Adios, Tejas

Tomorrow we (plan to) bike out of Texas, and I can't help but feel that this is the end of an era. Texas has been more unexpected and magnificent than I ever could have imagined, and despite my excitement to start a new state, I have to admit I'll be a little sad to leave the lone star land. We have been through desert and forest, city and pasture land, past cotton fields and through ghost towns. We stayed at a ranch, and biked through it all-- cold and dry and rainy and hot and humid and hilly as heck and flat as a pancake--all in the same state. It's only fitting, then, that we spend our last night here in an entirely new and pretty special environment, a goodbye treat from a big state that has already been darn good to us.

I had never heard of "The Big Thicket" before I saw it on our map. When I hear thicket I picture a brier patch or vine-overgrown hedge row. Texas' Big Thicket is actually a long narrow corridor of dense forest and waterways that is considered "one of the most biodiverse places in the world." I know, in Texas! The area has been protected since I believe the 70s, and from what I've read it's a veritable zoo in terms of the wildlife that you might see. Hundreds of different birds migrate and nest here, an equally large number of trees, countless flower and plant species--including 4 carnivorous ones--all 4 species of North American venomous snakes (?), and alligators. That's right, alligators. Our camp tonight is in a state park at the north end of this refuge, on a grassy point surrounded on 2.5 sides by picturesque BA Steinhagen Lake. Frankly, it's stunning, and we have pictures to prove it. Across the lake from our camp a ghostly cypress forest floats impossibly far from land, eerily suspended above still water, inviting of exploration. With only a canoe and a sense of adventure you could lose yourself here, perhaps literally, imagining that you are the first soul to witness the treasures you find around each bend in the river. Very tempting--but we have an adventure of our own to continue, with treasures yet unknown. And so we leave a place we've come to deeply appreciate as much for its people as for its aesthetics, and embark on the next leg of our journey--hopeful, yet skeptical, that any new place can possibly be as cool as Texas.
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Our site

It's a beut Clark!

Tonights campground

Baseball season

Pic from the game we caught the other night.

Chasing Spring

Texas continues to surprise and impress me. Today's ride was nothing short of idyllic, from the rolling pastures with grazing sheep and cows, to the endless blue sky and warming sun. Spring has arrived in eastern Texas, and today she wore her Sunday best. This, my friends, is bluebonnet country. For once the seemingly mortal enemies The Right Place and The Right Time have made concessions and agreed to meet with us and each other on the roads between Bernham and New Waverly. Recently it has rained, and now something fresh and living is pushing or crawling out of every crack and crevice. Sweeping fields of wildflowers, not just blue (although that's the overwhelming hue) but splashed with red and yellow and orange, are spread out to each side of my empty country road. Butterflies race in front of and by me with chaotic energy; they feel familiar, like old friends. Immersed in this pastoral landscape I feel like a kid racing with ease down a dirt road between fields of summer corn. My pedalstrokes are effortless. I have lost myself in all around me, each sense heightened more than the one before. The last thing on my mind is biking, except when my trailing thoughts lead me to recognize how lucky I am to be here, in this moment. I am thankful, then immediately slip back out of touch and into the world of innocence that has permitted me to pass through and soak up. Tonight I crawl into bed dripping with the golden dew of spring.
Thanks to my lifelong friend Adam Norton for sponsoring today, you picked a good one old buddy.
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Last couple of days

Quick list of cool things from the last couple of days.
-state park road that was only a little bigger than a golf cart path
that was super fun to bike on
- biking thru miles and miles of antiques being sold from huge tent
cities. Only happens twice a year and it was crazy
-woman offering us a place to stay in Houston and giving us some fudge
-meeting Norman and his wife who talked to us about bike touring, gave
good advice on where to camp, and bought us cheese, crackers and wine
- watching a Brenham TX high school baseball game
- meeting Jessie and gang and getting some waters at Drifters (a place
we wish we could have spent all night at)
- leaving Texas hill country
- biking thru the blue bonnets

I'm sure I'll remember something else or someone else as soon as I hit
send but that is all for now. Night

joe

Nice riding.

