I LOVE Marathon, Texas

It was actually a bit chilly today on the ride from Sanderson to Marathon, Texas, which made the ride so great today. Sharon, the owner of the Roundhouse Café in Sanderson, opened her shop early to serve us breakfast, so I got started on a very full stomach. I started out on my own while most of the others were still eating; I was trailing Bennett, Blaise, and Fred. I rode about 15 miles before catching up to Fred, who, like me, had been enjoying the views and taking pictures. We rode for just a bit together before he dropped back to take it easy. After stopping at Judy’s van for a banana and some water, I rode with Crystal, Brian, Callie, Ash, Davide, Dan, and Allison for the rest of the day (with a few breaking away at one point). We played 20 Questions and named infamous people in alphabetical order to keep ourselves occupied. The last 15 miles were just amazing; I was averaging 20 mph and the scenery was like the desert vistas seen on TV. It was awesome.

In Marathon (which now joins Lander, WY, and Missoula, MT, as my favorite towns), I shopped at the local bookstore and bought a couple good reads, checked out our awesome motel (the Marathon Motel and RV Park), and had lunch at Johnny B’s. I talked to several locals and other visitors (Joan and Bill, Alta and Rick, Angelo, and Deborah).

Today was great. Tomorrow’s ride is to Marfa, which will be about 56 miles.

 

The scenery makes the whole trip worth it

Today was just amazing. The past couple days have been pretty miserable for me emotionally and mentally, and I was thinking that I just wanted to go home (not that I would’ve…just that I wanted to). I sagged in the van from Austin to San Antonio and San Antonio to Uvalde because I needed a break mentally. Two days after Uvalde, when we were riding from Bracketville to Comstock (yesterday, actually), I started feeling ill on the ride and decided to hop in the van at mile 25. The stress of all this coupled with lady issues is probably what caused me so much misery. The good news, though, is that today was awesome, and today’s scenery was beautiful.

Fred and I got an early start this morning (we left at 4.52a), about half an hour earlier than most other riders would’ve started. We were riding in complete darkness, and at one point, I heard a squelchy screech that scared me so much that I called out to Fred and caught up to him. I felt a little disappointed that we literally couldn’t see the views during the first 20 miles, but we were beating the heat.

We rode past the town of Langtry, home of Judge Roy Bean, and Fred told me the story of the “hangin’ judge” (which turns out to be fiction).

I stopped a couple times to take pictures, one of the sunrise over the miles and miles of sagebrush and another of … miles and miles of sagebrush.

I think one aspect of today that made my ride better was that I wasn’t worried about people catching up to us. Though I’m not competitive, sometimes I feel like I get sucked into that mindset, which really makes the ride less enjoyable. I start comparing myself to the other riders and I feel less confident in myself. It’s almost lIke middle school all over again. So leaving this morning ahead of people and knowing that we could stop for two minutes and not be passed by six people made things better. We did end up being passed by three riders at mile 25 or so and two riders at mile 60, but it didn’t really matter.

Our stop tonight is in Sanderson, which is located in a beautiful canyon. I arrived at about 11.45a and immediately took a shower before setting out in search of food. Most of the town’s restaurants were closed until 5p for siesta, but the Roundhouse Café wasn’t. All I ate was a ham and turkey sandwich with a couple Sprites, but I was so drunk from the food that I barely made it back to the motel for a nap.

Speaking of the motel, we are staying at the Budget Inn, which pretty much lives up to its name. It is, however, an upgrade from the motel we stayed at in Guin, Alabama.

A couple photos from today’s ride:

 

Remember the Alamo!

I have to come back to San Antonio. I’m really interested in United States history, so imagine my elation when I got to the hotel and discovered that we were directly across the street from the Alamo.

As in, I could see into the fort from our second-floor room. As in, if the windows opened, I could lob something across the street and it’d land within the walls of the Alamo. I called my dad to tell him about it, and I think he was just as excited as I was.

