Day 18: Looooong Roads

Total: 1277 miles

Cyclist's Observation: Things in Texas are not nearly as close as they appear.

Fair winds for us means that you will get a blog post without much substance. As you can see from yesterday's blog post, we don't have a lot to do in the afternoon if we get in early. As for today, I decided to stop at a Texas rest stop for cyclists. You can see from the picture, the Laz-Z-Boy Rest Stop was convenient and quite comfortable. The only problem was that the toilet was 14 miles away!

We managed to travel from Gatesville to Early, TX for a total of 83 miles at an average of 13.5 mph. The first 50 miles we had cross winds from 25 to 35 mph and gusts up to 40 mph. This made my additional pounds useful until we arrived at a hill. The last 33 miles was reinforced by a much appreciated tail wind.

As we made the turn to take advantage of the wind, we found a DQ in Goldthwaite, Texas. Not just any DQ, but the DQ with a host, David, and store manager, Nita, who provided Texas history and tour information (see picture). Nita also gave us free Blizzard coupons and the locations for the next DQs on our route. Now that's hospitality Texas style. Thanks Nita and David!

This is the Old Land Cruisers saying adios for another day.

Day 17: Cycling Fashion Tips

Total: 1194 miles

Cyclist's Observation: Never sacrifice your bandanna for a menial cause.

After a nice ride from Cameron to Gatesville, Texas at 15 mph for 68 miles, it was time for a little relaxation. A comfortable tail wind pushed us along and we arrived early to our motel. We still need to ice our nagging leg injuries and keep our enthusiasm to a minimum. We have a long way to go.

I want to elaborate on yesterday's discussion of cycling dress clothes. Everyone knows of the importance of the little black dress as a dependable alternative for any occasion. Well, in cycling it is the bandanna.The bandanna can be used for any of the following: dew rag, neck wear, sweat band, bow tie, snot rag, grease rag, bandage, toilet paper in an extreme emergency (borrow your partner's), or if you have a severe injury on the road it can be used as a tourniquet. Please see Bill's demonstration picture with the tourniquet used in combination with the cycling pump.

Mick's picture provides a clear sense of how important the bandanna is for use as a headband.

That's all from the Old Land Cruisers, the cycling world's fashionistas.

Day 16: Dress Code

Total: 1126

Cyclist's Observation: Never ask someone under 20 for directions.

We forced ourselves to leave College Station and Ann and Kevin's comfort inn! For Bill and I it was another day on the road and 60 miles less to go. We arrived in Cameron, Texas fairly early and had a pleasant day on the road with no flats. Let me repeat, a pleasant day on the road with no flats. Bill's quad began to ache after about 25 miles so the pace was a controlled 13 mph against a mild head wind.

Knowing that we would encounter many strangers on the road, it's important that Bill and I adhere to the highest standards of decorum. The pictures represent our formal attire with Mick's bandanna tie pic. Bill's glamor wear for a night at the motel, while plotting our course for the next day requires serious attention to the motel dress code. Finally, where else would you find campus casual attire, but at the bar with Billy. You will note that we bring an air of sophistication to each photograph which befits the occasion. One such occasion is dining at Mickey Ds. We certainly turn heads as we enter any of these fine establishments.

Not swift, not suave, and certainly not sure of our present location, we are the Old Land Cruisers.

Day 15: Shopping and Tour

Cyclist's Observation: If you're going to carry something 3000 miles you better have a use for it.

As we take a short break from cycling, I thought I would give you an idea of how little you need to live day to day on a bicycle. Please refer to the picture of both bikes fully loaded for travel, along with Bill's backpack. That's it! Thoreau was extravagant when he went to the woods. Of course we have cash, credit cards and home equity lines of credit!

Today was my day to check my credit line at the local bike shop, Aggieland Cycling. I bought two new tires, six tubes, two patch kits, cycling gloves, and had my wheel trued. Steve (see pic) was my main man at the shop and he got me rollin again. I also tried on cycling shorts that pushed out more fleshy parts of my body then the shorts I'm wearing with the hole! I got a patch kit for the hole and we'll see how long my body parts can be contained.

