Day 56 - San Clemente - Newport/Huntington Beach (70km)

This morning we slept in to 7:30am and started biking along the designated bike route through the O.C suburbs. After 2 days of rain on the entire trip we got rained on about 10kms from Newport Beach. Once at Newport Beach we repeated what we had done two months earlier and caught the ferry from Balboa Island to the Beach where we stripped down and plunged into the Pacific to officially end our bike trip. The water was alot warmer than the previous two months and we had a quick body surf before getting taught a lesson by the local shore break.

After we dried off we continued up the coast to Huntington Beach where the hostel we intended on staying was full. We organised for the bikes to be boxed up and stored for the next week and hunted around for some reasonably priced accommodation. We also arranged for a rental car to take us on a road trip to Vegas and Death Valley.

Day 55 - Julian - San Clemente (152km)

Today we hit the coast! After 45 days of biking (plus 10 rest days) we reached the Pacific. The day started off with a decent downhill to a town called San Ysabel where we waited for 15 minutes for the local bakery to open.

The stretch to the coast was relatively uneventful. The road got busy as we neared the coast, but included alot of downhill as we were dropping to sea level from over 4000ft.

Arrived in Oceanside to find out that the camping was a good 15-20 miles up the road. As we had a bit of energy we decided to continue on. As we were not allowed on the interstate we had to go through a military base where the the very young officer at the gate told us we could nt camp at the marked campsite on our tourist map. Turned out he was wrong, but we had no supplies so we continued up the road to San Clemente State Beach where we camped with an ocean view. Pretty sweet camping at the beach where they have 'hike and bike' rates which were $3 a piece. Riding through the military base was pretty good as there was almost no traffic on the road. Every now and again we would come across signs saying tank crossing etc.

We also met an interesting (and rather crazy) lady who camped next to us. She took a bit of shine to young David and told us that he looked like Jesus!!

That night it got cold and we got rained on pretty hard. We were quite relieved that we didn't have to use the wet and muddy tents again once we had folded them.

Day 54 - Brawley - Julian (128km)

After the hills in Arizona (and the previous day) we thought it would be plain sailing across the rest of California until we had a chat to some locals who informed us that the town of Julian was at 4200ft! We started the day knowing we had to climb this distance so we pulled out the trusty GPS to check out what altitude we were at to work out how much climbing we had to do. The GPS had us at 2000ft so a 2000ft climb over 120ks or so wasn't too bad. The first two hours of riding involved a gentle climb and after 60km we passed a sign that said that we were at 1000ft of elevation. We couldn't believe it! Turned out that the town of Brawley is 110ft below sea level and played havoc with the GPS so they day turned into 4300ft of climbing!

The town of Julian is pretty nice and touristy and much greener than the desert we ascended from. We were lucky enough to catch it on a saturday so were joined by all the weekend warriors from San Diego on their Harleys. We chilled out in the town for a few hours then headed to a campsite about 7 miles out of town. About 2 miles from the campground there was a sign saying that the campground was full, but we decided to chance it anyway and would beg if necessary to stay there as we were not keen on going much further!

On arrival the Ranger wasn't that sympathetic at first, but after a bit he felt sorry for us and let us camp in one of the day use areas (as long as we were long gone before his boss arrived the next morning). Lets just say we were pretty relieved as the nearest other campsite was a good 10 - 15 miles away!

Hi all

Today we all fly out to our respective final destinations - Dave & Sarse to London, myself back to the land of the long white cloud (or whatever interpretation you take)... Sarse will get the final few days up on arrival.

From me it is goodbye & good luck,
Ben

Hi all

Finally we have made it to a library to do what will probably be the last couple of posts to this blog... we have finished the ride, been to Vegas and back, and are currently relaxing in the O.C. before we three separate ways tomorrow and fly out. (you can read between the lines from that that none of us hit it big time in Vegas...). Total kms cycled for the trip came out at 5,370 - from coast to coast.

We would all like to thank those who have supported us in getting to and getting through this bike trip - it turned out a lot smoother than we could have ever expected. Special mention to Carrie & Cody and Jeremy & Rach (our start and end homes).

Below is a brief overview of some of the final days of the bike trip...

Day 53 - 142km - Blythe to Brawley
And it is hot. After getting a taste of the heat yesterday, we rose at 3am this morning to get on the road. First real use of the lights that we had been carrying for the whole trip. After some pretty hard riding through some stiff rollers, we hit the sand dunes. Since it was so early it wasnt too hot yet which was pretty good as we were able to do some actions photos in the dunes before rolling through. We stopped at a lone store before the start of the dunes (at about 9.30am) where Dave made a return to the black gold - downing 2 cans of coke within 5 minutes...

Immediately after clearing the dunes, we came to the imperial valley irrigation area. Lying at or below sea level, this area of roughly 460,000 acres is irrigated by water taken from the Colarado River - producing crops and used for dairy farming - right in the middle of the desert. The irrigation outflow goes into the Salton Sea (and is pretty much the only water that goes to the Salton Sea - the sea was prooduced by accident when engineers didnt quite get the irrigation system right). This cesspool which lies about 200ft below sea level (close to the -300ft at Badwater in Death Valley) is a rich area in terms of birds - about 250 different species gather here to feast on the multiplicity of scum-fed fish... As we were told, farm water feeds the nation - and also means the Colorado is near to empty by the time it crosses the USA/Mexico border.

Anyway, it was actually quite nice to cycle through this area, as the water and crops colled and moistened the air a bit - taking the edge off the dry desert air. That night we rolled into a motel for the night (as there were no campgrounds available in Brawley), which served as a great refresher for tired bodies as we enjoyed a night of comfort of beds and air-con, energising the bodies for the final push towards the coast!

Day 52 - 126km - Wenden to Blythe (California)
The final state of our bike trip. An early start today to beat the heat - we were on the road at sunrise. Another nice downhill as we descended into the low desert. Wasa reasonably smooth ride to Blythe, with a brief strop for the final border photo of our trip. We found out today what people mean when they talk about the heat of the desert - the best way to describe it is "furious heat". Hard to really do justice to it. Someone described the heat as so hot "it jumps out and grabs you". I would say it jumps out and grabs you, bodyslams you, and then laughs at you... it is f'n hot. Luckily we found a pearler of a campsite which was situated next to the cool waters of the Colorado River. A swim and some nicely watered grass to camp on under some shade trees was pure gold.

Day 51 - 161km - Prescott to Wenden
After riding through a bit of forest for the first part of the ride, we descended towards the low desert (after reaching 6100ft at the start of the ride, we descended to about 2000ft. Tomorrow we get down to about 800 and below). The heat was up around 100 degrees later in the day.

Day 50 - 79km - Precott NF to Prescott
A fairly easy ride into Prescott, followed by a lunch at a local waffle house. During lunchtime the weather turned for the worst - the wind picked up and the rain started falling. This isa bit of a 'common' occurance over this area as the hot air rushes up the slopes to higher altitude off the low desert. While popping in to do our brief blog update, we met a local who informed us the forecast was for 55mph winds and thunderstorms and it would be best to stay the night in Prescott. We took his advice and ended up staying at a national forest park just south of Prescott on our route for the next day.

Hi all - we are in Prescott, Arizona for lunch at the moment & are taking an hour out to update the blog for those of you at home. Commentary may be a bit brief, as time is limited. This will probably be the last update before we arrive at Newport Beach as we are now on the home stretch of the ride - just over a week to go. Please read on for the latest on our American adventure...

p.s. Tim, thanks for your comment on the blog. Extremely interesting stuff. Maybe you should set up a blog yourself.

Day 49 - 142km - Grand Canyon Village to Prescott National Forest
Goodbye to the Grand Canyon & hello to the final stretch! About 9 or so days of riding left. Today was a fairly quiet day, descending about 1500-2000ft as we moved away from the grand canyon & started moving towards the edge of the plateau & the low desert.

We stopped in Williams for lunch, where a thunderstorm passed over whilst we were eating. Not much rain but heaps of noise and lightning. Things got a bit windier after that. We made our way down the interestate for a while - a 20 mile stretch where we descended about 1000+ ft with a tail(ish) wind (temperatures immediately stepped up...). After refilling the water bottles, we cycled down the road about 10 miles towards Prescott, where we found a lake (amazingly for this area) and a nice wooded area in the national forest to camp - as Arizona hasa pack in/pack out, no fee approach to camping in the nat forests - we are maximising this as much as possible.

Williams also has a stretch of the historic route 66 running through - it is a bit of a tourist event tracing the path of the '66 accross the states.

Only other notable event was at lunch - the idea of pushing through to clock up a 200km day with the bags was floated to Dave & Ben B... No excitment or enthusiasm for the idea on their part though, so that one looks like it gets chucked into the 'bright ideas' bin...


Day 48 - Rest Day at the Grand Canyon
The rise to see the sunrise from a different part of the rim was flagged in favour of a sleep in. The boys all awoke to sore legs - obviously a strict diet of cycling doesnt give the best prep for a reasonably full on day of hiking...

Today was a much more restful schedule - tripping along the rim to the east & west checking out the canyon jumping on a free shuttle bus between each view point. The hardest part of the day was stepping on and off the bus (and the sore pins were making it pretty hard work!). Was another must do if at the GC, and is a lot easier going side to side than up & down...


