Biking from West to East

Budget

2006-08-18T01:39:00.000-07:00

On the post dated Tuesday, March 14, 2006 we set a budget of $5000.00 and are happy to announce we were under budget by over $500.00 for the two months of the trip.

Jim and Kathy took 5 weeks to come home by way of Gettysburg, Plymounth, Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nystic Seaport CN, Bar Harbor, and Coeur d'Alene. We met up with Ralph and Kris while the Sacramento Wheelemen were biking along the Rogue River in Oregon,

We all enjoyed this trip and hope all the Crosscountry4 blog readers did too.

Ralph, Kris, Jim, and Kathy

Friday, July 7th

2006-07-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

Since Ralph and Kris flew home Jim and I have gone to Gettysburg PA to tour the battlefield and visit the Eisenhower farm. We drove to Hersy PA where the street lights are Hersy Kisses, both silver and chocolate. We went through the museum which had American Indian artifacts, Pennsylvania German items, and of course Hersy candy making. The "factory tour" is a similated ride with movie cameras showing you the real factory. The amusement park - which we didn't see-- is a 100 years old.

We skirted New York City and found every toll road in the state. It cost us $46.00 to go thru. The last 2 days we've been in Clinton CT close to Mystic Seaport which is an out door museum with a lot of old buildings and tall ships you can go through.

Next is Plymouth MA and probably a side trip into Boston.
Kathy

Tuesday, June 27th

2006-06-30T13:12:00.000-07:00

Ralph, Kris, and the bike flew back to Long Beach this morning. They called us when they go to our house - dinner with Kris' sister tonight and then tomorrow back to Sacramento. Jim and I are going to stay in the Washington area to sightsee until Friday. The record rainfall has flooded major streets in DC and some of the Smithsonian museums are closed because they haven't power.
Kathy

Monday, June 26th

2006-06-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

We went to Bikes@Vienna today where they helped Ralph box up the tandem. This shop specializes in tandems, recumbents, and folding bikes. Very nice, helpful people. The rain that started yesterday fell again about noon what cancelled our plans to take an eveing tour of Washington DC.

Day55

2006-06-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

Day 55 – June 22, 2006, Chesterfield to Yorktown, 70 miles, 1,070’ ascent, 1,210 descent. Final day on the bike.
Started early to avoid the traffic. As we get away from Richmond the traffic starts to lighten up. Just past Hopewell we turn east on 106 over a drawbridge to Hwy 5, Hwy 5 turns south and we bike past several 18th century plantations. We are scheduled to camp at Jamestown tonight and ride the last 24 miles to York Town tomorrow. At the turn that would take us to Jamestown or Williamsburg Kris and I say “We are not stopping.” Found a Starbucks and had a frappuchino for energy, gave Jim and Kathy a call to meet us in Yorktown, and on we went. We found the Colonial Parkway after several tries and were on our way to Yorktown. Found the waterfront for the final wheel dipping.

TOTALS
A little over 3,100 miles and 102,614' of climbing.
Ralph

Jim and I stopped to get supplies and had left the phone in the motorhome. When we got back there were two messages and several missed calls from Ralph. They were going to Yorktown where we met them on the wharf. They both had the biggest, widest grins that just wouldn’t go away. Picture time and then on to reward all four of us with Ben & Jerry’s

Historic Williamsburg – We toured Williamsburg today, going in and out of the buildings and listening to the docents telling how life was in the colony and showing us how the jobs and crafts of the day were done. Thomas Jefferson was rallying the townspeople to the cause under a shade tree while further into town a lady was happy that Lord Cornwall’s troops had liberated Williamsburg. But then we all know that wasn’t going to last. Yorktown and the final battle were nearby - both in miles and time. The colonist would win.

Day 54

2006-06-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

Day 54 – June 21, 2006, Bear Creek Lake to Pocahontas State Park ( Chesterfield), 50 miles, 2,050’ ascent, 2,200’ descent.Started out early going east on Hwy 60. Rolling countryside small houses with gardens. As we get closer to Richmond the traffic starts to increase. The road loses it shoulder and the traffic gets awful. We find a coffee house and phone Jim and Kathy to come get us to take us into the State Park.

Day 53

2006-06-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

Day 53 – June 20, 2006, Lexington to Bear Creek Lake (Cumberland VA, 94 miles, 6,426’ ascent, 7,320’ descent.

Up early with a peanut butter bagel. Started the ride by going by the Virginia Military Institute and Washington & Lee Univ. both on the outside of Lexington. Turned east on Hwy 60 to go up and over the Blue Ridge, stopping in Buena Vista for a real breakfast. The climb to the Blue Ridge was not too bad about a 1,500’ climb of about 8%. After the top we had a nice downhill giving up about a 1,000’ and started a second climb to almost the same height. The countryside was one roller after another; from one ridge to another. The temperature was in the 80’s with high humidity. After about 80 miles the road finally flattened out into Cumberland.

