OMG!! What a rush!!
For the past 3 or so years, I have played around with the idea of mountain biking. I would never commit to it nor was I total convinced that I would want to do it as I always had a big road biking goal looming in the near future. For the first time I don't have a major road cycling goal, so now is the time to give mountain biking a try. If I break my arm, then, oh well, I break my arm. It wouldn't mess up any major training.
So, for the past month, I have been trying to make arrangements to get to borrow a bike to take to the trails. Well, a borrowed bike never happened, but I did find a used one on Craig's list. So I took the plunge and bought it before I had ever ridden it in the dirt! I decided that if I hate mtn biking, I could probably sell it pretty easy.
This weekend was the Magee Lungbuster Mountain Bike race and festival. I really did not know what to expect, but it would be this weekend I would get to try my hand at riding a bike with big knobby tires in the dirt.
Somehow, I was able to talk Jay into taking me out Friday afternoon. The mountain bike trails are not far from the house and we drove over to them. There were several people there doing the last minute preparations for the weekend. Jay and I rolled out of the parking lot and into the wooded trails. I am on my new red and black Specialized Rockhopper a little trepidatious. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. First the trail is single track. This means only wide enough for one bike to get through. There are trees everywhere. Trees to the right of me, trees to the left with just a small dirt track that is only about a foot and a half wide. Not what I was expecting. The trail is also not flat - at least not in many places. To realize that this piece of property is less than 5 miles from the house and is as wooded and "in the middle of no where" astonished me. It is strikingly beautiful. There is one section that the mtn bikers call the cave - it is actually just a carved out area, but one would never imagine this small cut out (in sandstone?) to be just a few miles from my house.
So, we set out and head up. I have not figured out how to use my gears yet. They are somewhat different from my old Specialized road bike in that you have two small levers to push in opposite directions to change gears. I am keeping my eyes right in front of my tire - probably no more than 1-2 ft out. We are climbing a somewhat steep hill and all of a sudden the blue tape marking the course is right in front of me. I should have been turning to the left, but did not even realize I was suppose to be turning. Womp! Down I go - haven't been on the bike more than 15 minutes and I have already hit the dirt! Amazingly, it did not hurt at all. I jumped up and Jay and I analyzed my mistake. I should scan a good way in front of me as I check out the terrain right in front of me. This is something I had to do on fast descents on the road bike during my cross country, so once I figured out I did not need to look right at the front of my wheel, I was able to anticipate turns better.
From that point we would ride up and down and up and down. My heart was pounding with excitement and I was breathing as hard as I ever had. I was red lining big time. I did not have on a heart rate monitor, but I guarantee I was at or over 185 - my theoretical max - not once, but most of the time. It was exhilarating! At one point we see deer running along in the woods not far from where we are riding. Squirrels squirt across the dusty dirt trail regularly. My biggest difficulty was really sharp turns - especially when they are trending up steeply and there is a tree in the apex of the turn! Many of these turns I would have to unclip and walk up a couple steps to be able to get through the turn. My second issue was getting back on the bike after coming off during one of the turns. I would not be in the right gear to get the traction I needed and then immediately start climbing again - especially if there were roots in the trail.
We rode for about 2ish hours and Jay estimated we rode 5 or 6 miles!!!! HA!!!! We also rode again on Sunday afternoon. I was a little more apprehensive at the beginning, unclipping in some areas of the trail I did not have any problems with on Friday, but the longer we rode, the more confidence I had. I still was unable to climb the hill with the really sharp turn with the tree in the apex, but I got further up the hill before bailing. I also fell twice, but this time I either over cooked my turn and lost footing in the pine straw or lost traction in a turn and my back wheel slid out from underneath me. Neither fall was bad - I guess they were not really falls at all - just skids in which skin touched the ground briefly!
Mountain biking and road riding are worlds apart. watch out for that tree, ugh brake, pedal, push up this steep short hill, stand up to take the descent, brake, pedal, brake, yikes close tree, sharp turn, tree! I was constantly in thought keeping Jay in my vision, trying to look past him, but scanning the earth in front of me. It will be hard to learn to navigate through the trails without riding with someone for a while. It is easier not having to do the navigation totally on my own. I guess I need to have him ride behind me during the next ride for a little while so I don't get too accustomed of having someone to follow. Both cycling disciplines are amazing ways to exercise and be outside in our wonderful world. It is just fun right now to do something a little "off the paved path"!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Now What?!!
Okay,
I will admit that I am still having issues with goal setting since I have been back from my Transcon. I am a person who needs goals - requires goals, otherwise, I just seem to flouder around without any purpose. My problem is that I just don't know what I want to do athletically right now.
My passion is touring. However, I just found out that I can't self support tour with my CA2 - it is not recommended to mount racks on this carbon bike. So, to tour, I will either have to get my Independent Fabrication out of the moth balls, put my Corsa back together, or borrow Dougs Giro. So, Friday, I got the IF out of moth balls and took it in to get a few parts repaired. I will see how I do on the IF before playing with the Giro or Corsa.
Next, I am just bored. If I am not touring, the next "goal" for me in cycling would be ultra racing. I just don't want to have to train as hard as I will have to to race. Plus, if I were to race, I would want to win and my competitive nature is not a nice one. I don't like my attitude when I have to "be the best". Why race if you don't plan on winning? I am the type of person who tosses the monopoly board if I am not winning. Although, I hope I can be more mature than tossing Boardwalk and Park Place across the room, do I want to put myself through that frustration on a bike?
I could continue my randonneuring. I am still riding 200 and 300k rides somewhat frequently. The pursuit of doing my cross country trip and the fear of riding at night has curtailed my riding the longer brevets - the 400 and 600k rides. I have not completed or even attempted a 400 k on the recumbent. I am much faster now and have better lights. Pat and company finished a 400 k last night - somewhere around 3 or 4 am. Yuck! They made great time finishing it in 21 hours - 6 hours to the good. I just don't know that the pursuit of pushing yourself to ride as long as possible is fun to me anymore. I used to love, and still do love to answer the question "what is your longest ride" with 257 miles! But, do I really want to do that now?
Is it time now to experience some other athletic endeavors?
Mountain Biking: I have always wanted to try mountain biking. I never have as I have always had some other goal looming in the future. I was afraid that the day I tried mountain biking I would break something and not be able to complete whatever my upcoming goal was. Now is my chance to try. I am going to go out to the Fat tire festival next weekend and see what it is all about.
Running: I have always hated running. I just don't get it. You are outside, which is a requirement for me, but you can't see as much as cycling, plus it hurts more to run! And it is boring. And I can't run for more than two minutes at a time. And I "run" (more like walk) a 15 minute mile. So, what an opportunity for a goal! Yeah, I love goals. I have made it a small goal to be able to run 2 miles without stopping by January 1st. This is not easy, mind you. With all of the people out there doing marathons, I would have thought it was easy. I can certainly ride my bike across America, but this running is hard and makes me breath hard and my hips hurt. But, I need a goal and this is it for right now.
Swimming: I don't know how to swim. When I was 10 maybe a little younger, my brother and I flew out to see my grandparents in Oklahoma City. That was not a good visit. First I puked all over my brother and myself on the plane. Puked chocolate chip ice cream within the first hour of being at my grandparents house after the plane trip (to this day I can't eat chocolate chip ice cream). And puked every morning of swim lessons after they tried to teach me how to dive. Not gonna do it I tell, ya, not gonna do it. So, at 44 years of age, I can probably keep myself alive if I am tossed from a boat, but that is the end of my swimming abilities. So another goal, although I haven't set a firm goal is to learn to swim.
Triathlons? HA, can't swim and can't run! This may never materialize! Let me learn to run 2 miles without stopping and swim some laps without drowning and I may look at a tri - doubt I will ever do one, but who knows, stranger things have happened.
Hiking and camping: I would love to start hiking and camping more. I will need help with this whole endeavor. David is too busy fencing right now really to hike or camp. I don't mind sleeping in a sleeping bag in a tent. Matter of fact the few times I have gone camping, I have really enjoyed it. I think camping should be in coolish weather. I love looking at the stars at night and walking in the woods during the day. Fording rivers, searching for waterfalls, encountering wildlife are all so much fun. I need to learn how to use a camp stove.
Anyway, I am just looking to experience life. I don't want to leave any stone unturned. We have so much opportunity. I just don't want to let any of it slip by...
I will admit that I am still having issues with goal setting since I have been back from my Transcon. I am a person who needs goals - requires goals, otherwise, I just seem to flouder around without any purpose. My problem is that I just don't know what I want to do athletically right now.
My passion is touring. However, I just found out that I can't self support tour with my CA2 - it is not recommended to mount racks on this carbon bike. So, to tour, I will either have to get my Independent Fabrication out of the moth balls, put my Corsa back together, or borrow Dougs Giro. So, Friday, I got the IF out of moth balls and took it in to get a few parts repaired. I will see how I do on the IF before playing with the Giro or Corsa.
Next, I am just bored. If I am not touring, the next "goal" for me in cycling would be ultra racing. I just don't want to have to train as hard as I will have to to race. Plus, if I were to race, I would want to win and my competitive nature is not a nice one. I don't like my attitude when I have to "be the best". Why race if you don't plan on winning? I am the type of person who tosses the monopoly board if I am not winning. Although, I hope I can be more mature than tossing Boardwalk and Park Place across the room, do I want to put myself through that frustration on a bike?
I could continue my randonneuring. I am still riding 200 and 300k rides somewhat frequently. The pursuit of doing my cross country trip and the fear of riding at night has curtailed my riding the longer brevets - the 400 and 600k rides. I have not completed or even attempted a 400 k on the recumbent. I am much faster now and have better lights. Pat and company finished a 400 k last night - somewhere around 3 or 4 am. Yuck! They made great time finishing it in 21 hours - 6 hours to the good. I just don't know that the pursuit of pushing yourself to ride as long as possible is fun to me anymore. I used to love, and still do love to answer the question "what is your longest ride" with 257 miles! But, do I really want to do that now?
Is it time now to experience some other athletic endeavors?
Mountain Biking: I have always wanted to try mountain biking. I never have as I have always had some other goal looming in the future. I was afraid that the day I tried mountain biking I would break something and not be able to complete whatever my upcoming goal was. Now is my chance to try. I am going to go out to the Fat tire festival next weekend and see what it is all about.
Running: I have always hated running. I just don't get it. You are outside, which is a requirement for me, but you can't see as much as cycling, plus it hurts more to run! And it is boring. And I can't run for more than two minutes at a time. And I "run" (more like walk) a 15 minute mile. So, what an opportunity for a goal! Yeah, I love goals. I have made it a small goal to be able to run 2 miles without stopping by January 1st. This is not easy, mind you. With all of the people out there doing marathons, I would have thought it was easy. I can certainly ride my bike across America, but this running is hard and makes me breath hard and my hips hurt. But, I need a goal and this is it for right now.
Swimming: I don't know how to swim. When I was 10 maybe a little younger, my brother and I flew out to see my grandparents in Oklahoma City. That was not a good visit. First I puked all over my brother and myself on the plane. Puked chocolate chip ice cream within the first hour of being at my grandparents house after the plane trip (to this day I can't eat chocolate chip ice cream). And puked every morning of swim lessons after they tried to teach me how to dive. Not gonna do it I tell, ya, not gonna do it. So, at 44 years of age, I can probably keep myself alive if I am tossed from a boat, but that is the end of my swimming abilities. So another goal, although I haven't set a firm goal is to learn to swim.
Triathlons? HA, can't swim and can't run! This may never materialize! Let me learn to run 2 miles without stopping and swim some laps without drowning and I may look at a tri - doubt I will ever do one, but who knows, stranger things have happened.
Hiking and camping: I would love to start hiking and camping more. I will need help with this whole endeavor. David is too busy fencing right now really to hike or camp. I don't mind sleeping in a sleeping bag in a tent. Matter of fact the few times I have gone camping, I have really enjoyed it. I think camping should be in coolish weather. I love looking at the stars at night and walking in the woods during the day. Fording rivers, searching for waterfalls, encountering wildlife are all so much fun. I need to learn how to use a camp stove.
Anyway, I am just looking to experience life. I don't want to leave any stone unturned. We have so much opportunity. I just don't want to let any of it slip by...
Silver Comet Weekend Part 3
Back at the Holiday Inn, which by the way, is at the top of a long hill, we planned to cleaned up and then meet back to conquer some red meat. I was starving. Bill had given me some trail mix that was overflowing from the small bag he uses on his bike. I devoured it and drank my Recoverite. Boy was I ready for that steak. We found Petro's a nice Italian/Steakhouse which our nice older overweight guy who does know the definition of bad hills told us about. It was not a 5 star restaurant, thank goodness, since all I had to wear was my cargo pants and cycling t-shirts. They had the TVs mounted over the bar and the MS State game was on! Can't beat traveling to GA on the weekend that MS State plays GA to get to see the game on TV! We both ordered steaks and for all I know mine was well marinated shoe leather. I was so hungry, I did not care. It was however a pretty decent steak.
