Cycling 4 Scholarships: Leroy pedals Coast 2 Coast

Home Again!!

2008-10-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

Having left Sunnyside on September 2 in the heat of summer, we returned home on Monday, October 27 . It was a welcome sight. The flowers are blooming and the fall colors are still showing their splendor.

The drive from Missoula, Montana to Sunnyside was spectacular. The weather was sunny, crisp, and gorgeous through Idaho on Highway 12 over Lolo Pass. The road skirts the Lochna River through the Bitteroot and Clearwater Mountains. Just gorgeous fall colors among the evergreens with the Tamarack trees changing their colors and losing their needles, as well as a few deciduous trees.

We made very few stops. Clarkston, Washington was a must as we were so happy to be back on Washington soil and needed to stretch our legs. The hills after harvest looked good to us. The wheat farmers were all busy discing, plowing and planting their winter wheat.

The harvest is over and so is this odyssey. It has been an adventure across the United States and back again, seeing sights we have not had the privilege to view previously. The weather for our entire two months away was lovely and we would recommend traveling in September or October to anyone. With the exception of a prevailing East wind on Leroy's bicycling days and two days of rain, we could not have asked for better weather. We did take note many times from Mississippi all the way to Washington that now the wind was blowing from West to East!

Thanks to each and everyone of you for being supportive, reading our blog, and holding us in your prayers for the past two months. We could not have accomplished this without you.

Last Bit of Trivia = Total Miles Traveled in my Honda Civic = 11,024

Total States Traveled Through by Bicycle = 9

Total States Traveled Through by Car = 18

God Bless You

Libby and Leroy Werkhoven

Wyoming to Big Sky

2008-10-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

WYOMING -- Saturday, October 25

After spending the night in Scottsbluff, Nebraska and waking up to 27-degree temperatures; we continued on through “amber waves of grain”; however this time it was miles and miles of corn. Winter wheat has been planted and already greening up the rolling hills.

It wasn’t long before we reached Wyoming the land of open range, cattle, miles of hay fields and trains. Don’t let anyone lead you to believe that the railroads of America are dead. Already in Western Nebraska we began viewing 120+ car freight trains loaded with coal heading east. After seeing this for an entire day, I wonder if any of Wyoming will be left in a few years.

Immediately, we felt “home on the range – where the deer and antelope play.” At first the antelope were a pleasant surprise, but 50 miles later we were still seeing them in the fields, along the streams, in the campgrounds and even in some of the small towns we passed. Antelope dotted the hillsides and fields throughout our travels in Wyoming.

The signs for historical markers began appearing at regular intervals along the roadway. One that caught our attention was historical ruts of the Oregon Trail. The interstate on which we were traveling is located where several trails West traversed years before in the form of the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, the Pony Express Trail and also the Lewis and Clark Trail. We stopped in the small town of Guernsey, Wyoming and took a country road out of town just a little over a mile and came to a nice pathway leading to some of the ruts that the wagons made between 1830-1880 on the Oregon Trail, which closely followed the North Platte River. As you can see from the pictures these ruts were so deep and made their mark in the sandstone along the riverbanks that they still exit. Another mile up the road brought us to the Register Cliffs where pioneers over the years carved their names and the year into the cliffs along the river. What a lasting monument to those who had traveled so far through much adversity and still had miles to go . . .

We traveled North from Casper to Sheridan, Wyoming where we spent a delightful evening visiting the Melius family. Stay tuned for more on our stay in Sheridan.

ANTELOPE TO BIG SKY COUNTRY -- Sunday, October 26

Doug, Robin and Jesse Melius gave us the grand tour of Sheridan, Wyoming upon our arrival on Saturday evening. Visiting with them was like a piece of home, as they had ministered to us in Wapato at Community Presbyterian Church. Doug fixed us a yummy lasagna dinner cooked in a Dutch oven heated with charcoal briquettes.

Sheridan is a neat Western town, which has kept its main street downtown in spite of expansion on the outskirts. Great school buildings, parks, a pathway through and around town, a community college, a revitalization of older downtown buildings and museums to enjoy. There are even buffalo and elk in a park in town for all to enjoy.

This morning we worshiped at First Presbyterian Church and thoroughly enjoyed hearing Doug preach on the first tablet of the Ten Commandments from Exodus as well as Robin lending her talents to the church choir. We left after church and drove west into the Big Sky Country of Montana.

We enjoyed viewing more antelope, deer, mining, horse ranches, ski resorts, fresh snow in the distant mountains, mining operations, beef ranching, hay fields, fall colors of the cottonwood trees, and beautiful sunny weather.

Just as with our trip East, we are ahead of schedule. Plans are to drive through Idaho into Clarkston, Washington and home ahead of schedule. Soon these travels will be over and it will be back to everyday life in Sunnyside.

Out of Oklahoma, Through Kansas and Into Nebraska

2008-10-24T18:50:00.000-07:00

We woke up this morning to ice on our windshield in Perry, OK, just North of Oklahoma City. Beginning early, we traveled in the dark North towards Wichita, Kansas. Driving on the Kansas Turnpike was probably the best road we have had the privilege to drive.

Once leaving the turnpike we continued North on an Interstate with the exception of a short five mile side trip to Lindsborg, Kansas. What a delightful small town capitalizing on their Swedish origins. Bethany College is also located in this community. Hopefully, the pictures will highlight their quaint main street.

Kansas lived up to its reputation of "amber waves of grain" but not wheat this time of year, but milo and soybeans. Many grain elevators and oil pumping rigs lined the skyline as well as a section of the new windmills producing electricity. Continuing North into Nebraska we noticed that it has rained recently; with one small town of Elwood, Nebraska having enough snow that it had been bladed; leaving small piles along the road. Sure glad we dug out the jeans and long sleeved shirts this morning.
The day was spent mostly driving North and West to reach Scottsbluff, Nebraska where we are staying tonight. A quick stop to view a Pony Express Station in Gothenburg, Nebraska was awesome. We enjoyed driving off the Interstate paralleling the North Platte River for most of the afternoon. As darkness approached we viewed Chimney Rock which served as a beacon of the plains to those traveling the Oregon Trail to a new life in the West. One forgets just how much history abounds all over these great United States.

Tomorrow we plan to push on through Wyoming, with a stay in Sheridan planned for Saturday night and Sunday.

Arkansas and Oklahoma

2008-10-23T17:57:00.000-07:00

After spending the night in Conway, Arkansas just North of Little Rock we traveled Northwest into Oklahoma and connected up with a section of Route 66. It was very picturesque and included a stop at this round barn which was totally restored by a group of volunteers -- all over the age of 65. It was interesting to tour and see how involved the restoration was for those folks.

Just a mile up the road was another attraction, but this one was very new and modern, called Pops. We stopped for lunch and marveled at the selection of pop flavors from all over the United States. Every flavor, color, and bottle shape imaginable were there for viewing or purchase. It is a restaurant, gas station, tourist attraction, park, picnic grounds, just a fun place to spend a little time.

On the outskirts of Oklahoma City we stopped to tour the National Cowboy Museum. It is a huge complex with historical displays and currently a display of American Crafts which was most impressive.

Following Route 66 into Oklahoma City, we managed to locate the memorial of the courthouse bombing that happened in 1995. A very fitting park and grounds have been erected to those who lost their lives in the bombing. The tree pictured survived the bombing. The chairs are arranged on the lawn according to how many died on each floor of the building, with the smaller chairs representing the children that died. Outside the entrance some of the temporary fencing has been left up so people can place items there in memory of those who died.

Tomorrow we will be continuing our travels North and West through Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado.

Trivia = We purchased gas tonight in Guthrie, Oklahoma for $2.19. Of course there are oil wells pumping the oil out of the ground located just a mile from the gas station in all directions.

Traveling Through Alabama and Mississippi

2008-10-22T18:08:00.001-07:00

We spent the night in Florence, Alabama and spent yesterday morning touring Ivy Green which is the birthplace of Helen Keller. Behind this "Little House" where Helen lived with her teacher, Anne Sullivan; is the well where Helen learned her first word, "W-A-T-E-R". The other home is a Frank Lloyd Wright home in Florence that has been restored and is open to the public. It was awesome to be able to take a tour of it.

The drive down the Nachez Trace Parkway was just lovely and thoroughly enjoyable. It was the original pioneer trail of 475 miles, of which we drove only 50 miles. There is so much history with many stops at overlooks and displays. Driving across Mississippi was delightlful also. We drove for about 150 miles through flat Mississippi Delta farm land that was just beautiful.

Renewing acquaintances with Pat and John Stoltman and their two grown children Katie and Chris was wonderful. It has been about 30 years since we have seen them. We were able to tour Clarksdale, Mississippi, a nice town with lots of real Southern flavor with Pat. Chris works as a manager for a farm of about 10,000 acres where they raise sod, cotton, and soybeans predominately. He took us on a tour of the cotton and soybean harvest. Leroy was a "farmboy" again and delighted in a ride on a 6-row cotton harvester (John Deere of course)! Having had several textile classes as a Home Economics major in college, I especially enjoyed the tour of the cotton gin process.

Leaving the beautiful Mississippi Delta farmland, we drove to Little Rock, Arkansas and toured the Clinton Library at the end of the day. Very interesting and well presented. Tomorrow we hope to travel into Oklahoma and do some touring.

No miles traveled by bicycle.

Life After the RIDE

2008-10-20T17:35:00.000-07:00

These Blue Ridge Mountains in North Georgia depict the views we have so enjoyed throughout Georgia and Alabama since completing our bicycling odessey on October 11.

We experienced rain the day after the completion of our "ride" so after worshiping in a 150 year-old United Methodist Church in Savannah, GA; we drove up to the kids cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains for a couple of days R & R and to celebrate Rinda's birthday there.

A midweek evening ride with Rinda and the grandkids. This is the Silver Comet Trail which is a rail trail that Leroy rode on Thursday to the Alabama border and back adding another 100 miles onto the seventeen the night before with the group. He also took in a twenty mile ride through Atlanta on the Freedom Trail ending at Stone Mountain Park. Included is a picture of the famed "kudzo" which was very prevalent along the Silver Comet Trail.

On Saturday we were priviledged to see both Liske and Anneke play in their soccer games. As a former kids soccer coach and referee, it was great to see them playing. Lena Jean is only a few steps behind them in everything they do even though she is only 19 months!

Here are the reasons we took a week of R & R in Atlanta after the ride. We had a great time in Atlanta seeing our kids and grandkids. Ballet, soccer, shopping, Stone Mountain, a picnic, building a loft library for the girls, building a butcher paper holder, cleaning a closet, bicycling on the Silver Comet Trail (see below for more miles Leroy has added) visiting their church, relatives, and friends; made for a quick week.

