Day 25 Austin to LaGrange, Tx

We had a great time in Austin. Lola was feeling a little under the weather, but this morning we set out on our ride anyway. We were having a good ride with beautiful farm roads and cloudy cool skies. Then two dogs came straight at me and they came inches from my left ankle. All I saw were big teeth trying to take a chunk of my ankle. And in the ankle department, I can't afford to lose much.. It shook me up a little bit. Lola was behind and Joe came up and formed a burier between her and the dogs. Well, we only got out about 15/20 miles when she became quite ill...We got in the car and set out to LaGrange to find a motel so she could lay down and rest. .

Once in the car she began to feel better. On the way there were the State Parks we were looking forward to riding thru... Lola still wanted to drive thru them.. And I hopped on my bike and rode thru Bastrop National Park...It was great. Lots of climbing. I looked down at my computer when I underestimated a hill and it was a 23 percent grade... There were about three of those short steep climbs then gradual rollers.. I had a great ride I expected to see bears coming out of the woods..

Lola was better after leaving her dinner and this mornings breakfast in the woods... We regrouped at the end of the park...So at least I got a good ride today... Lola is convinced she has the swine flu..She has been sleeping all afternoon. I hope she is better tomorrow....

Tailwinds,

Malena

The Pic's: Riding thru Bastrop National Park

The Farm Road we were cycling thru today

Days 23 and 24 San Antonio and Austin, Tx

Hello friends and family...We had a great time in San Antonio with Jaime. We toured The Alamo, Mission San Jose and Mission of Concepcion. We got caught in a rain storm and got sopping wet. But, we still had a great time. And of course, never tired of walking along The Riverwalk..

On The Road Again!!!! Yes, it was time to part ways again. Jaime went home and we left for Austin. We had a great visit and he really enjoyed hearing all our stories. It was a beautiful ride once we got out of the big city by car...Then onto our farm to market roads. We have been anything but bored in Texas. So, to all who told us, flat, boring and very long road thru Texas. We say, try the little farm roads. They are absolutely beautiful. Today, it was alot greener and Lety, the bluebonnets are blooming everywhere out here now.

Well as soon as we arrived in Austin, we headed for Mellow Johnny's bike shop. That is Lance Armstrongs shop. It was a dream come true for us Roadies...Locker rooms and showers, so you could start or end a ride there. Then downstairs a virtual training room. With pro cyclist trainers. And of course, a gazillion jerserys and bike wear to choose from...And to top is all off, we learn that Lance was in the store earlier and we missed him...:( And did I mention the collection of Lance's bikes?? Including the one we just saw him riding in The Tour of California.. It was a great way to end our ride into Austin...

Well, hasta manana, or maybe not. We may be in the boonies again from what I hear.

Tailwinds,

Malena

The Pic's: The Alamo

Lance's bikes, the bottom one is the one from Amgen Tour of Ca.

The center one is the one he crashed in recently

The top one was a gift from an urban artist, it looks rusty and old

Days 21 and 22 San Antonio Tx.

We had a short ride into San Antonio from Hondo...It was nice just thinking of the time off. We have had a day here and there. But, it really has not felt like it...With laundry, shopping and cleaning and preparing bikes and blogging. We have been busy.

It is so nice to get reaqauinted with my husband. He is filling me in on how everyone and everything is back home. He is sooo proud of us.. He says he has been bragging about us to anyone that will listen...How sweet!!! He says, of course I start it with, those crazy women, they are cycling across the US!!!

Well, San Antonio is so beautiful. We went to church this morning and have just been exploring but taking it easy..Jaime is making sure of that. Went to The Alamo and have walked along the riverwalk. And enjoyed the cafe's on the walk. It is beautiful. Really cool place to visit.

That's all folks!!! Next time, we will be in Austin.

Michael and Nancy, hope to see you soon, I miss you two. Thanks for the cheers!!!

Tailwinds,

Malena

The Pic's: Pretty road we rode thru yesterday

The Riverwalk in San Antonio

Day 20 Camp Wood to Hondo

Wow, can you believe it???Day 20, where have the days gone. Today we had a little rain.. Nothing terrible, just enough to cool us off.. But the headwinds and rough rock gravel is just beating us up.. Everything hurts today...

