I got up with a new attitude this morning, determined not to whine about the horrible pavement that would be ahead of us as we rode out of eastern California and into western Arizona. I was pleasantly surprised to find that things improved exponentially as soon as we turned left out of the driveway. It stayed lovely past a fish ladder, fields of broccoli, and even up to the Yuma proving Ground. Overall a much better experience than yesterday. We eventually got on “historic route 80” and spread ourselves out. The landscape had changed to desert again. I fwt as though I spent hours looking at one mountain in particular that absolutely mocked me. I would swear it kept moving farther away. It was a grind to say the least, but today I had a hydration plan that put me in much better shape than yesterday. I set my interval timer to go off every 15 minutes, and when I heard it I took a good long drink of my electrolyte mix. This proved to be a very important part of making this day better tha

 Back to back 70 mile rides means a break in my posting. I barely had enough energy to write a blog post each night. But I’m back on track! Here goes with day four. Today started at 5:20 AM with breakfast set up after a night without a ton of sleep. We had 71 miles ahead of us and as we headed out of El Centro it became clear that shade would be a hot commodity. Now is a good time to talk to all of you that say “yeah, but it’s dry heat.” I’m throwing the BS flag right on to the 50 yard line on that one. When it’s over 100, it’s hot. Hard stop. As it has in the past the scenery made several changes. We headed out into farmland, seeing many hayfields and large walls of the biggest hay bales  I have ever seen. They must weigh at least 150 pounds each. We rolled into Holtsville, home of the Carrot Festival, and stopped to stock up on water and ice. From here we had 25 miles, mostly on a slight grade uphill, to make it to the water station. The landscape slid into rocky desert, then green s

 First, before anything else, I have to recognize the kindest of the people in this group. We all have different backgrounds, abilities, and viewpoints, but we are becoming a cohesive group. Sue gave me a charging for it today. Matt, Adam, and Carl helped me get my mirror mounted ( it’s now sporting red duct tape).   We are a group who has each other’s backs. Which is a good thing, because the next few days will be hard. Extreme heat, high mileage, and a few services ahead of us. Today was a day to hang onto. We woke early and work together to get the van packed and loaded to facilitate an early departure. This meant Tammi could give us a water stop halfway through. I started off with Anne but had to make a few stops for adjustments and pictures a Ankur pulled up behind me and we enjoyed a long segment together. We saw a boat in a desert field, and wondered both why it was there and how it got there, and we both investigated the flags along the route the side of the road with barrels u

 It’s 9pm. It’s 92 degrees. At 7:00 tomorrow morning it will have dipped down to a balmy 85, only to hurtle back up to 100 by noontime. Dry heat, you say? We’ll see.

 The most amazing thing today was the change in the landscape over the course of 61 miles. We left Alpine early, around 7 o’clock, due to the prediction of extreme heat for the day. We started out with bare rocky hills, transition to bushy rocky hills, and ended with huge piles of sandstone. The Hills were substantial, but not too steep. Some took more out of me than others. One in the middle made me question my fitness, but at the end of the day I am actually  One new thing I did today was to ride on the interstate. Last night at our map meeting we were told that we would be riding along I8. Which is an actual interstate in the state of California. I was amazed as I did not think that this was legal but apparently in California it is. I was nervous but it turned out that it was almost easier to ride on the interstate because of the large shoulder then it was on the side roads. The rest of our ride ran mainly along Historic Route 80. Towards the end of the day we passed into Jacumba Ho

 Day 1 is in the books! Great day that started at Dog  Beach and a back wheel dip in the Pacific. Tad, Kathy, and Charlotte met me down there. It was great to see them as we headed out. The ride was flat for the first 25 miles or so, but hot! Temps were in the 90s with blazing sun and clear blue skies. We separated out early into smaller groups. I found good peddling with Sue and Ann. We also crossed paths with Adam and Kelly, the tandem riders. Our route took us to through Mission Gorge regional park which was absolutely gorgeous. A nice pass that cut through the mountains and made it possible for us to miss an incredible climb. No worries; there are plenty more ahead of us. At 30 miles we made sure we were fully loaded with water and electrolytes. I’m not sure if I’ve ever consumed this much fluid in a single day. Then the climb began. On the map it looked evil, almost straight up. In reality it was less steep than it was long. It was 6 miles at about three or 4% grade. It did requir

  A quick post tonight because I am overwhelmed and pretty tired from the day. I arrived at the SAMESUN hostel around 130. It was hot as blazes here today. Many of our group is already here. The hostel is painted like a peace sign I am in a room with two other women, Anne and Ruth, and one man, Terri. This came as a surprise to all of us but it will work. We warned Terri that there might be some snoring going on tonight. He did not seem alarmed. I’m feeling much better about the ride in my prep after our first meeting, followed by dinner. We visited for a while and then had a map meeting. I think I can do this more tomorrow

