Tuesday June 13, 2006 71 miles - Total so far: 503 miles

Last night in Austin we were introduced to Annie Wells, a photo journalist for the LA Times. When she heard about our cross-country cycling trip she asked if she could take some photos of us on the road. Some 20 miles outside Austin she caught up with us and took numerous shots as we cycled together on a deserted stretch of highway 50. Later this evening we learned that Annie is a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer. Who knows...perhaps we will be the subject of her next Pulitzer! We thoroughly enjoyed meeting Annie and will explain in a later journal the reason behind the photos she took of us.

Today's ride began with cool weather and a light breeze to our backs. We ascended 3 summits and traversed two high desert basins as we cycled towards the final mountain range and our destination of Eureka. In the afternoon we began battling a fierce crosswind which would sometimes blow us into the center of the road. This crosswind became a stiff headwind as we crawled up the slope to Eureka. We later learned that motorcyclists, RVs, and camper trailers also struggled with these winds. This turned out to be a day we would remember both for the peaceful beginning and the tortuous end.