Hard to say goodbye

Aaron and I met lots of incredible people all along the trip that we would like to have spent more time in their company. Inevitablly the two of us had to move on to continue our journey. Those goodbyes we're not always easy but as we departed I always had the pleasure of Aaron's good spirited energy and conversation. Today's departure without him brought home the finality of our cross country adventure. Aaron had offered me a car ride to the Amtrak station. I thought the best medicine for post-adventure blues would be to ride my bike and gear to the train station. It was sad to load the bike one last time with Rick, Steve and Aaron's family and friends there to send me off.  By saying goodbye early it gave me all day on the bike to come to terms with the end of the trip. I got a bit emotional when I saw my 1st Volkswagen "Slug Bug" and couldn't call it out.  The 1st convience store rest stop was sad too. It felt like any moment Aaron would roll and put in his usual chocolate milk and Red Bull request but obviously he never appeared so after I finished my snack and waited for a few cyclists that road by to get far enough ahead (wasn't in the mood to chat with strangers today) I left the store alone.

The dose of exercise, views of the Atlantic Ocean and fresh ocean air did help to uplift the spirits.  I also had the distraction of my rear wheel falling apart. The 1st spoke broke about 5 miles into the ride. I fixed it with a fiber spoke repair kit. Then 25 miles later another spoke popped. I still had 28 miles to go and with a severe wobble wasn't too confident the wheel would make it the rest of the way.  I looked up a local bike shop in Jacksonville Beach and luckily the Trek store was only 2 miles away and right on the route.  After unhooking the rear brake because of the wheel rubbing on the pads, I pedaled gingerly to the store leaning my weight on the front wheel.  The mechanic quickly repaired the wheel when I told him about the train I had to catch.  After 30 minutes the wheel was fixed.  My destination was due West of the shop and I caught a break with a strong tail wind all the way to the station.  I was relieved to arrive without any further mechanical trouble and 90 minutes early.

This overall trip experience was incredible and I'm so greatful for all the kind people we met that helped to support our efforts during the journey.   I'm also overwhelmed by the support of all the family, friends and co-workers back home that encouraged and allowed me to take this dream adventure.  I can't put to words how much this support and caring means to me.

Last 2 weeks of pictures are now on Picassa

Took some time from the celebration to post the final 2 weeks of pictures (see link to the right of the page).  Need to go back to the celebrations ...plan to finish the rest of the blog on the fast train home to see my honey!

We did it!

3054 miles and we made it to the Atlantic Ocean on schedule with firetruck escort, sirens blaring and cheering all along the ocean front beach road.  Will post pics and summary of the last week once the party is over!

3/7 -3/10 update

We hope the picture captions and location tell part of the story over the last few weeks.  I planned to write up a narrative summary but sleep and talking to all the new people we've been fortunate to meet recently has been a higher priority.

On Monday March 7th we met 2 Nicole and Judy, who are also biking to the east coast, just as we finished our days ride from Franklinton Louisiana to Poplarville Mississippi.  All 4 of us got caught by 2 recent road closure our 1st of the trip.  I was aware of most of the road closures by printing out route changes from the Adventure Cycling website before starting the trip but this road closure happened only a few weeks ago.  We were lucky with the 1st bridge out and we got through but ended up a bit dirty as I helped drag Aaron's bike through dirt fill that ended up being a  deep mud pit!  Feeling emboldened by our success on the 1st road closure we thought nothing of ignoring a 2nd road closure sign 3 miles further down the road.  When we encountered a 10 foot wide stream and only bridge pilons in place their was no choice but to backtrack adding 10 miles to todays ride.

Very early on March 9th a terrible thunderstorm hit.   Around 4am we all woke up to constant loud thunder, bright flashes of lightening, rain pelting the RV metal roof and high winds.  After 2 very close strikes we discussed if we'd get fried if lighting hit the RV.  The hope was that the electric hookup ground would divert a strike.  Still not sure if that would help but at the time made us feel better.  We pulled up the weather channel on our phone and saw a tornado warning for our area.  Contemplated a dash to the brick shower house but decided the tornados rarely hit trailer parks so we took our chances with laying in our warm and dry bunks.  The next day the manger told us the storm set a record number of lightning strikes and a tornado touched down 10 miles north of us. The next morning the small creek 30 feet from our site was roaring with water. 

This major storm forced a rest day on March 9th and gave us an opportunity to drive into Gulfport Mississippi to buy a new rear wheel and fix a broken spoke on the one I borrowed from Rick.   Aaron had about 15 flat tires to my 1 flat but my 3 broken wheels are much more of a bummer.  About 2 weeks ago I broke the hub flange on my wheel.  Aaron lent me a delicate racing wheel that quickly started to wobble.  A few days later Rick brought a 28 spoke wheel.  It was a bit sturdier but busted a spoke after a week.  I went back to using Aaron's wheel after trueing the wobble but after 2 days the wheel bearing went making it unrideable.  Luckily we found a gem of a bike shop called Competition Sports.  Robert Driskell fixed Rick's wheel and sold us a sturdy 32 spoke rear wheel.  Robert also helped me with a Specialized cycling shoe insert that helped with some mild arch pain and toe numbness when riding hard.

After an added day of rest and the bike in working order we heeded the call of the rooster had Lenny's eggs in a hole and departed on Thursday for a planned  92 mile ride with our 2 new companions.  This would be our longest day of the trip (and the longest self supported touring day for Nicole and Judy too).  Weather today was on our side.  We had a 10mph perfect tailwind all day.  After some initial hills we were lucky to have flat riding all the way to the gulf coast town of Bayou La Batre!

New pictures up

New pictures (captions and location tags updated too) from the last 2 weeks have been added to the picasa web album.

Well deserved day off!

Friday March 4th Rest day in St. Francisville LA (3V Tourist Court)

We've been out of touch recently as we've been putting in over time to make up miles on the smaller hills of East Texas and even flatter low lands of Louisiana.  In the last 8 days we have covered 509 miles with a pedaling time of 46 hours.  The 46 hours doesn't include the time when we pull over for rest along the road, go into stores, stop to talk to people along the route, roadside phone/e-mail etc.  The total time from saddling up to arriving at our destination for the last 8 days is 68 hours.  Luckily the weather has been nearly perfect with sunny skies and light winds until the rain hit today on our planned rest day.   We've also had the good fortune of being well fueled by a large shipment of home made goodies from both of our families!

Due to putting in overtime on the road and extremely spotty cell coverage keeping in touch has been difficult and we feel pretty bad about that.  We're planning on updating pictures and doing a more thorough update of the great people we've met and places we've seen very soon.