 The flight was relatively easy. I wander the airport during the wait, as is my usual MO. And saw things that made my mind go “hmmm” including  a woman wearing a “sluts-r-us” T-shirt. Not what I would’ve gone with but Namaste. On board the plane the flight is packed but I am comfy till I find out that my seat won’t stay reclined. Other than that there were no major issues except for the group of young women excitedly celebrating one of their birthdays - maybe the 30th? They simmered down eventually, all but one, who talked at loud volume until my ears began to bleed. Headphones and a movie helped and I finally fell asleep.  Upon arrival my bags came off the plane together none the worse for wear and Tad was there quickly to pick me up. It was good to catch up with him, but that prove to be a problem because we talked so much we missed his exit and added another 15 minutes to the trip. The bed was a welcome site when we finally got home at about 1 AM my time. Friday: Up at five but feel

 Logan Airport on a rainy cloudy day makes sunny San Diego all the more appealing. A few more hours til I board my flight (bus schedules from Augusta are not really compatible with my needs - but I’m here and so is my stuff). I’m excited-nervous- anxious to get started with this adventure.  You meet interesting people along the way-there were several Amish families at the bus station, very friendly and eager to chat. I sat next to a woman who lives in Dubai most of the time but was here in Winthrop at the family camp for the summer. She’s fluent in several languages as well as ASL-a very interesting seatmate from Augusta to Portland. Let’s see who shows up for the plane ride!

  Just when I was beginning to relax. Tuesday: (scraping paint) "I should be wearing a mask. This paint is making my throat scratchy." Wednesday: (65 mile ride) "Why am I struggling? Why am I so thirsty? My throat's still sore. Why don't I want to ride? How many more miles?" Thursday: (someone catch my nose- it's running and I can't move.) "Should I test?  This can't be Covid. I JUST got the bivalent vaccine. I don't want to test. (I don't want to know). I cancel the day's plans.  I have to test. Also Thursday - test is positive. OH MY WORD what else will the world throw at me? I stay in bed for 2 days, chugging fluid anytime my eyes are open. I catch up on Grey's Anatomy. Greg makes me a world class grilled cheese sandwich when I finally feel like eating.  Saturday: I begin to feel human again. Except for the existential dread that follows me like a cloud. Will I be well enough to ride? Will they let me? I look through my

 Some sunny weekdays just beckon you to come ride. I answered the call with glee. The 75 mile route I had planned would take me out north of Farmington, providing me with the hours in the saddle I needed and the hills to help prepare me for California's jarring entry into real mountains. I packed a lunch and took off early, eager to spend the day on the road. One of the best things about biking is the scenery. I take for granted how lovely it is here- even in the winter- but especially in September when the skies are often a clear blue, the air is light, and the scenery stunning. My initial destination was Clearwater Pond, a gem of a swimming place hidden in downtown Industry. To get there, I had to climb up Cape Cod Hill in New Sharon. The payoff was this view of the western mountains. Hard to keep your eyes on the road-wait a month and it will be a blanket of reds, golds, and oranges. Along the Industry Road I came upon a small house with a garden so rich in these sculptures (all

 Yesterday was a day that started in disaster.  With great anticipation I gathered the boxes of tent poles and contact lenses that had arrived the day before- the last two items on my "big item" checklist. If you've been following along you know I've been giving an inordinate amount of time and energy to thinking about my tent. What you don't know is the contacts have been backordered for weeks and I am down to my last two pair. Great, I thought. I am in business. I opened the contacts box first. I'd had them shipped overnight at great expense (relatively speaking), and was surprised to find they were for the wrong eye. I called the company as soon as they opened- spoke with a very pleasant rep who said I could ship them back and once they were received they would send the other eye. Timewise that's a non-starter. We went back and forth, with me becoming ever more confused about why they sent the wrong eye. I felt stuck.  Next, the tent. I have worked to r

 I've been feeling pretty ready the last week or so. I've gotten good mileage and elevation in, the weather has been cooperating, and all my weatherproofing material arrived before the rain. My biggest cause of anxiety is the idea that my tent will leak and I'll get wet in the night. It keeps me up regularly. To avoid this, I carefully sealed all the seams on the fly and gave it a coating of Kiwi waterproofing spray. It needed to cure for 24-48 hours, and the rain we really needed was going to interrupt that time span by just a few hours so I moved the whole tent into the barn to finish curing.  Greg moved it to get the mower out and put it back. No reason for concern, I thought. I went out after supper to move it back outside. It looked funny, more like a teepee than a tent. I moved it out to it's footprint anyway, figuring it just had to be moved back into shape. It wasn't long before I realized that no amount of moving  would make THIS disaster go back into a ten

Since I pulled the trigger on this trip I have had the feeling that in trying to get my thoughts organized I am really in the process of herding cats. No, not cats. Squirrels. Wild, wooly, anxiety ridden squirrels. What sleeping bag? What tent? Will my bag be too heavy? Will all my stuff fit in said bag? What if my air mattress pops? What if I get cold (I hate to be cold). What if my tent leaks. What if - And then, all of a sudden, things start to come together. The squirrels are turning into ducks who are settling into rows. My bike is shipped. My backup bike has a new seat that is so comfy I might just bring it with me. I rode 80 miles yesterday and could have gone farther. I am upping my mileage and enjoying it all. I've decided on a tent and gotten the stuff to seal the seams and waterproof the fly. I've decided on a bag and today a sleeping pad came that might just suit me. I'll try it out this weekend in the backyard. The maps arrived and while I'm not sure how AN