Ok followers, its about time I made an addition to this blog. The weather today was in the 60's. It was cloudy with a chance of meatballs but a great day for riding outside. Unfortunately, the wind was from the SSW at 20-25 mph. Can you say Delhart Texas!! It wasn't an indicator of what I lost this winter so I will reserve judgment until I can ride where the wind is not a factor during the ride. I am hopeful that with biking on a trainer in my basement, mixed with an hour and a half on a stationary bike at the local rec center, the endurance I had before winter will not have totally diminished. Time will tell.
I am now considering my next distance ride. I, along with a friend, have been looking into riding the ALCON highway. My preference is to do it with wives providing support in RV's. My wife isn't quite supportive of this. She prefers motel rooms when on vacation. My other option is to do a group ride like my cross country trek. The advantage of going with the RV is we can establish our own daily mileage and do as much or as little as we deem appropriate. However, it is still in the planning stage. I need to do more research and planning before it is a go but at least it is a possibility. Looking forward to better weather for outside riding. I'm getting a little "cabin fever".
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Back to reality!!
The girls enjoying the beach scenery
Ronni, Hank, Carol doing the quad ride
Sunset from Hanks veranda
Hanks finally meets Jesus
Taking a siesta, muchacos
Carol and Ronnis enjoying a beverage
Waterfall at the beginning of an arroyo
Riding the "Quad"
Be very aware of which way the waves are coming ashore!!
The lovely Veronica enjoying the kayak
Ronni and Carol sitting on Casa Darlington's veranda
Hank and I sitting on Casa Darlington's veranda. Evening temp dropped to 65 degrees, Thus the sweatshirtsJust got back from Cabo Mexico, more specifically Los Barittos, visiting Hank and Carol's Casa Darlington. What gracious and beautiful people they are. The five day visit went quickly filled with many activities. The trip from the airport to their Casa took about an hour. After the hard road of route 1 the other roads were gravel, sand and VERY bumpy. Good thing for super duty shocks on their SUV. The mode of travel for short distances was ATV's or quads as they are referred to by the people living in that area. A trip to the beginning of an arroyo was filled with scenic beauty, pictures of wild donkeys and a waterfall where the arroyo began. Unfortunately, a company built zip lines with platforms over the waterfall which disturbed the pristine beauty of the falls.
Hank introduced us to the joys of kayaking on the Sea of Cortez. When the water is flat it makes for smooth sailing. (pun intended). When the waves increased, it was better to watch from the patio of their home enjoying a drink. I was fortunate to do a solo trip of about 4 miles later in the week. However, my solo excursion started on an interesting note--see photo.
I was also able to get in a bike trip which reminded me of some of the mountain climbing we did in the cross country ride. While the incline was not especially severe, the views from the top of the mountain were spectacular. Good news: it was a fun ride. Bad news: for the first time I used clip pedals. Coming into town where roads were sand and gravel, I heard a pair of motorcycles behind me. I pulled over to let them pass and rode into a very deep sand pile. It was like those sandy thingies that stop out of control trucks coming down mountains. I slowed immediately. No problem I thought. I would just stop. Oops, forget about clips and fell like a fallen timber onto my side. Not much damage (ego excluded) except for road rash. All in all an excellent experience but I still won't ride in clips!!
Super bowl Sunday was spent at a house of friends of Hank and Carol. They seem to know just about everyone in the neighborhood everyone was friendly and courteous to us "outsiders".
Another one of our trips was a 7 mile quad ride to a somewhat remote hotel built, primarily, for people who fly their planes into the area. Those who come by other means travel on narrow, bumpy, and in some places hazardous conditions. But, the hotel is very nice. I learned a valuable lesson from that stop. In the bar area, we ordered drinks. I was going to order a shot of Cabo Yaba tequilla. Both Hank and the bar tender mocked me. I was informed that while it may be popular in the U.S., Cabo Yaba is like a yuppie drink and not well received by the locals in Mexico. I immediately changed my order to Patron which was an acceptable alternative and met with Hanks approval. Now, as Paul Harvey used to say, the rest of the story. Drinks were on me so after getting the "la quinta" I was shocked and amazed. The cost of my Patron, only one shot, in American dollars....are you ready for this?....$18.50 plus tip!!! Yes, I learned that one can get ripped off anywhere!! A great, yet expensive, lesson for the Gringo.
Now as much as I appreciate Hank and his hospitality, I must give kudos to Carol. She is a wonderful cook to the point that I suggested if she would ever open a restaurant I would be her first and most frequent customer. What she did with vegetables and combinations of fruit salads was truly remarkable. My palate waters as I write this!! (I know, I know, I just mixed my metaphor).