Meet our friends, Ausie and Beth Clement. We go back many years to Fort Dix, New Jersey Basic Training and Fort Benning Georgia pre-Viet Nam. It was a gorgeous drive North through Alabama to visit them in Athens, Alabama today. We have visited a few times with them over the years. The water tower just seemed to embrace the support for our troops all across the South.

When we left Atlanta on Sunday afternoon we had a great visit with Al and Pat VanderPol in Anniston, Alabama. They are friends we both grew up with in Mount Vernon Washington; also our paths crossed at Fort Dix, New Jersey and Fort Lewis, Washington during the Viet Nam era. We spent the night with Zeke and Linda Willis, Army friends from Fort Lewis who live in Birmingham, Alabama. It is such fun to just take up where we left off the last time we visited, even though many years may have passed in the meantime.

Miles Traveled during our week in Atlanta = 137

Total Miles Traveled = 2,871

Trivia = Stay tuned as we travel through more of the USA heading home to Sunnyside.

The Atlantic Ocean -- We Made It!!!!

2008-10-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

What will 32 days of pedaling a bike get you? -- from Santa Barbara, California to St. Augustine, Florida - - 2,734 miles or 85 miles a day. After riding 72 miles today, I was able to dip the front wheel of my bike into the Atlantic Ocean at about 1:00 PM. After the bike took a dip it was time to strip off the shoes and socks and take a swim. It has been 40 years since I was stationed in the area that I last took a dip in the Atlantic Ocean.

The trip this morning out of Palatka, Florida took us up and over the St. Johns River and then for 35+ miles north parallel to the river. This is a dammed river so in places it was well over 5 miles in width. The land was very rich sandy loom and one of the towns we rode through was named Spud, so it gives you some idea of what takes place as far as farming; in addition there were hundreds of acres dedicated to sod farming. Almost every home had a boat dock some of which had multiple boats moored by it. The ride was entirely flat with the exception of rises in the road that would take me over a drainage ditch.

We took several hours of time to tour St. Augustine following the ride and then started our trip up north toward Atlanta, Georgia. We will, however, do some additional sightseeing before we reach our destination. Tomorrow we plan to attend church in Savanna, Georgia; followed by some touring in that community.

For those of you that are concerned that I had promised 3,300 miles, well you’ll have to stay tuned to see how I will ride those miles. The first couple of hundred will be ridden on the Silver Comet Railway Trail that runs from Atlanta GA into Alabama. This is a beautiful railway that has been paved for at least 85 miles. This will also be the location that I will get to ride with my granddaughters who are very excited to demonstrate their long distance abilities.

Miles Traveled Today = 72
Total Miles Traveled = 2,734

Trivia = I thought I was just swerving to miss another piece of truck tire when the thing started to move to get out of the way. It was a good-sized snake!

I had a pickup stop along side me and ask if the road he was currently on was the fastest way to get to Jacksonville. I told him it wasn’t, but I was not sure how to get to the closest freeway that would bring him there. He asked where I was from and when I told him the State of Washington he just said S--t. Seems like he doubted me!

We paid $2.91 a gallon for gas when we entered Georgia. Why is gas so cheap here?

Oh yes, in recalculating the miles there was an addition error back about 21 days ago of 11 miles, therefore the corrected total is 2,734 = WE MADE IT

Palm Trees, Hibiscus, and Humidity

2008-10-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

Rode the first five miles out of Lake City on the sidewalks to avoid heavy traffic because of very foggy conditions. The next 25 miles was in dense fog through very marshy terrain. It was easy to imagine alligators crawling up out of the marshland to sample a bicyclist leg bone! When the fog did lift we found ourselves in Starke, Florida but the map showed it as Lincoln City. This town had a creek running through it named Alligator Creek.

It was an opportune time to stop for an early lunch break as I had my 13th flat tire. As we completed lunch and changed the tube, the sun was peaking through the fog layer. The afternoon was spent continuing on a road that was flat and straight for 35 miles. It was a very nice change of pace from up and down. However, not to be lulled to sleep, I suddenly found the seat leaning back like it has come loose. In checking I found the carbon fiber seat post had broken. Fortunately, Libby was only a mile ahead and a cell phone call sent her back to rescue me. The solution was that I moved the seat post from Libby’s bike to mine and it worked.

The remainder of the ride today was without incident, 83 miles after starting our day we found ourselves in Palatka, Florida.

Tomorrow is just a short 50-mile ride to our final destination, St. Augustine and the Atlantic Ocean, however, there is a scenic route I am considering along the St. John River -- what's another 20 miles?

Miles Traveled Today = 83
Total Miles Traveled = 2,651
Trivia = Windshield wipers on my glasses would have been a nice addition for the fog today. I had enough dew dripping off my mustache that I didn’t need much water for the first 25 miles.

75 Miles and Never Dry

2008-10-09T15:54:00.001-07:00

Today began with overcast skies so Libby and I took off driving from Oak Hill Ranch in Monticello where we stayed last night at about 7:15 a.m. We hadn’t driven but two miles and the rain began again, so we returned to our warm, dry “cabin” at the Bussells. Spent the time writing postcards and getting yesterday’s blog started. Tried again at 9:15 a.m. and sure enough it wasn’t raining anymore.

The temperature was 75 degrees and extremely humid with water on the roadway so that every time a car passed me I received a shower, and each time a truck passed me I received a bath!! This was road grime water to top it off. Libby kept close tabs on me all day because it rained intermittently, but I pedaled on. Made a stop in Madison, Florida for lunch at McDonalds and then pedaled almost to Lake City before getting caught in a torrential downpour. Fortunately, I had to tolerate it for less than a mile as my rescue angel was waiting for me. More ups and downs with longer stretches of flat today, entirely without wind. Praise the Lord for small favors.

Right now we are in a motel at Lake City and I am doing bicycle maintenance as the rain washed away the lubricants from my last maintenance on Sunday, and left my gear chain full of sand and road grit. Also, my back tire is disintegrating so it is time for a new tire. (Thank you Luke for sending me on my way with a spare.) In checking my liner, I discovered another piece of steel belted radial residue poking through. No flat tube, however.

The first community we came through after leaving Monticello was Greenville, Florida. Libby saw a nice community park so she checked it out and found this great bronze statue of Ray Charles. He called “Greensville” his home, as it was where he was raised, where he had the unfortunate accident that caused his blindness, and always where he returned to see his family and friends.

Each town continues with the fall decorations, which are unique and joyful to gaze upon along our travels.

Miles Traveled Today = 75
Total Miles Traveled = 2,568
Trivia = Amount of rainfall today = Seemed like four inches.
Passed an enormous peanut processing plant in Lee, Florida as well as a Pilgrim brand chicken processing plant.

Monticello, Florida

2008-10-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

October 8, 2008

We left Chattahoochee on Hwy 90 for just a couple of miles and then turned north to ride up into Georgia for a few miles before turning south again to join Hwy 90 in Quincy, Florida. We felt it was necessary to include Georgia in the ride since our daughter Rinda and her family live in Atlanta. From that point we continued on Hwy 90 for the rest of the day. There were many exciting times riding along 90 depending on whether there were shoulders or not along the road. In addition it had rained most of the night so the roads were wet and the frogs seemed to think the road was the stream. Hundreds of them had been run over by vehicles, which meant that the road surface was slick with frog innards. There are many times I need to ride the white line on the side of the road, but it too was very slick since water on paint is just like a lubricant. The last issue was that there may not be any mountains in North Florida, but don’t let anyone let you believe that it is flat. The ups and downs are not very deep, but they just never stop. This keeps me shifting gears between 6 mph and 20 mph all day long. In spite of the conditions, I was able to get in 82 miles before it started raining to hard to continue. About 3 miles short of Monticello, Libby came out and rescued me since it was raining fairly heavy which makes it difficult for drivers without their windshield wipers turned on to see this target.

The ride though Tallahassee put us right downtown along Florida State University and the Capital buildings as well. Since my brother Don attended FSU for graduate school while I was stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia; we had visited the area many times in 1969. I will have to admit that there was absolutely nothing I could say I remembered about the location. As with most large cities you have to ride through 3-4 miles of shopping centers before you reach the heart of the original community. The nice thing about the new parts of the city; they have created bike lanes in which to ride. In the older sections you are back to just the white line!!!

The thing I do remember most about Tallahassee were the big oak trees with all of the Spanish moss hanging in the trees. Many of the roads are lined with these oak trees as well as Myrtle trees. In addition throughout the entire state of Florida the sides of the roads are mowed just about as neatly as peoples lawns. So regardless of the terrain you are riding in beautiful surroundings.

Last night we had the pleasure of staying with Reese and Jerry Bussell in Monticello, Florida. We have mutual friends in Birmingham, Alabama and they so graciously offered to have us stay in their "cabin" as our travels brought us within a mile of their home. It was a great place to stay and we so enjoyed getting acquainted as well as a wonderful home-cooked meal. Visiting with the Bussell s was a great way to enjoy the thunder, lightening and pouring rain outside.

Miles Traveled Today = 82
Total Miles Traveled = 2,493

Chattahoochee

2008-10-08T03:58:00.000-07:00

Leroy crossed the Apalachicola River, viewed the George Woodruff Dam, with Lake Seminole backed up behind it only to discover that I was back five miles as there was no motel in Chattahoochee. He called and I picked him up. We are staying in Sneads, Florida which is in the Central time zone, but the Eastern time zone is just five miles down the road from here.

Today was his 28th day of riding. Today was pedaling into an East wind again, overcast with a light rainfall, warm and very humid. Even without rainfall when Leroy takes his gloves off at

the end of the day, they look as though they have been in dishwater all day. The bicycle spends the night in the motel room with us so the handlebar cushioning grips can dry somewhat.

Today is the first day we have viewed kudzu, which is a lush growing vine that grows very fast and covers everything in sight slowly killing any other growing plants and trees. The farther we travel into Florida the more Spanish moss we see hanging from trees. It is very pretty, but it also eventually kills the tree it is attached to. Cotton harvest is in full swing along the roads we traveled today. We also observed peanuts being harvested. Boiled peanuts are sold at every stand, mini mart and community grocery store along the way, as well as yummy fresh roasted and salted.

Miles Traveled Today = 88

Total Miles T raveled = 2,411

Trivia = Visited more scarecrows in the decorations of all these small towns than I have in my entire life. Fall decorations here are neat; businesses compete; towns compete; counties compete.

