Day 18 - All cards are marked and all fates will collide : Keep on Rocking in the free world

I opened my eyes this morning, looked at my watch and thought, oh shit!
It was 7am and I had overslept. Normally im just putting my feet in the pedals at this point and my plans for the day were already going awry!
It is testament to the practice I have had that I had packed up and had breakfast in 45 mins, desperate to be on the road... I was on a tourist mission today and the painted desert and petrified forest were my aim.

Just as I was putting on my helmet, I glanced through the glass windows to the lobby of the motel and caught sight of the clock... it was 6:55. Laughing to myself at not realising that once again I had gained an hour I set my feet on the pedals and set off.
The first thing I had to get past today, was the closed off bridge that led to the westwards I40 and windslow, my destination for the day, only 91 miles away! I walked tentatively up to the workman and begged to be let across, knowing that if they didnt let me, I would have to go east at least 10 miles in order to cross over. Once again, all worries were fruitless as I was not only let across, but personally escorted, and then wished a safe journey!

So set in my way, I pedalled for the customary half hour... my legs felt reasonable, despite the chill of the morning air, and once again, the breath of the wind was on my back and the sun was shining.  I soon warmed up but didnt stop long enough to discard layers as I wanted to cover the 20 miles to the petrified forest and painted desert national park quickly enough to spend some time there. I made really good progress, all the while watching out for another tarantula appearance (for barney sullivan and sarah kumari especially). The scenery started to change quietly, turning from scrub to more desert like red sand with mounds of rock sticking up from the ground. These rocks got bigger and more numerous but still nothing like that of the google pictures. Before I knew it I was at the exit for the national park and swung in... photo opportunities taken at the sign marking the entrance, I then made my way into the visitor centre. 
At the centre I took the opportunity to stamp my passport with stamps for both the desert and the forest and got chatting to one of the park wardens about the cycle ride.  Displayed were some of the petrified wood chunks, wood that was buried and turned to stone over many millenia and I then discovered that to see the wood in the park I would have to cycle towards the end of the loop, which was 28 miles, and then back again... too much time... but I could cycle to the viewing points a few miles away.. so I did. The painted desert jumps out at you, you go along the road, wondering where it is, go round a bend and stare out over a canyon, the walls of which are layers of colourful rock stretching down and down below you to the valley floor. I will try not to make up any superlatives (shamazing being one I will not use) but instead describe what I saw and leave the rest to your imagination...

The valley floor was a maze of dry rivulets, curving through a pale red sand. These rivulets were surrounded by pale green scrub, creating a patchwork effect.. this stretched out round smaller mounds of red earth and whiter rock to the edge of the canyon, where it met the rock walls. These walls had coloured layers of brown, grey, white and red stone, which stretched up to the point where I was standing. On the far side this contrasted with the golden scrub grass of the plains which was glowing in the early morning sunlight. I just stood and stared for what seemed like hours until I collected myself and started photographing the 180° panorama. Eager to escape the 'crowds' ( about 5 people)I got back on my bike and went to the next viewpoint.  Here I sat on the wall, listening to the sound  of the wind, and watching the crows hover on the thermals, deafened by the silence and overwhelmed by the peace.. no tears (yet)!

I was caught up by the crowds and having got a few photos standing on top of this creation of nature, being conscious of the miles still to cover, tore myself away, and freewheeled back to the visitor centre. On exiting, I was nearly lost to this place, as the park warden mentioned something about hikes down to the floor and a back country camping permit... I almost asked where I could leave my bike!

Head ruled the heart though and I made my way back to the interstate, shaking my head in disbelief of the experience I had just had. Some of the visitors had just driven up in their cars, snapped a few photos from inside and driven off again... what a way to miss out!
Before I left I bought supplies for the day at the gas station and whilst there bumped into Marty, who had unfortunately lost a family member to leukemia recently and donated to the ride... thankyou.

My bext waypoint was the town of Holbrook, another 20 miles or so away... but once again this flew past, with music and the rock walls to keep me company, not all downhill, but at a good speed nonetheless.  I arrived there in time for lunch and stopped once again at Dennys.
Here, probably because of my appearance... torn, dirty shorts, wierd tan lines, helmet dented hair... I was asked about where I had come from, whst I was doing so took a few minutes to spread the LHS word. After exiting the restrooms, I discovered a gentleman called Bob, who had clearly waited for me. He had overheard my conversation and wanted to know more. On top of that he also donated to the ride... another kind act to a total stranger. I shook his hsnd and set off again, through Holbrook to rejoin the interstate. I felt totally carefree, relaxed about making the last 60 miles in time as the conditions were perfect. This meant I stopped frequently to take photos and gaze out at the view. Of course with every stop, I scanned the ground for movement in hope, but it was not to be today.

Marty had warned me that I would be climbing up to 7000 feet, he seemed taken aback that this did not worry me, until I explained that I had already passed 7295 feet at the continental divide. So the road wound gradually upwards, but not in any way that remotely troubled my legs... it was at this point that I was reminded that I was on an interstate when a lorry veered onto the shoulder, but onky briefly but it served as a reminder to stsy aware.

During the  next 30 miles, there were consrant billboards inviting me to go andcsee the worlds largest petrified tree. I ummed and ahhhed about whether to stop again,  but found I couldnt resist,  having seen the worlds largest rocking chair and here comes the story in the title to today's blog. I drew up to the tree, took some photos and touched the ancient stone for luck. I then wandered in to the  shop. Here I met two more lovely people, Angelena Tracas and Jsnice Boeman, who seeing that I had arrived by bike, gave me a can of coke and asked about the ride. I was telling the story of Love Hope Strength Foundation and how I became involved, when I stopped and listened. On the radio playing was Keep on Rocking in the free world.... Now for those unfortunate souls who have not been introdeced to the music of The Alarm, this song was recorded by Mike Peters, the founder of the charity, and The Alarm in the 80s.... it was part of the Raw Album that my dad had given to me to listen to when I was a teenager... it was the song that had begun this journey.. in so much that it led me eventually back to The Alarm and to Love Hope Strength years later. All fates will collide... it appeared in thar moment that they had. I dont believe in signs really, but this is as close as I have ever come to thinking that this journey was somehow meant to be. Needless to say, my eyes started watering, (a bad habit lately) and my hands shook slightly as I tried to explain myself. It seemed I had come full circle.. it was very wierd but it is a moment on this journey that will stay with me!

I rejoined the interstate with about 25 miles to go until Windslow... it went along quickly as I was staring into the distance.  Stretching out in front of me was the road, shimmering in the heat, and above that an outline of mountains... these were the mountains of The Grand Canyon and it seemed that I was being drawn towards them, even as they were whispering my name.

I arrived at Windslow, pitched up at a Best Western and set about organising a few things for rest days in Williams, a starting point for many on the visit to The Grand Canyon. I phoned a friend again, snd it was with great delight that I have organised to see the canyon with Louize and Mark evans, who are also bringing me my much needed replacement shorts. A helicopter flight seems to be out of the question at present but I have decided to let my other rest day go where it will take me, although out and about is not in doubt, doing what remains a mystery....

So this evening now has become one for admin, washing clothes, booking my hotel in wiliams and generally sorting shit out so that I can make the most of my 'rest days' and see some more of this great state.

My card has been marked and all fates collided today leaving me astounded once again!

Day 17 - spiritual regeneration every single time we breathe

Well last night and this morning saw me mending stuff! Yesterday, I forgot to mention in my blog that I had been having severe trouble unclipping my feet from the pedals. For the uninitiated  basically I have metal bits on the bottom of my shoes that click into the pedals and to unclip, before you get to a standstill preferably, you have to twist your foot.
My left foot hurts severely whenever I do this so I have tried to use my right foot, which is fine until it stops working. Basically throughout the whole of yesterday, both feet took turns to refuse to unclip, no matter how hard I twisted or pulled.... this, as you can imagine is not ideal, especially for unplanned stops, and the risk of ending up on your backside is a very real one. So I spent most of the latter part of the day, cycling with one foot permanently unclipped, which destroys power transfer from your legs to the pedals.... right thats the technical part done... basically they were broke so with advice over fb from chris summerrill and fortunately a spare pair of cleats, I changed them... only by getting on my bike could I assess if that had solved that one!

