Awesome Day with Even More Awesome Surprises!

Last night after I got off of the phone with Karl, he got a knock on the hotel door.  Much to his surprise when he opened his door, stood his wife Linda, daughter Carol and his three grandkids Zac, Sammy, and Samantha.  How cool is that?!?!  They had hopped into the car after Linda had gotten off of work on Saturday and started driving to Ohio.  Karl had no idea that while he was talking to Linda on the phone that she was on her way to see him.  His grandson Zac had called him saying he was helping me with the blog and wanted to know what room he was staying in.  So once they found out, they were able to surprise him.  

Karl told me that since he and Mo were staying in a "fleabag", that he decided to take the family to another hotel close to the Ohio/Indiana line in Richmond, Indiana.  He got to spend the rest of the evening with the family and most of this morning.  

Mo started riding without him today, did a little sightseeing and toured some parks on his way to Springfield, Ohio.  Mo got a total of 58  miles in today.  When he got to Springfield, he called Karl to tell him where he would be for the night.

Karl got up this morning, had breakfast with the family and played in the pool with the kids.  After lunch, at about 2pm, Karl left to meet up with Mo.  He did a total of 51 miles today, and even crossed over some massive dams that had been built for flood control.   He said it was a little odd riding alone today, but he felt better knowing that Mo was up ahead of him.  

The weather was great today, there was a little breeze and occasionally a cross wind.  The odometer reads 2550 miles so far.  Columbus is only about 40 miles away, so I'm sure they'll continue through there and end up somewhere else tomorrow.  I'll update the blog as soon as I talk to Karl tomorrow.  

Here are some pictures that Carol took while they were visiting Karl.

This is Karl with the Grandkids.  They were so excited to see him since he left on April 21st.

Zac is in yellow, Sammy in green and the little one is Samantha.  

Even about 450 miles won't keep these love birds apart.  This is Karl and his awesome wife Linda.  Only the best wives would let their husbands go on a mid-life adventure trip across the U.S.

Karl, Linda and Grandkids.

Karl, Carol and Grandkids.  Carol had the great idea to load everybody up and surprise her dear old dad.  

Karl and Grandkids.  He's on his way to go catch up with Mo.  

Carol sent me this picture and I was afraid that Karl and Linda would kill me.  But, apparently this is an authorized picture.  This has got to be one of the cutest pictures I've seen in a long time.  The love birds will be reunited again soon.

Eatin' and Sleepin' in Eaton Ohio!

Our two guys were blessed again today with great weather.  They rode 78 miles from Indianapolis to Eaton, Ohio.  The sky was getting dark and they were calling for storms so they stopped for the night in Eaton at a hotel.  Once they checked into the hotel, they came outside and the sun was shining bright again.  

Today must've been yard sale day throughout Indiana.  They came upon a "million" yard sales on route 40.  At one stop everything was free.  Karl and Mo were tempted to pick up some stuff, but they didn't think it was worth dragging vintage sock monkeys the next several hundred miles on their bikes.  

They did stop today at a lemonade stand run by a couple of cute kids.  The girls were yelling to them that they looked thirsty, so they stopped and spent a whopping 25 cents each on lemonades.  

They are currently about 90 miles or so from Columbus.  They're not sure they will make it there tomorrow, but if there is a tail wind, they may.  

One more thing, Karl failed to mention yesterday that he had 2 flat tires.  So in the flat tire race, that ties them with 8 flats each.  That's it for today.  I'll post again tomorrow.  

Beautiful Weather..Yet Again..

First, I have a couple of additions and corrections to Thursday's post.  I had mentioned that Mo was in bed Thursday night by 8pm, but actually it was 9pm.  Karl and Mo hadn't realized that the time had changed to Eastern Time until the next morning when they saw the current time on all of the bank clocks.  

As an addition to Thursday's post, Karl told me that after dinner in Terre Haute, they went down to the Wabash River that was close to the edge of town.  There was a park that they did a little hiking in and visited the town carnival.  The entire time he was close to the Wabash River he was singing "Wabash Cannonball" in his head.  Of course since I've recently got out of diapers, I am too young to know what he was talking about, so I had to look it up (and call our Mom).  Check out the video below of one of the variations of the "Wabash Cannonball".  