Pensacola to DeFuniak Spring Florida

2008-10-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

Today was warm and more humid than we have experienced elsewhere in the South. It was overcast all day, which seemed to make it worse. Leroy took off at about 7 a.m. this morning and I drove about ten miles up his route and found a bicycle trail called the Blackwater Trail in Milton, Florida. I rode it to the end and then it changed into the Old Military Trail which ended at the entrance gates to Navel Air Station Whiting Field.

The trail was great with many wild flowers blooming along the way. Most of the ones I saw were familiar ones to me. The goldenrod is blooming here as it is in Washington right now. There were wild honeysuckle, beautiful blue morning glory, and a couple I didn't recognize. The trail/road sign just had to be included for one of our donors.

Leroy's route was simple to follow as he was on the same road all day. The shoulders were good , but he battled that Easterly wind again all day. Compared to riding along the beach of the Gulf Coast it lacked some scenery. Three towns that he biked through were very historic with one town having 250 places on the National Historic Register. Beautiful old Victorian styled homes, original train depots, 1800's styled store fronts and very old churches were nice to view.

This is a White Top Pitcher Plant which I have never had the opportunity to see before.

We are staying in DeFuniak Springs, Florida tonight which is a very

historic town. The town is located on the shores of Lake DeFuniak said to be one of only two perfectly round lakes in the country, and this one is spring fed. The oldest continually operated library in the state is located here on the lake -- very neat building with leaded glass windows and doors.

Miles Traveled Today = 88

Total Miles Traveled = 2,323

Trivia = Gas prices have been a high of $4.06 in California at the start of our trip to a low today of $3.21 in Pensacola, Florida.

Today is October 6 - exactly one month since the start of this bicycling odyssey.

Sunday in Pensacola

2008-10-05T18:35:00.000-07:00

There are spectacular ocean beaches surrounding Pensacola, Florida with sugar-white sand.

How nice it is to have a day off! We actually slept in, something I seldom can accomplish. We enjoyed a waffle breakfast here at the hotel before we went to church. We noticed last night that a large Baptist Church was located about a block from the hotel. We normally do not attend churches that hold over 500 so were just a bit concerned what we might be getting into when considering this huge facility. Much to our surprise we were truly blessed by the entire worship service. The choir was 75 members strong, accompanied by a 25-piece orchestra and a praise team of ten outstanding singers. The music director was a very talented person in both his leadership and ability to lead the congregation in singing. The sermon was based on Isaiah 55, 1-7 entitled, The Great Invitation.

Following church we went for a short ride to view the sites of Pensacola and checked out the start of the ride for tomorrow towards De Funiak Springs.

This evening as we were headed out for a bite to eat before retiring, I noticed a person riding into the hotel parking lot with not only panniers hanging off the bike but he also had a tow behind trailer. I stopped him to inquire about his destination. Was I ever surprised when he told us he is on at least a two-year ride that will crisscross America, Canada and South America. He plans on pedaling about 40,000 miles. You can check out his blog at les3Ameriques.canalblog.com. This gentleman is loaded down with about 240lbs of gear plus himself. He generally camps out 3-4 days, then finds a hotel for a day and starts the cycle all over again. I know this is beyond my ability but I certainly admire somebody that can make progress each day pulling that kind of weight.

Florida and a small portion of Georgia to accomplish my goal of cycling across the USA!!!

Another Great Day Along the Gulf

2008-10-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

Since we stayed at a bed and breakfast place last night and breakfast was not served until 8 AM getting started was delayed today. We then needed to board a ferry off Dauphin Island, which did not leave until 9:30 AM. We reached the mainland of Alabama at 10 when I finally got to make some serious progress towards Pensacola. Since we were biking very close to the Gulf all day, I spent most of the day with a serious headwind. The great part of the trip, however, was all of the beautiful scenery of Gulf waters and sugar white sand along the way. Once again the only hills that I encountered today were bridges that went over various waterways that arc way up in the air to allow boats to pass under them without having to open the bridge. Most of the cities along the gulf have some very big time growth going on. I’m not talking about small homes; these are huge condo complexes that look to be at least 20 stories high. Millions upon millions of dollars are being spent on these very luxurious places.
Our ferry held a total of 18 cars and took us out past some off shore natural gas towers in Mobile Alabama Bay. We learned that this area happens to be the largest natural gas reserve in the United States. We were also very privileged to see many birds and they were very willing to pose for us. This area of Alabama is known for its many birds and it is migratory season now.

As usual each day we get to see some very unusual items along the way. Today we spotted a mailbox. When Libby stopped to take the picture, she discovered the individual had a whole yard full of very unusual creatures.

I suspect the most striking feature that really catches your eye is the mile upon mile of the white sand. Since each day is still in the high 80’s there are many people out swimming and enjoying the beaches. I will have to admit that since this has been a long tough week of riding there were times I gave serious thought to just calling it a day and joining them on the beach.

Miles Traveled Today = 72

Total Miles Traveled = 2,238
Trivia = Riding along the beach in Orange Beach, Alabama, I witnessed a young motorcycle rider do a block long wheelie not realizing two cars behind him was the local community police. The police must not have been as impressed as I was about his skill since his colored lights came on almost immediately.

Gulfport MS to Dauphin AL

2008-10-03T16:46:00.001-07:00

White sandy beaches that were already cleaned up after the last hurricane and some still in progress was the view for about twenty-five miles upon leaving Gulfport, Mississippi.
Highway 90 provided an excellent route as many parts of it were under construction leaving barriers for me to ride behind. After spending the day yesterday shifting gears every half mile, today the only time shifting was necessary was to cross bays and inlets via large arching bridges. The longest of the bridges was three miles to get onto Dauphin Island, Alabama where we are spending the night at a bed and breakfast. Not only was the land level but also the views of the Gulf of Mexico were spectacular (Gulfport, Ocean Springs, Biloxi Bay, Pascagoula Bay, Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay).

Traveling along through Gulfport, we could view directly much of the damage still left from Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita and now Ike. The many oak trees that were killed during Hurricane Katrina are still standing and are slowly being converted into carved works of art. Some that were just recently damaged by the surge of salt water from Ike will recover, we have been told. Houses that were torn off their foundations and pillars have been removed with only the base left standing on which to hopefully rebuild. There are numerous piers that only parts are left hanging out over the water as evidenced in the pictures.

Dauphin Island, Alabama is the first European colony founded in Alabama in 1559 and is very picturesque with much local history; such as the signing of the Louisiana Purchase being completed here. Also Fort Gaines built back in 1850 is located here, and in 1861 was seized by the Confederates but fell in 1864 to the Yankees in the Battle of Mobile.

One of the major problems following storms on the island is the white sand moving off the beaches and onto the island roads. As you can see from the picture it is plowed and piled up just like snow on the sides of the road. It all has to be removed and put back on the beaches.

Miles Traveled Today = 88
Total Miles Traveled = 2,166
Trivia = Was able to cover 17 miles in one hour with a slight wind at my back and flat terrain.
Flat number 12 occurred directly in front of the Hard Rock Casino, which is shown in a picture on yesterday’s blog.

Wondering Through the Woods

2008-10-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

It is amazing what one can learn when travelling through small town America by just reading the local water tower.

We left Bogalusa, Louisiana with a definite plan on how we were going to get to Gulfport Mississippi. Once we crossed the Pearl River that separates the two states we discovered the plan might not be the best idea. What had been a road with wonderful shoulders in Louisiana turned out to be a road with no shoulders whatsoever in Mississippi. After traveling 20 miles hugging the white line while being passed by logging trucks and pulp carrying trucks; we decided it was time for a new plan. This new plan put us on very rural roads weaving in and out of various draws for a very rough 35miles as well as too many hills to count. By the time we found a spot to eat, I had ridden 55 miles of very tough terrain. At this point it is always tempting to eat too much that makes the rest of the day uncomfortable. I have told Libby to make sure she really limits my mid-day eating since the price you pay after eating and riding hard is not worth the gratification of a big lunch.

The afternoon ride was a straight shot down Hwy 49 to Gulfport an additional 32 miles. It was rolling hills with a slight wind but the temperature was in the low 80’s so it was very pleasant. The last few miles into Gulfport was full of off and on ramps so my rescue angel hauled me in the last three miles.

After a shower and a short rest period we went down to the beach and drove some of the route I will ride tomorrow. We were told that there is still a lot of damage from hurricane Katrina and that some parts of Hwy 90 were closed. Much to our delight we found that the road is open, but there are many places that I will have to ride around short detours.

Much of Gulfport has been rebuilt, with the casinos being the first. Tourism is alive and well and going strong around all of the construction.

Miles Traveled Today = 87
Total Miles Traveled = 2,078
Trivia = I saw my first wild boar. It looked to be about 300 lbs and I was surprised by how fast it could move. The back rural roads were full of dogs but thankfully all they did was chase and bark.

Big City to Back Country

2008-10-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

Today our escape from Baton Rouge was on Hwy 16 through the suburbs of Denham Springs to the very rural areas of Northern Louisiana. On the way through Denham Springs one could not help but notice the numerous large churches of every faith. I suspect in a six-mile area I saw at least 15 churches that had multiple buildings and it looked as though most of them could seat at least a 1,000 individuals for a service. In most cases you could tell by the reader boards that they had a minimum of three worship services on Sunday morning.

Since I spent most of the morning riding mostly north I found myself gain elevation up and out of the bayous and into the rolling hills. The country was as scenic as any that we have viewed on this trip. Lots of gentleman farms as we left the suburbs of Denham Springs which then turned into legitimate farms of various types. About 20 miles out of town I actually rode past a very large dairy. By the number of cow shades I would estimate it to be a 2,000-cow dairy. Later in the day we passed a couple of more dairies but they didn’t seem quite as large.

In traveling through Louisiana, we can't get over the number of cemeteries, many times located next to or part of a local church. Gravestone monument businesses in every town have replaced the taxidermys of Texas towns. The cemeteries are all very large with mostly above ground crypts and large monuments.

Many of the 87 miles were rolling country through tree farms that feed the large pulp mill here in Bogalusa, La. I suspect if I could have kept track of vertical gain today that I climbed well over 4,000 ft. Instead of riding my normal 12-13mph I spent 8 hours and 15 minutes going the 87 miles. The weather remains absolutely perfect as far as temperature, but a little less in-your-face wind would be appreciated. One sight that caught our attention was a beautiful horse ranch with a sign that reminded us of our dutch heritage out here in the middle of Louisiana!

As I venture through small towns I enjoy asking people for best routes to the next community. Today I had the choice of two routes for the last 24 miles of the trip. When I asked a mechanic at a local shop what route he would take if he was riding a bike his response was prefaced with, “First that would never happen, Second you would be a total fool to take the one route since at least 12 trucks would run you over before you reached your destination.” I took his advice and here I am able to share this story with you.

