Bruce and Pam's Coast 2 Coast Adventure

day 30: St John’s to Winslow, AZ

“Go in peace,” the priest replied. “For the LORD is watching over your journey.”
Judges 18:6

95 miles – 2,415 ft climb

Bruce took off around 8:30 this morning. It was 37 degrees again when we woke up, but had warmed up to 52 degrees by the time he left. When he leaves in the mornings I always take his picture, pray for him and the other drivers to be alert and attentive and then video him riding off. This way I will have a current picture to show if he gets lost. Haha. Thanks to Find Friends, his mom and I are keeping our eyes on him electronically. I highly recommend this app! Anyhoo, as he rode off the manager of the RV Park, Kay, came over and asked me about his ride. When I told her what we were doing and that it was to raise money for Parkinson’s and MS, she said, “stay right there!” and ran back in to her camper. She came back out with the $25 I had paid her last night and said, “You can stay for free. I want you to use this for your trip.” So nice!

We chatted for a bit and she told me a lady had come through a few years ago who was riding her HORSE across the country. Oh. My. Gosh. Horse trumps bike. I don’t even know how that would work because they can’t stay in RV Parks or eat fast food. Or make pb&j’s. Wow!

When I first started my walk, all I could see was how much, shall we say “less financed” this fairground was than the ones in Mississippi. Dirt & weeds everywhere rather than pavement. Just generally less than. But then I started looking at what all they DID have. Two little baseball fields, a few outdoor arenas for horse shows (one even had a separate kind of dirt track around it to run your horses, I guess), a playground, a swimming pool (unopened this year due to Covid), and a walking path. It takes a lot of walking to get in 3 miles, so I checked out pretty much every inch of the place. In one area I even found 7 horses and 2 cows in tiny little pens. Kay told me later that the cows were being fattened up awaiting slaughter. That’s a bummer! Walking here made me think about how when I focus on the negative, that’s what I see. But when I look for the positive, it’s right in front of my face. I love when God teaches me little lessons in the midst of everyday life. Because sometimes I focus on the negative. Which brings us to the showers. Um… let’s see. Look for the positive…it had a shower curtain and hot water. But honestly it was exactly what I had thought an RV Park shower would be like, when I started this trip. Before I was spoiled by the bathrooms in the south.

By the time I left it was 11:30. I am regretting having left the sewer hose elbow at the park a few days ago. Walmarts have been a little scarce. I unhooked the water & electric and dumped what needed to be dumped. I got gas and then ran to my old pal Dollar General to grab some milk and candy for the biker. So in total transparency his energy appears to come from Bit of Honey, Jolly Ranchers, Stacy’s chips and pb&j’s. But I guess it works. The plan, you know, in the original well laid out worksheet, was to stop at Holbrook tonight. But since we started in St John’s, Bruce wasn’t ready to stop in Holbrook and so biked to Winslow. Yes, we do plan to stand on a corner tomorrow.

Bruce had a great ride today. When I asked him, he said, “I was in the zone. I just felt good today. I could have gone another 40 miles.” He started out in some hills, climbing over 1,000 feet in his first 12 miles. And thankfully very few cars on those back highways. And beautiful views. I didn’t catch up with him until Holbrook. Because I left 3 hours after him. And because he’s fast.

The ride in Harvey was pretty good. There was a long section that looked like it had recently been paved, but it seemed to have waves. Kinda fun actually. It felt a little like galloping on a horse. Thank goodness for Harvey’s good shocks.

Bruce and I both stopped separately, since I was so far behind, at the Petrified Forest Museum and Gift Shop. Neither of us took the actual drive through the forest because it was an additional 24 mile loop. But we saw some petrified wood in the parking lot and in the museum part of the gift shop. We met a really nice lady, named Lori, who ran the shop. Bruce had met her first and talked to her for awhile. He also met Wayne who is a fellow biker and his wife, Barb. When I told Lori that I didn’t want to take the tour because my husband was biking across the country and I needed to catch up to him, she said, “Oh! You’re Pam!” Why, yes I am. I felt like a celebrity. Or maybe the wife of one.

petrified dino bone and polished petrified wood

cute little mail box where I mailed some post cards

Holbrook is a little town on Old Route 66. With a pretty cute little strip. By the time I got there Bruce was in the parking lot of Romo’s flagging me down. He had a hankerin’ for Mexican, believe it or not. And Romo’s did not disappoint. Which is a good thing because he’s having it again for dinner tonight.

I told this guy he was going to be in my picture and he put his shades on and smiled.

After dinner we took pictures of the “iconic” dinosaurs in front of the Rock Shop and then drove over to see the Navajo County Historic Museum. It was in an old Court House and included a jail that would be a good incentive not to break the law. The county used the jail until 1976. I think when they moved to the new courthouse they didn’t feel like moving everything and so just left it. Which was cool to see all the old stuff pretty much right where it had been.

When we found out that Bruce’s route included quite a few miles on the shoulder of I-40, we tried to find other routes from Holbrook to Flagstaff. The one we settled on first was for me to drive him for a latitude only move up to Indian Wells and then he’d bike as far as he could on highway 15 towards Flagstaff. This would be completely on Indian reservations. And sleeping spots were questionable. When I talked about this with Lori, she did not recommend being on an Indian reservation at night. She said they were dangerous. OK. That creeped me out. So we talked to an Indian man at Romo’s and he recommended this dirt road that went all the way from Holbrook to Flagstaff. I was all in. Bruce was not. He thought he could take Old Route 66 most of the way and just be on the I-40 shoulder a little. I headed off to see a little more of Holbrook. He headed off on Hwy 180/Old Route 66.

I decided to also stop and see the jackrabbit that is another Route 66 icon. I was a little underwhelmed, but I took pictures anyway.

After a few miles on Old Route 66 Bruce’s road turned into a path in a field. Undaunted he continued on. Soon it was totally gone. He could see I-40 from where he was, but was separated by a pesky barbed wire fence. You’re probably thinking, “what a bummer that he had to turn around and go back” But no. Bruce was not about to be thwarted by a little barbed wire. He followed it a few yards and found a spot that he could shimmey under. Well not really shimmey. More Army crawl. Soon he and his black steed were tooling along on the shoulder of I-40. As shoulders go, this was a very nice one. Wide and smooth with rumble strips way over to the left. And the wind was his friend today. Whatever that means. As he finished the 25 additional miles into our Winslow RV Park, it was starting to get dusk. Time to be done.

I passed an interesting sign today which reminded me of some other funny signs I had seen. The problem with funny signs is that by the time I read them it’s too late to take a picture. The one today was a street called “Buckets of Blood”. Yuk. How would you like to put that on your Christmas card return stickers? The other one was a sign that said, “Rough Road Ahead” followed shortly by another that said, “this road will not be cleaned or patrolled after a storm.” You’re on your own. Take your own risks. A few days (or was it a few weeks) ago I saw a sign at the edge of a small town that said, “Hitchhikers may be escaped convicts”. Oh, by the way. Just to let you know. No “Warning!” or “Call 911” or “Hide your wives. Hide your kids!”

Tonight we are staying at Take It Easy RV Park just outside of Winslow. It’s fine. With the windows open we are able to hear the sweet sounds of the interstate. And see the pretty lights on the trucks. Look for the positive, right? And hey. We can still take it easy… Oh my gosh! I just got that! Take it easy. Like the song. About standing on the corner. In Winslow, Arizona.

Bruce’s Biking across the USA thoughts and observations:

Pam and I left Wichita on September 11^th on our way to Florida to begin our adventure. When I left I was excited for what was ahead but admit that I was at a low from the negativity in the press I was experiencing. This was due to the circumstances of Covid-19 and all the political fighting over this issue and our Presidential election. In addition, we had the racial issues and backlash of some angry people with police departments across the country. If one were new to the United States or visiting and watched the news or were on Facebook, they might think our country is going to fold in the near future or that a civil war is soon to happen.

Let me encourage you my friends. My take away from traveling coast to coast (not quite finished yet) is that the US is still an awesome place to live. I have experienced nothing but kindness from people of all walks of life as we have traveled from state to state. I had a number of flats during the first weeks of my trip due to riding in the rain and I think every time that I stopped to fix it, someone in a car asked if they could help or asked if I needed anything. When we were in a town in Mississippi that was extremely poor, we stopped at a coin laundry to do wash. We were the only white folks in the laundry. Pam was not exactly sure how to run the machines, but a nice lady came over and helped her. I think that we as Americans have a lot more in common than that which divides us. Yes, I am a conservative but I have friends that have different life views. One of my dearest friends is a biker named Jerry. On the political spectrum, he would be considered left of me, but we share many other things in life in common like cycling. We often end our Saturday morning bike rides with breakfast. Sometimes we have good discussions about social issues with which we disagree, but the conversations are always civil. Sadly, our country is losing the ability to disagree with someone but still have a mutual respect for each other.

So the next time you are packing your arrows to fire a shot at someone who thinks differently than you, consider pausing a moment and thinking about what you both have in common. Focus on that. Understand that the other person probably has many of the same desires and goals for their family as you do, they just see things differently in how to get there.

A bible verse that has been popping into my head recently is Psalm 15:1 NIV “A soft word turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

day 31: Winslow to Flagstaff and on to the Grand Canyon

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.
Romans 12:9

55.5 miles – 2,431 ft climb

One word for today: trucks, trucks, trucks! I know technically that is 3 words, but since it’s the same word, I think it counts. Bruce rode on the shoulder of I-40 almost the whole day from Winslow to Flagstaff. To be fair it was a good, wide shoulder but trucks were zooming by constantly. It made me very nervous. When I asked him, he said it wasn’t that big of a deal after a while. He got used to it. Wish I could put an eyeroll emoji right here.

Look at all these trucks! And they are not even held up behind me.

We decided to unplug and go eat breakfast at the La Pasada hotel in Winslow. It was a very interesting old stone hotel with big gardens in the front and back. I guess due to the temperature or lack of rain, most of the flowers looked about how mine look in October. Barely alive and uncared for. I will give them grace though because even in the days when I had a beautiful garden in the summer, it was still barely alive in the fall. I had a spinach & mushroom omelet and Bruce had eggs over easy. He said they were the best he had ever had. We think it was because of the smoked paprika they dusted on the edge of the plate.

The weird thing about this hotel is that the lady who bought it and had it all fixed up is an artist and she has filled every common space with her gigantic but very dark paintings. I would say she is very afraid of death. She needs Jesus. Pretty much every painting was about death. They are so disturbing that I decided not to dignify them with a picture. It makes me sad for that artist. And anyone that does not have a relationship with Jesus and know 100 percent that they are loved and going to heaven when they die. To enjoy eternal life with God, their creator. I am committing to pray for her that she will find a church that teaches the truth about Jesus and his desire to love her and forgive her.