Bill and I planned on meeting around 7 again to head out for Atlanta (Smyrna, actually). I awoke to rain. It had been raining and would rain all day. The radar looked like we would have scattered showers all day. Fortunately, the bands were various shades of green - the yellow and red bands had already passed by. I was ready a little early and walked outside to see what the weather was doing at that moment. It was still on the darkish side as sun rise would be a little after 7. Outside under the awning was my happy, yet slightly trepidatious group of black women. Boy was I shocked. If Bill had waivered at all, I would have gladly not ridden in the rain. Yet, all of the ladies that we encountered on the Chief Ladaga were all suited and helmeted up ready to ride to Atlanta in the rain. I was impressed by their fortitude! Remember that many of these women were on hybrids and were overweight. They would be riding over the first 10 miles of pretty substantial hills in the rain! They invited me to join them in a quick prayer and they were off.
Bill and I left about 30 minutes after our courageous ladies. At that moment it was not raining but the sky was definately gray and not welcoming. The temps were moderate. I was wearing arm warmers but no leg warmers or my vest. As we approached the first substantial hill, we caught up with our courageous ladies. The youngest and a couple others made it up the hill while two had to walk it. I was just hoping I could get up it without walking since our warm up had been less than 5 miles. We stopped at the top of the hill and talked to the ladies who were waiting for their friends. I took a couple pics and wished them luck as I knew that they had several more substantial hills to climb - and we did too!
The morning was beautiful even thought the hills were not kind. There was a lazy fog drifting over the low mountain range flanking us. Everything was dripping from the early morning rain. We stopped to take some more pictures, but soon the rain started. Although we had asked for a late check-out at the Holiday Inn and it was granted to us, we felt some slight urgency as we would be slower in the rain and would have to get back to Jackson that night, so the picture taking opportunities would pass us more often than not on this leg of our journey.
That first 10 miles leaving Cedartown were not easy. The worst of the hills were in that first 5 miles of the trail (8 from the motel). Bill named one section the the 3 Witches (with a B) after I told him about the 3 Amigos in Mineral Wells, Texas. This section, as I mentioned earlier, is not on a railroad bed. It does however cross at least half a dozen live railroad tracks. Rain had started to fall while we were on the hills. It was not an awful rain - just wet. It would have been very welcomed on a hotter day. The last set of railroad tracks we encountered was at the end of the worst of the hills. It crossed the road at a diagonal. Of course, tracks are very slippery in the rain and even when it is not raining a cyclist should cross them at a 90 degree angle. Well, even as I am telling myself these words of caution, I don't feel like pulling out wide in the road to cross the tracks at 90 degrees, so I hit them at a 45 degree angle and before I can say "slippery when wet", I am down. OUCH! I was going less than 10 mph, so I really had no chance to really hurt myself, but when I went down my knee hit first and the handlebar jabbed me in the abdomen. I am tangled up in the bike with my left foot on the front wheel pinning my right knee on the ground. I couldn't move my left foot without putting more pressure on my right knee. Bill is able to help me somehow lumber off the bike. At this moment, my side where the handlebar hit really hurts, but it subsides in a minute. My knee is bright red with nice road rash - my first in about 8-10 years! I carry hand sanitizer and baby wipes, so I am able to clean it all up with only minor whimpering. Yes, it does sting. We still have 90 ish miles to go, and so with little ado, we are off again. The terrain flattens out slightly from that point - still not on a railbed, but the hills would no longer be considered steep. The trail takes us along a busy highway and through some farm land. This portion of the trail is deserted.
We finally make it to Rockmart - the first town after Cedartown. This is a very nice town that may be a good town in which to stay. It may be more of a touristy town that non-cycling spouses would enjoy. They have a very nice park and community center along their portion of the trail which also follows a nice brook - very picturesque - so we did stop and take some pictures. At this point we do start seeing other cyclists and runners. The people we encounter today are different. I don't know if it is the rain or if it is truly a difference in the cycling personalities of the Silver Comet vs the Cheif Ladaga. The cyclists/runners we encountered today were all too busy to say hi. They were in training. "Leave me alone, I am riding/running fast and don't want to be bothered with pleasantries" I am sure they were thinking as they rode/ran stoically past us. I missed our happy friends that we met yesterday as I wonder how our courageous friends from yesterday are doing.
Anyway we continued enjoying our very wet ride on the nice flat railbed towards Smyrna. The neatest part about this portion of the trail were all of the tunnels. Some short, some much longer, some dark, some lighter, the tunnels were all fun to travel through. Of course, I had to hoot, "Who hoo, who hoo hoo" to hear my echo. We stop at a bike shop on the corner of the trail 4 miles before the end to find the best place to eat. It is pouring rain at this point - much heavier than any part of the day - not take shelter hard, but, soaking a$$ wet hard. I start to get cold and don't warm up again until we are in Bills car with the heat on 80! We find out that there are NO good places to eat along the route. We can travel a couple miles off the route to find a Quick Trip at that intersection or travel a couple miles off the trail at the end to find a grocery store, or we can go to a Shell station across the street and take our chances with less than favorable microwavable sandwiches. Well, we cycled to the end and did not want to try and find the grocery store and then we cycled back the 4 miles to the corner where the bike shop was located. Had it not been raining, we would have searched out the Quick Trip, but in the pouring rain, we took our chances with the less than favorable Shell station microwave food. I walked in and immediately noticed that there were no hot dogs, but did see refrigerated beef and bean burritos with green sauce! YUM! Burritos make great bike fare! I warmed it up in the Micro and headed outside (it was very cold with the air conditioning in the gas station) to eat. Bill, I think, was not so sure about the long distance cycling eating choices. He was obviously starving and bought several different things consuming all of them, much like I did my steak the night before. We ate our scrumptious lunch in the only warmish dryish place we could find - under the island next to the gas pumps!
We continue our ride back - I don't remember how slow we had been on the first half of the ride - but it was slow. Our pace was much better on the way back. I am guessing that the route climbs most of the way to Smyrna and descends towards Cedartown. The rain comes and goes and is lighter on the way back than it was while we were in that 4 mile section at the end of the trail. I do recall being very cold on some of the longer descents and was ready to climb the longer grades to keep my core temperature up. I had picked up a couple plastic sacks at the gas station and stuffed them down my jacket for extra insulation. My teeth were not chattering, but I was cold. Before long, we see our courageous friends - all wet but obviously having the time of their life! They were all together and we all hooted and hollered at each other as we passed - they would be home soon after enjoying a great adventure!
We get back to the 5 mile section of substantial hills and I am too tired to try and climb the first one. It was by far the steepest on the entire route. I walk it and Bill makes it up but not very fast. I am blaming the fact that I have my 11/28 on the bike for not being able to get up it - that is my story and I am sticking to it! Bill is concentrating on not falling over so he can't look to see how steep that hill was, but it had to be over 15%, my guess, it was closer to 20%. We make it back to the 3 Witches and the first climb is also steeper than any of the previous hills and I walk a portion of it. Bill waits for me and we are able to really pick up our pace. The hills are not as bad going back as they were coming out except for the first two.
We make it back to the Holiday Inn at 6 - later than our 5pm check out, but they graciously don't care. We get warm showers and pack the car and head home.
I had a blast on this ride and hope that Bill did as well. He seems to enjoy the longer rides at a touring pace. He conquered his first century the previous weekend and now had two back to back! If this is not a randonneur in the making, then I don't know one!
I really recommend the Chief Ladaga and Silver Comet trail. I do recommend parking in the middle and doing each side instead of trying to do the whole thing at once unless you do have a full set of panniers. This trip would have been very difficult had we tried to stuff everything we needed in our brain boxes. Make sure you carry a good bit of food with you unless you are comfortable searching for food in the towns off the trails.
So, when are we going again?
Bill and I planned on meeting around 7 again to head out for Atlanta (Smyrna, actually). I awoke to rain. It had been raining and would rain all day. The radar looked like we would have scattered showers all day. Fortunately, the bands were various shades of green - the yellow and red bands had already passed by. I was ready a little early and walked outside to see what the weather was doing at that moment. It was still on the darkish side as sun rise would be a little after 7. Outside under the awning was my happy, yet slightly trepidatious group of black women. Boy was I shocked. If Bill had waivered at all, I would have gladly not ridden in the rain. Yet, all of the ladies that we encountered on the Chief Ladaga were all suited and helmeted up ready to ride to Atlanta in the rain. I was impressed by their fortitude! Remember that many of these women were on hybrids and were overweight. They would be riding over the first 10 miles of pretty substantial hills in the rain! They invited me to join them in a quick prayer and they were off.
Bill and I left about 30 minutes after our courageous ladies. At that moment it was not raining but the sky was definately gray and not welcoming. The temps were moderate. I was wearing arm warmers but no leg warmers or my vest. As we approached the first substantial hill, we caught up with our courageous ladies. The youngest and a couple others made it up the hill while two had to walk it. I was just hoping I could get up it without walking since our warm up had been less than 5 miles. We stopped at the top of the hill and talked to the ladies who were waiting for their friends. I took a couple pics and wished them luck as I knew that they had several more substantial hills to climb - and we did too!
The morning was beautiful even thought the hills were not kind. There was a lazy fog drifting over the low mountain range flanking us. Everything was dripping from the early morning rain. We stopped to take some more pictures, but soon the rain started. Although we had asked for a late check-out at the Holiday Inn and it was granted to us, we felt some slight urgency as we would be slower in the rain and would have to get back to Jackson that night, so the picture taking opportunities would pass us more often than not on this leg of our journey.
That first 10 miles leaving Cedartown were not easy. The worst of the hills were in that first 5 miles of the trail (8 from the motel). Bill named one section the the 3 Witches (with a B) after I told him about the 3 Amigos in Mineral Wells, Texas. This section, as I mentioned earlier, is not on a railroad bed. It does however cross at least half a dozen live railroad tracks. Rain had started to fall while we were on the hills. It was not an awful rain - just wet. It would have been very welcomed on a hotter day. The last set of railroad tracks we encountered was at the end of the worst of the hills. It crossed the road at a diagonal. Of course, tracks are very slippery in the rain and even when it is not raining a cyclist should cross them at a 90 degree angle. Well, even as I am telling myself these words of caution, I don't feel like pulling out wide in the road to cross the tracks at 90 degrees, so I hit them at a 45 degree angle and before I can say "slippery when wet", I am down. OUCH! I was going less than 10 mph, so I really had no chance to really hurt myself, but when I went down my knee hit first and the handlebar jabbed me in the abdomen. I am tangled up in the bike with my left foot on the front wheel pinning my right knee on the ground. I couldn't move my left foot without putting more pressure on my right knee. Bill is able to help me somehow lumber off the bike. At this moment, my side where the handlebar hit really hurts, but it subsides in a minute. My knee is bright red with nice road rash - my first in about 8-10 years! I carry hand sanitizer and baby wipes, so I am able to clean it all up with only minor whimpering. Yes, it does sting. We still have 90 ish miles to go, and so with little ado, we are off again. The terrain flattens out slightly from that point - still not on a railbed, but the hills would no longer be considered steep. The trail takes us along a busy highway and through some farm land. This portion of the trail is deserted.
We finally make it to Rockmart - the first town after Cedartown. This is a very nice town that may be a good town in which to stay. It may be more of a touristy town that non-cycling spouses would enjoy. They have a very nice park and community center along their portion of the trail which also follows a nice brook - very picturesque - so we did stop and take some pictures. At this point we do start seeing other cyclists and runners. The people we encounter today are different. I don't know if it is the rain or if it is truly a difference in the cycling personalities of the Silver Comet vs the Cheif Ladaga. The cyclists/runners we encountered today were all too busy to say hi. They were in training. "Leave me alone, I am riding/running fast and don't want to be bothered with pleasantries" I am sure they were thinking as they rode/ran stoically past us. I missed our happy friends that we met yesterday as I wonder how our courageous friends from yesterday are doing.