Miles Traveled Today = 87
Total Miles Traveled = 1,191
Trivia = La. must be fox country, I saw four foxes today, three of them had made bad choices as to when they were going to cross the road and the fourth one was checking out his friend after he made the bad choice. He didn’t stick around long when he spotted me.

More Trivia = Home-grown-moving job. Saw a lamp with the shade attached fly out of the back of a pick up as they were traveling down the road. They didn’t bother to stop and pick up the multiple pieces.

Forests to Rice Fields

2008-09-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

For the past several days, we have been riding through forest farms owned by agencies such as Boise and Georgia Pacific. Leaving Oberlin, LA this morning I suddenly broke out into open areas with 45 continuous miles of flat land mostly used to produce rice and yams. At one point I thought I had returned to Viet Nam except I didn't see any water buffalos. The fields were beautiful in the morning light with the humidity rising off the fields. It looked like fog except it was warm to ride through. LA 104 East followed the contours of the various farms. In places the road was like riding on glass and in other places the roughness of the roadway bounced and vibrated the bike like no other roads have up to this point.

Our 11 a.m. lunch break was in Opelousas, Louisiana where we rejoined highway 190 East. Opelousas was a very old town with plantation type houses and is known as the birthplace of Jim Bowie and his discovery of the Bowie knife. Opelousas was even the capitol of LA during the Civil War, and is currently known as the "Yam Capitol" of the South. We recognized on the map that one section of 190 was not recommended for bike riding. Libby went ahead and checked it out. It was a 3.5 mile section of viaduct over swampy land with no shoulders, so she hauled me and the bike across.

That still allowed 40 miles of riding before reaching the Mississippi River at Baton Rouge. Again, there was no lane for bikes, so I was not able to ride the bike up and over the Mighty Mississippi.

The bridge was quite old with the railroad crossing inbetween East and Westbound lanes of traffic.

Having already ridden a total of 98 miles we decided to call it a day and find a motel. We are on the outskirts of Baton Rouge and I will leave from here tomorrow morning.

Miles Traveled Today = 98

Total Miles Traveled = 1,904

Trivia = Lots of water opportunities, but the water did not look inviting enough to dip my head in it. With my luck there would probably be an alligator waiting to take it off.

Chased Out of Texas

2008-09-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

Today was full of surprises! I was riding along this morning at about 8:30 AM just thinking about how nice it was going to be to finally be out of Texas. Suddenly from behind me came a female voice saying, “I was really looking good.” After getting over the initial shock I realized I recognized the voice. It belonged to Jeannie Cassatt who with her husband, Jim, a couple of our good friends from the Yakima area. After pulling off the road, we decided to get together about 11 miles down the road at the last community in Texas on Hwy 190, Bon Weir. So at 9:30 Libby joined us, and we all had a short breakfast together for about 30 minutes. Jim and Jeannie were in Texas to visit a cousin of hers and Jim will be attending a Colt gun show in Houston. We knew they were going to be in Texas, but certainly didn’t expect them to check on us in Eastern Texas.

Later in the day, after having lunch in De Ridder LA, I was riding along a rural road that had some fairly tall grass growing right next to the shoulder. A raccoon suddenly appeared on the road right in front of me. As soon as he saw me he jumped straight up in the air made a quick turn and exited off into the bushes. I don’t think I missed him by more than two feet.

Another very unusual site was seeing well over a thousand “FEMA” homes on wheels in De Ridder LA. They were parked at the local airport and you could see them lined up as far as the eye could see.

With the exception of two hills just before leaving Texas, the rest of the day was spent on very flat Louisiana land. Almost the entire day was spent riding through forested areas. There were several large pulp mills along the way. I was able to travel 91 miles today in 7 hours of biking averaging 13 mph. It was 57 degrees when I started at 7 AM and 86 when I finished at 3:30. We are currently in Oberlin LA, and I hope to reach Baton Rouge tomorrow.

Miles Traveled Today = 91
Total Miles Traveled = 1,806
Trivia = We have been introduced to a new bug. They call them Honeymoon bugs or Love bugs. You never see one, they always travel by twos; and they are joined together. You need to ride with your mouth closed. The front of the cars around here are covered with the black twosomes!!!

Jasper, Texas (not Wyoming)

2008-09-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

Before church this morning we went for a ride west of town to the Martin Dies Jr. State Park and Steinhagen Lake. Viewed more fallen trees from Ike damage. Very picturesque lake with much wildlife. Couldn't resist snapping a picture of this sign which is certainly something one would not see in Washington!

Jasper is known as the "Jewel of the Forest". There are two national forests just north of town and beautiful Lake Sam Rayburn Area with 550 miles of shoreline, making it the largest man-made lake fully located in the State of Texas. We enjoyed touring around it this afternoon. Yesterday, Leroy rode through part of what is known as Big Thicket Trail. This entire area is forested with pine and oak trees, very attractive to ride through.

We attended the First Presbyterian Church this morning in Jasper, Texas. It was an uplifting service, just what we both needed with many friendly folks. Last night we enjoyed a Cajun shrimp buffet at the Lone Star Buffet. Lots of different types of shrimp and local catfish as well.

Some of the local scenery included seeing many Dodge/Chevy/Ford dualie, diesel, pickups pulling a trailer holding a camouflaged quad runner and/or deer blind. Guess it is the first weekend of bow hunting season here. Also saw boats of all sizes, shapes, and colors headed to the local lakes for fishing. A group of six were parked at our motel last night.

Tomorrow will be our last day in Texas. Leroy hopes to ride into Louisiana by mid-morning.

Thanks for all of you who have stayed in touch with us through email, reading our blog, commenting on the blog site, phone calls, and holding us up in your prayers.

Fallen Timber and Blue Tarps

2008-09-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

These morning glories were blooming here and there along the route both yesterday and today. Even these blooms are "Texas BIG" compared to the wild ones we are used to seeing.

Today was a daylong ride through areas that suffered much wind damage from hurricane Ike. First you need to understand that the area is forested with pine and oak trees. So when the wind came through it blew trees over the power lines and in many cases blew the power lines themselves over. In some of the smaller communities or strip type malls, they were still using generators to provide minimal lighting and services. I don’t believe there is any way I could have counted the roofs that had blue tarps over part or the entire roof. Most of the trees that had fallen across the roads had been cut up and shoved over to the side of the road. We had an ice-cream cone in a Diary Queen that still had plywood over a couple of their windows. I would have loved to have a trailer along and pick up some of the oak logs lying along the road to use later in furniture building.

Today was a wonderful riding day as far as weather and terrain. It was 57 degrees when I started at 7 a.m. and 85 when I finished at 3 p.m. I rode 87 miles and only had to use 6 gears to cover the terrain (slowest speed 10 mph, fastest 18 mph). For the past several days as I have climbed in and out of “draws” I have used at least 15-20 of the available 27 gears on my bike. There was very little wind and there was one stretch of the road that was 15 miles in length with no turns and was perfectly flat as well as lined on both sides with tall timber to keep the wind away from the road. It may not have been the most interesting road, but after the hills and wind it was a very nice change. On this stretch of the road 24 logging trucks and 18 wood chip trucks that were all headed to a plant in Silsbee, Texas passed me.

As we completed the ride at 3:00 PM and started looking for a hotel we soon discovered that there was no room in the inn, or that the hotels were closed because of damage. Most were still filled with Ike evacuees. We ended up driving north to Jasper, Texas, which at this point I know little about except that there is a large lake near by. Tomorrow is a day off to rest, relax, tour, worship, and regroup.

Miles Traveled Today = 87

Total Miles Traveled = 1,715

Trivia = Experienced changing the 11th flat tire today

Pastureland to National Forest

2008-09-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

Arrived in Conroe, Texas after 78 miles of more uphills and into the East Texas wind. The shoulders along Highway 105 were smooth and wide for the most part. The morning was through dairy country with Jersey cows whose milk goes into some the finest Texas made ice cream called Blue Bell. The farms appeared to be predominately owned by folks of German descent. Libby toured the creamery in the morning before meeting up with me for lunch. It was a 100 year old creamery which is still a thriving local business in Brenham, Texas.

These wind mills are for sale at most feed, hardware and WalMart stores bordering Highway 105 also known as Texas Independence Trail. Don't have to wonder why there are so many windmills for sale!!!

The surprise today was beautiful Lake Conroe. Here were the first signs of damage from Hurricane Ike. There were trees down, many billboards in piles, and a boat dock that had flipped over and was laying on top of a roof with the pontoons sticking in the air.

The good news today was from the Treasurer of Dollars for Scholars, Kit Brown, that funds continue to come in and we are currently very close to reaching 60% of the $100,000 goal. We were contacted by the local KNDO TV in Yakima and there will be an update on our progress on the news tonight.

The temperature remains cool and agreeable, starting at about 60 degrees in the morning and ending at 85 in the afternoon. The humidity is hardly noticeable because of the wind.

Miles Traveled Today = 78

Total Miles Traveled = 1,629

Trivia = Ate lunch at a gas station/restaurant/mini mart/insurance office/liquor store that had four mounted wild boer heads on the walls -- we were sure thankful we ordered a chicken sandwich instead of pork.

Austin to Brenham

2008-09-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

Today started off with 17 miles of perfect riding conditions. Nice broad shoulders on the road, with some rolling hills and a perfect 66 degrees for nice cool riding. However, after 17 miles the shoulders disappeared, and I found myself riding on 6 to 8 inches of shoulder along a four-lane road. I am very thankful for the respect that the vast majority of vehicle drivers give me as I ride along these sections of roads. At the 20 mile point the good old wind out of the East began to blow causing the forward progress to get tough. We stopped in Giddings for lunch and then continued on to Brenham. Had there not been a slight directional change of the road so that I was not pedaling directly into the wind, I’m not sure I could have made the total distance today.

The farther we went east the greener it got. The ponds along the road were full of water, and all of the fields looked like we are driving in the Skagit Valley of Washington. Brenham is a community of about 15,000 and is known for all of the antique shops. We are driving Libby’s Honda Civic so there is no risk that we have room to pick up any goodies as we cross the country. All of the storefronts seem to be full so it looks like things are relatively healthy in the area. We have been through many communities that have had more than half of the storefronts boarded up.

Rode past some new oil wells in the Giddings area, more and more cows in the fields, and lovely green fields. Also saw a prefab housing business that built small cabins that could be added on to with the same design two or more times. Looked interesting and a very good idea.