So, on to today.  As I was speaking to Karl, he was finishing up his laundry again.  Since they've had a tail wind, the person in front also appreciates when the person in the back is "springtime fresh".  Karl said they do laundry about twice a week.  

The weather today was great.  They rode 83 miles to the east side of Indianapolis.  They went right through downtown, but had no problems.  There wasn't a lot of traffic and there were four lanes so this made it a lot easier.  

Karl was also quick to tell me about a woman who they met today.  She told them it was nice to see two young men out riding their bikes.  This "young men" comment surely put a smile on their face after the senior citizen discount they received a couple of nights ago.  

These "young men" are about 75 miles from Ohio.  Karl said that the GPS says they are about 600 miles from home.  Wow!  If they get in six 100 mile days, they could be home by this time next week.  

C-Ya Later Illinois! (Thursday)

That's right!  Karl and Mo are out of Illinois and are currently hitting the road in Indiana.  Thursday was quite overcast and the guys were certain they would finally get wet.  But...they avoided the rain for yet another day.  The temperature was perfect for riding at 66 degrees.  And at times when they were off the bike for awhile they would get a little chilly until they started riding again.  

They rode 68 miles today to Terre Haute, Indiana.  They actually found some older roads that saved them about 10 miles off of their trip.  On their route today, they got to ride on an old wooden bridge in Greenup, IL.  This bridge had been completely rebuilt to original specifications in 2000, but the bridge was originally built in 1832.  This bridge is the longest wooden bridge with no weight limit.  Yup, this bridge is strong enough to hold a semi-trailer or two cyclists after eating the buffet at Ponderosa.  Check out more information on the bridge HERE.  

When they were about 2 miles from their hotel, it started to drizzle, but again, not enough to make them wet.  I spoke to Karl tonight around 930p (Eastern time, 830p in Indiana) and he said that Mo was already asleep.  He'd been sleeping like a baby (well, a snoring baby) since about 8pm.  I'm sure the role of being a sun god is really difficult and much sleep is needed.  

I'll try to post again tonight.  They're hoping to get to Indianapolis today (Friday) which is about 75 miles today.  

100 Miles! Not Too Bad For A Pair of Senior Citizens!

Ok, before you start sending me nasty comments about the title of this post, I will explain.  

Karl and Mo left Pontoon Beach this morning with the threat of rain.  They thought that they'd try to get as far as Vandalia which was about 60 miles or so.  When they got to Vandalia, they stopped at a Ponderosa for lunch.  The cashier charged them both the Senior Citizen Rate, but they hadn't realized that until later.  Karl says it pays to bike across the country when you're older.  You just may get the Senior rate.  

When they were finished their lunch, the sky was still overcast, but no rain so they decided to keep riding.  They rode to Effingham, IL.  Since the odometer only read 95 miles at this point, they decided to ride around and explore the town a little so they could make it an even 100 miles.  

They had a light tail wind today that was just enough to push them along.  And, once again Apollo and Helios were able to avoid the rain.  While they were eating dinner, it finally decided to downpour.  I'm curious if we'll have a drought on the east coast once these two "sun gods" get home.  

The boys are about 75 miles from Indiana and if all goes well tomorrow, they should be done with Illinois.  

Goodbye Missouri

Karl and Mo got up this morning and rode from St Charles to St Louis.  They arrived in St. Louis pretty early so they decided to do a little sightseeing.  They went up into the Arch to take pictures.  Then they checked out the museum under the Arch.  

At lunchtime, they went to the waterside to eat.  They spent about 3-4 hours in St. Louis and decided to keep riding.  They took a trail from the Arch that went North along the river.  The trail ramped up and turned into it's own lane on the traffic bridge.  By crossing the bridge on this trail they were able to completely avoid traffic.  Their ride today ended at Pontoon Beach, Illinois.  Yes, they're done with Missouri.  Total mileage for today was 50 miles.  

It rained on and off today, but somehow or another they were able to avoid it.  About a 1/2 a mile from the hotel the sky began to get dark and while they were checking in, it started to downpour.  I'm curious how these two are able to avoid the rain so much.  I'm really thinking that they are some sort of Sun gods...or maybe they are wearing new space aged water repellent clothing...hmmm..