Later that night, I wandered around the city after our event and went to the River Walk area. River Walk is this section of town that’s below street level and has restaurants lining the San Antonio river (but it’s really like a canal). The area is lit up with dim lighting, and it’s got a very romantic feel. It reminded me of what I’d envision Venice to look like.

 

It’s iPhone time

Today is the day, folks—it’s the day I become reconnected to the world of technology. As I mentioned in a previous post, my phone had many issues in its lifespan, and last week’s thunderstorms were the end of it. And now the ride to Oklahoma City is upon us, where an Apple Store awaits. In order for me to ensure enough time to purchase an iPhone at said Apple Store before tonight’s event , I have resigned myself to sagging it with Red (the truck driver) today; riding with Red means we’ll get to the destination very early but we’ll leave much later than the riders (much later, in this case, means 10a or so).

I’m not the only one sagging today. We woke up this morning to severe thunderstorm warnings for many parts of Oklahoma. The Weather Channel was also reporting penny-sized hail in a few counties. Outside, the rain had already created miniature lakes in the Seminole Best Western parking lot, and the sky was alit with lightning. By 5.30a, Nick had sent us a text message announcing an hour delay in packing our luggage in the truck. It’s more than an hour later, and the thunderstorm and rain have now stopped, though several riders have already made up their minds about sagging it for the day.

I’m still crossing my fingers for a tornado warning.

 

104 miles, a water-tower shower, and saying goodbye to a rider

I’m making this quick because it’s another long day tomorrow (estimated at 105 miles). We’re staying just outside Holly Grove, Arkansas, tonight, at a campground called Maddox Bay in Lawrenceville. Apparently the campground we had reserved in Clarendon is meant for RVs—meaning no bathrooms or showers—so we found this campground in Lawrenceville in the past couple days.

Today’s ride was 104 miles, but I honestly could’ve ridden much farther today if I had had to. It was a good day with a couple sour points, but by the end of the day it had turned into a pretty great ride. I almost got into another crash early on; my tires got stuck in a deep groove  and I just barely made it out without toppling over. It was pretty scary, I must say, and I rode about five miles past that and then had to hop off the bike and clear my head.

I rode with Tyler and Brian for quite awhile as well. The big news is that Tyler is leaving the trip. He decided yesterday that with the way the trip is set up, he’s just not having that much fun and therefore it’s not worth staying. I think we’re all bummed that he’s leaving, but we’re glad he’s making the best decision for himself and his wife.

At about mile 60 or so, I started riding with Blaise, Callie, and Fred, and soon after joining up with them, the four of us spotted a water tower off to the right of the road that was spewing water from the side. It was freakin’ hot out there today, so without too much discussion, we all decided that we’d try to see if we could get closer to the tower and possibly get an afternoon shower.

Once we got off our bikes, Blaise noticed the many signs on the (open) fence surrounding the tower that said something to the effect that crossing the fence boundary is equal to a federal offense. He shouted the news to us and Fred promptly walked over to the building next to the fence and charmed the ladies inside. They told us they wouldn’t call the cops on us if we passed through the gate, and they gave us five minutes, so the four of us hustled through the gate and over to the freezing cold shower. It felt amazing, and it was totally worth the 40+ miles of riding with soggy shoes.

Observations: I still have not seen a live armadillo, but I’ve seen plenty of dead ones. The area around the Mississippi River has tons of dragonflies. I saw my first bayou today, and then it seemed as though they were everywhere I looked. Arkansas is the most humid state we’ve been to yet. I saw a fish doubling as roadkill today just inside the Arkansas border.

Now, off to a bunk bed (with a supplied pillow and linens!) in an air-conditioned cabin. In Arkansas. That’s right, folks—I can now say I’ve been to Arkansas. Awesome.

 

Fred, North Carolina, and horses

Yesterday was a miserable ride (emotionally), but today was much better. I rode with Fred, and he and I stopped to take pictures at the North Carolina border, have breakfast at a convenience store/grill (I had grits for the first time), and get milkshakes at a McDonald’s.