Anyway we continued enjoying our very wet ride on the nice flat railbed towards Smyrna. The neatest part about this portion of the trail were all of the tunnels. Some short, some much longer, some dark, some lighter, the tunnels were all fun to travel through. Of course, I had to hoot, "Who hoo, who hoo hoo" to hear my echo. We stop at a bike shop on the corner of the trail 4 miles before the end to find the best place to eat. It is pouring rain at this point - much heavier than any part of the day - not take shelter hard, but, soaking a$$ wet hard. I start to get cold and don't warm up again until we are in Bills car with the heat on 80! We find out that there are NO good places to eat along the route. We can travel a couple miles off the route to find a Quick Trip at that intersection or travel a couple miles off the trail at the end to find a grocery store, or we can go to a Shell station across the street and take our chances with less than favorable microwavable sandwiches. Well, we cycled to the end and did not want to try and find the grocery store and then we cycled back the 4 miles to the corner where the bike shop was located. Had it not been raining, we would have searched out the Quick Trip, but in the pouring rain, we took our chances with the less than favorable Shell station microwave food. I walked in and immediately noticed that there were no hot dogs, but did see refrigerated beef and bean burritos with green sauce! YUM! Burritos make great bike fare! I warmed it up in the Micro and headed outside (it was very cold with the air conditioning in the gas station) to eat. Bill, I think, was not so sure about the long distance cycling eating choices. He was obviously starving and bought several different things consuming all of them, much like I did my steak the night before. We ate our scrumptious lunch in the only warmish dryish place we could find - under the island next to the gas pumps!
We continue our ride back - I don't remember how slow we had been on the first half of the ride - but it was slow. Our pace was much better on the way back. I am guessing that the route climbs most of the way to Smyrna and descends towards Cedartown. The rain comes and goes and is lighter on the way back than it was while we were in that 4 mile section at the end of the trail. I do recall being very cold on some of the longer descents and was ready to climb the longer grades to keep my core temperature up. I had picked up a couple plastic sacks at the gas station and stuffed them down my jacket for extra insulation. My teeth were not chattering, but I was cold. Before long, we see our courageous friends - all wet but obviously having the time of their life! They were all together and we all hooted and hollered at each other as we passed - they would be home soon after enjoying a great adventure!
We get back to the 5 mile section of substantial hills and I am too tired to try and climb the first one. It was by far the steepest on the entire route. I walk it and Bill makes it up but not very fast. I am blaming the fact that I have my 11/28 on the bike for not being able to get up it - that is my story and I am sticking to it! Bill is concentrating on not falling over so he can't look to see how steep that hill was, but it had to be over 15%, my guess, it was closer to 20%. We make it back to the 3 Witches and the first climb is also steeper than any of the previous hills and I walk a portion of it. Bill waits for me and we are able to really pick up our pace. The hills are not as bad going back as they were coming out except for the first two.
We make it back to the Holiday Inn at 6 - later than our 5pm check out, but they graciously don't care. We get warm showers and pack the car and head home.
I had a blast on this ride and hope that Bill did as well. He seems to enjoy the longer rides at a touring pace. He conquered his first century the previous weekend and now had two back to back! If this is not a randonneur in the making, then I don't know one!
I really recommend the Chief Ladaga and Silver Comet trail. I do recommend parking in the middle and doing each side instead of trying to do the whole thing at once unless you do have a full set of panniers. This trip would have been very difficult had we tried to stuff everything we needed in our brain boxes. Make sure you carry a good bit of food with you unless you are comfortable searching for food in the towns off the trails.
So, when are we going again?
Monday, October 4, 2010
Cheif Ladaga Part 2
We continued past the boy scout camp on our adventure towards several small towns - Peidmont, Jacksonville and Weaver, which all things considered is part of Anniston, Al. What surprised me about the trail was the lack of depots. I was expecting rest stops in the form of small sheltered areas with bathrooms and water every so many miles on the trail much like the Longleaf Trail in Mississippi. Although there were gas stations in the towns at some of the cross roads, nothing was advertised well enough to get off the trail to search for it. In Piedmont, there was a small house - the Eubanks House that served as the town welcome center. It was a restored old home and it was staffed by a volunteer and had some minimal information about the trail. They also sold powerade, water and crackers for those that stopped while cycling.
As we were cycling towards the end of the trail, a comical thing occurred. We were cycling through the very quaint college town of Jacksonville. The college campus stood out proudly albeit quietly. Bill and I wondered if this was the college that beat Ole Miss a couple weeks back. I thought the small school was in Tennessee. As we continued cycling through the small campus we saw a women walking her dog near a stop sign. We stopped and asked her about the town and the college. Yes, this was the college that beat Ole Miss and she was very proud of it! We took a picture of Bill with the Jacksonville State sign for kicks and giggles. We also inquired as to a good place to eat on the trail and were directed to Struts a local sports gathering restaurant, not really a bar, that serves regular sports watching food. We decided to continue towards the end of the trail and stop by Struts on the way back.
Arriving at the end of the trail, I was underwhelmed. I really thought that the trail head would be really nice. They did have bathrooms and a small picnic area, but nothing shouting "Looky here! We have this great rails to trails"! Don't get me wrong, the trail itself is amazingly beautiful with the mountains flanking and the tree limbs covering, but it lacked the small depots and fan fare that a trail of this magnitude deserves. Bill and I took the required pics at the trail head and turned around headed for Struts.
At Struts, a decent chicken restaurant/sports bar similar to Abners, we both ordered BLT sandwiches and watched TN vs UAB on the TV. We then headed back to Cedartown. We noticed as we passed the Boy Scout camp that it did not look like the Scouts had returned. We guessed that we would not pass packs of them on the way home. Shortly we started passing very hot and tired looking little boys. They were very spread out - at least 5-6 miles from the first to the last. As we passed I would shout encouragement to each. One little boy I yelled asking how far they had gone. He did not skip a beat and answered "There and back!" Apparently, their total trip was 40 miles. Pretty good for boys on various bikes - mostly mountain bikes, all in shorts or jeans.
As we continued back to Cedartown we would encounter groups of people out riding. One group in particular was a group of black women of various ages and sizes. They stood out as they were all wearing white and blue baseball type t-shirts. Most of them were riding hybrid bikes. We did not talk to them very long, but they were very pleasant and seemed to be enjoying the trail.
We got back to the Cedartown trail head and much to my disappointment, the depot was closed. The biggest, nicest, well only, depot on the trail did not have much in the way of hours. We only had 92 miles so I somehow convinced Bill into venturing out to see how bad the hills were that our older cycling buddy had cautioned us about earlier in the day. And boy oh boy - never underestimate an overweight older guy with a Silver Comet baseball cap. He does know how bad the hills are! The 10 miles heading East from Cedartown are not, and I will repeat, NOT on a rail bed! These 10 miles just keep the trail heading toward the state line. There are several steep climbs over 10%. I think they hit 12% in a couple places. We only went out about 3 miles and decided to turn around. The glimpse of the hills was enough for us. We would tackle them in full the next day.
Part 3 later.....
As we were cycling towards the end of the trail, a comical thing occurred. We were cycling through the very quaint college town of Jacksonville. The college campus stood out proudly albeit quietly. Bill and I wondered if this was the college that beat Ole Miss a couple weeks back. I thought the small school was in Tennessee. As we continued cycling through the small campus we saw a women walking her dog near a stop sign. We stopped and asked her about the town and the college. Yes, this was the college that beat Ole Miss and she was very proud of it! We took a picture of Bill with the Jacksonville State sign for kicks and giggles. We also inquired as to a good place to eat on the trail and were directed to Struts a local sports gathering restaurant, not really a bar, that serves regular sports watching food. We decided to continue towards the end of the trail and stop by Struts on the way back.
Arriving at the end of the trail, I was underwhelmed. I really thought that the trail head would be really nice. They did have bathrooms and a small picnic area, but nothing shouting "Looky here! We have this great rails to trails"! Don't get me wrong, the trail itself is amazingly beautiful with the mountains flanking and the tree limbs covering, but it lacked the small depots and fan fare that a trail of this magnitude deserves. Bill and I took the required pics at the trail head and turned around headed for Struts.
At Struts, a decent chicken restaurant/sports bar similar to Abners, we both ordered BLT sandwiches and watched TN vs UAB on the TV. We then headed back to Cedartown. We noticed as we passed the Boy Scout camp that it did not look like the Scouts had returned. We guessed that we would not pass packs of them on the way home. Shortly we started passing very hot and tired looking little boys. They were very spread out - at least 5-6 miles from the first to the last. As we passed I would shout encouragement to each. One little boy I yelled asking how far they had gone. He did not skip a beat and answered "There and back!" Apparently, their total trip was 40 miles. Pretty good for boys on various bikes - mostly mountain bikes, all in shorts or jeans.
As we continued back to Cedartown we would encounter groups of people out riding. One group in particular was a group of black women of various ages and sizes. They stood out as they were all wearing white and blue baseball type t-shirts. Most of them were riding hybrid bikes. We did not talk to them very long, but they were very pleasant and seemed to be enjoying the trail.
We got back to the Cedartown trail head and much to my disappointment, the depot was closed. The biggest, nicest, well only, depot on the trail did not have much in the way of hours. We only had 92 miles so I somehow convinced Bill into venturing out to see how bad the hills were that our older cycling buddy had cautioned us about earlier in the day. And boy oh boy - never underestimate an overweight older guy with a Silver Comet baseball cap. He does know how bad the hills are! The 10 miles heading East from Cedartown are not, and I will repeat, NOT on a rail bed! These 10 miles just keep the trail heading toward the state line. There are several steep climbs over 10%. I think they hit 12% in a couple places. We only went out about 3 miles and decided to turn around. The glimpse of the hills was enough for us. We would tackle them in full the next day.
Part 3 later.....
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
There and Back Again - Chief Ladaga Silver Comet Weekend
The adventure continues! I am definitely settling down into life after the Transcon. I have been looking forward to this weekend since I got back. Matter of fact, while in the car coming home from Virginia, I called Jim at Ride South to inquire as to when he had scheduled the trip to Anniston Alabama for the ride to Atlanta via the two rails to trails - The Chief Ladaga and the Silver Comet. As the day approached the possible cyclists making the trip started backing out. I think several people became intimidated by riding 100 miles, carrying very minimal provisions without any support along the way. I wasn't thrilled about the prospect myself. None of us have racks or panniers that fit our bikes yet, so we were going to be stuffing our brain boxes with one change of clothes to wear out to dinner after the ride, toothbrush/paste, flip flops, as well as our regular bike supplies of Hammer products, rain gear, etc. Bill or actually his wife Teresa, had a great idea - scrap our plan to ride from Anniston to Atlanta, park half way and go out and back each day. This was a great idea! So as Friday dawned, only Bill M and I were left standing to adventure out to ride the two rails to trails.
Bill is new to ultra cycling and this would be the longest riding weekend of his cycling career. I really think it was a good route in which to ride 200 miles. We left around 2:30 or 3:00 Friday afternoon and arrived in Cedartown at 9? or so. We decided to meet at 7:00 am to start our adventure. We chose to start our route headed west to Anniston. We thought that by heading west we would be tackling the hardest part of the route first, plus the forecast had us heading into a headwind first with a tail wind on the way back. HA!
So, we weren't all together at 7. Additionally, something had happened to my cyclometer speed sensor on our drive over. Also, I had forgotten to replace my camera scan disc so I could only take 6 pictures with the small sample disc that came with the camera. Bill suggested that we stop at CVS to get a new battery for the speed sensor and a disc for the camera. CVS had everything we needed for both the camera and the speed sensor, however, we could make neither work properly. So at 8:20 we headed for the Cedartown trail head.
The morning was coolish. Not hot but not cold. It was humid. By 8:20 it was light. The Cedartown depot looked really neat. It had the appearance of a true train depot. It was closed when we arrived at the start, but I was hoping we would be able to go through it when we got back later that afternoon. I was also hoping to find patches for my coat. As I said earlier, we were heading towards Anniston as I knew we would be going through the Cheaha Mountains and I just knew we were heading for the hillier portion of the trail. HA! Since we were on an old rail bed, the grades should only be 1-2% but we had heard that there was a few miles of hilly somewhere on the route. The ride to the state line - about 15 miles was very pretty, but no where as beautiful as the route we would ride as we continued west. The hills were just popping up and you could see where the rail bed had been dug out between the hills. So far the route was very similar to that of the Longleaf trail in Hattiesburg. Flat to false flat - it looked like you were on a flat, but in truth we were climbing slightly. Fortunately, we had Bill's Garmin to tell us when we were truly climbing and when we weren't.
We arrived at the Alabama/Georgia state line and were greeted by an older version of Slow Spokes - a group of 5 or 6 people most likely in their 60s and 70s resting at the state line. Bill and I stopped to take pictures and a very friendly older gentleman asked if we would like him to take the pics. We started a conversation with him and learned a lot. He directed us to a great restaurant - Petros for dinner that night. Most importantly, however, he explained the lay of the land. He told us that we were headed to some of the most beautiful scenery on the trail and that the hilly part was behind us. Ugh! He said that we would have about 10 miles of hilly but that the first 4 miles were really bad. How bad could they be? This was coming from an older guy riding a hybrid. Lesson 1: Never underestimate "hilly" from an old guy on a hybrid!!!!
