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 Girls Whirl Log: Updates from the Roads of America May 31, 2000 Back in late March, we featured a story about Kate and Mackenzie, a mother-daughter team preparing to ride a tandem bicycle from San Diego, California, to St. Augustine, Florida. Well, Girls Whirl is whirling away! And you won't believe how far they've gone. Read the highlights from their trip log below, and don't forget to send them a note of encouragement. April 10, 2001 -- Silver City, New Mexico April 19, 2001 -- Van Horn, Texas April 25, 2001 -- Del Rio, Texas May 1, 2001 -- Austin, Texas May 8, 2001 -- Goodbye, Texas! Hello, Louisiana! May 13, 2001 -- The Deep South May 18, 2001 -- Coasting in Florida! May 25, 2001 -- Gainesville: the good luck continues... April 10, 2001 -- Silver City, New Mexico The rhythm of our days has been such: Up at daylight. Eat. Ride. Eat. Ride. Shop. Shower. Cook. Eat. Wash. Sleep. Sun block. Chain lube. Power bars. Clicking tent poles. Filling water bottles. Stuffing sleeping bags. Bruised legs, scraped knuckles, sore butts, muscle aches. Hard ground. Steep climbs. Strong sun. Stiff winds. Are we having a fun time on our bike trip? Fun is not the first word that comes to mind. There is a fair amount of constant discomfort, always changing its shape and flavor. But, ahh! The bliss mixed with thrill and uncertainty of facing a sharp decline followed by a steep uphill! Tucking in to reduce air resistance and resisting the brakes and letting the power of momentum carry us to the top with almost no effort on our part! The utter relief at finally getting to the top! The exhilaration in pedaling at top speed on the open flats for a full hour and averaging 22 mph! The joy in going to sleep when exhausted! The contentment of a full stomach after a strong hunger, even if it is a simple meal, the same as the previous night's! The satisfaction of freshly laundered clothes on a recently showered body that moments before was covered in sweat, grease and dirt, even if they are the same clothes as yesterday and the day before! We are having the time of our lives! April 19, 2001 -- Van Horn, Texas Oh where to start.... Last Thursday, we took a side trip, by car, to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. The Native Americans built structures inside of caves around 1270 that are still standing. The intricate pottery they made was wonderful. My favorite piece was one that appeared to have been made by a child - drawings of animals like only a child can do and slightly crooked lines in the design. Friday, Kingston - 50ish miles We knew there would be a long climb, 18 miles, but didn't realize that there was a climb for about 20 miles to get to the start of the real climb. The scenery was gorgeous, sometimes following a river, through a woods, always up. Mackenzie and I have made huge progress, finally managing to master the granny gears, and so were able to cycle up all but the last two miles. By then we were exhausted; pushing the tandem up and up, stopping every 1/4 mile to rest. Finally we made it to the top. The views were truly spectactular, the late afternoon light creating shadows across the mountains. I thoroughly enjoyed the 9 miles steep descent on twisting roads to the lodge. That evening, the meal was included with lodging. Katherine provided a home-cooked turkey dinner with all the trimmings. I ate and ate and ate, enjoying each and every single bite! Tuesday, Fort Hancock - 54 miles Talk about headwind! I had not experienced anything like this before! The irrigation ditchs had whitecaps! It was relentless, picking up speed as the day wore on. Sometimes, it was a cross wind, other times straight on. Was it 25 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph? I don't know. As trucks whizzed by, the blasts made steering unpredictable. My arms were as stiff and sore as my legs. I now really appreciate shelter from the wind! It was an obstacle, unexpected, unpleasant, but we overcame it. Wednesday, Van Horn - 73 miles We had a gentle climb in the morning, and very few services for water or food along the way. We paralled I-10 on a frontage road with hardly any traffic, then sometimes riding on the shoulder of the interstate. The truckers were very friendly, giving us gentle little horn toot greetings. Mackenzie practiced her "Miss America" wave in response. Wide open country, interesting geology, and perfect riding conditions - well, okay, it was a little hot during the climb. April 25, 2001 -- Del Rio, Texas Saturday - Alpine 25 miles We had a leisurely morning, with an enjoyable breakfast opening our packages and cards and letters. The wind continued, along with the hills. We struggled the 25 miles into Alpine and decided to find a motel - out of the wind! We both fell fast asleep for a refreshing afternoon nap. Sunday - Sanderson 84 miles We thought we'd take it easy today and left rather late so Mackenzie could enjoy sleeping in. But the winds were at our back and we sailed the 35 miles into Marathon in a couple of hours. We decided to take on the almost 50 more miles till the next town so we could catch up with the adventure cycling group in Sanderson. As we were cycling down the road, two tandem couples approached us from the west. "We've been expecting you" they said. They had heard about us from every east bound cyclist that had passed us. We did as cyclists usually do on the road, eyed gear, exchanged stories and told what was up ahead. One couple also had a Rodriguez tandem, same as ours. Monday - Seminole Canyon 82 miles A long day! Lots of hills, but our perspective has accepting. Mackenzie