Since we were in Winslow, of course we headed to The Corner. And got our picture taken. And took pictures of other people. The designated corner is 2^nd & Kinsley. Which or course made me miss my granddaughter. They took full advantage of the song, which was playing continuously from speakers. I’m still humming it.

taking pictures on the corner in Winslow Arizona …

This mural reminds me of my dad who loved BNSF trains. He took hundreds of pictures of them and collected model trains. It’s funny how something simple like this could bring such a rush of emotion and tears. My dad passed 9 years ago.

We like these signs. Also please note Harvey chillin’ at the side of the street.

Not sure what this is. Indian bowman maybe? But I like it.

This guy was also standing on the corner, but apparently no girl in a flat bed Ford slowed down.

Bruce took off from The Corner to head for Flagstaff. On the shoulder of I-40. Which was being traveled by millions of trucks. Since Bruce put in extra miles yesterday, it was only 56 miles to Flagstaff. Bruce said, “Take your time. I’m fine. If I get to Flagstaff before you, I’ll just find a café or some place to wait.” So I walked around Winslow for about an hour and then headed to Flagstaff. I passed Bruce at about 30 miles and he waved at me. Which looked very much like the “woo hoo!” wave or the “hey there! I’m doing fine” wave. So I honked and continued on my merry way.

This is the “hello there, I’m fine wave”, right?

A few miles later there was some road construction, cutting the lanes down to one lane with no shoulder. Very concerning! I tried to call Bruce to warn him, but one of us didn’t have service. Unfortunately on the interstate, there aren’t a lot of good places to pull off. I finally pulled off at an exit to the Two Guns Casino and waited. When he got there, he was wondering why I didn’t pull over when he waved to me as I passed him. Uh oh! I guess the “help I’m almost out of water” wave looks awfully similar to the other two. We decided to go with the old water skiing signal of patting the top of your head to signal “help, please stop” from here on out. Luckily Bruce is a problem solver and so he stopped at the construction and asked the workers for some water. Plus this enabled him to ride through the construction side of the road and not the one-lane-full-of-zooming-trucks side. I love how God works! He (Bruce, not God) had a pb&j, filled his waters and was off again. I just want to point out that I AM capable of fixing things other than pb&j, but that’s what he always wants. And I am quite skilled at making them. Probably could do it with my eyes shut by now. Maybe I’ll try that tomorrow.

To the right you can see the sign indicating that it’s ok for bikes to ride on the shoulder here. Usually it is illegal. The sign says “on shoulder only” as if some cyclist might prefer holding their own out on the highway lanes with millions of trucks.

We had been told that the route to Flagstaff was lots of steep hills, so before he left, Bruce told me to keep an eye out and if it was a particularly bad hill, wait for him at the top so he could take a break. Not too far down the road there was a really long, steep hill that just kept climbing and climbing. So, always the obedient wife, I found a place to pull over at the top and called to tell him. He was grateful and said he’d watch for me. Pretty soon I get a call from him as he’s approaching, “Honey, I really appreciate you waiting for me, but this is nothing.” And he waved the “hey, there! I’m doing fine” wave as he passed me by. Clarification: really bad hill = signs warning trucks to downshift. OK, got it!

At this point we were about 20 miles from Flagstaff. I decided to detour to Walnut Canyon. I’m glad I did. It was an easy get off and really pretty. And connected to old route 66 to take me into Flagstaff. I picked Bruce up at a little shopping center, we made a Walmart run and headed to the Grand Canyon.

We saw more Elk signs along the way, but sadly, no Elk. I think it’s just a joke. It got dark before we arrived, so maybe they were everywhere and we just didn’t know it. Since I was driving, Bruce fixed dinner for us to eat on the way. A nice charcuterie tray. I could get used to being fed grapes while I drive.

Once we were set up, Bruce decided to go for a walk. I declined because it was so dark you couldn’t see anything anyway. A little later he came back and wanted me to come meet some of our RV neighbors and see the stars. The stars were amazing! The sky was so clear and black, you could see millions (or probably billions) of stars. Beautiful! Then he took me over to meet some of our RV neighbors who were from Maine & California. They were so much fun that we stayed and talked with them until I started getting too cold around 10:00 PM. At one point Bruce got his guitar out and played some songs for our California neighbors’ kids. Everybody sang along to BINGO, Twinkle Twinkle, Wheels On The Bus and other old favorites. They told us that they had seen Elk right outside their camper this morning. And that the Elk were probably right over by the bathroom at that very moment. As much as I wanted to see Elk, I wasn’t too keen on coming up face to face with one in the dark. I’m pretty sure they are big! And it was very dark! My chicken side won out over my curious side. Hopefully we can see some tomorrow.

day 32: Grand Canyon to Sedona, AZ

23.3 miles – 492 ft climb

He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth –the Lord God Almighty is his name.
Amos 4:13

We decided to head over to see the Grand Canyon on the cycle first thing this morning. I don’t know how you could lose something as big as the Grand Canyon, but both times we headed over we managed to get lost and had to turn around and back track a few times. When we found it, we were able to pull the cycle right up to the main path, which we later found out was called the Rim Path. It was nothing like I expected. Well, the Grand Canyon itself was, but the rest wasn’t. I didn’t think we’d be able to drive up 10 feet from the canyon. There were only a handful of people there. We were able to walk right out to the edge. It was kind of refreshing that people were actually allowed to be in potential danger and had to make wise choices for themselves. I guess you can’t fence off the whole Grand Canyon, but in my mind I guess that’s what I expected. We took a million pictures from various points along the path. I was pleased that Bruce did not feel the need to take a selfie from the very edge at any point. We walked out to Mather’s Point which actually did have a railing. And then headed home for breakfast. It was much faster going home.

I made breakfast burritos with the most delicious tortillas that Carmilla had given us from HEB. Right in the middle of breakfast we looked out and saw …wait for it …Elk! Right at our campsite. We went out and took pictures along with a bunch of other people. The Elk practically posed for us. They were so domesticated. We ended up seeing them multiple times today. I guess that’s why they weren’t alongside the highway. They are all at the Grand Canyon. Someone needs to move the signs.

We went back to the Canyon around 11:00 AM so we could see it in full sun. When we had gone at 7:00 AM a lot of it was still in shadows. I definitely regret that I did not plan ahead to find out how to go about seeing the sunrise at the Canyon. Next time. We unplugged and headed out around 12:30. Photos below all taken by Bruce. He is multi-talented. He even laid on his stomach to get the cactus shot.

Now that’s some impressive photography right there.

Since today was pretty much straight south or what I prefer to call a latitude adjustment, we decided that Bruce would not ride today, so that we could have more time at the Grand Canyon and in Sedona. But as we were descending into Sedona on Hwy 189A Bruce couldn’t stand it. So we pulled over and he threw on his kit (biking clothes, remember?), pulled out his bike and headed down. It was about 20 miles to our RV site. At this point the highway had a nice shoulder so I was perfectly ok with it. Little did I know that it would soon turn into a zigzag road with a 7% downhill grade (complete with signs warning the trucks) and NO shoulder. I was so thankful that Bruce was in front of me because then I knew that he had already passed that part safely. I had waited a few minutes (think 10-15) after Bruce took off to head down. He must have been sailing down that highway because I did not catch up with him until almost 15 miles later. I know he’s fast, but that’s ridiculous! He said, “it was a white knuckle ride, but thrilling too.” At one point he was going 40 mph! I had to put Harvey in 2nd gear and take those curves slowly. I’m not sure Harvey ever got up to 40 mph. But man oh man was it beautiful!! It started with the beauty of trees changing color for fall and then evolved into huge red rock ginormous mountain structures. I’m not sure what they are called. Bluffs? Rock Formations? Mountain Plateaus? But wow!!

One Beautiful view on the way to Sedona.

I backed Harvey into the site all by myself, without someone to guide me in, for the very first time. I was pretty pleased. Except for the little sign at the back that I plowed over. Which we now own.

We Ubered in to town and had a bison burger at the Cowboy Club & Grill. We have not Ubered much. This was a new thing for us, but it went super smoothly both times. I was feeling like living on the edge so I talked Bruce into ordering an appetizer with a variety of weird things. It had fried cactus, rattlesnake sausage and bison ka-bobs.

When we got home Bruce sat outside and played his guitar by himself. Because I was inside writing the blog.

day 33: Sedona to Black Canyon City, AZ

latitude adjustment day

Bruce woke up a little before 5:00 AM and decided to go ahead and do our laundry. That’s normal, right? Just to be clear, I think this is the first load he’s done in the last 30 years. But what else is a guy to do at 5:00 AM? I got up around 7:00 and we walked around the RV park until the dryer was done. Since he was doing such a fine job, I felt compelled to let him finish the laundry completely on his own. So I kept walking.

Bruce came on my walk with me. Should I be insulted that he wore flipflops?

We found this pretty little creek toward the back of the RV park.

Surely this sign does not apply to me. I went ahead and walked through the neighborhood. But I did refrain from taking pictures of the beautiful houses there.

Just like Sandals, I guess. And on a separate note, shouldn’t this say, “Adult Only Area”?

This RV Park was big on signs. No parking, I get. But no standing? Now you’re getting bossy!

As I was finishing my walk, I saw our neighbors, Lance & Leola from Albuquerque, sitting out having coffee. From what I can tell, at an RV park, if you’re sitting outside you’re pretty much fair game. So I stopped to talk. Turns out we have a lot in common. They have a boat; we have a boat. They have an RV; we have an RV. Ok, so theirs is an Airstream and ours is Harvey. Same-ish. They own a cow/calf cattle operation; my dad had a cow/calf operation. (For those of you non-cattle people, this basically means you buy female cows, get them prego by bulls or artificial insemination, and then sell the calves when they are old enough.) We had lots more in common too. I’m telling you, we have met the BEST people! Bruce jumped right in to the political stuff. I could probably have had a long conversation without bringing that up. Fortunately they still like us. We gave them some BuzzWTR samples before we left in our continued effort to slowly introduce BuzzWTR to the west. My favorite part of this trip has been all the interesting people we have met across the country!

Lance & Leola, BuzzWTR style! I wish we had more time to spend with them.

We left around 11:00 to check out downtown Sedona. We tried to book a jeep trip to see some of the well known rocks, but no luck. One guy told us they were having trouble hiring drivers. Really? Come on all you fun-loving, outdoor people. Who doesn’t want to drive a jeep in the desert for a living? But that was actually ok. We have already seen a lot. One of my favorite comments I overheard yesterday. This 20ish year old girl was talking to her friends at the Grand Canyon. It was afternoon and she had probably been there for a while. She said, “Is it wrong to say that I’m satisfied?” As in, seen enough. Done. Ready to go. I get it. Sometimes it’s so much that you can’t really take in anymore.

This is called Snoopy Rock. See him laying on his doghouse?

Bruce and I both had salads at the Outlaw Grill for lunch. Then Bruce had to make a phone call. So what’s a girl to do? I went shopping. Just doing my part to boost the economy.

This little girl statue is really cute until you look at her eyes. Kinda creepy. She may be a robot.

