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 :-)

Who Says White Men Can't Jump?

Lordy, Lordy, The Kings are in Lordsburg!

Well, today was another great day of riding.  Karl and Mo made it across state line into New Mexico.  They are currently in Lordsburg, NM after 76 miles of riding.  They took the advice of their new friend at the cafe in Pima and avoided a lot of the major mountains.  Instead of heading directly into the mountains, they took a more southerly route and traveled on Route 70 all day.  They had no flats, a little tail wind to push them along and even made it into a new time zone.  Now they're only 2 hours behind us here on the east coast.  Karl said that the road they traveled on today was somewhat rolling, but you could see for miles.  Literally.  He said you could see ahead for about 15-20 miles.  Thankfully, they haven't experienced any of the dreary days we've had here in MD and PA.  

Tonight they finally got their spaghetti dinner they've been looking for.  So now that they have loaded up on carbs, they can enjoy a good night's rest at the motel.

Tomorrow they'll be traveling along Interstate 10.  Bikes are allowed on this interstate, so they should get some decent mileage in.  

Here is a picture of Mo as they were entering New Mexico.  I know it's blurry, but this is the best picture I have.  Hopefully I'll get more pictures to post soon!

Karl and Mo: Talk of the Town

So Karl and Mo headed out of the San Carlos Indian Reservation and traveled about 70 miles to Safford, AZ.  If you look at the terrain on the map, it looks like they went right between the mountains.  They had a pretty easy day and the weather has been beautiful.  After they had gone about 40 miles today they were on the edge of the Reservation and a man on his porch had asked if they were heading to PA.  Yup, that's right!  They are famous on the San Carlos Indian Reservation Grape Vine (better known as the SCIRGV).  I'm sure that gave them something to smile about for the next 30 miles.  

They stopped for lunch at a cafe in Pima, AZ and got some wonderful advice from a lady there on how to avoid the tough mountains tomorrow.  Now that's what I call friendly service.  

Mo got his first flat today and they fixed it and were on their way.  But, Karl couldn't be left out of the fun so he decided it was time for him to get a flat too.  So on the flat tire counter we have Karl:2, Mo:1.  Karl, of course, picked the best place to get a flat tire.  Right outside an A&W Rootbeer Restaurant.  And, of course, what better way to celebrate taking the flat tire lead, but to go inside and get rootbeer floats.  

Tomorrow will be mountains again and I'm sure their legs will be worn out, but right now they're feeling pretty good.  They're going to get much needed rest tonight in the hotel and head out tomorrow to conquer mountains.  I'm curious who will come back with the King of The Mountain Jersey....

Luck Be a Lady Tonight!

Karl and Mo are spending the evening at the Best Western Apache Gold Casino and Resort in San Carlos, AZ.  I suggested that maybe they could win big and not have to ever go back to work and he said that they would have play to win.  So there will be no millionaires coming out of San Carlos on a bike tonight.  

This morning they started their day with a 10 mile climb from Superior, AZ.  Their total mileage for the day was 32 miles. Today was a relatively short day because tomorrow will be pretty long.  They're going to travel about 75 miles tomorrow just to be able to get to civilization.  

Tonight they dined on the free buffet at the casino and I'm sure they'll be turning in early to prepare for the long ride tomorrow.  

So far their odometer says 518 miles.  Holy mackerel!!!  I don't think I've ridden 518  miles in my entire life, and I'm sure I won't be riding 518 miles in a week anytime soon.  Way to go Karl and Mo!

On The Road For 1 Week

Well Karl and Mo have been on the road for one week as of yesterday.  I didn't get to speak to him yesterday because he didn't have cell service.  But, he was able to use Mo's phone for a couple of minutes and called Linda who called Carol who called me (whew, that sounds complicated).  Anyway, Carol told me that they rode about 55 miles yesterday to Superior, AZ.  There was a lot of climbing involved because they are in the Rockies and there will be a lot more climbing today and the next couple of days.  So their mileage won't be  high for a few days, but they'll eventually make it over the Rockies and it will be all downhill from there, right?  

I am hoping Karl will have cell service to call me tonight to let me know where they ended up today.  But, if he doesn't I'll post as soon as I hear something.  I do know that they'll be traveling a lot of miles tomorrow because there is a long stretch where there won't be any place to stay.

Carol also told me that they met a young guy a couple of days ago who was just about to finish his trip across the US from the East Coast.  Of course, this guy was probably half the age of Karl and Mo, but I'm sure it was exciting to see someone who was almost finish what they've just begun.  

Well, I'll post more as I get it!

Oh, one more thing...the picture above is the route from yesterday.  I'm showing a different view than I normally do.  This view shows the terrain.  So if you click on the picture, you can see some of the mountains they've been climbing.