A century ride....106 miles!!!

What a surprise to get a tail wind, and be able to bike 106 miles (according to the VW van odometer), up & down hills, very close to the Mexican border, through several ghost towns into Sanderson, where we expected to get tomorrow night. We met bikers who had left Sanderson & only made it 30 miles in 7 hrs going into the headwind.

While waiting for the riders to catch up, Doris in the "Mother ship" as the VW has been nicknamed, had both a Highway Patrolman & a Border Patrolman stop by to check on her. This area is known for drug traffic/trades from Mexico so it is patroled really well. When it started to rain, we found food in a gas station & a small motel, with wifi & tv to watch the olympic closing ceremony & our verizon cell phones even worked. Not at all what we expected from what we were told of this part of western TX, so a pleasant surprise for the tired riders. Not sure how often we will be this lucky with modern technology in the rest of west TX.

Hola from sunny Del Rio & End of Map #4--1/2 way!!

We made it through hill country (definitely accurately named) with some head winds but nice weather other than that. Most of what we went through was endless miles of Hunting Preserves and winding roads. We've now made it to Del Rio, and finished up map #4. Now we'll be heading back into the desert from here to El Paso and may have limited phone and internet until then (about 7 or 8 days). The new map is at the top.

So, to celebrate the ending of the map, passing our half way point, and being in a place with something to do, we're making the most of Del Rio. We checked out the Amistad National Recreation Area, got some good food, and even splurged for a hotel and hot showers before heading back into the desert. Wish us luck :)

First day in hill country

Today, after it warmed up some, we headed back out on the road. It was a nice day, hard to believe it snowed so much yesterday. We did another 60 miles through Johnson City (passed LBJs ranch) and on into Fredericksburg. We hadn't been here in 28 years, and things sure have changed, but the long horns are still the same.

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Snow & Good Times in Texas.

The past two days have been great. After finishing riding yesterday we stopped into a little shop. Not only was it a great way to get out of the wind, but Kari, above, sent us on our way with some fantastic treats.

Then we drove down to San Antonio to check out the Alamo, the river walk, our old house, and the hospital where Rob was born. After checking out the sights, we headed back north to Austin, to stay with our friends, the 4 Winns. This morning we woke up to snow, and lots of it!

After running some errands, and getting the bikes tuned up by the nice folks at Bicycle Sport Shop, we headed sosuth to visit more friend. So, tonight we're staying nice and warm at the Cox's house, and went to visit their relatives, one of whom, Nora, makes awesome belts out of old bike innertubes & parts (Kathleen bartered for one). So, it's been a great down day, now time to get a little more rest and one last hot shower before heading west.

First real flat of the trip.

The day started off rainy, then changed to fog. But, after we got started it cleared up quite a bit. A few hours later we found a great spot to have a picnic and relax for a bit. Then, we had the first real flat tire of the trip, Kathleen's. But, although she knows how to change a car tire, she doesn't have any idea how to fix a flat on a bike, her parents came to her rescue. Bob changed the tire & Doris pumped new life into it. After getting back on the road, we ended up having a nice warm (lower 80s) day, and did 61 miles to just past Giddings, TX, west of Burton on the map.

End of Map 3 :) on to scary Map 4

We did another 65 miles which left us about 10 miles west of Navasota, TX. It was an overcast day but stayed fairly nice, in the low 60s. The terrain is starting to get a little hillier, but we know that it's just a small taste of what's to come. We finished map #3 and started map #4. As we unfolded it to see what was next, we realized there's a fairly intimidating "route elevation profile" that shows all the hills to come. It's apparently nothing but uphill from here on out for the next few weeks. Wish the bikers luck.

Pumpkin...1/3 of way across USA

The van is parked in front of the Guest House Randy generously let us stay in last night:)

We are now over 1/3 of the way across the USA!! With a slight tail wind, 71 miles was cycled with a high of 62 degrees, with overcast skies.

Rode to Pumpkin, then drove back to Coldspring to eat at Elaine's Restaurant....down home cooking & free wi fi. They even offered to let us stay in their back parking lot until we return to eat breakfast tomorrow....continued hospitality in TX.

1000th Mile!!!

