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Thursday, July 29, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Long Time, No Blog....
Well I know it has been quite a while since I have blogged and I apologize for the delay. The last couple of weeks have been EXTREMELY exhausting, both mentally and physically. Since my last post, we have crossed over FIVE more state lines (Alabama to Mississippi to Arkansas to Texas to New Mexico to Colorado), had three more build days, and one day off.
Our average mileage for most days has been 80-100 miles for the last couple of weeks because we have been traveling in areas where there is nothing around for miles and miles. While we were in the south, our group faced extreme heat. Before I started this trip, I knew I would have to make sure I stayed hydrated because I am easily dehydrated. I was surprised I managed to stay fairly healthy in the heat and humidity. But the conditions definitely drained the energy from my body. Some areas we traveled through were even going through drought conditions. We knew this because of the chalk on the road. During our trips, our group uses chalk to communicate turns, reroutes, or even general messages. While riding on a highway in Mississippi, we saw some chalk wishing a happy birthday to someone not on our route. All of us were quite confused. Later on, we were informed that NC2SD rolled through the same area about a week earlier. In other words, that area did not have any rain for over a week!
Although I have been switching up riding partners (and occasionally riding solo), I tend to stay towards the back of the pack. If I wanted, I could stay up with the people at the front. But I think going at a relaxing pace is what has kept me from sore muscles. I have only had two or three days where my body has felt extremely sore. Plus, I get to see much more when I ride a little slower.
To be honest, Alabama and Mississippi weren't extremely memorable. I am glad I had a chance to see this part of the country, but I do not see myself living in either of these parts. The people were very friendly and hospitable, but I really do not think I would be able to handle the heat and humidity. One highlight of Mississippi was when we were in Oxford, which is where Ole Miss is located. I was biking with Angela that day and the heat was really getting to us. We took it slow into town and made multiple stops (we even played with a friendly puppy at one point). As we rolled into town about a mile away from our destination, we saw a ice cream/shaved ice shop. I hoped that Angela wanted to stop, and she read my mind. I enjoyed a huge shaved ice with watermelon and pina colada flavoring while Angela tried some Blue Bell ice cream, which is apparently a southern ice cream company that was highly recommended by Kelsey (who is from Texas). We enjoyed the little shop so much, we decided to call Preston and David who weren't far behind us. They stopped as well and they were very glad we told them about the amazing "cool down" spot. Later that evening, a few members of the Oxford cycling club hosted our dinner. We were spoiled with a vegetarian dinner (the nine vegetarians were very excited) and a pool party. The water was very refreshing after multiple days in the heat. (Can you tell I was a big fan of the heat based on the number of times I have said "hot" and "heat"??).
I was happy to cross over the Mississippi river into Arkansas. Arkansas is one state I have always been quite curious about (I'm not sure why..). I crossed the border with Preston and Melissa. Once we got over the border, we were in Helena, AR. Seeing that sign made me wish I was in Helena, MT so I could jump into a lake! Shortly after the border, we all stopped at the Arkansas visitor's center. The lady who was there was very helpful in telling us about things to do along our route. One funny thing at the visitor's center was a "wanted" sign for a woodpecker. Apparently in one of the nearby state forests, someone spotted a rare bird species (the ivory billed woodpecker). Scientists believed the bird was extinct, so there is a $10,000 reward if someone shows proof of its existence. The lady also told us about the Louisiana Purchase site. Preston, Melissa, and I decided to stop at the site on our way to Stuttgart, AR (the rice and duck capitol of the U.S.!). The site was about a mile and a half off the road located in some swamplands. We walked along a 1/2 mile boardwalk that took us out to the original site of where the Louisiana purchase was marked. We had great timing because there was a tour guide and a group of Arkansas teachers while we were there. The tour guide allowed us to listen to his tour. We hoped to see an alligator in the swamps, but all we saw were two water snakes (One was a poisonous cotton mouth snake. Apparently Arkansas is the only place where all 4 North American poisonous snakes live). During the tour, the teachers asked us about our trip. Several of them gave us donations for the Bike and Build cause. We ended up collecting a little more than $50! The generosity of strangers still boggles my mind sometimes. At the end of the ride, Preston and I decided to ride an extra three miles to make the