We had a great 5 days with great people. The sun, warm temperature, ocean air and relaxing atmosphere made the time to very quickly. By contrast, when I arrived back in Chicago I needed to shovel 10 inches of snow off my van before we could drive it. And, when we got back to central Illinois, the temperature was 8 degrees and I had to shovel 10 inches of snow off my driveway to get into my garage. WE MISS CABO. but back to reality. Enjoy the pics
Hank introduced us to the joys of kayaking on the Sea of Cortez. When the water is flat it makes for smooth sailing. (pun intended). When the waves increased, it was better to watch from the patio of their home enjoying a drink. I was fortunate to do a solo trip of about 4 miles later in the week. However, my solo excursion started on an interesting note--see photo.
I was also able to get in a bike trip which reminded me of some of the mountain climbing we did in the cross country ride. While the incline was not especially severe, the views from the top of the mountain were spectacular. Good news: it was a fun ride. Bad news: for the first time I used clip pedals. Coming into town where roads were sand and gravel, I heard a pair of motorcycles behind me. I pulled over to let them pass and rode into a very deep sand pile. It was like those sandy thingies that stop out of control trucks coming down mountains. I slowed immediately. No problem I thought. I would just stop. Oops, forget about clips and fell like a fallen timber onto my side. Not much damage (ego excluded) except for road rash. All in all an excellent experience but I still won't ride in clips!!
Super bowl Sunday was spent at a house of friends of Hank and Carol. They seem to know just about everyone in the neighborhood everyone was friendly and courteous to us "outsiders".
Another one of our trips was a 7 mile quad ride to a somewhat remote hotel built, primarily, for people who fly their planes into the area. Those who come by other means travel on narrow, bumpy, and in some places hazardous conditions. But, the hotel is very nice. I learned a valuable lesson from that stop. In the bar area, we ordered drinks. I was going to order a shot of Cabo Yaba tequilla. Both Hank and the bar tender mocked me. I was informed that while it may be popular in the U.S., Cabo Yaba is like a yuppie drink and not well received by the locals in Mexico. I immediately changed my order to Patron which was an acceptable alternative and met with Hanks approval. Now, as Paul Harvey used to say, the rest of the story. Drinks were on me so after getting the "la quinta" I was shocked and amazed. The cost of my Patron, only one shot, in American dollars....are you ready for this?....$18.50 plus tip!!! Yes, I learned that one can get ripped off anywhere!! A great, yet expensive, lesson for the Gringo.
Now as much as I appreciate Hank and his hospitality, I must give kudos to Carol. She is a wonderful cook to the point that I suggested if she would ever open a restaurant I would be her first and most frequent customer. What she did with vegetables and combinations of fruit salads was truly remarkable. My palate waters as I write this!! (I know, I know, I just mixed my metaphor).
We had a great 5 days with great people. The sun, warm temperature, ocean air and relaxing atmosphere made the time to very quickly. By contrast, when I arrived back in Chicago I needed to shovel 10 inches of snow off my van before we could drive it. And, when we got back to central Illinois, the temperature was 8 degrees and I had to shovel 10 inches of snow off my driveway to get into my garage. WE MISS CABO. but back to reality. Enjoy the pics
Friday, January 22, 2010
Okay, so in this blog I will attempt to answer the question of what was the best and worst ride of the 2009 cross country bike ride. Top three worst. 1. Tucumcari NM. to Delhart Texas. Not even a close call head winds of 20-30 mph in the morning gusting to 30 mph in the afternoon. 2. Albuquerque to Santa Fee-head winds, rain and a climb to 7,800 feet. Lost one of our riders!!. 3. Not even close, although riding into Erie Penn. was very wet, Hamburg NY to Caladaguea N.Y. torrential rain the entire day. Wet and soggy feet!!
Best days riding-St. Joe Missouri to Marysville-town cheering as we rode into town. 2. Riding into Dodge City Kansas. A tailwind which allowed us to easily ride 20 mph. 3. All rides in the Green Mountains of Vermont and White Mountains of New Hampshire. While the grade was severe, the scenery was magnificent.
For followers of this blog, note that my last presentation of the transcontinental ride across America to a group of high schoolers was met with a thunderous round of applause.
I am preparing for my trip to Mexico to spend time with Hank and Carol. Looking forward to the journey and hope that all the rain inundating southern California hasn't affected the southern tip of the Baha peninsula.
Best days riding-St. Joe Missouri to Marysville-town cheering as we rode into town. 2. Riding into Dodge City Kansas. A tailwind which allowed us to easily ride 20 mph. 3. All rides in the Green Mountains of Vermont and White Mountains of New Hampshire. While the grade was severe, the scenery was magnificent.
For followers of this blog, note that my last presentation of the transcontinental ride across America to a group of high schoolers was met with a thunderous round of applause.