Our first full day in Texas was wonderful. We got off to a late start, but great weather & road conditions let us catch up quickly. While eating lunch we were interviewed by a lady named Sherri from The Kirbyville Banner (local paper) who took the picture above. We also ran across two separate cyclist both heading east across America. Then, just as we were approaching our 1000th mile, we met a guy named Randy who stopped to look at the van, chat, and invite us to use his guesthouse for the night. What a pleasant bonus! So, we finished our 61 miles, got some great bar-b-q and are now off to our temporary home for the night.

Texas State Line

It was another long day with a head wind, but we got a visitor for a while to keep us entertained. This dog ran with us for over 9 miles before getting side-tracked or tired, we're not sure which. Anyway, we made it across the rest of Louisiana and all the way to the Texas state line. Then we packed the bikes and headed back to stay with a couchsurfer in DeRidder for the night. Now it's on to the great state of Texas for the next few weeks.

Fat Tuesday...end of Mardi Gras

Rode 65.2 miles today through lots of rice paddies, into Oberlin, in the 50s with some head winds. Got delayed in Mamou when the highway was closed for a block party, then went on a mini detour, but had to wait for part of the Mardi Gras parade of people on horseback to go by. We didn't mind since they were all admiring our VW.

Kathleen & Doris wore beads for Fat Tuesday, but Kathleen got lots more thrown at her during the parade & she & Bob found an inflatable figure to pose with.

Drove to Kinder & had Cajun food, in the heart of the Cajun part of Louisiana & found a week day special at the Coushatta Reservation Lodge down the road from the Main Casino, so got showers & to watch Olympics on TV.

2nd photo album started

For those checking out the full photo album, we've just filled up the first one, and have started a second one. If you want to browse through it as we keep adding to it (you don't have to have a facebook account to see it):


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017413&id=203100697&l=0ff425360c






We spent most of the day going through the country-side of Louisiana. It would have been an ideal biking day for anyone heading the other direction...blue sky, sunshine, flat road, and a strong wind from the west. Unfortunately that meant a headwind for us the whole time, which made for a very slow day. At least it warmed up to low 50s today which was nice, and we managed to get 60 miles in before the sun set, so we're happy. We ended up in the middle of nowhere between Simmesport & Lebeau on the map....& drove 17 miles to a McDonald's for supper, free wi fi & breakfast tomorrow, before returning to the middle of no where to start riding again.

Trip 1/4 over...Map 2 Ended

Today we finished Map 2, crossed the Mississippi River on a ferry, and completed 1/4 of the trip!!! What a nice way to celebrate Valentine's Day.





We got to Poplarville & had to spend 2 nights due to the snow & sleet storm (the day 49 states had snow), so we stayed in a motel & watched the Olympic opening ceremony on a fuzzy TV.
Crossed into Louisana, having biked across 3 states. Last night in Tangipahoa, & today to St Francisville, in overcast weather, high of 54, with some rain, ending the 2nd map.

Took the ferry across the Mississippi river, met Mark who admired our van & gave us a nice donation. Peadled 60.2 miles to New Roads, LA where we are spending the night, in the pouring ran, but the VW van is dry inside. We have now completed 1/4 of the trip, which is exciting for us. One of the goals was to cross the Mississippi as well, so today was very successful. Map 3 is now at the top of the blog.

Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet....

Who are these masked riders??? It helped a little on the 63 mile ride today, since it was in the low 40s. Not much scenery, very overcast, sleet which Bob called "frozen pieces of sunshine", so no other photos to share.

We made it to Poplarville on the map, but they are expecting freezing rain & snow tonight, so we are going to stay in a motel until it is clear enough to hopefully get some more miles in tomorrow. Bob & Doris had shrimp po boys & a sample of seafood gumbo for supper, since we are still in the Gulf States area.

In Mississippi

Arrived in Mississippi after another cold day, low to mid 40s, with headwinds, again. Got 61 miles ridden before dark & stopping near Larue, northwest of Vancleave on the map. There wasn't even a sign at the state line to celebrate the crossing of another state, even though Alabama was much shorter than Florida. There was lots of flooding near the Pascagoula River, here in MS.





The highlight of the day was Kathleen finding lots of Mardi Gras beads by the side of the road, which she wore the rest of the day.

500 miles!

