4/7 through 4/11

4/7 – 90 miles to Picacho State Park - Camping

Today we biked a little over 90 miles to Picacho State Park. The Saguaro cacti and night time stars were very impressive. I have never seen stars like this before in my life.

The ride itself was long and slow. I rode in a group of four and we took it nice and easy, not pushing ourselves at all, heart rates under 140 all day. It was hot but I planned well to avoid burning my freckly skin. Around mile 65, our group passed a pedestrian wearing a sign that read "Walking Across America." We stopped and chatted with him (see picture). He is all about encouraging people to live healthier lifestyles and does about 20 miles per day, often sleeping on strangers couches. Their was a climb into Picacho State Park, which I felt added a nice exclamation point to our first 90 mile day.

The night has been Picacho really awesome and I am feeling great secondary to eating way better. I have cut out bagels and powerbars and just drank water instead of the powerbar drink mix. I was getting a lot of gas and just feeling crummy with all the simple carbs. Even burning 2-3K extra calories per day seems not to justify excessive simple carb intake. Anyway I feel great, with extra energy and vigor. For dinner we had tin foil dinners cooked in the fire (meat, potatoes, veggies) and people even roasted marshmallows. I had a beer.

The park itself is one of the neatest places I have ever seen. The large Saguaro cacti, the sunset, the hills/mountains, the stars at night, all are just great. This is our second night camping outdoors and both times I have really enjoyed it. Even after a long bike ride, camping is nice. The plan for tomorrow is to wake at 4:45am and hike up Picacho peak. Our ride is short at about 45 miles.

4/8 – 45 miles to Tucson – Hardest Day – Synagogue night – Night out

I awoke very early at 4:50am w/ a bunch of others to hike to the summit of Picacho peak. We made it to the ridge and saw the south side, but we didn't continue to the peak in the interest of time. It was a very challenging hike, akin to doing lunge after lunge, really recruiting the gluteal muscles a lot. It was fatiguing and layers of clothes came off quickly. Butts were sore the next day.

On the bike, this was the hardest day yet, even though it was only 45 miles. It was hot as heck, somewhere in the low 80's I guess, and also the route was not pleasurable, mostly along frontage roads w/ lots of construction. The morning hike plus the limited caloric intake likely contributed to the difficulty of this ride. There was also a headwind and the morning hike was fatiguing.

My support group did laundry in Tucson and I got a great burrito at Zendejah's near U of Arizona. Prior to this burrito, again I was feeling amazing, on a very long fast, but carrying stuff so that my muscles weren't wasting. Felt so good.

In the evening, I went out to Bob Dobbs w/ Jody, Sarah, and Roshan. We walked in gorgeous 65 degree desert weather. The place was a small bar/restaurant and we sat outside, sipping a few beers. We talked medicine, then relationships. It was really good to get to know some people more personally. We slept in a synagogue floor with our camping gear.

4/9 – Off Day – Global Health Day in Tucson – Night out

It’s 10:30pm and I'm getting ready to head out with Jen, her girlfriend, and Roshan. I’m excited to go out after what has been a good day of work promoting our message.

Today our group spoke at U of Arizona’s medical school and the event was catered with Thai food. Our words were well-received and all around the lecture went well. We also set up a table on campus and spoke to passers by, selling shirts and water bottles at the same time.

We had some free time in the afternoon so we drove to Saguaro National Park. This was an environment unlike any I have ever seen. The diversity of desert flora and fauna in the outdoor desert museum was incredible. We saw numerous flowers, cacti, and many different animals. There were wolves, desert river otters, hummingbirds, scorpions, just too much to name. More than anything, the plant-life blew me away. The density of the different plants all intertwined impressed me.

Post-Note

The night out with Jen and Roshan and Jen's girlfriend was really great. It was good to have some laughs, dance a little, and really vent about our feelings thus far on the ride. We talked about the drama on the ride, the fact that it is like high school, with clicks and crowds. I was very surprised to hear that they have felt exactly like me with regard to the social climate on the ride. We vented and bonded. We had three drinks each and Roshan and I each got a Sonoran Hot dog (w/ chili and all that). The sky bar allowed us to shoot a little pool and swing our hips a little, plus I had a great White Russian. It is a solar powered bar on Tucson’s 4^th ave. The Hut allowed us to talk politics and the health care bill. Oh yeah and we even got in free there and got 1/2 price drinks by telling them about R4WH. We got back late (after 1am) and only got a little sleep (5hrs) in preparation for an 87 mile day on the bike. But it was worth it.

4/10 – 87 miles to Wilcox, AZ – Solidarity Ride – “The Thing”

The day began with an awkward and uncomfortable sighting a few feet about my head - Tim dancing over me with a creepy look on his face. I wasn't sure how to react and I just laughed. Then I spent thirty minutes packing all my stuff up (sleeping bag, etc) and changing into ride gear. Breakfast consisted of a mini-bagel w/ cream cheese, some oysters I picked up yesterday, and some OJ. All in all, having slept just 5 hours (went to some Tucson bars last night) I felt really good. 87 miles in front of me.

