Day Twenty-Nine:

Larry left Tucson at 6:00 a.m. and headed north on 77. Coming out of Tucson was rough; there was a nice two-foot bike lane free of rumble strips on this road (no bike lane on the bridges) but it was hilly. He saw around 50 local riders in this area.

Ten miles north of Tucson he got off 77 and onto 79. At this junction there was a sign that said to watch out for animals. The terrain was desert: cacti and low bushes. He could see the mountains in the distance, and he saw roadrunners and a coyote which crossed the road right in front of him. He stopped at the Tom Mix landmark which was a rest stop with a plaque and a barbecue pit. (The rest stops in this area don't have water but have chemical-flush toilets.)

Once it flattened out Larry was able to ride 16 to 17 mph, and it was fairly cool. He was in Florence and had ridden 56 miles by 12:30 where he had lunch at Burger King. There were three motels in town, two that weren't nice; and the one that was nice was full. This was the first day of dove season, the hunters were out in full force, and there was no room for Larry in the Inn. A guy at a convenience store told Larry the back way to Coolidge, nine miles on 387. This took him by the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.

Larry says it's amazing how everything runs together on this ride and how time doesn't mean much. Today he saw lots of doves. He'd stop by the roadside, and when he'd clap they'd come flying up out of the sesame and millet fields where they were feeding. He saw some hawks as well as three or four grape arbors. He also saw pretty cacti, some of them he wouldn't be able to reach around. Every eight or ten miles there was a rest stop with handicap parking only, which he thought was somewhat odd.

After a total of 69 miles on Sunday, Larry paid $22 cash for a room with, guess what, no phone.

Day Thirty:

It's September 1st! Larry saw lots of dove hunters on Labor Day and could hear familiar popping sounds in the distance. (Yesterday he spoke to some hunters from San Diego and L.A.) He also saw lots of cars with sporting equipment strapped on, evidently going home after the holiday. He had good shoulder to ride on today, there was less traffic, there was no wind; and it was about 90 degrees, cloudy and more humid. The route was scenic with lots of cacti near the junction of 84 and Interstate 8. There were some bad hills between Coolidge and Casa Grande, a very nice town surrounded by manufacturing plants; plastics, terra cotta pipe, copper, aluminum. But he had some nice downhills on the Interstate which was flanked by farmland; millet fields and cattle.

Lunch was a burger and fries at DQ, which was about the time he discovered a cut in his rear tire which didn't seem to be all the way through.

He passed two or three huge dairies on Monday. The milk cows were in a covered shed about ½ mile long and ½ mile wide where they were fed by conveyer belt. There was no field in which they could roam. It reminded Larry of a chicken ranch. He again saw some ultralights today.

Six miles from Gila Bend the back tire went flat. By now the sun had come out and gotten hotter, so he was happy that some hunters stopped and picked him up. He rode with them back to the Best Western where they were also spending the night. The plan was to change the tire in the air conditioned room. Gila Bend is a town of about 2,000 and is populated with mobile homes and adobe huts.

Larry reported that this was a good day. After pedaling 74 miles and riding six, he was "tired but not damaged." He's decided that the secret is to leave early and pray for clouds! When I spoke to him he had showered and had been hanging out by the pool with the hunters who were cleaning their doves, getting ready to barbecue a little later. It was cloudy with a nice breeze. The guys offered Larry a bird and told him that one can only hunt doves from ½ hour after sunrise until noon. There were about 25 trucks at the motel which was full of hunters.

Thanks to all of you who have e-mailed and called Larry to encourage him. Please continue to keep him in your prayers as he finishes up this last week of his trip!

Day Thirty-One:

Larry called me from Gila Bend at about 4:15 a.m. (his time) on September 2nd, and he was getting ready to roll. He'd fixed his flat the night before and it was fine. When I talked to him again at 11:50 my time he was at a rest stop that had vending machines where he was getting juice and water. He'd been about 38 miles on Interstate 8 which was flat and boring and didn't have much traffic. It was getting hot and he was hoping for clouds. The clouds didn't materialize and it was 110 degrees most of the day, the hottest time being between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m.

