I finally negotiated taking two years of vacation and a few non-paid days to join Adventure Cycling on its 2nd self supported Southern Tier Ride. As the ride approached, the bank I work for sold itself. Bank takeovers (aka mergers) are messy events. They required that we re-interview for our jobs, but kept putting off the interviews of my department. I briefly considered cancelling the trip lest I miss the interview and not be "rehired", but they assured me of a telephone interview, and I knew that during my working years it was unlikely I'd ever get another chance to ride x-country, so I'm off wondering what will happen. I'm a 42 year old bank examiner who has used his vacation a few times to ride from Lewiston or Boise to the the Pacific Coast and back. To increase my speed I rode several club rides this summer, but I find it difficult to stay with the pack even when they kindly encourage me to wheel suck so I wouldn't be dropped. I'm hoping I'm not chasing this group across the USA. I have only dreamed of a cross country bike ride.
Day -1: Wed 20 Sep 1995
San Diego, CA
10.3 miles; 53 minutes
The taxi arrived on time at my home this morning which was followed by an uneventful flight to San Diego a pleasant change from Saturday when I awoke to find a cracked rear wheel. I rushed it back to the shop which had just given me the "good to go cross-country". A new wheel fixed that problem but I was left doubting their verification that my bike was ready. Outside the San Diego Airport I put the bicycle together quickly, loaded the panniers, and rode off to the hostel where I'd meet everyone.
Pam, Heidi, and Richard met me at the hostel. We soon went down to the nearby Performance Bicycle Shop. We all bought things that we now believed we needed and returned to the hostel. Richard’s headset was loose, so he and I made another trip back to Performance where he bought fenders. Bertha was at the hostel by the time we returned. Maurice, our leader, arrived and announced that dinner would be on our own. We went to a nearby Chinese take out. Meredith, Tom, and Ed arrived soon. Before meeting Tom we saw his perfectly clean Cannondale and guessed that it was the property of the soon to arrive bike shop employee (Ed), but we were wrong. Cathy arrived about this time. Maurice set tomorrow’s agenda in an introductory meeting where everyone was introduced:
Pam - a 36-year-old waitress from New Zealand who is just returning from a two-year work stay in London and like most Kiwis speaks with perfect Received Standard English. She stayed in the San Diego hostel for several weeks before the trip started after cycling across the Midwest and was physically and mentally prepared for this trip.
Heidi - a 32-year-old assistant physical therapist from upstate New York. Although she’s in incredible shape this is her first touring trip, and her bike is better suited for racing than touring with a gear ratio is a 1.19- too high for loaded touring among other issues that will show as the trip progresses.
Richard- a 27-year-old physical therapist. He’s married with a wife at home working two jobs. He races some, and that competitiveness is soon evident, but he is initially out of shape. Richard bought an REI touring bike just before the trip and took advantage of their free "1 year" service throughout the trip. He's one of the better cooks.
Bertha- a 66-year old who is generally more blunt than diplomatic. Although she's ridden 3 sides of the US and this will be the 4th, she wasn’t mentally prepared for the trip and seems oblivious to the printed advice that said we should be prepared for an average of 60 miles per day and a few days of 100 miles. Her conditioning improved until by New Mexico or Texas she was able to keep up with the much younger group except when we were riding our fastest, but she never stopped complaining of riding too many miles. She did have wit. Although she rarely cooked, she was one of the better cooks.
Maurice- a 66-year-old retired engineer and the leader of the trip. He's tight by nature and repeatedly tries to show us how cheaply the group can eat, a lesson the group had little interest in learning. We'd have preferred a lesson on how well we could eat on a budget. He’s friendly and pleasant but somewhat aloof never forgetting that he is in charge though he occasionally reminds us (and himself) that he's the paid help, and the group is the boss.
Meredith- a 33-year-old headmistress of a school for ill behaved inner-city adolescents. She’s a woman’s libber from the political far left which initially made me want to avoid her, but she has wit, intelligence, and is a team player who readily places the good of the team above her own good and earns my high regard and friendship before the trip's end.
Tom - a 32-year-old emergency room instructing physician. He’s been touring since his early teen years and rode the Northern Tier in 1993 with Adventure Cycling. His intense eastern personality was the first characteristic I noticed, but he’s the most team-spirited member of the group. Tom started the tour by riding to San Diego from Los Angeles where he visited a cousin. Tom is passionate about life and most of its parts including cycling and likes things done with some style. He lugs along a heavy SLR camera much like mine, but he also carries a telephoto lens in his over-weighted handlebar bag, but neither of us carried a flash attachment. Tom wants to see and experience as much as possible while on tour. He's also an excellent cook.
Ed - a 71 (turned 72 during the trip) retired music teacher who in retirement works part time in a bicycle shop. He was nearly exhausted by the first day’s ride and didn’t regain any vigor until the first layover day which seemed to injure his pride. His strength and determination are admirable, and he never spoke a word of complaint. After the first layover day, he was never among the last of the group to finish though his goal for the trip may have become to be first to finish each day. He may be a worse cook than I.
Cathy- a 32-year-old bar tender. She’s an experienced tourist who rode down from her home in Costa Mesa. She’s fit and capable of long distances while maintaining a consistent cadence and speed. She’s taken the leadership training but never led a group. She's upbeat, pleasant, and fun most of the time, but those strengths are subject to moodiness.
Tom was unanimously elected the trip doctor when he introduced himself as an emergency room physician. He had no interest in the Bikecentennial first aid kit as he had his own with more stuff in it.
This is only the 2nd time Adventure Cycling has run the Southern Tier. Maurice has the notes from the first trip and will read those notes to us nightly during the map meetings. Our group was initially large enough that it was split in two with the other part leaving ahead of us by one week. Surprisingly, our group had absolutely no communication with that group though we heard reports of them from time to time. Since the route is new, there's not a lot of information on services. Maurice would be happy to repeat last year's trip which our group will resist.
In the hostel I found someone (not from our group) sleeping in my assigned rack lowering my already low opinion of the hostel. Both nights I was on my own to find a sleeping spot. I'm a Navy vet, and the sailor in me may be too sensitive to the stealing of my rack as that was the only space that was "mine" onboard ship, where guys don't mess with each other's racks.
Day 0 - Thu 21 Sep 1995
33.2 miles; 3:34
San Diego, CA
We packed a simple lunch and rode out to Point Loma where we had our beginning photos taken. The ride was unbelievably slow with Maurice setting the pace at 8 MPH or less. There were a couple of steep hills that presented some challenge where I learned my granny gear was not working after its flight to San Diego. We returned to the hostel shortly after noon. Richard and I tried to talk Tom into joining us for a ride downtown and out to Balboa Park, but he headed out to Mission Beach as we headed to downtown and Balboa Park. Richard found his headset was still either too stiff or too loose with no happy medium, so we returned to the Performance store where the mechanic soon declared that Richard's headset had been damaged in shipment, and he couldn’t fix it. That mechanic did put Richard’s bicycle in the back seat of his car and delivered it and him to REI where he would have the headset replaced for free. I cycled back to the hostel solo to find Heidi and Bertha had cooked a fine turkey lasagna dinner. I got to know Richard first and thought he would likely be my riding buddy x-country and worried about him as we ate without him. We were all relieved when he showed up well after dark with his lights brightly shining into our map meeting The group decided to leave town together although Maurice didn’t think it was necessary.
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| taken at Point Loma Lighthouse: back: Ed, Richard, Tom & Steve seated: Bertha, Kathy, Heidi, Meredith, Pam, and Maurice |
Day 1: Fri 22 Sep 1995
San Diego, CA to Potrero, CA
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| Cathy, Heidi, and Meredith |
After Heidi and Bertha’s French toast breakfast, we rode down to the San Diego waterfront where Tom wanted all to participate in a wheel dipping at Spanish Landing Park, but few joined him in this tradition as some feared salt water damage and some lacked spirit. Soon after this stop a red light separated the group on the edge of downtown San Diego. Richard, Ed, & I turned on 8th Ave and verified that San Diego has not entirely cleaned itself up. We rode back to the water front and along it until we found 8th Street where we were supposed to turn. This error put us behind the rest of the group, but we caught Tom on the edge of San Diego where a rock had punctured the wall of his rear tire, ruining the tire before he even got out of San Diego! Richard and Ed surprised me by riding off without him, but not liking the idea of leaving anyone alone with a break-down I waited for him to fix his flat. Tom was one of two people to carry a spare tire, so he was soon cycling again. Soon after Tom’s flat I discovered the San Diego area grows puncture weed. I had a self sealing tube, so all I had to do was pull out the thorn and pump more air into the tube. In Dulzura we caught Maurice and the women. Meredith's back was bothering her, and she was fearful this would leave her unable to ride the entire trip. She and I are assigned cooking duties for tonight, and both of us were nervous about that; she because she feared being last to arrive, and I because I can’t cook. Tom and I caught the rest of the team toward the bottom of the grade leading up to Potrero and rode with them for a while. Everyone was getting tired and the pace slowed to about 4 MPH. I couldn’t stand the slow pace, so I left them and rode a more comfortable speed. I got to the camp outside of Potrero and enjoyed about 15 minutes of rest before beginning to wonder if I had gone to the wrong campground. After about 45 minutes I headed to the park headquarters, but just as I was getting there Tom came over the hill with everyone following.
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| moving slowly toward Potrero: Ed, Heidi, Pam, and Cathy - photo by Tom |
We got camp set up, but Meredith was tired with her back bothering her, so Tom volunteered to cook with me- much to my relief. He quickly made decisions and knew how much pasta cyclists generally ate. The store’s proprietress volunteered to deliver the groceries, but Tom was determined to load the groceries in boxes on our bikes to demonstrate to the entire group that the two cooks could haul groceries without additional help although that message was missed by most. He did most of the cooking although I did stir the spaghetti and did a few other side chores. By the time dinner was ready it was dark. I tried to find my lights, and realized I had left them on my old Takara bicycle after my last commute to work! We were in the complete dark of the moon, and I was without a light! After getting through the clean up of dishes at the nearby bathroom and stumbling back in complete darkness, Richard lent me one of his lights.
In camp we met Vieslaf, a Pole, who is riding the Southern tier and had ridden with Tom part of the way from LA to San Diego. He ate with us and will ride with us until we decide to layover in Quartzsite.
Day 2: Sat 23 Sep 1995
Potrero, CA to Jackson Hide-Away RV Park Ocotillo, CA
56.2 miles 4:30 hours riding time (Max 41.5)
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| Getting onto I-8, my first freeway experience on a bicycle - photo by Tom |
Richard mailed home six pounds of unneeded stuff including a text-book he realized he didn't want to carry across the continent. It was 105° when we arrived in Ocotillo which is lower and much hotter than Potrero. John, the RV park proprietor, is very cordial treating us like guests. We’re cooking, eating, and sleeping in the park’s guest room. He’s charging only a minimal $30 for the group of ten although we’re increasing it to $40.
Day 3: Sun 24 Sep 1995
Ocotillo, CA to Wiest Lake County Park, Brawley, CA
54.4 miles 4:12 riding time High temp: 105°
Cathy & I rode together out of Ocotillo which had a low of 95° this morning. She is an excellent and well trained rider. The pavement was very rough at first which made her go faster to escape it while the vibrations it sent through my handle bars caused my palms to hurt. We caught Tom and Vieslaf at a local fast food restaurant serving all the pancakes one could eat for 99¢ although each person ate only 3 pancakes. The rest of the group rode by us without stopping. In El Centro we four looked for a bicycle shop which turned out to be closed on Sundays. The Bikecentennial map showed a hardware store as a bicycle shop, so we went there. Tom wants a spare to replace the tire that the rock ruined on the edge of San Diego, but all that “shop” carried was a few cheap children’s bicycles and no 700c tires. We rode hard and fast out of El Centro to about two miles out of Brawley where Tom suddenly bonked. We made it to a shady spot near an irrigation ditch where only I would soak my feet in the cool muddy colored water of an irrigation ditch as we ate our lunch.
Because of the second breakfast and the search for the bicycle shops, we arrived in Brawley nearly an hour later than "the slow group" and spent the rest of the day (after 1400 hours) buying groceries, then making the 7 mile ride out to Wiest Lake County Park. Tom, Meredith, Maurice, and I swam with the ducks in what Meredith accurately called a duck pond. Cathy and Meredith shopped and prepared an excellent yet healthy meal.
Day 4: Mon 25 Sep 1995
Brawley, CA to Ted's Trailer Park, Palo Verde, CA
69.7 miles 5:59 riding time (Max 36.0 MPH)
The roads through the Imperial Valley were much like the valleys of Southwest Idaho with mountains in the distance and acre after acre of well tended irrigated fields. Cathy, Tom, and I rode together again this morning. Where the irrigation stops the transition to desert is sudden and soon we were in sand dunes where we took lots of photos. At Glamis all but Ed and Richard had lunch together. The store was run by a grumpy old hag who charged $2.75 for a large Gator Aid or a gallon of water. None of us got a greeting or a thanks although we left at least $50 with her. Pam began referring to her as Mrs. Grump. It is Pam & Maurice’s day to cook, and Pam confided to me that she dreaded both cooking and flat tires. Within hours of that confession she had her first flat and had it changed by the time Tom, Cathy, & I arrived although putting the wheel back on the bike was creating a challenge. I enjoyed teasing her about cooking since she’s the only other person in the group who has admitted being afraid of cooking. The Chocolate Mountains were beautiful and rugged although I took no pictures there. I left Tom & Cathy behind in the mountains and rode alone. The road down was great with true rollers - each hill smaller than the one before. With a little peddling each down hill would put me over the next up hill at a good rate of speed.