Out the door and on the road w/ Sarah, Sam (fastest rider), and Roshan. I usually don't push myself, preferring to ride at an easy pace, not stress my body, take in the sights, and have some good conversation. But I'm starting to feel like I need to challenge myself a little. So I rode with Sam for as long as I could, which was about 12 miles. Then I dropped back with Sarah. Not long into our ride, we came across three of our girls stopped and fixing a flat tire. This was a common theme for the day as several riders had two flats (though I had good luck).

Our morning route South and East of Tucson took us through a rapidly changing desert. Starting at 2000 feet of elevation and surrounded by Saguaro cacti, we gradually gained elevation and watched the desert flora change. The mountains were spectacularly pretty today. We have had mountains in view every day of the ride, but today, they were particularly attractive for some reason. The desert floor changed from primarily sand and rocks to patches of untamed grass and low shrubs. Another change for this ride (compared the last seven or so) was that we did some climbing. It was very gradual, perhaps a 1% grade or maybe less but very persistent over miles and miles, with occasional steeper climbs.

We came to lunch at mile 40, and the dance music was blaring out of the van. I enjoyed acting ridiculous and blew off some ride stress by dancing and taking silly pictures. Lunch was about 30 minutes, then back on the bike.

Immediately after lunch, we started descending at 5% for several miles. It was tons of fun, although dangerous considering we were on a freeway with a 75mph speed limit. We were doing a max of about 40mph on the descent and things got hairy when had to cross over exit lanes. Oh well, all went well, excepting a few stops to support people who were fixing flat tires. Out water stop at around mile 63 was "The Thing" outside of Wilcox, AZ. There were dozens of billboards advertising for it, making it out to be a big mystery. What is the Thing? So we go to this gas station with a Dairy Queen inside and get free admission to "The Thing" museum. The museum was disappointing to most, consisting of old relics and junker cars and odd stuff like torture machines. It was a weird place. But really, most of our water stops are just a bucket of water in a van, so it was actually very nice to have something neat to do. I had some Dairy Queen junk food and met up with about ten fellow riders. I had a chili dog and a terrible grilled cheese and Chris and Pete were certain I would vomit in the last 20 miles. I was fine.

I left with Bryce and Jeff. We had a strong tail wind and downward sloping road, both of which made for a fast final 25 miles. We road about 28mph for most of this time, never dropping below 20 and often going about 30. Fun. We arrived at Wilcox High School in the early afternoon, say 2pm. I organized my stuff, then hit the gym for an hour before showering and meeting up for dinner. Tomorrow is my support day, so I met with my group and we divvied up tasks. I will help with the lecture tomorrow.

Final notes from the day

- Things are getting hotter, pushing 90 in this dry heat - thankfully it is early April

- We had a solidarity ride in Tucson today, raising some modest funds and riding around Tucson with some local med students. About 8 of us did the solidary ride, but I opted instead to do the full 87 mile day I have described above.

- Wilcox is a tiny town, but not the smallest we have been in; at least it has a real grocery store. It sits at over 4,000 feet of elevation and is surrounded by mountains. It is about 60 degrees out right now (10pm)

- We netted over 2,000 feet of elevation gain. However, most of climbs were slow and gradual whereas our descents were dramatic and fast, dominating my memories even though we climbed much more.

To bed now to wake at 6am and support our riders on a 75 mile day. Plus I will lecture tomorrow with Bryce.

4/11 – Support Day to Lordsburg, NM – Lecture in Church – High School Night

Today I was on support with Bryce. We woke early to get things done, stuffed the van, then rode out as the lead van to mark the route. Marking was chaos because the roads were bad, but we managed. Mostly we had people on the interstate, but there was an 8 mile stint on a dirt road.

After marking we drove to the church to have service and then talk to them about global health. We got fed there and they were nice. Bryce and I had different vibes about the minister, who seemed right-leaning and skeptical of modern medicine. Differing opinions, fluidity, conflict - these are evident always on this ride, surrounded by people. Like never before, I see people for what they are in a moment, not some idea I have conjured up about them over time spent. Sure, things are remembered, first impressions matter, but most people fall into a range of constant reevaluation. Right now, this second, this minute, are you friend or foe, right or wrong, or somewhere in between. A few people I make general assumptions about, good or bad, only the outliers.

Bryce - we are boys in moments when our commonalities are highlighted. We have similar hair and looks. He is a strong conversationalist with a lot of jeopardy-type random knowledge. As teammates, we unite in frustration over our group dynamics.

Sarah - she is one of my best buddies on this trip. She really cracks me up and wears her feelings on her sleeve, something I admire. She is herself and for the most part does not care what others think.

Roshan - he is my go-to guy at this point. We ride well together on the bike and he often likes to enjoy our free time in little towns. We both want to make the most of this trip and have the attitude “we are only doing this once, so dive in.”

Anyway, after church, Bryce and I came to the high school. We unloaded stuff and I had a solid chat with my mom. Soon it was time to cook and this meant getting the group together. There was lemon team tension and some words exchanged, but it was ok and we got our job done well, cooking a nice meal of spaghetti w/ meatballs. To bed early in another high school gym.