Crossed beautiful rivers and saw some deer, beautiful ranches and scenery.. .Just another day on our bikes...We keep reminding ourselves just how lucky and blessed we are to have this opportunity...Just exploring and enjoying our country and our history... People here in Texas are very proud of their historic roots...We are still waiting to ride the flat parts everyone kept telling us about...We are still climbing and climbing....No complaints from me though.... Texas has been far from boring...The farm to market roads we are taking are breathtaking at times..

Well, tomorrow we ride into San Antonio to meet up with Jaime...We really need the time off the saddle right now...

Keep the comments and messages coming, please...We love hearing from yall...

Thanks Kids, I love you too...

Tailwinds,

Malena

The Pic's: The Rio Frio

Sleeping Indian in Texas

Day 19 Del Rio to Camp Wood

Well today started out to be about 50 degrees cooler in Del Rio. We set out on our ride. It was going to be a long day. We had a 70 mile ride to Camp Wood and the wind was blowing. Well, we start pedaling and the headwinds just got worse and worse. I get a blowout on my front tire. Going at the lightning speed of about 5 mph...Four tubes, four Co2 cartridges, and Joe coming back with the extra tubes and floor pump to get it replaced and going... By that time we were having trouble standing when I was changing the flats..The winds just picked up. Well, we met up with Joe in Brackenville . We had been pedaling for over 4 hours. And had gone just under 22 miles. We were almost dilusional...Exhausted, hungry and discouraged. We decided to get in the car for the next 19 miles. There we got off and had our picnic. And the change in direction meant a change in the wind direction as well. We set off after lunch, but not before our usual Border Patrol stopping to check us out and ask if we were okay. They have been very nice to us. We think they all recognize Joe now. He is always parked off the road were on. He meets us every 10 miles. After the first 15 or 20. He's always ready to refill our fluids and ice. No spectacular sights until we arrived in Camp Wood. The Nueces River is spectacular.

I am pretty worn out today.... Didn"t eat or drink enough. I did not realize we had been pedaling for over 4 hours this morning. Looking forward to a better day tomorrow. Camp Wood to Leakey 70 miles.... I will definately be better in San Antonio this weekend. Jaime will come to see me...

Ps: The picture attached shows our road. So you can feel our pain.... This rock gravel is torturing us!!!

Tailwinds,

MalenaThe Pic's : Our windy and bumpy road with pretty flowers

The Nueces River

Day 18 Sanderson to Del Rio, Tx

Hi yall, yup we're still here in Texas... We had a very hot day today. Our ride started out really nice. The scenery inproving as we got closer to water... The course had lots of rollers. Short climbs, but very steep at the top. I had a great day.Every ride just seems easier and easier. Because I can feel I am stronger everyday. Lola, was having saddle issues. And was very uncomfortable. Sooo, we rode a very respectable 60 miles . And may I add, we are getting faster and faster. When we got to Langtry. Home of Judge Roy Bean and his lady love Lillie Langtry...We had our picnic outside a little(and I mean little) general store... I went in looking for a cold drink, and the clerk says..Wherd yuh come from??Where's your car?? I said , I am on a bicycle!!! He says, in 115 degree heat?? Wow!! That's exactly how we felt..Wow!!! We knew it was really hot, although the headwind was cooling us off, we were not even wet with persperation..When we had stopped 10 miles back with Joe, Lola said her thermometer read 113 degrees. So, it was really that hot...

I really enjoyed the ride in the cool car...We went to the Pecos River and Rio Grande river crossing. Where The Rivers meet and the cliffs on the left are Mexico...that is really a beautiful sight.

We arrived in Del Rio and tomorrow we leave for Camp Wood...Still Smiling!!!

Thanks honey for your daily calls of encouragement. I can't wait to see you...

Sons, Allyson and Autumn, thank you for your messages. They really cheer me up, I miss you all sooo much. I wish you were all coming with Pop to San Antonio..But I will see yall in NawLens...

Tailwinds,

Malena

The Pic's: Where the Rio Grande and Pecos River meet with Mexico on the cliffs in front...

Day 17 Marathon to Sanderson, Tx

Hi yalls, we had a great, fast and short ride today. We rode 55 miles today and clear sailing all the way.. The road was a little better, but still rough. Nothing hurt today, and we had breakfast out. So, we did not need to stop for lunch. Joe just stopped every 10 miles as usual. We got ice, more fluids, etc..., Not much in these there parts. But still enjoying the scenery. And th every courteous drivers... Horses, cattle and today buffalo.Oh, and some pretty awesome red rock that looked like granite and were vertical. Everything else we have seen has horizontal wind errosion... Go figure!!!

