Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Pictures!!
To view my pictures from the trip you can go to: https://picasaweb.google.com/100050767607740450516/BikeTheUSForMS?authkey=Gv1sRgCLfb8Z3WkbjGvQE#
And also:
https://picasaweb.google.com/100050767607740450516/BikeTheUSForMSPart2#
Hope you all enjoy!!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Thank You!!
I want to Thank everyone who so generously donated to the cause!! As a result of all of your donations $181,000 thus far this year has been raised to help find better treatments and hopefully a cure for Multiple Sclerosis. It is because of these types of programs that treatments for MS have been changed. I ask that you continue to support this cause and many others in order to help improve the lives of others. It was truly inspirational to meet many very special individuals who suffer from MS and to hear their stories and how treatments have been improved over the years.
Robin one of the women we heard speak in Pittsburg, KS was one of the most inspirational women that I have heard speak when she had spoke about how she was diagnosed with MS 30 years ago and it had robbed her of her many senses. She could no longer smell, taste, hear, see, walk or barely move on her own. Due to much research and many medications she can now walk with a walker, smell, taste and still has trouble hearing. She spoke that her only dream was to be able to hold her grandchildren someday and at that time knew that she wouldn’t be able to. Due to better treatments she can now do as she dreamed and hold her grandchildren!!
I recognize how incredibly blessed that I am to be able to have this opportunity and want to Thank everyone who followed me and supported me through this wonderful journey!! I am a very fortunate person to be able to come home to a wonderful job at The James Cancer Hospital as a Nurse and will approach this with as much enthusiasm and passion as I did this ride. I hope to be a better nurse because of my experiences on this journey!!
I cannot tell you how many MS patients told me THANK YOU along with the many friends and family members of people who suffer from MS. Really the ones to thank are all of you because of the funds and support that you have provided. Once again, THANK YOU for the hope that you give to all of these people!!
Also Thank You to all of you who have followed my journey and blogs. I truly enjoyed waking up every morning to read the comments that everyone had posted!!
Robin one of the women we heard speak in Pittsburg, KS was one of the most inspirational women that I have heard speak when she had spoke about how she was diagnosed with MS 30 years ago and it had robbed her of her many senses. She could no longer smell, taste, hear, see, walk or barely move on her own. Due to much research and many medications she can now walk with a walker, smell, taste and still has trouble hearing. She spoke that her only dream was to be able to hold her grandchildren someday and at that time knew that she wouldn’t be able to. Due to better treatments she can now do as she dreamed and hold her grandchildren!!
I recognize how incredibly blessed that I am to be able to have this opportunity and want to Thank everyone who followed me and supported me through this wonderful journey!! I am a very fortunate person to be able to come home to a wonderful job at The James Cancer Hospital as a Nurse and will approach this with as much enthusiasm and passion as I did this ride. I hope to be a better nurse because of my experiences on this journey!!
I cannot tell you how many MS patients told me THANK YOU along with the many friends and family members of people who suffer from MS. Really the ones to thank are all of you because of the funds and support that you have provided. Once again, THANK YOU for the hope that you give to all of these people!!
Also Thank You to all of you who have followed my journey and blogs. I truly enjoyed waking up every morning to read the comments that everyone had posted!!
The End!!
4,000 miles, 9 states, 4 time zones, 20 people, 6 flat tires, 5 service projects and one cause…Multiple Sclerosis. All in all I spent 28 nights sleeping indoors in either a church, gym, hostel, mission or motel/hotel. Out of all of the days there were 12 days that I didn’t get a real shower and 50 days that I did get to shower. So I will now answer some of the many questions that many people ask me.
What was the best part about the trip? I would have to say being able to eat anything and everything that I wanted. I realize that I don’t think that I will ever be able to eat like this again. Also the level of stress was nonexistent. Everyone was so laid back and there really were not any worries throughout the day. It was also exciting to see all of the different scenery and how it changed as I rode on. Also especially out west it was really cool to stop at the top of big climbs look down at the winding road and think to yourself wow, I cannot believe that I just rode through all of that and climbed all of that.
What was the worst part of the trip? I would have to say not being able to shower and possibly doing laundry and or grocery shopping.
How have I changed? I would for sure say that my thighs are much stronger. Also I think maybe I have learned how to be a little bit more simplistic as out in the nature you really don’t need a whole lot.
What have I learned? I think that I have learned a lot of patience and compromise. When you are with a group of this size and in the situations that we were in you really had to learn to be patient and compromise with everyone.
Any other questions feel free to post on here!!
What was the best part about the trip? I would have to say being able to eat anything and everything that I wanted. I realize that I don’t think that I will ever be able to eat like this again. Also the level of stress was nonexistent. Everyone was so laid back and there really were not any worries throughout the day. It was also exciting to see all of the different scenery and how it changed as I rode on. Also especially out west it was really cool to stop at the top of big climbs look down at the winding road and think to yourself wow, I cannot believe that I just rode through all of that and climbed all of that.
What was the worst part of the trip? I would have to say not being able to shower and possibly doing laundry and or grocery shopping.
How have I changed? I would for sure say that my thighs are much stronger. Also I think maybe I have learned how to be a little bit more simplistic as out in the nature you really don’t need a whole lot.
What have I learned? I think that I have learned a lot of patience and compromise. When you are with a group of this size and in the situations that we were in you really had to learn to be patient and compromise with everyone.
Any other questions feel free to post on here!!
August 1-2nd - San Francisco, CA
Mileage: 15ish miles
Terrain: Riding around San Francisco. It is very hilly with streets that go straight up and ones that go straight down.
Temperature: Not sure but it was cold!!
Woke up at the youth mission this morning. It was nice to not have to blow my matt up for a change due to bunk beds that they had to sleep on. Got everything packed up. The night before I had removed everything from the trailer to try to get somewhat organized and get everything into two bags that I brought. After throwing away my pillow and towel along with a few miscellaneous things the bags finally shut. I had decided to go in on a hotel room with three of the other riders that were not flying out until the 2nd as well. The hotel was one of the cheapest in town and if you know anything about San Francisco hotels are not cheap. It was located about 5 blocks from the youth mission that we stayed at which had tons of homeless people outside of. I think there was a soup kitchen across the street or something. However, in this area of the city there are homeless everywhere. It really is sad! So at about 7:30 am I drug my over packed, stuffed to the top, very heavy bags to the hotel to store there until the afternoon. We then walked back to the youth mission where I got on my bike and rode it 2 blocks to a breakfast place. We had to sit by the window to watch our bikes so they wouldn’t get stolen. This is rather common to have to keep a close eye on them as we have found out that cable locks really aren’t a deterrent. We then hopped on our bikes and rode a few miles to Crissy Fields which is at the bottom of the Golden Gate Bridge. However, as I was looking up directions to Crissy Fields I realized that we were going to be going down Lombard Street which is known as the curviest street in San Fran so we stopped at the bottom and took some pictures!! It was not an easy task getting to Crissy Fields as San Fran is VERY hilly with streets that go straight up and straight down, probably some of the steepest climbs on the trip however, they were very short!! Got to the water and took some pictures and chilled out then we did the official dipping of our front wheel!! We then got on our bikes and headed up to the access to ride across the bridge. However, there were tons of pedestrians and others people on rental bikes so it was slow and difficult to cross on our bikes however I am glad that I had done so!! Came back across the bridge and hung out by the trailer, saw many off and said some sad goodbyes!! I am going to miss these people SOOOOOOOO MUCH!! The trailer then drove off. I then rode with two other riders to a bike shop to get my bike boxed and shipped back to Ohio. We stopped to eat on our way to the shop. Then took a cab to the hotel. Got into the room to realize that there wasn’t a shower or toilet in the room, thought it was odd but decided to just go with it. There was a toilet and a shower down the hall both in basically closets. Before this trip if I would have had to stay at a hotel like this one I would have probably thrown a fit and wouldn’t have done it. However, after having the experiences and staying at some of the places we did just decided to go with it realizing that everything would be fine and work out fine. Chilled out at the hotel for awhile, took a nap and then went to dinner with two of the others staying in the room. Came back and chilled out at the hotel room for awhile finally went to bed and got up at 3:45 this morning west coast time.
Got the shuttle to the airport and went to check my bag which weighed 61 pounds. Found out that this was too much and it had to be 50 pounds or less otherwise there would be a $100 charge. Started going through my bad threw out all of my liquids and put some things in my carryon bag in order to get it to 50 pounds. Got on the plane to Chicago. Slept most of the way there as I feel like now I can sleep anywhere and through anything!! Then got my next plane to Columbus where my sister, Renee picked me up. The whole thing is so surreal as it still doesn’t seem that I rode my bike across the entire country!
Terrain: Riding around San Francisco. It is very hilly with streets that go straight up and ones that go straight down.
Temperature: Not sure but it was cold!!
Woke up at the youth mission this morning. It was nice to not have to blow my matt up for a change due to bunk beds that they had to sleep on. Got everything packed up. The night before I had removed everything from the trailer to try to get somewhat organized and get everything into two bags that I brought. After throwing away my pillow and towel along with a few miscellaneous things the bags finally shut. I had decided to go in on a hotel room with three of the other riders that were not flying out until the 2nd as well. The hotel was one of the cheapest in town and if you know anything about San Francisco hotels are not cheap. It was located about 5 blocks from the youth mission that we stayed at which had tons of homeless people outside of. I think there was a soup kitchen across the street or something. However, in this area of the city there are homeless everywhere. It really is sad! So at about 7:30 am I drug my over packed, stuffed to the top, very heavy bags to the hotel to store there until the afternoon. We then walked back to the youth mission where I got on my bike and rode it 2 blocks to a breakfast place. We had to sit by the window to watch our bikes so they wouldn’t get stolen. This is rather common to have to keep a close eye on them as we have found out that cable locks really aren’t a deterrent. We then hopped on our bikes and rode a few miles to Crissy Fields which is at the bottom of the Golden Gate Bridge. However, as I was looking up directions to Crissy Fields I realized that we were going to be going down Lombard Street which is known as the curviest street in San Fran so we stopped at the bottom and took some pictures!! It was not an easy task getting to Crissy Fields as San Fran is VERY hilly with streets that go straight up and straight down, probably some of the steepest climbs on the trip however, they were very short!! Got to the water and took some pictures and chilled out then we did the official dipping of our front wheel!! We then got on our bikes and headed up to the access to ride across the bridge. However, there were tons of pedestrians and others people on rental bikes so it was slow and difficult to cross on our bikes however I am glad that I had done so!! Came back across the bridge and hung out by the trailer, saw many off and said some sad goodbyes!! I am going to miss these people SOOOOOOOO MUCH!! The trailer then drove off. I then rode with two other riders to a bike shop to get my bike boxed and shipped back to Ohio. We stopped to eat on our way to the shop. Then took a cab to the hotel. Got into the room to realize that there wasn’t a shower or toilet in the room, thought it was odd but decided to just go with it. There was a toilet and a shower down the hall both in basically closets. Before this trip if I would have had to stay at a hotel like this one I would have probably thrown a fit and wouldn’t have done it. However, after having the experiences and staying at some of the places we did just decided to go with it realizing that everything would be fine and work out fine. Chilled out at the hotel for awhile, took a nap and then went to dinner with two of the others staying in the room. Came back and chilled out at the hotel room for awhile finally went to bed and got up at 3:45 this morning west coast time.
