Reporting on: May 15, 2009

Riding from: Prescott, AZ to Cottonwood, AZ

Temperature: 85 degrees most of the day/Winds: Mild - and appreciated

Elevation Climb: 4500 feet - over the Mingus Mountains

Miles ridden today: A lowly 43

Today we had a leisurely start at 9:00 am. (one of the few "late" starts we'll have). The first 26 miles were ALL uphill. We had an abundance of switchbacks. I loved the uphill climb! (6-7 mph going up). Again - lots of ponderosa pines - and we saw a herd of antelope! BUT, remember I told you yesterday that I didn't like going downhill? Well once I made it to the top, I have to admit that I got into the SAG wagon for the three mile downhill ride. My roommate, Champ, did just the opposite! He did this exact ride last fall (as a test) and decided to take the van up - but rode the hill down! He couldn't believe how tough it was to slow down enough to make the curves! We had a SAG stop in Jerome - and then headed on to Cottonwood - where I arrived at 3:15. My lips are extremely sunburned. Our leader told us that every time we take a drink of water, we should be reapplying more zinc oxide on them! That's a tough thing to do when you're riding! Also, my clip-in shoes are bothering my feet! I think it's from walking in them too much. They are made for riding - not walking!

The last 3 days have been filled with lots of "false flats" and "false summits". That means it looks like it's flat, but we're still going up a 3% grade. You're panting - and think you've made it to the top, but you haven't! UGH!

I wanted to tell you a little about our typical schedule each day:

5:30 - Alarm goes off

6:00-6:45 - We have a BIG breakfast - with lots of carbs

7:00 - Our duffel bags need to be at the truck (2 bags, 15 lbs each)

7:15 - Sign out and start the day's ride!

About mile 25-35 (depending on the day) we have our first SAG stop. We fill our camelbacks & water bottles with a combo of water & gatoraid. There are power bars, power gels, orange slices, bananas, muffins, trail mix, peanuts and more! We eat/drink at the stop and take some with us!

There are unofficial SAG stops at stores, gas stations etc. if anyone needs to replenish drinks and eats...or hit the "john"! (That's another story)!

Lunch is on our own!

Between miles 60-80 we have a second SAG stop.

Depending on how fast a person rides, we arrive at the hotel between 3 and 5 pm.

5:45 - We have our Route Rap (15-20 minutes) and go over the ride for the next day. Most of us try to shower and shave before this daily event.

6:00-7:00 - Dinner - Most of the time this is done as a group!

Tonight we're having dinner at The Sizzler!

All for now - more tomorrow!

Reporting on Thursday, May 14, 2009
Riding Route:Highway 89 from Wickenburg to Prescott, AZ

Temp: in the 80's/Winds 10-15 mph

Elevation Climb: 7600 feet!

Miles Ridden Today: 59

History and fact from Hank's Almanac: Cross-Country Car Ride! On July 26th, 1903, a doctor named Horatio Nelson Jackson became the first person to have driven a car across the entire United States. Jackson and his companions (who included a jaunty, goggle-wearing bulldog named Bud) drove from San Francisco to New York City in less than two months--quite a feat at the time! (We're riding our bikes in less time than Horatio made it in the car)!

Our first serious mountain pass...Yarnell! 7600 feet of climbing! A real test! It was a great day! I rode much of the time by myself. I knew as I was climbing the main 26 mile uphill grade that all the training I had done was paying off. It was amazing to look down on the valley and the desert below...knowing that I had peddled every inch to the top of the mountain. At the end of the ride there was a real downhill slope. I don't like going downhill! The fastest I'll go is 30+ mph. Some of the other riders whizzed past me! Safety, safety, safety I keep telling myself! It was a wonderful experience going from the dryness of the desert to the cooler air and the ponderosa pines of the mountains. Hurray! Our destination was Prescott, AZ - and as you can see from the picture above I ended up on historic "Gurley Street"! I left at 7:15 a.m. and arrived at the hotel at 2:15.

Tonight I did my laundry and then jumped in the jacuzzi! Ah-h - pain relief! Another biker ended up in the hospital with hydration problems. We have to remember to drink liquids! More tomorrow!

