in bracketville. what more could anyone ask for. almost halfway there. I've done 1126.5 miles.____________wieder starker wind. ich fuhr 38.8 meilen.5 von uns habe die komplette 110 meilen gemacht. sagenhaft.

march 29

Ok, guys. it will be a short, lower case blog tonight because there is truly nothing in sanderson, texas on a saturday. it was another awful headwind day for 55 miles. first 10 weren't too bad but then the wind picked up. although there was a lot of downhill, it was a miserable, tough ride. but some of the things are really enjoyable. for instance, I've heard tons of of new bird songs and seen lots of new plants. there really is a lot of beauty out here of a different sort than in NY. another fun thing today was that we rode with bubba,s group all day today. it was a great opportunity to meet new people and talk with others. we are at the budget inn here in sanderson. it's slightly run down, but the indian manager and his mother made us rice cakes and an indian traditional drink in addition to our supper. very nice of them. after supper some of us walked down the main street and back up a parallel street. so many businesses are closed and so many houses are abandoned. it's really too bad. tomorrow we are supposed to do 110 miles but we are expecting headwinds again. I will go as far as I can then SAG if I have to._______________war ein schwerer tag mit gegenwind. morgen sollen wir 2 mal so weit fahren, wieder mit gegenwind.

March 28, part 2

Spectacular, gorgeous day!!!!! First of all, before we went to slep last night, Helen and I went out by the pool and lay in the pool chairs to look up at the stars in the sky that we had learned about at the Observatory. We could recognize the Big Dipper and Orion, we saw one satellite, and a bat kept flying overhead! Sheila also told me stories last night about her 7-week stay in Lindau, Germany. It was an interesting conversation. Also forgot to mention that the driver who drove us up to the Observatory told us that it had snowed there 1.5 weeks ago. Have we been lucky with the weather! I also learned that Lady Bird Johnson used to have a room reserved at the Indian lodge (Ft. Davis) so she could do her wildflower studies. Besides that, I learned that a lot of European cycling teams come to Indian Lodge to train in the Texas Hill Country. I didn't sleep too well, but when I got up there was a tailwind, so I didn't care. We started out for Marathon, 60 miles away. Not only was it nice to have a tailwind, but the trees were lovely in their spring green colors and the sun was shining. What a great way to ride. There were a couple of Methodist Hill-type climbs, but otherwise we lost 1,000 feet in altitude from Ft. Davis to Marathon. I don't think I even had to pedal the last 20 miles! I stopped at the first donut shop I find along the way in Alpine (Texas now. Not California.). The owner was Korean and we had a very nice conversation about where she had been living in the US and what she was doing in Alpine, Texas. I had great donuts and coffee. I was trying to meet the others in Alpine for some pie, but I found no bicycles parked out in front of any of the shops, so I just kept going. It turned out that most of them had stopped at McDonald's and I missed them. So I got into Marathon in about the middle of the pack and I heard people calling me. Most of the group had stopped at the MArathon Cafe, so I went in too. The owner talked to Sunnye and me for a long while. It turns out her 96-year-old mother-in-law, Maisie Lee, is a spectacular artist. She does wonderful woodcarvings and paintings. She carved the doors of the Catholic Church last year at age 95 and had already done the doors of the Methodist Church. Since my room wasn't ready when I got in, I did a little tour of the town (pop. 450). Most of us are staying at the great Gage Hotel but some of us have to stay at Eve's B&B. It is also gorgeous! It's painted with many bright colors and really looks gorgeous. I have lots of pictures. Then I walked to the two churches so that I could take pictures of the doors that Maisie had carved. I happened to see the library so I moseyed over. (Doesn't that sound like cowboy talk?) A woman coming out started talking to me. She told me that she and her husband had moved here from Oregano 9 years ago. They love it here. She said there is an elementary school and a high school. There are 40 kids in K-12! Can you imagine that? But lots of them go away to college and other opportunities after they graduate. She also told me there is a guy in town who collects rattlesnakes. I went into the library and asked the librarian about the guy. He told me where he lived, I went and knocked on his door and asked if I could see his snake collection. The guy was super-nice and let me in. Originally from Florida, he used to worked at the LA Zoo and did lots of interesting things in his life. He told lots of interesting things about Marathon. He said there are a lot of artists/educators who have moved here. Although there are many different types of personalities in the town, everyone seems to get along. And yes, the town does have a marathon race every year. Supper won't be until 6 45 tonight, so I'm getting the blog done now. I might go out and walk around the town again. What a great day!__________________ Wir floggen nach Marathon mit dem Rueckenwind. Die meisten von uns sind im wunderhuebschen Gage Hotel und die anderen sind in Eve's Bed and Breakfast verteilt. Es ist genau so huebsch. Da mein Zimmer nicht fertig war als ich ankam, bin ich durch's Dorf spazierengegangen. Traf eine Frau die mir erzaehlte, ein Mann der Rattelsnakes sammelt hier in Marathon lebt. Aha, denke ich. Ich frage in der Bibliothek wo er wohnt, wandere dahin und frage, ob ich die Schalangen sehen darf. ER war supernett und zeigte mir seine Sammlung und erzaehlte mir vieles ueber Marathon. War wirklich ein ausgezeichneter Tag.

MARCH 28, part 1

from right to left. it's spring inwest texas. middle pic: again different types of rock formations. left: longhorn cattle skulls hanging on the side of the Gage Hotel in Maraton, Texas.

March 27

McDonald Observatory. Whoa, Nelly! 11 of us went up to the McDonald Observatory today to learn about the telescopes. It was really fascinating and we watched some live action shots of the sun. And where do you think the lens for the big telescope was made? CORNING, NY!!! Yes, folks, right in our own back yard. Of course I had to brag to the others that I had been there. But back to the beginning. I had a great breakfast today of pancakes and sausage after a good night's sleep. I didn't get up until 7:45. We left for the Observatory at 10 and weren't back until about 3. It was a neat morning. Then I cleaned my bike for tomorrow's 60-mile ride. I learned yesterday that Indian Lodge here in Ft. Davis is more than a mile high and learned today that the Observatory is up at almost 7,000 feet. I was wondering why I was huffing and puffing while trying to get up the stairs here. That also may have been part of the problem with my ride yesterday (besides the wind). Then I hung out at the pool for a little bit after cleaning the bike. After that NAncy hosted an impromtu wine and cheese party where we had a lot of laughs before we went to supper. Now I've got to go back to my room and repack my suitcase and get ready for tomorrow's ride. This was a great place to have a day off. My camera has given up the ghost. The next Wal-Mart I find, I'm going to have to go in a get another one. I'm taking lots of pictures on my cell phone, which is great, because those are the ones I can upload to the blog. But I want to get a camera again, too, for some different shots. Was a nice day. I enjoyed not sitting on the bike. I'm going to have to do some stretches tommorw before I start riding again.______________Wir haben McDonald Observatory besucht. War hoch interessant. Besonders interessant war, das die Linse des Teleskops in Corning, NY,die nicht weit von Rochester ist, gemacht worden war. Das Observatory is 7,000 Fuss hoch and es war wirklich kalt daoben, trotz Sonnenschein. Es war eine tolle Vorfuhrung und wir waren erst um 15 Uhr zurueck. Dann habe ich Fahrrad geputzt und mich neben dem Schwimmbad ausgeruht bevor wir ein Wein-und-Kaese Party gemacht haben. Dann gab's Abendessen (Forella!!!!!), jetzt gibt's bloggen, dann Kofferpacken und mich fuer Morgen fertigmachen. War ein toller Tag.