We pointed Harvey south and drove just an hour and a half to Black Canyon City. We are staying in the parking lot of Rock Springs Café as Harvest Hosts. The sky was looking really weird. Kinda brown with a little pink. I asked one of the sales people if it was smoke from the California fires. She said that a wildfire had started this morning in Prescott, AZ. It has been so dry all around here because they did not have much of a monsoon season this year.

You can see the smoke coming in from Prescott.

Smokey sky over the parking lot at Rock Springs. And please note all the flags. Patriotism is alive here.

Are these cows supposed to be here? In the wedding venue area? Also check out the lighting. It almost makes this look fake or enhanced. Which it is not. No enhancements in my photos. If I knew how to do enhancements I would not waste them on cows.

I’m sure you have been missing your weather reports. Weather was perfect today. Cool during the night and upper 80s during the day. It didn’t get as cold in Sedona at night as it did in Holbrook and the other places we’ve been the last few days. It is supposed to be in the upper 90s in Tempe. Yikes

It has been nice to just relax tonight. It feels like we have been going strong for quite a while. Tomorrow Tempe. And we stay in a Marriott! Yippee! Thanks Van and Janie. Bring on that full strength shower!

I love this bracelet that my neighbor, Kayla Patry, made for me. It reminds me that people are praying for us everyday.

One more thing. I would love to know who is reading our blogs. We have the emails for those who are following, but we don’t recognize them all. Plus we have no way of knowing if someone just reads a blog but doesn’t follow. Would you please do me a huge favor. Please post a comment on this blog with your name. Can be just first name and last initial if you want to be secretive. To avoid getting emails from me/the blog, make sure that both of the “notify me” boxes are unchecked. If you really want to keep it private, go to our comments page and post your name. It will send an email to us and no one else will see it. But again, I think you have to uncheck the “notify me” boxes to avoid future auto-emails. Thanks!

day 34: into Tempe, AZ

Gotta keep it real simple, Keep it real simple

Bring everything right back to ground zero

‘Cause it all comes down to this: Love God and love people

We’re living in a world that keeps breakin’ But if we want to find a way to change it

It all comes down to this: Love God and love people
Danny Gokey, singer

25 miles riding around Tempe

View from Harvey this morning in Black Canyon City

We got up early and headed to Tempe where we were going to meet our friends, Miles and Laurie McMillan at our hotel, the Moxy. On the way we came across a bunch of hot air balloons in the sky. So of course we pulled over to see them up close. We had planned to be in Albuquerque for the Hot Air Balloon Festival, but it was cancelled due to Covid. So this was a great surprise.

Since Bruce didn’t ride yesterday he for sure wanted to ride today. Our friends Miles and Laurie recently moved to Scotsdale. Problem solved. Bruce and Miles headed out for a bike ride around Tempe while Laurie and I went to breakfast and got pedicures. We walked over to Press coffee shop. I had a delicious breakfast burrito and a chai. So good!

We walked back to the Moxy and then went to get our pedicures. Normally I don’t love pedicures, but my feet have gotten so dry I really needed one. We even treated ourselves to the paraffin treatment. Oh yeah! And Jennie gave me strict instructions to rub coconut oil on my feet when I get home. I told you I am becoming a mountain woman. I think I’ll need a facial from Miriam when I get home too. If you’ve ever had one, you know what I’m talking about.

Jennie giving me the parafin treatment. They melt hot parafin in baggies and stick your feet inside. It cools on your feet and makes them soft, or in my case softer!

It was so great to spend some time with Laurie and Miles.

Bruce’s business partner, Matt, is also in Tempe this weekend with his friend Mike to do an IRONMAN race tomorrow. Bruce went to lunch with them. They did not have pb&j’s. I checked into the hotel and relaxed in the room. When Bruce got back we went out to the pool. In the places we have been it seems like it dropped 20 degrees when the sun went down. Not here. It was still 89 degrees at 7:00 when it was pitch dark. Which sounds weird on many levels when I say that out loud. It should not be dark at 7:00 when it’s 89 degrees.

We relaxed on these canopy bed looking things in the pool area. They were so comfy I seriously wanted to just go to sleep. But then a thousand tween-age girls came out to the pool, so that thought was dashed. Bruce ran across the street and got What-A-Burger for us to eat by the pool. I sure love their fries. Also please note that I actually did get a little embroidery done today. Maybe I will actually finish this tea towel.

I’m guessing the Moxy concept is to be cool and hip for all the cool and hip people. We got a room here because it was a Marriott close to Matt’s hotel. Thanks again Van & Janie! I love the big bean bag like chair. And Bruce loves the guitar. Just wait until we check out on Monday. Bruce will have a goatee and I will umm … uh… er …. be wearing bell bottoms? … is that even hip? I guess I’m so unhip that I’m not even sure what it would take to be hip.

Yep, that’s a real guitar hanging on the wall aka “in the closet”

I think he’ll have to lose the swimsuit-as-shorts when he becomes hip.

The electric street car went by with a message just for me. Or maybe for everyone.

The Moxy is serious about social distancing.

Also just wondering, anyone else still humming “standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona …” No? I guess it’s just me.

Day 35: Day off in Tempe, AZ

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
Psalm 103:8

0 miles

If you’re short on time, I’d say just go ahead and skip this one. If you can’t get to sleep and need a little help, read on.

Bruce got up early and rode the cycle over to see his friends, Matt & Mike, start the swimming portion of their IRONMAN. He waited for them to transition to the bike part, took some pictures and then came home. I did not get up early. I went for a walk on the streets around our hotel. Bruce got home just as I was finishing. He ran across the street and got us breakfast at Whataburger while I took a quick shower.

Then we went to CityPoint Church which conveniently meets in our hotel. Which is totally appropriate because they are a very new, young, hip church. Today they added about 20 new members who were actually the first members of the church. Now that is new! It was a great sermon about the grace of God. His big idea was: God’s grace is not God’s one time offer, it’s His life-time guarantee. Amen and pass the potatoes! I am SO thankful that God gives us grace and forgiveness again and again and again!

After church Bruce went back to see the finish of the IRONMAN and I did absolutely nothing. I laid in bed and checked facebook and instagram and tried to figure out a good route for us to take home a week from Tuesday. I thought about all kinds of productive things I could or should be doing. I think I should get credit for at least thinking about them. See it really wasn’t my fault that I was a lazy couch potato my iwatch died AND my phone was dangerously close to dying, so I couldn’t possibly function without them. They finished charging about the time that Bruce got back, so we met down at the pool and hung out down there for a while. We talked to a nice man from Santa Cruz, CA. After chatting for about 45 minutes he had to go because his family does a group FaceTime every Sunday night at 5:00. What a great idea. That would be so cool! Hint, hint family.

Also Bruce had a few concerns about Harvey’s freezer working correctly, so he plugged Harvey in to the hotel. They conveniently had an outside outlet right by where I had parked Harvey.

Since going out to eat would require me to actually get dressed and leave the hotel, we ordered dinner from Oregano’s, an Italian restaurant (not that the name gives it away or anything) recommended to us by my friend, April. It was fantastic. Bruce got their version of spaghetti and meatballs and I got some kind of pasta with spicy tomato cream sauce and chicken. The portions are so big we will be having it again for dinner tomorrow night. Because of course Bruce will be having a pb&j for lunch.

So good!!! Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow!

These cool chairs look really trendy, but they are not made for short people. My feet barely reached the bar around the bottom. I thought I was going to have to get Bruce to lift me down. But then I awkwardly scooted to the very edge and kinda slid off. Luckily not too much of my skin stayed attached to the metal.

Day 36: Tempe to Salome, AZ

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13

120 miles – 2,123 ft climb – wind: favorable

Bruce took off around 7:00 this morning in order to avoid the temperatures in the 90’s this afternoon. I walked the streets around our hotel in Tempe for about 45 minutes (just to clarify – I am still shooting for 2 miles in each place in my attempt to “walk across the country”) before taking one last glorious shower in our hotel and heading out. Our hotel was right across from the Arizona State campus. The campus looked like a bunch of beautiful downtown office buildings. It did not feel very campus-y.

Fraternities on the Arizona State Campus

We had to drive over 20 miles through Tempe and Phoenix before we finally got to the open road. This was kind of annoying for Bruce because he had to keep stopping at lights. It was annoying for me because there was tons of road construction. With all the cones, I felt like Harvey needed to suck it in a bit. In my head, I know it’s an illusion, but it’s still a little unnerving.

It’s just an illusion, it’s just an illusion, it’s just an illusion … I am happy to report that we made it down this street without wiping out any cones or sidewalk signs.

Tempe had a lot of these painted planter/trashcans

The overpasses were color coordinated with everything else around. Not sure if this was intentional or if that darn red dirt just stains everything.

It’s funny because on the map the whole 70 miles out of town was called Highway 60. There needs to be some kind of universal definition of a highway. Anything with stop lights every block and parking spaces on the side should not be allowed to be called “highway”.

Yes! We love wide shoulders AND smooth roads. If only they weren’t 70 mph.

Terrible road, but look at those beautiful, brand new, smooth shoulders!

We arrived in Wickenburg, our destination, at 11:30 AM. Since we happened to stop in a Burger King parking lot, Bruce got a hankering for Burger King. Surprise! No pb&j today. We each got a Whopper Jr. I’m pretty sure these are the exact burgers that Wendy’s used on their “Where’s The Beef?” commercials. Bruce was still feeling pretty spunky and didn’t want to stop at 11:30 AM. We/I checked the map and found a little town called Aguila about 20 miles further (or farther – I can never remember which) but it did not have any RV parks showing on the Good Sam website. The next town with Good Sam parks was Salome, which we were scheduled to stop at TOMORROW night. Bruce totally disregarded my schedule and decided he could tackle another 57 miles. And if not, we figured we could always boondock some place.

Wickenburg was a really cute little town. One of the attractions I was going to see was the Jail Tree just because it sounded funny. Did they really put people inside a tree when they broke the law? Or possibly tie them to it? On my way there I got sidetracked by all the cute shops in the historic downtown. I had gone in a few and was inside Gina’s admiring all her original art and antiques when Bruce called and said that he had gotten something in his eye and needed me to come with some solution. Rats! I quickly bought a painting and headed to Harvey. Now I will never know about the Jail Tree. Oh, ok. I KNOW I can just google it. But that’s not the same.

A mural in Wickenburg. I was going to go back and take a better picture of it, but forgot when I got the bat signal.

When I got to Bruce I found out the rest of the story. He did indeed have something in his eye. But that was because in a moment of inattentive driving, he went off the side of the road. He had to jump ship as he was tumbling over and thought for sure that he had totaled his bike. But luckily although he had some cockle burrs in his kit, scratches on his arms & legs, and dry grass in his hair and eye, his bike was good to go. As he was falling, he had de-ja-vu from his bike wreck when he broke his arm and so rolled to his side instead of sticking out his arm to break his fall. He had taken out his contact by the time I got there, but still had a large piece of straw in his eye that I had to help get out. Since his eye was so irritated he decided to just wear one contact. This is the same man who can not find his glasses in the morning with no contacts in. I guess his left eye is the strong one because after a short break to fill up his water bottles, he rode the next 40 miles with no right contact and no problems. He was even able to take these beautiful pics of roadside scenery. And can I also point out it was 95 degrees. Which he left at 7:00 AM to avoid. This became his longest day, 120 miles! The man is an animal!!

