Holy Hair !

What a nightmare getting the corn rows out! That took awhile. Free at last. Bugs and dirt are gone but, I am still dreaming that I am biking during the night to the finish.

Laundry time ! At least I didn't vomit like I did at the border from John and Peter's dirty socks.

Oh my hair!

Jill Siruchek working on the mop hairdo. Would you believe she pulled out a bug already. I better get to the hair spa.

Tour Divide 2015 . Mission Accomplished !

Hello everyone Thank you so much for following me. Lots to share and update on the blog. I will just need some time. The Gila National Forest tried to break me and Betsy Bike, but We made it.
I arrived at the finish line at 0424 this morning. Thank you to  Hal, John, and  Peter for waiting for me with your families at the finish line. A moment I won't forget.

Mistaken as a Rasta Stoner

Wow, I am tired. Adam and I are at our hotel waiting for a morning flight back to NY.

Mud. The start of the breakdown of bike

Only spent 6.00 at a convience store on way to El Paso airport. Cheapest stop in a month.

...No, I did not buy 3- 470 calorie cherry pies like I have been doing.

Thank you Dean. What a special moment for us. I love you.

Mud

Pie Town

Pushed like mad to get to Pie Town before Cafe closed. Missed it by 30 minutes. Broke down and cried over my bike. The lady at the cafe came out and told us of another place that is new up the street. The Gettin Place. She offered us free Pie . I am now eating Pie, small pizza, chicken pot pie, 2 cokes. Moving on soon.

Camp set up 9400 feet elevation. Best night out in tent.

I thought I was so hidden. Ha. Road is 6 feet to the left of bike . .. It was dark. What can I say.

Top of Canero Pass

More

Canero Pass

I was tired. Glad it was done. I would have kissed that sign but tons of cows around me. No need to get sick too.

New Mexico

I just made it to Milan NM truckstop. 120  miles today. I am not sure of sleeping plans tonight. I need to eat. I hope Pie Town tomorrow before cafe closes at 3 or 4.;

Cricket and I. She is touring Northbound with Kevin and Dave.

I hope I got your names right! I look forward to catching up with Cricket after the race. She in a skirt and blouse. I think she got it right touring!

LA Garita cafe. Off route half mile but worth 10 miles because I was out of fluid. I could not bring myself to filter water after seeing what the cows were doing in the stream....chlorine tablets and filter ...still couldn't do it.

Cuba

Hello all. Too emotional to say much. 77 miles of intense climbing yesterday. Some bike issues. Everything dirty dirty. Going to grants. Hotel finally. I love you all. Doing my best.

Oh Hail!

Just got caught in a terrible hail and rainstorm . soaked. At a Lodge changing clothes. May stay.

Bike is still dry under archway!

Gotta get going.

I have the Billy goat express on my tail and John/Peter. I don't want them to catch me. I have a 4000 ft climb over next 23 miles to get me to 11900 feet.

Del Norte Baby

Eating best pizza I have ever had at three barrel brewery in Del Norte. We are having a terrible hail/rain/ wind storm. I saw it coming about 5 miles out. I was pedaling as fast as I could. I then realized I stocked up on fluids at LA Garita. As my heart is pumping out of my chest to get to restaurant without soaked gear, I started dumping all of my fluid down the street. I had about 6 minutes to spare.

Here we go up 12 miles. 3 restroom stops since muscle milk in salida

Foggy pic. Getting very late start. Waiting for bathroom and then post office since so late

Another one in family

Breakfast and snacks

Good morning. Late start

I will post more when I can. I need to find food.