day our first century ride! We were quite tired at the end, but it was fun. A couple days later, our route took us past some Indian Mounds near Little Rock. Karen, Melissa, Sarah, and I decided to ride the 1/2 mile off the route to check out the state park. The park was actually doing an archaeological dig while we were there, which was interesting to see because it was the first one they had done there since the mid '90s. Karen and I walked down to the nearby lake and fed some turtles before we rolled on towards Little Rock. After getting a little lost in downtown Little Rock, Karen and I made our way to the Riverside market. I enjoyed a well-deserved Reuben burger while Karen ate some amazing Thai food. After a fun evening potluck with the local bike club, we watched "The Blind Side" at the Little Rock outdoor amphitheater. On our day off in Little Rock, I had fun hanging out with David and Katie R. We visited the Heifer International Headquarters (which had a really cool "green" building), the Clinton Presidential Library, and enjoyed the Riverside market food again. We even went and took pictures with the real "Little Rock"! As we rode out of Little Rock, we had a chance to ride over the Big Dam Bridge, which is the largest cycling/pedestrian bridge in the United States! I also got a free smoothie after riding the bridge, which was a nice, refreshing start to the day. I caught up to B$ and Katie R. and rode with them to the first $ Stop. B$'s dad joined our group from Little Rock and followed us through Oklahoma. Between our lunch stops, he would set up snack breaks. These were extremely helpful on the long, tough days in Oklahoma.
I crossed the OK line with my friend Kim. I wasn't a huge fan of Oklahoma because I envisioned a flat, easy ride. Instead, we were faced with rolling hills and AWFUL headwinds! Sometimes the headwinds were so tough I was pedaling in my easiest gear and barely moving! Our day into Oklahoma City was probably one of the tougher days for me on this trip. I tried to keep up with my friends Angela and Sarah. I did well for the first 1/3 of the trip, but I struggled with the headwinds and going uphill. Both of these girls have better endurance than I do, so they handled the fatigue better than I did. Once I was dropped, I started giving up on myself mentally. I got frustrated because my mind was giving up before my body. This trip is just as much of a mental challenge as a physical challenge. As soon as you give up in your mind, it is difficult to make your body do another 40 miles. After second lunch, I decided to slow down and ride by myself to OKC. I stopped to take lots of pictures along the way in order to remind myself that frustration is not how I wanted to spend my time biking. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I did not want to spoil taking in the sights just because I was frustrated I couldn't keep up with a couple of my faster friends. After I realized keeping up with Sarah and Angela wasn't the easiest thing for me, I started riding with Kim and Kelsey a lot. They were my riding partners throughout the rest of Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico.
I was excited to cross the Texas border with my favorite Texan on the trip, Kelsey. She and I rode with Kim as well on a really hot, hot day. For the first time, I didn't hydrate well and I was quite sick during the evening. I tried drinking lots of water at night, but I still wasn't fully recovered by the next day. I warned our leader Natalie that I may have to van it at lunch. I was having a tough time believing I could push my body through it. But with the help of my friends pushing me along, I made it through the day. I was glad they supported me through the ride because my ultimate goal is to not be in the van at all during this trip.
After a short two days in Texas, we rolled across the New Mexico border. When we crossed into NM, I was riding with a group of about 8 girls. The headwinds were tough again, but we pushed through them. Northeastern New Mexico reminded me a lot of Montana. (I am actually quite excited to explore other states after I get back home. Before this trip, I would have been intimidated to ride in the mountains of Montana. But now I think I can handle the challenge). You could see for miles and miles. Our host town was in the middle of nowhere and had about 150 residents, which made me think of little Tracy, Montana. Everyone knew everybody in the town. There wasn't a stoplight and only one restaurant and one gas station. On our way out of Des Moines, NM, a large group of us decided to stop at the volcano about ten miles off our route. Some of us arrived too late to climb the mountain on our bikes (we didn't realize they allowed people to ride to the top before the park hours..part of our group made it up). About six of us didn't get to climb, but Melissa asked a couple with a pick-up truck if they wanted to take us up to the top. They willingly took us up and thought our cause was really awesome. The view from the top was amazing! We could see clear to the Rockies, which was quite a ways away. After we got back to the bottom, we descended into a huge canyon. The descent into Colorado was awesome!
