It is crazy to thank but after over two in a half months of being on our trip, we came to our final day. We had a gigantic pump up for our final day. The highlight of our stay was saying good bye through massive cheers in the morning on Friday. We made a lot of the people out there laugh as we did our morning pump up for the final time. Remember to just GO MAD COW GO GO MAD COW!!!!!
Jake did a great job in leading us out of San Jose over the Santa Cruz Mountains. Coming out of San Jose we went through the Los Gatos community and got on a bike trail. This bike trail followed a main road that we were not allowed to bike on due to its traffic. Let me tell you though about our path, it was straight up at times on gravel the whole time. I think everyone except Matt got off their bike to get up the hill. Of course Kelsey had to show off by running up the hill first with her bike to show off at the end.
When coming off the path, we found ourselves at a beautiful reservoir that we biked along 5 miles up and won its shoreline. After the reservoir, we headed straight up to get through the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was a great final climb together as a group as it offered some great up hill battles. Another reminder of how nice it is to bike through the coast area in California. Coming down was just as fun as getting into San Jose the day before, as we hit high speeds always wondering when we could start to see the ocean.
We all waited just 4 miles from the beach at the bottom of the hill, so we could come into Santa Cruz as a group. While at a great tacqueria people bought lunch meals to enjoy while they waited for the rest of the group to get there. Adam’s nachos looked the best and they had some fine tacos. For the last time as a group, we did our Highs and Lows of the week before we headed out towards the Pacific. It was a sad moment to know that it was our last time, but we understand that we will always remember our great memories.
It was difficult to get through Santa Cruz as a group of 31 with many different traffic lights and turns. But we managed to survive the challenge without any accidents, only a couple cars beeped at his for getting in their way. We were all very patient and got really excited as we headed closer to the beach. When we arrived into the beach, nothing could describe the feeling that came to all of us. It was weird to know that we had made it from one coast to the next as a group without anybody killing each other. We were a very tight knit group who truly appreciated what everyone brought to our group.
As we jumped into Pacific, we of course sang out song of Country roads as we sang with excitement. I don’t think that the parents could understand us butut we enjoyed it. We each shared big hugs with each other and family/friends who had made the trip to share this moment with us. Pictures followed as we shared the moment, and we headed to our church right after.
The end of the trip party was an absolutely blast as we had great food from all of the friends and family who joined us. Some specialties were the kegs donated by Laura’s family and crawfish etoufe brought by Christ’s family. Everything there was truly amazing with all of the support given by our family.
As we all said our goodbyes this weekend, it was sad moment knowing we had to go our separate ways. We all knew this day would be coming eventually but just were not sure how to take it in. From our start to Charleston to our final day in Santa Cruz, we were challenged by obstacles and this just brought us together. We sang, we laughed, we were frustrated (by the wind), were bored together (by the wind too) and we know have to say good bye after this long journey.
There will be great stories to tell as our summer comes to a close, and there will be no way to explain to others just how this experience will shape our lives.
Once again thank you for all the support we have received through letters, homemade cookies, nutella, and donations given to us and cheerful support when needed. This is SC 2 SC saying good bye as a group for the final time!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Brentwood to San JOse
Leaving Brentwood, we said our goodbyes to the nice group of volunteers who helped set up dinner and breakfast for our group. Kudos to Scott who came in with fresh bagels at 7 am to feed us. The ride ahead of us was short but had some great beautiful passes between valleys of towns.
We could not believe how much wind was coming in our faces as we headed up the first ascent of 6 miles. Basically in order to get out of a town, you have to go through hills/mountains since all towns are based in the valley. So as we headed up this ascent that was certainly unexpected, we started to see wind turbines along the road. They were certainly doing their job as we saw pumping out a bunch of electricity due to the constant winds. One part that was kind of ironic was that I waited too long to switch into my smallest ring known as the granny gear to get up the big hill. Basically, it was too difficult on my gears to change since I was going so slowly. I learned my lesson as I was plenty tired once we finished these hills.
After coming down from the hill through curvy turns and small shoulders, we were just happy that there were respectful drivers on the road. They were much nicer than what we encountered in Northern California before Chico. As we went through towns in the valley we came to our second ascent. I just have to thank Kelsey for finding this route through the mountains to San Jose. While we were sleeping and eating at our lunch break, locals told us that this road was used as a Tour de California stage.
I could understand why as the road became small enough only for one car at a time as we worked up gradually. It offered great hairpin turns in the shade to protect us from the sun. Along with that, there was a great view to enjoy as we were just above a reservoir that feeds San Francisco. It really helped remind us why we enjoy cycling and seeing so many different parts of the country. The descent down into San Jose was a fun technical ride of balancing between low and high speeds in straight-aways.
San Jose overall is a big city as it has one million people but is very sprawled out. We are in the downtown part of the city, and it does not feel anything like a city that has this many people. The First Christian Church is hosting us and their staff here is very welcoming to our group. They offer breakfast and dinner four days a week to the homeless, as they are very involved in the community.
We got to spend a Build Day in San Jose as we worked with the local Rebuilding Together. We had to split the group up as 10 of us went to work on specialized projects at their main office. The people there built stairs, did carpeting and built cabinets with a group of older males that come weekly to volunteer. The group enjoyed meeting the local folk in the San Jose Area as they took on projects cooperatively.
The second group stayed at the church to clean up the back area. This involved laying down a layer of carpeting and nice red rocks to make it a bit more chipper. We also painted all of the door frames, a big wall that needed another coat, cleaned up some trees and put down awning. It was nice to help the church out since they took us for in two days, and offered some great memories.
We have to make s shout out to Coco who runs the meal programs at the church. We apologize for keeping you up the first night; we basically had too much fun at the Night Club dancing after watching Monty Python downtown. We hope you enjoyed the laughs that we brought to you. Thank you again to the church for inviting us to your fundraiser on the second night for dinner, as we got to meet many faces in San Jose area.
We could not believe how much wind was coming in our faces as we headed up the first ascent of 6 miles. Basically in order to get out of a town, you have to go through hills/mountains since all towns are based in the valley. So as we headed up this ascent that was certainly unexpected, we started to see wind turbines along the road. They were certainly doing their job as we saw pumping out a bunch of electricity due to the constant winds. One part that was kind of ironic was that I waited too long to switch into my smallest ring known as the granny gear to get up the big hill. Basically, it was too difficult on my gears to change since I was going so slowly. I learned my lesson as I was plenty tired once we finished these hills.
After coming down from the hill through curvy turns and small shoulders, we were just happy that there were respectful drivers on the road. They were much nicer than what we encountered in Northern California before Chico. As we went through towns in the valley we came to our second ascent. I just have to thank Kelsey for finding this route through the mountains to San Jose. While we were sleeping and eating at our lunch break, locals told us that this road was used as a Tour de California stage.
I could understand why as the road became small enough only for one car at a time as we worked up gradually. It offered great hairpin turns in the shade to protect us from the sun. Along with that, there was a great view to enjoy as we were just above a reservoir that feeds San Francisco. It really helped remind us why we enjoy cycling and seeing so many different parts of the country. The descent down into San Jose was a fun technical ride of balancing between low and high speeds in straight-aways.
San Jose overall is a big city as it has one million people but is very sprawled out. We are in the downtown part of the city, and it does not feel anything like a city that has this many people. The First Christian Church is hosting us and their staff here is very welcoming to our group. They offer breakfast and dinner four days a week to the homeless, as they are very involved in the community.
We got to spend a Build Day in San Jose as we worked with the local Rebuilding Together. We had to split the group up as 10 of us went to work on specialized projects at their main office. The people there built stairs, did carpeting and built cabinets with a group of older males that come weekly to volunteer. The group enjoyed meeting the local folk in the San Jose Area as they took on projects cooperatively.
The second group stayed at the church to clean up the back area. This involved laying down a layer of carpeting and nice red rocks to make it a bit more chipper. We also painted all of the door frames, a big wall that needed another coat, cleaned up some trees and put down awning. It was nice to help the church out since they took us for in two days, and offered some great memories.
We have to make s shout out to Coco who runs the meal programs at the church. We apologize for keeping you up the first night; we basically had too much fun at the Night Club dancing after watching Monty Python downtown. We hope you enjoyed the laughs that we brought to you. Thank you again to the church for inviting us to your fundraiser on the second night for dinner, as we got to meet many faces in San Jose area.
Colusa to Davis
We left the small town of Colusa understanding that we had 61 more miles of flat to ride through. We were all excited for another guaranteed day where the terrain would stay flat with little cars or wind to worry about. The day was special fore we were going to the hometown of our rider Laura. Along with that, we were also meeting up with another Bike and Build route: Providence to San Fran.
The morning was pretty uneventful with fast pace lines through the farm land until we saw chalk on the road. Our host in Colusa had a member in their congregation who owned a rice silo that we could climb up. It was more than 100 feet to top of this silo but it was safe as long as you stayed within the stairs. We never actually found the farmer for permission but we figured it was worth asking for forgiveness. It was awesome at the top as we saw all the farmland surrounding us with canals, fields and silos. We could watch a pilot fertilizing the land through his small plane.
After the silo, we quickly biked to lunch just ahead of the last riders in our group. It was a quick meal for me as I ate my bagged lunch provided by our host in Colusa. I left with Adam as we chauffeured the bride for our mock wedding in Davis from the lunch spot.
We asked the other route to join us for a mock wedding where one of our riders married one of theirs. Everyone had a role in the wedding including Bride’s Maids, Singers, and Speakers etc. The wedding occurred during the evening while we had a relay race in the late afternoon. Both were a great time and an interesting site as two totally different groups came together. The dynamics of both routes definitely threw me off, as inside jokes controlled the day.
We enjoyed Davis though as a city for what it had to offer. It all surrounds the university with the downtown area being many bars and restaurants. There were bikes everywhere and we took advantage of the bike lanes provided. The church offered a great meal and I could foresee our group coming back to build in the future.
The morning was pretty uneventful with fast pace lines through the farm land until we saw chalk on the road. Our host in Colusa had a member in their congregation who owned a rice silo that we could climb up. It was more than 100 feet to top of this silo but it was safe as long as you stayed within the stairs. We never actually found the farmer for permission but we figured it was worth asking for forgiveness. It was awesome at the top as we saw all the farmland surrounding us with canals, fields and silos. We could watch a pilot fertilizing the land through his small plane.
After the silo, we quickly biked to lunch just ahead of the last riders in our group. It was a quick meal for me as I ate my bagged lunch provided by our host in Colusa. I left with Adam as we chauffeured the bride for our mock wedding in Davis from the lunch spot.
We asked the other route to join us for a mock wedding where one of our riders married one of theirs. Everyone had a role in the wedding including Bride’s Maids, Singers, and Speakers etc. The wedding occurred during the evening while we had a relay race in the late afternoon. Both were a great time and an interesting site as two totally different groups came together. The dynamics of both routes definitely threw me off, as inside jokes controlled the day.
We enjoyed Davis though as a city for what it had to offer. It all surrounds the university with the downtown area being many bars and restaurants. There were bikes everywhere and we took advantage of the bike lanes provided. The church offered a great meal and I could foresee our group coming back to build in the future.
Chico to Colusa
We got booted out of town early on Sunday morning to make space for the service at 8:30. We did not really mind, we were just still happy that we had found a place to stay for our night in Chico. At our cue sheet meeting, we found out that we only 43 miles of flat road between us and our host for the night in Colusa. Basically it was a choose between spending the morning in Chico or spending a long afternoon in Colusa. So we chose Chico and went to find a great place to swim.
After biking through Bidwell Park and talking to many locals we found our water hole to swim in. When I say found I mean, we were told how to get there but still were not sure how long it would take. So it took us an hour from start to finish until we found Bear Hole in the upper section of Bidwell Park in the foothills. Man was it worth the wait!
It was all lave rocks that had been smoothed down from human contact that declined into the river. It was a great space with deep and shallow parts that allowed for amazing adventures. We tested the limits with jumping off rocks into the water, chilled out in the sun and waded through the currents. The best part came when we found the old dam that filled the aqueduct (which is now the trail). The dam had broken and it was now random concrete 12 feet above the river. It was a perfect location for jumping into the water from with an area in the water the diameter of 15 feet that was safe to jump into.
So after this fun we picked up a relaxing lunch and were on the road by 2 PM. It was kind of funny to think about how the majority of the group was already relaxing at our host while we’re still eating our lunch. The rumors were true that we just had flat road ahead of us for 43 miles through farm country in the valley. I stopped once for a minute or two just to jump into a sprinkler but other than that I just booked it into Colusa.
I had no idea that the town was approaching before I went over the bridge into it. There really was no civilization at all other than random farm houses. Locals in Colusa told me than many Civil War Sympathizers moved our into this region, and it made sense after seeing all the ‘plantations.’ I was not too sure of what exactly was along the farmlands we went through, but it reminded me of the flat parts of Mississippi.
We had a grand dinner and community event waiting for us as we arrived. It was one of the best meals of our journey cooked by great people who really cared about their area. I hope that we can come back next year to help them out with 20% unemployment rate in their county. A great small town and after this we had back into big towns until the prize of Santa Cruz.
After biking through Bidwell Park and talking to many locals we found our water hole to swim in. When I say found I mean, we were told how to get there but still were not sure how long it would take. So it took us an hour from start to finish until we found Bear Hole in the upper section of Bidwell Park in the foothills. Man was it worth the wait!
It was all lave rocks that had been smoothed down from human contact that declined into the river. It was a great space with deep and shallow parts that allowed for amazing adventures. We tested the limits with jumping off rocks into the water, chilled out in the sun and waded through the currents. The best part came when we found the old dam that filled the aqueduct (which is now the trail). The dam had broken and it was now random concrete 12 feet above the river. It was a perfect location for jumping into the water from with an area in the water the diameter of 15 feet that was safe to jump into.
So after this fun we picked up a relaxing lunch and were on the road by 2 PM. It was kind of funny to think about how the majority of the group was already relaxing at our host while we’re still eating our lunch. The rumors were true that we just had flat road ahead of us for 43 miles through farm country in the valley. I stopped once for a minute or two just to jump into a sprinkler but other than that I just booked it into Colusa.
I had no idea that the town was approaching before I went over the bridge into it. There really was no civilization at all other than random farm houses. Locals in Colusa told me than many Civil War Sympathizers moved our into this region, and it made sense after seeing all the ‘plantations.’ I was not too sure of what exactly was along the farmlands we went through, but it reminded me of the flat parts of Mississippi.
We had a grand dinner and community event waiting for us as we arrived. It was one of the best meals of our journey cooked by great people who really cared about their area. I hope that we can come back next year to help them out with 20% unemployment rate in their county. A great small town and after this we had back into big towns until the prize of Santa Cruz.
Chester to Chico
Starting the day, we realized that we would be going down more than 5000 feet in elevation. So that sounds like a nice decent for all of the day as we only had 60 miles to hit up for the day. We were very pleasantly surprised as we made it through a state road that was along a river and a state forest.
We would go from windy downhill to windy uphill without ever knowing what to expect as we went through a bend. I personally really loved the surprisingly challenge but it was clear that some were a little moody about the surprise with some curse words. I mean it is never fun mentally to find out that an expected easy day would consist of some serious climbs. We all though shared great stories of biking and talking with locals who were curious about our group.
After lunch, we battled some hills for awhile until we hit the final descent into Chico. Man was it beautiful to look down into the valley while we were up so high, but it was really hot. We finally got that California heat that we were expecting for the last three days. The last 20 miles were a coast as we enjoyed the descent with little wind.
The town of Chico had a lot to offer for the afternoon as we had to stay away from the church in order to give them space for an afternoon wedding. The first place to hit up was the Sierra Nevada Brewery with its beer & taproom. I was not as impressed due to there being no free beer at all, come on!
After hitting up some lunch and thrift shop, I made it to Bidwell Park to go swimming. The park had a free swimming hole that was dammed and fed by a river coming down the canyon from the mountains. It was a little cold but I felt like it was the good old days with this rhettro swimming days. It was the first time I felt like I was actually in California as we saw true racial diversity hearing many languages.
At night after dinner, we hit up town by going to the local Root Beer Bar. It was fun to talk with owner of the ice cream shop/root beer bar as she shared stories of Chico. We found out about all of the many stories that came from California hippies and being in an university town. We stayed until way past closed as we checked out their collection of root beers from all over the country.
It was a good night in Chico and I hope that they make it back here next year hopefully.
We would go from windy downhill to windy uphill without ever knowing what to expect as we went through a bend. I personally really loved the surprisingly challenge but it was clear that some were a little moody about the surprise with some curse words. I mean it is never fun mentally to find out that an expected easy day would consist of some serious climbs. We all though shared great stories of biking and talking with locals who were curious about our group.
After lunch, we battled some hills for awhile until we hit the final descent into Chico. Man was it beautiful to look down into the valley while we were up so high, but it was really hot. We finally got that California heat that we were expecting for the last three days. The last 20 miles were a coast as we enjoyed the descent with little wind.
The town of Chico had a lot to offer for the afternoon as we had to stay away from the church in order to give them space for an afternoon wedding. The first place to hit up was the Sierra Nevada Brewery with its beer & taproom. I was not as impressed due to there being no free beer at all, come on!