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| Berth, Tom, & Pam putting Pam's wheel on . Cathy in the background |
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| Tom with Cathy ahead of him riding into the dunes |
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| road through the dunes - photo by Tom |
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| silouetted Steve riding through the dunes - photo by Tom |
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| Tom riding up to an overlook near Glamis |
Day 5: Tue 26 Sep 1995
Palo Verde, Ca to Desert Garden RV Park, Quartzsite, AZ
43.0 miles 3:48 riding time
Jeff, a friendly but eccentric fellow from Ted’s Trailer Park in Palo Verde, rode with us from there to Blythe where Tom, Meredith, Cathy, & I caught the rest of the crew at the local bike shop which made several adjustments to our bicycles for free. We were disappointed at the lack of supplies- no 700c tires, no lights, no cycling shorts, etc. We ate a second breakfast in Blythe after riding through the flat farm ground. The bike route rejoined the freeway here and immediately we were met by a sign forbidding bicycles on the bridge. We ignored the sign and even posed for photos at the state line over the Colorado River. After crossing the bridge bicycles were again allowed on the freeway, but the shoulder is grooved apparently to awaken sleeping motorists rather than to make bicyclists miserable. We generally rode the white line and Tom called out when a vehicle was approaching from behind.
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| Meredith & Tom enter Arizona |
What a disappointment Quartzsite is. It’s a large vacant RV park with a gravel and dirt floor for acre after acre. Although there was nothing to make this a desirable lay-over spot, we "layed over". Ed was tired, Bertha was sure she was, and probably several others believed they were or had been promising themselves a rest. Maurice canceled the map meeting, and Tom went to town. I tried to talk Maurice into moving the rest day to Phoenix or Mesa where we could find something to do. At the map meeting he shortened my message to I didn’t want to lay-over here and asked their opinion. This was so annoying I nearly told Maurice I’d see him in Phoenix. Veislaf had the good sense to leave us when he saw where we’d be spending a layover day! Tom calmed me down, and we resigned ourselves to tomorrow’s completely wasted day in an empty RV park. Pam suffered her second flat tire today.
Day 6: Wed 27 Sep 1995
Layover Day Quartzsite, AZ
17.5 miles 2:38 riding time (Max 23.5 MPH)
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| Tom at Scott Leadwell's well and in the cistern |
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| looking into the cistern with Steve sitting on the lip - photo by Tom |
Tom awoke this morning more bothered by the wasted layover day than I. We sat at the truck stop, visited the boring rock shops and post office, and tried to wish away one of our ten free days. Several locals suggested we cycle back to Blythe where we could swim in the Colorado River. Eventually, we went by the Chamber of Commerce and asked for suggestions. The woman there told us about an abandoned farm with a windmill that still pumped water into a large storage tank which we could crawl up and soak in. We invited the rest of the cyclists to join us with 2.5 miles of anticipated dirt road. No one would come although by that time most had expressed their boredom with Quartzsite. The ride out to Scott Leadwell’s, north of town, and back gave us our 17.5 miles with some challenging riding out on the dirt portion of the road. However, the trip redeemed the day. The main water tank was about 10' above ground with the active windmill supplying a constant stream of incoming water. The outside of the storage tank was made of rocks set in mortar. Tom was amazed that I so quickly climbed up and hopped in. He was worried about his safety and ability to crawl up the side. For the first time, I knew he was a real city boy! The water was probably about 75°, how pleasant! Tom soon joined me with some coaching from me- uncoördinated me! He required some coaching to crawl down too, but he caught on quickly. One summer in Winchester would have taught these skills to a 10 year old, who would carry them all his life. Tom enjoyed this late afternoon trip even more than I, but for both of us the wasted day was redeemed. The ride back to town was much easier. We didn’t find our wheels burying themselves in the sand as they had on the way out. Nearly everyone said they were sorry they hadn’t gone with us. I don’t believe Heidi will skip the next such trip, but we may not be lucky enough to find something similar next time although I hope no future lay-over days are taken in a place like this.
Ed flatted a tire today. Richard and Bertha were cooks, but they ordered pizza instead.
Day 7: Thu 28 Sep 1995
Quartzsite, AZ to Fair Haven RV Park, Aguila, AZ
Quartzsite, AZ to Fair Haven RV Park, Aguila, AZ
68.5 miles 5:49 riding time High 90°
We planned a lunch stop at Hope where last year's notes indicated we could enjoy excellent pie. Unfortunately, it is Thursday, and the café is closed on Thursdays! The convenience store next door sold us some junk food, and we ate it and our peanut butter sandwiches on the closed restaurant’s veranda.
I flatted right after Highway 60 leaves the freeway, but the self sealing tube is working, so it resulted in little lost time. As an assigned cook for tonight and tomorrow's breakfast I am a dish washer today. Tom stayed until my washing chores were done so we could ride together. Tom, Heidi, Cathy, & I rode most of the way together. The terrain changes rapidly as we move through Arizona, but there were cactus most of today. Bertha is complaining of the long ride and attempting to veto any long days (she defines long days as 60 miles or more- what the advertising brochure says will be average). I believe Maurice will stop resisting a lay-over day in Phoenix after everyone voted for it.
Aguila is a dirty little town with horrible shopping for groceries; a town where Tom & I do not feel safe. Cathy and I were cooks; she acted as head chef, and I helped.
Day 8: Fri 29 Sep 1995
Aguila, AZ to Lake Pleasant Regional Park, Lake Pleasant, AZ
65.3 miles 5:19 riding time
Wickenburg was a clean and pleasant town where cyclists should stay. We had a great second breakfast: omlettes, fried potatoes, and toast for most plus pie à la mode. I understand the pie was great- as good as what we had expected in Hope the prior day. We bought groceries and hauled them about 40 miles to Lake Pleasant which is about 5 miles off route and a mistake for our 1995 group. There is no running water. Camp is 2.5 miles down a logging quality road. People, including us, are camping on the steep recently dried rocky hillside that earlier in the year was under the reservoir’s water. I can’t understand why the group accepts such a horrible camp site instead of riding some more miles to escape it. Tom assures me this may be a valuable experience for the group which may in the future be willing to ride on if our planned camp turns out to be a rocky hillside without running water. Tom & Ed are the cooks with Tom having planned a delicious meal. Tom seems to feel responsible for camp, food, water, and everything else when he’s the cook. He rode off on some dirt road that was flooded in places and returned a half hour later with a mud coated bike but without drinking water. Heidi asked some neighbours for water or a ride to the spigot and was told “no”; they brought just enough water for their own use. Tom then threatened to fly home the next day if the group finds this acceptable camping. Cathy found a couple of friendly young guys to drive her to water and grabbed Ed for protection. The rest of us went for a swim and came out of the water greatly refreshed and willing to accept our night on the rocky hillside. Cathy & Ed returned with water, and Tom with Ed as his assigned helper, made an excellent pasta dinner. The hillside was too steep for comfortable sleeping even though the Therma-rest pad makes the rocks tolerable.
Bertha had a slow leak which she fixed in camp tonight.
Wickenburg was a clean and pleasant town where cyclists should stay. We had a great second breakfast: omlettes, fried potatoes, and toast for most plus pie à la mode. I understand the pie was great- as good as what we had expected in Hope the prior day. We bought groceries and hauled them about 40 miles to Lake Pleasant which is about 5 miles off route and a mistake for our 1995 group. There is no running water. Camp is 2.5 miles down a logging quality road. People, including us, are camping on the steep recently dried rocky hillside that earlier in the year was under the reservoir’s water. I can’t understand why the group accepts such a horrible camp site instead of riding some more miles to escape it. Tom assures me this may be a valuable experience for the group which may in the future be willing to ride on if our planned camp turns out to be a rocky hillside without running water. Tom & Ed are the cooks with Tom having planned a delicious meal. Tom seems to feel responsible for camp, food, water, and everything else when he’s the cook. He rode off on some dirt road that was flooded in places and returned a half hour later with a mud coated bike but without drinking water. Heidi asked some neighbours for water or a ride to the spigot and was told “no”; they brought just enough water for their own use. Tom then threatened to fly home the next day if the group finds this acceptable camping. Cathy found a couple of friendly young guys to drive her to water and grabbed Ed for protection. The rest of us went for a swim and came out of the water greatly refreshed and willing to accept our night on the rocky hillside. Cathy & Ed returned with water, and Tom with Ed as his assigned helper, made an excellent pasta dinner. The hillside was too steep for comfortable sleeping even though the Therma-rest pad makes the rocks tolerable.
Bertha had a slow leak which she fixed in camp tonight.
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| Tom preparing an excellent meal with assistance from Heidi, Meredith, and Ed |
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| Lake Pleasant campsite. The hillside's steepness isn't captured |
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| Twilight silhouette at Lake Pleasant campsite - photo by Tom |
Day 9: Sat 30 Sep 1995
Lake Pleasant, AZ to Motel 6 Tempe, AZ
70.6 miles 5:24 riding time
What a pleasant ride today down from the lake. Tail winds seemed to prevail and we’ve yet to face a tough head wind. Coming into the Phoenix area really brought home how stupid it was to lay-over a day in Quartzsite. Phoenix is beautiful and wastes water like I’ve always read. Tree lined streets with grass medians here in the heart of the desert. We’re having an extravagant night in Motel 6 since we couldn’t find a campground near the city’s core. REI made a killing when the ten of us arrived today to buy all the gear we’ve now decided we need. Heidi was excited to get a therma-rest pad after the night on the rocky hill-side at Pleasant Lake. Tom got a new ground cover to replace the one that blew away in Quartzsite. I bought lights to replace the ones I left at home and a ground cover which is probably needed for all the tenting on rocks we’ll be doing.
The group surprised me with a birthday party at the Olive Garden. I had forgotten that it was my birthday, but they were ready with a card, dinner, and some food for the road. With the 70.6 miles ridden today in a tailwind, I can’t think of a better way to spend a birthday.
Day 10: Sun 1 Oct 1995
Tempe, AZ to Apache Junction, AZ
31.6 miles 2:41 riding time
We rode back to Scottsdale, walked around, and Tom bought a souvenir silver belt buckle. Tom took me to lunch to have a private celebration of my yesterday’s birthday. On the way out of town Tom took his bicycle though a car wash which was a photo op. He looked strange, but it was the only way to get off the Pleasant Lake caked-on-mud which was still singing and occasionally throwing dirt bombs from his fenders. We spent so much time in Scottsdale that it was nearly dark when we arrived at our KOA campsite in Apache Junction. We anticipated a lecture on safety and courtesy to the cooks, but most of the rest had arrived just a few minutes before us. Heidi and Pam were the cooks.
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| Tom takes his Cannondale to the carwash to get Lake Pleasant's mud off |
Day 11: Mon 2 Oct 1995
Apache Junction, AZ to Globe RV Park, Globe, AZ
54.7 miles 5:11 riding time (Max 39.5 MPH)
Tom & I rode together again today. We crossed Gonzales Pass at 2,651 feet and the unnamed 4,100 foot pass near Signal Mountain going through a tunnel where we were riding with Maurice. In Superior I mailed home unneeded clothing, bought post cards, and attempted to mail them. I knew I carried them into the post office and had them in my hand at the counter. They were in a blue plastic bag. After searching my panniers and having the postal employees retrieve the mailed boxes for me to search, Tom remembered he snatched them up putting them with his which were also in a blue bag! The Post Office employees got a quite a laugh out of this when I returned to their counter for the 3rd time to mail them.
The campground is OK. The manager allowed the cooks, Maurice and I, to shower in his travel trailer after dinner, and Meredith arranged for everyone else to shower in the local high school gym. With Safeway only two blocks away over a condemned bridge which crossed a dry wash, Maurice fixed Ramen noodles, and I was his assigned helper. Tom, Heidi, Richard, Cathy, & I went to "A Walk in the Clouds", a too predictable “chick flick”.
Day 12: Tue 3 Oct 1995
Globe, AZ to Ivanhoe Mobile Home Park, Safford, AZ
98.1 miles 7:17 riding time
This was the first cool morning of the trip with leg warmers or tights and a sweat shirt required. Tom had a restaurant breakfast before leaving town, and we were able to shed the extra clothing before leaving. Cathy, Tom, & I rode together all day and picked up Maurice late in the day. We were the only four to ride the standard route south of San Carlos Lake on the Apache Reservation. There was a lot of climbing, but the dam was quite a sight though difficult to photograph.
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| San Carlos Lake - photo by Tom |
The campground here in Safford is very clean with a great laundry room where we all washed clothes and wrote in our diaries. Everyone but Tom, Cathy, & I are worried about tomorrow’s ride to Buckhorn which includes the 6,295 Needle’s Eye Pass. Maurice isn't doing anything to build people's confidence and often builds on their fear to motivate them with the frequent comment, “You'd better get to bed early tonight and get plenty of rest, as tomorrow will be a tough day”. Bertha has declared her inability to ride the 77 miles and tried to convenience the others they couldn’t make the ride either. Her negative attitude would be a challenge to any leader. After the map meeting was over she asked Maurice, “You’re not serious about riding all the way to Buckhorn, are you?” There were no closer towns, and the meeting was over, so, yes, he was serious.
