May 12 - This Team Rocks!

Today was a relatively short day for us.  The ride from Safford to Miami was about 85 miles.  It did include a couple of hills but they have become old hat.

We stopped about three miles into today's route at the Safeway in Thatcher.  Safeway donated 60 gallons of water to help keep us all hydrated.  The Store Manger, Robin, had coffee and donuts waiting for us and about 15 employees were present to learn more about POP's Ride and our goals.  Thank you Safeway for your donation and keeping us hydrated!

Susan McEntyre, a co-worker of mine from Safeway, met us in Safford last night.  Susan loaded up her truck with water and snacks and Mona joined her to become our second SAG vehicle.  Those two are a hoot together and provided great support for the riders.

After lunch, we rode on some newly resurface road.  The oily tar collected on our tires which also brought gravel sticking to our tires.  We had to ride on this new road surface for about 20ish miles.  Once we got off the new road, we cleaned our tires and rode into Miami.  Once we arrived in Miami, some of the guys cleaned all of the tires and bikes while others helped get setup for the night.  Mona and Susan made homemade meatballs to go with bow tie pasta for dinner.  This was Mona's final meal for us and it was incredible.  No one went away hungry.

Mona, thanks for supporting Team POP's with your awesome cooking for the last three weeks.  We appreciate all of your hard work in creating meals we would all enjoy. 

After dinner we had a quick Team meeting to discuss how Shannon, Kyle and I have planned to attack Friday.  Friday is a 118 mile day and we must be at the Bicycle Vibe a little after 4pm.  Shannon and Kyle explained the plan.  Everyone was on board with the plan (as we had no Plan B) and agreed it was acceptable.  Carl and Dad both shared their appreciation for what all of the Riders have done and the effort they exerted to make POP's Ride a success. 

Now, it was time for Shane to crash as we were going to start riding at 5AM......again, no one complained when the start time was announced!  I want to ride with this group everywhere!

Finally, but only because the picture was taken at the end.  This morning, Carl presented all of the Riders with new Jersey's.  The Jersey's had the Knight Transportation and POP's Ride logo on the backs.  Very Cool.  The seven of us rode all day as an organized crew.

Here we are showing off our new jersey's at the end of the day.

May 11 - Welcome to Arizona!

Sorry these are late, the end of last week was a little hectic with limited Internet access and short nights!

This morning, we left Silver City, NM with our sights on Safford, AZ....about 113 miles away.  Yes, that is a long day.  However, we had a little dose of extra energy as we knew Carl Ames and his posse would be waiting for us at the AZ State line.

Leaving Silver City we had some mild hills and a little wind. It was chilly. In the picture below I am wearing my rain jacket to keep warm.

We had a pretty good climb today and then the breeze picked up.  Yes, I am calling it a breeze.  Kind of like those of us who live in Arizona don't say it is Hot out until the temps hit 100.  I no longer call it a wind until it is above 25 mph, sustained.  Its a physiological thing I guess.  Mind over matter - if you don't mind, it doesn't matter.  Something my high school science teacher, Mr Robert Furlong, always used to say.

We did have something odd happen in the morning.  At one stop, Kyle noticed he had a thumb tack in his front tire.  I looked and had one also.  I spun the tire again and found I had TWO thumb tacks in my front tire and the tire was still inflated.  Crazy!

By lunch, I was about done.  We had already ridden about 60 miles and I knew we had almost that many left to go.  We ate a quick meal and then headed out again.  What did we eat?  The normal - either turkey or ham, potato chips and a Coke.  Why mess with what is working!

We rode about three miles and then saw Carl and his Posse waiting for us.  What a needed boost they were.  Carl Ames, Casey Knight, Jake Knight, Kyle ????? and Keith Barr.  Not to mention some of Carl's family.  They had made a HUGE sign (sorry I didn't get a picture) and were all pumped about riding. 

We left the State Line, headed up a couple of small hills and then enjoyed an incredible 20ish mile descent the locals call the Devil's Backbone.  It curves around and drops into a town called Three Mile.  At that point, what else is there but a several mile climb.  Of course!  About a mile into the climb, Carl and I stopped at the SAG and filled up with water and I reminded him we have a long road ahead and he should let us know when he needs a break.  We left the SAG and about 50 yards up the road Carl stops, looks at me and says, "I've already done this hill, I'm going to take a break."  I was cracking up.  A great Carl comment.

