I Care I Cure I Cycle: RE-TIRED!!! Not Us....The Bike!

Glenn headed out of Del Rio this am at 8:15 and I stayed

behind to wait for our UPS delivery. While waiting I headed to

Walmart to shop for our dinner for tonight....no restaurants

in Utopia, our overnight destination! How can

it be Utopia without good food?!

This morning as I drank my cup of coffee, a memory of Ian popped into my mind. We think of him often on these bike rides :). One morning while I was babysitting , I took Ian, then about 8, to breakfast. I think the younger boys must have been in preschool because it was just the two of us. When the waitress arrived at the table, without a moment's hesitation, Ian ordered " a cup of decaf with milk, please" to which I corrected that he would have just the milk. After some negotiating and his promise to not tell his parents, I agreed that he could have some very weak decaf. It would be our little secret. Later that day, as soon as he spoke to his mom, my sister, the first thing he said was "guess what - Aunt Lynnie let me have coffee at breakfast!" So much for that pact of silence! He was a bright, fun kid who is sorely missed by all.

The delivery arrived early at 10 am and, with renewed confidence,

I hit the road to find Glenn. Thanks to Michael at Gotta Ride Bikes

in San Antonio for helping me orchestrate this ride saving shipment!

We should be in great shape now! The bike is re-tired and ready

to ride for miles. Gotta Ride Bikes : Bikes Health Life for Everyone!

They don't look like much but these tires and tubes are

essential for a smooth long distance bike ride!

I had an interesting experience yesterday morning. I mentioned earlier in the blog that I had been in touch with Phlash Phelps the morning DJ in the 60's on 6 on Sirius/XM radio. He asked for my phone number and he called me yesterday to ask about the ride. He has traveled extensively in the US and seems to have a wealth of knowledge about all things US geography. We had a great talk about our travels and the edited version was aired today. I missed it but he said it was 3 minutes long and filled with "good stuff". Hoping to get a clip to post here. I do know that he gave the I Care I Cure website on air and said to look for Uncle Glenn's ride. Trying to get the word out about the important purpose for the ride. Thanks to Phlash!

Just got this in an email from my sister, Laurie.

A friend of hers heard me on the radio this am!!!

From a post on Facebook this AM!

Len Furlough Just a good note...as I was cruising down the road to SC,

I was listening to Sirius 60's on 6 and the DJ was talking to a young woman

about her husband's bicycling ride across and around America. Lynn spoke to

him for about 5 minutes about how her husband was riding to draw awareness

to the I Care I Cure Foundation. Very inspiring...please send my regards.

In case you are wondering how the route is decided each day, let me fill you in. Glenn was provided with maps designed by Adventure Cycling for this area. Several bikers he knows have done this route and recommended it. I suppose it is meant to keep the bikes off any major roads where traffic could be an issue. I guess that many of the riders do this as a group effort not as a solo ride experience like Glenn. This would be a worrisome place to ride alone without support.

A Glimpse from Glenn

It might have come across in earlier posts that I was more than a little disappointed in myself for not being able to finish some of the planned days rides. I have been accused of having very high standards about many things, myself included. Probably, starting with the day we left El Paso, I began to have the confidence in my ability to get through each day and enjoy it even despite the flats! I am proud of myself and feel fortunate to be able to do this in Ian's memory. Seth will be pleased to know - The Machine is back!

Today was a bleak day. The roads were empty, the rain was light but steady. Glenn donned his full gear for the first time on this ride. I actually decided to start writing the blog while waiting for Glenn along Ranch Road 334. This is most definitely a "ranch" road. Nothing but ranches for miles and miles. Also passed the intersection of Ranch Road 334 and Farm Road 3199. I'm sure this gives you an idea of the very rural area that we are traveling.

This carcass reminded us of the ones we saw

on our safari in September! We passed

several similar ones, sometimes with vultures

looming in the air.

Glenn took this photo on Ranch Road 334.

The top reminded him of emojis as did

cut-out on a fence the other day.

Glenn took this for you, Roz and Albert!

Rainy weather made these signs seem more

important than on sunny days in the last few weeks!

No flooding on our route yet!

A long rise that made Glenn appreciate that

he had just hopped in the car with me.

After 65 miles in rain, we gave up on the

thought that it would pass :)

We couldn't figure out what this

animal was but it was amazing to

see a herd grazing on one of the ranches!

The terrain changed once again. We climbed over another

mountain with on a winding road with no side of the road

for bikes! We both enjoyed the view from inside the car!

Another curvy road and no other roads around

and no other "wazers" on the road!

From a San Antonio Bike Rides Website

"The area around Utopia and Vanderpool is well known for its hills. Combining the remoteness of the area, the light traffic, and the challenging roads, it's a great place to ride. There aren't a huge number of roads, but you can put them together for some really cool options. The highlight of these rides is FM 337 between Leakey and Vanderpool. There are two very significant climbs."