Day 47 - "Rest Day" at the Grand Canyon
So yesterday afternoon we did some investigations into the tramps into the grand canyon. It turns out that for day hikes, you dont need any permits... perfect.

So the plan was to hike down to the Colarado River (the great carver of the canyon) - approximately a mile vertical drop from the rim - and back in a single day. As fast as possible as it gets pretty hot pretty quick in the canyon - it is averaging 80+ degrees F at the rim & 100+ degrees F down the bottom.

Unfortunately we cant post photos at the moment, but all over the place (and at a number of points on the way down the trail) there are posters warning "do not attempt to hike down to the river and back in a single day" and stating that each year 250+ people have to be rescued from the trails because they try to & most of them look like us - 25-40 year old males with low levels of risk adversity... however that just made the challenge more enticing!

So we arose early (4am) and got a good breakfast down, loaded up with water & food in our converted pannier bags (now hiking bags) and headed out. After wearing our thermals for the start, it quickly warmed up and we all had a good bead on. The views were just great down in the canyon & we reccomend getting out on the trails should you visit the GC.

We saw one girl who had suffered a bit in the dry heat - she was vomiting and not moving far & was still right down by the river - it was going to be a long, hot day for her. Dave raised a flag with the rangers - however she wasnt yet at a state where they were concerned... a lesson learnt the hard way.

After 7 hours (3.5 down & 3.5 up) and a mile vertical lost then gained, we made it back to the start of the Bright Angel track. The swift conversion from cycling to hiking was yet to be felt...

An afternoon of relaxing with some cool celebratory beers followed...


Day 46 - 115km - Flastaff (in the bush) to Grand Canyon Village
And hello to the Grand Canyon. After a chilly start at 8000ft whilst we waited for the sun to shine through, we made easy pace through to the Grand Canyon Viallge. The village is located on the south rim of the grand canyon. We set up camp at the main campsite, the Mather Campground (a great place to be as the sites are huge and amongst the trees and all the oversize RVs are not allowed - giving the place a great, laid back, camping feel as most people have tents).

The easiest way to sum up the Grand Canyon - you have got to see it to grasp just how awesome it is. Absolutely blew us away.

Tomorrow we move to a new discipline and go tramping...

Day 45 - Sedona - 12 miles north of Flagstaff (64km)

The morning ride was pretty spectacular up through Oak Creek Canyon. The first 10-15km winded its way up the Canyon until we were faced with a shear wall with a lookout at the top. After negotiating a good series of switchbacks the view back down the Canyon was spectacular!

Flagstaff is a pretty good student town sitting at about 7000ft and is full of outdoor enthusiasts. It is also one of two towns in the US where elite athletes use of their altitude training (the other being Boulder, Colorado). Flagstaff is also surrounded by the tallest peaks in Arizona (rising to roughly 12500ft) and has a local skifield called snow bowl. Given that the annual precipitation in Flagstaff is around 20 inches we were not surprised to find out that the mountain was only open for 15 days last winter!

Given that there were no campsites in the direction we were heading we decided to camp in the National State Forest (where you can camp anywhere for free!) and at a highpoint of 8000ft. Lets just say it was a rather cold night!!

Day 44 - Camp Verde - Sedona (Oak Creek Canyon) (77km)

Nice easy day into Sedona. After surviving a busy road with little to no shoulder to Cottonwood we rode the Scenic road into Sedona. Sedona itself is pretty stunning and is surrounded by red rock formations. Many western movies were filmed here and we could definately see why!

At the supermarket we met a Canadian guy from Vancouver who informed us that the good campsite we were hoping to go to was full. Given that he only had one tent he let us share the tent site. The campsite was up at Oak Creek Canyon and had a swimming hole (water was freezing!)



Day 43 - Payson - Camp Verde (109km)

Looking at the map before we set out we thought we were in for a cruzy 100k day, but it turned out to be one of the most difficult 100km stretches in the entire trip! The locals the previous day had told us that it wsa pretty much downhill into Camp Verde! The first 15km had a decent drop before a gradual climb up to the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. On the way into the Park there was a sign warning us of a 14% gradient (descent) over the next 3 miles. On the way down we had to put to the back of our minds that this was also the only way out of the Park!

The Tonto Natural bridge is pretty impressive. It is the largest of its kind in the world being 400ft long, 180ft high and a good 50-60ft thick. It consists of Travertine which is built up over thousands of years (similar to the Limestone caves back home). We hiked down to the bottom and were pretty surprised at how big it actually was. On the hike down a couple offered us the chance to put our bikes in the back of their pickup, but turned out they had gone when we got back up. The initial plan was to walk back up the hill to reduce the stress on the bikes and we also doubted whether we could climb this monster with an extra 50 pounds of weight. We dropped down into our granny gears and managed to get up without a pause which surprised us all!

Out of the State Park and we just kept on climbing and climbing. For 30kms around every corner there was another hill which was breaking us phsycologically! Dave got a flat in his new Gatorskins once we finally got back up on the rim (around 7000ft). About 20km from Camp Verde we finally got the downhill that the locals we talking about (6% over 15km).

Once at the Supermarket in Camp Verde a guy, after talking to Dave, asked if he was from New Zealand. Dave cautiously replied yes. The guy then asked if he had met his brother Todd in Del Rio. Back in Del Rio we had met a kiwi and her husband and they invited us around for Pizza. We knew that Todd's brother lived in Camp Verde, but the chances of bumping into him in the Supermarket were pretty slim. Jeff had been to NZ 2 or 3 times and invited us to stay at his place and had a few cold Steinlargers in the fridge which went down pretty well!


Day 42 - Globe - Payson (134km)

After a pretty easy decision we decided to skip going into Pheonix due to heavy traffic and cut the corner through Roosevelt lake to Payson and onto Camp Verde. This would also give us an extra day up our sleeve that we could use later on such as the Grand Canyon.

Leaving Globe we were stoked to leave the dry desert behind and move into a more colourful desert! The landscape is surrounded by red hills and also green from the huge Segoria cactus (of which there were hundreds!). We all wanted the perfect cactus for a photo op, but a few days later the cactuses disappeared so we missed our opportunity!

The road from Gl0be ran along the shore of Lake Roosevelt which was pretty impressive. At the other end of the lake there is a bridge that crossed over the Roosevelt Dam. After posing on the bridge for a photo Dave unscrewed the top of his drink bottle and managed to fumble it over the side of the bridge into the depths below (well beyond reach!).

We stopped at a town called Punkin Centre for lunch. As we were riding in we spotted a sign for 'free food'. Of course we couldn't pass this up! Turned out the local Kiwani Foundation had just received a truckload of food and were in the process of giving it away. If our luck couldn't get any better the ladies invited us inside and fed us even better food of toasted bagels and donuts which went down a treat.

The last part into Payson involved a 2000ft (15km) climb onto the Mongolan Rim (part of a large contintental shelf which runs across Arizona. Given that it was about 30 degress, no wind and the first part of the climb literally went straight up the hill it definately took its toll! Finally got to the top and were rewarded with views of the 'Rim' and a good downhill off the Rim into Payson.

Day 41 - Rest day Globe, Arizona

Given that all the amenities we required were within the confines of the Super8 Motel we did not venture far from here. The day was spent infront of the tv, bike maintenance, laundry and thats about it. Ben B and Dave did, however, have another crack at the Chinese buffet while Ben S didn't want a repeat of the previous day & has a bit more interest in variation so hit the local Mexican restaurant. Dave became another casualty of the buffet and had a rather uncomfortable waddle back to the Motel where he had to have a lie down for about an hour before tacking the 'wobble' problem with his bike.

Tomorrow we depart for the Grand Canyon which will be roughly 5 days. We will be passing though Camp Verde, Sedona, Flagstaff and finally the Grand Canyon Village.

Day 40 - 127km - Thatcher to Globe

Well we are now 40 days into the trip & looking forward to a rest day tomorrow after a hard 5 days. For those of you who are the at-home geographers you will see that Globe, Arizona is a good way across the States. From our perspective it is pretty exciting to that we are now heading up rather than across (Grand Canyon here we come) - if we wanted to head for the coast from here it would be less than a week of riding. As we move north over the next few days (towards Flagstaff and then the south rim/grand canyon village) we will climb a shelf which runs diagonally across Arizona - which effectively will drop the temps by roughly 20-30 degrees F, giving us a chance to use the thermals & winter woolies we have lugged approximately 4000 kms to date! Will be down around zero degrees C at nights.

As for day 40 itself, we made an early start to beat the winds & to extend the amount of rest time we get in before the next haul. The 5:30am start actually felt like 6:30am as we had only put the watches back the day before. Was a reasonalby challenging 5 days riding with a lot of climbing & hot/dry/windy weather which slowly wears us down day by day. With humidity hovering around 10% it is hard to imagine how much the airs dries your mouth out while you are riding and as a result we have had to increase out water intake a lot. Most of the ride was in light winds and so we were able to average around 30kph for the ride and make good pace up the long gradual climbs coming into Globe.