 

Once we cleared this hill and another one we were then riding on flat ground.  The wind really picked up and about 10 miles from Safford we turned directly into the wind.  Someone asked, "How do you guys ride in this?"  We told them, "Go into your drops, put your head down, turn your iPod up on some good music and just pedal." 

At the end of the day, Shannon, Kyle and I had ridden about 113 miles and Carl's Posse completed 63 miles and we were all tired but excited to be riding together.  Shannon, Kyle and I have written a lot about the wind and hills but until you experience it; I'm not sure you can appreciate the work needed to keep moving.  I'm not saying this to say we are oober athletes cuz nothing could be farther from the truth.  Carl's Posse had read our blogs and, being cyclists, had an idea of what we were accomplishing.  But until they rode those 63 miles today and experienced it themselves, I think they would agree they didn't have a true understanding of how awesome our adventure has been.  The really cool thing about all of the riders, no one complained.  We had a job today and we did it as a team.  Someone always stuck with Carl.  Some would pull so others could recover.  And, no one complained. 

In Safford, Carl's Family was there waiting to welcome us all to AZ.  We took some pictures, showered and had a great Mexican dinner.  Thank you to Luke and Tiona Hoope for opening your home to all of us!  We all appreciated your hospitality.

A couple more pictures from the day.

Bolt, aka "Carl", you are an amazing man.  It was a blast having you along.

Home is two days ride away!

The Ride - May 10....and on the 6th day they rested

Well, today is a rest day.  We had a Mona breakfast at 9am which included bacon, eggs, sausage and pancakes.  yumm!  Then we headed to downtown to look around.  We spent a couple of hours there looking at the antique and bookstores, had lunch at Nancy's Silver Cafe.  A small but nice cafe.  We are lucky we got there when we did as a group of Wildland Firefighters showed up just after us and filled up the cafe.  One member of our party was all giddy after that.  You guess who.

Then I headed back to the RV for a quasi-nap until I started working on the blog and plans for the Friday Party.

Here are a few pictures from the RV camp we are at now and one of the Black Range Lodge we stayed at in Kingston, NM.

Tomorrow, we meet our Friends at the NM/AZ state line.  We have been looking forward to this day for quite awhile and are excited about this next step in the adventure.

May 9 - Uphill an dinto the wind...Serious Hill and Serious Wind!

This morning we left The Black Range Lodge and headed up the mountain.  You know it’s going to be an interesting day when the first sign you see is the one below.

We had a nine mile climb to the 8,828 feet and an amazing view of the valley.  We had total ascent of 4.395 feet (gross) and all of it was into the wind.

The top was a place called Emory Pass and the temperature dropped about 15 degrees.  It was an incredible view.  We took a few pictures and then headed down to finish our 50 mile ride.  We were up and down all day but finished by about noon.  The wind was strong all day and would gust and try to blow us off the road.  I did a few push-ups at the top just to keep the blood flowing.

So if you look closely at the picture below, in the middle you will see a road.  That is where we started the morning.  It is 9 miles and 4,000 vertical feet away.  In the distance there is a lake.  We rode by that lake the day before and is about 20ish miles from where I took the picture.  Crazy stuff!

There was one point on the initial descent where I came around a corner and there was a cow on the left side of the road.  This cow looked at me and then started across the road in front of me.  It hesitated, I hesitated and then it decided to stay put and I rode by.

We also rode by a large open pit mine and I found this one tree growing in the mine tailings all alone.  The thought that came to my mind was, “I created the mountain, you created this ugly pile of leftovers and I will once again create something beautiful here.  – God “

Below is the mine.

