We started riding again in Beaumont, through Banning, on a road that paralleled the 60 Hwy. Fairly easy city riding, slightly downhill. At Banning we rode through the Morongo Indian reservation, then came down a road where Scott and I hit speeds of 35 mph (the fastest I've ever ridden).

Then we paralleled the 60 Hwy to Cabazon, with two large dinosaur statues, a brontosaurus and a t-rex. We crossed over the 60 Hwy onto the old Hwy 99, and we were able to 20 mph for quite a stretch. Soon hundreds of wind generator 3 paddle windmills came into view. Snowcapped mountains towering over the desert floor, with cactus in bloom.

We had to merge onto a short distance on the I-10 before we veered off onto the 111 Hwy into Palm Springs.

Lots of shops and shoppers in Palm Springs (traffic too). Scott and I rode along, while my mother found the Auto Club office to get some more maps.

We stopped in a bike shop to replace Scott's mirror which broke.

We continued riding south to Rancho Mirage, where we ate lunch in fire station! By then, it was 12:30 pm, and we promised Jim Giles we'd be back in Moreno Valley about 2 pm. So we loaded the bikes, and my mother SAGged us back to Jim's, where we showed and readied ourselves for the Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser.

Jim got his wife Nita ready for the evening. Nita is a pHD who needs some assistance. Jim drove us to Redlands CA, with quite a few items for the raffle and some food items for the dinner.

We all got busy with various aspects of food preparation. There was a lot of help, even including 3 Girl Scouts who helped serve. The keyboard musician led a prayer before the meal, and then everyone went through the line. Everything tasted great, especially the spaghetti sauce made by Dave from the Inland Caregiver Resource Center. The cake from Albertson's was awesome in taste and decoration.

Jim MC'd the program. Many great items were raffled off. Most family groups won something.

It was so neat that the PR that Jenn and Jim sent brought in folks that just found out about the dinner and HD. One widow of a pHD came with her at-risk 18 year old son and his girlfriend. Her mother in law lives in Pueblo CO. I plan to look her up when I return.

Over $500 was raised thanks to about 90-100 people there. More will continue to come in, too, as they're raffling off a $500 savings bond, too, and that drawing won't be 'til later this month.

Many hands made light work cleaning up after this encouraging dinner.

Donations continue to come in.

Jim reminded me that at last year's dinner, I had only collected $10. This year, the total is over $10,000 already, jump started by the T-shirt sponsorships.

Tomorrow we will SAG to Rancho Mirage and ride to Chiriaco Summit. It will be a hot one, through the desert.

Keep those prayers comin'. Pray for cooler weather and endurance for us both.

With love,

Yours Biking For The Cure,

Marie

We SAGged the 1 hour back to Rancho Mirage, readied ourselves in the parking lot of the fire station, and got on the road about 7:30 am. Not too long into the ride, a peleton of cyclists whizzed past us, and I yelled to Scott, "Go for it!" So he caught up with the group, and was riding with them when whoosh, down went the couple on a tandem! Scott had to swerve to avoid hitting them. This couple sustained some injuries, especially the man. Scott, being the leader/take charge kind of guy that he is, flagged down a city truck passing by and the driver called 9-1-1. Soon two police officers arrived to take over the care Scott was already giving.

We continued through La Quinta and some other small desert communities South of Palm Springs. Soon we reached Indio, the date palm capital of the world. We went on through Coachella, and stopped at a date tasting showroom. After a rest there, we rode on to Mecca, where I mailed two 2 shirts to friends in Colorado Springs. We ate lunch there too, in the shade of a tree. We headed out the Box Canyon Road, and after about 5 miles, the trouble began. No sign of my mother. Usually she drives 5-10 miles, and waits for us. Due to the extreme mid-day heat, Scott and I were already a bit low on water. My mother has gallons in her car, but unbeknownst to us, she decided to drive all the way up this 20-mile uphill in a canyon, and wait at the top! Scott had gone on ahead of me, to get to my mother sooner, but he never found her. I ran out of water, so I had to stop in the shade. I waited there 30-45 min. A motor home stopped, and said that Scott had sent them, to supply me with water! Thank God for these folks, and Scott's perception.