The rest of the day Austin acted as our tour guide. We walked the Texas A&M campus and went to the Bush Library and Museum. We returned to the house where Bill began more intensive rehabilitation (see pic). The ice seemed to help his sore muscles, but the beer was good for his sole. This day of recovery was essential to our mental and physical health and Austin and Ann have been great hosts (see pic). Another week or two in College Station would be nice; however, the road is long and Texas is wide.

Tomorrow it's time for the Old Land Cruisers to saddle up and ride'm.

Day 14: Can This Be True?

Total: 1066 miles

In the book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" the author, Robert Pirsig, refers to "gumption traps." He describes them as the bumps on the road that keep you from accomplishing a designated task. Today was the "mother" of all gumption traps. This was the first day I have ever had double digit flats, 10 total! My rear end hurts from the bike seat, my calves and quads hurt from peddling, but at dinner it was my hands cramping from repairing tires all day. Bill's pump is terrific and in a short time I will have to buy him a new one.We limped into College Station, Texas late the day after traveling 63 miles at 11 mph against a fierce head wind. For all of you non-math majors, this was an average of one flat every 6.2 miles (10,000 meters or 10 kilometers). Over the last 150 miles or so my tires disintegrated and it was impossible to do anything except ride on and fit flat after flat after flat!


Let me tell you that this was our lucky day! We are staying with Ann and Austin Daily who are members of the Affordable Travel Club for seniors. Since I had two flats less than 2 miles from their home, Austin started looking for us in the car. Ann provided beer shortly after we arrived and then they took us to dinner with other ATC members, Anne and Kevin O'Neill. Tomorrow we will hit the bike shops and I will buy new tires, tubes, shorts, gloves, and anything else that will help me get to San Diego, California. We will also tour Texas A&M and the Bush Library. Let me explain a little more about our dinner experience. As we entered the restaurant a group of coeds (maybe 12 to 15 total) were ahead of us in line. They were celebrating a birthday, but one, Laini had just gotten engaged (see ring picture). They shared the birthday cookie (cake) with us and gathered for a group photo (see picture). Not a bad ending for a couple of old geezers on bikes and believe me we needed a hefty shot of optimism.







This is the Old Land Cruisers still trying to suck it up on the road.

Day 13: Rain, Rain, Go Away

Total: 1003 miles

This morning the storm warnings delayed our departure from Kountze, Texas. During breakfast we watched a storm roll through and decided to wait until the sky cleared. The roads were clear and smooth with a wide shoulder most of the way to Conroe, Texas.As with any journey, there are bumps in the road. Actually, several bumps today. First, the storm rolled through and left behind the winds from Saturn. I'm sure you'll remember that Saturn was the mythical god that devoured his young. I'm not sure he devoured us, but he took a serious bite out of Bill's quad muscle. We limped along for 77 miles at a little under 13 mph. As for the second bump, it hurt! We had 15 to 20 mph head winds allllllll day! Finally, the last bump was when I added another flat to my collection. Tomorrow we are planning for an earlier start in hopes of avoiding some of the head winds.

The old sons of Saturn still cruisin!

Day 12: Texas Two Peddle

Total: 926 miles

It's going to take a loooooog time to peddle across Texas. We started today from deQuincy, Louisiana and found a great breakfast at the Silver Dollar Casino right before we crossed the Texas border. As we started out the door of the motel I found my front tire was flat. The cycling gremlins must have sucked the air out during the night. After about an hour on the road we started to get a light drizzle, then it rained for most of the remaining 70 miles. We averaged a soggy 14 mph and arrived in Kountze, Texas early in the afternoon. Billy Bob (aka Bill, everyone in Texas has two first names) did laundry while I iced my Achilles.I feel the days will blend together as we cross Texas, but I'm sure we'll meet some interesting characters along the way.

Soggy Old Land Cruisers over and out.

Day 11: Bad Hair Day

Total miles: 856

Today we had a nice ride, but as luck would have it the convenience of a motel cut us a Iittle short. We traveled 68 miles at 14+ mph. A slight head wind slowed our progress for part of the day. The really good news was NO BRIDGES!

It now seems time to share something more personal about our ride. As you might expect Bill and I both have the necessary cycling attire. This includes padded shorts, a nice jersey, padded gloves, clip-in shoes, and a helmet. My shorts now have a hole about the size of a quarter and the hole gets bigger each day. My jersey sags and now has grease on the front from repairing my flat for the day. However, the true continuing humiliation can only be represented by the photo Bill took (see picture). Bad hair day, hat head, or mohawk you pick the name.