The pink grasses are out, specially for us, The Malena Five-O pink team. LOL!!!

Yalls take care now....

Tailwinds,

Malena

The Pic's:

Scenrery along the way

Day 16 Fort Davis to Marathon

Howdy yall, well yalls are having a fabulous time in Texas. The scenery has changed drastically and the drivers are thoughtful and happy to see us. Everyone waves at us as they pass us by.Although, we still had 1500ft of climbing, Lola still enjoyed the ride as much as I did. We rode 53 very rough miles. The road was very rough. The pebbles in the pavement are more like small cobbles. Each pedal stroke took so much strength. My knees were hurting. Lola was hurting elsewhere... LOL!!! Still we loved the ride. And, we are still smiling... :) We arrived in Marathon and were floored to see the quaint and charming little town that it is... First Joe found us a really cute very old west little motel with bungalows. And a very beautiful courtyard with rockers and benches. To sit at night for stargazing. We clean up and go look for a place to eat. Well, there was only one place to go. It was The Gage Hotel and Restaurant. Let me tell you, it was first class. They had a *****Star Restaurant/Motel. The food was the best we have had thus far... And we have had some yummy bisquits. And Lola tried the buttermilk pie. We did a little stargazing. The stars shined in all their glory...
Well, our spirits are high. The weather is great . We are working on our funky tan lines.

Tailwinds, Last night no internet but cell service

Today, internet but no cell service :)

Malena

The Pic's: Fort Davis

Beautiful Scenery along the way

Day 15 VanHorn to Fort Davis

Hey yall, yalls are down heah in Texas, and had a great 72 mile ride here. We headed out of VanHorn a dusty, dry and terrible food town. We had a head wind for the first 20 miles.. Then we turned off the frontage road. And voila, the wind got better. We really enjoyed todays ride. The scenery got significantly better. No dust flying everywhere. And actually live plants. Greenery. I told Lola, the only thing that would make this any better. Was if we saw a bunch of cowboys, rustling up cattle. So, we were on a mission to rustle us up some real cowboys. (joke!!) LOL...Well, about 7 miles after. There they were, rustling up cattle. And branding them. Life is Goood!!! I mooed at the herd of cows and pretty soon , I had an orchestra of moos. We were having fun. Saw my first Javalina. It was fresh road kill. But it was as big as a calf. The first 50ish miles we had gradual climbs. At about 6000 feet, we stopped and had our daily picnic, this time only bagels, guacamole and salsa. Van Horn had only one market and no real edible food. Absolutely, no turkey. We continued after lunch and had the really steep climbs of the day. We were at over 8000 ft. And getting a little lightheaded. Air felt thin.. We saw the Davis observatories. Then continued on. We arrived in Fort Davis, at a good hour. We found the most adorable Texas style inn. With red rocking chairs lined up on the entire porch.

Well yall, thats all for today. Yalls are pretty tired cowgirls, so thats all folks. We got lucky, we did not expect to have internet here.

Yall's kape the cowments and messages comin we luv hearin from yalls, thats the way we tawk down heah in Texas... Lola is very happy. We are basically done with all our climbing for the trip. From now on, smooth sailing ahead. Lola's forte. Flats and downs.

Tailwinds,

Malena

The Pic's: The cowboys we rustled up

Day 14 Lazy, Dizzy and Hungry

We are at about 45oo feet here in Van Horn nowhere, I mean Texas...We took a day off to regroup, laundry and refill all our supplies. We took a guided tour/hike thru the Red Rock Mountain Range. The womans family owned 27 sq/miles of the land. It was breathtaking.

We will be riding tomorrow to Fort Davis and climbing to over 8000+ ft. We will go thru many little villages. But, nowhere to get food, drinks, etc...Hopefully we will find a place to sleep. The altitudes have been a challenge, but were getting better...