Blue Bonnets

Train, Train Go Away

Tonight we find ourselves camped in the shadows between a baseball shed and a fence, the kind with barbed wire on top. The fence is there to (presumably) keep teenagers and other stupid people from running gleefully up the steep embankment to the welcoming railroad tracks. I kept looking at this fence as I set up tent, wondering why in my hometown it was so easy to just mosey on up to the steel rails without care and casually place a few pennies on the track to have a few copper pancakes later. Then, as if it had heard my silent question, the train answered. We could hear the whistle blast well before we could see it, and soon it was grating and screeching metalically just above our heads. This was about an hour ago, and that was the first of three that have passed since we arrived. Now don't get me wrong, trains are cool, and it's hard to complain about "free" camping, but after witnessing the regularity of the railroad 'round here, I'm beginning to underdstand the benefit of paying for my own lunch. I also understand why they built this fence.
Thanks to today's sponsor, Carly again. Don't worry, we don't blame you if the trains keep us up all night, Carly (I swear I just heard a distant whistle). Carly enjoys special status as the only person I know to leave an Old 97s concert early. That I do blame you for. I hope you're all enjoying a fun-filled train-free Saturday night, talk to ya soon.
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Back in the saddle again, again

One would think that after a week in Austin with no bike riding,
getting back on today would have felt good... Maybe like going home...
Well guess what... My butt still hurts, my knees feel worse, I've got
a weird thing going on with my shins from walking around hard wood
floors with no shoes, my elbows hurt for the first time, and my hands
ached today. Good Times! I actually figured this would be the way
today would feel but I'd hoped I was wrong. Taking a long vacation from
things is tough. Think about how painful going back to work can be
after a long vacation. Hopefully, after tomorrow my body will remember
that it is biking to new York. I realized I didn't post a link to the
pics, they are up but on my iPhone it is hard to post the link. If you
click on the link on the right of the blog that says joe's picassa
page, you should see the phoenix to Austin album. I think they go mine
than brians.
Big thanks to Carly White for getting us back on the bike today with
her sponsorship. Hopefully carly's office still plays the "where are
the guys" game. We love the idea of folks reading our blog instead of
doing work. Carly and I perfected those skills while working
together. ;) we did some good work but made sure we had lots of fun
doing it. So HI to carly's co-workers too. Be nice to cwhite, she's a
good egg!
Thanks too, to the folks at roadhouse in bastrop tx for lettin us camp
behind your restaurant and your burgars are super delicious. Night

joe

On The Road Again

Like life and all good things in it, our time in Austin has been too short and went too fast. Tomorrow morning we once again mount our trusty tuned-up Truckers and ride determinedly Eastward. The next leg of our journey begins, and only time (which slows to a numbing grass-grow pace the moment our butts hit our saddles) will tell what adventures await. Of course we'll do our best to capture each one through language and lens for you, our devoted readers. For now, I leave you with a short poem about my old friend (and college roommate) Tim. Happy belated birthday, ol' buddy, and forgive me for not writing this "thank-you" a few days ago, but every second with my Nicolina is precious, and I couldn't spare even a moment. I'm sure you understand.

A Timerick for Lim:
There once was a fellow named Tim,
Who never did go to the gym,
He ate like a pig,
But never got big,
In fact, he remained rather slim.

He liked this place called "The Corral,"
And we went every week without fail,
The burgers and fries
Were the typical size,
But the chicken wings came by the pail!

And Timmy, he'd eat two or three,
Which was 'bout one or two more than me,
But when we were through,
He still weighed One Five Two,
And I still weighed Two Thirty-Three.

See, Tim was a good-looking guy,
A twinkle he had in his eye,
He dressed rather well,
And he had a nice smell
Cuz his armpits were usually dry.

