MAD-XC08

Banquet Day, in Burlington, MA June 28th, 2008

2008-07-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

Burlington,MA to Revere Beach, Boston, MA Friday, June 27th, 2008

2008-07-17T14:05:00.000-07:00

Brattleboro, VT to Burlington, MA Thursday, June 26th

2008-07-17T13:47:00.001-07:00

Albany, NY (Latham) to Brattleboro, VT Wed. June 25, 2008

2008-06-25T12:52:00.000-07:00

Well, today was the day that we were to ride through my old stomping grounds. Just over the NY border, is the town of Bennington, VT. I lived in that general area for 6 years; living in Bennington, Dorset (on the oldest 9 hole golf course in the nation) and then buying a home in the woods in Pownal, which is just a spit from Williamstown, MA. I had intentions of contacting some old friends (that I hadn't seen for about 20 years!) My friend Cathy Klebbe and I worked together in the CCU in what used to be Putnam Memorial Hospital, now SouthWestern Vermont Medical Center. She and I were great friends, and had a lot of laughs. After passing the sign below, I stopped at a new (since I had lived there) Dunkin Donuts, as the sag stop was there, and asked if I could use a phone book-long story short, the gal behind the counter knew my friend, and said that she had BEEN IN THERE EARLIER THAT MORNING!! I got her number, gave her a call, but she was at work in Albany, NY. We had a nice chat later and vowed to stay in contact.

Janie and I at the Vermont border-Janie is looking very serious-this is her second to last day of real riding to make EFI, and she was on a tear. When I stopped on the Bennington outskirts to talk to Cathy, Janie took off up the 7 mile climb to the ski resort. I was left to my own devices.

It was so awesome to ride through an area that I had lived in before. It is beautiful here.

Self portrait at the road side

Quaint as you would expect.

The other thing I did was recognize another friend's house that was actually on the route.

On a whim, I pulled in and knocked on the door. Her daughter answered; 20 years older than I remembered, and said in fact that her mom, Lorraine was at home.

We were glad to see each other, and had a very nice but brief talk as she was on her way to work. She is now a dialysis nurse. It was great to see her and I headed on up the mountain.

One of the more entertaining sights

Ron and I caught up with each other, this is at the top of HOGBACK MTN. The second ski resort to which we had climbed

After one of the most hellish traffic experiences that I had; travel trailers and trucks passing us at high speeds and coming very close on roads with no shoulders; I finally arrived in Brattleboro.

It was great to be here as well, as Brattleboro is a great little Vermont town that I had frequented often when I lived in that area.

The BEST part was that my friend Tanya, who actually lives in Denver, happened to be there visiting her friends at there bed and breakfast.

She was kind enough to pick me up from the hotel, and I had a home cooked meal in a most bucolic setting. Met 2 wonderful women, Deb and Lucia, and enjoyed relaxing conversation and even got my laundry done.

Tanya and I next to the guest house

It was so great to see her and meet new friends.......

All in all a great day as our tour winds down to a close.

Peace,

Mary Ann

Little Falls, NY to Albany, NY (actually Latham) Tuesday, June 24

2008-06-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

Here we are at an unofficial SAG put on by the Catholic Charities group. Don (second from L) is riding to raise money for them. Amy (who is a ROCK STAR) was FIRST to the hotel (far L) and myself then Scott. This was a very interesting group, as I was adopted from Catholic charities about 48-49 years ago (in NJ).
The ride today was nice until we reached the Schenectady/Colonie/Latham area. I have to say, after riding across the entire country, these were the most aggressive, dangerous, clueless drivers that we have encountered. Not only did our group of 6 almost get clipped several times, the drivers would give us lip about it. Unbelievable.

Janie, Sister______ and Tyrone, the very cute dog at the CC SAG

My new CC friends.

Me, Laura K. and Janie. We were the fast girls today.
We got to the hotel at a few minutes after 1:00, and headed out to Friendly's for lunch.

All in all a good riding day-I reached this SAG (55 mile mark) with a 17mph avg speed.
Ass kickin' all around today,
Tomorrow should be a tough one-through the hills in VT and NH.
Only 76 miles, but with a s*&t ton of climbing. We are passing through Bennington, where I used to work when I lived in VT. It should be fun.
Peace,

Syracuse, NY to Little Falls, NY Monday

2008-06-23T17:14:00.000-07:00

Here is the only "riding" photo....a boat and barge on the Erie Canal

Today was one of my favorite riding days. 78 miles total, good weather after threatening rain this morning. Janie and I got in a paceline with Don, and then Darryl, and Janie and I were the first into SAG 1 at 34 miles. We took off, but I was getting hamstring cramps, so I pulled off to stretch, and told Janie to go ahead, she was on some kind of mission to get into the hotel first, and she did. Mostly because Don had some friends who set up an informal SAG stop, and he was delayed-that being said, Janie and I both had one of our finest days of riding, just not together.
The picture above is of the Mohawk River. Janie and I went down there after dinner, sat on some rocks and solved the problems of the free world. We had more pictures, but the blogspot website is not cooperating with the upload. This blogging is time consuming enough without the technical problems.......

At the park by the river, there is a stage............do you need to know more??

tomorrow will be another nice day of terrain, and hopefully weather, although there is a thunder storm happening at the moment. We all can't believe that there are only 3 real riding days left, not including our 18 mile ride to the beach in Boston.
Many have mixed emotions about the end drawing near, and I am certainly one of them.
I was thinking of all the ways that we have become a big nomadic family.
Here are just a few of the things that I know of just today: folks doing eachother's laundry, loaning a friend a pair of bicycle sandals so he could ride with a broken toe, L-2 is currently cleaning my water bottles for me with efferdent, Alex let me borrow his arm warmers when someone mistakenly took mine, Rich bought us all lunch and beers in town this afternoon, and the list just goes on and on-oh and Jim is letting me use his laptop to type this blog, because the wait is always so long on the hotel computer. I will miss some of my new family profoundly, and some I will see in the future.
More photos later,
Peace

Canandaigua, NY to Syracuse, NY June 22, 2008

2008-06-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

Janie and I at Seneca lake..........beautiful spot.
Today was supposed to be short,but 70 miles and 3000 ft of climbing later, I am exhausted.
Yesterday was hard, and today was no easy recovery day.
The high light for me was the visit to Seneca Falls, NY, the site of the first women's rights convention. The photos are below. I was very moved at this place, and was glad to see bus loads of young girls being exposed to those woman pioneers who paved the way for all of us.

Notice the statue on the far left, between Barbara and I......bike helmet and sunglasses......

In the photo, (live) are Barbara, me, L-2, Laura and Janie.

This is a real girls day out!!!!!

Peace,

Hamburg, NY to Canandaigua, NY 94 hilly miles Saturday, June 21st.

2008-06-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

Today was long and hilly, but beautiful and we reached the 3000 mile point. Janie and I are happy, and she has incredibly actually ridden EFI as well!!!!!

Can't get enough of a good thing

Here we are, BFF, at the SAG stop. We had some pizza, and got on our way.

94 miles with 5100 ft of climbing..............tired

Peace,

Erie, PA to Hamburg NY Friday, June 20th.

2008-06-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

Well, today started out great. Riding was fun, the scenery was fantastic, it had rained but was drying off and Janie, Paula and I had a great warm up and were well on our way to our next state line crossing into NY.
Until.....................at about 18.7 miles, we were moving out into the road because a tractor was blocking the shoulder, and Paula caught the lip of the cement, and went down hard.

She did not lose consciousness, but I was surprised.........I immediately went into action, got Janie to mind the traffic (because Paula had landed right by the center line). We called the vans, and I did the neuro check and Tracy did the secondary survey, and when I saw Paula's helmet, and the extent of the several very large cracks, I knew that she was going to have one big headache.
She was also complaining of pelvic pain, and because she has no "padding" (read fat) I was really concerned that she had cracked it.
So we called the meat wagon to come and pick her up, and rode to the hospital (back in Erie.....) where we spent most of the day. Several xrays and CT scans later, she was proclaimed well enough to go home with no major injuries. We waited several more hours for a ride from Jim in the CROSSROADS van, and were to the hotel by 5pm. The good news was that we had DR. Dreamy in the ED, and that almost made it worth the whole deal. Paula has a picture of them that I took, I will try to include it later.

I was eager to get back to the hotel because my special guests were to arrive and take me to dinner. My friend Patty's mom EDNA and her cousin-in-law Doris were on their way from Buffalo to meet me in Hamburg.

We had a fabulous time, and took some photos, but again on Paula's phone (because in all the hub-bub I had misplaced my camera) I will post the photos later when I get them.

Not much riding for me today, but I got to spend the day with my girl Paula, and all is well in the end.

Peace,

REST DAY IN ERIE, PA Thurs, June 19th, 2008

2008-06-22T13:26:00.001-07:00

We needed some retail therapy..........Paula rented a car, and L-2, Paula and I hit the mall.

Janie may have been toooooooo hung over to join us, I am not sure.............*wink*

So after some fun, and a nice lunch out, we headed for the chores: laundry, bike cleaning, repacking, organizing and getting ready for the next day's ride.

Me on the phone trying to see if Janie is among the living and Paula being her cute self at the laundromat..........exciting, huh?

Peace,

Niles OH to Erie PA Wed, June 18th, 2008

2008-06-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

No photos from the ride today...........it rained like hell several times.

So, I started out feeling great..........I warmed up early and took off with some of the moderately fast folks.........then the huge RYDER gear truck came barreling past with Rick (crew) drafting off of it. I probably waited a split second too long, but I decided to get in on the fun. I sprinted about 500 yards to catch them, and we both had a fun 20-22mph ride off the truck.

Jim was driving........and pulled off after 2-3 miles, then I had the pleasure of drafting off Rick for about 15 miles. We were hauling.......about 2-3 miles out from the first SAG stop, the truck pulled in front of us again, but by this time it was pouring rain. I stayed with them for a few miles, but then fell off when Jim sped up.........so I rode alone in the driving rain about 1 mile to the stop. It was about 38 miles at this point, and I was soaked, cold and done for the day.

