According to Katherine: Day 26 Recap

After a breakfast of scrambled eggs, with spinach and cheese added, and some of that delicious tabouli from the other day, we left Brackettville in a dark, dense fog at 8:00 a.m. The temperature was a refreshing 67 degrees for the 49-mile ride to Camp Wood. Cycling on the chip seal was slow going and painful to the rear end. I was thrilled and thankful to have the bike gears working well enough for me to complete today's ride.

We got our first taste of the Hill Country this morning: The trill of  mockingbirds, the rugged landscape punctuated by majestic live oaks, lacy mesquite trees with their branches swaying in the breeze and scruffy cedar trees. Along the way, we saw some gorgeous ranch gates, typical of Texas.

Ranchers around Camp Wood raise sheep and goats. There was a shop in town that sold custom-designed mohair garments.

Our 1960s motel was a worrisome sight in this town of 709 people. We were so pleasantly surprised to open the old door and find a very commodious and clean room.

We strolled a block or two to a restaurant that had just closed for the day. The nice lady said she'd fix us some tacos to go. They were potato, cheese and onion, and about the best tacos I have ever eaten. The iced tea was fresh and rejuvenating.

Marge and I came back to the room. We each soaked for a long time in the bath tub. A much-needed sitz bath! I'll try not to post any more complaints about the road surface after I say this for the benefit of the continence nurses who are following the blog: The vibration excites every nerve and exhausts every muscle of the pelvic floor, so there are relentless urgency and frequency issues that require frequent stops and slow our progress even more! We have eight more riding days in Texas, so I just need to buck up and quit whining.

I took a three-hour nap this afternoon, and got up just in time for a delicious dinner of poached tilapia, quinoa with lots of nuts and fruits in it and tossed salad. There was cheesecake for dessert, but I didn't eat it.

One group of riders did an adorable song about the misery of the chip seal to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad." Another woman sang a cute ditty to the tune of "Hey Jude."

After dinner, we returned to our room to try and find a comfortable position to sit or lie on our sore bottoms. We don't have cell service, so I can't call Jack and can't upload my post. Oh well, that means we will go to sleep earlier.

1,465 miles behind us. 1,635 miles to pedal. 32 days to go.

Dr. Jeter Day 26 on Polyvore.com

On the Cover of A Magazine

Strike a pose!

Katherine is featured as the cover story of the Health Care Appreciation supplement, included in Chicago Sun-Times newspapers today, discussing her passion for WOC nursing and, of course, impressive cross-country cycling initiative. This insert was distributed to over 300,000 individuals and institutions -- a great help in spreading word about Cycling for Scholarships to new audiences!

Not near the Windy City? Click here to read the article -- and share your comments (and congrats) for Katherine below!

Jerry Out“spoke”n: Hands Together for Katherine

Katherine, WOCN members and Cycling for Scholarships blog readers: I am Jerry Coverdale, the current President of the American Society of Hand Therapist (ASHT), a non-profit organization dedicated to serving occupational and physical therapists who treat patients with hand and upper extremity injuries. 

As a fellow biker,  I applaud (pun intended) Katherine's efforts, and admire her stamina in this fundraising endeavor. I’m a Ft. Lauderdale, Florida-based occupational therapist with 22 years of experience  specializing in hand and upper extremity rehabilitation. I have been a Certified Hand Therapist since 1993.  I’ve ridden The Smart Ride, a 167-mile ride from Miami to Key West, FL, several times to raise funds for HIV support. I acknowledge, however, these efforts are a drop in the bucket compared to Katherine's ride, but I hope my small adventure makes a dent in the overall scheme of things.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be contributing to this blog with advice, based on my experience and expertise, on ways to protect your hands while riding long distances. I hope to educate, inform and inspire anyone interested in long-distance cycling -- particularly if you're planning on following in Katherine's footsteps (tire tracks?) and riding for a charitable cause.

Wordless Wednesday: Rubber Meets the Road

Fiona has her own Tire Shop on our side of I-10. After she changed her flat, she was kind enough to change mine.

According to Katherine: Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

(source)

It's practically headline-worthy: "Women Packing Less than 50 Pounds for Two Months." Yes it’s true. No over-packing going on here!

Preparing for my trek across the country required a lot of time and preparation. 50 pounds between two bags marks the weight limit of items to bring for the duration of the tour. I’d slowly removing items from my bag, but it’s difficult. The more I removed, the more I had to do to make up for the lost items. I'd already removed the hair dryer, brush and comb. This means my next few haircuts had been getting shorter and shorter to maintain more easily. 