Reporting on: May 13, 2009

Riding Route: Interstate 10 from Blythe, CA to Wickenburg, AZ

Temp: 104 degrees/Winds from the South

Elevation Climb: 4000 ft.

Miles Ridden Today: 115

This will be a short report tonight! We had a great day - and were thankful for the mild weather we had. This was the longest ride I've ever done - and on top of the 100 miles yesterday it wore the old boy out! We had 2 long climbs today - one 7 miles and another 11 miles. So far I've had no flat tires - very lucky. My roommate, Champ, has had three! I rode a good part of the day with Jack - who came here from Israel just for this ride. And you thought I was crazy!

We reached our first state crossing! We're in Wickenburg, AZ tonight. The highlight of the day was just getting here!

Reporting on: May 12, 2009

Riding Route: Interstate 10 from Indio, CA to Blythe, CA (on the AZ border)

Temperature: Up to 110 degrees/Winds up to 20 mph

Elevation Climb: 3200 feet

Miles ridden today: 100.4 (our first "century" ride)


Whew! What a day! We did 100 miles of Mojave Desert - and I felt every mile of it! It was 70 degrees when we started at 7:15 - 80 degrees by 8:00, 90 degrees by 10:00 and it continued on up! We did over 80 miles on Interstate 10 - with the other 20 miles on parallel roads. I've gotten use to the trucks and cars - they're not the problem. It's the debris on the berm that creates the problems for us: glass, tires, garbage, etc. We must keep our eyes on the road at all times! Two of our riders were taken to the hospital because of dehydration problems. They'll get IV's and be back on the road hopefully tomorrow or the next day.

We started our day at 7:15 a.m. Most of us would like to begin earlier, but our tour leaders won't allow it because it's the time of day that the glare is bad in the truckers eyes. The sun needs to be a little higher to make it safe. The picture above was taken at mile 80...and I still had 20 miles to go! I arrived at the hotel a few minutes after 3:00.

My good friend Steve Bates (of Bates and Bates) was supposed to ride with me yesterday and today. Our tour company wouldn't allow it at the last minute! He was ready and had trained for it. But there were so many problems crossing the desert last year that they decided not to let any guests participate in this part of the ride. I miss you Steve - but you can be thankful that you got a pass on this one!

There is a great spirit of camaraderie forming. The team is pulling together and each person is part of the supporting network. Each of us takes time to make sure the next person is doing okay as the day goes on. Our SAG team is wonderful! We stop mid-morning and mid-afternoon - and they have fruit, drinks, nutrition bars etc. for us. It was a day of gatoraid and electrolyte pills! I drank over 210 oz. of gatoraid from my camelback today - and kept tap water in my bottles to pour over my body. It was a full-on sunscreen day!

Just a note on the "elevation climb" statistic. It refers to the amount of elevation we accomplish each day. We go up and down hills - but this is the "up" climb we do. It refers to the hills. For instance, today we started out with a climb from -15 ft sea level to 1000 feet above sea level. It was an 11 mile ride up hill at a 7% grade. A good morning workout!

More tomorrow.

Picture taken on Sunday, May 10, 2009
Arriving at the hotel in Riverside, CA after my first day of riding! Hurray, I made it!


Reporting on: Monday, May 11, 2009
Riding Interstate 10 from Riverside, CA to Indio, CA
Temperature: 102 degrees/Winds up to 30 mph
Elevation Climb for the Day: 3300 feet
Miles Ridden: 84

Today we crossed the San Andres Fault line, went through Palm Springs, saw the windmill "farms" and hit the lowest point on our tour. Indio (where we are tonight) is 14' below sea level!

We left the hotel in Riverside at 7:00 a.m. I rode with the "fast" group and arrived at the hotel in Indio about 2:15...and mighty glad to be here! We had 2 major "hill climbs" today which consisted of our 3300 foot climb...not a problem! Let me tell you...there is a lot of sand out here. One refreshing thing was that we could see snow in the surrounding mountains! Probably the most interest thing of the day was that about 20 miles outside of Palm Springs the wind came up. And I mean up! Thank goodness it was at our back - and for quite awhile I didn't need to pedal the bike at all - and was going about 30 mph. There was a lot of road construction along the way...but we were lucky that their were some parallel roads along side of Interstate 10 that we were able to travel on.

