Pedaling for Patriots

When we left this morning, it felt a little odd to have 3 people riding instead of the usual two!  Rob, Steve and I rode out of Phoenix and were making good time and enjoying the ride when Steve got his first flat.  He changed it quickly and we were on our way again – for about 1/4 mile.  Flat #2!  We were on our way again fairly quickly and then – flat #3!  That’s when Steve found the piece of glass that had left a gash in his tire.  Penny and Barbara met us on the side of the rode so that we could get more tubes and Steve changed his tire once again.  Luckily, he didn’t have any more problems after that!

We pedaled through a few rain showers off and on for most of the day.  Not enough to cause a problem, but enough to make us a little chilly!  That was a welcome change. We were also able to see 2 rainbows!  We found a Dunkin’ Donuts right as we entered town and stopped for a cup of coffee to warm up.

Wickenburg is known as the “Dude Ranch Capital of the World”, but I won’t be getting on a horse while we’re here!  It has a downtown that looks just like it should be in an old Western movie and the people are very friendly.  We walked around town for a little bit and then had lunch at Nana’s Sandwich Saloon.  Their sandwiches were amazing and the quiche was perfect!  We then had to take the van in because the “low tire pressure light” wouldn’t go off and Jones Auto Center worked on it for free!  We went to Anita’s Cocina for dinner and the food was delicious.

Stats:

Live Animals:  The cutest wild dog I’ve ever seen, Chipmunk

Dead Animals:  Bobcat, 3 Hawks, Skunk, Jackrabbit

This is a video of Rob and I receiving the letter from Governor Brewer.  Dave Hampton of the Arizona Department of Veteran’s Services presented the letter.

Today we were hosted at lunch by retired officers of various agencies of the U.S. Government.  Present at the lunch were prominent local businesspeople and senior representatives of the FBI and Intelligence Community.  We discussed the purpose of the ride and a variety of other topics.  We received donations for the fund as well as future promises of support.  It was a great venue to discuss the service and sacrifice of the men and women of the CIA – and the food was great!

We did a last minute service on Rob’s bike, as he was having some difficulty with his back tire.  He ended up needing a new one and Southwest Bicycles was able to replace it quickly and at a reduced price.  We went to the local thrift store to make a few donations and also went to UPS and mailed a few boxes home of the items we no longer need.  It’s very exciting to think we’re getting so close to the end!

Another great day in Arizona!  We slept in a little bit (got up at 6:30 instead of 5:00) and planned a slow morning.  However, we got a phone call saying that ABC News, Channel 15, wanted to do a live interview at 9am.  So we had a quick breakfast and got our bikes ready.  The interview went really well!  Then Rob had to change my front tire since it got a flat sitting in the van!  It appears that it was a defective tube, since the hole was on the inside seam.

We then biked toward the Arizona Capitol building about 20 miles away.  We allowed ourselves plenty of time and I was glad we did!  We were able to bike at a leisurely pace and take in the sites.  We biked through Arizona State University; what a beautiful campus!  We crossed the Salt River and stopped to look at Tovrea Castle.  We got to the downtown area with time to spare, so we stopped at a small cafe for drinks.

We then pedaled toward the Enduring Freedom Memorial and were greeted by Dave Hampton (of the Arizona Department of Veteran’s Services), NBC and CBS, and the new friend we met last night, Jay.  We were given Arizona state coins, pins and a letter of welcome from Governor Jan Brewer.  We spent some time taping a few interviews and speaking with Dave and Jay.  The park near the Capitol is filled with memorials and we were able to view a few of them before we had to leave.

A few weeks ago, we received an email from Bill Kiess, who lives here in Phoenix, telling us that our bike map was routing us into dangerous territory and gave us an alternate route.  Yesterday, as we were planning our route, we were confused as to how we were going to get from the Capitol to our hotel.  So, I emailed Bill to see if he had any ideas.  He was kind enough to send us an email with all of the necessary turns and corresponding mile markers.  It was a great route and kept us off many of the major streets and intersections.  We were even able to ride along the canal for about 10 miles!

