Miles: 56.7 - Total Miles: 2,802 - Total Ascent: 85,470 ft.In the beginning, today was little bit of a deceiving ride, but ended up being pretty spectacular. The difference in elevation between Prescott and Wickenburg is about 3,000 feet of decent. That is why I was not expecting to do much climbing out of Prescott. I climbed more than 1,000 feet within the first few miles. Then, after a nice long decent, I came upon a large, beautiful valley. Perhaps it would be smooth sailing to Wickenburg - nope! After only a few miles, it was back to more climbing.
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Last Saturday I was riding from Flagstaff to Cottonwood with Ken as my support driver. On the downhill switchbacks, I had a car pull alongside me and take my picture. I didn't think much of it until, moments later, the same car was parked on the shoulder. A man and woman were both standing outside the car taking more pictures of me. When I decided to stop and visit, they informed me that they were avid cyclists and have never seen a flag like mine mounted to a bike. Their names were John and Joanna; a married couple from Oregon. They drove to Phoenix and are cycling the surrounding areas. They actually had some great advice to offer on mapping and directions. I gave them one of my business cards, told them about my mission, and we parted ways.
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Today, 3 days and 150 miles later, we were eating lunch at a smalltown bar & grill in Peeples Valley, Arizona. I was pretty shocked when John and Joanna, the cyclists, walked through the door. They said they saw my bike (and flag) parked outside and knew it had to be me. I introduced them to my friend John and visited for a while. Before leaving, they walked me outside and we had our picture taken together. John and Joanna, what an amazing journey this has been, and how fortunate I am to have met the two of you - best of luck to both of you!
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Four miles down the road came the decent I had been waiting for. In the photo above, you can see the road is divided. The lower road is for the oncoming traffic. The upper road, a little less visible, is the one I rode on. A very well paved, one lane, one way road - what a fantastic ride, and view! I was hoping to top my speed record of 40 mph, and certainly would have if I didn't have such strong headwinds..
If you read yesterday's post, you'll remember that John was quite excited to show off his support vehicle. Just look at him, so proud! But, because this blog is intended to be an actual account of my journey, I feel obligated to report the truth....
It's OK John, Kia's are cool. California, here I come!
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"I CAN!'
5 comments:
Hey Chip! It's been a while since I posted a comment but couldn't pass up being the first. The advantage of living on the east coast. What an inspiration you are!! I can't express enought how much I admire you and value our friendship, not only with you but your great family. Jeanette and I make a visit to your blog a first thing every morning experience. I have passed out a bunch of your cards and continue to email Sean Hannity's "screener". We hope to have our children join the celebration at Huntington Beach this Saturday. It will allow our family to be the only one to be with you when both the back and front tires were dipped in the ocean!! Keep on rollin' and know that you and your family are in our prayers daily.
Kris
Hi Chip!! Thanks for the phone call to Chaz last night. He was very relieved to know you made it and excited to talk to you. You have a special place in his heart. It was a treat for all of us to hear about your day's adventure. What a journey this has been for you. It's countdown now until you are home. C.J. put the time of you trip into better perspective, when he relized you have been biking as long as he had to keep his mouth wired shut when he broke his jaw. Of course, eating only liquids seemed like an eternity for him!! We wish we could fly over and meet your family and cheer you on for the dipping of your tire, but hunting season is upon us. C.J. and Shea have tags and it opens this weekend. We wish you all the luck in your remaining ride. You Can!!!
Oh man! I just thought of something. McDonalds is doing their Monopoly game. You should have been playing while going from state to state! You know they'll never give out Boardwalk and Park Place in the same state!! But now that your approaching your last state (woo-hoo!) I guess it's too late. Maybe next time, huh? (wink wink).
I am so excited for you and your family to be here I can hardly contain myself!
See you soon!
John....what a funny guy! I remember how upset he was on top of Half Dome. That was a great memory. Welcome to California soon! You couldn't end your journey in a better state. Hope you enjoy your final days.
You are truly an inspiration Chip. It was such a pleasure meeting you. Thank you for your dedication to this awesome country of ours. We are so proud to be Americans, and it is always inspiring to see and meet people like you that share our same enthusiasm. We enjoyed meeting you tonight in Blythe, CA and hope that you felt our love and appreciation for all that you are doing. God Bless you and your family.
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