Texans are proud of Texas and it shows in many subtle and obvious ways. Texas flags fly from most businesses and the entrances to the bigger ranches. Libby had the occasion to use a rest room at the McDonalds in Elgin, Texas this morning (home of George Bush, Sr.) that had a Texas shaped washbasin in the bathroom. A few days ago at the breakfast buffet in our motel, we had Texas shaped waffles for breakfast. She also had the car serviced after lunch at Wal-Mart in Giddings, and the paper laid on the floor was Texas shaped. Dairy Queen in really big across the middle of Texas where we have traveled and the outline of the state of Texas is in the middle of the DQ logo.

Miles Traveled Today = 81

Total Miles Traveled = 1,551

Trivia = Six dead racoons. Thousands of singing blackbirds lined the wires overhead for miles on end.

From Hill Country to City

2008-09-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

At 7 a.m. this morning I headed out of Fredericksburg on this road. The day began with 21 miles of beautiful farming countryside; peach orchards, grape vineyards, hay fields, cattle ranches and pickup trucks pulling livestock trailers to the nearest auction, which turned out to be a huge newly constructed yard along the highway.

One community I passed through celebrated their cattle ranching with all of these painted cattle along the road. There were many of them and were fun to view.

Once I reached Johnson City, home of LBJ, it was a return to the up and down draws with rough shoulders to ride on until reaching Austin. We had lunch at Dripping Springs which is a fast growing community. I did manage to get in about 50 miles of riding before the wind picked up. Each community has their own unique water towers. Libby has taken pictures of many of them.

As I rode through the countryside, I was impressed with the many grand entrances of the area ranches. Each was unique and displayed varied craftsmanship using native rock, metalwork and carved signage.

Upon reaching Austin, an attempt was made to negotiate the many on and off ramps of converging freeways. I decided that life was more precious than trying to ride through the metropolitan area, thus a call was made and my SAG wagon picked me up and we drove through the city and landed in Manor, Texas (just on the outskirts of Austin).

Since spending three days in the Texas Hill Country, I certainly have a better understanding why Lance Armstrong has such strong abilities to climb mountains. However, I am looking forward to the time when the terrain flattens out.

Miles Traveled Today = 82

Total Miles Traveled = 1,470

Trivia = Saw my first albino skunk

Crossed 17 creek beds with no water in any of them.

Junction to Fredericksburg (TX)

2008-09-23T17:22:00.000-07:00

This was another day of climbing hills and facing the wind in West Texas. A major change after 430 miles of riding on I-10, we left at milepost 477 to continue riding hills on Highway 290 to Fredericksburg.

Another discovery after leaving the freeway was that the shoulders became to rough to ride or disappeared entirely. Because of sparse traffic I found myself most of the day riding on one of the lanes of the 4-lane highway. Today was the first day since El Paso that I have viewed cultivated fields, even though it was quite marginal.

This area is mainly cattle, sheep and goat ranching along with private hunting ranches. This is BIG hunting country -- deer, wild turkeys, and wild birds. One of the most unique things that we see at all the local lumber and hardware stores are feeders for wild game, and blinds to sit in and shoot the wild game (as seen below). Every community also sports at least one taxidermy and game processing place of business. An amazing discovery is that even during the actual hunting season it is permissible to feed the game, which is also where the blinds are located.

We are staying in Fredericksburg, Texas a good-sized city that is a major tourist attraction. It hosts much German culture as they settled in this area over a hundred years ago. The town in very unique with shops, bakeries, restaurants and literally hundreds of B & B's in the old homes. They have maintained the originally architecture of the area using local stone for most of the buildings.

After a stop at the local bicycle shop to purchase more inner tubes and supplies, we were informed that after about 100 more miles of hill country Texas would flatten out. It is my hope that my legs will sustain me for another 100 miles of uphill into the wind.

Miles Traveled Today = 71 miles

Total Miles Traveled = 1,388

Are these buzzards waiting for a tasty Washington cyclist?

Trivia = Dead buzzards exceeded all other dead critters along the road. Spotted my first armadillo!

From Draw to Draw

2008-09-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

Today was a day of many, many ups and down through draw after draw. What looked to be a straight shot between Ozona and Junction, Texas turned out to be 27 draws (meaning uphill and down hill) and on top of that; the wind blew most of the day and I was riding into it. I guess you could say that if anyone wanted to learned how to maximize how to shift a bicycle, this would be a good section of the road for training! Twenty-seven times I was in the lowest gear of the bike pedaling at 6 mph with the highest speed being 24 mph on the down hill and still into the wind. Unfortunately, 6 mph uphill is four times longer than the brief 24 mph down.

The weather was cool and overcast until early afternoon when it did clear up to a balmy 85 degrees. Locating a place to eat at mid-morning or mid-day meal was difficult as there really wasn't much in between the two towns above. So reliance on my guardian angel came in handy again when she arrived about noon with a DQ hamburger, fries and lemonade.

There are no pictures today because our laptop won't turn on for some strange reason so we are at the public library in Junction, Texas.

Miles Traveled Today = 91
Total Miles Traveled = 1,327
Trivia = 9 dead porcupines and 27 draws (or cuts in the hills)
Also experienced my 9th flat at the end of the day so just walked the last mile to our motel.

Ozona, TX - Day of Rest

2008-09-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

Ozona, Texas is where" History Hangs Its' Hat! The entrance to town is graced with a very nice Chamber of Commerce building and park area.

We spent the day in Ozona, Texas attending worship, reading, relaxing, planning the next week and doing some bike maintenance.

Enjoyed this sight of wild turkeys crossing a lawn near our motel.

We worshiped at a Methodist church contemporary type service. The Youth Pastor/local English teacher led the service since the Pastor was attending a conference. Not only was she an excellent song leader, but her message on Matthew 20 was very well done. Lots of interest as to why a couple from Washington was visiting their community/church, and they were very interested in learning about a ride by bike across America.

Following the service we drove around the community to make sure we took in all of the tributes to Davy Crockett and any other points of interest. We also had lunch at the local Dairy Queen.

We have now laid out the rest of the route across Texas, and to the best of my ability to calculate, we should be exiting Texas on September 30. Hopefully, we will be in De Ridder, Louisiana on September 30. For those of you that have had the names of the communities we had planed to stay, certainly have recognized we have made many modifications to the planned route. Most of these adjustments have been made after talking with local people in various communities we have visited. So far the advice of the local people have not steered us wrong. In most cases they have suggested not taking some of the very rural roads I had planned, because they lack shoulders on which to ride and even water not being available.

Spent some time trying to figure out what caused all of the flats yesterday. The first flat was caused by a bad valve and was a very easy fix. Second flat by a very thin piece of wire stuck into the side of the wheel casing, and I am pretty sure flat number three was caused by another one of the spines from a Texas Thistle. So after some repairing, I have three spare tubes and when we get to the next community with a bike shop; we will pick up another half dozen tubes just to be safe. In most cases it takes about 15 minutes to check out and repair a flat tire. Pumping up the tire to 120 psi with a little hand pump that I carry on the bike is the toughest part of the tire-fixing ordeal.

Tomorrow it is off to Junction, Texas via Sonora and points of interest in between.

Texas Anniversary

2008-09-20T18:20:00.000-07:00

This is a small picture of what Crockett County, Texas pretty much looks like.

Today is our 42nd wedding anniversary and what a day it turned out to be. Our goal for the day was to ride 84 miles, double the number of years we have been married. Since Libby was dropping me off between Fort Stockton and Ozona it was easy to hit the exact location on the freeway that would give me the 84 miles necessary. I got on the bike at 7:00 AM and rode 10 ft when I discovered the back tire was flat. (Flat 5) Since we have been carrying a spare rim and tire, I decided to simply put on the spare. So by 7:05 I was on my way. The first 15 miles was covered in 58 minutes and I thought I would make it to the Ozona destination in record time. Just about that time I noticed there was a very long hill in front of me. Four miles later at 8 mph I was at the top and ready for another 12-mile gradual downward sloping road. Just as I was starting to get up to about 17 mph I noticed the bike tire was very low. So I pulled off the shoulder and began to replace the tube after checking the tire for any type of problem (Flat 6). No problem located so I took off for another 12 miles when once again I noticed a low tire. Made a stop, took off the tire pulled out the last tube I was carrying and replaced the tube once again (Flat 7). I pulled up another 4-mile hill only to discover at the top of the hill that once again I had a flat tire (Flat 8). At this point all I had left was patches to fix the tire. As I began to fix the tire I thought it would be best to give the guardian angel a call and bring more resources to my aide. So my 42-year bride brought me additional supplies and for the last time of the day I fixed one more flat that allowed me to make it the rest of the trip into Ozona.

I had no idea when I left this morning that the route between Fort Stockton and Ozona would require climbing about 14 miles of 6-7 mph hills. Pulling the hills was not all that bad except that going down the hills was severally restricted to speeds under 15 mph because of high winds. If I got going any faster than 15 mph the wind would start to shift me around to much and when you’re on the freeway shoulder, getting thrown around is not a good idea. So after 3 flat tires and 14 miles of hills and some high wind, I finally reached the Ozona community. I also rode past more wind generators, oil pumps and grazing sheep in the Bakersfield (TX) area than I could possibly count.

So after feeling sorry for myself and how difficult the day was, I had to give thanks just how blessed I really am to even be faced with these difficulties. Two years ago on our anniversary I was stuck in the hospital beginning my recovery from another round of chemotherapy. So what might seem tough at the moment simply needs to be put into proper perspective.

Libby and I went out to a local steakhouse for our anniversary dinner. It was a great dinner and we are currently enjoying M&M peanuts and Reese’s buttercups for desert as I attempt to share the day with you tapping on this keyboard. Does it get any better?

Trivia = Ozona, Texas is the only town in Crockett County which is 3,200 sq. miles!

Total Miles Traveled = 1226

Texas: Day Three

2008-09-19T17:09:00.000-07:00

We left Balmorhea, Texas at 6:45 AM after a hearty breakfast of oatmeal cooked in the microwave. It was still dark, but I was able to follow the white line on the side of the road until I got to the I-10 freeway and by that time the sun was starting to peak over the horizon. Even though it was 55 degrees, it was too warm to be riding with my jacket on. My destination for the morning hours was to reach Fort Stockton where I would meet up for lunch with Libby. The morning hours went very well as all conditions were as perfect as one could ask, and 4 hours after leaving I had ridden 52 miles.

We had lunch and I took off to add 25-30 more miles to make it so that by Saturday we could make it to Ozona; where we will take Sunday off. At 67 miles the good old wind started to blow and drove my progress down to the good old 10 mph. I didn’t have to suffer too long since at 77 miles I ended up with flat number four. I had picked up a “Texas thistle” thorn in the front tire. I had just got off the bike to walk it to an area that I could get behind a guardrail to repair the tire when my great rescue angel, Libby, showed up. I decided to call it a day and we drove back to Fort Stockton where we will spend the night. In the process of turning around, I discovered we were entering one of the windiest areas in Texas. Much to our surprise, we were able to view well over 1,000 wind generators on the ridges of both sides of the road.