Vacuum-sealed bags help pack more clothing at less weight. This includes my Easter outfit, although it won’t be as flashy as the Southern ladies -- and no, no Easter bonnet.

The tour requires two pairs of shoes: bike shoes and regular everyday shoes. Bike wear must be planned out carefully in order to prepare for any type of weather conditions, specifically rain. A shower cap will prevent wet hair – I don’t want to be cold! Dish-washing gloves are recommended for dry hands on a rainy day, but I didn't experiment with that; I think I would feel a little weird sporting some bright yellow rubber gloves. I will substitute newspaper bags for expensive shoe covers, which are placed between two pairs of socks, so your feet don’t get wet. As I said, I don’t want to be cold!

My husband calls me and my roommate the “bib sisters,” because we make sure to pin a handkerchief to our shirts for blowing noses or wiping sweat away.  Recently, we ordered matching skorts – pretty soon we’ll be the “skort sisters”!

Each of these items serves an essential purpose to make the ride cross country a little less bumpy.

According to Katherine: Day 25 Recap

We awoke at 5:15, as usual, and I walked across the highway for coffee for Marge and me. When morning came, it was 67 degrees and overcast -- our first day without sun.

My hopes were high for a quick fix for my bike shifter. I gave Carol my credit card to pay whatever it would cost.

After a breakfast of scrambled eggs and a few bites of hash browns, I checked off all the riders and drove 10 miles down the road to the Wal-Mart. Almost all of them had some shopping to do, so I watched over their bikes, prayed for the repair of mine and received their purchases so they could ride on unencumbered. (There was a very light mist so everyone put on their rain jackets. It didn't last long and I collected all the gear at the next SAG stop.)

I stopped at a home health agency to verify my directions, and told the nurses all about the WOCN, the ride and the fund raising for scholarships -- and left them with a card with the various websites.

We all convened for lunch at Julie's in Bracketville. I had perfect Texas cheese enchiladas, and listened to all the riders grouse about the discomfort of the chip seal road. The highway patrol had shooed some of them back on the rougher shoulder when they were riding in the middle of the lane looking for the smoothest surface.

Mexican lunch at Julie's in Bracketville.

Just as yesterday, we saw lots of Border Patrol vehicles, since we're so close to the Rio Grande and the border.

There are miles and miles of dirt roads parallel and proximal to the Mexican border. The Border Patrol trucks pull these tires along to create a pattern in the dirt. More Border Patrol trucks come along with the driver hanging out the window inspecting the pattern to see if there are footprints or any other evidence someone has crossed over the swath created by the tire dragging.   

Border Patrol is driving his vehicle and peering down out of his window looking for evidence that someone has disturbed the pattern created by the dragging tires!

Just a mile past Julie's, 43 miles from Del Rio, we arrived at the charming Ft. Clark Springs Motel. This is an old Army Post dating back to 1854. Our rooms are in the original enlisted barracks! The officers' quarters are on the other side of the central parade ground. The temperature never reached 80, and we were grateful for the relief from the hot sun and the 93-degree heat from yesterday.

A stunning monument at Ft. Clark.

I got the bad news that the bike wasn't fixed in Del Rio, but the good news that Carol would spend her whole afternoon putting on a new shifting mechanism that may enable me to ride to Kerrville. I will set out tomorrow morning with high hopes and fierce determination to do the 49 miles to Camp Wood with limited gearing.

We had chili over polenta, slaw and honeydew melon for dinner.

1,416 miles behind us. 1,684 more to pedal. 33 days to go.

Dr. Jeter Day 25 on Polyvore.com

According to Katherine: Day 24 Recap

It was a cold 53 degrees when we gathered for oatmeal and scrambled eggs out of the trailer before 8:00 a.m.

The riders got away for the 111 mile ride as soon as they could safely see and be seen. Safety flashers were flashing on the rear of most of the bikes. As the sun rose, it painted the canyon walls shades of pink, turquoise, gray and lavender. Marge said she saw multiple sunrises as she would crest one hill and then descend and come up the next.

I drove the SAG Wagon for the first 60 miles. We had all been admonished to eat, hydrate and stretch every 10 miles on this longest ride of the trip. For four of the women, this would be their first "century," or 100-mile ride. This would actually be a century plus 11!