Miscellaneous Pictures

While Karl was at the B&B, the owner helped him to send a couple of pictures from his camera.  As you can tell from the pictures, they are from various segments of the trip.  They are not in chronological order and I'm not even sure where each of them were taken.  

Enjoy the pictures.  If I get more, I'll add them later.

It must've been a cold morning.

This was on the Beach in San Diego.

Obviously in Pampa, TX

When there was no hotel to be found, the boys had to resort to more "primitive" lodging.  

Just a "Little" Memorial Day Ride

Sorry this is a little late.  This post is for Monday.  

I spoke to Karl last night while he was in the middle of doing laundry.  It's extremely important to remain "Spring Time Fresh" while you're biking.  It's even more important for the person who has to ride behind you.  

Karl and Mo woke up Monday morning at the B&B and had french toast and sausage.  It had rained pretty hard during the middle of the night so the Katy trail was very wet.  The road was close to the trail, so they rode on it for about 15 miles to allow the trail to dry a little.  

Once they were on the trail they peddled all the way to St Charles, MO.  For a total of 75 miles.  They are currently finished with the trail and as of Monday night they were about 22 miles from St. Louis.  

Monday was a pretty dreary day for riding.  There were a few showers off and on, but never enough to get them soaked.  They were planning on spending today (Tuesday) in St. Louis to do a little sightseeing.  I'll update the blog as soon as I can.

On The Katy Trail

Karl and Mo are now on the Katy trail that goes across most of the state of Missouri.  They started this morning in Osage Beach, Mo and rode for about 55 miles to Jefferson City.  Once in Jefferson City, they hopped on the Katy trail and rode for the last 30 miles today.  They Katy Trail actually starts (or ends) in Clinton, Missouri, but that was farther west.  Click HERE for more information on the Katy Trail.  

Just before they got onto the trail, our friend Mo got a flat.  He looked for the reason why and not finding anything, he installed a new tube and they went on their way.  Well, there was a small piece of metal that was still in his rim, so before long he got another flat.  So, in the flat tire race Mo is 8 and Karl is 6.  

The weather was a little muggy today.  The canopy of trees kept the humidity bearing down on them most of the day.  There was a brief rain shower this afternoon, but it was only enough to dampen the trail.  Thankfully, it did cool them off a little bit.  

Tonight Karl and Mo are spending the night at a Bed and Breakfast.  The Rendleman Home is their home for the evening.  It's actually in Bluffton, but the Post Office is in Rhineland.  This B&B is an old farmhouse that has been converted to an Inn.  They mostly cater to bicyclists that ride on the Katy trail.  The owner is an avid bicyclist himself and rides about 200 miles a week.  Please check out the Rendleman Home at www.rendlemanhome.com.  The next time you decide to ride your bike in Missouri on the Katy Trail, you may want to stay there.  

There wasn't much scenery the first 20 or so miles today.  But the last 10 miles to the B&B was beautiful.  The trail is right on the Missouri River so it was very scenic.  Well, that's all I have to report today.  Karl didn't have great cell reception out on the Katy trail so I kept losing him.

I'll post again tomorrow.  I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day!

Get Your Kicks on Route 66

Karl and Mo got their Kicks on Route 66 today...for at least 40 miles or so. The weather for biking was beautiful again. It threatened to rain at lunchtime, but our Sun gods Apollo and Helios came to town and only about 6 drops of rain fell. They covered about 80 miles today and made it from Strafford to Osage Beach. They are currently spending the night in a hotel on the Lake of the Ozarks.
The terrain was mostly rolling hills and Karl said he felt like he was riding back home. Total mileage so far is just above 1950 miles. I'm curious if they'll be home for Father's Day...
Karl said not much interesting happened today. I'm going to have to start making up stories about bearded ladies riding on unicycles. Hopefully, I won't have to resort to that!
Karl sent the picture below as they were getting on to Old Route 66.


I found this youtube video below. It has some pretty interesting pictures of different sights on Route 66. No, these pictures are not from Karl and Mo, but I thought it would be fun to see what they may have seen and listen to a little music. Enjoy!

Finally Taking a Break to do Some Sightseeing!