Not long after we got to the hotel, Steve (our friend from DC) arrived.  He will be riding with us for the reminding of our trip.  He shipped his bike here and we drove to REI to pick it up.  It will be great to have another rider to share our journey!

I hope to have a few more pictures up tomorrow, after Penny and Barb have a chance to load them.  I’ll also have a copy of the letter!

Stats:

It felt a little strange to be back on the bike after our break.  We started our day back where we left off on the 13th.  We pedaled through Superior, AZ which has special memories for the Jewkes family –  this picture is for them!

After leaving Superior, we bicycled through Gonzales Pass and down into Florence Junction.  Huge saguaro cactus are everywhere and there are lots of flowers in bloom.  The shoulders were broken and very bumpy and we ended up having to ride in the road with traffic going 65-70mph!  We then went through Superstition and Apache Junction (got to love these names!) on our way to Phoenix and we had bike lanes almost the entire way to the hotel.

We went to the Arizona Biltmore Hotel for dinner with our good friend, Vince Flynn and one of his friends from high school, Jay.  It’s a beautiful hotel and the food was wonderful and the conversation entertaining.  It was a great night!

Stats:

Live Animals:  Red-Tailed Hawk, Lots of lizards, Cows, Horses, Chickens

Dead Animals:  Skunks, Snakes

Penny and I got up early this morning to walk up to the 3rd hole at Ventana Canyon Golf Course; “the most photographed hole west of the Mississippi”.  Along the way we saw quail, rabbits, and woodpeckers.  But we were told to watch out for red-tailed hawks, bobcats, deer, coyotes, javelina and roadrunners!  The view from the tee was amazing.  We could see over 100 miles into Mexico on one side and multi-million dollar homes built into the rock on the other side.  The green has an engineered heating and cooling system underneath it, since it is necessary to cool the green in the summer and keep it from freezing in the winter!  It was a wonderful way to start the day and enjoy God’s creation.

We drove from Tucson to Mesa so that we could be back on the bike route and we will start riding again tomorrow.  We enjoyed walking around Main Street and looking at all all the arts and crafts at the Mesa Arts and Culture Festival.  We stopped at a booth which had signs that said “Keep the Cubs” and I explained that I was from Illinois.  When the woman asked what part, I replied, “A small farm town outside of Chicago, called Yorkville.”  Phyllis replied, “So am I!”  What a surprise to meet a fellow Yorkville High School graduate on the streets of Mesa, Arizona!

We went to Organ Stop Pizza for dinner where we had a great time and listened to the largest Wurlitzer pipe organ in the world!

http://www.kvoa.com/news/retired-cia-agent-pedaling-through-tucson-for-the-fallen/

We woke early this morning in order to drive to Tombstone and enjoy Helldorado Days.  We walked around the town, shopped, watched gunfight reenactments and ate lunch at the OK Cafe.  It was a beautiful day and we had a great time.

We picked up our bikes from Oro Valley Bicycle (thanks to Harry, Adan and Cory!) and they are now ready for our last few days of pedaling.  We headed back to the resort and the sky got very eerie and filled with dust.  Then there was a huge thunderstorm, which we watched from our balcony.  It was gorgeous to see the mountains turn different colors and to watch the lightening in the dark sky.  It was a treat to see a storm, as we haven’t seen one since we were in Florida!  It was also nice that we weren’t on the bikes!

We met a group of retired CIA officers at the Guadalajara Grill for a delicious dinner, organized by John Massie and Heidi August.  We had a lot of fun and they surprised us with Arizona bicycle jerseys (for Kim and Rob) and salsa, prickly pear syrup and red lime marmalade (for Barbara and Penny).  Thanks again to everyone who came out and made it such a special evening.  We appreciate all you’ve done for your country and for us!