March 26

Hi, Guys. So last night, since it rained while the last people got in and while we were eating supper, we cooked out food outside as usual and then we all took our plates into the hotel lobby. The manager was very cool about the whole thing. The rain stopped this morning and we went in to the lobby for the hotel breakfast, and what did they have there?! A waffle iron in the shape of the state of TEXAS!!!! So, of course I had to eat a waffle for breakfast this morning. The sun came up at 8 and that's exactly when we hit the road. We rode directly into the sunrise and after two miles got on the interstate again for 39 miles. It was great because we had a tailwind I was smokin' along at 20 mph up the hills. It only took me 3.5 hours to cover the 39 miles, and that was with a couple of quick stops to drink from my water bottle. Then we took a right turn off the interstate into a headwind. I managed the next 10 rather cheerfully because I knew our chuck wagon would be set up for lunch in 10 miles. (There ain't NOTHIN' out here in the way of restaurants or other amenities. The bushes all look a little greener because of our bathroom breaks!) Lunch was a great picnic and the wind had sort of died down, so we all decided to go on. Then the wind picked up again. Lynn was smart and turned back after one mile to catch a ride in the van. Sheila, Helen and I thought we could do it. FAT CHANCE. It took me 1.5 hours to cover the next ten miles. The winds in Texas are phenomenal! We even had to pedal going down the hills. We couldn't even roll. We all did a lot of uphill pushing. We caught the SAG wagon at mile 63 and rode the last 27 in in the car. It was uphill and down the whole way. While I'm riding along, there are always songs going through my head. Today it was almost exclusively "America, the Beautiful". I wish the WIFI signal was strong enough for me to upload the pictures from today. But it will have to wait. We are at Indian Lodge in Ft. Davis State Park (named after Jefferson Davis). It's a lovely accommodation and a great place to have our layover day. Tomorrow a group of us our going to take a tour of the Ft. Davis Observatory. Too bad we can't do it at night, but I'm sure they'll have a lot of computer simulation stuff. They even have a pool here at the Lodge and the first thing I did when I got in was jump in the cold water. In the wind it's cold and I wore long sleeves all day, but in the sun by the pool I felt like a lizard on a hot stone. After the Observatory tomorrow, that's where I'm going to spend my day. Not even going to bother with my dirty laundry. It can stay dirty for two more days. We're all wearing the same things over and over anyway!!!___________________Der Tag fing wirklich gut an. Fuhr 39 Meilen in 3.5 Std. Dann aber rechts ab von der Autobahn in einen Gegenwind. Hat alles wirklch verlangsamt. Nach 10 Meilen hat Sarah ein Picknick vorbereitet, da es weit und breit keine Restaurants hier gibt. Fuer die naechste 10 Meilen brauchte ich 1.5 Std. Ich wusste, dass ich die restliche 27 nicht schafe, da es sehr huegelig und winding war. Ich und 2 anderen haben nach 63 Meilen afgehoert. Wir sind jetzt in Indian Lodge in Ft. Davis State Park. Es ist wirklich sehr nobel und ein guter Platz, um einen Ruhetag zu haben. Morgen geht's auf Besuch zum Observatorium and danach nur faulenzen neben dem Schwimmbad! Hoffentlich kann ich die Bilder bald uploaden. Die Landschaft hier ist unbeschreiblich schoen.

March 25

OK, Guys. Picture this. I-10 with a speed limit of 80 mph. Uphill. 20-37 mph headwinds. I'm toodling along at 7 mph and the semis are going past at 10 times that speed. It was absolutely miserable going because of the headwinds. But then we organized and international paceline. Sheila, Joyce, Janine, Helen, Gail, Lynn and I (a Scot, a Brit, two Canadians and three Americans) got in line, one behind the other. The leader would set the pace while counting to 80, then fall back to the back of the line. We switched like this for about 10 miles. The drafting really makes it easier for the riders behind. And the funny thing was, we starting singing every Texas song and national anthem we could thing of. It was great riding with the group. We looked like the Tour de France. I finally had to drop back to put my feet on the ground. I caught up again and then we stopped at Michael's in Sierra Blanca for lunch. Lynn, Helen and I decided to tap out there. (That means we took a ride in the van.) After we got picked up, we picked up four more people along the way. One more person got picked up after 65 miles, but the rest made it in. Some made it just as we were finishing supper. Since we have to do 90 miles tomorrow (Please, pray to the gods of tailwinds for us.) I knew I would never make it if I finished today on the bike. As it is, the people who finished are totally exhausted. AND it has started to rain. (Put in an extra prayer for the rain gods to take a break.) The great thing at Michael's was that, besides my BLT and fries, I had a piece of chocolate cake and tea. IT was just nice to rest out of the wind until the van came and talk to the others. We saw a lot of Bubba's group again along the way and some of our people even made pacelines with them. Sarah made a good supper of burritos and potato/cabbage soup. It was great. We also entered the Central Time Zone so we lost an hour. I slept poorly last night, so I know I will be zonked out as soon as I hit the pillow.________________War ein brutaler Tag. Autobahr, Bergauf, Gegenwinde wie verrueckt. Ich und einige anderen liessen uns abholen entlang die Strecke. 3 von uns warteten in Michael's Restaurant in Sierra Blanca, weg von dem Wind in einem warmen Platz. Habe Schokokuchen da gegessen. Lecker. Morgen sollen wir 90 Meilen fahren. Aber wir erwarten Rueckenwinde, was gut ist, da wir wieder bergauf fahren muessen. Uebermorgen ist Ruhetag. Einige von uns haben schon einen Ausflug zum Observatorium geplant. Freue mich schon drauf. Wir sind jetzt in der Central Time Zone. Wir haben eine Stunde verloren.

