FLASK: May 10-27

Home May 10-18:
So, so, so nice to be with Rae again. There was plenty to do: finish master bathroom wall, fix irrigation leaks in sideyard & under driveway, clean backyard & windows for Rae's party, hang mirrors, rebuild rear wheel (twice!), install new tires, chain & chain ring, clean bike drivetrain, & watch grandkids! Rae got into Antioch's PhD program! We have to pay & there's no teaching or research positions so we hope to hear good news from Gonzaga but it is so great that she's been accepted! I'm so proud of her MBA, now this! Very exciting! I left reluctantly & as late as possible so I could maximize Rae time. She did a really nice job of reassuring me & loving me - just what was needed! Rain & wind in AZ & NM became lots of soft, slippery snow in CO. I bought some $3 thrift store shoes to keep my feet warn - the flipflops were not so useful when trying to put chains on the van's tires!

I arrived in Estes May 19 at 5, met Bronson (tore off her foot, broke her collarbone, & has been brought back from death twice - & she's cute, friendly, & a strong climber), scrambled to Radio Shack to get A/V cables, had dinner with Quinn & Bronson, then sorted slides for the 8pm show. It went well, I think. I rambled about me, my recent life change, my awesome wife & family, & tried to tell amusing, self-depracating, & insightful-from-the-saddle stories. 40 people! They were all super nice after, including the rock shop gal who gave me a crystal, & Lisa (super stud athlete & mother of a 2 year-old who goes on all the adventures). We went late night bowling & the folks who saw the show kept chatting me up while all kinds of drunken debauchery was had: dancing on tables, handstands, bowling through a tunnel of legs, singing, dancing, ... Estes is CRAZY! Quinn & I snuck out around 2AM. The weather there sucked so, while we tried a little wet bouldering, I mostly hung out at the library & Karla & Justin's house. They own Ed's Cantina where Quinn works & are super nice. A few folks who missed the slideshow cornered me at Ed's the next night - including the town cougar (not surprisingly, I escaped without being hit on) - & were very nice. We went to dinner at Rock Inn where a fantastic guitarist /keyboard duo went at it. It was rounding into another late night of drunkenness when Quinn & I escaped with Dustin, one of Wes's good friends. (Wes, by the way, had high tension tower work in Omaha so I didn't get to hang with him ... Bummer.) Dustin & I worked up a plan to return his dad's car to Conifer, get me to La Junta, & have him return with the van. Unfortunately, a full day of work for him meant we didn't leave til 930pm. I got 2 hours sleep between 1030-1230, finished the driving to arrive in La Junta at 230am, & quickly unloaded gear before sending Dustin back to Estes.