People ask what Bruce thinks about while he’s out there riding the open road. That’s a good question. He listens to and sings with a lot of music. When I asked him if he would get tired of listening to the same stuff over and over, he said no, he has over 1,000 songs. He also listens to podcasts from Eric Metaxes and other people. I’m guessing he throws in a few comedians as well. And he’s almost listened to the whole New Testament. Wowza!

This was a very pretty stretch. There were mountains on both sides of the road for much of the way. This is not how I pictured Arizona at all. The terrain was mostly desert, but toward Salome we came across a few fields that were being farmed and an orchard.

About 20 miles from Salome I saw signs saying, “Watch for animals”. OK. What kind of animals am I watching for exactly? More Elk? Wild animals? Cows? The farm dog? Regardless, I saw no animals.

We got to Salome just before dusk and did a self-check in at Desert Vista RV Park. As I was casually preusing the check-in packet to find the wifi code, I came across a page warning of venomous snakes in the park. Ahhhh! Safe to say I will not be leaving the RV.

This was in our RV packet. OMG! I will not be stepping foot out of Harvey tonight. Snakes are nocturnal, right? It’s safe in the daytime, right?

Day 37: Salome, AZ to Ehrenburg, AZ/Blythe, CA

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vein conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself.
Philippians 2:3

60 miles – 1,109 ft climb – wind: from the west

Oh my gosh! I can’t believe we are in state number 9! California, baby! We are going to reach the Pacific this Friday!!! Which is great because we are both ready!

Bruce took off this morning around 9:00. It seems to have been the best decision to go east to west. All the blogs I read always went west to east, but the only reason I could ever find was the winds that were supposed to make it more difficult. Bruce wanted to go east to west so the sun would not be in his face every morning. I was all for this because I didn’t want the sun in my face either. Bruce has had the wind at his back or non-existent for most of the time. Only a few times in his face. The climbs have not been as terrible as they sounded in the west-to-east blogs. But maybe it’s just because those people are not rockstars at climbing hills like my husband is. Or maybe the worst is still to come. Today he had a little wind in his face, but it was a lot of downhill riding so that negated the slight wind in his face.

I started a couple loads of laundry and then took off on my walk. I have shortened my walks to 2 miles because a 5k takes too long since I am so slow. Maybe I’ll try them again when I get back to Wichita. Maybe I’ll even end up running them. Maybe I’ll run in a 5K race. Always the optimist. I slept late today because I dreamed of snakes crawling into the RV all night and I slept horribly! So first thing Bruce tells me this morning (because he had already showered and shaved at the park shower before I got up) is that he talked to the park manager who said that the only poisonous snakes around the park are rattlers and they rarely see them here. Well that’s good news. I ran in to that same guy in the laundry room and he said that he personally had never seen a rattler here. That made me feel even better. So I confidently (well maybe that’s a stretch) took off on my walk around the park grounds and surrounding roads. I saw no snakes! But I did see lots of interesting cactus. One tree had green bark. Or maybe no bark and green skin.

The highways here are lined with RV parks. Mostly empty. Some look like a field with a few RVs parked around. The RV Park we stayed at (Desert Breeze or maybe Desert Ridge. They all seem to have Desert in their name in case you are confused as to what kind of habitat you will be in) is huge, but almost totally empty. The lady at the desk told me that their busy time starts in November. Everybody wanting to escape the cold weather. I get that, but here’s the thing. Why would anyone want to come HERE to escape it? It’s basically a huge gravel parking lot with hookups, in the middle of nowhere. True, it has a common area with games and books and a great swimming pool and hot tub. But seriously. How long can all that fun last? I can’t imagine leaving your home and living here all winter just to avoid the cold. Surely there are plenty of other more scenic and more interesting places to go park your RV.

Harvey in our mostly empty RV Park(ing lot)

I left around 11:45 today. We started out on highway 60 and then Bruce had to ride on the shoulder of I-10 again. Both had nice wide shoulders. Parts of I-10 were as bad as a state highway. But of course more traffic. And trucks! We had mountains on both sides again today. I think someone said that one of the ranges is called the Chocolate Mountains because they are brown.

I almost caught up with Bruce at a truck stop about 5 miles from our next RV Park. Right as I was pulling in he called to see where I was. Turned out he had just left and was on the shoulder of the interstate right past the turn off. We could actually see each other once I pulled in. I needed to get gas and he wanted to keep going, so we didn’t actually connect until I picked him up in Blythe, CA. Which was unfortunate because we had a little miscommunication. Our RV park wasn’t actually in Blythe, just near it. Blythe is just over the border in California. Our RV park is off Exit 1 in Arizona. Which is how we have gotten to California already even though we are still in Arizona now. Did you follow all that?

Doesn’t Harvey look kinda macho hangin’ out in front of the mountains? Like maybe he’s up for a little hike.

Am I leaving the country? Oh, no just going into California.

As we approached the border into California, we had to go through a sort of inspection point. I was wondering if I was going to have to show my drivers license. Or my passport. A little different from our entry into Texas. And interestingly it was only going in. Coming back out there was zero fanfare. I think I saw a small sign that said, “Don’t let the door hit you on your way out!”

It was crazy how different California looked right across the border. Although Arizona had tons of rat-trap looking RV parks, there were not a lot of houses. It mostly just looked like desert. Pretty. But desert. Right across the border in California there were neighborhoods and apartment complexes. And grass! They must have some kind of underground watering system because we didn’t see the huge irrigation contraptions you see in Kansas.

Water standing in a field right across the California border.

I picked Bruce up at Jack in the Box in Blythe, CA and then we drove 70 miles to the Joshua Tree State Park. Funny thing is, neither of us actually knew what a Joshua tree looked like. We started driving through the park and I didn’t see anything that looked like what I expected. We stopped at a “lookout” point and saw these huge trees. Nothing like I expected. But very cool. Two other clueless couples were there also. We took pictures of each other in front of the trees. Since there was no phone service in the park, I had to wait to google a Joshua tree image when I got home. None of the images look like the trees we saw. So I still don’t know if we actually saw Joshua trees or not! But at least we can say we were in the Mojave desert.

How exactly did the arsenic, lead and cobalt get in there?

When I checked in to our RV park, I commented on the little flavored creamer packs by the coffee. The lady working at the front desk said that she can’t stand to drink coffee without flavored creamer. A girl after my own heart. She gave me some Cinabon, which is her favorite.

We had our last baggie of pulled pork for dinner with potatoes and broccoli. I brought 3 cook books with me. Haven’t opened a single one. I think it’s the lack of disposal that has stolen my motivation to cook creatively. Or maybe it’s because by the time we think about eating, it’s already after 7:00. It’s like lake-time every night. Most likely, it’s just that I don’t really like cooking all that much anyway and especially not in this little kitchen. We could always just stick to pb&j’s. (Haha – that’s kinda funny. “Stick” to pb&j’s. Get it?) We had to throw out our milk and a few other things because they went bad when the fridge temporarily stopped working in Tempe. I’m still not sure what was wrong, but it’s working now. We think it had something to do with Harvey sitting still and unplugged for a couple days. The power is supposed to switch back and forth to propane, electric or whatever powers it when Harvey is on the move, but apparently there was a little glitch.

In case anyone is wondering how long a sonicare toothbrush can go before it needs to be charged, the answer is 37 days. Actually 40 when you count the 3 days traveling to Florida.

Watch for cars doing this. They may be with the Elk. Or the animals.

It’s hard to believe we only have 3 days left! Then a night in San Diego, a night in Monterey, a night in Madera and then heading home next Monday. We are going to take I-80 across Nevada, Utah and Wyoming, then shoot down to Denver and home on I-70. I’m excited because we will be going a completely different route than how we came out. Plus I have never been through Nevada & Utah. Yippee! It’s been a fun journey, but I’m excited that the end is in sight. And so is Bruce! But you know what this means. If you have any questions about Harvey, Bruce’s biking, our routine or anything else about our trip, you only have 3 days left to ask them. Better do it now.

Day 38: Blythe to El Centro, CA

Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
Matthew 5:16

Ready to go again, 8:30: Take 2. On his gravel bike. Wearing road bike shoes. That won’t work.

So I guess this should actually be titled Ehrenburg to Blythe to Ehrenburg to El Centro. Last night when Bruce was planning his route, he found a road that parallels the Colorado River for about 25 miles. But when he got there he realized that it was gravel. What to do? Bump along the gravel on his road bike? Take a different route? Risk the wrath of his wife by calling and asking her to hurry and unplug and bring him his gravel bike? Or ride back to the RV Park and start over? He wisely chose to ride back since he was only 4 miles out. Luckily he started around 7 AM. The first time. He took off on his gravel bike around 8:30 and was so glad because he loved the peacefulness of the gravel and the beauty of the river and NO cars! Just him and a few coyotes. This was one of his favorite parts of the whole trip.

Scenes from the 20 miles along the river.

Before he left this morning we noticed all the boats and dune buggies at the RVs and tiny houses throughout our park. Since we arrived after dark, we hadn’t noticed that this RV RESORT is on the Colorado River. It even has a beach with little tiki huts. I was feeling so bummed. I know that the land of “what ifs” and “if onlys” is a dangerous place to be. It makes me take my eyes off the blessings that God is giving me RIGHT NOW. But … it is very enticing to me. When I discovered what a cool RV Park we were in, all I could think about was IF ONLY we had gotten here sooner, so we could have enjoyed it. But the truth is, I did enjoy it. I got to walk around it on a beautiful morning and see lots of interesting things. There were a lot of tiny homes and permanent RVs. I think people have RVs here as vacation homes. Honestly what a great idea. If you have a boat and a cool dune buggie you’re all set! I talked to one of my RV neighbors who had moved here in March. Her husband had been working here and so when all the schools closed, she and her kids moved here to join him. She likes the park but said that she would absolutely NOT spend another summer here. At 127 degrees, it was impossible to cool their RV even with 2 air conditioners. Wow! I guess I can’t actually fathom 127 degrees!

Harvey basking in the morning sun. On second glance, I guess he’s basking in the morning shade.

Hmmm … kid’s hideout or animal home? I was too chicken to go in and find out.

Patriotism at the River Breeze RV Resort

I noticed a little cemetery on the side of the road and decided to go investigate. It was very old. The graves were all covered in rocks (does this mean shallow graves?) and some didn’t even have names. I had wandered through it for a bit when I realized that this is exactly the kind of place that snakes probably hang out. Time to go.

Shallow graves? Or just decorated with rocks?