Today our two favorite cyclists had a relatively "easy" day.  They rode to Strafford, MO, northeast of Springfield.  Today's mileage was 57 including their sightseeing.  They visited Wilson Civil War Battlefield.  For more information on the Battle of Wilson's Creek, click HERE.

After visiting the battlefield and touring the museum, they went to Fantastic Caverns and took a tram ride through the caverns.  The weather was great again today and they suffered no flat tires.  

They will be heading towards Jefferson City tomorrow.  They probably won't get there until Sunday, but once they're there, they will hop on the Rail Trail that will take them east through Missouri.

I asked Karl if he had any plans for Memorial Day and he said he thought he may do a little bike riding :-).  These guys never rest!!!  Have fun Mo and Karl!

Watch Out Missouri! Here they Come!

Well, another state bites the dust.  That's right..Oklahoma is no longer under their wheels.  They're in Missouri.  Karl and Mo traveled 72 miles today to arrive in Aurora, Missouri.  They have traveled over 1800  miles so far since they started in San Diego about 4 weeks ago.  The weather was great again today and there were no troubles on their route.  

They are about 30 miles from Springfield, MO.  Tomorrow they are hoping to do a little sightseeing at a civil war battleground and possibly a cavern.  So, needless to say, tomorrow will probably be a short day for them.  In the next couple of days they are hoping to hop onto a rail trail that will take them east across Missouri.  Apparently it's a pretty scenic route along the Missouri River.  

The GPS says that they are about 1100  miles from home.  Just a couple of more weeks left on their journey.  Hopefully they're getting a lot of pictures to show us all when they return.  Until the next time...

They're In MIAMI!

Don't worry.  They're not grossly off course.  They're in Miami, OK.  Today's weather was great.  It remained comfortable in the upper 70s.  They're close to the Missouri line and will definitely be crossing over tomorrow.  There were not as many hills today as yesterday, so the riding was a lot easier.  

After 75 miles of riding today, they found a hotel with a hot tub.  It's been awhile since they've been in a hot tub, so it was a nice treat.  Once they got to town tonight, they had to walk a mile or two to find a place to eat, but I'm sure it's nice to get up and stretch the muscles after being on a bike for so long.  

Tomorrow they are hoping to ride a little on Route 66.  Maybe they'll get to stop in a diner along the way.  They're a little more than halfway home.  Before we know it, our two friends will be back in PA awaiting their next adventure.

Still Pedaling Through Oklahoma...(Tuesday)

This post is for Tuesday:
Karl and Mo's odometers now read 1650 miles. Wow! 1650 miles since the start of this journey. They are still in Oklahoma for at least a day or so. They traveled 72 miles Tuesday from Ponca City, OK to Bartlesville, OK.

They arrived about 230pm and just missed the last guided tour of Price Tower. Price Tower is a "sky scraper" built by Frank Lloyd Wright. Click HERE for more information. Even though they missed the guided tour, they did get to check out the art museum there that was exhibiting artwork from the American World Fairs.

The weather was great today. The winds were out of the south, so there was a cross wind, but it was not enough to be an annoyance. On their ride today , they spoke to a woman who said it had rained 22 days in a row and had just stopped right before Karl and Mo came into town. If they're not careful, they may be mistaken for Apollo and Helios: Greek Gods of the Sun!

They did do some climbing today. Although the climbs were not as steep as they have experienced so far, they were very long. Karl and Mo will still be traveling in Oklahoma on Wednesday. If all goes well, they'll be in Missouri by Thursday.

A Visit to Marland Mansion (Monday)

Sorry, this post is late.  I'm still having computer "issues".  I spoke to Karl last night and they had arrived in Ponca City, OK after about 70 miles.  They rode another 5 miles or so around town to get supplies and do laundry.  The awoke yesterday morning (Monday) to a brisk 54 degrees.  The weather was beautiful.  There was no headwind, only a crosswind.  But, that didn't hold our friends back.  They arrived into town at about 2 or 2:30pm yesterday, had some dinner,  went into town to get supplies from Wal-mart and do some laundry. 

They also got to visit Marland Mansion.  

No, Not Marilyn Manson:

 

That would've been pretty scary.  

But Marland Mansion.  