Anyways, this blog is quite long right now, so I will leave Colorado for later. I have a lot of fun stuff to say about Colorado. Hope this helps paint a little better picture about my trip and will write again soon!
Our average mileage for most days has been 80-100 miles for the last couple of weeks because we have been traveling in areas where there is nothing around for miles and miles. While we were in the south, our group faced extreme heat. Before I started this trip, I knew I would have to make sure I stayed hydrated because I am easily dehydrated. I was surprised I managed to stay fairly healthy in the heat and humidity. But the conditions definitely drained the energy from my body. Some areas we traveled through were even going through drought conditions. We knew this because of the chalk on the road. During our trips, our group uses chalk to communicate turns, reroutes, or even general messages. While riding on a highway in Mississippi, we saw some chalk wishing a happy birthday to someone not on our route. All of us were quite confused. Later on, we were informed that NC2SD rolled through the same area about a week earlier. In other words, that area did not have any rain for over a week!
Although I have been switching up riding partners (and occasionally riding solo), I tend to stay towards the back of the pack. If I wanted, I could stay up with the people at the front. But I think going at a relaxing pace is what has kept me from sore muscles. I have only had two or three days where my body has felt extremely sore. Plus, I get to see much more when I ride a little slower.
To be honest, Alabama and Mississippi weren't extremely memorable. I am glad I had a chance to see this part of the country, but I do not see myself living in either of these parts. The people were very friendly and hospitable, but I really do not think I would be able to handle the heat and humidity. One highlight of Mississippi was when we were in Oxford, which is where Ole Miss is located. I was biking with Angela that day and the heat was really getting to us. We took it slow into town and made multiple stops (we even played with a friendly puppy at one point). As we rolled into town about a mile away from our destination, we saw a ice cream/shaved ice shop. I hoped that Angela wanted to stop, and she read my mind. I enjoyed a huge shaved ice with watermelon and pina colada flavoring while Angela tried some Blue Bell ice cream, which is apparently a southern ice cream company that was highly recommended by Kelsey (who is from Texas). We enjoyed the little shop so much, we decided to call Preston and David who weren't far behind us. They stopped as well and they were very glad we told them about the amazing "cool down" spot. Later that evening, a few members of the Oxford cycling club hosted our dinner. We were spoiled with a vegetarian dinner (the nine vegetarians were very excited) and a pool party. The water was very refreshing after multiple days in the heat. (Can you tell I was a big fan of the heat based on the number of times I have said "hot" and "heat"??).
I was happy to cross over the Mississippi river into Arkansas. Arkansas is one state I have always been quite curious about (I'm not sure why..). I crossed the border with Preston and Melissa. Once we got over the border, we were in Helena, AR. Seeing that sign made me wish I was in Helena, MT so I could jump into a lake! Shortly after the border, we all stopped at the Arkansas visitor's center. The lady who was there was very helpful in telling us about things to do along our route. One funny thing at the visitor's center was a "wanted" sign for a woodpecker. Apparently in one of the nearby state forests, someone spotted a rare bird species (the ivory billed woodpecker). Scientists believed the bird was extinct, so there is a $10,000 reward if someone shows proof of its existence. The lady also told us about the Louisiana Purchase site. Preston, Melissa, and I decided to stop at the site on our way to Stuttgart, AR (the rice and duck capitol of the U.S.!). The site was about a mile and a half off the road located in some swamplands. We walked along a 1/2 mile boardwalk that took us out to the original site of where the Louisiana purchase was marked. We had great timing because there was a tour guide and a group of Arkansas teachers while we were there. The tour guide allowed us to listen to his tour. We hoped to see an alligator in the swamps, but all we saw were two water snakes (One was a poisonous cotton mouth snake. Apparently Arkansas is the only place where all 4 North American poisonous snakes live). During the tour, the teachers asked us about our trip. Several of them gave us donations for the Bike and Build cause. We ended up collecting a little more than $50! The generosity of strangers still boggles my mind sometimes. At the end of the ride, Preston and I decided to ride an extra three miles to make the day our first century ride! We were quite tired at the end, but it was fun. A couple days later, our route took us past some Indian Mounds near