Marge and I knew we were not capable of such a feat, so we were each happy to ride half. At the first SAG stop, a young cyclist we had met the day before, who is going across the country with her fiancé to raise money for MS, stopped to ask for some wound care. She had gouged her leg on her gears, and had a nasty gash. We have a well-stocked first-aid kit in the SAG Wagon, so I was tickled to be able to clean and dress her leg, and send the two on their way. She said, "Some of the women back there said you were just the person I needed, and my fiancé can't stand the sight of blood." I did notice that he stood a good 20 feet down the shoulder from us!

At the 60 mile stop, where our picnic lunch of salmon salad and tabouli was served, I took off to ride the remaining 51 miles into Del Rio. It was 78 degrees when I began.

The most impressive and unforgettable site of this day was the very green Pecos River. I thought "our river," the Guadalupe, in the Texas Hill Country was the greenest I had ever seen, but the Pecos is the color of jade.

The gorgeous, green Pecos River and canyon wall..

After riding about 35 miles, the temperature had reached 93 degrees. It felt much hotter than that! On the road I had squirted water from my water bottle all over my shoulders and back. At my 35 mile stop, I joined the rest of the cyclists who invited Marge to pour a half gallon of water over us.

We had a little reprieve from the chip seal highway on about eight of the miles. Here, the road was concrete and smooth as butter. About four miles out from the SAG stop, I was finishing one hill and preparing to ascend the next when I discovered I couldn't shift down from the big chain ring, the hardest gear, the one that is reserved for descents or flat rides. I had to ride in this gear for 12 miles. It was hard work and slow going up and down the rolling highway into Del Rio. I had to work so hard in that heat, I almost felt like I had done all 111 miles!

This is the size of the gravel used to create the dreaded chip seal roads.

 Tar is spread on the road bed, and then this large gravel is spread over it and rolled down to stick to the tar. Riding a bicycle on it is most tiring and unpleasant, and we have to endure this across the entire state of Texas.

Carol, our guide, was not able to fix the shifter, so she will take it to the bike shop in Del Rio in the morning and I will drive the SAG Wagon. The next good bike shop isn't until Kerrville on Thursday.

My frustration was soothed by a wonderful care package from the Anti Monkey Butt Powder company, including a great ball cap with their logo on it and a fun card from our children with a detour sign on the front. So perfectly appropriate for this day.

We had pizza in the motel's lobby area since we were the only registered guests. I could hardly swallow mine. I tried to console myself by repeating that no one had died, it wasn't cancer and this was just a broken machine. I tried to focus on the amazing accomplishment of the 11 women who did ride the entire distance, but I still went to bed on the verge of tears.

1,373 miles behind us. 1,727 to pedal. 34 days to go.   

Dr. Jeter Day 24 on Polyvore.com

According to Katherine: Day 23 Recap

My heart is so full of love for my great state of Texas that I pedaled most of the 54 miles with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. Her vastness, her ruggedness, her buttes and mesas, cactus and mesquite trees. How happy I am to be cycling these miles and miles across Texas on US 90!

Our morning began early at the Gage Hotel, which is the essence of Southwestern elegance. I had cheese, toast and fresh fruit with yogurt and granola for breakfast. 

The beautiful Spanish architecture of the Gage Hotel.

We left around 8:15, as the sun was rising and the temperature was a lovely 52 degrees. The highway was very flat, so we were able to clip along at 16+ miles per hour. We rode in the middle of the east-bound lane, trying to find the smoothest strip of the chip seal!

We might go 15 miles on US 90 before we see a car or truck, so we ride out in the middle of the highway looking for the smoothest pavement.

We shed some clothing layers at mile 20, and the rest at mile 40. We had favorable winds almost all day. We were surprised to see a small plane rise out of a desolate-looking field not far from the SAG Wagon. The dirt runway was hidden from our view. I waved enthusiastically at the passengers on an Amtrak train that passed us headed west. They waved back.

Look closely for the speck on the right: A small single engine airplane that took off down a dirt runway near the highway.

Lunch options in Sanderson were limited, so I had a Neopolitan ice cream sandwich from the convenience store across from our motel.

The Outback Oasis Motel is something straight out of an old west movie, circa 1960!

Ruth, the proprietor, was delighted to show me her husband's extensive snake collection in the room adjacent to the office. One of the rattlesnakes seemed particularly agitated by my visit. The non-venemous milk snakes had gorgeous markings. Ruth said she would be happy to do a load of laundry if all 17 of us would combine our clothes. We did and they dried quickly on the clothes line as the temperature rose to 90 degrees.

I was so happy to talk to my beloved Jack and two of our children while I iced my swollen ankle!

