Long lost cyclists

Hi everybody! So, we've not really had much computer access across Texas. We took a great week off in San Antonio for some 'q' time and personal time ;-). Got to see a day of rodeo, felt like a kid at the San Antonio zoo, rode the bikes up to the Alamo, watched an IMAX, and had time off from each other. Iz and I aren't fighting but it was nice to have a little respite for both of us. Rolling out of SA I had a small wreck, no major damage but after a front tire flat yesterday, my bike has developed a weird pulsing sensation that I'm not very fond of. Leaving SA I also seem to have caught a nasty respiratory infection that has straight served me for a couple days now. Yesterday it was so intense I was often seeing double or had blurred vision, had little sense of balance, felt dehydrated all day and my breathing was very labored. Fortunately it has subsided today though I still have a painful cough and my lungs seem partially compressed.
So, yesterday morning we rose early and wanted to find a small local place for breakfast. Just as we rolled into the small central Texas town of Scotdale my front tire started hissing about the time I spotted Mollie's Café. With a slime tube, there was a puff of green mist with each Revolution of the tire...kinda funny really. We didn't even mess with the tire, I pushed my bike to the café and we stepped inside. 7:30 AM, central Texas, small town, two lanky guys in black, tight shorts and brightly colored jerseys drew a few looks from the old timers sippin their morning coffee. We sat down and ordered: Iz; a 'Texas' pancake and sausage. Me; oatmeal, egg and potato taco and bean and cheese taco (with hot sauce, extra hot sauce and a side of jalapeños)-for the sinuses. "You sure you want the Texas pancake darlin?" The waitress asked. "Well how big is it?" Iz asked her. She held up the 14 inch round serving tray and said, "about this big." "Yep, bring it." And it really was that big! At least the size of a medium or large pizza and 3/4 of an inch thick. He ate every last crumb of it...except for the one small taste that I had. The waitress swore he was the first person she's seen finish a whole Texas pancake since she's been there.
Today we pedaled into Victoria and will keep cruising shortly. Had to catch up though, we stopped a couple ladies who were on nice full carbon tri bikes and asked for a bike shop. We were pointed here to Bill's Bikes. Once here we started tuning the bikes and within 10 minutes a local news reporter shows up! So, after almost an hour of questions and photos there will apparently be a newspaper article about us tomorrow here in Victoria. I'm still chuckling about it. Its a town of around 62,000 and Iz and I are big news I guess.
Well, at least we got to talk a little about cycling safety, physical activity to promote a healthy lifestyle, cycling awareness among motorists and supporting local business. I hope they quote me..."Don't buy your bike at Wal-Mart, support a local bike shop. It might cost more but you get better quality and your money stays local. Plus, try taking your bike back to wal-mart and see if they'll tru the wheels or adjust the seat for you."
That's One small Revolution for the day! Buy local, don't support exploited labourers.
Carpe diem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The wonderful thing about west Texas...

Dreaming of never having to be here again.

Across the plains of Texas

We've seen a whole lot of nothing essentially! Well, slightly rolling hills and a lot of very straight roadway. The people here are very kind and give a great amount of space when they zip past at 80 mph but the scenery is a psychological killer. Oh, and a second cold snap has hit. We camped in Marfa last night and this morning was so cold that all of our water bottles where frozen solid, it hurt to break camp so much that we sat in a gas station to thaw for two hours. My hands and feet were hurting so bad from the cold that it made me sick! The wind was so strong yesterday that Iz's nose is burnt so badly that it's turned abnormally white on the bridge and this white spot is surrounded by dark red and peeling skin. Oh the adventure of cycling across our nation! When we crossed the Texas line, we ate at a small mexican place; support local right? Bad idea...the cow tongue burritos were preferential only to...say...dining with Hannibal Lecture. And the three day old beans and rice flavored with fermenting red salsa would have dropped a New York rat. In Alpine TX tonight with a warmshowers host who has fed us so well we might not need to eat again until Mardi Gras. With record lows still being attempted by Old Man Winter, it is bliss to have walls to wake up within and a warm bed to rest our bones upon. Especially after battling the most ferocious winds we've experienced on our journey thus far. It was like trying to spear an elephant with a toothpick. In other words, it sucked. We've improved our diet recently though, on a good note. Instead of mixed nuts or mixed nuts, we bought some apples, bananas, avocado, bell peppers and tortillas which serve nicely for any time of day. Oh, and a pint of local honey just outside of El Paso; so good on the walnuts and pecans!
Fortunately, no other bike troubles have cropped up so far but we've bought a supply of tube patch kits, tubes and CO2 for emergency tire inflation. Now, we'd like to order strong tailwinds for the next 32.5 days with a side of 5-20% grade downhill and a large order of warmth and sunshine (72-81 degrees F would be nice). Thanks.
One Revolution at a time though, we'll get to where we're bound.
Until again, may you find your own spin cycle!