This morning saw me with needle and thread, trying to sew my shorts back together... hmmm, lets just say my mum's needlework skills did not rub off on me!

So once again, an early breakfast, which saw me chatting to another trucker, only this time he was telling me how dangerous the interstate was and how people do get killed. Well yes, but if I had worried about that too much, I would have never set foot on my bike. Nevertheless, his words were ringing in my ears when I set off.

I was a bit stressed this morning, I took too long to pack up and my planned point of stoppage seemed not to have anywhere to stay, meaning I had to cycle further than planned, fine but I was now late in setting off.. I had asked the receptionist what the road was like... upwards until gallup, then good from then. I did take this with a pinch of salt though!

So off I went, having first checked unclipping... it worked hooray.... aiming to get to Gallup by middayish, 60 miles away.  Naturally the road climbed up out of town  but once again, the gradient was ok.  I had seen the weather report before I set off and knew temperatures were close to freezing so had my gloves and jacket on already. And boy was it cold... my toes went numb after 10 minutes, even with the climb.  I cycled for about half an hour at an easy pace, to acclimatise the legs for the rest of the day, then stopped to take my usual morning picture. The sky was clear, no wind again (what had I done to deserve 2 days in a row) and once at the top of the climb, I reached a plateau of scrub with some rugged outcrops of rock in the distance, which the morning sunshine lit up. The railway was running beside the road and it made me feel as though I had been transported back in time, however briefly, to the day when the railroadhsd been the main means of travel across this vast country.
In the 60 miles to Gallup, I considered what to write in this blog as it looked as though the day was just going to be an a to b day, with nice scenery but boring to read about... I came up with road debris as a topic... of which I have become quite a conisseur. Apart from dead animals (and a deer, an owl and a cat can be added to the list now) most of the debris seems to have flown off lorries, wheel rim, bits of tyre, hooks, bungees and rope, all seem to be flying off at a great rate, which led me to wondering whether I would be unkucky enough to get hit at some point... thinking Massa in F1.
I hopped off the interstate on to the frontage road, and am so glad I did, because I met another crazy fool, I.e another touring cross country cyclist. This was the first one I had met since I started and we swopped road stories for a while. So nice to meet someone else travelling the road and this was one of the incidents that made this day the best one since starting! I told him stories of large crickets and he in turn told me about tarantulas, perhaps slightly surprised by my gleeful reaction.
Shortly after this, as I was dodging debris, I saw movement, swung my bike round it and registered 8 furry legs and an unmistakable, live tarantula. I was so surprised, that I kept going, before thinking that I should have stopped to take a photo. But by the sounds of it, I should see a few more, but this was another piece to add to making up a great day.

The day was not without its difficulties,  and this section of hard shoulder was stony, gravelly, bumpy and generally more suited to a mountain bike. It was complete fluke that I didnt get a puncture, and although frustrating to be bumping along next to a smooth bit of road, I decided it was definately safer to remain where I was, rather than chance the main lane.

I stopped a fair few times to take photos, before reaching Gallup at around 1pm, in time for a cup of coffee and some food at Dennys and a chat with the lad who was serving me about bike trips and his dreams of one day going on a long one.
Gallup itself was quite a large town and I decided to cycle through to see any Route66 markers, of which there were none, the older part of the town was pleasant enough, but once again, nothing yelled out at me to stop and take a closer look. I was soon on the interstate, rolling westwards again and remember thinking to myself that it felt like I had broken the back of today's ride. Gallup is also home to what seemed like hundreds of prairie dogs, at least that's what I think they were.. and as I passed they dived for the safety of their burrows whilst leaving a head poking out to observe the ongoings!

Once out of Gallup, the scenery changed again. I was surrounded by rocky cliffs, rising up on either side as the road threaded its way round and through and ever upwards.
Even more spectacular as it went on, I lost myself once again to it. This majestic landscape continued as the miles disappeared under my wheels and once again I wish that I could describe the immenseness that dwarfed everything that man had made around it, enough to do it justice, but I cannot find the words.

Then I reached the continental divide, officially the highest point on this road at 7295 feet and the point where I began to feel phase three starting. From now on, the road would inexorably slope down to the pacific ocean. Thats not to say that there wouldnt be any more climbs to overcome, but rather I was now on the homeward straight. I was sooo chuffed, I went and bought a souvenir!

As I span along, the mile markers were counting down to the state border and here I have to give people that do not know me well, insight into me, in order to give more meaning to what follows..... I tend to keep my emotions inside me and deal with them quietly ( I think thats a fair assessment of myself)... I dont like outbursts of emotion, it can make me angry with myself. I dont criticise others who do, but its just not me.

So that said, I continued along, counting down to mile 0. As I approached the boarder I had to choke back tears, that were threatening to blind me (not good whilst going downhill at 25 mph). The surroundings, the passing through the continental divide and the approach to my 7th state after over 1500 miles once again overwhelmed me. This was the point where I started to really believe that I might actually make it to the pier and justify the faith that has been shown in me by family and friends.

Just before I reached the state line, my hard shoulder ran out and I ended up going through the lorry weighing station, receiving waves as I did so. Made me laugh.
The Arizona state sign... another way point on this journey that has been filled with them. One more step closer to home....
Once into Arizona,  the rocky outcrops and cliffs receded into the distance, leaving a large plain of grassland and scrub bushes. 25 miles to go and my legs were infused with energy as the end of the day approached.

Arizona didnt make things totally easy and there were a few stiff climbs to negotiate on now tiring legs, but with plenty of time until sunset, I wasnt concerned and took my time. I sped past the ititial stopping point with the knowledge that by keeping going, I would for the first time this trip, actually be ahead of schedule. The petrified forest is coming tomorrow and with those extra miles done, I can look forward to some extra time to take photos there.
Those last 6 miles hurt.. and I do mean hurt! Over 220 miles in 2 days. Not wholly surprising. Also in the back of my mind was the worry that I hadnt seen an advertising billboard for the motel, unusual by this point. But relief came with three miles to go... wifi, shower and a bed awaited... if they had a room!

They did and I crawled into it, before changing and heading to the restaurant.... ate food, feel sick... have eaten too much today.

Whilst I was eating I was simultaneously reading a book about a woman who dared to dream big, and by big I mean massive. For 5 years she walked around the world in memory of her husband whom she had lost to cancer. Her story and others like it show that anything is possible, for anyone... you just have to let go of the fear in order to live.

So today I begin to believe...

Day 16 - I refuse to break.....

Last night I had to phone a friend for a favour.... my shorts have given up before me and lets just say, the only thing keeping me modest is the fact that I am wearing cycle shorts underneath! Thankfully she is kindly going to get me some for when we meet up, so thankyou Louize!
This morning when I woke... for some reason I had a huge bout of homesickness. Wether it was reading email and posts from family or friends or just because I had been physically and emotionally depleted yesterday, the fact was that i spent most of the morning thinking about different people at home and wishing they were here to see this place with me.

Anyway, after breakfast, I set off early, determined a) not to finish in the dark b) to catch up the lost miles and c) to get past albuquerqe before lunch... that place will haunt my dreams I swear. The morning was crisp and cold but looked like it was going to be sunny and although I hadnt dared to believe the weather channel, the wind was light to non existant! Bonus... but I wasnt going to take any chances... weather can change in the blink of an eye... so I set off with purpose. The climb out of Moriarty hurt as my legs hadnt warmed up and although gradual, I was steadily gaining a good amount of height.
It at least kept me warm and I had left off my long fingered gloves and waterproof jacket. I got to the top of the climb in a good time and started the descent...
It was long, winding, and dropped down a magnificent mountain pass and I thought that this was reward for getting up there.