Dinner was a combination of broccoli, cheese and chicken (tofu for Lisa and me) over brown rice, fresh pineapple and green salad. I had a couple of Fig Newtons instead of a slice of the gloppy store-bought pie for dessert.

Morning comes early again tomorrow for the long hot ride to Del Rio. 1,262 miles behind us. 1,838 to pedal. 35 days to go.

Dr. Jeter Day 23 on Polyvore.com

According to Katherine: Day 22 Recap

What a fabulous day in West Texas! It was a chilly 45 degrees when we left the Davis Mountains State Park at 8:30 a.m.

I had scrambled eggs with egg beaters for breakfast in the restaurant, with two cups of fresh, hot coffee and a slice of wheat toast.

As we cycled out of the park, a javelina ambled across the road just in front of us. Now, we realize the enormous dead animal we saw on Wednesday was a wild boar. Javelinas generally weigh 60 to 70 pounds!

At the SAG stop 20 miles out, we couldn't wait to peel off layers of clothes. We had a 20-mile reprieve from the chip seal surface and some downhill, too, so we were making good time. I enjoyed a personal best today: I came down a long gradual hill at 35 miles per hour without applying the breaks. A first for me!

As soon as we got to Alpine 40 miles out, I had cell and internet service, but could not get my blog post to transmit. My fret level was rising by the minute. Marge said, "It may be a long shot, but our best chance is to hope we will come upon a Verizon store." Within five miles, right across Highway 90 from Sul Ross State University, there was a Verizon store! Pedro was happy to resolve the problem, and I was elated by my good fortune.

The high rock formations were majestic.

After that, we pedaled with new vigor toward our destination 60 miles east, in Marathon, TX.  Along the way, we had our PB&Js beside the road. Because the temperature got into the mid-80s as we rode, we were careful to consume lots of water and energy drink along the way.

When we arrived in Marathon, we stopped for coffee and a sweet roll at an adorable little shop where Jack and I had stopped with friends many years ago on our way to Big Bend National Park. Nothing about it had changed -- not even the employees! Just across the street was the sumptuous Gage Hotel. This luxurious venue makes up for the yucky places in Jacumba, Salome and Ft. Hancock, and the one coming up tomorrow night in Sanderson!

This is the same quaint coffee shop where we had stopped nearly a decade ago on a road trip to Big Bend.

Our elegant room at the Gage Hotel. Those are cowboy chaps on the wall above the bed. The red tile floors have rugs made of several animal hides.

As I rode down to the post office to mail our granddaughter a birthday card, I met an attractive couple going across country on a tandem bike. More about that in another blog!

Tonight's dinner on the grass, instead of in a parking lot, was a splendid spaghetti and marinara sauce (with tofu), salad and garlic bread. I did not have the yummy sundaes everyone else inhaled!

1,208 miles behind us. 1,892 miles to pedal. 36 days to go.

Dr. Jeter Day 22 on Polyvore.com

According to Katherine: Living Life in the Fast Lane

(source)

You’re probably wondering why a retired, 72-year old woman would want to endure a 3,100-mile, cross-country bicycle tour when she could easily be relaxing at her home or skiing, an activity she thoroughly enjoys.

Well, there is a lot to my story, from all different angles. It began when I was diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago. Continuous evidence from doctors shows a low fat diet and physical fitness help prevent the recurrence of cancer. I have always been active, but am in much better shape at 72 than I was at 40. It’s true you know more and understand more the older you get. I now understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

I would love to inspire other elders to engage in physical activity, because it will enrich their lives. Being able to fend for myself by placing my own bag in the overhead on a plane or skiing down one of nature's gigantic mountains makes me feel like I have purpose at this age. 

Cycling lets me interact with others while enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way. After about a year of enjoying the sport with family and friends, I wanted to take it to the next level and cycle cross-country. I wanted the trip to serve a purpose besides an accomplishment for myself.   

The Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN) has been near and dear to my heart since its founding in the 1960s. I want the WOCN to flourish years after I’m gone. Scholarships which entice nurses into wound, ostomy and continence (WOC) care provides the community with intelligent people who can help the organization continue to shine.

I want to encourage people to do better for themselves by living life to the fullest. Combining that with contribution to a great organization, the WOCN, makes my plan worthwhile.

According to Katherine: Day 21 Recap

We slept 11 hours, and woke up around 8:00 this morning. Unheard of!

