Chapter 17

As we left Ozona, TX about 8:45 am this morning it was pretty overcast, cool and windy!!!!!!!!!! ( whats new). Winds pretty much out of the north-northeast-- not good!:-((( We got about 10 miles west of Junction, TX and are spending the night in an RV park located  in the middle of a pecan grove. The weather cleared up early this afternoon and we are enjoying a breezy, but sunny evening, Even the dogs are happy to get out of the truck and relax. We enjoyed the evening with a nice BBQ.

Sorry the blog has been a little boring the last couple days, but not a lot going on in Texas. A few oil wells and more pecan groves, that's about it.  I was told there is an armadillo hanging around the RV park here so we are looking to get a picture.. Got about 430 miles left in Texas before crossing into Louisiana. Eastern Texas will be more populated and communities much closer together, so after tomorrow things will be a little less boring.Waving good night with my 10 gallon hat.
Mike

Chapter 16

We left Fort Stockton about 9:00 am ( forgot about the time change), so in 3 days we have lost 2 hrs., one to daylight savings and one to the central time zone. If you went by the mileposts on 1-10, we are 365 miles into Texas. I don't know if that qualifies for " Deep in the heart of Texas" or not. I failed to mention yesterday that we met a nice couple from Michigan, They had a Golden Retriever and we had our four so we visited for a few minutes. They had bikes on their car rack and as I had lost a magnet on my spoke, they were kind enough to give us one of theirs. They also posted to the blog today and advised me of some upcoming hills ahead, many thanks to them and we hope you have a safe trip. We are now in Ozona, TX and Tuesday night we will be back on our original route and itinerary. Winds were lighter today, but still from the South, so I'm glad we altered our plans a bit. High clouds and a little cooler today, in the low 80's. I was able to rack up 104 miles today which was nice.In the course of about 5 days I've managed to ruin two tires. One to a blow out and one to a bad break. There is a bike shop in Kerrville, TX, I am hoping to get re-supplied there on Tuesday. Not many pictures  to send,  scenery isn't that impressive.For everyone at Costco in Kalispell, I would like to thank you for your contributions to C.M.N. I hope we can get the members involved soon and start to reach our goal of $10,000. As you ride through the vast landscape of west Texas it gives you time to think & reflect on many things. Know all you guys are doing so much for C.M.N. makes long days on the bike a lot easier and certainly more rewarding. My heartfelt thanks. Junction TX. or bust tomorrow.

Mike

Chapter 15

Our free camping spot in an abandoned gas station in Kent, TX.
I'd like to start this chapter of the blog by dedicating today's ride to my mom. If she were still alive she would be 85 yrs old today. I think of her always and miss her witty sense of humor, her smiling face and her generous upbeat attitude towards life. We got into Kent last night and spent the night at the Kent mercantile parking lot & gas station. We left this morning about 8:00am & we arrived in Ft. Stockton TX. about 2:30 central time 89 miles. The winds were with me today, finally, and the ride was the best one I've had so far this trip. I got another flat, but at least it was in FT. Stockton. They are much easier to change than if you have to do them along side the road. I have to confess that I'm going to take a bit of a "mulligan" and stay parallel with highway 10 for the next couple of days. We will re-join our original route in Kerrville/Ingram probably Tuesday night. The winds from the south have been so strong these last 4 to 5 days, at 62 years of age I just don't have the stamina to fight them and still make the time I need to be in St. Augustine by the 4th of April. I hope no one thinks less of me for taking a little shorcut! Hard to believe I've been riding for 2 weeks now without a break. Hoping for more tailwinds tomorrow- still haven't seen any "Yellow Roses".
MIke

Chapter 14

We left Sierra Blanca at about 7:45 am this morning and headed east for Kent, TX. About 10:04 I rolled into the central time zone, which needless to say, made it 11:04 am. Riding throught this part of TX. is kind of like watching a marathon presentation of the movie " Ground Hog Day". I had head winds early today, but about 12 miles west of Kent we got a quartering tail wind. Pretty warm day, at least 88 degrees  this afternoon. I had a blowout on my rear tire and Vargie had to come back and give me another tire & tube. I wouldn't know what to do without her. When we got to Kent, there was a guy about 70 yrs old  from Mississippi with an older Ford pickup and camper. His rear tire blew out and he didn't have a jack. We finally got his spare tire on and got him some cold water  and sent him on his way. I hope he makes his destination as the tire he put on was not much better than the one that blew out. Nice old boy, down on his luck and so we wished him well and he hugged both of us and thanked us for our help.
I will try to get an early start in the morning as the weather is to remain warm. Just heard a small blurb about the tsunami, I sure hope it doesn't cause a lot of damage and loss of life. Starting to get an evening breeze as the sun is going down. Will sleep well again tonight.
Adios
Mike
Just a little history on Kent, TX

The town, once called Antelope, was founded in the early 1890s.

