Day 7, April 30, 2011, Gallup, NM to Albuquerque, NM

135 miles and 3200 feet of climbing.  We stayed in a La Quinta Inn last night in Gallup and according to their advertisements on TV, you rest so well there that you can get up in the morning and sell ice cubes to Eskimos.  Well, I did not sell anything but I sure had a good day on the bike.  It was 32 degrees when we left so we had to get out the winter gear.  Most of the group is from more moderate climates and the weather was a real challenge for them.  Some of them looked like Eskimos on their bikes they we so bundled up.  It stayed chilly til early afternoon and we were able to begin shedding some of the clothing.  We spent most of the day on Historic Highway 66 and the rest on I-40.  The roads were excellent and took us through some beautiful terrain.  We had tail winds but not nearly as brisk as yesterday, only about 10 mph.  It was nice to not feel as if you could be blown off the road at any moment.  I was on the bike for a little over 7 hours and averaged 16.4 mph.  I had a very comfortable day of riding, felt strong and confident.  The ride leader keeps telling us that we will get stronger as the ride goes on.  Looks like he is right.

So far we have covered 847 miles.  That is a lot of miles considering the fact that I showed up for this event having only ridden 766 miles this year!  Tomorrow is an off day.  We return to the road on Monday with what is billed as the toughest day of the tour.  They also say that after Monday the worst of the physical riding challenge is over.   I will withhold judgment on that!



We crossed the continental divide early in the morning.  Based on my understanding of geography it is all down hill from here, at least until the Mississippi River.

Day 6, April 29, 2011, Winslow, AZ to Gallup, NM

133 miles, 3300 feet of climbing.  The climbing was hardly noticeable as we went from 4800 feet in Winslow to 6500 feet in Gallup over the course of the 133 miles.  What a wild day!  When we left Winslow the winds were at our back at 15 mph.  By the time we reached Gallup they were at 37 mph.  Wind at our back the entire day for 133 miles makes for quite a ride.  However, it was not all fun and games as the winds were gusting and swirling.  You had to concentrate and hold on tight to keep from getting blown into the traffic (entire day was spent on I-40).  The skies were clear but dusty brown from all of the dust.  At the SAG stops you had to make sure your bike was parked in a protected place to keep it from being blown down the road.  All of us were covered with dirt and hacking with all of the dust in our lungs. 

I was able to average just under 21 mph and was in the saddle for almost 7 hours.  Actually, while riding today I thought about that term, “in the saddle”.  On a bike you do not really set in the saddle you set on it, but at times it feels as if the seat is in you, if ya know what I mean?  That got me to thinking about my brother-in-law Myke Ward.  He used to do DALMAC with us.  One winter I called him to find out if he was going to do it again and he said, “No.  Why would I want to pay good money to spend 4 days with a bicycle seat shoved up my………”  Dang I miss him and would love it if he were here to offer his commentary on this trip!!

We had lots of flats again today.  I only had 2 and they happened at the same time.  The record for the group was 5.  The group totaled 34.

It is nice to be in New Mexico, our 3^rd state, even though we did lose an hour as we crossed into the Mountain Time zone.   I am going to miss that hour of sleep tonite!  Tomorrow we have another long, 135 mile ride to Albuquerque, NM.  The bonus is that the next day is an off day.  Hooray!!

I waited and waited on this corner and..........

She finally slowed down to take a look at me.  Just a glimpse of her helped me push on to NM.  Thanks for being there for me Rose.  You are a friend of mine and have never tried to own me.

The sign in the background was Welcome to New Mexico but there was so much dust in the air you can't make it out.

Day 5, April 28, 2011, Cottonwood, AZ to Winslow, AZ

108 miles, 3500 feet of climbing.  When I went to bed last night I was concerned that I would not be able to get out of bed this morning and ride.  I hurt all over!  But, when the clock struck 5:30 a.m., I was up and ready to go.  Breakfast was at 6:00 a.m., we loaded the gear at 7:00 a.m. and were off and riding.  We started climbing and quickly arrived at Sedona.  Did not get to see much of the “Red Rock” city but saw enough to put it on my list for a return visit.  What gorgeous country.  From there we climbed up to Flagstaff at 7200 feet.  It was a
VERY steep climb as we climbed from 4000 feet to 7200 feet in approximately 30 miles. Flagstaff was the halfway point of the day and from there we headed down to Winslow at 4800 feet.  We traveled straight East on I-40 and were fortunate to have a 25 mph tail wind.  With that kind of assistance we could easily cruise in the upper 20's to low 30's mph.  When we reached Flagstaff my avg. speed was 10 mph.  By the time we reached Winslow it had increased to 14.5 mph.  Overall I spent about 7 hr 15 min. in the saddle today.  The only downer today was flat tires.  When you travel on the shoulder of the interstate you get punctures from the small bits of wire that are part of the blown out tires you see along highways.  I had two flats today, which brings my total to four.  The current record for the group five.   In addition to riding on Hwy 89A and I-40 we also spent a brief moment on historic Hwy 66.