Globe got its name from the silver discovery days in the 1800's - a large ball of silver was discovered early on which had what looked like an outline of the continents on it, so the miners named the camp at that time Globe after it. The name stuck as the camp grew into a town - the silver ran out early on but large copper deposits were found & mining continues on today. Earlier in the trip we were fascinated by the cotton farming/plantation etc history and current situation in the south. We were finally able to gain insight into the true situation of cotton farming in the states. Cotton sells for about 55c a pound, costs about 75c a pound to produce. Government subsidies of ~3 billion top up the average price to somewhere around 90c a pound.

Today marked the first time we saw the saguaro cactus (and we ended up seeing a whole lot). this is the cactus which most of you will picture first - the one which looks like it has arms held out & up. Although we have seen tonnes of other cactus - this is the first time we have seen this iconic plant. They are massive.

Yesterday we were able to use a set of scales we found at the RV park to finally get a weigh in of our bags. Each of us is carrying a good 50 pounds on our racks - more than we initially estimated! (in metric is about 23kg and includes the weight of the bags themselves)

The rest day will be gladly taken by Dave who is currently experiencing 'load' problems on his bike - at all speeds he is currently experiencing the wobbles from time to time - a scary experience for those who are around him let alone be experiencing!

On the ride today we also met our aquintance Max again who bumped into us while we were taking a quick break early on. He latched onto the train, however once again as we hit the hills he dropped back - given that we had risen early & were intent on beating the winds the boys were not in charity mode today and the train continued on, leaving him to continue the rest of the day on his own.

On arriving in Globe checked into the Super8 Motel and made a quick line for the local chinese buffet for a late lunch. Very impressive buffet, the highlight being the creme freeze machine with 3 different flavours. Usual buffet result of lots of pre-meal trash talk about strategy, followed by deviating heaviliy from that strategy and a very quiet afternoon!

Day 39 - 132km - Buckhorn to Thatcher

Ended up pushing on a bit further than planned today in order to make Globe (rest day) a day ahead of schedule. Not that there is much of a schedule, but we originally thought that it would take us a day more to get to Globe. The last 1/3 of the ride was into some knarly headwinds, luckily a good chunk of it was on a slight downhill, balancing out the grind ever so slightly.

Today marked the crossing into Arizona - our second to last state and our last time zone (as Arizona observe Pacific time during daylight savings rather than mountain time). The crossing of borders also allowed us to finally get a photo with the New Mexico welcome sign after the notable absence of one leaving Texas. It would have been disapointing if we had missed one after nailing some great poses at every other state we had crossed into! As if to make up for it, they had two big signs (100m apart) on this border crossing... After the border we had a really awesome descent out of the Apache Forest, steep switchback roads & breathtaking desert scenery. Dave is desending a lot more comfortably on his new conti' gatorskins! On the descent we could see 25kms across the valley floor was a long and steep road winding up almost as high as the pass we were currently descending. We all hoped that we wouldn't have to climb that sucker after lunch (but we did)!

At lunch today we met a lone touring cyclist by the name of Max. An interesting punter, he was in between degrees at uni/college and one of the things he was doing was cycling from New Orleans to Pheonix. Doing a trip like this is not our cup of tea, but as the saying goes - different floats for different boats. Most interesting about max was his bike - an old school mountain bike with road wheels, a flipped over 80's tri bar set up (difficult to explain), a straw hat & a yukelele sticking out the back. He rode with us the rest of the ride, and then continued on a bit further as he was a bit of a fan of dusk/night riding. In terms of the ride, there was a really solid uphill coming out of lunch & Ben B made the mistake of saying that we usually wait up the top for the last person. Being men of our word, we reached the top of the climb and waited over 15 minutes (yes, 15!) for Max to arrive - this also marked the first time Dave dropped anyone of a climb on the trip to date... Luckily it was only downhill and flat for the rest of the ride. We also discovered that he hasn't ridden much in groups as he was all over the show - enough for me to give away a great draft into the hedwind in order to stay 5-10 metres clear of him! However, he is a really nice guy.

Day 38 - 142km - Kingston (over Emory Pass) to Buckhorn

Got up in the morning and had a great breakfast (full credit to the Black Range Lodge) of homemade granola, fruits, yogurt (when in America spell like an American...) and Pete's freshly cooked orange bread which was magificent. Catherine gave us a good chunk to tuck into once we made it to the top of Emory Pass (the climb started right outside the door). For the record Dave awoke to one flat tire...

The big climb we were dreading turned out to be pretty good with a consistent gradient complemented by perfect riding conditions (clear, cool and calm). After conquering the summit we posed for some photos, took in the view and geared up for the cold descent.

Was a slow descent as Dave's thorn riddled back tyre was slowly deflating (not what you want on a high speed downhill). After a couple of stops to reinflate it was decided that it was time to pull out the spare tire in order to allow a bit of pace over the 30 miles left to Silver City where new tyres could be purchased. Once there the local bike shops did not have the Specialized Armadillos, but they had the Conti' gatorskins - which provide a more compliant ride but are not quite so extreme on the punture protection scale. Dave pretty much cried tears of happiness as he threw the two old tryes into the bin! Following this Dave downed a grand total of 6 pecan pinwheels following lunch - a good effort from the man who was quoted the day before as saying "I think I have lost my sweet tooth on this trip"...

Around the pass we saw the most touring cyclists we have seen on the whole trip. One lot we saw at the bottom of the Emory Pass descent - we asked them what the terrain was like from there to Silver City (they said, wrongly, flat/downhill with one climb), they asked us what the climb was like up to the top, to which I answered easy and gradual (totally wrong as we had been biffing down it at over 50kph) - never ever trust another persons read on the lie of the land, especially if they are in a car or moving in the opposite direction!

We got to Buckhorn at approx 7pm - after over ten hours on the road after flat tyres, tyre changes and so on (a great day for the development of the classic "farmer tan"). After dodging numerous tumbleweeds and battling along in the dry heat and head/side wind we were pretty toasted & rocked up to find the local store closed... luckily there was another one past the RV park - where we ordered two 14 inch pizzas & downed them in record time. While talking to the locals inbetween mouthfuls of pizza they said that they are currently in a drought and are not expecting any rain this year!!!

Day 37 - 121km - Radium Springs to Kingston

This day could be dubbed attack of the thorns... little buggers called goathead thorns... While Ben B & Ben S are now riding on armidillo tyres (kevlar layer) - Dave is still on his original 'punture resistant' tyres. These are beginning to wear down and show signs of perishing. Today Dave got 5 punctures. Yes, 5. This included waking up in the morning and the back tyre was flat. Changed this. 2 miles into the ride and another flat on the back. Changed this, put wheel back on. Pump up the new tube & hear hissing. Hmm there is also a flat on the front. Hold on the back is going down... yes - the front and back (this is after just being changed) flat at the same time! On careful examination later it was found that one tube had 5 holes in it. Nasty suckers those thorns. We (Dave on our behalf) are now beginning to learn the basic lesson that if you need to get off the road then the bike doesn't go with you as as you will have a flat before you have time to curse those thorns! While we were changing numerous tubes a cop pulled over and the first thing he said was that he had got a call on the radio about some cyclists trespassing next to someone's fence. We all looked at each other and all thought you must be joking and luckily he was! Nice chap and gave us an insight into the climbs that we would be facing over the coming days.

Today we were also dog magnets. We are getting used to having these things run alongside us and barking (we learned pretty early on that trying to outrun them just makes them more aggressive!), but these ones today were big, vicous and quite possibly rabid.

Puntures, pump stops etc etc made for a very long day. The icing on the cakes was as we stopped to fill bottles before the 25ish mile climb to Kingston, Dave got another flat while taking his bike off the road to read a historical marker. At least the wind appeared to have turned and become a tail wind we thought... but not so - once we turned the corner we found that we were into a stiff headwind the whole way up; during this time I went out the back door - had enough for the day - Dave only noticed when he was preparing to drop himself and noticed there was a lot of space behind him...

Once at the Black Range Lodge (the Black Range was the final stronghold of the Apache Indians & includes our highest pt of the trip (~8500ft) which we will pass tomorrow; Kingston was once a booming town of 7000 miners & is now regarded as a ghost town...) we met Catherine & Pete the owners. Into strawbale house building, Catherine has even written a book on the subject. Pete is a bit of a frisbee legend, being a disc golf course designer (has a degree in landscape architecture & a 20 hole course at the lodge!) and makes a mean chilli popcorn & fresh orange bread.

Another random cycle tourer rocked up - he was travelling about a 600 miles jouney at about 100 miles a day & taught us all a lesson in light packing - he had a bike and a tiny bag with a bivvy sack to sleep in and that was pretty much it! The next morning he did, however, tell us that a sleeping bag may have come in handy given that he was sleeping at 6200ft it was a little chilly...

Day 36 - 102km - El Paso to Radium Springs

A pretty easy day out. The route was in the main dead flat. Most of the afternoon was spent travelling along the Rio Grande valley - an area of remarkable greenery in a dry region, as water from the Rio Grande is used to irragate chilli and pecan crops. The area is known for its chillis (some of which we would savour tomorrow thanks to Pete). The whole afternoon was pretty much spent riding among huge areas of pecan trees - they water them though flooding the fields in which they lay. It was quite nice and refreshing for a change from the dry regions we have been travelling through. The Pecan groves also sheltered us from any winds so a good pace was enjoyed by all. Dave got one flat today from a staple. No flats for Ben B since switching tyres (touch wood...).