Our "old guy" was correct about the beauty of the trail we were riding. The Cheaha's, foothills of the Appalachans, began popping up all around us. You could see the very first hint of the leaves turning. One good cold spell and color would replacing the viverant green of these hills. One of my favorite parts of the trail was the fact that most of it was entirely tree covered. Riding through the canopy of trees made the trail very quiet and serene. Squirrls and rabbits would scamper as we rode along past them. The bridges were mostly wooden planks over small creek beds - adding to the tranquility of the trail.
A few more miles and the tranquility was upset! We encountered a small group of young guys on a variety of bikes. They shouted an apt warning - there are at least 5 more groups behind us. Well, we had come across a troop of young boy scouts camping and riding. They were definitely going to get their cycling badge today. We passed another small group of boys and then rounded the corner to a mass of them. Most of them were weaving about not holding a line - they probably did not know what a line was! They were riding three and four abreast and were not concerned that a lady on a bent was loudly stating RIDERS UP, RIDERS UP! They had no idea I meant for them to get over and let us through! Nothing like playing chicken with a 10 year old! We finally made it pass the swell of boys all full of excitement and energy. Bill and I both hoped that they would be off the trail before we returned.
Riding further we discovered the Boy Scout campground. Dozens of tents were set up, some under awnings. It would have been really fun to see them all running about and to know how late they stayed up the previous night. It would also be funny to see how active they would be after they get back from their ride. Hmmmm, I bet there will be some tired little boys.
Well, I need to get ready for work, I will post more later.
Bill is new to ultra cycling and this would be the longest riding weekend of his cycling career. I really think it was a good route in which to ride 200 miles. We left around 2:30 or 3:00 Friday afternoon and arrived in Cedartown at 9? or so. We decided to meet at 7:00 am to start our adventure. We chose to start our route headed west to Anniston. We thought that by heading west we would be tackling the hardest part of the route first, plus the forecast had us heading into a headwind first with a tail wind on the way back. HA!
So, we weren't all together at 7. Additionally, something had happened to my cyclometer speed sensor on our drive over. Also, I had forgotten to replace my camera scan disc so I could only take 6 pictures with the small sample disc that came with the camera. Bill suggested that we stop at CVS to get a new battery for the speed sensor and a disc for the camera. CVS had everything we needed for both the camera and the speed sensor, however, we could make neither work properly. So at 8:20 we headed for the Cedartown trail head.
The morning was coolish. Not hot but not cold. It was humid. By 8:20 it was light. The Cedartown depot looked really neat. It had the appearance of a true train depot. It was closed when we arrived at the start, but I was hoping we would be able to go through it when we got back later that afternoon. I was also hoping to find patches for my coat. As I said earlier, we were heading towards Anniston as I knew we would be going through the Cheaha Mountains and I just knew we were heading for the hillier portion of the trail. HA! Since we were on an old rail bed, the grades should only be 1-2% but we had heard that there was a few miles of hilly somewhere on the route. The ride to the state line - about 15 miles was very pretty, but no where as beautiful as the route we would ride as we continued west. The hills were just popping up and you could see where the rail bed had been dug out between the hills. So far the route was very similar to that of the Longleaf trail in Hattiesburg. Flat to false flat - it looked like you were on a flat, but in truth we were climbing slightly. Fortunately, we had Bill's Garmin to tell us when we were truly climbing and when we weren't.
We arrived at the Alabama/Georgia state line and were greeted by an older version of Slow Spokes - a group of 5 or 6 people most likely in their 60s and 70s resting at the state line. Bill and I stopped to take pictures and a very friendly older gentleman asked if we would like him to take the pics. We started a conversation with him and learned a lot. He directed us to a great restaurant - Petros for dinner that night. Most importantly, however, he explained the lay of the land. He told us that we were headed to some of the most beautiful scenery on the trail and that the hilly part was behind us. Ugh! He said that we would have about 10 miles of hilly but that the first 4 miles were really bad. How bad could they be? This was coming from an older guy riding a hybrid. Lesson 1: Never underestimate "hilly" from an old guy on a hybrid!!!!
Our "old guy" was correct about the beauty of the trail we were riding. The Cheaha's, foothills of the Appalachans, began popping up all around us. You could see the very first hint of the leaves turning. One good cold spell and color would replacing the viverant green of these hills. One of my favorite parts of the trail was the fact that most of it was entirely tree covered. Riding through the canopy of trees made the trail very quiet and serene. Squirrls and rabbits would scamper as we rode along past them. The bridges were mostly wooden planks over small creek beds - adding to the tranquility of the trail.
A few more miles and the tranquility was upset! We encountered a small group of young guys on a variety of bikes. They shouted an apt warning - there are at least 5 more groups behind us. Well, we had come across a troop of young boy scouts camping and riding. They were definitely going to get their cycling badge today. We passed another small group of boys and then rounded the corner to a mass of them. Most of them were weaving about not holding a line - they probably did not know what a line was! They were riding three and four abreast and were not concerned that a lady on a bent was loudly stating RIDERS UP, RIDERS UP! They had no idea I meant for them to get over and let us through! Nothing like playing chicken with a 10 year old! We finally made it pass the swell of boys all full of excitement and energy. Bill and I both hoped that they would be off the trail before we returned.
Riding further we discovered the Boy Scout campground. Dozens of tents were set up, some under awnings. It would have been really fun to see them all running about and to know how late they stayed up the previous night. It would also be funny to see how active they would be after they get back from their ride. Hmmmm, I bet there will be some tired little boys.
Well, I need to get ready for work, I will post more later.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Life is Good
Well, I as I sit here drinking my coffee, I must say that life really is good! I have had a great weekend. Friday I had no set riding plans so I sat around drinking coffee and playing on the internet trying to decide where I wanted to ride. Finally got off my rear and did a new route - actually a modified backwards route of our Labor Day route. Ended up riding 57 miles - it was hot - I should have been up and out by 6 but I just have a problem doing that when I don't have someone to meet. The route was virtually car free and very enjoyable. It is nice to be so carefree.
After the ride I went to the Madison County Library to find out about accessing a website through the library - wow has the library changed since the last time I went to it! They offer a ton of stuff over the net.
Saturday I got up early to participate in the Cyclist Curing Cancer Century. Like an idiot I rode my bike there. The morning was only coolish - I could tell it would be very hot before the day was over. I started in the dark, but with my headlight, helmet light and new taillight I was very comfortable and could see well. The combo head/helmet light gave me all the light I needed to be confident riding in the dark. I enjoyed it much better than the last early morning ride with Pat and company in Franklinton (the difference being the helmet light). The ride to the Healthplex in Clinton was further than I thought - 16 miles which is not a big deal, but I knew I wanted to be there by 7, so I felt pressure to ride faster than I would have liked. I did arrive at just past 7 so it was no big deal. Bill, Bard, Jodi and Sarah were there. They are fast becoming good riding buddies. They all seem to love being outdoors - fishing, kyacking, hiking and so on. Maybe I can have them help me become a better all around outdoors enthusiast. Boy I would love to learn to kayack.
I rode the century with Bill - we really match up very well. He is faster than I am but not so much that he gets too far in front of me. He really rode strong on his first century and I hope that we can ride together more. We both rode very strong to the 50 mile turn around. I think we were averaging 18 or something thanks to a slight tailwind and coolish temps. After the turn around we slowed considerably. I died on the hills in the heat. I was glad we had the wind to keep us "cool". Okay, it was not cool at all, as the wind was a very hot wind, but it was better than no wind at all that would have left us baking in the sun. The volunteers for this ride were very gracious. It is hard to believe how many people gave up their time so we could ride with support. JMC has quit doing organized rides as they have trouble finding volunteers.
I was able to meet up with Mike and Earline Kelly. I have not seen them in years!!! They were the first people to take me under their wing and teach me to ride somewhere other than Highland Colony Parkway. I remember falling behind the group on roads that I know now like the back of my hand, but at the time I had no idea where I was. Earline was kind enough to wait up for me and she and Mike rode with me back to the car. I started riding out in Clinton with them sometime after that. And my love affair with all things cycling started. It really is amazing to think back to some of my early days of cycling. I so appreciate the Kelly's and so many others that got me started in this wonderful sport.
I also talked to Paula and Jeremy about Mountain Biking. I want to attempt it too before I plan something that would keep me from trying it out for fear I will break my arm.
Fortunately for me, Bill has a two bike carrier on the back of his car and only lives a few minutes from me. I gladly accepted a ride from him back to the house. 117.5 miles in the heat was enough for me. The neat part is that this was my 33rd ride over 100 miles this year. So, should I try to reach 50 rides over 100 before the year is out?
After the ride I went to the Madison County Library to find out about accessing a website through the library - wow has the library changed since the last time I went to it! They offer a ton of stuff over the net.
Saturday I got up early to participate in the Cyclist Curing Cancer Century. Like an idiot I rode my bike there. The morning was only coolish - I could tell it would be very hot before the day was over. I started in the dark, but with my headlight, helmet light and new taillight I was very comfortable and could see well. The combo head/helmet light gave me all the light I needed to be confident riding in the dark. I enjoyed it much better than the last early morning ride with Pat and company in Franklinton (the difference being the helmet light). The ride to the Healthplex in Clinton was further than I thought - 16 miles which is not a big deal, but I knew I wanted to be there by 7, so I felt pressure to ride faster than I would have liked. I did arrive at just past 7 so it was no big deal. Bill, Bard, Jodi and Sarah were there. They are fast becoming good riding buddies. They all seem to love being outdoors - fishing, kyacking, hiking and so on. Maybe I can have them help me become a better all around outdoors enthusiast. Boy I would love to learn to kayack.
I rode the century with Bill - we really match up very well. He is faster than I am but not so much that he gets too far in front of me. He really rode strong on his first century and I hope that we can ride together more. We both rode very strong to the 50 mile turn around. I think we were averaging 18 or something thanks to a slight tailwind and coolish temps. After the turn around we slowed considerably. I died on the hills in the heat. I was glad we had the wind to keep us "cool". Okay, it was not cool at all, as the wind was a very hot wind, but it was better than no wind at all that would have left us baking in the sun. The volunteers for this ride were very gracious. It is hard to believe how many people gave up their time so we could ride with support. JMC has quit doing organized rides as they have trouble finding volunteers.
I was able to meet up with Mike and Earline Kelly. I have not seen them in years!!! They were the first people to take me under their wing and teach me to ride somewhere other than Highland Colony Parkway. I remember falling behind the group on roads that I know now like the back of my hand, but at the time I had no idea where I was. Earline was kind enough to wait up for me and she and Mike rode with me back to the car. I started riding out in Clinton with them sometime after that. And my love affair with all things cycling started. It really is amazing to think back to some of my early days of cycling. I so appreciate the Kelly's and so many others that got me started in this wonderful sport.
I also talked to Paula and Jeremy about Mountain Biking. I want to attempt it too before I plan something that would keep me from trying it out for fear I will break my arm.
Fortunately for me, Bill has a two bike carrier on the back of his car and only lives a few minutes from me. I gladly accepted a ride from him back to the house. 117.5 miles in the heat was enough for me. The neat part is that this was my 33rd ride over 100 miles this year. So, should I try to reach 50 rides over 100 before the year is out?
Sunday, August 29, 2010
The Last Transcon Blog Entry - I Hope You Dance
It has been very difficult to sit down and write my final words concerning the Transcon trip. I admit, I struggled with depression when I got home. I just did not want to enter back into "normal". I longed to be back on the road riding to somewhere new. I was glad to be home, but I wasn't. Even writing this blog right now I long to be riding somewhere.
That said, I am back home and life is continuing. I took it easy the first two weekends home. I kept the mileage down and increased the intensity on the second weekend. Of course, I can't stay off the bike for very long and did my first 200k yesterday.
I have struggled with having so much time on my hands. For the 16 months prior to my ride, I trained. Almost every Friday, Saturday and Sunday I had certain drills or rides I was to accomplish. Fitting in "life" around cycling was a challenge. Fortunately, David helped (well, did everything) around the house and I made time to go shopping here and there. Now, it is hard to remember what I did before I started training. I got home last Friday after riding just a short ride with Jim and had no idea what to do next. I did go shopping, but got bored with it quick. David and I have been cooking on Sundays after church, so that has helped the non-cycling time go by. I also set up a Face book page. My, what a time waster!
It is still hard to believe that I have accomplished something like riding my bike across the United States! I am so excited that God protected us and was with us every mile of the trip. I really appreciate that He opened my eyes to see so many wonderful and beautiful sights across our great Nation. We are truly blessed. I crossed off the number 1 thing on my Life list! That is so rewarding! However, I struggled for several days not having any idea what I would do next. Fortunately, I think I have decided to ride the "Circle Tour" around Lake Michigan - unsupported. HA! I have to have an element of challenge and adventure in everything I set out to accomplish!