When I arrived in Winslow I immediately got directions for “the corner” and will head down there tomorrow morning to meet Leisa in her flat bed Ford.  If she is not there I will press on to Gallup, New Mexico and say good bye to Arizona.

On mountain between Sendona and Flagstaff.  You can see the road we traveled below, in the background.

I am getting good at changing flats.  Before this trip I had not had a flat in years.  They warned us that these roads would chew our tires up.  Looks like they were'nt lying.

Day 4, April 27, 2011, Wickenberg, AZ to Cottonwood, AZ

102 miles, 8800 feet of climbing.  Today was memorable.  Never have I climbed so much or ridden is such beautiful country.  We crossed 3 peaks.  The first was 4200 feet.  After descending from it we climbed to 6000 feet.  We descended again and climbed the final peak which was 7200 feet.  It was intense and very taxing.  I road for approx. 9 hours and was only able to average 10.5 mph..  We descended from 7200 feet to our destination which was at 3200 feet.  We covered that drop in elevation in 17 miles.  It was a very intense descent with switch backs, hair pin curves and rough pavement.  My top speed was 38 mph and I tried to keep it under 30 most of the time.  The new pair of brake pads I installed before leaving home took a real beating. 

Tomorrow we press on to Winzlow, Arizona.  I had a dream last nite that when we arrived there I went down to stand on the corner only to have Leisa Rose drove by in a flat bed Ford….to take a look at me.

 

At the beginning of the 4000 ft peak (in background)

 We made it!  Chris, Clay & Jay

Taking a break on the descent from 7200 ft - to settle my nerves.  What a ride!!

Day 3, April 26, 2011, Blythe CA to Wickenburg, AZ

111 miles, 2200 feet of climbing.  Temperature was well into the 90’s.  Wind was out of the  NNW at 20 -25 mph which pretty much battered us from the side all day.  Road for 7 hours 30 minutes and averaged approximately 14.5 mph.  The climbing was not steep and stretched out over nearly 70 miles.  I had another good day.  I am confident that I will continue to get stronger and will meet this challenge!

 Entering AZ, 10 miles from Blythe, CA



Shortly into the ride we ran into some construction on Highway 10 and were stopped by the police who decided they were not going to let us thru.  We called the SAG vans and shortly thereafter they arrived, loaded our bikes into the van and ferried us thru the area.  We ended us “losing” 5 miles but hey we are going to cover 3500.   Our ride leaders are great.  Very accommodating and dedicated to seeing that we have the trip of a lifetime.  They handled this little hiccup very professionally.

The road we were on most of the day was straight and stretched on into the horizon forever.  We were in the AZ desert and it was barren!!

Sometimes this sums up how I feel out there on the road.  Particularly when I am by myself with no fellow riders in site!

Day 2, April 25, 2011, Palm Springs, CA to Blythe, CA

138 miles, 3700 feet of climbing.  Temperature was 90 degrees, clear skies and a slight wind out of the West.  Road for 7 hours and averaged approximately 16.5 mph.

Had a good day.  Leaving Palm Springs was quite an experience.  It is a very affluent resort town.  Every road seemed to have a golf course, resort, country club, etc..  The landscaping was incredible in that everything is green and the town sits in the middle of a desert.  Leaving Palm Springs we entered into an agricultural area with a gazillion acres of tomatoes, green peppers, corn, etc..  An aquaduct provides water to this area.  As we left this area we began to climb up and through Box Canyon.  It was a fairly gradual climb of 10 miles thru a very barren and brown landscape and rocks and boulders.  As we exited the canyon we got onto Highway 10 and road on it for 70 miles into Blythe.  Having never ridden on an interstate, this proved to be quite an experience.  There was a wide shoulder but at times is was as bumpy as a wash board and littered with blown out tires from semis.  That along with the fact that you have semi trucks roaring by you at 70 mph made for a long ride.

