Sorry to all who follow this blog and have had nothing to follow for weeks now. Computer time and energy are equally scarce on the road.
We crossed into Oregon today (Lizzy's home state). Had a super fun ride. Many worthwhile purchases were made today. First, I got a legit slingshot at a very outdoorsy convenience store. Then, we stopped at a thrift store and bought two books for only $3. But then I spent more on mustaches from a gumball machine inside an A&W than I did on the books.
But I got a sweet fumanchu, Lizzy got a Mario-esque 'stache and B-Money got a Zoro 'stache. We wore them for the remaining 12 miles. Money and Lizzy got to riding a bit too fast for my liking so I hung back.
It was sooo entertaining waving to motorists while wearing that dirty fumanchu. One of the riders told me it looked like the hair of a fox's ass. It was red and at the bottom it had a bead strung onto the hair that hung down on each side.
We only have 12 ride days and one build day remaining. Mixed feelings on the matter. Doing this much longer is probably not sustainable but it's strange to have this come to an end.
I'm not so sure what I want to do afterward. I guess I'll have to figure that out. First, I think I'll hangout in CA for a few days, possibly with Lizzy. Then, I think I'll take the California Zephyr to Grand Junction, CO to visit Grandma Moab shortly after her 92nd birthday. At some point I'll fly on home.
I've missed a lot while I've been gone. Mammaw's 78th birthday is today. Aunt Janice's 58th is tomorrow. Holly had her baby. Jacob Morris got engaged. Tyler had the shingles. Jake had a scare with vision loss, which turned out only to be a migraine.
I have a lot of visiting to make up for all that.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
33/84
Today was a 86-mile day with rolling hills and a crosswind the majority of the way. Nothing too out of the ordinary but the trip is starting to take a toll on some of us. My riding partner Kim had to get in van today. Her calf muscles were siezing up and the ensuing charlie horse was a game changer.
But we made it to a gas station in Vici (vy-sy) and I got just a tenth of a mile down the road before I saw several bikes outside a restuarant there. I joined them in eating copious amounts of fried foods. About five miles down the road and for the remaining 25 miles I was reminded of what a bad idea the fried okra and seasoned fries were.
I finally got into Arnett, OK and the city's sign read "Welcome Bike and Build." I don't think anyone's been so excited about our being here. I think we may be the coolest thing to happen to Arnett.
We ate a ridiculous meal and then went over to a nearby park for a bike clinic with some local kids. That basically turned into us running wild in the park. First it was the merry-go-round, then it was the swings and then it was a pair of recumbent bikes two local people brought for us to try out. We did finally get around to the bike clinic. Then, we just ran around with the kids who came out.
But we made it to a gas station in Vici (vy-sy) and I got just a tenth of a mile down the road before I saw several bikes outside a restuarant there. I joined them in eating copious amounts of fried foods. About five miles down the road and for the remaining 25 miles I was reminded of what a bad idea the fried okra and seasoned fries were.
I finally got into Arnett, OK and the city's sign read "Welcome Bike and Build." I don't think anyone's been so excited about our being here. I think we may be the coolest thing to happen to Arnett.
We ate a ridiculous meal and then went over to a nearby park for a bike clinic with some local kids. That basically turned into us running wild in the park. First it was the merry-go-round, then it was the swings and then it was a pair of recumbent bikes two local people brought for us to try out. We did finally get around to the bike clinic. Then, we just ran around with the kids who came out.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
32/84
A lot's happened in the last week or so and computer time and wireless internet are scarce, so here we go.
I'm in Watonga, OK now. It was a 70-mile ride into town from Oklahoma City. It's very strange to glance over a cue sheet, see 70 miles as the total for the day and think of that as a short day.
I suppose doing back-to-back centuries (100-mile rides) changed my definition of a long ride. It also made me realize how much I'm capable of.
The first century of the trip was also my first century - 106 miles into I-can't-even-remember-where, OK. It was once city before OKC. All but the last 20 or so miles of that 106-mile day flew by. We (the group I was pacelining with) had done like 60 or so miles by lunchtime if not before then.
to
I felt amazingly good when I arrived at the host location just before 3:30. But the next day was a completely different story. Asking my body to do 96 miles the next day was just more than it was really capable of. I mean, my body was fine but there was nothing left for my mind. I'd honestly considered calling the van to pick me up because riding all foggy-headed probably wasn't safe.
