Testing out my cold weather gear on a nice cool morning. There's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing!

"There is no such thing as bad weather......."

This last week with it's very unpredictable weather presented some opportunities. Monday there was snow in the morning & in the afternoon rain, gusty winds & temperatures around 40F-PERFECT!
Perfect that is if I wanted to check how well my cold weather clothing did the job of keeping me warm enough & protecting me from the elements. In fact all was o.k. except I realized I needed shoe covers as the sock covers didn't keep my feet warm (dry but cold!).
All this reminded me of what an Outward Bound instructor once told me-"There is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropiate clothing".
Once I have all the appropriate clothing I believe I can ride in ALMOST any weather. In fact one may apply this to getting out the house to walk, jog or ride. Instead of checking the weather to see if it is nice enough to go out I now check the weather to see what I need to wear so that I can go out & exercise with the protection I need. Up till now this did not apply to biking but this ride I am doing has forced me to ride in bad weather. I am now prepared, so this winter I hope to keep riding so long as there is no snow on the road.

A good reason to just keep on riding!
Anyone who rides the bike path near Parker on the way to the Pinery will recognize this sign,

After all the riding during the summer I sure hope this sign is right! Can't come soon enough!

So who's riding?

From Denver to Bailey on day 1 I will have the company of Dr Ira Jaffrey & my nephew Alan Fey. From Bailey to Fairplay on day 2 we will be joined by Bill Williams. My sister Judi will sag for us on those 2 days.
From Fairplay until Mesa Verde Alan will ride with me. On those 5 days we will carry panniers with all our clothing & equipment etc He will then fly back to Denver from Durango.
My wife, Hazel, will drive down to Mesa Verde & meet me there. She will then sag for me for the second half of the ride through the 4 corners, northern Arizona, Grand Canyon,Sedona etc until we get to Phoenix.

It's not to late for anyone else who wants to join the ride.

From Denver to Phoenix-the Bike Route

So whats the big deal about riding from Denver to Phoenix. It should be downhill all the way! Although there is a 4,000' foot drop in altitude there is in fact over 40,000' of climbing before one gets there!

Friday October 2nd. Denver(5,280') to Bailey (7,750') 50 miles
Saturday 3rd Bailey to Fairplay (9,950') 45 miles Kenosha(10,000') & Red Hill passes
Sunday 4th Fairplay to Salida (7,080') 57 miles Trout Creek Pass (9,488')
Monday 5th Salida to Monte Vista (7,663') 80 miles Poncha Pass (9,010')
Tuesday 6th Monte Vista to Pagosa Springs (7,105') 65 miles Wolf Creek Pass (10,850')
Wednesday 7th Pagosa Springs to Durango (6,523') 67 miles
Thursday 8th Durango to Mesa Verde (7,500') 50 miles
Friday 9th Mesa Verde touring
Saturday 10th Mesa Verde to Teec Nos Pos 70 miles
Sunday 11th Teec Nos Pos to Kayenta (5,641') 73 miles
Monday 12th Kayenta to Tuba City (4,935') 74 miles Marsh Pass(6,750')
Tuesday 13th Tuba City to Grand Canyon (6,950') 82 miles
Wednesday 14th Grand Canyon touring
Thursday 15th Grand Canyon to Flagstaff (6,950') 79 miles
Friday 16th Flagstaff to Sedona (4,400') 30 miles
Saturday 17th Sedona
Sunday 18th Sedona
Monday 19th Sedona to Prescott (5,346') 67 miles
Tuesday 20th Prescott to Wickenburg (2,071') 58 miles
Wednesday 21st Wickenburg to Phoenix (1,092') 60 miles

Why Ride in October?

When riding from Denver to Phoenix a problem is the difference in climate. Summer is great in Coiorado & impossibly hot in Arizona. Winter is the other way around-great in Arizona & impossible in Colorado.
Hopefully October is about right.
Average temperature in October in Colorado is about 65F & in Arizona 85F. Both eminently doable.
So long as there are no unseasonal snow falls, especially on the high mountain passes, in Colorado & no unseasonal heat waves in Arizona all should be well. Unusual heat can probably still be handled but not snow fall.

Biking to support a special cause-details

Some background information for those who may not have seen this yet.

ActionIsrael- Bikes for Kids Under Fire

Last year ActionIsrael raised funds to start a bicycle club at Nachal Oz, a kibbutz very close to the border with Gaza & one that had been repeatedly shelled & rocketed. The children have been severely traumatized & we wanted to give them a chance to relax & have fun.
The Denver-Nachal-Oz Bicycle Club was formed & there is already a waiting list to join.
This program has been so successful that ActionIsrael will do the same this year. There will be an event at Bicycle Village on November 8th.
To support this program I will be riding my bicycle in October from Denver to Phoenix- 1,000 miles, & am asking for sponsors to sponsor each mile at a level they are comfortable with e.g. 1 cent/mile would be $10 & 10 cents/mile would be $100 etc.
Please let me know if you are willing to be a sponsor & at what level & send an e.mail to hmelmed@comcast.net so that I may recognize your contribution.
Please send checks made out to “ActionIsrael” (in memo put “bikes”) to;
ActionIsrael, P.O.Box 18040, Denver, 80218-0040
Donations are tax deductable Many thanks

These pictures show the children living at Nachal Oz, less than a mile from the Gaza border.

They are enjoying riding their bicycles, which we bought for them from last year's program "Bikes for kids under fire."

There is a waiting list to join this bike club, and this year we hope to raise enough money to buy more bikes and start one or two clubs at other towns along the Gaza border.