Frigid in Las Cruces

So we arrived to Las Cruces just in front of an incredible cold spell. Forecasted 6 degrees tonight! So glad we have a place to stay inside. When we arrived yesterday we went first to the poste and picked up the box loaded with great food from Mom & Dad, thank you both so much! Before leaving the poste we were approached by five people who wanted to know all about our adventure. The couple who owns Nelli's Cafe on Hadley Ave invited us to their restaurant for breakfast today! It was an amazing meal. The couchsurfers we spent last night with cooked a great southwestern style dinner for us and provided wonderful hydration and conversation. I really hope that more people start internalizing that we are all humans and can find common grounds to get along. I'm not seeking the delusion of world peace, just the reality of inner peace. Iz and I are continually amazed at how many people greet us with such kindness and willingness to support our journey. These encounters are the fabric of our "One Revolution" concept. One revolution at a time, we are opening ourselves to a world of kindness to and from others. Seek your own peaceful journey! We're off to El Paso or further tomorrow. Oh, we also did a full tune up on both bikes today since we had a mishap yesterday that bent Iz's front rack and put his front wheel out of true. Clean drivetrains and smooth shifting makes such a difference in performance! Thanks Outdoor Adventures for letting us use the bike stand and tools! Let your thoughts and actions be guided by peace and joy...
One Revolution

Leaner diet and more miles

So, we've scored some library time in Douglas AZ. We stopped short yesterday after climbing 13 miles of 5-8% grade to Bisbee. In Bisbee we toured a coffee roastery that was amazing. Seth hooked us up with so many shots of espresso we were jittery most of the night. I had seven shots, Iz stopped at five.
Back up for a moment...in Tucson, after the great Ethiopian food we were hoping to go the local farmers market the next day (Sunday) that Jaime with Peddler on the Path told us about. Well after talking to some bicycle reps, we redirected for a short ride over to a stand with state bicycle maps. It cost me a rear gear shifter. With a simple and silly mistake I ripped a $60 part off my bike and listened to it scatter into three pieces and fly into the bushes. Moments later though an aircraft mechanic came riding by and asked me what happened. After givin him the skinny he told Iz to tow me to his place 3.5 miles away and said I could have his derailleur! A little wrenching and some hand shaking and we were rolling again. Tucson was amazing. Oh, and an avid cycling couple took us out for a great local meal! We suffered out of Tucson though with lots of climbing into the high deserts. Two days ago we walked the streets of Tombstone AZ where the famous shootout with Wyatt Earp occurred. We've left the Sonora desert-land of the Giant Saguaro cacti and are now in the Chihuahua Desert-land of the little ankle biting dogs...i guess, though we've not seen or felt (or tasted) any just yet ;-) While at the roastery, Seth bought a pizza from Roma's (next door) for us and a cycling tourist who's settled in Bisbee dropped in and invited us to sleep at his place for the night. Spartan but warm accommodations and we finally got to wash our clothes after nearly two weeks! I make Iz ride down wind from me!
We're very thankful for thorn resistant tubes, I'll post pictures later of the nail that went right through my tire but didn't cause it to flat!
Just over 200 miles to Las Cruces, hopefully there by Tuesday morning for a food drop by our wonderful Mom!
The clarity of the night sky in the desert blows us away; so many stars are visible that its nearly overwhelming. Very cold in the early morning too, makes us really appreciate the rays of golden sun striking the tent as we get ready to break camp. Guess that's about all for now. Time for one more revolution at a time. May random acts of kindness guide your day.