Got the shuttle to the airport and went to check my bag which weighed 61 pounds. Found out that this was too much and it had to be 50 pounds or less otherwise there would be a $100 charge. Started going through my bad threw out all of my liquids and put some things in my carryon bag in order to get it to 50 pounds. Got on the plane to Chicago. Slept most of the way there as I feel like now I can sleep anywhere and through anything!! Then got my next plane to Columbus where my sister, Renee picked me up. The whole thing is so surreal as it still doesn’t seem that I rode my bike across the entire country!
Monday, August 1, 2011
July 29-31 - Silver Lake, CA to Folsom, CA to Davis, CA to San Francisco, CA
Mileage: 83 miles, 42 miles, 65 miles
Terrain: Climbing and descending
Temperature: 90ish degrees
On the 29th we knew that we were going to be doing a lot of descending. However, it was a little bit more work that what was expected. The terrain was descending but it went up and then down so there was some climbing. The scenery was beautiful!! We stopped for breakfast and I had some delicious chocolate chip pancakes. The riding was really fast rolling. There were many flats of the day however none were mine thankfully. About 20 miles out from Folsom in a town called Placerville we stopped for some great Mexican food!! We then rode into town after a very hot day of riding and went to the Courtyard by Marriot which was by far the nicest hotel that we stayed at!! We were supposed to stay at a campground outside of town however it was full due to it being the weekend.
Got up and got on the road at 8 am even though the trailer wasn’t pulling out until 9 am. We met one of Shannon’s friends Whit who lives in Sacramento and owns a bike/welding shop. He rode with us for about 20-30 miles and then we had breakfast. Almost all of the riding this day was on a beautiful bike path. We then went back to his shop and hung out there for the rest of the afternoon. Then got word that while in Sacramento one of our fellow riders’ very expensive bikes had been stolen. He had it locked right by the trailer however the thief had cut the cable lock. In Sacramento bike theft is HUGE!! It was a very enjoyable day hanging out with the girls. We then decided to head the rest of the 12 miles into Davis to the Motel 6 where we stayed the night we left Sac about 5:30 in order to be to Davis by 7 due to a reminiscing session that we had at the hotel. We all hung out by the pool and shared stories and talked about all of the good memories we made on the trip. Went to be and was exhausted. We did stop short of mileage due to the campground in Winter being full so that means we had to make up the mileage today on the 31st which was supposed to be 40 miles and ended up being 65 miles.
Got up this morning and the trailer left at 7 so that’s when we headed out of town. We were told to be to Vallejo by 2 when they would hand out the ferry tickets for the 3:30 pm ferry to take us to San Francisco. So we made two very short stops in order to get to Vallejo early and grab a bite to eat. The winds turned out to be ferocious and slowed us down along with a few small hills. Everyone was rather quiet as it was the last official day of riding. We arrived in Vallejo at about 1:15 pm and got some great breakfast food at a place called Good Day Café. Made our way the next block to the ferry and hung out with the other riders and took some pictures. Finally got on the ferry with all of our bikes and rode over to San Fran. The ride was about 45 minutes long and when we got off we hung out with the other riders and some friends and family of them as well. We then walked over to Sinbads a restaurant on the bay and ate there along with MS patients and Copaxone reps as well. Chilled out for awhile and then at about 8 pm we rode about a mile or so to the youth mission where we are staying tonight. Tomorrow there is more planned with dipping our wheel and crossing the golden gate bridge along with transportation and much more!! It is hard to believe that this journey is coming to a quick end
Terrain: Climbing and descending
Temperature: 90ish degrees
On the 29th we knew that we were going to be doing a lot of descending. However, it was a little bit more work that what was expected. The terrain was descending but it went up and then down so there was some climbing. The scenery was beautiful!! We stopped for breakfast and I had some delicious chocolate chip pancakes. The riding was really fast rolling. There were many flats of the day however none were mine thankfully. About 20 miles out from Folsom in a town called Placerville we stopped for some great Mexican food!! We then rode into town after a very hot day of riding and went to the Courtyard by Marriot which was by far the nicest hotel that we stayed at!! We were supposed to stay at a campground outside of town however it was full due to it being the weekend.
Got up and got on the road at 8 am even though the trailer wasn’t pulling out until 9 am. We met one of Shannon’s friends Whit who lives in Sacramento and owns a bike/welding shop. He rode with us for about 20-30 miles and then we had breakfast. Almost all of the riding this day was on a beautiful bike path. We then went back to his shop and hung out there for the rest of the afternoon. Then got word that while in Sacramento one of our fellow riders’ very expensive bikes had been stolen. He had it locked right by the trailer however the thief had cut the cable lock. In Sacramento bike theft is HUGE!! It was a very enjoyable day hanging out with the girls. We then decided to head the rest of the 12 miles into Davis to the Motel 6 where we stayed the night we left Sac about 5:30 in order to be to Davis by 7 due to a reminiscing session that we had at the hotel. We all hung out by the pool and shared stories and talked about all of the good memories we made on the trip. Went to be and was exhausted. We did stop short of mileage due to the campground in Winter being full so that means we had to make up the mileage today on the 31st which was supposed to be 40 miles and ended up being 65 miles.
Got up this morning and the trailer left at 7 so that’s when we headed out of town. We were told to be to Vallejo by 2 when they would hand out the ferry tickets for the 3:30 pm ferry to take us to San Francisco. So we made two very short stops in order to get to Vallejo early and grab a bite to eat. The winds turned out to be ferocious and slowed us down along with a few small hills. Everyone was rather quiet as it was the last official day of riding. We arrived in Vallejo at about 1:15 pm and got some great breakfast food at a place called Good Day Café. Made our way the next block to the ferry and hung out with the other riders and took some pictures. Finally got on the ferry with all of our bikes and rode over to San Fran. The ride was about 45 minutes long and when we got off we hung out with the other riders and some friends and family of them as well. We then walked over to Sinbads a restaurant on the bay and ate there along with MS patients and Copaxone reps as well. Chilled out for awhile and then at about 8 pm we rode about a mile or so to the youth mission where we are staying tonight. Tomorrow there is more planned with dipping our wheel and crossing the golden gate bridge along with transportation and much more!! It is hard to believe that this journey is coming to a quick end
July 27-28 - Fallon, NV to Carson City, NV to Silver Lake, CA
Mileage: 62 miles, 58 miles
Terrain: 27: Flat with two small gradual inclines 28: Climbing last big climb of the trip
Temperature: 90ish degrees
Woke up at the hotel and it didn’t take long to get everything ready to go due to staying at the motel. Had myself a bagel buffet for breakfast on the fold out couch at the motel. Hopped on the bike and then rode down the street to a breakfast place that many others were eating at and just had coffee. It was a fairly easy day and mostly flat, winds were not bad as well. Rode the first 30ish miles filled up on water had a snack and moved on. It was a different day because one of the route leaders who always drives the mini van got to ride with us. Came upon the second water stop 20 miles later and decided to quickly move on as we had googled a Dairy Queen and there was one coming into Carson City. So we decided we could go another 10 miles to the DQ where I enjoyed a large Georgia Mud Fudge with peanut butter. I am hooked on these!! You all must try one they are heavenly!! Sat and chilled as more than half of our group stopped at the DQ. We got to the DQ at 2:00 pm. We joke around that 2 is milkshake/ice cream time every day…lol. We finally decided to head out about 3:30ish because we were told to be at camp by 4 due to a news paper reporter being there. We also have a rider with MS that is joining us for the California portion of the trip so he was at camp as well. Got to the Camp-N-Town which was a pretty nice campground with really nice grass to set up our tents on and really nice restrooms and showers very close to the camping area. They also had laundry right there as well so we did one more load which will hopefully hold us out for the rest of the trip. Some of the riders then decided to go to the theater across the street and watch Pirates of the Caribbean, however, this didn’t interest me so I decided to go to dinner with some of the others and then to the Nugget, a casino in town. I played a dollar in one of the slots and then 5 dollars on black jack and went up about 15 then down and got a black jack one hand so won an extra 2.50. So I stopped before I went in the hole and then played another dollar on a slot. So all in all I came out 50 cents ahead. I know big spender….lol. One of the other guys with us however decided to start with 200 dollars on the black jack table and was doing really well. He was up 250 dollars when he decided to cash out. Once he cashed out he asked what time is it? It was like 9:30 or something and he contemplated going back to the table to try to win more. I was like NO, don’t do it, stop while your ahead, if you go back you will lose money. So we left and went back to camp.
Woke up this morning and got everything put away etc. and then went to breakfast in town. Got on the road at about 9 am and the first 25 miles were fairly flat to the border of Nevada and California. Wow am I excited to be out of Nevada. It is a very boring state, not a lot to look at or do there. California is gorgeous and kind of reminds me of Colorado. After the border crossing we started climbing. It was the last big climb of the trip. We went up to about 8,500 feet and went up about 3,500 feet today. The road went up and down so we really did more climbing than that. We had about 25 miles of climbing and then a 10 mile descent to camp. 5 miles from camp we stopped at a restaurant and ate and then went to the campground set up my tent and am now hiding out from the mosquitos. Unfortunately no showers tonight. The scenery today was beautiful with lakes to look at and trees and beautiful mountain sides. Also there are small towns and things that we go by. We are no longer in the desert!! Tomorrow we have about a 5 mile climb and then descend down to almost sea level. That’s a lot of descending. I am sure it will be very gradual though. However, it will be fun because it is what we have worked all day for!! I will be in San Francisco before I know it!!
