Lookie Lookie!!!

Ok, so I got to play around with the layout of the blog and I figured out how to put the US map on the right hand side.  Now you'll be able to view it every time you read the blog.  How cool is that?

The Tempe is Fine!

Today Mo and Karl traveled 72 miles to Tempe, AZ.  During the first 30 miles or so, there was a slight decline, so they were able to average about 14 mph.  It took them awhile to get through town, but there is a paved path along the canal that's about 15 miles long that helped to make the trip a little easier.  The Phoenix metro area is huge, so it's taking them quite a bit of time to get through.  Tonight they walked about a mile to go to dinner at an open air sports bar.  It's not the Italian Restaurant they were looking for, but I think they were tired and just wanted to eat.  They're staying in a motel again tonight and hope to do about 50 miles tomorrow.  The Rockies are coming up, so they will probably not be traveling as far each day.

I haven't posted a U.S. Map lately, but if you look at the map below you will see a straight line that shows their flight from Baltimore to San Diego and then you'll see a bunch of little segments.  These segments are each of the  pit stops that they've made each day.  I tried to post every stop, but some of the towns were so small that the application couldn't find them so I had to wait to add the next day.  Sometimes it takes a little while for the map of the US to load, so please be patient.  And, if you click on the plus sign in the upper left corner, you can zoom in on the map.  By the time this trip is done, they'll have a lot of little segments and a lot of great stories to tell.  Hopefully they'll be able to get some pictures to me soon.

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Yup, They're Roughing It..

I posted yesterday the information I had up until lunchtime.  Karl called last night and said that they had made it to Wickenburg, AZ.  They are about 50 miles from Phoenix.  They got to stay in a motel again last night and enjoy the motel's hot tub.  I didn't get to speak to him for long last night.  They were sitting down getting ready to eat.  No, they weren't eating the freeze-dried fettucini again, they were sitting at Anita's Cocina getting ready to gorge on Enchiladas, Beans and Rice, and tostadas all on a plate as big as a hub cap.  So for those of you who are worried that they may not get enough to eat on their adventure...you can stop worrying now.  They're well fed and they haven't had to sleep outside with the coyotes very often.  Until next time...

What??? No Cell Reception in the Desert?

Well, I didn't get to post anything yesterday.  No, Karl and Mo didn't ride their bikes through the night, they just didn't have cell service.  Karl said he was able to talk to Linda (his great wife who let him go off on a carefree adventure for 10 weeks) for a few minutes last night, but lost service.  Yesterday the went from Blythe, CA and ended up in  Hope, AZ.  This place must be really small because I had a hard time finding it on googlemaps.  Well yesterday they left Blythe, traveled about 5 miles and headed into AZ.  About 5 miles into AZ, Karl got a flat tire.  So, they stopped, put in a new tube and went on their merry way.  Yesterday they traveled about 55 miles and stayed at a real nice RV park.  He said that most of the residents were gone, so it was pretty empty, but the landscaping was beautiful, especially the blooming cacti.  The RV park did have a pool table, so Mo and Karl got some night life playing pool.  He said the RV park did have an A-Frame shelter especially for tents, so the shade helped to keep them cool in the desert.  He did mention that they have had great weather the last couple of days.  

They did have to travel a little on an interstate yesterday.  That was the only way to get across the mountain.  And although the speed limit was 75, they kept it well under in order to stay out of the speed traps :-).  

When I spoke to him today, it was lunchtime in AZ and they were in Aguila enjoying lunch at a restaurant.  Yup, they're "roughing" it.  :-)  They had traveled 28 miles so far today.  They were expecting to go about another 26 miles to Wickenburg, AZ.   I'll let you all know when we have another update. 

Going through the Desert on a Bike with No Name

Karl and Mo made it 86 miles to Blythe, CA today.  They were enjoying the 80 degree weather and an awesome tail wind.  They got to see all of the wonders of the desert.  From agricultural fields to sand dunes to the Chocolate Mountains.  There weren't many places to stop on their route today so lunch was in the middle of the desert.  No, they didn't feast on scorpions and cacti, they had Fettucini Alfredo with Turkey.  Thank goodness for freeze dried meals!  They were going to stop in Palo Verde this afternoon and spend the night, but there was only a trailer park to stay at.  And, since Karl and Mo are high on the night life, a trailer park just wouldn't do.  So, with the tail wind as their friend, they went another 20 miles and got to Blythe.  Tomorrow they will cross the border into Arizona and they're hoping to make it to Hope, AZ.  

Until Tomorrow....

P.S.  The credit for the title of this post has to go to Mo.  I think he was singing it as he was riding today.  Maybe they'll find a karaoke bar so he can test out his new version of the song.

Watch out Border Patrol!

What a fast day for Karl and Mo.  Literally.  They traveled 70 miles to Brawley, California.  Mostly downhill.  There was a 6 percent decline a good part of the way, and they were able to reach speeds of about 30 mph.  But then the wind started tossing the bikes around and they had to slow down some.  When they woke up this morning it was 36 degrees.  So for the first hour or so they were a little cold, but it ended up pretty warm when they got into the desert. They had breakfast in Jacumba, got to ride next to the border fence for a little bit and had lunch in El Centro.  Now they are sitting in the hot tub at the hotel relaxing their muscles in Brawley.    Yesterday they were 4200 feet above sea level, and today they're more than 50 feet below sea level.  Pretty soon they'll have to add floatation devices to their bikes :-)

Climbing Every Mountain

Karl called me a couple of minutes ago.  They biked 35 miles today.  Most of it was uphill.  As I had previously written, they were going to climb another 2000 feet of elevation today.  Well, they did it.  Right now they're about 4200 feet above sea level.  They're staying in a motel tonight in Boulevard, California, so maybe they'll get to relax their sore legs.