After hitting up some lunch and thrift shop, I made it to Bidwell Park to go swimming. The park had a free swimming hole that was dammed and fed by a river coming down the canyon from the mountains. It was a little cold but I felt like it was the good old days with this rhettro swimming days. It was the first time I felt like I was actually in California as we saw true racial diversity hearing many languages.
At night after dinner, we hit up town by going to the local Root Beer Bar. It was fun to talk with owner of the ice cream shop/root beer bar as she shared stories of Chico. We found out about all of the many stories that came from California hippies and being in an university town. We stayed until way past closed as we checked out their collection of root beers from all over the country.
It was a good night in Chico and I hope that they make it back here next year hopefully.
Susanville to Butt Lake/Chester
So from Susanville we went straight up for 20 miles until we got in flat high country that brought us to Lake Almanor. I was driving the support van for the day, and my job was to find a campsite for our group. Unfortunately the campsite we had planned to stay at was completely full so we got some local advice to find another great site on Butt Lake nearby. Even though the name was odd, it ended up being a beautiful site with less people and more space to have fun.
The only con was that it took forever for people to arrive due to their relaxing attitude of the day. When it started raining and only half of the tents were up that was when we fell into some problems. It all worked out though in the end as the significant rain held off until we were fully prepared.
We were excited though to be on a lake that was great for camping. We just chilled out in the afternoon and evening with fine beverages/great conversation. For our weekly town hall meeting, it was the most entertaining of the trip(we’ll just keep it at that). After a night of camping we found a church to take us for the second night of our day off. So we packed it up casually and headed to the local town of Chester with people having the option to bike or get a shuttle from the van.
Our mission of the afternoon after settling into the church was to find our mail in Old Station near the Lassen Park. As we drove down a state road that was just recently opened with first being controlled, we saw many burnt trees with a bunch of smoke in the air. When we got to the turn off for our mail, so road was just being opened after five days of fighting fires. There was no electricity in any of the houses or stores along the road unless they had generator power. As we drove into Old Station, we almost missed the post office due to its small size. The post office was opened but the mail lady was gone with a note stating her routine would be at 3 PM (which was in an hour). So we killed off time by visiting an open general store and playing in the creek.
When the mail lady returned, she was just excited that she could finally get rid of so much mail. There were many packages also there for through hikes on the Pacfic Crest Trail, so we did not completely whipe her out dry though.
On the way back we took a longer scenic route through Lassen National Park since the raods were now open. It was worth the entrance fee as we got to see all of the many features. We had a snowball fight at the trailhead for Lassen Peak, saw the sulfur deposits that smelled amazing and just enjoyed sites. It was a pretty gorgeous that would have been a tough bike day through the park, and I think we caught a break with the forest fire. So next years group better be prepared for this pass was just as long/difficult as Independence Pass.
Our adventure was fun but the rest of the day was pretty simple.
The only con was that it took forever for people to arrive due to their relaxing attitude of the day. When it started raining and only half of the tents were up that was when we fell into some problems. It all worked out though in the end as the significant rain held off until we were fully prepared.
We were excited though to be on a lake that was great for camping. We just chilled out in the afternoon and evening with fine beverages/great conversation. For our weekly town hall meeting, it was the most entertaining of the trip(we’ll just keep it at that). After a night of camping we found a church to take us for the second night of our day off. So we packed it up casually and headed to the local town of Chester with people having the option to bike or get a shuttle from the van.
Our mission of the afternoon after settling into the church was to find our mail in Old Station near the Lassen Park. As we drove down a state road that was just recently opened with first being controlled, we saw many burnt trees with a bunch of smoke in the air. When we got to the turn off for our mail, so road was just being opened after five days of fighting fires. There was no electricity in any of the houses or stores along the road unless they had generator power. As we drove into Old Station, we almost missed the post office due to its small size. The post office was opened but the mail lady was gone with a note stating her routine would be at 3 PM (which was in an hour). So we killed off time by visiting an open general store and playing in the creek.
When the mail lady returned, she was just excited that she could finally get rid of so much mail. There were many packages also there for through hikes on the Pacfic Crest Trail, so we did not completely whipe her out dry though.
On the way back we took a longer scenic route through Lassen National Park since the raods were now open. It was worth the entrance fee as we got to see all of the many features. We had a snowball fight at the trailhead for Lassen Peak, saw the sulfur deposits that smelled amazing and just enjoyed sites. It was a pretty gorgeous that would have been a tough bike day through the park, and I think we caught a break with the forest fire. So next years group better be prepared for this pass was just as long/difficult as Independence Pass.
Our adventure was fun but the rest of the day was pretty simple.
Alturas to Susanville (California)
Alturas to Chester
So unfortunately due to the forest fires, we have had to re-route to the town of Susanville. Originally, we were supposed to bike to Cassel in order to make our way into Lassen National Park. The road connecting the park to Cassel is closed without any guarantees on when they will open. So Susanville was 105 miles from Alturas, and it consisted of being on the same road for 99.6 miles.
The first 40 miles were real good as we got out early to enjoy the mild winds and temperature. The highlight came with singing a fun camp song with Amelia all the way up our first mountain pass. We passed through many small towns with populations in the double digits that had the most a café & general store. I was getting pretty crazy & clumsy by the time our first lunch came around. The lunch stop was completely in the middle of nowhere at an old abandoned shop with the scariest looking bathrooms outside. I chose to use the rocks and trees instead and headed out from lunch.
The winds really started to pick up between first and second lunch as we attempted to protect ourselves! We were in a group of six with hitting us from the west that was blowing us from side to side. Chris did a great job of having us bike side by side in groups of three with the person to the right taking the majority of the wind. We chaged positions to share taking the brunt of the wind, and it helped us.
The highlight of this leg was after a long stretch of downhill where Skennelly had a couple of flats within two miles. So were biking alone laughing at the severity of the wind when a cop just randomly stopped us. So we had no idea what was going on but we realized this would be a rememberable moment with cops. His first question for us was if we had seen bikers going nude on the road. Lucky for me, this day I had not chosen the act and I was honest to the cop that it was not Sarah or I. The cop though did not understand what was going because we were the third group of riders he stopped to find out why we had been called in for naked bicyclists. So I educated the officer about the significance of what we call the “naked mile.” He was more intrigued than mad at us, and basically just asked me to spread the message to “keep our clothes on my county(Modoc).”
Sure enough at second lunch, I was able to find the culprit of the doing as we shared some laughs. The cop was basically stopping every packs of riders to tell us to just keep not get naked without any punishments. We shared laughs at a quick second lunch and headed on our way back into the wind for the last 25 miles. As we headed down for the first strech of these miles, we headed down a hill with wind gusts blowing us back. It felt like we were going uphill, come on what the heck!
So we kept our spirits high through constant gossiping and laughing. The second highlight of the day was having a cattle truck pass us, and get hit by a water like substance. We had our ideas of how contaminated we might have just become but tried not to put too much thought into it.
As we made it into Susanville after a long day, we all celebrated knowing it was our last century of the whole trip. The church was pretty basic but I think I had the coldest hose shower of the trip in the back, and even I could not take it. We treated ourselves after the shower by buying a tub of ice cream for a big group to share. It was absolutely disgusting in hindsight but felt so good at the time. Funny fact about the city is that it holds one of the biggest state prisons which is the basis for its economy. A majority of its citizens either work at the prison, just got out of prison or have family members who are prisoners.
So unfortunately due to the forest fires, we have had to re-route to the town of Susanville. Originally, we were supposed to bike to Cassel in order to make our way into Lassen National Park. The road connecting the park to Cassel is closed without any guarantees on when they will open. So Susanville was 105 miles from Alturas, and it consisted of being on the same road for 99.6 miles.
The first 40 miles were real good as we got out early to enjoy the mild winds and temperature. The highlight came with singing a fun camp song with Amelia all the way up our first mountain pass. We passed through many small towns with populations in the double digits that had the most a café & general store. I was getting pretty crazy & clumsy by the time our first lunch came around. The lunch stop was completely in the middle of nowhere at an old abandoned shop with the scariest looking bathrooms outside. I chose to use the rocks and trees instead and headed out from lunch.
The winds really started to pick up between first and second lunch as we attempted to protect ourselves! We were in a group of six with hitting us from the west that was blowing us from side to side. Chris did a great job of having us bike side by side in groups of three with the person to the right taking the majority of the wind. We chaged positions to share taking the brunt of the wind, and it helped us.
The highlight of this leg was after a long stretch of downhill where Skennelly had a couple of flats within two miles. So were biking alone laughing at the severity of the wind when a cop just randomly stopped us. So we had no idea what was going on but we realized this would be a rememberable moment with cops. His first question for us was if we had seen bikers going nude on the road. Lucky for me, this day I had not chosen the act and I was honest to the cop that it was not Sarah or I. The cop though did not understand what was going because we were the third group of riders he stopped to find out why we had been called in for naked bicyclists. So I educated the officer about the significance of what we call the “naked mile.” He was more intrigued than mad at us, and basically just asked me to spread the message to “keep our clothes on my county(Modoc).”
Sure enough at second lunch, I was able to find the culprit of the doing as we shared some laughs. The cop was basically stopping every packs of riders to tell us to just keep not get naked without any punishments. We shared laughs at a quick second lunch and headed on our way back into the wind for the last 25 miles. As we headed down for the first strech of these miles, we headed down a hill with wind gusts blowing us back. It felt like we were going uphill, come on what the heck!
So we kept our spirits high through constant gossiping and laughing. The second highlight of the day was having a cattle truck pass us, and get hit by a water like substance. We had our ideas of how contaminated we might have just become but tried not to put too much thought into it.
As we made it into Susanville after a long day, we all celebrated knowing it was our last century of the whole trip. The church was pretty basic but I think I had the coldest hose shower of the trip in the back, and even I could not take it. We treated ourselves after the shower by buying a tub of ice cream for a big group to share. It was absolutely disgusting in hindsight but felt so good at the time. Funny fact about the city is that it holds one of the biggest state prisons which is the basis for its economy. A majority of its citizens either work at the prison, just got out of prison or have family members who are prisoners.
Lakeview to Alturas
After a great night in Lakeview, we got on our way to our next destination of Alturas. Everyone was excited to know that we were entering our final state of California, with a border crossing being early on in the day. From the start of the day, I felt tired as I was not in a great biking condition for the day. Not sure why exactly but I managed to be biking alone for the first 20 miles before the border crossing, and I just could not pick up a good pace.
So on my way I went with a bad mood as I saw smoke coming towards us from California due to forest fires. I talked to some locals on my way who were annoyed by the under funding of the forest service who they felt let fire s go uncontrolled. In their opinion, if we know that the wood will be burnt in these fires why don’t’ we use it for practical reasons instead like paper. It was still a sore topic of how all the logging and paper mills were taken down due to federal regulations. Back in the day, these locals told me that every one in town would go up to the mountains to put out fires. They would not stand for this letting of fires naturally burn. Interesting opinion, I know that statistics show the benefits of forest fires for the trees.
As we made our way to the border, we all waited to get a great group shot of everyone. At this location was a great antique shop that was just bundles of stuff for people to look at and buy. I am snot sure what will happen to all of that stuff when the nice owner finally passes, I was just amazed of how much stuff there was, it was crazy!
After this pit stop, the day was pretty simple through a random lunch spot where we just relaxed while looking at open lands. After lunch, we had a very fun up and down battle that was filled with wind. We were all a little tired and it was difficult to concentrate to completely on biking. The main highlight of the rest of our ride was the railroad tracks following us along a downhill. It randomly had three railroad carts that were lying on its side next to railroad track. It was clear that a long time there was a derailment that never got fully cleaned up. I am sure no trains have used this railroad in years due to the mills or mines closing down, but those will always remind us of its past.
The town of Alturas is a simple small town in Northern California that is just an extension of what we found in Oregon. The people were real nice as they offered us a high school for lodging, provided a great picnic dinner and we talked to many locals. We had an awesome pick up football game in the back, and I did not offer anything much other than entertainment to my team. It was a quality time, but we all went to sleep as we had a long day ahead of us.
So on my way I went with a bad mood as I saw smoke coming towards us from California due to forest fires. I talked to some locals on my way who were annoyed by the under funding of the forest service who they felt let fire s go uncontrolled. In their opinion, if we know that the wood will be burnt in these fires why don’t’ we use it for practical reasons instead like paper. It was still a sore topic of how all the logging and paper mills were taken down due to federal regulations. Back in the day, these locals told me that every one in town would go up to the mountains to put out fires. They would not stand for this letting of fires naturally burn. Interesting opinion, I know that statistics show the benefits of forest fires for the trees.
As we made our way to the border, we all waited to get a great group shot of everyone. At this location was a great antique shop that was just bundles of stuff for people to look at and buy. I am snot sure what will happen to all of that stuff when the nice owner finally passes, I was just amazed of how much stuff there was, it was crazy!
After this pit stop, the day was pretty simple through a random lunch spot where we just relaxed while looking at open lands. After lunch, we had a very fun up and down battle that was filled with wind. We were all a little tired and it was difficult to concentrate to completely on biking. The main highlight of the rest of our ride was the railroad tracks following us along a downhill. It randomly had three railroad carts that were lying on its side next to railroad track. It was clear that a long time there was a derailment that never got fully cleaned up. I am sure no trains have used this railroad in years due to the mills or mines closing down, but those will always remind us of its past.
The town of Alturas is a simple small town in Northern California that is just an extension of what we found in Oregon. The people were real nice as they offered us a high school for lodging, provided a great picnic dinner and we talked to many locals. We had an awesome pick up football game in the back, and I did not offer anything much other than entertainment to my team. It was a quality time, but we all went to sleep as we had a long day ahead of us.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Wagontire to Lakeview
We left in the morning with great stories of how strong the wind had become over the night. People could hear the tents flapping all through the night and one tent actually just flipped over so no one could use it to sleep it. We simply threw a cooler onto it over the night and people found other places to stay.
So I enjoyed 7 hours of sleep on the floor of a motel room, yes! We ate our breakfast and were pumped up by a great game of Red Rover by the Most Valuable Cyclist from yesterday. As we went on our way, I knew it would be a great riding day of 85 miles through the desert and woods.
I had some great discussions up until the first lunch stops just about topics discussed the night before in 60 Minutes. While discussing, we biked through Alkali Lake which is an old dried up body of water that has salts now. We also biked past a patch of sand dunes and came up to the Rest Area where we were originally supposed to spend the night. Let’s just say it was a great lunch spot but I am satisfied that we decided not to spend the night there.
After our first lunch, we biked 10 miles until we came along Lake Abert. It was along the road for 20 miles of our journey as we watched birds and cattle along it. It was fairly shallow, and its bottom ground was Basalt. Geographically, basalt was a key component of the Abert Rim surrounding the lake also. It give us a weird smell but it was beautiful scenery until 2nd lunch.
The most exciting thing about the last leg of the trip was how trees just randomly appeared again. We biked 25 miles through the forest with hills & meadows that had strong gusts along them. Even though there was a strong headwind against us, we battled on up and down to Lakeview. It was just a nice contrast in what surrounded us along our ride, I think it lifted up the spirits of everyone.
Lakeview is a nice small town in Southeastern Oregon with a great church. The Baptist Church is hosting us and we have all meals provided. We even had ice cream sandwiches and soda waiting for us, woohoo! Unfortunately I got in too late to hit up the Antelope Refuge area nearby, but maybe next time.
So I enjoyed 7 hours of sleep on the floor of a motel room, yes! We ate our breakfast and were pumped up by a great game of Red Rover by the Most Valuable Cyclist from yesterday. As we went on our way, I knew it would be a great riding day of 85 miles through the desert and woods.
I had some great discussions up until the first lunch stops just about topics discussed the night before in 60 Minutes. While discussing, we biked through Alkali Lake which is an old dried up body of water that has salts now. We also biked past a patch of sand dunes and came up to the Rest Area where we were originally supposed to spend the night. Let’s just say it was a great lunch spot but I am satisfied that we decided not to spend the night there.
After our first lunch, we biked 10 miles until we came along Lake Abert. It was along the road for 20 miles of our journey as we watched birds and cattle along it. It was fairly shallow, and its bottom ground was Basalt. Geographically, basalt was a key component of the Abert Rim surrounding the lake also. It give us a weird smell but it was beautiful scenery until 2nd lunch.
The most exciting thing about the last leg of the trip was how trees just randomly appeared again. We biked 25 miles through the forest with hills & meadows that had strong gusts along them. Even though there was a strong headwind against us, we battled on up and down to Lakeview. It was just a nice contrast in what surrounded us along our ride, I think it lifted up the spirits of everyone.
Lakeview is a nice small town in Southeastern Oregon with a great church. The Baptist Church is hosting us and we have all meals provided. We even had ice cream sandwiches and soda waiting for us, woohoo! Unfortunately I got in too late to hit up the Antelope Refuge area nearby, but maybe next time.
Burns to Wagontire (Nothing on Burns Stay)
We came into the day with uncertainty … we were really too sure where or what type of place we would be staying at. We were told that there was a rest area 75 miles south of Burns along the highway we would be taking towards Lakeview. We were given permission to stay at this location but were warned of the potential risk of coming in contact with rattlesnakes and scorpions. There was some risk involved with our life choices basically.