My fingers hovered over the brakes as it was pretty steep in places and didnt want to take any chances.
I rounded a bend to find flashing lights so jammed on the brakes and slowly freewheeled past a lorry on its side, which had overturned and then slid along the barrier, so that the cab was in a ditch. This shook me up quite a bit. I have a particular dislike of lorries anyway due to being hit by one in a car on the m25, but this accident was pretty recent and it made me think that if I had been at that spot at the wrong time, I would have had no chance.  It reminded me that no matter how careful I am being, shit luck could always happen! I didnt really enjoy the rest of the descent, partly cos of the lorry but also i was bloody cold. I didnt stop to take pics, which was a shame, but just wanted to get the hell outta there, and to a nice warm cafe.

I eventually got to the bottom and pulled off at the first exit, found a macdonalds and got a hot coffee which made me feel better. I set off pretty quickly as wasnt yet at albuquerqe (which I need to put behind me and then can stop having to spell it).
When I did get to that place, I didnt hear any fanfare as I felt would gave been fitting. I have been trying to get here for three days, and I was sick of the place before I had even seen it.

As it was it had one main street running through it... the 'famous route66 nob hill' but apart from a bike lane and downhill to the centre, had nothing really worth stopping for. Paid in spades for the downhill on the way out but was so pleased to be leaving albuquerqe (last time of spelling that!), that it didnt matter. And once again, the view from the top, as well as the 'you are now leaving' sign made it worth it. 
On leaving, the scenery changed. Before there were scrub bushes and grassland but now this became sandy and fewer green shrubs.. more desert like and in the distance and to the sides rose escarpments of red rock, signalling the passage towards Arizona and canyonlands.
The road was up and down from here on in but in contrast to the preceeding 2 days, I was getting just reward for the uphill toil, downhill at speeds of 25mph and upwards, where the legs and arse got a bit of a break.  Once again I became lost in the view and thoughts of home. As i said in my earlier fb post, I am enjoying the adventure, but miss family and friends and feel lucky to have that to miss.
It was also at this point that I regret using up the superlatives too early in my descriptions as New Mexico is breathtakingly stunning. Everywhere I looked, there was a mountain in the distance, rising up from the desert like floor to a perfect blue sky. It was at this point that I managed a flag photo, because I felt that this was a place for a fitting tribute to the names on the flags.

I was in good spirits, it felt like the big part of the day was done, yet I still had 70 miles to go for plan A to work. The trouble was that I kept stopping to take photos wanting to imprint this place on my mind, the way I felt it had imprinted on my soul. Some places are like that... if you are lucky maybe more than one... in my case Switzerland and Poland and now New Mexico. All share a ruggedness in their beauty which I could appreciate.

Eventually I reached what I thought was my plan B point, but the time was good so decided to eat, only to discover that it was the next casino/hotel that was my plan B, and actually I was still 25 miles from plan A. Considering I had been motoring on the flat and downhill sections, this was a slight disappointment so i set myself a time limit to be back on the road. I reasoned that barring incident, I could easily do that in 2 hours which would be half 6 arrival. I sought local knowledge as to the gradient of the road.  The reply... well theres a big hill in about 4 miles but once that it done you should be fine!

When I set off again, I should have realised that when a car driver says big hill, a cyclist would have added the word very! However I set a good pace up it as it wound round the edge of one of the hills. Then downhill all the way... errr nope. Again a car drivers view very different, but gradually I saw the miles count down on roadsigns. At about 11 miles to go I was hit by a slight headwind and the sun was starting to fall.
I was also battling with 2 things... aside from the usual road debris I was also dodging what initially looked like scorpions but on closer, slower inspection turned out to be massive locusts/crickets. Then whilst trying not to squash them my left eye started stinging... suncream in the eye is not fun and for several miles I went along with one eye shut or blinking furiously to try and clear it. Amusing maybe, but not when you are on your last legs, and lorries are passing close, and the glare from the sun means the road is not easily seen! I was reluctant to stop but did so, cleared my eye and readied myself for the final push... Easier said than done after 103 miles of up and down. So it was more of a crawling pace that saw me into Grants and to the motel 8 that was waiting with beckoning doors.

Once settled in, I had a lovely phone call from work, which made me smile and cut through my weariness so thanks for that guys!

So I am now, for today at least, back on schedule and spending the night where I was supposed to. It was a mammoth day but today I have refused to break and been rewarded but end the day as I began, slightly homesick and feeling lucky!

Day 15 - Trying to make it to the end of the world

Trying to make it to the end of the world
Trying to make it to the final 3rd
Whenever I fall down you pick me up
Whenever I fall to pieces you put me back together
You keep on telling me
You keep on telling me to believe

The above song struck a chord with me today... after the hell of yesterday, I woke up this morning with a new outlook on life... saw the weather channel -predicting strong westerly winds but knew I had to get today done.
I had a leisurely breakfast.. too leisurely I guess and poked my head outside to be pleasantly surprised... no wind. I got cracking and headed to the interstate and the first 2 miles were glorious. The sun was out, it was warm, a gentle breath of wind, a bit of downhill. Life good again. Turned westwards and was hit by a wall, the same wall that had conquered me yesterday. Only this time, I set my teeth, faced up to the wind and stamped on the pedals, determined to beat this today.
You see, I couldnt change the wind direction and couldnt change the direction of the road, the only thing I could choose to change, was how I reacted to it. I could once again accept that I was going to have a crap day or I could choose to take the wind head on and score a personal victory. And try and enjoy....
Difficult but not impossible... I was grateful it wasnt cold or raining for starters and once again the view was to die for.
The first 5 hours were spent on an almost constant climb, none too severe, just relentless. Upward was the only way, do I turned up the music to try and drown out the howling wind and kept the legs going round. Unfortunately, due to the constant battering, I was going at best 8mph and that was on the short sections of downhill, which I would normally reach speeds of up to 30mph!
If you want to get some idea of the experience you could do one of 2 things: Drive along at 25 mph, lower your window and stick out your hand, palm facing forwards.. that is how much I was being battered. To replicate the effort, go to the gym, get on a bike and put the gears to 14 or 16. Pedal for 1 hour, then multiply that by 12 in your head and that was my day!
Im not complaining (too much). Every stop I had (one 5 min every hour) I sat up, and took in the views.... once again vast desolation, making me feel very insignificant in the grand scheme of things and although I had cars and lorries passing my left, I was in my own headspace and felt like I was in a bubble of my own, with my thoughts to keep me company

Some of these thoughts were turned to melanie sykes and her family. Melanie lost her fight a few days ago and is the friend of a friend. Although i never knew her, i feel connected to each and every one of the names on these flags and feel a responsibility  to get them to the end of the pier. I had been asked to get a photo of her name in a nice spot and in due course i managed that... the story of the picture comes later but today i rode for melanie....

so i battled and battled, mile after mile (i am not exaggerating) - i fought tooth and claw, crawling along at best. It didnt matter though, today it was going to take me as long as it took, and although albuquerqe (yes that bloody place again) once again seemed to be slipping out of reach, i continued to hope that conditions would improve. This continued for 50 ish miles, when finally i came to a good place to stop for food. By this time it was 1pm, and although tired of wind,  my determination to see this day through hadnt waned in the slightest.