A Big Texas Welcome

We've had a great time enjoying the company of new and old friends recently so blogging has suffered.  Rick just wrote up a nice overview of the incredible time we had at Camp for All outside of Houston TX.  Here is the link with picture   Camp for All story 

Valentines Day

Monday Feb 14 Langtry to Amistad National Recreation Area (American RV campground)

Around noon we met Bonnie and Orley a couple in a large motor home parked alongside the road taking a break to walk their dog.  Orley is an experienced bicycle tourist from Ticonderoga NY who road cross country a few times in the past.  The couple sold their house a few years back and have been enjoying the nomadic lifestyle escaping the cold snowy North Country winters then traveling back to NY in the spring stopping to see family that are spread out through the country on their way home.  They take their bikes with them and use them to explore along the way.  We happened upon them just as we planned to break out some military rations for lunch.  They invited us to have sandwiches, soda and some chips instead.  We had a nice time meeting them and having a break from the MRE meals!

After the break I was energized to ride briskly to the town of Comstock as I had 2 Valentines Day care packages waiting and I didn't want to chance arriving after it closed...and I couldn't remember if that was 4 or 5pm so I road a time trial pace for the next 10 miles and arrived 10 minutes before 4pm.  I Stuffed my panniers with the package from Dianne and Susan and had a big Christmas morning when your 8 years old grin on my face all the way to camp!  (I did share...see pic)

Bright skies and more friends

Sunday Feb 13th Sanderson to Langtry

The weather has drastically changed for the better as our only worries today were if I covered up with enough sunscreen.  It felt so good to be hot...unfortunately Aaron doesn't agree as he doesn't do as well in the heat so we need to keep enough water on hand so he can dump it on his head to stay cool.

About mid ride we bumped into 3 more really nice cross country cyclists who were heading west a day behind Steve and Luke.  Daniel Young is an artist (painter) from Chicago who has been on the road since September (in picture with Aaron).  Coincidentally Daniel travelled with Big Ring Bob who I had planned to travel with until he had to cut his journey short.  The other two riders were Walter and Sarah both fellow New Yorkers (Catskills) who left from New York riding down the Atlantic coast to St.  Augustine then headed west.  They were all over 3000 miles into their journeys!  It was fun to hear their travel stories about the people and places they have seen down the road.

More kind souls

Friday Feb 11th.  Fort Davis to Marathon

While leaving Fort Davis I stopped in a small shop and finally found the perfect Valentines Day card.  I'd stopped in 4 other stores in the past week with no luck and was getting a bit stressed about not finding the right one.

Saturday Feb 12 Marathon to Sanderson

Today was our earliest arrival to camp (about 3 hours before sunset).  It was nice to have time to ride around town and check out the local businesses.  The 55 miles on route 90 had minimal traffic and was mostly downhill or flat.  We dropped about 1300ft in elevation today and tomorrow we'll lose another 1300 ft as we drop off this plateau that we've been on since our ride to up to Three Way, Arizona on January 28th.  For over 2 weeks we haven't spent any time below 3,500 ft until today (and spent a great deal of the time between 4000-6000ft).  We hope the time and exercise at altitude makes riding easier as we head closer to sea level  

I don't recall seeing more than 2 houses once out of Marathon until we hit the outskirts of Sanderson.  Once in Sanderson we biked a mile from the campground to Cheli's restaurant that had excellent home made pizza and my 1st salad in over a week (with these really tasty hot peppers).  Lenny went to pay for dinner and the owner told him about how her daughter was also paralized in a car accident.  She wished us well on our journey, thanked us for spreading the message of hope for those who are injuried and insisted on buying our dinner.

Outside the restaurant we met Luke and Steve, two really cool adventurous guys from St. Louis Missouri who are riding cross country in the other direction.  We enjoyed their company and would write more about but Luke isn't as far behind with his blog as I am so I'll cheat and just give you his blog address for more details about todays encounter.  http://plantandpedal.blogspot.com   Luke and Steve's blog 

"Baby Wipe Blues"

Thursday Feb 10. Cielo Ranch driveway to Fort Davis

Desolate scenic rt 118 from Kent past the Mc Donald Observatory to the town of Fort Davis is one of the top rides of the trip.  The route is 57 miles long and has just a sprinkling of very large ranches. I could count the number of trucks I saw on one hand (No cars seen today... it seems there are only a hundred or so cars in the whole state of Texas).  The route does make you work for the spectacular views.  Of the 1st 37 miles from Kent to the observatory about 20 were uphill.

We've been dealing with freezing temperatures and lack of running water from burst water pipes at the RV parks as well as frozen water in the RV ever since leaving Las Cruces on Sunday.  So for the last 4 nights we've been singing Brandon's made up song "The Baby Wipe Blues".  Huggies have been our only method of staying clean but tonight we had a real shower.   I now have an appreciation for hot running water in a way I could not have understood before this trip.

Cold weather continues

Wednesday Feb 9th

Interstate 10 exit 159 truck stop to Cielo Ranch driveway 6 miles East of Kent TX

Worked on Aaron's shift and brake cables in the RV with the heat blasting while we waited for the weather to warm up.  Despite waiting til 2pm to start it was still only in the mid 20's and felt colder due to a 20-30mph headwind the 1st 18 miles. 

We welcomed the mostly uphill journey today as it made it bearable trying to stay warm.  About 6 miles into the climb I found a concrete bridge that had a nook isolated from the bitter cold wind and the concrete was soaking up the sun all morning.  It felt like heated mini fort and gave an opportunity to warm up and catch up on blogging as Aaron ground his way up the mountain.

Due to the cold, wind, hills and late start we only managed 24 miles today but we did manage to finish the stretch on Interstate 10 and find quiet roads.  Since we finished in the middle of nowhere we just camped in the RV off the road with no houses in site.  We ran the generator all night with the electric heater blasting to defrost our bodies.

Dust storm

Tue Feb 8th

Quitman Mountains interstate 10 rest stop to Interstate 10 exit 159 truck stop

Based on our start and stop points today we are in fairly desolate country.  The only town of any significant size during our 63 mile ride was Van Horn TX so while in the town we stopped to eat our military rations and for ice cream at the Dairy Queen.

We talked with a few people who wished us well.  Gayla a local from Van Horn was one of them and she kindly bought us ice cream as well as arranged for us to talk with a Larry Simpson a reporter for the Van Horn Advocate newspaper.