A post office was granted in 1893 and by 1914 the population was a thriving 25 persons. The population doubled in the mid-1920s and remained at that level for 40 years. The post office was reported closed in 1960 but has since reopened.

Kent had a population of sixty-five in the late 1960s - falling to 60 by the mid-1970s where it remains today.

Today little is left to interest a tourist - but the juncture of the two roads provides a sense of place. The lone telephone at least looks comforting but it's condition is unknown. The overpass of I-10 offers some relief from the scorching sun but it will be sometime before Kent becomes a destination.

THE TEXAS SCHOOLHOUSE (Prior to 1950) pictured above

In this series we showcase some of the most modest of Texas buildings. Schools had one purpose and one purpose only. They didn't enjoy the amenities or details of hotels, public buildings, depots or courthouses. In some cases during the winters of the 1930s - each child came to school with a piece of firewood for the stove.

Many schools were dismantled and recycled into barns and outbuildings after the school consolidations of the late 40s and early 50s. Only a fraction are still standing today. Some today serve as community buildings or even residences. Others are simply collapsing under their own weight or being swallowed by vegetation.

Chapter 13 (??? not yet )

Got up at 5:00 am this morning, lots of things to do before I leave El Paso. Trailer and truck tire pressure and truck engine oil. I'm putting two new tires on the Orbea bike as the old ones have close to 2000 miles on them and working like me "old and scarred up". By the time we got all our stuff done it was 10:00 am before I started " turning the crank". Rolled into Sierra Blanca about 5:45 , found a camping spot and had dinner. Rode very close to the Mexican border today. In places there is a very high fence that runs along the Mexican border. Everywhere you look there are border patrol vehicles and border check points. The irrigation  and crops have given away to the desert again as we got closer to Sierra Blanca. Fought some pretty good head winds again today-I'm told they " build character" Here I thought I already was one!:-))))))
My wife is telling me to stop writing so much as she is the one that needs to type all this into the blog and she is tired and wants to go to bed. So I'll say good night.
SEE YA
Mike

Chapter 12

Sorry for not posting a blog Wed. night. We got just east of El Paso, but I was having troubles with my front sprockets not shifting from one to the other. We found a bike shop in El Paso and they adjusted it and got me working fine again. I also picked up a couple new tubes. By the time we got that finished and had dinner it was about 9:00 P.M. & I was 'out of gas'. There were still a lot of pecan groves along the way. A lot of agriculture still going on. I visited the Costco store in El Paso after the bike shop, impressive warehouse. I was able to replenish some supplies while I was there. I need to take a few lines and mention some things that I've neglected to share with you. Along the way so far, I have run into about a dozen cyclist going cross country the hard way. They are loaded down with everything they need to be able to camp, cook and sustain their journey. My guess would be about 80 # minimum. Their bike frames and wheels probably are 12-14 # heavier than mine and they fight the same hills and headwinds I do.”My hat is off to them”, pretty hearty individuals. I also got a call from my cousin Don Williams ( Stephan's older brother) & we talked for 20-30 min. We talked about our much younger days, cycling, ( Don is an avid cyclist and does many long distance races), and of course Stephan, where we both choked up a bit over the phone. It was great to hear from him and we vowed to do a better job of staying in touch with each other. It turns out that his wifes family has the McGinnis Meadows Ranch west of Kalispell. “small world”. Have a shorter ride tomorrow but uphill all the way. Just to let you know – I rode across the Texas State line right at “High Noon” how fitting.