After I got water, I was able to ride on for a good while, but it was a long, long grind. Finally a gentleman in a truck with two young sons, stopped, turned around, asked if I needed help. I accepted his offer of help. We drove 6 miles towards the I-10, and finally caught up with Scott. We were about to load his bike into the truck, when my mother finally showed up. So we loaded the bikes onto her car, and headed towards the I-10. Scott and I were really bushed, and upset that our SAG let us down. It was a precarious situation, but the Lord provided others to help when my mother wasn't there for us.

We drove about 6 miles to the General Patton Museum at Chiriaco Center. Very interesting. Patton led the desert training before the African and European WWII campaigns.

We pitched my mother's tent behind the museum, ate sandwiches, and turned in as soon as the sun went down, about 7:45 pm. Scott slept near the car for awhile, but some canines awoke him but he scared them off. It got pretty cold at elevation 1700 ft, so he retreated to the car and spent the rest of the night there.

The desert heat during the day is brutal, so we decided to awaken at 4:00 am and try riding in the dark (and cool). Hopefully this'll make it easier.

 Please keep we three in your prayers.

Yours Biking across the desert For The Cure,

Marie

The Big (or maybe Little) Dipper was the first thing I saw when the alarm awakened us at 4:00 am! It was very cool and nice in the desert! We took down the tent, packed everything into my mother's car, and headed out in the dark at 5:00 am, along the I-10. My mother would drive a bit ahead of us, then wait with lights flashing until we caught up, then move on. Time passed quickly on the 20-mile stretch from Chiriaco Summit to Desert Center. The sunrise was at 6:18 am. We ate our usual OJ, cereal, and milk breakfast in Desert Center. Kind of reminded me of Amboy, but without Roy Jr! Then we pressed on along the I-10.

Once when we caught up with my mother, a CHP Hwy Patrolman was parked there. He told her not to park so close to the Interstate, and asked if we riders had a permit. She said she didn't think so, but we only rode on the Interstate when there was no side road.

About halfway to Blythe there was an 18 mile section of "old road" paralleling the I-10. Chuchwalla Road (should have been called "Chuck-hole-a Road,") reminiscent of the Mother Road (Route 66) in need of a makeover or face-lift.

It was a relief to get back on the Interstate. When we found my mother again, more CHP contact from patrolmen who stopped to see if she was OK. She said she had never been stopped before, and now twice on the day before she turns 80!

We continued on to Blythe, to the Zion Lutheran Church. When we got there, we had ridden 71 miles, our longest day yet! Mickie, the church-school secretary, contacted Pastor Chuck Hinkle, who hosted us. He SAGged our bikes and Scott, while my mother and I followed in her car.

Their home was a lovely manufactured home, with a 2-car carport, a koi fish swimming in a pond (Ardie, remember the koi?)

We ate a late lunch (first peanut butter/lettuce day, Charlotte). Chuck is the Ass't Pastor, a deacon, and in charge of the church school. His wife Helen does before and after school day care, so she had to leave. We got our laundry going, got some food and gas for tomorrow, and returned in time to go to the Soup supper at the church. Good food, good people! Scott and I were asked to briefly discuss the Bike For The Cure before their mid-week liturgical service.

We returned to the Hinkle's home and visited a little, but knowing we would be up at 4:00 am again, we turned in about 9:00 pm.

This was our last full day in California. Tomorrow we ride a few miles in CA before we cross the Colorado River into Arizona!

Love to all.

Yours Biking For The Cure, 

Marie

"The 3 Musketeers" (Scott, Marie, and Vera) bade fond farewells to CA as we crossed the bridge over the Colorado River. Scott and I each found 2 quarters as we crossed over, and noticed an immediate drop in the price of gasoline of over 20 cents a gallon in Ehrenburg AZ just across the river from Blythe CA!

We knew it would be one of the hardest days because I miscalculated the distance and it should have been 2 days (115 miles) but due to fundraisers in the Phoenix and Tempe area we had to ride what we could, and SAG the rest.

Immediately after crossing over the river, we began to see the giant Saguaro cactus, which fascinated Scott. He had me take his picture next to the first one we saw.