Day 52

2006-06-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

Day 52 – June 19, 2006, Dixie Caverns to Lexington, 65 mile, 3,517’ ascent, 3,400’ descent.
Just another nice day on the bike. Road all day going NE through the valley between the two mountain ranges of the Appalachians. We rode through the cities of Salem, Cloverdale, Buchanan (Shenandoah Valley), Natural Bridge, and Lexington.
Ralph
Jim and I stopped at Natural Bridge. George Washington surveyed it and like young men today he carved his initials into the walls of the arch. Thomas Jefferson owned it and land nearby. The path takes you 270 feet under state highway 11 that crosses the bridge. In the stream there are brown speckled and albino trout. At a replica of a mid 1700 hundred Manacan Nation village Bertie Brantam was weaving baskets from honeysuckle vines as her people have done for centuries. Her baskets are in Piquat museum in Connecticut and her mother has baskets in the Smithsonian. While she was making a basket she told us about the village daily life. Other docents talked about the crops and hunting.
Kathy

Day 50

2006-06-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

Day 50 – June 17, 2006 Dublin to Salem, 43 miles, 1,910’ ascent, 2,360’ descent.
A short day into Salem. We were ready for a short day and looking forward to a rest day tomorrow. We think we will be on the coast at Yorktown next Friday. We have determined that the Virginians like yard sales.

Day 49

2006-06-17T13:31:00.000-07:00

Day 49 – June 16, 2006, Hungry Mother State Park (Marion) to Dublin, 80 miles, 4,027’ ascent, 3,540’ descent.
Ride out of campground to Marion, bike computer not working so we stopped at Wal-Mart and replaced both batteries. I like Virginia, as I said earlier the climbs are longer and higher but not a steep with time to rest on the downhills. Today we meet three riders going east to west, Justin from Pennsylvania and Parke and Jennie. Jim and Kathy went to Bristol raceway and drag strip home of the NASCAR-Nextel cup races and Pro series of NRHA drag races.
Ralph
You cannot believe the banking in the turns at Bristol. The track may only be a ½ mile but I bet if you measure the top of the grandstands it is ¾’s a mile. They go all the way around with suites at the top of everything except turn 4. All the track tours were already filled out but they let us go and look at the track.
Kathy

Day 48

2006-06-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

Day 48 – June 15, 2006, Breaks Interstate Park to Marion, 68 miles, 5,580’ ascent, 5,100’ descent.
Jim and Kathy drove in to Breaks from Haysi the day before and Kathy told us it would be down hill for us into Haysi. Over the 8 miles into Haysi we climb over 800’ feet, telling us you should never believe someone with a motor. The climbs started to get fewer but longer which we liked much more then many short steep climbs followed by a fast descent. You may climb higher and longer but you have time to recover on the long descents. Big A Mountain followed by Hayter’s Gap. The day was cool, ideal for climbing. Stopped at a water fall on the Holston River that you would never see in a car. Pictues are the Blue Ridge from Hayter’s Gap
Ralph
Jim and I went to see the canyon. You can see the Green River, the train track and two states, Kentucky and Virginia. The park is a joint venture for the two states. Beautiful Catawba Rhodendrums along the road.
Kathy

Day 47

2006-06-17T13:26:00.000-07:00

Day 47 – June 14, 2006, Pippa Passes to Breaks Interstate Park, 53 miles, 4,720’ ascent, 3,680 descent.
The day started with about 1,500’ of climbing in the first ten miles followed by a fast descent into Bypro and another steep climb after Meloh, 13-14%. Lots of coal trucks, but they all gave us a much room as possible on the narrow roads. Had lunch at the Rusty Fork in Elkhorn City. Kris had a corn bread salad-cornbread, cheese, green peppers, and onions with mayonnaise. She said it was weird but good. They say Breaks is the Grand Canyon of the South, 5 miles long with a depth of 1,600’.

Day 46

2006-06-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

Day 46 – June 13, 2006, Boonesville to Carr Creek State Park, 59 miles, 4,010’ ascent. 3,370’ descent.
Morning started out foggy and cool. Went to downtown Boonesville, about one square block, for eggs and country ham breakfast. The day started with a big climb up to Cow Creek then down hill into Buckhorn. At Buckhorn we stopped at the county store and signed their bike log. They gave us to keys to the historical church across the street built in 1907. Shortly after leaving Buckhorn we meet Johnnie and Hennie from the Netherlands.

