BlueSkies and Tailwinds May 31

The back of my favorite touring t-shirt. It says it all!!

A typical day in the life of a Woman Tours rider:

Rise up at 6 am. Put on bike clothes that have been laid out the night before.
Brush teeth etc. Pack toothbrush and pjs in suitcase.
Don't bother combing your hair.
Get pills out of case before zipping up suitcase. Take them to breakfast with you.
Have a hearty breakfast-you'll be burning it off.
Don't forget to take pills(motrin,advil.etc.)
Back to room-check bicycle gear(helmet,glasses,water bottle filled, camera charged).
Weather? Am I wearing the right clothes-rain gear,long fingered gloves, arm warmers, long pants, or too many clothes on-it's warm!
Take luggage out to van. Load your 2 bags.
Go back to room for last bathroom stop and to get your bike who is anxiously waiting for you.
Don't forget to put on Butt'r!!
Get snacks from the snack table- peanut butter sand.,energy bar, m&ms, etc
Blow up your tires if they need it (every 2 or 3 days).
If not wearing rain gear, put yours into the sag car just in case.
Put on helmet, gloves,glasses, reset your bike computer to 0.
Say good-bye and check out with the sag person.
Ride for about 20 miles and meet the sag who has lots of food for us to snack on. Some good food(fruit,granola bars) , some bad(potato chips, m&ms, licorice) and often left overs from dinner. We are by no way starving out here!!
Enjoy the ride,scenery, friends, people you meet along the way , stop every 20 miles and visit and eat with the sag person, use the "green room" if needed, stop at local cafes for inexpensive lunches and watch the eyes of the waitress when you tell her we are riding to Bar Harbor. One clerk said quite out loud "holy #€%#!" Keep putting on Butt'r!
Arrive at motel. Feel pretty proud of yourself. Celebrate with a cold beer out of the cooler.
Get your room. Get out of those shorts!! Maybe have another cold one. Go get your 2 bags out of the van. Take a nice hot shower. Relax a bit and talk about the day.
Go out to van which has a chuck wagon with a most fantastic cook, Patty, have a cocktail 1/2 hour with the whole group and have a healthy delicious meal.
Back to your room - lay out your bike clothes for tomorrow. Relax with tv or a book and crash!
Repeat the next day. Don't you wish you were here?

Memorial Day in Iowa

Party time

We couldn't ride so we partied at the motel. WOWs know how to have fun. Note all the ice bags. Good for aching knees.

BlueSkies and Tailwinds-extra

Our Guide, Patty, loading the bikes on top of the van on Memorial Day.

BlueSkies and Tailwinds, May 30

Pedaling through the hilly,windy, roads of Iowa

Iowa kicked our butts!! Yesterday we endured thunder,lightning, long hills.cold wind and today we faced 98 miles of a 30-40 Mph headwind, hills and 78 degree temps. A mile out of town on a beautiful warm morning we took a right turn-south- and ran into a nasty headwind that never let up all day. It was the hardest ride I have ever ridden. Did I ride the 98 miles? No way! I would still be out there riding. Did any body finish the ride? No way! 6 of us completed 41 miles and called "uncle!" The sag van took us all to the motel. I was more exhausted doing the 41 than I was doing 108. Thank goodness we have a day off tomorrow.
The one good thing the wind did was blow the 100s of American flags that the locals had flying all over for Memorial day. We just missed a parade in one town. The small towns are very patriotic.
On our trip back in the van we found out a bridge on our route was washed out so we would have to have gone another 20 miles out of our way to get to Muscatine. Just a bad day all around. Iowa is not my favorite state!
Tomorrow we will do laundry, clean bikes, sight see, visit bike shop for repairs and just plain rest those knees. If weather is ok,which it is not supposed to be,we might golf.
We"re off to Illinois on Wed. crossing the Mississippi for the last time. Maybe I'll swim across this time .
No DQ today.

May 29

Inside of church. Made me feel like I was back in Italy. The walls didn't fall down when I walked in!