On our way out of town I saw my 1st "Dusk devil" (see pic).  That mini twister was the 1st sign of rapidly changing weather.  Initially we liked the weather change as strong winds from our back blew us out of Van Horn making easy to coast along at 20mph with pleasant temperatures around 65.  But about 5 miles from the finish there was a sudden shift and we got a 20-30 mph head wind and the temps dropped instantly 25-30 degrees.  I went from comfortable wearing shorts and a jersey to being cold despite putting on pants, jacket, winter hat and fleece gloves.  I've never experienced such a rapid weather change!

"Coyote" the other kind

Monday Feb 7

El Paso to Malone Mountains (hwy 10 rest area -RV camping)

Riding very close to the Mexican border today.  Weather was warm early today so we got an early start on this relatively flat route.  Today we put in 78 miles our longest of the trip so far. 

Border patrol spotted Lenny with our RV parked for an extended time on a lightly traveled small farm road close to the border.  He had a helicoptor hover near by and border patrol agents stop him as he acted like many of the "coyotes" the term they use for people who pick up illegal Mexicans and drive them to drop off zones.

Rockford Illinois ch 13 story

 Pop Up Video 

See link above for a nicely done story about the trip and interviews from Aaron's family.

Trujillo family kindness continues

Sunday Feb 6th

Las Cruces to El Paso (Roadrunner RV)

The day started with an all star breakfast with Rubin Trujillo's family.  He whipped up pancakes, scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, home fries and to top it off Lupe's home made salsa.  The salsa was so much better than any I've ever had from a store.  She was kind enough to share her recipe and it seems something I'd even be capable of making. 

Everyone in the family was so kind and they all have a great sense of humor.  After a restful night, refueling and well wishes the spirits were high. We departed Rubin's home under bright skies and warm temperatures (a welcome return to the weather I took for granted the 1st 3 weeks of the trip).  Rubin and Gabe gave us great directions for the scenic route that would relink us to the Adventure Cycling Route.  It took us down a lightly traveled road through dense Pecan Groves.  We cruised down valley roads with a strong wind mercifully at our backs had intermittent views of the growing rocky Franklin Mountains that tower over El Paso.  This was a payback ride and we enjoyed traveling 18-23mph for 2 hours without much effort. 

We had stop in El Paso for an interview with the local Fox Station.  The traffic was heavy but curteous until 4pm.  Unfortunately we we're missing the 1st half of Superbowl Sunday but the benefit was vanishing traffic.  We cleaned up quickly in time to catch the game at end of the 3rd quarter at an enjoyably crowded sports bar.

Road Trip for Rugby Game

Friday 2/4 we road 62 miles from Deming to Las Cruces NM.

After 3 nights at the Deming Days Inn hiding from Old Man Winter we finally we're able to get back on the road after a relaxing forced rest break.  Today the roads were flat and the sky was sunny.  We were off the official adventure cycling route as the 8,200 ft Emory Pass was closed.  We used Google online bike maps to reroute us.  Unfortunately we ran into sandy roads just north of Akela NM that were impassible on my loaded down bike and Aaron's skinny tired handcycle.  We ran into Mike a friendly local who is an experimental plane test pilot.  He gave us directions to Las Cruces on a paved frontage road that parallels Interstate 10.  He reports the road is used mostly by smugglers and border patrol so their shouldn't be a lot of traffic.  This rerouting added 10 extra miles and combined with a roadside interview by the Las Cruces/El Paso PBS put us in Las Cruces about 1 hour after dark.  Luckily we have bright lights.

We stopped at Ruben Trujillo's house (Bobby's Uncle) for a quick shower then started a 6 hour road trip through the night.  Aaron needed to participate in a Wheelchair Rugby game in Phoenix AZ.  If he missed the game he wouldn't be eligible for national competition later this year.  Lenny was a trooper and drove the whole way.  3am we arrived in town exhausted Aaron set up a 3 room suite at the Quality Inn in Mesa and arranged for a late checkout.  Unfortunately he only got about 2 hours sleep before he headed off to his 1st game.  Brandon and I were able to sleep in until noon as we only planned to see the 2nd game at 4pm.  (on the picassa web album there is a video posted of Aaron in action during the rugby game)

The trip to Phoenix made for a hectic rest day but it was well worth it to see live wheelchair rugby and get a chance to meet Aaron's roommate Jeremy, his coach Gabe as well as his other teammates.  We also had some time to talk to Kelly who saw us off while in San Diego as Kelly is a Rugby referee.

Having the most sleep last night I volunteered for the drive back to Las Cruces.  We arrived at Ruben's house around 1am.   Exhausted I crashed on his couch and slept like a baby.

(FYI I've uploaded new pics from the last 5 days on picassa -see Jeff's web album link on the right side of the page)

Las Cruces/El Paso PBS story

 Las Cruces/ El Paso Story You Tube link

Still without a 3G data so we'll catch up on blog posts once we get to Alpine TX the next town of significant size.  The video link was from a story they ran a few days ago when we were interviewed leaving Las Cruces NM

Silver City Daily Press Article on the trip

 * THE SILVER CITY DAILY PRESS LINK*

One correction on the story.  We bought mace after being chased by a vicious dog but haven't had a need to use it.

They took a pretty good pic of us on one of the worst weather days of the trip.

I'm a little behind on Blogging as Roux has been keeping a quick pace on the recently flatter roads.  We road 140 miles in just the last 2 days.  We also lost 3G data in rural west Texas so we can't upload pictures until we get to a bigger town.

Old Man Winter

Tue Feb 1st. Silver City to Deming

We left Bobby's house today late waiting for the temperature to rise but it was still just below freezing with light snow falling around 1pm so we bundled up.  Aaron broke out his balaclava and I taped the bottom of his Gortex Army pants to keep the wind out.  Initial rolling hills and a moderate tailwind the 1st 20 miles made it easier to stay warm. 

We had one 30 minute stretch going through a dark storm front when the wind switched to a headwind and the snow began to fall heavily causing trouble seeing.  As a precaution we put on the rear blinkers.  Aarons tail light is nearly blinding to me at night.  My blinker is pretty good and I put on the florescent yellow coat as an extra precaution.

Once we pushed through the storm front the wind switched back to helping us and we had a nice gradual downhill the last 10 miles or so into Deming.

Wednesday and Thursday the weather hit 25 year historic lows. High temps only hit the low 20's for brief periods of time mid day and they were combined with 20-30mph winds out the East.  This forced us to take 2 extra unplanned rest days but we made the most of it by catching up on well deserved sleep and some serious eating!