March 24

what a wonderful day. we nrode through the mission area (seepicture) and ellen and I helped helen change another flat tire (see other picture). getting out of el paso was asnasty as getting in. we had to cross some majoe highways and feeders, then out of the city in heavy traffic. when we finaaly got going on the mission trail it was lovely, except for no shoulders on the road. I tied a whistle to my helmet strap today to try and scare away the dogs. sometimes it helps to blow it, sometimes it doesn't. tanya got chased by a large black dog today in a bunch of traffic. scary. we ha a tailwind and it was really flat after visiting the missions. (They are usually closed on mondays but they opened them and the bathrooms just for us.) we moved right along and wanted to stop for lunch. I saw a bunch of bikes lined up against a wall to a restaurant. but they didn't look like our bikes. I went in to check it out and it was the people from theBubba Bicycle Tour. I lookedfor dean, the guy we had met Iin san diego, but he had already gone on. we didn,t want to stop there so we wenton. in less than a mile helen picked up a thorn in her tire and had a flat. we fixed it and went on to wencho's in tornilla for lunch. a plate of 4 enchiladas with beans and rice only cost 5$. amazing and good. interesting was that when we asked for directions in tornilla I spoke english to the lady but she answered me in spanish. and we bothunderstood each other. the missions are beaUTIFUL CHURCHES AND WELL-kept. it was a really enjoyable day. not justriding, but some real sightseeing. today we did 52 miles. tomorrow we havve to do 75, partly on the freeway. after supper we went over to angie's restaurant and had pecan pie with vanilla ice cream. great way to end the day._________________toller tag. nicht nur fahren(mit rueckenwind) nsonder anhalten und die alte spanishe kirchen anschauen. hat spass gemacht.habe die andere fahrrad touristen vom bubba's tour in fabrens getroffen. helen hat wieder eine platte, die wir unterwegs reparieren mussten. nach dem abendesse pecan pie in angie's restaurant. einguter scluss zu einem gut tag. morgen 75 meilen, teils auf die autobahn.

March 23, part 2.

This was a killer day. We had headwinds all the way from Las Cruces, NM to El Paso, Texas. One rider even got blown off the road into the ditch. The same rider got chased by two dogs. It just wasn't her day. We were really just schlagging the miles out today. It was hard. At about mile 46, Gail, Lynn and I stopped at a shopping plaza to eat at a restaurant. They let us park the bikes IN the restaurant. The waiter asked us where we were going and we told him. He told the manager, who came over and asked a lot of questions. The people at the next table heard us and asked if they could take our picture. I felt like giving out autographs. We floundered down the road a little farther. Gail and Lynn got ahead when I stopped for a rest. And who came up behind me? The guy from Finland and the two guys from Florida he is riding with. They were beat and looking for a motel. I couldn't help because the directions to ours were very complicated. In fact, when I caught up with Gail and Lynn again at the bike shop we pushed on ahead and then just didn't know which way to go. Lynn used her GPS and we made a couple of false starts, but finally got in. It's in a very busy, pedestrian-unfriendly part of town. I think there are 10 lanes of traffic. So Nancy and I had the hotel shuttle take us down to Walgreen's, where I finally found postcards. I also bought some Ben Gay for my tired muscles. Sheila from Scotland had told the cook that it was St. George's Day in Britain and asked her if she would prepare bangers and mash for supper. Sheila lied, but we still got the bangers and mash. It was great. Sheila also read the 2nd of her two poems which she has written about the trip, and Gail, our Texan, sang us the Texas State anthem. Tomorrow we won't start until 9 because we only have 52 miles to go. Se we can sleep a little later and I can get my cards written. Once my head hits the pillow, I will be out. ________________60 Meilen mit Gegenwind heute. Mensch, bin ich KO. Ausserdem, war das Motel schwer zu finden. Wir sind fast alle verloren gegangen. Nachher bin ich mit Nancy zu einem Drogerie Mart mit dem Motel Shuttle gefahren. Habe Salbe gegen Muskelkater und Ansichtskarten gekauft. Endlich mal welche gefunden! Morgen fangen wir spaeter an weil die Entfernung kuerzer ist. Heute Abend schlafe ich bestimmt gut!

March 23

hurray! I could upload another picture of the beajutiful bhouses in NM. will now go downstairs and write comments on computer.

MARCH 22

Sorry, guys. the signal is still too weak to upload pictures. but I can at least tell you about my eventful day. thismorning at the lodge sheila called out to me. she had found a german woman among the other guest. the lady Iis from eckernfoerde. germany but now lives in the usa and the parents of her daugher-in-law live in fairport, ny. smallworld! we had the road almost all to ourselves today until shortly before las cruces--- except for some cows grazing right on the side of the road after we left the lodge. We rode about 9 miles downhill then about 3 up, but Iit wasn't unpleasant. the rest of the way was relatively flat. the only big problem was that, when the road made a right turn we had terrible crosswinds. when the road mad a left turn, we had a tailwind. but it felt good riding today. my legs felt like pistons working.stopped in a little place called arrey for a hersey bar. then stopped at hatch for lunch. this part of NM is known for its pecan trees and chili peppers. (Hartmut, dass war die schaerfste salsa, die ich jemals gegessen habe!) had some great tacos for lunch nafter 51 miles and wanted the waigtress to hurry a little with our bill because we still had 37 to go. that's when the crosswinds got strong. but made it into the motel at 4 45, showered and ate. then helen and I walked down to the ice cream place for a frozen custard. 88 miles is a long day.___________88 meilen ist ein langer tag, war aber nicht so schlimm. traf eine frau aus eckernfoerde. war lustig, deutsch zu schwetzen. machmal war die luft heute guenstig, manchmal nicht. dies teil new mexico ist fuer sein chilis and seine pecanbaeume bekannt.

march 21

Hi guys. We are in kingston, NM in the middle of nowhere. We're at the black range lodge. It's like a big college dorm. We're playing scrabble and rummikub. We had a tremendous turkey dinner.And now I'm at a computer it will be a little easier for me. I was glad I made the decision to SAG the first 26 miles. It was all uphill on busy roads and I would have been too exhausted to enjoy the spectacular ride up to Emery Pass. When Cathy and I got out, we had a beautiful, narrow highway with virtually no traffic. The cars that were there were very observant. We climbed for 12 miles. I pushed quiet a bit and rested a lot. It gave me the opportunity to take lots of good pictures. There were three guys riding up self-contained. One of them was from Turku, Finland. I talked with him for a little bit. Then we climbed to the vista to see a marvelous view of the Black Range and Kingston 8 miles below us. Also interesting was that a forest fire had destroyed many acres of trees last year. You could still smell and see the charcoal. The 8 miles down was not bad at all. There were lots of switchbacks and, I applied my brakes a lot, but I made it down in one piece. Tomorrow we do 88 miles, mostly downhill to LAs Cruces. I hope I can finally find postcards from New MExico there. Most of the stores in these little towns close at 5 p.m. By the time I get in to town, shower and eat supper, I never have a chance to get postcards. I will rectify that tomorrow. _______________ War ein wunderbarer Bergauf bis zum Emery Pass. Bin froh, dass ich nicht die erste 26 Meilen mit dem Rad gefahren bin. Sonst haette ich die Fahrt ueber den wunderbaren Pass nicht so genossen. Wir waren alle am keuchen wegen dem O2 Mangel. Aber wir konnten Meilen weit sehen und ich habe viele Fotos gemacht. Habe auch gesehen, wo ein grosses Feuer viel Hektar zerstoert hat. Das "Hotel" ist wie ein Studentenheim. Wir haben einen Truthahn zum Abendessen gehabt und dann haben wir Brettspiele gemacht. War alles sehr gemuetlich. Morgen fahren wir 88 Meilen bis Las Cruces, unser letztes Aufenthaltsort in New Mexico. Dann kommt TEXAS!!!!!