As he crossed the Yuma Desert, he observed Air Force jets to the south dropping bombs. He could see the white streaks coming out of the jets, and four or five seconds later he'd hear rumbling. Again this day he saw many trains. He says they're everywhere. Also throughout this area there are Indians living in mobile homes. Someone told Larry that they stay drunk all the time, don't work, and live on government welfare.

He also learned that Yuma has a Big Breast contest -- not what you're thinking -- the first and second days of dove season. A guy from California won the first day; his dove breast weighed 90 grams.

After riding 79 miles, Larry made it to a motel in Tacna on Tuesday. A hunter there got shot with bird shot and had ten or 15 pellets in him from his knees to his butt. He came into the motel, and someone took him to Yuma -- to the hospital, I assume. Dinner was a barbecue sandwich at the local restaurant which was decorated with items from foreign countries. The waitress asked Larry if he wanted hot sauce for his sandwich which he said was already spicy! While there he learned that water has to be trucked in to Tacna by Yosemite Water Company. The truck holds 2300 gallons which it pumps into tanks behind the store, motel and restaurant. Larry didn't know how often the truck comes to town.

Day Thirty-Two:

Larry left Tacna in the dark at 4:40 a.m. on Wednesday. The first 25 miles of the ride were flat with the only hills being overpasses. Near Yuma he had three long hills that took him 30 minutes each to climb, followed by a nice downhill stretch. He was on and off the Interstate today and at one point crossed into a new county which Larry said was evidently the California state line! All through this area there are American Canals, which are numbered; they're tributaries off the Colorado River and are used for the irrigation of huge farms in the desert. The Interstate is 150 to 200 feet higher than the land throughout this area.

There was unusual terrain between AZ and CA: ten to 15 miles of sand dunes, like beach with no vegetation. He could see where people had driven on the dunes with vehicles.

The GPS told Larry there was a motel just inside the CA line in Felicity but there was no motel. The next motel was supposedly at the intersection of 8 and 98, but the road was under construction so the motel was closed until October 1. Unfortunately he couldn't wait that long! A California Highway Patrol Officer told him that the next motel was in Holtville, about nine miles away. While Larry was chatting with CHiP, a State of California Roadside Assistance driver pulled up. He was driving a brand new flat bed/wrecker with racks and a generator. He was kind enough to bungie cord Larry's bike on the back and drive him, in the air conditioned cab, to Holtville. The only motel in Holtville was shabby, and Larry and the proprietor weren't compatible, so he stopped at a restaurant, rested, had some iced tea and weighed his options.

He then rode eight miles to El Centro. The motel at the intersection of 111 and 115 wasn't good and should be burned down, according to Larry. So Larry spent some time riding around El Centro and found a nice Days Inn. The total ride today, including the lift, was 86 miles.

Ma's Kitchen in El Centro is a sports-bar-type restaurant. It was crowded and Larry had to wait 15 or 20 minutes for a seat. For dinner he had "smokey chicken," which tasted like it had been barbecued over mesquite. It was on toasted sourdough bread and was topped with mushrooms, cheese and tomatoes. He also had home fries and good iced tea. Just like in Florida one must sit outside at restaurants in CA if they wish to smoke. Outdoors Ma had big fans with a mist to keep the area cool; and Larry said that he could feel the mist but didn't actually get wet. He ate inside though!

By dark Wednesday night the temp was 107; the high for the day was 111 degrees! He reports that the breeze feels like it's burning your face, even at night, and says that the last few days have been "absolutely really hot." It's supposed to cool off for the upcoming weekend and only get to 101 degrees. And I'm hating our 92 degrees!

So it looks like Larry will be finishing up the adventure in just a few more days, quicker than we predicted. Thanks to everyone for keeping him (and me) in your prayers!

Day Thirty-Three:

On Thursday Larry left El Centro at 4:00 a.m. The first 40 miles were flat. It was sandy like the beach, and The National Racing Organization was testing dune buggies or baja buggies on the dunes. Larry watched for a few minutes. Plaster City, owned by USG, is a "hell hole" -- Mom and Dad had warned Larry of this fact!