Fred is absolutely ridiculous. This man yelled out to cows, “Look out! Jack in the Box is coming for you!” and “McDonald’s, McDonald’s is waiting for you!” He also doesn’t pay much attention to directions. We have cue sheets we’re supposed to follow each day. Fred has his cue sheet pinned to a box he affixed above his handlebar bag, but he doesn’t look at it. At one cue today, I turned and rode a bit past the turn to a shady spot to wait for him. He took his time getting up the hill and soon was in my line of sight. As soon as I saw him, I started yelling, “FRED!” to get his attention. I called his name over and over and finally, just before he cycled past the trees on the other side of the intersection, he looked over and saw me waving frantically. I waited a couple moments and was just about to hop back on my bike and ride back when I saw him ride through the intersection toward me.

We also rode with horses today! At one point, Fred and I were joined by Katie and Brian; I was in front of the pack and heard a loud rumbling behind me. I turned back to find three horses galloping in the road behind Katie. As seen in the video, one horse cut right in front of me when the three crossed to the left side of the street. One of the horses then crossed the road and I had to brake really quickly so I didn’t run right into it (I was to the left of Brian, and the camera, when that horse crossed).

I have more to write, but it seems that when I have access to a computer, I either don’t have the time or motivation to write, or I’m in a place not conducive to writing. And now, it’s time for a shower and then bed.

 

Philly cheese steak: check

I’m so tired, and I’ve had so much on my mind to write, but now that I’m sitting at the computer I just want to close my eyes, lie on this comfortable but very small Holiday Inn mattress, and fall asleep.

Yesterday:

Got on camera on CBS’s The Early Show several times. Talked to Harry Smith. He said he bikes in Central Park four to five times a week and that what we’re doing is something he’s always dreamed of doing. He also told me, “Hydrate your ass off” when I told him I was doing the southern route.

I also met a girl named Natalie. She was with the Scleroderma Foundation group, and they were also in The Early Show crowd. She explained the severity of the disease, and I was just touched to have met her. As I was leaving, she called out after me and brought me a parting gift. This is a perfect example of the kindness of strangers. Natalie, thank you so much.

We departed from Columbus Circle, at the southwest corner of Central Park, at about 9.30a and rode on a bike path up to the George Washington Bridge. I wanted to stop and dip my rear wheel into the Hudson River, but everyone was going so fast, and since I didn’t really have a good indication of where we were all headed, I decided to keep pedaling. And for quite a while, I was keeping up with the pack and averaging a pretty high mileage per hour.

But at one point yesterday, I did get my first flat tire of the trip, and then everything went downhill. The lovely riders who stopped with me (Andy, Katie, Jonathan, and Matt) were really nice about waiting. Andy, who’d already had two flat tires by that time in the day, kindly took over the flat-fixing duties. And then the three older gentlemen (David, Roy, and Fred) rode up and stopped as well. The eight of us ended up getting confused with the cue sheets, but it wasn’t long before Lauren called me and wondered where I was. See, the sweeps (the two designated people each day to be the very last riders) were with her, but she was ahead of us. Big problem. So it was crazy trying to catch up with them and then get lost with them. Finally, Matt decided to just look up directions on his iPhone and lead us. I mean, we did figure that since the sweeps were with us, we were the farthest group back. Much to our surprise, our group was the first to reach the destination! We rode 66.31 miles (well, I did), and another group rode about 90. Thank goodness I got that flat tire.

When we got to the hotel, many of us went to the pool and hot tub and soaked for awhile before heading to the grocery store to stock up on food.

There were other things I know I wanted to mention about yesterday, but I feel like I need to type about today before I fall asleep (by the way, it’s only 7.46p).

Today:

The cue sheets today were much more clear, and Blaise, Callie, and I didn’t get lost. For awhile, Francesca and Dominic rode with us, but they ended up taking off at different points.