At this stop I met my boost for the day.. a young couple, Austin and Jess (hope I have remembered the names correctly) asked me what I was doing. So we chatted for 15 mins or so about cycling (They wanted to do a bike trip from utah, where they live), the charity and swopped stories. Once again, this made my day. They were kind enough to give me a can of monster, gratefully received and we parted, hopefully to stay in touch, maybe even to see them at the gig In LA. (yes gig, not concert... you know who you are)

Having eaten, i had hoped that the next stage would be better, but once again, got greeted by my old friend, headwind... and so it continued.  It was around this time that i tried to get the photo of melanie's name on the flag as the scenery was breathtaking, but the strength of the wind made it impossible, so on i went.

A few miles later, the wind dropped slightly and i thought that this was my chance... i had severe difficulty trying to unclip my cleats on both sides, and had pain shooting up my left (possibly fractured) foot. I could not unclip and in exasperation, said out loud, "cmon, give me a break". I swear i heard laughter shortly before a violent gust put me to a complete standstill, leaving me no where to go but down on my backside... and apparently my finger also cos a chunk of flesh is now missing.

Ironically it made me laugh, as i stood up, i again said out loud, "apparently not then"... fortunately my damaged finger was the worst of my injuries. However i did manage to get the photo this time...

onwards and upwards went the road and conditions not improving in the slightest. I had been promised for the last 20 or so miles a place called clines corners, a famous Route 66 stop off point and eventually after another few hours of hard graft i got there. It was half 5pm and daylight was running out with 15 or so miles to go. My strategy at this point was to eat now, to save eating later and hope that with the sun disappearing over the horizon, the winds would die down..and they did a bit, which meant that after food, i could up the mph slightly.

Shortly after this i reached the plains marker which indicated that i had climbed to 6500 Feet and ticked another box.

There was still a sting In the tail in the form of another long drag uphill, one that lorries had their hazards on all the way up, but was determined to make it to the top. Eventually i did, and stopped and appreciated the calm and peace of the moment.... The last 12 miles were downhill, facing the setting sun, disappearing over the tops of the distant mountains and silloughetting them against the dusk sky and although those mountains carried the promise of pain tomorrow, i felt nothing but sincere joy to be alive and witness to such beauty. This was my reward today.

Because of the drop in windspeed and the gentle downhill gradient, i was making good speed, trying to outrun the dark. I couldn't so the last 5 miles saw my world narrow to a spot of light from my headtorch, and occasionally expand, with the car headlights. I went slowly, mainly to avoid debris and a puncture and although far from Ideal and slightly nervewracking, it added to the sdventure and achievement of the day.

so i crawled into Moriarty, a town that had been imploring me to stay the night on billboards 100 miles ago. It felt like destiny that i was to be here. Albuquerqe was once more out of reach today, and im still slightly behind schedule, but today felt like victory, not defeat. 

Which is why the song lines rang true, you all have been putting me back together every night with your posts and words of envouragement and you tell me to believe... after today i have a little more belief that i will carry these flags to the end of the world.

Day 14 - Hardland, ripped and torn apart....

They say a picture speaks a thousand words but today im not sure any of the 4 pics I took would even come close to telling the tale...

I think I set myself up for failure today... 134 miles ambitious even with all conditions perfect...
Id got up reasonably early but was kicking myself that I didnt set off before the sun came up. Breakfast was not offered where I was staying so off I went, but found nowhere open between the motel and the freeway... mistake number 1. I did eat some more of the god-awful cookie dough and some other bits and pieces left from yesterday so I wasnt without sustenance.

I had had it on good authority that there was a big hill on the way out from tucumcari and as I hit it, before my legs had stopped the screaming, I thought that this wasnt the best way to start the day,

Did I also mention that it is still pretty cold here...once again my feet turned to iceblocks and although (emma dunne) I have been colder it wasnt great ti start the day with numb toes.
The morning sky was full of the promise of a beautiful day... the sun was shining over the hills and some warmth hit the ground. The sky was sooo blue, without a single whisp of cloud and for short while all was well.
The initial hill climb was ok, long but not too steep and after Chris Summerrill's welsh training camp, I span up it with a reasonably good pace, got to the top and took a photo smiling brightly... the shadows were definately laughing at my joy tho, because once at the top, the wind grabbed hold of me with a vengeance, head/side wind once again, slowing my progress to a crawl, almost knocking me off my bike at times with a strong gust. It took a good amount of energy to keep the bike going straight, never mind up and straight.
And up is where the road was going... never really steep but long long drags ever upwards (no one mentioned the 2nd to 5th climbs). Downhill sections provided no respite because even pedaling I was scarcely reaching forward momentum speed.
All the while time ticked rapidly onwards until 3 hours had gone and I hadnt made any headway. On one of the good days I would have been at santa rosa by this time so with every second that ticked by, the goal of the day seemed more and more doomed to fail... I say fail cos that how it seems, I set my mind to do stuff and then go do it, but time was not on my side and darkness would hit and if things continued in this way, I would be looking at 2 to 3 hours cycling in the dark. I wouldnt have minded too much, but remain ever conscious of the promises I have made to many people to stay safe.
What other options do I have... this was primarily what I was debating in my head as I continued the struggle towards santa rosa. I also had a slight panic moment when I thought my tab had died and my connection to everyone gone... it was only momentary but did stress me out somewhat!

one thing which managed to raise a smile were the advertising hoardings. Since leaving tucumcari, i had been searching for a place to stop and fill up on food and up till that point had drawn a blank... the advertising hoardings were promising me 24 hour breakfast and all the food i could ever want... only in 100 miles :) ahh no problem then!  Even the ones advertised as 20 minutes away would be a good couple of hours for me and although it made me smile, it showed how small the world has become and how little room for adventure when 100 miles away is worth advertising!  The hoardings are also the bane of my existance, given that Its sometimes hard enough to keep going without the promise of bed, wifi and shower at every junction! I eventually found a small gas station and stocked up, inc hersheys cookies and cream which i am just about to break open. (well everyone keeps telling me i need calories). Food found and eaten, but i didnt find it any easier, contrary to the popular belief that me with food =happy me... it was all headwind dependent today, i can guarrantee you. 

Given the large amount of effort being expended to stay on the straight and narrow and not be blown into the path of an oncoming truck, i didnt take many pics, but the scenery remained spectacular, perhaps even more so than yesterday, with the hills appearing in the middle of the grassland and stretching out to the horizon - and i was appreciating it  - somewhere in the recesses of my brain, i have stored the views from the tops of the climbs, the  colour of the red earth and the way it contrasted with the golden scrub grass and the bright blue sky. Still haven't seen any rattlers but i have seen where they would have been, had i time to go and look, and i was tempted :)

I also got offered a lift by an actual cowboy, hat and all! 

All this is just delaying explaining my decision to stop early to you and justifying it to myself. I have tried to explain how viscious the wind was today, but a risk im taking is that it would be no better tomorrow and which case so be it.. but mainly my exertions from climbing hills and battling the wind has left me mentally and physically exhausted today and i have one eye on the overall goal of this game, to get to the end, yes in time for the gig, but also to get there in one piece. This led me to thinking about the different phases this journey has and what that means to me...

Phase 1 - The beginning.. full of excitement, hope and In good physical condition. Everything is new and holds interest.

Phase 2 - The middle, the hard slog, the bit where the initial excitement has worn off and you just gotta keep going. Physically everything starting to hurt. Routine set and mastered (hopefully)

Phase 3 - The end of the challenge is within touching distance and fears about not completing wane. Excitement of thoughts of seeing friends and family again. Aches and pains forgotten.

So thats what i reckon the stages of most journeys like this are, and i am firmly in the hard slog of stage 2... but not for long. In a few days i will be entering my 7th state (sorry to Kansas for missing you out on yesterdays blog!) With just the I more after that and then phase 3 will begin... and hopefully i will be smiling all the way to the pier.