Silver City Oasis

After a great nights sleep at Bobby's house we were off to Jose Barrios Elementary School where we were warmly greeted by the principal Michael Corey (a good friend of Bobby), all of the friendly teachers and a polite assembly of about 100 elementary school children.  They had lots of great questions and everyone was so supportive and enthusiastic.  This warm reception continued when we were greated at G.W. Stout Elementary where Bobby teaches.  It was a lot of fun to see all the young enthusiastic students and we appreciate the encouragement they gave us!

After the school event Pete donated some hard to find 650C tires and Bobby's parents Mike and Taffy brought over a huge mexican food feast.

After 2 nights at the "Oasis" in Silver City we were so much more freshed and rejuvenated by the kindness the Trujillo family and Pete showed us.  We can't thank them enough for their kindness and help they provided to support our efforts.

Refueling and recharging

We're dealing with extreme cold and winds in Deming NM so we plan to take today and tomorrow off and catch up on resting and other details that fall to the back burner when we're riding every day.  Some of the links on the right side of the blog have been updated -see Jeff's web album and a new You Tube video. 

The pic above is dessert from the incredible dinner Taffy made (Bobby's mom)

New friends in Silver City

Sunday January 30th

Buckhorn to Silver City

The highlight of today's ride came in the last 10 miles just before we crested the Continental Divide.  Yesterday's ride was all about the physical effort of climbing and the natural scenic splendor.  Today was all about the people we meet.  Bobby Trujillo is a Physical Education teacher at G.W. Stout Elementary School in Silver City.  Bobby recently got into bike racing and was out on a Sunday training ride with his friend Pete Masiel a Marine Veteran and an experienced ultra endurance competitive cyclist. Pete has participated in the Race Across America and held a Guiness World Record for riding a stationary bike for over 4 straight days (if your thinking of going for the record know that you are allowed 5 minutes rest for every hour of riding).  Both were excited to hear Aaron's story and Bobby invited us over to his house for dinner and to park the RV for our rest day planned for tomorrow. 

Bobby is an avid hunter and grilled up Elk and Antelope steaks (both were excellent!).  We planned an impromptu presentation for 2 of the local elementary schools for tomorrow over dinner.  It was a great evening of food, relaxing and meeting new friends. 

Black Jack Canyon

Saturday January 29th

Three way, AZ to Buckhorn, NM

Today the section of route 78 through Black Jack Canyon had the most spectacular scenery since leaving the coast of California.  Enjoying the sights did require climbing up extended and steep switchbacks.  I had to stand while in my smallest gear for much of the hill.  Aaron's arms were pretty tired before starting the day but he kept chugging up the hill at his pace. 

Once we neared the top I spotted a hawk nearly even with my height hovering over the canyon.  I started taking a video of him as he road a thermal and shot upward and out of sight without a single flap of his wings.

As we crested the 6,300ft mountain pass the typical high Arizona desert envirnment quickly changed in less than a mile and became a thick pine forest with light layers of snow lingering in patches of shadow.  It felt like we just biked through an archway that warped me from Arizona to a spring time scene typical of the Adirnodack Mountains of New York.  We cruised down and up a few hills for the next 6-7 miles in awe of our new forest landscape stopping briefly for a picture as we made our 2nd state border crossing.  Once in New Mexico the road dropped quickly and after a rapid 4 mile coast the tightly packed pine forest road suddenly opened up into a vast expanse of golden rolling grasslands that make up the large ranches typical of this part of New Mexico.

It was awe inspiring to see 3 distinct ecosystems in such a short distance..biking this section of road is a natural experience that I can revisit as a highlight of the trip.

Recent article in Aaron's hometown paper

 Ashton Gazette Spinal cord injured ‘quadriplegic’ Marine is riding across the United States on handcycle 

Aaron pushes on up the Mountains

Friday Jan 28. Thatcher to Three Way, AZ

Breakfast at Gabi's Diner.  Our 1st breakfast in a restaurant since leaving San Diego exactly 2 weeks ago.  I don't really miss eating out.  It takes less time to get going in the morning when Lenny makes breakfast at camp and Lenny makes good grub.

We woke up to find 2 of Aaron's wheels flat and on the road today he got 2 more.  That makes 7 for the trip for Aaron.  He's riding thin racing tires that thin thorns easily pierce.  When we get to silver city we hope to pick up wider and more puncture resistant touring tires for his 2 rear wheels (the front doesn't have clearance to go any bigger).

Today's terrain is a long steady climb through the low traffic and wide shoulder roads of the Black Hills.  Once over the 4800ft Thumb Butte Pass we coasted into the small town of Three Way. They have free primitive camping on US Forest Service property near the Rangers Station.  It got below freezing tonight (doubt we'll get much sympathy from family back home dealing with sub-zero temps) so Lenny and Aaron made room for me in the heated RV.  Ear plugs worked wonders and the snoring was barely perceptable.

Aaron's been a trooper grinding 4 tough days in a row dealing with significant mountain passes or yesterday's high winds and numerous 1/2 mile climbs.  The next 2 days have even taller mountain passes before our rest day on Monday at Gila Hot Springs (and the Gila Cliff dwellings).  After a days rest we have our final and tallest mountain (Emory Pass) at 8,200 ft on Tuesday before we get a break from the mountains and get to enjoy gravity working in our favor all the way to El Paso Texas. 

The video below is from last week going into Surprise Arizona. That was a meticulously landscaped town outside of Phoenix.  A very popular retirement area where Aaron was enjoying the flat roads.  Keep plugging away at these hills Aaron and we'll soon have roads like that again!

video from Suprise Arizona on a flat day

San Carlos Lake

Thursday Jan 27 San Carlos Lake to Thatcher AZ

Woke up and peaked out of the tent to find the sun glistening off the lake and lighting up the brown, gold and white hues of the lakeside mountain.  It was the coldest morning of the trip with frost on the truck's hood.  After enjoying the natural view from the tent for 15 minutes I headed into the heated camper to find Lenny with a pot of hot perked coffee.  Aaron's morning greeting came out of nowhere.  His head remained under the covers until the familiar rooster call from his alarm got him up.

Lenny went off to tease some fish but unlike the last catfish hole he didn't get a bite.  Aaron and I had a map session and discussed life outside of biking in the comfort of the trailer as we let the sun do it's magic on the desert.

Today looked like an easy day on paper.  The profile showed no major elevation change but once we went up and down 1/2 mile long climbs over the 1st 2 we realized that the maps refered to the average elevation change.  The hills combined with a steady 20 mph headwind made for a long slow grind.  The legs and arms still recalling the big hills from the last 2 days.