Marland Mansion was built in the 20's by an Oil Tycoon from...Pittsburgh.  You can get some more information on the Mansion HERE.  They had gotten to the mansion a little late and were walking around the grounds at about 430pm.  A groundskeeper who was securing everything (because they close at 5pm) saw them and asked if they wanted a personal tour of the carriage house.  Again, NICE PERSON ALERT!!

They got to stay in a hotel again last night to prepare for another 70 mile ride today.  Hopefully, I'll get to post again tonight if my computer cooperates.  And, hopefully, you'll all be back to read some more of Karl and Mo's adventure... if I didn't scare you with the Marilyn Manson picture above.  :-)  Until the next time....

Hear Ye, Hear Ye: Friendly People in Oklahoma!

I spoke to Karl last night and got an update on yesterdays travels, but I was experiencing computer difficulties so I couldn't post until this morning.

Yesterday, our two friends woke up to a chilly 37 degrees.  It did warm up later as they were riding and the sun was shining.  They traveled 80 miles to Jet, OK with no problems.  

They stopped for dinner at the Last Chance Cafe and met a man named Benjamin.  They had great conversation about their trip across the country.  Benjamin told them he was a Hunting Consultant specializing in African hunts.  Check out his website at huntlikeyoumeanit.com.  

When I say that there are nice people in Oklahoma, I mean it!  Before Benjamin left he paid for Karl and Mo's dinner.  How nice is that?!?!  Karl and Mo had no idea until the waitress came over and picked up the bill she had left on the table and said that Benjamin had paid for their meal.  

Benjamin, if you happen to read this, Karl and Mo really appreciate your kind gesture and your friendly conversation.

Karl said that they have not been in short supply of nice people.  In San Diego, Mo's friend Scott shuttled them all over Southern California.  In Arizona, a woman at a cafe told them how to avoid the mountains.  In Texas, on many occasions, people would go out of their way to see if they needed any help.  The other night a man stopped by the campground to see if they needed a ride into town to get supplies.  And the list goes on, and on.  I just hope they experience friendly people the closer they get to the east coast.  We all know how cranky we can be in MD and PA. Ok, maybe not in PA, but I'm cranky here in MD.  :-)

The odometer on the bike was just over 1500 miles last night.  These fellows are bustin' butt to get across the US.  I'm sure they'll sleep for a month when they get back.  I did suggest to Karl that when he's done the US, he should start with the other 6 continents.  So, for all of you who missed out on this one, I think the next one will be Australia.

Rest, Relaxation and a Little Blue Grass Gospel Music

Well, the boys made it to Boiling Springs today after a fight with a nasty headwind. Thankfully, though, the weather was nice.  It stayed in the 60's all day.  They rode a total of 45 miles to the campground.  While they were walking around the park, they checked out Boiling Springs, which wasn't what they were expecting and was quite a let down.  If they had traveled out of their way to get there, they would've been sorely disappointed.  But, since it was on their path, it was nice to at least say they had seen it.  

As they were traveling this morning, they stopped at a store and were talking to a woman that worked there.  They explained that they were riding across the US and they were heading to Boiling Springs State Park.  She said that her brother was an avid cyclist.  Later, this afternoon, her brother found them at the park and asked if they needed a ride into town to get supplies.  It's great to see that there are still nice people in the world. :-)

Later this evening as they were wandering around the park, they stopped and listened to a Blue Grass Gospel Band.  There were about 11 members in the band and Karl said they were excellent.  What an  enjoyable end to a hard day.  

Oklahoma!!!

I spoke to Karl last night and he said they had arrived in Oklahoma.  Yesterday was a great day of riding because of the tail wind most of the way.  It's amazing how it can be a strong head wind one day and a tail wind the next.  They traveled 90 miles from Pampa, TX to Arnett, OK.  

After leaving Pampa, they decided to take a road less traveled, and it ended up being one of the most scenic routes they've had so far.  Karl said that there were awesome views of canyons and valleys and they stopped often to look and take pictures.  At about lunch time yesterday they had arrived in a town named Canadian after about 50 miles of riding.  They couldn't find a room there and had asked around if there were any hotels traveling east.  The locals told them the next stop would be Arnett, about 40 more miles away.  Since it was early, they decided to go ahead and make the trip.  Once they got to the hotel Karl realized that he had a flat tire.  So, as the flat tire race continues, Karl and Mo are tied with 6 flat tires each.  They are now into their 5th state since starting this journey 3 weeks ago.  Total mileage so far: 1380.  Pretty soon they'll be half way across the US on this Big Adventure!