Other than the cow, not much happened.  Kyle and I headed to the laundry in town and finished two loads in their massive 50 lb machines in about an hour.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing and recovering.  Tomorrow is a rest day and then we head for the AZ state line on Wednesday.  I can’t believe we are almost back to Phoenix already.  What happens when The Ride is over?  I have been wondering that a lot lately.  Honestly, it will be hard to transition back into sitting in my cube in front of a PC.  How could it not be?  I have been living outside seeing the country every day for the last four weeks.  Then I live in an RV at night.  A new place every day.  How exciting is that!  Change is great.  I wonder if Safeway will allow me to work remotely from around the country…..better yet around the world!  I can crunch numbers from anywhere right?  We can teleconference when necessary.

The Ride - May 8

This morning we left La Mesa, NM and headed to Kingston, NM.  The first 50 miles to Hatch were flat and filled with Pecan Orchids and wineries.  It was a nice cool (temperature) ride.

We had lunch in Hatch and then headed to Kingston.  Pastor David told me the night before we would be climbing about 2000 feet and he wasn’t underestimating the elevation gain.  Once we left Hatch the wind picked up and it was gusting to boot.  At one point we were passed by a John Deere Chopper and it created a great draft.  Below is Shannon taking advantage of the draft.  This thing blocked the wind.  I rode beside it for awhile and then thought I should fall back so he could get over and let the traffic pass.

We made a left turn about 20 miles into the afternoon – straight into the wind.  Add on a gentle elevation gain and you have the ingredients for a long afternoon.  My average speed for the day went from 15mph at lunch to 13 by the end of the day.  I was working to go 7-8mph on the flats.  Actually, at times I was working to go that fast downhill!  By the time we were about 15 miles from the end of the day, my legs had nothing left in them to go.  I now fully understand how Kyle felt last week and do not know how he was able to ride for three days with dead legs….what an animal. 

About 1 ½ miles from the end, I got a flat.  This gave my legs a little break which was good.  It wasn’t until I came outside after dinner I realized we were once again in the trees.  I had been so focused on just making it to the end and watching the white line on the road, I didn’t realize the change in scenery.  I will have time to appreciate it tomorrow morning as we have a nine mile ascent which I will go up slowly and be able to appreciate the scenery.

Odd things noted today – signs that say “watch for water on road”…..I didn’t even see a cloud!  They must be antiques from when it rained.  Lol.   The Rio Grande River…..wasn’t very Grande.  I was pretty disappointed in fact.  The Pecos River was much neater.

You'll have to check the FB album for the pictures as I can't upload the photo's to the blog tonight.

Towards the end of the ride, I had plenty of time to ponder; I wondered if this is what Carl’s legs feel like every morning.  Pretty much just dead weight.  I had to focus on riding and keeping them moving.  I hope this is the closest to knowing what PD feels like.  The thought of every morning having to consciously will my legs to move would be discouraging sometimes.  Yet, I have not yet heard Carl complain about it.  So who am I to complain about my temporary pain?  It will be gone in a couple of weeks.  PD patients live with it for the rest of their lives. 

Another reason why Our Ride is important.  The more we as riders understand the difficulties faced by PD patients, the better we can share with all of you and encourage those with PD.  We – Shannon, Kyle and I, deliberately chose to ride East to West, uphill and into the wind.  We knew we would be challenged – just as PD patients are on a daily basis.

On a lighter note, Mona just told me she read my blog about “Game, Set, Match” last night and responded with “Its On”.  We’ll see.

Today was Paul’s first full day with us driving the bus.  It has been a learning experience. J  Good thing he is up for the challenge.  Thanks for being her Paul.  Today was also Ed’s first full day of driving the SAG.  Ya dun well friend.  We had plenty of water and you were there when we needed ya. 

Ciao’

May 7, Day 28 of the Ride

Well, this morning we left Fort Hancock, TX and headed west on Highway 20. There were fields of cotton just sprouting. We saw part of the fence protecting our border. Not sure exactly how this works as I'm pretty sure the Mexican Nationals are intelligent enough to walk to the end of the fence and go around. I'm just saying..... Here is a picture of the fence. It might be a little hard to see but if you can zoom in you can see the rusty protection.

I have been seeing these green cones in fields throughout Texas and today I finally stopped to learn what they are.  They are traps for Pink Bullworms and you are not to disturb them.  So I took a picture an left.

