Ride to Tucson, Arizonia
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Ride to Tucson, Arizonia
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John presents a target for Janette to hit with her water bottle.
Some of Bill's compatriots arrive to verify that he is actually on this ride. Of course, we argue that we will not continue unless we get a bona fide El Paso tank top. Fortunately, Phil Baca, the Divisional Director for Tucson, has come prepared and issues a tank top to all of the riders.
After a group picture, left to right, Bob Bowers, Joe, Bill, Gabriel, John, Asa, Phil Baca, and Jeff Hagen, the AAA group of riders have run out of excuses and commence the ride down Route 79 towards Tucson. Special dispensation was issued to each of the El Paso riders when they balked at having a minor amputation performed on one of their body parts.
So a mixed group of able bodied and amputators headed down the hill towards Tucson. Here Joe and Bill display their parade wave to the local scrub brush and cacti (with one i).
Here Bill impersonates Aaron Woods of El Paso Corporate doing an interview with Dan of KOLD Channel 13 and manages to violate every precept of good media behavior. Notice the sunglasses. Evidently, Bill was asleep during the training sessions in Houston before the ride.
Continuing on our way, we let Asa and Gabriel set the pace. They both managed a double digit pace for double digit miles. Asa will exceed his 50 mile mark on the ride into HealthSouth. Gabriel, the human dynamo, will pass 30 miles. Not bad for a second grader. Mathematically, we figure this is equivalent to Bill having to ride 180 miles or Joe having to ride 270 miles.
Bill is shown giving an interview with the television crew whilst riding his bicycle. Aaron would be proud. Notice the TV crew van trying to get out of Bill's way as he takes over the lead.
The El Paso riders look on with utter amazement when after traveling only 16 miles, the AAA riders peel off into the parking lot and stop at a local Starbucks. Bob and Jeff wonder, "Who are these guys?" Miss Congeniality and support driver of the week explains that Joe only stops at A&W Root Beer Stands and ignores the pleas of the entire AAA crew to stop at Starbucks.
This stop earns Joe his first ATTABOY of this trip. Joe basks in the sun reminiscing about his hero... Barney Fife on his motorcycle.
Here Gabriel tells Joe to get a life and get on with it. He wants to be in Tucson sometime this century.
A great ride into Tucson, led by a great group of riders from El Paso and the support by Joan Salgado and Piler Jauregui and Dan Gray who took time out to meet with us on our ride. We appreciated their spending their Sunday with us. Special thanks to our two pace setters, Asa and Gabriel who helped Joe up some of those hills and for setting a pace that pushed Bill and their dad to their limits. |
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