So Far Behind on My BLOG!!!!

"This is supposed to be a pic of me at the start?"

OK, so this is hard, ride all day, do hand laundry or machine laundry, eat dinner, and now you want me to write in the BLOG. So if the motel has WiFeeeeeee? we try an proceed. My old lap top is not happy using just anyone's wireless, have to go through procedure everytime to try and connect and then, guess what won't work!!! Won't allow me to bring in pictures I want, OK I'm pretty computer smart, but this is really pieing me off!!!!! So here goes nothing!!

Salome to Wickenberg Mar 11 =56.7 miles, flat land in Az, just like yesterday, except today we get to eat ice cream. Went into the BEST coffee shop in Az, and they have no decaf!!!! Not out, never have!?? Our hotel is at the far side of town (they all are and on the Lf side of busy street as always). Tonight, chef Linda cooks us lasagna. I have great kitchen pics to share if they ever upload?????? She cooks in Al galvanized pots with lids and spreads out charcoal under, between and over the pots. OK, I think I can do this on our next camping trip to the Tortuga's!! She does not use the grill to cook on itself!?

Wickenburg to Phoenix,, Az march 12 =68 miles = Great weather finally out of windshirt and tights. REally pretty area into West Phoenix, great bike shop on the route and I find the right size of "alligator tubes" and buy new gloves/heavier! One of my best friends Nema and her husband Randy live in Mesa, so Randy and Seth their gradnson are wiating for me in the parking lot. Off to Nema's I go to visit, do laundy and have dinner with them. We have a great visit, but short as Nema has to work (night super at hosp). Spent the night with them, took one of their cars and drove back to hotel to ride next am.

Phoenix to Apache Junction = 57 miles = More great weather, we rode though the greatest down town park, with bike lanes, ponds, ball fiends, picnic areas for miles. The Ladies join us a the SAG stop. Linda one of the girls with us is from Phoenix and these Ladies are her normal riding group, so they've come to meet and greet!!! This is a long day, all business except the park part ugh! Lunch at the Albertson Deli, sitting on the sidewalk outside!! Nema, picks me up at the hotel and back to her house. Tonight we make pumpkin bread with rasins and home made "sticky buns" for the girls breakfast. We had a great visit, I only wish she could travel with us for a few days and get out and about. Maybe someday!!!!!

Apache Juction to Globe Az = 48 mil. OK, so this is a real stupid day for me. Am at Nema's and drink 2+ cups of REAL coffee. We leave hotel have some good climbing to start, my nose is riunning off my face. So I stop and take not one Sudafed, but TWO!!!! If one works, two must be better?? Ok, we pull into the Buckhorn Rest for lunch! Well, the place is packed, only eating joint. We spend 2 hours waiting for a grilled cheese sandwich and fries! But, I manage to drink a gallon of Iced Tea!! BAck out to ride and now we are straight up!!! I can't breathe, I can't spit, and I can't pedal and I'm not sure I can walk?? OK, so we walk awhile and try to catch our breathe? Stop and PEEEE on side of rode X2 in one mile!!! Now, I know I'm in trouble. Make it to the SAG, right before the tunnel we go through. OK, so I decide I have to ride the tunnel before I die! It was so LOUD in the tunnel from the other cars, et al!! OK, so I have a great pic of me in corpse pose after the tunnel. My heart rate was over 160+. I SAGGED in and it took 2 hrs for my heart rate to get under 100. NO CAFFINE for me anymore! No wine tonight, just bed!!!

Globe to Safford, Az = 78 miles. Still don't feel great, rode portion of day and SAGGED in. Did have a Hot Nut Fudge Sundee at the Taylor Freeze!!

Safford Az to Lordsburg NM = 75 miles. Good day, still haveing some trouble with climbing, bike continues to slip in some gears?? Maybe I should fly Mike Maynor from Quality Bike out here or better yet, have him send me a new bike!
Margarita party tonight as another state goes down!!!!

Lordsburg, NM to Silver City = 47 miles . Beautiful day, not to cool, but I'm pedaling pretty slow, guess what slow up hill ALL day!! Finally, get to Silver City what a cute little down town. OK, our first lay day in 8 EIGHT days!!! OK, I have never ridden this many days and I take off for a Lynn day. Had a massage, you guessed it got my nails done, ate at cute restaurants, went to antique shop, and yes I rode the bike to town and left it at the bike shop. Today, we get a new chain for the bike and more tuneing??? Came home on bike and cleaned it!!! Today is St Paddy's day and yep, Miss Linda has fixed us Corned Beef and Cabbage et al with Ginness beer to drink! Got laundry done, another Yoga class. Shipped some uneeded junk home. Mailed Roxy her copy of Death Walks the Dry Tortuga's and Grandmom a present! I almost feel normal again. Almost!