Jaime and Rica, I had to buy avocados at 2 for 3.00 at the only litle market in town. Our picnics consist of : Turkey and cheese sandwiches, guacamole and mango salsa with chips and potatoe salad, if we can find it...Bananas, and of course a cookie or two for dessert. Trail mix that I have mixed myself , has been the snack of choice. I had picked up a bunch of mangos going thru Aguila, AZ..They were having a farmers market when we passed thru. I enjoyed talking produce with the people there. Asked them if they knew our label, Serrato Farms . They did, but did not carry them, Too perishable in their heat. I bought avocados and mangos, that was all. Well we have really made the most of the mangos..I think we are down to only one. :(

Tomorrow: Van Horn to Fort Davis, Texas

Hasta Luego Amigos y familia, **Reminder; We will be in nowhere land for the next
5 days or so, I expect no cell phone/internet...
Malena

Pic's: Spectacular beauty in Red Rock

Malena showing off my muscles

Day 13 Sierra Blanca to Van Horn

We have had two great days. Tailwinds and the frontage road continues. We are riding on a frontage road that parallels the I-10 and railroad. Not one car, well Joe who meets up with us every 10 miles. Beautiful scenic mountains and desert plants. Even the rocks look beautiful with a tailwind .

We will take a day off and go hiking. Catch up on laundry. The next 9 days to San Antonio will be a challenge. With no real cities along the route. We will stock up on food and drinks.

We have had trouble with reception, so please do not worry about us. If you don't hear from us, we are in areas with no signal for cell phone or internet.

San Antonio here we come!!! We will be climbing again to 8000+ ft. I am already having a little altitude headache. I will have to drinki ng some wine tonight. Thinning the blood helps get rid of headaches...(LOL)!!Keep the comments coming, they are great...

Tailwinds,

Malena Aka: The climbing machine!!

Pic's : The conductor honking at us along the route

Lola enjoying the scenery along the frontage road

Day 12 El Paso to Sierra Blanca

LIFE IS GOOD!!! That is what we kept saying when we started our ride. First no wind and then...Sshh, a tailwind the whole way into Sierra Blanca. We had a fabulous envigorating 70 mile ride today. We rode parallel to the Mexican border. We had not seen anything or anyone for miles and miles. We had a coyote cross the road in front of us. Lola said, yup, that is just about all we will probably see today. Coyotes with four legs and coyotes with two legs. We picniced out in the middle of nowhere. With the massive wall that separates Texas and Mexico right in front of us. After lunch we continued. Passing many tiny little villages and communities. They looked more like ghost towns. Not many cars,not many people, but lots and lots of border patrol and agriculture land. Lots of pecan groves and miles of alfalfa. I really enjoy the fields. It actually felt like I was in Mexico. Spanish was the language most used in this area. Okay, more spanglish than spanish...We are plugging away at the miles. And personally, I am enjoying it all...

We arrived in Sierra Blanca and found a quaint little old cowboy looking hotel. There were actually posts outside of each room to tie up your horse. So, we tied our bikes to the posts. We dined at the only eatery open. Actually 2 in town. Everyone there knew each other and would help themselves to more salsa or drinks, etc....We really felt like tourists...

Michael and Nancy, hope to meet up with you along the way...

Thanks everyone for cheering us on...

Tomorrow, Sierra Blanca to Van Horn

Tailwinds,

Malena

Pic's: Our road to Sierra Blanca

Giddy up lil pony

Day 11 Las Cruces, NM to El Paso, Tx

Hello friends and family, Joe greeted us this morning with our daily weather report. He says the winds have increased to 40-45 mph!!!Yikes!!! Well, we cheerfully got ready anyway and went out into the beautiful countryside. I enjoyed stopping and taking pictures of all the agriculture in the area...The wind was there, but doing fine. Then we turned onto the 28. Riding head on with the wind blowing us around . We were working sooo hard. Well, we continued around 25 miles. Joe met up with us and we had to call UNCLE!! We were bummed, but at that point, we were having trouble standing, let alone riding. The gusts of winds would shake us up so bad we riding at an angle. The wind just got worse as we went on ..So, we decided to take the car for 9 miles and then try the next turn. We were supposed to have a little bit of a tailwind. We crossed into Texas by car. We happily hopped onto our bikes as soon as we could, and set off. Joe was worried, he said are you sure you want to ride on this hwy?? It looks more like the frwy. So he went up ahead and was waiting for us around 4 miles out. There were major hazards on the hwy to El Paso with no bike lane. Sooo, again we hopped into the car and pouted...

We used our spare time to redo our itinerary... Tomorrow is another day.. We are still happy and looking forward to another ride...

