March 13, 2017. Rest day in Marfa Texas . 1104 miles from the Pacific. I caught up on some rest, did some laundry, walked around town, and gave horse some much-needed maintenance. Currently in my tent preparing for a cold night in West Texas.

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March 11, 2017. Fort Hancock Texas to Vanhorn Texas 73 miles. 1029 miles from the Pacific. Another great day to be on the bike. The long ride today over Texas mountain and I hot sunshine took it’s toll on my energy. My face and arms are now 50 shades of red even with massive amounts of sunscreen. Road with a couple of guys that are from Maine and Vermont most of the day and we are camping together tonight at the local RV park. It’s nice to have folks to ride with. I am ready to hit the tent so this will be short. Cheers Freebird

March 8, 2017. Las Cruces Mexico to El Paso Texas 49 miles. 903 miles from the Pacific. And a great day to be on the bike pedaling through the desert. I awoke at my warm showers Host to the smell of pecan pancakes. Two other bikers were also staying here for the night. Las Cruces is a nice town. I was thinking “I could live here” as a pedaled my way past the purple mountain majesty on my way to El Paso. I ride past Vineyards, pecan orchard’s, and old Spanish churches as I follow the waterless Rio Grande south. Then into the city of El Paso which was a little hair-raising and scary. Evidently they don’t believe in bike paths or bike lanes. Everyone drives a big pick up trucks or SUV’s. I haven’t seen a Prius since I left New Mexico. After lunch horse and I make our way to Fablab El Paso where we spend the afternoon talking Fabulousness which is one of my passions. I hope you got a chance to spend time with your passion today as well. Cheers
Freebird

March 6, 2017. Duncan Arizona to Deming New Mexico 101.5 miles and 794 miles from the Pacific. Doing a century ride today was not in the plan but that’s just how these things go. I packed up camp happy as the sun was rising over the high desert mountains to the east. My new air mattress is like sleeping at the Hilton – thank you Maja. And my new gears are great for climbing mountains – thank you thank you Brad. After a quick breakfast horse and I hit the road fully dressed in our insulated cold-weather gear. Not quite freezing temperatures last night but very close. The sun warmed up quickly and by the time we hit the New Mexico border I was taking off my leg warmers, jacket, and stocking cap.
A traffic was light and the road and a nice shoulder. The large Saguaro cactus have disappeared replaced by sagebrush and a funky looking bush type cactus. A hawk flies overhead looking for breakfast and I hear a coyote howl in the distance. I marvel at the tumbleweeds as they blow across the road in front of us. Mother nature’s way of spreading seeds by turning the bush into a ball and letting the wind do the rest.
The nice tailwind builds all morning. By the time we get to Lordsburg It’s turned into a full-fledged windstorm from the Northwest. The road turns north east and I do everything to try to hold horse on the road but it was nearly impossible. Gusts of 45 mph hit us broadside and nearly threw us into the ditch a couple times. I stopped and looked for Plan B. And then turned around and headed back to Lordsburg. As I was heading into town I guy in a big black pick up truck stopped next to me at an intersection. I must’ve been looking at the map with a dumbfounded look. The really nice older gentleman was from the area and we talked about options for a while. He was a former biker and his grown children are into mountain bikers. He help me figure out an alternate route that would send me towards Las Cruces taking advantage of the big wind. More trail magic just when I needed it. Horse and I had a downwind course and cruised between 15 and 20 mph all afternoon. By the time we got to Deming my legs had that rubber feeling. I got a room and took a shower, did some laundry and then went for some find Mexican food. The wind is still howling outside. I will sleep well tonight. I hope you do too. Cheers, Freebird

March 4th, 2017. Globe Arizona to Safford Arizona 76.2 miles and 692 miles from the Pacific. A great day to be on the bike. A very cool start to the day which meant putting on my cold-weather gear. I had a lot of energy in the morning which seem to last most of the day. The highlight of my day was a white motorcycle went by and beeped his horn twice. My first thought was that it might be my friend Jim from Phoenix. But this is a long ways from Phoenix. Sure enough about a mile up the road there was Jim waiting for me at a rest stop. It was really nice to see a familiar smiling face. He road ahead and we had lunch together in the little town of Bylas. I am camped at a warm showers host tonight along with a couple other bikers. Warm weather, nice tailwinds, and beautiful scenery of the Arizona desert all afternoon. Snowcapped mountains to the west and beautiful red cliffs on my left followed me all the way down this gorgeous Valley. Several hawks fly overhead and jackrabbits dash across the road in front of me as horse and I make our way through this beautiful desert wonderland. I hope you had some time to enjoy a friendship or see some of natures wonders today as well. Cheers, Freebird