We were happy to arrive at camp.  The Chuckwagon Master/ Campsite Coordinator Extrodinaire Lenny had a perfect cooking woodfire going with flank steak and baked potatoes cooking as we rolled into town. 

Aaron gave me another camp toasting lesson.  I attempted to toast bread over the fire but woodfire grill toasting techniques are not the same as hot rock toasting.

Saying goodbye to Rick

Wednesday 1/26 Superior AZ to San Carlos Lake

The day started with the typical energy packed oatmeal, a cup of hot coffee in a mug and as a special today "eggs in a hole" breakfast from Lenny.  The special breakfast entree was designed to fuel us up after yesterday's hard ride and the long steap climb that began as soon as we turned out of the RV camp spot. 

Based on the maps the 1st 12 miles today is uphill to the top of the 4,600 foot Signal Mountain Pass.  To our suprise we crested the peak after 6 miles of climbing.  We figured it was a small downhill in the climb but had our spirits raised when we saw a sign stating "6% downhill next 12 miles ".  We did a short celebration at our good fortune, put on our jackets and speed down the hill.  It felt great to get up to speed after spending the last 90+ minutes grinding up the mountain.  Then I heard a loud "OH NO" up ahead.  Aaron saw it 1st.  After only 1/2 mile of glorious downhill the road went steeply up again.  For the next 5 miles we were back to the uphill grind...the whole time cursing the cruel joke the Arizona DOT did by getting cyclist hopes crushed with their inaccurate signage.

We eventually got our downhill reward into the copper mining town of Globe.  Then headed out of the high traffic area into the Apache Reservation.  We had an another incredible 6 mile downhill into the town of Peridot before setting up camp on picturesque San Carlos Lake.  We had big helpings of pasta and italian sausage with Aaron teaching me how to toast bread on the camp fire rocks.

The adventure today was a great experience but it was also a sad day.  After joining us on day 3, we said goodbye to Rick Mason.  Rick had to turn in the wheelchair accessible mini-van today that the Ability Center so kindly loaned him for the last 2 weeks.  Rick has been instrumental in arranging the media contacts, updating the website with pictures and blog entries, making helpful route recommendations, taking roadside action photos, providing moral support, being a great companion to Lenny during the day and we all looked forward to sharing the days experiences with him each night at camp.  In Aaron's words..."Rick is my inspiration and the reason I'm on this journey...without Rick I wouldn't have this great opportunity."  We are all sad to see him leave us and look forward to him rejoining our adventure soon.

Gonzales Pass

Tue Jan 25th Tempe AZ to Superior AZ

Dave posted a comment about being Forest Gump.  Aaron had made his own spin on that analogy and made some wrist bands before the start of this trip.  I took a picture of the one he gave me.

Last night i slept like a rock in a real bed but I've slept pretty well on the ground too.  We started the ride going past Arizona State University on a scenic pedestrian bridge over the lake.

Arizona could unofficially be called "The land of 10,000 schools".   There had to be 100 small schools in less than a 20 mile stretch of road yesterday.  The Fox news reporter told us the school voucher law in Arizona has created many small private charter schools giving the state the highest number of schools per capita in the country. One plus for bikers is the slow speed of traffic d/t the school speed zones and speed humps every half mile.

Someone pulled their car off the road and was clapping for us as we road past Apache Junction.  Her name is Clax and is a local school teacher who saw the Fox news broadcast yesterday.  It was nice to have a roadside cheerleader spur us onward.  Another friendly soul was Mary in the Honda Element who pulled over and invited us to spend the night at her studio next to her home.  By the time we had the invitation Lenny already had camp set so we thanked her for the offer and continued down the road,

In Apache Junction we had a quick game of "rock, paper, scissors" to determine who gets 1st pick of the beter military "Meals Ready to Eat".  Then we sipped a few latte's, courtesy of a gift card from my co-workers at Lifetime Care, for a boost of energy before heading up a long steady climb to the Gonzales Pass.  We pulled in hungry and tired to find Rick and Lenny with camp all setup for us and a hot dinner of Rick's special camp potatoes, cheeseburgers and asparagus.

We have some more climbing at the start tomorrow as we keep stair stepping our way towards an 8000+ foot peak that we have to pass early next week (today we started at about 1,200ft and are camping at 2900ft). 

Tomorrow we're camping near the Coolidge Dam.  There are 4 campsites nearby and since Lenny likes to fish we thought our best bet would be the Catfish Bay Reservation Campground.

Ride into Phoenix

Monday 1/24 Wickenburg to Tempe AZ

After a restful day off the bike we saddled up again.  The terrain was mostly flat or downhill so we were able to put in our longest ride of the trip at 71 miles. 

Surprise AZ is a large retirement suburban area just east of Phoenix.  The whole town (population 31,000) was meticulously landscaped with large Palm trees, orange trees and cactus.  We passed multiple golf courses, a large Bocce club having a tournament and hundreds of Golf carts on the roads.  Apparently golf carts can be licensed for road use on the main road and this town had an extra wide right hand lane to accommodate them (came in handy for us too).

Towards the end of the ride, we had a short stop for filming a news story by Fox News Ch10 in Phoenix.

There weren't too many camping options in a big city so I have my first night on a real bed in 10 days.  I seem to be sleeping fine without one so I'll see if I've been missing anything.

Media Coverage

Coyote Sighting

Saturday 1/22. Harcuvar to Wickenburg Arizona (Dude Ranch Capital of the World)

Tail wind and flat smooth pavement all morning as we cruise east down Route 60.  For a 10 mile section we average 20mph.  There is a nice wide shoulder and we watched the rocky Harquahala Mountains get bigger and pass by to the south.

Just before our lunch stop in Aguila I spotted a "dog" up the road.  Grabbed the pepper spray out of the holder (Lenny bought us both pepper spray the 3rd day after being chased by a pitbull/greyhound mix) and prepared to be chased.  To my surprise the "dog" was not a dog but a Coyote.  Quickly I swapped the pepper spray for my camera and got a few pics and a short video of him trotting off into the desert scrub bushes.  I believe I heard the Roadrunner tormenting him in the distance.  (Thanks to Aaron for helping me swap out the sound of wind in the camera microphone for the sound effects on our day off)

After lunch the legs (and Aaron reports his arms) were pretty tired from the effort of the last 8 days of riding in a row.  We've ridden 351 miles since leaving Ocean Beach San Diego and are due for a rest break.  On the agenda for tomorrow:  Eating frequently, sleeping in, catching up on uploading pictures, eating, planning the destination towns for the next week, watching the NFL playoff games and eating.