So i argued with myself for 10 miles.. and I won! Part of me is pissed off with myself for taking the rest day today (i did do 56 miles today, but still...), the other part of me knows that i was close to 80% done in and it was better to stop before that became 100%,  to rest and recharge in order to begin hurtling towards phase 3 ( or if it is like today, turning the pedals round one at a time)!

So I threw out my plans (again), rewrote them, and stayed flexible, which I think, when all is said and done, will be the key to getting to the finish.

This Hardland has ripped and torn me apart today, hard dreams have left me scarred 

But this is only today....

Day 13 - Lead me through the darkness

Attempt number 2 at posting this....

So I set off in the dark... dont worry I had lights.. and ironically felt safer on the interstate going out of amarillo,  due to the headlights of the cars and trucks. I quickly realised that I needed my headtorch in order to avoid the inevitable debris on the hard shoulder.
Did I mention that it was cold, close to freezing cold, but for the first few miles I didnt notice as I was entranced by the way the sun rose, gradually lighting up my world, I.e the tarmac, until I no longer needed my light to see my way.
After the sun rose, it got colder - wierd huh. The wind grew stronger and it got colder as I got further away from amarillo, meaning that I had to stop every 30 mins to stamp some feeling back into my feet. I couldnt stop for long as not only did the rest of me get colder as my feet warmed up, but I was also painfully aware that I had to make the miles today or risk jeopardising plan b and having to think up a plan c.

I was also made aware of the fact, via a billboard, that I hadnt reached halfway yesterday, signs for the halfway cafe showed a distance of around 25 miles still to go. This made me determined not to stop properly until I got there and it was this that drove me onwards, against the freezing headwind, albeit at a crawling pace. I found myself hating it yet at the same time enjoying it and was muttering incentives/expletives at myself to keep me going! I did stop for 5 mins to stuff down a cookie dough protein bar, which is one of the worst things I have ever tasted. It did the trick however and 3 hours after I had set off, I crawled into the cafe, to be greeted with a hot cup of coffee before I had even sat down.

The cafe had a gift shop, where I managed to avoid buying anything for once and I spent time there taking photos, signing the visitor book and catching up with fb. A special mention must go to Dave Spragg here who wished for a tailwind for me and when I finally emerged from the cafe, the wind had changed direction... it was still freezing cold tho, 3 degrees not including the wind chill factor.
Whilst in the cafe, I chatted to a lovely couple about the ride and the charity and nodded to a few bikers, with whom I shared an understanding about the elements on the road. It is talking to people like this that make this about the journey, not just the destination.
So once again I set off, and with the wind behind me, I managed a good pace.
The texas panhandle is at quite a height and when I reached the point where the road descends off the plateau, the view that greeted me, beautiful, desolate and vast made me fairly emotional. Whether it was the fact that I had battled hard to get here, or maybe it was the thought this morning that I woulnt get this far today, or just the sight of such a spectacular landscape, but as I prepared to descend, tears sprang to my eyes.
Now descending in itself isnt easy at speed, but add in a fully loaded bike, a side/tailwind and dodging road debris, it made for an adrenaline fuelled 15 mins. At that point, one of the bikers that I had nodded to, sped past, beeping his horn, his fist lifted in a triumphant salute of solidarity on the road, this and the scenery  were my reward for the hours of toil I had endured... I felt on top of the world....
As I descended it got slightly warmer, it was still  cold, but warmer nonetheless. With the greater speed lifted the worry about making the miles and I was able to get my head up and enjoy the views.

I stopped at the motor museum and although I dont particularly have an interest in cars, I was viewing the history of route66 that I am now feeling connected with.. that and a nice hot cup of coffee, set me up for the next leg of the day.
I continued along the road and as I crossed the border into New Mexico I let out another inner whoop of joy to have reached my 5th state in 13 days. New Mexico greeted me with sunshine and with the pressure of making the miles planned lifted for the day, I was able to relax and enjoy the views. Although I was on the interstate there were stretches where I was alone and I found the inner peace that comes to me when I am surrounded by nature and breathing fresh air. The view remained breathtaking with mountains rising up in the distance and vast areas of scrubland stretching out in front of my wheels.

Im not sure I mentioned in my blog yesterday about my first snake sighting (live), not a rattler but still. It was lucky to remain alive, I just managed a last minute dodging manoeuvre as it slithered into the scrub. With this in mind, I kept my eyes firmly on the road ahead and to the side in the hope of seeing a rattlesnake, whilst still dodging debris, including 2 areas of nails strewn across the shoulder. Unfortunately did not see one, but if I do, rest assured I will get my camera out!

The next stop was at a place that my actual mother as well as my work mothers would have frowned upon me visiting, a truckers rest stop, but it was here that I met Jesse, a cancer fighter, who was very interested in the ride and the charity and kindly offered to spread the word on fb, as well as offering advice on what to do in electrical storms and tornados.  He might also be in LA for the end of ride gig and it would be pretty cool to see him there. It is meeting people like Jesse that make my day complete and I hope I meet many more people like him on this journey. So thank you to him...

The last 30 miles or so to tucumcari were more of the same special scenery and I really enjoyed it, the legs felt good, even on the hills and the sun warmed my bones up. When I reached the town, I turned off the interstate and felt so good I didnt stop at the first motel I saw! Instead I leisurely made my way along the main road, taking in the old buildings and feeling at peace with the world.
I stopped at one motel, got settled in, only to find the wifi didnt work. Now despite being british, I complained, packed up, got my money back and strolled across the road to another motel.

Now just a warning, tomorrow I have a huge day, 134 miles to cover, so will be setting off early and finishing late, but I may not be able to blog. Spot will tell you that I am safe, but I need to cover the miles in order to havd a short 30 ish miles into albuquerqe for my rest day the day after tomorrow.

So I have been led through the darkness, through the tears (tho not bitter) and guided to hope...
LHS as always

Day 12 - Dream aloud

So I woke up bright and early, feeling good mentally, a bit knackered physically, but what else to expect..
No breakfast again at the Blarney Inn, so I hot footed it up the road to have my first, and I hope last mcdonalds breakfast.
Having paid attention to the great Chris Summerill among others, I went and stocked up on food for the day, probably overdosed on bananas, then set off. Now because I was certain that interstate riding is legal in good ole texas, the first thing I did was hop on it. Smooth roads, not much traffic, sun just coming up to reveal endless fields of dry scrub grass, with cattle quietly grazing... this is what I had dreamed of when I set off, a land unlike the one I was born in, something unique. It was completely mesmerising. A few miles in I hopped off the i40 and stopped for 5 mins to take photos of the stunning landscape... behind me a golf cart came chugging up, pulled up alongside and an older gentleman enquired what I was doing... we chatted for a good 15 mins, he told me about his paperound of 5 papers and I told him about my ride and the charity. It was a lovely start to the day and I felt pretty carefree.
Although it was cold, the morning held the promise of warm sunshine and no wind, and the blue sky stretched endlessly. I wish u could all be here to see it! I cant describe it that well im afraid and the pics will never do it justice!