Terrain: 27: Flat with two small gradual inclines 28: Climbing last big climb of the trip
Temperature: 90ish degrees
Woke up at the hotel and it didn’t take long to get everything ready to go due to staying at the motel. Had myself a bagel buffet for breakfast on the fold out couch at the motel. Hopped on the bike and then rode down the street to a breakfast place that many others were eating at and just had coffee. It was a fairly easy day and mostly flat, winds were not bad as well. Rode the first 30ish miles filled up on water had a snack and moved on. It was a different day because one of the route leaders who always drives the mini van got to ride with us. Came upon the second water stop 20 miles later and decided to quickly move on as we had googled a Dairy Queen and there was one coming into Carson City. So we decided we could go another 10 miles to the DQ where I enjoyed a large Georgia Mud Fudge with peanut butter. I am hooked on these!! You all must try one they are heavenly!! Sat and chilled as more than half of our group stopped at the DQ. We got to the DQ at 2:00 pm. We joke around that 2 is milkshake/ice cream time every day…lol. We finally decided to head out about 3:30ish because we were told to be at camp by 4 due to a news paper reporter being there. We also have a rider with MS that is joining us for the California portion of the trip so he was at camp as well. Got to the Camp-N-Town which was a pretty nice campground with really nice grass to set up our tents on and really nice restrooms and showers very close to the camping area. They also had laundry right there as well so we did one more load which will hopefully hold us out for the rest of the trip. Some of the riders then decided to go to the theater across the street and watch Pirates of the Caribbean, however, this didn’t interest me so I decided to go to dinner with some of the others and then to the Nugget, a casino in town. I played a dollar in one of the slots and then 5 dollars on black jack and went up about 15 then down and got a black jack one hand so won an extra 2.50. So I stopped before I went in the hole and then played another dollar on a slot. So all in all I came out 50 cents ahead. I know big spender….lol. One of the other guys with us however decided to start with 200 dollars on the black jack table and was doing really well. He was up 250 dollars when he decided to cash out. Once he cashed out he asked what time is it? It was like 9:30 or something and he contemplated going back to the table to try to win more. I was like NO, don’t do it, stop while your ahead, if you go back you will lose money. So we left and went back to camp.
Woke up this morning and got everything put away etc. and then went to breakfast in town. Got on the road at about 9 am and the first 25 miles were fairly flat to the border of Nevada and California. Wow am I excited to be out of Nevada. It is a very boring state, not a lot to look at or do there. California is gorgeous and kind of reminds me of Colorado. After the border crossing we started climbing. It was the last big climb of the trip. We went up to about 8,500 feet and went up about 3,500 feet today. The road went up and down so we really did more climbing than that. We had about 25 miles of climbing and then a 10 mile descent to camp. 5 miles from camp we stopped at a restaurant and ate and then went to the campground set up my tent and am now hiding out from the mosquitos. Unfortunately no showers tonight. The scenery today was beautiful with lakes to look at and trees and beautiful mountain sides. Also there are small towns and things that we go by. We are no longer in the desert!! Tomorrow we have about a 5 mile climb and then descend down to almost sea level. That’s a lot of descending. I am sure it will be very gradual though. However, it will be fun because it is what we have worked all day for!! I will be in San Francisco before I know it!!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
July 26 - Middlegate, NV to Fallon, NV
Mileage: 48 miles
Terrains: Flat with two climbs
Temperature: 80ish degrees
Woke up this morning in Middlegate in my tent. Slept well even though I didn’t get to bed until 11:00 pm due to a late night swim in an above ground pool that they had where we were camping. The water was super warm from the sun during the day and we played in the pool and did a whirlpool where everyone walk around the outside churning the water, it was tons of fun!! Got up at 6:00 am due to the trailer leaving at 7 am so that we would have some time in Fallon because it is a bigger town with a population of about 7,500. I got breakfast at the bar and then we left the very small I guess what you would call town and headed for Fallon. We rode and it was fairly flat with two small climbs and then came to the rest stop. Filled up with water and moved on. Made it into town by noon where we went straight to the Dairy Queen where I had a delicious Georgia Mud Slide with peanut butter. MMMMMMMMMMMM was it GOOD!!! We then rode a short distance to the Value Inn where we are staying tonight. The idea behind today was that it was going to be a short day of riding and somewhat like a rest day where we could all get caught up on sleep, laundry and groceries. So that is what we did! Got to the Value Inn took a nap, showered, went to the Laundromat, got subway to eat for dinner and then went to the grocery for probably the last time on the trip. Came back to the motel and put everything away got everything ready for tomorrow’s ride which is about 62ish miles and according to the elevation profile fairly flat. I cannot believe that there is only 5 more ridding days it is hard to believe that we are in the west and have ridden this far. This trip has gone by sooo fast!
Terrains: Flat with two climbs
Temperature: 80ish degrees
Woke up this morning in Middlegate in my tent. Slept well even though I didn’t get to bed until 11:00 pm due to a late night swim in an above ground pool that they had where we were camping. The water was super warm from the sun during the day and we played in the pool and did a whirlpool where everyone walk around the outside churning the water, it was tons of fun!! Got up at 6:00 am due to the trailer leaving at 7 am so that we would have some time in Fallon because it is a bigger town with a population of about 7,500. I got breakfast at the bar and then we left the very small I guess what you would call town and headed for Fallon. We rode and it was fairly flat with two small climbs and then came to the rest stop. Filled up with water and moved on. Made it into town by noon where we went straight to the Dairy Queen where I had a delicious Georgia Mud Slide with peanut butter. MMMMMMMMMMMM was it GOOD!!! We then rode a short distance to the Value Inn where we are staying tonight. The idea behind today was that it was going to be a short day of riding and somewhat like a rest day where we could all get caught up on sleep, laundry and groceries. So that is what we did! Got to the Value Inn took a nap, showered, went to the Laundromat, got subway to eat for dinner and then went to the grocery for probably the last time on the trip. Came back to the motel and put everything away got everything ready for tomorrow’s ride which is about 62ish miles and according to the elevation profile fairly flat. I cannot believe that there is only 5 more ridding days it is hard to believe that we are in the west and have ridden this far. This trip has gone by sooo fast!
Monday, July 25, 2011
July 23-25 - Ely, NV to Eureka, NV to Bob Scott Campground (Austin), NV to Middlegate, NV (Population 16)
Mileage: 80 miles, 65 miles,72 miles
Terrains: Very Gradual Long Climbs with very strong winds
Temperature: 85-100 ish degrees
Woke up at the KOA campground and tried to get an early start since it was a longer day and it was going to be hot. We stopped at the gas station on our way out of town and didn’t end up leaving there until 8:00 am. We rode through the water stops at 20, 40 and 60 miles. Shannon has titled herself as the water police and makes sure that we are drinking enough water as we ride. It is very easy to become dehydrated out here in the desert. So we have been trying to drink about 1 bottle every 10 miles leaving us two bottles for 20 miles which is how far every rest stop is. So we know that we are drinking enough due to having to pee while riding. So that means we have to stop to pee often. There is nothing to duck behind out here in the desert except sage brush so we usually try to find the biggest bush and pee behind them. We watch out for cars out here but there really aren’t many. We have been riding on highway 50 for the last few days and they have titled it the loneliest road in America. There were 3 climbs for the day, the second being the largest but along with climbs come descents!! However, it is rather windy out here. I think more so rather than Kansas. It seems that we fight head and cross winds all day long making it so that you still have to pedal downhill. Finally got to camp in Eureka which we camped at the town park. They allowed us to shower at the pool for $1 which we had to ride a few block to. We then went to the Owl Club to celebrate one of the riders birthdays. As we were hanging out at the park and had our tents set up the sprinklers went off. We quickly figured out how to turn them off thankfully. Slept well as we were very tired!!
Got up and were still tired so went and got coffee. Had about 5 cups and finally got on the bikes to ride. Got to the first rest stop and then moved on to the second. I would have to say that Nevada isn’t our favorite state. Every day the scenery looks just the same as the last here in Nevada. It is hot and there are about 1-3 climbs a day. At the end of the day there was about a 7 or so mile climb up to the campground that we stayed at. Unfortunately there were no showers however there was a spigot that we washed off in. Some of the group decided to ride the extra 6 miles into Austin and get motel rooms so it left only about 15 of us at the campground. Even though there were not showers it was a beautiful campground on the summit of one of the Sierra Nevada Mountains!! We all decided to get a pizza order ready and they took the minivan into town to pick it up. Have not had pizza but a few times on this trip. Chilled out at the campground. Was exhausted from the climbing and headwinds when we arrived there. Went to bed in my tent. In this case I was glad that I was in my tent. I have my own space in my tent and I am sure in the small town of Austin that the motel wasn’t exactly a 5 star. It was a beautiful night and when I woke up to pee in the middle of the night which I usually do I heard a bunch of coyotes howling. It sounded as if they were very close. Very cool!! Got up this morning and it was determined that there were two different routes for the day. One was on route 50 and the other on old route 50. The old route 50 had a big climb however was supposed to be more scenic. So the people that stayed at the campground took the old route 50 (alternate route) with the climb and the motelers took route 50 without the climb. The head and cross winds were not exactly ideal on either route. We got to the second rest stop at the summit of the climbs and our route leaders George and Amanda were kind enough to make us grilled cheese…mmmm. We then descended about 10 miles and then had to pedal the last 10ish due to the winds into Middlegate where we are staying behind a bar. But hey they have showers for $3!! Tomorrow is going to be a shorter day of only 48 miles. We really need one of these. We have had 70-80 mile days for quite a few now with ferocious head and cross winds with climbs and heat along with it.