We had a fine lunch of cheese, turkey, tomato and avacado sandwiches (care of the Walmart Food Centre) in the town of Las Cruches which is surrounded by rugged peaks that looked alot like the Remarkables in Queenstown after a very dry summer!

Today we crossed into New Mexico - well at least we think we did... there was no sign at the border, a bitter disapointment after having taken photos at each border to date! We will try to find a sign on exiting the state and make it look like we are actually entering New Mexico (and not leaving it!).

Day 35 - Rest Day in El Paso

Nice and easy rest day in sunny El Paso. The two Bens went and did laundry at a local laundromat and met an interesting local man who proceeded to tell us that he travelled the world when he was younger - "yes, I went to Houston, Los Angeles..." You get the point.

Except for the $5.50 Pizza Hutt lunch buffet the day was fairly uneventful. No crossing over into Mexico, as today was the day of the immigrant rally in support of immigrants in the States and a protest march had been organised to block the border crossings.

The bikes

I must apoligise for taking so long to put up this post. I bet that by now you are all wanting to get to know our bikes better! After seeing the steamy pictures in the earlier post you all must be wondering - what are their names & what are their personalities? When you are riding something for over 5 hours a day for two months it is important that a strong relationship is formed between man & bike. I have put together a quick profile of each bike (please see earlier for photos) -

Name - The silver bullet
Make/model - Giant OCR Touring
Rider - Ben B
Key points of interest - The only bike with a masculine name, this bike is well known for being a bit of a squealer. Often makes a bit of noise, however has quietened down a bit lately as Ben has tamed the machine. Is also the only bike to date to ride off the road on route, spit out a tube& burst a tyre.

Name - The purple princess
Make/model - Devinci Destination
Rider - Dave (aka the princess)
Key points of interest - Is purple. Not to be confused with her long haired rider, the purple princess has been a solid performer to date. Lately has developed a habit of throwing wobblies on random occasions - an event which can be potentially quite dangerous, espcially on steep decesnts. Dave has found that putting a knee up against her stem can settle her down. Not well regarded in terms of her climbing ability.

Name - Black Beauty
Make/model - Specialized Tricross
Rider - Ben S
Key points of interest - The best looking bike of the bunch. While in terms of performance she could be rightly named black thunder, a masculine name did not seem appropriate for such a fine looking machine.

Day 34 Hideaway Lakes - El Paso (65km)

Another early rise as we had still not adjusted to mountain time! Another cold start as well! After a long, tiring week it was a good thing the ride in to El Paso was on a smooth, quiet road with little traffic (Sunday). A quick fuel stop early on to get more food through the system worked out to be a good thing, as we decided on the way in to bypass the airport-based accomodation for the more convenient city centre options - on arriving in the middle of El Paso, we found two extremely expensive hotels & two closed down hotels - we were getting hungry and desperate... we found the address of a good place for pancakes so decided to hit that first & refuel given it was early in the day. On the way we found a good place to stay, which turned out to be handy to restuarants, the favoured bike shop (some new tires) and a supermarket...

After the rest day tomorrow, we set course for the Grand Canyon - to get to which we must go through a number of mountain passes (including the continental divide) and more desert country. However, we can finally pronounce - we are over half way!!

Day 33 Van Horn - Fort Hancock (144km)

Another early start this morning - avoiding the dreaded head winds. We learned that the winds the prior day had been 25-35mph forecast with 45mph gusts & the current measure for the time we were cycling at a point 100 miles north was 51mph!! Anyway, the early start meant it was freezing cold & the boys were pretty jaded from the big day before. After a cool climb at the start of teh day, we stopped and fuelled up on hot chocolates, coffee, muffins, rolls and so on, then rolled out. The sun was a bit higher by then and a good downhill followed to the lunch stop, putting the boys in a much better mood!

The lunchstop was at a diner where they used to have 8 live tigers... signs around the place proudly proclaimed the tigers were comibg back as well!

Today marked the move into mountain time (another hours change). Accomodation for the night was at 'Hideaway Lakes'. A pretty strange place if you are from NZ - about 4 artificial lakes in the middle of a pecan orchard, where you pay $7 to enter and drop a line in the pond. The lakes are filled with catfish. And it was very popular!! On the way we stopped at the grocery store at Ft Hancock where we met the owner who was an ex-WWII navy landing boat driver who had visited NZ during the war.

One day from El Paso!


Day 32 Ft Davis - Van Horn (150km)

Early start this morning because of a warning of very strong head winds. After a 5:30am wake up we packed up everything in the dark and headed out into an immediate climb up to the McDonald Observatory (run by the University of Texas). The climb to the top was the longest and steepest of the trip so far and definately put some space between the team members going up the hill. Once at the top (some 6200ft above sea level) we were rewarded by some spectacular views over the surrounding mountains and plains.

From the observatory it was some 60km (predominantly downhill and with a tailwind!!!) to Kent so we cruised at speeds well in excess fo 40kph. About half way to Kent Dave realised that two od the welds on his front rack had snapped. After a temporary fix of duct tape and superglue we were back on our way. Once in Kent we fuelled up and hopped on the I-10 (interstate) into a very strong headwind! During this time Ben S got his first puncture of the trip (however the self-sealing tube filled the hole & after a quick inflation the bike was backon the road!). As we progressed the wind got stronger and stronger and reduced us to a crawl (of which we rotated the elad man on the bunch about every 2 kms!). Once we got to Van Horn we were three very broken men! After travelling the length of the town we finally found a grocery store then found out that the capsite was back 3kms int ehdirection we had just came. To give you an idea of how strong the wind was we didn't peddle at all back down the main street and were still accelerating at 30kph!

Arrived at the campsite and was too windy to pitch a tent so we booked one of their little log cabins which proved to be pretty comfortable to be on a real bed for a change!


Day 31 Marathon - Ft Davis (Davis Mountains State Park) (95km)

Todays ride had us passing through the biggest town in the Davis County called Alpine. Pretty uneventful riding to Alpine again assisted by a light tailwind.

Once in Alpine we made our way to the local bike shop where Ben B was hoping to pick up a new tyre, but second bike shop in a row didn't have any tyres in the size that he wanted. The guy at the bike shop pointed us in the direction of the local Bakery called 6th street so we though twe would check it out for lunch. Turned out on arrival that the bakery did a buffet lunch which I must say is the first bakery I have ever seen that offered a buffet! They had fresh bread (uncommon here!), sun dried tomato bread, soup, 2 types of quiche and salad. The food was unbelievable and we stuffed ourselves as usual before heading out to Fort Davis.

The road to Ft Davis headed up a canyon that looked alot like a scene from central Otago. In the canyon, on the side of the road, we saw the biggest snake of the trip so far. Those suckers are pretty quick when you startle them so we were pretty happy to be heading in the other direction to the snake!

Once in Ft Davis we picked up some groceries and headed up the hill to the State Park which was quite a nice area with lots of camping. With a warning about black bears, mountain lions and Javelinas from the local park ranger we made our way to our campsite. No chance here of getting any tent pegs in the ground so we had to improvise with large rocks instead!

We ate at the State Park's restaurant that night. Ben S tried chicken fried steak which is like snitzchel, Dave tried Chicken fried chicken (like KFC) and Ben B settled for a vegetarian lasanga.

That night Ben B got talking to an Astronomer who was attending a conference at the ranch next door. This guy sold telescopes to other astonomers (of who there were some 550 at this conference). Once it was dark he let him have a look through the telescope (the telescope looked like a canon, about 10ft high and you needed a step ladder to look through the eye piece!) where they had set it to look at Saturn. I could not believe how clear Saturn looked through the telescope. You could see the rings, it's moons and also the shadow that Saturn cast on its rings on the non-sun side! Pretty impressive!

Day 30 Sanderson - Marathon (90km)

Easy riding day today. Even though we climbed 300-400m there was such a gentle incline that we didn't really notice the slope and we were also partly assisted by a light tailwind. Consequently, we covered the distance in little more than 3 hours with a break in the middle.

When we arrived in Marathon (not named for the distance, rather the fact that it looks like the town Marathon in Greece!) we met a really nice couple. The husband had spent more than 20 years of his life in Australia and had also circumnavigated around New Zealand in a motor boat in the early 1970s. Through his work in the oil business (geological survey) they had lived and travelled in many places around the world so were a very interesting couple. They invited us to spend lunch with them and we went to the local Mexican restaurant for a feed.

That night we camped at the Marathon motel. Given that we are now in desert country it is very difficult to hammer in all the tent pegs. As a result we have spent alot of time straightening our pegs and have to use other means of anchors such as trees and rocks.

Day 29 Langtry - Sanderson (98km)

Left Langtry with a light tailwind. In western Texas it is not uncommon for towns to be at least 100km apart and provide limited services so this was the first day that we had to carry food and water with us. Given that the predominant wind is SE we thought it would only take 3-4 hours so we packed our food pretty lightly. About 45km into the ride a very strong headwind blew in dropping the temperatures in a matter of minutes and almost halving our speed (25km - 13km p/h). About 50km in Ben B got a puncture. Just as he had finished pumping up the tyre he realised that the tub was not sitting right on the rim and just as he was reaching to deflate it the tube exploded!