So we went onward realizing that there was a large potential of having an unpleasant night in the desert. After having a sub par breakfast on my own at the Apple Peddler, I finally left town with Elvis, the van back in action. Everyone was taking their time out of town because they had no real reason to hurry to get anywhere. So I took my time also by hanging out with them in a gas station in Riley just 25 miles out of Burns.
We were here for close to an hour even though there was no scheduled lunch for this time. People just were not in a hurry so they were sitting, talking and eating food from the convenience store. At this time we did our research of finding out that the supposed Rest Area was actually 90 miles south of Burns, and there were definitely rattlesnakes!
So I left Riley to meet the group at our real lunch stop in Wagontire only 55 miles from Burns. When arriving to meet the only two people in this small town that only consists of a café/RV Park/Motel. We talked to Cheryl and she offered a great rate for our group to stay at her facilities for the night. So after thinking about our options and going to check out the Rest Area, I realized that our best option was staying with this nice lady.
So we set up our tents in the backyard with some grass area after cleaning up all the dog poop. We were given one motel room to wash up in the showers, watch television and some people headed into the café for some food. It was a great stay as were able to eat our meal that we cooked for ourselves in the actual café and we met some great people.
Cheryl moved out to Wagontire with her husband who is a trucker after they were getting tired of the City life on the other side of the Cascade Mountains. So they lease this shop, and will cook for anyone who knocks on their door as their hours are very flexible. Her husband came in later with a Cowboy named Charlie who shared us stories of the great Eastern Oregon frontier. Charlie took us to some ole houses that were haunted by murders in the West during the frontier time. It was crazy to hear about all the chaos that went on with getting to the West.
We met 2 sets of motor cyclists who were doing tours around the western part of the country. They were both headed to Sturgis for the big motorcycle festival and had great stories to tell. It is just fun to share stories with other travelers and hear of great places to visit. The second set of motorcyclists ended up spending the night due to the amount of drinks they had and how late it got.
It was a great stay in Wagontire and the only thing that surprised us was all the wind as we received 40 mile gusts throughout the day and night. It was beautiful though to watch the sky during sunset and constantly see lightning far off in the distance. You got to love the Big Sky country.
So we went onward realizing that there was a large potential of having an unpleasant night in the desert. After having a sub par breakfast on my own at the Apple Peddler, I finally left town with Elvis, the van back in action. Everyone was taking their time out of town because they had no real reason to hurry to get anywhere. So I took my time also by hanging out with them in a gas station in Riley just 25 miles out of Burns.
We were here for close to an hour even though there was no scheduled lunch for this time. People just were not in a hurry so they were sitting, talking and eating food from the convenience store. At this time we did our research of finding out that the supposed Rest Area was actually 90 miles south of Burns, and there were definitely rattlesnakes!
So I left Riley to meet the group at our real lunch stop in Wagontire only 55 miles from Burns. When arriving to meet the only two people in this small town that only consists of a café/RV Park/Motel. We talked to Cheryl and she offered a great rate for our group to stay at her facilities for the night. So after thinking about our options and going to check out the Rest Area, I realized that our best option was staying with this nice lady.
So we set up our tents in the backyard with some grass area after cleaning up all the dog poop. We were given one motel room to wash up in the showers, watch television and some people headed into the café for some food. It was a great stay as were able to eat our meal that we cooked for ourselves in the actual café and we met some great people.
Cheryl moved out to Wagontire with her husband who is a trucker after they were getting tired of the City life on the other side of the Cascade Mountains. So they lease this shop, and will cook for anyone who knocks on their door as their hours are very flexible. Her husband came in later with a Cowboy named Charlie who shared us stories of the great Eastern Oregon frontier. Charlie took us to some ole houses that were haunted by murders in the West during the frontier time. It was crazy to hear about all the chaos that went on with getting to the West.
We met 2 sets of motor cyclists who were doing tours around the western part of the country. They were both headed to Sturgis for the big motorcycle festival and had great stories to tell. It is just fun to share stories with other travelers and hear of great places to visit. The second set of motorcyclists ended up spending the night due to the amount of drinks they had and how late it got.
It was a great stay in Wagontire and the only thing that surprised us was all the wind as we received 40 mile gusts throughout the day and night. It was beautiful though to watch the sky during sunset and constantly see lightning far off in the distance. You got to love the Big Sky country.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Ontario to Juntura
Ontario to Juntura
So I am here in a small town called Juntura, and am only 100 miles west into Oregon. When leaving the canyon the last three miles of our ride today, we came out in a beautiful valley. The valley offered us a great view to look at with the mountains coming into it and a simple river in the bed of it. I did not realize the type of community I was entering, a place where everyone is friendly and watches out for each other.
When setting up this host, it took me a long time to actually get on the found with a soul that is a citizen of the town. I had to actually call a church in a nearby town to ask if anyone lived out there, and this was how we got connected with the McKae family. Jim & Joyce own ranch land all along town for their sheep and cattle. They have three boys and three girls whom they adopted from Haiti, and they are all polite and welcoming young people.
The town has a post office, a school, a community center and Café Oasis that also serves as a Motel. Other than these key locations, I found a handful houses that don’t even make up 50 people. In these houses, we met the school teacher for K-5th grade (grand total of 5 kids), Tammy the owner of the café and a retired government worker whose wife is writing an article about our group.
The first place I hit up in town after our 70 mile journey through the canyons along a river was the Oasis Café. I of course tried another finely baked pie with this one being filled with blackberries. I left once I heard about all of the food waiting for us at our host location. There were sandwiches, sweet, drinks and fruits of all nature waiting for our tummies. They informed me of the showers awaiting us at the motel and I quickly walked over.
During this walk, I learned the importance of wearing shoes around this area. My feet were simply attacked by little pricky thorns that I had to take out one by one. I adapted and stayed away from the lethal objects, and found a nice place to sit and write postcards after my shower. It was fun watching all of the many tourists and truck drivers coming through the town with some of them stopping and others just continuing on their way. Did any of them though understand how great of a community they were traveling through?
This is what makes Bike & Build so great; we get to interact with these types of places that most would miss driving through the country. Dinner was a fine array of meat and sausages from local ranchers along with salads for all. There was baked pie that convinced everyone to save room in their stomachs for. After dinner we talked with locals as they prepared to practice their calf roping skills. We spent the last three hours of the night talking, casually watching the calf roping, riding horses and spending time on our bikes.
As we go to sleep tonight, we may be sweating due to the lack of air conditioning but that is not what we will remember of our time. We will remember the great people, food and sites!
So I am here in a small town called Juntura, and am only 100 miles west into Oregon. When leaving the canyon the last three miles of our ride today, we came out in a beautiful valley. The valley offered us a great view to look at with the mountains coming into it and a simple river in the bed of it. I did not realize the type of community I was entering, a place where everyone is friendly and watches out for each other.
When setting up this host, it took me a long time to actually get on the found with a soul that is a citizen of the town. I had to actually call a church in a nearby town to ask if anyone lived out there, and this was how we got connected with the McKae family. Jim & Joyce own ranch land all along town for their sheep and cattle. They have three boys and three girls whom they adopted from Haiti, and they are all polite and welcoming young people.
The town has a post office, a school, a community center and Café Oasis that also serves as a Motel. Other than these key locations, I found a handful houses that don’t even make up 50 people. In these houses, we met the school teacher for K-5th grade (grand total of 5 kids), Tammy the owner of the café and a retired government worker whose wife is writing an article about our group.
The first place I hit up in town after our 70 mile journey through the canyons along a river was the Oasis Café. I of course tried another finely baked pie with this one being filled with blackberries. I left once I heard about all of the food waiting for us at our host location. There were sandwiches, sweet, drinks and fruits of all nature waiting for our tummies. They informed me of the showers awaiting us at the motel and I quickly walked over.
During this walk, I learned the importance of wearing shoes around this area. My feet were simply attacked by little pricky thorns that I had to take out one by one. I adapted and stayed away from the lethal objects, and found a nice place to sit and write postcards after my shower. It was fun watching all of the many tourists and truck drivers coming through the town with some of them stopping and others just continuing on their way. Did any of them though understand how great of a community they were traveling through?
This is what makes Bike & Build so great; we get to interact with these types of places that most would miss driving through the country. Dinner was a fine array of meat and sausages from local ranchers along with salads for all. There was baked pie that convinced everyone to save room in their stomachs for. After dinner we talked with locals as they prepared to practice their calf roping skills. We spent the last three hours of the night talking, casually watching the calf roping, riding horses and spending time on our bikes.
As we go to sleep tonight, we may be sweating due to the lack of air conditioning but that is not what we will remember of our time. We will remember the great people, food and sites!
Boise to Ontario Oregon
So we left Boise and headed out of Idaho for the last time ever on the route. What I mean by that is that we had a border crossing today into Oregon. The first 40 miles were fairly simple to our lunch spot as we headed out through the suburbs. It was a real nice route out of the city, and I was able to push it to lunch.
After lunch, I simply took my time with some people to Ontario. The border crossing over the Snake River was very simple, nothing too fancy to show off. We stopped in the town of Nyatta and quickly went about our way through the irrigated farm lands.
Our stay in Ontario was very nice with the pastor being very kind to our group. He hooked us up with great food, computers and air conditioning that was amazing. The big highlights of the day were going to county fair in town.
I visited the livestock section where I met all types of ranchers young and old. The 4-H club had some girls that were still in grade school taking care of cattle all their life. They were very knowledgeable, polite and responsible who told us everything about the perfect cow.
We of course checked out the lamas, pigs and lamb in the livestock section. The lamb reminded me of a dog in a way with how they interact with humans. I would consider getting one in the future if I have space for that type of development. The competitions were also a hit as we saw all sorts of crafts, pictures, fruits, quilts and miscellaneous items that were being judged.
It was a great day and I look forward towards the next time that I am in the area.
After lunch, I simply took my time with some people to Ontario. The border crossing over the Snake River was very simple, nothing too fancy to show off. We stopped in the town of Nyatta and quickly went about our way through the irrigated farm lands.
Our stay in Ontario was very nice with the pastor being very kind to our group. He hooked us up with great food, computers and air conditioning that was amazing. The big highlights of the day were going to county fair in town.
I visited the livestock section where I met all types of ranchers young and old. The 4-H club had some girls that were still in grade school taking care of cattle all their life. They were very knowledgeable, polite and responsible who told us everything about the perfect cow.
We of course checked out the lamas, pigs and lamb in the livestock section. The lamb reminded me of a dog in a way with how they interact with humans. I would consider getting one in the future if I have space for that type of development. The competitions were also a hit as we saw all sorts of crafts, pictures, fruits, quilts and miscellaneous items that were being judged.
It was a great day and I look forward towards the next time that I am in the area.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Mountain Home to Boise (Day OFf)
Today, I was able to give my body a day off due to my trip leader responsibility of driving the van. It was a short 44 mile ride for the riders as they took the Interstate for the majority of the day. Once I got into Boise, I quickly unloaded the van and took Elvis (the van) to the shop for some tender love and care. While in the area, I found a great dive bar that offered a great deal on burgers and were willing to give our group a $50 gift card.
We walked around town a lot during the afternoon to gain some idea of the city. I saw the bike path which I knew was something that I wanted to take advantage of. I checked out some restaurants, found more donations for the breakfasts and just people watched around town.
So later on in the day, we brought a group of 20 who were into the idea of a good fun night at the bar. Luckily, they had great happy hour prices along with some horseshoes in the back. We had a fun round robin with everyone having a partner, as we socialized for a long time. On the way back, I was able to hitch a ride from a nice lady who was just going down State Street. She dropped us off along the way to our church, thanks again for the ride.
As I woke up the next morning, I got out to Hyde Park by just randomly welcoming through town. It was a real nice historical district part of town where I was able to talk with some locals while enjoying a great place to read. I caught up on the some phone calls and went back to the church for some breakfast. Breakfast consisted of my typical day off meal with eggs, tomatoes & avocado. The meal of a champion!
In the afternoon, I went for a bike ride along the path called the Belt Parkway. It was a real nice trail along the river that offered some great views of the scenery and bumps along the way. I caught up with a local biker who gave me some info on the area and even inspired me to tackle a nice pass up ahead. From the end of the bike trail, we biked up to two separate reservoirs that were full of boaters. It was beautiful and a fun tough hill in the dry heat of the day. I was treated by a Powerade on the top of the Summit, I said, "thanks again for the treat after kicking me up the hill!"
Tomorrow should be a great ride, thanks again Boise for a great time!
We walked around town a lot during the afternoon to gain some idea of the city. I saw the bike path which I knew was something that I wanted to take advantage of. I checked out some restaurants, found more donations for the breakfasts and just people watched around town.
So later on in the day, we brought a group of 20 who were into the idea of a good fun night at the bar. Luckily, they had great happy hour prices along with some horseshoes in the back. We had a fun round robin with everyone having a partner, as we socialized for a long time. On the way back, I was able to hitch a ride from a nice lady who was just going down State Street. She dropped us off along the way to our church, thanks again for the ride.
As I woke up the next morning, I got out to Hyde Park by just randomly welcoming through town. It was a real nice historical district part of town where I was able to talk with some locals while enjoying a great place to read. I caught up on the some phone calls and went back to the church for some breakfast. Breakfast consisted of my typical day off meal with eggs, tomatoes & avocado. The meal of a champion!
In the afternoon, I went for a bike ride along the path called the Belt Parkway. It was a real nice trail along the river that offered some great views of the scenery and bumps along the way. I caught up with a local biker who gave me some info on the area and even inspired me to tackle a nice pass up ahead. From the end of the bike trail, we biked up to two separate reservoirs that were full of boaters. It was beautiful and a fun tough hill in the dry heat of the day. I was treated by a Powerade on the top of the Summit, I said, "thanks again for the treat after kicking me up the hill!"
Tomorrow should be a great ride, thanks again Boise for a great time!
Gooding to Mountain Home
The best way to describe today was windy yet beautiful as we went along the Oregon Trail Highway. When we headed out this morning, we had only 63 miles ahead of us between the towns. Those miles though were hard earned as the conditions mentally challenged our group all throughout the day.
We once again biked along the beautiful Magic Valley during the first 20 miles of the trip. There was green all around us from what the farmers have been able to create through irrigating the Snake River. After these miles, we entered a canyon that’s walls surround the Snake River Valley. This brought us into Glens Ferry where we enjoyed lunch while lamenting on the heroics of the Oregon Trail. The town has a State Park commemorating where folk would cross the Snake River along their voyage. It now has become a fairly simple small western town along the highway.
After lunch the wind picked up a lot more as we battled our way throughout and out of the canyon. We temporarily said good bye to the Snake River as we made our way up the hills to get out of the canyon. With the wind blowing in our face, we biked in pace lines to protect each other. I tried to take the lead as much as possible knowing that I would be driving the van the following day. We got passed by a big trucker going maybe 10-15 miles per hour trying to go uphill. These twenty miles were exactly what I expected out of Iowa: brown, desolate and windy. It was a beautiful desolate though where we saw Wind Farms!
The town of Mountain Home is sized around 5,000 people with it having a nice cute downtown area followed with a long strip of the corporate big guns. I obviously preferred the cute stores, but I did not make much time for fun and play in Mountain Home. I was busy preparing for our big meal that the Trip Leaders were cooking up for the night.
Jake, Claire, Kelsey and I with the help of a large donation from my parents were able to spoil the group. On the menu were two unique salads, noodles with peanut sauce, seasoned vegetable/chicken, spinach and artichoke dip. We took a little time to prepare the meal but it was worth the wait for the riders. We even were able to fit some Ice Cream Sundae action in the mix that people enjoyed while watching the Variety Show: skits, singing, talents and interesting presentations. Oh wait a night, we still got some miles to bike until Boise Though!
We once again biked along the beautiful Magic Valley during the first 20 miles of the trip. There was green all around us from what the farmers have been able to create through irrigating the Snake River. After these miles, we entered a canyon that’s walls surround the Snake River Valley. This brought us into Glens Ferry where we enjoyed lunch while lamenting on the heroics of the Oregon Trail. The town has a State Park commemorating where folk would cross the Snake River along their voyage. It now has become a fairly simple small western town along the highway.
After lunch the wind picked up a lot more as we battled our way throughout and out of the canyon. We temporarily said good bye to the Snake River as we made our way up the hills to get out of the canyon. With the wind blowing in our face, we biked in pace lines to protect each other. I tried to take the lead as much as possible knowing that I would be driving the van the following day. We got passed by a big trucker going maybe 10-15 miles per hour trying to go uphill. These twenty miles were exactly what I expected out of Iowa: brown, desolate and windy. It was a beautiful desolate though where we saw Wind Farms!
The town of Mountain Home is sized around 5,000 people with it having a nice cute downtown area followed with a long strip of the corporate big guns. I obviously preferred the cute stores, but I did not make much time for fun and play in Mountain Home. I was busy preparing for our big meal that the Trip Leaders were cooking up for the night.
Jake, Claire, Kelsey and I with the help of a large donation from my parents were able to spoil the group. On the menu were two unique salads, noodles with peanut sauce, seasoned vegetable/chicken, spinach and artichoke dip. We took a little time to prepare the meal but it was worth the wait for the riders. We even were able to fit some Ice Cream Sundae action in the mix that people enjoyed while watching the Variety Show: skits, singing, talents and interesting presentations. Oh wait a night, we still got some miles to bike until Boise Though!