After I couldn't hack it paclining with one of the groups, Kim caught up to me and we rode together. I still was in a fog and around mile 50 I just started bawling as I rode up a hill and through the tears (like a little kid) said "I just don't want to be on the bike" and took off up the hill and down another one in some blind burst of emotion.
It was kind of like vomiting: I felt better afterward. I slowed down a bit, Kim caught back up and then I had to acknowledge the craziness she'd just witnessed. I actually think it's pretty hilarious. A little awkward and totally out of character, but very funny.
We eventually made it into OKC that day, but that ride was just aweful. B-Money (Brian Phillips), the leader who is from OK and was in charge of the cue sheet that day, had said how flat OK would be etc. It was anything but. It was undulating hills the entire way. Even when you're going basically downhill you have to climb the rolling hills.
Made me think of that scene in Dumb and Dumber when they drive halfway across the country and are in Kansas when they should be in Colorado. "I thought the Rockies would be a little rockier than this." "Yeah, that John Denver guy's full of shit!"
OK version: I thought Oklahoma would be a little flatter than this. Yeah, that Brian Phillips guy is full of shit!
I'm in Watonga, OK now. It was a 70-mile ride into town from Oklahoma City. It's very strange to glance over a cue sheet, see 70 miles as the total for the day and think of that as a short day.
I suppose doing back-to-back centuries (100-mile rides) changed my definition of a long ride. It also made me realize how much I'm capable of.
The first century of the trip was also my first century - 106 miles into I-can't-even-remember-where, OK. It was once city before OKC. All but the last 20 or so miles of that 106-mile day flew by. We (the group I was pacelining with) had done like 60 or so miles by lunchtime if not before then.
to
I felt amazingly good when I arrived at the host location just before 3:30. But the next day was a completely different story. Asking my body to do 96 miles the next day was just more than it was really capable of. I mean, my body was fine but there was nothing left for my mind. I'd honestly considered calling the van to pick me up because riding all foggy-headed probably wasn't safe.
After I couldn't hack it paclining with one of the groups, Kim caught up to me and we rode together. I still was in a fog and around mile 50 I just started bawling as I rode up a hill and through the tears (like a little kid) said "I just don't want to be on the bike" and took off up the hill and down another one in some blind burst of emotion.
It was kind of like vomiting: I felt better afterward. I slowed down a bit, Kim caught back up and then I had to acknowledge the craziness she'd just witnessed. I actually think it's pretty hilarious. A little awkward and totally out of character, but very funny.
We eventually made it into OKC that day, but that ride was just aweful. B-Money (Brian Phillips), the leader who is from OK and was in charge of the cue sheet that day, had said how flat OK would be etc. It was anything but. It was undulating hills the entire way. Even when you're going basically downhill you have to climb the rolling hills.
Made me think of that scene in Dumb and Dumber when they drive halfway across the country and are in Kansas when they should be in Colorado. "I thought the Rockies would be a little rockier than this." "Yeah, that John Denver guy's full of shit!"
OK version: I thought Oklahoma would be a little flatter than this. Yeah, that Brian Phillips guy is full of shit!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
23/84
I woke up at 4:50 a.m. and rode 94 miles from Clarksdale, Miss. to Stuttgart, Ark. Process that.
We're a fourth of the way across American and today we passed the 1,000-mile mark of our trip. We're in our fifth state and even a different time zone than when we started three weeks ago.
I rode out with one of the fast groups when we started the day but got dropped when one of the dudes took the lead. Fun while it lasted though. David Smith rode with me though. We stuck together and made it through some super deserted areas and some very, very long miles -- some of which were on a bridge over the Mississippi River that neither of us were fond of.
We're a fourth of the way across American and today we passed the 1,000-mile mark of our trip. We're in our fifth state and even a different time zone than when we started three weeks ago.
I rode out with one of the fast groups when we started the day but got dropped when one of the dudes took the lead. Fun while it lasted though. David Smith rode with me though. We stuck together and made it through some super deserted areas and some very, very long miles -- some of which were on a bridge over the Mississippi River that neither of us were fond of.