Day 45, June 12th

2006-06-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

Day 45- June 12, 2006, Berea to Boonesville, 67 miles, 3,519’ ascent, 3,150’ descent.Stopped after about two miles to walk around downtown Berea. Berea College is tuition free and is the first integrated college in the South. After we left Berea the day turned into the day of the dogs. Meet Jamie cycling from the east who warned us of some bad dogs ahead, Kris had the pepper spray ready all day. After Murphy’s Ford Road three large dogs were waiting for us. A boxer went after our front tire and we had to stop our bike or be taken down. A lady came out and told us the dogs would not hurt us and to just go on. I told her I wasn’t going anywhere until she put the dogs up which she did after she determined I was serious. Lots of climbing into Vincent for a hamburger. Into Boonesville to camp at the Presbyterian Church. Meet Tim Bramfitt from York England who joined us for dinner. Tim had never had burritos before

Day 44, June 11th

2006-06-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

We did the Historic tour in Mammoth Cave. It was a group of 120 people and the ranger took us on a 2 mile underground walk. The lighting is just bright enough to see where you are going and one time he turned that off to show how pitch black and quiet it is that far under the surface. There are over 350 miles of caves mapped out which makes Mammoth the worlds largested mapped cave. To get back to the surface we had to climb a staircase they call the fire tower - many, many steps.
In the afternoon we drove to Berea KY . Ralph and Kris will continue the ride tomorrow morning.

Day 43, June 10th

2006-06-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

Ralph & Kris had a quiet day at the campsite while Jim & I drove to Gallatin Tennessee to check out family history. I was able to verify information found on the web. Nearby is Cage's Bend, located in a bend of the Cumberland river, where we took pictures of family graves from the 1800's.
Kathy

Day 42, June 9th

2006-06-13T07:37:00.000-07:00

We drove into Bowling Green today to take the Corvette Assembly Plant tour. The line moves at 7 miles an hour and a car takes 38 hours to build. A lot of hands on attention is paid to each vehicle. The plant builds about 37,00 cars a year. Then we toured the Corvette Museum.
After the plant and museum we went to old downtown Bowling Green and ate at Verdi's - Balkan - Greek food - and it was delicious.

Thursday June 8th

2006-06-08T06:38:00.000-07:00

Thursday, June 8th - - Ralph was feeling under the weather Monday so we made him go to the doctor. The doctor put him on antibiotics and told him to take it easy for a week so we've decided to drive to Mammoth Cave National Park and sight see. Jim & Ralph want to go to Bowling Green to see the Corvette museum and assembly line. Kris & Kathy want to see Shaker Village and the Antebellum Mansions near by. Kris & Ralph should be back on the bike Monday.
Kathy

Day 36

2006-06-04T13:02:00.000-07:00

Day 36 – June 3, 2006, Ellington to Farmington, 64 miles, 3,320’ ascent, 2,860’ descent.
A much easer day climbs were 3 to 7%. Staying tonight at St Joe State Park, nice trees, cool night, a little wine- what more can you ask for?
Ralph
For once Ralph and Kris beat us to our final stop. Jim and I had stopped at Johnson’s Shut In State Park to find out why it got its strange name - a lava flow across the river trapped or “shut in” pockets of water. But what we saw was the devastation left by a break in the Taum Sauk dam above the Shut Ins that sent tons of water flooding through the park December 23rd. The only people in the park that day were the superintendent and his family and they managed to survive the flood. However the raging waters did a lot of damage to the campground and the surrounding areas. The park rangers considered themselves lucky because the water rose up to 4 feet on the walls of the park store, which was on higher ground, but the building stood. They are still cleaning up the park.
Kathy & Jim

Day 35

2006-06-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

Day 35 – June 2, 2006, Houston to Ellington - 71 miles, 4,820’ ascent, 4,470’ descent.
For 350 feet of total gain it was a rough day. The first 40 miles to Alley Mill was not to bad, but the next 31 miles was go up 300’ to 500’ and back down to do it over and over again. Many of the grades were over 15% with some above 17%. Much tougher then climbing a 6,000’ pass.
Ralph
The motorhome didn’t like the hills past Ally Mill either, especially towing the ranger. We were very glad to get to Ellington and spent the time waiting for Ralph & Kris in the town museum and genealogy center. We found a state park nearby to spend the night.
Kathy

Day 34

2006-06-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

Day 34 – June 1, 2006, Marshfield to Houston - 83 miles, 3,650’ ascent, 3,610’ descent.
With out the weight of our panniers we left Peter in the dust, it feels real good not to have them. It is great to have Jim and Kathy back to take our load. Stopped in Hartsville to have Cherry Pie and coffee for breakfast. Jim and Kathy found us about 50 miles out and gave us a good lunch. A lot of short steep climbs to the top of a ridge and downhill to cross a river or stream. At Houston we found Jim and Katy waiting for us at the Wal Mart.