So, I would like to challenge each of you that have been reading this blog, to reach for your dreams. Stop making excuses. Okay, getting a month off to ride your bike across America may not be possible in your life right now, but you can start setting the foundation. I could have used two years of training to have been fast enough for this trip - but I only had 16 months. Start working toward your dream now. Get in the best physical shape possible. If money is keeping you from living your dream, start setting it aside. Give up fast food and use that to start a small savings account. You don't have time - turn off the TV! Still have kids at home? Get them involved in something involving your dream.
I have always loved the words to the song "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack. These words from that song is my wish for you:
I hope that you still feel small when standing in front of an ocean. I hope that you never fear the mountains in the distance. I hope that you don't take the path of least resistance. I hope you give the heavens more than a glance. I hope that when given the chance to sit out or dance - I HOPE YOU DANCE!
That said, I am back home and life is continuing. I took it easy the first two weekends home. I kept the mileage down and increased the intensity on the second weekend. Of course, I can't stay off the bike for very long and did my first 200k yesterday.
I have struggled with having so much time on my hands. For the 16 months prior to my ride, I trained. Almost every Friday, Saturday and Sunday I had certain drills or rides I was to accomplish. Fitting in "life" around cycling was a challenge. Fortunately, David helped (well, did everything) around the house and I made time to go shopping here and there. Now, it is hard to remember what I did before I started training. I got home last Friday after riding just a short ride with Jim and had no idea what to do next. I did go shopping, but got bored with it quick. David and I have been cooking on Sundays after church, so that has helped the non-cycling time go by. I also set up a Face book page. My, what a time waster!
It is still hard to believe that I have accomplished something like riding my bike across the United States! I am so excited that God protected us and was with us every mile of the trip. I really appreciate that He opened my eyes to see so many wonderful and beautiful sights across our great Nation. We are truly blessed. I crossed off the number 1 thing on my Life list! That is so rewarding! However, I struggled for several days not having any idea what I would do next. Fortunately, I think I have decided to ride the "Circle Tour" around Lake Michigan - unsupported. HA! I have to have an element of challenge and adventure in everything I set out to accomplish!
So, I would like to challenge each of you that have been reading this blog, to reach for your dreams. Stop making excuses. Okay, getting a month off to ride your bike across America may not be possible in your life right now, but you can start setting the foundation. I could have used two years of training to have been fast enough for this trip - but I only had 16 months. Start working toward your dream now. Get in the best physical shape possible. If money is keeping you from living your dream, start setting it aside. Give up fast food and use that to start a small savings account. You don't have time - turn off the TV! Still have kids at home? Get them involved in something involving your dream.
I have always loved the words to the song "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack. These words from that song is my wish for you:
I hope that you still feel small when standing in front of an ocean. I hope that you never fear the mountains in the distance. I hope that you don't take the path of least resistance. I hope you give the heavens more than a glance. I hope that when given the chance to sit out or dance - I HOPE YOU DANCE!
Me dipping my bike in the Chesapeake Bay
Vikki, Me and Ann
The group at the finish!
Thanks for reading and supporting me as I lived my dream!
I hope you dance!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Afterwards - Day 1 Random thoughts while driving to Atlanta
I am now sitting in the car headed home via Atlanta. It is a very bittersweet trip. On one hand I am very glad to be going home, but on the other hand, I am struggling with the fact that my adventure is over. I loved every moment of this trip. Aaron Ralston, the young mountain climber who had to cut off his own arm to survive after pinning his arm against a rock once said, "Just because you are not having fun doesn't mean you aren't having fun!" Honestly, there were so few moments that I wasn't having fun and the few, I am proud to say, I was able to work through it mentally (the crying day) or jump in the van (the bad traffic day and the steep climb day). I truly enjoyed Every Fantastic Moment - one of my main goals on this trip. The first was to see America by bike and the other was to do it with a positive attitude enjoying the journey!
I succeeded! I remember how scared I was the last couple weeks before the trip. I would say that I was nervously apprehensive before the trip. I also thought that if I had "any excuse" travel insurance that I would have backed out of the trip. I worried - what if I can't do it? The return answer was what if you can? Well, I did do it and I am very pleased that I now have a large bank of memories to remember this fantastic trek.
Yes, I will do another Transcon. I am not sure when, but I figure there will be many more transcons in my future. I love touring and I love seeing the nation via a bike. You experience and live America seeing it in this manner. I will admit that I would like to do a semi-supported tour that may have to be limited to one or two states at a time. I would like to tour the state with less dependence on a set schedule and more time to visit the neat places along the way. Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota especially had so many things that I would have loved to have stopped to investigate - definitely more time at Mt Rushmore and we completely missed Yellowstone and all things Lewis & Clark. So, I will be planning state tours for the years I don't do transcons.
What were some of my favorite experiences?
Just riding every day. There were some mornings that I would have liked to have slept another hour or so, but there was never a day that I did not want to ride. Every day would be an adventure in itself and I did not want to miss it.
Dinner at night - getting to get together with a big group of other riders was one of the highlights of the day. I loved talking to each person to learn where they were from and why they came on the trip. We ended up with a fairly consistent group of dinner buddies and cutting up and joking and telling stories that would make you laugh until your stomach hurt.
Our crew was fantastic! They worked long and hard every day - even their ride days to support us. I really appreciate John Lake and Jim H for helping me get my bike put together on the first day. I will never forget Carl loading or moving bikes on the caravan during the rainstorm. He was soaking wet. Dave was the first crew member to figure out that my bike would fit on the caravan. He and Tim J both rescued me from having to walk up long steep hills. Then there was Veronica. Being roommates for a little over a week, she gave me insight into what the crew goes through - and it is hard work. I really appreciate her for anticipating my needing a sag on one of the really windy days - one of the ones that should have been easy that was actually pretty hard. I enjoyed my rides with her and was glad when she was our caravan driver. She also made the raisin toast with the most love!
The beauty around the corner - we live in a most beautiful country that changes around every corner. Seeing snow covered mountains peak out from around a bend was breath taking. Seeing the badger, prairie dogs, prong horn antelope, and even white tail deer thrilled me.
Montana was both my favorite and least favorite state. It was absolutely beautiful and we stayed on roads that paralleled the Clark fork river almost the whole time. I now have kayaking the Clark fork river on my life list! However, they were the absolutely hands down least bike friendly state. It still pisses me off that I was pulled over for not riding on the white line especially since there was not a shoulder on the road I was riding.
Did I train enough? Yes, I think I trained as much as I could during the 16 months I knew I was going to do this trip. Yes, I could have used more time to get faster, but that time did not exist. Now that I am stronger and faster (although still slow) I have a better base to continue to improve upon. My next transcon, I would like to be mid-pack fast so I would have time to take more pictures. I need to become a much better climber.
What would I change about my training?
I would have trained with more upright bikes. I think that training with the uprights would help improve my climbing skills. Or, I would have recruited another bent to train with that could have gone on the trip with me. Although Cynthia, the other bent, was on this trip, our riding styles were different and I was slower so we were not able to help each other very much.
I needed more climbing training, but I just don't think I would be able to improve on that in the time I had living in Mississippi .
What would I not change:
I am very glad I had Michelle Grainger as my coach. She understands ultra cycling and thus could anticipate what I was and would be going through.
Lon & Susan repeated that best thing for us to do was ride as many days of back to back 100+ mile days as possible. There were a bunch of these days that I sure did not want to do another 100 miles, but this was where the potential problems presented. I was able to acclimate to the heat, figure out how to handle heat rash, anticipate problems with my shoes and tires all because of the multiple days of riding. Knowing how to handle the problems before they cropped up gave me confidence that I knew how to handle them when they did. This was an area that I was very fortunate as none of the problems I thought I would have ever happened to an extent that I could not handle it.
Crossing with PAC Tour - yes, they advertise that they are the hardest touring company in America - and I believe it. Yes, I probably could have ridden every mile with America by Bike, but Lon and Susan know what they are doing and care. To see Susan in action shopping for what we would like at Wal-Mart or picking up fresh fruit at a road side stand I know she has the riders best interest at heart and wants to provide us with anything that would make us have a better trip. Lon is the same way. He can fix anything or suggest a better way to go about doing something. I will find it very difficult to do another Transcon without it being a PAC tour.
Something that I realized on this trip that I will take with me through the rest of my life is that "it is never all downhill from here"! You hear the phrase, "it is all downhill from here" sometimes as an assurance and sometimes as a joke. I convinced myself on several days that it was going to be all downhill or that a particular day would be easy based on its profile. The trip and life is never all downhill. This is not to be pessimistic, but just realistic and I am really glad that it isn't all easy or that it isn't everything that we expect. The Mt Rushmore day, I truly thought was going to be very hard to the monument and then literally all down hill from there to the motel. Boy was I wrong! The climbing was some of the hardest of the trip for me. The next day we were supposed to have the same climbing over 145 miles as we did on the 45 mile day. I just knew that it would be an easy day! Once again, I was very wrong. That day was hotter than previous days plus we were battling a decent cross wind most of the day. The next day should have been easier, but that was the grasshopper day. Needless to say, that day was not all downhill! On the other hand, we had days that should have been much harder than what they ended up being. So, I learned to judge a day as potentially difficult and not to set my expectations unrealistically. I am also glad that the days weren't easy. I really enjoy the challenge and my blog/life would be boring without the occasional grasshopper story! I want to remember this as I go forward in life to respect each day and its individual adventures regardless of whether the day is uphill, downhill or full of little bumps!
Stay around another day as we will be driving to Jackson tomorrow. No telling what will cross my mind while we continue our drive home...
I succeeded! I remember how scared I was the last couple weeks before the trip. I would say that I was nervously apprehensive before the trip. I also thought that if I had "any excuse" travel insurance that I would have backed out of the trip. I worried - what if I can't do it? The return answer was what if you can? Well, I did do it and I am very pleased that I now have a large bank of memories to remember this fantastic trek.
Yes, I will do another Transcon. I am not sure when, but I figure there will be many more transcons in my future. I love touring and I love seeing the nation via a bike. You experience and live America seeing it in this manner. I will admit that I would like to do a semi-supported tour that may have to be limited to one or two states at a time. I would like to tour the state with less dependence on a set schedule and more time to visit the neat places along the way. Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota especially had so many things that I would have loved to have stopped to investigate - definitely more time at Mt Rushmore and we completely missed Yellowstone and all things Lewis & Clark. So, I will be planning state tours for the years I don't do transcons.
What were some of my favorite experiences?
Just riding every day. There were some mornings that I would have liked to have slept another hour or so, but there was never a day that I did not want to ride. Every day would be an adventure in itself and I did not want to miss it.
Dinner at night - getting to get together with a big group of other riders was one of the highlights of the day. I loved talking to each person to learn where they were from and why they came on the trip. We ended up with a fairly consistent group of dinner buddies and cutting up and joking and telling stories that would make you laugh until your stomach hurt.
Our crew was fantastic! They worked long and hard every day - even their ride days to support us. I really appreciate John Lake and Jim H for helping me get my bike put together on the first day. I will never forget Carl loading or moving bikes on the caravan during the rainstorm. He was soaking wet. Dave was the first crew member to figure out that my bike would fit on the caravan. He and Tim J both rescued me from having to walk up long steep hills. Then there was Veronica. Being roommates for a little over a week, she gave me insight into what the crew goes through - and it is hard work. I really appreciate her for anticipating my needing a sag on one of the really windy days - one of the ones that should have been easy that was actually pretty hard. I enjoyed my rides with her and was glad when she was our caravan driver. She also made the raisin toast with the most love!
The beauty around the corner - we live in a most beautiful country that changes around every corner. Seeing snow covered mountains peak out from around a bend was breath taking. Seeing the badger, prairie dogs, prong horn antelope, and even white tail deer thrilled me.
Montana was both my favorite and least favorite state. It was absolutely beautiful and we stayed on roads that paralleled the Clark fork river almost the whole time. I now have kayaking the Clark fork river on my life list! However, they were the absolutely hands down least bike friendly state. It still pisses me off that I was pulled over for not riding on the white line especially since there was not a shoulder on the road I was riding.
Did I train enough? Yes, I think I trained as much as I could during the 16 months I knew I was going to do this trip. Yes, I could have used more time to get faster, but that time did not exist. Now that I am stronger and faster (although still slow) I have a better base to continue to improve upon. My next transcon, I would like to be mid-pack fast so I would have time to take more pictures. I need to become a much better climber.
What would I change about my training?
I would have trained with more upright bikes. I think that training with the uprights would help improve my climbing skills. Or, I would have recruited another bent to train with that could have gone on the trip with me. Although Cynthia, the other bent, was on this trip, our riding styles were different and I was slower so we were not able to help each other very much.