Today’s traffic consisted of many bucket trucks that I suspect were headed to Houston to help restore the loss of electricity in the area. The trucks loaded with generators continue to be headed that way also.

Trivia = On the flat I pedal at 80 rpm, in one mile it takes 380 revolutions. In a typical 7-hour day I make about 34,000 pedal strokes. The bike moves just about 14 feet per stroke. As you might guess all of that depends on hill and other terrain covered each day

Total Miles Pedaled = 1142

More BIG

2008-09-18T07:20:00.001-07:00

Another beautiful, cool, Texas day with no head winds allowing for 107 miles of freeway travel. Yes, we have changed our travel plans once again. In looking over the planned route, Leroy just didn’t like the back roads with no shoulders and opted for freeway travel along I-10 – as it is the shortest distance between two points through a lot of nothing. He enjoys the eight feet of his own lane with billows of boosts from passing semi-trucks (the shoulder).

At our mid-morning break in Van Horn, Texas we ran into two very nice young men bicycling from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Seattle, Washington. We enjoyed visiting with Jason Taylor and Aaron Van Gelder (a Dordt College graduate). They had been zigzagging through Texas to visit with family and friends. Hope their travels go well.

Texas is big as far as the eye can see as portrayed in the picture above. It has its own beauty, but really lacks in rest stops, motels, restaurants, and places to relax. We did find a really nice motel in Balmorhea, Texas, population 527. It is located three miles off the freeway close to a State Park fed by a natural spring creating a perfectly lovely swimming hole of which the locals are most proud.

The restaurant recommended by the motel owner was excellent and also owned by his family. It is dubbed as “the best little restaurant in Balmorhea”. We chatted through dinner with two of the local teachers who were all excited about the completion of a junior high 6-man football game. The local school heralds 115 students in K-12.

Miles Traveled 9/18/08 = 107
Total Miles Traveled = 1,065
Trivia = Passed by at least 100 semi-trucks carrying generators to Houston to help with the power outages.
First day to average 13 mph.
Encountered two dead havalinas that won’t be chasing Libby!!

Texas is BIG

2008-09-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

Leaving El Paso at sunrise

Pecan groves along the way

Roads traveled September 17

Must have been 50 Border Patrol cars and SUV's parked here; a similar sight in many small towns we traveled through.

Our motel in Sierra Blanca!

Today, September 17, 2008 is the first full day into Texas. We left El Paso at 6:30 AM and arrived in Sierra Blanca at 2:00 PM, a distance of 91 miles. The first 60 miles was through some of the most beautiful farmland hosting a variety of crops many of which were being harvested. One of the more unique signs that we saw today was posted on a fence that had a large Pecan grove behind it; the sign read, “Do not pick my nuts.”

Some of the big things we have noticed: high school football stadiums, cotton fields and many other crops, full size 4x4 pickups with oversized wheels that howl like crazy as they drive down the road. Since they have had lots of recent rains, I rode past a big mud puddle along the edge of the road that was a ½ mile long. For supper we ate beef ribs, not only was it a big plate of ribs but also the ribs must have come out of a huge cow. When looking at a high school parking lot it is very clear that the biggest game in town is to run the pick ups through the big mud puddles and see how much dirt they can accumulate on their trucks.

The weather continues to be ideal. We started out at 57 degrees and ended the day at 75 degrees. The strong breeze started about 10:00 AM and of course it was blowing east to west. I will just have to learn to live with pedaling about 11 mph, and not let the wind get the better of me. I believed I was going to be riding about 14-15 mph, but I cannot maintain that for hours on end when riding into the wind. All the books I read in preparing for this journey suggested riding from west to east was the way to go because the prevailing wind blew from west to east. Apparently they have not ridden through Texas.

Tonight our accommodation in Sierra Blanca is a motel complex that was built in 1938. It is very unique to say the least. Real rock wall for exterior, solid pine wood floors and one electrical outlet!

Miles Traveled Today = 91
Total Miles = 958
Trivia = Passed up by no fewer than 47 Border Patrol vehicles

On to El Paso

2008-09-16T17:14:00.000-07:00

Beautiful designed homes in New Mexico and Texas.

Leaving Hatch, New Mexico at 6 a.m. at 50 degrees, riding into the sunrise the first 45 miles through Las Cruses was a dream: no wind, little traffic, viewing a variety of crops and many beautiful country homes with the Southwest architecture.

After meeting Libby and having a second breakfast, I was off riding on country roads to El Paso. What a Garden of Eden I was privileged to enjoy. In one stretch of Highway 28, I rode through fields of wine grapes, corn, sorghum, cotton, red and green hot chili peppers, green bell peppers, pistachio nut groves, and later many miles of pecan groves. For one stretch of the road the pecan trees created a tunnel for over five miles of riding. Since the temperature was only 75 degrees tops today the trip under the trees was actually very cool.

I ended the day with riding 20 plus miles on busy windy city streets through historic El Paso. Busy means three lanes of traffic with little or no shoulders.

Tomorrow it is off to Sierra Blanca, Texas.

Miles Traveled = 97
Total Miles Traveled = 877
Trivia = Saw 3 pairs of sunglasses and one pair of glasses along the road.
The first 45 miles was on a road that did not have any culverts. Signs warned that there might be water over the road.

Facing the Wind

2008-09-16T15:28:00.001-07:00

This is for yesterday, September 15, 2008. We were not in a wireless zone last night so couldn't get on line.

The New Mexico moon as Leroy was leaving Lordsburg and the struggle to get uphill and against the wind. . . . .

They say the wind was caused by hurricane Ike, but whatever the reason the wind blew all from the East to the West at 15 to 20 mph and it never let up. I was riding on the shoulder of the I-10 freeway, so the only time I got over 9 mph was when a semi truck would pass by and create a momentary vacuum. It would have been nice if there had been a solid stream of trucks pass by to really allow me to have maintained a nice speed. I did ride 79 miles today after starting at 6:00 AM and ending at 4:30 PM. Almost 10 hours of riding time. So after experiencing a day of wind we decided that tomorrow we would start from up north of Las Cruses, and ride from a community called Hatch, New Mexico to El Paso, Texas. Hatch is located on Hwy 185 about 30 miles north of Las Cruses.

We did manage to cross the Continental Divide at 10:00 AM at an elevation of 4,585 ft. I thought it would be a struggle because of climbing up a slope, but instead it was a struggle because of wind. Once over the divide there was no noticeable difference, the road continued to look totally flat.

We stopped at a bike shop late this afternoon to pick up another bike tire. My rear tire had six ¼ to ¾ inch cuts in it, that I suspect was caused by some glass that I have run over the past several days. I changed the tire tonight knowing that it is much easier to change in the hotel room as opposed to the side of he road.

The terrain remained very consistent all day so it will be nice riding through farming country tomorrow.

Hi! This morning I started the day riding my bike out with Leroy about eight miles. I turned around and went back towards the motel and experienced two interesting sights. The first was a rustling in the grass along side the road and out hopped a huge jackrabbit. He took off away from me, thank goodness. What a sight; it jumped up about eight feet in the air with each hop. Then about a mile down the road I heard hoof steps coming towards me and there were two havolinas (wild boars) coming towards me from across the road. Fortunately, a pickup truck was passing by and the gentlemen stopped his truck and then drove the wild boars off the side of the road.

The day ended with a flat tire on the car. Fortunately, I had already picked up Leroy and he changed it, drove to Wal-Mart and purchased a set of new tires. What a day!!!

2008-09-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

Day of Rest

2008-09-14T16:31:00.001-07:00

These tall and stately yuccas cover the landscape for miles around this area of New Mexico.

The copper mines goes on for miles on the way to Silver City.

The good Lord knew what he was doing when he assigned a day of rest. Not only has my body taken on new signs of recognizing what it feels like to be renewed, but my soul as well.

Libby and I drove up and over the continental divide to Silver City to check out the sites as well as to worship. We worshiped at an Assembly of God church and just by chance picked a church that was also celebrating the Lord’s Supper. For those who believe that one-hour is long enough to spend worshiping on Sunday, may have found the two-hour long worship a little stressful. We really enjoyed the service and found the people to be friendlier than in any church we have visited.

Silver City is a thriving community. It serves as the county seat as well as home to Western New Mexico University. It is also typical of most tourist communities with lots of different little boutique shops. The area surrounding Silver City has some of the largest open pit mines we have ever viewed. Most all of the mining is for copper so I guess the name Silver City comes from the past. For the past few days we have been passed on the road by truckloads of cooper ingots on the way to various places to be turned into many different commodities. We saw our first wild animal, a deer, since on the trip as we were driving up the continental divide. I have no idea why we have not seen more since the vegetation is very abundant and there certainly is nobody around bothering them.

On the way back from Silver City we drove to Deming which is the next largest town east on I-10. I will be headed there tomorrow and wanted to get a look at what faced me, as I know I will be pedaling across the continental divide for part of the ride.

Arizona Cotton Fields to Lordsburg, New Mexico

2008-09-13T19:43:00.001-07:00

We were truly been blessed by the best of conditions today. Libby and I got up early and rode together for several miles and then I was off on my own. The Safford AZ area is a beautiful agricultural area with many different crops, but mostly cotton. After about an hour on the floor of the valley it was time to climb up into the high desert.

Because of recent rains, the high desert was green and lush with many types of cacti, yucca, and flowering weeds of various types. Since the vegetation is so available, many of the little critters that live in the area were also plentiful. I would be lying to you if I said I ran over less than 5000 of the biggest grasshoppers I have ever laid my eyes on. By the time I finished my trip today my bike and my legs were covered with grasshopper innards. Not a pleasant thought but so very true.

I rode 107 miles today, which marks my fourth century ride. I rode two of them when I road the Seattle to Portland ride, one the first day of this ride across America and then today. I thought the tough part of a century ride would be my arms, legs, or lungs, but instead it’s my butt. I could have kept going today except my bottom said that’s it! Since we will be taking tomorrow off I’m hoping it will be prepared to take on another week of riding. The other difference in being able to go the long distance is the temperature. Today I started at 64 degrees and ended at 87 degrees.

Tomorrow we will attend church here in Lordsburg and then drive up into the mountains to Silver City. We’ll give you a report on it after the visit.

On Monday I will be heading for Las Cruces via Interstate 10. Numerous people told us that taking the route down close to the border was too risky with all of the drug traffic and other activities going on in the area.