We got off to a cold rainy start, but were excited to officially have surpassed the 500 miles mark fairly early in the day. As we got close to Mobile Bay, the rains seemed to stop, but were replaced with heavy headwinds. After a ferry ride across the bay, from Gulf Shores to Dauphin Island, the winds got even worse as Bob & Kathleen got to cross the Gordon Persons Bridge. The picture below doesn't do it justice. On top of the sheer size and height, they had nearly 45mph headwinds the whole way across. The VW van had to shift down to 2nd gear to make it up the steep bridge & was shaking in the headwinds. Even coming back down the steep road they had to pedal with full force to even reach 6mph. The thermometer said 48 degrees, but with the wind it was much colder.

After the bridge, it was up to Bayou La Batre, hometown of Bubba in Forrest Gump. Then we drove on to Mobile, where we're staying the night with Kathleen's college friend, Emily, and her wife Marlena. They have such a beautiful home, it's a great place to unwind after such a tough day on the road.

Sweet Home Alabama!

We've officially gone across an entire state now!!! We did 65 miles on over to the Alabama state line. Although we had a cold start, with heavy frost on the bikes, this morning, it warmed up to the upper 50s during the day. It was beautiful scenery once we finally got over by the Gulf.

Southern Hospitality

Our day off was fantastic. We spent it with the Hope family in Baker, FL. They're family friends, members of the same church, and Becky went to college with Kathleen a decade ago. It was great to catch up, relax, go to church with them, and eat more than our fill of fantastic southern cooking. Now we're refreshed and ready for another long day of biking tomorrow.



Thanks so much to the Hope family for everything. You guys were amazing!



To the Crestview congregation, it was wonderful worshiping with all of you, thanks for your support and encouragement.

End of Map 1 :) 1st photo album posted

Welcome to the official retirement of map 1. Out of the 7 map series we'll be using, we're now on to map 2, which is now posted at the top of the blog for you to follow the next section of the trip. So join us in happily saying goodbye to map 1. :)

Day 7 of riding was a long, cold (40s without factoring in windchill) one. There was a strong head wind the entire day, enough that they had to pedal to even get down hills. It was overcast the entire day, but thankfully never rained. All bundled up, they were still able to complete 55.5 miles.

We're trying to take one down day a week, and this is it. So, no cycling for the day. Instead we will be spending it in Baker, FL with friends of the family. It'll be a nice change of pace.

For those who are not on facebook, but would like to see more pictures of our trip, the complete photo album can be found on this link...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017138&id=203100697&l=460e797dec

Worm Fiddlin'

Ok, maybe not the best pictures in the world, but it was a slow day. Due to heavy thunderstorms in Marianna this morning, we had a very late start. So, we sat around the hotel lobby, then got lunch at Po' Boys (great food & amusing old signs, like the one above). We finally got on the road around 2pm. It was a windy day, with difficulty staying on the roads at times, and overcast for parts. Even with a head wind, and the late start, we still managed to make it 37 miles into Caryville, FL, just north of Bonifay on the map. As you can see from the sign below, it's the Worm Fiddlin' Capital of the World. When Kathleen stopped and asked a local what Worm Fiddlin' was, he said it's the sport/art used to get worms to the surface, to use for fishing. Apparently a metal stake is driven about a foot into the ground, then rope, saws, bricks, etc. are rubbed against it, in a fiddlin' style, until the vibrations force the worms to the surface. Now, don't you feel like a more well-rounded and enlightened person for knowing that?

Happy (almost) 90th Birthday

Today, as we rode into Marianna, marked the official completion of 1/10 of the trip. It was another 66 mile day. It was similar weather, in low 60's, and hilliness as the day before, but this time with a bubble bath waiting at the end. Doris's dad and his wife Helen came down from Ohio to meet up with us for the day. Not only was it a great chance to catch up, but it was also a celebration (a few days early) of his 90th birthday!!!!

Tallahassee

We had a delightful day in the sunshine....all day. At a brief stop in Greenville, birthplace of Ray Charles, we saw his statue at the pond Doris walked laps around. We had a great lunch at Sage in Monticello, & had a few rests in the sun. We arrived in Talahassee to couch surf with Karla who made a delicious Nepali meal for us.