Blue Skies and Tailwinds, May 29

This is me at my favorite restaurant-again. I'll never lose weight!
Crossed the Mississippi-again(I'm losing count)-Into Iowa. Iowa has hills! Iowa has rain!
We took off on a calm, warm, dry am. No one in my group had their rain gear with them. Mistake. At 10 miles- down came the rain. We had just climbed our first hill and were sweating then had to ride down a long hill in the cold rain. Thankfully the sag vehicle was at mile 15 and we could get our gear. I was riding in the lead group. We rode in the cold pouring rain up 2 more long hills until mile 31 when the sag van with the rest of the group pulled over and directed us to get off our bikes and into the van. We were riding then in thunder and lightning. Ride over. Everybody safe.
Our motel was not ready for us so we hung around the lobby for awhile. Right across the street was my DQ so I got my fix for the day. We then walked downtown 1 1/2 miles to see the St. Francis Xavier Basilica. It is a beautiful gothic building given the title by Pope Pius XII. There are only 53 basiicas in the U.S. This is one of three in rural areas. We went inside-again beautiful. A building this large in such a small town seems out of place. The rest of the town must have been on vacation. All the stores were closed(Sunday) and nobody was any where to be found. Cars were in the driveways but where were the people?
We'll have dinner tonight, get a good night's rest then off to a long day tomorrow. It's predicted to be in the 90s-I hope not!
For those going to Pajaro tomorrow-have fun.
DQ Donna

Mighty Mississippi

We are up and about. Motel has an omelet maker lady so we are anxious to put in our order. Off to Dyersville and along the Miss some more. It really is a beautiful area- quiet relaxing. Hope your day went well.
Sore-butt,Donna

Blue Skies and Tailwinds, May 28

Today I had breakfast in Wisconsin, late morning snack in Minnesota, lunch in Iowa, then back to Wisconsin for dinner! Crossed the Mississippi twice. All this in only 69 miles!
Again we beat the weather. Was supposed to rain this am but it passed over us and we had a perfect riding day. Didn't even need my jacket.
After eating a hearty oatmeal breakfast we left LaCrosse going over the bridge to Minnesota. We rode along the river again passing through tiny riverfront towns. Today was bird day. There was a choir of all kinds of birds singing to us all day. Maybe they only sing on weekends because we never noticed them before.
Yesterday we saw dozens of residents on their John Deeres mowing their large,emerald green lawns in preparation for Memorial Day. Great aromas. Today the homes and farms we saw along the river were not as uptown as the large beautiful spreads we saw yesterday. I still wouldn't mind a home on the Mississippi! Just to visit-not to live.
The railroad parallels the river on both sides so we saw a few freight trains chugging along.
We climbed 3 long steep hills . We Ca. Girls had no problem-we're used to them. Others really struggled.
It is really wonderful to see all the American flags flying and all the decorations the locals have for Memorial Day. Most of the cemeteries(and there are a lot) are filled with flowers and flags. I hope we meet up with a town parade in the next day or two.
Tomorrow we are back in Iowa. A short day-45 miles but a few good hills.
Enjoy your weekend.
Tired,sore, but having fun Donna

Blue Skies and Tailwinds, May 27

In front of the Winona County Courthouse
Hi Friends and Family,
> Blue skies and a little headwind started our day. We rode a 6 mile stretch where we saw only 2 cars and a few eagles. We then had the Mississippi on our left shoulder for miles until we went went into the town of Winona, Minnesota where Elaine R went to college. We had our picture taken in front of the courthouse, ate a snack, then crossed the Miss. into Wisconsin. Leaving Minnesota we have memories of green lush farms, very friendly and helpful people, aromas from lilacs to chicken farms, beautiful rural roads( some in dire need of repair), and viewing the widest part of the Mississippi.After crossing the bridge out of Winona, we rode with the Mississippi on our right shoulder for miles. I figured if I ever missed my turn I would just ride to New Orleans!! Some people then chose to ride a dirt bike trail -the Great River Trail-for 25 miles or to ride a road. I, Bettye,and our two Australian friends chose the road. It was the smart choice. There were a lot of unhappy people on the dirt trail. Bev P was one of the few who did the whole trail. She loved it. Riding on dirt that long on a road bike was just too much for me especially when you are doing a 70 mile day!!
> On our final stretch we met a 4 th grade class that was on a field trip( they still have those!!) with their teacher and parents taking them on a 3 mile ride on the bike path we were on. They were so good- helmets and all. Future Woman Tour riders.At the end of the path was a DQ. Of course Maria and friends stopped. We then proceeded to get lost in LaCrosse. We added 6 miles to our 71 and had to fight commuter traffic to find our motel. We landed, had our earned Margaritas, ate a great steak and chicken dinner prepared by our cook, and are now preparing to crash for the night. Tomorrow is only 69.8 miles- that's if we don't get lost.
> Looking forward to some Wisconsin cheese. There were enough cows we saw today to make it!
Until tomorrow. Donna