March 20, part 2

So this was our day of rest. Sandy, Helen and I had rented a car to go to see the Gila Cave Dwellings 2 hours away. While waiting for the ladies to come down, I googled the site and saw that they were doing some logging work. I called to make sure they would be open. The park ranger assured me that there would only be 15 min. delays. The ride up there was absolutely spectacular. A herd of mule deer even stood by the side of the road and let us take their pictures. We got there at 11 and the ranger there told us we couldn't get in until 2! (Kevin, I could have used my National PArks Pass to get in.) We couldn't wait that long so we went down another side road from which we could walk up to one of the dwellings. Then we drove back by another route, which happens to coincide with the route we are riding out of Silver City tomorrow. I've already decided that I will not ride the whole way. I'm just not a fan of millions of hills. I will catch a SAG ride to the second stop, which is right before Emery Pass (8235 feet).Then I will ride up that one hill and the 8 miles down the pass to the hotel. When we got back from the cave dwellings, we went to lunch at the Little Toad Creek Brewery again. Had the burger and it was great. Then I came back to the hotel where we did a bike changing workshop. I've changed tires before, but it's always good to get new tips. In any case, it was a good thing I did, because my back tire had a slow leak and had lost all its air overnight again (for the second time)! So I decided to put a new tube in. Finished it and didn't like how I had adjusted the brake but didn't want to mess with it any longer, so Jane and I rode down to the bike shop. I got talking with the guy, and it turns out he is from Medina, NY. He was familiar with the B&B we always use there on our bike trips. Had a really nice conversation and checked my bike seat position for me. It was just where it should be. I asked him why I was having such a hard time with the hills, and he said that the elevation plays a large role. Since we're now at 5900 feet and will be going up to 8235 feet, I didn't feel so bad anymore. Would be nice if I could make it the whole way, but I know I wouldn't enjoy my day if I tried. And I'm here to enjoy what I'm doing.----------------------Obwohl ich extra vorher angerufen habe, um zu sichern, dass die Felsensiedlung auf war, haben die uns gesagt dass es bis 14 Uhr zu bleiben wuerde, wegen Holarbeit. Die Fahrt dahin war spektakulaer und wir haben ein kleines Teil der Siedlung gesehen, so die Fahrt was sicherlich nicht um sonst. Bei der Rueckfahrt sind wir auf die selbe Route gefahren, die wir morgen mit den Raedern machen wollen. Manometer. Ich weiss schon, dass ich nicht alles machen wird. Klettern macht mir einfach nicht genug Spass. Ausserdem, ein junger MAnn im Fahrradgeschaeft hat auch zu denken gegeben, dass bei diesen Hoehen, ist es viel schwerer zu klettern als beim Meerespiegel. Dass hat mein Selbstvertrauen ein bisschen geholfen. Habe auch heute mein hintere Reife gewechselt. Die Luft ist ueber 2 Tage langsam ausgelaufen und heute frueh was die Reife total platt. Naja, so war mein Ruhetag gelaufen. Morgen geht's wieder los.

march 20

beautiful country! more in part two on keyboard.

MARCH 19, PART 2

the continental divide. it was a hard climb!

March 19

Hi guys. I'm at a real keyboard again so my capitalization, spelling and grammar should be better again. This was a miserable riding day. It was only 46 miles, but when we started out it was freezing cold. We kept riding and riding, but we didn't feel as if we were making any headway. When I looked back, I could see why. It was all uphill. In fact, the first 24 miles up to the continental divide at 6355 feet was ALL uphill, with a headwind. I did a lot of pushing today. Then it warmed up so I took off one layer of clothing, but then the wind started to blow and I was freezing again. It was on, off, on, off the whole day. Karen C. and Tanya caught up with me and we rode into Silver City together. There was a long downhill into the city, but it wasn't much of a consolation because of the headwinds. We immediately headed into the old town and found a great restaurant called the Little Toad Creek Brewery. I had a great Reuben sandwich and the others had some hamburgers. After lunch we pushed our bike through the picturesque little town. We ran into a lot of the women in town who were shopping or checking out the bike stores. Then we got back on the road and rode the two miles UPHILL to the motel. Gail's my roommate for the next two nights. She's from Texas and has some great stories to tell. When I got in I soaked in the tub for 20 min. My muscles are completely numb. Good, that we have a day off. Am just waiting to get to the wash machine to do my laundry. Tomorrow Sandy, Helen and I have rented a car to drive out to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. It will be nice to compare to the Pueblo settlement that Helen and I saw in Globe. This area is big on copper mining. Sometimes the slag piles just go on for miles. They really stick out in the landscape. It was just a long hard day. At 8 o'clock the receptionist at the hotel is going to put out a plate of cookies. If I can hold out until then I will grab one. Then It will be early to bed. I will post some pictures from my phone after this._________ Es war an harter Tag wil viel Bergauf und Vorderwind. Bergrunter war nicht so leicht wegen der Luft. Ueber die Kontinentale Wasserscheide, endlich kamen wir in Silver City an. Karen C., und Tanya habn in einem netten Restaurant gut gegessen bevor wir zum Motel bergauf fuhren. Jetzt warte ich auf eine Waschmaschine und Plaetzchen, die das Motel fuer die Gaeste serviert. Morgen fahren 3 von uns mit einem gemieteten Auto zu einer alten Indianersiedlung in den Felsen. Soll doch interessant sein. Foto folgt gleich. Bin total KO mit Muskelkater.