Richard, Heidi, and Meredith were at the store waiting for the rest of the group when we arrived in town, so we waited with them and all rode out to the camp together from dusk to dark with me in the lead with my new head-light, a couple of people without any lights, and Tom in the back with his strobe rear light. Richard with some help from Cathy prepared dinner while Tom and I put up our tents.
Day 13: Wed 4 Oct 1995
Safford, AZ to Buckhorn RV Park, Buckhorn, New Mexico
75.1 miles 6:56 riding time (Max 39.0 MPH)
Meredith left her lock and cable in Safford at the grocery store last night and made arrangements with them to deliver it to the campground by 0800. I foolishly volunteered to stay and wait for it. Tom & I had started down the road by 0740 when I remembered this. Tom wasn’t happy with the wait, and I shouldn’t have agreed to do it, but having said I would, we did it. We all met at a store about 30 miles out of Safford, but Tom and I arrived and left last. As we began the climb up Needles’s Eye, I had a surge of energy, leaving Tom and passing Bertha, Heidi, Cathy, & Maurice. I caught Meredith and rode with her for a while as my extra energy was spent, and we waited for the rest at the top. Notice from the photo that Bertha did make it. The ride down from the top of the pass to Buckhorn was great with rolling hills: each up-hill less than the previous down, and these were made even better by a strong tail wind.
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| entering New Mexico: Richard, Meredith, Pam, Bertha, and Ed |
Dinner was bad as the store had little to offer. Tom and Ed were the cooks. We’re riding down the road several miles for tomorrow’s breakfast as the supplies were inadequate for our modest breakfast needs.
Day 14: Wed 5 Oct 1995
Buckhorn, NM to Continental Divide RV Park, Piños Altos New Mexico
47.0 miles 4:25 riding time
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| Crossing the Continental Divide: Meredith, Cathy, Tom, Pam, and Bertha |
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| Bertha repairs a flat in camp |
duties, but we ate out. Although the restaurant closed at 1700, they agreed to reopen to fix our dinner at 1800 hours. The cook was great. After dinner Tom, Richard, & I sat in a bar with great live music- Jim Croce style. Maurice and Heidi forgot to buy milk for tomorrow’s breakfast.
Day 15: Fri 6 Oct 1995
Piños Altos New Mexico to Gila Hotsprings RV Park, Gila, New Mexico
36.8 miles 4:25 riding time
The lack of milk made me skip the Adventure Cycling breakfast of dry cereal with water and 1 minute oatmeal in water. This morning’s 2nd breakfast in a restaurant at Piños Altos was great and much later than our usual pre-dawn breakfast. After I was packed and ready to go, Tom walked into the post office where his leg warmers and gloves had arrived early on 5 Oct. We came back to camp to find his bike with TWO flat tires. He changed one and I took the other, but it was still noon before we left. We climbed the first pass and shot down the other side to the junction of 15 and 35 where at the White Buffalo Café we had great black forest cake. They reported Vieslof had cycled through earlier that day after going through the Gila Cliff Dwellings area. The climb over to Gila Hot Springs was higher and longer than we anticipated, but the ride down was great! The hot water Jacuzzi felt great with Meredith, Cathy, Pam, Tom & I sitting in it for nearly 1 & ½ hours! Heidi arrived just as we were leaving.
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| the pleasant but steep road out of Piños Altos - photo by Tom |
The ride in here was much like riding up Whitebird, down Winchester, and up Lewiston grades! Fortunately the mileage wasn’t great.
Day 16: Sat 7 Oct 1995
Layover day: Gila Hotsprings to cliff dwellings & return
10.0 miles 0:45 riding time
Breakfast this morning was great at 0800 or a little after! I haven’t figured out why part of the group thinks they must be on the road by sun-up. The cold temperatures at 28° should help keep people in their tents. Much to my surprise my tent was the only one in full early morning sunshine. Heidi got up to a flat tire. Bertha talked Ed into putting her worn out freewheel back on to give her a 1.25" lower gear for the upcoming hills which she doesn't intend to climb. Tom, Cathy, & I washed clothes in the morning and with Meredith cycled the five miles up to the cliff dwellings which are very similar to those at Mesa Verde but aren’t as extensive. Bertha and I pre-shopped before the ride to the cliff dwellings and decided she would return later to buy ingredients for stew. Bertha’s stew (with minimal help from me) was the best meal since Tom’s pasta at Lake Pleasant. Sitting around our first campfire was very enjoyable.
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| The grottos which hold the cliff dwellings |
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| campfire at Gila Hotsprings: Pam, Steve, Meredith, Heidi, and Maurice - photo by Tom |
Day 17: Sun 8 Oct 1995
Gila Hotsprings to Casa Adobe's RV Park, Mimbres, New Mexico
40.2 miles 4:57 riding time (Max 32.5 MPH)
The climb out of Gila Cliff Dwellings was steep! the first mile was probably the steepest state highway I’ve ever seen. Bertha hitched a ride over to White Buffalo Lodge and Maurice sent his luggage in the same pickup. Richard wanted to send his stuff in the pickup, but social pressure caused him to remain self-supported. Tom, Heidi, & I rode over the hill together toward the White Buffalo Lodge. Tom and I stopped for photos at the top while Heidi rushed down the hill to the White Buffalo Lodge where we found her with Ed and Richard working at finding a hole in Heidi's tube. After lunch at the White Buffalo Lodge and more great black forest cake, Tom, Heidi, and I continued over the Continental Divide and down to Mimbres. We stopped at a small store just west of town, and I came out to find my 2nd Specialized Tube had self destructed. The valve stem separated from the tube.
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| Steve climbing out of Gila Hot Springs - photo by Tom |
Tom & Richard prepared dinner. Jim, an English drifter on a bicycle, showed up at camp, so we fed him although no one enjoyed him. His references to crossing the Rockies without the need of his ‟granny gears” will become a standing joke with the group which will do a good job mimicking his English accent. Jim stank when he arrived and failed to shower while with us. We gave him dinner and left him with our breakfast left overs.
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| Steve at Emory Pass |
Mimbres, New Mexico to KOA Caballo, NM
54.2 miles 4:48 riding time
Although breakfast was supposed to be at 0730 today, the early birds were up again before dawn, so breakfast was consumed before sun up. Ed seems driven by his memory of his poor performance prior to the rest day in Quartzsite. Richard rides with him, and they have to be first to leave. Heidi requires very little sleep and gets much of the blame for waking those who would like to sleep until sun up. Tom was a cook and was angry about the early rising this morning, as no one enjoyed breakfast in the cold of Mimbres. When I crawled into my tent to put up my sleeping bag, I realized it was the one place to be warm, so I crawled back into it and warmed up for a while. Tom grumbled all morning about the early cold rising and the rushed breakfast on his cooking day. Tom prefers to do things with a bit of style.
We again left last except for Cathy who we thought had left. When she caught us, she chewed us out for leaving her alone with the English drifter! Although Emory Pass at 8,228 feet was our highest pass, it wasn’t the most difficult. The grade is reasonable and long- starting not far out of Mimbres. Ed and Richard stopped for photos at the pass but skipped the spectacular view point in their rush to reach camp first. The rubber on my rear Performance tire began separating from the tire's belt today, so I rotated tires and tried to glue the tread back on. After yesterday's flat from the self destructing Specialized tube, the tube that had been the spare tube that went into service yesterday developed a slow leak under two patches and needs to be replaced, but the leak is slow enough that I can fill it daily.
We enjoyed a strong tail wind into Caballo this afternoon. Cathy left us all behind, and I decided to catch her which gave me a good long workout. Cathy and Ed were cooks with little to choose from in the KOA store. Quantities were inadequate. Ed put Bertha’s new freewheel back on this evening. Two changes of the freewheel for an insignificantly lower gear. This evening I discovered that I left my tent stakes behind in Mimbres. Tom again came to my rescue by lending me four stakes.
I awoke to a perfectly flat front tire, so much for the slow leak I described yesterday! By the time we had breakfast and I got Tom’s new tube to replace my leaking tube, it was 0900 as Tom, Cathy, and I rode out of camp. The generally desert area became more and more farm land as we came down the Rio Grande; alfalfa, chili peppers which were being harvested and hung to dry, almond orchards, and cotton were the predominant crops. The area appears more prosperous as we approached Las Cruces. We had a good lunch in Hatch where I made my 1st call into work where the new boss is just now interviewing the examiners to determine whom his bank will hire. We picked up Heidi and did a fast pace line alternating leaders and maintaining speeds between 17 - 20 MPH near Radium Springs, a spot on the map that we didn’t find on the highway. Just after Heidi left us, Tom, Cathy, & I visited old Fort Selden, an old cavalry post. We three got back into speedy cycling for most of the roughly 20 miles into Las Cruces. About one mile from camp I hit a rock that flatted my rear tire with a hole too large for the self sealing tube to work. I patched it with Tom’s new glueless patches which didn’t hold. I ended up “borrowing” another tube from Tom, and we were on the road 45 minutes after I first noticed the flat! Supper was ready when we arrived in camp, so I had to eat. Then we had the “map meeting”, and it was my turn to wash dishes, so it was long after dark when I set up my tent and finally tried to fix my tube with the old style glue patches which work. As I was working on my tube, Cathy folded my clothes after we got them washed.
Maurice and Heidi cooked tonight as Meredith, who was initially assigned the duty, met with a friend. Some positives: the weather is perfect with a mild tail wind; Cathy’s 0730 breakfast worked, and Tom and I set up tents far from the noisy pre-dawn risers, so we were able to sleep until 0700 which greatly improved Tom’s mood from the previous day.
The ride down the Rio Grande Valley from Las Cruces was through shaded pecan orchards with some branches fully arching over the road. Cotton and chili peppers were the main other crops. We, Heidi, Cathy, Tom, & I fought a consistent head wind all the way down, but we rode in a fairly disciplined line changing leaders every five minutes which helped give us an average speed of 14 MPH despite the head-wind. Cathy’s Phil Wood Hub, with approximately 25,000 miles began making some noise and feeling rough, so after we left the bicycle shop we went to a "bearing store" where she thought she could get new bearings, but where she couldn’t. One of the employees was preparing to hit her axle with a rubber mallet before Tom stopped him. The two stops made us late in arriving in El Paso where we are staying at the Gold Star Inn, a flea bag motel Maurice chose for us. Tom and I are renting our own room to avoid 5 men sleeping in a two bed motel room.
Pam had an interesting problem at the Las Cruces bike shop. Although the man who helped everyone else was very helpful, his assistant came in just in time to wait on Pam. He advised her she needed a new cable, and when she told him to install it, he said he didn’t want to. Pam rode to El Paso with Meredith ahead of us avoiding the bearing shop stop and was fuming when we saw her. It was Pam and my turn to cook, but by popular demand we went to Pizza Hut.
We spent most of the day looking for bicycle tires. We called every shop in town, but none had 700c tires! Only one said they had 700 tubes, so we went there. I dug through his entire inventory of tires to find one Specialized Armadillo 700 x 26 an excellent tire if it were just 32 c wide. Tom found something akin to a dime store tire he'll use for a spare that was only 25 cm wide although we both tried hard to find a second Armadillo. Both my tires are worn out, and I had planned to replace them in this city of half a million people where I thought I could have my choice among many good alternatives!
Although breakfast was supposed to be at 0730 today, the early birds were up again before dawn, so breakfast was consumed before sun up. Ed seems driven by his memory of his poor performance prior to the rest day in Quartzsite. Richard rides with him, and they have to be first to leave. Heidi requires very little sleep and gets much of the blame for waking those who would like to sleep until sun up. Tom was a cook and was angry about the early rising this morning, as no one enjoyed breakfast in the cold of Mimbres. When I crawled into my tent to put up my sleeping bag, I realized it was the one place to be warm, so I crawled back into it and warmed up for a while. Tom grumbled all morning about the early cold rising and the rushed breakfast on his cooking day. Tom prefers to do things with a bit of style.
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| Richard, Ed, Heidi, Pam, Meredith, and Tom on Emory Pass |
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| Pam & Steve on Emory Pass |
We again left last except for Cathy who we thought had left. When she caught us, she chewed us out for leaving her alone with the English drifter! Although Emory Pass at 8,228 feet was our highest pass, it wasn’t the most difficult. The grade is reasonable and long- starting not far out of Mimbres. Ed and Richard stopped for photos at the pass but skipped the spectacular view point in their rush to reach camp first. The rubber on my rear Performance tire began separating from the tire's belt today, so I rotated tires and tried to glue the tread back on. After yesterday's flat from the self destructing Specialized tube, the tube that had been the spare tube that went into service yesterday developed a slow leak under two patches and needs to be replaced, but the leak is slow enough that I can fill it daily.
We enjoyed a strong tail wind into Caballo this afternoon. Cathy left us all behind, and I decided to catch her which gave me a good long workout. Cathy and Ed were cooks with little to choose from in the KOA store. Quantities were inadequate. Ed put Bertha’s new freewheel back on this evening. Two changes of the freewheel for an insignificantly lower gear. This evening I discovered that I left my tent stakes behind in Mimbres. Tom again came to my rescue by lending me four stakes.