Wabasha, Minn

What a glorious day we had today!! Sunshine and chilly temps-just perfect for riding. We left Stillwater with the commuter traffic. I thought I was back in SanJose! After riding through more farmland with hugh silos we crossed the La Croix river to Wisconsin. We rode the Great River Road going south along the river for miles then went inland and climbed some hills for the first time. We climbed to a ski area. To us Californians- it was a bump in the road! I'm sure they don't have any black diamond runs! We went up and down all day. My legs are really tired. Long uphills but some fantastic downhills. I reached 38 mph at one time with the wind in my face!
We crossed the Mississippi again back to Minnesota. After some more really bumpy roads we rode the rest of the way to Wabasha along the Mississippi . Just beautiful! At one time I actually thought I saw Huck and Tom floating along the banks.
"Minnesota Nice" is what the locals are known as and it is so true. The people have been so friendly always waving,smiling, giving us directions, driving carefully around us, and in awe of our adventure. We are going to miss them as we leave the state tomorrow. It has taken us 5 days to cross over the border for good. For every border we cross,Woman Tours gives us a Margarita party so we are looking forward to tomorrow eve.
We have a 71 mile day tomorrow after riding a 85 mile day today so we are definitely getting into shape. I would like to say I'm losing weight but they are feeding us toooooo good!!
Could be thunder storms tomorrow or we could continue to be lucky and miss the bad stuff.
We are still having a great time and miss you all.

Blue Skies and Tailwinds

Bettye and I are sitting here on Starbucks on their Wifi. Motel doesn't have system that is why yesterday's is so late.
Today is a layover day . Many riders are cleaning and fixing their bikes as in the picture. Some went shopping. Not Bettye and I- we just got back from 9 holes of golf. We got on our bikes, pedaled a few miles, rented clubs, guy in shop gave us each 5 balls(I lost 2), used our biking gloves as a golf glove and off we went. We did miss our Lange clubs. Bettye's were antiques and mine were afoot too long for me but we did have fun. Used different muscles and we didn't have to sit on a seat to do it!We're going shopping now to get some goodies for an Oprah party.
We will be back on the road tomorrow.

Golfing Outfit

Lilacs

I love the fragrance of lilacs. Reminds me of my childhood in New York. We had lots of them yesterday

Blue Skies and Tailwinds

Today I got a start on my tan line. Yes, we had sun all day! We did have a bit of a headwind but nothing compared to Fri. It was a looooong, hard day. 106.5 miles on my odometer. We pedaled along to the melodious croaking of frogs, the intoxicating aroma of lilac, the perfect biking temperatures(60s), and sunshine! When we didn't inhale lilac we could enjoy the smell of freshly mowed grass. Now that the rain has stopped people were all out mowing down their dandelions.
The route we are on has very few houses. We sometimes pedal for miles before we see life! There are many large,beautiful farmhouses with many green acres all around but as you can see in the picture they are flooded and not planted. We rode over some pretty bumpy -needing repair roads. Doesn't help a tired sore butt!
We rode for about 20 miles in rural Wisconsin then rode back over the Mississippi into Stillwater,Minnesota which is where we are staying tonight and having a rest day tomorrow. We need it.
Rode with my Australian friend,Lea , again today and I now I understand all the words in "Waltzing Matilda". It finally makes sense! We sang as we rode along.
Can't believe 5 days are behind us. We are having a great time and have realized we can ride in any kind of weather and any distance if we have to.
We also feel very lucky to have missed the tornados and the bad weather. Our guardian angels were watching over us .Missing you all but glad we are here!
Maria stopped at another DQ today.
Donna

Sag Stop

> Yummy at a sag stop. Lots of goodies.

Mississippi

> Orca and Maria on the banks of the Mississippi.