So back on the interstate I went until I came to the barbed wire and route 66 museum in mcclean, which had some cool stuff but just didnt have time to look around, maybe next time! Unfortunately I came out with some more souvenirs, must must stop doing that!
After mcclean there were miles and miles of interstate and nothing else, which was great. There wasnt much traffic, more in Reading on a sunday, so it wasnt stressful and I got to enjoy the scenery. I climbed up gradually until I hit what's called the panhandle, which was flat and smooth and if you are a cyclist, to die for!
I was making great time and entertained pushing on to do 120 odd miles, whilst conditions were good- but first lunch stop
The dairy queen, unhealthy, horrible, but my only choice.. so I sat in there, gulped down a burger and then went back out to my bike... something was wrong... yup you guessed it, another puncture. So off came the panniers, off came the back wheel again and half an hour later, it was all fixed, the brakes were out of whack though and by the time I'd sorted them, an hour had gone the way of the wind.
So still feeling ok, I set off again, aiming for amarillo and the halfway point of this jouney. I was still hopeful that if the wind remained low, I could push on past amarillo.
As I neared the city though, traffic and junctions became more numerous. The problem with junctions is I had to slow right down, make sure nothing was turning off the interstate and then hop across the exit lane. With that and the traffic, I decided it would be wise to get off and run along the frontage road. Problem with that was where two interstates crossed over the frontage road ran out, forcing me to go in towards the city, which took loads of time.
Due to the lost hour and this detour away from the interstate, it was getting late and the hopes of pushing on were waning. I decided to get as far through amarillo as possible before calling it a day,
This found me in a lovely, if slightly expensive room with time to do laundry (yes again, remember I only have 2 of everything) and do my nightly catch up with folks from home. Pizza (chris summerill take note) ordered to deliver and counting the cost of the day, in a non monetary sense.  The next few days are going to hurt big time. Because of the lack of places to stop, tomorrow I have to get to tucumcari, 107 miles away, but then there is a whopping 134 miles to the next place, this would then leave me 30 to 40 miles to do on my rest day to get me into Albuquerqe! Hmmmm. Well I will certainly give it a good go. It will be on the interstate and hopefully the weather will hold. However there is a distinct possibility that my tent will be put to good use, the day after tomorrow.

So another whoop of joy at getting to the halfway point, a moment of caution as to what the next few days will bring but above all continuing to dream aloud!

Day 11 - There are no frontiers

The tone of todays blog has changed in my head throughout today... This morning did not start well. Once again, I struggled to get up (what? You arent surprised) and by the time I went off to breakfast it was gone 7am, only to find the door to the lobby locked so no breakfast. So I put on my helmet and headed off before the sun had risen.
Actually this was great because I was treated to a beautiful sunrise and the scenery had somehow changed overnight. No longer the oklahoma trees  but red earth and hillocks with scrub bushes, like what I thought the midwest was going to be.
My good mood dissipated mainly because of the state of the roads here. At first glance you would think they were fine, but the composition of the tarmac made it feel as though I was pedaling through treacle.
I kept looking at my wheels to check for punctures or brakes rubbing or something to explain why I was crawling along. Nope nuthin like that to blame it on. It quicly became clear to me that my head and my legs werent playing the game today.
Matt Dixon kindly put a piece up on my wall about how when you ride, it creates a void in your head for thoughts to come and go... this is true, but also for the negative ones, which are much harder to remove. So my thoughts turned to the days ahead.... big mistake! The enormity of what I still had to do became almost overwhelming, particularly as I hadnt yet reached the point I had originally intended to reach yesterday. If I was 15 miles behind today, what would tomorrow be. Could I possibly catch up the miles lost and so on. The pressure of a late start added to these thoughts.  Now normally I would come up with some phrase or saying to break up the pattern but today these thoughts stuck in my head for a while. I was crawling along at 10 to 12mph on the flat and the wind and the cold were adding to a general lack of oomph.
It took all the willpower I had not to stop at the first motel I saw, crawl into bed with the covers over my head. I was this close to stopping and taking another rest day... what stopped me, well the thought that I may need this day more in the next 2 weeks than I needed it now. Sure things felt crap but they could be worse and who knows what challenges might lie up the road.
So I plodded on until I came to Elk City, the first waypoint for todays ride. Once there , I kinda missed my turning and found myself on a smooth, wide hard shoulder.... the interstate... oh well ... I could always pretend not to know it was illegal, play the stoopid foreigner card if stopped.  I loved it... 16mph with little difficulty, flying along, what a difference a good road surface makes. So in this manner I shot along to the next junction, where with regret, I once again joined the frontage road.

For the next few miles of bumpy drudgery I found myself contemplating why I put myself through these things. I love my life back home and am not running away from anything, I am more running towards something I think. ! Many years ago I was in a car accident, we got hit by a lorry on the M25, and although we were physically unhurt, I struggled with the thought that I had dodged the proverbial bullet. It was because of this that the invincibility you feel when you are young was suddenly and brutally replaced with the fear of dying- sorry cheery subject I know. Since then I have always been chasing life, because I realise how precious and short it can be and how quickly it could have gone that day. So I try to pack as much into my life, experience as many things as possible, chase my dreams, because I believe that this is the only shot you get at it.

The ironic thing so far on this trip, whilst I have seen and experienced huge amounts, it has only made me think more about everything and everyone I appreciate back home... I have always expected this though and wear always a pendant with the words, 'the life you seek does not exist' on it,  a lyric from a mike peters song (of course) which reminds me that however far away I go, all the best things I have in life... my family, friends, work... will all be waiting for me when I get home.
So back to why do all this then.... because I also believe that part of life is testing yourself, making yourself do things that appear too hard, because then you can take those lessons back with you to your real life and use them to enhance the person you are... does that make sense?

Anyway all these thoughts invaded my mind and provided some distraction from the leg aching task of the day.
Now having missed the oklahoma memorial I was determined to see texola, the deserted town on the border.  I was on my last legs, 7 miles to go, pedaling squares, knackered.... and then oklahoma decided to say goodbye, by raining on me.... cold tired and now wet, I was about ready to pitch my tent at the roadside when I saw a sign........

Not from God, but for a cafe... wearily I pulled up with the full knowledge that if I stopped I wouldnt get to mclean today. I went in and found a besutifully decorated tea room/art gallery. I was asked in a good southern drawl if I wanted anything and soon I was sitting, coffee and cake in hand, chatting to the owner of Tumbleweeds which is both the first and last stop in oklahoma.
It was fascinating how this lady had been drawn to an old building and turned it into this place, full of art, painted wonderfully by herself and providing a weary traveller with a place to stop. Before I knew it an hour had gone but funnily enough the panic of not making mclean had gone, replaced by the joy of sharing stories and coffee. This stop reminded me that (although I have to get to LA in tkme for the gig and flight home, its also about how I get there and the people I meet along the way that make it a journey.
So because of the stop, I set off with renewed fervour... and gave an inner whoop of joy when I crossed the border... ok so it wasn't an inner one, but no one heard (I hope). Texas seemed to recognise my change of mood and welcomed me with sunshine and scenery that some might call boring, but I thought was the picture of perfection...
Cattle lazily grazing in fields of scrub green, which stretched for miles in every direction.... this is how I'd imagined it and it was perfect. The sun lit up the white whisps of clouds as the (now) gentle breeze sent them scudding along. I even saw my first real cowboy, hat and pickup truck, locking in his cattle on the ranch for the night.
The last 10 miles to Shamrock were pure bliss, not because I was flying along, tho the road was better, but because I had been re shown the beauty of my surroundings and nothing could spoil that!

Shamtock provided me with the blarney inn and a steakhouse...
That will do...
Texas is currently my favourite state, lets hope that lasts!

Rest day and Day 10 - Fight back

In contrast to my previous days blogs, I am going to start this days blog from the night before...
As usual I was catching up with messages from friends and family when I received an email. A friend of mine has just been told of a cancer diagnosis. Obviously this upset me a huge amount, especially as this person is one of the truly, genuinely good people of this world, but I am sharing this to put all this adventure into some kind of context.
Whatever difficulty or challenge I face on this journey will never come close to the challenges faced by people battling illness.  And it highlights the importance of the work done by Love Hope Strength foundation and Delete Blood Cancer both in the UK, Usa and spreading round the world, thanks to the work of people like Mike and Jules Peters, James Chippendale and everyone connected with these charities in the fight.
So before I continue the blog for day 10 - my friend - today I cycle with you in mind... and in the words of MP, Fight back fight back fight back with all that you are!