May 22:
101 miles to Limon, CO. 730-6. Up at dawn (6am) to attach trailer & start a long day. No one recognized me at Copper Kitchen where I had breakfast before catching the train back on May 10 - no facial hair maybe or is my ego too big? Ego. Loaded up poptarts, propane, & fig cookies then headed east on 50 for 14 miles, then onto 71 north forEVER. It was a light swirling crosswind through mile 65 then it became a distinct headwind, & the climbing, though gradual, was mind-numbingly persistent - every horizon had another one beyond & above it. My legs became very tight, especially the left inner hamstring, & I struggled to go 3-4 miles at a time the last 20 miles or so. My head was in a bad space & I broke down twice sobbing that I just wanted to go home. Rae was decent consolation when I described it after I got into Limon but ... well, not rallying. What I think I need to hear is first sympathy then an enouraging rallying cry. Intimidated by the approaching storm clouds & desparate for a long night's sleep, I checked into the Knight's Inn. Powerade & a hot bath didn't ease the aching & I kept cramping when I tried to stretch. Weed, hot Chinese take-out, a goodnight call to Rae & I fell into bed at 9 totally exhausted. Tomorrow's more of the same - another 73 mile blank stretch - with the added bonus of thunderstorms. Yeaa!
May 23:
86 miles to Ft. Morgan, CO. 930-430. Thank goodness: wind & road were aligned & in phase so I sailed in 5 mile intervals all day. Those tired, tight legs nearly had the day off. I slept in til 830, thinking that the little sleep I got the previous night hadn't helped my mental or physical stamina performance - errr, I mean their crumbling - yesterday. The Knight's Inn Continental breakfast sucked but free made it taste better. Same terrain as yesterday, without the gradual climb, & same weather - just a South wind instead of North. I'd pulled over at a nice picnic area in Last Chance (homes but nothing else) fir leftover Chinese from last night to find a cookout some wide load (wind turbine blades! Yes!) truckers & the pilot car drivers were having. They immediately invited me over for hot links in corn tortillas & a Bud Light. Fun, funny, & super nice, they wished me well as I pedaled off: "Be safe, you crazy fucker!" I pulled over 20 miles later - after unsuccessfully trying to intice some horses to come to the fence for the apples I pilfered from breakfast - to see if the car on the side of the road needed a hand. Paul & I quickly found the coolant leak (I've got a lot of experience with that, unfortunately) & used one of the hose clamps I carry to fix it (seriously, these things are awesome for lashing weird shit on or to the bike or trailer). A fellow biker, he was stoked I pulled over because (well, I always do) he had a bike on top. Haha! I rode the 73 open miles into Brush feeling very good, considering how I felt last night. Getting the 9 miles into Ft. Morgan before the lightening, black clouds, & heavy rain rolled in was gratifying. Another motel night - I'm still too soft. A hot, hot bath loosened the legs & I had a great stretch. OKC let Nowitzki tear them a new asshole to come back from 13 down to tie it in the last 4 minutes of regulation. Then they lose in OT. Doh! How 'bout this?! I found out today that Phil Hardiman put the FLASK story in the May 21st Scottsdale Republic (thanks to fellow referee & Republic business writer, Peter Corbett) & I also got a request for more information from PBS Stories. Cool! Lots of rain forecast for tomorrow - hmmm ...
May 24:
76 miles to Loveland, CO. 9-730. Jeff & Marty were in the next booth at breakfast & were talking biking so I ended up sitting with them for awhile & getting helpful frontage road beta for getting out of Ft. Morgan. One front & one trailer flat this morning - thankfully before the rain started. It was a steady, light rain from mile 15 all the way to Kersey at mile 50, on & off into Loveland. No wind, though, so perfectly tolerable. I chatted with a lovely young woman at the Kersey Cafe where I drank a bucket of coffee & ate a cheeseburger. I noticed bruising on her arm & asked about it ... then suggested that she could definitely find a better boyfriend than that. Poor thing. Justin & Jason at the Loveland Trek bike store were awesome! Since I ended up having to stop several times to empty water from my Gortex over-mittens, I'd stopped in to find something better & they sold me top-of-the-line waterproof gloves at 50% off. Then they looked up & called a few cheap hotels, gave me two tubes & AAA batteries free, & talked touring until the shop closed at 7. I got pissed at the old Chinese ladies at two motels when they wouldn't drop their rates for cash & ended up calling the Jade Inn. JD was so excited about what I was doing that he said I was destined to stay there & gave me a huge cash discount ("I never go under $60 but let's do $40"), asking in return that I rinse & wipe my filthy bike & trailer before pulling them into the room ("I just cleaned the carpets, bro."). I'd felt a worsening bike wobble the last few miles & it went real bad just as I pulled into his parking lot in the increasing intensity rain & discovered that I'd broken a spoke on the rear wheel I'd rebuilt in Phoenix. So instead of a hot bath & stretching, I replaced the spoke (Yea! I brought spares!) & re-tuned the wheel. Whew! I'd love to go through Estes again & ride through RMNP but don't know yet if the road's clear - Quinn's gonna check & call in the morning. An old high school friend living in Denver, Mike Melonis, has been following the trip & gave me a call tonight. It was great to catch up but I confused him by citing the wrong dates in a recent message & he won't be able to ride with me tomorrow. Bummer but it was funny to discover that we'd overlapped residence in Phoenix in the early 90s & probably were on the same trails pretty often! Kissing Rae in a week is something to look forward to! Bummed that the SD400 camera's no longer turning on ... I don't want to get another camera but the smartphone one's just not that good. Mmmm, thoughts of Rae soothe me once again ...
May 25: 52 miles to Virgiana Dale, CO. 1030-7. Wierd day. I slept in again, hoping to delay making a decision about my route until I got beta on RMNP road conditions from Quinn. I was finishing breakfast at Perkins (chains suck, the food's awful) when she texted that while the road was clear, the workers weren't letting anyone through. I'd been agonizing over this since arriving in Estes Park last week. I really, really want RMNP on the FLASK ticklist of National Parks & really wanted to see peaks laden with snow & avalanches roaring & 30 foot snowbank cuts. The fact that it would be colder, harder, longer, & nearly devoid of people was giving me pause but last night after piecing the rim back together, I'd resolved that I really wanted to be in that wonderland. Bummed it didn't happen ... but it's still a fantastic adventure ahead! I was a little demotivated, though, from the news & had a hard time making progress today. The camera stopped working a few days ago & I decided I needed a functioning, high performance camera for the Rockies. I found a good one (similar to my old one & looks like it'll take not only the SIM card but also the battery!) on craigslist & met James in Ft. Collins around 1130. Nice kid. Then I went to a fabric store to get snaps to close the gap between my rain top & pants when I'm bent over riding. Damn things didn't work & I tore a small hole in the pants. So at Albertsons I found some velcro & I'll use my sewing kit to patch the hole & attach the velcro. Then to a smoke shop to find a functioning windproof lighter (mine works < 10% of the time), which they didn't have but the stoner behind the counter gave me his spare. Too f'in cool! I then stopped at McDonalds (free wifi) to re-check the weather & pick off the Dollar Menu (I know, I know). Rosemary introduced herself & her husband, James, as they were leaving with the now familiar, "Are you the one going to Alaska?" (I really dig the bigger sign on the trailer - it gets seen even on the road.) They were driving around the country celebrating their 50th year together. Absolutely adorable couple: sweet, good listeners, affectionate (she was stroking his hair with this dreamy look on her face!), willing to share, & energetic. They wanted the blog address & to take a picture of me in front of my bike. They were nice enough to pose for me under their umbrella - that's right! Rain! Yea! So now it's 2pm & I've done 17 of the 83 miles I'd planned to Laramie, WY. I've been so soft this week that I just resolved to strike out, have fun, & plan on remote camping. The rain quit soon & there was a very helpful S wind for the first set of real climbs on the trip. Nothing like Mt. Evans, Berthoud, Rabbit Ears, or RMNP so I consider it a gentle introduction. The front tire flatted as intermittent periods of sunshine finally made breaks in the clouds & I put in a tube-in-of-repair first -"Dangit, Noni!," as my grandson, Phin, would say. Virginia Dale exists on the map & has a sign but ... not even a cluster of houses. There is a dirt road - maybe they're all off thataway. Beautiful country, though, with spectacular views of the snowy peaks of RMNP, antelope, red bluffs, trees, & sculpted hills. I found a great spot right off the road & down a little so it's nicely isolated & not trashed. I set up the tent because I was already cold. Fantastic stretch as the sun bent through trees to make it's way to the horizon. Dinner was peppers (that I brought from our garden!), garlic, onion, rice, & foil salmon - very decent meal. Turns out that whole grain Fig Newtons make you fart as much as the regular ones do but they don't taste nearly as good. Quinn & Wes will join me tomorrow! They are likely to catch me before I make the 30 miles to Laramie. Their company is so nice & in these circumstances, where it's obvious I'm still apprehensive about how hard some of these days have been, what's ahead, & this wierd weather, well ... I am really gonna enjoy it! Brandon, a buddy of Steve's at Roosters (official sponsor with a $150 donation! Woohoo!), has kinfolk in Jackson Hole so Rae & I may(!) get to stay in a nice guesthouse for a night or two! Fingers crossed! I'm SO looking forward to seeing her a week from now! Excited! Glad the day ended so beautifully after such a tepid, sluggish start.