Silver City to Kingston, NM = 48 miles STRAIGHT UP to 8228 elevation, the highest point of our ride!!! Cold starting out in the 30's (like a few of our monrnings have been) I have on my new rain/cold weather jacket from REI (emergency shipment), UnderArm gear liner with hood for COLD weather, bike jersy, sport bra, bike shorts and my regular (not for cold) tights!! OK, so that am, Frankie offer me her WOOL undershirt as she is not riding, I turn it down, STUPID!!! So we climb or walk all day, have to carry our food no lunch spot! Good SAG support!!! We see snow on the graoud about half way up! Saw wild turkeys and we walked together for quite a ways (have great pic). As I am arriving at the last mile or so, and I can tell this because of the tree line which has almost disappeared, I begin to see snow flakes falling! As I arrive at summit, wind is howling, Amy and JoAnn are waiting for me in the SAG ca, it's 1500. So we go and make pic of overlook and I decide to ride down, since it's ALL down hill to the Lodge. So off I go, I look over my shoulder and the biggest grey snow cloud is right behind me. Down the mt, it's now snowing, sleeting and raining. The SAG passed me because I've told her "only lights and sriens will take me in today". I'm now freezing, can't feel the brakes going down, so nice!!! Come up on 2 of the other girls getting in the SAG, they say its to slippery. Well, the SAG is full and I can't see freezing on the road, so I go on!!! Pull into town of Kingston population = 18, used to be the biggest town in NM!!! WE are staying at an old Hippie Lodge! I am frozen, go into lodge and can't even talk I'm shaking so badly!! OK< so the girls grab me up take me upstairs and throw me in hot shower. When I come out of shower, I'm in this cute little room under the gables with a fuzzy bathrobe for me to put on my cold body! My roommate Karn was wonderful to me, got me lots of "low class, red neck, pink shit wine". I have over half the group drinking LC, RN, PH!!!! They run this lodge as a B&B, so the inkeeper had cooked us a turkey dinner, which was good! This place has structures may of hay and clay. I'm sure someone would be interested in this. OK, the ggod news is it's stopped snowing and raining. We sleep on flannel sheet, I sleep under everything I can find!!!!!!

Kingston to Lac Cruces, NM = 88 miles = OMG it's 28 degrees this am and the wind is howling. Off I go, I'm freezing to death, I rode about 20+ miles, when I flag down the van and give up for the day!!! Many of us frozen people gave up that day. Now the intersting thing is this is usually the HOTTEST part of the ride??? But, now eveyone has usually mailed their winter clothes home. OK, so we get in and I get on the web to Colorado Biking co and order, thermal tights and rain/cold knickers (I give up on the lenght of rain pants, they don't do petite and I don't have a sewing machine). Linda, makes us Lentil Soup and cornbread and salad for dinner.

Las Cruces NM to El Paso = 66 miles. Today, I have a horrible cold, no riding for me. Maybe I can stay warm, drink liq and take LOTS of drugs!!!! Good Idea. We get into bike shop that open on Sundays at 1000, they opened early for us as we have 3 bikes in need of care!!! Oh I'm so happy, there winter wear is 25% off. So I buy, thermal lined tights, heavy winter biking gloves, winter toe covers for my sandals and heavy winter socks!!! I'm hopeing this will make the warm weather come!!!!!!! I spend $58. at the drup store on cold meds!!!!! Margarita party, lots of dancing in the street, you should see us dance at night while we wash dishes! People at the hotel look at us strangly??? Can you imagine! Did NOT fall in love with a Mexican Woman!

El Paso to Ft Hancock, Tx = 47 miles = Cold begining around 37 or so riding the Mission Trail and Texas Mountain Trail = get the pic? Was lots of flats today, bumpy rodes and yep the "wall that Bush built on my right". Everyone keeps asking how long it is?? Must research it! Ft Hancock is a hole in the wall on the I-10 corridor. Nothing there, very old motel, clean but old. We have Pork roast, Mac and cheese, great dinner. Bubba and the Coast 2 Coast ride who are behind me will be staying in this lovely metropolis! He has left JoAnn and I a C2C cap. NOw the whole family wants one of these caps?

Ft Hancock, Tx to Van Horn = 75 miles = Very cold, OK, we're still not feeling to great and give up again today!!! Did get some mailing and errands run in the town! Post Office and Drug store! Ate in Chew's "Madden's Haul of Fame"! Yea, I know. Tonight we celebrated Sue's birthday and have great turkey chili and salad. Wind is howling at least in the right direction!!!!!!! Amy is my roommate tonight and guess what she is getting a cold!

VAn Horn to Ft Davis Tx = 90 miles (Remember the part about the Texas Mountain Trail) well this is it!!! I didn't know they have mts in Texas but they do. OK, so it's cold can you imagine???? I ride for 45 miles, mostly on I-10, one would think you would love riding on the Interstatem but I can't relax, to many trucks and RV's, not to mention the merging traffic, pieces of ties, bungie cords, metal et al!!!! We have an outside picnic of tuna salad and chili et al. Now there is this HUGE climb to the top of the mt, I am not up for this. SAG into Davis Mountains State Park/Indian Lodge. We have dinner in the lodge and get to spend 2 nights here as its a LAY day again!! Yea, no laundry services?? Next am we ruck into town of Ft Davis (confederate) and go to the RV Pk to use the laundry. Most of the stores are closed, "she only opens occassionally", "she's OOT buying more stuff", didn't take me 45 min to scope of the town. Now back at Lodge. BIG signs "Mountain Lions have been seen in park, watch your children".