Two Wheel Traveling with Tammy

KRWG

Published March 24, 2004 at 9:23 AM MST

To some, making a career change after working 19 years in the same job can be unsettling. However, New Mexico native Tammy Schurr has embraced this new chapter in her life by taking to the road.To some, making a career change after working 19 years in the same job can be unsettling; emotionally, psychologically and even financially. However, New Mexico native and Las Cruces resident for 24 years, Tammy Schurr has embraced this new chapter in her life by taking to the road. This 40-something year old woman has looked far and wide, trying to figure out what she wanted to do when her 19 year career with Waldenbooks was due to end. With the encouragement from her loved ones, Tammy decided to combine her love of cycling and travel along with her management experience and be the assistant tour leader for a tour of the southern portion of the United States.

Shes been cycling all her life but took up serious tour cycling in 2002. In July 2002 she was a participant in Adventure Cycling's Beginning Mountain Bike Touring Course in Montana. In April of 2003 she took Adventure Cycling's Leadership Training Course in Port Townsend, Washington. In September of 2003, she co-founded a local women's cycling group with fellow Unitarian church member Terri Gaussoin, called the R.O.Y.A.L.S. (Riding Out Yonder At Leisurely Speeds). And now, from March 23rd to May 27th, Tammy, along with the tour leader and 8 other group members, will be traveling over 3000 miles across the United States on what is designated as the Southern Tier Route.

Click here to meet the group

Their trip begins in San Diego, California and will finish in St. Augustine, Florida. The group will be packing on their bikes only what they need (clothing, took kit, first aid kit and various pieces of camping equipment) and will NOT be followed by a support vehicle. They are all on their own. The non-profit organization Adventure Cycling has planned out the trip, with road maps, campgrounds, emergency numbers and rest days.As Assistant Tour Leader, Tammy will help be responsible for rider safety, planning the daily aspects of the ride, camp sites, food stops and maybe even a little off-route field trip or two. While in college at NMSU, Tammy learned the ins and outs of radio with a stint at the campus radio station KNMS (now KRUX) as a student Program Director and at KRWG-FM as a student Production Director. With college radio experience at NMSU under her belt and her love of Public Radio, Tammy strongly felt a need to share this life changing experience with fellow KRWG listeners. Tammy wants to create a radio visual of what it's like to go on a bicycle tour, starting with what one does to prepare for it before they go. She hopes to share with KRWG listeners the enjoyment of meeting other bicyclists and finding out why they want to bicycle on a long tour like the Southern Tier. Two Wheel Traveling with Tammy on KRWG will include journal entries from the road, pictures of the sights she will see and once a week, Tammy will check in with KRWGs Carrie Hamblen to update listeners on her travels. Beginning Friday, April 2nd at 7:30am and 4:30pm, KRWG listeners will be able to hear these updates on 90.7FM. Listeners will also be able to log on to this website to view updates of the tour's progress as well as photos of the sights along the route.You can send questions and comments to Tammy attammy@krwgfm.org

Weekly chats with Tammy:
Chat with Tammy on 4/2/2004
Chat with Tammy on 4/9/2004
Chat with Tammy on 4/16/2004
Chat with Tammy on 4/24/2004
Chat with Tammy on 4/30/2004
Chat with Tammy on 5/7/2004
Chat with Tammy on 5/14/2004
Chat with Tammy on 5/21/2004
Chat with Tammy on 5/28/2004

Audio Journals From Tammy:
Journal Entry #1 The Pre-Tour Experience
Journal Entry #2 The Wild Animal Park
Journal Entry #3 Meeting the Group for the First Time
Journal Entry #4 The Shake Down Ride
Journal Entry #5 Day 1 on the road
Journal Entry #6 Day 2
Journal Entry #7 Day 3
Journal Entry #8 Day 4
Journal Entry #9 Day 5
Journal Entry #10 Looking back on the trip so far
Journal Entry #11 Day 6
Journal Entry #12 Day 7
Journal Entry #13 Arrival of the Travel Channel
Journal Entry #14 Day 9
Journal Entry #15 Day 10

Producers note: When the group arrived in Apache Junction, Tammy was exhibiting signs of heat exhaustion and close to having heat stroke. She decided, after talking with her partner and family, that she needed to remove herself from the tour to regain her strength and health. She rejoined the group in Caballo, New Mexico on the 13th of April. More journals to come now that she's back on the road!!!

Journal Entry #16 Tammy is back on the tour
Journal Entry #17 Caballo to Las Cruces, New Mexico
Journal Entry #18 Las Cruces, New Mexico to El Paso, Texas
Journal Entry #19 El Paso to Fort Hancock, Texas
Journal Entry #20 Fort Hancock to Van Horn, Texas
Journal Entry #21 Van Horn to Davis Mountain State Park
Journal Entry #22 Davis Mountain State Park to Marathon, Texas
Journal Entry #23 Marathon to Sanderson, Texas (60 miles)
Journal Entry #24 Sanderson to Seminole Canyon State Park, Texas (82 miles)
Journal Entry #25 Seminole Canyon State Park to Del Rio, Texas
Journal Entry #26 Del Rio to the Lazy Laguna Lodge
Journal Entry #27 Lazy Laguna to Lost Maples State Natural Area, Texas
Journal Entry #28 Lost Maples State Natural Area to Comfort, Texas
Journal Entry #29 Comfort to Wimberly, Texas
Journal Entry #30 Wimberly to Bastrop State Park (Layover Day)
Journal Entry #31 Bastrop State Park to Carmine, Texas
Journal Entry #32 Carmine to Navasota Texas (48 miles)
Journal Entry #33 Navasota to Livingston Lake (near Coldspring, Texas) 70 miles
Journal Entry #34 Livingston to Silsbee, Texas (72 miles)
Journal Entry #35 A look back on the trip so far
Journal Entry #36 Silsbee, Texas to Merryville, Louisiana
Journal Entry #37 Merryville to Oberlin, LA
Journal Entry #38 Oberlin to Opelousas, LA
Journal Entry #39 Opelousas to Simmesport, LA
Journal Entry #40 Simmesport to St. Francisville, LA
Journal Entry #41 St. Francisville to Easleyville, LA
Journal Entry #42 Easleyville to Bogalousa, LA
Journal Entry #43 Layover day in New Orleans.
Journal Entry #44 Some of her impressions of the trip so far
Journal Entry #45 New Orleans, LA to Perkinston, MI
Journal Entry #46 Perkinston to Hurley, MI
Journal Entry #47 Hurley, MI to Gulf Shores, AL
Journal Entry #48 Gulf Shores, AL to Milton, FL
Journal Entry #49 Milton to DeFuniak, FL
Journal Entry #50 DeFuniak Springs to Marianna, FL
Journal Entry #51 Layover day in Marianna, Florida
Journal Entry #52 Observations of her experiences in the south
Journal Entry #53 Marianna to Gretna, Florida
Journal Entry #54 Gretna through Tallahassee to Waukeenah, Florida
Journal Entry #55 Waukeenah to Spirit of Suwanee, Florida
Journal Entry #56 Spirit of Suwanee to High Springs, Florida
Journal Entry #57 High Springs to Paynes Prarie Preserve State Park
Journal Entry #58 Paynes Prarie Perserve State Park to East Palatka, Florida
Journal Entry #59 East Palatka onward to St. Augustine, Florida!!!

Two Wheel Traveling with Tammy is supported by:

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in Solano Square in Las Cruces