May 26:
69 miles to Rock River, WY. 830-630. Repacking after last night's campout with the trailer set-up instead of the familiar panniers was confusing. I still don't know where I want everything & the dry bags are unwieldy. There was a rest area only 2 miles from where I camped - haha! The ride to the pass was shrouded in fog but pretty easy grade & not too long & I entered the vast open space of Wyoming with a fast downhill. It was mostly tailwind into Laramie, which has a super cool old downtown where Quinn & Wes met me for a very tasty vegetarian lunch that was recommended by the local bikeshop guys. Slate grey skies & a crosswind for 10 fun miles of Wes' company, then the same plus a little rain for 10 with Quinn, who, as usual, did some great clowning: donning a skirt & lifting her bike over her head & laying with her bike in front of the Cheyenne Massacre Trail sign! The tail of the storm system passed by as we parted company & I was unnecessarily optimistic that the wind woukd cease. Man, was it great to have some company on the road for a few hours! Almost as soon as they left the wind shifted & I struggled with hills & a chilly headwind for the last 20 miles into Rock River, a tiny, windswept town of 200. The bar was open so I plopped myself down with a Bud (take what you can get, right?) next to Forest, Daryl, & Rod, with Kristi serving. They worked fences & as ranchhands when the weather let them (Rod worked for his little brother, who was also Kristi's husband) & warmed to me enough to invite me to shoot darts, which is just one more game of skill with which I struggle. The bar - the only restaurant-type deal in town - offered Tombstone frozen pizza so I wolfed one down while inquiring about where to set up my tent. The wind had already picked up considerably & rain was forecast for later so they tried to talk me into the $50 local motel but I resisted. A few beers later, Rod offered up his couch for the evening & I gladly accepted the invitation. Joe, who'd seen me ride by & waved as he was driving a paving roller just outside of town, came in after he did the 36 mile roundtrip drive to the Medicine Bow ATM. Rock River's an ATM-less town that only accepts cash - go figure! He, Daryl, & I shot pool with a roughneck, Chad, & I demonstrated no prowess at this game, either. I'd made Kristi put the Bulls-Heat game on TV so got to see the Bulls give the game away in the last 4 minutes. Daryl's mom, Stacey, showed up & we chatted about her work at the K-12 school & Daryl's teenage hockey prowess til late. I went down the town's alley to Rod's house - a small narrow affair where the only interior walls surrounded the bathroom - & we chatted & got high before I fell asleep on the couch with him watching TV. He had a freezer full of elk, deer, & rabbit he'd shot & processed himself & 1/2 side of beef, which allowed him to get by on $500 a month. His house had cost onky $7500! Forest had made some breakfast burritos & his son brought them over late, & Rod made sure I knew I was welcome to some. How is it that toothless folks with so little are always so generous?

May 27:

Rod woke up around 4am but I pulled a pillow over my head til 6. He'd made some coffee & was nice enough to pour some for me when I finally stretched awake with the noise of howling wind. I thanked him again when he left for work but he came back not 5 minutes later to tell me I should stay the day because there was cold snow blowing. I left him some kind bud & $5 for his next beer, though, & packed everything up. I soon discovered that my Smith Optics sunglasses were gone! I searched my gear twice, walked the allcey back to the bar, & triple-checked outside Rod's house - no luck. Drag! I really dug those glasses from one of our few sponsors ... The first 2 miles turned out to be the best & fastest of the day because I was riding into only a cross/headwind. Top speed: around 10 mph. Then the road turned directly into the 35 mph W wind & I immediately had to drop into the smallest chainring. It was quite cold, too, so I put on more clothes: long underwear, riding tights, thermal top, riding jersey, puffy jacket, balaclava, heavy gloves, riding socks, wool socks, & toe covers. I made the 18 miles to Medicine Bow in 4 hours & had to walk about 2 of those. The bike was very hard to manage when gusts up to 50 mph often pushed me off the road. I had an omellette & lots of coffee to thaw out, called Rae to bolster my flagging spirits, then set off again. 2 miles took 1 1/2 hours & I became totally disheartened. I stuck out my thumb to see if I could get a ride to Rawlins where there was more than one hotel but turned back after 30 minutes with no takers (maybe you're expected to be completely self sufficient in Wyoming cuz no one even looked). Without pedaling (honest), wind pushed me back to Medicine Bow at 17 mph up a slight grade. Fierce, fierce wind here, which the locals say they like because it "keeps folks away." I've checked in to the Virginian for two nights because the wind forecast is the same or worse for the next few days. Rae gave me some great news to lift my spirits, though: she'll be leaving 2 days sooner to join me & seemed happy with the idea of rescuing me from the winds, since I definitely won't make the Tetons by the time she arrives. I'll sort out where to re-start after our visit. I am desparately longing for her company & the excitement of seeing her in just a few days has displaced a bit of the depression & anxiety the sense of failure from this taxing day created.