BlueSkies and Tailwinds

> Here we are this am leaving Little Falls, Minnesota. Behind us is
> the spillway on the Mississippi River in town. The water is
> extremely high this year. Too much rain has contributed to the
> flooding down south.
> We have finally seen the sun and we had a tailwind!! Had a most
> beautiful ride through Charles Lindbergh State Park, more lush
> farmlands, crossed the Mississippi twice, saw sheep, goats, llamas,
> cows, horses, and had a dog run for 2 miles along side of
> us(friendly).
> The roads we rode were clean, flat, straight, and I don't think
> cars know they exist! We didn't need a shoulder to ride on- we had
> the whole road!
> We all stopped at the "Grub and Pub" for a quick lunch. It was the
> only place to eat for 50 miles. Many of the gals ate- I had a
> Snuggler(hot choc with schnapps) When you're on vacation you can
> drink at 11 am! On the last stretch home, four of us got to talking and missed > our turn. We flagged a car down and got an alternate route home. Mileage
> was the same. We put in 57 miles today and got in early with the
> help of the wind and good weather. Our motel is right next to a
> Dairy Queen so we had a treat before checking in. My bike stops at
> all DQs! Rode a few miles with Lea today and learned a new Aussie phrase.
> "long drop"=outdoor dunny. Bad-I know.
> It was a great day and it reminded us of why we ride.
> I think we are out of tornado danger-it did worry us a bit.
> Tomorrow-108 miles. Wish us luck

Blue Skies and Tailwinds

>

Yesterday we ate at Betty's place and today here! Maybe we'll be at Bev's Bistro tomorrow!!

Today was an 81 mile day so we all left early- 7:30- after a hearty breakfast. Sky was not blue so we had our rain gear with us. First 15 miles were beautiful- rolling hills beautiful green pastures,horses, no big trucks, very few cars, an easy breeze, andwarm enough to ride without a jacket. Then on mile 16. It was all over! Rain came. Not a sprinkle but a downpour which stayed with us throughout the day. We were all drenched but rode on. What a tough bunch of ladies- only 2 sagged in.
We knew Minnesota had lots of lakes but we didn't know it had tons of worms! They were all over the road and ended up all over our bikes. Slimy, dead worms, all over our water bottles, brakes, frames. YUK!
There has been so much rain here in Midwest that farmers haven't planted their crops yet. Their fields are flooded. We can also understand why the Mississippi is flooded- it gets filled up in Minnesota!
We are so enjoying all the new friends we have met. I rode part of the day with Lea from Australia and learned about Sydney, skiing in Aus.(little hills), geography, and a few new words-"dunny" which is a bathroom.
Had to do a laundry when I returned- my clothes were all full of road dirt and probably worms.
Also had to deworm and clean Maria. After a shower,cocktail, and a great dinner we are ready to face the predicted tornados tomorrow. We might see sun someday. After these past three days we know it can only get better!
I love hearing back from you. Thanks for the notes.

Blue Skies and Tailwinds

Bev P, Mary (shower cap on helmet) Sara, and me posing by otter in Otter Tail, Minnesota.
Left Pelican Rapids in a downpour. Now I know why I invested in rain gear! It rained all day but there was very little wind and it was not freezing cold so it was a rather enjoyable ride. I rode today with Bev P, Mary, and Rita.
Country side is real lush-green. Lots of dandelions. Lots of lakes. Horses and cows. Our heads are down to protect us from the elements so we miss some of the scenery and my camera always seems to have raindrops on the lens! Bev and I almost missed a turn today and Bettye and Lea did! Only a short miss though. Our sag support has been great and some riders have jumped in out of the weather but we California girls have endured so far. Snacks and food are keeping us fed and happy.
Tomorrow is an 80 mile day so after a glass of wine, good dinner, we will be crashing. It is real hard though to go to bed when it's light out! I see blue sky so I 'm looking forward to the morrow. Hope all is well in the real world . We are all missing our friends .
DQ and the gang.

Blue Skis and Tailwinds

The sun was shining in Fargo when we left as you can see in our group picture. We rode about 6 miles south out of Fargo,turned east and ran into a 25 mph headwind. Today was "grey skies and headwind!!". It never let up all day! 50 miles of wind in our face or side. 6 of us rode together to try and block the wind for each other. 4 Californians and 2 Australians. They wanted to follow us to make sure they rode on the correct side of the road! We then got rained on in the last few miles. Was it a fun day? Not riding- but getting to know some of the people we will be spending the next few weeks with was. Not one person whined about the day but we all agreed it was one of the hardest rides we've done. We all survived and had a fantastic meal of baked salmon done by our cook along with a few Margaritas!!
Wifi was down in the motel so I was not able to email yesterday. Motel didn't even have shampoo!! We are in Pelican Rapids- a town of about 1000 people and lots of pelicans.