It's not the name that counts, it's the funny looks you get when you go into the local diner for lunch with the construction workers. Remember my shorts have a hole, so Bill follows me everywhere. We're still trying to get to Texas. Yehawww!

The Old Land Cruiserss:

Day 10: Fading into the Sunset

Total Miles: 788

Cyclist's observation: It is a little known fact that horns in Louisiana are connected to the brakes of each vehicle, because every time someone passed us and hit the horn it appeared to us that they should have been hitting the brake.

A much better day on the road (a little over 14 mph average) and 75 fewer miles to get to San Diego. We got a late start from Port Allen, Louisiana, but the roads were flat and we arrived in Eunice, Louisiana in the late afternoon.

The cycling adventure of the day was crossing the Merganza Spillway. This was about 5miles of flat causeway with two lanes of heavy traffic and no shoulder (see the picture of Bill risking his life).


We arrived in Opelousas, Louisiana to see an exhibit of painted violins around the main square (see pic). This was also one of the destinations for the "train children" sent for adoption from New York City. We hung out at the Palace Cafe for lunch where it was nice to be in a place that accepted cyclist attire as "proper dress." Bill also noticed an older woman wearing a Northface jacket that was turned inside out. We felt right at home.

As we arrived in Eunice, we immediately found a motel and I had a flat before I could cross the street. Repairing a flat in air conditioning isn't all that bad. We went back across the street for dinner at the Boiling Shack. Heather provided us with a free demonstration on how to eat crawfish and then gave us a back room tour of the boiling area (see pic).

The people of Louisiana have been terrific with the only exception being the frequent blasts in your ear as you rattle along the byways.

Tomorrow we hope for Texas and new horizons.

We are the Old Land Cruisers fading into the sunset.

Day 9: On the Mend

I thought yesterday was a hard day. I'm now looking back like it was an easy day and the roads were smooth and the traffic was courteous. Today was much harder, worse roads, more traffic, took a detour into downtown Baton Rouge, crossed the Mississippi River on the bridge from hell, and nursed an irritated Achilles for the entire day. We covered a disappointing 67 miles at less than 13 mph.

Now for the bad news, as we crossed "The Bridge" both of us had flats. With no place to stop, we had to ride on until we got to the other side. As we changed both rear tires we noticed that each rim had been damaged. The bridge had expansion joints with hugh gaps and as we hit the gaps on flats the rims suffered.

It looks like the wheels will be fine and our morale will be sustained with some food. Ibuprofen and ice should help the Achilles and tomorrow is another day.

Signing off from somewhere west of the Mississippi River.

The Old Land Cruisers on the mend

Day 8

This was a hard day. We traveled 86 miles from to Bay St Louis, Louisiana to Hammond, Louisiana at slightly over 15 mph, but these were hard miles. The road was rough, straight and had lots of traffic with only a couple of options. Option one was to try to hug the side of the road with no shoulder. Option two was to ride out farther into the road and take a chance. If you choose option one you took the chance of ending up as alligator bait in a swamp or if you were lucky you just rearranged your fillings. The edge of the road had horizontal cracks with a single line crack that followed the center line. None of this bodes well for cyclists. If you selected option two you would have had a quick and rather spectacular demise!

Other than this continuous annoyance on the road and my first flat, it was Bill who provided a brief road adventure for the record. As we tooled along on a back road his flashing tail lite popped off and landed in the middle of the road. He made a quick U turn and went to retrieve the lite. As he patiently waited for the only car to pass, Murphy's (little known) Law became a reality. If it's in the road, if you need it and a car is coming, you know you can kiss the object of your affection adieu. The Jeep crushed it!

The day was long and the road was hard, but dinner at Don's Seafood was great. The fare of choice was medium rare rib eye with a side salad and cajun potatoes. Actually, the two for one beers made for a much better end for the day.

Can't wait to hit the road tomorrow (and cows fly).

Old, old, old Land Cruisers still truckin

Day 7: La La Land and St. Andrews???

Cyclist's observation: It takes more than one truck to completely flatten an armadillo!