Mike

Chapter 11 ( no I am not filing for bankruptcy)

We left Silver City, N.M.  & headed  up to the top of Emory Pass where we left off yesterday. I started downhill  & then leveled out & then started uphill again, only to discover that yesterday we did not get to the top of the pass. No wonder we did not see the elevation sign. We still had 10 more miles to go before the pass. That 10 miles took us from 7950 ft to 8,228 ft to the top of the pass. I think my lungs are still somewhere up on the mountain. The winds were high again today, but not as bad as Monday.As you look East over the top of the mountains you can see quite a distance to the hills below.Certainly not a breathtaking as " Going to the Sun Road" but pretty  respectable for the southwest. There were actually some small patches of snow left & I spotted several fir trees among the ponderosa pines. As we dropped down to an elevation of about 4000 ft I rode by Caballa Lake, which is pretty much the headwaters for the Rio Grande. A lot of agriculture in the area. Mostly chili peppers and some formidable groves of trees, we think Pecan trees. I went through  a small community called Garfield N.M. , but no sign of the "Fat Cat". About three miles down the road a little " ankle biter"  dog chased after me- a new mexican Chihuahua -naturally. In the late afternoon with the sun at my back I began to notice my shadow riding ahead of me & I never did catch him. We are now at Fort Selden ST. Park in N.M.about 17 miles from Las Cruces N.M. We should be in El Paso, TX Wed. night. Just under 1/3 of the way across to St Augustine, FL and into our fourth state. Because of it's size we will spend more time in Texas than any other state. " Glad none of my ex's live in Texas" with that sad bit of humor I will close and get some rest! : Hasta La Vista Baby"
Mike
Sounds like the fire in Silver City area was under control when we left this morning. Talked to some of the forest service DNR guys and they said they were up all night fighting it with the winds.

Chapter10

From the sound track 

Paint Your Wagon 

 AND THEY CALL THE WIND MORIAH!!!!!!

32 mph today with gust in the high 40's. My forearms ache tonight just trying to keep the handlebars into the wind and stay upright. I truly appreciate all the prayers for tailwinds & boy you guys are good.!! I'd call that results. Had to play catch up West of Silver City N.M. today and rode East to the top of  Emory pass 8,228 ft..God willing and the wind co-operting I will ride down the east side of Emory pass on Tuesday morning & into Las Cruces. We have high wind advisories for all of N.M. & West Tx. so who knows how far we will get . Catholicism is alive and well in the Southwest. Even the tiniest communities have lovely churches that are emmaculate. The open pit mine above Silver City, N.M. is huge. Hard to believe that much earth could be moved on any amount of time, let alone the last 100 yrs. Riding was a full time job & photography wasn't part of the bargin.A personal note regarding the wind:  When the wind is at your back it's like the hand of God giving you  a gentle push. When it is in your face it's like the slimy devils trident right in your chest.
Looks like Silver City has a major fire going on to the North & East of us. This wind spread it quickly. I'm going to hook up the trailer tonight and be ready to go if the winds change directions and we have to get out of here. I'll keep you informed.
Buenos Noches
Mike

Note from Vargie:

 Mike just really amazed me today with fighting the winds. I told him just skip this part:-)))) He says no way. I will do every mile of this ride as I have said I would. Not a lot of people would have this much dedication and that's the way Mike has always been. Mike ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter 9

What's new??? New Mexico is whats new. We got to Silver City tonight about 5:30pm mountain time. Lots of climbing and lots of coasting today. Because we are hovering around 5,500 to 6,000 ft we have pretty much left the more arid desert country and have come into some ponderosa pines and then broke over the pass and into ranch country, that reminds me a lot of eastern Montana. I have been through the desert several times, but not at the slower speeds you travel on a bike. Although it's not my 'cup of tea', I have come to appreciate the desert. Beautiful sunrises, sunsets, clean air, visibility for endless miles. It's so quiet that all you hear are the bike tires rolling over the asphalt and the wind. It's refreshing to see new scenery now & be in our third state. Traveling with my wife and 4 Goldens has gone smoother that I planned and all the love you get at the end of the day is really nice--especially the cold noses and wet kisses-- & that's from Vargie, not the dogs:-))))))). More high country for at least one, if not two more days and then we will start descending upon LasCruces N.M. and then on into Texas. It's been a challenging but wonderful experience so far and I hope sharing my stories with you does not bore you guys to tears. So long from New Mexico.
Mike

Chapter 8

Today I rode through the heart of Apache country in the Gila Mountains. We spent Friday night just west of  Globe, AZ. and had a nice dinner at a nice Indian casino for Vargie's birthday. The first 3 or 4 miles were pretty good & then came the headwinds!!!!!! I have never dad to ride so long consistently into the teeth of the wind as I have today. The weather was good aside from the wind and we are staying in a little community called Safford, AZ tonight. There wasn't much to take pictures of ,as even the cactus were dying do to lack of water. It was an awful day for road kill. I pass 4 dead dogs, one fox, on coyote, and something that looked like a wolverine. I didn't think Arizona had any but it susre resembled one. More mountains tomorrow and a pass of just under 6,300 ft to go over. So I'll keep this short. Finding a lot of joy with replies to the blog. Would appreciate an update on the C.M.N. pledges. Only 2 flat tires so far- one in San Diego and one today about 12 miles west of Safford. Headwinds and a flat, how can you beat that. Hope the weather in the flathead is finally improving And all of you are happy and well.
Mike