Scott rode ahead at his pace, and he ended up riding the first 31 miles in the time it took me to go 21, just about all uphill! I had determined to ride to Quartzite, which I did. There I saw a monument to Hi Jolly, an Arab camel driver who worked with the Army. I recall a Kingston Trio or other folk song group of that era who sang a song about "Hi Jolly, Hey Jolly, 20 miles a day by golly, 20 more before ...." I can't remember the rest. But from there, my mother SAGged me 10 miles to where Scott was waiting, having just depleted his water supply, at the junction of 60 Hwy and the I-10. We started riding again, on 60 Hwy, but started to encounter heavy headwinds. Scott was spent, so about 2 miles from Hope AZ we decided to SAG to Hope for lunch. With management permission, we ate on a picnic table of the Blackrock RV Park. Then we were still 80 miles, practically all uphill, from Wickenburg. Knowing our limitations, we decided to SAG to the summit, then bike downhill into Wickenburg.

Wickenburg is at almost 2100 ft elevation, and was founded in the 1860's. It's a town with 2 stoplights, but a nice airport, community center, lots of quaint shops, a mixture of Western and Southwestern architecture.

We are staying at the Family Suites of the Remuda Ranch, a hospital/Biblically based counseling program to help women with eating disorders (anorexia & bulimia.) There is a lovely homelike set of one story garden "apartments" which are used by the family of women being treated, but through an Evangelical Free Church contact, we were allowed to stay, as they had an extra room. Isn't the Lord good to us! Such a contrast to the camp-out at Chiriaco Summit. I think it epitomizes what Paul wrote in the Bible, about being content in all things.

Since today is my mother's 80th birthday, I wanted to take her and Scott out. Found a recommended Mexican restaurant named "Anita's Cocina" and the food was great. My mother was surprised by the after dinner fried ice cream treat that they brought her. She insisted that we help her eat it.

After stopping for groceries, we returned to the Family Suites. I am now caught up with the daily messages, but may have some personal ones, but have been unable to receive them. I've tried numerous pay phones to call the 1-800 number, but none worked. Just when I found a phone that worked to send, and had just started receiving, an attendant at the grocery story crashed the shopping carts and the noise disrupted the transmission. Will send this message ASAP.

 In the land of giant saguaros and sunshine,

Still Biking For The Cure, with over 300 miles of riding,

 Marie

On the 7th day, God rested (after the work of creation), but as usual, we left town in the dark, a little after 5:00 am. The ride was practically all a steady downhill on the 60 Hwy. Many saguaro cacti were visible from the highway, those massive sentinels of the Arizona desert. There were purple lupines and orange Indian paintbrush (I think) wildflowers lining the shoulder of the road.

We arrived in Surprise AZ early enough that some folks were eating breakfast at McDonald's! visited with 5 lovely folks there, before moving along.

Finally I was able to receive my E-mail for the first time in 1 1/2 days. But I didn't read it 'til later.

We continued riding in through El Mirage, Sun City, and Peoria, and stopped to eat lunch in Glendale, at their Municipal Center. I can't remember if I had mentioned that Scott had misplaced his Sharp TM-20 pocketmail, somewhere between Blythe and Hope AZ. I finally looked at the E-mails I received in Suprise, and found two from Ron that the pocketmail had been found, and was at the Sheriff's office in La Paz County! Scott still doesn't have the pocketmail unit, but we know where it is.

We had to bike through the whole Phoenix Metro area, from NW to SE. It was pretty difficult riding, with all the traffic, plus heat, and fatigue. But finally after 72 miles, we arrived at Landis, a bike shop where our bikes got a free check-over. There Scott and I met up with Shelly Wagner (Tracy Rodewald's sister). Shelly tested negative for the HD gene 2 1/2 years ago, but her mom and Tracy are pHD's. We also met up with my mother there; somehow we lost her coming across McDowell from Phoenix into Scottsdale.

Bill the mechanic checked our bikes, cleaned my bike's chain, and made some minor adjustments on both of the bikes. Nice shop, big inventory.

From there, Scott biked and I SAGged with my mother (so she wouldn't get lost) to Shelly's. They have a lovely home on a golf course, in a gated community.

Shelly prepared a delicious veggie lasagna, salad, bread, and cake and ice cream to again celebrate my mother's 80th birthday.

Tomorrow's the fundraiser carwash. Am looking forward to meeting Phil Hardt from the Hunt-Dis list, and Natasha Wright, the Arizona HDSA Chapter President.

Almost 400 miles into the Bike For The Cure, having a little trouble with "heat rash," Thanking God for 7 great days of riding, 

Marie