Day 33

2006-06-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

Day 33 – May 31, 2006. Golden City to Marshfield, 84 miles, 4,690’ ascent, 3,970’ descent.
Breakfast at 6:00 a.m. at Cooky’s It rained 1¼”overnight so the morning was cool. We were told the ride would be relatively flat for the next 12 miles to Pennsboro but after that the hills would start. We could roll most of the early ones so it was fun. Stopped in Walnut Grove for lunch, after lunch it started to get warm and humid. One ridge after another, big trees, beautiful farms, and small streams. At Marshfield crossed over Hwy 44 and there were Jim and Kathy.
Ralph
The RV Express RV Park had only been open since Thanksgiving and had wide flat spaces. Best of all, the La Hacienda restaurant next to the office saved Kris and me from cooking - - - with margaritas to boot.
Kathy

Day 32

2006-06-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

Day 32 – May 30, 2006 – Chanute to Golden City MO -, 97 miles, 1,580’ ascent, 1,510’ descent.
Again up early so we can ride in the cool of the morning. Little tiny country roads through rolling farm land. Stopped at Girard for coffee and a cinnamon roll. Met Carrie biking west by herself. At Pittsburgh we met a local who recommended a soup & salad restaurant for a great lunch. Called Paul Throckmorton at Golden City to see if we could stay at the Bicycle Hostel. It was available so we rode the additional 33 miles into Golden City. Had a light diner at Cookey’s restaurant. Met Peter Lamb from Alaska who was also biking west to east and he will ride with us the next day.

Day 31

2006-06-04T12:52:00.000-07:00

Day 31 – May 29, 2006 – Beaumont to Chanute - 68 miles, 1,340’ ascent, 2,040’ descent.
Up early, wind is lightly blowing and it is cool. Out on Hwy 400, busy but a wide shoulder. At mile 37 we turned onto Hwy 37, back on adventure cycling map. Countryside is green with more trees. Stopped downtown Chanute at the Safari Grill Brew Pub that could not give us a beer with our lunch.

2006-05-30T17:01:00.000-07:00

The race was very very good but very very hot! I went down below the grandstands where they had misters for about 30 laps because our seat mate, Paula, was feeling the heat and I didn't want her to be by herself. When she found a place to sit I went back up for the last 50 laps. All of the fans were glad that Sam Hornish won. Gene and Joyce enjoyed the race. When we got back to the motor homes to let the dogs out for a bit the four of us decided we were to tired to go back into Indy to eat so we had dinner in Greenfield at O"Charleys - - good steak.

Yesterday Jim and I went to Nashville, about 60 miles away, for the day Monday. A cute old town with a lot of tourist shops. We took back roads all the way back to Greenfield through Shelbyville.
Kathy

Day 30

2006-05-28T05:41:00.000-07:00

Day 30 Still very windy. We are taking a rest day in Beaumont. Hope Monday goes back to breezy.

Day 29

2006-05-28T05:29:00.000-07:00

Day 29, May 27, 2006 Newton to Beaumont 76 miles 1,590 ascent 1470 descent
Get a late start because we slept through the alarm. Out at 8:00. The wind is brisk. Head south. Miss a turn and add about 5 miles. Get on hwy 196 and head southeast. The wind has really picked up. We fight the wind for 39 miles. Turn onto hwy 54 into El Dorado - eat at Mc Donalds. Refill our waterbottles with icy Powerade and continue on 54 out of town. We can actually make some time as we have a crosswind. Turn south on Flintridge/Gray road. It take 1 1/4 hours to go 10 miles- the worst headwind we have encountered. Finally get to hwy 400. We are tired and hurting. We are buffeted by crosswinds but make it to Beaumont. Great old hotel and bed and breakfast. We find out that the winds today were sustained at 25 with gusts to 40mph.

Day 28

2006-05-28T05:14:00.000-07:00

Day 28 - May 26, 2006, Nickerson to Newton, 55 miles, 55miles, 850' ascent, 1,090' descent.
Thunderstorms all night, some close lightning strikes, some rain. Nice breakfast at Hedricks. Our thanks to both Tammy and Tammy for their great hospitality. There is one big storm in the direction we are heading. We play games with it all day but only get sprinkled on. We fight the headwind to Hesston. Stop at the library and pick up e-mails. We eat lunch on a park bench under a huge locust tree. A local lady says that this is just a Kansas breeze. Very prophetic. Newton is a good sized town with a real downtown. We find a Days Inn near the freeway. Good dinner at Mountain Mikes followed by the local Braums icecream which we can't eat fast enough in the hot wind. Can't get a room in Eureka for tomorrow night so we alter our route and decide to go to Beaumont.