22/84
A haiku co-written by myself and Zac Maas about our ride:
Uneventful ride
Eighty miles in the sun
Eat, sleep and repeat
Uneventful ride
Eighty miles in the sun
Eat, sleep and repeat
Saturday, June 12, 2010
19/84
We rolled out of Hamilton UMC stuffed to the gills with eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage, biscuits (some covered in “chocolate gravy”) and OJ.
This turned out great for some people who didn’t even have to bother with lunch and not so great for others. At least one of us threw up. That chocolate gravy probably tasted better the first time around.
Either way, special thanks to the guys in Hamilton who volunteered to come in early to fix us all breakfast.
We had a short ride (50 miles) into Tupelo, Miss. – the birthplace of Elvis Presley. But the roads made the ride seem a lot longer. A 3 ½ mile stretch of US 78 was a nightmare. I figured the fastest way to get off that road was to avoid a flat. I just pedaled up the hills and did my best to swerve around nails and the ridiculous amount of debris cluttering the shoulder. Shout out to all the clean up crews in states that actually maintain their roadways!
Rested at the lunch spot but was too full to bother even after 35 miles. Went to a small grocery store just off the freeway – I think Don’s Grocery – where Tim gave us two heaping bags full of bananas, apples and nectarines. He’d seen some of the faster riders pass by earlier and asked me what we were all doing.
The next 15 miles went by pretty quickly, especially on the high of “donation magic.” A nice rain helped cool me and Lizzy Whittemore down as we rolled into Tupelo.
We were anxious to get to St. Luke’s UMC to hear about the condition of another rider – Jessica Crumpler – who’d fallen after her tire got caught in a groove. Turns out she just needed five stitches in her elbow. She has a nice wound to show for it but is fine. She even road the remaining three miles after falling.
My ride was nearly uneventful. Then, this old man in an equally old Caddy turned left across my lane of traffic in Tupelo and nearly mowed me down. Lovely!
I was a little on edge after that close call but only had a few miles left. The warm showers at the church and pizza provided by Northeastern Mississippi Habitat for Humanity made everything better.
Awesome quote: “Put a little South in ya’ mouth” – printed on the menus of local restaurant Romie’s Grocery
This turned out great for some people who didn’t even have to bother with lunch and not so great for others. At least one of us threw up. That chocolate gravy probably tasted better the first time around.
Either way, special thanks to the guys in Hamilton who volunteered to come in early to fix us all breakfast.
We had a short ride (50 miles) into Tupelo, Miss. – the birthplace of Elvis Presley. But the roads made the ride seem a lot longer. A 3 ½ mile stretch of US 78 was a nightmare. I figured the fastest way to get off that road was to avoid a flat. I just pedaled up the hills and did my best to swerve around nails and the ridiculous amount of debris cluttering the shoulder. Shout out to all the clean up crews in states that actually maintain their roadways!
Rested at the lunch spot but was too full to bother even after 35 miles. Went to a small grocery store just off the freeway – I think Don’s Grocery – where Tim gave us two heaping bags full of bananas, apples and nectarines. He’d seen some of the faster riders pass by earlier and asked me what we were all doing.
The next 15 miles went by pretty quickly, especially on the high of “donation magic.” A nice rain helped cool me and Lizzy Whittemore down as we rolled into Tupelo.
We were anxious to get to St. Luke’s UMC to hear about the condition of another rider – Jessica Crumpler – who’d fallen after her tire got caught in a groove. Turns out she just needed five stitches in her elbow. She has a nice wound to show for it but is fine. She even road the remaining three miles after falling.
My ride was nearly uneventful. Then, this old man in an equally old Caddy turned left across my lane of traffic in Tupelo and nearly mowed me down. Lovely!
I was a little on edge after that close call but only had a few miles left. The warm showers at the church and pizza provided by Northeastern Mississippi Habitat for Humanity made everything better.
Awesome quote: “Put a little South in ya’ mouth” – printed on the menus of local restaurant Romie’s Grocery
Monday, June 7, 2010
15/84
My bike absolutely purred all the way to Scottsboro, AL. 78 miles.