I trundled up to the restaurant, and brought coffee back for us to enjoy in bed. We ate a big breakfast of scrambled eggs and pancakes at 10:00 -- then did our laundry, cleaned our bikes, the SAG Wagon and its water cooler.

Drying my bike shorts on a tree in Ft. Davis.

My friend Fiona, who changed my flat yesterday morning, changed this one today. I want to reassure everyone I know how to change a tire. However, it takes Fiona five minutes -- and takes me 15. I love her for pampering me in this way!

Davis Observatory

I tried to get yesterday's blog off, but cell and internet service is erratic, and I couldn't.

We skipped lunch, since breakfast was so late. I had fabulous nachos for dinner at 5:30. Since I couldn't access the internet, I turned on the TV for the first time since March 4 to check out American Idol and March Madness basketball.

When the sun goes down, we'll be in bed, ready to pedal to Marathon tomorrow -- and to endure 60 more miles of chip seal roads. We've have loved the air at 5,000+ feet here in the Davis Moutains! 

Dr. Jeter Day 21 on Polyvore.com

According to Katherine: Day 20 Recap

It was a taxing day in Texas! We were all up and eating breakfast (mine was two hard boiled eggs) at 6:30 a.m. for a 7:30 departure, but we couldn't leave because it was pitch dark.

We were delighted to finally see first light at 8:00, and depart for the 90-mile ride to Ft. Davis. It was 41 degrees and my hands were so cold!

We were counting on those favorable winds from the day before. As we began the ride, we watched the sun rise above the Davis Mountains. We rode 40 miles east on the shoulder of I-10 with strong head winds every mile of the way.

The SAG Wagon was at mile 20. Just as I was about to ride off, I discovered a flat on my front tire! There was a big hole by the valve stem. After we replaced it and inflated the new tube, we returned to the Interstate, dodging tire shards and coping with the deafening noise of the 18-wheelers for the next 20 miles.

Then, we turned on to State Road 118, where we all became intimately acquainted with Texas' chip seal road surfaces. I felt like all my fillings were getting loose! We passed several ranch entrances, and a couple of real cowboys by their pick-up truck. We also passed a javelina by the side of the road, who no doubt had done serious damage to the vehicle that hit and killed him. They are huge and fearsome beasts!

After 8.5 miles of  vibrating on the chip seal, we stopped for a glorious picnic of extraordinary sandwiches and carrot salad made by our chef, Linda, as well as watermelon. As I sat down on the chair by the trailer, my bottom felt like it did after the episiotomy I had when our nearly-10-pound son, Stephen, was born!

I decided I'd had all the fun I needed in one day. I took over as the SAG after lunch. Marge had started out on the 40-mile climb to the Davis Mountains State Park and the McDonald Observatory. It was a relentless climb. Both of us were pooped at the end of the day, and so proud and awed by the10 who did all 90 miles since the conditions of the morning, although very different, were equally as daunting as those in the afternoon.

When I arrived in the SAG Wagon, I was greeted with the news that now my back tire was flat -- and fixing it would have to wait until tomorrow! Everyone finally arrived by 5:30, and we were tickled with our comfortable Southwestern-style room in the Indian Lodge at the Davis Mountains State Park, an Oasis in the High Country.We dragged ourselves over to the restaurant, where I ate a large salad and four onion rings. We were in bed shortly after dark, with gorgeous West Texas air coming in through the window.

1,148 miles behind us -- I had to recalculate. 1,952 to pedal. 38 days to go.

Dr. Jeter Day 20 on Polyvore.com

Photo Friday: Time to Re-Tire?

This is a tire shard off a big rig's tire. See the tentacles threatening to flatten our bike tires if we run over it?

According to Katherine: Training for a Healthier Tomorrow

Training for a cross-country bike tour is intense. Personal trainers can be intimidating during a workout. So, imagine your trainer is a retired Marine Sergeant Major. Jimmy Gibson, a devoted coach, is just that, which I must say, is pretty intimidating.  Thank goodness he only sent weekly training schedules, rather than training with me! 

(source)

He based the exercises on heart rate. In order to determine if I was completing the exercise properly, I wore a heart rate monitor – not in anyway am I lazy, but I prefer this than having to count myself! He switched the training between endurance and strength.

I used videos to supplement the workouts from Jimmy. One I particularly enjoyed was On the Road with Coach Troy: Rides So Realistic You’ll Get Bugs in Your Teeth! It’s a pretty realistic ride, with beautiful scenery; fortunately though, no bugs in my teeth! This workout was intense, but I believe it helped on the tour with parts where I struggle, including pushing uphill.