Day 19: Tue 10 Oct 1995
Caballo, NM to Las Cruces, New Mexico
65.2 miles 5:04 riding time (Max 49.0 MPH)
I awoke to a perfectly flat front tire, so much for the slow leak I described yesterday! By the time we had breakfast and I got Tom’s new tube to replace my leaking tube, it was 0900 as Tom, Cathy, and I rode out of camp. The generally desert area became more and more farm land as we came down the Rio Grande; alfalfa, chili peppers which were being harvested and hung to dry, almond orchards, and cotton were the predominant crops. The area appears more prosperous as we approached Las Cruces. We had a good lunch in Hatch where I made my 1st call into work where the new boss is just now interviewing the examiners to determine whom his bank will hire. We picked up Heidi and did a fast pace line alternating leaders and maintaining speeds between 17 - 20 MPH near Radium Springs, a spot on the map that we didn’t find on the highway. Just after Heidi left us, Tom, Cathy, & I visited old Fort Selden, an old cavalry post. We three got back into speedy cycling for most of the roughly 20 miles into Las Cruces. About one mile from camp I hit a rock that flatted my rear tire with a hole too large for the self sealing tube to work. I patched it with Tom’s new glueless patches which didn’t hold. I ended up “borrowing” another tube from Tom, and we were on the road 45 minutes after I first noticed the flat! Supper was ready when we arrived in camp, so I had to eat. Then we had the “map meeting”, and it was my turn to wash dishes, so it was long after dark when I set up my tent and finally tried to fix my tube with the old style glue patches which work. As I was working on my tube, Cathy folded my clothes after we got them washed.
Maurice and Heidi cooked tonight as Meredith, who was initially assigned the duty, met with a friend. Some positives: the weather is perfect with a mild tail wind; Cathy’s 0730 breakfast worked, and Tom and I set up tents far from the noisy pre-dawn risers, so we were able to sleep until 0700 which greatly improved Tom’s mood from the previous day.
Day 20: Wed 11 Oct 1995
Las Cruces, NM to El Paso, Texas
62.6 miles 4:35 riding time
The ride down the Rio Grande Valley from Las Cruces was through shaded pecan orchards with some branches fully arching over the road. Cotton and chili peppers were the main other crops. We, Heidi, Cathy, Tom, & I fought a consistent head wind all the way down, but we rode in a fairly disciplined line changing leaders every five minutes which helped give us an average speed of 14 MPH despite the head-wind. Cathy’s Phil Wood Hub, with approximately 25,000 miles began making some noise and feeling rough, so after we left the bicycle shop we went to a "bearing store" where she thought she could get new bearings, but where she couldn’t. One of the employees was preparing to hit her axle with a rubber mallet before Tom stopped him. The two stops made us late in arriving in El Paso where we are staying at the Gold Star Inn, a flea bag motel Maurice chose for us. Tom and I are renting our own room to avoid 5 men sleeping in a two bed motel room.
Pam had an interesting problem at the Las Cruces bike shop. Although the man who helped everyone else was very helpful, his assistant came in just in time to wait on Pam. He advised her she needed a new cable, and when she told him to install it, he said he didn’t want to. Pam rode to El Paso with Meredith ahead of us avoiding the bearing shop stop and was fuming when we saw her. It was Pam and my turn to cook, but by popular demand we went to Pizza Hut.
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| our entrance into El Paso was miserable on 6 lane roads - photo by Tom |
Day 21: Thu 12 Oct 1995
Layover Gold Star Inn El Paso, Texas
0 miles 0:0 riding time
We spent most of the day looking for bicycle tires. We called every shop in town, but none had 700c tires! Only one said they had 700 tubes, so we went there. I dug through his entire inventory of tires to find one Specialized Armadillo 700 x 26 an excellent tire if it were just 32 c wide. Tom found something akin to a dime store tire he'll use for a spare that was only 25 cm wide although we both tried hard to find a second Armadillo. Both my tires are worn out, and I had planned to replace them in this city of half a million people where I thought I could have my choice among many good alternatives!
Day 22: Fri 13 Oct 1995
El Paso, Texas - Hilltop Motel rural Texas
84.3 miles 6:14 riding time (Max 23.5 MPH)
Cathy, Tom, Pam, Meredith, and I stopped at a trendy coffee shop on the way out of El Paso. Yes, there's at least one thing trendy in El Paso. Pam and Meredith left ahead of us as they were concerned about getting to Fabens in the prescribed time for a useless meeting to discuss where we would camp. The eastern exit from El Paso is a much better route than our entrance which was on a 6 lane busy highway. My search for tent stakes in El Paso had been unfruitful but we ran across a Wal Mart on the far eastern end of the city where I got new stakes and Tom got utensils to replace those he had lost. Cathy, who was in a sudden sullen mood, rode on without us. We caught her before Fabens, but she was distant today. Heidi joined us at Fabens as the rest of the group was going to ride the freeway to save 8 miles. They changed their minds and enjoyed some of the best country roads this far into the tour. We had these one lane roads to ourselves. We rode along some pecan orchards, cotton fields, and alfalfa fields today. It got progressively drier as we left the Rio Grande Valley. The last 5 miles climbed a lot and we faced a 20 to 25 MPH headwind. We’re in two rooms with three men on the floor. Cathy and Tom cooked on the outside of this run down "Hilltop Motel" tonight from a meager selection. The no meat thing really complicates cooking. We had Raman noodles with some canned vegetables as a topping.
Day 23: Sat 14 Oct 1995
Hilltop Motel rural Texas to El Camp RV Park in VanHorn, Texas
45.2 miles 4:10 riding time
The 5 men spent last night crowded into a motel room that was too stuffy. From the Hilltop Motel we continued our climb into a much reduced head wind today. We rode a frontage road for several miles before getting on the freeway to go through an immigration check. Then it was back to the frontage road. We had breakfast together just outside Sierra Blanca with these health nuts generally choosing the Home Run breakfast of fried sausage, bacon, eggs, toast, fried potatoes, and hot cakes. Heidi’s front fork without eyelets continued to cause her front rack to fall down on her axle creating problems, so here she called Bruce Gordon and spoke to him personally. He refused to send her clamps and advised her to “push your bike to the nearest bike shop and have the fork replaced”. This wasn’t practical, so she, Tom, and I rode on. Just before Allamoore- a warehouse beside the train tracks- her rack hit the axle again. She did have some wire which she used to wire the rack to the brake arch. This was a brilliant move on her part and led to a better solution that night. Less than a mile after taking off from that problem, I had my 5th flat tire from a 1 ½” wire sticking into my tire. We returned to the freeway for an uneventful ride on into Van Horn at the bottom of a long hill. Our residence at the El Camp RV Park is UNSAT. They set us up on the grass median between the five lane main street and the RV Park. All ten tents just barely squeeze in. I’m about 2" from Pam. Cars are driving by with stereos blasting, peeling out, etc. It's the area of Van Horn where the boys chase the girls, and the girls try to attract the boys! I suspect no one else will sleep tonight although I should be able to. They wanted $8.00 each for this, but Maurice, Cathy, and Richard talked them into $2.50 for each person.
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| Heidi, Ed, & Richard haywiring Heidi's rack - photo by Tom |
Richard and Ed cooked an excellent and balanced meal.
Day 24: Sun 15 Oct 1995
VanHorn, Texas to Fort Davis State Park Texas
87.5 miles 8:10 riding time
The observations on El Camp RV Park were right. No one but I slept. Although I laughed as I first tried to fall asleep in all that noise, I eventually fell asleep and slept fine, but no others were so fortunate. I knew my co-workers couldn’t have slept through that noise if they’d been in a motel with closed windows and doors. The tents provided no such protection from the street noise. Apparently, things quieted down about 0100 on Sunday morning although Tom denies it ever quieted down, but just before 0600 a train came through blasting its horn and shaking the ground on which we were sleeping. Tom would have moved to a nearby motel but was concerned that it would undermine group morale/team spirit. I’d have been in a motel in a minute with his income and inability to sleep. When I got out of my tent well before dawn, all the tents but mine and Tom’s were gone. I was somewhat aware of the clamor of tent poles, but was surprised to see our overly early crew up this early. Tom’s second breakfast gave us a clear last place in departure- a place he prefers to maintain to help with breakdowns. As we started to leave town I noticed my last Performance tire was separating tread from the kevlar belt. We dashed back into town, but it was Sunday, so nothing was opened. We missed a turn and ended up on the frontage road on the south side of the freeway instead of the frontage road on the north side. Within two miles Tom noticed the mistake and we carried our loaded cycles across the three medians full of cactus thorns and puncture weed as I was especially nervous about the separating tire being punctured although Tom assured me it would get me to Austin. My nervousness about my tire made me ride faster, and Tom had to ask me a couple of times to slow down.
Heidi's Adventure: We continued until about 1200 when we were passed by a fancy red Gold Wing motorcycle which we couldn’t help noticing had a passenger. We quickly noticed she was holding a bicycle on her lap. It was a loaded touring bicycle! She was blond, and she was Heidi! The motorcycle stopped, and we rushed to Heidi. Tom asked her twice if she was OK, but she didn’t answer. I asked her if she was hurt and placed my hand on her back. She looked at me somewhat dazed but didn’t answer. The driver, a neurosurgeon from Mexico, had taken the loaded bicycle off her lap by then. Just as I realized I should have a photo, the driver pulled away. The Avocet 35mm tire Heidi had borrowed from Richard was too wide and had rubbed. She had switched it to the front, but it rubbed there too. About that time the neurosurgeon stopped to help her. Since walking wasn’t much of an option (87.5 miles today) the neurosurgeon had Heidi get on the motorcycle. He placed his coat over her and his seat and placed Heidi’s 70 pound loaded touring bicycle on her lap! Heidi agreed she could handle this if he went slowly on the shoulder. This worked for the minute it lasted, but then he sped up to 60 MPH and hit the regular lane. Heidi closed her eyes and held on. For 14 miles she rode this way before they caught us. No wonder she couldn’t speak for a minute or so. Heidi did very well. Tom had the only remaining spare tire (the dime store quality tire purchased in El Paso) which was really too narrow for touring at 25mm, but was right for Heidi's bike. I believe Heidi changed the tire herself, and Richard’s 35c kevlar Avocet became the group’s spare.
We rode on to Kent which is nothing but a rural post office with a gas station/odds and end store. We met two cyclists there! Howard and Bill were out for a day ride while camping at Davis Mountain State Park. I talked to Howard for a while before the obvious dawned on me. Ask a local cyclist where he gets his tires! They really weren’t too local coming from Midland, Texas, about 100 miles away but Howard is an employee of Payton’s Bicycle Shop there. He couldn’t give me any advice except that his shop was probably the closest one. Although they were camping at Davis State Park where we were going, they had driven part of the way down and were on a different route.
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| Heidi and Tom after a dip in this windmill fed cistern |
By the time we reached the bottom
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| Steve and Heidi at twilight near the McDonnel Observatory - photo by Tom |
of the steep part- a great ride- it was time to turn on the lights. About 3 miles from the park it got completely dark and Tom got Heidi set up with a light on her head that was held with Velcro and a strap around her helmet. He’s quite resourceful. We stopped at the Prude Guest Ranch, but with no notes around, we decided to continue down to the state park which turned out to be just over 2 miles farther. At the entrance Richard had left a note stating where they were. We didn’t want to miss supper, so we rode straight to the lodge where we met the group and were applauded by most of the diners who had heard of our falling behind, and a couple took our picture. I was an assigned cook, but tentative plans had been to eat from the lodge’s buffet. The buffet was history, but the other prices were a bargain. The rest of the group was just ordering with 15 minutes left until closing. We weren’t that far behind them! We recounted Heidi’s story to everyone’s laughter as we ate an excellent dinner.
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| Tom & Steve on their other steads - photo by Tom |
Day 24: Mon 16 Oct 1995
Layover: Fort Davis State Park Texas
15.2 miles 1:06 riding time A rest day after yesterday’s adventure is appreciated by all. At breakfast Howard found us. He had called his boss and decided they could put two tires, a rather large 38mm tire for me and a 28mm tire for Heidi, on a bus to Alpine which I can pick up on 17 Oct as we pass through. He drove us up to the McDonald Observatory where we looked around; we bought his lunch, and he left. He and Bill had given up their 2nd day of cycling to shuttle us around! We're being treated like long lost relatives by everyone in the campground and lodge. We have two invitations to dinner and hot tubbing in Austin, and the group accepted these two invites. So much for the rumor that says Texans aren’t friendly to cyclists!
Heidi called her bike shop this morning, and after Bruce Gordon talked to him he has agreed to treat her right. He’s sending a new fork and will provide his master card number to a shop in Austin to cover any labor. He will also send Bruce Gordon Clamps. She won’t have a touring bicycle, but she’ll be able to enjoy the trip without further hassles with her front rack.
Our only riding today was up to the dude ranch and back, then down to Fort Davis and back. Tom gave himself a flat in town by not treating his presta valve with the care those delicate valves demand.
Meredith and someone were credited with cooking today although they didn’t cook, and we decided that layover days will not have assigned cooks in the future! Hurray!