Terrains: Very Gradual Long Climbs with very strong winds
Temperature: 85-100 ish degrees
Woke up at the KOA campground and tried to get an early start since it was a longer day and it was going to be hot. We stopped at the gas station on our way out of town and didn’t end up leaving there until 8:00 am. We rode through the water stops at 20, 40 and 60 miles. Shannon has titled herself as the water police and makes sure that we are drinking enough water as we ride. It is very easy to become dehydrated out here in the desert. So we have been trying to drink about 1 bottle every 10 miles leaving us two bottles for 20 miles which is how far every rest stop is. So we know that we are drinking enough due to having to pee while riding. So that means we have to stop to pee often. There is nothing to duck behind out here in the desert except sage brush so we usually try to find the biggest bush and pee behind them. We watch out for cars out here but there really aren’t many. We have been riding on highway 50 for the last few days and they have titled it the loneliest road in America. There were 3 climbs for the day, the second being the largest but along with climbs come descents!! However, it is rather windy out here. I think more so rather than Kansas. It seems that we fight head and cross winds all day long making it so that you still have to pedal downhill. Finally got to camp in Eureka which we camped at the town park. They allowed us to shower at the pool for $1 which we had to ride a few block to. We then went to the Owl Club to celebrate one of the riders birthdays. As we were hanging out at the park and had our tents set up the sprinklers went off. We quickly figured out how to turn them off thankfully. Slept well as we were very tired!!
Got up and were still tired so went and got coffee. Had about 5 cups and finally got on the bikes to ride. Got to the first rest stop and then moved on to the second. I would have to say that Nevada isn’t our favorite state. Every day the scenery looks just the same as the last here in Nevada. It is hot and there are about 1-3 climbs a day. At the end of the day there was about a 7 or so mile climb up to the campground that we stayed at. Unfortunately there were no showers however there was a spigot that we washed off in. Some of the group decided to ride the extra 6 miles into Austin and get motel rooms so it left only about 15 of us at the campground. Even though there were not showers it was a beautiful campground on the summit of one of the Sierra Nevada Mountains!! We all decided to get a pizza order ready and they took the minivan into town to pick it up. Have not had pizza but a few times on this trip. Chilled out at the campground. Was exhausted from the climbing and headwinds when we arrived there. Went to bed in my tent. In this case I was glad that I was in my tent. I have my own space in my tent and I am sure in the small town of Austin that the motel wasn’t exactly a 5 star. It was a beautiful night and when I woke up to pee in the middle of the night which I usually do I heard a bunch of coyotes howling. It sounded as if they were very close. Very cool!! Got up this morning and it was determined that there were two different routes for the day. One was on route 50 and the other on old route 50. The old route 50 had a big climb however was supposed to be more scenic. So the people that stayed at the campground took the old route 50 (alternate route) with the climb and the motelers took route 50 without the climb. The head and cross winds were not exactly ideal on either route. We got to the second rest stop at the summit of the climbs and our route leaders George and Amanda were kind enough to make us grilled cheese…mmmm. We then descended about 10 miles and then had to pedal the last 10ish due to the winds into Middlegate where we are staying behind a bar. But hey they have showers for $3!! Tomorrow is going to be a shorter day of only 48 miles. We really need one of these. We have had 70-80 mile days for quite a few now with ferocious head and cross winds with climbs and heat along with it.
Friday, July 22, 2011
July 22 - Baker, NV to Ely, NV
Mileage: 65 miles
Terrains: Very Gradual Long Climbs
Temperature: 95 ish degrees
Got up this morning and woke up extremely early due to the time change so went back to bed for an hour or so. Didn’t sleep too well the night before due to it being somewhat windy and not staking down my tent because I had set it up on pavement due to very tall weeds. Started the ride off with a 7 mile descent then started climbing. There were two climbs for the day. The scenery in Nevada isn’t too interesting. There is nothing really to look at. Its desert and the brush is sage green for miles. Half way up the second climb there was a bar that we stopped had and had a drink and a snickers. They didn’t serve food and this was the only thing along the entire route today. The lady working was interesting and told us stories of people who came by. She told us of a man who was trying to go across America on a horse also of a man who was trying to go across carrying a 40 foot cross. Finished climbing the hill and it was 4 miles to the top. The rest of the ride was somewhat downhill to the KOA campground. I was excited to find out that we were staying at the KOA campground because they always have showers and laundry along with wifi. Nice lawn to set your tent on as well. The last couple of days we have also ran into a few other cross country riders as well who are on a similar track to what we are. There are three guys in there 20s who are doing it self contained and then also 5 guys who are supported who are 16ish and are staying in hotels every night. They all have some very good and interesting stories to tell as well as we do. It is just very interesting to see the different ways in order to go cross country. I think that each way provides a very different experience!! Well, I am exhausted as the heat just takes it right out of you. Nite!!
Terrains: Very Gradual Long Climbs
Temperature: 95 ish degrees
Got up this morning and woke up extremely early due to the time change so went back to bed for an hour or so. Didn’t sleep too well the night before due to it being somewhat windy and not staking down my tent because I had set it up on pavement due to very tall weeds. Started the ride off with a 7 mile descent then started climbing. There were two climbs for the day. The scenery in Nevada isn’t too interesting. There is nothing really to look at. Its desert and the brush is sage green for miles. Half way up the second climb there was a bar that we stopped had and had a drink and a snickers. They didn’t serve food and this was the only thing along the entire route today. The lady working was interesting and told us stories of people who came by. She told us of a man who was trying to go across America on a horse also of a man who was trying to go across carrying a 40 foot cross. Finished climbing the hill and it was 4 miles to the top. The rest of the ride was somewhat downhill to the KOA campground. I was excited to find out that we were staying at the KOA campground because they always have showers and laundry along with wifi. Nice lawn to set your tent on as well. The last couple of days we have also ran into a few other cross country riders as well who are on a similar track to what we are. There are three guys in there 20s who are doing it self contained and then also 5 guys who are supported who are 16ish and are staying in hotels every night. They all have some very good and interesting stories to tell as well as we do. It is just very interesting to see the different ways in order to go cross country. I think that each way provides a very different experience!! Well, I am exhausted as the heat just takes it right out of you. Nite!!
July 20-21 - Cedar City, UT to Milford, UT to Baker, NV
Mileage: 63 miles, 85 miles
Terrains: Very Gradual Long Climbs
Temperature: 90 ish degrees
So the night in Cedar City was very interesting to say the least. It was about 11:00 or so until I got to bed. Was excited because the grass on the ball field was very soft and it seemed to b e a good place to sleep in a tent. However, we were wrong. There had been sprinklers that went off earlier in the evening and we figured that they were finished however decided to put the fly on my tent just in case they were to go off again in the middle of the night. Well it was a good thing that I did!! At about 4 in the morning on came the sprinklers. They weren’t little sprinklers they were full force. I didn’t know what to do so after one of the rounds that they went over my tent I jumped out. Realized that just a couple of the others didn’t put there flies on their tents and they were wet. Felt bad for them however, didn’t know what to do so waited for the sprinklers to go past again and then jumped back into my tent. Thought to myself please hurry up!! It was almost like a pouring rain shower that came on and off. They were hard on and I was glad that my tent held up through it. Someone even started taking pictures. It was as if it was storming with the sprinklers and then the flashes of light from the camera imitating lightening. Was awake for over an hour and got up at 7 the next morning due to the trailer leaving at 8. We were all very tired!! Went to The Great Harvest Bread Company for breakfast had lots of coffee and wonderful bread!! Decided to finally start riding for the day. Rode about 20 miles to the first rest stop filled up on water ate and then decided to ride back about 1 mile and then off route about 2.5 miles in order to see some petro glyphs. Only did this because for this portion it was fairly flat. Saw some very interesting pictures carved in the rocks and then rolled on. Came to a town at about mile 40 had some ice cream and snacks chilled out at the gas station/snack shop for awhile and decided to ride the last miles to Milford where we stayed at the town park/ high school. Hung out for awhile under the pavilion and just as I got my tent out we found out that it was optional to stay inside the HS and that there were showers there. I was all about air conditioning and showers and put my tent right away. Got a shower and then the Lions Club made dinner for us at 7 pm. They had a salad bar which was delicious and nutritious. We don’t get many fresh vegetables and were very excited about it. Went to bed at about 9:30 and got up at about 7 this morning.
Had breakfast, mmmmm bagels. Left Milford at about 8:30 am for a very long day of riding. We had about 85 miles and absolutely no towns or houses. No services what so ever for the entire ride. Rest stops were provided at miles 20, 40, and 60. There were 3 climbs for the day and none of them were too terrible. You can see for miles upon miles out here, it’s crazy!! Had a nice ride, chatted with the girls, listened to some music and squired each other with squirt guns. At about 7 miles from Baker was the Nevada border which was fun and exciting. It was also a time zone change as well. Got into Baker and wanted ice cream however, it didn’t seem that any place in this very small town had any so we got ice cream bars from the convenience store. Come to find out that Trish one of the riders had found ice cream at a place across the street. So we decided to go there for milkshakes after the ice cream bar. Mmmmmmm peanut butter milkshakes!! We were informed earlier in the day that the campsite that we were staying at was 5 miles off route and a very steep uphill to get there so they shuttled us here with the vans. Unfortunately there are no showers so I tried to clean up in the small stream by the campsite however, the water was EXTREMELLY cold so therefore I used wet wipes. Out west here everything is so dry so you don’t even know that you are sweating except for the crystallized salt all over your skin and shorts. Many days I will have white on my shorts from the salt and sweat however not even realize that I am sweating. Tomorrow I am sure will be another interesting day out here in the desert with 65+ miles with no services as well. However, we do get to start out with a descent, the one they drove us up to camp.
Terrains: Very Gradual Long Climbs
Temperature: 90 ish degrees
So the night in Cedar City was very interesting to say the least. It was about 11:00 or so until I got to bed. Was excited because the grass on the ball field was very soft and it seemed to b e a good place to sleep in a tent. However, we were wrong. There had been sprinklers that went off earlier in the evening and we figured that they were finished however decided to put the fly on my tent just in case they were to go off again in the middle of the night. Well it was a good thing that I did!! At about 4 in the morning on came the sprinklers. They weren’t little sprinklers they were full force. I didn’t know what to do so after one of the rounds that they went over my tent I jumped out. Realized that just a couple of the others didn’t put there flies on their tents and they were wet. Felt bad for them however, didn’t know what to do so waited for the sprinklers to go past again and then jumped back into my tent. Thought to myself please hurry up!! It was almost like a pouring rain shower that came on and off. They were hard on and I was glad that my tent held up through it. Someone even started taking pictures. It was as if it was storming with the sprinklers and then the flashes of light from the camera imitating lightening. Was awake for over an hour and got up at 7 the next morning due to the trailer leaving at 8. We were all very tired!! Went to The Great Harvest Bread Company for breakfast had lots of coffee and wonderful bread!! Decided to finally start riding for the day. Rode about 20 miles to the first rest stop filled up on water ate and then decided to ride back about 1 mile and then off route about 2.5 miles in order to see some petro glyphs. Only did this because for this portion it was fairly flat. Saw some very interesting pictures carved in the rocks and then rolled on. Came to a town at about mile 40 had some ice cream and snacks chilled out at the gas station/snack shop for awhile and decided to ride the last miles to Milford where we stayed at the town park/ high school. Hung out for awhile under the pavilion and just as I got my tent out we found out that it was optional to stay inside the HS and that there were showers there. I was all about air conditioning and showers and put my tent right away. Got a shower and then the Lions Club made dinner for us at 7 pm. They had a salad bar which was delicious and nutritious. We don’t get many fresh vegetables and were very excited about it. Went to bed at about 9:30 and got up at about 7 this morning.