Slideshow and Rallying for bike entertainment!

The Petit in dreamy July Conditions!

Craig is amazing!!!  Aside from biking 5 bazillion miles across two countries, through tornados, and still finding time to enjoy a beer....he has put together a slideshow for this Thursday night.
He will arrive in Estes Park, Colorado sometime late Wed. or early Thurs. and give a slideshow about his journey at Ed's Cantina in Estes Park!

I am excited to show Craig around town and hopefully have an adventure in the mountains (although they are still quite buried in snow this year).  Climbing the Diamond is most certainly out, but I was hoping the Petit or something south facing would be ready....that still might be a stretch!!!

Diamond June-ish

Apres slideshow, Craig will hang for a day or two in Estes.  I will drive him back to his bike in La Junta where he will proceed to pedal north through Colorado.  It is my hope to rally some people to join him in Colorado, even for a few spurts of miles.
Colorado Springs people would be Tuesday-ish (24th), Denver area Tuesday/Wednesday
Wednesday/Thursday/Friday for Fort Collins area --- give or take.  (He seems to average 65-100 depending on winds)
I am pretty sure he will be on roads 285/87/287
I will find out more details on his route, post and rally again!  Keep it in mind if you are in the front range and want to join him for a few miles....or 50 (nudge ...Harry).

I am sure a warm bed along the route would be an added bonus if anyone is willing!

Ah, SUMMER needs to arrive!!!!

FLASK May 6-9 La Junta!

May 6:
Biggest day yet. 116 miles into Dumas, TX. The VFW was the only place in Clarendon serving breakfast. I thought it was odd that none of the patrons were friendly at all, though the volunteer staff was. The 31 miles to Claude, TX, (yesterday's target) was an easy ride with only a slight cross/headwind - I'm glad I didn't make it last night as it's just a crossroads gas station, really. When I started north on Hwy 207 the tailwind made me fly 45 miles all the way through Panhandle & into Borger, TX - an ugly coal power plant town. Along the way I startled a small antelope herd jumping fences to cross the highway such that one was on one side of the road & 7 were in the other side. They're so intimidated by the not-moving-at-a-speed-we-recognize bicycle that they'd run ahead a few hundred yards, turn, look, see me still coming, & take off again. This went on for a few miles & it was a really fantastic distraction to see these beautiful ungulates bounding through the dry prairie. 207 continued to Stennit through some hot, dry but pretty canyon country over the Canadian River & up some long but low grade hills. I refilled water bottles at an isolated house spigot (thanks, lady!) & set off on Hwy 152 into a 20-25 mph headwind for the 31 miles to Dumas. Tough finish to the long day & I stopped every 3-4 miles to ease the growing physical & headspace strain. Around 7:45 the wind ceased & the last 6 miles were an easy roll into a nice twilight. Completely out of water, I pulled up to the first business I saw - liqour store! - then up pulled Cornel on his road bike. I'd seen him & waved as he was riding away from town about 15 miles out. He immediately offered his backyard up for the night so I bought some beer instead & followed him a mile to his place. We chatted until midnight, showing photos, talking riding & climbing, & making dinner. Very nice & a great, spontaneous, friendly cap to an ambitious & mixed day of riding that also now has me back on schedule.

May 8:

Image courtesy Todd Lindley.  Gust front ~ 60mph winds
http://home.grandecom.net/~claire/Storms.html

71 miles - not quite to Clayton, NM (more on that later). Cornel made coffee & oatmeal for breakfast & I was on the road at 830, & we'd made plans for him to catch me in Hartley, TX, 25 miles west on Hwy 87 & we'd lunch in Dalhart, TX. The headwind was soft so progress was easy & I had time for a chat with a tobacco-plug-chewing cotton farmer repairing a fence. Cornel started later than planned so I waited for him 2 miles outside of Dalhart & we asked around til we found a great little hole-in-the-wall mexican joint where we both had pork & a few gallons of lemonade. Cornel decided to ride another 20 miles with me before turning around & we headed west on 87 into a slow but hot & dry wind. Rear flat #1 happened about 10 miles later. Patch with the NAPA tire patch kit held for 6 miles & Cornel decided he'd better head back (112 mile day for him!). Patch held for 7 miles & some cowboys turned their truck & loaded horse trailer around to see if this yokel in the middle of nowhere needed a hand. I told 'em I'd make it to Clayton, NM, if the last patch held & they reluctantly left me there to suffer my fate. 8 miles later the last patch blew & I was now stranded 16 miles from Clayton but before I could even sort out what was left to try, Jason & his brothers & dad had pulled over, loaded my stuff in the back if their pickup, put me in the (nicely air-conditioned) front seat, & hauled me across the Texas stateline at Texline. I was disappointed not to be riding or get another state sign picture but these fellows - heading out for a Colorado fishing vacation - were awesome to drop me at the Super 8 in Clayton. With the next day being Sunday & Mother's Day, I knew I'd better sort out the tube situation right away & started walking the town, asking everyone I saw if they had or knew someone who had a mountain bike so I could try to buy whatever they had. No luck until I walked into the tourist information center. Jerry Phillips immediately said, "Get in my car! The hardware store closes in 15 minutes & nothing's open on Sundays in this town!" I was very surprised that the local hardware store actually had some biking supplies but Bruce Isaacson of Isaacson's Hardware (now Bruce had played tuba in Jerry's HS band many, many years ago & his super sweet mom - who had owned the store for 80 years! - had been disappointed to discover that, in fact, a tuba was not too big to carry home for practice! Haha!) not only found me tubes & tires but also lent me a cordless drill & a bit so I could drill out the rim's valve opening to acommodate the larger valves on the only tubes he had! Back in business! ... Nope. Even though all the boxes said "26 inch," they weren't & all the new stuff was too big for my rims. Damn! I suspected I could pack the too-big tubes into my old tire so drilled the rim only to discover that the rim was actually split near two of the spoke nipples - trouble & maybe a tour-stopping disaster if they opened up any further but, hey, what was I gonna do but give it a go? I stuffed a tube into the old tire & beat up rim, pumped it up super high, & let it sit to see if it'd hold pressure. Jerry had suggested we have dinner so he came by & we started a magical evening together. He was the high school's former band director & the current historical researcher at the Hertzstein Museum. After some good grubbin' at the Rabbit Ear Cafe, Jerry drove me out to see a local metal artist's big pieces before dark fell. He knew the folks refurbishing the local 1910 Eklund Hotel so he got to show me around this fantastic space filled with interesting furniture, artifacts, bullet holes, antique bar, & stylish old-style rooms! Rae would've loved it & I'd love to bring her back for a stay. Then it was off to the museum in this beautiful, converted, 1910 Episcopalean, 3-story stone chapel stuffed with a fascinating collection: a stunning wreath hand stitched by a 16-year-old prairie girl, quilts, toys, & a whole slew of things related to the town's botched execution of notorious criminal Black Jack Ketchum. A series of mistakes led to a decapitation instead of a hanging - the pictures are horrifying! Jerry dropped me at the hotel & I asked him to return the drill & unusable bike supplies to Isaacson's. Meanwhile, Cornel knew I might be stuck & had tried to talk an Amarillo endurance athlete & bike store owner to drive to Clayton with whatever I needed but, not surprisingly, Mother's Day plans prevented this off-the-wall idea from happening. Awesome bid to help me out, though, & the thoughtfulness touched me. I absolutely, totally dig having all kinds of cool, interesting, spontaneous things like this day happen on my adventure & feel lucky when a mishap or tough circumstances turn into something wonderful - it makes me feel like I'm livin' my life right. What a day!