Jim & Kathy

2006-05-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

We left Ralph and Kris in Kansas last Wednesday morning, went to Emporia to have the Brake Buddy checked. The power cord was wired wrong and they fixed it free - very nice company to dial with. We made it to eastern Missouri that night and pulled into Indy Thursday afternoon to meet Gene & Joyce. The four of toured the cover bridges of Parke County yesterday. Gene stayed at the campground and the rest of us went to the Hoosier 100 Silver Crown race at Indiana State Fairgrounds.
Today we found a library and I was able to log on to catch our notes on the blog up to date. I'll write again as soon as I find a hot spot.
Kathy

Day 27

2006-05-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

Day 27-May 25, 2006 63 miles 320 ascent 660 descent
Today we started in Larned with a great breakfast at the Don Do Restaurant. In all these small towns there is a "breakfast group" of regulars. We were on the road by 7:00 because it was supposed to be over 95 degrees. The forcasted NW wnd turned out to be from the NE. Not too bad but it blew all day. The choice of scenery is corn or wheat with a little alfalfa for variety. We passed the Quivira Wildlife Area and the Great Salt Marsh. Roll into Nickerson at noon and eat a big lunch. Ride to the Hedricks B&B just east of town. There are all kinds of exotic animals - ostriches, zebras, wildebeasts, giraffes, camel, Llamas and allpaca, goats, peacocks and much more. We take a tour this evening. Kris

Day 26

2006-05-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

Day 26- May 24, 2006 Brownell to Larned 58 miles 710' ascent 860' descent.
This was our first day with panniers. Nice ride with a tailwind. We meet a man from England going the other way battling a headwind. In town we meet two women from the Netherlands. We have Neal talk to them on the phone. We visited Fort Larned National Historic Park. A wonderfully restored fort with great displays and buildings. They had a thunderstorm last night that left golfball-sized hail and broke lots of windows. The Pawnee River now has water after being dry for the last year. Glad we weren't here a day earlier.

Day 25

2006-05-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

Day 25- May 23, 2006 Scott Lake to Brownell 73 miles
1620' ascent, 1620' descent.
Altered the route to hwy 4 as 96 had more trucks. Rolling farmland. Wind shifted to out of the southwest. A much easier day. Stopped at a Methodist Church where we ate our peanutbutter bagel and talked with Mr. Hawk. His family grown native grasses for seed. They sell them to the hwy department for roadside seeding and for reseeding after fires. Stopped to talk to the pastor. He promised to e-mail our church. On the way out of town I had to use the pepper spray on a dog. He stopped trying to bite us and rubbed his eyes. We have our second flat. Thorns. One caused the flat and Ralph found another one before it worked its way in.

Day 24

2006-05-24T13:25:00.000-07:00

Day 24 May 22, 2006 Lamar, CO to Tribune, KS. 77 miles
6700' ascent 10,030.
Leave early. Stop for coffee. Tailwind for the first 27 miles. We meet a local rancher. Huge ranches-5,00 acres of wheat, 1200 "mama cows" no wonder there are no people out here. Turn east and have a southeast headwind. It gets hotter and the winds get even stronger. This is our hardest day so far. We limp in to Scott City. The choice is a tent in the pitiful city park or the motorhome in a sand parking lot. We decide to take the motorhome to the Scott Lake State Park. Just beautiful. Lovely lake, bluffs, animal and birds.

Day 23

2006-05-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

Day 23 May 21, 2006 Rest Day in Lamar
Great visitor center. Dinner out. Still windy so we decide to leave early tomorrow

Day 22

2006-05-24T13:18:00.000-07:00

Day 22 - May 20, LaJunta to Lamar - 62 Miles, 670' ascent, 1,030' descent.

Ride from Lamar to Las Animas. Ralph finds another wallet by the road. We eat at Rivera's the only restaurant in town and then go drop the wallet in the mail slot at the police station. Went past huge feedyards like Harris Ranch but no good restaurant. Meet Kathy and Jim in Lamar. I see a tortilleria and buy fresh corn tortillas. Shades of Mexico. Sooooo good. We camp and watch the lightning from a big storm. We get only a bit of rain but lots of wind. Kris

Day 22

2006-05-20T12:11:00.001-07:00

Day 22 - La Junta to Lamar 62 miles, 670' ascent, 1,030' descent.
3rd week total 419 miles and 13,240' ascent, todate from the start 42,666' of ascent.
Not too bad if we can say so.
Today took us through green farm land an easy day, but our bodies were feeling the effect of a hard week in the mountains.

Day 21

2006-05-19T15:23:00.000-07:00

Day 21 - May 19 - 84 Miles, 1,040' ascent, 3,190' descent.
Start early in the cool. Had breakfast at the only restaurant in Walsenburg. Got on Hwy 10 the second loneliest road in the US, nothing for 72 miles. Did see 22 Prong Horn Antelope. Good tail wind for the first 50 miles, heat came up and wind turned making the last 30 miles miserable.