It's Time for a Little Bike Riding!

I don't know that this is the exact route they took, but it gives you an idea how far Mo and Karl traveled.  If you click on the picture, you can get a little more detail.

Viejas Indian Reservation

I spoke to Karl this morning.  He said that after they hit the beach yesterday, they started their trip.  After 46 miles of biking they ended up at the Viejas Indian Reservation, half way between Alpine and Pine Valley California on Old Route  80.  They stayed overnight at a campground on the reservation.  Karl and Mo climbed about 2000 feet in elevation and will climb about another 2000 feet today before heading down into the desert.  I asked him to confirm the weight of the gear they were carrying and he confirmed that they were carrying about 50 pounds..EACH!  I can't imagine climbing 2000 feet in elevation on my bike with an extra 50 pounds.  That's incredible!  Karl said that they did find that all of their gears do work on their bikes.  They needed each and every one of them to make it up.

He said he got a chance to look at the blog and wanted to make a correction.  On the first day I wrote about Karl putting together the bikes after they arrived in San Diego.  He said that he was actually only putting together his bike because Mo had already done his.  I'm not sure, but I think Karl was relaxing and eating bon-bons and hoping that Mo would just do his as well.

And They're Off!

So, today is the day!  Karl and Mo will begin their bike ride from San Diego California all the way across the U.S. to the East Coast.  I'm not sure if they'll just finish in Hanover, PA or if they'll go all the way to the beach.  Besides, if you're already riding over 3000 miles, what's another couple of hundred miles to get you to the Atlantic?

The below pictures are of Karl and Mo.  As you can see they have their essentials strapped to their bikes.  I think I heard that they'll be carrying 50 pounds of gear with them.  I'm just curious what they consider to be essentials.  Spare bike tubes? Bike tools for any quick fixes?Nutrition bars or GU? Teddy Bear to keep them company at night?

From the picture you can see that they made it out to the Pacific this morning.  So now their journey of a lifetime will begin.  We are all wishing you a safe trip and look forward to seeing you when you get back!

Los Angeles...Here they come!

Karl and Mo headed up to LA today to see Mo's Aunt and Uncle.  Don't worry, they didn't ride their bikes.  Mo has a friend who lives in San Diego and has been so kind to chauffeur them around.  The real riding will start tomorrow.  I have a couple of new pictures.  They're a little blurry because they were taken with a camera phone, but it gives you an idea of who we are talking about.  

Finally we have a picture of Mo!  In the picture below he is with his Aunt and Uncle.  They moved to California in 1946 just after WWII.  

And this next picture is of Mo's friends Scott and Salve (pronounced Sal-V).  Mo and Scott went to High School together and after High School, Scott went into the Marine Corps.  After he was done in the Marines he ended up in San Diego.  Scott has been shuttling Karl and Mo to and fro while they are in San Diego.

Karl said that the place he and Mo are staying is about 3 miles from the ocean.  Tomorrow morning they are going to head out to the Pacific and then turn around and start heading east.  He said that they are very close to the trail that they will be starting on tomorrow.  

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

Here are some pictures that Carol sent me.  She took these at the airport just before Karl left for San Diego.

Above, Karl is surrounded by Karl III on the left (when did he get so tall?), Zach (in orange), Sammy (in red) and little Samantha (in the stroller) .

Here is Karl carrying one of his pieces of luggage.  I know that he's traveling light, but this is ridiculous.  

And here is Little Samantha.  She'll probably be 10 or something by the time Karl gets back! :-)

April 22 2009

I talked to Karl this morning.  He told me that they had made it to San Diego safely.  The flight was delayed in Baltimore for an hour, but they made up some time in the air and were only about a half hour late landing in San Diego. He said there was some turbulence, but it wasn't too bad. This was Mo's first time on a jet and Karl said he had fingernail marks all up and down the seat.  

They'll be staying in San Diego for a couple of days and hopefully will be starting their ride on Friday.  Karl was putting their bikes back together this morning.  I'm hoping they don't end up with an extra bolt. :-) 

Map Day 1

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Ok, so here is a picture of Karl from Easter.  I told him I was going to do a blog for him and I wanted a picture.  Of course he complained that he hadn't had his hair cut, but I forced him to let me take a picture anyway.  Hopefully he knows how to take pictures with his phone and he can text me some pictures that I can post.

Who the Heck are Karl and Mo?

I created this blog for all of us who want to watch the adventure of Karl and Mo unfold.  My Big Brother Karl decided to fulfill a long time dream and cycle across the United States.  After recently being laid off, he figured now would be a great time to do it.  So, he and his friend Mo boarded a plane yesterday for San Diego, CA.  They will travel east across the U.S., and after several weeks of cycling, they will be back in Hanover, PA.  

I'm not sure of the exact route that they will be taking, but hopefully Karl will text me often to let me know where they are.  Karl texted me early this morning (1214am EST) to say that they've made it to San Diego.

I am so proud of Karl and I'm sure that he will have a great time exploring the US on a bike.  I'm hoping that one day I'll be able to do something as exciting as this.

Feel free to check back to see Where in the World Karl SanDiego is...Get it?  Karl SanDiego (Carmen SanDiego)..ummm, nevermind.