Save 22 A Day Trans-America Cycling

The link to today's route and statistics is found here . As we cycled out of Brawley we saw up close evidence of world-class agricultural operations.  To satisfy America's appetite for sweets, we passed fields of sugar beets. Imperial Valley sugar beets satisfy the sweet tooth To help satisfy American's need for hamburgers, California's Imperial Valley has about 400,000 cattle on feed, and in terms of revenue production they are the region's predominant agricultural product. We cycled past Mesquite Cattle Feeders Inc., which feeds about 35,000 head.  Randy from Oklahoma and others were misted by yellow water blown by the wind from a cattle truck.  After clean-up at Motel 8, he was allowed to join the group for dinner at The Sizzler, where he ordered steak for revenge. Cycling past Mesquite Cattle Feeders with 35,000 head The Imperial Valley is the largest alfalfa growing region in the world.  Many of the hay bales that we passed on the route are b...

The link to today's route and statistics is found here . In the American west bicyclists are allowed to ride the interstate shoulders in an area where the interstate is the only way to ride from point A to point B.  It sounds scary to ride the interstate because of the speed of vehicles there.  However, since the interstate shoulder is very wide and usually divided from traffic by a rumble trip, riding on the shoulder of the interstate often feels safer than riding on a highway with a narrow shoulder.  Trucks get much closer to the rider on a smaller highway, and they are still driving at a lethal speed indeed.  With that as a background, today's ride began with a high pucker factor ride down Interstate-8.   Even early in the morning the wind was above a 20 mph steady value with gusts estimated as high as 50 mph by Randy from Oklahoma, who is used to riding in 30 mph wind across the prairie.  To make matters worse, the wind was primarily a crosswin...

The link to today's route and statistics is found here . As we climb 3,000 ft heading to Pine Valley, life can be viewed from a different perspective. Very seldom we look from the top on down as is depicted in this photo.  Ground up A wonderful shade was awaiting for us at the Community Park thanks to the beautiful Live Oak Tree.  These trees grow at higher elevation and were plentiful along the route today.  These live oaks are very different from live oaks that we will see later in the southeast. Enjoying shade under Live Oak Tree Live Oak acorns Our Trans America Tour journey was taken to the next level—climbing 5,000 ft. However, for some of us, we surpassed the end of the day climbing total, as it happened to Jim and Goofy/Roberto, they past our overnight hotel by 5.4 miles. I guess the excitement of enjoying a downhill ride, we lost notion the size of the town—a convenience store, gift/restaurant shops, the hotel, a community park, and an a...

Trans America Cycling Day 1 - San Diego, CA to Alpine, CA The link to todays route and statistics is found here . As usual with the start of a cross country trip, we started at the ocean with the traditional wheel dips. The next step for the group was to assemble for a group photo.  As you can see, this was duly accomplished. At the completion of these formalities, we headed out for the day''s ride.  For the first almost 10 miles, we rode as a group, led by TAC lead Larry Love.  This was a welcome lead, because the route was certainly not intuitive.  It followed various bike paths, with interesting interconnects.  Larry did a masterful job leading us through the maze.  We ended this section at the first of many SAG stops over the course of this journey.. Everyone enjoyed the break, before heading out on the trek to Alpine's Ayers Lodge.  The group traveled in smaller groups the rest of the way.  It was still very muc...

Trans-America Cycling (TAC) Day 0  It is the day before the start of the ride.  All the riders have gathered in San Diego for final preparations before the ride starts tomorrow.  To insure everyone understands the expectations for the ride, the support team assembled the riders for a summary of the ride and its execution. Two thirds of the support team (the Loves) speaking to a rapt audience. Some of the assembled riders.  Riders hail from all over, including Switzerland, British Columbia, Malta, as well as multiple US locales.  Of the fifteen, six are female, and six are international riders.  The fact the ride supports the issue of veterans suicide prevention was an emphasis, and appreciated by all. At any rate, the adventure begins tomorrow!

It is about 6 weeks from the start of our ride with Trans-America Cycling from San Diego, CA to St Augustine, FL. The Save-22-a-Day Trans-America Bicycle Tour will raise awareness of US military veterans’ high suicide rate, an astounding 22 veteran suicides per day. PTSD and TBI are strong drivers of the suicides. The tour promotes veterans’ charities offering solutions to the problem and has chosen TADSAW, a charity committed to veteran suicide prevention, to benefit from the ride. This post is to establish the site address and insure I am ready to publish as the ride approaches.