Arizona Snowbird Lifestyle

Friday 1/21 Quartzsite (B-10 RV park) to Harcuvar AZ (Desert Gem RV Park)

I've added some new links to the right hand side of this blog.  Rick and Aaron started blogging and adding pictures to their sites.  Check in periodically with their pages as they plan to continually post new pics and post comment that you won't see here such as complaints about my excessive eating requirements etc.

After a hard day yesterday we decided to sleep in and take a shorter ride today (36 miles).  At the Quartzsite B-10 RV Park we had a large group of well wishers who sent us off with a well spoken prayer.

In a little under 3 hours we road through the Ranegras Plains and up a 1000ft gradual climb up to the Desert Gem RV Park that really matched it's name.  It is much smaller than the RV parks in Quartzsite.  The long term winter resident there gave it a warm small town community feel.  We joined their community fireside discussions and they were very welcoming to our nomadic group.

(The picture is of Rick and Benny the pouch from the Desert Gem on their dune buggie.) 

I learned a bit about RV's and the Arizona desert snow bird lifestyle.  Having traveled to Florida multiple times I couldn't see myself snowbirding there but this part of the country is much different.  The terrain, weather, off road trail system and wide road shoulders for biking make this an ideal region to winter if you are into an active lifestyle. 

Arizona border crossing

Day 6 January 20th

Heading Northeast today and had a 20-30mph headwind all day. Due to the wind and a 1000ft climb it took over 5 1/2 hours to go 54 miles.  We met 2 cyclotourists going in the other direction with big smiles on their faces.  They stopped to chat and report going 20+ mph all morning without much effort. 

We had our 1st dinner eating out since starting the journey.  A popular pizza place called "Silly Al's". It's a hopping country bar/pizza joint with pool tables.  Aaron and I challenged Lenny and Rick to a game.  I'm sure they will want a rematch soon as Aaron was able to arm bike 54 miles into a stiff headwind all day and still had the arm coordination to sink 3 balls in a row to finish them off at the end.

We had our 1st state crossing towards the end of today's ride as we crossed the Colorado river into Arizona.  Our destination for today is Quartzsite Arizona.  Permenant resident population about 3,600.  January and February population about 1 million!  I've never seen so many RV's in one area.  This town is known for it's 2 month long swap meets and flee markets that attract a huge portion of retired RV'ers.  If your curious about this check out the towns official website about their events at http://www.maineventqz.com/

Chocolate Mountains

Day 5 (Wed 1/19) -after 4 challenging days we decided to take it easy today by going a shorter distance (40 miles) to a really cool camping spot on the Colorado River near the AZ border. 

We started the day by biking through the sand dunes watching dune buggies shoot up rooster tails of sand as they climbed from one peak to the next.  The route then took us through the Chocolate Mountains.  For some reason we had a strong desire to stop and get ice cream after riding through this mountain range.  I have some money my nephew Andrew gave me that I have set aside especially for ice cream.

We had our favorite camp site this night.  It was on the edge of the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge.  It has it's own dock and Lenny (Aaron's dad who is driving the support RV) caught a couple really good size catfish.  We had delicious battered and fried fresh catfish for dinner as we watched the moon rise over the Palo Verde Mountains.

Lush Imperial Valley

Day 4 (Tuesday 1/18) Ride from Ocotillo to Imperial Dunes Recreation Area.  Today was the 1st day without going up any major hills and I was impressed with the pace Aaron was able to ride at on the flats.  Despite a late start (10am) and 2 previous very hilly rides, we were able to ride 62 miles today.  We also experimented with drafting for the 1st time.  Aaron is very good at tucking in behind my saddle bags to avoid the steady headwind.

The scenery started with lots of sand, sparce desert scrubbery and a nice view of the Sierra Nevada Mountains off to our left (that we had just finished passing over yesterday).  The temperature was in the mid 70's and perfect for biking as the dry air makes it seem like you don't even sweat.  As we passed through the Yuha Desert we came across an incredible fertile valley of lush farmland that was created over a hundred years ago when Colorado River water was diverted into an extensive canal irrigation system.  This oasis in the desert stretched on for 40 miles.  We road by the largest dairy farm I've ever seen with thousands of hollsteins.  We also passed a hay storage area with 100+ massive barns with open sides being loaded by fork lifts carrying what I was told were 200lb bails of hay.  As we watched the tractors working we were treated to the site of the Blue Angles aerial squadron practicing their maneuvers as this is their home base. 

Just before the town of El Centro we started to run out of water.  We saw a family out watering their garden and asked to fill our bottles from the hose.  We had a nice chat with Fred and his daughter who didn't recommend drinking the canal water they used for their garden but they did go inside and get a big pitcher of cold drinking water for us as they gave us some insight on this unique and beautiful region in which they lived their entire lives.  Fred has also ridden his bike across the country but his has a V-twin motor.  As a Vietnam veteran Fred road to Washington DC to pay his respects at the Vietnam Memorial Wall.

Toward the last 10 miles of today's ride we passed over another canal that marked the end of the imperial valley.  At this point the lush farmland immediately switch back to the sandy desert terrain in which we started the days ride.   We found a quiet spot in the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation area at a primitive campsite.  Lucky to have an RV I was able to have a warm shower in the middle of the desert (navy style to conserve water).  What a refreshing end to great day.  It was a clear night..in the distance their was brief nightime aerial combat exercise creating a fireworks show for us as we sat around the camp fire grilling sausages under the stars and bright moon.

Cresting the Sierra Nevada's

No warm up today as their was only one way out of the valley and that's straight up a 1.3 mile hill steep enough that I had to switchback in my granny gear.  Unfortunately Aaron's bike has the turning radius of a tractor trailer so he has to go straight up.  Thankfully he has a smaller 27 tooth front chainring and a 34 tooth large cassette to give him a better mechanical advantage.  His bike is pretty heavy and I doubt I could make it half the distance he does each day if I had to pedal with my arms.

After the 1st big hill Aaron had a priceless smile on his face as we hit our 1st major downhill since the trip started.  We finally got gravity to pay us back for all the hard work from yesterday with a 3 mile 30-35 mph downhill.  Aaron's has a disadvantage pedaling up the hills but we found out how much better he can descend on his recumbent arm bike. He put in a half mile gap on me by the end of the downhill.

Got a glimps of the border fence.  It is quite impressive in size and distance.  Saw more border patrol cars today than civilian ones.

Aaron got his first flat tire.  His rear wheels don't need to come off in order to change them.  I just push his bike onto two wheels while he balances it with his forearm them do a Nascar style quick change for him so he doesn't have to dismount his bike as it's a chore to do since he is all straped into it.