Trivia: 5000 + dead grasshoppers by bicycle
3rd flat tire. This is only the second flat on my front tire in over 5,000 miles. I wish I could say the same for the back tire.

Total miles ridden = 701 or an average of 87 miles per day

Apache Junction to Globe and Beyond

2008-09-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

A New Day Outside Apache Junction, AZ -- Scenes Along the Way

What a day! 85 miles and 5700 feet of elevation gain. I got a nice early start and all was well until Superior AZ, then the road took off to the sky. After three hours of climbing on Hwy 60 with cars and trucks whipping by at 55 mph with no shoulder; I finally reached the summit. Since I was riding at 5.4 mph. I had to get off four times to take short breaks; the old legs were screaming.

Libby had gone to visit a classmate in Surprise AZ. and then drove to catch up to me; she arrived in Globe AZ. within 15 minutes of my arrival there. We had lunch and I was feeling like I needed a few more miles before calling it a day. So after riding up hill for 3 hours I got to ride down for about an hour and half to cover the next 30 miles. As I think about the day, I know that I certainly have much more energy to put into biking when the temperature is 15 degrees cooler. It never got over 84 degrees on any part of the ride.

We saw lots of different types of terrain. Much of it was mining country that goes way back to the 1800's. Many old mining relics dot the hillsides as well as huge cuts in the earth where they have been excavating for mostly copper.

We found ourselves out of cell phone contact many times throughout the day, but were able to find each other after some searching.

We are staying in Safford AZ. this evening as it was the next town with motels available. Tomorrow I will be shooting for 100 miles. We will be staying in Lordsburg, New Mexico Saturday night and all day Sunday for my first day off the bike.

Miles pedaled = 85

Total Miles = 594

Wickenburg - Where the West is Alive

2008-09-12T04:53:00.000-07:00

There were many reminders that yesterday was 9/11 as every community had flags at half mast and the businesses we entered had folks wearing patriotic colors. This picture was taken at the end of our trail for the day

-- Apache Junction, Arizona --

Wickenburg is to Arizona as Ellensburg is to Washington. Nice town with lots of remnants of the Old West.

Left Wickenburg on Highway 60 yesterday morning headed to Phoenix. The first flat tire occurred after twenty-six miles of riding. Weather was quite pleasant up in the foothills, but it did warm up considerably once reaching Surprise. However, the weather was an improvement over the previous few days, as it didn’t reach a high of 94 until the end of my ride about 3:00 p.m. in Tempe. The second flat occurred at 39 miles. Libby joined me with reinforcements - a heavy duty tube and the portable air compressor.

Libby worked out at Curves in Surprise, and then spent the remainder of the day following the bike path on the city streets, getting lost, and car touring many residential districts in the process.

After a hearty second breakfast, I left Highway 60 for streets through residential areas and onto the Arizona Canal bicycle path. It was a beautiful path along the canal, which took me through Phoenix. Many times along the pathway, it was tempting to take an off ramp down into the canal for a cooling swim, but I resisted. The pathway took me along the base of Camelback Mountain, through parks, around multi beautiful churches, and ended at Arizona State University Stadium in Tempe.

We didn't get to blog last night as a dust storm blew in making the WiFi connections unavailable. We spent the night near Apache Junction where I will leave this morning headed to Globe.

Miles Traveled = 79

Total Miles Traveled = 509

Blythe, California to Wickenburg, Arizona

2008-09-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

Leaving the California/Arizona border which is the Colorado River. Cacti in different shapes.

What a day! We got a nice early start out of Blythe only to find out that the scheduled breakfast location, Quartzite, was out of power. I rode another 20 miles up Interstate 10 only to find out they were out of power as well. It was time to call the rescue squad. Libby had stayed in Blythe to get her morning exercise at Curves and then pack up our stuff with plans to meet me about noon. However when I discovered there was no food to be had along the road I asked her to bring me some breakfast at a rest stop 40 miles from Blythe. Fortunately I had many energy bars and plenty to drink or I would never have been able to make it 40 miles.

Having stopped in Quartzite for the breakfast I didn't get; I meet a motorcycle rider who suggested not going to Wickenburg via Hwy 60 because of about 45 miles of fresh "Chip Seal" on the road. He said it was like having bullets fired at you when cars and trucked meet or passed you. Because of his suggestion I stayed on Interstate 10 straight east for 83 miles. This would have really been a nice ride except I had to ride against a fairly stiff breeze most of the way. There were many clouds that blocked the sun however, so it stayed cooler that 100 until 2:30 PM when I completed my ride. The route on I-10 once into Arizona was much more scenic than yesterday in California.

After having a large recovery meal we headed towards Phoenix and then turned north before getting to Phoenix so we could spend the evening in Wickenburg where we will launch tomorrow morning.

Miles Traveled = 83

Total Miles = 430

Trivia = Rode over 41 spots along the Interstate where cars/motorhomes had burned and melted the asphalt

Indio to Blythe California

2008-09-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

General Patton's Museum

Memorial Park in Blythe

Tuesday, September 9, 2008 was a very hot day. As I started my ride outside of Indio on Interstate 10 at 6:45 AM it was already 91 degrees. After riding about 4 hours, I needed Libby to come back and rescue me. I was out of water, and if you have ever made this trip you know there is nothing between Indio and Blythe. After getting more water I finished my ride about 1:30 and it was 102.

Originally, I had planned to ride south to Brawley on Hwy 111 past the Salton Sea then up north to Blythe on Hwy 78; but after visiting with a local sheriff I learned that it was okay to use the freeway. The shoulders were extra wide and very well maintained so other than VERY hot it was a smooth ride.

Miles traveled = 75
Total miles 347
Trivia = Bungee Cords along the road-72-- 24 of which were unbroken. No, I didn't stop to pick them up for recycling!!
Blown truck tires = too numerous to count!!

Into the Desert

2008-09-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

Monday Morning: It is the beginning of a new day and a new week. We spent the night at a PEO bed and breakfast, which was great. The Mudges were wonderful hosts and displayed the true spirit of Christian kindness and PEO sisterhood.

I transported Leroy to his starting spot about 6:45 a.m. after a hearty breakfast of steel cut oats with raisins (Leroy's favorite). The day is glorious, but quickly warming up. I drove to the near est town and in the process of searching for a bicycle shop, promptly got lost in Beaumont, California. We discovered last night that the valve stem and a small portion of my front bike tire which was on the rack on the back of the car, melted as a result of being to close to the car exhaust, hence a flat tire. Just have to get the tire repaired and store it in the car in the future.

Found my way out of Beaumont and also found Leroy was right on course; we traveled on secondary roads playing hopscotch with the car and bicycle. Saw an awesome wind farm along the way as well as a dinosaur park. After two very brief rides on Interstate 10, Leroy got onto highway 111, which meanders through Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells and ended in Indio. The day began with a temperature of 61 degrees and ended about 2 p.m. at 104 degrees of heat. The air-conditioned condo was a dream place to spend the afternoon and evening.

Miles pedaled 9/08/08 = 78
Total miles = 272
Aluminum cans on San Timoteo Canyon Road = 431
Total pictures taken = 5 -- couldn't get them to download on this public computer.

Get Your Kicks on Route 66

2008-09-07T20:28:00.001-07:00

Spent most of the 72 mile ride on Sunday, September 7 pedaling on the old Route 66 from Pasadena to Redlands. Warmed up considerably by late afternoon. Experienced many different road textures from ultra smooth to "original" Route 66 pavement dating back to 1949. Time to put this computer to sleep and myself too. Pedaled past this landmark Teepee Motel that has existed also since 1949.

And We Are OFF

2008-09-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

Beginning at Luke's home with Leroy's brother, Don and Luke. Luke had many of his friends join us for the first twenty miles of the trip to Santa Monica/Los Angeles area.

Just a bit of pre-ride jitters! Dipping the wheel in the Pacific Ocean at the Seawall in Santa Barbara, California.

We are ready for take off on September 6 at 7 a.m. PST.

We experienced beautiful weather and scenery along they way. Our day ended at our motel in Los Angeles for a total of 122 miles for the three of us. A great start for a cross country odyssey.

Still smiling at the end of the day!

Why Start in Santa Barbara?

2008-09-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

Two pictures are worth two thousand words, but we won't bore you with that many words about our wonderful grandson, Oliver Max Werkhoven.

Oliver is such a good baby because he has such wonderful parents. He is currently six months old and a joy in spite of being all boy!

Leaving Sunnyside

2008-09-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

Here we are ready to leave Sunnyside on Tuesday, September 2. Leroy's brother Ed and his wife Mary came over to wish us well and took this parting shot.

We travelled to Klamath Falls, Oregon where we spent the night. Wednesday we went on to Sacramento and spent the evening and overnight with Leroy's brother Don and his wife Joan.

Thursday we made it to Santa Barbara in time to take care of grandson, Oliver, while his parents finished their workday at Eye n Vision. Had a great time getting to know our grandson, Oliver Max, as we haven't seen him since April. Of course, it was nice to see Luke and Tiffany too!!!

Thing I see

2008-08-31T08:04:00.001-07:00

This sign appears along the shores of Lake Chelan which leads to the community of Manson. The sign is there because a cow actually fell on the roof of a car from the cliff that is on the opposite side of the road. I have driven this road many times to visit the schools in Manson . I often had concerns about the possibility of a large rock falling from the cliff but would have never expected a cow.

Talking about traveling, I turned in my 1991 Buick yesterday. It was just getting broken in, it had 315,000 miles on it. I will miss that car; it has been very faithful. Other than brakes and tires I spent $250 dollars on repairs over the duration of its life with me. I hope the bike I'm riding across America will be just as faithful.

Go Leroy Go

2008-08-31T07:52:00.000-07:00

We had two send off parties. The Dollars for Scholars Board and a group of friends from our church in Sunnyside

Harvest Festival

2008-08-30T14:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday before Labor day is always spent setting up the park in Wapato for the Annual Harvest Day Festival. We at least had a nice cool morning to get all of the work accomplished. We were blessed to have several trustees to help us set up. There was a day when we had enough Lion Club members to do it by ourselves, but we are now down to about 12 regular members that are still able to do hard labor.

In addition to setting up the park, enough taco meat was cooked to make 1200 tacos. Vendors set up their areas, the carnival is in place and the storage area organized.

Libby stayed home to bake pies for the pie booth. When I came home I enjoyed a piece of blueberry/peach pie fresh from the oven. Cherry, raspberry/cherry, apple, dutch apple, blueberry, peach and blackberry complete the list.