So I hopped into the gear truck, got some dry clothes, and rode in the truck for the rest of the way. It was one of my most fun days of the tour. Jim and I had a FANTASTIC time. We laughed and told stories, and got lost (don't tell Tracy) and just had an all around great time.

I wouldn't have traded it for EFI!!!! I helped him unload the bags, and waited for the other riders to arrive. It was a rest day stop, meaning that we have 2 days here in Erie, PA.

Here is Janie and me trying to get into the "wrong" door of the bar. We made up for many "school nites" by getting pretty much shit faced on this nite............it was very, very fun.
We partied with Darrel, Laura and Rich, and Jim S. I would add pictures of them, but all came out fuzzy........I think that it was because everyone was moving.........but it might have been operator error..........6 Blue Moons later..........it is hard to tell......
Peace,

Wooster, OH to Niles, OH June 17,2008

2008-06-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

Added these photos later, we are getting bad about taking a lot of pictures....should get more interesting.........I hope

Amy Mack, me and Janie....it was cold..this is at our first SAG stop

Hey All< class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">pumpkin"
Janie says "are you going to the pumpkin patch?"....now we just call it "in the patch"

so, yesterday...........I wound up in "the patch" at the expected time. BUT, Janie and I thought that I was dehydrated............so I banged back 2 water bottles, and ate only a little bit.
Then I was out of fluid...........so we stopped at some random house and knocked on the door.....
A very nice woman with a hairdo that I have NEVER seen before........answered the door and sitting in a recliner was a man who looked like a mass murderer.....they gave us water, and we started on our way..............but in about 30 seconds I realized that was quite REHYDRATED...and and to pee really badly..............so I pulled over quickly, and Janie followed....I dropped trou, squatted and screamed "JANIE, DON'T SQUAT, I AM SQUATTING IN POISON IVY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
She screamed, and jumped out of the weeds at lightning speed, and I thought that I might have made a fatal error.............
See, at this point, I am riding with my BFF Janie, making sure that she maintains her EFI status........my bike is basically spare parts if she should have a mechanical.
And I enjoy riding with her so much..........I wouldn't trade it for the world.
So, we both escaped with out PI, and one more day tomorrow-then a rest day in Erie PA.

My friend's MOM, EDNA phoned me last eve and invited me out for a fish fry on Friday nite in HAMBURG, NY.
I can't wait,
Peace,

Marysville, OH to Wooster, OH June 16th

2008-06-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

Today was 98 miles, but let's just call it a century-BECAUSE THE HILLS AT THE END WERE HILL-ACIOUS.
Janie and I rode together, and had a great time, the weather was great, not too hot.
Here is the only riding picture; can't imagine living in this town.
The hills at the end were so steep that at one point Janie started yelling that she was going to fall over because the pedals wouldn't turn-I left out the expletives..............
I am told that the double digit inclines that we went up today were steeper than anything that we had done to date.

Here is an "after shower-no lycra photo" Let's face it, it IS hard to look good in lycra!

Peace,

Richmond IN, to Marysville, OH

2008-06-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

Another state line, first thing this morning into Ohio. Today wound up being 105 miles, but a beautiful ride

We passes MANY Amish folk on their way to church..........the usual horse and buggy, but then we saw many young people on bikes!!! and a young man and woman on a tandem, and even a young Amish man ON A UNICYCLE!!! It was very COOL. It is not polite to photograph them, so Ihad to sneek a photo from behind at a distance and was more polite when we passed.

Janie at a shade break at about 60 miles (Jana, am I getting enough pictures of Janie for you?)

Sometimes the best course of action is to let the feet cool off............if not in a fountain, then in the cool grass.

I stopped at the roadside when I bonked...........and saw this little man................WHO STILL HAS THESE THINGS????????

IN OHIO?????? YIKES................

Cranked out a century plus, and 95 miles due for tomorrow...........

Peace,

Indy, IN to Richmond, IN Sat. June 14th

2008-06-15T17:32:00.001-07:00

What a great riding day!!! It was beautiful and not too hot. We cranked out 86 miles like it was nothing. Here are the girls with the 50th birthday girl AMY (2nd from left)

When we reached Richmond, we paused in the rose garden...........in the fountain................

Janie smelling a rose

BFFs in the gazebo

Looking happy to be pretty much done for the day

this chick was getting hitched at 3:00pm..............

I think that based on the conditions, the terrain and how strong I felt, this may have been one of the best days yet.

We are all well aware that our days are numbered................savoring every minute.

Peace,

Crawfordsville, IN to INDY, IN FRIDAY THE 13TH

2008-06-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

It lived up to it's name, Friday the 13th that is. Big thunderstorms last nite, but not too bad this morning.............at 40 miles it started raining in earnest, and 25 miles of downpour..............sucked.
We were to visit the Major Taylor velodrome, but I couldn't spend one extra minute in wet clothes.
Sometimes when the weather is bad, we need extra special cheerleading. Here are Alex and Achim getting a taste of their own (albeit perverse) medicine

Tracy Clark and Jim..............horny

How cute is JIM?????

they are all dangerous to me................

65 miles, hideous rain, always fun.........

Peace,

Champaign IL to Crawfordsville, IN 80 miles

2008-06-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

Well, just when we thought that it couldn't get any more fun (of funny) it was "helmet decorating day". Here I am with "the Brits on the tandem" Trevor and Sue, they unfortunately were departing the tour on this day. I am a puffer fish...........this day is all about the photos....see below.

Paula as "the princess" with the Brits

Iowa Bob and his wife Kim.......he has corn on top

Paula taking a photo, and L-1's husband Bill

Janie-it is all her own hair and L-1

Paula, L-1, Janie and Iowa Bob

Warren with pill bottles-all the empty ones from this trip......

Brenden with of course, a chicken

"Porn Star" Bill, with a serpent on his head

Peggy and Paula

Laura K. also with a chicken, cigarette in it's mouth

Mikie as a cricket

Amy Mack lookin' all patriotic (and cute)

Pilot Scott.......also in Red White and Blue

Amy Mack and Scott

Clark (crew) looking festive!

Me and my roomie (L-2) She is a unicorn

L-1

And the best............the Germans...............hilarious

Jim (crew) loves Dairy Queen

Other Scott (landshark)

Janie and I crossing the Indiana border..........

The Germans........Alex and Achim

Couldn't resist this sign

Some random pictures in a random town......see below

Can you spot the 2 ORBEAs???

And L-2

It got very very hot and humid toward the end of the ride, but all in all a fine day filled with silliness. All good.

Peace,

Rest Day in Champaign, IL Wednesday, June 11th

2008-06-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

A nice lunch, SEX IN THE CITY movie with the girls...........Janie, Sydney, Me, Peggy and Amy Mack

New tires and new bike jerseys will perk me up to the finish.

Unbelievable that we only have 14 riding days left, with one rest day in Erie, PA

No photos today, just fun and rest for the you know where................
80 miles tomorrow.............can't believe only 2 weeks left, give or take..........

Peace,

Springfield IL to Champaign IL Tuesday, June 10th

2008-06-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

Today was everything that yesterday wasn't............beautiful weather to be exact!
We had a bit of of a head wind in the beginning, but soon I was in the "Jersey-girl train"
Janie(R), still lives in Jersey and Amy Mack (L) and I are originally from NJ.
We picked up Paula, and said 2 things, first that she couldn't lead the paceline because we couldn't draft off a TWIG and second she could only join if she at least knew the capital of NJ.
She couldn't come up with it...........but since we were taking 1/2 mile pulls, and Amy wanted a longer rest, she screamed TRENTON, TRENTON, TRENTON until Paula got it and she latched on. Because of the recent heavy rains, we had 2 detours due to bridges being flooded, so it turned into a 93 mile day. But, with the "GIRL TRAIN" WHOO WHOO (which we screamed every time we passed someone, quite annoying I understand....) I averaged 17.4 for the entire day. I did pull away at the end (last 15 miles) and put the hammer down...it helped with the average speed.
Looking very forward to the rest day..........the nether regions really need it............

Here i am having a test ride on the front of the German tandem...........we call it the "disabled chair"

Here is Paula having her turn.
All in all, a great day riding, even with the detours.

Peace,

Quicy IL to Springfield, IL 109 miles YUCK-RAIN!

2008-06-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

NO PHOTOS TODAY...............It poured rain. I was in wet chamois (pamper) for more than 8 hours.

We had 100+ miles to ride, and the route was probably nice, but the 1/2 day downpour dampened the spirits....pun intended. Too wet to carry the camera.

Actually after 65 miles, the rain lessened, and with the exception of one more HUGE shower (we were in Dairy Queen at the time) it held off. The last 40 miles was actually flat with a tail wind, so it was a salvaged day.

Wet, tired, looking for some dry cotton...............wet lycra just doesn't cut it sometimes.

Kirksville MO to Quincy, IL

2008-06-08T14:35:00.001-07:00

3 milestones today!!!! We reached the 2000mile mark-almost impossible to believe
Here I am with Rick (crew) and Beverly.
The second milestone is crossing the Mississippi (below) and the third, crossing our next state line into Illinois.
Yesterday's ride took a lot out of me. I had very painful knees and "NO LEGS" today.
I pulled into the first sag stop and immediately went over to Tracy............I asked her if she had heard that our hotel room was broken into last night...............she said "for real????? What happened???" I told her that some things were stolen. Becoming more and more concerned.........."What??" she said.....both my legs, I replied. I got her good on that one..........

Here is a bike junk yard-can you spot the the ORBEA??

There is the DIVA!! The bike I mean...........

Here I am before crossing a very hairy bridge over the might Miss- no shoulder and vehicles going crazy

Safely to the other side.

The town of Quincy is very beautiful with blocks and blocks of amazingly large stately mansions. Very nice cycling through town.
I guess that you might call today a recovery day. Yesterday was very difficult, and tomorrow is 100+ miles..........with climbing of course. I still can't believe that I have ridden 2000+ miles.....it was a dream, and it is coming true, day by day, mile by mile. I have made some forever friends.......we are already planning reunion rides. Less than 1500 miles to go. I am looking forward to Sydney's visit in Champaign. Wish me luck tomorrow.........long, hot and hilly.