I needed more climbing training, but I just don't think I would be able to improve on that in the time I had living in Mississippi .
What would I not change:
I am very glad I had Michelle Grainger as my coach. She understands ultra cycling and thus could anticipate what I was and would be going through.
Lon & Susan repeated that best thing for us to do was ride as many days of back to back 100+ mile days as possible. There were a bunch of these days that I sure did not want to do another 100 miles, but this was where the potential problems presented. I was able to acclimate to the heat, figure out how to handle heat rash, anticipate problems with my shoes and tires all because of the multiple days of riding. Knowing how to handle the problems before they cropped up gave me confidence that I knew how to handle them when they did. This was an area that I was very fortunate as none of the problems I thought I would have ever happened to an extent that I could not handle it.
Crossing with PAC Tour - yes, they advertise that they are the hardest touring company in America - and I believe it. Yes, I probably could have ridden every mile with America by Bike, but Lon and Susan know what they are doing and care. To see Susan in action shopping for what we would like at Wal-Mart or picking up fresh fruit at a road side stand I know she has the riders best interest at heart and wants to provide us with anything that would make us have a better trip. Lon is the same way. He can fix anything or suggest a better way to go about doing something. I will find it very difficult to do another Transcon without it being a PAC tour.
Something that I realized on this trip that I will take with me through the rest of my life is that "it is never all downhill from here"! You hear the phrase, "it is all downhill from here" sometimes as an assurance and sometimes as a joke. I convinced myself on several days that it was going to be all downhill or that a particular day would be easy based on its profile. The trip and life is never all downhill. This is not to be pessimistic, but just realistic and I am really glad that it isn't all easy or that it isn't everything that we expect. The Mt Rushmore day, I truly thought was going to be very hard to the monument and then literally all down hill from there to the motel. Boy was I wrong! The climbing was some of the hardest of the trip for me. The next day we were supposed to have the same climbing over 145 miles as we did on the 45 mile day. I just knew that it would be an easy day! Once again, I was very wrong. That day was hotter than previous days plus we were battling a decent cross wind most of the day. The next day should have been easier, but that was the grasshopper day. Needless to say, that day was not all downhill! On the other hand, we had days that should have been much harder than what they ended up being. So, I learned to judge a day as potentially difficult and not to set my expectations unrealistically. I am also glad that the days weren't easy. I really enjoy the challenge and my blog/life would be boring without the occasional grasshopper story! I want to remember this as I go forward in life to respect each day and its individual adventures regardless of whether the day is uphill, downhill or full of little bumps!
Stay around another day as we will be driving to Jackson tomorrow. No telling what will cross my mind while we continue our drive home...
Monday, August 9, 2010
Day 30 - The Finish Line
If your dreams don't scare you they are not big enough! This quote is from Spencer Klaassen in his write up of his Pony Express bike trip. Yes, my dream scared me, but just a few hours ago all the hard work and discipline paid its dividends!
Today I walked in the sand and into Chesapeake Bay (or a river that leads to the bay) with my bike held high in my hands capping off the greatest 30 day experience of my life. It is hard to believe that:
1. I actually rode my bike across the United States
2. The ride is over
The day started like all others except that David was my roommate! He took my bag out to the car instead of me having to load it in the van. I originally believed that I would be able to ride leisurely to the meeting point and everyone would wait for the last rider to arrive and then head to the beach. I was mistaken! We were given a 12 noon time. The fast guys would have to wait and us slower riders would have to get there at the appointed time or be left out of the final processional. So, leisurely, it was not!
It was still on the darkish side at the ride start and very humid. I would still have to say it was on the coolish side though. My goal was just to keep someone in site and not get dropped too far back. Although I have embraced being the last one in or the first one sagged, I did not want to be too far back today. I was basically time trialling the ride. There were times that I was breathing heavier today than any other day of the trip. The road was pretty decent rolling hills - just a few 5-6% rollers. I was able to catch up with Cynthia and Jenae and ride with them some, but
lost them at the second sag. I did leave before a couple others, but I knew that they would most likely catch up with me before arriving at the meeting point. That is when my cue sheet navigation skills came in handy. For what ever reason, several of the groups of riders started making odd route choices. I knew I was following the cue sheet so I just kept going. At least 3 different groups made wrong directional choices. So with 10 miles left to go, I knew I was not going to be last if I kept up my 15.5 mph pace! Whoo Hoo!
The processional was awesome! We lined up 2 abreast and rode 4 miles to the beach! A lot of the cars passing would honk encouragingly at us as we passed by (you can tell the happy honks from the mean honks). It helped that we were all in our matching jerseys! Susan had a banner and tape for us to break as we entered the beach area! We had arrived! It only took a matter of minutes before we had taken off our socks and shoes and were trotting out to the bay with our bikes hoisted above our heads - or just cradled in our arms!
I did it - I rode my bike across the United States!
Many people say a trip like this changes you. I am not sure how I have changed, but it may surface along the way. I do know that I have a deeper affection for the United States and its vast differences from region to region. I will always remember the beauty we cycled through and the strong friendships forged over the last 30 days
Okay, now for the f word! No, not that f word - Flats! I became obsessed with tires and tire performance right before I left for the trip. I had experienced 3 catastrophic blowouts using Serfa tires before leaving. I liked them because I could change them easily by myself. The other tires that fit my rims were much harder to change and it would take me 30 minutes or more to change them. I purchased 8 heavy duty, not to mention expensive tires, for the trip. HAHA - I had one flat!! ONE!! I am still laughing about it! It was on a Serfa tire with 600 miles on it. I was only 2 miles away from the hotel, so I changed the tube out on the side of the road and then changed the tire again once I was in the parking lot of the hotel. I was now using Continental 4000s. Two days later, I change my other Serfa out for a Conti 4000 and I will never use Serfas again. The Contis have over 2000 miles on them and they still look brand new! Yes, they are harder to change, but they are fantastic on the road. Some people were not as lucky. Bob Lewis had 7 flats total, Ann had 5, Jeanae had a double catastrophic flat.
Injuries - we were very lucky in that department. Last year on the tour they had 3 people fall and break hips. We just had a hand full of minor accidents. On the second day, we had 3 people go down in about the same spot at completely different times. Apparently, there were rumble strips hidden in shadows and that caused the 3 guys to go down. A sore shoulder and road rash were the results. I think we also had 4 more accidents caused by something in the road clipping a persons tire and taking them down. The results of these were also road rash. So, we were very fortunate that no one was hurt any more than this.
My issues - was I very lucky in this department. "Issues" were the main reason I changed to the recumbent to begin with. The last two tours I did I either cut my thumb or got a blister on it. Not this trip! While we were in South Dakota I developed my regular heat rash on my quads - it went away after two days. Also during this time, I developed a very nasty heat rash on my back. At first it completely covered my sports bra area and burned very badly. After a few days it landed just across my mid back region and stayed there. It still itches, but with Gold Bond powder, it continues to improve. My tendon in my big toe hurt for a couple days. And that is it. The body is a very amazing thing. I made it through 30 days of cycling with no problems what so ever.
What worked: Food wise, steak and potatoes. I rode my best after eating a good portion of red meat and potatoes and a salad. I also did well with grilled pork chops. The pasta nights left me too hungry to ride the next day with any energy.
What worked: physically - massages! At first I planned on getting them only once every 4 days, but then I found out how well they really work and got one every other day. Jon would massage my quads, glutes and i t bands mostly and I would ride so much stronger and without general muscle soreness the next day.
What worked: bike food - Hammer rules. 3 scoops of SE and 1 scoop of Heed at every rest stop. Also electrolytes, Endurance Amino and Anti-fatigue caps regularly. I am now sick of bananas and pay days, but I would eat at least one banana a day and a pay day about every other. My favorite afternoon snack was Lays Stacks - they are just like pringles and I loved them.
About to go to dinner will post more later!
Today I walked in the sand and into Chesapeake Bay (or a river that leads to the bay) with my bike held high in my hands capping off the greatest 30 day experience of my life. It is hard to believe that:
1. I actually rode my bike across the United States
2. The ride is over
The day started like all others except that David was my roommate! He took my bag out to the car instead of me having to load it in the van. I originally believed that I would be able to ride leisurely to the meeting point and everyone would wait for the last rider to arrive and then head to the beach. I was mistaken! We were given a 12 noon time. The fast guys would have to wait and us slower riders would have to get there at the appointed time or be left out of the final processional. So, leisurely, it was not!
It was still on the darkish side at the ride start and very humid. I would still have to say it was on the coolish side though. My goal was just to keep someone in site and not get dropped too far back. Although I have embraced being the last one in or the first one sagged, I did not want to be too far back today. I was basically time trialling the ride. There were times that I was breathing heavier today than any other day of the trip. The road was pretty decent rolling hills - just a few 5-6% rollers. I was able to catch up with Cynthia and Jenae and ride with them some, but
lost them at the second sag. I did leave before a couple others, but I knew that they would most likely catch up with me before arriving at the meeting point. That is when my cue sheet navigation skills came in handy. For what ever reason, several of the groups of riders started making odd route choices. I knew I was following the cue sheet so I just kept going. At least 3 different groups made wrong directional choices. So with 10 miles left to go, I knew I was not going to be last if I kept up my 15.5 mph pace! Whoo Hoo!
The processional was awesome! We lined up 2 abreast and rode 4 miles to the beach! A lot of the cars passing would honk encouragingly at us as we passed by (you can tell the happy honks from the mean honks). It helped that we were all in our matching jerseys! Susan had a banner and tape for us to break as we entered the beach area! We had arrived! It only took a matter of minutes before we had taken off our socks and shoes and were trotting out to the bay with our bikes hoisted above our heads - or just cradled in our arms!
I did it - I rode my bike across the United States!
Many people say a trip like this changes you. I am not sure how I have changed, but it may surface along the way. I do know that I have a deeper affection for the United States and its vast differences from region to region. I will always remember the beauty we cycled through and the strong friendships forged over the last 30 days
Okay, now for the f word! No, not that f word - Flats! I became obsessed with tires and tire performance right before I left for the trip. I had experienced 3 catastrophic blowouts using Serfa tires before leaving. I liked them because I could change them easily by myself. The other tires that fit my rims were much harder to change and it would take me 30 minutes or more to change them. I purchased 8 heavy duty, not to mention expensive tires, for the trip. HAHA - I had one flat!! ONE!! I am still laughing about it! It was on a Serfa tire with 600 miles on it. I was only 2 miles away from the hotel, so I changed the tube out on the side of the road and then changed the tire again once I was in the parking lot of the hotel. I was now using Continental 4000s. Two days later, I change my other Serfa out for a Conti 4000 and I will never use Serfas again. The Contis have over 2000 miles on them and they still look brand new! Yes, they are harder to change, but they are fantastic on the road. Some people were not as lucky. Bob Lewis had 7 flats total, Ann had 5, Jeanae had a double catastrophic flat.
Injuries - we were very lucky in that department. Last year on the tour they had 3 people fall and break hips. We just had a hand full of minor accidents. On the second day, we had 3 people go down in about the same spot at completely different times. Apparently, there were rumble strips hidden in shadows and that caused the 3 guys to go down. A sore shoulder and road rash were the results. I think we also had 4 more accidents caused by something in the road clipping a persons tire and taking them down. The results of these were also road rash. So, we were very fortunate that no one was hurt any more than this.
My issues - was I very lucky in this department. "Issues" were the main reason I changed to the recumbent to begin with. The last two tours I did I either cut my thumb or got a blister on it. Not this trip! While we were in South Dakota I developed my regular heat rash on my quads - it went away after two days. Also during this time, I developed a very nasty heat rash on my back. At first it completely covered my sports bra area and burned very badly. After a few days it landed just across my mid back region and stayed there. It still itches, but with Gold Bond powder, it continues to improve. My tendon in my big toe hurt for a couple days. And that is it. The body is a very amazing thing. I made it through 30 days of cycling with no problems what so ever.
What worked: Food wise, steak and potatoes. I rode my best after eating a good portion of red meat and potatoes and a salad. I also did well with grilled pork chops. The pasta nights left me too hungry to ride the next day with any energy.
What worked: physically - massages! At first I planned on getting them only once every 4 days, but then I found out how well they really work and got one every other day. Jon would massage my quads, glutes and i t bands mostly and I would ride so much stronger and without general muscle soreness the next day.
What worked: bike food - Hammer rules. 3 scoops of SE and 1 scoop of Heed at every rest stop. Also electrolytes, Endurance Amino and Anti-fatigue caps regularly. I am now sick of bananas and pay days, but I would eat at least one banana a day and a pay day about every other. My favorite afternoon snack was Lays Stacks - they are just like pringles and I loved them.
About to go to dinner will post more later!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Day 29 - Can you believe it?