MARCH 18, part 2

OK, guys. so this is how the day went. we nwere one US 70 again but when it branched off from the 19, there was hardly any traffic. the surface was great and we had a tailwinf most of the day. what more could anybody ask for. thefirstg 20 miles were strenuousbut the last 55 were great. I was really buzzing up the hills. did I mention that wepark our bikes right In our rooms at night? I've now started drinking cans of V-8 juice at our SAG stops.it tastes great and gives me lots of energy for the next 20 miles. not much to see today except for long straight roads and lots of desert. there was one little town called Duncan after about 40 miles. not much more than a visitor's center and a bakery. the visitor's center had a clean restroom and the bakery had great little hand pies. we all took a break there. coming into Duncan I already heard this yippy little dog gettinng closer and the owner calling it back.it didn't work. I just started pusjing on the pedals and outran the stupid thing. he had the sprint, I had the endurance. if I had reacted quickly enough I could have squirted him with my water bottle.m I'll have to work on my relective instincts. otherwise it was an uneventful 75 mile day. tomorow we cross the continental divide.wait, wait.Iforgot to tell you about the torns. we see the NM STATE SIGN SO WE ALL WANT OUR PICture taking under Iit. I push my bike over, helen snaps the picture and walk away with a branch fll of thornsn sticking out of my shoe. had toget my jackkife out to get it out. The thorn was about an iinch long. then I checked my bike tire and nthere was a thorn stuck in it! was able to pull it out and didn't have a flat all day. so I was very lucky.______________________war wieder ein guter tag. 75 meilen, meist mit rueckenwind. ein traum. viele wueste,.wenige nsiedlungen. die eine nsiedlung hat aber eine toilette und eine baeckerie. beide ganz toll. ein hund lief mir vor der baeckerei nach. ich musste wirklich in die pedale treten, um von ihm weg zu kommen. morgen kreuzen wir ueber den continentale wasserscheide. dann ein tag ruhe. will wieder eine alte indianer siedlung besuchen. ich merke, ich wird immer sgtaerker.

march 18

state no. 3! New MEXICO.this was taken in duncan, AZ, WHERE A DOG CHASED ME.my picture ofme at the NM SIGN WONT upload. will try that again tomorrow. forgot to mention yesterday that between globe AZ and lordsburg NM there is a lot of poverty. many stores closed in the small towns. crossed the san carlos apache reservaTION. also forgot to men tion that US70 parallels the RR tracks for a long way. Also one hour time difference between AZ and NM.more later after supper.

March 17, part 2

Ok, guys. picture this. US highway 70. two lane road. 3 foot bumpy should with a rumble zstrip, thorn bushes growing into the shoulders and semis rolling past you on you left about 2 feet away. AAAAAARGH!especially going down hill it vgets scary because you really pick up speed and you don't want to ride on the rumble strip, so you ride in the road and say 20 hail marys that an rv driven by a 90-year-old isn't coming up behind you. but all went well except that a lot of people had flats todaY, AND SOME women had multiple flats. today we rode 78 miles. my behind doesn't hurt too badly, but my arthritic right thumb hurts, especially is I don't wear my padded riding glove. didn't wear them in thebeginning, but on the bumpy surfaces they sure to help. sandy had said there would be a tailwind today and she was right. but everytime it came from the side I cursed her out. just about everyone on the tour has a great sense ofhumor. about 10 miles from the end we started seeing signs for Taylor Freeze. every 500 ft Iit said root beer float, milkshakes, burgers, etc. of course we all stopped there. it was great. and the owner took a picture of each of us. she takes pictures of all the cyclists who come through every year and hangs them on the wall of the restaurant. neat idea. so if you don't believe I'm riding my bike across the states, drive to Taylor Freeze in Pima, AZ. Great food and nice people. after we got our rooms and showered (we change roommates every night to get to know everyone.) a couple.of us walked across the straight to celebrate St. Patrick's Day before supper. nice company and lots of laughs.tomorrow we will hit New Mexico and will have to set our clocks ahead an hour. it's only 8 o'clock andwe're all already in bed. are we pathetic or what?! tomorrow we cross the border so there will be another border crossing celebration. but we'll still all go to bed at 8 o'clock.___________Oweia. die strasse war heute gefaehrlich.enge , hulprige schultern mit dornenhecken. willst du aud die strasse ausweichen, kommt ein grosser lkw. wir haben es alle ueberlebt aber viele haben heute wieder platten gehabt. einige haben mehrer. wir haben tolles eise kurz vor schluss gegessen. die besitzerin hat ein foto von jeder einzelnen von uns gemacht um an die wand Iins restaurant zu haengen. sie erzaehlte, dass viele radfahren fahren jedes jahr durch. vor dem abendessen haben wir einsauf St. Patrick getrunken dann haben wir gegessen. es ist 20.15 und wir sind schon im bett. oh wie trauig!'m bett

March 17, happy St. Pat's Day

Look, look, look. see the nasty thorn bush. see how it sticksout Iinto the shoulder where the cyclists have to ride. ouch, ouch, ouch. hear karen scream and swear. more about this exciting day later. the other picture is the sag (support and gear) wagon, which stops every 20 mles for us. good thing it does. off to enjoy st. patty's day. more about today when I get back.

March 16

Oh Joy! I'm typing this on a real computer tonight, so things will be capitalized and spelled correctly, but still no pictures. I noticed yesterday evening when I was riding the last 8 miles that I was getting a really bumpy ride. When I checked my back tire this morning, it was extremely low on air. So I pumped it up and got going. It held for the day. Today was to be 48 miles, but with two nasty uphills, one on a road for no shoulders. I weighed my options. I could take all day riding the 48, come into the hotel late and be totally exhausted. Or I could bump a ride with the van after 24 and then have time to ride around the mining town of Globe and visit an archaelogical dig of an old Native-American pueblo. I chose the latter, as did one other woman. The other ladies all did great and were proud that they made it up the hill, but that wasn't the kind of ride I wanted to do. As it was, we climbed 4 miles through the Queen Valley and it was beautiful. I didn't have to push. I just got off every once in awhile and rested. We stopped at the Buckboard City Restaurant in Superior. I had a cinnamon roll with melted butter to die for! That's where Helen and I got into the van. By the time we got to the hotel in the van, the first riders were already coming in. We have some fast people in our group. We've been so lucky with the weather. The top temperature today was only about 79. It should be about the same tomorrow. It will be a 78 mile day with a mixture of small hills and flats. I'm certainly going to try it. We all went out to eat tonight. Some went to a Mexican reataurant (me included) and the others went to Papa John's. I think I'm finally getting a little weary of Mexican food. It's only 8:10, but I'm tired already, even though I didn't do the entire ride.____________ Heute haette 48 Meilen sein soll, aber mit 2 enormen Steigungen. Helen und ich haben uns entschlossen, nur die eine STeigung zu fahren, dann mit dem Minivan ins Ziel fahren. Deswegen haben wir den Nachmittag gehabt, eine archaelogische Ausgrubung einer Indianer Siedlung zu besuchen. Fuer mich ist das eher der Sinn der Sache. Die anderen waren alle mit Recht Stolz, dass sie die schweren Bergen geschaft haben. Dann gingen wir all ins restaurant essen. Ich habe langsam genug von mexikanischem Essen. Heute frueh war mein Hinterrad fast platt! Ich musste sie aufpumpen, bevor ich fahren konnte. Morgen geht es 78 Meilen bis Safford. Einige Steigungen, natuerlich, aber ich versuche es den ganzen Weg zu fahren. Bin jetzt muede und gehe schlafen.