Burley to Gooding
After a great day in Burley, we marched onto our next stop of Gooding. Locals in Burley told us that of a great lunch stop that was 37 miles along our route in the area of Twin Falls. So we booked it out of town with the winds to our back helping people average high speeds until lunch.
Our lunch stop was at the impressive Shoshone Falls “The Niagara of the West.” The settlers have only known of these falls since the mid 1800s, and thankfully it has stayed tourist free unlike the Niagara. I don’t mean that there were no tourists; there are no stores, hotels or gift shops really along the water. It is simply a State Park that offers information on the area. It is part of the Snake River and due to irrigation of the Magic Valley Farms the falls can vary in volume.
On the way out of town, we crossed over the Perrine Bridge which is 680 feet high. It goes over the Snake River Canyon and is the only way to get out of Twin Falls toward the Interstate. It is famous for being the only bridge in the US where it is legal to BASE jump off. BASE jumping is when a person (attached with a parachute) jumps off a cliff/bridge and then lands on the ground below. I was not able to cross the bridge while anyone jumped off the bridge but some other Bike & Builders got some great footage.
I am not going to lie about my jealousy because it was clear that I left lunch a bit too early. The group also found a lake out of the Shoshone Falls where there was some awesome cliff jumping. I guess if I was a bit more relaxed than I could have seen all these attractions. The last 40 miles of the route was nothing too exciting as we biked through farms lands that smelled of manure.
I eventually stopped at an ice cream joint to eat a snack while waiting for others to join me. I figured it was not worth getting into Gooding that early so I enjoyed my milk shake with comrades. Gooding is a pretty small town that is just in the middle of nowhere really. The church was great to us and donated $100 for dinner, thank you! Nothing much more to say though!
Our lunch stop was at the impressive Shoshone Falls “The Niagara of the West.” The settlers have only known of these falls since the mid 1800s, and thankfully it has stayed tourist free unlike the Niagara. I don’t mean that there were no tourists; there are no stores, hotels or gift shops really along the water. It is simply a State Park that offers information on the area. It is part of the Snake River and due to irrigation of the Magic Valley Farms the falls can vary in volume.
On the way out of town, we crossed over the Perrine Bridge which is 680 feet high. It goes over the Snake River Canyon and is the only way to get out of Twin Falls toward the Interstate. It is famous for being the only bridge in the US where it is legal to BASE jump off. BASE jumping is when a person (attached with a parachute) jumps off a cliff/bridge and then lands on the ground below. I was not able to cross the bridge while anyone jumped off the bridge but some other Bike & Builders got some great footage.
I am not going to lie about my jealousy because it was clear that I left lunch a bit too early. The group also found a lake out of the Shoshone Falls where there was some awesome cliff jumping. I guess if I was a bit more relaxed than I could have seen all these attractions. The last 40 miles of the route was nothing too exciting as we biked through farms lands that smelled of manure.
I eventually stopped at an ice cream joint to eat a snack while waiting for others to join me. I figured it was not worth getting into Gooding that early so I enjoyed my milk shake with comrades. Gooding is a pretty small town that is just in the middle of nowhere really. The church was great to us and donated $100 for dinner, thank you! Nothing much more to say though!
Snowville to Burley
It was a long day on the highway as we crossed over state borders into Idaho. It was nice to say goodbye to Utah even though it treated us so well, Thanks again! There was a special theme to the day though as we celebrated Christmas in July. We all picked out of a hat who we would need to give a present to for the special event. The main stipulation though was that you could not pay any money for the gift. So the challenge was on as we hit up the Interstate.
The ride was an absolute blast we enjoyed beautiful sites and views along the highway. We encountered a mother moose and her baby moose as they were walking through the fields. We also ended up biking up a mountain pass that felt like a hill after hitting up those Rocky Mountains in Colorado. After lunch that is when the real fun started.
My group started to find some great stuff along the highway as my comrade found a tiny play wagon. She had a rope with her to attach the wagon to her Camelback as towed along with us to Burley. She went twenty five miles tugging that wagon, and she even let me use it to carry the cushion that I found on the side of the road. Around ten miles before town, we saw random people crossing the Interstate right near a bridge. I watched as I learned that they were crossing it so that they could jump off the bridge into the Canal below. We realized that this would be our one chance to jump off a bridge along the highway into an unknown water body. As we lined up to jump off the bridge, doubt surrounded us of what exactly we were jumping in.
It was absolutely exhilarating as we made our way through the air into the water. I never had jumped from that high into a water, and definitely not off a bridge. A Bike & Build Dream had been accomplished and I thank the locals who showed us the way there!
So once getting into Burley, I stopped by the visitor center to talk to some locals. We found that we just missed the annual Spud Man Triathlon for Burley and heard about the history of the area. There really was not much to hear unfortunately but we did learn about some attractions up ahead in Idaho. It was really nice to talk with people, I loved the cheap ice cream in Burley and all went well with our visit.
The ride was an absolute blast we enjoyed beautiful sites and views along the highway. We encountered a mother moose and her baby moose as they were walking through the fields. We also ended up biking up a mountain pass that felt like a hill after hitting up those Rocky Mountains in Colorado. After lunch that is when the real fun started.
My group started to find some great stuff along the highway as my comrade found a tiny play wagon. She had a rope with her to attach the wagon to her Camelback as towed along with us to Burley. She went twenty five miles tugging that wagon, and she even let me use it to carry the cushion that I found on the side of the road. Around ten miles before town, we saw random people crossing the Interstate right near a bridge. I watched as I learned that they were crossing it so that they could jump off the bridge into the Canal below. We realized that this would be our one chance to jump off a bridge along the highway into an unknown water body. As we lined up to jump off the bridge, doubt surrounded us of what exactly we were jumping in.
It was absolutely exhilarating as we made our way through the air into the water. I never had jumped from that high into a water, and definitely not off a bridge. A Bike & Build Dream had been accomplished and I thank the locals who showed us the way there!
So once getting into Burley, I stopped by the visitor center to talk to some locals. We found that we just missed the annual Spud Man Triathlon for Burley and heard about the history of the area. There really was not much to hear unfortunately but we did learn about some attractions up ahead in Idaho. It was really nice to talk with people, I loved the cheap ice cream in Burley and all went well with our visit.
Brigham City to Snowville
For me it was a beautiful day as I spent the day fulfilling my duties as a Trip Leader driving the van. The main highlights arrived once we got into Snowville; a small town of a few people. They had two cafes, a Flying J Trucker Stop and a Mormon Church. The first place I hit up after filling the van up with gas was the Mollies Café for some fine pie.
Boysenberry, a fruit that I had yet to experience, was one of the available pie slices on the menu. It was some of the best pie that I had ever experienced and the café was a fun place to be. We talked to some locals from the area of what Snowville had to offer (which was not much) and talked to people passing by the area along the Interstate. Some great stories were shared and thanks again to Mollie’s Café for donating pie to the group.
We were sleeping under a pavilion with a snack shack that reminded me of the concession stands from high school football. It was in a park that offered a great field for pick up football and Slip-N-Slide. So we had a little party in the park for the afternoon with the heat blaring on us. It was an awesome time!
The evening activity was the local amateur rodeo that was an annual event for the area. On the way up there, we stopped at the reservoir to go swimming for a little while. It was amazing how many intoxicated people were at the beach and how many boats could fit in this small reservoir not even ½ mile long. The crowd at the rodeo was even more interesting, as we felt like true outsiders.
The highlight of the night came with being called Hippies by a group of four in the back of a pickup truck. I was certainly not in Boulder Colorado anymore as we were looked at funny. The people though were nice in the majority as they told us more about the event and its rich tradition. After a great rodeo, I enjoyed a beautiful sleep under the stars!
Boysenberry, a fruit that I had yet to experience, was one of the available pie slices on the menu. It was some of the best pie that I had ever experienced and the café was a fun place to be. We talked to some locals from the area of what Snowville had to offer (which was not much) and talked to people passing by the area along the Interstate. Some great stories were shared and thanks again to Mollie’s Café for donating pie to the group.
We were sleeping under a pavilion with a snack shack that reminded me of the concession stands from high school football. It was in a park that offered a great field for pick up football and Slip-N-Slide. So we had a little party in the park for the afternoon with the heat blaring on us. It was an awesome time!
The evening activity was the local amateur rodeo that was an annual event for the area. On the way up there, we stopped at the reservoir to go swimming for a little while. It was amazing how many intoxicated people were at the beach and how many boats could fit in this small reservoir not even ½ mile long. The crowd at the rodeo was even more interesting, as we felt like true outsiders.
The highlight of the night came with being called Hippies by a group of four in the back of a pickup truck. I was certainly not in Boulder Colorado anymore as we were looked at funny. The people though were nice in the majority as they told us more about the event and its rich tradition. After a great rodeo, I enjoyed a beautiful sleep under the stars!
Salt Lake City to Brigham City
Salt Lake City to Brigham City
As we slowly made our way out of the city it was great to check out all of the many tourist attractions. It took me only three hours to get out of the church due to some quick pit stops.
The first one I hit was the city library which had a beautiful design that was in the middle of the city. I never went in but it was a nice layout to bike around near the City Hall Building. The next place we hit was Temple Square where we got a personal tour by a missionary for the Church of Latter Day Saints. They were very well spoken and polite as they showed us around the area, and they even found people to watch our bikes for my small group. As expected, I learned more about their religion but don’t plan on becoming a member anytime soon.
Making our way out of the city and into the suburbs was very quaint as we hit up all of the main streets. They were all preparing for Pioneer Day Festivities as chairs were lined up saving peoples seats. My favorite part was buying lemonade from some very nice little kids right before I made my way back to the highway.
Props to Claire for finding us a great lunch spot in Ogden where a restaurant donated food and drinks. The drinks included a Root Beer float that was phenomenal and the food included sandwiches/fresh fruit. Our best lunch stop yet! The rest of the bike ride was pretty simply as I only stopped to see an old bookstore that had photography.
We had a great community dinner where we were able to present and spread more awareness of the cause. It was some great grilling but I was fast asleep immediately after the meal!
As we slowly made our way out of the city it was great to check out all of the many tourist attractions. It took me only three hours to get out of the church due to some quick pit stops.
The first one I hit was the city library which had a beautiful design that was in the middle of the city. I never went in but it was a nice layout to bike around near the City Hall Building. The next place we hit was Temple Square where we got a personal tour by a missionary for the Church of Latter Day Saints. They were very well spoken and polite as they showed us around the area, and they even found people to watch our bikes for my small group. As expected, I learned more about their religion but don’t plan on becoming a member anytime soon.
Making our way out of the city and into the suburbs was very quaint as we hit up all of the main streets. They were all preparing for Pioneer Day Festivities as chairs were lined up saving peoples seats. My favorite part was buying lemonade from some very nice little kids right before I made my way back to the highway.
Props to Claire for finding us a great lunch spot in Ogden where a restaurant donated food and drinks. The drinks included a Root Beer float that was phenomenal and the food included sandwiches/fresh fruit. Our best lunch stop yet! The rest of the bike ride was pretty simply as I only stopped to see an old bookstore that had photography.
We had a great community dinner where we were able to present and spread more awareness of the cause. It was some great grilling but I was fast asleep immediately after the meal!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
July 22: Provo to Salt Lake
It did take us a little extra time to get ready and get out of Provo this morning as we packed up after staying for two nights. After 3 days of either being the Sweep or Driving the Van, I got to let loose and ride on my own pace for a change.
Coming out of Provo, I tried to go a little too fast and realized that my muscles needed a bit more time to warm up. So I cooled it down and made my up a hill to get out of the city. Once my body felt a bit better, I was able to really push it for the next twenty miles on up and down hill. After relaxing a bit, I realized that there was a five mile hill that had our group's name on it. It was short with a steep grade that really made us groan and pant. The downhill was worth it as we caught up to speeds of 50 mph!
So after this amazing downhill, we rode 12 miles of up and down through the outskirts of Salt Lake. The uphill was worth missing the downtown craziness of a main city and we saw some great views. It was a short ride so therefore we skipped the lunch stop, and our group of 12 kept going.
It was a great push in the last 15 miles as we made it through the beautiful sections along the mountain. One of the main reasons that we hurried up was because one of our riders has family in Salt Lake. So today we have stayed at his house and had great a lunch/dinner with his family friends. Great food, great drinks, volleyball & football, what a good time chilling out. I also saw Slumdog Millionaire for the first time in the downstairs with the whole group, it was worth the HYPE!
It is time to get some sleep, we get to wake up a little late at 6 AM! Woohoo!
Coming out of Provo, I tried to go a little too fast and realized that my muscles needed a bit more time to warm up. So I cooled it down and made my up a hill to get out of the city. Once my body felt a bit better, I was able to really push it for the next twenty miles on up and down hill. After relaxing a bit, I realized that there was a five mile hill that had our group's name on it. It was short with a steep grade that really made us groan and pant. The downhill was worth it as we caught up to speeds of 50 mph!
So after this amazing downhill, we rode 12 miles of up and down through the outskirts of Salt Lake. The uphill was worth missing the downtown craziness of a main city and we saw some great views. It was a short ride so therefore we skipped the lunch stop, and our group of 12 kept going.
It was a great push in the last 15 miles as we made it through the beautiful sections along the mountain. One of the main reasons that we hurried up was because one of our riders has family in Salt Lake. So today we have stayed at his house and had great a lunch/dinner with his family friends. Great food, great drinks, volleyball & football, what a good time chilling out. I also saw Slumdog Millionaire for the first time in the downstairs with the whole group, it was worth the HYPE!
It is time to get some sleep, we get to wake up a little late at 6 AM! Woohoo!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Duchesne to Provo
My van ride from Vernal to Duchesne as Trip Leader was short and simple. The most exciting part was a hospital that landed in front of our lunch stop in Myton. It is not worth writing about really.
So after a day off the bike, I was ready for another big challenge! This time we only had 95 miles but that included a mountain pass through the Swatche Mountains. I took up sweep again today through a trade with a rider, but that means that I no longer will be Sweep again for the whole route.
The first 55 miles were all uphill as we made our way out of Duchesne. We passed Starvation Reservoir and the bridge we went over tempted me to jump in the water. I decided against it and rode on to find a distressed rider waiting for the van to pick her up. The stomach bug claimed yet another victim for the day!
After the stop, the real uphill started as we went through the mountains. It was amazing how it could go from arid desert like conditions to beautiful mountains so quickly. It was absolutely beautiful on a fun road up a mountain and I was thankful it was not the winter time. Apparantely they get snow by the foot with horrible wind drifts that can close the main road for days.
After our beautiful lunch on Strawberry Reservoir we climbed to the top of the Summit in a group of 4. From there on, it was straight down hill for 25 miles as we took our way down watching out for big trucks and cars hogging the road. The headwind also made it so there was no way to fly down the mountain.
We made it 2nd lunch in no time and it was at beautiful Deer Creek Lake, a manmade reservoir on top of Provo Canyon. We hit up a local restaurante for ice cream as we enjoyed watching all the big boats on the lakes. We finally decided it was time to finish the ride as we went down Provo Canyon.
On the ride down, Avalanche Warning Signs blanketed the road as we went through beautiful mountains. There was a gigantic shoulder for us to bike safely down on, and we eventually found a bike path along the river. We saw Bridal Veil Waterfall and it was absolutely stunning. We also biked past the huge football stadium for BYU as we are in its home for these 2 nights.
As we made it down to the church at 7:15, we realized it had taken us more than 12 hours to get from Point A to Point B for the day. We laughed out of insanity but knew great stories were made. We had a great dinner brought by the parents of Amelia(rider). The hose shower was painful yet rewarding after a long day.
Tomorrow we have our day off, as we enjoy a Build Day with the local Habitat. They are real nice people here and the build should be great!
So after a day off the bike, I was ready for another big challenge! This time we only had 95 miles but that included a mountain pass through the Swatche Mountains. I took up sweep again today through a trade with a rider, but that means that I no longer will be Sweep again for the whole route.
The first 55 miles were all uphill as we made our way out of Duchesne. We passed Starvation Reservoir and the bridge we went over tempted me to jump in the water. I decided against it and rode on to find a distressed rider waiting for the van to pick her up. The stomach bug claimed yet another victim for the day!
After the stop, the real uphill started as we went through the mountains. It was amazing how it could go from arid desert like conditions to beautiful mountains so quickly. It was absolutely beautiful on a fun road up a mountain and I was thankful it was not the winter time. Apparantely they get snow by the foot with horrible wind drifts that can close the main road for days.
After our beautiful lunch on Strawberry Reservoir we climbed to the top of the Summit in a group of 4. From there on, it was straight down hill for 25 miles as we took our way down watching out for big trucks and cars hogging the road. The headwind also made it so there was no way to fly down the mountain.
We made it 2nd lunch in no time and it was at beautiful Deer Creek Lake, a manmade reservoir on top of Provo Canyon. We hit up a local restaurante for ice cream as we enjoyed watching all the big boats on the lakes. We finally decided it was time to finish the ride as we went down Provo Canyon.
On the ride down, Avalanche Warning Signs blanketed the road as we went through beautiful mountains. There was a gigantic shoulder for us to bike safely down on, and we eventually found a bike path along the river. We saw Bridal Veil Waterfall and it was absolutely stunning. We also biked past the huge football stadium for BYU as we are in its home for these 2 nights.
