Trans America Cycling Day 7 - Wickenburg, AZ to Mesa, AZ

The link to today's route and statistics is found here.

Today cyclist Jim from Tennessee had the opportunity to meet a Train A Dog-Save A Warrior (TADSAW) trainer and a veteran/service dog team in training.  Renee Joseph trains for TADSAW in the Phoenix area.  She has been working with veteran Frank and his dog Capone for a number of months.  Training is going well, and it was easy to see that a strong bond has developed between Frank and Capone.  As is the case for the TADSAW program, Frank takes his dog home between training sessions with the TADSAW trainer, Renee, and “does his homework” by conducting further training himself.  Capone is attentive to Frank’s positive reinforcement.  Frank says that he now goes out in public with Capone, which is a significant change from prior behavior in which Frank says he actively avoided public places.  The TADSAW program has already improved Frank’s quality of life for the better.  Frank drives about four hours one way from his home to the Phoenix area for training with Renee, which shows his commitment to the program.  We look forward with anticipation to the day that Capone becomes an accredited Medical Alert Service Dog. That will be very good news!

Bicycle tour meets TADSAW trainer, veteran and aspiring dog

Trainer, Renee, vet, Frank, & Capone

Today we almost had a television interview for Renee, Frank and Capone.  The Phoenix TV station KPNX 12 News, an NBC affiliate, had scheduled the interview at 11:30 am today.  However, 30 minutes prior the station informed us that due to an accident with fatalities involving a local fire truck, our TADSAW interview was cancelled.  That is unfortunate, because it is important for the public to appreciate how a service dog can improve the quality of life of a veteran with conditions such as PTSD and TBI.  We hope that raising public awareness of the TADSAW program will result in more applications from veterans who could benefit. 

This morning we had a very pleasant ride generally downhill from Wickenburg to Phoenix.  Then we road a long distance across Phoenix on bike paths beside irrigation canals.  It helped that cyclists grouped up more than usual to help each other follow the course.  Where the path would intersect a road, there would be tunnels to ride underneath it.  Persons often live rough in some of the tunnels, so cyclists had to be careful to not run into a person or any of their gear, i.e. a shopping cart, in the tunnels.  Avoidance can be tricky, because of the low light in the tunnels.  Cyclists rode the course unscathed.

A loose paceline is pictured below along the canal bike path.  Our tour has four cyclists that are often seen riding very efficiently in a well formed, tight paceline.  They are an international team of sorts consisting of Ester and Nichole from Switzerland, Alison from Canada and Hannah from Utah.  Some men have shown the good sense to join the paceline as times, but the core of the paceline is the group of four very proficient women riders.  We'll keep trying, but it is not easy to get a photograph of the paceline from the side as they whiz past, so instead we have caught them on film eating together. 

Paceline riding leisurely on the canal bike path

Paceline members Hannah, Ester, Nichole & Alison

In March there was rain in the desert areas that we are cycling through in April.  The result is a desert in bloom now.

It's special when desert vegetation is in bloom

The Arizona state tree is the palo verde.  There are many around our Best Western Motel in Mesa.  The name palo verde means green stick in Spanish.  The bark of a palo verde tree is green because it's filled with chlorophyll. Unlike most trees, this plant gets a lot of photosynthesizing done through its bark. Only about a third of the palo verde's food is produced by the leaves.

Palo Verde, the Arizona state tree

Palo verde in bloom

Yesterday a cyclist got a flat tire due to a goathead sticker.  If cyclists take their bike into the desert floor with them, even just a few feet off of the road, a goathead flat may be the result.  Goathead sticker plants blend in with the desert floor and are very difficult to spot.  Below is a photograph of a goathead plant that is the source of goathead stickers

and was taken within a few feet of the road.  This goathead plant was only about 9 inches  tall.  If you think that you may have gotten into goatheads with your bike, put the palm of your gloved hand over the tire and spin the wheel to knock off hard to detect goathead stickers. 

Evil goathead sticker causes flats in southwest

Source of goathead stickers