Today I was able to ride with or stay in contact with other riders the entire day.  Yesterday I found myself riding solo for far too long as I kept getting left behind at the SAG/snack stops.  Those of you, who know me, know that when it comes to food I hate to rush.  I like to sample all of the cuisine and sip the Gator Aid (no matter what vintage) it is.  Well yesterday at the first stop I did just that and then decided to go use the facilities.  When I returned everyone had left so I struck out on my own, took a few wrong turns, got lost, etc..  It made for a very long day.  Today I made some adjustments i.e. I inhaled whatever food was nearest and guzzled Gator Aid, so that I would be ready when my fellow riders were.  It worked out well.  As for using the facilities, there are lots of guys my age, so all I have to say is, “Hey does anybody need to stop to……?  And I always have a partner or two to stop with.

Flat tires are a big problem on this ride. Due to all of the debris, thorns, etc.. on the road.  So far I have had two flats, one yesterday and one today.  Fortunately today,s happened just as I was turning into the motel.

Sorry I do not have any pics from today.  I had planned to take lots of pics but have learned that if I stop I get dropped.  Our ride leader has a "Riders Blog" that he is keeping and said that he will be posting pics there as well.  Check it out at:  http://bamacyclist.com/BAMA/Fast/Fast.html

Day 1, April 24th, Costa Mesa, CA to Palm Springs CA

Whoa baby we are on our way.  Covered 115 miles with 3700 feet of climbing.  Longest climb was 6 miles long and was brutal.  Weather was great.  Good temperature, tail wind, little bit of rain.  The mood of the group was electric.  We have some riders in our group who do not recognize the term "take it easy."  Not me though.  Coming into Palm Springs we had a 35 mph tail wind that pushed us along at 35 - 40 mph.  That lasted for 30 miles and was incredible.  The only problem for me was that I flatted.   Kind of scary when you are going 38 mph..  We started with a ride down to the beach and a ceremonial dipping of our rear wheels into the Pacific and then were off! Oh no, only 32 days left!

 Next stop the Atlantic Ocean!

Just outside of Palm Springs



One More Day, April 23, 2011

The time is getting near.  Spent most of the day in registration/orientation sessions.  This outfit i.e. America By Bicycle, is very thorough and organized.  The 4 staff members really seem to know their stuff.  At the end of the sessions the general consensus from our group was, "Dang, they scared the hell out of me!"  As for me, they did a good job of getting my undivided attention and questioning my sanity for being here.  I think that was their plan.  It will be important to ease into this challenge over the first 7 days.  Establish a routine, good riding, eating and sleeping habits, etc..   I am concerned but I think that is  healthy!!  I have met all 25 members of our group and fortunately we all have name tags.  It is a fairly diverse group.  Several riders from the UK, New Zealand and Norway.  They seem like a good bunch of guys.  We did get out  for a small group ride down on the beach.  It is tempting to drop out of this ride and just stay here.  What a gorgeous place.  Tomorrw at 7:00 a.m. we begin.  Hope I can sleep tonite!!

Steve, Eric, Bob, Lasse, Jay

2 More Days, April 22, 2011

Spent the day  resting (a little) and preparing for the challenge.  Road 35 miles on Newport Beach and Highway #1/ Pacific Coast Highway.  What a beautiful place.  Met a few of my fellow riders.  Got my bike checked out by Mike (the tour leader).  It passed inspection and was declared ready to go!  While riding on  Newport Beach I asked someone to take this pic for all of my fans back home!!

3 More Days, April 21, 2011

I am in California!!   Flew out of Bishop airport at 7:00 a.m..  Leisa Rose was kind enough to drop me off at 6:00 a.m.. I have to admit that it really did not register with me until we were heading down I-75 that I was going to be away from home and Leisa for over a month.  In nearly 39 years of marriage we have never been apart for so long.  I  suspect she will survive without me easier than I will without her!  I flew to Cleveland and a ½ hour later was on a flight to Denver.  Following a 2 hour layover in Denver I arrived at Orange County airport aka John Wayne Airport at 1:30 pm, PT.  It was an uneventful day of traveling.

The extra special good news was that my bike was here waiting for me.  It only took a few minutes to unpack and get her reassembled.