I am strong, I can do anything...........I hope.

Peace,

Chillicothe, MO to Kirksville, MO Saturday, June 7th

2008-06-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

75 miles today, and this is the only picture...............Janie and I decided "screw the old Boston" let's go to New Boston, we could cut out a bunch of miles.

This was the day that the first 26 miles was fast, many hills but I was in with the front runners.
then came 50 miles of 148 hills...................5100 feet of climbing in 50 miles.
My knees hurt, but it was a beautiful ride...........gotta go ice................tomorrow is another day.
Peace.

St Joe MO to chillicothe, MO BEST DAY EVER!!!

2008-06-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

This was on the bulletin board at a store where we stopped-L-2 wondered if it was on 1 foot.......

THIS WAS IN FACT THE BEST DAY EVER!!!!
It was was not too hot, it was not too long, not too hilly and we had a party!

The town of Maysville, MO has an annual party the day that we get into town. The blue haired ladies (and some of the men) from the Historical Society make home made cinnamon buns and lemonade and honor us with fun and history.

So we line up at a school just .2 miles away and parade down the hill in our Cross Roads finest.

IT was SO FUN! It was small town USA at it's finest. The old folks were so CUTE!!!!

Here are Paula and I waiting for the parade

Tracy is almost EVANGELICAL in her excitement!

Here I am with some of the cowpokes at the grammar school where we were waiting...they were 5 and 6 year olds...........I fit right in

Damien (from Ireland) and the cowboys

Here we all are lining up

It takes a while-herding cats...............

Here we are at the party spot

Here I am with my new best friends

ANd L-2 got "screwed" YIKES!!!!!

Loved the name of this place!

At the end of the day, I couldn't find my roomie...............but then I spotted her....well at least part of her..............

Peace,

Topeka KS to St. Joseph, MO June 5th, Thursday

2008-06-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

Today was a kinder, gentler ride. Cloudy skies kept things from getting too hot, and the wind gods cooperated and we had a tail wind for a bit. 86 miles, with a bit of a "mis-cue sheet" at the end, resulting in an unwanted tour of the entire city of St Joe.

This is Paula eating a foot long dog at Dairy Queen..........it was more like 18 inches

Just a few rain drops today, and a pleasant ride; an 86 mile recovery ride from yesterday

We crossed into Missouri today, but the photo didn't come out, but my Buddy, who I nicknamed Porn Star Bill, got me the shirt below.

And here is my buddy Janie, in the lobby of our home for tonight, showing us what we all care about, THE WEATHER!!!!!!!!!

She is the only CHICK left who is EFI. Keep pulling for her; she rocks.

Peace,

Abilene KS to Topeka, KS

2008-06-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the sites from our first sag stop on this day.
To start out, we were looking at 106 miles, with some wind, and very, very hot and humid
We actually had hot, humid, headwinds and hella long way to go.
I felt good after the rest day and started out strong.
I was part of the first group to reach the first sag, but I missed a right turn, realized it about 20 ft later, went to turn around, hit some gravel and went down hard................I was dazed after knocking my left temporal lobe, which believe me, needs no more trauma.
I got into the sag with a bloody elbow and feeling kinda stupid.
3 band aids later, and a long pause at the sag...........I was ready to go, until my phone alerted;
the Director of Nursing phoned to tell me that I DID NOT get Director of clinical Education job.
I actually was somewhat relieved; I didn't want to have to think about that for a month.

After some more "puppy love" I got on my way.

I was really a very beautiful route. I enjoyed the ride. It was however very HOT

Below is my (second) room mate, Linda-2, we decided that our hot foot needed some stream water.

You can't believe how good that felt on the feet.

this was toward the end (90miles)-although I have never been to Europe, it reminded of it.

the DIVA looks pretty good there, huh?

Just a picture of the beautiful Kansas sky, and a lovely name for a road-I like the flower

This was on the "cyclocross" section of our ride; always a twist.

I arrived very hot and very tired, and after missing a turn earlier, added 2 miles to make it 108 for today.

The best part of the day was Linda-2 singing at the top of her lungs to her iPOD; just picture Molly Shannon, in a skort, wearing a bike helmet, singing "PUMP THE JAM" off key. Almost to funny to pedal,

peace......

Girl's Day Out-Rest Day in Abilene, KS Tuesday, June 3rd.

2008-06-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

A well deserved rest day, in a cute, quaint town that time forgot.

(L-R) Linda-2, ME, Janie, Peggy, Paula.......we are happy to have a day off from the bike seat.

Soaking it all in.........

Then I convinced the girls to go with me into the pet store because they were advertising kittens

We each almost came out with 2...............too noisy in the luggage.

A long, hard, hot day of climbing tomorrow...106 miles............pray for me.

BUT, THE OFFICIAL 1/2 WAY POINT TOMORROW!!!!!

Can't believe it...........want a cute kittie??

Peace,

McPherson KS to Abilene, KS Monday, June 2nd

2008-06-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

SHE'S BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am getting well after my day off, and after a cautious 20 mile spin (of course into a head wind)
I started to feel my body again; the legs have never let me down (since I rode my way into shape during the first 2 weeks) but things are returning north of the hip joints.
At mile 22, we turned left, and got a tail wind for 8 whole miles. It is actually beautiful in this part of Kansas; unlike what I expected, which was an entire week of dust bowl, it is green and pretty with horses and fields of wheat. (not the corn we had heard about)
It got EXTREMELY humid; all of a sudden, today.
I thought that it was raining, but I had turned my head and the sweat drips were flying off at escape velocity.
Every one's mood immediately changed when we finally (after what seemed like a week) got a respite from the headwinds

Here is Paula and Iowa Bob celebrating on the see-saw.

Paula and I at the Durham (I think) sag stop. the old school bell

This is one the way into Abilene; this McMansion is for sale, and on the lawn I spotted this enormous sculpture; it is an eagle

It is so big that my head and shoulders fit in one talon.

The closer I got, the scarier it looked............the place is for sale; eagle included for 1.8M

The land is the size of a 9 hole golf course; bargains to be had in Kansas.

63 miles; a nice relaxing "brochure" day.

Rest day tomorrow;

More photos of Abeline to come.

Peace;

Great Bend KS to McPherson, KS Sunday June 1st

2008-06-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

Not much to tell today.
I woke up and was too weak to walk let alone ride.
Good news and bad news was this demon inside me was exiting the way it deserved.
Multiple bouts of the big "D" have left me weak but with a better feeling stomach.

A relief to be on clear liquids, not trying to shove calories down in an attempt to ride.
One day at a time...............I will let you know tomorrow.

Peace and love the comments...............keep em coming.
I love you all.........

Dodge City KS to Great Bend KS May 31st, Day 22

2008-06-01T10:19:00.000-07:00

Here I am at the 1/2 was point of the USA Half way between San Francisco and New York City
I thought that I was getting better............woke up hungry, but then started vomiting (dry heaving actually), ate, and immediately knew I was in trouble.
The 86 miles that we were to ride this day wouldn't have been bad, except for the 15-20mph headwinds......................and this is the day it happpened=EFI ended.
AT mile 43 I started crying, and at mile 45, I packed it in. It had taken us 5.5 hours (including stops) to to 43 miles. I couldn't see spending another 4-5 hours on my bike feeling nauseous and in pain.

Here is the place I QUIT. Some non-descript road in some God forsaken place in Kansas.

I cried hard, Janie stayed with me, until I got my sorry ass into the van.

I immediately fell asleep, got to the hotel, and slept for 4 more hours. Got up and tried to go to dinner, ate some plain pasta, got even sicker, and went to bed.

My ride tomorrow is in serious question....................

Pray to the stomach Goddess.........

postscript:

One of our riders, my buddy Brenden, was toodling along, (he is usually the lantern rouge)

and in his words: " a bloke came along in a truck, tooted at me to get out of the road, then hit me in the back of the head with a dead chicken and knocked me off my bike"

It might be funny if it didn't hurt him so much, but we had a chuckle in spite of our selves

Got some great folks here in Kansas.........the poor chickens.

Liberal KS to Dodge City, KS

2008-06-01T10:14:00.001-07:00

Barbara, (in street clothes) sagging today after the stomach thing, me and my sweetie Alex (German) and L1 looking very happy.
This is the only photo of today, the weather looks beautiful, but again wicked (and from an unusual direction). The locals keep telling us how NORMALLY the wind would be behind us.......nice.

This was at the sag stop at the Dalton Bros hide out-some wild west thing, whatever.
Left here and continued the eschelon pace line with L1 and Warren.
We made it 83 miles, and as L1 put it, it wasn't pretty and it wasn't fun.

Guymon OK to Liberal, KS May 29th, Day 20

2008-06-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

This was the day that we have all been waiting for-we call it "a brochure day"
What we thought there was more of when we all signed up.
It was 40 miles, 25mph tailwind........took just over 2 hours because we stopped along the way to have FUN and take many photos.
Here are all the girls in HOOKER, OK -notice the tan lines...........hot, huh?

I was inclined to head in another direction (to the right) where perhaps more excitement was to be had, but the girls kept me on track, and I headed to Liberal, the home of "the" Dorothy.
Yes of Wizard of Oz fame.

Here is my Janie from NJ in a natural pose............

and cutie pie Paula.............

Peggy (couldn't handle the lying pose-rocks very painful)

The girls(l-R) Janee, Peggy, me, Noreen and Paula)

Got a t-shirt from this place-you betcha

Finally into Kansas

Looking happy but feeling kinda pukey

The girls hanging out at the photo op

I got to the motel and went right to bed-hard to survive on milk..........and try to ride too.

Everything that I ate caused stomach pain, burning and nausea.

Fun, huh?

Tomorrow is Dodge City KS.

Oh boy.............83 miles of more headwinds.

Peace

Dalhart TX to Guymon OK May 28th Day 18

2008-05-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of the day-Janie and I gave it a miss

This was supposed to be a kiss-but it is looking more like CPR

Anyway,

Last nite I felt so sick.............like I had the flu. Chills fever, nausea, stomach pain, so of course I decided to ride 80+ miles today.