As we made it down to the church at 7:15, we realized it had taken us more than 12 hours to get from Point A to Point B for the day. We laughed out of insanity but knew great stories were made. We had a great dinner brought by the parents of Amelia(rider). The hose shower was painful yet rewarding after a long day.
Tomorrow we have our day off, as we enjoy a Build Day with the local Habitat. They are real nice people here and the build should be great!
Meeker to Vernal Utah
As we woke up early this morning at 4:30, we realized that there was a long stretch of land for us to tackle. We had 103.9 miles of road to cycle, a state border to cross and dinosaur skeletons to see at the Dinosaur National Monument. The fortunate part was that at the last moment we found a church willing to host us in Vernal; we no longer were camping. We love camping but after a Century Ride, I think that is when it reaches our limits.
The first half of the ride was beautiful and some of the easiest riding we have had all year. It was almost all downhill out of Meeker and this started us on a high note for the day. I was sweep with Laura (the designated last 2 riders), and when we got to the first lunch basically everyone was already gone. Generally, Sweep catches up to some riders within the first lunch stop but due to the downhill this was not the case. Basically, everyone went really fast to first lunch!
The next 30 miles to our 2nd lunch stop was not as nice to our group. It was a little more uphill, the wind picked up and the road conditions were not as nice to us. During this leg of the trip, our group just how ‘middle of the nowhere’ we were. We had not seen any type of businesses the whole trip until the 70 mile mark in Dinosaur. We had a great lunch stop right near a store that sold Homemade Ice Cream. Since it was a tourist spot, the prices were much higher than our budget as not many people bought anything from the store. I got the chance to talk to a real nice lady from Aspen who was awed by our group. She let me try her Milk Shake and it was amazing, afterwards she took a picture of our group. It was a nice trade, she got a picture and I got some of her Ice Cream.
I cannot forget to mention that right after our 2nd lunch, we entered into the great state of Utah. We were in Colorado for almost 3 weeks, it is hard to believe that we finally have left the state. Thank you Colorado for a grand time, and the next 5 days in Utah should be fun.
The last 35 miles of the ride were a mixture of up and downhill but what really hurt the group was the heat. The temperature got above 100 and the sun was blaring on us through that dry Utah heat. Most riders stopped at any shady spot they could find between Dinosaur and Vernal. These two spots consisted of an Educational Scenic Outlook and the Visitors Center (there was nothing else!).
As we made our way into Vernal after our 104 miles, we were welcomed by a gigantic dinosaur! Of course people got some great pictures with this fine symbol of welcoming our group. Instead of the picture, I decided to bike into the fountains of water, to cool down from the long ride. I was absolutely soaked but was worth it!
The first half of the ride was beautiful and some of the easiest riding we have had all year. It was almost all downhill out of Meeker and this started us on a high note for the day. I was sweep with Laura (the designated last 2 riders), and when we got to the first lunch basically everyone was already gone. Generally, Sweep catches up to some riders within the first lunch stop but due to the downhill this was not the case. Basically, everyone went really fast to first lunch!
The next 30 miles to our 2nd lunch stop was not as nice to our group. It was a little more uphill, the wind picked up and the road conditions were not as nice to us. During this leg of the trip, our group just how ‘middle of the nowhere’ we were. We had not seen any type of businesses the whole trip until the 70 mile mark in Dinosaur. We had a great lunch stop right near a store that sold Homemade Ice Cream. Since it was a tourist spot, the prices were much higher than our budget as not many people bought anything from the store. I got the chance to talk to a real nice lady from Aspen who was awed by our group. She let me try her Milk Shake and it was amazing, afterwards she took a picture of our group. It was a nice trade, she got a picture and I got some of her Ice Cream.
I cannot forget to mention that right after our 2nd lunch, we entered into the great state of Utah. We were in Colorado for almost 3 weeks, it is hard to believe that we finally have left the state. Thank you Colorado for a grand time, and the next 5 days in Utah should be fun.
The last 35 miles of the ride were a mixture of up and downhill but what really hurt the group was the heat. The temperature got above 100 and the sun was blaring on us through that dry Utah heat. Most riders stopped at any shady spot they could find between Dinosaur and Vernal. These two spots consisted of an Educational Scenic Outlook and the Visitors Center (there was nothing else!).
As we made our way into Vernal after our 104 miles, we were welcomed by a gigantic dinosaur! Of course people got some great pictures with this fine symbol of welcoming our group. Instead of the picture, I decided to bike into the fountains of water, to cool down from the long ride. I was absolutely soaked but was worth it!
Silt to Meeker
It took a little time to get back in the grind on my way out of Silt, but a nice little warm up helped me out. Our first part of the ride simply followed I-70 on a frontage road as we heard the Colorado River. I only stopped to hang out on a hold bridge over the river that I probably should have stayed off.
When taking the turn North to head up to Meeker, I found a pretty reservoir that was an 8 mile scenic route off the beaten path. It was a pretty sight to see but it was nothing to write home to mom about. Once the scenic route was over, we began going up and up until we finally found the trailer with lunch. It was a pleasant site to finish a big hill and know that a meal is waiting for you.
Suprisingly after lunch, we found that we were all done for hills for the day. We went down for 25 miles until we finally came to the town of Meeker. It was a nice finish to end with an average speed of 20 miles per hour. I guess the morning challenge of constant uphill was worth it!
When entering town, we found the local burger and shake joint that was a big hit. I shared a one pound burger with Taylor and there is nothing like that much beef after a 60 mile bike ride. Along with the burger, a small vanilla ice cream cone dipped in chocolate was priceless. The pastor was a great guy as he talked about all the local mountains, hunting and the natural gas boom that has hiked up property value. The night concluded at the local park with some bluegrass music.
Long ride tomorrow, so time to get some sleep!
When taking the turn North to head up to Meeker, I found a pretty reservoir that was an 8 mile scenic route off the beaten path. It was a pretty sight to see but it was nothing to write home to mom about. Once the scenic route was over, we began going up and up until we finally found the trailer with lunch. It was a pleasant site to finish a big hill and know that a meal is waiting for you.
Suprisingly after lunch, we found that we were all done for hills for the day. We went down for 25 miles until we finally came to the town of Meeker. It was a nice finish to end with an average speed of 20 miles per hour. I guess the morning challenge of constant uphill was worth it!
When entering town, we found the local burger and shake joint that was a big hit. I shared a one pound burger with Taylor and there is nothing like that much beef after a 60 mile bike ride. Along with the burger, a small vanilla ice cream cone dipped in chocolate was priceless. The pastor was a great guy as he talked about all the local mountains, hunting and the natural gas boom that has hiked up property value. The night concluded at the local park with some bluegrass music.
Long ride tomorrow, so time to get some sleep!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Aspen to Silt
What a great thing it is to wake up at 6 AM! For us, it is like sleeping in til noon for a bike day. It is a sad thing of how we get excited from little things! Instead of gaining elevation today, we went down for good as we headed out of the mountains.
Coming out of Aspen, we found the Rio Grande Trail which goes 40 miles from Aspen to Glenwood Springs. The first half of the trail followed the Roaring Fork River as we enjoyed hearing and seeing it. The second half went through small towns like Carbondale and Basalt where we were able to stop to talk with locals. My highlight of the trail was finding two old railroad passenger cars that were renovated into living quarters. I got a great pic as I enjoyed the creative use of a home.
We spent lunch in Glenwood Springs and enjoyed a good meal in the park. Everyone felt pretty good as we just went downhill 2500 feet in elevation for 40 miles. It was nice to be on the other side of the spectrum. The last 23 miles were flat on a frontage road along I-70 as we made our way into Silt.
Silt is a fairly small town that runs along the Colorado River. I have no idea what it is known for but I love the library right near our host location. We jumped in the Colorado River in a deeper part with less of a current. We will see what the night has to offer, but I don't expect any thing good enough to write for. Good Night all!
Coming out of Aspen, we found the Rio Grande Trail which goes 40 miles from Aspen to Glenwood Springs. The first half of the trail followed the Roaring Fork River as we enjoyed hearing and seeing it. The second half went through small towns like Carbondale and Basalt where we were able to stop to talk with locals. My highlight of the trail was finding two old railroad passenger cars that were renovated into living quarters. I got a great pic as I enjoyed the creative use of a home.
We spent lunch in Glenwood Springs and enjoyed a good meal in the park. Everyone felt pretty good as we just went downhill 2500 feet in elevation for 40 miles. It was nice to be on the other side of the spectrum. The last 23 miles were flat on a frontage road along I-70 as we made our way into Silt.
Silt is a fairly small town that runs along the Colorado River. I have no idea what it is known for but I love the library right near our host location. We jumped in the Colorado River in a deeper part with less of a current. We will see what the night has to offer, but I don't expect any thing good enough to write for. Good Night all!
Twin Lakes to Aspen
So I was driving on the actual day that our group tackled up the epic Independence Pass from Twin Lakes. What worked out well though was that another rider was sick and unable to do the ride, so on our day off in Aspen we woke up nice and early to tackle up more than 4000 feet in 19 miles from Aspen to the top of Independence Pass.
I could not think of a better way to start the day than a group morning bike ride. Along the way were great views of mountains and rivers but I could not let them take away my concentration from the road. The road was along cliffs, became a single lane at times and full of potential tourists. It was a long journey but not as difficult as I had imagined to get up it. At the top, we celebrated and realized that even though the group was sleeping in Aspen they were still spiritually with us.
The scariest part was the way down as we handled the steep grades and heavy curves in an effort to maintain our speed. My biking compadre showed off her wits by passing me along the way down. As we made our way back into Aspen, we bought a feast of food from the grocery store to take back for a great meal.
We thought we were done for the day with biking but we were wrong of course. Our soon to be friend Mark from the Aspen Ski & Snowboard Club asked if anyone was interested in joining him for his lunch ride. It was a beautiful ride that is a classic for Aspen which includes a steady 9 mile climb up to Bell Mountains that surround a beautiful lake.
The climb was fun as we got to talk with Mark and enjoy the stories of the area. He gave us some insight on how long the climbs would last and before we knew it, the climb was done. It was beautiful up there as we relaxed by the lake looking at the view above our heads. We took a little walk to find waterfalls from a stream that fed into the lake. The downhill bike ride was much easier than Independence Pass with no curves to worry about as we flew down.
It was a great day when it came to seeing Aspen and its many insights. We celebrated the accomplishments by enjoying Happy Hour and getting smoothies in the park. Unfortunately we must say good bye to these mountains as we charge on!
I could not think of a better way to start the day than a group morning bike ride. Along the way were great views of mountains and rivers but I could not let them take away my concentration from the road. The road was along cliffs, became a single lane at times and full of potential tourists. It was a long journey but not as difficult as I had imagined to get up it. At the top, we celebrated and realized that even though the group was sleeping in Aspen they were still spiritually with us.
The scariest part was the way down as we handled the steep grades and heavy curves in an effort to maintain our speed. My biking compadre showed off her wits by passing me along the way down. As we made our way back into Aspen, we bought a feast of food from the grocery store to take back for a great meal.
We thought we were done for the day with biking but we were wrong of course. Our soon to be friend Mark from the Aspen Ski & Snowboard Club asked if anyone was interested in joining him for his lunch ride. It was a beautiful ride that is a classic for Aspen which includes a steady 9 mile climb up to Bell Mountains that surround a beautiful lake.
The climb was fun as we got to talk with Mark and enjoy the stories of the area. He gave us some insight on how long the climbs would last and before we knew it, the climb was done. It was beautiful up there as we relaxed by the lake looking at the view above our heads. We took a little walk to find waterfalls from a stream that fed into the lake. The downhill bike ride was much easier than Independence Pass with no curves to worry about as we flew down.
It was a great day when it came to seeing Aspen and its many insights. We celebrated the accomplishments by enjoying Happy Hour and getting smoothies in the park. Unfortunately we must say good bye to these mountains as we charge on!
July 13: Hartsel to Twin Lakes
We woke up and man was it cold in Hartsel! I had all my gear on with arm & leg warmers realizing that there were no big uphill battles in the first 35 miles that would heat up my body. We got to go down this fun downhill into Buena Vista with great curves. This truck got me a little scared on the way down as he tried to pass us but almost ran into upcoming traffic!
Let me give you down the low down of Buena Vista, its name means Great View and this is definitely true. They are underneath the Collegiate Peaks that go up to 14,000 feet high in the valley that they are located on. In the valley is the Arkansas River, one of the best places to white water raft in Colorado (maybe the country this year). There was rafting outfitters everywhere, great restaurantes, coffee shops and of course Dairy D Delite Ice Cream & burgers. Our lunch was right next to the shop as we enjoyed the park/playground along the river.
After Buena Vista, we started our gradual uphill route up to Twin Lakes Reservoir. Along the ride was information about the Arkansas River as we continually saw rafters and kayaks tackling the rapids. We also got to read up about the history of the gold/silver/metal mining movement that brought all the people to Rockies. It was interesting to read about small ghost towns that once had up to 50,000 people during its boom.
Eventually we got up to Twin Lakes Reservoir for our camping experience. This was one of the most beautiful places that I had ever camped in with a beautiful view of Mt. Ebert and the lake from above. Our group had a polar plunge into the cold lake, made a campfire and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery.
Highlight of the day was the visit from Sara as we got to hang out with the group!
Let me give you down the low down of Buena Vista, its name means Great View and this is definitely true. They are underneath the Collegiate Peaks that go up to 14,000 feet high in the valley that they are located on. In the valley is the Arkansas River, one of the best places to white water raft in Colorado (maybe the country this year). There was rafting outfitters everywhere, great restaurantes, coffee shops and of course Dairy D Delite Ice Cream & burgers. Our lunch was right next to the shop as we enjoyed the park/playground along the river.
After Buena Vista, we started our gradual uphill route up to Twin Lakes Reservoir. Along the ride was information about the Arkansas River as we continually saw rafters and kayaks tackling the rapids. We also got to read up about the history of the gold/silver/metal mining movement that brought all the people to Rockies. It was interesting to read about small ghost towns that once had up to 50,000 people during its boom.
Eventually we got up to Twin Lakes Reservoir for our camping experience. This was one of the most beautiful places that I had ever camped in with a beautiful view of Mt. Ebert and the lake from above. Our group had a polar plunge into the cold lake, made a campfire and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery.
Highlight of the day was the visit from Sara as we got to hang out with the group!
July 12: Springs to Hartsel
So we finally made it out of the Springs today, it was evident that the group had some cabin fever. We all enjoyed the hospitality of the Sunrise United Methodist Church and the Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity, but we felt that it was time to get the show back on the road. After more than one week off the road, it took everyone a little time to get everything packed and get used to being up at 4:30 in the morning.
The route of the Springs to Hartsel was a 75 mile journey from 6800 feet in elevation to 9000 feet. We started off the day with a fun ride through bike paths in the Springs that Jake was able to find. It was much nicer than those busy roads with no shoulders for bikes! It brought us out toward the Garden of the Gods City Park where we biked through the 5 mile loop of the park. If you google Garden of the Gods than you can see how beautiful all of the many rock structures are. It was nice to be there before the tourists hit the place up with all those cars as we had limited traffic to deal with.
The park brought us out to Manitou Springs, a tourist town just west of the Springs. It had a cute downtown aspect to it, apparently it is buzzing during the summer but quiet between Labor Day and Memorial Day. After the nice pretty quiet roads, we had to face the reality of tackling our first pass (Ute Pass elevation 9800 ft) on US Highway 24.
There were cars flying past us but everyone was safe with a shoulder. During this first ascent, we could definitely feel that week we took off the bike. Lets just be nice by saying that it took us a little more time than usual to get up the pass as people were adjusting to life on the bike. Some highlights of the ascent was the random carnival rides that we saw to our left near the Pikes Peak entrace.
We eventually made it though with a nice lunch stop in Woodland Park (another tourist town), and people took a long break there. It was so long that our sweep Jon and driver for the day Jake were able to get a haircut!
After we came down from Ute Pass, our next big challenge was the Wilkerson Pass. This was where things got interesting. Jake gave us a county road to get off the main highway but unfortunately half way through it became gravel. Tough luck sometimes but it was nice to actually speak to riders and not have to worry about vehicles going 55 mph.
We need to highlight this town of Hartsel; first off you could bike through it in 30 seconds if you really had no need to stop. The closest towns are 25 miles away in both directions and it is in the South Park flat land of the Rockies. We were just lucky to find some random church to take us in for the night!
The Hartsel Bible Chapel hosted us by having us sleep in their sanctuary that is shaped like an igloo. Check this link out, http://www.hartselbiblechapel.org/, and on the bottom you can see the picture of it. We somehow managed to fit almost all of our bags in there by strategically placing our bags on top of chairs/tables along the perimeter of the walls inside. We really got cozy basically!
The route of the Springs to Hartsel was a 75 mile journey from 6800 feet in elevation to 9000 feet. We started off the day with a fun ride through bike paths in the Springs that Jake was able to find. It was much nicer than those busy roads with no shoulders for bikes! It brought us out toward the Garden of the Gods City Park where we biked through the 5 mile loop of the park. If you google Garden of the Gods than you can see how beautiful all of the many rock structures are. It was nice to be there before the tourists hit the place up with all those cars as we had limited traffic to deal with.