As the wind was so strong our ETA had increased from about 2-4 hours and our food suppplies were running rather low. Dave had ran out of food and the two Bens had one muesli bar each which they wern't gonuig to touch until the 80km mark! On our maps we were told that there were no services for 100km, but 65km in we passed through a very small settlement that had just opened a store in the last 6 months. This couldn't have come at a better time as we bought some treats and a loaf of bread and ate peanut butter and jam sandwiches which got us through. If that store hadn't been there things would have been quite different by the time we got to Sanderson! No matter how many times you learn those lessons about hitting the wall on the bike we somehow continue to not take enough food. The following day we were alot more prepared!

Day 28 - Del Rio - Langtry (95km)

After demolishing yet another buffet we rolled on out onto wide shoulders, a tail wind and very rough chip on the road! The landscape is now becoming more and more desolite and resembles scenes out of Western movies. We stradled the border for most of the day seeing alot of border patrol cars pass us and even going through our first boder checkpoint. These desert areas are something we are going to have to get used to for the rest of the trip, with long straight roads and very dry scenery (excuse the pun!). We sped through the first 50km to Comstock in well under 2 hours and after a quick refuel we were on our way. About 9 miles up the road we stopped at the highest spanning bridge in Texas, over the Pecos river. The bridge was similar to skippers canyon with high canyon walls and a surprising amount of water for such a dry area.

We arrived in the metropolis of Langtry (population 14) around 2pm and had a quick look around the visitor information centre before chowing down on some hamburgers at the local petrol station (not sure what type(s) of meat were in these burgers, but that was the only thing we could find!). After lunch we went bak to the visitor centre to see what Langtry had to offer. Langtry is a real western town and was originally formed because of the construction of the railroad, but became more famous for a certain justice of the peace who was introduced to deal to petty crime in the area. Judge Roy Bean was some character and became known as the Law West of Texas. He used to use his own rules and sometimes dealt out (from his bar/courthouse severe punishments for the smallest of crimes like hanging).

We camped out at the local community centre where 3 Mexicans lived. They were nice guys and gave us some beers, but we could hardly understand them. It is surprising how much conversation you can make without having to speak many words!). In fact, one of them had been bitten by a scorpion the day before and had a nasty cut on his leg! As there was no grocery store in Langtry all we could find at the gas station were cans of 'ranch style beans' which had to do for dinner!

The weather in Langtry was very hot (30s), even though a passing thunderstorm sent rain our way for about 15 minutes! The low for the night we were told would be in the low 20s so we were in for a rough sleep in our tents!

Story from the Greenville Herald-Banner

Just rolled up to the town of Marathon, have a bit of spare time & the local library has internet so I thought I would throw the story you have all been waiting for up on the blog!

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On the road again
By Tracy Chesney

They were hungry and exhausted from their long trip. After 70 miles of bicycling in one day, all they wanted was a place to crash for the night. So they ended up in the middle of nowhere, camped in the midst of nature¹s beauty and received some great Southern hospitality. While visiting my daughter at Lake Tomahawk Baptist Encampment in Livingston last week, three men showed up looking for a place to stay. Nothing unusual about that. What was unusual is that they¹re from New Zealand and are on a cross-country bicycle tour. Not for fame or fortune or some great and worthy cause. They¹re just on a holiday, wanted to tour the Southern states, meet the Southern people and have a little fun.

Dave Aitken, 27, Ben Blundell, 26, and Ben Schurr, 25, are 10,000 miles from home. The men met in college, and Aitken is now a lawyer, Blundell is a corporate accountant and Schurr is a corporate manager.

They started their cross-country tour in Charleston, S. C., on March 28, and their goal is to be in Newport Beach, Calif., by the end of May. They travel about 70 miles a day and carry about 40 pounds of equipment apiece on their bikes including camping gear, tools, clothing, toiletries, food and water. They have traveled close to 100 miles in a day.

“The general consensus is that we’re crazy for doing this,” Aitken said. “Our friends do consider us crazy,” Blundell said. “But they also think it¹s pretty cool.” Schurr said they’ve received a lot of recognition in their country for attempting such a feat. “A few of our friends would like to do something like this, but they don¹t have the physical capability,” Schurr said. (He only said this to rub it in on his friends who couldn’t join them.)

The men heard that the South was famous for its hospitality. “And it has lived up to its reputation,” Aitken said. “Their hospitality has really helped us out.” I tried to convince the men to come to Greenville, telling them I could make them front page news. I even rolled up my sleeves and offered them some Southern hospitality - the best hot chocolate in the world and some home-baked chocolate chip cookies. They did consider it, but it would have been a four-day trip out of their way.

The men generally get up around 7 in the morning, and it takes them several hours to pack up their equipment. They’re usually on the road again by 9 a.m. and take several breaks a day. “We decide how far to go that day and aim for a town,” Schurr said. “By the end of the afternoon, we stop at a supermarket because we’re hungry. We start asking around about campsites or churches to stay at. And what we found is that people will take us in.” “I don’t know if they feel sorry for us or what,” Blundell added. “The people in the States, however, have been super, friendly and welcoming.”

The men said the American women seemed to go crazy over their heavy New Zealand accents, but some people find it a little hard to understand them. They, on the other hand, sometimes have trouble understanding the Southerners. “The people in South Carolina had a southern drawl,” Blundell said. “The people in Louisiana and Alabama were hard to understand, but the Texans are a little easier to understand.”

All three men have been in triathlons, and they call Schurr the Iron Man. “We should be in the best shape of our lives,” Schurr said, “but not right now. By the end of the trip, however, we will be.”

By now, the men would have just left Austin after a short two-day visit. Now, they’re on their way to Del Rio. They also plan to make a detour to the Grand Canyon. They estimate that they will travel more than 4,000 miles. They are, however, dreading the mountains and hills.

Aitken said the first part of the trip was tiring, but now they¹re getting used to their 70-mile-per-day ride. “It’s been quite smooth with no hitches or hiccups (a New Zealand phrase) and not too many problems,” Blundell said. “Although I did have a flat tire on Thursday,” Aitken said. “But after a quick change, we were back on the road again.”

The men have no immediate goals once they cross the country. “I just plan to get a real job, earn some money and get a haircut,” Aitken said. “Right now, I’m just worried about the few thousand miles that we still have to travel,” Schurr said.

So if you’re traveling in the Southern states in the next six weeks, be looking for the three bicyclists from New Zealand. They’re sure to be on the road again.

Day 27 - Rest Day - Del Rio
Not much to do in Del Rio as it is a classic border town so just a quiet day of laundry, bike maintenance and eating! We were tempted to head across the border into Ciudad Acunia, but will probably leave that until El Paso which has a much larger town on the Mexican side. We enjoyed the novelty of making our own waffels for breakfast at the Inn as well as the usual breakfast buffet delights.

Dave's decision of not shaving for the rest of the trip lasted all but a week when the itching got the better of him. The Bens thought that he was going to be fully shaven, but has skillfully left a dirty mostache and a few other trimmings so will see how long that lasts! Ben S is still sticking to the no shaving decision and is now supporting some pretty long designer stubble and is showing no sign of caving into the pressure of the razor! (like the hammer, it was left at home).

Plan for tonight is a sirloin steak buffet - we went in to have a look and it is intimidating! At least the oversize meals for little $ are well suited to the cycle tourer.


Day 26 -55km - Braketville - Del Rio
We originally thought that it would take 5 days riding to reach Del Rio, however a couple of bigger days & some mis-calulation meant that it was only 4, with the last day an easy 30 miles! When I say easy, it was the easiest ride of the whole trip - pretty much dead flat, with a strong tail wind, reasonable road surface & good shoulders! Now anyone who has ever ridden a road bike will know - when you get these sort of conditions you put the hammer down!! Hard to beat the sound & feeling of a bike when it is ripping along in its biggest gears with relatively low effort! For some reason Dave (who was at the front) wasnt feeling the need to make hay while the sun shines in the great conditions we had - however after a few derogatory comments from behind regarding his suspected personal features and sexuality, Dave sped the pace sped up, and we coasted into Del Rio at a good rate covering the 50 odd kms in well under two hours!!

All along the wide shoulders of the highway into Del Rio are graded dirt roads. We learned later that each day the US border patrol drag tyres behind their vehicles to groom these roads and come back later to check them for footprints so they can persue an 'illegal aliens' that have crossed the Rio Grande (termed 'wetbacks' over here!)

We are also now using the 'adventure cycling' maps - an organisation over here which publishes routes & guides cycle tours around the states. The reason for this is that civilisation (& water) starts to become a lot more spread out, and road choices become very important. Up till now we had chosen our own roads, but from Del Rio until the Grand Canyon we will be mainly sticking to these! And there are a lot of geographic features to 'experience' between here and there, making adequate water & food of vital importance...