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| Skunk and racoon disturb the camp- from a print taken by Heidi |
I stayed at the lodge writing in my journal until 0030, and found the walk from Indian Lodge back to the campground horrible! The moon was not yet out, so I could see nothing. I could only tell that I'd stepped off the pavement by the feel of the gravel under my feet, and all I could think about was tarantulas and snakes. I was afraid I’d wake everyone in camp, but raccoons had already done that. As I arrived Heidi asked what was outside her tent; Tom, Ed, and Richard all spoke from their tents. Someone had left cheese on the table attracting the pests which had knocked the pots and pans off the table as they scuffled for the cheese. Heidi aimed her camera at the noise, and got this shot. The racoons had been joined by a skunk, but we didn’t know that until Heidi’s flash photo was processed showing its raised tail between her and the raccoons!
I was the last one out of camp this morning and left behind my sweat shirt and pack towel. With the short day we have scheduled for today, Tom and I went to the Jeff Davis County Museum after breakfast in town.
Day 25: Tue 17 Oct 1995
Fort Davis State Park Texas to Marathon RV Park, Marathon, Texas
64.3 miles 4:45 riding time (Max 39.5 MPH) I was the last one out of camp this morning and left behind my sweat shirt and pack towel. With the short day we have scheduled for today, Tom and I went to the Jeff Davis County Museum after breakfast in town.
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| Steve riding through the town of Fort Davis - photo by Tom |
The ride to Alpine was beautiful through the Davis Mountains with some great down hill riding. We met another bum on a bicycle just out of Alpine. He didn’t know how many miles he rode daily, where he started from, where he was going tonight, and his chain squeaked calling for lube. He had a horrible riding style. I immediately had no interest in him, but Tom talked to him for 5 to 10 minutes before deciding he had no interest in him either. In Alpine we rode to the bus station where Heidi was waiting with the package containing my new tire (a 42c Continental touring tire!), Heidi’s new tire, and three free tubes. Howard and Peyton’s Bikes of Midland, Texas had come through. The large tire went on easily although it immediately thumped when I tried to spin it. As soon as we stopped, Tom had begun eating. We often said “if we aren't riding we must be eating”. I was alarmed that I was missing the lunch stop, but I wanted my problem tire replaced before taking a break. Tom was eating two-fisted, so I couldn’t get him to look at the bike. I hopped on my bicycle to see if I could feel the problem, and the tube blew up! Fortunately the tire wasn’t damaged, but it was the end of my last Specialized self-sealing tube- which I won't use again. A bus pulled in the moment the tube blew up and sat there until I was done changing the tire almost as if watching me deal with problem were a scheduled stop. I learned a lot about touring tires, and the 42cm Continental on the rear and the 28cm Armadillo on the front ended my tire problems on this tour. As Tom had already eaten, I stuffed a sandwich in my mouth sitting in front of some gas station, and we took no lunch break. Heidi had a great day and was hard to keep up with.
The “campground” is another gravel parking lot 50 feet from a major train line. The trains shake the ground when they pass, so we’ll see who will sleep tonight.
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| Marathon RV Campground next to the railroad line is an undesirable place to stay- photo by Tom |
Day 26: Wed 18 Oct 1995
Marathon, Texas to Siesta Motel, Sanderson, Texas
55.2 miles 3:50 riding time (Max 30.0 MPH) It was a relief to leave the rocky RV park in Marathon. The ride to Sanderson was generally downhill and easy today. Tom, Meredith, Cathy, & I stopped for a while at the hotel in Marathon. The four of us changed riding partners throughout the day.
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| Cathy and Meredith departing Marathon, TX - photo by Tom |
Bertha was finally put on the cooking rotation (after initially convincing Maurice she was too weak to perform that chore on a regular basis) and was teamed with Ed for tonight's meal. Although the day was short, there’s a fine grocery store here, and the motel has a picnic barbecue area, they didn’t want to cook, so we ate out. The restaurant was average to poor. Two people had salad bar only which quickly ran out of food, and the help refused to put out more! A bar had twice made a point of inviting us for food. They served a wonderful free chicken, ribs, beans, and rice, and several of us enjoyed a 2nd dinner after the meager first dinner. Texans continue to be especially friendly. The Siesta Motel allowed Tom and me to pitch our tents behind the motel avoiding 5 men in a room. That floor would have been a particularly undesirable place to sleep, and each motel stay has made me like my tent more.
Day 27: Thu 19 Oct 1995
Sanderson, Texas to Seminole State Park, Texas
83.1 miles 6:29 riding timeIt was nearly dusk by the time we rolled in today. Tom left Sanderson without me after my slow packing, but I soon caught him, Cathy, and Meredith. The terrain is repetitious; constantly up and down from one dry wash to the next. The Seminole Canyon and Pecos Canyon were pretty- the washes have carved a smooth bed out of the solid bedrock. The “store” in Dryden has about $100 worth of merchandise, so I can’t believe it’s long for this world though its owner was extremely pleasant. Lantry was better, with a small museum nearby. The state park is interesting with Seminole Canyon, but only Tom and I saw the visitor’s center.
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| Pecos Canyon Bridge |
Just after dinner a real wind storm arrived. Fortunately, I had followed Richard’s lesson on tying down my non-free standing tent to large rocks and covering the line with smaller rocks. Meredith had decided just to set large rocks on the corners of her tent. She was showering when the storm arrived. One rock held her tent from blowing away. Even our aluminum pots blew around. In this storm she and I got her tent put up properly using the extra line Cathy had given me several days earlier for use as a clothes line. We talked for a couple of hours after going to bed as the wind storm precluded sleeping and the tent walls don’t preclude talking to your near neighbors.
Day 28: Fri 20 Oct 1995
Seminole State Park, Texas to Ranch Motel Del Rio, Texas
51.1 miles 4:10 riding time (Max 30.5 MPH)We cut back on the suggested itinerary to stay in Del Rio, a small city with apparently lots of water. Cycling around town we saw a nice old downtown, some almost wooded areas near the Rio Grande, a winery, and a train station which Tom particularly enjoyed. I believe I was hit by a car for the first time in my life. Richard, I, and Ed were cycling down the road when an idiot passed Ed and turned right- into me. As he turned into me, I also turned sharply right, and hit my brakes as hard as I could, but I still hit his door. I slapped the passenger’s window to get the fool’s attention and called him a fool. Ed reported he locked his door and rolled up his window then. I went to his door and since he hadn’t apologized, I hit the driver’s door with my fist and called him an idiot. He drove his old beater away without apologizing. From his dull stupid countenance I believe he may have been drunk. This evening I had planned to write and wash clothes, but Tom, Richard, and Heidi talked me into seeing a movie.
Heidi and I were cooks, but the group wanted to go to a Thai Restaurant that was excellent.
Day 29: Sat 21 Oct 1995
Del Rio, Texas to Welch's Feed Store & RV Park Camp Wood, Texas
81.8 miles 7:05 riding time The countryside was surprisingly varied today. Sometimes we’d be in almost forested land, and then we’d be back in desert. Camp Wood is a very neat, friendly town of 600 people. Cathy and Pam were cooks, but they found an all we could eat Mexican buffet meal for $4.95 each which was cheaper than we could have done from the grocery store. The RV park’s shower was out of order, so Meredith found an alternate- the local motel which allowed us to shower for $2.50 each. Tom and I apparently missed a quarrel about changing campgrounds. Ed and Richard declined the shower apparently unhappy that the group didn’t cycle back 3 or 4 miles to another park where we could have showered without charge.
Day 30: Sun 22 Oct 1995
Camp Wood, Texas to Sabinal Canyon Campland, Vanderpool, Texas
40.1 miles 3:34 riding time (Max 39.4 MPH)With only 40 miles scheduled today Tom and I slept in until 0800, went to the laundromat, ate breakfast, and Tom changed his slow leaking front tube. We left Camp Wood at noon. There were two passes today- we’re now in the Texas hill country. Most of the land is covered with brush or scrub trees. We saw a couple of herds of goats today. The wind has generally been in our faces since entering Texas and continued that way today making the ride somewhat more difficult than the mileage indicates.
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| Tom assists Heidi with her rack problems at the gates of the Chulagua Ranch |
The owners of the RV park are friendly and pleasant. Tom and I went for a brief swim in the pool before dinner tonight, but the water was quite cool. Meredith fixed dinner with little help from Ed tonight. At the map meeting we decided to lay-over two days in Austin and Richard declared his intention to take a side trip directly into Austin saving one day of travel. I may join him, but I can't talk Tom into it and am having trouble making up my mind. I must decide by tomorrow's map meeting.
Day 30: Mon 23 Oct 1995
Vanderpool, Texas to RV Park USA, Comfort, Texas
71.5 miles 6:26 riding time (Max 32.5 MPH) |
| Heidi excited to use her pannier covers |
We climbed up a steep road out of Sabinal Canyon. Bertha had the very pleasant owners of the camp drive her to the top. We rode along a plateau before going into the Guadalupe River Valley. The river is very blue/green and clean almost like glacier melt. We had a brief lunch stop in Hunt where it felt like we’d regained civilization. The rest of the ride was somewhere near the Guadalupe River with heavier traffic until we hit Warton Road, an extremely scenic one lane paved road with some over hanging oaks. Tom, Cathy, Heidi, Meredith, Pam, Bertha, and I rode along together in this stretch. We had clouds today and several put their pannier covers on for the first time.
Tom cooked an excellent chicken cacciatore with Pam’s assistance. Richard and I declared at the map meeting we’d be taking a side trip and would be going all the way to Austin tomorrow, but we could talk no one into joining us as we estimated it would be a century.
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| Pam, Meredith, & Tom nearing the Guadalupe River |
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| Cathy, Meredith, Steve, Pam, & Heidi on Warton Rd as it crosses the Guadalupe River - photo by Tom |
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| Ed and Richard along the Guadalupe River. |
Day 31: Tue 24 Oct 1995
Comfort, Texas to Austin, Texas
94.0 miles 7:50 riding time (Max 38.5 MPH)
Maurice was up early this morning rattling pots and pans and succeeded in making breakfast ½ hour earlier than the cooks had declared it. Breakfast was the usual oatmeal and assorted cold cereals, but today we had the better tasting old fashion oats plus pecans and white raisins. I made the mistake of brushing my teeth and rinsing my breakfast dishes before attempting to make lunch. Maurice, who was on clean-up, had taken the peanut butter, so I abandoned lunch from the trough- so called because of the rush we must each make to get anything for ourselves. I’d rather do without than squeal “I need.. I want” or worse ‟don’t forget about me” as one of our members has repeatedly.
Richard and I were on what Adventure Cycling calls a "side trip" leaving the group for a period of time. Our routes overlapped until Blanco where our routes separated. Richard and I pushed ourselves to ensure we didn't finish our century after dark, and Ed did his best to keep up for most of the morning. At Blanco Richard and I headed directly into Austin, while the rest headed somewhat southeast to San Marcos.
We enjoyed the hill country except for the perpetual head winds. It’s surprising how fast the oak forest can return to desert. The entry into Austin from Dripping Springs was bad with excessive traffic. We were on the outskirts of Austin by 1705 and took a break in front of a Walmart to let the rush hour traffic die down before returning to the road.
Tonight Richard and I are staying with his friend, Brad. I went out to dinner with them but thought they should have the rest of the evening to themselves. I set up my tent in Brad's back lawn and am enjoying lying on his grass.
The main group into San Marcos 87 miles:
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| Cathy in the Texas Hill Country - photo by Tom |
The rest of the group had some problems getting into San Marcos, an 87 mile day according to Tom's records (not far short of Richard's and my 94 mile day into Austin). It got dark before they arrived, so Bertha caught another ride to the planned campground. Meredith’s chain broke and although she was carrying the proper tool to repair it, she had no idea that she had the tool or how to use it. Meredith sent word via a pickup to Tom of her problems. Tom rode back and made her repair. Cathy rode on solo arriving about 2100- well after dark with official sunset here at 1826. Tom, Heidi, and Meredith arrived about 2200 and got a room at the Rodeway Inn. Maurice had left the campground for a motel, but Bertha’s ride caught him and sent him back to the planned campground saving him from abandoning his group. Maurice and Bertha were assigned cooks, but they managed to eat at the camp host’s table after asking if they might buy some food from them.
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| Meredith and Cathy in the Texas Hill Country outside Austin - photo by Tom |
Day 32: Wed 25 Oct 1995
Brad's to Austin International Hostel, Austin, Texas
36.4 miles 2:54 riding time (Max 31.5 MPH)
Richard and I visited the state capitol and rode out to REI today, and I rode into downtown to the hostel where the group will stay. Austin is a refreshing city especially contrasted to El Paso.
The main group San Marcos to Austin: 39 miles The rest of the group arrived about 1800 at the hostel which ended Richard's and my side trip. Tom’s tires were wearing out, so he bought new tires- Avocet Cross K tires which Richard highly recommends and which Meredith has ridden this far across country with no flats.
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| Heidi and Meredith part of the main group reach Austin - photo by Tom |
Day 33: Thu 26 Oct 1995
Layover, Austin, Texas
0 miles 0 riding time
Tom & I spent the day together. We visited a bicycle shop and caught a buss out to the airport where Tom rented a car. We found the women out at REI with Leslie Johnston, one of the hosts we met in Fort Davis. Tom, Maurice, Richard, Bertha, Ed, and I had dinner with Judy and Doug Brown where we soaked in their hot tub after dinner. The other women went to the Johnston’s for their dinner and hot tubbing
Day 34: Fri 27 Oct 1995
Layover, Austin, Texas
0 miles 0 riding time
Tom picked up his bicycle with new headset, and he, Bertha, Richard, and I went to San Antonio in the rented car. San Antonio is an impressive city which we all enjoyed with its tree-lined waterway through downtown as well as being the home of the Alamo which Bertha wanted so to see, and which we all enjoyed. Much to my irritation Maurice slept in my rack both nights.