Day 20

2006-05-19T15:18:00.000-07:00

Day 20 – May 18 – Fort Garland to 4 miles west of Walsanburg 49 miles, 1,820’ ascent, 3,160 descent.
La Veta Pass at 9,413’ was easy with not much over 3-4%. At the top we stopped to take pictures and have a Pay Day. The climbing was done at 21 miles. The next 28 miles was almost all down hill, we had to keep the speed down to around 40 because of gusty winds. We did make it to a little over 50 when we got out of the winds. We stopped at Lathrop State Park, good camping.
Ralph

Day 19

2006-05-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

Day 19 – May 17 – Del Norte to Fort Garland 60 miles, 690’ ascent, 530 descent.
Easy day through the high, flat, dry San Luis Valley. Stopped at Monte Vista for coffee and cinnamon rolls at Mudpuppie. Great visit with a biker and the caretaker of the historic Ghost Town of Jasper. Down the road to Alamosa for a Mc Donalds’ lunch. Met Jim and Kathy in Blanca for an ice cream. At Fort Garland we toured the museum and learned everything you would want to know about Kit Carson and the Buffalo Soldiers.
Ralph
Jim and I left Del Norte after Ralph & Kris so Ralph called to tell us about Mudpuppies, we stopped for lunch there, our excuse was the wi-fi to download the blog. It’s in the town of Monte Vista, a pretty green town.
Kathy

Day 18

2006-05-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

Day 18 – May 16 – Pagosa Springs to Del Notre 61 miles 4,060’ ascent 3,180’ descent.
Today was up Wolf Creek Pass 10,800 feet. The main climb was 8 miles long with many grades over 10%, a few were as much as 12%. The mountains were beautiful, many waterfalls, snow on the hillsides above 9,000’ feet, a beaver pond. Near the top on the way down we had to wait about 30 minutes for roadwork, a new tunnel and some major hillside work. At great down hill into South Fork.
Ralph

2006-05-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

Day 17 – May 15 - Durango to Pagosa Springs 53 miles 3,350’ ascent 2,700’ descent. A easy day in preperation for Wolf Creek Pass tomorrow but a thunder shower a few miles before Pagosa Springs took Ralph and Kris off the tandem early. Pagosa Springs is a pretty town with Hot Springs right along the river. Our camp is on the San Juan and the river lulled us to sleep.
Kathy

2006-05-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

Baker's Bridge in Durango

City limit sign for Aztec New Mexico on 550.

Day 16 – May 14 - Farmington to Durango - 50 miles 1,770’ ascent 990’ descent. The ride was a lot easier then we thought it would be. The bike shop in Farmington gave us an excellent route along the Animas River and kept us off Hwy 550. Two miles was on hard packed dirt that had been recently graded. Ralph & I got into Durango and found Carver’s Brew Pub. We traded our story for free beers. The family drove up to meet us and we had dinner at Steamworks. After dinner Vince and Tracy took us to Baker’s Bridge, along the way we saw elk and deer grazing among the mini mansions lining the valley. The Silverton train ran the campground only 4 miles west of Durango. On May 28th bicycles will race the train - - and some will beat it.
Kris

2006-05-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

Day 14 & 15 Farmington Rest Days – The first day was spent just bumming around. We made good use of Tracy’s washer and Jim & I did errands. Ralph and Kris read and rested.
On Saturday we DROVE to Mesa Verde. We toured Spruce House first, saw wild horses and enjoyed the beautiful views. On the ranger lead tour of Cliff Palace we saw a Horned Owl sitting on her nest waiting for papa to come feed her and the fledglings. Coming home we went through Cortez and Shiprock again, stopped and bought jewelry and bread a vendor from the Santo Domingo Pueblo near Santa Fe.
Kathy

Day 18

2006-05-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

Having coffee in Monte Vista at Muddpuppies Coffee House. Great cinnamon rolls.. Yesterday over Wolf Creek Pass 10,800 feet, We are in the high desert. Lots of wind. Things are green along the rivers but very dry elsewhere. Easy day today to rest our legs between passes. La Veta Pass tomorrow should be easier than Wolf Creek.

Day 13

2006-05-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

Day 13 – May 11th – Teec Nos Pos to Farmington, NM - 57 miles, 890’ ascent 1,210’ descent.
After a good breakfast in Farmington, Jim and Kathy drove us back to Teec Nos Pos so we could ride into Farmington stopping along the way at Shiprock to visit with Tracy’s 4th grade class at Eva B. Stokely School on the Indian Reservation. It was a great visit with all the children asking us many questions about our cross-country ride and our bike.
Jim and Kathy stayed at school to do recess while we rode back through town. We met three tandem couples throughout the day, one at lunch, one on the road and one in the bike shop. Small world.
Ralph & Kris

After dinner we had to do the grandparent thing and take Suzanne and Travis to Coldstone Creamery for ice cream. Of course the adults had to go along - - - just to make sure the kids didn’t try to eat the entire store.
Kathy

Day 12

2006-05-12T17:41:00.000-07:00

Day 12 – May 10th – Kayenta to Teec Nos Pos - 77 miles 1,790 ascent, 2,260’ descent.
A day of riding through the Navajo Indian Reservation; towns are very small not much to see, but the countryside is beautiful. We were only 57 miles from our niece’s house in Farmington, Jim and Kathy’s daughter, so they drove us in to her house for warm shower, a good meal, and a great bed.
Ralph

Day 11

2006-05-09T19:55:00.000-07:00

Day 11, May 9th – Tuba City to Kayenta – 75 miles, 2485’ climb, 1,860 descent.
First half of the day was good 1-2% climb cool temp. Wind started to increase out of the NW, sky looked threatening our speed slowed to around 10mph with a very light rain.
Stopped at a store while it rain hard. Our luck was good, the rain stopped, the sun came out, and the sloped changed from 3-4% climb to a 3-4% descent.