Also of news is our story has apparently been published in the Greenville Banner-Herald!! We have not yet seen it, but Tracy (the reporter) sent through this photo taken at Camp Tomahawk which she was trying to get published with it. Unfortunately the photo got cut, but the story is in! Will try and get a copy up when we get hold of it (p.s. Libby I think there are some in the mail to you). International media superstars...

On arrival into Del Rio we checked into the La Quinta Inn (as included a buffet breakfast of course!) then quickly made a line for the pancake restaurant conveniently located next door to our accommodation. One word of warning about ordering pancakes over here. If you order a full stack of pancakes at one of these joints you will really be in for a decent feed! After literally rolling ourselves out of the restaurant Ben S went down to check out the gun selection at Walmart while Ben B and Dave headed to the bike shop to pick up some supplies. Conincidentally, while at the bike shop a NZ lady phoned to check whether she could pick up her daughter's bike. Once she learned about some NZder's in the shop she told the guy over the phone to wait as she wanted to meet us (apparently kiwis are hard to come by over here). Sure enough, 15 minuites later we were talking to one of our own who invited us around for a home cooked dinner. Carole (the Kiwi) picked up from the Inn and drove us to the Airforce Base for a look around (where her husband works - helicopter pilot who now trains jet pilots in planes that look like private jets! As could be expected the security at the base was very high and we were greeted by a lady brandishing an M-16!

At Carole and Todd's place we were treated to some of the best Pizza we had ever had. Todd had somehow come by the recipe for 'deep dish' pizzas from a famous restaurant chain in Chicago. The Pizza closely resembled a pie with cheese on the bottom and tomato and sausage on the top. If you have never tried one of these - we all thouroughly recommend it!! (not something you want to eat all the time though if you want to live more than 5 years into the future) After stuffing ourselves she announced that there was stilll dessert which was chocolate pudding which we had just to be polite of course!

Todd and Carole were such a nice couple and gave us some pointers about the terrain we will be facing in Arizona (big elevation gains!!). We also got to have a look at one of Todd's cars which was a flashed up Corvette Stingray which he uses for a few sunday drives!

Day 25 - 145km - Lost Maples to Fort Clark (Bracketville)

We rolled out early from the Campsite, the clouds still present & the air a bit nippy. 5 minutes into the ride we found out the hill country was going to have the last laugh on us - the first climb was at last as steep and gnarly as the one we had descended the night before & probably a bit longer too. The area description for the next 30-odd miles was 'very difficult' - while not get of your bike and walk type of stuff (will be a sad day for the first person to do that!), it was the hardest set of hills and hardest gradients we had encountered. The hills are really where you notice the extra weight on the bikes! We had two good hill ranges to cross in the first 20 miles, after which the weather cleared (hot) and we moved into flat(ish), dry, cactus-clad, dry river, sparsely populated land. I think the term used to describe it is 'scrub rangewood'.

The roads on the last leg narrowed, but were fairly quiet. The only exception was the large sized chip which seemed to tendarise our backsides so we were pretty glad to get off the bike at the end of the day!

We rolled into Bracketville to the news of a powercut - the supermarket was closed - a true calamity to the thirsty, tired cyclist! In fact we had all calculated to just run out of water when we arrived in Bracketville so the thought of not even being able to use a vending machine (uses power!) left us pretty shattered! The supermarket manager was extremely nice to us however, making available a tap for us to use & giving us some chilled water & some ice! Once the power came back up, we repaid the generousity by spending up in the store. Purchases included a gallon of chocolate milk - nothing quite hits the spot like that after a hot ride around here!

Tempting the devil, Ben B made the innocent remark that he had not had a flat on the journey today, the first day in a while. Half an hour later he went back to check the tire pressure for the day ahead - only to find that he infact did have a flat tyre - it had just been a slow leaker... out came the punture repair kit again (the boys will be restocking on patches in Del Rio - puncture count BB - 6, Dave - 4, BS - 0).

This was a big day for us - our hardest climbing day & our first real taste of the dry heat & extended plains of the west texas area. A massive range of difference over the range of 80-odd miles. We have even seen alot of Antelope in the fields in what seem like clips from an African documentary. Apparently some of them are even considered to be native!

Day 24 - 137km - Stonewall to Lost Maples State Park (near Vanderpool)

This day would have to rank as one of the best days riding I have had. After the strong winds and storms last night, we rose to mild conditions - no rain, but a good amount of low cloud with fluttering winds. The route today would take us over a bit of a plain and then through some hills, following the Gaudalupe river for a while and then along the top of a hill pass to the state park.

As we made our way along the plains the winds began to pick up and the clouds lowered & filled the sky. Soon we were strapping on the leg warmers & jackets and turning on the lights as the rain began to fall. And not just rain - we were in the middle of a thunderstorm! Lightning (sheet and fork) cracked across the sky & between the clouds and earth all around us (literally!) as we made our way along the flats. While not something you want to do everyday, this was an experience not to be missed - the touring kiwis as storm chasers, riding into the eye of the storm...

We entered the hills, stopping at a small town & lunch at probably the best chinese buffet ever - at least 60 dishes to chose from all for the low price of $5.99 - and while we were there the wind changed direction, disapating the storm into just normal, steady showers. We spent pretty much the next 1/3 of the journey following the Guad. River, a really nice ride, stopping to pick up dinner supplies (not many towns in these here hills) at Hunt. This was their first real rain in nearly 6 months!

Overall, the winter & spring in Texas has been unusually dry & hot - we are told that nomally the big plains like the ones we rode across on this morning are covered will blue bells and yellow/red flowers which are similar - however, this year the paddocks are covered with short grass & the blue bells can only be seen in the drains on the sides of roads.

We continued on, really starting to get into drier territory now. The river crossings from this point were mainly ford-like - they allowed the stream to trickle through a couple of small pipes, and were clearly made to allow the river to run over as it rose, with flood markers & warning signs on each one. Ranches became the norm and a lot more cactae (? -cactus') were evident. There are a lot of wild deer around these parts as well.

After a solid days riding through some good hills, our final decent was down a steep cut-rock road to the state park. The decent was quite steep, and we joked at the end that it was lucky we didnt have to ride up that way! (this was to prove a case of only fools count their eggs...).

Anyway, we had a relaxing evening at the park. There were a few other people there, including a group of girl guides on camp. We had to have a chackle at the games they play - not the sort of games we played as cubs/scouts!! At this stage the showers had reduced to a few spits.

Update on the flat tire count - Ben B 5, Dave 4, Ben S 0


Day 23 - 107km - Austin to Stonewall

Back on the road. Last night in Austin was fairly spectacular - an awesome electrical storm with some of the best fork and sheet lightning us group of tourers had seen. The morning brought with it a last breakfast with Doug - we went to a local breakfast/burger joint (a quality establishment - they even serve on non-disposable plates) and tucked into a feed of biscuits and gravy (sort of like a scone covered with a white sauce which has pepper and sausage added) and some breakfast tacos. I wouldn't really recommend the bicuits & gravy for the active sportsman as it is a meal which tends to sit in the stomach... We then parted with the busy student and clipped into our freshly serviced bikes.

We made a fairly smooth exit from Austin heading to Del Rio. For most of the exit we had a fairly good shoulder or light traffic. As we exited the city we slowly made our way into the so-called Texas Hill Country. A look at any contoured map of Texas will show that this is a reasonably large patch of hills in the middle of an otherwise flat (rolling/flat) state. The geography changed a lot from the other side of Austin, a lot drier, more rock and some big rolling hills! Weather for the day was hot, around 30 deg c.

Dave managed to strike another flat at an opportune time - he has the uncanny knack of punctering a tire whenever he needs a break (or wants to extend his break!). The flat and a few other stops meant we were running a bit behind target for the day, so we ended up pulling stumps at Stonewall - after a lady by the name of Connie offered us a place to stay beside the river which ran beside the town. She said that we could stay for free in a little cabin which was situated there. Connie is into breeding sheep and had a number of them at her property we were staying at. Out of pure coincidence (or to the cycnic maybe not) we were able to help out with a few jobs - the first was simply getting some hay out for the sheep which was easy enough; the second was piling up the branches of a tree which had been cut down, ready for burning - not quite so easy after a long day on the bike... 2-3 hours later we finally got to have a shower & some food! Dave was so polite when talking to Connie that he wouldn't even move when talking to her even though he was getting bitten over and over by fire ants!

Overall though it worked out for the best - that night there were some extremely strong winds and some more lightning - a night not to be camping! The dryness of the surrounding area was shown by the fact that when we awoke the bikes were covered in a milimetre of dust - which had blown through the nooks & crannies of the cabin! Good thing none of us have dust allergies or sensitive lungs!

Ben B made a fitting comment - up to now we have been experiencing the people & culture; now we are moving into experiencing the geography - and from my past experience anything to do with geography experiences or 'scenic' places involves big hills & mountains, so we will be 'experiencing' at a very slow speed!

Photo update!

We have been able to upload our photos to Doug's computer & have updated the previous posts (go right back) with some of these. Feel free to peruse for your pleasure...

Leaving Austin in the morning - destination Del Rio (on the Texas / Mexico border)

Day 21 & 22 - Rest Days in Austin

A break well earned. The two days were pretty event packed, getting some neccesities nailed & also getting a bit of sightseeing etc in.