Incredible 15 mile coast down the east side of Sierra Nevada Mountain range.

We met our 1st cyclotourist.  His name is John Cross and he is a retired Lutheran Minister who is also riding the same cross country route.

Rick Mason met us at camp and will spend the next week following us.  Rick is the organizer of the ride but had to pull out due to a rotator cuff injury.  Hopefully he will be well enough in March to ride the final portion of the trip.

Climbing the Sierra Nevada Mountains

Climbing, climbing, climbing.  That pretty much sums up the type of riding we had today.  Today was the bulk of the climbing to get on top of the Sierra Navada Mountains.  We started the day at an elevation of 400ft and had to go up a 4000 ft pass before decending down slightly to 3700ft to our stop in Pine Valley.  We ran out of daylight as we spent the whole day covering only 28 miles as approx 3/4 of that distance was uphill.  My ride time was just under 4 hours.  The total time on the bike was 8 hours.  Aaron was grinding up the hills at 3-4 mph so I leap frogged him all day as I have trouble maintaining my balance at those speeds.  Luckily this should be the hardest hill day of the entire cross country trip.

We picked up a home made peach pie from a farmers stand..since we biked hard all day we had it for an appetizer while sitting at the campfire as dinner was cooking.  Rick Mason, Steve and Kelli Cal joined us at camp for moral support and to discuss the day's adventure.  (Pic above taken the next morning before leaving camp at Morena Lake, a beautiful mountain lake in the high desert)

1st full week in California comes to an end.  I Eased into the riding this week with 5 days of riding and 2 rest days.  Covered 191 miles during 17 hours of pedaling.  Temps ranged during the day from mid 60's to high 70's with lows in the mid 40's to high 50's.  Wall to wall sunshine and not a hint of rain.  Soon we will drop into the Sonora Desert so we look to avoid rain at least until we ride into Texas.

I'm so thankful for all the support I've had from family, friends, co-workers and complete strangers that have made this first week of the adventure possible and the next 9 weeks to come.

Cross country day 1

Saturday 1/15 was our 1st day on the cross country portion of the adventure and the 1st day biking with Aaron Roux.  After dipping my rear wheel into the  pacific (and my shoes because of a rogue wave) we had a photo op for Ch 5 a San Diego TV station.  We headed out from Ocean Beach with Kelli Cal and George Olmstead joining us for the 1st 15 miles.  Then we stopped at the San Diego Chargers stadium for an interview with ABC San Diego ch 10 (their stations website may have the footage posted by today).  After Qualcomm stadium Aaron and I headed off for our campground at Lake Jennings (see pic).  Time was limited because of all the media events and some pretty decent size climbs so we kept the mileage light at 31. 

Lake Jennings was quiet compared to the urban coastal campgrounds.  We had  a nice camp fire and cooked hamburgers over it.  After a map session we planned our lunch and campspots for tomorrow as we enjoyed a warm (still in the low 60's after dark) and moonlit night.  Then to bed early (9pm) as we know tomorrow will be the hardest climbing day of the trip with a 4000ft pass to climb to get over the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Overall a great day and official start of our adventure together!

ESPN

Aaron getting interviewed by ESPN sports before the start of the trip

Continued good fortune

Wednesday 1/12/11:

Today is a short biking day.  Only about 20-25 miles of riding planned from Cardiff by the Sea to Mission Bay.  Since I didn't have far to go I had a leisurely morning at camp.  I "cooked up" a eggs and bacon freeze dried meal (actually tasked pretty good) hot oatmeal and a cup of tea.  I sat overlooking the beach eating breakfast and watching the surfers ride the waves.  I called home then took a brief nap before packing up camp.  My neighbor stopped by to wish me safe journeys  and by 11:30 I was off.  It only took 2 miles for me to see a spectacular ocean /cliff view so I stopped for a photo. 

So far I haven't spend a night in the exact location I planned to stay and tonight would be no different. The benefit of not having reservations and travel off peak in this area is that you really don't need reservation so you can alter your plans as the day unfolds.  Each day has developed far better than I could have hoped.  Initially I bummed that I would be spending a week "alone" until I met up with Aaron Roux and Rick Mason.  Little did I know how much bike traffic there would be along the coast during the daytime on a weekday in January.  I've been so forturnate to bump into such nice people along the way.  On average I see roughly 150-200 cyclist and hundreds of runners during the course of a 4 hour bike ride.

While stopped for my photo 2 miles from camp today I met George Olmstead.  We had a nice discussion about my trip and it happens that he is a very experience cyclotourist as well a warm showers host.  George and his wife Cindy live only 3-4 miles from the starting point where Aaron and I plan to begin our trip on Saturday.  George graciously invited me to dinner and to spend the next 2 nights at his home.  George gave me his cell number, home address and agreed to meet after 5pm at his house. 

Now having about 5 hours of time and no need to arrive early to setup camp I took the opporturnity to visit Torrey Pines golf course and pick up a souvenir in the proshop.  As I took a few pictures of the course a ranger came over (I thought he was going to tell me to move along and stop taking pictures) wanting to hear about the trip I'm taking.  He recently moved to the area and was as enamoured with Southern California as I am.  He shared the only 2 downsides he has discovered about living here..(and only one downside if your OK with the high population density)..the cost of living is high (property values and taxes).  The ranger then recommended I check out the gliderport. 

The Gliderport (see picassa pictures) was an excellent spot for a nice long lunch.  I shared a few sunflower seeds with friendly bird (see pictures) and then headed down the steep hill into La Jolla.  La Jolla is an impressive town, especially the views by the water.  The scenery and real estate are impressive and remind me of the beauty of the Amalfi Coast of Italy or the Charleston Waterfront but with it's own distinct spanish influence.

Next I biked through the Mission Bay beach resort area on a long boardwalk.  Before arriving at George and Cindy's I was passed by a guy on a bike with a small gas motor and a trailer carrying his dog.  Pretty strange site...luckily I quickly snapped a picture to remember it better (see picassa pics)

After 5 nights on the road (3 on a train and 2 camping) it was a real treat to have Cindy's excellent home cooked meal and sleep in a comfy bed.  Professor Slughorn's sand timer was running very slow because of the conversation over dinner (sorry to all you non- Harry Potter fans for the Professor Slughorn analogy).  George and Cindy couldn't be any more helpful and accomodating hosts.  Likely George will be able to ride with us on part of the 1st day of the trip out of San Diego.  I feel very lucky that I happened to leave camp when I did and run into George on the road.  Any cyclist traveling through San Diego who belongs to Warm Showers should contact them when they are in the area.