Day 10 began with an unfortunate glance at the weather update... storms passing over head, flooding in Texas, winds gusting up to 40mph...remind me never to do that again. Its much easier to face the weather as it hits you than dread it coming, but having seen that I was eager to get a good start, just in case things turned really bad.
Of course then everything took longer to do, and I didn't get my foot on the pedal until half 7am and faced westwards out of the city. After the, by now infamous, highway 100 out of st louis I faced the expressway with some trepidation, but neednt have worried. All the cars and trucks were curteous, giving way and giving room and soon I was out on the old route 66 road, content... well sort of.
Whether it was the rest day or something else, I didn't have the zip I did... ok I had a fairly horrendous head/sidewind to deal with, but it wasn't raining. (Grateful for small mercies me). It was however bloody cold with just shorts and although I had tried, my shoes were not fully dry, meaning neither were my feet, and therfore they were blocks of ice! I was very grateful for my wind/waterproof which did a good job in keeping my core temp above freezing... but the legs were stiff and my foot hurt!
Woe is me right... well actually despite all this and the snail pace I was doing, I was enjoying myself. Once onto the 66 road, I was pretty much by myself, in the middle of just about nowhere, which is my favourite place in the world and the scenery reminded me of the ridgeway... yes hills again but even these were ok, I just trundled up and down  setting a steady tempo.
This equilibrium was disturbed slightly about 40 miles in, when I realised the problem of drinking too much on a rest day.. you don't use up the water and now I desperately needed to find a bush...but trying to find a bush on this road was next to impossible and although it had been pretty deserted, every time I thought id found a suitable point to stop a car appeared on the horizon... this went on for at least 10 miles and although the situation was becoming more desparate, I could see the funny side. On one hand, I was too isolated cos no gas station appeared, on the other hand, I wasn't isolated enough cos the cars kept appearing..
Anyway eventually I chanced it, hopped behind some kind of barn and emerged in a short while feeling much better, got on my bike, pedaled 5 mins down the road..... and a gas station appeared!
The road continued ever westwards... one highlight was getting stopped by some roadworkers and the surprise on their faces when I told them I had come from chicago 11 days ago and was going to LA, priceless. I have also started to graffiti my panniers, currently LA or bust and some hash marks to count off the days along with the words that keep me going, Love, Hope and Strength! I also got to see a large bird of prey up pretty close and this time it wasnt dead!
The wind remained strong throughout the day but I couldnt shake off the feeling that I was trying to outrun the storm, heading for bluer skies all the time and eventually the sun did break through a little, enough to warm my bones and feet up!
One feature of the landscape that had been ever present since the city, and should have given me a clue as to what kind of day to expect, were the windfarms, in the hundreds. I did think this was good to see as we hear a lot of negativity about the gas guzzling america, but here was proof, that in some areas at least, alternative sources of energy are being embraced and they do look kinda majestic in the fields that I don't think they detract from the scenery at all.
Once again, I found myself going up hill and down dale alongside the flat interstate. The road itself wasn't in too bad a condition but it was a relief occasionally to hit a wide smooth duel carriageway.
In regards to injuries, my foot has been playing up today, not just when I stand but also whilst cycling. It might have something to do with the cold today, or maybe just because ive cycled over 900 miles on it. My hands still remain weak and wierd feeling but I can live with that. My arse is hurting less today, so I guess the day off did some good.
So wearily I crawled up yet another hill to arrive at my destination for today, a small town called Clinton. I was originally going to stop 15 miles further down the road, but there was no where to stay there, according to google maps, so it was a choice between clinton or canute, another 20 miles down the road and frankly id had enough fresh air today.
The motel im in is possibly the wrong side of town (lots of sirens) and is less salubrious than some ive stayed in, but its cheap, they gave me a discount, it has a heater and a bed and most importantly, wifi!
I have noticed that all motels here below a certain price range, have the same floral patterned bedspread and curtains!
So its felt like a long day, but I have had plenty of peace and solitude along the road and have rather enjoyed it today... fingers crossed again for me that the weather holds, it seemed to do the trick today.
So now for a nice hot shower and then settle down to a book and another hershey bar!
Onwards and westwards to texas.....

Rest day - Were were you hiding when the storm broke

So im probably going to confuse after calling this day 10 at breakfast... but decided to call it rest day and tomorrow day 10 as coincides with my mapping.
Nice hotel last night and woke early to skype home...
Got shit together slowly then set foot out the door.
Rain pouring and I mean pouring down, rivers and lakes forming on the roads but I had a mission today... get to the other side of the city ready for tomorrow, get my bike looked at and visit a pharmacy... reasons discussed later.

So I got pretty wet and went pretty slowly  and eventually got to a days inn, which is as far from the best western as chalk from cheese and looks something like the motel in no country for old men.
Doesnt really matter tho... the heater is on full blast, drying my only pair of shorts so I can get wet again when I pop out to get food.
So whilst I am waiting for them to dry, I have cnn on. Its full of the government shutdown and the obamacare website which doesn't work properly.... a heathcare website not work... really... after spending lots of money on it? Seems it isn't just the Nhs then!
The other funny thing that struck me when I watch tv is any health product advert has an almost complte listing of side effects and contact your doctor ifs....during the advert. Its like, buy (insert product name) it may cause chest pain, breathlessness, you could even die, makecsure you tell your doc if u suffer with any itching, redness, allergic reaction,... but its really good and may help weight loss. Stop Taking it if you feel dizzy or nauseus.. but do pleae buy it!  And if your insurance doesn't cover it astra zenecca may be able to help you...
Well it made me chuckle...

So my original aim was to go and visit the memorial, but I quickly decided that although it would be a shame not to see it, it was just too wet for me to use up energy fighting my way downtown and then back up again and the energy might well be needed tomorrow, especially if its like this!
On the way I found a bike store, and made an important purchase that will hopefully save me from severe saddle soreness. Somewhat a taboo subject between cyclists and non cyclists.. you have to understand that preventing things getting bad is high priority as that will be one of the few things that could bring all this to an abrupt halt... I cant cycle standing up all the way..
So how do u prevent I hear you ask... well, a good thin saddle (less contact points =less areas of chafing), no underwear under the bike shorts (less seams always a good thing) and chamois cream! Hence my pharmeceutical and bike shop visits. I also bought a white marker which im hoping will work on my panniers so I can scrawl a message or two on them.

There seems to be a decent mexican restaurant outside and will stock up on provisions for tomorrow. I might try and repack the panniers to see if I can do it in a better way to leave more room for souvenirs... I mean provisions.

So keep your fingers crossed that the weather is better tomorrow. Im still feeling good after yesterdays ride so will take it easy whilst I can.
LHS X

Day 9 - I am unsafe....

Firstly, thank you to Lynn who took me out in Tulsa last night. It was nice to see some local life, even if I am now painfully aware that I am surrounded by people carrying guns... very wierd thought if you live in the UK.
So having got up this morning, once again determined to get an early start, when as you might have seen, I saw the flat back tyre. I knew that I had a very long day ahead and probably a bit tired from not being in bed by 9pm as I am accustomed to doing, and this felt like a bad omen for the day.
I rolled up my sleeves and with hands that don't work as well as they did last week, managed to change the tube, get the wheel back on, reattatch the panniers, have breakfast and set off by half 8, which isn't bad. It didn't feel like that though. I was in a foul temper.
Now bad moods are why its a good thing to be travelling alone. If you want to be in a bad mood, you can be cos the only person you can piss off is yourself. Sometimes you want to be in a bad mood and having someone else there trying to cheer you up, can sometimes make it worse. So temporarily happy with my bad mood, I set off. Quickly my bad mood about the start of the day evaporated and changed to a bad mood with myself for letting a puncture put me in a bad mood... still with me!

