Two pretty good days

Yesterday we left from Slayton and road to Littlefield which is about 40 miles past Lubbock. It was an O.K. ride except for the getting through Lubbock part. Once we arrived in Littlefield, we had a very good lunch at the local diner. We met pastor Andy and had our picture taken wih him. We also met another nice couple from Hereford who were having lunch. Once again, they donated to our charity ride. Folks all along the way have been so kind and generous.

After lunch we rode for another 15 miles and then headed back to our hotel in Lubbock. After a dip in the pool we went and saw the new Night at the Museum movie. The movie was prety good and afterward we had a nice meal a the 50 Yardline restaurant. Lots of Tech stuff in this place but the food was pretty good.

This morning we got up extra early and drove out to where we stopped yesterday and hit the road. For the first time we actually had the wind at our back. It’s amazing the difference a tail wind can make on your entire outlook. We averaged over 20 mph most of the day and covered 66 miles. We are currently staying at the Best Western in Hereford and plan on going 70 miles tomorrow. It looked like rain late this afternoon but it seems to have passed us by. I will be dreaming of southerly winds tonight along with smooth roads and no hills.

Mom has been doing a great job driving the support vehicle. She has followed us every bit of the way and is ready with the drinks, food and moral support. Dennis still has this terrible cough but I think he is feeling pretty good. Raleigh’s shoulder seems to be holding up and not slowing him down one bit. All of us are pretty worn out at the end of the day but by the next morning we are rested and ready to hit the road. We are also getting pretty efficient at this drafting thing. We each take the lead for 5 miles and then we rotate. We usually take a break after 15-20 miles. I have been following Dennis in the rotation and he is very good at drafting. He follows between 12-24 inches from the tire in front of him. The other thing that never stops to amaze me are the size of his calves. I’m certain they are as big as my thighs. I guess when you ride behind someone for over 500 miles you notice these things. By the way, we have now gone over 510 miles on our little trip. Just 1900 more to go.

Drafting???

Well, I guess if there was a word for today, it would be a tossup between drafting and hacking! We have all really gotten into a groove with drafting. I have some buddies that showed me the basics of drafting, while Raleigh and Bobby had not ridden in any groups at all, but no matter, until you really NEED drafting, or really USE drafting, you don’t fully appreciate it. The difference in effort from being the lead to being “not the lead” is easily 20% - 30% in effort. It is amazing how hard you can be working while in the lead, and then slip back into the third position, and the same speeds feel like you are taking a break. We have gotten into a really great rhythm where each one of us takes the lead for 5 miles, and then falls back to be out of the lead for 10 miles. After each rotation, we take a short break, which helps maintain circulation and stamina. It is truly amazing. A big thanks to my buddies Doug, Jeff, and Tim for showing this technique to us, it is really amazing.

We went 66 miles today and ended up just East of Lubbock. We drove into Lubbock and are staying at the Holiday Inn where we regularly attend Pest Control meetings. We decided that we will ride from one side of Lubbock, through and to the other side until we hit 63 miles tomorrow and then come back to the same hotel for another night. It will be nice not to have to load the car in the morning. We hoped to connect with some old pest control friends of the family, but were not able to.

OK - The Hacking word is for out lunch time. We went 47 miles before lunch stopping in a small town called Post, TX and when I got off the bike, I started coughing pretty uncontrollably for almost 30 minutes. Trust me, you did not want to have the table next to us - I was disgusting! Anyway, got back on the bike and finished the ride and have not had the problem since.

Raleigh’s bike needed some repairs, so we found a bike shop here in Lubbock and got it fixed, and we got some signs for the car that say “Charity Ride - Austin, TX to Calgary Canada” hoping to encourage more on the road donations.

OK - Well, I am going t o call it a night - more tomorrow - Keep the Rubber to the Road!!

Grace and Peace
Dennis

Another good day

On the road by 7:30 with no wind and once again cool temperatures makes for another great day on the bike. We got another early start as we departed Snyder on a perfect morning. We hit the road pretty hard and did 17 miles and took a break at a road side park on hwy 84. We then got back on the bikes and did one of our longer rides going 25 miles before taking a break at a historical marker on the side of the road. We made it to Post by 11:30 where we stoped and had lunch at a local Greek restaurant in town. Post is a very nice little town with what looks like a thriving downtown area.