May 8:
102 miles into Comanche Grasslands National Park. Happy Mother's Day to my mom, Kathy, stunningly hot wife, Rae, daughter, Rachel, daughter-in-law, Heather, & sister, Judi! Jerry & I made plans last night to meet for breakfast at the Rabbit Ears Cafe (the ONLY place open Sundays) at 8. My phone somehow didn't make the change to Mountain Standard Time (too close to the border for the GPS to discern, I guess) so I woke him up early & used the extra hour to stretch since I'd not done it last night. I met the new chef of the Hotel Eklund while stretching - weird dude who'd done a little touring in his college days in New York. Jerry had a friend, Jeanie, meet us at breakfast & this town darling brought me some bottled water to take along. As I was loading up, the local photographer & reporter that Jerry had called showed up to snap a few pictures & ask a few questions. Jerry promised to mail the paper if it gets included! Well, what with all the fun & luck I'd had in Clayton I was reluctant to leave & if I'd known what was ahead I might not have. Relentless 20 mph headwind for 50 miles ... so bad that at one point I called Rae to contemplate quitting. It's just so exhausting mentally & physically when you can see the road heading straight into that wind for what looks like forever ... well, I am apparently subject to some doubts about my ability & willingness to push through. I finally made it to Des Moines, NM, around 4 & since I thought I had only tortillas in the panniers, I stopped for a burger & coffee. It was another 8 miles of headwind to Folsom. As I approached town, a cowboy pulled his pickup alongside to hand me a cold Vitamin Water - love rural generosity! I refilled the water bottles at a pump outside the town's museum (why a town with nothing else had a museum confounded me) & chatted with the cowboy running it. Finally, some easy miles! 8 to be exact but it was a beautiful ride up & out of Tanglewood Canyon, across the Colorado state line, & a headwind-impeded descent into Branson, CO. A makeshift picnic area at the town's historic prairie jail had a pump where I luckily refilled the water bottles & took long, satisfying gulps before heading out. It was 7pm & I was at 71 (hard) miles but there was literally nothing in Branson. I knew it was 100+ miles to La Junta & decided I'd get some more of that out of the way so I could be there Monday. Heading north with wind finally at my back, my mood lightened immediately. It's so funny to know going into a tour that there will be some suffering but I have a hard time managing the frustration of days of fierce headwind, but I guess it's good that I can pop back into an expansive mood with the prospect of free miles. 10 miles at near 20 mph & I'm giddy & I turn east into Hwy 160 as the sun sets. Well, the wind's died & I find no traffic on this backcountry road so I flip on some bike lights & enjoy easy windless miles, a rising moon, & grazing ungulates. I thought I had only 3 or 4 tortillas left for dinner so decided that I should ride to within at least 10 miles of the next town, hunker down, & hope I find food in the morning. I finally pull over an hour or so after dark & roll the bike onto the prairie of Comanche Grassland NP. I'm delighted to find in the bottom of the pannier a foil packet of rice, a foil packet of tuna, & half an onion - dinner! I stretch briefly then lay in the bag under the stars of the Milky Way, listening to just the slight breeze lulling me gently to sleep. I'm so pleased that a hard day ended so exquisitely.