What a GREAT welcome we had today in Tucson!  We drove here from Globe (we couldn’t quite figure out how to bicycle the 130 miles in time to be here by 1:00 – and it wasn’t on our route).  On the drive we saw lots of saguaro (cactus) and a couple of coyotes.  We stopped outside of town in order to pedal in to The Lodge at Ventana Canyon and had a great lunch at El Charro Cafe.  As we rode up up the hill and rounded the corner into The Lodge, there were reporters waiting in golf carts to film our arrival and follow us in.  As we made our way closer to the resort, we saw many people cheering and clapping for us.  It was a great opportunity for us to speak about the work that the people of the CIA are doing and the sacrifice they make every day.

After doing an interview with the local Fox and NBC stations, we loaded our bikes in the van to take them to Oro Valley Bicycle in order to make sure they are ready for the last leg of the trip.  After moving into our room and doing a few loads of laundry, we met Tom McMahon for drinks (he has provided the arrival photos as we pedaled into The Lodge) and then we enjoyed a great dinner while watching the bats fly around the canyon!

Today started out as a good day – not too cold, not too hot; wide, smooth shoulders; little traffic.  Then, the wind started to pick up – but, it was still good, because it was at our backs.  We made it to the first stopping point, about 22 miles into our ride.  Hmmmmmmm…………….  Interesting.  We walked into a small “cafe” and no one spoke to us at all.  There was no food at this “cafe”, only a few grocery items and an empty pot of coffee.  We were obviously not welcome, so we figured we would go on to the next town.  At that point, we were in the San Carlos Apache Reservation and the next town was “Geronimo”.  No services there, so we went on to Bylas.

We stopped at a small store/gas station and it had a cappuccino machine!  A gentleman was standing there trying to find a lid for his cup and we struck up a conversation.  When I asked him where his accent was from, he replied, “Jordan”.  How interesting to find 2 Jordanians on our ride and in such small, out-of-the-way places!  It was nice to talk with him for awhile and trade stories about our shared love for Jordan.

It was 23 miles to our next stop and that’s when the excitement began!  The road was very hilly and we would speed down one side and slowly make our way up the other side.  Then, my back tire started to go flat and we pumped it up in the hopes that we could make it to the next town before having to change it.  The shoulders were so full of debri and trees and shrubs that we ended up having to ride in the road.  The wind began to get a lot stronger and keeping my bike steady was really difficult.

We stopped again to pump up my back tire about 10 miles from town and we planned to change the tube at our next stop.  After we got back on the road, I was being pushed by the wind into the gravel and rumble strips and had to stop.  Rob suggested I get as low as possible on the bike and hold the handlebars differently to get more leverage.  We were only about a mile away from town when he watched the wind lift me up and move me across the road.  That’s when we made the joint decision that I was finished for the day!

We slowly made our way to the gas station in Peridot and I put my bike in the van (I finished 65 miles).  Rob continued on by himself to Globe (the last 20 miles).  Interestingly enough, my tire is still completely full of air and there doesn’t appear to be a hole in it at all.  Think someone was trying to tell me something????  I do.

Penny, Barbara and I went into Globe and found our hotel for the night and when Rob arrived, we went into town for lunch at the Copper Parrot.  We then drove around the town a bit and went to the Pickle Barrel Trading Post for a little shopping.

Only 2 weeks from today we will be dipping our front tires into the Pacific Ocean.  We can’t wait!  Apparently, neither can our favorite Starbucks Barista in Centreville!

Stats:

Live Animals:  Red Shouldered Hawk, Horses, Chickens, Sheep, Dogs (let me rant just a bit, if you please.  WHY have a pet dog if you’re going to let them run in the highway and chase people???  PLEASE keep your dogs in your yard!!!)

Dead Animals:  Skunk, Fox, Rabbit, Snakes

Temperature:  97°

Wind Gusts:  19mph