Aside from training on the bike, I enjoyed skiing every morning. And every morning, I had to be disciplined about getting off the mountain and on the noon bus home in order to make time for bike training. After making it home, I ate lunch and then hopped on my bike. I trained six days a week from 50 minutes to 1.75 hours a day. One day of rest suited me well -- I usually have too many things to do to take a break!

Wordless Wednesday: In Memoriam

It's sad to see these roadside memorials. The one under the tree was for a motorcyclist east of Salome, AZ. The bicycle shrine was west of Silver City, NM. Apparently, Dan Potts was killed on his bike when he was 61 years old. We continue to pray and ask for prayers for safety for our 17 cyclists!

According to Katherine: Day 19 Recap

Got milk?

No, it's zinc oxide ointment, the perfect remedy for sunburned, windburned lips.

It was in the 50s when we left Ft. Hancock before 8:00 a.m., bound for Van Horn, 75.3 miles east. The winds were in our favor, blowing from behind us at 13-15 miles per hour. (Sometimes it wasn't even necessary to pedal!) That was extra good fortune for seven of our group, who took a wrong turn this morning and rode six miles before turning around. The six-mile return was headed into the wind. They were great sports, and grateful for the wind at their backs when they got back on course, and finished their ride with 12 extra miles!

Some of the riding today was on I-10. Temperatures this afternoon were in the high 70s, but it always feels hotter on the asphalt. May those winds from the west prevail tomorrow on the 88-mile ride to Ft. Davis!

Actually, Marge and I plan to split that ride. I'll start out on my bike, and take her place as the SAG 40-60 miles out. The last third of that ride is a big climb -- she can have it!

Breakfast was served from the trailer this morning, because the disgustingly dirty, run-down motel didn't even have coffee, but it was the only place in the town to stay. We had breakfast burritos and oatmeal. Lunch was the usual PB&J on the road. Tonight, we went out to a Mexican restaurant, and I had a chili relleno and guacamole. For those who read yesterday's blog, I want to salvage Chef Linda's image. She served baklava for dessert, not spanokopita. If I had eaten one I wouldn't have made that error!

970.9 miles behind us. 2,129.9 to pedal. 39 days to go. Imagine: One-third of the trip is over!

Dr. Jeter Day 19 on Polyvore.com

According to Katherine: Day 18 Recap (Part Two!)

Today was a wonderful day. Last night, the two fastest riders proposed we all ride as a group at the pace of the slowest cyclist, Alice, who rides a recumbent with small tires, and cycles in Florida.

After a breakfast of oatmeal and coffee, we took off. Ten of us stayed together for the entire 46.6 miles. We were told by our guide not to hurry to Ft. Hancock, because there would be nothing but a dilapidated old motel and blowing dust when we arrived

Leaving El Paso, we passed an Indian village where they have ceremonial dancing on Sundays -- we just missed it!

We stopped at mile 14 in San Elizario at a splendid old mission, dating back to the late 1700s. In the same little village, we spent time and money in a fabulous art gallery.

Inside the beautiful Mission San Elizario.

We pedaled down the road, and began to fight some hefty cross winds. Lots of dirt came with them.

At mile 28, a local gentleman led us to Wenchos, a small Mexican restaurant. We called the day's SAG, and she was able to join our happy band for lunch. The food and service were outstanding! Two of us with modest Spanish vocabularies had fun translating. We only had 19 miles remaining after we ate, but the winds were fierce, and it was hot.

We rode two abreast on the highway, and moved to single file only when a car approached from the rear. We made it into town and stopped to put Alice in the lead. We all chanted "AL-IS, AL-IS!" as we rode triumphantly into the seedy motel parking lot. This was the first day she had been able to complete the entire distance. We were all tired, dirty and hot, but delighted with the group support and camaraderie.

We started as a group, and we finished as a group. Alice called us her posse.

Dinner was Pad Thai and slaw. I didn't eat the dessert of small Greek pastries (from Costco in El Paso). 895.6 miles behind us. 2,204.4 to pedal. And 40 days to go.

Dr. Jeter Day 18 Part 2 on Polyvore.com

Multimedia Monday

Do you like reading Katherine's updates here on the Cycling for Scholarships blog? We've been editing videos from before and during the tour, and have uploaded 27 total (!!!) to the CFS YouTube channel. Click on the YouTube logo on the right side of the blog...or jump right to the WOCNCycling channel here!

Check them all out, and then share which is your favorite in the comments section of this post!