4/24/12

The ride to El Paso was good and mostly uneventful.  However, upon checking out possible RV campgrounds to stay in, the first two did not have tent sites and the third was another 7 miles further down the road.  Oh well, no big deal except on the way there I ran into a freeway overpass construction project that sent me out of the way by another 3 miles.  Total for the day: 81.25 miles.  Insult to injury,  the RV park in Clint, TX was the worst thing to call itself an RV park.  The showers and regular bathrooms were closed and I had to use the bathroom in the convenience store and it was a pit.  No positive recommendation for that hole.

Monday, 4/22/12 looked like a good ride day to Sierra Blanca, TX only 66 miles and a level to gentle upgrade.  Then the head winds kicked in and gave me the 3rd worst average mileage of the last 3 weeks.  Stayed in a very nice motel room at a reasonable price in Sierra Blanca and met a woman who was also going to Florida at dinner that evening.  I did not see her the next morning.

Tuesday 4/24/12: I am now in Van Horn, TX which is only 35miles from Sierra Blanca but I will stay here at a KOA campground and head out on an alternate route to the regular Adventure Cycling route.  I am typing this longer blog on a computer in the Van Horn library.

4/21/12

Yesterday was the day I dreaded from the day I looked at the elevation profile of the Tempe to El Paso segment of this trip.  An 8228 foot Emory pass trudge.  Of course I started at 5600 ft. But the climb after two days of similar footage on lower passes had me worried, but I made it its behind me.  Now all I have to do is cross Texas in one piece.
I had a nice stay in Lakeside RV Park at Caballo Lake last night and a relatively easy 69 miles today.  I am staying at a fantastic Warm Showers host that Gary found in Las Crucas tonight and off to El Paso tomorrow.

4/19/12

I had a wonderful time in Tucson with my very good friends.  I am very greatful for the extreme accommodation from them and cannot express how impressed I how impressed I am with how much my friends went out of their way to make room in their busy days to help and intertain me.  We had a dinner party at Macaroni Grill and Doc would not let me pay my share.  Steve put me up, fed me, organized and prepared a magnificent dinner at his house as a send off besides picking me up in Florence AZ.  Bob drove me up to Globe to get me back on the bike route and all four contributed to an excelent Arizona bike jersey as a send off to the rest of my journey.  I still get emotional when thinking how wonderful these 4 friends are and hope that I can return the loyalty.

On Tusesday, after Bob and Steve dropped me off in Globe, I road to Safford AZ and stayed with a wonderful "warmshower.org host family.  They not only provided the warm shower an and bed to sleep in but also insisted on driving me to a supper market to get food for the next day and a half plus providing me with dinner and breakfast.

On Wednesday I road to Coal Creek Campground, 1 mile west of the Arizona and New Mexico border.  It was primitive in that it did on have water so I not only had to carry the night and morning food, but enough water for 1-1/2 days plus tote all that stuff up over 4000 feet of climbing (the bike and stuff weights about 90 lbs.

On Thursday I road to Silver City, NX and staying in a KOA campground.  Bathrooms, showers, laundry and  WiFi.  Whoo Hoo.  I will head over a 8200 pass tomorrow and try to make it to Kingston, MX.

4/15/12

I'm in Tucson.  Steve and Barb drove up to Florence and picked me up and brought me to Tucson yesterday afternoon.  I will have two full days to visit with my friends here.  Whoo Hoo.

4/13/13

Yesterday was another fairly long and traffic trek through western and southern suburbs of Phoenix to get to Mesa and my cousin Fred' home.  We had a great dinner prepare by his wife Maureen.
Today Fred took me to see an eagles nest on Indian Reservation just north of here and then to lake park for some bird watching.

I will head for Florence in the morning and hope that my bottom has recovered from the three days of extended riding.

4/11/12

To night I am in a  rest area on i10, 7 miles west of Tonopah AZ.  It has been long day with 94.7 miles following the 92.8 yesterday.  I am going to hide out here and try to get some shut eye.

Tomorrow is on to Phoenix.

4/10/12

Well, I made it to Blythe today mainly because there were no viable campgrounds in Palo Verde so I Road on to Blythe.  I found a KOA site and it is the finest thing I have stayed in for the money ($10); tent site, showers, laundry, swimming pool, convenience store and free WiFi.

I made up 20 of the  40 miles that I did'nt due to a miss calculation of daily distances I used in figuring the original itinerary for the first part of the trip.  I am researching a plan to get back on schedule so I arrive in in Mesa and Tucson as scheduled.

Today's  trip was hampered  by croswise head winds for the  the first 40 miles but road changed direction and the last 53 were mostly wind aided.   All in all it was a good day.

4/8/12

The last two days have been exhausting.  I started in La Jolla and road to Ma-Tar-Awa campground about 5miles east of Alpine, CA off interstate 8,  somewhere around 3000 ft. above sea level.

On Easter Sunday I climbed up to 4200 ft. at least twice and miscellaneous hill too numerous to count.  By the time I got to Ocotillo, all I wanted was a shower, dinner, a beer and bed.

Tomorrow should be easier, only 39 miles to Brawley and I have arranged a stay at a warm showers.org host.

4/4/12

We made it to Dana Point Deheny State Beach Campground today.  We were in Surf City Hostel in Hermosa Beach yesterday and in motel in Oxnard the day before that.  We planned to stay at McGrath but it was closed.

We will stop in La Jolla tomorrow and stay with my cousin.

BTW there are 7 memorable hills in Malabu and Laguna Beach.

4/1/12

Gary and I made it to Buellton in good mostly due to a strong tail wind.  We were going to stay in a tent site at the local RV campground, but they wanted $28.00 for each tent so we shopped around and got a motel room for two dollars less and did'nt have to pitch and take down a tent.

David and Debbie Abrecht and Walt and Judy  Bremmer were staying at the RV camp and we spent some quality time with them.