march 15

Still having trouble uploading pictures. hope I get stronger connection tomorrows. the first 42 were through nice residential areas. very attractive. even on a bike path throuthrough a park.after the 2nd SAG stop helen had a flat and had to push back to the CaR again. karen c, tanya and I went on. gail was up ahead. kc, t and I stopped at subway. we were really hungry. tanya and I went next door for a great ice cfream cone. then karen c's frind helga metus for 30 minutes. a very energetic lady. Iit was fun talking to her.the last 6 miles on US 60 was no fun but at least had a tailwind.barb and mike came up and we went out to a mexican restaurant. it was so grfeat to see them again. ot

march 14

Bad internet connection so can't upload pics but hopefully can do it tomorrow.another great day. 48 miles uphill and into the wind, but I'm definitely getting stronger. at about 40 miles helen had a flat,which I helped her change. went another 10 and stopped at heart and soul restaurant in dove valley to eat. a lot of the group stopped there. helen treated me since I did the tire. we checked it again and it was flat again. so we called the SAG (support and gear) wagon and carolyn came and picked her up. call and I rode the rest of the way in it was either downhill or flat. it was a sweet 16 miles. called went immediately to the motel. I rode on to the bike shop I had called on wednesday about my pedal. about 10 other women went there too. they had coffee and donuts waiting for us and gave everyone a 10% discount. I highly recommend Exhale Bike Shop on Bell Canyon Road in phoenix. the guy found that a small cap was 1/4 inch turned. he got that straightened and put on 2 narrower tires for me. I want more speed! Judy, Gerry and Marcia's sister came over to eat supper with us. we a had great time and it was good to see her. tomorrow Iwill be seeing barb and mike from our german days. will be great to see them.am doing a laundry tonight. ccan't believe how much grime sticks to sunscreen.____________war heute ein grossartiger tag. helen und ich haben ihre platte gewechselt. dann fuhren wir noc 10 meilen zum essen und die reife war wieder flach. wir haben gut gegessen dann ist sie abgeholt worden. eine freundin von Arizona kam mitzum Abendessen. morgen treffe ich mich mit 2 anderen freunden. war heute 65 meilen. ich fuehle mich immer staerker. I'm fahrrad geschaeft haben di donuts and kaffee fuer die gruppe. war nur ein kleines reparatur am rad und 2 neue reifen. morgen werde ich fliegen!

march 14

what a day!how lovely it is to be awakened at 3 a.m. by a robocall fromRH telling me I don't have to go to school because of the snow. rolled over and slept again until 6. keep in mind that we are so tired after we sit around the wagon and eat at 6 p.m. that most of us are in bed between 7 30 and 8. we are beat. today was 44 miles steady uphill with a crosswind. we reall had to work that stretch of road. but the came another 11 miles downhill into wickenberg AZ. it a really nice little town and the dude ranch capital of the world. along the way today I wore a bandana across my face because of blowing snad.some of us stopped at the coyote flats cafe for lunch.Iit was the usual for us. pie, frennch fries, hot dogs. anything to give us energy. the people who wait on us at the cafes annd motels are all so nice. they really go out oftheir way to tell us where things are and give us what we want. after we got Iinto the motel, the receptionist toldhelen and me about a great ice cream shop in tow. after showers helen and I rode back into town and enjoyed some homemade coconut ice cream and some sightseeing. but everything closes up at 5! came back for cocktail hour at the wagon (happens everytime we cross into a new state) and another good supper. now I'm beat.__________44 meilen mit wind und dann 11 meilen berg runter. liess sich machen aber bin ko. helen und ich habe tourist in wickenberg gespieltund das dorf Iist eigentlich sehr huebsch. es gibt ein gutes eis geschaeft. morgen geht's ab nach phoenix.

what a day!I'm certainly doing better in AZ than I did yesterday in CA. I put sunscreen on every inch of my non-clothed body, including my ears. I put lip gloss with spf 30 in my lips and powerade zero drops in my drinking water to replace the electrolytes I sweatout. MUCH BETTER! Picture this ,guys. when we left blythe, CA we had to ride 19 miles on I-10 on the wide should, ascending almost the entire way. Iit was actually pretty cool except for the blown tire pieces on the shoulders. we've had so many flats because of them. the uphill was gradual, we had a tailwind, and I was really smokin' today. when the big trucks went by, their draft pulled we about 20 ft. after we got off the I-10, we stopped at sweet darlene's for pecan cinnamin buns. to die for. it was there that one of our riders realized she had lost hermoney,ID,credit cards out of the pocket of her jersey. that was hard!after sweet darlene's we got backon the I-10 for another 11. when we got off, we raninto 4 college boys who were cycling phoenix to sandiego. had a great chat an some photo ops. then straight on to brenda, where we stopped for an ice cream. this part of AZ is covered withRV communities. nothing for miles, then a settlement of RVs and a store. but I like the vegetation much better in AZ. ANYWAY, straight on from brenda for another 15 to Salome. consists of our motel, a po, some stores and don's cactus bar, where we spent the afternoon laughng about all our misaventures. the cook made tacos for supper, we talked about map for tomorrow, and that was our day. it get's dark here so early and it's very chilly in the mornings and evenings. I called ahead to the bike sshop in phoenix to make an appt to have my pedal looked at. also called my friend judy, who will have supper with us in phoenix. goog, that we aaaall did our laundry on our day off in blythe. we all have clean clothes again._____________________wir sind sind heute auf dem autobahn 56 km gefahren. war garr nicht so schlimm. es gab einen breiten schulter. lies sich gut fharen, ausser dem muell aud der spur. viele renter verbringen ihre winters heire in caravanen. unser motel is sehr alt und klein. dafuer ist da bar gegenueber um so lustiger. wir haben denn ganzen mittag da gelacht. mir ging es heute sehr gut, trotz der hitze. ich benutze viel mehrsonnencreme und tue electrolyten in meine trinkflasche. heute habe ich wirklich ein tempo druf gehabt.

march 11, part 2

Please ignore that I'm not captalizing words. my fingers are too fat for my little keyboard and I'm always too tired to push the button. learned lots of good tricks from the ladies on my day off and from helpful frinds at home. (Thanks, gail). I should put zinc oxide on my lips to keep them from getting sunburned, blistering and swelling. by the time I got to rite aid, they were all sold out. the other ladies beat me to it. but I did get some chap stick withspf 30. will apply that many times tomorrow. also, the other suggested I add electrolyte drops to my water bottles. let's see how that works tomorrow. we cross the colorado river into AZ tomorrow. I will post a picture. the dinner at garcia's was great, as was the conversation. today was the first day I was made aware of the airplane incident in SE Asia. I've lost contact with the world. thanks for calling, joan. enjoy your snow day RHSACCP.