Wow! LOL! Yes, I am using Wow again! It was a great day today. There were moments - brief ones, when I really wanted to get off the bike, but as the odometer ticked off mile 100, I was very glad I was still on the bike. I can almost smell the ocean in Williamsburg!
I woke up before the alarm went off this morning. As I laid in bed, I was thinking about todays ride. I really wanted to ride the whole route, but we were going to be climbing over the blue ridge parkway which meant 2000 ft of climbing in the first 27 miles. I wasn't sure how steep the climb would be but it looked like the climb would be about 7 miles and "steeper climbing" was the description for about 4 of the miles. So, I could attempt the climb and if I fell behind, I would get sagged along an easier section that I could have enjoyed or I could sag right off the bat. So, I decided to sag right off the bat.
Once again, the morning was cool. I can't believe our blessing with our weather. It was perfect. As the rest of the country broiled in 100+ temps, we have pedaled along in cosy comfort. It rained twice for less than 3 hours. Yes, it was a down pour both times with cyclist scattering thunder and lightening, but it wasn't an all day miseralble rain. Yes, it got hot - once or twice, but nothing like the 97+ degree 100% humidity of Texas on my last traing rides there. We have truely been blessed with good weather!
Fortunately for me, Dave was the crew member in the caravan. He dropped me off at the top of the climb so I could practice my now pretty decent descending skills. PAC Tour's motto is "making good cyclist better" or in my case "making mediocre cyclists good" (that is pretty funny!) and they have certainly made me better at descending, riding a straight line, riding in heavy traffic, fixing my rear deraileur, being organized and gosh, probably a whole lot of other things. The first 7 miles were in the Shenadoah National Forest again. The tree line roads were very beautiful and very cold as I was descending at 30 mph. The next 93 miles were not so pretty.
For my local cycling friends, the picture is easy to paint. Take Livingston/Lake Cavalier road for those of you who live in Madison or take Shiloh road for those of you in Brandon and double the hills in length and ride it over and over and over for 93 miles and that was todays ride! So, we have houses of various ages and various need for repair spaced farther apart than a neighborhood but closer together than the farms of the previous days. So, not much to look at. The draw for the day however, was the almost perfectly asphalted pavement. The traffic was at times heavier than I would have liked, but the road surface for 95% of the day was pristine! Gotta love Lon for finding these back roads!
I did get to ride with Susan C today for a few miles. We were reminiscing about the first few days of the trip. It is hard to believe that it is almost over. Everett seems so far away, yet it seems like we were there yesterday.
The other great thing about the day was having David waiting for me at the motel when I got in. It is nice to have him as my room mate tonight - sorry Vikki - at least you can put your bag on the extra bed! I know I will cross the country again one day in the future, I just don't want to be away from David for 30 days the next time I do it!
Tomorrow is the big day - we will leave for Williamsburg early and then have our dinner and after dinner program. I will have seen America from Washington to Virginia in 30 days. It is really hard to believe that I have accomplished my dream! Please just don't let me wake up tomorrow and realize that I still work for NS2 and it is still 2009!
I woke up before the alarm went off this morning. As I laid in bed, I was thinking about todays ride. I really wanted to ride the whole route, but we were going to be climbing over the blue ridge parkway which meant 2000 ft of climbing in the first 27 miles. I wasn't sure how steep the climb would be but it looked like the climb would be about 7 miles and "steeper climbing" was the description for about 4 of the miles. So, I could attempt the climb and if I fell behind, I would get sagged along an easier section that I could have enjoyed or I could sag right off the bat. So, I decided to sag right off the bat.
Once again, the morning was cool. I can't believe our blessing with our weather. It was perfect. As the rest of the country broiled in 100+ temps, we have pedaled along in cosy comfort. It rained twice for less than 3 hours. Yes, it was a down pour both times with cyclist scattering thunder and lightening, but it wasn't an all day miseralble rain. Yes, it got hot - once or twice, but nothing like the 97+ degree 100% humidity of Texas on my last traing rides there. We have truely been blessed with good weather!
Fortunately for me, Dave was the crew member in the caravan. He dropped me off at the top of the climb so I could practice my now pretty decent descending skills. PAC Tour's motto is "making good cyclist better" or in my case "making mediocre cyclists good" (that is pretty funny!) and they have certainly made me better at descending, riding a straight line, riding in heavy traffic, fixing my rear deraileur, being organized and gosh, probably a whole lot of other things. The first 7 miles were in the Shenadoah National Forest again. The tree line roads were very beautiful and very cold as I was descending at 30 mph. The next 93 miles were not so pretty.
For my local cycling friends, the picture is easy to paint. Take Livingston/Lake Cavalier road for those of you who live in Madison or take Shiloh road for those of you in Brandon and double the hills in length and ride it over and over and over for 93 miles and that was todays ride! So, we have houses of various ages and various need for repair spaced farther apart than a neighborhood but closer together than the farms of the previous days. So, not much to look at. The draw for the day however, was the almost perfectly asphalted pavement. The traffic was at times heavier than I would have liked, but the road surface for 95% of the day was pristine! Gotta love Lon for finding these back roads!
I did get to ride with Susan C today for a few miles. We were reminiscing about the first few days of the trip. It is hard to believe that it is almost over. Everett seems so far away, yet it seems like we were there yesterday.
The other great thing about the day was having David waiting for me at the motel when I got in. It is nice to have him as my room mate tonight - sorry Vikki - at least you can put your bag on the extra bed! I know I will cross the country again one day in the future, I just don't want to be away from David for 30 days the next time I do it!
Tomorrow is the big day - we will leave for Williamsburg early and then have our dinner and after dinner program. I will have seen America from Washington to Virginia in 30 days. It is really hard to believe that I have accomplished my dream! Please just don't let me wake up tomorrow and realize that I still work for NS2 and it is still 2009!
Top of the Blue Ridge Parkway in VA - where I started my ride today!
Barn of the day
So, is it Bum Pass VA or is Bump Ass VA?
Oh yeah, there was some corn on the route today too - only a couple days break from it. BTW, since I just rode across the US, I noticed corn and soy beans. So where are the rest of the vegatables grown?
Tomorrow we will ride to Williamsburg, VA and all I can say is Wow!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Day 28 - Waving the White Flag
Today was another flagship day - crossing the Appalachians and boy it was not easy for this recumbent rider!
This morning was cool - to the tune of 50 degrees at the ride start and it was foggy again. I elected to sag forward to the second sag stop since the first 30 miles had 4000 ft of climbing. The total climbing for the day would exceed 10,000 ft. Looking at the route card, I thought the section I chose to start with would be gently rolling and would get me warmed up for the big climb to the Virginia State Line. Oh, was I wrong - gentle and Appalachians do not go in the same sentence. I was climbing an 8% hill, or should I say bump in the road, at mile .8! The only thing that kept my mind off of falling over was looking at the beautiful scenery. The sun was shining through the trees and you could see the mountains that we would soon cross looming not too far in the horizon. There was still a little fog hanging in the recesses between the mountain ridges. Very peaceful. We soon turned onto a little one lane road. The road did have small gravel, smaller than a pea but bigger than sand, scattered over most of the surface. As long as it wasn't deep, it did not pose a problem. Otherwise, my tire could skid in it and cause me to fall. As long as I was climbing, which was mostly at 4 mph, a fall would not hurt too bad, but if I were descending, a fall could end up hurting pretty badly. So, I was more cautious on the downhills which robbed me of some momentum. This section was very steep climbs of half a mile or more with switchback type rollers with really sharp turns and sudden pitches. It wore me out! Some of it was so steep, I had to just walk the bike. I honestly did not think I would ever get off of this road and to the sag. I think I was at mile 11 when I finally made it back out to the main road. 11 miles and it felt like I had been out there forever! We had about a 4 mile downhill section and then we started another long climb. This one jumped up to 7% in a big hurry. I was able to ride for about a mile when it pitched a little higher and I just couldn't stay steady. So I would walk for a little bit and then get back on the bike for a little bit. This went on and I was prepared to continue this to the top when Tim J passed with the sag van! Yeah! I was never so glad to sag! Although 7% doesn't sound too steep, I just couldn't keep it up. So, I waved the white flag! I surrendered! Whoo Hoo!
I ended up sagging to the Virginia state line. The climb was 7 or 8 miles and was steeper than my earlier climb. Before I left the state line, I checked my stats. 17 miles, 8.5 mph, and 1765 ft of climbing - over 100 ft of climbing per mile - pretty tough. So, from the state line we hit a really beautiful section of the Shenandoah National Forest - a very thick tunnel of tree covered road.
So, even though I did not get to ride as much of the climb as I wanted, I still feel that I did the best this flatlander could. Steep is not my favorite, but it was very very beautiful and I am glad that I was able to climb as much as I did.
Congrats to all of the riders that did make the whole ride - it was not easy!
This morning was cool - to the tune of 50 degrees at the ride start and it was foggy again. I elected to sag forward to the second sag stop since the first 30 miles had 4000 ft of climbing. The total climbing for the day would exceed 10,000 ft. Looking at the route card, I thought the section I chose to start with would be gently rolling and would get me warmed up for the big climb to the Virginia State Line. Oh, was I wrong - gentle and Appalachians do not go in the same sentence. I was climbing an 8% hill, or should I say bump in the road, at mile .8! The only thing that kept my mind off of falling over was looking at the beautiful scenery. The sun was shining through the trees and you could see the mountains that we would soon cross looming not too far in the horizon. There was still a little fog hanging in the recesses between the mountain ridges. Very peaceful. We soon turned onto a little one lane road. The road did have small gravel, smaller than a pea but bigger than sand, scattered over most of the surface. As long as it wasn't deep, it did not pose a problem. Otherwise, my tire could skid in it and cause me to fall. As long as I was climbing, which was mostly at 4 mph, a fall would not hurt too bad, but if I were descending, a fall could end up hurting pretty badly. So, I was more cautious on the downhills which robbed me of some momentum. This section was very steep climbs of half a mile or more with switchback type rollers with really sharp turns and sudden pitches. It wore me out! Some of it was so steep, I had to just walk the bike. I honestly did not think I would ever get off of this road and to the sag. I think I was at mile 11 when I finally made it back out to the main road. 11 miles and it felt like I had been out there forever! We had about a 4 mile downhill section and then we started another long climb. This one jumped up to 7% in a big hurry. I was able to ride for about a mile when it pitched a little higher and I just couldn't stay steady. So I would walk for a little bit and then get back on the bike for a little bit. This went on and I was prepared to continue this to the top when Tim J passed with the sag van! Yeah! I was never so glad to sag! Although 7% doesn't sound too steep, I just couldn't keep it up. So, I waved the white flag! I surrendered! Whoo Hoo!
I ended up sagging to the Virginia state line. The climb was 7 or 8 miles and was steeper than my earlier climb. Before I left the state line, I checked my stats. 17 miles, 8.5 mph, and 1765 ft of climbing - over 100 ft of climbing per mile - pretty tough. So, from the state line we hit a really beautiful section of the Shenandoah National Forest - a very thick tunnel of tree covered road.
So, even though I did not get to ride as much of the climb as I wanted, I still feel that I did the best this flatlander could. Steep is not my favorite, but it was very very beautiful and I am glad that I was able to climb as much as I did.
Congrats to all of the riders that did make the whole ride - it was not easy!
Foggy start in the Appalachian Mountains
Barn of the day
View from the twisty steep pitchy one lane road.
Bob L at the top of the climb Tim J rescued me on
Tim J, a 24 year old mathematician and crew member from MN, at the Virginia state sign.
Blue butterflies
Tree lined Shenandoah National Forest
Tomorrow will be another climbing day - we will be going over the Blue Ridge Parkway and hopefully it will start to flatten out.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Day 27 - Are we all crazy?
Our ride today included a tour of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum - you know you have to be committed to do this ride - HA
The morning started out very nicely. The temperatures were much cooler than the last couple days - probably back into the 60s at the ride start. We started 30 minutes earlier than the past few days and had a beautiful pink and blue sunrise. Today was also our first day back in longer hills. It was really funny because after several days of averaging 15-16 mph my average plummeted to 12 mph. As I was riding along I felt like I had been on the bike for a long time and I would look at my odometer and I had only gone 4 miles. Then I would look down again and think I should have gone at least 12 miles and had only gone 8. That went on for several more miles before I realized that I was back in the hills again. These were really long but only 4-6%, so I was just really slow on them.
Our lunch break was on the grounds of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. Pretty fitting for a group of cyclist crossing the US! Susan N bought our tickets for the short tour. Our tour guide had actually been a nurse at the asylum from 1966 until it closed in the 1980s. She then became a tour guide after she retired. Currently, the building is in really bad shape. They are in process of raising money to restore it as it is considered a National Historic Landmark. I think it was one of the first asylums to paint the rooms pastel colors to calm the patients. To raise money, they also have ghost tours that are conducted at night and they throw a pretty big Halloween party. It would be very scary to be in that building at night.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. We are all having mixed feelings about the trip right now. In a way we don't want it to be over, but in another, we are ready to see our family and friends. David left this evening for Birmingham. He will stay with Ken and Brooke before going to North Carolina and then to Ashville to meet me on Sunday. I am really excited about seeing him!