BlueSkies and Tailwinds

How many bikers and bikes fit into an elevator?
Room is on the 7 th floor. Can't ride up!
Our official ride starts tomorrow-Fri. Met most of the other riders at a meeting today. 24 women- over 50- and each with their own story.
Last evening the bike shop in town had a "Ride of Silence". A ride honoring all cyclists who have died or were injured while biking. We Rode double file-silently- out of town. Quite a few Fargo men and our group- 7 of us. It was special. Hopefully none of us will ever be included in the honored group!
Weather continues to be perfect although it might rain tomorrow eve. We are all very excited and ready. Minnesota here we come. We are not worried about mosquitoes. Bike shop guy- Tom told us mosquitoes don't fly faster than 7 mph so as long as we move-no bites! That'll move the slow ones along. Although we usually ride 12-15 mph.
We are off to our opening banquet now to have a little glass of wine.
Cheers. Donna and the WOWs

Blue Skies and Tailwinds

After a long tiring day in an airplane,we arrived to beautiful weather in Fargo. Checked in,picked up Maria and Orca, had a happy hour beer, a nice dinner and crashed for a 10 hour sleep.
The Fargo bike shop put our bikes together with TLC and were very friendly and helpful. We took a ride around the city to make sure everything was working. We got lost a few times ending up in Minnesota.
Our motel,the Raddisson, is the 2nd tallest building in all of N Dakota! The Capitol building in Bismark is 2 ft. Higher.
The bike trail in town is closed due to the flooding of the Red River. I asked our shuttle driver if this Red River Valley is the one in the song. I sang a few bars for her . She never heard of the song!! I must be getting old!
Fargo is a very friendly town,lots of churches,neat shops, windy, flat, 3 colleges, and gas is 3.79 a gal! Wouldn't want to live here though- temps in the winter can be -50 degrees!Haven't met any other riders yet. Bev P get in at 4 today. Most others will arrive this eve also.
Pic is the Red River which we rode over today to get to Minnesota. Bike trail should be next to it but is washed out.
Bye for now...

Blue Skies and Tailwinds

Hi friends and family,
  I'm borrowing a slogan from a restaurant in Driggs, Idaho-"Blue Skies and Tailwinds". That's what all cyclists wish for.  This will be my subject each day.  Please wish with us.
 I leave tomorrow-Tues. for Fargo at 6:20 am. Will meet up with my biking buddy,Bettye, in Denver then we fly together to Fargo. Our bikes- Maria and Orca are waiting for us. We hope they are in one piece so we can take them for a warm-up ride before the trip starts on Thurs.
Bev P joins us on Wed. coming in from Sacramento.  There is a kick-off dinner then off we go. All three of us are very excited about the trip and realize all we have to do for 6 weeks is ride our bikes!  No responsibilities, no meals to cook, no houses to clean, just ride our bikes and see the countryside. Life is good.
  Weather for Fargo seems to be good but who knows what will happen down the road. Thank goodness we are not starting in Tahoe as the Tour of California tried to do.
  Please excuse any misspellings, punctuation, etc. as I go along. I might be in a big hurry to eat or go to bed!!
 Thanks to those of you who sent cards,emails,calls, etc with your good wishes.  They are appreciated. Will miss seeing you all .
 Donna Q
Picture--Bettye,  Bev P, and Donna riding the Tour de Palm Springs.  100 miles that day.

Bike trip

> Hi friends and family,
> I would like to introduce you to Maria(as in the song They Call the
> Wind Maria). She and I are about to start our journey from Fargo,
> North Dakota to Bar Harbor, Maine. She is already in Fargo in
> pieces as she had to be shipped in a box. I am hoping that when I
> get there she will look like her picture again! She weighs about 18
> lbs naked but will be equipped with a few more lbs. before we
> start. She will not lose weight on this trip but I sure hope I can.
> The total mileage for this trip is approximately 2440 miles. If the
> weather is good and my body is up to it, I plan to ride the miles
> each day. Bad weather or a sore butt might merit a day off!
> As of today there 17 women riding the whole tour, 3 the first part-
> to Cleveland and 6 will join us in Cleveland. The riders come from
> all over the country and one lady is from Australia. We are all over
> 50. I just made the cut! Four good friends will be riding together-
> me, Bettye S, Bev P, and Bev J. We have our own bike club that we
> named the WOWs (wrinkles on wheels). Age does not keep us down!
> I will be in Fargo the 17th and am very excited to start this
> adventure across our beautiful country. I can't think of a better
> way to see the USA . I'm sure we will meet some interesting people
> and see some beautiful scenery.
> I will be doing my best to send you updates of the journey and a
> picture or two if my fingers aren't too tired after a long ride or a
> cold beer! Please pray for good weather and a safe ride for all of
> us. I will miss playing golf and seeing all my friends but- 45 days
> will go fast.
> Donna Q and Maria