Terry and Royce's Grand Adventures

Monday April 27, 2015 Safford AZ to Black Jack Campground Apache National Forest AZ The calm after the storm Once again we delayed our departure due to cold. We did not delay it by much, but this was a big change to our first days of riding through the California and Arizona deserts where early was the key to beating the heat. Now we found ourselves digging out all of our warm clothing. I had some concern for our nights destination since it was at 6,600 feet and the low was predicted to be around 45 degrees. We did not bring along our standard backpack sleeping bags that keep us warm well below 32 degrees. Instead we had opted to take a couple of old down comforters that are destined for the Goodwill once we get home. Since it was only one night I figured I could survive any cold. Royce, always the optimist had no concerns at all. His lack of concern would make it easier for me to steal his blankets  in the cold of the night. Again Royce rode out a couple of hours with me a...

Sunday April 26, 2015 Globe AZ to Safford AZ A rainstorm moved through the area last night. It was predicted and we knew we would awaken to rain. This time the rain was colder than we had experienced in the Phoenix. The forecast was for just the one day of rain. We delayed our departure until around nine. We say a crack of blue sky in the cloud cover and took that as reason enough to hit the road. It was a wet and will 77 mile ride into Safford. Royce bumped along with me just in case I needed some shelter from the rain. It was a good thing he was following me closely because after our first meeting spot, it happened. I got my first flat. The roads were full of broken glass and my rear tire took a direct hit. It was great having Royce so close. The glass was big enough that it ruined my tire. So we ended up replacing the tire as well.  Once it seemed relatively safe from any down pours Royce bumped a head and rode back to me, and we rode back to the car for lunch. By this time ...

Saturday April 25, 2015 Apache Jct. AZ to Globe AZ 60 miles Wrong uniform for Golf Yes.....It finally happened we are heading for the hills. Today starts uncharted territory for me. Up to this point I have travelled (via car) the roads and areas we have come through. The area we cover today will be new to me and I was excited to get out of the city. The ride did not disappoint. We saw some nice country taking an off pavement route through Queen Valley. It was nice to get off of Hwy 60 for a bit. We even found a very nice golf course in Queen Valley. Wouldn't you know they had a tournament starting. Just as we rounded our turn to pass by the course a half dozen golf carts were racing toward us. They seemed shocked to see a couple of people on bikes cruising around the golf course. Royce turned back soon after this and I continued on my way. Not far down the road I came upon a couple on mountain bikes who were clearly loaded up and touring. The couple was from Switzerla...

Friday April 24 Wickenburg AZ to Apache Jct. AZ 94 miles We have always liked getting out early in the day for our bike rides. We find the traffic to be lighter, temperature cooler and it is always nice to watch the day wake up. I hit the road before 7 and it quickly became obvious that the rain that had been predicted was really going to happen. This could be a very long day with 94 miles to make it to Apache Jct. It seem as if I was just behind the down bursts of rain. The streets of Phoenix and the surrounding communities were becoming small lakes. It was not cold just wet. Royce and I had planned on meeting at the Whole Foods Market for lunch. Royce was able to ride back to me and ride on to the car before lunch. I actually had managed to ride 60 miles by 11:30. We had a great lunch, got some supplies and I moved on. That is when my luck ran out. Very shortly after leaving I got  caught in a down pour and had to...

Great ride today. Very wild and woolly country. Met a fellow biker (74 years young) on a trip from Prescott Arizona to Rosarito Mexico. What an inspiration. Have not ridden my recumbent for awhile and I might have pushed just a bit further than I should have. There is a big difference in the muscles used on the recumbent vs. the diamond frame. We will be dropping down into Phoenix and staying in Apache Junction tomorrow. 90 mile push. Should see some pretty country. Thanks for all of your love and support. This is a once in a life time adventure for us and we are loving every minute of it. One tends to become rather introspective when you spend many many hours on a bike, much of it by yourself. Have not discovered the meaning of life yet....but will keep you posted.

April 22,  2015 Day 4 Blythe CA to Salome AZ Cannot believe it. The fourth day and we have made our first State line crossing. One milestone captured. We rode out through the farmland of Blythe this morning on our way to catch I-10 and then on to Hwy 60. I knew Royce was enjoying the views of the farm equipment and fields, since he spent his youth being a farm boy. One other great find was local produce that Royce picked up for us after his ride. There is not much here in Salome. We did eat at the only restaurant. The menu was very limited and with our special diets that are free of......well most everything We dared not use the G...free word as we already had the very nice waitress bewildered. The restaurant selections on this journey will remain a challenge. The good news is we have lots of food packed in the car.  

April 21, 2015 Day 3 Brawley CA to Blythe CA 81 miles Today we were able to get an early start. We had planned taking the trikes out, but Royce's trike had a flat. He made a quick repair, only to have the new tube fail. Ahhh it is so nice to have options. We ditched the trikes and hit the road on our bikes. We were still able to get on the road before 7 am. The heat the day before had convinced us that earlier is better. Royce rode out about 25 miles, far enough out to see the North Algondones Dunes. Wow, I never knew they existed and so much fun to see them from a bike. Seems the high winds in the area blow the sand over the road in many places. It was unique and fun to traverse sand in the road. We camped along the Colorado River that evening and had the campground to ourselves. Royce got the flat fixed on his trike and I  cleaned our bike chains, since we decided to play in the sand. Good to go for another day!!  

Monday April 20, 2015 Day 2 Pine Valley to Brawley 87 miles Royce and I started the day out on our bikes together and had a great ride....and then it was time for Royce to turn back so that he could move the car forward. We had wanted to get an early start, but it was very chilly in Pine Valley. By 8 o'clock it had finally reached 60 degrees so we ventured out. It was fun and beautiful riding through the Cleveland National Forest. It was a long day riding through the farmlands of Brawley with the temperatures in the low 90's. Wall along the Mexico Border Backroads of Brawley CA 

April 19, 2015 Day 1  San Diego to Pine Valley 53 miles 5295' Elevation Gain It really happened we got the wheels turning on our Ride Across America. We were blessed today to have our niece, Renee Damon meet us at our starting point in Mission Valley. She brought her dog Rocky along, who had a lot of fun running around the dog friendly beach...known as Dog Beach. Renee was great. Not only was she our photographer, she also brought some towels and water to clean our feet after our venture onto the beach. Not Sure where Rocky was for this photo opportunity   Royce was a Road Angel today. He shuttled a motorcycle rider who had ran out of gas back to Alpine to get gas and then back to his motorcycle. We "bike" people need to stick together. If it were not for Royce, it would have been a very long day for him. He had no cell phone coverage and the nearest gas station was about 5 miles away. Lucky for me, I did not run out of gas ...

We are officially one week from our TRAAM (Terry and Royce Across America)launch day of April 19, 2015. Many people have suggested that if I stopped riding in circles for the last 18 months, and rode on a line to the East  I would have already made it across the U.S.  Yes, that is true. I have logged enough miles in my training to date, that I would have indeed be on the East Coast by now. The training work is done. I have spent the last two weeks downshifting to less miles,more stretching and mentally preparing for what lies ahead. We are putting the final touches on logistics, which we both realize will never really be perfect, yet will be good enough. We look forward to the adventures that lie ahead. Our departure point is in the Mission Valley area of San Diego known as Dog Beach. Ride Across America Route