Chapter 7

This is a picture  of the superstition Mountains in AZ. Coming out of Apache Junction was a gradual clime until we got to Florence, Then it went from 1,900 ft to 2,651 ft in 15 miles at Gonzales Pass. Then the work really started.. The grade was 18 miles long and asended to 4,600 ft.taking me thru Devils Canyon. Would have loved to have take a picture but no where to safely get off the road. Traffic was heavy and fast paced. It is warm, at least to our standards considering what we left in Mrion, and the wind is not my friend. Someone said I would have prevailing winds at my back, but they my have been talking about someone coming the other way:-))) The scenery is beautiful and sometimes pictures are just not easy to take because of traffic. These people really drive fast and the shoulders are not always wide to ride on.
The top 5 things you see along the road while riding.
1. Bottles/cans usually beer
2 .Bungee cords, lost a couple ourselves
3. Weights to balance tires
4. Nuts & Bolts
5 Tired old , grey haired, wrinkled cyclists
Sorry this is a day late. Thats going to happen on occasion because we are tired orin this case the computer ran out of battery.
Thanks to all for following us
Mike & Vargie

Chapter 6

100 miles, 200 miles, 300 miles, 400 miles, you can hear the whistle blow 400 miles. Was that Peter, Paul & Mary or the Kingston Trio? Today was the longest distance I have done. I left Aquila,AZ  & got to the edge of Mesa, AZ about 100 miles of riding. It was a day of opposites, Hwy 60 was 2 lanes in Aquila & extremely quiet & it was about 47 degrees when I left & when I rolled into Surprise, AZ it was 83.  Hwy 60 became 3 lanes in each direction & traffic was heavy. I veered off 60 and rode the AZ. canal bike path. It's a stretch that starts in Surprise & goes  through Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale & Tempe. Most of it consists of 2 canals & 3 trails. A low , middle and upper trail that parallel the top, center & bottom of the canals. I then broke south and went past Arizona State University  (very impressive campus) & then east again towards Apache Junction. Ran out of daylight again before getting to camp,soVargie will run me back to Mesa so I can take up where I had to stop. We are camped about 18 miles further east. I want to dedicate todays blog to my far better half, Vargie. She has had to wear several different hats , drive, cook, navigator to mention just a few, and I have taken her clear out of her comfort zone with all the responsibilities. On top of that she turned sweet 64 today. That's "sweet 16" four times over. She deserves a wonderful birthday present today, but will probably receive a tired, sweaty, sunburned old man to have to care for tonight who can only give her his undying love. We are both thinking of all you guys out there and missing you guys very much.
Please stay well
Mike

Chapt

 One state down 7 to go. Starting to work our way across AZ.now. We have completely left the agricultural areas now that we are riding away from the Colorado river. As I ride through the desert I'm wishing I had gotten a copy of "Everything you wanted to know about Cacti, but were afraid to ask". This is probably the warmest day so far, but it is hard to confirm this as we have not gone through a community large enough to have a legible thermometer. Leaving Blythe & Ehrenberg this morning I was actually riding on the freeway(interstate 10) for about 17 miles. Once I got back on hwy 60 it was so quit , traffic wise, that it was almost deafening. With the quiet ride I started to notice how everything in the desert struggles just to survive. It's Mother Natures way of reminding us just how precise life is.Went through a small community called Brenda, AZ. Had to take a picture of the sign for Brenda Webb, who works at Costco as a front end supervisor and who is a big contributor to C.M.N. We got to Augila today and for the first time I was able to ride  our actual agenda. Long pull tomorrow, over 120 miles through Phoenix and into Apache Junction.
Stay well and keep smilin
Love the picture????   :-))))))
Mike