It is  good to be here.

If you have not looked that the fund raising page you gotta do it.  Take a look at what the students at Cramer Jr. HS were able to do and also what our friends in the Western HS and MS Special Education Departments were able to do.  Thank you!!

One Week And Counting..........

It is hard to believe that the time to ride is almost here!  One week from today I will have completed day #1, having road from Costa Mesa, California to Palm Spring, California a distance of 112 miles with 4,150 feet of climbing.  Hopefully I will be thinking, "Oh no, only 32 days and 3,345 miles to go.  I do not want this to end!"

On Thursday I completed my last day of riding/training.  Since March 16th I logged 715 miles.  Not bad considering that I lost an entire week of riding due to being sick and the weather never did cooperate (it was down right nasty).  I am quite confident that I have the "base fitness" to complete this challenge.  However, I have to remind myself that it is only 1/5th the miles I will put in during the next month! 

On Friday I turned my trusty bike over to Fed Ex.  The pics below are of the packaging I used.  The bike is scheduled to arrive in Costa Mesa on Thursday, April 21st.  I will be flying out that morning and with any luck we will both arrive safely at the hotel at the same time.  We have an orientation session on Saturday and will begin riding on Sunday.  I checked with America By Bicycle last week and there are 21 riders signed up for the cross country tour and another 5 who are doing sections of the tour.  We will be assisted by 4 staff members who will shepherd us safely across the country using
 2 vans.

On Friday & Saturday I had the pleasure of spending some time with my 2 favorite Grand Boyz, Garrett and Ezra.  I arrived early to relieve the day care provider of them (she appeared to be quite grateful!) and we headed immediately to our "special park" where we spent 1 1/2 hours swinging, climbing, sliding and having a great time.  When we returned home I discovered that Ezra had a "goose egg" on his forehead and Garrett had a cut lip.  We explained to their Mom's that "something must have happened at day care."  We spent the evening playing cars, eating an incredible meal and taking baths.  At 7:30 the next morning they rousted me out of bed to begin the day.  We played cars, hide and seek, drew pictures, danced and just chilled out while their Mom went grocery shopping.  When she returned home we ate lunch, they went down for a nap and I headed home thoroughly exhausted thinking, "If I can survive that, the ride will be a piece of cake!"  Spending time with these two little buggers is an incredible experience and a true joy.  They are two gorgeous children and it is obvious that they are blessed to have two loving, nurturing and caring Mom's!!  Thank you Sarah and Cindy!!!

The fund raising is going well.  We have collected $5088 from 119 doners and are well on our way to meeting our goal of $7000.  If you have not yet had the opportunity to donate, log onto http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/jaycrane/jay-cranes-fundraising and donate today.  

Two more weeks...................

Two weeks from today I will have finished the first day of the ride.  I have been able to get a lot of riding in during the past week.  Though the weather was lousy I was able to log another 200 miles giving me 580 miles total for the "season".  With each ride a feel stronger and more confident that I will be able to get from coast to coast!

The fund raising is going very well. As of today we have raised $4237. If you have not yet had the opportunity to contribute log onto http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/jaycrane/jay-cranes-fundraising and do it today!

I think I will be seen out on the road in this jersey!!

This is the route we will be following.

21 Days To Go..........

Three weeks from today I will have completed the first day of "the ride".  As the event approaches I am getting more and more anxious to hit the road.  Unfortunately the weather in Michigan has not been cooperative at all.  During a brief break in the winter weather I got a few rides in but not what I had hoped for.  We spent last week at Hunting Island, S.C. and though the weather was less than ideal, I was able to do a lot of riding.  In 7 days of riding I road 350 miles.  On the 6th day I did a 101 mile ride in 6 hours.  To participate in the tour I have to be able to demonstrate that I can do 100 miles in 5 - 6 hours of riding time.  I was very pleased with my performance given the fact that I did it by myself (no opportunity for drafting, pace lines, etc.) and the weather was lousy (50 degrees, rain and 10 mph winds).  This picture was taken at the conclusion of the ride and if I do say so myself, I think I look like I could go right out and do another 100 miles.  I am quite confident that I am up to the challenge!

The fund raising is going well.  We have currently raised close to $3500 for Special Olympics.  Our goal is $7000, so if you have not yet done so log on and donate today: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/jaycrane/jay-cranes-fundraising