Well, the mystery is solved. (You are probably wondering WHICH mystery since we have encountered so many unknowns). The Joshua Tree Mystery. I was looking through this little kid’s book that I picked up for Kinsley at the Joshua Tree National Park and right there, in color, found out that we actually have NOT seen a Joshua tree. But we got some great pictures with some California Fan Palms.

Although I enjoyed the scenery as I drove beside the river for 20 miles, I can’t say that I enjoyed it as much as Bruce did. I probably should not have even driven that far on a bumpy dirt road. There were 5 places where the road took a dip down into what we think is the dry river bed and then back up the other side. Who knew that RVs could go 4-wheeling!?! Bruce called to warn me about the first two (he forgot to mention that there were FIVE) and to encourage me that I could do it. By the 3rd call about them, I started getting a little nervous. “Go cautiously,” he said. “But not too cautiously. If you don’t have enough momentum you might get stuck in the sand and not be able to get up the other side.” Great. Does AAA come out to dry riverbeds through back country roads when RVs get stuck 4-wheeling? When I finally got to the first one, I was practically reciting his instructions in my head. By the 5th one (which I had NOT been told about) I was enjoying the challenge. Kinda like a roller coaster. In the sand. Never mind that there were 28 feet of RV behind me.

Yeah, Harvey and I went 4-wheeling down this and up the other side. You can see the next one in the distance, but this doesn’t really capture how steep it was. Steep!

These roads might have been a little much for Harvey (since the clothes in my closet had bumped out onto the floor, the mattress was partially off the bed and the things in the cabinets had rearranged themselves). And it was definitely rough on the little nameless cycle.

After the peacefulness of not seeing a single car on the dirt road, we turned on to highway 78 which was packed with truck after truck after truck. And NO SHOULDER! Once I caught up with Bruce, as his manager, handler and pit crew, I convinced him to stop. It wasn’t actually hard. He agreed. That highway was way too dangerous. He walked behind Harvey to put his bike inside. Then he came and said to me. “Come see God’s hand on your trip.” Well, that’s intriguing. I went around back and there was the little cycle, hanging on for dear life. Two of the four straps holding her had broken. It looked like they possibly got sawed in two by the vibrations of the bumpy road. The only thing holding the cycle on the rack was the little pin through her front tire. I can’t believe none of the vehicles that passed me on Hwy 78 bothered to point it out. I don’t know what I would have done if she fell off and was dragging. Thanks again for your prayers. They matter!

The little cycle hanging on by that little pin. Since I can’t actually see it while I’m driving, I have no idea how long the poor thing was bumping along like that.

Bruce lifting her back upright. Since it was the 2 straps on the inside, closest to the RV that ripped, he put one of the outside straps on the inside to hold it in place. And speaking of ripped, look at those legs!

We drove by the town of Glamis which must be the dune buggy capital of the world. So much sand! I found out this was where they filmed the Tatooine scenes from Star Wars. The area is part of the North Algodones Dunes Wilderness.

I guess I didn’t actually get a good picture of it. Miles and miles of sand.

From Brawley, we drove along Hwy 111 (which at one point is called the Victor V Veysey Expressway – what was his mother thinking?) to the little town of Niland which sadly seemed to be mostly boarded up. I guess it’s actually considered a Census-Designated-Place, or CDP to those in the know. On the outskirts of Niland were 3 whacky places we went to see. The main one was called Salvation Mountain, where a guy had painted scripture on the side of the mountain, as well as on several cars. He wanted to share the love of Christ and use his artistic skills. He passed away in 2014, but volunteers keep it up. Somewhat. It looks like you used to be able to go in these tunnels under it, but they are roped off now.

About a half mile down the rode we came to a place called Slab City. People who choose to live off the grid have made homes in various old (most likely not running) cars, trucks, RVs and anything else they could get their hands on. It was hard to take pictures without feeling like a stalker, so I only got a few. I was looking at something else on Google Maps and was surprised to see Slab City shown as a real place.

A little further down the road we came to East Jesus. An artists’ colony and gallery, according to an artist we met there. It was really whacky. These artists have a lot of imagination.

We decided to go ahead and drive to El Centro since it was actually just another latitude adjustment. Bruce found us a nice RV Resort. Except since we checked in after close we couldn’t get the wifi password or the bathroom code. Bruce washed his bike, the little cycle and parts of Harvey since we brought the top layer of that dirt road home with us.

El Centro is about 15 miles from Mexico. It is the biggest town in the Imperial Valley and it’s completely below sea level. -47 feet. How is that possible? Shouldn’t there be water every where? I think the Blue Angels practice here. Some jets zoomed over us earlier. And later some helicopters in formation.

In-n-Out Burgers was right down the street from our RV park. We couldn’t resist. I walked down to get some burgers while Bruce was washing everything. Unfortunately the fries were cold by the time I got back. Did I mention I’m slow?

Day 39: El Centro to Pine Valley, CA

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us and we are His.
Psalm 100

76.9 miles – 6,178 ft climbed – 2,825 calories burned

It was foggy when we woke up this morning so Bruce waited until 8:00 to leave. It stayed kinda cool for a while which was nice for him starting off. By the time I took off around 11:00 the sun was out. It has been such a long time since we’ve had to deal with rain or even dew that I forgot that the water all collects on the top of Harvey above the cab. When I pulled Harvey forward to get off the leveling blocks, I made the mistake of leaving the door open. Never do this. For one, it’s dangerous. Two, when you pull off the leveling blocks the motion causes all that water to pour over the sides. It’s like taking the ALS challenge.

We stayed in the non-permanent section. I’m not even sure these other RVs are occupied.

This RV park is HUGE. Most of the homes here are permanent. Some probably vacation homes. There is everything from module homes to tiny homes, RVs and trailers. These tiny homes seem a little more … shall we say … weathered than the ones in Mississippi or where ever we were that I first saw them. But hey, listen to me being all judgmental and sounding like I even know anything about real estate. Since we’re in California, these may have cost more than my house in Wichita.

Good morning, this is God. I will be handling all your problems today.

My feet have really been bothering me. Crazy how Bruce is the one biking 7 hours a day and I’m the one with the dry, bleeding feet. I googled (my kids would be proud) household ingredients for a foot soak and made my own with honey, hand soap, olive oil and salt. It felt really good. Then I wore socks all day as an added safeguard.

I passed two fields with several acres covered with all these things that looked like tables. I was wondering if they were going to put something on them or if they somehow assisted in growing something. Then I realized they were acres and acres of solar panels. I think they were “harvesting” the sun for energy. Great use of that land since it looked pretty barren.

We saw pretty much every kind of nature today. Not animals of course. Vegetation. El Centro started out with some very flat farms. As we got closer to the mountains it was desert terrrain on both sides of the road. Then mountains with huge boulders. Once we were kinda through the mountains it was back to fields. Which turned into forests. And tomorrow beach!

Farmland outside of El Centro. So do they still have to irrigate even below sea level?

Speaking of mountains, these did not start with gently rolling hills. They were straight up. Bruce did 3,500 feet of climbing in just 7 miles. That is crazy. That is ALOT of climbing! There were signs all along the road indicating that they had water for your radiators. At the bottom there was a sign that said, “Don’t over heat. Turn your AC off for the next 10 miles.” So I did. Harvey handled the hills like a champ.

One section of the road before I got to the mountain had a sign that said something like, “Safety Awareness Zone. Drive safely.” So we only have to drive safely there? The rest of the time can everyone just go wild?

What a surprise, we didn’t see any of these sheep either.

This was a good day for Bruce. Old Highway 80 had nice shoulders most of the way. Traffic wasn’t too bad. The temperature stayed mostly in the 70s. Bruce loves to conquer those climbs. He’s an animal, remember. And then he gets to enjoy the descents. Oh yeah. I almost forgot about the first 20 miles when he was on Evan Hewes Highway. It was not so good. He said that it was the worst road he’s ever ridden on. He was on his road bike, but said it would have been bad even on his gravel bike. He should have brought his mountain bike. Evan would be embarrassed. Since Bruce had already finished riding on Evan’s bumpy highway by the time I started, I opted to just take I-8. Which was quite smooth.

Evan Hewes Hwy: the worst road ever. Doesn’t look so bad in this pic. I guess you had to be there.

We connected just before heading to Jacumba Springs. It might have been in Octitillo. Or maybe no man’s land. I’m not sure. Bruce had seen this stone lookout tower on his climb up. Since I had time to kill to let him get ahead of me, I went to check it out. I guess they are pretty lenient about the ages of RVs around here. As well as where you park them. Including if by chance, you decide to take up residence on the side of a road. There were a few by the side of the road that would have felt right at home in Slab City.

The tower was kinda neat. It also seemed to have a bit of a whacky artist bent. I climbed all the way to the top and boy was it windy! I was almost afraid my cell phone would blow out of my hand. The attraction also offered a little section of the rock mountain that you could climb through. In it were various stone statues. Not a horrible way to kill some time.

Painted ceiling going in to the Rock Tower

View from the top. Yep, that’s Harvey waiting patiently below.

The only kind of snake I want to find as I climb through rocks.

The highway out of there was perfect. Smooth, wide shoulders, no traffic and relatively flat. It went through the little town of Jacumba Springs. Which actually is half in the US and half in Mexico. I guess officially they are sister cities. The border fence was less than 100 yards from the road at some points. There were signs stating that it is a felony to smuggle. I’m not sure if it meant people or drugs. But I’m wondering if someone was actually thinking that they wanted to smuggle, would they see the sign and change their mind? There has been so much talk about building a wall between the US and Mexico, it hadn’t dawned on me that there ALREADY IS ONE. I guess this one has been there for decades.

About 15 miles down the road was a Border Patrol check point. Everyone had to stop. I guess RVs are pretty suspicious because the Border Patrol guy told me that they needed to check my RV for narcotics.

Knowing Bruce had gone through this exact check point already, I had a sneaky suspicion about this. I asked the guy if my husband had put him up to that. Which in hindsight was probably not a wise thing to ask. The Border Patrol guy started laughing and said that yes, my husband had indeed asked him to do it. I said, “so you mean I don’t get to have my RV inspected?” Then I asked if he could come in and pose for some fake inspection pictures, which he heartily agreed to, as long as I didn’t show his face. We ended up having a great conversation about the state of the US and respect for law enforcement agents and parenting and people acting entitled and how we were blessed by God to be a blessing to others. Since it was starting to get dark, I unfortunately had to end the conversation and continue on to find my husband. He had made it all the way to the little town of Pine Valley.

We never know what to expect when we get to a town. I figured that Pine Valley would be small because they didn’t even have an RV park. The Frosty Burger place had just closed when we got there so the girl working the counter told us to try the convenience store pizza across the street. It was hand made (as in Bruce watched her roll out the dough) to order while we waited. Delicious. It has been fun patronizing (wait. Does that mean doing business with or speaking down to? I mean the former!) all these little restaurants in these small towns. Plus then I don’t have to cook. Or do dishes. It’s a win-win.