Oh, one more thing I almost forgot.  When Karl and Mo arrived at the hotel last night, the person at the front desk told them that Guy and Evan had just been there last night.  So, they're only a day behind them.  

Today (Saturday), Karl and Mo are going to try to make it to Boiling Springs State Park.  They'll probably camp there tonight or stay in one of the cabins on the campground.    Click HERE for more information on the park.  Apparently the springs bubble up at a rate of 200 gallons per minute.  Sounds pretty cool!

I'll Huff and Puff and Blow Your Bikes Down

Today Karl and Mo traveled from Conway to Pampa for a total of 40 miles.  They would've liked to have gone farther, but the wind was horrible today.  They had a headwind of about 20 mph for almost the entire trip.  The nice thing was that the mosquitos weren't biting today.  I don't know what the top speed was for today, but Karl said that at some points they were only going about 8 miles an hour.  Yikes!  They're relaxing tonight in a hotel and they hope that tomorrow the wind will be friendlier.  

Ok, so I hope I'm not breaking any copyright laws!

So I mentioned Guy and Evan in a previous post as the two from the UK and Hong Kong traveling across the US.  I was on Evan's blog and I found a picture of our two favorite people.  Evan: if you're reading this blog, I hope you don't mind.  But Karl doesn't send me a lot of pictures.

As you can see they look healthy and happy.  They will need to work on their tan lines at some point though.  

Cycling Across the US Sure does Change a Man!

Wow!  It's been less than three weeks and Karl and Mo have morphed into World Class Cyclists!  I didn't realize that cycling across the US would take so many years off of their appearance.  :-)  Ok, I'm sure you guessed that the above picture is not Karl and Mo.  It is a picture of the two fellows that I spoke of yesterday.  Evan is on the left and Guy is on the Right. Karl tells me that after this trip across the US, Evan is planning on trekking across Africa.  Oh the joys of being young!  

Karl and Mo are spending the night in Conway, TX.  Population 15.  The only reason that Conway has a population of 15 is that they included their dogs and cats in the head count.  They are spending the night in the one and only hotel in Conway.  It's nice to know that even a super small town can have a hotel for our two friends to stay in.  

They traveled 82 miles today.  Instead of going through Amarillo, they went south of the City and headed east to Claude, TX.  There they had lunch.  The tail wind helped to push them along again today, so the riding was pretty quick until the last couple of miles.  Once they hit Claude, they headed north and had to fight the wind for about 8 miles to Conway.  

The riding today was pretty easy, but the mosquitos were not very nice.  The mosquitos were biting them today in broad day light, in windy conditions, right through their clothes!  A couple of bug bites won't stop our fearless duo.  

Karl forgot to mention that Mo had a flat yesterday and he had one today.  Since they're not traveling on the Interstates as much, the flat tires are not happening as often.  So in the flat tire race we have Mo:6, Karl:5.  

Where's the Beef?

The beef is in the Beef Capital of the World...And so are Karl and Mo.  They traveled 77 miles today to make it to Hereford, TX.  The weather was cool this morning and then warmed up a little in the afternoon.  There was a nice tail wind pushing them most of the day.  They were able to keep their speed between 22 and 30  mph.  While on the road, they met two other cyclists traveling in the same direction, but they are going all the way to Boston.  One of the two guys is from Hong Kong and the other is from the U.K.  Karl and Mo tried their best to keep up with them, but it was a little difficult.  Especially since the one from the U.K. is training for the TOUR DE FRANCE!!!  

Tomorrow will probably be a short day for Karl and Mo.  They're trying to avoid 100 mile days as much as possible, so they'll probably stop in Amarillo, which is only about 50 miles away.

I'm wondering if Karl and Mo are feasting on Steak tonight for dinner......

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Karl and Mo experienced their first day of rain today.  They traveled 88 miles from Roswell to Portales, NM.  When they got up this morning the temperature was 55 degrees.  It only made it to the mid 60's for them, but as they were finishing their day, it had dropped down into the 50's again.  It wasn't a down pour.  Just enough rain to be annoying.  As they rode today they saw some oil wells for the first time.  Only some of them were pumping oil.  