And Oh! Did the lasses love Tim,
From Lauren to Jackie to Kim,
Had he wanted to try,
He need merely say 'hi,'
And they'd cater to his every whim.

But Tim was a rare bird, it's true,
Both good-looking and trustworthy, too,
Any girl he took out,
Would be home without doubt
Twenty minutes before her curfew.

And guys liked him almost as well,
Even when you first met you could tell,
That Tim was a friend
Who'd be there to the end,
And a rare pal like that is just swell.

And though we dint always agree,
The truth is that Timmy and me,
Were once pretty close,
And still are I s'pose,
In that cool way old pals can be.

When I next see my roomie from past,
It will be as though no time has passed,
We'll catch up over beer,
And we'll laugh til we tear,
Thinking back on a time that dint last.

And such is what I can recall,
When I look back and think of it all, We had good times and rough,
(Being roommates is tough,
Especially with dorm rooms so small!)
And though we don't often talk or hang out, I'm just glad I still know him at all.

Gnight from Austin

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Alex B and the bats!

Big thanks and a happy birthday to the most powerful woman in Santa
Cruz, Alex B. I've been meaning to say congrats on Alex's new digs for
awhile now but haven't gotten around to it. Looking forward to playing
done wii and bbqing. Hope u had a great birthday.

Went and saw the Austin bats tonight and they were amazing. If I lived
here I would have to go watch all the time. It us the USA's largest
urban bat colony and when the babies are born in June it will number
1.5 million. They come out for ever and are a solid line for miles.
It's crazy! Yet another reason to add Austin to your list but to see
the bats you have to come between march and October.

More pics tomorrow. I promise.

(Some video I took of the bats)

Down time in Austin

First off, if you have never been to the city of Austin. I highly recommend you come for a visit. It is a great city and if you love live music it is a must. We were lucky enough to catch it at the tail end of South by Southwest Festival, so it was even more musicafied then normal but it isn't called the Live Music Capital of the World for nothing. But besides the music, it has great food, great outdoor escapes and many other fun sightseeing adventures. It will be very hard to leave here on our bikes on Friday and even harder to say goodbye to the ladies on Thursday, but we won't think about that right now.

Need to send Happy Birthday Wishes to one of our best sponsors - who has been our sponsor since St. Patrick's day and was one of the first people to jump on the Sponsorship program. Tim Lynah is one of the great people that came into my life in Geneseo, NY. He was one of my residents but quickly became a friend. Tim was part of one of my favorite road trips. He, the Holtz brothers and I went to Cedar Point Ohio for some Roller Coaster madness. Looking forward to doing the 10 year reunion trip in a couple years. Timmy - hope you are having a great birthday. We will drink one for you tonight in Austin.

Photos from Phoenix to Austin will be up tomorrow.

South by southwest

Memphis Blues Night. Good times.

The ladies made it!

Made it to Austin!

Road Magic

Can you believe that we haven't set up our tents for the last three nights? We have been cashing in on some travellin' karma we've racked up over the last six weeks (today's our anniversary by the way). After we reluctantly winded our way out of the Twisted J Ranch two days ago we headed toward Boerne, TX (pronounced "Bernie"--ya got me) with only a vague idea where we might stay the night. Sitting at a Chevron picnic table we started calling local hotels and motels (and yes, Holiday Inns) to see if we could find a cheap St. Patty's Day bed. Well Joe got on the phone with a local B and B booking agent and told him our whole deal. Turns out the guy, Mike, was also the owner of a really nice looking place called The Crescent Inn, which was right across the street from our picnic table, but by the look of it quite obviously out of our price range. Well it also turns out Mike's brother in law biked from Brooklyn to Cali, and a wave of the road-magic wand later and we're staying in a terrific room at a cool old western-type hotel for half-price. No tax and free breakfast to boot! I'll tell ya there may be something to that luck o' the Irish thing (everyone's Irish on March 17th, right?). We enjoyed a second night of great sleep in a row and rolled outta town at the crack o' noon today, absolutely sure we'd be bedding down in the ol' sleeping sack at some RV park this evening. And we were fine with that.