The morning started out very nicely. The temperatures were much cooler than the last couple days - probably back into the 60s at the ride start. We started 30 minutes earlier than the past few days and had a beautiful pink and blue sunrise. Today was also our first day back in longer hills. It was really funny because after several days of averaging 15-16 mph my average plummeted to 12 mph. As I was riding along I felt like I had been on the bike for a long time and I would look at my odometer and I had only gone 4 miles. Then I would look down again and think I should have gone at least 12 miles and had only gone 8. That went on for several more miles before I realized that I was back in the hills again. These were really long but only 4-6%, so I was just really slow on them.
Our lunch break was on the grounds of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. Pretty fitting for a group of cyclist crossing the US! Susan N bought our tickets for the short tour. Our tour guide had actually been a nurse at the asylum from 1966 until it closed in the 1980s. She then became a tour guide after she retired. Currently, the building is in really bad shape. They are in process of raising money to restore it as it is considered a National Historic Landmark. I think it was one of the first asylums to paint the rooms pastel colors to calm the patients. To raise money, they also have ghost tours that are conducted at night and they throw a pretty big Halloween party. It would be very scary to be in that building at night.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. We are all having mixed feelings about the trip right now. In a way we don't want it to be over, but in another, we are ready to see our family and friends. David left this evening for Birmingham. He will stay with Ken and Brooke before going to North Carolina and then to Ashville to meet me on Sunday. I am really excited about seeing him!
Morning sunrise in Parkersburg West Virginia
Gerry Goode
Barn of the day
Veronica in front of the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum - the name does not seem politicially correct, but I guess people did not care about being politically correct back in the day...
A patient room at the asylum - notice the peeling paint
Scott, Ernie, Tom, John, Charles, Ann, Steve, Greg, Rick and Mike waiting for the next tour
Tomorrow we cross into our 11th and last state - Virginia. The ride will be difficult with over 10,000 ft of climbing. I will probably sag forward at the start as I want to do the big climb to the Virginia state line and won't have time to do it without a small push. So far I have ridden over every state line and I intend to continue that trend tomorrow. It will also be my 28th consecutive day of riding. I would really like to see how many days I can continue to ride consecutively - do you think David would let me ride on Tuesday?
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Day 26 Hocking Hills, Waterfalls and West Virginia!
Today we headed into the Hocking Hills of Ohio. The morning started as usual but as I took my bag out to the truck I saw Ann T with her rain jacket. I asked her if it was supposed to rain and her answer was "Yes, hard". I always carry my rain jacket and probably 10 lbs of other stuff, so I did not worry about having to find it. It was definately overcast but on the cooler side at the ride start. Within the first 10 miles or so it started raining pretty hard. I did not like it as we were riding hills and I had problems stopping at crossroads on the downhill. I could not get my brakes to respond as fast as I wanted. Eventually it let up.
As I cycled through the small town of Laurelville, I stopped to check my directions and two Amish or Meninite men came out of a restaurant to ask me questions about our ride. They had seen the other cyclist come through and just wondered where we were going. They pointed me in the right direction and I was back on my way.
For whatever reason, I started going mental about the ride. Pat, my buddy from NOLA, would tell me that I was thinking too much and I probably was. I decided to sag at the first stop and I was 30 minutes behind the others anyway. This was actually a good thing as I was able to take a short hike into Ash Cave. It was a beautiful carved out area with a waterfall in the hocking hills. The area was very forrested and had sandstone walls. There were a lot of trees and ferns nestled in the carved out area along with a small brook. As you walked deeper into the carved out area (not really a cave) you could hear the waterfall. It was very serene.
At lunch, pb&j and pears, I was waffling about sagging all the way in to town. Thanks to Cov insisting that I get back on my bike, I rode in and had a great ending to my day. I did get to ride to the West Virginia sign which was hanging from a bridge in town. I guess Parkersburg is like Texarkana - a city situated in two states.
As I cycled through the small town of Laurelville, I stopped to check my directions and two Amish or Meninite men came out of a restaurant to ask me questions about our ride. They had seen the other cyclist come through and just wondered where we were going. They pointed me in the right direction and I was back on my way.
For whatever reason, I started going mental about the ride. Pat, my buddy from NOLA, would tell me that I was thinking too much and I probably was. I decided to sag at the first stop and I was 30 minutes behind the others anyway. This was actually a good thing as I was able to take a short hike into Ash Cave. It was a beautiful carved out area with a waterfall in the hocking hills. The area was very forrested and had sandstone walls. There were a lot of trees and ferns nestled in the carved out area along with a small brook. As you walked deeper into the carved out area (not really a cave) you could hear the waterfall. It was very serene.
At lunch, pb&j and pears, I was waffling about sagging all the way in to town. Thanks to Cov insisting that I get back on my bike, I rode in and had a great ending to my day. I did get to ride to the West Virginia sign which was hanging from a bridge in town. I guess Parkersburg is like Texarkana - a city situated in two states.
The terrain finally changed from farmland (corn) to beautiful rolling hills.
Walking to the waterfall and carved out area called "Ash Cave"
Sandstone forming the carved out area of Ash Cave
Waterfall at Ash Cave - okay, so it is just a trickle - it is still a waterfall in my book.
The waterfall is next to the tree in this picture - prettily camaflauged
Vikki and Chris at the 2nd sag - they both get lots of mail...
Crossing into our 10th state - Whoo Hoo!
Tomorrow we will continue into the Appalachian Mountains. I will probably have to sag for time over the next couple days, but I will do my best as we roll closer to our goal of Williamsburg, Va.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Day 25 - Fantastic Day Mentally and Physically!
What a great day! I was so at ease and relaxed today!
The day did not start out as well as it ended up. As I walked out of the motel this morning with my bike, it was already hot. I don't know what the temp was but the humidity had to be at 97% or more. You could cut the air with a knife - and it was soooo still. Fortunately, it was overcast. I woke up not feeling very good - probably under caloried again. I tried to eat some cereal and a cinnamon roll, but my stomach did not like them. I continued to get ready, but told Veronica that I may sag today. I went back into the motel to get my bag and grabbed a cup of yogurt. I really did not want it, but I knew I need to get something in my stomach.
We rolled out and I was amazed at how good my legs feel. I had my massage last night and I always ride better the day afterward - thanks John J! 4 miles into the ride I see a great barn. I don't normally stop this early in a ride to take a picture, but I had to today. My stomach was still very queasy, so I was nursing my Sustained Energy. As I rolled along, I realized that I was really rolling. Todays route was a perfect recumbent route. The hills were just the right size to power down and roll up. Only a couple needed to be pedaled over. Although I did not feel well, I was really enjoying the ride. I had to stop a couple time for bio breaks which slowed me down, but otherwise, I was rolling right along.
When I got to the first sag stop, I was the last one in. Lon indicated that Kirk and Priska were a few minutes ahead of me and that Bob K had to attend to buisness today and was not riding. So, I told Lon I would sag if I got too far back. He then told me I was doing fine on time (I was averaging 15 but stopped a few times probably putting me closer to 14 average overall) take my time and just plan on being in by 4! Wow, that really made me feel good!
The issue comes that when those of us who are on the slower side have a good day, typically the faster guys also have a good day in the same proportion so, we on the slower side are still slow. But today, I was just going to ride and not worry about how far back from the main pack I was because I knew I was in the time limits! So, I grabbed a banana and rolled out of the first sag! For the rest of the day I stopped when I wanted to take pictures and really enjoyed the rollers.
As I was riding I thought about shoulders - not the ones that attach your arms to your body, but those that are on the side of good roads. For the better part of the morning we had a good 4 ft shoulder. Most of the tour, we have had good shoulders or we have been on really low traffic back roads. Having shoulders really makes it much easier for a cyclist to ride. We are out of the way of the traffic and don't have to worry as much about being hit by cars. Mississippi does not have many roads with shoulders and that is a really big shame. We could cycle too so many more places using roads that have slightly higher traffic. I would love to ride to Leland to see the Kermit the Frog exhibit, but the roads to get there just aren't as safe. Anyway, we lost our good shoulder just before lunch. The traffic seemed to pick up and I was buzzed by 3 18 wheelers. They just don't like to move over. I then had to completely get off the road for one as he was going to mow me over even if I was riding just to the right of the white line - we still had a 6 inch shoulder. So, it is amazing that I can ride my bike across the US on roads that 90% have shoulders, yet I can't ride 60 miles to Leland MS or to Yazoo City even as I consider the roads too dangerous.
Okay, off the soap box about shoulders - I will listen to my Ipod (one ear only) tomorrow!
The day did not start out as well as it ended up. As I walked out of the motel this morning with my bike, it was already hot. I don't know what the temp was but the humidity had to be at 97% or more. You could cut the air with a knife - and it was soooo still. Fortunately, it was overcast. I woke up not feeling very good - probably under caloried again. I tried to eat some cereal and a cinnamon roll, but my stomach did not like them. I continued to get ready, but told Veronica that I may sag today. I went back into the motel to get my bag and grabbed a cup of yogurt. I really did not want it, but I knew I need to get something in my stomach.
We rolled out and I was amazed at how good my legs feel. I had my massage last night and I always ride better the day afterward - thanks John J! 4 miles into the ride I see a great barn. I don't normally stop this early in a ride to take a picture, but I had to today. My stomach was still very queasy, so I was nursing my Sustained Energy. As I rolled along, I realized that I was really rolling. Todays route was a perfect recumbent route. The hills were just the right size to power down and roll up. Only a couple needed to be pedaled over. Although I did not feel well, I was really enjoying the ride. I had to stop a couple time for bio breaks which slowed me down, but otherwise, I was rolling right along.
When I got to the first sag stop, I was the last one in. Lon indicated that Kirk and Priska were a few minutes ahead of me and that Bob K had to attend to buisness today and was not riding. So, I told Lon I would sag if I got too far back. He then told me I was doing fine on time (I was averaging 15 but stopped a few times probably putting me closer to 14 average overall) take my time and just plan on being in by 4! Wow, that really made me feel good!
The issue comes that when those of us who are on the slower side have a good day, typically the faster guys also have a good day in the same proportion so, we on the slower side are still slow. But today, I was just going to ride and not worry about how far back from the main pack I was because I knew I was in the time limits! So, I grabbed a banana and rolled out of the first sag! For the rest of the day I stopped when I wanted to take pictures and really enjoyed the rollers.
As I was riding I thought about shoulders - not the ones that attach your arms to your body, but those that are on the side of good roads. For the better part of the morning we had a good 4 ft shoulder. Most of the tour, we have had good shoulders or we have been on really low traffic back roads. Having shoulders really makes it much easier for a cyclist to ride. We are out of the way of the traffic and don't have to worry as much about being hit by cars. Mississippi does not have many roads with shoulders and that is a really big shame. We could cycle too so many more places using roads that have slightly higher traffic. I would love to ride to Leland to see the Kermit the Frog exhibit, but the roads to get there just aren't as safe. Anyway, we lost our good shoulder just before lunch. The traffic seemed to pick up and I was buzzed by 3 18 wheelers. They just don't like to move over. I then had to completely get off the road for one as he was going to mow me over even if I was riding just to the right of the white line - we still had a 6 inch shoulder. So, it is amazing that I can ride my bike across the US on roads that 90% have shoulders, yet I can't ride 60 miles to Leland MS or to Yazoo City even as I consider the roads too dangerous.
Okay, off the soap box about shoulders - I will listen to my Ipod (one ear only) tomorrow!
Hands down - barn of the day! I know I appreciate everything American - especially our flag since I have been on this trip!
White barn with quilt design
Red barn with quilt design hidden by the tree
Different red barn with quilt - can you see the thick air?
Apple Orchard - or "archard" if you are from Maine (hey Kelli! Say hi to sag mom for me!)
LOL! Very fitting for Nancy's comments yesterday!
Rumer was right! Grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches, pears and a pickle. You really don't know how good it really was!
Great Dog protecting his goats. I was riding by and say the goats in the field. I wanted a picture of them for Dianne. The dog comes bounding out of the dog house in the back and the goats all run away from the fence - I got a really big kick out of it.
Also had a great dane run towards me a day or two ago. He was a happy looking dog, but we were looking at each other eye to eye! Fortunately his owner called to him to come back and he minded! It was pretty funny as he looked at me very curiously!
Headed to the Hocking Hills and to a new state tomorrow. The next 4 days will be very challenging!
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