After a leisurely Saturday with Ashton and E in Mobile it was time to get on the road again. We left at 6:30 am with fair weather and following winds. And as pre-pubescent boys refer to pre-pubescent girls, "She was flat, flat, flat." However, I'm referring to the terrain from Mobile to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. We traveled 90 miles at slightly less than 15 mph. As the day progressed, we began to encounter some head winds that slowed our progress.

As the wheels and the pedals go round and round Bill and I must have dozed off on our bikes because according to the picture we ended up in La La Land. And within a hundred yards we were in Scotland approaching St. Andrews Golf Course. It appeared that the fantasy was better than the reality and we had miles to go before we slept.

Other than that it was just another day on the road with mile after mile of beautiful beaches. The scars of hurricane Katrina are still visible, but could not undue the natural beauty. We stopped at the "Friendship Oak" in Long Beach, Mississippi which has survived for 500 years. A spectacular natural remnant surrounded by the carnage of Katrina.

Bill and I were so inspired by the tree that we decided to go off road on our touring tires. Let me explain that our skinny little tires are much different than the balloon tires made for a single speed beach cruiser. As we tried to cross about four feet of packed sand I made the final crank to the sidewalk as Bill sunk in and lightly kissed mother earth. Do you know that fine white sand sticks like glue to a salty sweaty body?



All is right on the beaches of Mississippi.

Old Land Cruisers signing off for the day.

Day 6

What? Are you nuts? Go back and read Day 5! We're taking the day off and going to bike shops in Mobile!

Day 5

We spent last night at the Hilton Hotel. Actually, it was the Motel Hilton! Although rather well worn around the edges, I must say it was really much worse. Why would we select such a place? The easy answer is that it saved us seven miles of extra biking. First, the soda machine stole Bill's dollar. Second, it was only after an unpleasant encounter with the manager, that it was retrieved. This was followed by several drinks of the day, Nati Lite, served off the back of a pick up parked next to our room. Several late afternoon conversations carried on until early morning and involved no volume control and was without adequate filtering for the ears of young children. Pizza was delivered and we never left the room again until our departure at 6:15 am.

We traveled 122 miles @ 16 mph. This was a long long day. It was mostly flat and as it got hotter the terrain got harder. Scott, the salesman, arrived as Bill and I sipped some Gatorade and provided each of us with a buffalo bar. We have yet to taste the offering.

Now for the Friday afternoon tour of Mobile. This was an extra 20 miles at the end of the day. Not just any day, but Friday during rush hour. As we entered the city from the east we could go into a tunnel or take an alternative route. The first person we asked about going through the tunnel suggested it would be suicide on a bicycle. Okay, we can take hint and off we went on our tour of approximately three hours. It would have been much longer if Sheila, Jerome, and Clarence hadn't come to our rescue.

Sheila said we shouldn't be in that part of town! I took this to mean it was similar to going through the tunnel. With limited chances of survival, Jerome took us around the back streets and had us follow on our bikes. I want you to know that I don't think 25 mph is very fast, but on a bike after 100 miles it feels a lot faster! Muscles twitching, adrenaline flowing and with no intention of commiting suicide they guided us to a location and then provided detailed directions that helped us to complete our safe arrival.

We were so late in arriving that Ashton found us sitting in a parking lot in front of a Subway sipping on a root beer. The real beer was to follow as Ashton patiently listened to the tales of the day.

All is well that ends well, I suppose.

Over and out from The Old Land Cruisers

Day 4: The Worm Fiddlin Capital of the World

It was a long short day. We traveled 84 miles at 16.7mph with a nice tail wind, but go figure after just 349 miles in four days our butts have begun to feel the strain. Sore muscles didn't help either. Rolling to flat terrain did help as did crossing into the central time zone. We made a couple of important stops. One was for a photo op at Caryville, Florida, which we discovered is the "Worm Fiddlin Capital of the World." Never knew that! The other stop was at a hardware store to get a hole drilled in my helment mirror. It came with double sided tape that lasted about 24 hours. Tonight we sleep in Crestview, Florida and tomorrow we will hope to arrive in Mobile, Alabama.

As we approach Mobile, Alabama, it is important for you to understand the arrangements we have made ahead of our trip. Our Friday night happy hour group of 30 years had a departure gathering. Ashton is the youngest daughter of Bo (aka Ron) who is an original member of the group. Ashton goes to school in Mobile and has invited us to stay in her apartment as we travel through. This was very kind of her and we are looking forward to seeing a familiar face.