And again, a headwind, but just in the beginning. (first 40 miles)

I held onto Janie's wheel for dear life for the first 5-10 miles, then I started to feel a bit better.

Then we did a 1/2 mile pull tandem pace line, and for the last 30-40 miles, the wind changed and we sailed into town and came upon this park above replete with a fake cow and some old rusted farm equipment.

That's all for today,

Peace,

Tucumcari NM to Dalhart, TX May 27th, 95 miles of HELL

2008-05-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

Well, we have had hailstorms, headwinds, snow, sideways rain, sandstorms, wicked crosswinds.
5 people have crashed, 2 others have left due to health issues; we thought locusts were next.
BUT we didn't even consider what was to happen next.
Let me tell you how my day started: my room mate went flying across the room at 0445 am to hurl in the bathroom, waking me as she passed.

I thought that she had heat exhaustion from our 109 mile day that was very difficult-so I called Tracy, the tour director to tell her that my roomie was sick, and headed down with her bike to load it on the truck since it was obvious that she wouldn't be riding, and I saw Paula, who said that she had been up since 0230 feeling ill, and had vomiting and diarrhea since. Then I heard that several others had been experiencing the same thing.
I didn't think that so many folks would have gotten heat stroke...........But we rode off, leaving many in their rooms, and some were actually going to the hospital (not an unusual occurrence on this trip)
It actually started out nicely for me; I skipped the (required ) stop at Denny's and followed the Germans out onto the route. It was pleasant and relaxing with just a slight headwind..........and then at about 7-8miles, the trouble started. The headwinds picked up to 15+ mph, and stayed like that for 90 miles. Yes, killer headwind for 90 miles.
I rode the first 45 miles alone, because I had left before most of the group. The Germans were ahead of me, and I had a goal to catch them. At 45 miles, I stopped and waited for Don and Damien, and we had a 3-way for 25 miles or so, as we crossed into Texas.

Here I am flipping off the lower section of the sign.........................

Here is Damien, who was my hero of the day

Here I am with my German friends (Dad and son-Achim and Alex) at the sign with bullet holes.....what else did you expect in Texas

Although I look all smiley here, I was about to finish one of the worst cycling days of my life

As we paused at the Texas sign to take photos, Tracy drove up in one of the vans and it was loaded to the gills with people; so it is like this:
5 people were so sick that they went directly to the hospital, then people started dropping like flies. Folks would be riding, suddenly pull over, have projectile vomiting, then explosive diarrhea, then lie down on the ground for 1-2 hours waiting for transport.

towards the end of the ride, what you unfortunately can't tell from this photo very well, is that these are feed lots, and all of that "brown mass" is cattle.

10s of thousands of them, I have never seen so many animals in one place..

This is what I looked at for about 70 miles-the ground

This is what I looked at for the last 25 miles-Damien's butt.

In a nutshell, it was food poisoning-we had eaten at a Pizza Hut the night before, and something was tainted. By the time the head count was taken, I think that 12-15 people were sick, some in the hospital all day with IVs etc. For the folks that did ride, many were suffering from the headwinds; and just gave up from exhaustion.

So Don, Damien and I got to the final sag stop, and some folks who were sick, or tired were resting in the van or walking around trying to keep down some Gatorade.

I was exhausted, it was by far one of my worst days ever in my life, let alone on a bike.
I was shoving down coffee cake and I looked over and about 50 yards away Dan, one of our strong riders was hurling about a gallon of fluid..............the poor guy should have gone to hospital, but didn't and suffered all day.
So I just keep eating and he kept hurling, and finally D, D and I moved on.
After that stop I started to lose power. I was suffering, and couldn't fulfill my duties in the pace line. That is when my hero of the day, Damien, told Don to go on and he basically got in front of me and pulled me for 25 miles. WE WERE RIDING AT 9-10 MPH FOR MOST OF THE DAY.
The headwinds were horrible; and they just kept getting worse. My actual Average speed was 11.6, but really, we were creeping along.
By the time I got to the hotel, I was sobbing in Damien's arms, thanking him for the incredible gift that he had given me. I was still EFI. I had done 97 miles in under 10 hours, but it was one of the hardest things that I had ever done. And my Janie was still out on the course!!!!!!
I showered, ate and felt like I might live, except my left hamstring had seized up and I could barely stand to sit down. Finally Janie came in, holding a SONIC BURGER bag, smiling: she had been on her bike for 12 hours, but she is also still EFI.
Peggy was kind enough to give me a massage, and it allow my hamstring to heal over night.

All in all, it was a hell of a day. I realized then that I too was sick, just a mild case; so I went to bed with chills and nausea, and wondered what I might be able to muster in the morning.
More to come: this computer would not allow me to upload photos, so I will when I can,

God Bless my tour family,
MAD

LasVegas, NM to Tucumcari, NM Monday, May 26th

2008-05-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

We passed the 1000 mile mark today.......Last night I needed to replace my computer battery (again) and I inadvertently set it for Kilometers instead of miles.
So, I was going really far very fast this morning for a brief moment before I realized what I had done. So, I just went with it, it was kind of fun to distract myself on the hills doing all that math.
The first 50 miles or so (90K) was great; except the part when I stopped because Ron had crashed hard. He was passing Mack at the sag vehicle and tried to throw his no longer needed warm clothes and somehow bailed hard. I was there with all and him for about 30 minutes; the amazing thing is that we had come down this long hill, and at the bottom there was no cell reception, so super hero Darryl rode 2.5 miles backwards until he got reception and called the "bus". After I had lost that time, I rode like a woman possessed. I was hammering and felt great. I was up with Laura and Rich, and passed Warren at one point. Rich (a very strong rider) had a bad day and actually wound up walking a fair amount of the way into town secondary to a leg cramp. He is tough. And Darryl was very tired, so I wound up pulling him a few miles into the last sag stop; don't know how that happened, but he thanked me and we had a coke to celebrate.
The last 30-35 miles sucked; I lost interest at about mile 80, and had to amuse myself. I actually think that I started hallucinating-hearing voices and seeing things that weren't there.

Anyway, 177 kilometers (about 109 miles) today through the desert. The air temp reached about 97 but the heat from the road told my computer that it was 105. YIKES!!

This picture doesn't do this hill justice; it was 0.7 mile climb at somewhere between 11-13%

This is a self photo of me just before the climb

Here are some shots of the desert, at it's prettiest.............and hottest

FYI.......................EFI 1000+ miles...........and many, many more to go.

Peace,
Burnt Toast.....................

Santa Fe to Las Vegas, NM May 25, 3rd week start

2008-05-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

Well, it finally happened................we had a FABULOUS DAY!!!!!!
This was a photo of the Pecos Indian ruins, this is Janie and L2
72 miles, beautiful weather, tailwinds, and 4800 ft of climbing
Actually, we hit Glorietta pass, 7562ft elevation, high point of the trip, literally
Tracey is back (the tour leader/owner) who left for emergent back surgery.

Despite the climbing and the altitude, it was the BEST DAY YET.
Quite a contrast to Friday (which is now known as the day I almost died)

More photos from the ruins.......and the beautiful weather

Had to stop here to check it out..........found 10 of our tour buddies.

tomorrow is 106 miles.....................EFI for another day, thank goddess

Peace,

Rest day in Santa Fe May 24th, day 15

2008-05-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I survived the first 2 weeks, (barely).
I told myself that if I could accomplish this feat, I could make it all the way.
Today was particularly hard.......not for the riding, because this was a much deserved day off, but because 2 people that I have grown to love very much were departing today.
Zack was headed home to prepare for his trip to Thailand, and Laura's planned 2 weeks were completed.
The tour staff have noticed that this year's group has bonded more quickly that in past years, and were are all affected by the departures of the sick, injured and even for those that we know need to leave the tour early.

Zack is everyone's sweetheart. The other tours workers are so sick of hearing how cute and sweet he is. We have bonded so much in the past 2 week, especially in those long hours getting tats.

And Laura lost her two companions on day 2, when Jose and Cynthia crashed in the terrible winds in CA. I think that it gave her the opportunity to bond with us and create new and everlasting friendships.

We will miss them both more than we can say. (I know that this makes it sound like they are dead...........) this group is so close, that we feel their departure deeply.

We all sat around and said goodbye..................

Janie

Laura

Brenden

Brenden and Laura-another love fest of the mutual admiration society

Zack and Laura-the 2 leaving
Zack is staff, Laura is a rider

Could they be more cute???????

So, after the tearful goodbyes, we headed over to do our laundry, then Janie, L2 and I hit Santa Fe for some fun.

Me in Sante Fe, yes it is cold............

L2 with a robot mail box, we call her robot

sorry about the rotation, Janie and I in front of our hotel

The DAY FROM HELL Albuquerque NM to Santa Fe NM Day 14

2008-05-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned earlier, there seems to be a new test each and every day.
I knew that this adventure would be hard, I just didn't know how hard and in how many ways.
Today went beyond training, mental toughness and the will to live.

We heard that we might have some weather, and we were climbing into the mountains once again. For some reason, all I could think about was the climbing and how hot I might be.
WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wasn't dressed properly, but as it turned out, it wasn't possible.
The weather started early in our 67 mile ride. It began to rain some, then harder, and by the time I had reached the 22.4 mile mark, and planned stop, it was a full-on ice storm.
I had stopped to see Zack in the truck and he gave me his giant-sized rain parka so that I could continue. Paula's ankle was hurting and Laura's chain had broken, so my domestiques were toast.
I pulled into the store, only to find about 15 other riders seeking shelter and drinking hot beverages.
I stayed there for about 30 minutes. I actually considered calling the sag-it was 42 degrees, raining and sleeting, and I was frozen. I stuck my hands in the bun warmer for a few minutes, then made one of the hardest decisions that I have ever made; I went back out.
Then the most difficult time of the ride occurred for me; a 3 mile downhill in the freezing rain.
I had my fingers in my mouth, behind my knees, and between my legs to try to prevent frostbite.
The front end of my bike was shaking-not the wheel, my entire upper body was in rigors.
I wanted to call for a sag, but I knew that I would have to dial the phone with my tongue, because I could not move my hands or fingers. I actually couldn't even use the brakes to stop to get my phone out of the plastic bag.
If a sag van would have appeared, I would have gotten in and that would have been the end of EFI. I was trying to give myself the "pain is temporary" speech, but even that wouldn't cut it.
So I was saying over and over............."I am warm, I am warm........."
After about 20-30 agonizing minutes, Darryl rode up and and sun actually came out a bit and warmed me up somewhat.
And luckily, there was much climbing to be done, so I could almost stay warm.
I reached the sag stop at an Indian Jewelery stop, and thought that I could go on.....but I was soaked to the skin, and didn't know for how long.
Then the most amazing thing happened..........the woman who worked in the store came out with wool socks, hats, gloves-and gave them away to us.
I took some size ginormas wool hunting socks, ate 3 Twinkies and took off.