Had breakfast, mmmmm bagels. Left Milford at about 8:30 am for a very long day of riding. We had about 85 miles and absolutely no towns or houses. No services what so ever for the entire ride. Rest stops were provided at miles 20, 40, and 60. There were 3 climbs for the day and none of them were too terrible. You can see for miles upon miles out here, it’s crazy!! Had a nice ride, chatted with the girls, listened to some music and squired each other with squirt guns. At about 7 miles from Baker was the Nevada border which was fun and exciting. It was also a time zone change as well. Got into Baker and wanted ice cream however, it didn’t seem that any place in this very small town had any so we got ice cream bars from the convenience store. Come to find out that Trish one of the riders had found ice cream at a place across the street. So we decided to go there for milkshakes after the ice cream bar. Mmmmmmm peanut butter milkshakes!! We were informed earlier in the day that the campsite that we were staying at was 5 miles off route and a very steep uphill to get there so they shuttled us here with the vans. Unfortunately there are no showers so I tried to clean up in the small stream by the campsite however, the water was EXTREMELLY cold so therefore I used wet wipes. Out west here everything is so dry so you don’t even know that you are sweating except for the crystallized salt all over your skin and shorts. Many days I will have white on my shorts from the salt and sweat however not even realize that I am sweating. Tomorrow I am sure will be another interesting day out here in the desert with 65+ miles with no services as well. However, we do get to start out with a descent, the one they drove us up to camp.
July 19 - Red Canyon Campground, UT to Cedar City, UT
Mileage: 70 miles
Terrains: Very Gradual Long Climbs
Temperature: 90 ish degrees (temperature varied on the elevations)
Wow, what a long fun day!! Woke up this morning in the campground. Got up and got dressed. Decided to wear the same jersey as I had the day before. I figured I had washed it in the stream 20 miles back yesterday. I am fresh out of laundry and all of my riding clothes etc are dirty. I had washed a pair of riding shorts by hand last night and laid them on my bike to dry over night. They were mostly dry this morning and I used the hand dryer in the restroom this morning to dry them. On this trip anything goes. You can wear the same jersey for a week and no one will care and many do. For breakfast I decided to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some cheese and crackers……..mmmmmmmmmmm. Got on the road and started out descending for about 10 miles. Just a few yards ahead of me were Shannon and Brittany and I saw them swerving all over the road and pointing I thought to myself, what are they doing? There was a rattle snake curled up in the middle of the road!! Got a picture and moved on. The first 10 miles of today’s ride was descending and then it went up from there. Rode about 20 more miles of mostly climbing but fairly gradual some parts steeper than others and came to our first rest stop. We were wondering where everyone was and who had already been though and were informed that some of our fellow riders stopped at the first town for breakfast which was only 10 miles out from camp. Was told that they were going to be there awhile because Spider (rider) had taken on a challenge to eat three huge pancakes at a breakfast place and that only one person had succeeded in eating it all before. If he could finish it he would get a free t-shirt. The three pancakes took 1 gallon of batter to make. Found out later that they were there until almost noon and he had finished them and then as they were leaving threw up. Since we knew that they were going to be awhile we decide to have breakfast at a neat little diner on a lake along the route. After a delicious breakfast we decided to roll on and only had about 16 miles to the summit. That makes for about 36 miles of climbing total. Got to the summit stopped at the water stop and filled up and began out descent which was about 24 miles. It sure was a quick one. Got stopped for some construction with a one way and had to wait for about 15 minutes. Finally got into Cedar City quickly changed clothes due to a service project that we were doing. We had to move some big pieces of wood onto trailers for a play like thing and then they fed us. After that we decided that we really needed to do laundry and the Laundromat is 2 miles away so we decided the next best option was to sneak into a hotel about a quarter mile away and use their washing machines. I decided to stay with the laundry while the other girls are at wal-mart stocking up. I gave them my grocery list. It is currently 9:50 pm, way past my bedtime and I don’t even have my tent set up. Just too much to do in one day!! We don’t get to big towns like Cedar City very often so when we do we are very busy getting groceries and doing laundry etc. Hopefully this laundry finishes quickly so I can get some sleep!!
Terrains: Very Gradual Long Climbs
Temperature: 90 ish degrees (temperature varied on the elevations)
Wow, what a long fun day!! Woke up this morning in the campground. Got up and got dressed. Decided to wear the same jersey as I had the day before. I figured I had washed it in the stream 20 miles back yesterday. I am fresh out of laundry and all of my riding clothes etc are dirty. I had washed a pair of riding shorts by hand last night and laid them on my bike to dry over night. They were mostly dry this morning and I used the hand dryer in the restroom this morning to dry them. On this trip anything goes. You can wear the same jersey for a week and no one will care and many do. For breakfast I decided to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some cheese and crackers……..mmmmmmmmmmm. Got on the road and started out descending for about 10 miles. Just a few yards ahead of me were Shannon and Brittany and I saw them swerving all over the road and pointing I thought to myself, what are they doing? There was a rattle snake curled up in the middle of the road!! Got a picture and moved on. The first 10 miles of today’s ride was descending and then it went up from there. Rode about 20 more miles of mostly climbing but fairly gradual some parts steeper than others and came to our first rest stop. We were wondering where everyone was and who had already been though and were informed that some of our fellow riders stopped at the first town for breakfast which was only 10 miles out from camp. Was told that they were going to be there awhile because Spider (rider) had taken on a challenge to eat three huge pancakes at a breakfast place and that only one person had succeeded in eating it all before. If he could finish it he would get a free t-shirt. The three pancakes took 1 gallon of batter to make. Found out later that they were there until almost noon and he had finished them and then as they were leaving threw up. Since we knew that they were going to be awhile we decide to have breakfast at a neat little diner on a lake along the route. After a delicious breakfast we decided to roll on and only had about 16 miles to the summit. That makes for about 36 miles of climbing total. Got to the summit stopped at the water stop and filled up and began out descent which was about 24 miles. It sure was a quick one. Got stopped for some construction with a one way and had to wait for about 15 minutes. Finally got into Cedar City quickly changed clothes due to a service project that we were doing. We had to move some big pieces of wood onto trailers for a play like thing and then they fed us. After that we decided that we really needed to do laundry and the Laundromat is 2 miles away so we decided the next best option was to sneak into a hotel about a quarter mile away and use their washing machines. I decided to stay with the laundry while the other girls are at wal-mart stocking up. I gave them my grocery list. It is currently 9:50 pm, way past my bedtime and I don’t even have my tent set up. Just too much to do in one day!! We don’t get to big towns like Cedar City very often so when we do we are very busy getting groceries and doing laundry etc. Hopefully this laundry finishes quickly so I can get some sleep!!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
July 16-18 - Hanksville, UT to Oak Creek Campground, UT to Escalante, UT to Red Canyon Campground, UT
Mileage: 67 miles, 46 miles, 56 miles
Terrains: Very Gradual Climbs
Temperature: 85 ish degrees, 90ish degrees, 85ish degrees
Woke up in Hanksville at the motel. Got on the road and the scenery had quickly began to change. Things were turning a lot more beige rather than red. Still tall canyons and rocks. The ride began with an ever so slight uphill and then a very gradual downhill. We were informed that about 20 or so miles out that there was a place that you could pick fruit. We saw this and were informed that apricots were in season however never ended up stopping to get any. I think that we thought there would be more ahead, however, there were not. Also along the route there were petro glyphs. So we stopped to take pictures of these as well. It was rather hot throughout the day so we decided to take advantage of our squirt guns and spray each other while riding. These were a great investment and provide us with a lot of entertainment. We usually are armed with our squirt guns most of the time throughout the day. We decided to go 1 mile off of route about 40 miles out to a town called Torrey in order to get some food to eat and ice cream. I however didn’t get any ice cream as my stomach was feeling rather upset and I knew that we had only 20 miles left however, it was all uphill. There were even two parts with 10% grades up. We knew this because once we made it up them we would turn around and there would be a downhill truck sign facing the other direction. This ended up being quite the climb!! We also had a very strong headwind going up this hill. I know it seems weird to have a head wind when you are climbing a hill because you would think that the hill would be blocking the wind however this was not the case. The wind was blowing us all over the road. However, once we got to camp there was a beautiful campsite with trees everywhere. There was even a fire pit which was exciting to have a campfire which we haven’t had but 1 or 2. We sat around the campfire and then also watched the dance video that we made in Colorado. It is on youtube.com. Search Dance Video Colorado by Biketheusforms. It is a great video!! So we were also informed that at this campsite there was the possibility of bears and not to spill any food etc. I accidentally poured my water from my easy mac made with a camp stove on the ground. I was worried it would attract bears however no bears showed up to our knowledge. I don’t think I was the only one that did this. Unfortunately the only bad thing about this campsite was there were no showers and only a pit toilet. So I used wipes and cleaned up.
Woke up to the sound of the stream and the birds chirping. Knew that we had a short day of only 46 miles. We had lots of climbing up and then great descents down. On one of the descents I even hit 46.7 mph. I think that this was a 14% grade going down. It was a blast. We stopped at a great restaurant about 20 miles down the road had a great breakfast and a wonderful chocolate chip oatmeal cookie and then moved on. We kept riding and rode Hells Backbone. It was a section of road that was up high and there was a cliff on each side of the road. It was amazing riding it being able to look down at the canyons on both sides of the road!! Rode on and came across Kiva Koffehouse out in the middle of nowhere. Had a frappe and sat and looked around and relaxed for awhile and then decided to move on. Had some climbing and then rode into Escalante where we stayed at a campground that was next to a reservoir. We decided to swim/wade in the reservoir and then hung out at camp. We as in Brittany, Shannon and myself decided to have our own dance party in the trailer as it started to rain briefly. We choreographed a dance that we are going to attempt to do on our bikes and have them video. It should be interesting. We all danced by the trailer as the trailer has a radio and sound system. We chilled out and met another cycling group that is riding cross country for cancer. Same type of thing however, still very different from our trip. Well by the time I got a shower it was about 9:00 pm and Shannon still hadn’t put up her tent and wasn’t really feeling like it so we decided to share a tent as I had already put mine up and it is a two person tent.