Little Rock. Karen, Melissa, Sarah, and I decided to ride the 1/2 mile off the route to check out the state park. The park was actually doing an archaeological dig while we were there, which was interesting to see because it was the first one they had done there since the mid '90s. Karen and I walked down to the nearby lake and fed some turtles before we rolled on towards Little Rock. After getting a little lost in downtown Little Rock, Karen and I made our way to the Riverside market. I enjoyed a well-deserved Reuben burger while Karen ate some amazing Thai food. After a fun evening potluck with the local bike club, we watched "The Blind Side" at the Little Rock outdoor amphitheater. On our day off in Little Rock, I had fun hanging out with David and Katie R. We visited the Heifer International Headquarters (which had a really cool "green" building), the Clinton Presidential Library, and enjoyed the Riverside market food again. We even went and took pictures with the real "Little Rock"! As we rode out of Little Rock, we had a chance to ride over the Big Dam Bridge, which is the largest cycling/pedestrian bridge in the United States! I also got a free smoothie after riding the bridge, which was a nice, refreshing start to the day. I caught up to B$ and Katie R. and rode with them to the first $ Stop. B$'s dad joined our group from Little Rock and followed us through Oklahoma. Between our lunch stops, he would set up snack breaks. These were extremely helpful on the long, tough days in Oklahoma.
I crossed the OK line with my friend Kim. I wasn't a huge fan of Oklahoma because I envisioned a flat, easy ride. Instead, we were faced with rolling hills and AWFUL headwinds! Sometimes the headwinds were so tough I was pedaling in my easiest gear and barely moving! Our day into Oklahoma City was probably one of the tougher days for me on this trip. I tried to keep up with my friends Angela and Sarah. I did well for the first 1/3 of the trip, but I struggled with the headwinds and going uphill. Both of these girls have better endurance than I do, so they handled the fatigue better than I did. Once I was dropped, I started giving up on myself mentally. I got frustrated because my mind was giving up before my body. This trip is just as much of a mental challenge as a physical challenge. As soon as you give up in your mind, it is difficult to make your body do another 40 miles. After second lunch, I decided to slow down and ride by myself to OKC. I stopped to take lots of pictures along the way in order to remind myself that frustration is not how I wanted to spend my time biking. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I did not want to spoil taking in the sights just because I was frustrated I couldn't keep up with a couple of my faster friends. After I realized keeping up with Sarah and Angela wasn't the easiest thing for me, I started riding with Kim and Kelsey a lot. They were my riding partners throughout the rest of Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico.
I was excited to cross the Texas border with my favorite Texan on the trip, Kelsey. She and I rode with Kim as well on a really hot, hot day. For the first time, I didn't hydrate well and I was quite sick during the evening. I tried drinking lots of water at night, but I still wasn't fully recovered by the next day. I warned our leader Natalie that I may have to van it at lunch. I was having a tough time believing I could push my body through it. But with the help of my friends pushing me along, I made it through the day. I was glad they supported me through the ride because my ultimate goal is to not be in the van at all during this trip.
After a short two days in Texas, we rolled across the New Mexico border. When we crossed into NM, I was riding with a group of about 8 girls. The headwinds were tough again, but we pushed through them. Northeastern New Mexico reminded me a lot of Montana. (I am actually quite excited to explore other states after I get back home. Before this trip, I would have been intimidated to ride in the mountains of Montana. But now I think I can handle the challenge). You could see for miles and miles. Our host town was in the middle of nowhere and had about 150 residents, which made me think of little Tracy, Montana. Everyone knew everybody in the town. There wasn't a stoplight and only one restaurant and one gas station. On our way out of Des Moines, NM, a large group of us decided to stop at the volcano about ten miles off our route. Some of us arrived too late to climb the mountain on our bikes (we didn't realize they allowed people to ride to the top before the park hours..part of our group made it up). About six of us didn't get to climb, but Melissa asked a couple with a pick-up truck if they wanted to take us up to the top. They willingly took us up and thought our cause was really awesome. The view from the top was amazing! We could see clear to the Rockies, which was quite a ways away. After we got back to the bottom, we descended into a huge canyon. The descent into Colorado was awesome!