By the way, today was the first day we woke up with tired and sore legs.. The wind from yesterday really worked us..

Thank you family and friends for your support. I feel great knowing you all care...Joe is taking really good care of us..Don't worry!!!

Now dreaming of no wind,

Malena

Pic's: Scenic road out of Las Cruces

Into Texas for a long time

Day 10 Hillsboro to Las Cruces

We had a great nights rest in Hillsboro and woke up to warm weather. Yey!! We began our ride and immediately greated by the winds. We continued thru and crossed The Rio Grande.. Alot of agricultural land, so I enjoyed that. Trying to figure out what the trees were. Pecans. And onions and more onions. Our mission was to get to Radiator Springs(Cars)(Radium Springs) ..After all we are grandmothers with boys into the movie. We rode thru Hatch, and the smells of the Hatch Chile peppers everywhere. We bought our souvenirs and had our picnic lunch. Headed out and back into the heavy heavy winds. They were beating us up so bad that Lola kept falling behind. We would regroup and keep going..We arrive in Radiator Springs and where is it. There was nothing, not even a little town. Very disappointing. We thought for sure they would have capitalized on the movie.. Well, we hopped in the car for the last few miles into Las Cruces. We will rest and its onto El Paso(outside of town) tomorrow. Change in our itinerary. We are shortening some days, so San Antonio is 25th, 26th and 27th. NawLens in May 7th, 8th and 9th. For those of you planning on visiting us at those stops. Hugs to all.

**Sons, I am sorry I am on a selfish mission of self discovery and missed Easter with you. I promise next year I will be there for you. I was very homesick myself at church.

Thanks everyone for your notes. We really appreciate them. Please do not worry about us. If I don't blog, its because we have no cell/internet service. Like yesterday , we were in nowhere land, NM..

Yes, still dreaming of Tailwinds,

Malena

Pic's; Malena on The Rio Grande crossing

Visions from behind

Day 9 Silver City to Hillsboro

Well we finally got aclimated to functioning at 6000ft. And its already time to leave..Well, we left for Hillshoro. And immediately started climbing.. We had a fabulous time climbing like machines...We took our time and we would regroup and catch our breath....When I got to Emory Pass, Joe was there to take our picture. I got the walkie talkie and encouraged Lola. There was a switch back that looked like, the ones we climbed in France. But, it was actually almost at the top. And it got easier after that. It was beautiful.. And of course, there were plenty of tourists. Sooo, we strutted our stuff. You know, yeah we are just cycling across the country. Yeah, just the two of us Pink Biker Chicks...Uhuhh!!!LOL!!!We arrived in Hillsboro, and I had booked us a hotel, IN HILLSBORO TEXAS.. So, we stayed at one of about ten housed in that little town. It was called The Enchanted Villa. A very nice lady from Vista of all places owned it. It was a wonderful nights rest there. We drove to Truth of Consequence for a mexican dinner.

Thanks everyone for all your encouraging notes, we really appreciate them..

Sons, I'm sorry I am on a selfish mission of self discovery..I promise to be there next Easter for the entire family..I know Pop did his best to fill in for me..I miss you all.

Dreaming of Tailwinds,

Malena

Pic's; Emory Pass

Hillsboro, NM

Ps: Of course we had our good companion Headwinds

Day 8 Globe to Silver City

It was raining when we got up. So, we put on all our best cold weather and rain gear. We started out going thru Apache reservation. We got rain, wind and hail on us. It was sooo cold and the hail was hurting our faces. Poor Lola's hands were frozen solid. We had told Joe to meet us in 25 miles. Well, after less than 12 miles we had to call UNCLE!! Lola was frozen solid when we stopped at the first shelter we could see. And when Joe arrived, we took off all our rain gear. Everything(yes everything) was ice cold and very wet... Soo, our CA raingear, is not adequate for this kind of weather..

Joe drove us thru the 40 miles loop around Coolidge Dam. What an amazing sight...We picniced before getting on the hwy. Of course the rain and cold wind did not let up. So, we decided to skip the next stop and head straight for Silver City..Lola knew I really needed to be near a church for Easter Mass. Our little Palace Hotel is like from an old western movie.. It is adorable and very old full of antiques...

This morning we went to mass at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. It was a very nice service.But, I really miss my family, especially today...