We stopped at a town called Tornillo.  Across the street from where the Bus was parked was a Historical Marker.  The town derives its name from the screw-bean bush, a hardy firewood once prevalent in the area.  I just let love the name of the bush.  I also saw a young boy waiting for the bus with his mother and grandmother and gave him a couple of the BMX magazines.  He seemed pretty happy.

I saw these on the side of the road and knew Dad would want to see them.



A little further down the road I saw this house.  Now I've seen people build roofs over their trailer houses before but this is a little over the top.  Why not just build a home?

I wonder what happens on this street?

Really, shouldn't this be obvious?  We have seen some strange signs in Texas like "Obey Warning Signs."  Things may be bigger in Texas but not sure they are always smarter.....

Today was Bill's last day with POP's Ride.  He is the last of the original crew that started in St Augustine on April 10.  Bill - we had a blast having you along.  You made us laugh and I think we made you laugh a few times also.  I'm not sure what the      we are going to do without you.

Dad's cousin Les will fly home to Jan tomorrow (Sunday).  We have known Les for a long time and he is always good for some laughs and wild remarks.  Les has driven the bus for the last two-ish weeks and has add some life to the party on more than one occasion.  Jan - we look forward to having you back in Phoenix for Mom's fried chicken and who knows what else.  Thanks Les for driving the Bus!

Now here comes the surprise part of the day.  We were riding through El Paso when all of a sudden WHAM! there are people holding signs on the sidewalk saying "Go POPs GO".  Liz Plass and her family were there!  Liz works at SWY in Phoenix in the same department I do.  She was there for Mother's Day and took time to surprise us.  How cool is that?  This now the third cool thing that happened in Texas.

Finally, today we left Texas.  Dear Texas, your winds never stop, your roads are rough and your state lines have a lot of hills in between.  Until next time, ciao'!

We are now in New Mexico for four days - three riding and one resting.  Then, shhhhh, we are in Arizona and we pick up three or four riders to help us make more stories and memories.  way cool. 

Phoenix, see ya in 6 days!

BONUS - If you made this far, here is a special Mona story.  She was riding in the SAG with Ed and had her window down.  We were in El Paso and it was hot.  I thought I would help cool her down so at the stop light I rolled up with my Ice Cold Water bottle and gave her a little shot of love.  Game, Set, Match. 

The Ride - May 6

Today we rode on I-10 all day......well the whole time we were riding anyway.  Since we rode to Van Horn yesterday we had less to ride today.  Today we were suppose to stop at Esperanza, TX but stay in Fort Hancock which was about 15 miles further....so we rode into Fort Hancock knocking miles off our ride tomorrow.  That is good as it is windy here this afternoon and the temps have ticked up some.  Also, Bill is heading home tomorrow and Dad and Paul are flying in.  Les leaves on Sunday morning.  Thanks to Bill and Les for their time and support of POP's Ride.  Your help has been much appreciated.  Say Hi to your wives and let them know we appreciate their support of you going on this crazy adventure.

Up until today, I had no flat tires.  Today, I had two within about 10 miles.  Both flats were caused by little wires from your car tires.  They do not react well with our tires and tubes.  Such is life.

We are spending the afternoon at our hotel.  The hotel that Rachel found us.  Rachel spent a lot of time finding the Team places to stay each night...not an easy task considering we are staying in some small towns and she was trying to minimize expenses.  Rachel did really well.  We only had one hotel that was questionable and we moved to another property owned by the same couple.  Her efforts helped the Team get a hot shower and good nights sleep each day. 

This afternoon, I realized that about 50% of our hotels had something in common.  They were all close to.....

Yep, train tracks.  In fact, one is passing right now and just blew its whistle.  Nothing better to lull me to sleep than the rumble of a choo choo.  :)

We have less than 60 miles left of Texas and we are all ready for the change.  As of today, I have two great memories of our tour through Texas: 1) dinner at the Spier's on April 23 and 2) Karen's sign welcoming us to Lockhart.  Karen's sign and dinner at Chisholm's is the best as we were able to share dinner with her and her parents.  Her mother has PD and we had a good time eating and laughing.  These are the experiences we will remember in 10 years.  Not the bad wind days or the rough roads, but the awesome experiences we had meeting people.

Thanks again to everyone who has supported POP's in some way.  Below is a shot from this morning.