Chapter 4

I had a shorter ride today and we decided to stay on the Calf. side of the Colorado River. As I ride out tomorrow all I have to do is cross a bridge & I will be in Arizona. I went out of desert country & back to more of the agricultural country again. The Colorado river is to this area what the Columbia river is to central Wash. I rode through a small community called Ripley, which is near Blythe, CA. There really is a Ripley "believe it our not". As I was going by some fields of broccoli and iceberg lettuce I told the worker to send the pick of the crop to Kalispell, Montana. All I got was the deer in the head lite look. Not to rub it in, but as I rode through Blythe about 12:30 pm it was 61 degrees. Vargie's brother & sister and theirs spouses met us at our campsite this afternoon & brought dinner. They winter in Yuma, AZ from Washington. It was nice to see them all again and we got a nice long visit in. I've got a 96 mile uphill leg scheduled for tomorrow so I am going to close and get some rest. Out side of the snow day Sat. the ride has been great and it's been wonderful to read the responses & well wishes on the blog.
Happy trails.
Mike

Chapter 3

Our neighbors called to let us know we had a broken water line. Thanks to Joyce Ratka and Tina Miller they kept the damage minimal and we avoided a catastrophy. My heartfelt thanks for their quick thinking and clean up efforts. God Bless great neighbors.
As I rope through the El Centro & Brawley countryside there was a lot of agriculture and cattle feed lots. A few miles east of Brawley the irrigation stopped & we were back to desert & then on to sand Dunes. The ride is fairly flat now with several challenging swails or dips quartering head wind most of the way. the legs are a little sore & the butt is really sore.:-)))) We had very nice weather today, but we are in some country that is really spotty for cell sevice. Please be patient. I am hoping to get to a place where we can send pictures and this chapter Tuesday. We should just get into Arizona Tuesday to a community called Ehrenburg. Thanks for all your messages , they keep me going. Starting to get very heavy eyelids so I'll close.
God Bless
Mike

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 begins with a snow day. It started to rain hard & then soon turned to snow & the winds blowing pretty hard. Needless to say cycling was out of the question, so we lost  Sat. completely. Sunday was a good news, bad news day. The good news is it turned very nice in San Diego & I completed the 18 miles & got to the Pacific ocean. The bad news , it was140 miles round trip in the truck from camp at Live Oaks Springs to San Diego and back to camp.
The good news is we got back to camp & the 8 " snow we got was almost gone & the roads were good. We were able to get the trailer out and down the road .Back on my bike to get as far as I could the rest of the day. The bad news is we have lost a lot of daylight & won't make our pre-determined destination at Brawley, CA. We did get to a small community called Seely which is about 6 miles west of ElCentro. It looks like we will lose a day early in the ride. The good news is I saw my first RoadRunner today-bad news is no sign of Wylie Coyote. I'll sign off with this observation. In western Montana every 3rd vehicle is a logging truck, in southern Ca. every 3rd vehicle is a Border Patrol. We are safe and all is going to be good as we are now seeing some sunshine.

Camping at Live Oaks Springs , CA

SNOWING

Chapter 1

Left Marion about 11am on Wed the 23rd with the snow and wind at a rampage. Was able to stay just ahead of the storm, but never got away from the high winds. Got 50 miles south of Salt Lake City around 1:30 am Thurs. morning. Left about 7 am and got to Barstow fighting head winds all the way. Guess we should not complain as we heard the weather up west was really bad with snow, wind and - temps. Left 6am Friday morning and arrived at our first camp site at Live Oaks Springs, CA. Got set up about noon only to discover that our Montana weather was following us. I made the decision to ride from Live Oaks Springs to San Diego (70miles) because of the weather forecast for Sat. Because of darkness was not able to get the last 12 miles in. Grounded at camp because of snow on Sat 2/26. Hopefully will be able to finish the last 12 miles of this leg Sunday morning. Thanks for following will try to keep you updated each day as we go along. So far temps look better the next couple days.

Today I drove to Missoula to interview with KPAX TV about my ride. For those who are not aware, I am doing this ride to raise money for C.M.N. (Childrens Miracle Network). My employer, Costco, is a big sponsor of this great organization and for those who wish to make a donation  can contact me at pawsagility1@gmail.com for a donation form and I will send it to you, or go directly to the Shodair web page. You can go to  www.shodair.org   click on make a donation, go to designation and click on Mike's CMN Cross Country Ride for Kids and make your donation. Shodair Children's Hospital is a C.M.N. hospital located in Helena, Montana.  Thanks to everyone for your outstanding support.

What's on your bucket list?????

Ok, here I am on Feb 16th, at home, looking forward to warmer weather. Ten more days and I will be on this bad boy riding across California.