Basically it upset me that I had let this get to me. In fact I have been lucky not to have a puncture up till now. The bad mood continued and as a result  i was certain that I wouldnt get my rest day, because I thought that I would struggle to get anywhere today, given the late start. The thought of no rest day made my bad mood worse... not even my music was pulling me out of it . Basically my bad mood was further feeding my bad mood and I needed to break the cycle. I glanced down at my bands that I wear constantly (except at work-bare below elbows rule) and got to thinking what they mean to me.

This is what I came up with... 
They summarise how I have been able to get through this trip so far

Love - I have such supportive friends and family and friends who are like family that it gives me Hope that I can achieve this challenge that I have set out to do, both of these in turn give me the strength to keep the pedals turning day by day.
Sorry if it all sounds a bit OTT but this is how my thought processes were working at the time.
Once I had thought that through, the music began to filter through...

At this point my decision making was swinging between," just do 60 or so miles today and another short day tomorrow" and "go for it, get it done today and reap the benefit tomorrow".  I couldnt make my mind up as to how determined I was going to be. Meanwhile I was making my way through Tulsa and doing a bit of the tourist thing, half convinced that it was going to be a short day.

At some point I started to put the power down, my legs felt good, even if the rest of my body was breaking down. I desperately need a rest day, just to let my hands recover, if nothing else. I also quite needed to visit a pharmacy and a bike shop, to give my bike the once over before the next leg.  I also wanted to see the memorial at the least.  All this was going through my mind as I pushed harder on the pedals. There were no free miles today and it was like being back in missouri with the ups and downs

So with my hands on the drops and head into the wind, i was pushing along between 15 and 20 mph, with uphill between 12 and 14mph.  This is pretty fast on a loaded bike.

As the day wore on, thoughts of stopping short of oklahoma city started to fade.

I said, if i am at this point by 4pm, i will have enough light to make it.  i made sure i stopped every hour to snack and drink, but kept the stops short. 

The point that i had a decision to make came... and it was only 3pm. I was an hour earlier than i thought i would be.

The negative had turned into positive and a challenge to myself to get to the city. I continued to push, knowing that i had fought every mile to get a rest day and it would therefore be much sweeter.

As i neared the city, i started to relax and look around. I hadnt taken much notice of the sights up to this point and ironically the scenery seemed to improve, the closer i got to the city. At one point a searing pain went through my left thigh and i worried i had torn something so tried to tone down the pushing. Thankfully the pain subsided And i was able to continue at speed.

Oklahoma city is such that a sign announces the city limits 20 miles out. This makes the last 20miles like you are there but not. 

So at half 6 pm, having cycled 115 miles, i got to where i had been planning to spend the night, asked for a discount, got one and sunk gratefully into a very nice room.

So maybe my puncture this morning was not as some (kindly) suggested a sign that i needed to take it easy, or take the bus (Fiona), but rather having risen to the challenge, a sign that i can have more hope that i will make it. Today has given me more strength of mind 

Im very happy that i get my rest day tomorrow. I feel slightly broken and therefore I still declare myself unsafe.... just with a touch of satisfaction!

Day 8 - Breathe the air : It's the only thing you get for free

I didn't sleep well last night due to the bloody great big thunderstorm. I was concerned about cycling across flat land on my bike, basically serving as a lightening conductor. However the storm abated and I got up at 5 am to overcast skies and drizzle but not cold and  no wind to speak of.  Excited to make the most of this I packed up in super quick time and headed off to breakfast, to be told it was saturday and therefore breakfast not available until 7am. Such is life.

Once 7 am arrived, i jumped in for breakfast and was soon on my way. Despite it being overcast, the wind was for once with me and i shot out of miami. The road was straight, reasonably flat and aimed in the same direction all day, rising to the belief that i would be enjoying a tailwind all day.  I had a few pressing issues, one of which i dealt with as soon as i found a shop. Disaster had befallen me last night as i reached miami... my headphones had given up. I cannot, i repeat cannot cycle without music and on my spare headphones the sound of the alarm was more like, the sound of... well it might be the alarm but i couldnt tell u for sure. Fortunately the gas station sold headphones as well as guns, knives, and more pertinent to me, shots of energy juice. So loaded up with a couple of those just in case the day turned bad, and with working music again, i set off once more.

The road was wide and straight and i was able to enjoy the day. Looking at my surrounding, there were miles of fields and for the first time really since the trip began i had the pleasure of being alone on the road for stretches at a time.

For the first time, my mind could wander from the road to other things in my life... thoughts of home and family and friends that i miss, the dissertation i have to start when i get back ( second thoughts, maybe too much time to think is a bad thing). My dog radar was kept on background alert but for once did not get set off at all.

I got to the top of a hill and the sun was starting to make itself felt, so i stopped to take off a layer or two and was confronted by a picture perfect view. I paused the ipod and just stood there... admiring the view, breathing the air and feeling lucky to be alive. It was one of those perfect moments that i find whilst biking, no distractions, no interruptions, just purity. This is why i came to america, for moments like this. A friend pointed out to me that you cant appreciate highs without experiencing the lows and he is totally correct. Im not sure this moment would have been as appreciated if the last few days hadnt been rough! 

Whilst standing there i noticed a white truck stop up ahead and then turn round and go back down the road... now because i am by myself i have a radar for things like this too and my internal warning system was on high alert. 2 mins later the truck pulls up to me. Staying where i was i asked if all was alright, 

The reply i got was ' are you ok, are you lost, do you need help' i replied that i was grand and felt really bad that id been thinking the worst. They then said we just wanted to check... i thanked them and they drove off, leaving me once again marvelling at how nice peoole can be!

So once again I set off, the wind carrying me at a rate of knots. Now I mentioned the headphone problem and one I couldnt sort. Basically my hands dont work properly from gripping the handlebars for over 750 miles in 8 days. This makes things like attatching my ipod to my belt loop take up to 5 mins and you should see me trying to use a knife and fork... it is quite funny... as long as its only temporary, which it should be.  One of my fingers, the forth on my right, will not straigten of its own accord.  The other minor injury i have is my left foot. I injured it on snowdon somehow, possibly a stress fracture of one of the small bones. Whilst i am cycling along its fine... so actually all good, but today accidently put that foot down at some lights and it really was quite painful, so just wont do that again. Other than that, a miriad of bruises, achIng muscles and a bit of sunburn, actually i feel pretty good.  

The road from this point to tulsa cannot go by without me mentioning 2 more things... first is Spot, my companion for 30 miles (remember i have to keep myself entertained) Spot was a little bug who hitchiked a ride, yellow with black spots (hence the name). He kept me entertained for a while, crawling around on my handlebar bag, looking like he was catching the bus to work! (No i havent really lost it) 

The other piece of entertainment i alluded to back in missouri, the concept of free miles... i have now expanded on that. I expected an average, including stops of 10 mph. This is my baseline. If i go over that without having to pedal, its called free miles... doesnt have to be down hills, can be wind assisted. However i was going so fast today that i decided if i hit 20mph whilst not pedaling it counts as double free miles.... yeah yeah i know i sound like ive lost it lol, but it helps to pass the time.

I freewheeled into Tulsa in record time, having done just around 95 ish miles. Found the Super 8, got a discount (again) and settled down to catch up with everyone. The wifi didnt work... panic stations. I was ready to up and leave but fortunately they sorted it out but it made me slightly sad on one hand and lucky on the other... let me explain...

I like to think of myself as the kind of person who could up sticks and live in a wild place with little of no connection to the outer world... today i realised i probably couldnt and that made me slightly sad, but better than that it made me feel lucky and that is because i have such wonderful family and friends, that on this short trip, it is without question the highlight of my day, shower and bed notwithstanding, to sit and catch up with everyone by facebook and email and i feel lucky because of that.

So on that note... go outside, take a deep breath of fresh air and feel the peace that enveloped me today, then tell someone close to you about it and you will come close to feeling how i do now.

As always  Love hope and strength to all. Roll on oklahoma city tomorrow!