off day march 11

OK, guys. these are what I wanted to post yesterday. the roads and the sand seem absolutely endless. today is our off day. after breakfast we had a bike cleaning clinic. it was helpful. I'm shedding weight from my bike. took off. kickstand and rack for saddlebags. at next opportunity I will have narrower tires put on. live and learn. one woman offered a yoga class today. several others and I are just chilling by the pool. Some of us will be eating mexican food tonight. can't wait. tomorrow we cross the border into AZ. FINALLY A DIFFERENT STAte. friens MIKE AND Barb will try to meet me after PHOENIX.____________pausetag tut gut. oben sind die photos, die ich gestern uploaden wollte. die wueste ist wirklich endlos. versuch jetzt dinge vomrad abzunehmento zu viel wiegen. bei naechster gelegenheit. lasse ich schmaelere reifen draufmontieren. heute habe wir a "farraf saubermachen"seminar gehabt. habe viel gelernt. nun geniesse ich das schwimmbad und heute abend gehen wir mexikanisch essen. dann morgen geht's los bis arizona.

March 10

I don't know why, but my pictures are not uploading today. I'll try again later. disappointing day. I have sunburn blisters on my lower lip. that's how hot the sun is. we left Brawley CA for Blythe CA at 7 a.m. becuase we were supposed to cover 90 miles. by 11 a.m. when we stopped at our lunch wagen, it was already high in the 80s. the road just goes on and on endlessly. thank goodness there was no headwind. there was no wind at all, which was good, because otherwise we would have been sandblasted from the dunes. absolutely no shade anywhere. after 36 miles I hitched a ride from the wagen because I couldn't take the heat. got into the hotel, washed my diry clothes and went swimming. by that time the people who made it started rolling in. at 6 we all went down to sizzler steakhouse for a relaxing meal and had a really relaxing time. tomorrow is our day off. we will do a bike cleaning clinic and I have something going on in my left crank that I will have to have looked at soon. then some of us want to have some good MEXICAN FOOD FOR SUPPER after a quiet day at the pool. The day after tomorrow we finally leave CA annd hit AZ. But I want to find something for my sunburned lip tomorrow. to Salome it should only be about 50. that I can usually make.still can't upload pictures becuase I've lost connection to server. we are really in the middle of nowhere.

March 9

OK, guys. HERE,S the scoop on today. 1 stopped at verizon toget a new minichip and the nice kid sent me to radioshack because Iit was cheaper there. really nice guys in both stores. also have to say that our cook, sarah is great. she cooks really healthy meals that taste wonderful. now to the ride. the wind was already bad yessterday. we new we had to ride down a 12 mile descent on the freeway with a straight drop off on the other side. winds weere gusting 50 to 70 mph. so several of us (meincluded) opted to ride down in the van. the ones who rode said it was ok, but it was a little scary. the rest of the ride was 52 miles straight through the desert. first 22 miles straight, then 7.5 miles on a bumpy road that rattled oue teeth. the roadsurfaces are even worse than the winds. then 7 miles Iinto the wind. a couple of us stopped for a break at wendy's. fast food never tasted so good. we really needed the break. since everyone rides at different tempos, we often stop at different places at different time. but the sag wagon is always waiting somewhere along the road with snacks and water. anyway, after wendy's I went to veerizon and radioshack. then my first roommate helen cuaght up with me and we rode the rest of the way in. I've found that my saddlebag is just too heavy for the amount of riding we are doing. have taken it off because we have 87 miles tomorrow. today it was 80. I'm sunburned on my lips and legs. it's supposed to be 88 tomorrow with tailwind. I can do without the heat but would appreciate the taiwind. too tired to write in german tonight. tut mir leid, deutschland.forgot to mention that the line on the grain elevator in the picture shows sea level. so we are well below sea level here.

march 8

I forgot to mention yesterday that VW Beetles are very popular in So Cal. OK guys. now picture this. We are riding 6 miles uphill on an interstate, with a headwind! Winds were so strong that when we came to a bridge with a low abuttment, I walked across. I thought, if I ride across and the wind gusts suddenly, I'm over the abuttment and it's one and done. lots of long uphills today. but the downills were just as bad because of the winds. many of us did a lot of pushing today. we all stopped at a great diner and had pie for lunch. great sugar high to get up the hills. JEAN Had a flat tire and Connie's chain got caught by the rings. needed help to get it out. we're always so glad to see a SAG wagen stop.We need the breaks. WE rode 45 today and will do 68 tomorrow. 12 of those will be on the interstate in a steep descent. ENjoyed hitting the pool when I got in to the motel. nice little place in a tiny town.the big disturbing factor Iis that we are right next to the ugle fence on the border between Mexico and the US BUILT TO keep people from crossing the border illegally. not a very pleasant sight.________Hallo nach Deutschland. VWkaefer Iist sehr populaer hier. oye. Die Winde warensehr schlimm heute. Viele Bergen, aber berg runter war schlimmer wegen der luft. Wir sind fast 1000 m geklettert wegen das dauernd auf und runter.

March 7

OK Guys. ask me how my day went. Joan and Kath, do you remember the hill at Cayuga Lake? multiply that times 3. That's how my day went. But first things first. WE had a nice banquet of salmon and chicken last night and got to know each other a little better. Then up at 6 for breakfast at 7 standing around the SAG wagon. We left promptly at 8for dog beach where wwe dipped our tires Iin the Pacific. that was 3 miles. Then off to ALpine. we ride an 8 lane highway out of town. it had a bike lane but the feeders and exits were to the right. we had a couple of close calls. I called it Deathwish Ave. not for the faint-hearted. out of town we started to climb and didn't stop until we got toAlpine. I ADMIT I HAD TO PUSH SOME. Passed a poultry farm where they had ostriches and emus. we are at the Ayres Lodge. very nice. when we got in(I was one of the last!) I hoped in the pool. after a warm shower. som of us gatheredto yak until supper. Sarah cooks Iin the kitchen at the back of the trailer and we all eat outside.THen we got instructions for tomorrow. 49 miles of hills. Take me now, Lord. it will be a killer day. I see that working out in. the gym was not enough prep. but I will get better. tomorrow breakfastin the motel. THEN we're on our way. everybody did a good job today.______________.OYE. hEUTE, DER ERSTE fAhRTAG WAR SCHWER. mORGEN KOMMT's nur noch dicker. wir sind etwa 900 m hochgeklettert. ich gebe zu, dass ich teileise geschoben habe.morgen wird noch schlimmer aber ich wird bestimmt mit der zeit besser. die uebernachtung ist prima und unsere kuechin hat gut gekocht. bin mude und ge jetzt schlafen. druckt mir die daumen fuer morgen.