May 9:

70 miles to La Junta, CO. 7-1. Wow! Easy miles! Tailwind for the 10 miles into Kim, CO, where I'm delighted to find the country market makes breakfast. An old cowboy patron refilled my coffe for me when Anita was busy - hospitality & thoughtfulness in rural America ... wow. I spot a raptor flying low through some trees &, oddly, land in a field. Immediately, another raptor descends to mount her - Animal Planet! Heading north on Hwy 109 I have only 5 miles into the wind & cruise the 58 miles into La Junta with a joyous heart. I'll see Rae tomorrow! I find Carol tending her garden & she directs me to the visitor center & tells me about the town's museum, dinasour tracks, Indian dances that night, Boy Scout campground, ... too cute! I find a cheap hotel, have a burger for lunch, mail postcards, buy beer, get my Amtrak ticket, & scrounge boxes & tape so I can make a bike shipping box. Pizza, beers, NBA playoffs, sleep. I can hardly believe Phase 1 of FLASK is finished & I'm so glad I was open & aware during this start of the adventure because sometimes I keep my head down & heart closed. So many kind, generous, engaging people & fantastically aware moments to carry home with me. Now home to Rae ...

FLASK May 2-5

May 2:
68 miles to between St. Jo & Nacona, TX. Lots of drunken fun on Freddie's boat over what was a three-day weekend rest - on the lake & in the marina. He & Jami were really sweet & accomodating & it was nice to see him again. Friday I did a hard 20 mile into-the-wind ride into Sherman for errands & didn't recognize a thing in town but got some correctly-sized tubes, postcards, a Sherman shirt for Mouse, Frogg Togg raingear (yea! & just in time!), bite valve for the bladder, & groceries. The pizza & cheesecske cookie bars were a big hit again. It rained like a MF all day Sunday so I'm gonna have to skip Lubbock. The ride today started in a downpour & eased up slightly through the day. I found a quiet place with great dumplings for lunch & stayed too long because I was damp & chilled from the rain. Even with the really good raingear, I was wet enough to be cold. It finally abated after Gainesville & became sunny for the last hour of riding to a really nice, off-the-highway picnic area 9 miles shy of my Nacona destination. A trucker showed up & idled late & then again in the early morning right next to me, though - which I guess is good because I don't really want to be seen anyway. A little nerve-wracking at night, though, until I figured he was gonna sleep in his cab. It was cold but I managed fine with the bag zipped up & a hat on.
May 3:
86 miles to Electra, TX, (the Jack Pump capital of the world!). The ride into Nacona for breakfast was crisp & hilly - still a very nice part of North Texas with trees, creeks, & grasslands (probably just cut & grazed land, now that I think about it). For breakfast, after a search & a question, I was directed to Dairy Queen ... you heard right. They had a decent & big breakfast burrito, wireless, & a plug to recharge the depleted HTC. As I was finishing, the guy who directred me to DQ tapped me on the shoulder to ask if it was OK & to admit that he owned the place. Haha! One old gal who'd discovered I was headed to Alaska told me she'd driven that highway 18 times & that her daughter lives near Sarah Palin in Wisala (sp?)! Then two oldtimers told me of their drilling & seismic work in Alaska. Fun talking to people when they're geniune & willing to engage! I lunched at a nice picnic area, got groceries & more DQ in Henrietta. As I was rolling off Hwy 82 onto Hwy 287 I heard this truck behind me riding his horn. I turned to see if maybe he was an oversized load & saw an oblivious gal barrelling at me on the shoulder! I barely got out of the way & she never noticed. Not sure if the truck was trying to get the driver to notice what she was doing or warn me but it was critical for me so, like, "Thanks, dude!" I immediately called Rae to share this near-death experience & we were both shaken. 287 was another very good Texas blue highway with a huge shoulder & rumble strips (yea, TX!), though Wichita Falls was really scary with real exits &, most terrifying, left exiting ramps that meant I had to frequently cross 3 lanes of 65 mph traffic - it sucked. As I was rolling into Electra I had another rear flat (how does this shit get through the liner?) with only a mile to go ... grr, tear down, replace tire, re-assemble ... 15 minutes. The park is just fine, though Dave, McKenzie, & Alex - teenagers who smoke - that this was the crack-making, as opposed to crackhead, side of town so I'm apparently safer here. Whew! Stretched, dinner of rice/chicken/pepper/garic, notes ... now bed. Interesting day ... Awoken at 12 by local police (first time I've seen a cop in tennis shoes - I kid you not) but not rousted - yea, common sense!
May 4:
86 hard miles to Childress, TX. Breakfast at Subway was not so good but, once again, the only choice. Poor Texas - no good breakfast in the smaller towns. The wind was going hard early & didn't let up all day, though my direction changed after Quanah & the head/crosswind became a tail/crosswind. Not as bad as the day from Border, NV, to Delta, UT, but still exhausting. On track for that train next week, though there'll be another hard day tomorrow because the forecast is for winds from the north and, yep, that's the way I'm heading tomorrow. If I would've been going north today ... ah well. Talked to a cute gal at a coffee shop in Vernon & met Ken & Bobby, retired schoolteachers born, raised, and still hanging out in Vernon. Ken's recent stroke will curtail their travel plans but they were so cute together! A front flat hit just as I was pulling into the Henrietta DQ & it took 3 tries to get something back in & now I need new tubes & a patch kit again. Maybe I should get new tires ...? There's a nice park with a reedy lake here in Childress, though it seems ripe for a rousting what with it's "strictly enforced park hours" sign. I'll tuck away completely & see what happens. Good stretch. Rae sent a cute, sexy text tonighht - yummy! I'm anxious to see her & the next 6 days of riding will be with her constantly on my mind. Ducks & frogs earlier this evening to lend an auditory note to a lovely sunset. Bats are out now as I finish sardines/rice/peppers/garlic.
May 5 (Cinco de Mayo):
64 miles to Clarendon, TX. Whooped. Hard, hard day with a day-long 20 mph headwind. Riding mostly at 6-8 mph in the 2nd chain ring, which made my ass hurt. I think I'm riding on the most uncomfortable bike seat ever made & I'm pissed I spent money on it. My legs are tired, too - wierd combination, I think. Lots of plowed cotton fields that ensured that I had lots of dirt get into my nose & mouth. Clarendon's city park has been full of kids since I got here - some teenagers & little ones were nicely playing together earlier but now there's some douchebag 12 year-old boys harassing girls, cussing, & being loud & stupid. One of the girls had a lot of spunk & said, "You don't know my mom, motherfucker!" Haha! I found not-so-great enchiladas but, once again, I managed to settle in a "dry" precinct. Seriously! I hope to sleep well as I'm body weary. I'll need to look at the map again to plan the stops into La Junta, CO, since I'm 30 miles short of the target today. I think there's two <60 mile days at the end do, as long as I can find places to sleep at around 70-75 miles each day I should be fine. I hope ...