The route wound us through Princeton (which is an absolutely gorgeous town), where I got a new sticker for my bicycle. It’s from Small World Coffee, just down the road from the university campus.

We also rode through a waste management area. I’ve never seen working landfills before. The signs on either side of the area read “Waste Management Welcomes You.”

By the time we rolled into Philadelphia proper, I had put 64 miles on my bicycle and was ready to get out of my cycling shoes and hop in the shower. We had an event tonight, at Cavanaugh’s, so I raced over to the Liberty Bell to catch a glimpse of it before we took off on our bikes for the event. There were no appetizers tonight, so Blaise, Callie, Katie, Dominic, and I walked around the corner to get Philly cheese steaks. I’d never had one before, and I have to say, they’re pretty good! I went with the traditional Cheese-Wiz and onions.

When we got back to Cavanaugh’s, we decided to go hunting for some ice cream, and Francesca decided to join us. Blaise asked a woman on the street where a good ice cream shop was, and she about flipped out in her rave about this shop a block over called Scoop DeVille. Matt, the owner (manager?), gave all of us free ice cream (thank you, Matt!), which was absolutely delicious. I had the vanilla fudge ice cream in a waffle cone. And now I’m well fed and completely exhausted.

Tomorrow’s scheduled route is 98.8 miles, which means it’ll most likely be a century. It’s also the day our group of 42 splits into two groups of 21. The northern route will head west to York, Pennsylvania, and the southern route will head south to Baltimore, Maryland. I’m so sad we’re saying goodbye to Callie. The four of us (Blaise, Francesca, Callie, and I) have gotten along really well these past couple days, and we sure will miss her on the southern route.

I’m trying to think of more things to type, but I’m too focused on staying awake.

On to Baltimore!

 

Checking in, getting famous

I’m sitting in the lobby of the Newark Holiday Inn and waiting for everyone to get ready to head into NYC for the event at Epstein’s. It’s from 5-8p tonight, so if any of you are in the area, come hang out! Win, Bridget, Jackie, Elle, and Sarah (from P2S2007) are supposed to come see Lauren and me tonight, too!

Tomorrow morning, we’ll arrive at Columbus Circle at 8a, have a ceremony of sorts at 9a, and then depart at 9.30a. Several of us will be on the Early Show (I’m hoping to be one of them), and some of us will be on the CW (I’m not sure if that’s coverage only for the NYC market). Unfortunately, riders under the age of 25 will not be able to promote the ride or 42 Below brand in any form of media, so Lauren won’t have a chance to be featured on either. She also won’t be able to talk to the Richmond, Virginia, press when we ride through Richmond. She’s really bummed. For the first time in a long time, I’m thankful that I’m over 25!

 

A century? What a dumb move

I had planned on posting Saturday night when I got home from the Ann Weatherill Cycling Classic. I also planned to post yesterday. What happened? A century happened.

I can say definitively that I’m glad Katie and I chose the Cycling Classic instead of the Tour de Chelan and the Tour de Blast—but I’m not quite sure riding 100 miles was in my butt’s best interest.

I was so exhausted Saturday night that I fell asleep at about 10.45p (which is early for me). It also took me a couple hours to move properly yesterday. By last night my quads had really started to ache.

The drive to the ride was eventful. Katie and I saw what looked like a dead kitten in the middle of the highway and right before I drove over it, the kitten turned its head to look at us. Also, I freaked out a bit as we drove closer and closer to the wind farms near Walla Walla (and by freaked out, I mean that I almost drove off the road while doing deep breathing exercises to calm myself down. Those turbines are TERRIFYING.)

By the time we got to Lowden, registered, and were ready to ride, it was 8.15a. The first 25 miles were pretty nice: There were a couple small hills, which were helpful in distracting me as we pedaled closer to the wind turbines. At one point we even were averaging 22 mph.