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| Tom and Richard at the Alamo |
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| Bertha, Richard, and Tom enjoying Mexican lunch in Austin |
Day 35: Sat 28 Oct 1995
Austin, Texas to LaGrange, Texas
83.3 miles 6:11 riding time
Since we have no cooks assigned on layover days (which includes the next morning) Maurice fixed breakfast after the hostel kitchen opened at 0800, and Cathy and I cleaned up. Maurice was indecisive about the destination between Bastrop (only 30 miles), La Grange, or Smithville. He decided we had to meet in Bastrop to make a decision. We knew none had camping, so there wasn’t much reason not to decide earlier. Although I was assigned cooking duties tonight, Tom wanted to see the capitol building on the way out of Austin, and since Maurice wouldn’t decide the destination but thought it would be Bastrop, I went with Tom. We met Meredith, Cathy, & Heidi a few miles out of Austin and rode with them until Bastrop. The group decided to ride the edge of Highway 71- a 4 lane highway, but Cathy, Tom, and I stayed with A/C's route. We rode 14 miles through Buescher Park, through Winchester, Texas which lost its post office about 6 months ago, and on to La Grange where we arrived about ½ hour after dark. Cathy has no lights and Tom wasn’t using his. We nearly ran into one another. Cathy and I were “cooks”, so we ate out, but those taking the short-cut were only about an hour ahead of us.
Day 36: Sun 29 Oct 1995
LaGrange, Texas to Vanguard Motel, Navasota, Texas
75.1 miles 6:43 riding time (Max 27.0 MPH)
Rain threatened us all day. We had a second breakfast in Round Top where we all met again. Everyone but Tom and I were rained on. For once we were first to arrive somewhere, but as usual we were last to leave. In Burton we met everyone, but we stayed longer to have a lunch. Cathy and Meredith separated; we rode with each of them for a while. I eventually convinced Tom to speed up as I didn’t want to be rained on. We had planned to camp at Washington on the Brazos State Park, but Maurice misread the notes which recommended the city park which does require advanced approval from the mayor which Maurice hadn't sought. The state park doesn’t accept over nighters. It was nearly dark when we got to the state park and well after dark when we arrived in town. Heidi, Richard, Ed, Pam, and I rode in together. Cathy still has no light, and Richard’s batteries were burnt out, so we had inadequate headlights. Ed and Heidi were the assigned cooks, but we ate out. Maurice, Tom, Ed, & Richard ate out while Heidi sat at the motel waiting for Ed who had the group's daily money allocated for that meal. It was raining hard by the time they arrived back at the motel where Tom crashed on his bicycle in the parking lot after a crash a block or so earlier. The map meeting almost got heated when Maurice told everyone to leave by 0730- ignoring that the reason we got in late was entirely his fault although at this point we didn’t know he’d misread the notes.
Cathy and Bertha continue not to have lights despite several times finishing after dusk, the ever shorter days, and after many requests to get lights.
Day 37: Mon 30 Oct 1995
Navasota, Texas to Livingston State Park 12 miles out of Coldspring, Texas
73.8 miles 6:25 riding time
Tom mis-set his alarm which went off at 0530. He immediately shut it off, but it got Maurice up. After the previous night ride and Maurice’s direction to be on the road by 0730, there was some tension in the air the rest of the day. Tom wanted to wash clothes and was an assigned cook, so he left without me. I was last to leave as usual, but caught him in Richards, TX. We had a lunch in New Waverly where we washed clothes. Tom made a deal with Maurice to meet in Coldspring to buy groceries at 1615. Maurice didn’t keep the deal, and had left the store about 1600 with inadequate groceries which, of course, is cheaper than buying enough. There wasn’t enough pasta, so to fill up I had a left over peanut butter sandwich, and Tom had two ice cream sandwiches in the convenience store where he, Meredith, Cathy, & I sat talked, and wrote in our diaries or wrote post cards. Tom was displeased more by the lack of food on his cooking day than by Maurice’s failure to keep his word; I was displeased that our leader did not keep his word or believe that was even an issue after spouting off an irrelevant excuse.
Day 38: Tue 31 Oct 1995
Livingston State Park to Pinewood Inn, Silsbe, Texas
77.4 miles 6:26 riding time (Max 24.5 MPH)
If last night’s dinner was poor, this mornings breakfast was UNSAT. Maurice bought a 79¢ box of off-brand corn flakes, powered milk, and served oatmeal. The powered milk was mixed too weakly in a banged up bucket and looked like watered down separated milk ready to be dumped in the pig's trough. Yes, I've slopped the pigs before with blue milk from a dented up bucket. Farm boys know well that fresh milk for human consumption doesn't go in dented up buckets which may hold bacteria! Everyone stopped later for a real breakfast in Shepard where I also got my hair cut.
Tom, Heidi, and I met Pam, Richard, Ed, and Bertha in Silsbee. Cathy and Meredith arrived soon after. Richard volunteered and took off solo to go to the RV park to see if they were set up for tents yet. Maurice finally arrived and insisted everyone join him for a ride three miles out to the RV park. Tom, Heidi, and I were still eating our blizzards and finished before trying to catch them. We headed out to the "camp", but just as it got dark we met them all returning! Richard on his way back met them headed out to the camp and reported that the RV Park wasn’t set up for tents; there was no grocery store out there, and there was no motel either. We spent the next 1 ½ hours deciding where to stay. Tom and I bought our own motel room to avoid the chaos of sleeping in the same room as Ed and Maurice. Cathy and Meredith got their own room to avoid the indecision. Due to the chaos, Pam and Bertha didn’t cook as scheduled.
Day 39: Wed 1 Nov 1995
Silsbe, Texas to Merryville Community Center Merryville, Louisiana
67.3 miles 5:17 riding time
Maurice made the mistake of banging on our motel window at 0615 this morning to get us up. Tom chewed him out royally at 0640 when he returned to ensure that we were up. The cloudy sprinkling days turned into a full day of rain today. Just as we were leaving Silsbee a thunderstorm struck. We found shelter under a convenience store’s awning for 30 minutes of the 45 minute downpour. We rode in the mostly rain until Spurger where we picked up Heidi. In Kerbyville we had lunch, and just as we were finishing a touring cyclist sped by. I couldn’t talk Tom or Heidi into trying to catch him, so I did that solo. His pace was 15 or 16 MPH, so I had to travel at 20 MPH to catch him. Paul and I rode the rest of the way to Merryville together, and I enjoyed the speedy ride as well as missing a second downpour. We crossed the LA line together, but I missed seeing it and taking the usual photos. I believe the rain was hard enough we both had our heads down. The community hall was made available to us- a kitchen stove and two showers in an old hall. Soon after we arrived the steady rain became another down pour with thunder and lightning. About an hour into the new storm Heidi and Tom arrived. Richard cooked a fine dinner with some assistance from Meredith who arrived somewhat late.
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| the rainstorm as seen from convenience store where we found refuge on the edge of Silsbe, TX - photo by Tom |
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| Heidi in her rain gear at the Louisiana line - photo by Tom |
Day 40: Thu 2 Nov 1995
Merryville, Louisiana to J.C. Smith Farm shed, Oberlin, Louisiana
64.9 miles 4:50 riding time (Max 24.0 MPH)
In the middle of last night Tom left Merryville's dry community center to set up his tent outside in the downpour because a big roach crawled over him and a mouse was making noise in the furnace. (Possibly it was a rat; Tom & Meredith both say it sounded like a cat which is impossible.) One of Tom's worst night's sleep was one of my best. I set my tent up it a corner behind a bookshelf somewhat isolated from any hub-bub thinking Tom would also fit there, but he was concerned bugs might be in the corner. I slept through Maurice’s flash photo of the sleepers (pointed directly at Bertha whose complaints were very funny), and his frequent checking of time with a flash light which was turned on and shined in all directions before hitting his watch.
Richard prepared a fine breakfast in the kitchen, and Paul left us shortly after breakfast. Tom and I rode together until DeRidder where Tom did his laundry and dried his belongings after his night out in the rain. I caught Meredith and Cathy and rode with them and had lunch with them before Tom caught us. The sun came out for a while and I destroyed the plastic bag liners I had had in my shoes. About an hour later the rains returned. We were well wet by the time we reached Oberlain, LA. Meredith and Cathy found a vacant house with nightly rental charge of $60, and we rode out to the RV park but were met by Maurice here at the J.C. Smith and Son’s Farm. The RV Park had no shower, and the rains were heavy. Richard and Ed went to get change from the auto parts store and found Tim Smith who offered his father’s farm machine shed as our shelter. Much to my surprise, Tom preferred the farm equipment shed which is no cleaner than average. (In retrospect the stay added to the adventure of the trip; something Tom would not want to miss). Cathy and Meredith took the rental house where I’d be if I had better sense. Here there’s a toilet and cold running water, so we all took bird baths except Richard who showered under the garden hose. Tim drove us the mile or so back to town for dinner- it was mine and Heidi’s turn to cook. Cathy and Meredith seem concerned that the group would resent their having a house and shower, but I’ve not picked up any such feeling. The rain tonight is as heavy as yesterday’s rains which is much greater than the drizzle of the Pacific Northwest.
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| Tom outside a rural Louisiana store |
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| J.C. Smith's son, Tim, who invited us to stay in the equipment shed and drove us to dinner - photo by Tom |
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| Bertha, Ed Heidi, and Maurice preparing to bed down in the farm shed |
Day 41: Fri 3 Nov 1995
Oberlin, Louisiana to Yambilee Motel, Opelousa, Louisiana
52.9 miles 4:36 riding time (Max 19.5 MPH)
We had a group breakfast today without Meredith and Cathy. Tom and I went to meet them and joined them for a cereal breakfast at their very nice guest house. It rained as we came back into town and out to the guest house, but the weather slowly improved all day. We fought winds from the north as we headed generally north, but the pavement was smooth and occasionally the timber was thick enough to block the wind. In Mamou we had a great lunch, and I called work. I had no interview, and I’ll not have a job after 8 Jan 1996. I was preoccupied with that all afternoon, and Tom was preoccupied with his abdomen injury from the fall on his cycle of 29 Oct. He went to the emergency room here and found his spleen is OK. Tom missed the evening meal for his hospital visit and I visited with no one as I was completely preoccupied with thoughts of Tom's injury and my job loss. We stayed in a motel for reasons I don’t understand. Tom and Cathy were credited with cooking although we ate out.
Day 42: Sat 4 Nov 1995
Opelousa, Louisiana to Community Center Simmesport, LA
65.3 miles 5:33 riding time
Tom needed to wash clothes again this morning to stop the growing mildew in his clean clothes, so we left Opelousa an hour or more later than anyone else. The ride was pleasant but uneventful. By mid-afternoon Tom was in a rush to avoid dark, but we were here by 1600 and met the mayor who brought us to the community center. Two 12 year old boys showed us to the grocery store and helped Meredith cook. Maurice was her assigned assistant, but the boys provided her only real assistance.
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| Steve and Bertha arriving at the Simmesport Community Center - photo by Tom |
Day 42: Sun 5 Nov 1995
Simmesport, LA to General LaFayette Inn, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
81.9 miles 8:18 riding time
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| Simmesport Bridge (departing town) Steve in the red - photo by Tom |
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| ferrying across the Mississippi: Cathy, (Meredith mostly out of view), Heidi, Pam, and Tom |
After crossing the Atchafalaya River Pam, Meredith, Tom, Cathy, and I rode on down to the Mississippi where we caught the ferry together. Pam and Heidi decided to stay in St. Francisville, a touristy town while the rest of us rode on to Baton Rouge. To our surprise Ed and Richard left St. Francisville without us. The day was rainy and cool. We didn’t get into Baton Rouge until dark and to the downtown LaFayette Inn until about 1815 (45 minutes after sunset). We rode through part of the “hood” until a black convenience store clerk twice advised us to change routes. Meredith was so tired I feared she'd want to stay in a dive rather than pedal on. I was wrong. Traffic at least lightened up as we rode closer to downtown, and the pavement even dried up some by the time we arrived at our motel just off the Mississippi in downtown Baton Rouge where there's very little activity. After checking in we four taxied out to a nice restaurant for dinner.
Day 43: Mon 6 Nov 1995
Layover day Baton Rouge, Louisiana
0 miles 0 riding time
After breakfast we; Meredith, Cathy, Tom, and I, did laundry, and the morning was gone. We caught a cab out to the University district, went to a bike shop, had lunch, and decided to go back downtown to see the few sights there. The cab that was supposed to arrive in 15 minutes took over an hour, so we decided to ride the city bus. That 50 minute wait made us get back after dark! Dinner was great at a chef’s school.