Well, we have decided to make a change of plan.. After all, this is why we gave ourselves 2 mos. Even though our schedule was for 45 days...We will try and shorten our rides to 70 or 75 miles..Those 90 mile days are tooo long. We finish in almost dark and just pooped!!!

So, today we are working on that . Tomorrow, we will be on our way again....

Thanks friends and family for your support..I love you all!!!

Dreaming of Tailwinds and warm weather,

Malena

Pic's; Bike Chicks in cold/wet weather geart

Coolidge Dam

Day 7 Scottsdale to Globe

Hi everyone, we had a great time in Scottsdale. My sister in law Joy and their girls came to have dinner with me. We went to old town Scottsdale. Sooo charming . Thanks Joy, I love you!!

We were scared of the traffic heading out of town, but soon got away from it and onto a nice road going out thru Mesa. Mesa is very cycle friendly with park rest stops specifically meant for us. It was awesome. Then, there are crosswalk buttons also, just for us cyclists. It was a long way to Globe and lots of traffic when we got onto Hwy 60. Trucks and trailer, motor homes all heading out of town . We managed to avoid any problems.

Well, you know how we have been complaining about the headwinds thru the desert. Well, today I fell in love with the beauty of the desert here. It was absolutely gorgeous. Stopped every time I saw something more beautiful. Earl, now I know why you love this area so much..

And yes, of course we had HEADWINDS!! At this point, they no longer bother me. I just have to get Lola toughened up a little more, she is getting so strong..I just keep saying , Hills are our Friends!!Headwinds, what headwinds...

Well, Globe was a funny little town. Joe smelled BBQ when he was looking for a hotel ahead of us. And we smelled our way there after we cleaned up.Thanks everyone for your messages. I love them..We are so blessed to have all of you interested in our journey.

Tailwinds, Malena

Pic's; Spectacular Beauty in the desert

Our daily picnic, in the car today

Day 6 Lazy, hazy and pooped!!!

Today no alarm went off, so neither did we. We had a nice quiet breakfast in our suite. After all we have everything we like to eat. So, we had breakfast in our pj's. Ahh, Nice!!

Relaxed by the pool and did laundry. We are all caught up on arranging and rearranging all our stuff. I had been having real trouble with foot pain. So, we went to one of the local bike shops and strutted our stuff. All were very impressed with our journey. Got, what they said I needed and more. So, hope I do not have anymore of that pain.

Tomorrow, we set off for Globe Az, and start our 5000+ ft climb. Praying for no winds, no rain and is it too much to pray for ....tailwinds?? Maybe I'm being greety. After all, how many wish they could be here riding with us...

Visions of Tailwinds,
Malena

Day 5 Wickenburg to Scottsdale

Well we had a great night in Wickenburg. It's really a cute little western town. Our beds and pillows were heavenly. Just like sleeping on a big cloud. Not bad for moteling it every night.

We rode on The 60 all the way to Surprise Az... And boy, what a surprise. It has grown by leaps and bounds since the last time I passed thru . And , of course. Headwinds that have never left our fronts. We continued onto Peoria where Joe found us a little park with a bench and all. And we had a wonderful picnic. He is taking such good care of us. We could not be doing this trip without him. Soon after lunch we got on the river trail. It was a spectacular bike trail. With nice underpasses/tunnels . So, we did not have to stop to cross streets. Leaves our bike paths in the dust. We had a great time watching people fishing and enjoying the parks.

Our ride today was 80 miles. It was not physically challenging because we had no climbing but, we were tired. Heavy pedaling thru terrible pavement. Trucks and cars on the 60. Getting off of it was so nice..

Tomorrow, we have the day off. And it will be very welcomed. Today, we are tired.

Hugs, Malena

Pic's; The scenery on the 60

The river bike trail

Day 4 Blythe to Wickenburg (Aguila)

Hey all, after thinking about it alot. We opted for not riding 20 miles on the I-10 and rode the car to the next turn . Well, we rode thru ...dessert,dessert and oh yeah, dessert...What else in new. We 're getting used to it. We were riding and all of a sudden in the middle of nowhere theres a cow, and its looking at us and we looked back. When we passed it up, we heard MOOO!!! Lola and I started laughing. The cow was as surprised to see us and were to see her...

Well, we arrive in Aguila, and changed our minds about staying at Burro Jims.. Decided to go to Wickenburg and that would give us a shorter ride tomorrow.