FLASK April 27-28

April 27:
61 miles to Pattonville, TX. Slept well so slept in. Terrific headwind all morning so progress was slow but my spirits were up because Rae loves me. I was in the middle chain ring all day, except at the very end of the day when the wind abated & I needed to stand up to get off my pimpled ass. I saved a turtle today by getting him out of the road's tire track. Weather was intermittent clouds but it cleared up & the wind died down just as the sun was casting downward. There's a lot more farmland & big ranches out here. Found a roadside picnic area to settle into. I was a little paranoid as I fell asleep but as the traffic died down, I settled down. My perra formis were tight sdo sleeping on my side was uncomfortable.
April 28:
88 miles to Pottsboro, TX. 730-700. Breakfast in Paris. Texans are still allowed to smoke in restaurants ... hmmm. Beautiful, sunny day, moderate temperature, light headwind. I got of Hwy 82 to 56 so I could roll through small towns. Texans aren't nearly as friendly as the other states I've been in - they usually don't wave back & actually look at me like, "I don't know you so why are you wavin'?" From about mile 55 to the end of riding at 88 I was only off the bike twice. Once to walk the bike across a highway median around a detour & then around mile 82 to eat some trail mix since I was on the verge of bonking. Freddie & Jami came to get me about 6 miles from the marina (yea!) & we hung out on or near their big, beautiful boat - the S.S. Minnow - til 11. Jami's a sweetheart & Freddie's exactly the same - fun, funny, engaging, sincere, & nice. I'm so glad to see him again & I'm looking forward to a long, relaxing, drunken weekend - off the bike! I slept out on the deck in a wonderful light breeze. I wish my perri formis would loosen up so I could sleep on my side for awhile. Rae was already in bed when I called - poor thing was worn out & I would've liked to have been laying right next to her.

FLASK Trip Update:
April 22:
75 miles to Rose Hill (?). 8-6. Spent too much time in Columbia looking for postcards, which I didn't find. The solar charger'sz not charging even though I try to keep it reasoably oriented to the sun all day. Nice time in McComb: stopped to say Hi to the fire department & gave them the blog address, had really good italian mango ice at a little mom & pop stand, then finally found postcards at a super friendly little shop in a beautiful little town called Summit. Took the wrong highway out of town (98 instead of 54) so when I asked an old man in his front yard where Percy Quinn State Park was ... well. I had a flat on the rear tire I nursed for awhile & finally replaced. Finally stopped at Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church & camped in the grass lot. I had an unbelievable, fulfilling, happy evening as I stepped into & stayed with the realization that I was on the big adventure of my life. The little anxiety I was feeling about not being in a park & how that feels like a kind of failure ... disappeared. I stayed in the moment as I stretched & it was physically & spiritually FANTASTIC! Stayed loose while cooking & eating dinner in a splayed seated posture - though I managed to let the pot fall off the stove twice! I was really connected to the moment as I relaxed in Dead Man falling asleep & felt a strong sense of the universe & how I was part of it's atomic fabric. Cool & seriously awesome.
April 23:
71 miles. 8-730. Rode 10 miles to Bude this morning & met Tim, a nurse, on my way into a neat little bakery/eatery. We sat down together & chatted for probably 2 hours. His wife's suffering with cancer but he was a remarkable guy: fun, nice, thoughtful, interesting, & helpful. I didn't make time in Natchez to see Longwood ( an antebellum home) or Natchez Under the Hill (a bar) he'd recommended because I just felt it best that I keep moving given the time. Two more rear flats today - it's the damn 1" tubes that the LOSERS at Steve's Bike Shop in Panama City sold me. They're splitting at the seam when not underinflated. When I ask for 1 1/4" tubes, THAT'S WHAT I WANT! I was sad to leave MS - everyone there was soo friendly. It was cool to cross the Mississippi River, though, & so far the folks in Louisiana are nice, too. Camped behind a rundown Baptist church so need to get up early so I'm well gone before they start getting ready for Easter service. Another very good stretch & the hip's doing fantastic on the trip. It feels better than it has in probably a year. Wrist is fine but I've developed some ass pimples that don't feel so great (I need to clean & swap my riding shorts every day). I would like to be home while Rae's winding down & celebrating school (really & truly) but this adventure is really fun & I'm stoked to be doing it, in it, & living it.
April 24:
75 miles to Gum Springs CG in the Kasatchie NF. 8-6. Happy Easter. 3 flats before I could even get on the road. Those a-holes at The Bike Shop are on my s%#$ list. Breakfast was good even though it was at a gas station in Jonesville, LA - ham & cheese omelette, though the folks there weren't overly friendly. 2 more flats leaving there, then nursing a semi-flat, then two more for a total of 7 today. Stopped in Jena's Autozone (yea! Open on Easter!) & got tube patch with regular patches & rubber cement. Of course, I didn't get any more flats after just pumping up the tire some more! Hahaha! I ripped of big chunks of mileage on the saddle this afternoon. Instead of the typical 5-7 mile rest period I did 22, 16, & 12 stretches. Ass is numbing, wrist is fine, palms hurt in the morning but were fine all afternoon. Stayed on 84 out of Winfield at 5:30 & rode easily to Gum Springs CG in Kisatchie NF. Beautiful campground with water at my site & great view through pines of a nice lake, in which I cleaned up both myself & the days clothes. I know I'll sleep better - I've been so sticky the last few nights it's actually uncomfortable, which must be pretty bad because I typically shower less than one per week (if I can get away with it. i.e. if Rae's not around). Bugs forcing me to sleep in the tent again. Too bad because otherwise it's just gorgeous out - light breeze, low clouds, whispering pines. Mmmmm ... outdoors. The desire to see & be with Rae is overwhelming some times & often I get weepy; especially if I'm listening to music.
April 25:
94 miles to Shreveport. 7-530. I thought I saw a bobcat today, making its way into some tall roadside grass. Good breakfast in Clarence, LA, at a donut shop opened just last week by some lovely Cambodians. My ass is covered in a rash but feels fine. Palms hurt but I think I just need to keep my left grip adjusted properly - I'm worried about locking it down until I know what position's best. Terrific tailwind nearly all day so made it to River City Cycling, where they comp'd me 2 tubes (they're probably too big but that's probably better than the too thin tubes I have) & told me about the tornadoes forecast for tonight. I've hunkered down at a crappy Days Inn, showered (wow, was I dirty), cleaned clothes, got some Newcastle, & had beef tips & rice for dinner. I'd rather not stay tomorrow, even though I'm figuring out that I'm days ahead of schedule so will definitely hang with Freddie B in Sherman, TX, this weekend.