Woke up this morning and knew that it was going to be a fun day. We started riding and it was up and down hill a lot. We stopped at the first water stop and then moved on as we knew the next water stop was going to be at Bryce Canyon. So we rode on. We were getting hungry so stopped in a small town and got lunch and then rode about 5 more miles up the road to Bryce Canyon. Changed into tennis shoes and started hiking the trail about a half mile to see part of the canyon. It was gorgeous. There was a stream all along the trail that we decided we needed to take a dip in. It was rather cold. So we first sat in it and then got all the way in it. It was very shallow about a foot deep and deeper in some places but had a strong current. It was crystal clean and clear as well. There was a waterfall so we hiked down to the bottom and stood under it and played in the water. The water fall was supper strong!! I felt like I was being beaten standing under it and couldn’t even stand under the strongest part as it would have pushed me down. Rode on and the cool water on our cycling clothes kept us cool until we got to camp. There was a really nice bike path and a rock you could drive through on the last leg of the ride. Beautiful scenery. Got to the campground at Red Rock Canyon which is really nice got a really nice shower which I had to pay $2 for and then set up my tent. Was informed that rattle snakes are present here and that the park ranger got about 5 in the last few days. So we were told where to not camp and also that in the morning we are supposed to look outside of our tent to make sure that they aren’t outside of it as they like to go where warmth is. I cannot believe that there is only 2 weeks left. I hope that I have many more adventure to write about and that I can enjoy every minute of it!!
Terrains: Very Gradual Climbs
Temperature: 85 ish degrees, 90ish degrees, 85ish degrees
Woke up in Hanksville at the motel. Got on the road and the scenery had quickly began to change. Things were turning a lot more beige rather than red. Still tall canyons and rocks. The ride began with an ever so slight uphill and then a very gradual downhill. We were informed that about 20 or so miles out that there was a place that you could pick fruit. We saw this and were informed that apricots were in season however never ended up stopping to get any. I think that we thought there would be more ahead, however, there were not. Also along the route there were petro glyphs. So we stopped to take pictures of these as well. It was rather hot throughout the day so we decided to take advantage of our squirt guns and spray each other while riding. These were a great investment and provide us with a lot of entertainment. We usually are armed with our squirt guns most of the time throughout the day. We decided to go 1 mile off of route about 40 miles out to a town called Torrey in order to get some food to eat and ice cream. I however didn’t get any ice cream as my stomach was feeling rather upset and I knew that we had only 20 miles left however, it was all uphill. There were even two parts with 10% grades up. We knew this because once we made it up them we would turn around and there would be a downhill truck sign facing the other direction. This ended up being quite the climb!! We also had a very strong headwind going up this hill. I know it seems weird to have a head wind when you are climbing a hill because you would think that the hill would be blocking the wind however this was not the case. The wind was blowing us all over the road. However, once we got to camp there was a beautiful campsite with trees everywhere. There was even a fire pit which was exciting to have a campfire which we haven’t had but 1 or 2. We sat around the campfire and then also watched the dance video that we made in Colorado. It is on youtube.com. Search Dance Video Colorado by Biketheusforms. It is a great video!! So we were also informed that at this campsite there was the possibility of bears and not to spill any food etc. I accidentally poured my water from my easy mac made with a camp stove on the ground. I was worried it would attract bears however no bears showed up to our knowledge. I don’t think I was the only one that did this. Unfortunately the only bad thing about this campsite was there were no showers and only a pit toilet. So I used wipes and cleaned up.
Woke up to the sound of the stream and the birds chirping. Knew that we had a short day of only 46 miles. We had lots of climbing up and then great descents down. On one of the descents I even hit 46.7 mph. I think that this was a 14% grade going down. It was a blast. We stopped at a great restaurant about 20 miles down the road had a great breakfast and a wonderful chocolate chip oatmeal cookie and then moved on. We kept riding and rode Hells Backbone. It was a section of road that was up high and there was a cliff on each side of the road. It was amazing riding it being able to look down at the canyons on both sides of the road!! Rode on and came across Kiva Koffehouse out in the middle of nowhere. Had a frappe and sat and looked around and relaxed for awhile and then decided to move on. Had some climbing and then rode into Escalante where we stayed at a campground that was next to a reservoir. We decided to swim/wade in the reservoir and then hung out at camp. We as in Brittany, Shannon and myself decided to have our own dance party in the trailer as it started to rain briefly. We choreographed a dance that we are going to attempt to do on our bikes and have them video. It should be interesting. We all danced by the trailer as the trailer has a radio and sound system. We chilled out and met another cycling group that is riding cross country for cancer. Same type of thing however, still very different from our trip. Well by the time I got a shower it was about 9:00 pm and Shannon still hadn’t put up her tent and wasn’t really feeling like it so we decided to share a tent as I had already put mine up and it is a two person tent.
Woke up this morning and knew that it was going to be a fun day. We started riding and it was up and down hill a lot. We stopped at the first water stop and then moved on as we knew the next water stop was going to be at Bryce Canyon. So we rode on. We were getting hungry so stopped in a small town and got lunch and then rode about 5 more miles up the road to Bryce Canyon. Changed into tennis shoes and started hiking the trail about a half mile to see part of the canyon. It was gorgeous. There was a stream all along the trail that we decided we needed to take a dip in. It was rather cold. So we first sat in it and then got all the way in it. It was very shallow about a foot deep and deeper in some places but had a strong current. It was crystal clean and clear as well. There was a waterfall so we hiked down to the bottom and stood under it and played in the water. The water fall was supper strong!! I felt like I was being beaten standing under it and couldn’t even stand under the strongest part as it would have pushed me down. Rode on and the cool water on our cycling clothes kept us cool until we got to camp. There was a really nice bike path and a rock you could drive through on the last leg of the ride. Beautiful scenery. Got to the campground at Red Rock Canyon which is really nice got a really nice shower which I had to pay $2 for and then set up my tent. Was informed that rattle snakes are present here and that the park ranger got about 5 in the last few days. So we were told where to not camp and also that in the morning we are supposed to look outside of our tent to make sure that they aren’t outside of it as they like to go where warmth is. I cannot believe that there is only 2 weeks left. I hope that I have many more adventure to write about and that I can enjoy every minute of it!!
Friday, July 15, 2011
July 14-15 - Blanding, UT to Lake Powell, UT (Hite Recreation Area) to Hanksville, UT
Mileage: 78 miles, 52 miles
Terrains: Very Gradual Climbs
Temperature: 90ish degrees, 95ish degrees
The ride from Blanding, UT to Lake Powell was beautiful. I got up in Blanding at the campground, packed up my tent and we were on the road by 8:20 am. Stopped at the gas station going out of town and got a Gatorade as I was feeling kind of dry and dehydrated. Everything is much dryer out west here! We rode about 20ish miles out and there was our first rest stop. The scenery is much different in Utah. It is a lot of red rocks and canyons. We stopped at the second rest stop for an hour or so and walked out and sat on a rock and looked down into a canyon and ate. The canyons and red rock are so beautiful. We ride up and around them and the roads curve through them. We then stopped at the final, third rest stop for water. There was nothing for 75 miles so it was important for us to make sure that we made it to each of the rest stops provided for us in order to get water. I thought that there was nothing in Kansas, well there really is NOTHING out here. We didn’t pass a single building for 75 miles and right before the campground that we stayed at there was a small lodge. The campground was rather deserted however, there was a Lake Powell right by our campground. There was maybe 5 houses coming into the campground and I think that the park ranger and people that run the welcome center live there. So I got to the campground which was kind of down in a canyon and there was rock surrounding the campsite. There was also a huge boat dock to dock into Lake Powell which is just the bottom of a canyon which is about 135 miles long. The campsite was beautiful however, there was nowhere to find shade besides the restroom and the trailer. So we pulled a picnic table up along side of the trailer to sit on. I sat up my tent and didn’t have to use my fly as it was very dry and hot out. After I set up my tent which I had to use rocks to hold down due to the ground being hard as rock and not being able to get my stakes in I debated on how to get a “Shower.” So there were no real showers so these were my options. A. Wash in the sink in the restroom. B. Wash in Lake Powell which was murky and full of debris from a storm. C. Use the fish cleaning station beside the restroom which had hose like devices where some others were cleaning fish. D. Use wet wipes to clean up. So what I ended up doing was using my natural biodegradable/ environmentally friendly soap and scrubbed up in the lake in order to get the thick many layers of sunscreen off and sweat and then went to the restroom and washed up in the sink and also used some wet wipes. You learn to become very resourceful on a trip like this. I was really debating using the fish cleaning station which looked like a great shower, only if there weren’t people cleaning fish at the time. However, I did wait forever for them to leave but it was just taking them too long. I then went to sleep in my tent which you could see the sky very well without the fly. I didn’t see any starts however, the moon was sooo bright.
Woke up this morning with the sun rising and shinning in the canyon. Realized, OMG, I am literally in the middle of nowhere. Have not had any phone service whatsoever in a day or so now. Left the campsite at about 8:30ish and started down the road to our first and only rest stop at 25ish miles. It was a very very gradual uphill for some of this time. Stayed at the rest stop for an hour or so, ate and had a squirt gun fight. We all have squirt guns now and play with them all the time like 12 year old boys. We ride with them and squirt each other while riding and pretend to shoot birds and other things and make noise while doing it. It really is a blast. We then took off for the last 25 miles of the day which was a very gradual downhill. The roads here in Utah thus far are very deserted. We will go for miles and not see a car. Even more deserted than Kansas was. Oh, and today I also learned how to ride with no hands. Its lots of fun!!! So once we got into Hanksville, UT we stopped at the first restaurant/gas station coming into town because we were informed by the person working at the campground store that they had really good milkshakes. So I had a delicious Reese milkshake. It came close to the milkshake in Sebree, KY but it still wasn’t as good. We then rode down the street to Hanksville Inn where we are staying tonight. It is just a cheap motel but hey, it has air conditioning!! It is VERY hot out now. So somehow three of us girls ended up in a room with two beds so we drew twizlers for the single bed. I drew a short twizler so get to share a bed. Oh well, at least it’s a real bed. So I am now sitting on the hotel bed and its only 5:15 and I could take a nap!! I think I might!!