The park brought us out to Manitou Springs, a tourist town just west of the Springs. It had a cute downtown aspect to it, apparently it is buzzing during the summer but quiet between Labor Day and Memorial Day. After the nice pretty quiet roads, we had to face the reality of tackling our first pass (Ute Pass elevation 9800 ft) on US Highway 24.
There were cars flying past us but everyone was safe with a shoulder. During this first ascent, we could definitely feel that week we took off the bike. Lets just be nice by saying that it took us a little more time than usual to get up the pass as people were adjusting to life on the bike. Some highlights of the ascent was the random carnival rides that we saw to our left near the Pikes Peak entrace.
We eventually made it though with a nice lunch stop in Woodland Park (another tourist town), and people took a long break there. It was so long that our sweep Jon and driver for the day Jake were able to get a haircut!
After we came down from Ute Pass, our next big challenge was the Wilkerson Pass. This was where things got interesting. Jake gave us a county road to get off the main highway but unfortunately half way through it became gravel. Tough luck sometimes but it was nice to actually speak to riders and not have to worry about vehicles going 55 mph.
We need to highlight this town of Hartsel; first off you could bike through it in 30 seconds if you really had no need to stop. The closest towns are 25 miles away in both directions and it is in the South Park flat land of the Rockies. We were just lucky to find some random church to take us in for the night!
The Hartsel Bible Chapel hosted us by having us sleep in their sanctuary that is shaped like an igloo. Check this link out, http://www.hartselbiblechapel.org/, and on the bottom you can see the picture of it. We somehow managed to fit almost all of our bags in there by strategically placing our bags on top of chairs/tables along the perimeter of the walls inside. We really got cozy basically!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
First 4 Days in the Springs
So it is July 7th and we have been stationed in the Springs for just about five days so far. I will try to give you a heads up of our build and the day off.
So we are building with the Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity, and have had four days on the build site. Unfortunately two of those days have ended early due to rainy weather in the afternoons. It is amazing to see what types of storms can come from either the South or from the mountains over Pikes Peak (14,000 ft. high).
We started building this house from its foundation so we have completed preparing the crawl space/basement for the house. We then set up the flooring and done all of the interior/exterior framing. Along with that, the roof joists are up and the house is starting to look good. So our next steps involve roofing and siding which should be a fun time tomorrow.
We have enjoyed our nights out in Colorado Springs with a bowling extravaganza due to the great rates from the local bowling of Harmony Lanes. We all got to show off our bowling skills while listening to many contestants in the Karaoke contest. Personally I think we had better singers in our bike group.
July 4th was a grand time as I headed up to Manitou Springs with my girlfriend Sara Rose to check out the local tourism. Manitou Springs is just west of the Colorado Springs and is a bit more in the mountains. It reminds of Adirondack tourist towns like Lake George Village or Lake Placed. We did this awesome walk through the area where we walked up a little mountain and had a great view of the town and Colorado Springs. We checked out this old Inn that had burnt down a number of town due to humans being stupid. It was really cool with all these rooms being named after Western Heroes.
Sara and I headed up to Boulder on July 5th after hanging out with our buddies Greg & Rachel in the Garden of Gods and the Springs. Greg and Rachel brought their two dogs Pig Pen & Lilla (sorry for the spelling) so we walked them around town and checked out the dog park. Our highlights of the day in the Springs were going out for a Buffer Lunch due to Greg's request and the gigantic Thunderstorm while we were in Garden of the Gods.
So my time in Boulder was great as Sara set up a big dinner on my first night. I sawe everyone that had stuck around for the summer, and it was a real fun relaxing time. The pie was absolutely amazing! Sara and I relaxed the majority of the time by going to downtown Pearl Street and checking out her work location of The Cup. Thanks to her bosses, Bike & Build has had a bunch of water bottles & coffee donated. Props to them! I also got to check out the Ethan & Noah Csapo's baseball game for Summer Ball (This is the family that I worked for during my time in Boulder). After the game, Sara and I also went to main park and had a picnic dinner with some friends.
Overall it was awesome to be in Boulder and see everyone but I am excited to back with the group tonight! I can't wait to build tomorrow!
So we are building with the Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity, and have had four days on the build site. Unfortunately two of those days have ended early due to rainy weather in the afternoons. It is amazing to see what types of storms can come from either the South or from the mountains over Pikes Peak (14,000 ft. high).
We started building this house from its foundation so we have completed preparing the crawl space/basement for the house. We then set up the flooring and done all of the interior/exterior framing. Along with that, the roof joists are up and the house is starting to look good. So our next steps involve roofing and siding which should be a fun time tomorrow.
We have enjoyed our nights out in Colorado Springs with a bowling extravaganza due to the great rates from the local bowling of Harmony Lanes. We all got to show off our bowling skills while listening to many contestants in the Karaoke contest. Personally I think we had better singers in our bike group.
July 4th was a grand time as I headed up to Manitou Springs with my girlfriend Sara Rose to check out the local tourism. Manitou Springs is just west of the Colorado Springs and is a bit more in the mountains. It reminds of Adirondack tourist towns like Lake George Village or Lake Placed. We did this awesome walk through the area where we walked up a little mountain and had a great view of the town and Colorado Springs. We checked out this old Inn that had burnt down a number of town due to humans being stupid. It was really cool with all these rooms being named after Western Heroes.
Sara and I headed up to Boulder on July 5th after hanging out with our buddies Greg & Rachel in the Garden of Gods and the Springs. Greg and Rachel brought their two dogs Pig Pen & Lilla (sorry for the spelling) so we walked them around town and checked out the dog park. Our highlights of the day in the Springs were going out for a Buffer Lunch due to Greg's request and the gigantic Thunderstorm while we were in Garden of the Gods.
So my time in Boulder was great as Sara set up a big dinner on my first night. I sawe everyone that had stuck around for the summer, and it was a real fun relaxing time. The pie was absolutely amazing! Sara and I relaxed the majority of the time by going to downtown Pearl Street and checking out her work location of The Cup. Thanks to her bosses, Bike & Build has had a bunch of water bottles & coffee donated. Props to them! I also got to check out the Ethan & Noah Csapo's baseball game for Summer Ball (This is the family that I worked for during my time in Boulder). After the game, Sara and I also went to main park and had a picnic dinner with some friends.
Overall it was awesome to be in Boulder and see everyone but I am excited to back with the group tonight! I can't wait to build tomorrow!
Walsenburg to Pueblo to Colorado Springs
So the day after my epic Mountain Passage was a pretty light one as I drove the van to fulfill my duties as a Trip Leader. Funny enough even though we followed the highway the majority of the time, I still managed to find a way to confuse the route for the riders. Overall though the bike ride was very simple for our group and we enjoyed a full afternoon in Pueblo.
I walked a couple miles to check out the Riverwalk which is part of the main downtown area of the city. What you may not know is that Pueblo is the mecca of the real Southern Colorado and was once bigger than Colorado Springs due to mining and the railroads. It is now smaller than the Springs but has an awesome library big enough for Denver. I checked it out by reading some magazines while napping in the reading area. A security guard woke me up to inform me that this was against the rules.
After the library, I just checked out the Arkansas River with its small damned section that makes a great course for kayakers. I watched them as they tackled rapids and then enjoyed the slow part of the River walk. It was a nice simple afternoon with great hosts who offered a great meal and conversation.
We were right in downtown Pueblo so it was easy to access all the parts of town. The church gave us a great area to nap in and a pretty sweet playground in the front. They cooked us a big dinner and breakfast that definitely filled up our stomach.
We went on our way with a later wake up call to head to Colorado Springs. We managed to find a fun dirt road that was fine for our bikes. It gave us time to get off the highway and enjoy some backroads that offered prettier and quieter views. I appreciated it until my tire got rocked, and I can officially say that my Gatorskin Tire couldn't survive the whole trip!
We were 10 miles to town and I needed a completely new tire, and of course that was not available. It wasn't worth trying to make another old tire work for the rest of the trip, so I vanned it for the rest of the day. It ended being fine because I missed the busy roads of Colorado Springs.
Some other highlights of the ride was our stop in Fountain where I road in water fountains with little kids. I also met a nice lady along the road who bikes recreation ally. She was a real nice person who was intrigued by our program.
I walked a couple miles to check out the Riverwalk which is part of the main downtown area of the city. What you may not know is that Pueblo is the mecca of the real Southern Colorado and was once bigger than Colorado Springs due to mining and the railroads. It is now smaller than the Springs but has an awesome library big enough for Denver. I checked it out by reading some magazines while napping in the reading area. A security guard woke me up to inform me that this was against the rules.
After the library, I just checked out the Arkansas River with its small damned section that makes a great course for kayakers. I watched them as they tackled rapids and then enjoyed the slow part of the River walk. It was a nice simple afternoon with great hosts who offered a great meal and conversation.
We were right in downtown Pueblo so it was easy to access all the parts of town. The church gave us a great area to nap in and a pretty sweet playground in the front. They cooked us a big dinner and breakfast that definitely filled up our stomach.
We went on our way with a later wake up call to head to Colorado Springs. We managed to find a fun dirt road that was fine for our bikes. It gave us time to get off the highway and enjoy some backroads that offered prettier and quieter views. I appreciated it until my tire got rocked, and I can officially say that my Gatorskin Tire couldn't survive the whole trip!
We were 10 miles to town and I needed a completely new tire, and of course that was not available. It wasn't worth trying to make another old tire work for the rest of the trip, so I vanned it for the rest of the day. It ended being fine because I missed the busy roads of Colorado Springs.
Some other highlights of the ride was our stop in Fountain where I road in water fountains with little kids. I also met a nice lady along the road who bikes recreation ally. She was a real nice person who was intrigued by our program.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Trinidad to Walsenburg
So the day off started off with a simple decision: take the easy route that would give me more time in Walsenburg or the longer route that would offer some of the nicest views on the trip thus far. I knew that the mountain route of going along the Scenic Highway 12 over Cuchara Pass was the best way of getting it done!
The groups split in half over this decision so we had a group of 15 tackle this legendary uphill battle. When coming out of Trinidad, our group knew that we had an extraordinary day ahead of us but were not sure what to expect. The first 35 miles were a gradual uphill climb with random downhill through the valley. There were great views from even 8000 feet high in elevation as we were dazzled by what the Rockies had to offer. We would stop at General Stores along the way in order to find great postcards and talk to the locals. No amazing interactions, but we learned a lot about the area.
After lunch, we really started to hit the uphill climb that we were informed about by locals. With this uphill climb came spectacular lakes to stop at like Monument Lake and the elevation was definitely hitting us. Everyone stopped to catch a breath at least once going up the Cuchara Pass, and there was no shame in that. One other reason we stopped was because we were getting hit by heavy rain and hail. We had groups of people huddling underneath any tree that they could find along the road. Fortunately, my rain protection proved its worth once again by keeping me dry (somewhat)!
As we reached the highest point on the route of just under 10,000 feet in elevation we were excited that the downhill portion was about to begin. We went through winding curves for 20 miles as we concentrated on maintaining a safe speed. This was one of our first times with this type of downhill so it was a great learning experience. We were able to get down the mountain and back into the plains within an hour from the pass by averaging between 25-30 MPH. This included stops in general stores along the way where we talked to vacationers and locals.
On the plains, we were hit once again by even more hail and that just added to the fun stories of the day. As we arrived into Walsenburg, we realized that the longer route was a risk worth taking. We still arrived by 3 PM into town, got to check out the local scene and get random chores done.
Dinner was a fun potluck with the people from local churches and newspapers! We were just happy to not have to cook any more dinner!
The groups split in half over this decision so we had a group of 15 tackle this legendary uphill battle. When coming out of Trinidad, our group knew that we had an extraordinary day ahead of us but were not sure what to expect. The first 35 miles were a gradual uphill climb with random downhill through the valley. There were great views from even 8000 feet high in elevation as we were dazzled by what the Rockies had to offer. We would stop at General Stores along the way in order to find great postcards and talk to the locals. No amazing interactions, but we learned a lot about the area.
After lunch, we really started to hit the uphill climb that we were informed about by locals. With this uphill climb came spectacular lakes to stop at like Monument Lake and the elevation was definitely hitting us. Everyone stopped to catch a breath at least once going up the Cuchara Pass, and there was no shame in that. One other reason we stopped was because we were getting hit by heavy rain and hail. We had groups of people huddling underneath any tree that they could find along the road. Fortunately, my rain protection proved its worth once again by keeping me dry (somewhat)!
As we reached the highest point on the route of just under 10,000 feet in elevation we were excited that the downhill portion was about to begin. We went through winding curves for 20 miles as we concentrated on maintaining a safe speed. This was one of our first times with this type of downhill so it was a great learning experience. We were able to get down the mountain and back into the plains within an hour from the pass by averaging between 25-30 MPH. This included stops in general stores along the way where we talked to vacationers and locals.
On the plains, we were hit once again by even more hail and that just added to the fun stories of the day. As we arrived into Walsenburg, we realized that the longer route was a risk worth taking. We still arrived by 3 PM into town, got to check out the local scene and get random chores done.
Dinner was a fun potluck with the people from local churches and newspapers! We were just happy to not have to cook any more dinner!
New Mexico & trip to Trinidad
Once we hit the border and entered into the Land of Enchantment AKA New Mexico, the tide had turned. We were finally out of Texas and onto the 24 hours we had ahead of us in this new state. Surprisingly somehow all of the wind just went away as we went into Clayton New Mexico.
We stopped to talk to some locals and buy post cards from a convenience store, and my attitude was refreshed. I realized how much fun the next 60 miles would be to Des Moines while we sang our way through Clayton. Singing has become one of my favorite pastimes while going through any town, it is the best way for people to know what we are doing.
The bike ride up until Des Moines was beautiful with mountains randomly appearing throughout the ride. We finally had something to look at other than just flat land and it amazed us. When stopping at a Rest Area, I met a great couple driving through the country and other random people with odd stories. I guess that is what a place like the west.
The town of Des Moines had three stores open and I made sure to talk with all of them. I hit up the first one for Sopapillas to remind me of the days with visiting my sister Kerry in Albuquerque. I stopped at a coffee shop to watch my teammates playing a solid game of Checkers. I was asked to leave by my teammates because I told them what move to make too often.
My favorite shop was the local art studio where photos and paintings were showed off. I foound out that I made it for the Open Mic Night where locals showed off their poetry skills etc. I showed off my skills in writing Hi-Kus and then told them all a little more about our Bike & Build group. It was really fun to talk with all these locals and we actually found a rancher that wants to host our group next year.
So the night was fun but just like everywhere else, we leave before the town awakes the next morning. We found a more manageable back road that took us through an easier mountain pass than what we originally had planned. It was beautiful with the RR train following us along the way into Colorado.
We had the mountains to our left as we biked from the border into Trinidad. Unfortunately, we had a 20-25 mph headwind coming at us for the last 20 miles. It was another test for our mental wit as we barely made it to our host without wanting to go crazy.
The day off was the deciding motivating factor as we got near Trinidad. Everyone was pumped too know that we could let loose, relax and sleep in as much as our body lets us! Good day!
We stopped to talk to some locals and buy post cards from a convenience store, and my attitude was refreshed. I realized how much fun the next 60 miles would be to Des Moines while we sang our way through Clayton. Singing has become one of my favorite pastimes while going through any town, it is the best way for people to know what we are doing.
The bike ride up until Des Moines was beautiful with mountains randomly appearing throughout the ride. We finally had something to look at other than just flat land and it amazed us. When stopping at a Rest Area, I met a great couple driving through the country and other random people with odd stories. I guess that is what a place like the west.
The town of Des Moines had three stores open and I made sure to talk with all of them. I hit up the first one for Sopapillas to remind me of the days with visiting my sister Kerry in Albuquerque. I stopped at a coffee shop to watch my teammates playing a solid game of Checkers. I was asked to leave by my teammates because I told them what move to make too often.
My favorite shop was the local art studio where photos and paintings were showed off. I foound out that I made it for the Open Mic Night where locals showed off their poetry skills etc. I showed off my skills in writing Hi-Kus and then told them all a little more about our Bike & Build group. It was really fun to talk with all these locals and we actually found a rancher that wants to host our group next year.
So the night was fun but just like everywhere else, we leave before the town awakes the next morning. We found a more manageable back road that took us through an easier mountain pass than what we originally had planned. It was beautiful with the RR train following us along the way into Colorado.
We had the mountains to our left as we biked from the border into Trinidad. Unfortunately, we had a 20-25 mph headwind coming at us for the last 20 miles. It was another test for our mental wit as we barely made it to our host without wanting to go crazy.
The day off was the deciding motivating factor as we got near Trinidad. Everyone was pumped too know that we could let loose, relax and sleep in as much as our body lets us! Good day!
Texas: Spearman & Dalhart
The bottom line is that Texas is one of the windiest areas that we will ever have to bike through. Once we arrived into Texas from Oklahoma, we realized that this would be one of the most difficult mental challenges on the trip. Imagine this reality of having to bike 80 miles to just find another convenience stores. We threw a convenience store party by filling up the water bottles with as much ice as possible from the soda fountains!
On the way to Spearman, we stopped at a small local diner in Higgins right along the border. You could tell it was a cowboy/Texas place with all of the many pictures of local legends. The men there told us great stories about the area and the good old days! It was one of the best Texas experiences that I got, and bought a biscuit with sausage, egg and gravy for just a dollar. Cheapest place within 100 miles!