The rain abated, and I climbed for what seemed like forever. Seeing some riders off and on from time to time.
There was also a great descent into Madrid.
But with about 20miles to go, it started to rain again, in earnest.
I was moving well, but there were still some hills to be climbed before town.
It was pouring, and I was afraid to stop and get cold, so I didn't eat for the last 15 miles........and
paid dearly.
I got to the hotel, got into the lobby and in a whisper, asked Zack to take my bike.
I then suffered the worst hypoglycemic episode of my life, and I had my tour family all around me to help. Noreen, and Scott, and Zach, and Laura got me honey, and some milk
I was hyperventilating so badly that I needed a paper bag to breath into for a few minutes.
At that point, my sugar was up, my breathing was calming, and I began to shake from hypothermia.
My friends dragged my up to my room where I stood in the shower for what seemed like days.
Laura brought some pizza, and I was recovered in about 1 hour.

Every one showed so much compassion and concern. I was blessed by the kindness of strangers and the care from my new family.
All was well, so we headed out for dinner at of all places, Olive Garden.
Here are the photos, the only of the day

Rest day tomorrow, so we were all ready for some cocktails

Laura and Brenden with some sangria

Janie has had a few

L2 and me

Janie and me living the high life at the OG.

Thanks to all that helped my today,

EFI has never meant more...........

Peace,

Grants NM to Albuquerque, NM May 22, day 13

2008-05-24T18:12:00.000-07:00

The sand blowing incident left me quite drained yesterday. It seems that each morning we face a fresh new challenge; and I find myself saying"if I knew at the beginning of the day what I would be facing by day's end, I may not even start" Each day is a new challenge, and it seems to be harder that the previous day. And today was no different. We left out of the motel, and immediately sensed interesting weather ahead. So basically, it HAILED AND BLEW LIKE A MOTHER. It was horrible, we were not dressed for hail, then it rained and SNOWED. It all lasted for 15-20 minutes or so, but folks were bailing into the vans like it was Armageddon.

Once again, I found myself screaming at the top of my lungs; choice words and vowing to ride on no matter what occurred. "I will not quit" 75 times at the top of one's lungs becomes quite a mantra. I just kept telling myself that I would ride out of it, and I DID!!!! One of my favorite folks on the ride, Darryl, rode up next to me and we commented on the fact that if one expects to ride all the way across the USA, one should expect some misery.

Darryl is one of the strongest riders on the tour. He is usually in a paceline with Laura and Rich, and is one of the first 4 folks to the the hotel each afternoon. He gave me a beautiful gift today-he rode with me all the way from the hail/snow storm into Albuquerque. When the "dangerous cross winds" described on the cue sheet hit us, I tookhis hip and he held his line and he dragged my ass for about 10-15 miles, and when the 5 mile climb came up (that he could have done in 1/4 of the time it took me) he stayed with me and encouraged me up the hill. We watched in the distance; the storm pounding ahead of us, but we never caught up to it. We eventually had a tale wind, and pounded (for me) into Albuquerque. The most amazing thing is that Darryl spent much of his life here, and his Mom stills lives here. He was my own private tour guide; telling me about all the surrounding terrain, and sites, and what to appreciate about the area. We were going at quite a clip (again, for me) and after a 47 mph descent into town, I arrived at the hotel in the first group at 12:35!!!!! 76 miles that day, with my hero Darryl, and I was in so early!!!!
We crossed the RIO GRANDE today, here is a photo of me on the bridge overlooking the river.

Here is Darryl, at the Rio Grande

Then it got better; Darryl called his Mom on the phone, and she came and picked us up at the hotel, and we went to his favorite Mexican restaurant, Sadies. It is known for how spicy the food is, and how tasty.

So some of us got into the car with Mom (Wanda) and some took a cab, and soon we were sucking down pitchers of Margies, awaiting the poison.

Here are some photos of George, from the UK, after ingesting some particularly hot salsa, it was quite a shock.

Darryl awaiting his favorite food

Darryl's MOM, Wanda, a very sweet person

COCKTAILS!!!!!!!!!!!

76 Miles, safe for another EFI.

New challenges, new friends, and some VERY, VERY hot food.

Peace,

Gallup NM to Grants, NM May 21st, Day 12

2008-05-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

Well, today was the day that we crossed the Continental Divide, and you know what that means.
The "C" word..........no, not that one.............CLIMBING. We were meant to ride a mere 68 miles, but we would reach 7275 ft above sea level, and you know how much I love to climb.
We spent some more time riding on historic Rt 66, and Janie GOOGLED Grants NM to check on the highlights, and thought that she had read that it was the "carrot capital of the US" or maybe even the world. So at one sag stop she informed me of this wondrous thing, and asked me if it was carrot season..........I said well, there are carrots in the winter, carrots in the spring, carrots in the summer, and carrots in the fall, and I went on to create a song about "on your plate, and eating it all, rhyming with "fall" etc. At that point one of the riders named Peggy came over and asked us why we were singing about carrots, and Janie said. "you don't know the carrot song??", and she ashamedly admitted that she didn't, and we proceeded to tell her about the 18 foot tall carrot monument in Grants (doesn't exist) and that we would be eating the most tasty carrots this evening for dinner.
So, we smugly rode on..........until the winds hit. Picture the Wizard of Oz type winds, from the side, blowing thick, gritting sand gusting up to 50mph. About 10-12 riders got into the sag van, but some of us pushed on. It was one of the most difficult things that I have ever done, (but I have this EFI problem) Sand fell out of my ears for 3 days after this...........It was gale force, blowing me side ways and I was screaming.........."bring it on, I WILL NOT QUIT" Plus a few choice words that don't need to be added here. And it would gust and blow me 15ft to the left, and the sand was blowing so hard I couldn't see, I had one eye closed and the other barely open.
There were about 6-10 of us out on the road. It was brutal. I finally blew into town, and my friend Janie and I are still EFI. There are only4 EFI chicks left, so we have a lot of work to do

Here we are at a sag stop at the Continental Divide. (L-R) Peggy, L2 (new Linda-just joined us) Me, Janie, Mikie, Laura, and L1 my room mate. Peggy is now dreaming of carrots.
Here I am with the proof, and the DIVA

68 miles, safe for another day; we are closing in on 1000 miles, I will keep you posted,
peace,

Holbrook AZ to Gallup NM May 20th, 10th day riding

2008-05-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

Well, another day on the freeway.
Lots of traffic and debris. My friend Laura often says "they didn't put this in the brochure"
Looking forward to an 86 mile day is never easy, and I was wondering how much I would melt on this day in the heat. I rode with Paula and Laura at the end, and I bonked hard in the heat in the afternoon. Laura stopped with me while I pounded some Cliff Blocks under an overpass, and Paula didn't see us stop and went ahead a short distance. When we didn't arrive, she came riding back and said: "Oh my God, I thought the RAPTURE had occurred and I was left behind". NO, I just bonked. So with a new found burst of energy, we rode the last 15 miles into Gallup. We came upon Bill, who had flatted and was pumping up his tire. You can't see it from this photo, but Laura took some video.............picture this if you will.........his wheel is in front of his legs, his pump is between his legs at crotch level, and he is pumping to beat the band............this video clip will soon be on YOUTUBE.........his nickname is now "PORN STAR BILL".

Here are some photos of the day..........

A photo of Laura and I as we crossed our second state line into New Mexico

Janie and I at a sag stop..........eating of course.

Here is the start of all of Bill's fame.......

Laura cranking up the soon to be famous video of Bill........which by the way caused hilarity in restaurant that evening as we showed it to each table.

So you all may or may not know what EFI is...........it mean every F*&^ing inch. I am EFI after today, and I will keep you posted on my progress.

Peace,

Flagstaff to Holbrook, AZ

2008-05-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

These 2 are my buddies Laura (L) and Paula (R).

Laura was feeing very "kissy" today.

This is my friend Janie (NJ) standing by the "flat bed FORD" on the corner in Winslow AZ

And this is me standing you know where.

So, yesterday was a rest day in Flagstaff. We had a great time walking around the old town area, shopped, had some pizza, drank some beer, and Mike and Zack got some new tattoos. Mike was inspired by my XCO8, so he got that on his deltoid, and Zach got a tat that he has been wanting for quite some time around his ankle. I felt like I lived at the tattoo parlor for 24 hours.

Today was the first time I have felt like a cyclist on this tour. We rode 95 miles; I did the first 40 miles in less than 2 hours. We had 60 by the time we reached Winslow, AZ-yeah, the Eagles song: "standing on the corner in Winslow, AZ......." I have some great shots, but this computer isn't cooperating, so I am having trouble uploading.

I finally got to the hotel in the middle of the pack, where I think that I belong. The last 20 miles was harder than the first 75.....why? because it was hotter than HELL! At one point, my computer registered 122F.. that's right....122 degrees from the heat coming off the pavement.This is Paula again feeling frisky; this was the 122degree rest stop.
Once I got moving it cooled down to 107, so I felt so much better. I had to stop under some overpasses, and cool off, it was then I realized that we had a burley tailwind........FINALLY!

So, I will try to upload my photos, if I can't I will try again tomorrow.