I did get to ask him what they had done on their day off in Roswell.  They wandered around town and visited the UFO Museum and Dr Goddard's work shop.  I'm sure you've heard of The Goddard Space Flight Center that was named after him.  Click HERE for more information on Dr. Goddard.  They did do about 8 miles of riding around town yesterday.  Six of those miles were to and from the laundromat to wash some clothes.  

Karl and Mo are less than 30 miles from the Texas border.  Can you believe they've traveled through 3 states in about 2 1/2 weeks?  That's CRAZY!!!

I haven't gotten any good pictures lately.  Hopefully Karl and Mo are taking a lot and we can post some of them after they get home.  

This Adventure is TO BE CONTINUED...

Saturday

I wasn't able to update yesterday, so here it is:

Saturday morning Karl and Mo woke up to a chilly 54 degrees.  They traveled 75 miles to Roswell.  No major hills slowed them down, but the wind did.  Karl said that even on the down hills they had to pedal because the headwind was so strong.  It seemed like it was going to rain on them this morning, but the sun eventually peaked through the clouds and the remained dry. 

When they got to their hotel in Roswell, they walked around town for a little.  They plan on staying in Roswell for 2 nights to explore and rest.  There are a couple of museums they want to check out and maybe try to see some UFO sightings.  (Ok, he didn't say that, I did).  The bike odometer says 992 miles.  The GPS says 1002.  So pretty much they've hit a huge milestone.  If they keep this up, they'll be home before we know it.

Here is a picture that I wasn't able to post from Friday.  As you can see when they were at Apache Summit, the elevation was 7591 feet.  

Here is a picture Karl sent of himself from Friday as well.  As you can see he's looking pretty healthy and it seems like he may even get some tan on those incredibly white legs.  I'm just curious at what point did he stop wearing his converse high tops and cut off jean shorts to ride his bike.

Ralph, You Won't Be Disappointed!

I spoke to Karl last night about their adventures yesterday. They wanted to make sure they did some climbing so that Ralph would not be disappointed. They started their ride from Alamogordo and rode a total of 46 miles to Ruidoso, NM. The ride started out with them going North parallel with the mountains for about 15 miles. Then they turned east and went into the mountains. They had a 23 mile climb of 2580 feet. Then once they reached the crest, they had a 5 mile downhill. Karl said that one of the nice points of the day was stopping at a tribal store on a reservation about 1/2 way up the mountain. There, they purchased Pueblo Pies (something like two pieces of flatbread filled with pie filling) and cookies. This was the much needed carb reload they needed to make it up the rest of the mountain.
During their ride today they saw their first "real" trees. There is a lot more vegetation in this part of New Mexico than in other parts. So, they had more to look at than just cacti. They are about 72 miles from Roswell and are headed there today.
I have a picture that Karl sent me today of the elevation at Apache Summit. I am not able to upload it right now because I'm sitting at a campground, but as soon as I can, I will add it to the blog. They were at an elevation of 7591 feet at the highest point.
Finally, here is an update about their day on Thursday. Karl had forgotten to tell me about some interesting things they found out in the hotel pool on Thursday night while they were at Alamogordo. When they were riding Thursday they stopped at White Sands National Monument. Click HERE for more information about White Sands. Their new friends from the pool told them that the area is so busy right now because they are filming the New Stargate movie at White Sands. And, last year they had filmed the New Transformers movie there. They hotels were extra busy because of cast and crew for the movie production. I'm sure they were hob-nobbing with celebrities and didn't even know it.
I'll update today's travels either tonight or tomorrow. That is, if they haven't been abducted by aliens in Roswell. :-)

14 Days of Riding Under Their Belt (and a encouraging message for Ralph)

Yesterday was day number 14 for Karl and Mo.  They rode from Las Cruces, NM to Alamogordo, NM, a total of 66 miles.  The first 15 miles was up hill then they had 7-8 miles of down hill and then the rest was flat.  They didn't have to travel on the Interstate today, so there were no flat tires.  So far their odometer reads 871 miles.  Wait, let me say that again...871 MILES!!!  Holy smokes, that's a lot of miles in 14 days.  