When I mentioned the difficulties of the wind, imagine a wind of 20 mph blowing into your face for 10 miles. During this time, you are just fighting to maintain any momentum down a hill or on the plains. I understand why investors are trying to put up as many wind turbines as possible in this part of the country.
One of my favorite stops was our lunch stop in Cactus on the way to Dalhart on our 2nd day in the Panhandle. We found this great restaurant called Judy’s Café where we got ourselves a good breakfast to fill up our stomach. It was my day to drive the van, so I figured I might as well find a good place to eat when ever it is possible! We ended up receiving a free meal after casually talking to the waitress just about life in Cactus and what we were biking for. They even let all of our riders in to fill up their water bottles with ice and use the bathrooms! What a nice group!
On our way to Dalhart, we biked along side to one of the biggest cattle herding plots that I had ever seen. From far way, it looked like a gigantic junkyard due to all of the many colors and its size. Once you got within a mile you could start smelling the cows and just hear all of the MOOs from them. People were stunned by how much beef was at the point with some people thinking it was disgusting and others just realizing it were part of industrializing food in America. Overall it was a powerful learning experience just to bike next to.
Those were some of the memories with our stop in Texas. Overall, we had great hosts who hooked us up with great dinner meals and pools to swim in. It was really hot so the best time to go swimming was after dinner when it was manageable to be outside. Thank god we have occasionally escaped that heat!
On the way to Spearman, we stopped at a small local diner in Higgins right along the border. You could tell it was a cowboy/Texas place with all of the many pictures of local legends. The men there told us great stories about the area and the good old days! It was one of the best Texas experiences that I got, and bought a biscuit with sausage, egg and gravy for just a dollar. Cheapest place within 100 miles!
When I mentioned the difficulties of the wind, imagine a wind of 20 mph blowing into your face for 10 miles. During this time, you are just fighting to maintain any momentum down a hill or on the plains. I understand why investors are trying to put up as many wind turbines as possible in this part of the country.
One of my favorite stops was our lunch stop in Cactus on the way to Dalhart on our 2nd day in the Panhandle. We found this great restaurant called Judy’s Café where we got ourselves a good breakfast to fill up our stomach. It was my day to drive the van, so I figured I might as well find a good place to eat when ever it is possible! We ended up receiving a free meal after casually talking to the waitress just about life in Cactus and what we were biking for. They even let all of our riders in to fill up their water bottles with ice and use the bathrooms! What a nice group!
On our way to Dalhart, we biked along side to one of the biggest cattle herding plots that I had ever seen. From far way, it looked like a gigantic junkyard due to all of the many colors and its size. Once you got within a mile you could start smelling the cows and just hear all of the MOOs from them. People were stunned by how much beef was at the point with some people thinking it was disgusting and others just realizing it were part of industrializing food in America. Overall it was a powerful learning experience just to bike next to.
Those were some of the memories with our stop in Texas. Overall, we had great hosts who hooked us up with great dinner meals and pools to swim in. It was really hot so the best time to go swimming was after dinner when it was manageable to be outside. Thank god we have occasionally escaped that heat!
Rest of Oklahoma: Watonga & Arnett
Luckily, we had a nice short day out of Oklahoma City that only consisted of 65 miles. The wind was minimal for the majority of the day as we were able to escape the midday heat. The route did not have many great sites or views to stop for, and the group simply biked with little to wait around for. The whole group was in town by 2 PM as we finally got an afternoon to enjoy in a town.
Even though Watonga is small, it still had a lot to offer as we enjoyed the locals restaurants. We went to the SONIC for slurpees, talked to locals at the Hideout Bar and just took naps at the church. Overall nothing very exciting about Watonga but it was just nice to have a day to relax!
The next day we biked to a small town of Arnett that was only 15 miles from the Texas border. I really enjoyed the bike ride as we stopped in convenience stores along the way to talk to locals. Really nice people in the small towns that we went through, and they gave us free ice and water.
My goal of the day was to beat the heat in the afternoon so I did not spend too much time at our two lunch stops. I just had a great biking day talking to other riders and being the first one to arrive into Arnett. The church people were great to us in Arnett as they showed me around and had Ice Cream waiting for us in the kitchen. Every rider except the lactose intolerant ones were pumped for this one!
After dinner in Arnett, we went into the local park and offered a Bike Clinic. It was short and simple but was a great way to interact with the community as we hung out with families. The playground there was great because it had all these old play sets that have been banned because they are too dangerous(meaning more fun).
This town was literally in the middle of nowhere and looked like a small forest from far away. It may be one square mile in size for the downtown, and after that it is just flat plains with no trees at all. The sunset was incredible to watch as we quickly went to sleep right after it. The next morning on the way out, we woke up early enough to see the stars as we packed the trailer. On our way out of town, we saw the best sunrise yet on the trip as we were on top of the hill.
Oklahoma treated us well with great people, meals and not too bad of wind. It just sure is hot around here!
Even though Watonga is small, it still had a lot to offer as we enjoyed the locals restaurants. We went to the SONIC for slurpees, talked to locals at the Hideout Bar and just took naps at the church. Overall nothing very exciting about Watonga but it was just nice to have a day to relax!
The next day we biked to a small town of Arnett that was only 15 miles from the Texas border. I really enjoyed the bike ride as we stopped in convenience stores along the way to talk to locals. Really nice people in the small towns that we went through, and they gave us free ice and water.
My goal of the day was to beat the heat in the afternoon so I did not spend too much time at our two lunch stops. I just had a great biking day talking to other riders and being the first one to arrive into Arnett. The church people were great to us in Arnett as they showed me around and had Ice Cream waiting for us in the kitchen. Every rider except the lactose intolerant ones were pumped for this one!
After dinner in Arnett, we went into the local park and offered a Bike Clinic. It was short and simple but was a great way to interact with the community as we hung out with families. The playground there was great because it had all these old play sets that have been banned because they are too dangerous(meaning more fun).
This town was literally in the middle of nowhere and looked like a small forest from far away. It may be one square mile in size for the downtown, and after that it is just flat plains with no trees at all. The sunset was incredible to watch as we quickly went to sleep right after it. The next morning on the way out, we woke up early enough to see the stars as we packed the trailer. On our way out of town, we saw the best sunrise yet on the trip as we were on top of the hill.
Oklahoma treated us well with great people, meals and not too bad of wind. It just sure is hot around here!
Oklahoma City
Our build in Oklahoma City was the most productive build that we have had for the whole trip. We showed up to a house with just its concrete foundation laid, and it was our job to put up all the framing for the walls. We came, we saw and we conquered through the 100 degree heat of the day. Everyone was working together, the Habitat staff always had a task for us to complete and we had a great time!
The Habitat for Humanity has a powerful leader who has been able to use her connections in order to grow the organization. Their endowment is very high, they receive free donations of GREEN products that make them the most Environmental Friendly Home Builders in the state and they have a whole development devoted to Habitat Houses. They took care of us very well as all meals were provided and we stayed at a great church somewhat close to the downtown area.
My highlight of the stop was being able to spend some quality time with Uncle Pete & his girlfriend Patty. They picked me up from the church, cooked great meals and gave me a bed to sleep on for both nights. He even woke up at 4 AM to drop me off at the church for our 6 AM bike departure! I got to explore the city with Patty as we checked out the downtown, the river, the memorial and the nicest neighborhoods in the city! Big Thank You for making my stop in Oklahoma City such a great one!
The Habitat for Humanity has a powerful leader who has been able to use her connections in order to grow the organization. Their endowment is very high, they receive free donations of GREEN products that make them the most Environmental Friendly Home Builders in the state and they have a whole development devoted to Habitat Houses. They took care of us very well as all meals were provided and we stayed at a great church somewhat close to the downtown area.
My highlight of the stop was being able to spend some quality time with Uncle Pete & his girlfriend Patty. They picked me up from the church, cooked great meals and gave me a bed to sleep on for both nights. He even woke up at 4 AM to drop me off at the church for our 6 AM bike departure! I got to explore the city with Patty as we checked out the downtown, the river, the memorial and the nicest neighborhoods in the city! Big Thank You for making my stop in Oklahoma City such a great one!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Henryetta, Oklahoma City
Sweep baby Sweep! This was the attitude of the day as I was with my good friend Abby serving as the individuals responsible for herding the cattle(as in bikers). We knew it would be a long day when we set out of the church and had no expectations for when we would arrive. We said to ourselves that we have 105 miles to go until Henryetta and who knows when we will be there.
As we crossed the Arkansas River into Oklahoma, we checked out the local Farmers Market but there was no food edible along our ride. We just talked to some locals and they wished us the best. Abby and I continued to ask cliche questions to each other in order to pass the time, as we picked up stragglers along the way.
There are two great ways to pass time on a bike: talking to your fellow biker and hills. So when hills came along our route, they took up our mind for a long time and before we knew it we had covered some serious mileage. Our two lunch stops were rewarding as we received plenty of Air Conditioning in the local gas stations/convenient stores.
I realized the importance of not eating too much food during a lunch break, as my stomach would be rumbling the next five miles after lunch. As sweepers, we had to wait until everyone is finished at lunch so therefore it can take a lot of time. Our second lunch was over an hour long, as we waited for nappers.
By the time it was 6:30 PM we slowly made our way into Henryetta, and were ready to eat some food. We met the group at the local park where we met the congregation of the church we were staying. There were great burgers, great beans/rice and great people. It was a very nice community dinner, one that I wish we could always have. The people told us about the history of their town with the stories of Jim Shoulders (famous Rodeo Cowboy) and Troy Aikman (hall of fame Quarter Back for Dallas Cowboys).
It was a long day, just sure am glad that I am driving the van to Oklahoma City!
As we crossed the Arkansas River into Oklahoma, we checked out the local Farmers Market but there was no food edible along our ride. We just talked to some locals and they wished us the best. Abby and I continued to ask cliche questions to each other in order to pass the time, as we picked up stragglers along the way.
There are two great ways to pass time on a bike: talking to your fellow biker and hills. So when hills came along our route, they took up our mind for a long time and before we knew it we had covered some serious mileage. Our two lunch stops were rewarding as we received plenty of Air Conditioning in the local gas stations/convenient stores.
I realized the importance of not eating too much food during a lunch break, as my stomach would be rumbling the next five miles after lunch. As sweepers, we had to wait until everyone is finished at lunch so therefore it can take a lot of time. Our second lunch was over an hour long, as we waited for nappers.
By the time it was 6:30 PM we slowly made our way into Henryetta, and were ready to eat some food. We met the group at the local park where we met the congregation of the church we were staying. There were great burgers, great beans/rice and great people. It was a very nice community dinner, one that I wish we could always have. The people told us about the history of their town with the stories of Jim Shoulders (famous Rodeo Cowboy) and Troy Aikman (hall of fame Quarter Back for Dallas Cowboys).
It was a long day, just sure am glad that I am driving the van to Oklahoma City!
Fort Smith, Arkansas
We started the day taking the road less traveled. Jake, our route guru for the day, let some of the group take a more scenic yet more confusing route through the Ozark National Forest. We were on our own if we got lost or hit gravel roads with the van going along the normal route. We knew it would be worth it but did not realize it would be that amazing!
After the 20 mile mark, we hit our first gravel of the day and it lasted for 2 miles until we came to a fork with one of the directions having pavement. We looked on the I PHONE and realized that the pavement would be a little more miles but easier on our bikes. In less than a mile we found one of the best swimming spots around. There was a dock man made with concrete and rocks that led to a small 8 feet tower. The water was high enough that you could easily dive or flip without a concern of the depth.
It was a grand time and we were loving it! Eventually a Christian Youth Group came down to meet us, and they were a little unhappy with how some of us were not dressed in the water. It was a funny situation, one you will remember for your lifetime. They didn't call the cops on us and we did not tell them we were part of any organization.
On the way out, the volunteer ranger gave us a new route to take us into Fort Smith that involved less gravel and beautiful views. So we took it for 10 miles and then the majority of the group stopped for lunch. Another biker and I wanted to wait until we hit the 50 mile mark, so that we could have more under our belt when we stopped. So we broke off, continued and talked to some locals while biking.
We were continuously warned about the upcoming steepness of the road but we realized that none of them were bikers. Our general rule is that when an actual bike shop or biker warns you of a road than you should start listening. Does not work in all cases but in this case it did. We hit four good accents but nothing was a back breaker. We enjoyed the views that these accents gave us, and were just glad we stayed on the road.
As we made our way into Fort Smith, the roads got a little more occupied and we started to see the military planes flying over us. We realized we took the less traveled route and our bets had worked out for the day. We ended up putting in an extra 8 miles to make it a 94 mile day but got in well before dinner at 5 PM. The group that broke of for an earlier lunch was slow the whole day as the last one of them arrived at 7 PM. Great day with great people!
After the 20 mile mark, we hit our first gravel of the day and it lasted for 2 miles until we came to a fork with one of the directions having pavement. We looked on the I PHONE and realized that the pavement would be a little more miles but easier on our bikes. In less than a mile we found one of the best swimming spots around. There was a dock man made with concrete and rocks that led to a small 8 feet tower. The water was high enough that you could easily dive or flip without a concern of the depth.
It was a grand time and we were loving it! Eventually a Christian Youth Group came down to meet us, and they were a little unhappy with how some of us were not dressed in the water. It was a funny situation, one you will remember for your lifetime. They didn't call the cops on us and we did not tell them we were part of any organization.
On the way out, the volunteer ranger gave us a new route to take us into Fort Smith that involved less gravel and beautiful views. So we took it for 10 miles and then the majority of the group stopped for lunch. Another biker and I wanted to wait until we hit the 50 mile mark, so that we could have more under our belt when we stopped. So we broke off, continued and talked to some locals while biking.
We were continuously warned about the upcoming steepness of the road but we realized that none of them were bikers. Our general rule is that when an actual bike shop or biker warns you of a road than you should start listening. Does not work in all cases but in this case it did. We hit four good accents but nothing was a back breaker. We enjoyed the views that these accents gave us, and were just glad we stayed on the road.
As we made our way into Fort Smith, the roads got a little more occupied and we started to see the military planes flying over us. We realized we took the less traveled route and our bets had worked out for the day. We ended up putting in an extra 8 miles to make it a 94 mile day but got in well before dinner at 5 PM. The group that broke of for an earlier lunch was slow the whole day as the last one of them arrived at 7 PM. Great day with great people!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Russelville, Arkansas
Wow what a bike ride out of Little Rock! We had a great first 40 miles as we went over the most common thing to a Mountain Pass in Arkansas. It included great uphill battles and then an amazing downill with twisty curves. If you were not concentrating on biking down these hills, your life was in danger! Fortunately we made it out alive with no falls from any riders.
When coming out there was a great lake that served as the source of drinking water for Little Rock. Shhhh dont tell anyone but some of our riders swam in it! But that last 30 miles were a battle with the wind as we were on flat terrain for the majority of it. We tried a pace line that did not work that well!
When getting into the city, we went to What A Burger to enjoy a shake from the long ride! I ended up talking to the manager and was able to get the place to donate food to the whole group. It was a great hook up that we were able to connect. The rest of the day was spent biking around the campus of Arkansas Tech and chillen at the church getting some work done.
We had a great Town Hall meeting where we all get to speak our mind and talk about important matters within our group. It just lets people get their thoughts out and usually stays pretty tame but effective. Following that we had a presentation for Affordable Housing that went real well with a lot of dialogue from the group. I was real impressed with how we stepped it up for this presentation.
Well time to go we are getting kicked out by the library staff at the college campus! Talk to you all soon, What A Burger Rocks!
When coming out there was a great lake that served as the source of drinking water for Little Rock. Shhhh dont tell anyone but some of our riders swam in it! But that last 30 miles were a battle with the wind as we were on flat terrain for the majority of it. We tried a pace line that did not work that well!
When getting into the city, we went to What A Burger to enjoy a shake from the long ride! I ended up talking to the manager and was able to get the place to donate food to the whole group. It was a great hook up that we were able to connect. The rest of the day was spent biking around the campus of Arkansas Tech and chillen at the church getting some work done.
We had a great Town Hall meeting where we all get to speak our mind and talk about important matters within our group. It just lets people get their thoughts out and usually stays pretty tame but effective. Following that we had a presentation for Affordable Housing that went real well with a lot of dialogue from the group. I was real impressed with how we stepped it up for this presentation.
Well time to go we are getting kicked out by the library staff at the college campus! Talk to you all soon, What A Burger Rocks!
Little Rock, Arkansas
So we made the big 65 mile route to Little Rock in the blistering heat. When leaving Stuttgart we gave our hosts a big good bye and began to bike through the rice plants to leave the area. Well, I was the van driver for the day so I simply just turned the ignition and found a place for lunch. Once lunch was over the fun began of helping people under our route as they made their way through the Bike Path of Little Rock. Only half of the group actually ended up going the correct way off the Big Dam Bridge, too bad not enough people checked out the map of the bike path.
So the great thing about Little Rock was that we actually got to spend our day off in the location. Fortunately we had amazing hosts who offered us endless amounts of food, volunteered to help with laundry and even helped shuttle our group to downtown. The hosts were absolutely amazing and despite it being 10 miles away from downtown, I would still recommend that next year's group go back. So I thank the Winfield United Methodist Church for making our stay an inspiring one.