Tonight is the Miss Wapato Pageant where the lovely young ladies will showcase their talents and will be selected to represent Wapato for the upcoming year. It is always a very entertaining evening as it catches up the older generation on just what is now in style as well as what kids enjoy doing with their spare time. Lots of talent, multi-cultural representations, and energy is displayed by all those vying for the coveted spot.

In between these many events we are slowly packing for a leave time of noon on Tuesday.

Final Preparations

2008-08-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

We have had a very busy past few weeks as we prepare to be out of the area for two months. It all sounds very easy to be gone for a couple of months until you start to take a close look at what it is you do each day. I have tried to make sure I have meet with or left notes to everyone but I am sure the cell phone will be ringing from people wondering about things I forgot to share with them prior to leaving.

My bike is currently in the bike shop getting it's final adjustments. At this point the bike has carried me over 5,000 miles and my exercise bike was over 2,000 miles in preparation for the ride across America.

We currently are at $45,000 in fund raising and hope by September 2 to be at the $50,000 level. I had an opportunity to speak to all of the Toppenish and Wapato school district staff members and I fell confident they both will kick in for their students.

This weekend is the big Wapato Harvest Festival, once it is over I will be free to get on my bike and ride

2008-08-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

Wanted to post what I believe will be my schedule for my ride. There my be lots of adjustments made as we confront various barriers crossing this great country.

2008-08-12T11:37:00.001-07:00

Test

Seattle to Portland

2008-08-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

I finally got some pictures back from my Seattle to Portland ride and I thought I should at least post one of them. As you can see by the fact I'm still wearing my jacket when this picture was taken early in the day. By 9:00 AM it was warm enough to get down to a single layer.

This past weekend I attend my 45th class reunion. I will post a few pictures when they become available just to show what happens to you when your age and graduation date are the same "63" We had a great time and it was nice to see "old" friends. I also had an opportunity to ask my classmates to contribute to the scholarship program which is the real purpose of this 3,300 mile ride I am training for which will start September 6 just a month and a couple of days from now.

We stopped on the way home in Monroe to visit other relatives. I shared with one of my relatives I had now pedaled 6,000+ miles getting ready for the ride across America. His response was,"To bad those are all wasted and don't count towards the actual ride". It is nice to have sympathetic relatives.

GEAR UP-Surprise Speaker

2008-07-31T12:14:00.000-07:00

One of our Breakfast time speakers was Senator Hillary Clinton. We were not aware that she was going to be visiting so it was a surprise for all 2,500 of us attending the conference. She was an excellent speaker and was very thankful for the work GEAR UP sites are doing as well as encouraging for all of us to continue to find ways to help low income students find their way to college. At this same Breakfast we had Nick and James Cannon. For some of you that do not watch MTV you may have to Goggle them to discover who they are.

Washington DC Pictures

2008-07-31T11:47:00.000-07:00

World War II Korea memorial Watergate

These are just a few of the other sites we visited. We took a double decked bus which takes you to most of the sites.(National Cathedral, Union Station, George Town, Fords Theater, Embassy Road, and many other sites) We also took a boat ride on the Potomac river to get a good view of Watergate, Kennedy Center and the Pentagon. We had excellent weather with very low humidity considering the time of the year.

In the past we have visited Mt Vernon the Naval Academy, Harper's Ferry and many other historical sites.

Washington DC Trip

2008-07-31T11:28:00.001-07:00

As part of my work with GEAR UP I have had the opportunity to visit Washington DC on several occasions. This year along with attending many conference sessions my wife and I took time to visit most of the sites on the "Mall". Since I am a Vietnam veteran and lost many friends in that conflict I always go to the "Wall" to pay tribute to those who served. I served with the 25th Infantry as a platoon leader from December 1969 to April 1970. I was very fortunate to work with 29 young men who really gave it all. We spent most of our time between Chu Chi and the Cambodia boarder as well as many trips into Cambodia. I was with a mechanized unit so we covered a very large area.

I would have to say that both the officer training (OCS) and the opportunity to serve as a platoon leader was some of the best training I could have had as I prepared to teach and coach as well as serving as a school administrator.

2008-07-31T11:24:00.001-07:00

Finding the right wheels

2008-07-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

This is the third set of wheels that I have had on my bike in 4,000 miles of riding. The front rims have worked fine but the rear rims have had problems with the spokes pulling out of the rim on the drive side of the rim. My cycle shop, Valley Cycle in Yakima, has been excellent to work with in solving the problem. I'm not sure they make a rim to hold a 240# guy but I will be taking an extra set of rims wih me on the 3,300 trip to insure that a broken rim does not cause me lost time.

The front tire has gone the entire 4,000 miles but I am on my third back tire. Certainly must be much more stress back there than up front. I will put new tires on both ends a couple of weeks before I leave on my trip.

Sunnyside Paper Article

2008-07-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

I spoke at the Sunnyside Kiwanis and one of the writers for the Sunnyside paper wrote a very nice article about my up coming ride. It is amazing how many people respond to these articles by donating to the scholarship program. We are currently at $25,000 or 1/4 of the way to our $100,000 goal.

Today I rode to work. It was a great 24 mile ride and I averaged 14.5 mph get here. The ride home this afternoon will be in the mid 90's but there will be a wind at my back and I will be able to average a little over 18 mph. At that speed it is easy to stay cool and still ride for a couple of hours.

204 mile ride-Seattle to Portland

2008-07-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

On July 12 and 13th I rode the Seattle to Portland ride along with 9,500 other riders. I started at the UofW at 5:15 and arrived in Centralia 1:00 PM. I averaged 14.7 mph. On Sunday I rode from Centralia to Portland. I left at 6:15 AM and arrived in Portland at 2:30. I averaged 13.8 mph. Both days the starting temperature was 53 degrees with the ending of the day temperature about 95 degrees.

The STP is a very well organized event. Well planed stops for food,water and mechanical support if needed. The roads and trails bring you through some of the most pictorial parts of the state. Mt Rainer, Saint Helen's and Mt Hood were all at there best.

The purpose of this ride for me was to see if riding two 100 mile rides back to back were possible. So as my September 6 date approaches for my ride across America I believe all of the miles I have trained are indeed paying off.

I will now have to take some days off the bike for the rest of July to train for my annual hike up Mt Adams. I have been fortunate to be able to hike Mt Adams every year since 1984. I plan on Hiking July 31 this year.

News Articles supporting the ride

2008-05-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

I have been very fortunate to have the local paper support my ride across America. I will post the link to the article so you can see what the greater Yakima Valley got to learn about my ride for student scholarships. www.yakimaherald.com/stories/4440

Yesterday one of the local TV stations spent considerable time filming and interviewing me about the ride. The interview also included one of the Wapato high school teachers Gail Huibregtse. I suspect the piece will be shown sometime this weekend May 31 or June 1.

At this point we have sent out about 250 letters to friends and relatives asking for their support. This has been a new experience for me. I have sold thousands of raffle tickets for the local Lions Club but I have never asked people to support something that my name is attached to. I suspect I will get bolder as I get closer to the date I leave on the ride.

2008-05-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

I have just completed signing up for the Seattle to Portland ride. This is a 204 mile ride that allows 9000 rides to make a trip in either one or two days between to large Northwest cities. I believe if I am able to complete this double century ride that my conditioning for the cross country ride is such that I will have the confidence to make the 3,300 mile ride across America. I will post the web link to the Seattle to Portland ride so if you are interested you can review the route and many other features of the race. www.cascade.org/EandR/stp/index.cfm

2008-05-12T15:50:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for a bike ride across America takes lots of training time. However I have many other opportunities that keep me off the rode at times. The picture attached is me behind the wheel of the Wapato Lions club float. Our club takes this float out to about 10 local parades each year.

This year the community of Wapato is celebrating 100 years of existence. We will be celebrating this in many ways but the main celebration will come on Labor Day September 1,2008. We hope you can come celebrate with us.

Local newspaper article

2008-04-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

The local paper did a very nice job writing an article about my bike ride across America. (http://www.reviewindependent.com/) In addition there was a very nice article written in a parer called The Border Crossing which is a Lions Publication that covers British Columbia, North Idaho and Washington. (March/April issue 2008) The local school district has an article in the School District Newsletter that will go to everybody in the Wapato school district. Hopefully all of these articles will be helpful in reaching the goal of raising$100,000 for student scholarships. Asking people to support things has never been one of my favorite things to do but there is nothing more important to me than helping young people find their way into college. So if you or anybody you know wants to be part of this you can send in your Tax deductible contributions to: Kit Brow Treasure, Toppenish/Wapato Dollars for Scholars, 241 Joyce Place, Yakima WA, 98908

A busy weekend

2008-04-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Had a very busy weekend. Took out the Wapato Lions Club float to the Granger Cherry Festival parade, attended the Dollars for Scholars fundraising Golf Tournament, and went to church. I made three rides, a 33 mile ride Friday afternoon, a 18 mile Tandem ride with my wife, and a 48 mile ride Sunday afternoon to the Tri-Cities. I had two flat tires on the Sunday ride along with a head wind but still got in 48 miles in 4 hours. I am hoping this week will allow more opportunities to ride but there seems to be this thing that is called work that jumps in the way frequently.

Training ride 4-19-08

2008-04-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

Made a 60 mile ride on Saturday. Started out in Selah at 38 degrees ended the ride at 42 degrees and snowing in Yakima. Stayed warm going out on Hwy 24 to mile post 24 since it was up hill. Coming back was very cool with a west wind coming off the fresh mountain snow. Had two great partners to share the ride with, one is training to ride the STP in one day, (204 miles) and the other training to ride Sea to Sea with the CRC raising funds for world hunger.

2008-04-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

I want everybody to know that the purpose of this ride is to raise funds for students to attend college. This picture shows some of the students that will be making application for the Toppenish/Wapato Dollars for Scholars scholarships made available by funds raised by this ride.

Once agin the goal is $100,0000 or $30 a mile!

My Bike

2008-04-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

Thought you ought to know who the guy is riding across America. We will be using this picture in the local paper and on the brochures we are producing to help raise funds.

Please note that I am still 240# on this picture and I plan on being 225# when I leave on September 6, 2008

Cycling 4 Scholarships: Leroy Pedals Coast to Coast

2008-04-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

I have purchased my bike, a Trek Pilot 2.1. I have rode 3,000 miles to get in shape. I am believing this ride across Americas is very possible for a 63 year old to do. All that is necessary now is for you to support my ride by donating to the Toppenish/Wapato dollars for scholars fund. Our goal is to raise $100,000 or $30 dollars a mile.

You may donate by sending your contributions to: Kit Brown, Treasure, 241 Joyce PL., Yakima WA 98908