Anyways, this blog is quite long right now, so I will leave Colorado for later. I have a lot of fun stuff to say about Colorado. Hope this helps paint a little better picture about my trip and will write again soon!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Feelin' the pain in Ft. Payne
The other day we crossed another state border. The states are flying by! We went from Rome, GA to Scottsboro, AL. The weather was beautiful and this day was the hardest and the best day at the same time. In the morning, I rode by myself because the weather was so perfect and I wanted to enjoy the rural scenery at my own pace. I stopped often to take pictures of the Georgia countryside. But I made sure to keep close to a few other riders so I could have someone to take pictures of me at the state line. There was a large group of us that stopped at the Alabama sign. We had enough to try to spell out ALABAMA, but the idea was better than the picture because most cannot tell what we are spelling out. After we were done taking pictures, I continued on with a few of the girls. Shortly after the state line, we hit our first mountain climb! The road was a gradual climb for about a mile and a half. It felt like forever! I had to stop a couple of times to catch my breath. Once we made it to the top, lunch was waiting for us. I had worked up quite an appetite and the lunch felt well deserved. one of our leaders told us about a waterfall not too far away. Most of us decided to take the detour to the falls. The falls weren't huge, but the. Swim in the water was well worth the hike. We even jumped off a few rocks! I started on a small jump that was about 7 feet. Some of the guys were having fun jumping off the bigger jumps. I was a little scared to do that, but my friend Kelsey convinced me to jump off the 30 ft cliff. I have never done anything like that before, but I'm glad I did it! After about an hour of playing around at the waterfalls, we headed back on the road. We expected to go downhill, but we kept going up! Once we finally started on the descent, it was lots of fun! There were curves to make it challenging and fun. Later on, we went on lots of back roads that didn't even have names, just numbers. Towards the end of the day, we went up another climb. I rode with a group of 5, but Mike and I wanted to go a little faster, so we left the group. We went on some really rough backroads
, which is why we decided to stop at a gas station to rest with about 15 miles left. The people there were nice, but very concerned about our safety. The next downhill was a gradual 13% grade hill! As we went down it, I hit 46 mph (which I think was speeding on that road...) the end of the downhill opened up to a lake. Mike and I stopped to take some cool pictures before we went the rest of the way. Once we started towards the church, the fast group passed us. They pulled us all the way in. For dinner, we had some great homemade BBQ. Some people are getting sick of +BBQ, bjut I'm loving it! And tons of sweet tea too.
Well I know I'm a few days behind, but I'm really tired after a ten hr build day in the 90 degree heat and 65% humidity. Should get off to bed now. Will try to catch up tomorrow and shoot to do short daily blogs.
, which is why we decided to stop at a gas station to rest with about 15 miles left. The people there were nice, but very concerned about our safety. The next downhill was a gradual 13% grade hill! As we went down it, I hit 46 mph (which I think was speeding on that road...) the end of the downhill opened up to a lake. Mike and I stopped to take some cool pictures before we went the rest of the way. Once we started towards the church, the fast group passed us. They pulled us all the way in. For dinner, we had some great homemade BBQ. Some people are getting sick of +BBQ, bjut I'm loving it! And tons of sweet tea too.
Well I know I'm a few days behind, but I'm really tired after a ten hr build day in the 90 degree heat and 65% humidity. Should get off to bed now. Will try to catch up tomorrow and shoot to do short daily blogs.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
When in Rome....update your blog!
