SPEA

Hello Everyone,

As I prepare this tonight I am aware that you guys have probably not received anything I have sent for the past five days.  I don't know quite what is going on.  In most cases we have followed the right procedures but somehow the mail has not gone out.  Just pretend you have read the others if you get this before the others.  We are getting an earlier start, usually around six am.  We left Cottonwood and headed for Winslow.The weather was quite cold, around 37 degrees.  It was cold but there was no wind, thank god for small favors.  The climb out toward Flagstaff was steep but we did it.  We went throught several beautiful little towns.  Sadona is very beautiful and lots of tourists.( see attached)I have been reporting alot of firsts (flats, van break down,etc) and today we had our first fall.  I was pulling over to let a semi by and hit some loose gravel and down I went.  Right on my knee.  It was pretty painful.  We called for dion and the van and was able to put ice on it for awhile.  We rode into flagstaff and the knee got better.  No serious problem yet.  will have to wait until in the morning to see.  We stopped  in a bike shop and purchased afew things and found out that we could ride the interstate.  We had gone fifty miles and had fifty-seven miles to go.  We have not been able to go very fast because of the hills and the wind.  When we got on the interstate, we averaged twenty to twenty-three miles an hour.  We were flying.  There were hills but they were not as steep, just long.  It made no difference,  we went up the hills very fast.  We are going back on the interstate in the morning, hope the police don't throw us off.