But Mr. Road Karma had other plans for us. As Joe came to a screeching halt halfway down a hill enroute to Wimberly this afternoon, I looked over to see an unexpected site. It was a sign for a Disc Golf Ranch. That's right kids an entire Ranch devoted to disc golf. Well we got to the gate and to our disappointment the ranch was closed for some revamping. But two golfers noticed us and came over to explain the situation. Turns out that they are both pros on the disc golf tour. And we didn't know it then, but Jay and Des turned out to be just about the coolest people you could hope to meet. They invited us back to their place for the night, and we enjoyed one of the best evenings of the trip, drinking a great locally brewed Porter and talking about everything from backpacking to BBQ. And of course disc golf. We will sleep in beds for a third night in a row, and we'll add another set of names to the list of incredibly friendly and generous people we've met on this trip--many of whom happen to live in West Texas.

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The view

Our digs

Read the post below to find out how we got this house for the night.

Jackpot

We met Doc and JR at a little junction gas station outside of Lost
Maples State Park. Brian and I had gone 40 miles over 4 of the best
hills, hill country had to offer and we had just found out that the
park was booked solid because of spring break. Doc and JR were asking
us all about our journey and of course the question of where we were
staying came up. "I've got a 500 acre ranch with some guest houses if
you all are interested. " said Doc. Well of course we were interested
and of course it wasn't right around the corner. Another 25 miles, off
route, and of course another hill. We hate to pass up kindness so we
set off toward the ranch. The hill was the worst on of the day,
straight up, I did not think it was going to end or that I was going
to make it. Once to the top we did another good chunk of miles on some
rollers into the town of Medina. Here is where I find out my tires are
coming apart, litteraly coming unglued. We call Doc and we are saved
from the last 6 miles by his truck. We meet Doc's wife Jeanne and
their two grand kids and have an amazing dinner. It was another
experience we won't forget and kindness we get to give back to someone
in the future.

joe

Gone crazy in the hills!

They love them there hills

But my legs don't this morning after climbing 4 of them yesterday.

Wrong turn ?

Who knew my home town was so close to hill country Texas.

Well I can hardly wait to tell y'all about our Monday in the hill country, but it's late and sleep wins. Let's just say it was one for the books. Before I go catch some shut eye (notice the cowboy lingo finding its way in there?), I want to send a big Texas thank-you to Ma and Pa Norton back in Phelps, NY. It wasn't until after their son Adam and I were already best friends that we realized The Holtzs and the Nortons go way back, all the way back to Fishers, NY in fact, a small town from another time. I still remember the first time I went over to the Norton home after school, and since then Peggy, Joe, Bethany and Adam have become just like family to me. Joe has always reminded me of some concoction of Ernest Hemingway and Walt Whitman. He has a guarded glint in his eye, like a prospector who's struggling to resist the urge to tell you about his jackpot claim. You know just looking at Joe he can tell a good story, and you're right. Peggy is someone I called mom the first time I met her, she just has a comforting way. I have no idea what she looks like without a smile on her face. I have countless fond memories of time spent at the Nortons', a place (by the way) where they still string real cranberry and popcorn garland around the Christmas tree. There's a certain magic there, and I'm grateful that they've evidently sent a little of that magic our way by supporting this adventure. But more on that tomorrow...
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Good people day