We arrived in Rome, Georgia today after an 81 mile ride. Although the ride was long, the route was on some nice country backroads. We finally got off of the highways! Once again, I switched between groups of riders. In the morning, I rode with Kelsey and Craig. Going out of town was a little hilly and busy because we were just outside of Atlanta. We went through lots of construction areas that were really bumpy! After lunch, I rode mostly with Paul and Katie. At the top of one of the hills, we stopped at a little horse farm to takr some pictures. To our surprise, three miniature horses came running up to the side of the fence and came close enough for us to pet them! After taking some pictures, we headed down a beautiful descent. The road slowly went down and we went through a canopy of trees. The ride was very peaceful! Towards the middle of the ride, I found a really cool road. Elizabeth road! My groupmates weren't excited to take the picture because the road was at the bottom of a hill, so they had to stop and lose their momentum. A little later, I rode with Kelsey again to the end. I really liked one part of town where there was a fast, curvy downhill with no cars. I felt like I was back in racing! Once we got to the church in Rome, we were spoiled rotten. Not only did we have another awesome dinner prepared, we also had a bike mechanic, a guy who gave massages, (he is actually
a local fireman who is also a Cat 1 rider and rode with the fast guys today), and chiropractors. I wasn't in dire need of any of these luxuries, so I was one of the last in line for all of them. But I got my bike checked out, got a leg and shoulder massage, and had my back adjusted. I have never had a massage or a chiropractic adjustment, so these were new experiences for me.I am still in awe about how generous some people can be.
I'm sorry I haven't been blogging the last few days. I was doing so well on my blog that I was neglecting my personal journal. Plus, the last few days have been very hot and humid, which has worn me out. Since my last blog entry, we have had six riding days, a day off, and a build day. Most of these days were uneventful days. I enjoyed riding through the capital of SC and crossing our first state border. I was actually the last of our group to cross over the border because I was sweep, which are the people who must stay behind everyone else to make sure everything is okay with all the riders ahead. Another fun thing I found on the road was a milk vending machine at a dairy farm in Newberry. If you inserted $4, you got a jug of fresh milk! Another highlight of my ride days was an on road donation I got. Each day, we havw a donation challenge to get something that would be useful. One day, the challenge was an extension cord because ours had been broken the night before. I was riding on my own that day, so I decided to stop at an ACE hardware store. I walked in and told them about the cause and the manager eas more than happy to help. He said "what do you want? A 25 or 50 foot one?". He ended uo giving me a 50 foot one and I was again shocked by the generosity of strangers. But by far, my favorite part of the last few ride days was my ride between Athens and Norcross. We rode right past my aunt Trish's work, so I was able to surprise her! And later that day, I was able to visit with my uncle, who tracked me down on the route! I had never been where they lived or worked, so it was a fun adventure for me!
Well I will haved to leave the build day and day off for tomorrow because I am quite tired and have a 83 mile day tomorrow. But I will hopefully write about the build within the next couple of days!
a local fireman who is also a Cat 1 rider and rode with the fast guys today), and chiropractors. I wasn't in dire need of any of these luxuries, so I was one of the last in line for all of them. But I got my bike checked out, got a leg and shoulder massage, and had my back adjusted. I have never had a massage or a chiropractic adjustment, so these were new experiences for me.I am still in awe about how generous some people can be.
I'm sorry I haven't been blogging the last few days. I was doing so well on my blog that I was neglecting my personal journal. Plus, the last few days have been very hot and humid, which has worn me out. Since my last blog entry, we have had six riding days, a day off, and a build day. Most of these days were uneventful days. I enjoyed riding through the capital of SC and crossing our first state border. I was actually the last of our group to cross over the border because I was sweep, which are the people who must stay behind everyone else to make sure everything is okay with all the riders ahead. Another fun thing I found on the road was a milk vending machine at a dairy farm in Newberry. If you inserted $4, you got a jug of fresh milk! Another highlight of my ride days was an on road donation I got. Each day, we havw a donation challenge to get something that would be useful. One day, the challenge was an extension cord because ours had been broken the night before. I was riding on my own that day, so I decided to stop at an ACE hardware store. I walked in and told them about the cause and the manager eas more than happy to help. He said "what do you want? A 25 or 50 foot one?". He ended uo giving me a 50 foot one and I was again shocked by the generosity of strangers. But by far, my favorite part of the last few ride days was my ride between Athens and Norcross. We rode right past my aunt Trish's work, so I was able to surprise her! And later that day, I was able to visit with my uncle, who tracked me down on the route! I had never been where they lived or worked, so it was a fun adventure for me!
Well I will haved to leave the build day and day off for tomorrow because I am quite tired and have a 83 mile day tomorrow. But I will hopefully write about the build within the next couple of days!
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