Terrains: Very Gradual Climbs
Temperature: 90ish degrees, 95ish degrees
The ride from Blanding, UT to Lake Powell was beautiful. I got up in Blanding at the campground, packed up my tent and we were on the road by 8:20 am. Stopped at the gas station going out of town and got a Gatorade as I was feeling kind of dry and dehydrated. Everything is much dryer out west here! We rode about 20ish miles out and there was our first rest stop. The scenery is much different in Utah. It is a lot of red rocks and canyons. We stopped at the second rest stop for an hour or so and walked out and sat on a rock and looked down into a canyon and ate. The canyons and red rock are so beautiful. We ride up and around them and the roads curve through them. We then stopped at the final, third rest stop for water. There was nothing for 75 miles so it was important for us to make sure that we made it to each of the rest stops provided for us in order to get water. I thought that there was nothing in Kansas, well there really is NOTHING out here. We didn’t pass a single building for 75 miles and right before the campground that we stayed at there was a small lodge. The campground was rather deserted however, there was a Lake Powell right by our campground. There was maybe 5 houses coming into the campground and I think that the park ranger and people that run the welcome center live there. So I got to the campground which was kind of down in a canyon and there was rock surrounding the campsite. There was also a huge boat dock to dock into Lake Powell which is just the bottom of a canyon which is about 135 miles long. The campsite was beautiful however, there was nowhere to find shade besides the restroom and the trailer. So we pulled a picnic table up along side of the trailer to sit on. I sat up my tent and didn’t have to use my fly as it was very dry and hot out. After I set up my tent which I had to use rocks to hold down due to the ground being hard as rock and not being able to get my stakes in I debated on how to get a “Shower.” So there were no real showers so these were my options. A. Wash in the sink in the restroom. B. Wash in Lake Powell which was murky and full of debris from a storm. C. Use the fish cleaning station beside the restroom which had hose like devices where some others were cleaning fish. D. Use wet wipes to clean up. So what I ended up doing was using my natural biodegradable/ environmentally friendly soap and scrubbed up in the lake in order to get the thick many layers of sunscreen off and sweat and then went to the restroom and washed up in the sink and also used some wet wipes. You learn to become very resourceful on a trip like this. I was really debating using the fish cleaning station which looked like a great shower, only if there weren’t people cleaning fish at the time. However, I did wait forever for them to leave but it was just taking them too long. I then went to sleep in my tent which you could see the sky very well without the fly. I didn’t see any starts however, the moon was sooo bright.
Woke up this morning with the sun rising and shinning in the canyon. Realized, OMG, I am literally in the middle of nowhere. Have not had any phone service whatsoever in a day or so now. Left the campsite at about 8:30ish and started down the road to our first and only rest stop at 25ish miles. It was a very very gradual uphill for some of this time. Stayed at the rest stop for an hour or so, ate and had a squirt gun fight. We all have squirt guns now and play with them all the time like 12 year old boys. We ride with them and squirt each other while riding and pretend to shoot birds and other things and make noise while doing it. It really is a blast. We then took off for the last 25 miles of the day which was a very gradual downhill. The roads here in Utah thus far are very deserted. We will go for miles and not see a car. Even more deserted than Kansas was. Oh, and today I also learned how to ride with no hands. Its lots of fun!!! So once we got into Hanksville, UT we stopped at the first restaurant/gas station coming into town because we were informed by the person working at the campground store that they had really good milkshakes. So I had a delicious Reese milkshake. It came close to the milkshake in Sebree, KY but it still wasn’t as good. We then rode down the street to Hanksville Inn where we are staying tonight. It is just a cheap motel but hey, it has air conditioning!! It is VERY hot out now. So somehow three of us girls ended up in a room with two beds so we drew twizlers for the single bed. I drew a short twizler so get to share a bed. Oh well, at least it’s a real bed. So I am now sitting on the hotel bed and its only 5:15 and I could take a nap!! I think I might!!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
July 12-13 - Telluride, CO to Dolores, CO to Blanding, UT
Mileage: 62 miles, 82 miles
Terrains: Long Rolling Hills
Temperature: 60ish degrees, 84ish degrees
So on our day off I went to the coffee shop and caught up on some things there and then walked around town, went to some of the bike shops there and shopped around. Then I went back to our campsite got my swimsuit on and got ready to go white water rafting. Three other girls and I went. A bunch of the guys rented mountain bikes and took the gondola up to the top of the mountain and went down different trails that they had. I walked back into town about a half mile to the place to go rafting. They shuttled us about 20 minute to get on the raft and then we rode the rapids for about an hour and a half. The class of some of the rapids was class three. It was a blast. We did get poured on while we were rafting, it made us feel hard core…lol. We had blue wetsuit type things that we wore to keep us a little bit warmer. The water coming off of the mountains in the river was freezing cold and we weren’t supposed to get in because you can get hypothermia very quickly. We were instructed on what to do if we did get flipped out of the raft. Thankfully no one did! We also saw Wilsons peak which is on the Coors light bottle/can on our way rafting. Elevation of 14,000 ft. We got back from rafting at about 5:00 and then got our stuff together and walked over to the church in town to get a shower. Ike one of the riders found us a place to stay at the church where they had a free warm shower!! Many choose to keep camping however once I showered there I decided to tear my tent down and sleep in the basement of the church. It was remodeled last year so it was really nice!! So after the shower we got pizza at a pizza place in Telluride and then went back to the campsite where we all hid in the trailer to surprise our route leader for his birthday. We had tons of silly string and the other route leader pretended to have trouble with the lock on the trailer. So once the doors opened we ambushed him!! It was hilarious! We also had cupcakes to celebrate his birthday!
The next morning I woke up in the church basement and it was rather cold outside so dressed in my cold weather cycling clothes. Ran some stuff back to the trailer at the campground and then myself and two of the other girls rode our bikes over to the free gondola which took us up and over one of the hills/mountains where we then got back on the route. It was really fun riding this as we got to see up and over everything and even brought our bikes on the gondola where they hung outside!! We only had a small climb then after we got off of the gondola and then the rest of the day was a very gradual downhill. After about 10 miles down we pulled off on the side of the road to take a dip in a natural hot springs that our raft leader told us about. It was not publicized and back off of a dirt road. It was so warm!! We then road into Rico, CO where we had a bite to eat at a small restaurant. We finally left when we realized that it had started raining and was going to rain all day long. It was rather cold out being around 60 degrees and we had been poured on! We kept riding as we knew that being wet if we stopped that we would only get colder. We were originally supposed to camp out but Ike who always leaves early found us a place to stay at the HS gym in Dolores where it was warm dry and there were warm showers. We got showers and then went to a microbrewery where I had a delicious Calzone. Came back to the gym and slept in the warm.
Woke up this morning and it was a little bit warmer out. We rode about 20 miles to the first rest stop with long rolling hills and then another 8 miles to the Colorado Utah border. We then rode about 10 more to Dove Creek where I had a wonderful Panini!! The scenery is changing a lot as there are not as many trees around. Still some large hills though but gradual. We then rode on to the next water stop, got some ice cream. About 3 miles from the water stop I had realized that my rear tire was very low and it had a gash in it. So decided to put a new tube in it and boot the gash in the tire. Rode on and about 20 miles later realized that it was getting low again. Low enough to ride to the last water stop and then realized that there was a stone in the tire. So took the tire off again, put yet another boot in the tire as there is still a lot of miles left in this tire which I put on back in Kansas. Found the tiny hole in the tube and patched it as I only have 2 tubes left. They have others for us as well, just trying to conserve. So maybe I will be in the running of winning the most patches yet, however, I will have to get a few more patchable flats in order to win. Rode on and then did the last 20 miles which were mostly downhill with some climbing. Got poured on again and once even during a descent. It really hurts when rain is pelting you at 35-40 mph. It is crazy how comfortable you become with your bike and know what your limits are and aren’t. Got to camp at a campground at about 5:30 and had a big agenda which most of got done. Laundry, cleaned bike, chain cleaning on bike, grocery shopped, post cards written, showered, wiped out tent and other misc things. Just so you know things such as laundry and groceries are more difficult than you think without a car etc. However, we are in a great location so were able to walk to these a little ways. Now I am exhausted. Nite!!
Terrains: Long Rolling Hills
Temperature: 60ish degrees, 84ish degrees
So on our day off I went to the coffee shop and caught up on some things there and then walked around town, went to some of the bike shops there and shopped around. Then I went back to our campsite got my swimsuit on and got ready to go white water rafting. Three other girls and I went. A bunch of the guys rented mountain bikes and took the gondola up to the top of the mountain and went down different trails that they had. I walked back into town about a half mile to the place to go rafting. They shuttled us about 20 minute to get on the raft and then we rode the rapids for about an hour and a half. The class of some of the rapids was class three. It was a blast. We did get poured on while we were rafting, it made us feel hard core…lol. We had blue wetsuit type things that we wore to keep us a little bit warmer. The water coming off of the mountains in the river was freezing cold and we weren’t supposed to get in because you can get hypothermia very quickly. We were instructed on what to do if we did get flipped out of the raft. Thankfully no one did! We also saw Wilsons peak which is on the Coors light bottle/can on our way rafting. Elevation of 14,000 ft. We got back from rafting at about 5:00 and then got our stuff together and walked over to the church in town to get a shower. Ike one of the riders found us a place to stay at the church where they had a free warm shower!! Many choose to keep camping however once I showered there I decided to tear my tent down and sleep in the basement of the church. It was remodeled last year so it was really nice!! So after the shower we got pizza at a pizza place in Telluride and then went back to the campsite where we all hid in the trailer to surprise our route leader for his birthday. We had tons of silly string and the other route leader pretended to have trouble with the lock on the trailer. So once the doors opened we ambushed him!! It was hilarious! We also had cupcakes to celebrate his birthday!