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| Dr. Tom in his tent on the bed in the LaFayette Inn. Our ER doc who can deal with grossness beyond my comprehension freaks out over the possibility of a bug on him, a fear that may have been increased by his Merryville experience with a bug and a nearby mouse. |
Day 44: Tue 7 Nov 1995
Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Inspiration Park, 5 miles out of Easleyville, Lousisana
61.1 miles 4:05 riding time (Max 28 MPH)
Meredith, Tom, Cathy, & I had breakfast together while watching severe squalls of rain. By 0930 it had settled down to a light rain, so we left for the post office where Meredith and the postmaster worked to correct problems caused by last week's Adventure Cycling group which requested that all mail with Adventure Cycling in the address be forwarded to them. Cathy was adamant in staying on the official route, so we parted fearful that she’d again get in after dark in the rain with no lights. We headed up Highway 37. We had lunch in a café which had no inventory- no ice cream, no special, and no something else. By the time that was completed the sun broke out of the clouds. This is the first day the sun has felt warm on my body since the day before Vanderpool (21 Oct). Highway 37 has some hills and is frequently ridden by Baton Rouge cyclists. In Easleyville we met Ed and Richard and picked up some groceries the cooks had left for us in the local grocery store. Cathy rode up with Heidi and Pam just as we were ready to leave Easleyville.
In the camp's kitchen Bertha fixed an excellent chicken stew with Maurice helping her- he pealed potatoes and made instant pudding. Although this is only her third cooking day, she complained about it to Meredith.
Tom and I rode with Ed and Richard this morning, so Tom could get some photos of them. We rode with them until Franklinton where we had lunch.
In the camp's kitchen Bertha fixed an excellent chicken stew with Maurice helping her- he pealed potatoes and made instant pudding. Although this is only her third cooking day, she complained about it to Meredith.
Day 45: Wed 8 Nov 1995
Easleyville, Louisiana to Willa's RV Park & Laundromat, Bogalusa, Louisiana
62.7 miles 5:14 riding time (Max 27.0 MPH)
Tom and I rode with Ed and Richard this morning, so Tom could get some photos of them. We rode with them until Franklinton where we had lunch.
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| Ed adjusting his brakes - photo by Tom |
Ed and Richard rode on while we went to the post office where we met Heidi, Pam, Cathy, and Meredith. We five rode together to Bogalusa where we met Sally, the owner of the local grocery store. She set us up with a motel owner to shower for $1.00 each in a room not considered rentable, so they allowed us to shower there with their towels for this minimal charge. When the five of us were done, it was pitch black out with a two mile ride to camp where we were late for Richard and Pam’s dinner.
Maurice’s tires are worn out, so he spent the evening lining their insides with strapping tape, but he had no interest in adding tires to Richard’s order from Nashbar.
Day 46: Thu 9 Nov 1995
Bogalusa, Louisiana to USFS Camp Ground Airey, Mississippi
66.2 miles 6:34 riding time (Max 29.0 MPH)
Tom and I rode together again. In Perkinston, MS Tom and Heidi did the shopping with nearly everyone carrying groceries 13 miles to this campground. We didn’t arrive until dusk, but everyone had his tent up before dark. Tom and Heidi cooked on a rock and everyone stood in the dark to eat as we had no table. There were two tables in the campground. One was being used by an independent cyclist as a bed- he carried no tent, and the other table had a hippy-mobile parked next to it. Meal preparation looked miserable, and I am determined not to cook in the dark tomorrow night. This is my first night without any shower or garden hose to wash in. I thought it would be tolerable without a shower since the weather is so cool, but I still stuck to myself.
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Tom, Maurice, Heidi, Pam, Meredith, and Bertha cross into Mississippi
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Day 47: Fri 10 Nov 1995
USFS Camp Ground Airey, Mississippi to Travel Camp, Grand Bay Alabama
77.7 miles 5:49 riding time (Max 27.5 MPH)
Since Ed and I were the assigned cooks, I rode with Ed and Richard. We rode harder than Tom and I and about 1530 got into camp where we set up the wet tents. Ed arrived about 20 minutes later. Richard, Ed, and I rode into town and got groceries: Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Boston Baked Beans, and lots of veggies for a salad. Ed and I weren't the best cooks on the trip, and may have been the worst, but thanks to the grocery store this wasn't the worst meal. There are weather warnings of up to five inches of rain tonight.
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| Ed, Richard, and Steve reach the Alabama line |
Day 48: Sat 11 Nov 1995
Grand Bay Alabama to Harbor Lights Inn Dauphine Island Bay, Alabama
36.4 miles 2:29 riding time (Max 39.0 MPH)
The rains did fall last night, but my Walrus Archival kept me dry, and I’m getting quite fond of it. As a cook I got up at 0630 to prepare breakfast by 0700. Ed was taking down his tent and I could no interest from him in assisting with breakfast. In my opinion the rain was too miserable to cook the usual oatmeal, and I got Maurice to agree with that opinion. Then another squall arrived. We huddled under the back porch of the RV park’s owner- eating cold cereal and cookies. My bicycle fell over at this time soaking my left pannier in mud puddles and losing the hook off the back pannier that holds it to the rack.
After our unpleasant breakfast, we all took off together a few minutes behind Ed and Richard. The rain stopped within half an hour. We could have avoided the miserable breakfast and rainy ride by staying in our tents another hour. The storm caused rough waters and waves around Dauphin Island, so the ferry to Fort Morgan was canceled. We cut our day short and are staying in the best hotel of the trip, thanks I believe to Meredith. We set up our sopping tents as soon as we got here where they dried in the wind storm in about an hour. The wind was strong enough that it floated them like kites as we held them by one corner and watched the wind expand them to full capacity.
Meredith and Cathy were the cooks fixing a nice chicken rice dish that we ate from real plates.
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| Steve & Tom on the waterfront - photo by Tom |
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| The team at Harbor Lights Inn: Richard, Ed, Tom, Maurice, and Steve Bertha, Pam, Meredith, Cathy, and Heidi |
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| sunset from Dauphin Grand Bay, Alabama - photo by Tom |
Day 49: Sun 12 Nov 1995
Dauphine Island Bay, Alabama to Gulf State Park, Florida
36.9 miles 2:42 riding time (Max 22.0 MPH)
The ferry started running at 0930, but the 1100 run was 45 minutes late supposedly because they couldn’t get the ramp up, but 40 minutes after scheduled departure a woman drove on, the engines immediately started, and we were underway within five minutes.
The ferry started running at 0930, but the 1100 run was 45 minutes late supposedly because they couldn’t get the ramp up, but 40 minutes after scheduled departure a woman drove on, the engines immediately started, and we were underway within five minutes.
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| leaving Dauphine Island on that ferry which waits for the right people. Pam, Meredith, Tom, Heidi, and Cathy |
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| entering Perdido Bay, Florida - the closest thing to an entering Florida sign. Pam, Meredith, Steve, Heidi, and Tom |
Pam and Bertha were assigned as cooks but didn’t want to cook, so we rode four miles into town for a nice restaurant diner. We rode into town at dusk and rode the four miles back out in the dark of the moon. Maurice’s lights are inadequate- the front due to nearly dead batteries while the back is just a tiny inadequate light.
The ride along the gulf was beautiful. Tom, Cathy, Pam, Meredith, Heidi, and I rode together along the coast. We separated before Pensacola. Richard, who had waited in Gulf Shore for his new tires, caught us about this time. We found Pensacola drivers extremely hostile to cyclists. Pam and Tom gave the finger to one driver each today. For each of them it was the first time on the trip. We found two bicycle shops, but neither had any touring inventory or decent tires. Pam, Richard, Tom, and I left town together and soon caught Maurice at his usual snail’s pace. Tom somehow fell behind us. We passed Maurice and were surprised when he passed us and set the pace at 18 to 20 MPH. He was all smiles, and we enjoyed our leader having some fun with us. However, after about 15 minutes his quick pace was over. We caught Cathy, Meredith, and Pam and rode with them. Richard and I weren’t sure what happened to Tom and waited for him for 10 or 15 minutes. On the way out of Milton, Bertha flagged us down to help Maurice and Heidi carry breakfast foods. We left the store at dusk, and it was well after dark when we got to the RV park four miles out of town.
Day 50: Mon 13 Nov 1995
Gulf State Park, Florida to Cedar Pines RV Park, Milton, Florida
63.8 miles 4:52 riding time (Max 29.0 MPH)
The ride along the gulf was beautiful. Tom, Cathy, Pam, Meredith, Heidi, and I rode together along the coast. We separated before Pensacola. Richard, who had waited in Gulf Shore for his new tires, caught us about this time. We found Pensacola drivers extremely hostile to cyclists. Pam and Tom gave the finger to one driver each today. For each of them it was the first time on the trip. We found two bicycle shops, but neither had any touring inventory or decent tires. Pam, Richard, Tom, and I left town together and soon caught Maurice at his usual snail’s pace. Tom somehow fell behind us. We passed Maurice and were surprised when he passed us and set the pace at 18 to 20 MPH. He was all smiles, and we enjoyed our leader having some fun with us. However, after about 15 minutes his quick pace was over. We caught Cathy, Meredith, and Pam and rode with them. Richard and I weren’t sure what happened to Tom and waited for him for 10 or 15 minutes. On the way out of Milton, Bertha flagged us down to help Maurice and Heidi carry breakfast foods. We left the store at dusk, and it was well after dark when we got to the RV park four miles out of town.
It’s Ed’s 72nd birthday, and he wouldn’t let us take him out; he took all of us out to eat. We had a good time, but the unmetered taxis cost us over $65- more expensive than regular shopping at a grocery store.
Day 51: Tue 14 Nov 1995
Milton, Florida to Adams Motel DeFuniak Springs, Florida
72.3 miles 6:02 riding time (Max 29.0 MPH)
It was too cold this morning to enjoy breakfast which wasn't very good - Maurices's bargain corn flakes again and some multi-grain mush. We missed "Indian Ford Road" and continued on hwy 191, but caught Red Rock Road directly into Holt. The Blackwater Bridge area was beautiful. Florida drivers continue to be the rudest we've found on the trip. In Crestview Tom and I caught Ed and Richard who were finishing lunch as we arrived. We started down hwy 85, but had to return to downtown to get back on hwy 10. Richard and Tom were the assigned cooks, but we're in another motel, so we'll eat out.
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| Steve in DeFuniak Springs, FL, a pleasant town - photo by Tom |
Tonight Richard tried to convince the group to finish the trip early. Since nearly everyone was a bit morose that the trip would be over in 10 days, his idea was quickly shot down. I think he took it personally that we soundly rejected his idea. I'm not sure if he is tired of the trip, his companions, or misses his wife. The rest of us don't want the trip to end.
DeFuniak Springs, Florida to Sandusky Motel, Marianna, Florida
62.3 miles 4:45 riding time (Max 29.0 MPH)
Tom and I washed clothes in DeFuniak Springs this morning before leaving. After putting the clothes in the washer, we joined the rest of the group for a second breakfast. On our return to the laundromat we thought we might have interfered with a drug deal. A young guy not washing clothes stood in the laundromat for almost the entire time we were there, and then another car showed up and sped off when they saw us.
By the time we left town it was relatively warm. Everyone left before us, and we didn’t see anyone until we got to Marianna at about 1500. Cathy and Pam had us checked into a motel to avoid the cold morning they anticipated. This decision angered Maurice and perplexed me. Our late departure from DeFuniak Springs caused Tom and me to ride alone today, and we didn't see anyone else. Meredith and I were the cooks but let off by Cathy and Pam’s decision to stay in a motel.
After yesterday’s ride by ourselves, Tom and I made every effort to ride with others. Cathy, Meredith, Tom, and I stopped in Marianna for coffee at a waffle place full of fat smoking people. I was glad to escape its smoke although Tom enjoyed the pecan pancakes. After last night’s dinner of all I could eat Chinese food and a regular breakfast I didn’t need pecan pancakes. We stopped at the post office in Chatahoochee and rode on to Quincy which has a population of 7,444 and has allowed bicyclists to stay in its community center. Last week’s Adventure Cycling group caused some problem with shouted obscenities, probably in front of children, so although they enjoyed free use of the facility, we are being charged $80 to use it, an old National Guard Armory. The women with us may have created a problem. Pam got them all to hurry into the men’s shower- using all the hot water- while the facility was still opened. There were 10-13 year old boys who were supposed to use that shower room at that time and the place was obviously still opened. One of the men came and asked us to post a guard at the door. Without thinking of the community’s reaction, I would have declined. The poor manners that caused the women to rush into the men’s shower left me unmoved if some pre-teen-aged boys saw them naked. Tom was more compassionate and sat himself in front of the door bored for probably ½ hour.
Day 53: Thu 16 Nov 1995
Marianna, Florida to City Recreation Center, Quincy, Florida
50.8 miles 4:28 riding time (Max 27.5 MPH)
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| bearded Steve- from a print |
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| The Marianna boys who lost the use of their shower room -photo by Tom |
Cathy and Ed cooked with Ed, much to everyone’s amazement, assuming head cook preparing an excellent stew.
Day 54: Fri 17 Nov 1995
Quincy, Florida to KOA outside Monticello, Florida
74.6 miles 6:10 riding time (Max 29.5 MPH)
The morning started out unpleasant. About 0100 Maurice noisily moved from the overheated sleeping quarters to the gym where Meredith, Tom, and I were sleeping. He held reveille before 0630 although this was the first day in Eastern time with sunrise about 0650. Pam and Heidi were too eager to clean up. Ed and Cathy hadn’t planned breakfast well. There was no oatmeal, and the cold cereal was gone with only some white buns available to make peanut butter sandwiches. There was no fruit and I was instantly annoyed. I bought pancakes at the coffee stop in Havana.