It is now a balmy 93degrees,
cheers,
MAD

Cottonwood to Flagstaff, AZ Day 7 Riding

2008-05-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I was looking forward to today's ride until I realized that I was having trouble bending at the knees. I carried my bike down one flight of stairs to begin the morning ride and I had to go down sideways. My quads and knees were basically toast from the huge climb yesterday.

Although the mileage today was modest, we have learned to fear the "short days". It typically means that we will be climbing some huge-ass hill for most of the day; and today was no exception.

At this point the route sheet doesn't even mention the climbs unless it is very steep or very long.

So on the sheet it said that the climbing started at 13.2 miles, but it actually started immediately.

At about 7 miles I had to get off the bike because my legs literally wouldn't work. I stretched, took some electrolyte tabs and chugged a Gatorade bottle and headed off.

So I was in the back with the other lame-o riders...........but after a bit of agony, we started to descend into Sedona. Here are some photos, but they don't even begin to do justice.

Dropping down into Sedona-FABULOUS!

Here I am somewhere climbing in the red rock canyon in Sedona, AZ. After this, we rode (climbed) though the most beautiful area of woods with the stream along side, and shade on the road at times that made the heat tolerable. The arm warmers are actually arm skins meant to help cool and prevent sunburn. I had to remove them pretty soon after this picture was taken; and the bike gloves came off too for a bit-it was that hot today.

This is right after the 2.5 mile killer climb, I couldn't help myself
I promised myself that I would take photos of any ridiculous signs that I came across; there is a better one below;

Does anyone know what this means???

So after this there was only 13 more miles of rolling climbs at 6000-7000ft elevation; every thing is harder at this elevation-I am breathing hard just sitting still at times.

So, we finally hit the 2 mile downhill into Flagstaff; and one of the staff, my buddy Zack, and my room mate Linda and I took off to the bike shop to get more Endurolytes (electrolyte replacement tablets) and to check out tattoo places; the 3rd one could take us; but Zack had to leave so my result is below;

this is actually my forearm (left), but it looks big enough to be a leg, doesn't it??

All the girls have noticed that our shorts are getting a bit tight..........I guess that "you can eat what ever you want on a trip like this" is a flat out urban myth-CRAP

Zack and Mike are heading back to the TAT shop tomorrow to get some new ink.....

thanks for reading, and the comments are great.

peace and enjoy your nice weather, I know I am..............

Riding Day 6 Prescott to Cottonwood.

2008-05-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

59/435 from yesterday and I forgot to tell you that I stopped when my riding buddy crashed and cracked her helmet and got a hematoma the size of a softball on her hip

So every day is a new challenge.

This is a photo of (L-R) Janie from NJ, Mike from UK, my room mate Linda from the "motor city" and me on our way climbing up a huge climb up to 7023 ft.

I almost forgot; we were climbing and we had stopped to catch our breath, and we heard this terrible rumbling noise, as if a large piece of metal was rolling down the hill. We were all looking around to see if we should dive off the cliff , when a snow plow came down the hill. As it was 95 degrees, it was a bit puzzling, until we saw the driver drop the plow and plow rocks the size of basketballs off to the side of the road. Different sites to see...........and we were glad that we were not going to be killed.

But let me tell you how it began. We took out from the hotel in Prescott, AZ, and climbed to the freeway. We rode 15 miles or so and then our 12.5 mile climb began.

The first 5-6 miles was a modest grade, but the problem was the 30 MILES PER F-ING HOUR HEADWINDS-with gusts to more than that. We were all slogging along for 5-6 miles at 4-8 mph.

It was hellish, we were all praying for the steep climbing to begin because we might then be out of the wind.

We then climbed out of the wind for 6 miles of 6-8% grade to the summit of Mingus MTN.

Here we are after all the toil.

I think that it was worth it. We then had a 12 mile descent, which was hairy for some folks at times. I only got up to 34mph, because there were washboards on the road that flew a guy into oncoming traffic last year. Better safe than sorry.

We descended into a great little town named JEROME, AZ and had a great burger at the "HAUNTED HAMBURGER" Then just 10 more miles of descent into Cottonwood.

We climb up to Flagstaff tomorrow. 40 some odd miles of climbing with a 2.5 mile killer 8-10% grade somewhere in there.

Let's see, 43 hellish miles today, so we have 42/477 I think is close.

Rest day on Sunday in Flagstaff; we are looking for a good Tattoo place if anyone knows of one,

Here is a photo of Mikie by our progress map (see black line from CA to AZ)

Tailwinds

Wickenburg to Prescott Thursday, Week one

2008-05-15T22:12:00.000-07:00

Today was yet another challenge. 7700 feet of climbing, a mountain pass, climbing from low desert to high desert. Honestly, the longest 59 mile ride of my life.

The crew said that they thought that this leg was the hardest this year than it has ever been;Why?? Of course, the wind.
That is a lot of climbing for a girl from sea level, and I will quickly load all the photos; but you will see the 6100 foot summit sign, I think I climbed that 17 times all day.
Sorrry that some of the photos are sideways, I am on a borrowed computer and don't have time to fix them.........use this as an opportunity to do some cervical range of motion exercises.

tomorrow we climb up to some summit called Mingus Mountain, more fun (and pain).

Best cycling quote today from breakfast: an older woman friend of one of the riders said:
"I like to start off slowly, and then ease up"

cheers,

Blythe to Wickenburg Wednesday, Week one

2008-05-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

I think that this is the longest day of the ride, it was the longest day that I have ever ridden.
116 miles through the desert, and my bike computer read 116F at one point.
So we started the day with a quick 1st state crossing=finally out of CA and into Arizona.

Then the fun began......let's just say that it was long, hot, and really long, and really hot.
It was very daunting to think that when I got to 55 miles, that I still had 61 miles to go.
I told my self that if I got to 80 miles that I would and could finish.
Remember that I had just ridden 100 miles the day before, and I am noticing that I have more challenge riding back to back hard days. At one point I was riding alone, and feeling very uncomfortable, and I decided to call on my "virtual trainer" and recited the Lance Armstrong quote, you know, the one about "pain is temporary; it may last a minute, an hour, a day; but quitting lasts forever"......and then I proceeded to bawl, and repeat at the top of my lungs:'the pain is temporary, the pain is temporary".....but my temporary lasted a long time .
I finally met up with Linda my room mate, and we rode into Wickenburg together for the last 35 miles or so. We had to stop every 5-10 miles and cool our feet and other parts, but we finally made it. EFI good to go, so far. So now I have 116/376

I called my friend Peter Lee last nite, and told him if I ever said that I wanted to do something like this again, he should sedate me, intubate me and put me in restraints. I was reminded yesterday of the time that he called me after completing the STP (Seattle to Portland) ride in one day and saying something similar. Except he said one of the cycling quotes ever: "at one point, if I wasn't so dehydrated, I would have cried" Well, I must have been well hydrated on this ride......you know the rest of the story. 4400 feet of climbing, and you thought the desert was flat.

So, on to Prescott, AZ---------7700vertical feet of climbing...............I can't wait

Indio to Blythe

2008-05-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

I keep forgetting to add the mileage; Day one was 76, day two 84 and today was the first century, 100 miles through the desert.
So today would be listed as 100/260.
So, I started out as the lantern rouge; that is the name that is given to the rider in the tour de france who is in dead last.
Climbing 10 miles in the desert first thing in the morning is not my favorite thing.
Here is a photo of our small group starting out:

We are so full of energy after a HUGE breakfast!
Everyone was dressed for our first big day in the desert.
The good news is that it never got above 90 degrees-air temp, but with the heat from the road it did get up to 106 on my computer-
The bad news is that we had bad winds-side winds that were very difficult at times.
I had a bad case of hot foot by 50 miles, so I sat with my feet in a bucket of ice at the rest stop below:

That is Tracy, the tour director, owner of Crossroads=she is great, and unfortunately suffering from an acute onset of a lumbar disc injury. Despite her smiley face, she is in constant pain and is now walking with crutches most of the time.
This particular place that we stopped looks like a deserted outpost, and the store is actually not even open, see below:

So after an excruciating iced foot bath and a Darvocet, (thanks Peter) we were on our way.

I have ridden through the desert before, but the wind was daunting.
We took turns leading, not so much a pace line but a group moving though a sand storm at times.
We rode for 80 miles on I10, not very fun, but the only way through the desert.
Our group was blessed with no flats today, but there were about 10 or 12 folks who did have punctures, some multiples. Bless my ARMADILLOS!!

We got in at 4pm, and immediately headed over to Dairy Queen for our pre-dinner dessert.
Tomorrow is our longest day.........116 miles through the desert. I am hoping for a successful ride, and I want to thank all of you that are keeping me in your thoughts and prayers.

I won't even begin to tell you how many riders have been injured from crashing, or getting dehydrated, or more. BTW, the guy that crashed in the wind yesterday has a fractured lumbar vertebra, among other things, and 3 people went to the ER today; my friend Janie from NJ got dizzy, and couldn't shake it with food and rehydration, so we are awaiting her return from hospital now. Stella crashed into a curb at a rest stop no less, and went over the bars-she is coming back from the ED now, we will see what is up with her.

I don't think that many of us realized how tough this ride is; a small bit of it is about training and riding, and much more of it is mental toughness, and luck.

So keep those prayers coming; I miss you all, and have a bottle of wine for me, I am limiting my self to 1 glass of beer every other nite or so.

Rubber side down!

Day 2 Riding-Riverside to Indio, CA

2008-05-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

Well!!! As hard as yesterday was, TODAY was a day that all cyclists would dream about.

We started out from the hotel, and 1.5 miles later, we started a 3 mile climb-not too bad except for the Monday morning commute traffic.

We rode a bit more, and turned left up an on ramp to Hwy 79, to start a 5.5 mile climb. Again, not as bad as the 6 mile one that I did in Eastern Oregon a few weeks back; but a good workout none the less.

We stopped at our first sag in Beaumont, and it was COLD!! Over cast, chilly, didn't spend a lot of time there.

BUT THEN-it all changed.

