Ride Across America, Day 0

 Wow, time to ride… 

Sandy, Bessy and I are in San Diego to start the trip from here to New Smyrna Beach, FL.   The plan is  to ride the roughly 3,000 mile from San Diego to New Smyrna Beach over the next 55 days.  This is a plan and plans do change.  If I am late, please forgive me.  I have no idea how hard this will be. 

Getting to San Diego, No Travel is in a Straight Line

Before I get into the ride part let me tell you about our trip to San Diego.  

Sandy, Bessy and I departed Orlando on Monday (2/8). after spending almost two week with our friends Gregg and Valerie McGowan and their dog Lucky.  It felt like we moved in they made their house so comfortable for us.  Every day we cooked breakfast for Gregg after Valerie went to work and we ate together as family every night.  It was very special time.  Sandy & Bessy left the McGowan's via land traveling to Dallas and I took a side try to Endicott NY, meeting Sandy on Wednesday.  In Dallas, we had a great time partying way too much with our friends, Steve and Hanis Hussey.  I won’t elaborate on this other than much wine was consumed.   Weather was very cold, so I did get to use his indoor bike two days to get in some riding.  

All of you heard of the storms in Texas, well they were as bad as  you read or listened to on the news.   Sandy and I left Dallas in Bessy on Sunday (2/14) knowing the roads would be tough but never expecting what we encountered.  Very snowy conditions, roads not plowed or salted.  We were hoping to make Las Cruces NM in one day.   The trip is 700 miles and we were thinking a long 9-hour day.    

Bessy at the Hussey House
Sandy checking out her 1st
experience with snow.

The Team: Sandy, Bessy and Me
Getting Ready to Leave Dallas

Well, we made it to Monahans TX (look it up), about 380 miles from Dallas and we traveled for 8-hours.   When we hit a 50-mile section of I20 that was closed and saw many trucks turned over, we stopped for the night.  In the middle of the night the power went out in close to zero degree weather.  When woke up the front desk said, no power until mid-after noon at best.  So, we got into Bessy and started to drive around 9 o’clock in the morning.  Around 1PM we finally made it to Interstate 10 a full 82 miles away, robust a 20 MPH wow.  I can ride my bike almost this fast for 80 miles.  

Snow covered roads

Yes that is a Rose
Happy Valentines Day Sandy

Trucks for as far as you can
see going East

When we hit I-10 the roads were clear and we pushed on to Tucson AZ, arriving around 9PM.  It took us 12 hours to go 560 miles – terrible but we made it.   Along the way we enjoyed this...

Earlier today we got up and finished the last 6 hours to San Diego, no trouble, and no traffic until we hit town. 

Back to the ride…   

We are taking off tomorrow morning for day 1 of the trip.  I say we because there are two other important members of my team.  Sandy who is crazy for supporting me and Bessy our 1999 Nissan Pathfinder who will be making her 3^rd trip across the country since last November.  I must give Sandy a big thanks, this would not be possible without her support and yes, she is the best wife ever.   Day 1 will be a modest 45 miles with 4,500 feet of climbing, ending in a night sleeping in Bessy at a camp site.   The distance is short, but I have not climbed this much since we left San Jose last October.  We will see how it goes.  It looks like the weather will be good starting at ~60F in San Diego and finishing in the mountains at 4,000 ft elevation at 50F.  I will give you the report tomorrow.   

Signing of for a nights sleep and hoping for a safe and fun journey.