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| Steve & Meredith departing Quincy Rec Center - photo by Tom |
However, the morning had some of the best scenery of the trip. Cathy, Meredith, Tom, and I rode together until a lunch stop in Bradfordville. I had a gross corn dog, apple and banana while they ate their packed lunches. Tom then tried to take Cathy’s picture with her honking shark toy that he and Richard had put on her bike the night before. She refused to have her photo taken. He asked her to do it as a favor; she declined. He pleaded; she declined. He said do it for the sake of their friendship, she still refused. It became an unpleasant scene outside the convenience store. He and I rode alone for the afternoon silently for sometime.
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| the honking shark Cathy would refuse to be photographed with - photo by Tom |
We made camp early and he took a nap- waking up in a strange isolated mood as one mourning a lost friendship. Maurice, Bertha, Ed, and Richard took a shortcut through Tallahassee. Maurice was supposed to buy the major grocery items in Monticello on his way to the campground, but he changed routes picking up some odd snacks in Waukeenah which I helped him carry. Dinner was poor. Cooked spinach, tuna, and peas dumped on Kraft macaroni and cheese prepared by Heidi with some assistance from Pam. Meredith had had her ears opened and questioned Ed and Richard about their plans to depart the group (which I was unaware of), and they admitted that since they were unable to convince the group to end the trip early, they were planning to leave the group the next lay-over day.
Day 55: Sat 18 Nov 1995
Monticello, Florida to Spirit of the Suwanee, Florida
72.2 miles 4:59 riding time (Max 28.0 MPH)
Tom and I left camp last again this morning, but we had a group breakfast in Monticello. Finally a restaurant in the South that had a separate no smoking section which was full with an empty smoking section. Monticello has a county seat building in a roundabout at the center of town. Although Tom remains in almost a mourning state, the quarrel with Cathy seems to affect everyone. Tom and I had lunch in a Pizza Hut while everyone else went to a nearby BBQ place. The weather was warm and clear for a change. This park is great. There is a Blue Grass festival going on. I believe all 10 of us enjoyed the four hours of music this evening.
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| entrance to camp one of the Bluegrass bands that entertained us - photos by Tom |
Richard and Bertha were cooks although Bertha arrived last, set up her tent, and provided little assistance. We had a brief ceremony with candy given to Richard and Ed who will depart the group tomorrow morning. It was then off to the music show for everyone except Maurice and me who were on clean up, and Tom who waited for me.
Tom and I got up early to see off Richard and Ed. We all went to the camp restaurant as cooking duties are canceled on layover days. I felt nostalgic and somewhat sad to see them leave even though they rarely rode with others and had grown steadily more aloof since their failure to convince the group to finish early.
Day 56: Sun 19 Nov 1995
layover day Spirit of the Suwanee, Florida near Lee, Florida
2.8 miles 0:12 riding timeTom and I got up early to see off Richard and Ed. We all went to the camp restaurant as cooking duties are canceled on layover days. I felt nostalgic and somewhat sad to see them leave even though they rarely rode with others and had grown steadily more aloof since their failure to convince the group to finish early.
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| Richard and Ed ready to depart the group in Suwanee Park, FL |
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| Richard and Ed departing the group into the mist - photo by Tom |
I was headed to camp church and asked Tom to make me
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| Tom and Meredith paddling along on the Suwanee River |
a sandwich. He said OK, and he’d be in church later. In the 5th or 6th grade I had invited my childhood best friend, a Catholic, to a church play, and he in an offended way informed me it would be a sin for him to attend any service in a protestant church, so I until this day assumed that was their teaching. Unfortunately, I couldn’t unsay my request, so Tom made our lunch and came to church. Church was enjoyable with lots of bluegrass gospel music leaving little time for preaching as might be expected in the middle of this bluegrass festival.
We rushed from church to the canoe rentals for our 1000 hours appointment. I was on my bicycle and met Meredith, but Tom was walking- trying not to ride on a lay-over day. After all the paperwork was done, the delivery van was loaded with Meredith, me, and two canoes. We picked-up Tom enroute. I had one canoe and Tom and Meredith shared one for our 13 mile ride.
The water level was low despite all the rain, and there was almost no current. Eventually, I picked up some rocks for the front of my canoe to give it more stability and decrease what the occasional gust of wind did to me. Tom, who who has little experience with a canoe, took a turn alone in my canoe, and we then decided to ride three in their canoe and tow mine. As we began to get tired, we realized we weren’t yet to "the spring" which is the ½ way mark. We began to worry about night arriving before we did and began hard-steady paddling. Meredith is a real trooper who jokes constantly, but continually paddled although we all three took a turn sitting idle in the middle which was a welcome rest. Just about sun down we arrived back at the camp. No cycling day has made me this tired. This too long canoe ride was entirely my fault. The smarter people had signed up for the 1/2 day canoe trip and got in a little more bluegrass music. I had talked Tom and Meredith into the full day of canoeing. Maurice and I were cooks which became relevant at mid-day when the restaurant unexpectedly closed until Tuesday. Maurice had a simple meal nearly ready when we got back. Spaghetti with an inadequate amount of sauce, fried spam, Vienna sausage, and cabbage salad, and Bertha had mixed up some instant pudding. I was so tired that I was glad I didn't have to help with this unanticipated extra meal. This day and the prior evening were among the best of the trip though.
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| Canoeing down the Suwanee River, Tom & Meredith. We were tired by this point and were all three in one canoe. |
Day 57: Mon 20 Nov 1995
Spirit of the Suwanee, Florida to Ichetucknee Spring Park, Florida
56.3 miles 4:29 riding time (Max 22.5 MPH)O’leno Springs State Park, near Fort White, FL
It’s always good to get back on the road after a layover day. I was sorry to see Ed and Richard leave, but I didn't realize how much their complaints or requests that people get up earlier, ride faster, or not eat certain things affected the group. The remaining group seems more at peace despite Tom and Cathy’s falling out. There were no restaurants, so there were no restaurant stops today. Tom and I did catch the group for two convenience store stops though.
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| This normally fastidious group is enjoying lunch at the dumpster of the convenience store- Pam, Cathy, Meredith, Heidi, & Tom |
Tom and Meredith were cooks and prepared a breakfast for dinner- hotcakes, omelets, and pudding. That meal took a long time to prepare but was good.
We met Lee today in Fort White. He left San Diego shortly after us; says he has heard stories of us all across the U.S.A.; worked hard to catch up, but he has to be back to work on Thanksgiving day, so he can’t ride with us after tomorrow. He rides a mountain bike on which he’s placed drop handle bars. A friend from Gainesville picked him up and took him out to dinner.
We met Lee today in Fort White. He left San Diego shortly after us; says he has heard stories of us all across the U.S.A.; worked hard to catch up, but he has to be back to work on Thanksgiving day, so he can’t ride with us after tomorrow. He rides a mountain bike on which he’s placed drop handle bars. A friend from Gainesville picked him up and took him out to dinner.
Day 58: Tue 21 Nov 1995
Ichetucknee Spring Park, Florida - Paynes Prairie State Park Micanopy, Florida
66.9 miles 4:26 riding time (Max 26.0 MPH) |
| Steve & Cathy at the campfire -from a print |
Day 59: Wed 22 Nov 1995
Micanopy, Florida to St John's Camp Ground, East Palatka, Florida
65.5 miles 4:54 riding time (Max 24.0 MPH)Tom and I rode fast again today. We wanted to spend some time in Palatka and wash clothes before coming out to the campground. Palatka has a pleasant view of the lake and seemed pleasant. We made it to the laundry early. Tom bought my late lunch in exchange for my washing clothes while he picked up the champagne for tomorrow’s arrival at the coast ceremony. As I write this I realize that was no reason for his buying my lunch, but that was his courteous reasoning. We stopped by the local bicycle shop, Bill’s Schwinn Cyclery, where we got Maurice a going away present, a rear light to replace the tiny piece of junk he uses. Cathy caught up with us in the bike shop. She’d had a flat and her pump quit, but the shop didn’t have the kind of pump she wanted, so with just one day of riding left, she's doing without a pump.
Tonight’s camping may be the worst of the trip. St John’s Campground is a dirty trailer park that was apparently thrown out of the KOA. The area where we were told to put our tents is full of ant hills, dog dung, and above ground tree roots. It also looks like people drive through our camping spot regularly which made everyone a bit nervous. I set my tent up next to the trash dumpster which is actually a better area than we were assigned. Pam had to photograph my tent there since I had photographed the women eating in front of a dumpster earlier that day, but I never saw a copy of her print. Dinner was horrible. Maurice and Pam were the cooks, but Maurice shopped without Pam. We had fried onions with some pork sausage, raman noodles, and wilted lettuce salad. Everyone was angry with Maurice (he was still trying to prove how cheaply he could feed us though we were under budget and had refunds coming), and it was time to collect for his gift. I don’t believe Tom got any other contributions for that gift! Tom and I sneaked out for a second dinner at a great sea food place less than a mile down the road. Our hostess warned us service would be slow but the food excellent. She didn't seem to understand when we replied "that's just what we were looking for" as we thought of the sorry state of St. John's Campground.
Day 60: Thu 23 Nov 1995
East Palatka, Florida to St. Augustine Youth Hostel, St. Augustine, Florida
52.0 miles 4:27 riding time (Max 20.5 MPH)Knowing it was our last day together we rode as a group from Hastings on. Since none of us wanted this adventure to be over, we were a little melancholy.
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| riding as a group into St Augustine something we hadn't done since departing San Diego |
We arrived in St. Augustine in the early afternoon. Tom stopped to photo arrivers, and Bertha ran into him which caused her to fall off her bike creating a little excitement. Heidi’s parents were waiting for her at the old fort, but ran down to Bertha’s wreck.
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| Wheel dipping at the end was more spirited than at the beginning. Meredith, Bertha, Heidi, Steve, Maurice, Tom, and Pam |
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| Meredith Steve Tom serving champagne |
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| Pam Heidi |
This hostel is the only acceptable hostel of the trip. The management seems to enjoy its customers. The place is clean and orderly without their bossing everyone, and finally no one else slept in my rack!
We enjoyed the traditional food of Thanksgiving together at a nice restaurant where the hostel owner’s had made a reservation for us. Maurice gave everyone a “certificate” for finishing with a brief roast with which he did a good job. Tom presented his gift, the rear light, from the group although it was mostly from Tom with a little help from me.
Pam, Meredith, Cathy, Bertha, and I went out to breakfast with Tom before seeing him off. Maurice and Heidi had gone for an earlier breakfast but Heidi found us. When Tom rode off, I nearly cried; he did. Then Meredith left; then Heidi. It was all the parting I could stand. I didn't want the trip to be over, and I certainly didn’t want to be leaving all these friends at once. I joined Pam and Cathy for some shopping and then broke away to find a box large enough to hold my tent, sleeping bag, rear panniers, and miscellaneous stuff. The hostel will pack and ship my bicycle UPS for $40 plus $3 for insurance, so I took that offer verses the $50 fee to Delta which would require that I pack the bicycle.
We enjoyed the traditional food of Thanksgiving together at a nice restaurant where the hostel owner’s had made a reservation for us. Maurice gave everyone a “certificate” for finishing with a brief roast with which he did a good job. Tom presented his gift, the rear light, from the group although it was mostly from Tom with a little help from me.
Day 61: Fri 24 Nov 1995
St. Augustine, Florida out to Fort Matanzas and return
31.25 miles 2:09 riding time (Max19.5 MPH)Pam, Meredith, Cathy, Bertha, and I went out to breakfast with Tom before seeing him off. Maurice and Heidi had gone for an earlier breakfast but Heidi found us. When Tom rode off, I nearly cried; he did. Then Meredith left; then Heidi. It was all the parting I could stand. I didn't want the trip to be over, and I certainly didn’t want to be leaving all these friends at once. I joined Pam and Cathy for some shopping and then broke away to find a box large enough to hold my tent, sleeping bag, rear panniers, and miscellaneous stuff. The hostel will pack and ship my bicycle UPS for $40 plus $3 for insurance, so I took that offer verses the $50 fee to Delta which would require that I pack the bicycle.
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| Steve sees Tom off Tom rides away |
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| Heidi's Dad, Pam & Heidi load up Heidi's bike |
Day 62: Sat 25 Nov 1995
0 miles
Salt Lake City, Utah Airport
Maurice left before 0600 today. At 0700 Pam, Cathy, and I went out for breakfast. I apprehensively left my bike with the hostel since their packing and shipping charge was less than the airlines surcharge, and I'd have less hassle. It was sad saying good-bye to Pam. Peter, a partner in the hostel, drove Cathy and me to the airport in Jacksonville. We saw Ed at the Northwest counter and talked for a half hour or so. Since they flew out at the same time as the rest of us, their hurry to end the trip wasn't to get home early. Then it was good-bye. It’s over, and I’m sad.
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| Pam on our final ride out to Ft Matanzas |
Post Ride thoughts:
I found the end of the trip and leaving everyone depressing, and I moped around for about 6 weeks. I thought this trip might get touring out of my system, but it strengthened my desire to tour and solidified my self identify as a cyclist. Dealing with people's pickiness about food, lack of manners, and failure to keep their word was sometimes very irritating, but in retrospect it's a bit like dealing with those issues in the family although my father would step into his children's quarrels to ensure we kept our word - something he considered scared. I was frank in discussing our issues. Anyway, it was a life changing experience and an excellent time that brought important new friends into my life.
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