Globe AZ -Typical mining town for gold and copper

Good evening,
The team had another great riding day. I think they are like a dog sniffing a good bone...they sense the finish line is near and they are all hungry for the win! The team rode 91.3 miles today, averaging 12 mph. They spent 7 hours and 36 minutes in the saddle today. There were four major climbs today, including two 6 mile long CAT 3 climbs. Dan said, " The drivers here are insane, that is all I have to say!" Being on the edge of a new time zone, the ponies were on the road by 6:45 pm. They had lunch on the Apache reservation before entering Globe for their afternoon break. We are staying at a Knight's hotel and it was on the route, so they could easily stop in to get off the seats for awhile. The morning passed pleasantly with everyone taking their turn at the lead. There were two climbs before lunch. I now know that the riders split up and take the climbs at their own pace. Dan is usually up the hill first. Wynn and Colleen like to look up and spot him there, like a statue showing them that the climb is done. Then they all enjoy the trip down the mountain! The last few miles past Globe were very nerve-wracking. The cars and trucks were whizzing by and many stayed in the right hand lane, even though there were two lanes available. Please continue to cover our cyclists in prayer-that they would remain steady, that the road would remain smooth and that the drivers would not be so angry and rude. I have mini melt downs when I let my mind go to these drivers and how close they sometimes get to our riders.

Can you believe that tomorrow is Day 25 of riding? We are still hoping to ride into the Pacific on Sunday. We'll see...I love this team and am so glad that I have been able to participate from the SAG wagon. Ev and I have found many and numerous ways to organize the van and I think we are doing a pretty good job of it. Tonight we had a meal idea from Colleen...Middie Mash Bowls. (Thanks to my alma mater for this idea!) mashed potatoes, corn, orange chicken, gravy and cheddar cheese..oh my. Then a pint of Ben and Jerry's (chunky monkey) and what a feast we had. Tomorrow the plan is to get as far through Phoenix as possible.

Tomorrow Wynn and I plan to meet up with Wynn's first cousin, Todd. Several years back, Todd's Dad helped lead our family on a rim to rim walk through the Grand Canyon. Wish I would have known about Traveller's Point.com back then. Oh the story we could have told. We are looking forward to catching up with Todd tomorrow night after our ride. Tomorrow also will be the Tunnel ride into Superior. Again pray that our riders come through in good shape with good memories of that part of our Pony Ride. I will end by including some pics of today. Some will be scenery, some will be sights that Ev and I took in when the clerk of our motel told us to check out the Pickle Barrel because we would just love it! Also want to throw in the pic of a spider that was crawling across Ev and Dan's ceiling. I'm glad they saw it in the morning and not right before they tried to go to sleep. I'm glad it was in their room and not mine! (Ha)

Sleep well tonight and thanks for joining us on the Ride. Also it was so good to talk to my good ol' college buddy, Crystal, last night. I miss her and wish we could have gotten together, but a daughter's birthday it too important to pass by...love ya, Crystal!