The bikes got dropped in & picked up after servicing and repairing, ready for the long roads ahead. uite a bit of cycling etc around here - after all it is the home of Lance! A good visit out to UT (University of Texas) - Doug's school - whilst suffering under sweltering temperatures (new records for April here). Some general looking around etc.

A feed of beautiful bbq pork ribs...

A feed of cajun, and a feed of crawfish...As per usual a lot of eating over the rest days, fuelling up for the days ahead! Also managed a visit to a few of the local dive bars (classic stuff). Haircuts for the Bens (none for the princess...). Full credit to Doug for the hospitality - great times thanks!

Day 20 - Carmine - Austin (110km)

The fist sentence Ben B said to Ben S for the morning was "I didn't sleep very well last night". An ominous sign for things to come on this particular day!

The ride started off with Ben B's 4th puncture in 3 days! The patching & tube changing skills are rapidly increasing! Something sharp slit his tyre and tube open resulting in a 'bang' and a fully flat tyre within seconds. As a result both tyre and tube were rendered garbage! When Dave and Ben S walked back to check what caused the explosion they couldn't find anything except for the dead snake lying on the road. After a tyre and tube replacement we headed towards Austin in the soaring heat.

After lunch on turning into a gas station Ben B went to cross a lane and didn't realize that Ben S had stopped and was waiting for a car to yield to us. Ben B road straight into Ben S's rear pannier and bent it a little (luckily this was fixed up by the shop in Austin a few days later).

20 minutes later Dave had his 2nd puncture of the trip. With temperatures up around the mid 30s we were pretty keen to arrive in Texas where Doug had a leg of lamb in the oven for us. What a day on the bike!

Ben B developed a bit of a stomach problem, a 24 hour bug or just heat overdose we arent sure, so wasnt up to much for the night. The other boys, while reasonably shelled from the day, were loving a few cold beers. After the roast & pudding it was off to check out 6th St - a line up of over 40 bars on one street. Turned out to be a good night out - good bars, good music & cheap drinks. Find of the night by Dave was 3 vodkas for a total of 75 cents! Rounds went down! The bartenderess didnt take to us to well though - as the round only cost 75 cents, we would tip the quarter - while in % terms (33%) it is pretty good, she didnt seem to agree... The night ended with a visit to the local Mexican shop for burritos.

Day 19 - Lake Conroe - Carmine (130km)

Today would have been one of our most physically challenging days of the tour! We passed through what seemed like endless rolling hills into a stiff headwind. At lunch Dave spotted a sign for all you can eat pizza for $4.99 which broke up the battle nicely. After stripping the buffet we headed out and within a short time Ben B had his 3rd puncture of the trip (another staple!!!). We now have 4 flats from staples (100%); another point to note here is tire choice - full credit to the boys at Sheppards & cousin Mark- the armidillo tyres on Ben S' bike have taken two staples which have successfully been pulled out with zero flats (touch wood going forward).

At Carmine we camped at a Campground called 'Dixieland' named after the owner's wife. We had a good old chat to the owners and they told us that they had some spare beers. Sure enough, after a few minutes they rolled up with a cooler and 10 beers which was really nice of them.

Day 18 - Lake Tomohawk - Lake Conroe (130km) (A lot of lakes in the states...)

After finishing off the newspaper interview and a photoshoot (Dave 'fair weather princess' Aitken was in his posing element!) the newspaper reported packed us with some cookies and hot chocolate sachets and we were on our way!

We are now beginning to experience some of the heavy Texas traffic, but the good thing is that Texas has some of the best roads in America (well actually according to locals, it is one of the best highway systems in the world. We have not clarified whether that is Earth = World or the more usual USA = world...). The verge is as wide as a car lane which is a dream for cycling! However we did experience some very course chip (think NZ roads!) on the roads which definately slowed progress a little. Texans show some very strong state pride behaviours etc - for example all the beers like Bud, Miller etc have a Texas or Lone Star State unique can.

As we are told - Texas is about the same size as France - we will spend about the amount of time in Texas as it took us to reach Texas...

Over a lunchtime feed of BK we learned that a cross country cyclist heading in the other direction had been killed the previous day at that same intersection. The reality really did hit home about how careful we have to be on the roads! (The accident sounded like it was a case of cylist error showing the need to concentrate at all times)

Before getting to Conroe, we passed through the town with the most interesting name to date - Cut And Shoot - we noticed there were no town name signs on entry, most probably a popular sign to procure.... On arrival at Lake Conroe we learned that the lake was actually man-made. It was a huge lake and was flooded with punters on their jetskis and wakeboard boats enjoying their easter vacation.

We had a couple of new records for the trip. After a sly 'fill your drink bottle from the BK drink machine' Dave consumed 1.75 litres of Coke. Ben B got two punctures from tiny staples like what Dave's flat was (how these get on the road we have no idea!).

Day 17 - Texas Border - Lake Tomohawk Baptist Encampment (near Woodville) (120km)

While Ben S and Dave were in the grocery store getting lunch Ben B was approached by a guy who demanded money from his bags. After telling the guy that he had no money the individual's girlfriend got a bit nervous and told Ben B that he was only joking and a few words were exchanged before the guy disappeared. On a more observatory note, we are noticing a large increase in Mexican food in the supermarkets - this equates to our observations about the towns in general - we are in rough terms making the transition from black America to hispanic America.

On our way across a lake we spotted our first Alligator of the trip which was a bit of a novelty!

While heading to our anticipated camp site at an Indian Reservation we saw a sign for a Baptist encampment so we headed off the road to check it out. Turned out they let us camp on their grounds on the banks of a really nice lake. The camp (although quiet when we were there) hosts thousands of kids each summer and had a few good facilities like a 5m platform jump into the lake which we had to try of course! That night we had an interview for the 'Greenville Herald' (whilst tucking into some decent cookies & hot chocolate - true old school camp style) about our travels with potential for a piece in the Dallas Morning News so we will have to wait and see...


Day 16 - Alexandria - Texas Border (115km)

Before we had even left the motel room we had our first puncture of the trip. Dave had a slow leak that must have gone down while we were chilling in Alexandria (a paper staple in the tyre was the cause - a real worry as no-one had encountered a flat from a staple before & they are impossible to spot while riding along, something the next few days would show to be very, very true...). About half an hour later we were ready to roll (poor effort - a good benchmark is 7 minutes for the full change).

It was nice to roll out after a rest day into a light tail wind, wide verges and flat roads. About 15kms from the Texas border the road narrowed, verges disappeared and large cracks appeared (enough to easily swallow up a front tyre!). Just before the border a guy on a Harley pulled up along side us to have a friendly chat; at the border we noticed he stopped to remove his helmet before riding on (the law requiring wearing helmets was repealed in Texas...).

After crossing into Texas we headed about 2 miles up the road to a rest area hoping to camp for the night. Turned out that this rest area was right on a fairly busy road so we retreated back to the border and found a primo spot on the banks of the Sabine river. After checking with the locals about the presence of gators we had a much needed swim then cooked up a feed of chilli and rice, topped off with some Devils Food (like chocolate ginger kisses - 8 for a $1!).

Probably the biggest event of the day was the paper, rock, scissors. After we had posted the last update in Alexandria, we held the rock-off for the solo bed at the hotel - and Dave won!! The fact it took two whole weeks aside - Dave was an extremely happy boy! This brings me to the rock-off on this day...

Dave and Ben B managed to make it to the final and then Dave, somehow, won the single tent - as shown above with paper over scissors - to make it two in a row!! Absolutely unbelievable.

Day 15 - Alexandria, Louisiana - Rest Day (no kms!)

Spent the day doing a whole lot of nothing! A nice sleep in, followed up by a massive breakfast including pastries, multiple bowls of cereal, a dabble of grits, some eggs, bagels, waffles, coffee, orange juice, cranberry juice, and toast. Followed that up with a bit of laundry (much needed) and a trip to the local bike store and then some sandwiches for lunch at the deli across the road.

Gave the bike a bit of a wipe to remove some of the built up grime, and then we went and had a bit of a swim and a game of frisbee in the hotel pool. Fairly relaxing day overall. Temperatures for the next week are forecast for the mid 80's (roughly mid twenties cel.). Current big current affairs issues over here - immigration & a college lacrosse team gone wild on the chop!

Bring on the lone star state!!

Day 14 - Jonesville - Alexandria (80km)

Bit of a sleep in today as Bill's lawn felt like a wollen underlay! Cruisy biking day with a light tailwind as we rolled into Alexandria and checked into the Ramada for some much needed R & R. Stopped off at a diner along the way for some burgers for lunch (hit the spot nicely!) and then rolled the final 30 kms into Alexandria...

We are now getting used to the terror strip which surronds each major city we visit - usually a busy road/highway with limited shoulder and plenty of debris to dodge... perks the senses up for a good 5-10kms each time!!

For dinner we made our way along to a mexican restaurant close to the hotel - was quite 'authentic' and served a good feed, along with cheap draft beers - very much welcomed after a solid week of riding! Unfortunately the draft beers are usually Miller Lite or Bud Lite (lite = low calorie), not the greatest, but beggers certainly should not be chosers...