After lunch we wanted to go about 15 miles and stop so that we could take Raleigh’s bike in for some repair work. We stopped just outside of Lubbock after we had traveled 66 miles for the day. We contacted a bike repair shop in Lubbock and rode in the car into town. Raleigh’s front handle bars were loose and his back derailer needed adjusting. We decided to spend the night in Lubbock and go back to where we stopped and start again in the morning. This actually works pretty well because we will ride another 60 miles or so tomorrow and come back to the same hotel we are staying in and spend the night again.

It’s amazing the difference a couple of miles makes when you are traveling in this state. You can quickly go from hills and trees to flat and farm land. The terrain is so varried and different in very close areas. The other thing you notice when on the bike are of course the giant wind turbines. In one area there are litterally 100’s of them and then none to be seen. They sometimes are replaced by the old standard oil rigs that are still prevelant in many areas.

We are staying at a Holiday Inn here in Lubbock and just finished a very nice Italian dinner. It is of course Friday night and it’s only 7:30 and we are ready to hit the hay. I guess when you are in the road as early as we are you need to get pleny of sleep.

Hello From Snyder Texas,

Well day 5 is comming to a close and what a day!  We started our day in Abilene, Texas, got up at 5:20, did our exercises and stretching routine, had our smoothies (which the brothers are starting to love) and headed out on our ride.

The great thing is in the morning, there was almost no wind. So we had a blazing traveling speed of about 18 miles per hour, compared to yesterdays 10 to 12 miles per hour. We were setting the world on fire.  The roads were rougher but no wind, so we rode about 53 miles before lunch. Quite a morning.

We broke for lunch in Hermeleigh, Texas (bet you did not even know it existed). You would never guessed it was a restaurant! It was a very small house with 3 old pick-up trucks parked outside.  The only way we knew it was there is an old rancher we caught on the road said it was the closest place to eat.  The ladies did name the restaurant Barritos, so you guessed it they served 5 different barritos and a hamburger, we all had a hamburger.  We were 4 of 8 people there and every table was full (three tables).

First of all, if I saw the three of us in public I would avoid us (the shorts and all) but we have met several folks that have just amazed me. Again at the restaurant, we met a couple who listened to our story and as they were leaving he offered to buy our lunch. We said no thank you but, mom said if they wanted to make a donatin to our charities we would appreciate it and they did! This is the third time this has happened. All three folks making the donation, I would have thought they would be the ones asking for a hand-out. My faith in people has been renewed.

We finished our day in Snyder, Texas, rode about 67 miles and it is 7:50. We are all ready to go to sleep, kinda sad I guess.

We are heading to Post, Texas in the morning and I will touch base at the end of the day.

Smooth sailing

We got up extra early this morning in hopes of beating the wind. We had a good breakfast and were on the road by 7:30. We couldn’t have had a more perfect morning. Clear skies, cool temperatures, flat roads, and best of all, NO WIND!!!!! You know it’s going to be a good day on the bike when the wind turbines are standing perfectly still (it’s amazing how many of them are out here). The road was a bit bumpy but we made great time and we all felt strong. We went from Abilene to Snyder where we are staying tonight for a total of 67 miles. We stoped in a very small town outside of Snyder for lunch called Hermeleigh and found this way off the beaten path burrito restaurant. The people there were very nice and the food was tasty. We met this very friendly couple who lived in the area and they donated $20 to our charities. These are actually the third folks to donate while we have been on the road. It’s amazing how giving people are when they find out what we doing.

We arrived at our hotel fairly early this afternoon and took a dip in the pool and then got showered and went into town for groceries and in search of a place for dinner. After dinner we sat by the pool with our DQ shakes and plotted the strategy for tomorrow.

Dennis has ordered a sign to put on the Tahoe saying “Charity ride - Austin TX to Calgary Canada.” We will try and pick the sign up tomorrow in Lubbock.

(Raleigh) Well today has been the day from wind hell!  Last night a cold front blew in about 8pm with the rain falling horizontally from great winds from the north.  We started the morning with our stretching, push ups and sit-ups and went outside to find temperatures in the mid fifties, which is way too cold when riding a bike.  Where I thought the winds had stopped, I was way wrong it was just unbelievable. I would say they were the winds from HELL.  We rode all day with head winds like I have never experienced in Houston. 

We made it to Abilene and went a little further, so we rode about 64 miles today!  We all checked into our room and went to see Angles and Demons (great flick) and went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. It is about 8pm and we are all heading to bed to rest up to start again tomorrow.  We bought a scale and I have lost about 10 pounds since last week. 

I do feel this is a calling for us to do this for so many reasons, we meet people at gas stations (where we try to take breaks) and they hear our story and make small donations to the causes. 

You are all in my prayers and thoughts throughout out the day, God Bless and take care.