The next morning I woke up in the church basement and it was rather cold outside so dressed in my cold weather cycling clothes. Ran some stuff back to the trailer at the campground and then myself and two of the other girls rode our bikes over to the free gondola which took us up and over one of the hills/mountains where we then got back on the route. It was really fun riding this as we got to see up and over everything and even brought our bikes on the gondola where they hung outside!! We only had a small climb then after we got off of the gondola and then the rest of the day was a very gradual downhill. After about 10 miles down we pulled off on the side of the road to take a dip in a natural hot springs that our raft leader told us about. It was not publicized and back off of a dirt road. It was so warm!! We then road into Rico, CO where we had a bite to eat at a small restaurant. We finally left when we realized that it had started raining and was going to rain all day long. It was rather cold out being around 60 degrees and we had been poured on! We kept riding as we knew that being wet if we stopped that we would only get colder. We were originally supposed to camp out but Ike who always leaves early found us a place to stay at the HS gym in Dolores where it was warm dry and there were warm showers. We got showers and then went to a microbrewery where I had a delicious Calzone. Came back to the gym and slept in the warm.
Woke up this morning and it was a little bit warmer out. We rode about 20 miles to the first rest stop with long rolling hills and then another 8 miles to the Colorado Utah border. We then rode about 10 more to Dove Creek where I had a wonderful Panini!! The scenery is changing a lot as there are not as many trees around. Still some large hills though but gradual. We then rode on to the next water stop, got some ice cream. About 3 miles from the water stop I had realized that my rear tire was very low and it had a gash in it. So decided to put a new tube in it and boot the gash in the tire. Rode on and about 20 miles later realized that it was getting low again. Low enough to ride to the last water stop and then realized that there was a stone in the tire. So took the tire off again, put yet another boot in the tire as there is still a lot of miles left in this tire which I put on back in Kansas. Found the tiny hole in the tube and patched it as I only have 2 tubes left. They have others for us as well, just trying to conserve. So maybe I will be in the running of winning the most patches yet, however, I will have to get a few more patchable flats in order to win. Rode on and then did the last 20 miles which were mostly downhill with some climbing. Got poured on again and once even during a descent. It really hurts when rain is pelting you at 35-40 mph. It is crazy how comfortable you become with your bike and know what your limits are and aren’t. Got to camp at a campground at about 5:30 and had a big agenda which most of got done. Laundry, cleaned bike, chain cleaning on bike, grocery shopped, post cards written, showered, wiped out tent and other misc things. Just so you know things such as laundry and groceries are more difficult than you think without a car etc. However, we are in a great location so were able to walk to these a little ways. Now I am exhausted. Nite!!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
July 9-11 - Gunnison, CO to Montrose, CO to Telluride, CO and Rest Day
Mileage: 70 miles, 70 miles
Terrains: Climbing up and down the Rocky Mountains, Gradual long climbs and descents
Temperature: 75-80 degrees, temperature changes with elevation
On July 9th we got at the KOA camp ground and had two smaller climbs and then descended most of the day. The rocky mountains really are AMAZING. We are seeing so many neat things, for example as we were riding along in the morning some of our group and van were stopped along the road and there were big horn sheep walking on the side of a cliff. It was truly amazing. One of our route leaders Pepper who was driving the van and trailer said that when he got there they were crossing the road and the mom sheep were basically forcing the baby sheep up the side of this cliff. I have never seen anything like them before. I have no idea how they stayed on the side of the mountains. There were rocks falling from the mountains and all. We rode by a huge beautiful body of water, some reservoir I think. Most of the day was descending very gradually, however there was a head wind from the west so we still had to pedal. There was a climb that was about 6 or so miles uphill at mile 40ish and then the rest was a descent so we descended into Montrose and then went to a microbrewery once we got into Montrose. It had been a beautiful day of riding. We then rode to the Motel 6 where we were staying at. We were rather excited to have a motel as it for me was only the 4th motel of the trip. It actually turned out to be a rather nice hotel. They had an indoor hot tub and pool that we decided to take advantage of. There were 5 of us in a room so I choose to sleep on my mat on the floor. Slept really well as it was temperature controlled!!
Got up on the morning of the 10th and the previous night we had met a couple at the microbrewery who thought that what we were doing to raise funds and awareness for MS was neat so they offered to make breakfast for us. We took them up on the offer. They made us Elk Burritos. They were delicious. We then rode out of Montrose knowing that most of the day was going to be climbing. It actually turned out that the climbing wasn’t as bad as what I had originally anticipated. It was fairly gradual for quite some time then it started to go up. There were two major climbs of the day. The first rest stop of the day was in Ridgeway, CO so I ate a big lunch and started up the first climb of the day which was 9 miles up. However, at the rest stop I had drank a HUGE bottle of chocolate milk. Bad idea, I started feeling like it was going to come up about half way through the climb. However, I made it to the top!! I will make sure to not do that again!! We then had about a 12 mile descent to our second stop of the day. It was just glorious! Stopped by the river sat and chilled for awhile and then moved on to ride the last 16 miles of the day. It was all uphill into Telluride. However, it wasn’t as steep as anticipated and I hesitate to use the word steep because none of the hills here in the Rocky Mountains are steep compared to the mountains in Virginia. Then the last three miles we hopped on the bike path into Telluride. It apparently is required to use the path and illegal to ride on the road through this section. As we were riding into Telluride we saw this white thing coming down the mountain. Weren’t sure what it was and as we got closer realized that it is a very long water fall with water from the snow coming down the mountain. Telluride is 3 miles off of the route, however, it is just such a cool little town that we had to stay here. There are soooo many bikes and bikers here!! We are staying at the park/ campground right by downtown and last night we went out in town to celebrate our route leaders’ birthday. Had some wonderful Mexican food as well. I got a shower at the park and you have to pay $3 for a 5 minute warm shower. Which I did, cold showers are free and some of the people in our group did this and basically said that the water felt like it came straight off of the mountain. While we were out downtown some of the other riders blew up balloons and filled up Peppers tent for his birthday. So when we got back he got in his tent to find balloons filling it. It was pretty funny!! Slept in this morning until about 8:45 am got up had some peanut butter and jelly for breakfast. Sat around for a little while and then decided to come into town. Today’s agenda is to go white water rafting at 1:30, do some laundry and possibly stop at some of the bike shops here in town. I am debating buying a different saddle for my bike as my butt is hurting while riding. However, I am not sure at this point if a different saddle will make a difference when you are putting this much time in the saddle. We are all very excited to be in such a neat town and to have a true rest day with no service project AKA yard makeover.
Terrains: Climbing up and down the Rocky Mountains, Gradual long climbs and descents
Temperature: 75-80 degrees, temperature changes with elevation
On July 9th we got at the KOA camp ground and had two smaller climbs and then descended most of the day. The rocky mountains really are AMAZING. We are seeing so many neat things, for example as we were riding along in the morning some of our group and van were stopped along the road and there were big horn sheep walking on the side of a cliff. It was truly amazing. One of our route leaders Pepper who was driving the van and trailer said that when he got there they were crossing the road and the mom sheep were basically forcing the baby sheep up the side of this cliff. I have never seen anything like them before. I have no idea how they stayed on the side of the mountains. There were rocks falling from the mountains and all. We rode by a huge beautiful body of water, some reservoir I think. Most of the day was descending very gradually, however there was a head wind from the west so we still had to pedal. There was a climb that was about 6 or so miles uphill at mile 40ish and then the rest was a descent so we descended into Montrose and then went to a microbrewery once we got into Montrose. It had been a beautiful day of riding. We then rode to the Motel 6 where we were staying at. We were rather excited to have a motel as it for me was only the 4th motel of the trip. It actually turned out to be a rather nice hotel. They had an indoor hot tub and pool that we decided to take advantage of. There were 5 of us in a room so I choose to sleep on my mat on the floor. Slept really well as it was temperature controlled!!
Got up on the morning of the 10th and the previous night we had met a couple at the microbrewery who thought that what we were doing to raise funds and awareness for MS was neat so they offered to make breakfast for us. We took them up on the offer. They made us Elk Burritos. They were delicious. We then rode out of Montrose knowing that most of the day was going to be climbing. It actually turned out that the climbing wasn’t as bad as what I had originally anticipated. It was fairly gradual for quite some time then it started to go up. There were two major climbs of the day. The first rest stop of the day was in Ridgeway, CO so I ate a big lunch and started up the first climb of the day which was 9 miles up. However, at the rest stop I had drank a HUGE bottle of chocolate milk. Bad idea, I started feeling like it was going to come up about half way through the climb. However, I made it to the top!! I will make sure to not do that again!! We then had about a 12 mile descent to our second stop of the day. It was just glorious! Stopped by the river sat and chilled for awhile and then moved on to ride the last 16 miles of the day. It was all uphill into Telluride. However, it wasn’t as steep as anticipated and I hesitate to use the word steep because none of the hills here in the Rocky Mountains are steep compared to the mountains in Virginia. Then the last three miles we hopped on the bike path into Telluride. It apparently is required to use the path and illegal to ride on the road through this section. As we were riding into Telluride we saw this white thing coming down the mountain. Weren’t sure what it was and as we got closer realized that it is a very long water fall with water from the snow coming down the mountain. Telluride is 3 miles off of the route, however, it is just such a cool little town that we had to stay here. There are soooo many bikes and bikers here!! We are staying at the park/ campground right by downtown and last night we went out in town to celebrate our route leaders’ birthday. Had some wonderful Mexican food as well. I got a shower at the park and you have to pay $3 for a 5 minute warm shower. Which I did, cold showers are free and some of the people in our group did this and basically said that the water felt like it came straight off of the mountain. While we were out downtown some of the other riders blew up balloons and filled up Peppers tent for his birthday. So when we got back he got in his tent to find balloons filling it. It was pretty funny!! Slept in this morning until about 8:45 am got up had some peanut butter and jelly for breakfast. Sat around for a little while and then decided to come into town. Today’s agenda is to go white water rafting at 1:30, do some laundry and possibly stop at some of the bike shops here in town. I am debating buying a different saddle for my bike as my butt is hurting while riding. However, I am not sure at this point if a different saddle will make a difference when you are putting this much time in the saddle. We are all very excited to be in such a neat town and to have a true rest day with no service project AKA yard makeover.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Mountain Goats!! AMAZING!!
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http://m.chieftain.com/mobile/news/local/angels-make-puebloan-s-day/article_2dbe338a-a786-11e0-8691-001cc4c002e0.html
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