We had some trouble getting out of ft. Clark yesterday. First it
rained hard during the night so everything was wet. Then we met a
lovely chap named Les who was so excited to talk to us about our trip.
He and his wife come over twice a year to stay with some friends on
the Fort. Les had heard about the cross country bikers but we were the
first he had met. He even wanted our autographs. Then brian had his
first flat since el paso. We finally go off the fort at 11:30 but we
had to stop and get stuff for lunch as there was nothing for 50 miles.
So about noon we thought we were finally off but then we ran into
another talkative guy on a motorcycle. He had done two of the
adventure cycling routes on pedal bike and was now doing parts of the
southern route, that we are on, via motorcycle. So finally at 12:30 we
are finally leaving town. Was a nice day for riding and the scenery
was actually very different, which was nice. We rolled into the town
of Camp Wood about 5:20 or so and after much deliberation we decided
to call it a day. It was 20 miles to the next town with a big climb
and the cafe in Camp Wood had milkshakes. We had a nice dinner,
including said milkshakes, and started trying to figure out where to
camp. All the schoolsare on spring break so we thought maybe there but
we had turned into a driveway for the hill country inn. They had a lot
of grass and even some picnic tables so we thought we would ask if we
could camp. There was no office, just a number to call. Not only did
they let us camp for free but they opened one of the rooms so we could
use the bathroom. Amazingly nice. Today we will see what the Texas
hill country is all about. Thanks to Peggy and Joe Norton for
sponsoring us! Everyone have a great Monday.

joe

Fort Clark Springs

As we walked back to camp last night after a late dinner in town, we crossed Las Moras creek for the third time. "Old Indian Legend" has it that when you cross the Las Moras your sins are washed away. Now I don't feel so bad about ordering the chicken fried steak. In case you wanna know a little more about where we spent the night, here's the skinny on Brackettville, TX, straight from Wikipedia herself. She knows it all. And before I forget again, thanks to our Saturday sponsor Melissa Fischer, a great athlete and sweet gal who I'll tell you more about in the near future. Now enjoy your history lesson...

Founded in 1852 as Las Moras (the name of a nearby spring and the creek it feeds), the town initially was a supply stop on the old San Antonio-El Paso road and a supply depot for the U.S. Army's Fort Clark (the fort was established the same year). Later the town was named Brackett for the owner of the first dry goods store in the area, and in 1873 when a post office was awarded "ville" was appended to the name to differentiate from another town.
The town grew quickly through the 19th century as Fort Clark grew, but the town's existence remained very strongly tied to Fort Clark's fortunes. Fort Clark was for many years home to the famous Buffalo Soldiers--and, demographically, Brackettville had a larger proportion of Black Seminoles (people of mixed African American and Seminole ancestry) than the rest of West Texas. Their language, Afro-Seminole Creole, is still spoken by some in Brackettville.

After the Buffalo Soldiers moved out of Fort Clark, the fort remained a cavalry post, and virtually every cavalry unit in the U.S. Army was stationed at or trained at Fort Clark at one time or another. In 1943, the U.S. Army activated the Second Cavalry, which was to be the Army's last horse-mounted unit. By 1944, even the Second had been mechanized, and Fort Clark, so long a center of mounted cavalry, was targeted for closure. Before its closure, the fort was used as a German prisoner-of-war camp.

After the fort officially closed in 1946, it had a variety of uses, until in 1971 it was converted into a resort/retirement center. The historic district of the fort is now on the National Register of Historic Places. However, the resort is not the economic engine the fort once was, and Brackettville has shrunk from its peak population during the war years.

North of town is a tourist attraction called Alamo Village, built in the 1950s as the set of John Wayne's movie The Alamo. Scenes from the 1969 comedy Viva Max! were shot here.
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Friday the 13th pt. 2

Well our last RJ Friday is in the books (thanks again RJ)and it was
our second Friday the 13th. Thanks RJ, we've had some good Fridays.
Yesterday turned into a long day. After our huge day the day before we
had planned on going 60 to the town of Langtry. As luck would have it
I got the first flat tire sense el paso and so we didn't get to
Langtry until 5:20 and there was no food options, the few things the
town has were closed. A little bummed we decided to press on to
comstock another 29 miles away. Rolling into the rv park, just before
dark we were disappinted that it seemed closed and the gas station
that was supposed to be next door, also closed. We decided to head
into town, get some food and ask about camping. Thankfuly there was
one place open, correction, thankfuly the ONE place in the whole town
was opened and she had great food. She said almost everything in town
had shut down. The motel, all gas stations, she was the only thing
left. Being a Friday night we headed down to the school to camp for
the night. Heading into del rio this morning. Will be nice to have
options after all these small small towns. Let's hope we don't end up
going 80+ again today.