Hello from Salida

Thank you everyone for cheering me on. It's been a long 2-3 days as you have seen from my tracking. My mind is a blur right now, but I do recall leaving Breckenridge Conoco gas station where I ate dinner around 800 pm. I then headed up Boreas Pass which seemed to go relatively well. It was actually very beautiful from the Pass because you could see all of the city light below. The wind was pretty wicked up there with the elevation around 11,400. After the Pass, is where my problems started. Probably because it was rocky singletrack and almost midnight. I pretty much kept one cheek on the seat and one foot on the ground and scooted through the rough sections. It was pretty straight forward until other roads started coming into play without signs....Somehow I started climbing a hill for nearly a mile when I finally there in the towel for the night. I found a spot at 11,000 ft to try to set up tent and rest. I nearly froze to death because my body was still cooling down and sweating and not much area for heat to escape sleeping bag. I finally was so cold, I got up to try to figure out what road I was on and backtrack to cover all tracks. Of course there was a stream crossing at 445am with glacier cold water. Yes, I was absolutely frozen. I immediately took off my shoes and socks and used quart size  food bags on my feet to induce some heat.
...I finally made my way to Como but they had no services. Next up was Hartsel which had a cafe.
....will continue in morning , I can't keep my eyes open
Love jen

Bag did not make it. I will !

Replaced at Absolute Bikes in Salida.

No, not that desperate.

Breckenridge gas station dinner

Ask for help and a nearly dead bird shows up? Hmm

I was struggling to get moving to Kremmling to resupply this morning. I had no power in my legs and the headwind was taking a toll on me. So I said a little prayer for help. About 20 seconds later I find this bird sitting in the middle of the road minutes from being dead. Hmmm. What to think.

I learned to take a nap in the shade today when I got too hot climbing Ute Pass in full sun. 15 minutes felt like hrs. I didn't even notice I was laying on rocks. I didn't sleep again last night. Wild camping on a slope but too tired to move. Close enough to the road I would wake up in a panic that I was sleeping in the middle of the road and I needed to roll out of the way from the cars. I was up on a hillside from from traffic. The power of the mind.

Tip # 1 for TDR 2016

Don't waste your money on bear bells. 
Study: Participants: 1 -44 year old Sobo female , Observers 2 Nobo males. Participant caught with her pants down beside a tree. Observers: we are so sorry to invade on your privacy but we were ringing out bear bells to warn you! Ha. They were so close when I heard the Bell that I could toss a pebble at them.
Conclusion. Unbiased. Don't trust your bear Bell because you will be s...out of luck !

Jen Charlie and the Basin

It was with deep sadness that I had to leave Atlantic City without Charlie who needed to attend to personal matters. Although we had not ridden side by side because he is much faster, I had begun to look forward to seeing him at dinner stops or sharing campsite or hotel costs. I have ridden for days and have not seen another ride since Charlie at Atlantic City.
...anyway, I left Atlantic City around 8-9 pm so avoid high heat and headwinds in the BASIN. I never understood what all the Basin meant and was totally caught off guard. There is a pretty significant climb out of Atlantic City that took me awhile since I was still sad about departing and going into Basin at night solo. Of course my GPS was acting up and telling my mind that I was off course. I must have gone up and down that first section 2-3 times before I just went forward and said the heck with it. So, I am finally on course. All the sudden the lightening starts and then the rain. What the heck. I never thought about the weather. I was thinking Basin meant desert like....why would it be raining.
It got so bad that I started screaming REALLY... At the top of my lungs. I was so angry I couldn't even think of crying. My goal was to go 26 miles and sleep at Diagnus Well. Well I never found the well, but I did crash out from deep Truck tire trenches. It was now about 2 am and time to just suck it up and camp.
I looked up and saw 4 stars and then the rain stopped. What a blessing. So I got my sleeping gear out and set up a little camp on the side of the road. I look left and right and all I could see were glowing pairs of eyes everywhere. Oh jeez. I asked them all not to eat me while I rested and told them they had night guard watch and that I would take back over after daybreak.
All said and done. I wouldn't do the Basin solo at night. I would wait until about 330 am and then have until 10 pm. Too many things can go Wrong and navigation is very tricky in the middle section

Siverthorne baby

I am finally here. Eating at Wendy's before taking off again.

Brandon in Kremmling Colorado

After eating 1500 calories in the Kum&Go store and carrying out about 2000 more, I met Brandon. He approached me to tell me I was his inspiration. He is a cancer survivor and his dream is to race the Tour Divide 2017 for his 50th birthday. Well Brandon, you were my inspiration today and I dedicate today's journey to you. I will push as long and hard as I can for you today. Keep your dream alive . BE ALL IN.

2 full egg mcmuffin meals plus yogurt. ....for the hour. Too crazy.