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.