Ralph

Day 10

2006-05-09T19:54:00.000-07:00

Day 10, May 8th - Grand Canyon to Tuba City - 87 miles, 3132 ascent, 4600 descent.
We had lots of ups and downs along the Grand Canyon rim. Desert View Overlook gave a good view of the Colorado River. Jim and Kathy left later then we did and couldn’t see the magnificent view because smoke from the forest service control burns filled the canyon. The thirty miles of descent on Hwy 64 was spoiled by high gusting crosswinds. We went past several spots where Navajo jewelry makers were selling their work. There is a decent campground at the Quality Inn in Tuba City.
Kris

Day 9

2006-05-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

Day 9, Grand Canyon National Park - Our rest day was appreciated by all four of us - - - once we stopped Kris from repeating “I don’t have to get on the bike today!”. We took the shuttle buses everywhere from the campground out to Hermits Rest, walking the Rim Trail part of the way. On the Rim Trail a park volunteer had a telescope focused on two California condors sitting on a ledge in the canyon. Two more were soaring above us. What an impressive sight with their 10-foot wingspan. On the way back we stopped for beers on the El Tovar Hotel veranda. Life is good.
Kris & Kathy

Week One

2006-05-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

For the week 461 miles and 17,180' feet of climb. From the hot desert to the cool of the mountains. All in all a great week, the support of my sister and brother-in-law with the motor home was great. AC for the hot nights, water and food at mid day when done available on the road, this is the way to go.

Day 8

2006-05-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

Day 8 – May 6, 2006 – 42 miles 2,900’ of climbing and 1,360’ decent.
Today we rode into Williams climbing to over 6,800 feet. Today we took the RV into the Grand Canyon. Tomorrow is our day off, we are going to sleep-in and sight see.

Day 7

2006-05-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

Day 7, May 5, 2006, 57 miles 3,050 of climbing and 2,060 descent.
Today was another day on I-40, wide shoulder but not very good for riding. We stopped for the night in Seligman, to our surprise it was Route 66 cruise weekend. Over 700 classic cars, eye candy for people like us. Another surprise was that our old friend Bob and wife Maggie were there in their 55 Chevy.
Ralph

The Seligman Fun Run was a welcomed surprise. The Fun was a very eclectic group of cars, trucks and motorcycles, much like the weekly Donuts Derelicts at Huntington Beach California.
The Fun Run started in Seligman on Friday and moved on to Kingman on Saturday and finished in Topoc on Sunday. The Run was driven over the longest un-broken section of the original Route 66. Strangly the event was not advertised or announced in Drive magazine. Too bad there is not a driving event in California like this.
Jim

Day 6

2006-05-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

Day 6 – May 4, 2006 – 76 Miles 4,600’ of climbing and 810’ decent.
Today we had high winds out of the SW – We were going NE, it does not get better than this. A good climb out of Lake Havasu City. Stopped for some coffee at I-40 and started another climb into Kingman, went another 13 miles to Blake Ranch to camp for the night.

2006-05-04T08:51:00.000-07:00

Day 5 – May 3, 2006 – 90 Miles 1,850’ of climbing, 1,450 of descent.
It looked to be another hot day so we are up at 5:30 and on the bike by 6:00. The morning was great at 60 degrees. It stays cool until Parker. We meet Jim and Kathy as they are looking at the old trains in a park. We refill our water bottles, eat at Burger King and head out. The land along the Colorado River is a study in contrasts; dry red rocks and the blue-green river. The heat is rising and so is the wind. We make it to Lake Havasu City. The temperature is almost 100 degrees. We are glad to get off the bike. Kris has heat rash. Our son, Grant, calls to tell us that he broke his ankle. We feel so far away.
Ralph

In Parker we found a park with old passenger trains. If it moves under it’s own power Jim loves it. He saw a Hadley’s truck delivering cars to the local Ford dealership, had to check that out too because his first job was at Hadley’s . Daisy, the city dog, tried to investigate a prickly pear cactus - - - not a good idea. I found a wi-fi spot and paid some bills. We’ll post these notes as soon as we find the next hot spot.
Kathy