The little library whose parking lot we shared. Until they kicked us out the next morning.

We are now parked in the library parking lot. Not a bad place to boondock. Our daughter, Annie, told us that last week someone boondocked right on her street. The nerve! But actually a pretty good idea. Most people would just assume you are visiting someone on the street.

Final plunge into the Pacific!

Details to come. Probably tomorrow because tonight we celebrate! And you know there’s a story (wish I could put my eye roll emoji here).

To my wife Pam

Several years back I shared with my wife that when I retire it would be fun to buy an RV and go across the country and also ride my bike as we journey from coast to coast. Two years ago she shared with me that one can’t count on their health that far out and that we should do it in two years. This would be a way of celebrating my turning 60 and also be our 30^th wedding anniversary year. My initial reaction was “Honey, I can’t just take off work for 6 months while I’m still working” to which she responded “You’ll just have to do it faster.” And so the planning began. Pam has always been the proverbial cheerleader and encourager in my life as well as an excellent travel planner. On September 11^th, we left Wichita in our recently purchased RV and headed to Fernandina Beach, Florida. On September 14^th I dipped my rear wheel in the Atlantic and began pedaling to San Diego. Yesterday, 2500 miles later on October 23rd, I dipped my front wheel in the Pacific. There is no way I could have taken on this goal without the encouragement of my wife. Pam was the one in command of our RV everyday which is no small task, handling the power, water, sewage hookups and disconnects every day. She planned and mapped out all the routes. This required several deviations due to two different tropical storms and a number of other minor tweaks for various reasons. She cooked our meals, washed my smelly bike kits and kept me fueled and hydrated as I rode each day. She made my life easy…. just get up in the morning, swing my leg over the bike and get pedaling. How many wives would be willing to serve their husband in such a kind and giving way? I am blessed beyond words to express my thankfulness to God for such a great wife. Thank you, Pam, for your love and encouragement and belief in me.

Proverbs 31: 10-12

“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good and not harm all the days of her life.”

Proverbs 18:22

“He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.”

Day 40: the final plunge into the Pacific: Pine Valley to San Diego!

May the Lord give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
Psalm 20:4

52 miles (+1 more) – 1,972 ft climb – 5,758 descent

Doesn’t he look happy?!? Can’t believe it’s our last day! Representing Wichita. Shout out to Bicycle Pedler for this awesome jersey.

Wow! So many emotions! I can’t believe this day has arrived! It was 50 degrees when we woke up in Pine Valley. Brrr. The temps have definitely been a surprise for me. I pretty much expected 90s the whole trip. I mean come on: Florida, southern Texas, New Mexico, Arizona & California. Isn’t the south hot? And deserts? It has been a pleasant surprise to not be stifling hot all the time. More so for Bruce. Since he’s actually outside.

The scenery along this stretch was beautiful! I didn’t expect California to have fall colors. I thought it would either be desert or spring like flowers. It made me smile to see 2 palm trees sticking up out of some fall foliage. This must also be intense horse country because we saw stable after stable of horses. I would have loved to go for a ride through the mountains. But the ocean was calling.

Speaking of calling, Bruce called to tell me that he saw some little shops on the side of the road that I might enjoy. I love having a scout. After a few miles I did indeed come upon some little shops in a town called Guatay. But on closer inspection one was a hardware store, one a gas station and the others were boarded up. I figured Bruce had flown by so fast that all he noticed were the buildings. Which at first glance did look old and inviting. A few miles down the road in Descanso I came across another little group of buildings and these actually were little shops. Ohhh! So this is what he meant. I meandered through and bought a few things. Wanda, the owner of one of the shops told me that her building, which was a little house, had been the first house in Descanso to have running water and electricity. I was looking at a plate with Betsy Ross on it (for my USA bathroom – don’t judge) and she told me I could just have it because it was Avon and she hates Avon. The evils of mass production.

The owner of the next shop was collecting tack equipment for people affected by the recent fire. She told me that a fire had swept through the valley and neighbors just opened gates and let all the animals out to fend for themselves. Another neighbor who had land that wasn’t in the path of the fire opened the gates to his field for the fleeing horses to come in. The animals were saved but once the hay in the barns caught fire, it destroyed everything in the barns. Wow! What a story of love and compassion for your neighbors.

Bruce was ahead of me all day. He loved the scenery and all the winding downhill runs. I was thankful that he was in front of me because sometimes the shoulders disappeared. We didn’t have too much traffic on most of the roads and there were signs all along that said “share the road with bikes.” But the few drivers that did pass me may possibly have been going too fast to read those signs.

Harvey’s gas needle showed half. I couldn’t remember if the sudden drop is from 1/2 to empty or 1/4 to empty, but I didn’t want to take any chances. Gas out here is outrageously expensive. So when I saw a station that had $2.79 gas I thought I better grab some. What the sign didn’t say is that to get the bargain price of $2.79 you have to pay cash. No problem. I called Bruce and found out where his secret cash stash was. I grabbed a $100 and ran in to pay. I told the guy I wasn’t sure how much it would take and he assured me that I could come back in and get my change. Perfect! The tricky thing about filling Harvey is that you have to make sure the gas tank filler place is lined up with the actual gas station tank because if not, those hoses are pretty short and won’t reach. I expertly lined it up and began to fill. I forgot how big Harvey’s tank is. He gulped down the $100 and wanted more. I had to go back in and put more money down. Bruce wanted me to put gas in the little cycle also but alas the hose wouldn’t reach. As soon as the guy in the Prius in front of me moved, I pulled up until the hose would reach. This took a few attempts. Finally mission accomplished. Stuck the nozzle in and it took 15 cents worth. Fifteen cents! I only had 13 cents. So the guy made me break a $20. Seriously? This little ordeal took about 4 hours. Not really. But long enough for Bruce to get way ahead of me.

The little cycle safely strapped in with her new green straps.

Our friends, Van and Janie Buchanan generously put us up in a beautiful Marriott right on the water. We decided instead of going to Ocean Beach as originally planned per the Bike Association Southern Tier map, that we would both head for our hotel and once Harvey was parked, I would go down to the beach and take pictures of the final plunge. Sounds easy right? That’s what we thought. But driving an RV and finding a place to park in downtown San Diego is not an easy feat. After a few trips around the block (or through the Dole packing plant parking lot- whichever the case may be) and a phone call to the Marriott front desk, I ended up in the Marriott front driveway. Bruce had already arrived. I was getting frustrated. I didn’t want to take a wrong turn and end up in a parking garage or some place really hard to get out of. So God sent an angel in the form of a Marriott employee walking by. When we asked him how to get to the outside Marina parking area, he said “follow me, I’ll lead you there.” He walked ahead of me through a few little parking lots and a parking garage and out the other side to a good Harvey sized spot. I never would have found it.

So yay! We were ready to head to the beach! Wait. Where WAS the beach? We were actually in a marina. With rocks or railing between us and the ocean. I guess there was a reason the Southern Tier map ended in Ocean Beach.

We asked around and found out the nearest beach was several miles away. I wasn’t about to get Harvey out again. Our other option was to jump on the little ferry to Coronado Beach. An easy 5 minute ride. So we bought tickets. And missed the ferry by 2 minutes. Thirty minutes later we were on the next ferry. And so excited. Our kids set up a group facetime so they could all see the culmination of Bruce’s ride. It was such a blessing to have the kids and our moms be a part of that moment! Bruce rode off the ferry boardwalk or landing or whatever it’s called and up to the sand. Since it’s a road bike, I guess riders don’t technically ride into the ocean like I envisioned. He carried his bike down to the water and stuck the front wheel in the Pacific. Mission accomplished!

Waiting in line for the ferry Bruce bonded with some other bikers who were pretty excited about his accomplishment. We got on the ferry and relaxed. Until Bruce noticed that we were passing by our hotel. We didn’t realize there were 2 different ferries. Instead of our 5 minute ride straight across to our hotel, we were on a bit longer ride that ended down by the USS Midway. No problem. What’s one more mile when you’ve just ridden across America? If I didn’t need the exercise, I would have jumped on one of the little scooters conveniently placed every where.

Nice view of USS Midway from the ferry. Pretend we did this on purpose.

Our room was amazing. On the 19th floor with views out 2 sides. Wowza! Thanks so much Van & Janie! Bruce went down and swam a few laps to loosen up his muscles. In the pool. Not the ocean.

We felt obligated to eat sea food since we were on the coast. So for our celebratory dinner at Harbor House, I had seabass and Bruce had fish tacos. I guess I was celebrating more than he was.

If you pay attention to numbers, you are probably wondering where I came up with the 44 days. That is a good question. I’m sure somewhere in the early stages, my schedule included 44 days of biking. We all know Bruce & the weather totally messed that up. But that only accounts for a few days. So we were actually 40 days on our journey to the Pacific. Plus 5 days home = 45. Still off. Plus 2 1/2 days at the beginning = 47/48. Nope. Still can’t get to 44. Oh, well!I guess I have to admit that I just flat out forgot to update it. Or added wrong. I’m not actually an accountant any more, you know.

Another thing I have to mention. I love when God does little things that don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, but are a huge blessing to me. Remember Pensacola when I had my traffic melt down? Ever since then, whether I was merging onto an interstate, pulling out from the side of the road or just turning onto a different highway, God cleared the road for me. I’m talking BOTH lanes. No traffic IN SIGHT. Even on that one interstate packed with trucks, when I was ready to get on the highway, it was empty. Even in San Diego afternoon traffic, when I had to pull out to find the parking area, no cars in sight in either lane. Crazy, right!?! The first couple times I thought it was luck (I’m kinda slow sometimes). When it happened day after day, EVERY time, I knew. Thanks God!

Last minute nourishment before the final plunge

8:25 PM. This is a typical end to his day. I don’t mean sleeping. duh. That’s a typical end to everyone’s day. I mean falling asleep sitting up while on his phone or watching tv.

Also I’m sure inquiring minds want to know: just how much weight does one lose on a 40 day bike ride? On Bruce’s new diet plan, which includes ample amounts of Bit O Honey candy, ice cream, Stacy’s chips and beer, you can lose almost 20 pounds in 6 weeks. You simply bike 2,500 miles and wa-la! Sadly I did not lose anything. I don’t understand why not because we traveled the same route.

Monterey and Madera, CA

We woke up early (since Bruce fell asleep at 8:30 last night and slept all night) and decided to go ahead and get going. I’m so glad we did because the traffic out of San Diego was not bad at all. We had been warned that it could take 2 hours to get out of the city. I would HATE to deal with that kind of traffic on a daily basis. Or even for one day. It also helped that it was Sunday. I guess we were early enough to miss the throngs of Californians rushing to church.

It was a beautiful drive up to Monterey. I have no idea what the shoulders were like. It’s funny how something so important for the last 40 days suddenly is irrelevant. In the interest of time, we chose not to take the Highway 1, but even on the 101 we got multiple peeks at the ocean. We passed miles and miles of farmland. I suppose it was mostly irrigated because right behind it was barren looking mountains. Lots of lettuce fields. We saw workers bent over harvesting the lettuce. I never realized that it had to be hand picked. Bruce’s Aunt Mary told us later that it’s hand picked and then they put it on this machine and it’s actually wrapped and sealed in the fields.