He rode State Road 80 out of Plaster City, which is farther south than the Southern Tier route. When he stopped in Ocotillo he could see the mountains in the distance. The first hour after that wasn't bad, but 50 miles into the ride there were long uphills. One ten-mile stretch took him a couple hours. There were lots of switch backs in this area, and many places that looked flat really weren't. At one point after getting back on the Interstate and riding about three miles, he saw a sign indicating that he shouldn't be riding there; but he didn't see any place else to ride. He got off 8 as soon as he saw a frontage road.

When I spoke to him at about 3:00 he was in Pine Valley, and he told me that the next 21 miles were allegedly going to be down hill. At the 4000-foot elevation it wasn't as hot as it had been. During this stretch Larry would go downhill several hundred feet in a mile and would have to put his brakes on when he got going too fast. He'd alternate going up a little hill then riding a long downhill stretch. One end of the town of Pine Valley is 500 feet higher than the other end! In the next ten miles after leaving Pine Valley he dropped 2000 feet, and the total drop in 25 miles was from 4000 feet to 500 feet.

After 12 to 13 hours of riding Larry had gone 71 miles. The last several miles of the day were down hill or flat, and he's hoping for down hill from now on! For dinner had finally had a good meal: Nebraska pork chops, baked potato and apple sauce at the Alpine Valley Inn. (He's tired of eating at DQ.) When I last spoke with him on Thursday he was watching the sunset. He was in a valley, and tall mountains, with greenery, were in the background. FYI gas prices in CA range from 2.29/gal to 2.44/gal!

Day Thirty-Four:

Larry left Pine Valley at 5:30 and was in Alpine by 7:30 a.m. on Friday, September 5th. He'd done the first ten or 15 miles in about an hour, but the ride was getting more difficult. When I spoke to him he was having breakfast at Carl's Junior, which is like a McDonald's. The temp was about 85 degrees and it was clear. (There was a tornado ten miles north of where he was yesterday.)

The last few hours of the ride were really rough. It took him about seven hours to go 40 miles. The traffic and detours in San Diego were horrendous. Even on the designated bike areas, the traffic was unreal. Part of the time he had to ride on the sidewalk. He had a hard time getting up the last hill and wasn't sure he was going to make it. Then as he started down the hill, he could smell the salt air; and when he could feel it against his face, he got goose bumps. It was dramatic and overwhelming for him! What an accomplishment!

He said the feeling was amazing and he'll never ever forget it. When he called me he was at Dog Beach, the first beach for dogs in the US. The dogs don't even have to be on a leash. He said there must have been 5,000 dogs out there, and it looked to him like the scene was staged. He decided it wouldn't be a good idea to walk out there! Otherwise it was beautiful, sporting a big pier that went out into the ocean 1/4 mile with large jetties/rocks.

Later he found a motel in Ocean Beach which doesn't have air conditioning. But the temp was in the 70s, so it was comfortable with the windows and doors open; and he could hear the waves from his room. He said it felt really good to lie down, and he slept for about an hour. The high for the next few days is forecast as 76 and the low as 67 degrees. Very nice! I REALLY wish I were there!

Ten miles east of where he is the temp is in the 90s. Larry says Ocean Beach is a nice little town very similar to Key West in many ways, good and bad. A guy with an ugly dog stopped Larry and wanted to take his picture; he's going to e-mail it to him. This guy used to live in St. Pete and hated it so he moved back to California 40 years ago. He's a retired engineer who walks up and down the beach taking pictures of people. He posts them on a Web site and sells some of his pictures. Larry mentioned to him that everyone there seemed polite and laid back. The fellow told Larry that it's hard to be otherwise when you live in paradise!

After he watched the sunset and people playing haki-sak, Larry spoke to a guy who was wearing a wet suit. He said the water was 62 degrees. That information, along with a bunch of other stuff, was posted on the lifeguard stand. He was a little surprised to see people wearing long sleeves and jackets, as he thought the weather was quite comfortable. Larry noticed, as he rode through town, that all parking in Ocean Beach seems to be free; at the pier, along the boardwalk and throughout downtown.

Behind his room, where he'll probably be spending a few nights, there's a large fence, then a bike path that's eight feet wide with a line painted down the middle. Beyond that is the ocean. Can you picture it?

CONGRATULATIONS to my dearest

And thanks to all of you who have prayed him safely across the USA!