joe

Make up day

We had thought we would only go the 31 miles to marathon. It was cold,
there was ice in the morning, and there wasn't anything after marathon
for 55 miles. The 31 to marathon went quickly and while at lunch we
thought it wouldn't be much fun to sit around in the cold for 5 hours
until it got dark and there wasn't much else going on in the town of
452. So I made a call to a motel in sanderson (55 miles away) $35 the
man said and we were off. 4 hoursish later we rolled into sanderson
Texas having gone 86 miles (biggest day yet)in the cold, we had made
up for the short day the day before and the comforts of the Budget inn
kept us out of the below freezing temps for another night. Looks like
we have one more day of this cold front, and today we will cover 60
miles and will be spending the night in our tents, since there will be
no other options where we are heading. Soon I'm sure we will be
complaining about the heat and be back to working on our tans but at
least for today we will be bundled up and pedaling to keep warm. Happy
Friday!

joe

Lunch time shout outs from marathon tx.

A couple of quick notes while we are a lunch. Yesterday I lost track
of the days and somehow fell one behind. But we rode yesterday in the
freezing cold in honor of Heather Downs birthday. Hope you had a great
day heather. And today we ride in honor of Neil Reeves birthday. And
it justvso happens that Neil shares a birthday with my aunt and my
nephew. So a happy birthday to Connie and Ben too. Have great days
everyone and Neil the socks are great!

joe

Ice anyone.

On our walk to the market this morning we didn't really notice the
tiny icicles but after we both slipt while walking over a bridge
(don't worry no falls), we noticed all the tiny buggers. Supposed to
warm up, with a little sun this afternoon. Fingers crossed.

Brrrrrr

Are you paying attention? We aren't ever real sure who is reading our
blog on a daily basis but if you looked where we were last night and
where we are tonight, you may have noticed that we didn't make it very
far. Would love to say that we met some amazing people or found
something so amazing that we just couldn't pass it up... Yeah that is
not what happened. It is just plain COLD! When we set out this morning
it was 25 and raining and as we rode to alpine, it didn't get any
better. The worst half mile of the whole trip was from the bike shop
in alpine to the mcdonalds. We thought we would just warm up with some
coffee after chatting with the guys at the shop and the short ride was
freezing. In mcdonalds more than one person told us we shouldn't ride
anymore today and checking the weather and seeing a winter weather
warning calling for ice sealed the deal. Didn't hurt that a cheap
motel next store had a price we couldn't pass up. The weather remains
crappy for the next couple days but let's hope not like today. Night
from alpine, tx.

joe

West Texas Teardrops

We awoke in Kent after a fitful night of rain and wind. The tent had some drops still but the ground was dry, one of many indicators that it's been a while since anything useful fell from the sky. We bade farewell to Dick and Sue and headed once again into the mountains. The empty road climbed gradually, deceptively into the scrubby hills, and for the most part we kept quietly to ourselves and let thoughts take over. Many cows watched us hum steadily past, spooked but still curious. Pathetic though it was, the little rain of the previous night was not lost on the desert plants, nor any drop wasted. Shoots of yellow flowers were already sprouting atop the yuccas, and the occasional neon green bush jumped sharply out of the brown backdrop in a scream of life and color. Of course as the climb got steeper I saw less of the sidelines and concentrated on the game, which was breathing, spinning, and controlling the mental and physical burn. When I finally saw the geodesic dome of the observatory on a distant hill, I knew the peak was near. With instantly lighter legs I coasted to the visitors center where lunch and rest were waiting.
After a terrific meal we cruised downhill (one of the benefits of going so far up) into Ft. Davis where we found camp. Even though our host insisted on being a crotchety bastard it was a good deal and a nice place to stay actually. Another rainstorm and a cloud-covered sky kept us from our eagerly anticipated star party, but we made do. Ice cream sundaes, two-handed Euchre and some oldies on the radio make for a pretty nice end to any day. As we tuck in, the dark sky above warns that there may be a few more west Texas teardrops before the morning. But that's okay, our tents are well-sealed, and they really need the rain.
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Tandem anyone?