Oh, Honey!

After two weeks of traveling, Wes and I were hanging out for what was supposed to be a chill evening in Prescott with his cousin Zach.
"Quinn, what kind of honey is this?"  Zach hollered from the kitchen with a chuckle.  I turned my gaze, his hands were caked with a dull yellow colored goo stringing like glue between both fingers and palms.  It was everywhere, and it was hardening!  (photos to come)  His laughter stopped when he barely could pry his hands away from one another.

Zach was just mixing honey with some spices for a yummy chicken dinner, or so we thought.  When the honey started quickly rising in the mixing bowl, Zach chose to pour it into the sink instead of over the chicken.  The mixture continued to rise and thicken, so he shoved his hands in the mix to assist removal.  What was this mystery item that was so cleverly masked in a squeeze bottle on a shelf next to brown sugar and coffee in the van?

More on that in a minute.

The two weeks prior were filled with much family, driving and desert landscape.  It started with a last minute trip to Lubbock, Texas to visit with Wesley's immediate family.

After a weekend of baseball, soccer games and wonderful company, we made our way back to the Phoenix area.  Ops, and a quick stop to see the largest pistachio.  These people make lovely flavored pistachios, and an okay pistachio wine.

Wes squeezing on Cloud Tower

Last Pitch Cloud Tower

One night to unpack, re-pack and we were off again to Red Rocks, Las Vegas.  This time we were taking the VW van for a tour!  What a spoiled way of traveling...bed, fridge, stove, even stocked with a little coffee, honey, and pinto beans!!!  The weather was stellar, as well as the company!  Some friends from Canada were down for a week at a "conference."  Another group of friends was also down from Colorado Springs.  It was great climbing with everyone, jokes and laughter abound!

Eric avoiding the water hazard at the base of a climb

View from the tasting room in Jerome.  Sedona in distance.  

After six stellar days of climbing, Wes and I made our way back to Arizona.  Some time before seeing Zach in Prescott, we stopped off in Jerome.  A cute steep hillside town with wine tasting, many motorcyclists, and old mine history.  A well known musician established a winery and tasting room that we both wanted to check out.  The wine was great, but the service by one of the gals was a bit snobby.

Disgruntle customers

Back to the honey, I mean expanding foam.  Yes, expanding foam!!

After spending the rest of the evening manually picking at, pouring various chemicals on, and a making use of a car scrapper on Zach's hands, we finally saw skin just before midnight.  Poor guy.  Crusty pieces of curry flavored expanding foam were on his hands for days!

Poor sink.  Wes reached down the disposal and pulled out a Nerf football sized chunk of foam.  We tried to help put the kitchen back together, Wes working on the drain clog, me putting away the various products we poured on Zach in attempt to slough the stuff off.  We left the next morning, feeling terrible.  We thought we were just offering him honey!!!

Barbie doll shoved in hole?

Douglas hiking to the cliffs!

Arriving early in the morning back in Phoenix, I had just enough time to pack up all of my belongings.  The loaded corolla headed out that same day to spend a few days in New Mexico with a good friend who happens to be working on a job in Albuquerque for the next few months!  A warm goodbye hug to Rae and Wes sent me off on another leg of the journey.

Douglas and I climbed just outside of town on Friday, and then headed up to El Rito on Saturday.

El Rito is just north of Santa Fe.  The climbing is on oddly composed conglomerate rock piled in small spires along a hill side.  You grab onto large river stones cemented together, or the holes where stones used to be.  Douglas ran into an old expedition buddy at the cliff, so over a drizzly campfire dinner that evening we made new friends and told stories.  I woke up a bit chilled but motivated to finish the snowy drive to Estes Park.  I arrived yesterday to lovely snowy conditions.  It feels good to be back to one of my favorite places in the world!!!!

Karla and Astro with snowball cling-age.