sang me "Happy Birthday" all day long and we caught up with the group and Al made me a chocolate chip cake in an outbake oven - works on a backbacking stove. It was a wonderful birthday! Tuesday - Del Rio 40 miles We took a guided tour into the Seminole Canyon and saw cave paintings 4,000 years old. May 1, 2001 -- Austin, Texas Well, we made it to Austin! According to the odometer, we have cycled 1593 miles! Thursday - Bracketville/Ft Collins Springs 40 miles Headwinds, headwinds, headwinds. We used to dread these darn persisent unending gusts. I tried bargining with the weather gods to no regard. Then, as a hint of humidity trickled in, I changed my perspective and view them as a really strong, free blast of air conditioning. I think I'll miss them. We stayed at one of the most beautiful places on the entire trip. A former fort was converted into a ... "community". Mostly retired folks, it has an RV park, tent camping, theatre, historical buildings, dance classes, a spring fed swimming pool, etc. They invited us to a community picnic in the evening. Afterwards, they had a line dancing class - Willie Nelson blaring from the boombox and these old ladies hooting and hollering and doing really fancy footwork in line dances. What fun! Monday - Austin 50 miles Wow! Feels like a milestone. We made it. And now a rest day. Ahhh! Some of you have been wondering how Mackenzie is doing. The kid is awesome. In the worst of moments, she brings out the best in me. Determination runs through her veins. (Wonder where she got that from?) She has bicycling in her blood - she is already planning on doing the Trans-Am when she is 18. She occasionally gets homesick - I realized that when she exclaimed with excitement "Oh, look, a Washington state license plate!" And on those mornings with the dark grey cloud cover, she'll say "Doesn't this grey look nice? It is so comforting." What she really misses the most is sleeping late in her own bed and spending hours talking on the phone. Right now, I think the highlight for her is swimming in the river with a bunch of kids her own age at Blanco State Park. And me, well, I miss the option of cooking on more than one burner, my garlic press, fluffy terrycloth towels, reading the Sunday paper of the front porch swing, watching my garden grow (oh, that sounds corny, doesn't it, but it is true), listening to music, my friends. I love the scenery, the biking, being out in the elements and surviving with just the bare essentials, experiencing differences - lifestyles, people, topography. But, as always, it is the people whom I enjoy the most, I think. We probably stop and talk with dozens of people each day. They are full of questions. My favorites are those who say "Well, I always wanted to do something like this, but...." These are the ones I love spending the most time with. I am usually full of encouragement, telling them that they could do it... well, except once. A frail, little old lady, 86, asked me if I thought she could ride a bike like us. She looked like she could barely walk. I told her I thought she might do better watching the bicyclists. May 8, 2001 -- Goodbye, Texas! Hello, Louisiana! Thursday, Round Top 52 miles Every trip has it's low point - usually right about 2/3 of the way. We hit ours right on schedule. Stuff is starting to smell, equipment is getting tattered, the routine is getting worn. We started the day late, I neglected to put on sunscreen and got sunburnt, the RV park wouldn't take bicyclists, and of course, the air conditioning was blasting. Otherwise, the scenery was gorgeous. Friday, Navasota 56 miles Ah, but the lows don't last. We had a great breakfast in Burton, a cute little town. I was entertained by the table next to us, 6 local retired types having animated discussions about everything. Wonderful riding - grazing cows and nursing calfs, beautiful homes. Then, of course, lunch - in Independence, TX at a small minimart with a park bench under a shade tree next to a friendly tail-wagging ever- hopeful border collie. Rained on us for about 15 minutes - enough to cool and refresh. Then dinner at a GREAT mexican resturant. Yep, great meals can do wonders! Saturday, Cold Spring, TX 65 miles Another pleasant day of riding - through Sam Houston National Forest. Cooler with an oh-so-gentle breeze. We passed through Richards, TX on their 17th Annual Founder's Day Carnival, complete with pony rides, tap dancing talent, and a beauty pagaent. Felt a little like being in a foreign country with all their "Yes, mame" and "fixing to do this" and "favoring that." Sunday, Silsbee, TX 71 miles Hot and humid!!! Thank goodness for that beautiful grey cloud cover! Monday, DeRidder, LA 77 miles (right on the LA border) Felt like a long day! So hot! And humid! Wondered a few times why the heck I was doing this. Then the storm that had been threatening for several days let loose. Thunder rumbled in the distance. This was not a nice Pacific Northwest drizzle. Within moments, my toes were swimming in pools. It was a character building kind of moment. We had twenty more miles to go. We pretended that it was only five, and then another five, etc. Like I said, it was a character building kind of moment. Ah, but we scored on a motel. Brand new, with a heated swimming pool and a hot tub, luxury in every detail. The owner even chaufeurred us to a resturant for dinner. The misery of the day was swept away and replaced with refreshing comfort. May 13, 2001 -- The Deep South Hi Y'all, Seems like I am overdue on an update. For some reason, we haven't taken a rest day since Austin. So let me catch up. Where were we…or where are we?