All in all it was a great day! I do have to tell you that about 20 miles before Indio I stopped at a Del Taco (yea, really!) and went into the restroom and doused myself with water. That means my hat (I wear it under my helmet for sun protection), my arm "coolers" (yes, I started out with arm "warmers" the first day when it was only 60 degrees in Manhattan Beach -two totally different pieces of clothing!) and the rest of my body! I rested for about 15 minutes and was refreshed and ready to go.

Tomorrow is another long day in the desert. That means long sleeves (my arm coolers), a visor under my helmet (for head, neck & eye protection), water in and on the body at all times (got to keep the core temp down) and of course LOTS of sunscreen. I also need to drink more than 20 oz. of fluid every hour! They recommend every time we take a drink of water from our camelbacks that we reapply the sunscreen on our lips! UGH! Does than mean I have to stop often - NO! It will all evaporate out of my body! I hope I 'm able remember that 60 degree morning we left Manhattan Beach!

First Day Under My Belt! (uh-h-h Helmet)

Sunday, May 10th

It's here! I'm excited & I'm nervous! The day has finally arrived and it's time to unchain my bike and get on the road. Getting the padlock off was the hardest part of the process! My mind is now open to all the possibilities that lay ahead! It's going to be an incredible journey!

Our group was ready to leave the hotel at 7:00 a.m. We had an escort as we rode our bikes about 5 miles to the Manhattan Beach Pier in Southern California. I was thrilled to see Betsy Denhart, Debbie Cusolito & my good friend Reed Fry and his children, Christopher and Jamie, there. Thank you so much!

By 7:45 a.m. we had dipped our rear tires in the Pacific Ocean - and were off on our ride. The first hill up from the beach was a tough one! Thank goodness it only lasted two blocks! My roommate, Champ, and I rode together most of the day. (Champ is a retired high school history teacher from Washington, IL - so I know we'll share some good talk). It was a challenge getting out of Los Angeles...through traffic, stop lights, stop signs and hoards of people! We went out with the "fast" group who were averaging more than 20 miles per hour. At the first SAG stop we decided to step back a pace - and at the end of the day had averaged 17-18 mph. Not bad for us more mature guys! The temperature rose from 60 degrees in Manhattan Beach to 96 degrees when we checked into our hotel in Riverside. I even had a few minutes by the pool! Whoa! Every evening before dinner we have a "route rap" where the ride the following day is discussed. Tomorrow is going to be a tough one: we begin our ride across the desert. The temperature is supposed to be 104 degrees - and with 10-20 mph winds. That's mild compared to past years - so we're happy! I'll let you know how it goes!

I'd like to mention that the pledges you have donated toward the support of the Decorative Plumbing and Hardware Scholarship Fund is closing in on $20,000. I promise to do my best to live up to your expectations of my ride - and earn every dollar that you have sent in or pledged. To my family, friends and industry partners: "I can't thank you enough. Your support in terms of encouragement and dollars has been incredible"! I will keep you posted on the progress of dollars raised.

Wow, the day has finally arrived. We left Sacramento at 7:30 A.M. on Thursday morning. I was totally surprised by being met with all my neighbors being in front of the garage when the door was opened! Thank you Nancy and Gene for your efforts and the coffee and donuts that everyone enjoyed! What a wonderful sendoff - with well wishes from everyone! My special hat from Terri and Jesse truly set the stage for the all the things I need to remember! Thanks to everyone for their support. It's greatly appreciated!

Sunday morning we leave the hotel at 7:00 a.m. and head to Manhattan Beach Pier where we dip our rear tire in the Pacific Ocean. We have a group photo and then we're off to Riverside - our first stop on the trek. It's a 78 mile day. We had a 3 hour orientation meeting. I met the other 26 riders followed by dinner and getting acquainted. I've set the alarm for 5:00 a.m. for the first day activities!

1. More later...