What can I say about kent tx? Well ... Not much, it has a gas station
where we bought chips, it's at a crossroads where we will actually
leave I-10 for awhile, it has an abandoned falling down school which
we are camped near and it's where we met Dick and Susan. They are also
going to new York via bike but they only have one, that's right kids,
tandem. They are heading to west point for dick's 50th class reunion.
(They also biked out for his 45th) they left redlands ca about 6 days
after we did and because they are smart they went the quick way and
avoided most of the mountains. They are raising money for an outfit in
Redlands. I'll get their website and post that later. Here is hoping
we are all as active and adventurful when we are their age. Night from
Kent, wherever in the he'll that is.

joe

Feasting

Sitting in Van Horn TX, eating a huge breakfast made on the camp
stove. We had pepermint tea, pancakes, sausage, eggs, and even some
oj. Got a shorter day ahead of us today so we thought we would feast a
little. Might come back to haunt us but let's hope not. Big thanks to
Melissa Fischer for being our sponsor yesterday, today and I think a
bunch of upcoming days. We will have to think of good stories to share
about her. Everyone haves good Monday!

joe

Did ya hear the one about the wind? It blows.

Well, just like they said he would, old man wind showed us he's still got a healthy set of lungs today as we left El Paso for the open range. Texas is dry and dusty at the moment, and we plowed through a dirt storm or two on our way to Ft. Hancock where we rest our heads tonight. Fortunately tomorrow is supposed to be less windy since we have a little climb in the first half of our ride and those are usually entertaining enough on their own. We'll letcha know how it goes.
A big thank you to today's sponsor Sarah Deworken. Sarah completed her first marathon last season with TNT, and she's one of those participants who managed to do it all and make it seem effortless. Sarah never complained, never said 'I can't,' and never stopped moving her legs until she crossed the finish line. I am very proud to have been part of her first marathon experience, and when I'm feeling the tiredness set in during our next long climb, I'll think of you Sarah and keep my mouth closed and legs moving. Hope everyone is having a great weekend, more from Texas soon!
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Some new wheels.

Well we didn't make it far but tonight we are on the far side of El
Paso. Last night we were put up by chris and sylvia, who are friends
of friends. It is simply amazing how kind folks can be to two smelly
hairy strangers. Their kids warren and paloma were kind enough to give
up their beds for the night and we had an amazing pizza dinner and an
even more amazing dessert. Thanks again to the Palmer family. We hope
to see you in Santa cruz soon.

Today we headed across town and got a few errands done. The biggest of
which was getting new tires. Talking to other folks we've met, we came
to realize we were getting more flats than one should and it boiled
down to not having tires that were designed with puncture protection.
So thanks to the wonderful folks at Crazy Cat. We both have new
armadillo tires. We both, also have new shades, plenty of treats, I
got a new flourescent yellow shirt to wear while riding, and some more
sunblock. The ride across town brought us views of Mexico and juarez
city. I hope at some point come back to visit but as the situation in
Juarez is not the best right now and us without passports we couldn't
go across this trip.

Tomorrow is supposed to be winds of up to 45 and the visibility might
be low. We might only make it to a movie theatre. Who knows?

joe

Texas anyone?

No big welcome sign when we got to Texas but we are here! And I guess
we are going to bike the whole darn thing.

Wind is our friend. Wind is our friend.