March 6, continued

Turns out the chip in my phone is defective. I will have to find a new chip or I can keep uploading the same picture.will take lots of pictures with the camera and show you all when I get back. At the meeting today we found out there is one day where we will have to ride 105 miles. help!_____________minichip in Handy ist kaputt. kann keine photos downloaden. wird dann umso mehr mit dem photoapparat machen. suche unterwegs ein Geschaeft, um ein neues Chip zu kaufen. Gleich gibt es unser grosses Festessen. habe beim Treffen gelernt, dass an einem Tag muessen wir etwa 133 km fahren. HILFE!

March 6

Hi Everyone. I tried to post a picture of the brown pelican I saw today, but it hasn't worked yet. Unless Betsy can come and help me, I'll have to find some other technical help. Helen and I had an early breakfast and met many of the other woman in the restaurant. We are the only two who did much riding in SD. Some of the others had to go to the bike shop to have their bikes put together, etc. What we've noticed about riding in SD is that very few stores have bike racks in front of them. Chaining up to buy something is a hassle. But Helen needed to buy a phone and I needed some birthday cards, so we went shopping today at Target. We rode 6.8 miles altogether today. We sat down in the Starbuck's there to drink some tea and a guy spoke to us because we had cycling gear on. It turns out, he is riding across the country with a group called Bubba's Bicycle Tours and they are leaving the day after us. But since we are following the approximately the same route, we should see him again. IT was really interesting to talk to him. Another interesting thing happened this morning at the reception desk. Keep in mind that San Diego has lots of military bases. IT was 8 a.m. and the receptionist put all the phones on hold and told us to wait a minute. The Star-spangled Banner was being played at the Coast Guard Station across the street and she stood at attention until it was over. I asked if that was required of the employees there and she said it was her personal choice. IT was a vewry respectful gesture on her part. We had our get-to-know-you meeting and had a session on changing tires. Hope it won't have to happen, but over 3100 miles, changes are good that it will. Just waiting now for our send-off banquet. Will see if someone there can help me find the picture I want to upload.___________________Wir haben uns jetzt alle getroffen. Eine sehr interessante, gemischtes Gruppe. Ich bleibe bestimmt hinten dran. Die scheinen alle sehr schnell zu sein. Morgen geht's um 8 Uhr los. Druckt mir die Daumen.

March 5, PArt 2

So to continue. Poor Keith. He's the receptionist here at the hotel. When I asked him directions to the zoo he replied, "But you have to go up a big hill." I looked at him. "Keith", I said in dismay. "Keith. Look at me. I'm going to ride my bike across the USA and over the Rockie Mountains. Do you think I care about a hill in San Diego?" Fortunately, Keith had a sense of humor. When we went to eat at Anthony's Fish Grotto tonight, we took a taxi and he had driven two of our compatriots this morning. He was asking all sorts of questions about the trip. He was a really nice guy. Helen and I rode 32 miles today around Mission Bay, to the Old Town, where we ate lunch at Cafe Coyote (Remember that, Beth?), and then through Balboa PArk. We didn't really have time to take in the zoo. We basically wanted to get our bike legs back. When when started out for the hotel, I read the map incorrectly (Yes. I read the map wrong!) and we went several miles out of our way. We're tired, but I can't go to sleep at 8 p.m. Wrote postcards and will now read the paper and stay up as long as I can. Tomorrow we meet everyone. It will be exciting. Enjoy, the snow, guys!-------------Bin Heute durch San Diego etwa 50 km geritten. Wir (Helen und ich) haben veil gesehen und gut gegessen. Morgen trifft sich die ganze Gruppe. Kann kaum warten!

march 5, part 1

This is my roomie Helen and me. We rode 32 miles all over San Diego today. she's a great rider. good in traffic and not afraid to take the lane.THE bike lanes inSD are not so great. ONE WILL BE MARKED THEN AFTER TWO BLOCKS IT ENDS. NO CONSISTENCY with markings on road or route signage. Met a lady on her bike picking her kids up fromschool. more power to her. but she complained about theIinconsiderate drivers in SD. WILL CONTINUE THIS BLOCK IN A MINUTE ON COMPUTer. my fingers aretoo fat for my phonekeyboard.

pizza nova

Was starved and Helen hadn't arrive yet so went to Pizza Nova for supper. Had ratatouille with penna. excellent. THeresa, you would have loved it. tomorrow we'll explore San Diego.

Welcome to San Diego!

I made it! When I transferred planes in Chicago, I looked down and Lake Michigan was frozen. Now I'm in sunny, 65 degree San Diego. Eat your heart out, Rochesterians. The hotel shuttle picked me up and since I can't get into my room, I put my bike back together. Of course it was opened by TSA somewhere along the way. Can't seem to get the headset adjusted correctly, so I will push it to the bike shop after I get into the room and get under a hot shower. Helen doesn't get in until about 4:30 p.m. so I will rest and explore a little bit until then. Geez, does the sun feel good. Perfect weather for bike-riding. ____________ San Diego ist ja so warm. Weiss nicht wie es in Celsius ist. Moecht Ihr ausrechenen. Wieder habe ich wieder am Hotel zusammen gebaut. Hast ja alles prima geklappt ausser dem Lenker. Ich schiebe zum Fahrradgeschaeft gleich, sobald ist ins Zimmer komme und ich mich duschen kann. Natuerlich haben die in irgendwelcem Flughafen mein Fahrrad untersucht. Naja. Nichts kaputt, Gott sei Dank. Ich bin ja bereit. Es kann ja losgehen.

On my way!

Here I am, sitting in Rochester International drinking my coffee and waiting for my plane.The guy at the AMerican counter had a great sense of humor and there wasn't a line. can't ask for anything more than that. My bag was only 34lbs, well under my 60 lb limit and I still probably have too much! Iit only cost $25 to send the bike. On the phonethey said $150. II'm not going to argue. can't wait to get on the plane and fall asleep. I emailed my roommate Helen to let her know I'm on my way. Big thanks to everyone for being excited with me. I feel as if a lot of people will be riding with me vicariously. THanks for the phone calls and words of encouragement. thannks for the ride to the airport, Kath, thanks for the stamps, Pearl and Joan. Does that mean I have to send you guys postcards? Hope all the RHSACCP, adult lit and transition students have a great day._____________________Sitze im Flughafen in rochester und warte auf dem flugzeug. Das.rad hat nur $25 gekostet. bin richtig aufgeregt und hoffe, dass das Rad heil ankommt.Iich danke allen, die mitfiebern. wuenscht mir GLUECK.