Me and Karen Goudreau decided to ride together this morning after hanging out the night before. We rolled out about 8:20 a.m. We had so much fun today until the fun somehow caught up with Karen who bonked on the last five miles of the ride and has been nausceous all night.
But we were both feeling great all day before that. We cllimbed two mountains and went swimming at, I believe, Little River Falls just after topping out on the first mountain. That first mountain caught me completely off guard. We'd been bookin' it. We'd done like 35 miles by 10:45 a.m. and it was a total breeze. We were having a blast doing the running man and the relax on this long stretch of road with zero traffic. It was us and Katie Karas, Sarah Barry and Lizzy Whittemore.
The running man is where you take you hands off the handle bars and move your arms like you're running. There's a clip of a guy doing that in the video we use in our presentations. We have to see that dang video like at least three times a week and that's like the one thing I can still get jazzed out about. The relax is the same except you put your hands behind your head, maybe even do a little arm stretch like you just woke up.
Back to the mountain. Lunch was at the top and the entrance to the waterfall swimming area was like a minute downhill if that. Me and Karen spent probably two hours between lunch and swimming. By the time we'd hiked back up to the bikes we were a little tired and still had 38 miles to go.
The descent wasn't as dramatic as the ascent. I was sorta disappointed. But what that mountain lacked, the second made up for it. It started out with a pretty steep climb and curved (see sign that has like a backwards u-turn meaning switchbacks) up. I was pretty determined not to get off my bike this time (I took two short rests on the incline on the first mountain) and I totally had it. Then, this sand truck came up behind me and would not and then I realized could not pass me even though I was going 4 mph. It was literally going the same speed. I dismounted and let it and the backlog of cars move on.
We eventually met up with another group of riders - nearly passed them they were so quiet. They - Brian Phillips, Katie Reidel, Varun Seghal and Melissa Danielson - were taking a dirt nap under a big shady tree on this country road. A stop seemed opportune so we lied down too. What an awesome day: learning bike tricks, conquering a mountain, jumping off ledges, going swimming and grabbing a nap under a tree.
There was that run in with the scary dog but we averted that crisis. A five-mile stretch of one of the roads was an absolute disaster. It was like you and everything on your bike was being shaken.
But the ridiculous descent on the second mountain made up for it all. I topped out at 42 mph (and that was with feathering my breaks) down this tree enclosed stretch of road that opened up onto a lake. (It T'd into a road that crossed a big lake.)
Oh, and I've begun practicing the art of moving photography. Results have been intersting. But I haven't fallen and I have taken many more pictures than usual. (Look at the slideshow in the corner of my page. It'll have updated photos from today.)
Me and Karen Goudreau decided to ride together this morning after hanging out the night before. We rolled out about 8:20 a.m. We had so much fun today until the fun somehow caught up with Karen who bonked on the last five miles of the ride and has been nausceous all night.
But we were both feeling great all day before that. We cllimbed two mountains and went swimming at, I believe, Little River Falls just after topping out on the first mountain. That first mountain caught me completely off guard. We'd been bookin' it. We'd done like 35 miles by 10:45 a.m. and it was a total breeze. We were having a blast doing the running man and the relax on this long stretch of road with zero traffic. It was us and Katie Karas, Sarah Barry and Lizzy Whittemore.
The running man is where you take you hands off the handle bars and move your arms like you're running. There's a clip of a guy doing that in the video we use in our presentations. We have to see that dang video like at least three times a week and that's like the one thing I can still get jazzed out about. The relax is the same except you put your hands behind your head, maybe even do a little arm stretch like you just woke up.
Back to the mountain. Lunch was at the top and the entrance to the waterfall swimming area was like a minute downhill if that. Me and Karen spent probably two hours between lunch and swimming. By the time we'd hiked back up to the bikes we were a little tired and still had 38 miles to go.
The descent wasn't as dramatic as the ascent. I was sorta disappointed. But what that mountain lacked, the second made up for it. It started out with a pretty steep climb and curved (see sign that has like a backwards u-turn meaning switchbacks) up. I was pretty determined not to get off my bike this time (I took two short rests on the incline on the first mountain) and I totally had it. Then, this sand truck came up behind me and would not and then I realized could not pass me even though I was going 4 mph. It was literally going the same speed. I dismounted and let it and the backlog of cars move on.