The winds have not given us a break yet. We are pretty beat up. But, still smiling and having a good time. We are feeling great....We have climbed over 10,000 feet in the last 4 days. We are climbing , riding machines.. With funky sunburns and tan lines

My brother Carlos , his wife Joy and Adrianna and Alianna, came to see us from Peoria. Thanks guys. We really appreciated the company.

Tailwinds,

Malena

Pic's;

The Malena Five-O Biker Chicks

Burro Jims in Aguila(where we had a reservation)LOL!!!

Tomorrow: Wickenburg to Tempe/Scottsdale 80 miles

Day 3 Brawley to Blythe 90 miles

Where did those hills come from?? This was supposed to be a flat ride. We actually had more climbing than we anticipated, but they were short and steep. They were enjoyable. We rode thru dessert, and dessert and more dessert. When we stopped at Glamis, there was a group of 5th graders from Carlsbad. Doing a special ride. 120 kids and 40 parents. It was pretty nice to see other people.;for miles we saw no one . Joe set up a nice picnic for us about half way again. The stop was sooo welcomed. We were beggining to get glued to the saddle. We crossed the Colorado River and saw a group from San Diego (4) going to the same place we are. Self contained. They have been on the road for 6 days. They admired our riding studliness. We silently agreed. We felt pretty good. Even though we are not self contained. We are moving right along and feeling great!!! But do have achey feet.
Thanks kids for your support. I appreciate your messages.

Tomorrow; Blythe to Aguila 90 miles

Tailwinds,
Malena

Pic: The best thing we saw all day in the dessert, Joe with refreshments

Day 2 Julian to Brawley 82 miles

Hey family and friends, today we began the day in coldweather gear and ended in summer gear. We had extreme winds today. All day, we kept thinking okay, when we get to the next turn. The wind will switch directions and we may have a tailwind. Ah, not so much!!! We worked alot harder than anticipated because of the wind. Took alot more effort than it should have. Tired, hot and hungry. By noon we really needed to get off the saddle. Joe our SAG driver , found us a tree with shade at 45 miles. And we sat on rocks in the middle of the dessert and had a picnic lunch. He's the best...We will have all weather conditions, so may as well get used to it.

Thanks Dave and Linda, Suzanne and Steve. You are all very special friends and we really appreciate the effort you made to come ride with us. Dave, rode the entire way with us. He's back!!! Jaime came up and met us when we got the 78/86 to Brawley. He couldnt believe we were traveling that fast in those weather conditions. We managed to impress him.

Thanks Jaimito for your daily encouraging messages. They mean alot to your Momma.

Kids, I miss you all already. Please keep us in your prayers. We will need them.

Tailwinds,

Malena

Pic's; Me, Lola and Dave at the start of the day.

Going thru the desert, blowing in the wind.

Tomorrow; Brawley to Blythe 90 miles

Malena Five-O

I AM WOMAN!!!

Well, we are officially on DeeTour Malena Five-O. Our club rode out with us from San Marcos this morning. We were very honored to have so many friends joining us and wishing us a good trip.

Thanks family who drove to see us off. I have very mixed feelings right now. But, I remind myself how blessed I am to have my families support on my adventure.

We rode around 54 miles and climbed 5000 feet. Our friend Kathy Pippen was the only one to ride all the way with us. We felt great. And had beautiful scenery along the way. Jaime passed us up and met us in Julian and had dinner with us.

Tomorrow: Julian to Brawley approx. 82 miles. Praying for tailwinds tonight. Again, friends are coming out to ride that second leg with us. Are we blessed or what??

The Pic's : Sofia last night making sure my helmet mirror was right.

Friends Debbie and Lou met us with poppers and streamers at Bandy Cyn.

Xoxo, Malena

Well, we have officially dipped our toes and rear tires in the Pacific ocean. Accompanied by some of our closest friends as witnesses

Today was our last training ride. We stopped by Station #1 in San Marcos, and we shared our excitement with Jaimito and his friends. They were all so sweet and encouraging. We appreciated it.

Well, our departure is Saturday April 4th at 830am. We depart from Restaurant Row in San Marcos. NCCC will accompany us part of the way up to Julian. We are ready.

Lola set us up to Bikely.com and you enter San Marcos. That will give you our route.

Thanks BikeBling for giving us all the goodies for DeeTour Malena Five-O.