I am preparing for my trip to Mexico to spend time with Hank and Carol. Looking forward to the journey and hope that all the rain inundating southern California hasn't affected the southern tip of the Baha peninsula.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The biking scene currently in central Illinois consists of the indoor variety. Ten inches of snow with the temperature at -8 degrees prevents any outdoor bicycling activity. As a result, I bike in my basement (no, no not in little circles as many of my friends have suggested, but on my trainer) or on a stationary bike at the local fitness club watching reruns of the Rockford Files. Now, I know that followers of this blog from warmer climes are seething with jealousy but, to enjoy the cooling benefits of the Midwest winter climate, you should visit or move into these areas. Okay, Okay, of course I'm being facetious. I am wondering why I have not moved to California, the desert Southwest (yes, I still remember the temperature riding from Indio to Blyth) or even (omigod) Florida. No offense Mike or Nancy but I prefer the "dry" heat to the stiffling, moisture laden heat blanket known as Florida. I am really looking forward to my visit with Hank and the lovely Carol in Mexico. February is the perfect time to leave this mess in central Illinois and we are quite looking forward to the visit. For those of you in the Midwest who follow this blog, I will post pictures of the Mexico visit so you can seethe with jealousy. And, in this case, I'm not being facetious. It will be interesting to see how much stamina and conditioning I have lost when the weather gets warm enough to return to my outdoor biking regiment.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Donna and Dick. Here is the site you are looking for. I moved it up so you don't have to scour the entire blog looking for it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW2i1yd3jR0
Friday, December 11, 2009
It looks like the outside biking season is over for me. Until two weeks ago I was biking outside in 50 degree temps usually between 35-40 miles per day 6 days a week. So, now its on my trainer in the basement watching reruns of the Rockford files or spinning at Five Points community center watching (yuck) Fox news or ESPN. Basically boring stuff. I miss the outdoor rides. I delight in reading the communication between the people from last summers bike trip. It is a constant reminder of what great people I had the benefit of riding with across the country.
My presentations of the cross country ride is on hiatus until after the holiday season. It has virtually taken on a life of its own. With over 15 dates from schools, Rotary, Lions Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs, Sierra Clubs, I have fine tuned it based on the amount of time available and often run overtime. For an hour presentation I have a travelogue PowerPoint with scenery from across the U.S. followed by a musical slide show (can be seen on YouTube-refer to previous blog for site) with pictures featuring the riders from the trip finishing with a question/answer session. For shorter presentations I describe some of the experience, present the slide show followed by questions. I have had some of the most interesting questions and on a later post I must share some of them.
That's it for now and I wish all those who still follow this blog a joyous holiday season.
My presentations of the cross country ride is on hiatus until after the holiday season. It has virtually taken on a life of its own. With over 15 dates from schools, Rotary, Lions Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs, Sierra Clubs, I have fine tuned it based on the amount of time available and often run overtime. For an hour presentation I have a travelogue PowerPoint with scenery from across the U.S. followed by a musical slide show (can be seen on YouTube-refer to previous blog for site) with pictures featuring the riders from the trip finishing with a question/answer session. For shorter presentations I describe some of the experience, present the slide show followed by questions. I have had some of the most interesting questions and on a later post I must share some of them.
That's it for now and I wish all those who still follow this blog a joyous holiday season.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW2i1yd3jR0
So, with a bit of difficulty, due to my limited technical abilities, here is the video that I shared with the people to whom I gave presentations. This was part of the "short" program. The attendees really enjoyed it. While it is Walker centered all of the riders are present at some point, either in group photos or individual pictures. I hope you enjoy it and please give me some feedback. To give credit where credit is due, local photographers, and two of the best in the area, Kevin May and Rich Burk produced this video. This blog site would not download the video so I had to use YouTube. However, the original music, "Takin Care of Business" that accompanied the video was not allowed by YouTube because of copyright infringement. So, the accompanying music was a substitute but after adding it, and with wife Veronica's approval, I am quite pleased with the result. Enjoy!
So, with a bit of difficulty, due to my limited technical abilities, here is the video that I shared with the people to whom I gave presentations. This was part of the "short" program. The attendees really enjoyed it. While it is Walker centered all of the riders are present at some point, either in group photos or individual pictures. I hope you enjoy it and please give me some feedback. To give credit where credit is due, local photographers, and two of the best in the area, Kevin May and Rich Burk produced this video. This blog site would not download the video so I had to use YouTube. However, the original music, "Takin Care of Business" that accompanied the video was not allowed by YouTube because of copyright infringement. So, the accompanying music was a substitute but after adding it, and with wife Veronica's approval, I am quite pleased with the result. Enjoy!
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