I slept straight though the night for the 1st time in nearly a week.  Woke up feeling extra refreshed and looking forward to meeting Aaron and the adventures to come.

-Jeff

Pacific Coast 1st 2 days

Pacific Coast Highway at Crystal Cove

I've uploaded photos from the 1st 3 days of biking.  link to the web album I'm new to sharing pictures on Picassa so if your reading this and can't view the pictures send me an email and I'll add you to the sharing list I haven't written online since getting off the train because I've met so many wonderful people every day that I've had little down time. The kindness of all the people I've met has been incredible. I started meeting nice people as soon as I got on the train in Rochester and the positive encounters have been continuous ever since. I have kept a hand written journal with notes and used this to put locations and captions on the pictures.

My first day I biked from Fullerton California to Dana point (about 55 miles). It was an easy 6 mile ride out of the train station to the Coyote Creek bike trail. Once on the bike trail I passed a constant stream of bikers and runner along the slightly downhill ride all the way to Seal Beach. From Seal Beach I would ride the Adventure Cycling Coastal route (very easy to follow and safe biking roads despite the high traffic due to dedicated bike/walking paths or bike lanes on the roads most of the way).

Only 15 miles into this 3000+ mile trip I had my first temporary biking companion. I met a very nice local doctor (who specializes in infectious disease) who was out cross training for an ultramarathon. He had to turn around after a few miles as he had a run planned with another person but gave me some advice and wished me well.

I stopped around 4pm in Dana Point and bought $1 of unleaded gasoline for my new camp stove and went to check in at the Doheny State Beach Campground. I found the campsites but couldn't find the registration desk. Norm Hough was outside working of his RV so I asked for directions to the Check in desk. He and his wife Fay invited me to pitch my tent on their site. Then they invited me for dinner. Norm and Fay have traveled extensively across the USA since they retired. They shared their stories and gave me some great advice about camping that will come in handy as I head out into the desert next week. The next morning they invited me for coffee and breakfast treats. I shared some of my Mom's homemade banana bread (they send compliments to my mom for her baking) then packed up for the next days adventure.

Day 2. Dana Point to Cardiff by the sea (43 miles).
Setting off alone, only 5 miles into the journey, I came across Vicki and Warren (college students from Berkley studying Envirnmental science and Biology respectively) who had fully loaded bikes. Then while in Camp Pendelton we picked up 2 more local riders (also college students...unfortunately I can be bad remembering names) who helped us pick our way through some of the busier parts of town. I enjoyed spending the entire day riding with this group until I reached what I thought was going to be my destination (Norm and Fay recommended South Carlsbad State Beach). The Park Ranger at Carlsbad informed me that if I biked 7 miles further to the San Elijo State Beach they have special Biking rate of $6 (instead of $35). I'm all for saving money so I rode there and said goodbye to me new friends as they continued on to a friends house about 10-15 miles further down the coast (see picasa pic of myself with Vicki and Warren).

With only about an hour of daylight I setup camp quickly then cooked for the 1st time with my new multifuel stove. There was a beautiful sunset (see picture) with views of the ocean from my picnic table as I ate dinner then off to bed early. The ear plugs came in handy as all the coastal campsites are close to the road and the train tracks. I'm thankful to Ben and Dianne for my Christmas Gifts of a comfy camp pillow and sleeping bag liner (gets pretty cool at night) as I'm sure I wouldn't have slept nearly as well without them.

Weather has been perfect both days. Mid 60's and sunny.
The only downside of the trip is being away from my family and friends.
-Jeff

Train sleeper car

Just received an email with questions such as: How full is the train? How's the food?  Did you sleep well?

I hear that the train is full but I haven't mingled with anyone from coach to

confirm.  The sleeper car is isolated from coach as both ends of the car dead end on the lower level that I share with 5 other rooms.  The 2 big rooms on the end have their own bath and the 4 smaller rooms share 3 bathrooms and one shower room (Never had to wait to use one yet).  Just  upstairs and one car over is the dining car.  For breakfast just show up anytime b/w 6-9am sign a form (and leave a tip) as all meals are included in the sleeper upgrade.  For lunch and dinner someone comes to your room and schedules reservations (and delivers the morning paper).  They seat sleeper car passengers together and coach passengers are in another dining car.  When we boarded yesterday the sleeper car passengers were escorted from the 1st class lounge directly to our private car without the need to wait in line so I didn't get a chance to see the coach area.  I did ride coach from Rochester to Chicago and it was much more comfortable than airline coach even when it's full.

The food is typical of what you would get in a decent diner.  More than acceptable with good portion sizes and good service.  I've met some nice people from California, Florida and Chicago during dinner last night and breakfast this morning.  Everyone I met so far during meals has a flying anxiety issue although there are many other reasons to take the train.

I went to bed at 8pm (9pm eastern) as I was tired from limited sleep Friday night in coach.  Used ear plugs and didn't wake up til 2:30am when the conductor knocked on my neighbors door and helped them disembark.  The stops are so gradual the change in speed doesn't wake me up.  After a staggering walk back and forth to the bathroom I fell back to sleep by 3am and didn't wake until the announcement for 2nd call for Breakfast at 7am.  Combine limited sleep in coach Friday, comfortable traveler's ear plugs and my known sleeping skills the result was 11 hours of quality sleep.  I don't think those results are typical for most passengers based on the reports from my breakfast companions.

This morning it took about 5 minutes to convert the bunk bed setup backing into the daytime lounge setting.  A sleeperette room is as comfy as my couch at home.  Sharing it with another person would make it tight especially when the beds are setup.  I could see getting the bigger room if someone was with me.  Today i feel refreshed, full and relaxed.  Enjoying the quiet private cabin watching the flat eastern Colorado scenery roll past as the snow capped mountains grow on the horizon.  Soon after we started the long slow climb (going about 15-20mph) up the Raton pass that took us from Colorado into New Mexico.  The Raton train station has a unique style (see pic)

Jeff

Off and running

Train just pulled out of the station and the adventure begins.  The train is pretty packed so no room to stretch across multiple seats but luckily the seats are huge compared to airline coach accomodations. The guy next to me Stephan is very friendly and funny.  Stephan disembarks the train at 4am in Ohio so I should be able to lay across both seats from 4am til the train pulls into Chicago around 10am. 

Last day of work

Today is bringing back all the feelings of being back in school.  It is just like the last day before summer holiday but without the final exams!  The sad feelings of missing all my school friends but the excitement of all the new and exciting adventures so soon to begin.