2006-05-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

This was our day off so we kept it short. The day took us through a flat valley of farmland, mostly alfalfa and cotton and towns like Palo Verde and Ripley. Camped beside the Colorado River at Ehrenberg. It is another hot day at about 97 degrees so the air-conditioned motorhome felt really good. This is the way to go.
Ralph

This “SAG” thing is harder then I thought it would be. It is impossible not to worry about the bicycle riders when it is 100 degrees and there is no shade around. It is even to hot to sightsee - - - but we did find a campground with a pool.
Kathy

2006-05-04T08:38:00.000-07:00

May 3rd - we have internet access to catch up with the postings

Glamis Sand Dunes

Day 3 – May 1, 2006 – 63 Miles 1640’ of climbing, 1,300’ of descent.
Brawley to 11 miles south of Palo Verde on the old Colorado River at Mitchell Camp grounds. Today started in green farms of alfalfa, onions, etc. and changed to sand dunes and desert. A steady climb of 1-2% for 2/3 of the day and then down hill to the camp. It was very hot.
Ralph

Mitchell Camp sits on an old channel of the Colorado. It has 12 sites that are mainly for friends of the mobile home residents. Nice friendly people.
Kathy

Day 2

2006-04-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

Day 2: 67 miles with 450 feet of climbing and 2,690 feet of decent.
Today was a hot day riding through the desert with a headwind. All day on Hwy 78 into Brawley - - What more can I say.
Ralph

Day1

2006-04-30T19:04:00.001-07:00

Day 1; 69.62 Miles with 5,896 feet of climbing and 3,250 feet of decent.
After dipping our wheel in the Pacific at Del Mar we started out to Poway. Found a great bike path that followed Hwy 56. The first person that we rode with was Richard Bryne the owner of Speed Play. Our first stop Ramona and then onto Santa Yasbel for lunch with the family that was sending us off. After lunch onto Julian and a great decent down to Hwy 78 and S2. Down S2 four miles to the Stage Couch camp ground for a family dinner with my brother Gene and his wife Joyce, my sister Jan and niece Jamie, my nephew John, his wife Jenn and baby Rhian. We had the honor of Jamie riding with us the first two days.
Ralph

Route

2006-04-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

Route

2006-04-21T21:47:00.000-07:00

Our Route
San Diego – Julian – Brawley – Blythe – Kingman, Az – Grand Canyon – Monticello, Ut - Mesa Verde National Park, Co – Durango - La Junta – Tribune, KS – Pittsburg - Golden City, Mo – Farmington – Chester, Il - Cave-in-Rock – Marion, Ky – Springfield - Elkhorn City – Haysi, Va – Christiansburg – Montebello – Blue Ridge Parkway – Greenwood – Charlottesville – Williamsburg -Yorktown

2006-03-24T16:49:00.000-08:00

Good Times got a new satellite
dish yesterday so we can watch the news and keep up todate with the world we are leaving behind for 3 months. One of the stops will be cousin Sheri's place in Rathdrum Idaho.

Another stop will be Bowling Green Kentucky to see the Corvette Museum and to tour the assembly line. Maybe Jim will get lucky and he'll find a Vette under the tree next Christmas.

Kathy

Things to do----

2006-03-14T14:51:00.000-08:00

Things I have to do before we are gone from home for three months. 1. Arrange for the gardener to come every week instead of every other week. 2. Set up a drip system for the pots and hanging baskets in the backyard. 3. Stop the paper. 4. Get a new laptop with Quicken to keep track of expenses and pay bills. 4. Have our son stop by to pick up the mail and send the important things to us.

We have been trying to project cost for the two months. Per couple we are estimating $1,000.00 for food, $750.00 campground fees, $550.00 gas and $200.00 miscellaneous cost for a total of $2,500.00 a couple. Everything will go into Quicken so we can compare the estimate with the actual cost. Of course any sightseeing we do on our own won't be from the kitty.

Since I have known Ralph all my life, Ralph and Jim have been best friends since the 10th grade, we all graduated from the same high school, and Kris and I like a lot of the same things we should all have a good time on the trip.

When we reach the Atlantic Ralph and Kris will fly home while Jim and I are going to take an additional 4 to 5 weeks and see all the New England states we have missed on previous trips. It will be a good work out for the motor home.

Kathy

2006-02-28T20:29:00.000-08:00

Lake Tahoe, California
Mount Ventoux, France
Amador County, California
Ralph and Kris

Planning our trip from Del Mar, California to Jameston, Virginia

2006-02-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

Ralph and Kris LeMeur and Jim and Kathy Bremner plan to go cross country from west to east starting April 29, 2006. R&K will be riding a Seven tandem. Jim and Kathy will drive the "Let the Good Times Roll" LazyDaze motorhome. Preliminary plans are to ride the bicycle 60-80 miles per day with one day off a week. The trip should take about 55 days. Jim and Kathy are going to the Indianapolis 500 in May while Ralph and Kris will continue the bike ride.

Kris & Kathy