On my day off in Little Rock, I had time to just relax and act like I had no responsibilities for the day as much as possible. I woke up early and got to go for a bike ride on the River Trail Bike Path that I missed the day before due to my van driving schedule. It sure was a beautiful one with great views along the Arkansas River showing off downtown and the parks.
I took some time after that to bike through downtown North Little Rock and Little Rock (two separate towns). With that, I checked out the capitol building which is a replica of the capitol building in Washington DC. I than just biked through the neighborhoods and ended up in the River Market. When there, I befriended a couple of managers of stores who loved the idea of our group. With these connections, I got some free t-shirts, postcards and pass to the Bill Clinton Memorial Library for the afternoon.
The Bill Clinton Memorial was a great way to not only avoid the mid day heat of Little Rock but learn more about his tenure as president. I would give it a good rating as it went through his style of presidency, events during his term and the showing of gifts that he received from famous people.
The night included a minor league game Double A game of the Little Rock Travelers. They got a beating after their starting pitcher left but it was fun to watch young players working their tails off to make it to the big league. Good luck to them! When there, I randomly saw a friend from college who is now a Clubhouse Manager for the Stadium. He is hoping to move up all the way to the Big Leagues one day where he can be a Clubhouse Manager to make the big bucks from tips. With his work ethic, he will be there soon!
So overall the day was a great one! I would recommend people to check out the place where Bill Clinton made his first marking in the political sector. It offers great food options, good biking/hiking options and just a nice place to walk around. Cheers!
So the great thing about Little Rock was that we actually got to spend our day off in the location. Fortunately we had amazing hosts who offered us endless amounts of food, volunteered to help with laundry and even helped shuttle our group to downtown. The hosts were absolutely amazing and despite it being 10 miles away from downtown, I would still recommend that next year's group go back. So I thank the Winfield United Methodist Church for making our stay an inspiring one.
On my day off in Little Rock, I had time to just relax and act like I had no responsibilities for the day as much as possible. I woke up early and got to go for a bike ride on the River Trail Bike Path that I missed the day before due to my van driving schedule. It sure was a beautiful one with great views along the Arkansas River showing off downtown and the parks.
I took some time after that to bike through downtown North Little Rock and Little Rock (two separate towns). With that, I checked out the capitol building which is a replica of the capitol building in Washington DC. I than just biked through the neighborhoods and ended up in the River Market. When there, I befriended a couple of managers of stores who loved the idea of our group. With these connections, I got some free t-shirts, postcards and pass to the Bill Clinton Memorial Library for the afternoon.
The Bill Clinton Memorial was a great way to not only avoid the mid day heat of Little Rock but learn more about his tenure as president. I would give it a good rating as it went through his style of presidency, events during his term and the showing of gifts that he received from famous people.
The night included a minor league game Double A game of the Little Rock Travelers. They got a beating after their starting pitcher left but it was fun to watch young players working their tails off to make it to the big league. Good luck to them! When there, I randomly saw a friend from college who is now a Clubhouse Manager for the Stadium. He is hoping to move up all the way to the Big Leagues one day where he can be a Clubhouse Manager to make the big bucks from tips. With his work ethic, he will be there soon!
So overall the day was a great one! I would recommend people to check out the place where Bill Clinton made his first marking in the political sector. It offers great food options, good biking/hiking options and just a nice place to walk around. Cheers!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
STUTTGART, ARKANSAS
It was an early wake up as we got up for a 6:30 AM departure out of Clarksdale. As I placed my bag next to the trailer, I already knew that it would be a hot day out on the road. The heat index got all the way up to 104 today, and boy did we feel it!
As we biked out of Clarksdale, we enjoyed the support of the wind as we coasted at speeds between 18-22 MPH. This was our coast speed meaning that we were pedaling at a normal rate on flat terrain with no decline helping us. As we reached the Mississippi River, this wind stopped doing its trick as we realized this would be a longer day than we had thought. The Bridge across the great Mississippi was manageable and we were given some space to at least enjoy the view of this muddy river. We hit up the Welcome Center for Arkansas right away and got hooked up with free post cards, woo hoo!
After our first lunch, I biked in a pack of six as we made our way through a 40 mile stretch until we hit the next lunch stop. We endured the heavy heat by playing 20 Questions and Two Truths & A Lie which took our minds off the conditions. We saw a pool as we were biking down the state highway and felt like taking our chances to see if we could cool down by jumping in. Unfortunately, the pool was not actually set up for the season yet but we were given ice cold water to refill our bottles.
As we hit the 2nd lunch in Clarendon, we realized just how dangerous it would be to cross the White River on a bridge that spanned for three miles into a Wildlife Refuge Area. We called the police and they offered to escort our group across this stretch so our group hung out for an hour until the whole group arrived. We found a great ice cream store and we went town as I had an Ice Cream Cone and a Strawberry Sundae all for under 2 dollars. We also went to the Visitor Center where we received more information about how the town of Clarendon emerged and what it has become today.
As we got escorted across the bridge, I realized just how easy it could have been for a big trucker to hit one of our bikers. Our group enjoyed this freedom of controlling the road by practicing our singing skills! It was a party for the bikers but I am sure the traffic behind us was not the happiest campers! The last 20 miles to Stuttgart were challenging as we came to the hottest part of the day. A lot of people took rest in shade when ever they could find it.
But we realized that the town could not be too far away as we started to see the gigantic structures built for the Rice Plant. We saw rice plants all day along the road, and finally realized where exactly it was going as we reached our destination. The structures were gigantic, I have never seen something like that before! Fortunately, we were able to go to the local pool when we arrived at our church location. We all cooled off and I even almost fell asleep when I just wading through it.
Dinner was an amazing Taco Bar with Peach Cobbler and I spent the rest of the night getting ready for future Bike & Build work as I took advantage of the available Internet. It was a great host there as they offered great meals and forms of entertainment. I get to rest up tomorrow as I will be driving the group van, I will use this time to recover from the past three days!
As we biked out of Clarksdale, we enjoyed the support of the wind as we coasted at speeds between 18-22 MPH. This was our coast speed meaning that we were pedaling at a normal rate on flat terrain with no decline helping us. As we reached the Mississippi River, this wind stopped doing its trick as we realized this would be a longer day than we had thought. The Bridge across the great Mississippi was manageable and we were given some space to at least enjoy the view of this muddy river. We hit up the Welcome Center for Arkansas right away and got hooked up with free post cards, woo hoo!
After our first lunch, I biked in a pack of six as we made our way through a 40 mile stretch until we hit the next lunch stop. We endured the heavy heat by playing 20 Questions and Two Truths & A Lie which took our minds off the conditions. We saw a pool as we were biking down the state highway and felt like taking our chances to see if we could cool down by jumping in. Unfortunately, the pool was not actually set up for the season yet but we were given ice cold water to refill our bottles.
As we hit the 2nd lunch in Clarendon, we realized just how dangerous it would be to cross the White River on a bridge that spanned for three miles into a Wildlife Refuge Area. We called the police and they offered to escort our group across this stretch so our group hung out for an hour until the whole group arrived. We found a great ice cream store and we went town as I had an Ice Cream Cone and a Strawberry Sundae all for under 2 dollars. We also went to the Visitor Center where we received more information about how the town of Clarendon emerged and what it has become today.
As we got escorted across the bridge, I realized just how easy it could have been for a big trucker to hit one of our bikers. Our group enjoyed this freedom of controlling the road by practicing our singing skills! It was a party for the bikers but I am sure the traffic behind us was not the happiest campers! The last 20 miles to Stuttgart were challenging as we came to the hottest part of the day. A lot of people took rest in shade when ever they could find it.
But we realized that the town could not be too far away as we started to see the gigantic structures built for the Rice Plant. We saw rice plants all day along the road, and finally realized where exactly it was going as we reached our destination. The structures were gigantic, I have never seen something like that before! Fortunately, we were able to go to the local pool when we arrived at our church location. We all cooled off and I even almost fell asleep when I just wading through it.
Dinner was an amazing Taco Bar with Peach Cobbler and I spent the rest of the night getting ready for future Bike & Build work as I took advantage of the available Internet. It was a great host there as they offered great meals and forms of entertainment. I get to rest up tomorrow as I will be driving the group van, I will use this time to recover from the past three days!
CLARKSDALE MISSISSIPPI
So we got up a little earlier than usual for this 70 mile route but were not able to get off to the early start we had hoped for. Mother Nature had other plans for us as a Scary Storm came our way coming out of Oxford. Luckily, the Oxford Chevron convenience store took us in for the hour while we watched the heavy winds, rain and lighting tear through the area. I was just hoping not to hear any more Tornado Warning Sirens through all of this!
We went on though once the scary weather left, and we did not mind biking through the light rain. It was a fun route with Jake taking us through the bike roads which helped us prevent more typical state highways. With these types of routes it is a guarantee that we will lose some time by either getting lost finding roads or having to walk our bikes along gravel sections. This is all part of the adventure though as we enjoyed all of the landscape.
It took us almost four hours just to get 30 miles due to the inclement weather so therefore lunch was a little bit earlier than expected. My stomach was growling though by the time we reached that lunch point though! After lunch our route took us through some desolate parts of the Delta South where we saw all of the rice and cotton fields. It is a different world down from here what I am used to seeing up North or in Colorado as far as the landscape goes.
We stopped in a fun town called Marks that was just 20 miles out of our final destination Clarksdale. We relaxed and refueled just outside of the convenience store for 20 minutes and talked to at least 5 groups of people. We got the standard reactions of complete surprise and awe for what we are attempting to accomplish. One person wanted to race me with their old bike that they use to get around town, I declined the offer though.
You could tell it was a Sunday because everyone was dressed in their church outfits. We would get passed by 15 passenger vans full of children getting bussed to the Sunday Service. This Sunday ritual has been one of my favorite things to watch and observe with all of the many folk around here. Some of the riders were invited into the Baptist Church that consisted of an African American congregation. They told us that it was a party for Jesus as everyone was dancing and praying expressively. It must have been awesome to experience this as an outsider to this culture.
Unfortunately, there is not much to add about the city of Clarksdale. It is known as the birthplace of the Blues Movement in the Delta South. It was home to many great musicians who made the pilgrimage to play great music in cities like Chicago or New Orleans. Since it is a Sunday, every business and tourist attraction is closed for the day. Maybe one day in the future I will be back!
We went on though once the scary weather left, and we did not mind biking through the light rain. It was a fun route with Jake taking us through the bike roads which helped us prevent more typical state highways. With these types of routes it is a guarantee that we will lose some time by either getting lost finding roads or having to walk our bikes along gravel sections. This is all part of the adventure though as we enjoyed all of the landscape.
It took us almost four hours just to get 30 miles due to the inclement weather so therefore lunch was a little bit earlier than expected. My stomach was growling though by the time we reached that lunch point though! After lunch our route took us through some desolate parts of the Delta South where we saw all of the rice and cotton fields. It is a different world down from here what I am used to seeing up North or in Colorado as far as the landscape goes.
We stopped in a fun town called Marks that was just 20 miles out of our final destination Clarksdale. We relaxed and refueled just outside of the convenience store for 20 minutes and talked to at least 5 groups of people. We got the standard reactions of complete surprise and awe for what we are attempting to accomplish. One person wanted to race me with their old bike that they use to get around town, I declined the offer though.
You could tell it was a Sunday because everyone was dressed in their church outfits. We would get passed by 15 passenger vans full of children getting bussed to the Sunday Service. This Sunday ritual has been one of my favorite things to watch and observe with all of the many folk around here. Some of the riders were invited into the Baptist Church that consisted of an African American congregation. They told us that it was a party for Jesus as everyone was dancing and praying expressively. It must have been awesome to experience this as an outsider to this culture.
Unfortunately, there is not much to add about the city of Clarksdale. It is known as the birthplace of the Blues Movement in the Delta South. It was home to many great musicians who made the pilgrimage to play great music in cities like Chicago or New Orleans. Since it is a Sunday, every business and tourist attraction is closed for the day. Maybe one day in the future I will be back!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Oxford
This small town is the home of Ole Miss University, and it was real nice with its influence from the intelligent world. The bike ride from Tupelo was flat for the first 30 miles but Mother Nature showed off her power though during those miles. We got heavy rain with impressive thunder/lightning coming out of Tupelo. Our bodies were constantly trying to keep us warm, and due to that we were starving for lunch.
So after enjoying an hour long relaxing lunch, I set out for the last 22 miles into Oxford. It was all rolling hills so I picked up high speeds coming down and the helped me get up. I was definitely excited when we suddenly arrived into the town area and I did my best to take advantage of my afternoon.
After dropping off and picking up the laundry crew with a nice stop to the grocery store in between, I biked around the university. It was a nice little bike ride to see what a SEC school is like, and I saved time to check out the square before dinner.
I found some great book stores including one specifically for children. It would have been a great book and toy store to take the Csapo Boys with entertainment for all ages. I found a great book that was for adults (strange since it was a kids book store), and I just sat in a nice chair reading it. I truly appreciate the ability to relax like that while I am on the road.
After the square, we had a big pizza and pasta proud at a local restaurant. One of our riders Chris has a cousin who owns the restaurant, and he hooked us up. The food and service was great as we enjoyed specialty pizzas. The whole downtown area had a lot to offer.
Overall, I really enjoyed the town of Oxford with its many people and stores. I would not be able to handle the influence of a college like Ole Miss if I lived there but fortunately I got to visit during the quiet time of the year. I recommend this town as a place to go but only when the students are gone.
So after enjoying an hour long relaxing lunch, I set out for the last 22 miles into Oxford. It was all rolling hills so I picked up high speeds coming down and the helped me get up. I was definitely excited when we suddenly arrived into the town area and I did my best to take advantage of my afternoon.
After dropping off and picking up the laundry crew with a nice stop to the grocery store in between, I biked around the university. It was a nice little bike ride to see what a SEC school is like, and I saved time to check out the square before dinner.
I found some great book stores including one specifically for children. It would have been a great book and toy store to take the Csapo Boys with entertainment for all ages. I found a great book that was for adults (strange since it was a kids book store), and I just sat in a nice chair reading it. I truly appreciate the ability to relax like that while I am on the road.
After the square, we had a big pizza and pasta proud at a local restaurant. One of our riders Chris has a cousin who owns the restaurant, and he hooked us up. The food and service was great as we enjoyed specialty pizzas. The whole downtown area had a lot to offer.
Overall, I really enjoyed the town of Oxford with its many people and stores. I would not be able to handle the influence of a college like Ole Miss if I lived there but fortunately I got to visit during the quiet time of the year. I recommend this town as a place to go but only when the students are gone.
Tupelo Mississippi
So we took the back roads out of Hamilton this morning and it was interesting patch work on the paved roads. Fortunately, I was in the van so was not lucky enough to experience the great bumps along the way. Before we knew it, we already had crossed the state border into Mississippi.
It was a hot day and we needed some shade for everyone to cool down. As the van driver for the day, I asked around in the town of Fulton for a good place where I could find shade and bathrooms close by. Fortunately, there was a very kind owner of the local convenient store who likes to take care of people. So he offered us the shade underneath his Oak Tree, a couple tables and chairs for us to use. While we ate our lunch, the owner brought us out random food and drinks that he donated to our group. So we got a 10 pound cut of bologna, commemorative Elvis Presley Pepsi Bottles (to save up one day) and it just kept coming with surprises. Great guy!
So after lunch we easily made our way into Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis Presley. I got to check out his home that was very nice and quant while getting some awesome Elvis Postcards! For the evening we originally had no dinner plans until a couple riders found a restaurant that was willing to serve our whole group for no costs. So we made our way there and enjoyed great free food while buying some refreshing beverages on the side from the bar. While we were eating our food, a big storm came rolling through with monstrous winds that caused tornado warnings. It was awesome!
The dinner was great with everyone getting a chance to be social outside of churches for a change. We met locals and shared our stories in order to gain a better understanding of each other. I was hoping to grab a full sized cardboard Elvis but no businesses were able to hook us up. Maybe next years group!
It was a hot day and we needed some shade for everyone to cool down. As the van driver for the day, I asked around in the town of Fulton for a good place where I could find shade and bathrooms close by. Fortunately, there was a very kind owner of the local convenient store who likes to take care of people. So he offered us the shade underneath his Oak Tree, a couple tables and chairs for us to use. While we ate our lunch, the owner brought us out random food and drinks that he donated to our group. So we got a 10 pound cut of bologna, commemorative Elvis Presley Pepsi Bottles (to save up one day) and it just kept coming with surprises. Great guy!
So after lunch we easily made our way into Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis Presley. I got to check out his home that was very nice and quant while getting some awesome Elvis Postcards! For the evening we originally had no dinner plans until a couple riders found a restaurant that was willing to serve our whole group for no costs. So we made our way there and enjoyed great free food while buying some refreshing beverages on the side from the bar. While we were eating our food, a big storm came rolling through with monstrous winds that caused tornado warnings. It was awesome!
The dinner was great with everyone getting a chance to be social outside of churches for a change. We met locals and shared our stories in order to gain a better understanding of each other. I was hoping to grab a full sized cardboard Elvis but no businesses were able to hook us up. Maybe next years group!
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