Now this is where the story takes an unusual turn. As I'm making a visit to the men's room during happy hour, Bo arrives at the urinal next to me. He asked if we're going to stay with Ashton. I told him that was our plan. As we washed our hands he asked if I would give Ashton something. I said, "no problem" as he handed me a $50 bill in the bathroom. Wouldn't you know at that very moment Will, one of our favorite bartenders, walked through the door. His only comment, "I'll forget I saw that." I guess after 30 years you deserve some forgiveness!

Ashton, I have a $50 bill for you.

Dedicated to all the Table 10ers.

On the road again,
The Old Land Cruisers

Day 3: A Hard Day

Some of you might recall the third day of an exercise program. This is not normally a fond memory. Muscles ache, joints are stiff and nothing moves in the intended direction. These issues do not improve with age. As a result, our day three was a labor of intense focus with several stops, nice rolling hills that we didn't need, and terrific roads that conserved what little energy we had.

We had planned to go to Marianna, Florida and as the temps climbed to near 80 we approached our destination. Another tail wind helped us along, but the caffeine in the Mountain Dew and the three ibuprofen was a much better solution. Finally, after 94 miles at slightly less than 16 mph we had arrived. The day is done and so are we!

Keep truckin,
The Old Land Cruisers

Day 2: Cycling is a great way to create a moving slum!

For all you weather buffs, today was sunny and mild with morning temps in the low 60s and the afternoon high in the mid 70s. Partly cloudy with a tail wind for bikers at 15 to 20 knots. What is a knot, anyway?

As for the bikers, we left at the crack of first light and keep our "motors" running for 105 miles. Naturally, this requires fuel stops, but another great day on the bikes. If you travel with a photographer, it also means that Pavo,GA provided Mick with a much needed break while Bill walked the streets looking for the perfect composition. We arrived in Thomasville, GA about 2:30 PM for an average speed of 17.5 mph. This was a significant improvement from yesterday's 16.6 mph for 66 miles.

Now for an encounter along the way. Herbert found us standing on a side road that just happened to be the entrance to his house. He asked where we were heading and when we told him San Diego his response was "Whoeeeee." This 6 foot 2 inch thin man with a silver belt buckle and camouflaged hat got out of his pickup and walked over and introduced himself. Then he returned to get his map and give us directions. A man who trained bird dogs, knew you could drive to the Mississippi River in 10.5 hours and lived in Homerville, GA was a wealth of information and was ready to share it with the motley looking strangers in his driveway

Day 1

Hi all. The journey has begun! Bill and I left Jekyll Island this am with fair weather and a breeze at our back most of the day. We got flagged down by two hot chicks about breakfast time and broke bread with Lee and Marsha. Miles quickly faded into the background and we arrived at Waycross, GA (65 or 70 miles) about 1:30 PM. This was a great first day as a "shakedown cruise." Mostly flat terrain with the ocassional overpass kept us at a fairly steady pace for the day.

Last time we heard from Lee and Marsha they were still traveling by car back to Radford.!

The Beginning

My so-called friends frequently refer to me as "idiot." Since I don't want to disappoint anyone, it seemed like riding a bicycle cross country for the second time would confirm my status. I only needed to find another person dumb enough to do this and about my same fitness level (and intellect). Bill is smarter in most things and an accomplished photographer so when I invited him to participate, he thought about it. Then in a moment of diminished capacity, or compassion for the truly weak of mind, he decided it would be a great adventure and an opportunity to expand his photographs.



Years ago Bill and I started a weightloss program known as "cross country." He and I met as freshmen in college. We both participated in running for hours with no intended destination, except to get back to where we started. This seemed like a good idea at the time and once we form habits they are hard to break. So we will be departing within the next week for our trip to San Diego. That's the final destination. The beginning is Jekyll Island, Georgia, just south of Savannah. We will travel somewhere between 80 to 100 miles per day (approximately 2700 miles). At that point, it will be time to return to our original destinations; Columbus, Ohio for him and Radford, Virginia for me. Over the years we have both gained several pounds and we can only hope that this adventure will bring us back to the "glory days." Weightloss will not be our prime objective, but let's be optimistic that it will happen.