On the paper/rock scissors front, Dave has now lost 14 (100%) on the trot. You do the math.


Day 13 - Clear Springs -Jonesville, Louisiana (102km)

From Clear Springs we passed through the historic town of Natchez (the first major trade town on the M River) before heading over the Mississippi river and into Louisiana.

The Mississippi must the biggest river I have ever seen! Seriously, it is massive!



Along the way we visited a real working cotton farm and although closed had a walk around and picked a few balls of cotton (just to say that we had!).

Going back to the M River, they used to hope it (& others) flooded to cover the flats that the cotton is farmed on with silt, rejuvinating the soil which they used to plant cotton continuously on, raping the soil of all nutrients (no crop rotation here).

On arrival in Jonesville we met areally nice guy by the name of Bill who let us camp in his yard. Bill and his wife Martha were raising their Grandchildren who assisted us setting up camp and introduced us to all their pets. They we all kind enough to let us shower which was hugely appreciated! We shared stories to Bill and Martha about New Zealand and in turn they filled us in on life in Louisiana. Bill isa very interesting guy - an ex counter-sniper now in the petroleum science area.

We also learnt about the 'rattlesnake round-up' competition they hold each march in Texas - thosands of live rattlers are caught in this competition... apparently they find over 100 snakes in some nests...


Day 12 - Prentiss - Clear Springs Recreation Area (near Meadville) (119km)

After the previous days events getting into Prentiss we were not looking forward to riding on the 84. It turned out that the traffic was quiet and only 40km was two lane which was a relief.

We are starting to see a few snakes on the road now (most of them dead), but we all saw a live one at the last minute and had no time to react. We rolled within a foot or so of it, but didn't seem to phase it!

The campground at Clear Springs was really nice and opened out onto a lake. After a day on the saddle we were prettty keen to go for a swim. After walking out onto the jetty and staring into the muddy water we chickened out as the locals had warned us previously that most waterways had 'gators.

A quick stop at the 'Dollar General' provided a welcome addition of a frisbee which we were also keen to try out. In what could be called "Shane Green" styles (ask Ben B - Shane found out the hard way that aerobies do in fact not float...), within two minutes Dave had sent the frisbee soaring into the lake and out of reach. Luckily for him and after the Ben's threats that he could not come back to the campsite without the frisbee the wind blew it back to shore.

Day 11 - Waynesboro - Prentiss (132km)

Rolled out this morning into a tornado warning in effect for the counties we were going to be passing through. Weather luckily passed a bit further north and we had nothing but sunshine. The road into Prentiss was pretty stressfull. The road narrowed from a 4 lane divided highway into a two lane undivided highway with heavy traffic. Late in the day a gust of wind sent Ben B off the road into the ditch and over his handle bars to claim his first racing stripe of the trip. Two minutes later a truck roared past giving us no room and sounding its horn which sent Dave off the road. Consequently, we were pretty relieved to get into Prentiss. Outside the grocery store in Prentiss we met a fantastic sister duo called Gloria and Lucille who invited us to camp on their front lawn. Gloria was 65 (but you wouldn't know it) and had raised 6 kids . They also cooked us some grilled cheese and Lucille brought around a pound cake which we demolished with some ice cream. Once we had put up our tents the neighbour told us that there was a tornado effect in force until 4am the following morning. We looked at each other as if "what can we do now?", but Gloria was kind enough to let us come inside if the tornado siren went off or if the thunderstorms got too bad. After waking up to every sound of thunder Gloria woke us up at 4am and said that the storm was quickly heading our way. Within minutes we we camped on their lounge floor and the thunderstorm hit the area pretty hard. Luckily no tornados went through the area that night, but neighbouring Tenasee wasn't so lucky with 11 killed by tornados!

Day 10 - Holley's Ferry State Park - Waynesboro, Mississippi (153km)

Crossed into our 4th state today. About 30km up the road we passed a guy on the other side of the road who we thought was our first bike tourer who we had encountered. As we crossed over to greet him his bike was not like any other loaded up bike. We had never seen a bike so fully laden with gear! It turns out that this 'nomadic' type bloke had actually walked this bike thing from El Paso (Western Texas) He had removed the seat and peddles and had made some panniers out out of chicken wire. He had started in June 2005 and wintered over in New Orleans before heading into Mississippi. He averages about 20 miles day. He gave us some good tips on how to avoid rattlesnakes and other hazards on the Texas highways.

After some local advice to avoid one of the highways we had an early lunch and turned off onto a country road with no amenities for 50km. This county road, although quiet had some of the biggest hills we had seen on the trip. The combination of heat and hills took its toll so by the time we arrived in Coffeeville (how ironic!) we each downed 2 litres of Gatorade (cheaper than water over here). With 60km more to go we peddled our heavy legs into Mississippi.

As we limped into Waynesboro late in the day we struggled to find anywhere to camp so the easy decision was made to check into the Budget Inn. We also tried some catfish in Wayesboro which wasn't bad, but the thick KFC type batter kind of dominated the taste so we hope to try some more as we go along. Biggest day of the trip so far. There has been a bit of banter already about the double centry ride or even a 250km day (hoping for the perfect storm - perfect roads, tailwind & downhill). Stay tuned......

Day 9 - Montgomery - Holley's Ferry State Park (136km)

Pretty smooth riding today - good roads, little to no wind and no hills. Nothing really happend until we found our campsite at the end of the day...

On our arrival at Holley's Ferry we discovered that it was literally a boat ramp down by the Alabama river and there was barely a blade of grass to pitch a tent! After a failed bushwaking attempt to find some suitable ground we cut our losses and pitched the tents on some dirt at the side of the car park. This of course sparked a bit of interest with the locals who use this area to launch their boats in search of the great southern delicacy - catfish. The first guy who approached us was weilding a handgun which was a bit intimidating to a couple of kiwis! He turned out to be a real decent bloke. He explained to us that he carries the gun for protection (not uncommon here) and given that he is not as mobile as he once was it gives him a chance to even the odds, so he had appropriately named his gun the 'equalizer'! On his way out he reached into his cooler and gave us a couple of ice cold beers each. The beers went down pretty well with a wholesome feed of 'rice-a-roni', broccoli and cans of tuna! Some other locals had just caught a 50 pound catfish which was still alive in boat which was a bit of a novelty with the tourists as well!

Hi all, we just arrived in Alexandria, Louisiana for our next rest day (tomorrow) and should be posting an update sometime soon.

Just in response to some of the comments, we have been successfully dodging tornados and hurricanes (some great thunder and lighting to be seen...) & no, I do not have a shaver with me... Do you know that shaving causes lower energy levels as your body races to regrow what you have shaved off? I need all the energy I can get... (we set a new p.b. this week of 155km in one day as well!)

Oh, and we are actually on the sore butt upside now, as we have been through the adjustment period and are turning into touring cycling machines! Fatigue has also be reduced after dropping off the hammer after the first week...

AND THEY'RE OFF!!




(Sorry this is a little delayed... ran into some technical difficulties.)

We were lucky to have the guys begin their epic journey here in Columbia, SC... as always, it was so great to catch up and Dave's stories of the South Carolinians dealing with his accent are pricless! :) After a few days of hanging here - helping them get ready for their trip and enlightening them about two truly American pastimes - NCAA March Madness basketball and Nascar - it was off to Charleston to send them off in true Cross-Country Fashion, with a dip of the toes in the Atlantic...

As Ben mentioned in his post, we arrived in Charleston mid-afternoon & explored a bit before heading home so they could get started on the packing. As personalities began to show through packing styles, I enjoyed a glimpse - albeit brief - into what the road will bring... and thoroughly look forward to the stories!

We enjoyed some "Blue Moon" beers with orange slices - a delicious treat - and the guys got to packing. Have to say, I was impressed with the amount of gear they had... here's Ben with ALL the gear... no overpacking here!



Up early Tuesday morning, and after a balanced brekky of Honey Nut Cheerios (only the best), the boys finished packing and we hit the road. One last stop at Walmart for some bungies and the EVER-important roll of Emergency TP - I believe that's a Bog roll, or something of sorts for you Kiwis - and we headed to Sullivan's Island, a charming little island off the coast of Charleston.



After one small hitch... Ben's valve broke off his tire before it had even been ridden, the bikes were loaded and ready to go. No "yardsales" this morning, though I'll be surprised if the neat packing jobs of the first day can continue throughout the trip... Looking good boys!






Despite this being the first time on loaded bikes for each of them, somehow the guys avoided the "Wobbles"... a common symptom of virgin load-riding... and looked like pros from the start. After a quick test ride - an a small attempt by me to try to lift Dave's bike (no way in hell!) - we headed for the ocean to officially kick things off!






Some dolphins greeted us, a good omen for the start to the trip, for sure! Feet dipped in the ocean, a quick photo-op, and then back to the guys' homes for the next two months...











One last photo, and just like that... THEY WERE OFF! (Unfortunately, I couldn't quite squeeze myself in a pannier).

Wishing you the best of luck on the road guys! We are envious, and while too large to fit in a pannier, will definitely be with you in spirit... watch out for the mullets, the crazy dogs & the flying beer cans!!! WHOO-HOO!