The second 25 miles included the addition of another member to our “team”: Randy. We picked him up at the first rest stop and spent the better portion of this next leg chatting with him about rules of the road (he’s a new cyclist), how famous Katie is, and the 42Ride. Honestly, at about mile 40, I almost bonked. The terrain was getting hillier, and I just don’t think I had eaten enough that morning.

Ann Weatherill Cycling Classic elevation gain

The better part of the third 25 miles was a very long, slow, deceitful climb up to Kooskooskie (you read that right). The road looked flat, but at times I was going only 7 mph. I rode most of the 11 miles there way behind Katie and Randy. As you may recall from reading about my Bike & Build trip, I am not the best hill climber—and I’m OK with that. I know that it will take a long time for me to get to the top of a big hill. I just wish I hadn’t already talked about my cross-country adventures to Randy. I must’ve looked so ridiculous.

The last 25 miles was just tedious. My body was hurting everywhere: I had a pulled muscle in the center of my back, my neck and shoulders were sore, and my butt was absolutely aching. And yes, to make it hit home even more how not prepared we were for this ride, the three of us were the VERY LAST GROUP to ride in to the winery at the end (at 4.59p). We were welcomed graciously at the finish, but there wasn’t much food left.

But we finished, dammit.

But it was probably a pretty dumb move for me to attempt that many miles without building up to it.

 

Ann Weatherill Cycling Classic

There are three cycing events happening in Washington today: the Tour de Blast, the Tour de Chelan, and the Ann Weatherill Cycling Classic. My friend Katie is preparing for the Seattle to Portland (STP) bike ride (July 11–12) and since she’d never done a century (100 mile) ride before, we decided we’d participate in one of the events.

Though the Tour de Blast sounded very scenic—it’s a bicycle ride into the blast zone of Mt. St. Helens—I have an aversion to riding up a hill and then riding back down the same way I pedaled up.

It just doesn’t seem as exciting as summiting a mountain and riding down the other side. Plus, the three distances are 33-, 54-, and 82 miles—no century ride. So that one was out.

The Tour de Chelan sounded really awesome (and a gorgeous ride), but we thought it was a little extreme:

The Chelan Century Challenge consists of three (3) loops, each between 30 miles and 40 miles in length, combining challenging hills with captivating scenery.  Each loop has an elevation gain of more than 2500 feet with all three loops totaling 8600 vertical feet of elevation gain.  Riders are encouraged to complete all three loops in sequential order but are free to ride only the first loop or the first and second loop if they wish.

I didn’t want Katie to end today absolutely hating cycling, and I wasn’t optimistic about our will to keep going past the second loop, so we decided that the Century Challenge might be overdoing it.

The Ann Weatherill Cycling Classic seemed like the perfect compromise: It is a loop, has a century option, and has enough of an elevation gain to give Katie a feel of how the STP will be. The Cycling Classic is in honor of Ann Weatherill, a local (to Lowden, Washington) middle school teacher who was struck and killed by a motorist while riding her bicycle in 2004. The ride has three distance options: 30-, 60-, and 100 miles, and the 100-mile route has 2,720 feet of climbing. According to one of the posts on the site, none of the hills are very steep or long.

The green dot on the map is the start/end point, the blue “W” dots are wineries rest stops, and the mileage is in the gray circles.

At the end of the ride is a lunch buffet with L’Ecole No. 41 wine and food by Merchants LTD & French Bakery. I can just imagine what Momily (Emily) and I would say in our Bike & Build game of Debbie Downer:

Momily: “The buffet will probably be over by the time we get to the destination.”
Me: “Yeah, everyone will have probably drunk all the wine, and there’ll only be lemonade left. I don’t even like lemonade.”

Katie stayed at my house last night so we could leave here early this morning. The ride starts at 7.30a and it takes about 1.5 hours to get to Lowden, so we’ll be on the road shortly. Be on the lookout for an update on the day’s ride tonight.