We cruised through the town of Banning, CA, and were "coasting" at a good clip. It was warming up to the 80s

We had to hop on I10 for a short bit, and I led the group onto the on ramp, and to miss some of the freeway, we detoured through a truck scale turnout that our tour leader said would be closed.

Well, it wasn't, and 6 semi trucks were lined up in the right lane, so I led our group to the left lane;

There was a "bump", like a speed bump, but more like a ramp, with a foot high drop off on the other side. So we all flew like mountain bikers off this ramp though the air going about 25 miles per hour.

It was a BLAST!! So we still had this wonderful tailwind, and were easily achieving 25 MPH without trying very hard. Then we made a left turn onto a back road called the Apache Trail.

We were barely pedaling, but going 25-30mph. Then we stopped pedaling all together, and were going 32-37 mph WITH OUT PEDALING!!!!!!

We went 15 MILES, and barely turned the pedals, and averaged over 30 mph.

Not surprisingly we passed a windmill farm, and then turned 90 degrees to the left...............

For about 200 yards, I felt like Dorothy (yes, and TOTO TOO) I could barely stand up!

I could hardly keep my bike ON THE GROUND. It wanted to go airborne! 50 mph winds!

We had to walk part of it; one of my riding partners named Noreen, is just a smite of a thing.

She tried to start off, and got blown 25 yards off the road into the sand. I could barely stand.

We finally turned RT. and got the tail wind again, BUT we kept getting side gusts that literally blew us 25 yards to the left, across 3 lanes. IT WAS HAIRY AND SCARY. The sand was blowing into our faces, ears, nose, etc. The sand had drifted up to a foot on the road, and our riders were literally flying all over the road. At one point my front wheel got lifted up and turned to the left and I almost went down. No one in my group crashed, but 6 other riders did crash, several went to the hospital, 1 has a concussion and is still there; and much road rash and bruised bikes and egos. I guess after we went though, with 50 mph winds with gusts up to 70mph, the winds picked up. 6-8 riders got in the vans and wouldn't even ride.

So, why do I say that this was a day that dreams are made of??? Because anytime that you can ride 60 miles with a tail wind, go 37 mph without pedaling, and make it safe and sound when others either crashed, or quit, it is a good day.

Below is a photo of "the girls" having lunch at Hamburger Mary's in Palm Springs

That is my room mate Linda on the left, my buddy from NJ, Janie waving and Noreen, the one who almost got blown away on the right.

In the middle is my good friend Mike Lee, surrounded by "his ladies", which you must say with the thickest of British accents.
So, now I have been spirited away by my friends, Greg and Maggie Dunn, who surprised me with a visit, and a well deserved dinner.

Peace,

Mary Ann

First Day Riding -HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

2008-05-11T17:08:00.000-07:00

78 MILES! I bonked......at about mile 68-72.
My buddy Mike stuck with me and gave me a bar he had and I limped into the hotel.

But at the beginning.......we had a glorious ride this morning....45 miles of flats-ESCAPE FROM LA!
We rode to the beach first thing, and took a group photo
Look at all the happy people! I didn't choose to walk thru the sand, even though we had handsome men to help us carry our bikes-like ZACH

He is carrying my room mate's bike-Linda's bike is nameless, but it works well for her
Here is my buddy MIKE-he is originally from Portsmith, England.

He and I are fast friends-isn't he cute???

And, Zach is letting me use his computer-and helping me upload my photos. He is not only cute but brilliant.

See ya tomorrow-love the comments, keep them coming.

Love,
MAD

FIRST DAY IN LA

2008-05-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

Well, got in yesterday, met some folk, had a solo dinner, and put my bike together.
My roommate, Linda, didn't get to the room until after 11 pm, I was already in a coma

This morning, after a breakfast buffet, a group of us met at 0900 for an easy 32 miles along the beach. We rode out to Santa Monica, past the pier, and returned for some photos.

After the shower, we headed out to Chipotle for some mega-burritos and of course the requisite post-ride beer.

Some of us are heading out to the Dodgers game tonight-to late for me.
It is actually cloudy and somewhat cooler here than expected-in the 60's.

I still managed to get a little color on the arms and legs; interestingly enough, the first time in bike SHORTS this year. I could still use some sun.......

So, orientation day is tomorrow, then we ride out on Sunday morning.
Take care;

Mary Ann

THE ROUTE

2008-05-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

So, if you want to see the route that we are actually taking, log on to CrossRoadsCycling.com and check out all the info.
It pretty much goes like this:
LA-to Arizona-New Mexico- top of Texas-panhandle of OK-Kansas for a month.............Missour-ry ........IL, OH-HIO, PA, NY -quickie through VT and NH (don't let your mind go there-those parts won't even be working)..........then down into Boston

Sounds easy when you say it like that.
3400 miles and change.
Think about the last time that you D-R-O-V-E across the US-luckily I won't have the dog and the cat and 2 kids in the back.............but no air conditioning-and no engine, and no radio, and WHAT WAS I THINKING????!!!!!

Anyway, look for more on Friday...............send lots of comments back-especially the sassy ones...

Peace,

Getting ready to go! Cinco de Mayo

2008-05-05T14:50:00.000-07:00

Hey all!
Well, it is finally here. Everyone is asking "when do you leave again??"
On Thursday (May 8th) I fly down to LA to RELAX!!!!!!!
I have to say, that the last few months have been B-U-S-Y.
And the last 2 weeks-incredible.

Finally my bike is packed in the hard plastic shell that will safely transport it southward.
I have purchased or procured every last thing on the CrossRoads list of things to bring.

I have made large, heavy care packages of supplements to mail to future destinations.
Mostly the stuff I need to drink tastes like Similac baby formula-but it keeps the legs moving.

I honestly have no idea what to expect for the trip.
I know that the riding will be fun and challenging; and the friendships that I form will be lifetime memories............at least I hope I can remember...............

thanks for reading-I hope that I can provide you with some entertainment and vicarious adventures in the next 7 weeks.

Pray for me-and my quads....................

An old blog from August 18-22, 2007

2008-01-07T21:04:00.000-08:00

Well, the trip continues-
we left as early as we could after trying to buy some things to make our tent more comfortable-we got a great air mattress, but it acts like a refrigerator.

So the group includes:
Wade, my best buddy from Chiropractic school
His wife Tammy
Their 2 kids Bronte and Kellen
and Wade's longtime friend, Doug
and of course Sydney and me.

The Route:

Kamloops, Cache Creek, Ashcroft, Logan Lake, Kamloops.

So, Tammy dropped us on a road outside of Kamloops proper, and the ride begins.

Let's just say, the climbing begins.
It was hills, chills, rain, cold wind, yeah, a lot like WA in the winter.

Let's just say, not my idea of a vacation ride.

I packed it in at lunch, I just couldn't get dry/warm, etc.

Wade, Syd and Doug continued on to our camping spot for day one.

So, the kids were on tandems with either Tammy, Wade or Doug.
Each of the adults also had single bikes, so our trailer had a whole bunch of bikes on it at any one time, the picture on my blog shows me in front of the trailer.

So, now I am going to summarize the trip as a few key points.

Most of the weather was cold and cloudy in the beginning.
There was a lot of climbing.
Didn't seem like a lot of descending, until the 20k 6-11% grade. My heart rate has NEVER been so fast going down hill. I was scared #$%&less and was sure that I was going to wind up as a hood ornament on some semi

At one point, we spent a long spell on the Trans-Canada....a busy road with many trucks and in parts, no shoulder to speak of. Not relaxing, especially thinking about the kids on the back of the tandems.

Also, the old business 5 was on our route, supposed to be less traveled by trucks, but because the "new 5" is a toll road and is hilly and costs truckers more gas, many stay on the old 5, and hence played chicken with us quite a few times.

Although the scenery was nice, I was disappointed with the weather and the lack of back roads. What I realized about Canada, is that there aren't many long stretches of back roads, not needed.

Oh, yeah, the last bit into Kamloops was the most fun part of the ride.

Killer, long down hill into Kamloops in nice weather to end the ride. And finally it was HOT!

All in all, a lot of cycling, a lot of went tents, a fair amount of drama, and a lot of togetherness that I perhaps wasn't ready for.

So, at the conclusion, Sydney and I bade a fond farewell to our friends, and headed to Harrison Hot springs for 2 days filled with many soaks, massages, nice walks along the water, lunches and dinners to enjoy, and a bit of luxury after working so hard.
We returned home rested and relaxed and couldn't wait to see our pride and joy, Max the dog.

August 17-18 RSVP-RIDE SEATTLE TO VANCOUVER AND PARTY

2008-01-06T09:49:00.000-08:00

It has come to my attention that my blog is sorely behind, so here is all the news starting with the second multi-day ride, the RSVP

It is very different than the STP, mostly in that there is a much smaller number of riders, and there is a "smaller" feel to the ride.

Rest stops are more like a one-day event-definitely not all the fanfare of the STP
The course is actually more difficult in parts-more rolling (read hilly).

I didn't want to drive all the way down to Seattle at God knows what time just to ride back up to Snohomish, so I "cheated" and rode off the Mulikteo ferry, through Everett, to Shohomish, and met up with the throng there. It only took about 10 miles off the day-no shame in riding 90 miles.

I actually felt like crap on day one. I was ready to pack it in at 40 miles.
Ya know that sometimes you just have those days? Well, I stuck it out, and had some reward on Chuckanut Drive (should have been named Chuckanut Hill Road) with the views at the summit and of course the famous lemonade stand. That was followed by a beautiful descent into Bellingham, WA-where Sydney met me at the college for the night.

I have to say, the accommodations were spartan and somewhat depressing. Ah, the good ole days of dorm life. That's why you need to be 18 years old-maybe for the ride too!

Day 2 was a whole different thing. I met many nice folks to pedal along with, I felt great, and made fairly good time. Crossing the border on a bike was fun, (as are most things done on a bike) and riding into Canada, knowing that I had left from my house, felt like a big accomplishment.

Sydney was heading up in the car and we met up in the quaint town of Fort Langley, where I stopped for lunch with Syd, and actually decided to pack it in for the day. We strolled around the cute little town, had a delicious lunch at a little french bistro, and otherwise enjoyed eachother's company.