Have I mentioned that a lot about the last few days have reminded me
of Wyoming? The part of new Mexico we have been in has seemed a lot
like the area around Laramie, wy where I got my bachelors from. The
biggest reminder has been the wind. Wow has the wind been blowing and
you can tell from the locals that it is the norm, just like in
Laramie. Brian asked in a store if it was always this windy and she
said "oh, is it windy today?" and while I grew up with the wind biking
in it is a whole different ball game. Today our first 20ish miles was
mostly head wind or really strong from the side and we thought about
calling it a day at lunch but after lunch to over 30, we had a good
tail wind or small side wind and even a few moments of no wind. The 30
was so much faster and nicer than the 20. If you are interested go to
weather.com and check out the weather for las cruces nm. It's windy
and hot. Good times. We will be heading into big ol Texas tommorow and
staying with friends of friends and look forward to some downtime.
Need to thank a former RA of mine for being our sponsor for the day!
MAGAT you rock. Hope you are doing well and whenever you are ready to
join us you let me know.
Ps - in case you know the area we did have our fair share of hatch
chile concoctions.

joe

Hillsboro for lunch

I need to clean my iphone camera but here is where we had our amazing
lunch today.

Her name is Rio...

Because of our dinner with john and Elizabeth it has gotten late but I
wanted to thank Ang and Alissa for being our sponsors the last couple
days. You two rock and I hope you are doing well and I want my next
trip to be a cruise with you. Night from the rio grande.

joe

Sorry John, the mountains didn't win this time

Well despite flat tires, the flu, some pesky wind and oh yeah, our highest climb of the trip, I am happy to report that these bears have seen the other side of the mountain. What did we find? Well, after 17 downhill miles (the payoff!), we found a gem of a cafe for lunch where we felt like old friends with most everyone inside. (We actually did "know" two people who we'd run into at the top of the pass. We have met just the friendliest folks in NM!) We enjoyed some great food and chatted with amateur rock hounds, then busted out another 17 downhill miles (yeah, we were up there!) before running into a couple fellow travelers at just the right time. John and Elizabeth shared a welcome beer with us, and we all toasted our collective adventurism before deciding to have dinner together and share a campsite. Although somehow Joe and I both ended the day with front flats, we also ended with a big accomplishment in our distant wake, and some new friends. We crawl into our bags tonight 3500 feet lower but with much higher spirits thanks to good food and conversation. And as I sleep off the remnants of my flu, I'm confident that tomorrow when I look back at the mountains on the horizon behind me they will look more beautiful than ever.
A big thank you to our Sunday sponsor Sam Foster, belated but no less sincere. Sam has inspired both me and Nicole to wanna get our doctorates, follow our dreams, change the world and raise amazing children like her and her husband Patrick's daughter Zoe. Despite her incredible accomplishments she still likes to hang out and watch crappy TV (occasionally) with like-minded friends. I look forward to plopping on the couch with y'all when this thing is over, Sam, thanks for being there for Nicole and everyone else who knows you.
Gnight from the land of enchantment.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

We miss Leif

After two of the most ridiculous of days, I wish our little buddy Leif
was here to keep us company. Windy windy windy today. Sorry Sam but
your day sucked. Sam foster was todays sponsor. Sam sponsored us in honor of her step-dads birthday, which was yesterday. Happy birthday to him a day late. Sam is one of the
fabulos women at Crown college I got to work with. She has a great
family, fantastic mind and all though she doesnt often show it, she
can be funny and even goofy when she wants to be. I think Sam has more
days coming up and let's hope they are better than today. We are
staying the night at the Silver city rv park. Right in the middle of
Silver City. We had hoped to get here in time to explore but the wind
and flat tires had other ideas. It took us 7 hours to go 37 miles.
That's right kids our lowest mileage yet. Did I mention Brian is sick and I got chased by a dog.
Yeah what a day. On a positive not, I am neither solid or liquid and
I'll take it. What we have to look forward to tomorrow is our highest
elevation on the whole trip. Which means another climb. Please no wind
over Emory pass. Night all