Anyone know what this is? We saw several fields like this.

We passed this cemetery full of identical grave stones. Not sure who they are for. Possibly unnamed people or military.

Stan and Mary’s house. Please note the pickle ball court on the driveway. We didn’t get a chance to show them our skills.

We rolled in to Stan and Mary’s house in Monterey around 4:30. Their house backs up to a golf course. Several years ago they started a unique little side hustle. Through various connections, since Monterey is right next to the infamous Pebble Beach, Stan has become the golf ball guy at Pebble Beach. He can go on the golf course any time he chooses and pick up all the golf balls that have been left in the rough. Stan never tells anyone that he went to Stanford, served in the Marines and taught math at an elite girls boarding school. They probably think the golf ball gig is all he’s got. And he’s good with that.

Stan’s hot rod. I use that term loosely.

I bet some of you don’t even know what this is. Or how to use it.

Bruce and I got to go with Stan to collect golf balls at Pebble Beach. It was like hunting Easter eggs. Stan had this little grabber thing on a pole that he used for the hard to reach balls.

Stan started grabbing balls right away. It took Bruce and I a little longer to find any.

We started out in the easy parts but soon Bruce and Stan were climbing down this little path/rabbit hole to collect balls practically on the side of the cliff. I continued to collect along the upper part until I saw several balls a little bit down the side. The dried grass and dirt were a little loose so I carefully eased my way down to them. Just as I was pulling out the first ball I heard Bruce and Stan yelling at me to get back up to the top immediately. I went ahead and grabbed the balls while they continued to yell at me. When I went back over to them, Stan said that the side where I was has been know to basically slide off into the rocks below. Uh oh. I guess I actually AM one of those Americans who does indeed need a railing to keep her from making bad decisions.

Bruce and Stan collecting golf balls practically on the side of the cliff.

The ball I was carefully going after a “little bit down the side”

Soon we had collected over 60 balls, so we jumped in Stan’s little green car and got the Pebble Beach home tour. The homes there go for 5 – 50 MILLION dollars! Maybe more. I can’t actually remember the dollar amounts, but basically a lot of moola!

Some of the beautiful Pebble Beach multi-million dollar homes.

Stan by his backyard golf ball stand. The golfers love it because they can get really good golf balls for a fraction of the price.

Bruce’s cousins, Lottie and Tom and their families were there when we got back. Sadly, I did not get a picture of all of us. We had not seen Tommy since he was a wee lad. It’ s always fun reconnecting, but never enough time. After our delicious dinner out on their garden patio, we sent the kids (who are actually in their 30s) off with some BuzzWTR and BuzzWTR paraphernalia. Tommy was excited about it having no carbs or sugar because he and his wife (who couldn’t come tonight due to work) are eating KETO right now. Bruce and I chatted with Mary and Stan until they were about to fall asleep. We forgot to warn them that we don’t stop talking until you kick us out.

Harvey ready for the sleepover at Stan & Mary’s

We slept in the RV because it was just easier all the way around.

In the morning Bruce woke up feeling the need to go on a bike ride. He had been threatening to go body surfing, so biking sounded pretty good to me. He later said that this was one of the most beautiful rides he has ever taken. His route went along the ocean for quite aways.

At 8:00 I could hear the National Anthem being played somewhere. No, it didn’t wake me up! I don’t sleep THAT late. Usually. Mary said it was the Naval Postgraduate School who play it every morning. What a cool way to start your day.

Mary and Stan and I went for a walk along the pier area of Monterey. We saw some sea lions, a harbor seal and some giant seagulls. Part of it was a working pier with fishing boats and part of it was more touristy with little shops and stuff.

Fish place on the pier. Looks like it used to be a Mobil station (see the flying horse on the tin).

I think these seagull could eat a small dog. They are huge!

A harbor seal on a boey. In the background you can see sea lions on the rocks.

That ain’t what our Mickey D’s look like in Kansas!

There are only 2 directions in California: west toward the ocean or everything else.

Once we finished our walk and Bruce was back, we drove to downtown Monterey for lunch and ordered the best chicken burritos ever at Cult Taco.

After lunch Mary took us by Old Town Monterey gardens and then by the Santa Catalina girls’ boarding school where they both had taught for many years. We also drove by Hattie’s (Bruce’s other cousin) house and saw her Avocado trees, apple tree, lemon tree and rosemary bush. I’m so jealous. I wish I had an avocado and lemon tree in my backyard.

A whole tree of fresh avocados. What a treasure! Yikes that hand looks creepy. I can’t tell if it’s mine or Bruce’s. Or some old man walking by.

The house next door to Hattie’s, probably would sell for over $500,000

Here’s the window looking out to their back yard. Notice anything? No screen. I asked them about it and they said that there are no bugs here. I don’t know if this is just Monterey or California in general.

Me and Mary matching & masked in black. Say that 5 times fast.

We said goodbye around 2:00 and headed for Madera. On the way to Madera we passed melon farms, orange tree orchards (and the Cutie packing plant), more lettuce farms and several crops we couldn’t identify.

We got to Sujedy’s around 4:30 and hung out with her, the kids and their new dog, Buddy. Bruce did a little chain repair on Matthew’s bike and then took all the kids to Walmart to get a tube to fix Virginia’s bike. Poor Julia still just needs a bike. Sujedy fixed us a delicious dinner of Beef Enchiladas that set my mouth on fire and Mexican rice. Yummy! When she lived in Wichita, Sujedy had a little business cooking Mexican dinners for people. We left their house around 11:00 PM, wishing we had more time, but knowing we had an early morning and long day of driving ahead of us tomorrow. I LOVE this family!

the whole gang squeezed onto the couch. Matthew’s wearing his BuzzWTR glasses.

Virginia and Julia showing off their flexibility.

View from our RING – October Snow in Kansas

the Mohave Desert

Bruce woke up early this morning (are you seeing a pattern here?) so he & Harvey headed out around 6:30 while I was still in bed. Another advantage of going Harvey-style. He nixed my I-80 plan in favor of going south and catching I-70 earlier. We still get to go through Nevada and Utah, but not Wyoming. We drove down to Bakersfield and then headed east. Once I was up and had my coffee, I drove for a bit. Such a variety of terrain again today. Started out with fruit farms and then went to fields. Some of these fields had giant boulders randomly on them, like maybe they just fell off a mountain somewhere and landed there.

Pretty soon it became more hilly and then desert-y. And then I saw them … Joshua trees! Which made sense because we WERE going through the Mohave Desert. I was so excited. I pulled over and we got out to take a picture with a REAL Joshua tree. As I was traipsing through the desert –doesn’t that sound adventurous “traipsing THROUGH THE DESERT” — the thought did enter my mind that this might possibly be a place where rattlesnakes hang out. How is it that I have been in so many rattlesnake ghettos these past couple weeks? Pretty sure I haven’t even thought about snakes that much in the prior 50 years! So we took the pictures, jumped back in Harvey and headed east through the Mohave Desert. For the next 7 hours. Joshua trees scattered everywhere. I guess that should be expected since the Mohave Desert covers almost 50,000 square miles. And the boundaries of the Mohave Desert are determined by whether Joshua Trees grow there or not.

Me & Bruce with a real Joshua tree. Harvey is photo bombing us. That rascal!

Proof that I traipsed through the Mohave desert. Or at least that I stood in it.

We crossed into Nevada around 2:00. I’m not really sure how to count the states. When I said California was state number 9, that was only counting states we had biked through. Haha. Don’t you like how I said “we” had biked through. Pretty sure my hiney never sat in a bike saddle. So back to the states, we had actually passed through Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia on our way to Florida. So if you add Missouri, Arkansas & Tennessee, then Nevada is actually our 13th state. Ya follow?

I slept through Las Vegas but I did get to see this little gem.

Bruce was driving again at this point and apparently I slept through Las Vegas. And most of Nevada. I’m not sure if we passed through Area 51 but we certainly passed through Area 64.

Yep. Area 51’s big brother, Area 64 is a real thing.

We saw lots more rock mountains/formations. I guess I should learn what the proper name is for these. They are big like mountains, but I don’t think they count as mountains because they appear to be solid rock. It’s funny how all this nature is beautiful in it’s own way. I have never really considered rocks pretty. But these are. We took a million pictures. None of which actually captured the feel of it.

And oh my gosh, it was SO windy! 23 mile an hour gusts. I drove in it for several hours and then Bruce drove. He was telling me how windy it was. Um yeah. I just drove in it for 2 hours.

So … stop? Turn around? What exactly IS recommended?

Oh no the freeway is ending! Will we now just be bouncing through the desert? Luckily there was not much change between freeway and no freeway. Good thing they had a sign.

Guess they ran out of real names for roads. “Hey, what should we call this one?” “How ’bout Zzyzx?” “Yea, Perfect!”

Throughout this trip all the small houses always had some variety of RV.

It’s amazing what a little irrigation can do.

We crossed in to Utah around 6:30. State #14. We boondocked in a hotel parking lot in Cedar City. Somewhere along the line we left the heat of California and the Mohave. When we went to bed in Cedar City it was 21 degrees. I hadn’t packed anything warmer than a sweatshirt. Because it was supposed to always be in the 90s. Good thing Harvey is self-contained. And has a good heater.

Utah to Denver

Shocking news alert: Bruce woke up around 5:30 yet again and was on the road by 6:30. I slept a little later. To be honest I don’t like to watch Bruce drive. It feels like we’re going so much faster from not-the-driver’s-seat. And I have no control. I know he’s a good driver, but I don’t know what he knows. When I’m driving, I know that I see that car coming up. I drive cautiously. He drives confidently. Enough said. It gives me a great excuse to stay in bed. Which is actually where I am sitting right now. And let me tell you, trying to type in a bumpy RV is not an easy task.

I don’t even know how to describe Utah. Breathtaking? Stunning? Awesome? It was like driving through the Grand Canyon. At the Grand Canyon, we looked down. In Utah, we looked up. Again took a million pics that do not do it justice. The words to America the Beautiful kept running through my mind. Well maybe more a confused medley of America the Beautiful, This Land is My Land and My Country Tis of Thee, because I get the lines mixed up. But it felt very patriotic in my head.

I had to leave the Fed Ex truck in the pic because I saw at least 8 of the triple Fed Ex trucks going UP the mountain. Those trucks must have some major horse power.

Oh to have a vehicle that could actually go 80 MPH in these mountains. No offense Harvey.

Utah was very concerned about drowsy drivers. We saw 5 of these signs.

We saw a group of antelope just standing in a field all looking in the same direction. I think they were looking for the range. Because they wanted to play.

I guess I wasn’t paying attention when we entered Colorado. We usually come from the east on I70 so it felt like we were coming in the back door.