Wednesday, Opelous, LA 47 miles
Thursday, St. Francisville, LA 53 miles
Friday, Easleyville, LA 55 miles
Saturday, Bogulsa, LA 64 miles
Sunday, Perkinston, Mississippi 55 miles
Monday, Vancleave, Mississippi 44 miles
May 18, 2001 -- Coasting in Florida!
Wednesday, Gulf Beach, FLORIDA! 62 miles Late afternoon, we hit the beaches, and the bicycle turned into the parking lot on its own accord. I agreed to wading in the water. Of course, you know where that went. Soon we were both splashing and diving, in bike clothes no less. Mackenzie was sure that this must be the highlight of the trip.
Thursday, Destin, FL 67 miles We are staying with my cousin Irene and taking a long overdue rest day. Mackenzie is sleeping in and then we are headed for the beach. Might be the highlight of the trip. But no discussion of this trip would be complete without mentioning the singing. We sometimes pass the time by singing – occasionally at the top of our lungs. One time I was belting out one when I turned to find a local cyclist who had silently approached from behind just pedaling right there beside me. Oops! I am not known for having a good singing voice, I admit, and am content if I can just even get most of the lyrics right. But not Mackenzie! After much repeated coaching by her, sometimes I manage to hit three or four notes in a row in tune. She gets so excited and exclaims, "I knew you could do, Mom. You were in tune right there." She has an undying optimism and ceaseless patience; she can coach for hours. We have been working on "Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee" from Grease for days. We are in the homestretch…
May 25, 2001 -- Gainesville: the good luck continues...
Saturday, Panama City Beach 50 miles We were invited by the Adventure Cycling group to join them. Very luxurious. We made it there in the early afternoon and enjoyed some awesome waves. The day was complete with dinner at a restaurant where even Mackenzie enjoyed the seafood - a delicious local fish called amberjack.
Sunday, Cape San Blas 53 miles
Monday, Panacea, 52 miles
Tuesday, Monticello (just east of Tallahassee) 68 miles We get to camp late once again; just can't ride in the middle of the day in this heat. Here is where our good luck begins. This campground has cabins available and with air conditioning. Usually, Mackenzie sets up the tent, but leaves off the rain fly. So here is where the good luck gets even better. Shortly after we finished dinner, buckets and buckets of rain pour from the sky. But our sleeping bags are safe and dry in the cabin, because the way this rain was coming down, they would have been soaked before we could have gotten to them. Seems like two or maybe twenty-two inches fell that evening. But the very best part was the next day....
Wednesday, Suwannee (just north of Live oak) 70 miles
Thursday, High Springs 59 miles
Friday, Gainesville 30 miles We are still riding with the group. Today's flat reminds me of a story about Dick, one of this colorful cast of characters... Dick is a retired chemistry teacher. He is exact and precise in his ways. When he gets to camp, things need to be done is a certain order - set up tent, then hang clothesline, then take shower, etc. He really gets out of kilter if he has to take a shower before setting up his tent. He goes to bed at exactly 9:30. It has been said that the atomic clock is set by Dick's actions. One day, I don't know why, but Dick went to bed at 10:16. This caused shock waves in the space-time continuum. The next morning, Dick got a flat. "I stayed up too late", he moaned. Then he got another flat. "Why didn't I go to bed on time?" Then he got another flat. And another. "See what happens when I stay up late." Poor Dick. Needless to say, he has gone to bed at precisely 9:30 since then and the space-time continuum is once again stable and Dick hasn't had another flat. So, tomorrow, we head to Palatka, and then Sunday onto St Augustine. Da-DA! We will dip our wheels in the Atlantic and then go out to dinner to celebrate. Judy picks us up on Monday and we head south to visit with the rest of the Florida relatives. Mackenzie flies back to Seattle at the end of the week, while I fly on to Philadelphia for a quick visit.
So they made it! All the way across the United States! Tell the Girls Whirl team what you think of their accomplishment (we'll forward your messages to them)! |
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