No Internet in the Sonora Desert

So, we had a brief stay in Yuma after the amazing hot springs in southeast California. The roads were absolutely terrible in the far eastern edge of California. Once in Arizona we jumped on I-8 into Yuma. We spent one night in Yuma with Meng, a guy we met thru an online site for cycle-tourists. After Yuma, we started pedaling 50-65 miles a day to Tucson. It's amazing how the roads can vary so widely; with some the surface makes you so aware of a leather saddle tenderizing your nethers that you want to fall over and cry. Others feel like sliding through soft butter on a sheet of velvet. So, we're using computers at a public library so we have limited time to be online. We were able to watch a re-enactment of the capture of John Dillinger today in downtown Tucson. Afterwards we asked a man who owns/operates "Peddler on the Path"-a mobile coffee shop about where in town to eat. He suggested a place about 12 blocks away so we started pedaling. Half way there, we were stopped at a red light and looked to our right and saw Cafe Desta, Ethiopian Cuisine. This was, hands down, the most exquisite spiritual dining experience Iz and I have ever had. The owner of the cafe, first of all was incredibly amiable-he brought our food out in a traditional shared family dish typical of Ethiopia with twice as much food as we ordered; spicy Kaye Lamb, Kaye Beef, Kik, Azifa, Timil Gommen, Lijera and maybe one other dish. Then, we had an amazing hot Yehemen Shai(tea) and the owner joined us to discuss One God and Baha'i. After finishing our food and tea and conversation with this wonderful man, he refused to let us pay for the meal! I literally hugged the man in tears. Simply profound. This type of kindness, love and generosity should exist in all of us! We wish all the best to Telahoun and his amazing restaurant endeavor!! Out of time for now...peace to everyone until next time.

Over the mountains across many bridges and through the desert

To the Florida coast we go!
Finally! After three days of painful uphill and every local for 70 miles telling us that El Centro, CA is "only two more hills and 60 miles away" we arrived already sun burnt and wind kissed. Arriving at the top of the final hill of the San Bernadino Mountains was glorious. Even more divine though, was the 10+ miles of downhill at 6% grade! First time in my life that I've stayed above the legal vehicle speed limit on my bike for almost half an hour: the posted speed was 35 mph and we sustained 36-40 mph for all except the last mile of the downhill. Hands down this was the most blissful ten miles of bike riding in my life to date, and I've now pedaled almost 4,300 miles on my Long Haul Trucker. Though Iz hasn't spun that many miles, he echoes the same about the grandeur of the downhill.
A fire captain who was returning from a fire call spotted us on the road and had the engineer pull up behind us. He is dreaming of pedaling the southern tier in a few years once he retires. He allowed us to stay in the Imperial County fire hall overnight which was a blessing. After so much uphill pedaling it was very nice to have a warm place to sleep and a hot shower. Thank you captain Celis. The fire crew also escorted us over to the naval air facility where the Blue Angels are trained and housed to get food. For $5.50 each we had a big double cheeseburger, fries and a drink. Still no lizards or cacti in the diet.
Got a package from the parents that was loaded with food; what a blessing to have wonderful parents! Also in the package was my waterproof Kindle case which will be wonderful for the hot springs where Iz and I will take a day off for relaxing & camping tomorrow. Apparently there are great natural hot springs just east of El Centro on our route...why wouldn't we stop for a day!? 
We posted a load of new pictures on my facebook account for anybody who'd like to see :-)
Now we're off to find a bicycle shop and our warmshowers host. Until next time, all it takes is one revolution. May God bring peace to your hearts.