We eventually met up with another group of riders - nearly passed them they were so quiet. They - Brian Phillips, Katie Reidel, Varun Seghal and Melissa Danielson - were taking a dirt nap under a big shady tree on this country road. A stop seemed opportune so we lied down too. What an awesome day: learning bike tricks, conquering a mountain, jumping off ledges, going swimming and grabbing a nap under a tree.
There was that run in with the scary dog but we averted that crisis. A five-mile stretch of one of the roads was an absolute disaster. It was like you and everything on your bike was being shaken.
But the ridiculous descent on the second mountain made up for it all. I topped out at 42 mph (and that was with feathering my breaks) down this tree enclosed stretch of road that opened up onto a lake. (It T'd into a road that crossed a big lake.)
Oh, and I've begun practicing the art of moving photography. Results have been intersting. But I haven't fallen and I have taken many more pictures than usual. (Look at the slideshow in the corner of my page. It'll have updated photos from today.)
14/84
Wake-up the last two days has come half an hour early: 6:30 a.m. Ugh! I can't even think at that hour. But I didn't wake up that early to stand around a parking lot piss-antin' around. So, I took off. I actually stayed in the first half of the pack for the majority of the day when we left Norcross for Rome, GA. Nice to not be at the back.
The church we stayed at had showers on site and they provided a potluck dinner. A guy came and gave people massages and through some stroke of luck four chiropractors showed up and adjusted our out-of-whack necks and backs. Meanwhile, a bike mechanic was slaving away FOR FREE on all of our bikes.
He worked on my gears and tightned my brakes. Apparently, I have a triple shifter on a compact gear set. Interesting. The bike mechanic just said it makes it way more difficult to tune but that it's not really wrong.
The church we stayed at had showers on site and they provided a potluck dinner. A guy came and gave people massages and through some stroke of luck four chiropractors showed up and adjusted our out-of-whack necks and backs. Meanwhile, a bike mechanic was slaving away FOR FREE on all of our bikes.
He worked on my gears and tightned my brakes. Apparently, I have a triple shifter on a compact gear set. Interesting. The bike mechanic just said it makes it way more difficult to tune but that it's not really wrong.
13/84
I'm 13 days into this 80-something day adventure and I'm already starting to lose track of what we did where. It's a lot like summer camp. I think it's the schedule of the day's events along with chore groups and allotted free time.
And spending 24-7 with 31 people makes you feel like you've known them a year, not two weeks. We've already biked seven days I think, which adds up to about 500 miles and we've had two build days.
The first was in Charleston, SC, where we demolished and then reroofed the Robinson family's aging house in one day. It was a rehab project with the local Habitat chapter.
And we did a ton more demo work in Athens, GA at an apartment complex. The place had evolved into a haven for crime and the local Habitat chapter had us come out to gut several of the 16 substandard apartments in the two buildings.
It'll almost be weird when we finally build something.
The biking has been hard between the intense sun exposure and the heat rash/chaffing. I have some sweet racing stripes already. Ten more weeks in the sun and my knees are gonna look like old catchers' mits.
I don't ride as fast as most of the people but I figure I can get anywhere at 13 or so mph.
And spending 24-7 with 31 people makes you feel like you've known them a year, not two weeks. We've already biked seven days I think, which adds up to about 500 miles and we've had two build days.
The first was in Charleston, SC, where we demolished and then reroofed the Robinson family's aging house in one day. It was a rehab project with the local Habitat chapter.
And we did a ton more demo work in Athens, GA at an apartment complex. The place had evolved into a haven for crime and the local Habitat chapter had us come out to gut several of the 16 substandard apartments in the two buildings.
It'll almost be weird when we finally build something.
The biking has been hard between the intense sun exposure and the heat rash/chaffing. I have some sweet racing stripes already. Ten more weeks in the sun and my knees are gonna look like old catchers' mits.
I don't ride as fast as most of the people but I figure I can get anywhere at 13 or so mph.
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