They are about 120 miles from Roswell.  And since there are not many places to stay between Alamogordo and Roswell, they will have a short day today (Friday).  They will only travel about 40 miles and will have a lot of climbing.  The hope is to be able to get to Ruidoso Downs today.  Then on Saturday they will travel the rest of the way to Roswell.  Once they get to Roswell they will FINALLY take a day off to do some sightseeing.  Personally, I think they're looking for their "Mother Ship".  That would be the only logical reason for these two fellows to ride their bikes over 3000 miles across the U.S.! :-)

Hopefully I'll be able to write again tonight.  

Oh, and here is a message for Karl and Mo's Friend Ralph: (these are direct words from Karl, he had me read it back to make sure I had the words exact)

"Ralph: If you had joined us on this adventure, I'm sure you could've convinced me to follow you up and over every hill you wanted to climb."

Ralph, these guys are trying to act tough, but really I think they miss you!

Flat Tires, Flat Tires and More Flat Tires

Well, our two friends are now in Las Cruces, NM.  They rode 68 miles today and crossed the Rio Grande.  Karl had a flat tire before leaving the campground and they quickly changed that and were on there way.  They stopped later at a little store for a break and when they came out he found he had another flat tire.  They fixed that and were getting ready to leave and guess what?? Mo had a flat tire.  These two are really competing the the flat tire race!  Karl said that he thinks that they're good enough to work with a pit crew changing tires.  Maybe that will be a good career path for them to follow when they get home!  

When they got to Las Cruces, they stopped at Wal-mart and bought out the entire stock of bicycle tubes.  Now they each have at least 4 new ones.  

They are staying the night in a hotel and when I was talking to Karl, I could hear the familiar sound of a hot tub.  I'm sure that will help to relax the leg muscles.  Tomorrow they're heading in the direction of Roswell.  They're not sure they'll make it tomorrow, but they're headed that way.  Keep an ear out for any cyclists getting abducted by aliens!

Who Says White Men Can't Jump?

Ok, Ok, I know you're curious about the title of this post.  I will explain that in a minute.  It's part of a great story, but that part is in the middle and I need to start at the beginning.  So here we go...

Today Karl and Mo rode from Lordsburg to Deming, NM.  They traveled 74 miles today.  They are about 6 miles off course, but that is because they decided to go a little southeast to Rock Hound State Park to stay the night in a campground.  

The traveled on Interstate 10 today.  There was a great tail wind that pushed them along and helped them average about 22 mph.  Interstate 10 has a wide shoulder which is perfect for bikes, but it also has a lot of debris from the tractor trailers which is not perfect for bikes.  Apparently there are small pieces of metal that were on the side of the road and that led to 3 flat tires for Mo today.  So in the flat tire race we have Mo taking the lead with 4, and Karl with 2.  

Karl and Mo saw a lot of cool things today.  Because the wind was so intense they saw quite a few dust devils.  They are small tornado like funnels of sand.  Click here for more info on dust devils.  They also crossed the continental divide.  

The continental divide runs from "northwestern Canada along the crest of the Rocky Mountains to Mexico.  It is a line that divides the flow of water between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.  Rain or snow that drains on the east side of the Continental Divide flows toward the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean  while precipitation on the west side drains and flows toward the Pacific Ocean."   So, does that mean the trip is all down hill from here?

So are you still curious about the title of this post??  Ok, here it goes...When I spoke to Karl this evening, they had decided to hike from the campground at the base of a mountain up to an overlook.  He said the views were amazing.  I had a hard time hearing him because the wind was so strong.  He guessed that from the overlook you could see about 50 miles away.  They were sitting there watching sand storms and the sun started to set.  Karl and I got off the phone and they decided to head back down the mountain.  The sunset was beautiful and they were watching it and not watching where they were going.  They came upon a rattlesnake who was not to happy about crossing paths with them.  Karl said that he heard the snake before he saw it and when he saw it he started jumping around and screaming.  I'm surprised that after 74 miles of biking today that he had the energy to jump around and scream.  I would have loved to have been there to see it.  My big brother jumping around screaming like..well....a girl...Hopefully they'll be watching where they are going from now on.  When they got to the bottom of the mountain, Karl called me back to let me know what had just happened.  I'm sure after that episode they'll have to do laundry tonight :-)