There was a sign near West Rifle, CO that said, “Caution Road Heave Area”. I have no idea what that meant. But I drove cautiously and to my knowledge we avoided any road heavage.

I was a little nervous at the thought of driving Harvey through the Rockies. Especially after they got their snow storm Sunday. We checked the road conditions and things looked good. As we got closer several signs indicated that the roads could be icy. I drove cautiously but the ice that was still on the road was chunky and not slippery. Thank goodness! At one point they had road construction too. Because steep, icy, sharp curves were just not enough.

I was a little nervous going through the first tunnel. It was short and easy. By the fourth tunnel, I could have done it with my eyes shut. OK. Not really. But it was not even scary.

Tunnel #4. The longest one. After successfully navigating the first 3, this was easy-peasy.

That area was so beautiful with the snow setting everything off. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve said beautiful in these blogs, I’d have enough money to pay Harvey’s gas bills. I need a thesaurus. I could google it. But I’d rather just overuse the same word a million times.

We thought the highest point was around 10,000 feet. Once we got there we sighed with relief. And then climbed another 3,000 feet. Our high was 13,030 feet. Wowza! Harvey climbs like I do. Slow and steady. Gotta say I am very proud of him. We weren’t sure how he would do on these steep ups and downs.

When we planned our route home, we were excited that we would be going through Denver. It just felt right that we would be ending our trip at Carmen and Willie’s, since they were an inspiration for us throughout the trip. Their daughter, Danielle was even able to come home from college since she’s doing some of her college classes virtually. Winston and his girlfriend, Breezy happened to stop by just as we were sitting down for dinner. Hmm. What a coincidence. Before they left, we loaded them up with the rest of our BuzzWTR and BuzzWTR goodies. Our BuzzWTR mission successfully accomplished. Then the rest of us looked at Coast2Coast pictures and talked about funny trip stories. Willie gets an A for paying attention to my blog. He may remember it better than I do.

Harvey waiting to get plugged in for the sleepover at Willie and Carmen’s.

home!

Carmen made us blueberry protein pancakes and coffee to get our day started right. After breakfast we were anxious to get on the road. Just as we were pulling out both our phones started ringing. Our neighbor, John was calling Bruce and our neighbor, Natasha was calling me. Turns out the city of Wichita didn’t like one of the trees in our front yard. So they cut it down. This feels all kinds of wrong. They said that it was on city property, although it was about 8 feet into our front yard. If that’s city property, why have we been mowing and watering it? They also said that they left a notice about it, but we did not ever see one. And why are tax payers paying to cut down a tree in someone’s yard that is not affecting anything in the city? The good news is that the tree was sick or had bugs because it was half dead. I have been planning to at least cut the dead parts out for some time. Now I don’t have to.

A huge shout out to our neighbors who have been keeping an eye on our house. They have made sure our flag was flying and not down in the garden. They mowed our lawn. They let us know if there was a strange car in the driveway (this was a big job since Josh and Caroline came by multiple times to move things out). John even watered our plants many times. We appreciate them so much!! This is probably also a good time to thank Bruce’s mom, Harriett and our daughter, Annie. They got our mail and came by many times to check on the house. I was worried about ants invading, so Harriett even cleaned the kitchen counter several different times. And I’m happy to report – no ants!

We could tell we were on the home stretch when we started seeing the Kansas farmland. Even the brown wheat fields partially covered in snow looked beautiful (I don’t think “stunning” or “amazing” would actually work here. “pretty” maybe. But why change a good thing?)

Patriotism, Kansas style! (the hay bales are wrapped in red, white and blue – in case you can’t tell)

Kansas field, green with winter wheat. And of course cows in the background.

Even with the snow these Kansas cows have more to eat than some cows we saw in the southwest.

Also the interstate was immediately smoother when we crossed the state line. Do I sound biased? Guess Colorado is using all that maryjane money on other things.

Colorado, I am embarrassed for you. Spend some money on your interstate.

throngs of people wanting to take their pic with the Kansas sign

Dear Texas, please take note: This is how I like my 75 mph highways – smooth and straight. With a wide shoulder. In all fairness, this IS an interstate.

As we were about to turn onto K96, about 5 miles from our house, Bruce said to me, “Would you be ok, if we stopped by some place and did a quick wash of the RV?” Are you serious? How did that thought even cross your mind? We have not been home in 7 weeks and you are going to make me wait, so you can WASH THE RV? NO! NO WAY! NADA! NO, NO, NO!! We did not stop. I think he heard me. Annie and Kinsley were waiting on the porch when we drove up. Annie had brought over dinner for us and Harriett. We used paper plates to ease back in to normal life. And to ease the clean up. What a wonderful welcome home!

Nana and Kinsley

Bruce, Kinsley, Annie & Harriett; Four Generations

Some stats:

Beginning Odometer = 19,670

Ending Odometer = 26,583.

Harvey miles driven = 6,913;

Miles biked by Bruce = 2,470; Average miles biked/day = 67

Feet ascended = 73,136;

Days away from home = 48;

Days biking across the US from Atlantic to Pacific = 40; (which includes 3 rest days & 2 days that were supposed to be rest days)

Total hours of actual biking from Atlantic to Pacific = tbd;

Peanut butter sandwiches prepared by me and eaten by Bruce = 27;

Bags of Stacey’s chips consumed during the trip = 14;

Bags of ice to keep the biker hydrated and cool=19

Gallons of gas consumed by Harvey = 835; $1,703.67 (8.3 mpg yikes!)

Total spent on RV parks/lodging for 48 nights = $874

Dollars spent by me at little shops across the country = haha, not gonna tell!

the Essential Equipment

People have been asking about the details of our daily RV life. Here are a few details about our routines and the oh so important gadgets that made our trip possible.

Usually I pull in to our RV site and get set up while Bruce is finishing his ride. Thankfully most RV parks have pull through sites so I don’t have to back in. We have a little bubble thing that tells if we are level. If we are not, then I get out these plastic blocks and place them under the RV, then drive up on them to level the RV. This is a pretty simple process.

Harvey’s tire on the block. He lost 2 hub cabs the first week, so pardon the ghetto look.

Next I get out the big electric cord and plug in the electricity at the electric box.

The little brown box is the electric box and next to it is the water hookup.

Lastly I get out the hose and hook it up to the water source and to our RV. Each site at an RV park has their own electric box and water pump. Each RV park is a little different. Some electric boxes are big and some are little like in the picture. Usually the water is separate.

This is the end of the water hose that we screw in to the RV park water source. It has a filter to ensure clean water, although the water is usually coming from the local city water anyway.

I usually wait to hook up the sewage hose until I am disconnecting the next morning. If Bruce is setting up, he goes ahead and hooks up the sewage hose when hooking up the electric and water.

You can see the little handles that you pull to release the junk from the tanks into the hose.

All the yuck goes out of the tank, through the hose and into the RV park sewage. It’s called dumping.

When it’s time to unhook, just do it all in reverse. I make sure all the windows are shut and locked. I put any loose things in a secure place. Turn off the lights etc. I put on my plastic gloves and then hook up the sewage hose and unload the black and then the gray water tanks, by pulling those little handles. Unhook the hose and stick it back in the secret compartment in the back bumper. Unhook the water hose and put it in the front bin. Unplug the electricity. Drive off the yellow blocks and then put them in the front bin. Gotta be sure to shut the car door because if there is any water collected on Harvey’s roof, it will come crashing down on me.

Lastly I go completely around the RV and make sure all the compartments are locked and nothing is laying around. Check that the cycle is secure and locked. Push up the little step, climb in the side door and lock it. I’m all about locking everything which kinda drives Bruce crazy, but he’s almost getting used to it by now. I guess the very last thing is to make sure the fridge door is completely shut. I learned the importance of this when I pulled out one time and the refrigerator door flew open. Luckily nothing fell out.

The first time we ever took Harvey out (when he was still just “the RV”), we pulled away from the curb in front of our house and as we went around the corner onto Peppertree our cabinet door flew open and all our dishes crashed to the floor. Thus we learned to make sure all the cabinet doors are shut completely. Plus Bruce made sure they all have working do-hickeys on them to latch securely.

Here are some of the essentials inside Harvey.

In my console I keep all my essentials: my water bottle, hand cleanser, 3 kinds of gum, hand cream for my super dry hands, my watch charger, my phone charger and cash (which I’m not sure I ever used this trip). Not pictured on the seat next to me is my white notebook with trip details and a box of kleenex on the floor.

The all so important screen. That green cords plugs in to my phone.

I keep my phone plugged in to my dash. Then as it charges, I can see everything from my phone on the screen. My directions, my music, my back up camera. It will even read me my texts and then send texts that I speak. And make calls.

Bruce wrapped my steering wheel in bike tape so that it would be more comfortable.

Before we left I planned our route on Google maps using bike friendly roads. I had originally assumed that we would just stop whenever Bruce felt like it and find an RV Park. But as I started looking for RV Parks I realized that they are not always conveniently placed where we wanted them. For some reason they were usually closer to the interstates. Go figure! I tried to find parks within 5 miles of our route because when you’re biking, an extra 15 miles adds an hour both ways. If I couldn’t find a close RV Park, we planned to either Boondock or I would meet Bruce and give him a ride out to the RV Park. I printed off our weekly route map and all the tentative RV Parks for us to stay in and put it all in The White Notebook. I usually didn’t actually make reservations for the parks until I knew we would for sure be staying there. Some required you to pay first, some didn’t.

The most important gadgets by far were the essentials for the biker. So many gadgets! There’s even a reason for all the spandex. He starts with his regular kit which includes padded pants and a shirt with pockets to put his cell phone, extra clothing accessories, etc. He has special bike shoes for each bike. They have clips that clip into his pedals. He also has a variety of jackets, long pants, rain gear (including shoe covers and a helmet cover), arm warmers and gloves. He always wears a heart rate monitor. And of course head phones connected to his phone in his back pocket.

These are his special shoes with a clip that fits on his pedals for better pedaling. He has a different pair that fit his gravel bike pedals.

He has arm warmers that are great for days that start off colder and then warm up. Also biking gloves.

Gotta have these comfortable earbuds. No biking without music (or the ability to take a call from your wife)

These are like little rain coats for his shoes. Came in really handy the first 2 weeks!

Here are some of the gadgets on Bruce’s bike that help him navigate, be seen and keep an eye on the other traffic.

This light under his seat blinks red to help him be seen. It also uses sonar to detect if a car is coming up behind him, and then sends a message to his garmin

This is his front headlight which also can flash to help him be seen.

He has multiple handlebars and elbow rests to change up his position when needed.

finally figured out the videos!

I know it’s not the same reading the blogs now that we are already home… But, I finally figured out how to add videos and added them to a lot of the posts. So if you are bored or just enjoyed the blogs SO MUCH you want to relive our trip 🙂 just wanted to give you an FYI that the videos are on now. Sorry it took me so long. I figured it out by a fluke. That’s how I roll.