The reason for the premature finish was that we were leaving for Kamloops to meet up with our friends for the next leg of our bike trip, a loop around Central Canada.
Knowing that there were hills to climb for 4-5 days to come, riding 140 miles these 2 days was fine with me.

On our way out of Fort Langley, we met up with my work colleague and friend, Sheila Bleakney.
She is dealing with a painful foot and hasn't had much time to train, but she hopped on for Day 2, and was looking strong. It was great to see her out and doing the thang.

We drove to Kamloops, and met our friends at Canadian Tire-a better form of Walmart-that we love to visit when in Canada.

Camped out on a front lawn and had a great BBQ, and got ready for the ride in the morning.

TOUR de WHATCOM SATURDAY, AUG 4TH, 2007

2007-09-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

Feeling good about the STP, my next training ride was the Tour de Whatcom.
Starting from downtown Bellingham, WA, we rode south then north up to Lynden, over to Birch Bay, and back down to B'ham.
I was lucky enough to meet my friend from work, Dr. Joanne Roberts, and we managed to ride much of the route together.
The first 20 or so miles were hilly, and I didn't get off to a energetic start, but after reaching Hwy 9, cruising commenced, and it was more my kind of terrain.
We both took a small short cut and declined the loop around Semiahmoo, but I still managed to ride 100 miles.
Sydney rode the 55 mile route, and the weather held out for all.
I rode most of the ride without the benefit of a pace line or even a close rider, so I worked hard and all in all it was a good training ride.
On to the RSVP!

STP July 14-15, 2007

2007-08-31T13:14:00.001-07:00

Well, it finally arrived, the first day of my inaugural STP.
I didn't really know what to expect, and I expected the worst.
I hadn't ridden 100 miles in a day in a long time, let alone back to back centuries.

I took solace in the fact that unlike my friend Peter, I was taking a sane amount of time to complete (2 days) as opposed to his optimistic single day ride.

Peter and I left from his house sometime in the middle of the night-literally.
Obviously he needed to get an early start to complete in one day.

This did allow me to get an early start as well and I was on the road by 0530.
The first 55 miles was a breeze, and I arrived at the lunch stop at breakfast time.
Up until this point, I had pretty much been riding alone-trying to hitch onto a pace line here and there, but what I encountered were groups of riders that were in a row, not necessarily a pace line.
After the lunch stop however, I got into a pace line with several experienced riders, and blew through the rest of the ride. Raphael , with whom I finished, and I, had a great time riding together, and each blessed the other for our strong finish. I had finished a century by 1 PM! Nice!

Sydney and Max were waiting in Centralia with our trusty Shasta trailer, and I had to find a way to stay awake until bedtime! It was great to be surrounded by so many cyclists; many of whom were continuing on, many hours after I had showered and eaten (which time?)

Raphael and I haded planned to meet in the morning; we left a bit later than planned, but soon were well on our way. The morning ride was beautiful, relaxed and fun.
At one point, we found ourselves in an actual peloton-I wasn't sure but there were somewhere between 50-100 riders, cruising down a country road at a pleasant rate of speed.
It sprinkled a bit, but we forged on to the Longview bridge, were we waited, poised to enter Oregon, finally. Well, the bridge was actually an interesting climb, but not as interesting as the descent over the joints (YIKES!). The corkscrew down to the highway with 100s of my new friends was a bit hectic, and now started my least favorite section of the ride.

Hwy 30 in Oregon-it's busy with mostly crummy shoulders and, riders are re-energized because we are finally in Oregon. This leads to lots of crazy (unsafe really) riding-lots of wacky drivers, and as you may know, several folks were hit by cars, one guy got all the publicity.

I bonked at one point, and stopped at a coffee shop to eat 5 small cake donuts. What a great sport, huh?

Raph was well hydrated, so we stopped about 67 times to use the facilities, and for me to cool off my hot foot. It was fun to meet and talk with so many folks, but it caused us to finish later than I wanted.
We finally pulled in to the finish line around 4 pm, and I was surprised by all the fanfare!
It was reminiscent of the AIDS RIDES, and I felt a brief swell of pride to have finished my first STP. Off to Chelly and Phil's, where Chelly served me with the most tasty spaghetti dinner.
All in all, a great experience, and thanks to all of you that shared it with me.

Rehabing the knee

2007-07-09T15:24:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been almost a week since the knee pain started.
I got on the trainer yesterday-no pain but still "something funny" going on in there.
Rest, ice, cross fiber massage, medium frequency interferential muscle stim, anti-infalmmatories and glucosamine sulfate with MSM.

The question that looms is whether I can ride the STP this weekend.
The answer: I am going to try.
Sydney has agreed to be my sag wagon-I will ride what I can and hope for the best.
Thanks for reading and please feel free to send along those comments.
Peace

Training ride on the Centennial Trail Tuesday, July 3, 2007

2007-07-05T11:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I played hooky today-sort of. It was really a sick day. Mental illness struck at work yesterday, and I took a much needed mental health day and a much needed training ride.
Usually I do what ever I can to not ride alone; but today I just wanted the sun, my bike and many miles to clear the hippocampus.
I decided to try the Centennial trail on a day it was not raining. Last time was during the McClinchey Mile ride. 50 miles of ride, most of it in the pouring rain.
Today was beautiful however. I rode off the ferry, and after a disappointing attempt to try to access the Machias trailhead via Everett, I rode down route 2 to Snohomish to access the trail from there. I had ridden 20 miles already before I had even reached it.
Once on it however, it was a peaceful ride with no traffic, bucolic surroundings and occasional roller bladers and families out for a lovely ride.
For time sake, I rode up the the 84th street crosswalk, just north of Lake Stevens, but shy of Arlington (my original destination).
After all, I had to leave plenty of time for lunch at the Snohomish bakery. If you don't know about the bread-you need to go and try some. I am somewhat of a bread snob, coming from the East coast where many food items are the best in the land, but this place has some awesome bread! I thought it was a shame that I almost messed it up by putting that tuna on it!

I reached the bakery at the 45 mile mark. After eating the bread with some other stuff on it, I took off for home, happy with renewed energy stores. I rode the more sensible Snohomish river road back to Everett. But that's where my trouble began. After hopping off the bike to cross the gravel parking lot by the Lowell River trail, I hopped back on my bike to head up the 12-14% grade ahead, when a searing pain attacked my left knee. Yikes! I rode up that hill mostly right legged, wondering what the hell!
I made it, but the rest of my ride back to the boat and then to the car is quite hilly.
I managed to ride to the intersection of 41st and Rucker, and hop on a bus over the remaining hills. It didn't feel too bad riding the rest of the way to the boat, but riding up ferry hill to my car was another agonizing experience.

Well, home to ice and rest. Anti-inflammatories and maybe some muscle stim.
It doesn't hurt at all to walk, so hopefully it is something simple like patellar tendonitis.
I am pretty grumpy thinking about the possibility that I might not be able to ride the STP (Seattle to Portland) next weekend. For those of you who are not familiar, it is a 200 mile ride from S to P; some folks choose to complete in one day, some in 2. I would be in the latter group.
My occasional riding partner, Peter K. Lee, MD is hoping to complete in 1 day this year.
I think that he can do it; I will be thinking about him while I am carbo loading (read: drinking beer) on Saturday nite while he is still riding.

Wish me luck with the knee, I will Kneed it.

Monday morning commute 07.02.07

2007-07-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

I BEAT THE BUS!
As many of you know, I commute to work by bike. My little contribution to reducing traffic and emissions, decreasing my reliance on foreign oil (or domestic for that matter), keeping in shape and keeping the diabetes under control.
I do combine bike, bus and boat; my ride is about 20 miles round trip, 5 days per week. I could ride more of the trip, but that would make a 2 hour one-way even longer.
So, that being said; I leave the ferry dock, race up the hill and get to work about 35-40 minutes later, depending on red lights. The bus leaves the ferry dock about 10 minutes after I do. It usually catches up with me on the last hill in Forest Park. I can sometimes tie at the light at 41st and Rucker, and race down Colby, much to the delight of my fellow communtants on the bus.

Well, today was one of those days when I was rested, the glycogen stores were loaded, and I never looked back; there was no sign of the bus-I beat it to the light and to downtown Everett!
It's like that birdie in golf-feels great even if you 3-putted the last 3 holes.

TOWANDA!!!! I beat the bus today!!!! One small step for cyclist, one giant leap for speed!

2007-06-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 16th.
Well I got back in the saddle today, literally.
Flying Wheels Bicycle Ride-originating in Redmond at Marymoor Park, (yes, the one with the velodrome)
I did the 70 mile ride; it was great with some good climbs and some good flats to hammer.
I managed to average 16MPH, and was very elated to realize that the old girl still has it in'er.
This ride was touted to be a great prep ride for STP; the 70mile ride for the 2-day affair-that's me!

Also good news is that new seat on the "racer" was a big success; Terry makes some comfy saddles.
The XC brochure states that if you can maintain at least 14MPH on a 35 mile rolling terrain, then you can do the ride-looks like I'm in!

Still riding to work most days, and loving the sunny days-when we getem'
thanks for reading, and happy riding!

2007-06-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon, 06.15.07
Well, tomorrow I am slated to ride 100K; leaving out of Redmond, WA, from the Marymoor Velodrome.
Maybe in this weather I should just ride around it a bunch of times.
After 2 weeks of pretty awesome weather, we are back to the rain.
Not fun to ride in; difficult on the training schedule.
Hmmmm....I bet San Diego is nice right now..............

First BLOG 06.13.07 XC08 training

2007-06-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my initial blog-henceforth you can follow my progress toward my lifelong goal of traversing this country of ours on two wheels under my own power. (maybe with a little help from the wind now and then)

My training has begun in earnest, as this time next year I will be passed the 1/2 way mark, east of the Mississippi.

If today's commute is any indication, I definitely need to eat more and weigh less.
Quite a conundrum-I'll keep you posted.

As we used to say in Chiropractic School-no pressure, no diamonds.
Let the games begin.