(Frank) What a difference 2 days can make. My left knee has become very painful. The pain almost disappears when off the bike, but yesterday I had major problems even though I took a total of 20 Advil during the ride. I still had problems standing while pedaling, and my right leg had to do probably 95% of the work. The ride was 87 miles with 4200 feet of climbing, and in two days we will have to do a full century. My knee feels worse this morning than it did yesterday. There are very few places we can stop out in the desert, so the distances are forced. Our bikes are also heavy because water is often not available for 50 miles with 105 degree temperatures. Today they are predicting 115 degrees in the deserts we will be crossing. After today we do not have the option of riding short mileage, and even the 100 mile run assumes we can get permission from the indian chief to camp. It will be 125 miles if we cannot get that permission.
I decided to call it quits. Alan and Adam went onto Monument Valley, and I went the opposite way riding slowly to the town of Tuba. From there I was hoping to catch a bus to Flagstaff, and get home Sunday or Monday. Well it didn't happen like that. While riding my bike I would watch the rear view mirror for pick up trucks, and stick my thumb up when they passed. Within 15 minutes I was in the back of a truck with my bike. I probably got to Flagstaff before Alan and Adam got to Monument Valley. The driver dropped me off at the Flagstaff Bicycle & Fitness center who will strip down and box my bike for $25.00 and ship it home by UPS. I called a cab and it arrived before I could get my clothes changed. He took me to a Mail Boxes Etc. where I shipped some of my stuff home, then off to the airport. From the time I decided to call it quits, in the center of a desolate Indian reservation, with no public transportation, it will take me about 14 hours to get into my bed at home 1000 miles away. I was expecting 3 days while hoping for two.
Adam and Alan will continue to send me their trip reports so with a little luck they will write about the herds of sheep & goats they are riding through instead of how many flat tires they get today. They are both tired of the very hot desert and looking forward to some real trees in the Rockies. As for me, I feel a little numb. Things changed so fast. It was a great 3 week vacation, and if I had planned a 3 week vacation right now I would just be happy to have done it. Since I didn't plan a 3 week vacation, part of me is still out there on the road.
(Alan) We were shocked when Frank announced he was going to have to abandon the tour because of knee problems. Frank is not much of a complainer, so we weren't aware of just how much pain he was in. We tried to talk him out of it -- we could wait a few days or do small miles to see if the knee would clear up. But we can't fault his decision. It's no vacation when every pedal stroke is agony.
We'll miss Frank's enthusiasm, sense of humor and can-do nature.
Our flat-tire changing expert is gone! There is still the hope
that the doctors can figure out what's wrong and patch him back
into shape in time to rejoin us at some later point on the tour.
Good luck Frank! Whether you can rejoin us or not, we hope you
get the @#$%^&! knee cleared up and can start riding again.