Last two rides have been solo but I’m ok with that. I’m at an in-between stage since riding across the country. I’m much stronger and faster than I was when I left for that ride in June. I don’t want to lose the strength and speed but fear I will since I won’t be riding miles and miles/hours and hours every day.
Along Old Highway 120All that’s left of the hanging tree.
My stats from recent rides show that I’m retaining some of the speed/strength but I find I’m having to consciously think about pushing myself. It is so easy to fall back into old patterns. Trying to keep up with others is a great motivator…one that I’m missing. 🙁
New play area at Mary Laveroni Park in GrovelandLuckily, no one caught me near the play area!
Wednesday I started out with the intention of heading east. I got out to where I could see the mountains east of us and also saw SMOKE! It looked pretty dense so I decided maybe heading east wasn’t such a good idea. Change in route took me through town (Groveland) and then back home. Got in 26 miles with just under 12 mph average.
It rained overnight on Thursday. Cleared the air of smoke!
Sunday I challenged myself to ride from home to O’Shaughnessy Dam. I thought it would be about 60 miles but my buddy, Alan D., said 70. He was right. I made it even longer by leaving my water bottle at the dam and having to go back to get it. Ended up with just over 72 miles. My average that day was also just under 12 mph.
Entrance to the Hetch Hetchy area of Yosemite National ParkThe O’Shaughnessy Dam
This is what I’m concerned about…the average for my ride on the 13th was 13 mph. Only a few days and I can’t seem to keep up my speed. These three rides all have similar elevation gains/losses as they are in the same area.
Nice to see Wapama Fall is still running in October 😀
As one of my tech friends said, eventually Word Press costs $$. I had already purchased the domain name but today did the upgrade. I’m hoping for ease of uploading photos from the tablet onto the site. But first a test from my PC…
I get a kick out of this photo ’cause I never thought Dan would be one of those folks sitting in a restaurant playing with a smart phone. hee hee
Today WAS a busy day. We were up early to fly to Hayward but the sun isn’t rising as early as it used to. So we had to wait a bit before we could go.
First “appointment” was with eldest daughter for breakfast. After we left the noisy restaurant, we found a quiet city park where we had a great visit. She had other chores to tend to and we had other people to meet.
Next stop was at Dan’s parents house. Four of Dan’s cousins were visiting from Minnesota. Because of the distance, the California and Minnesota cousins have only seen each other a handful of times. All three of Dan’s sisters and two of his brothers, as well as a nephew, were there too. It was a full house! The afternoon was filled with lots of chatter and laughter. There’s now talk of another family reunion sometime in the future.
Our final stop was to see how friends who have been displaced by the wildfires in Sonoma County are doing. They are living with family in Newark for now. Their house has been spared as of today but they cannot go home yet. These fires and winds are crazy! So much loss, so much hardship. Sad.
Wow, my last post was September 13! It’s not that I’ve been terribly busy, just haven’t taken the time to write down my thoughts.
Only a couple days after the last posting, I drove to Clovis to spend the night with my ‘Possum friend Michele. We met with three other ‘Possums for dinner: Laraine, Iris and Maria. (I met these four ladies on the Almond Blossom Ride back in February. We’ve met for other rides since then and I always enjoy seeing them again.) The next day we rode on the Tour de Fresno. Laraine couldn’t ride because of hip problems and Maria and Michele did shorter rides but Iris and I did the 74 mile route, pretty flat ride with 15.7 mph average.
The next day, Dan and I flew to Oakdale to pick up his sister to take her out for a birthday breakfast/lunch in Auburn. She had just had to put her dog, Artie, down the day before so we wanted to give her a special birthday treat. Such a nice restaurant at the airport there!
On the 22nd, I met with cycling friends to work on a bike tour for next May. Looking forward to that. Plan is to ride to Tahoe and take the train back. Yes! It was such a pleasure to see my buddies and to meet a new bike friend.
The next day began the Waves to Wine weekend (a fund raiser for National Multiple Sclerosis Society). I managed the 102 miles on Saturday even though the disk brakes were making strange noises, 12.8 mph average on a hilly ride (6500 feet of climbing). Because of the brakes, I didn’t ride on Sunday. Turns out an adjustment was needed but the real issue seemed to be the wheel wasn’t seated correctly.
Then daughter, son-in-law, and the grandkids came for a weekend visit. Had fun at the beach at our little Pine Mountain Lake. The little ones (21 months and almost four) enjoyed riding around and “driving” the golf cart.
Got to ride with Wayne S. twice the following week. Unusual, as we don’t seem to connect that frequently. Both rides in areas I’m still becoming familiar with so depend on him to get me back to where we started. So far, he’s done a fine job. 😉
Chickens at one of my stopping point while with Wayne
The first Thursday of October, I went to my monthly MS coffee meet. So enjoy the folks who come together. Part of the fun is giving a ride to my neighbor. She and I get some time with just us two on the drive over and back.
Then, that same day, we flew some friends to the Oakland airport so they could catch a commercial flight to Italy. Since we were in the neighborhood, we flew to Hayward and walked to a favorite Vietnamese restaurant for dinner.
On 10/6, I drove to Ione to spend the night with my “cycle across America” friends, Mark and Rose. They put me up for the night then Rose and I met with other “cycle across America” friends Greg and Theresa so we could all ride the Sacramento Century Challenge. This was another flat ride so my average was 15mph for the 101 miles. How great to get to ride with these guys again! When Mark’s shoulder is healed, he’ll be with us next time.
Good band. Danced by myself but pulled in a couple other ladies before the song was done.
The following day Brett and Debbie flew in to our little airport and spent the day. Fun to have visitors!
Last Monday (I’m almost caught up), Dan and I took a motorcycle ride to see the fall colors along Hwy 108. We made it all the way to the top of Sonora Pass but didn’t see many deciduous trees. There were patches of mostly the yellow leaves which were pretty but we were hoping to see more trees and more variety of color.
Saw more of these views than fall colors.
When I went to finish unpacking the car on Sunday, I discovered I’d left my cycling shoes in Ione. Doh! So Dan and I took another motorcycle ride on Wednesday to get them.
Ione Post Office.
Friday I managed to get back on the bike. Twenty five hilly miles (2800 feet of climbing) in the neighborhood with a 13.1 mph average. I was very pleased with myself.
Tuolumne River above Rainbow Pool. That’s my shadow in the bottom left corner.
Today we were back in the Mooney for a flight to Modesto airport where they have a pancake breakfast the second Saturday of each month. Met friends, Brett and Debbie, there. After breakfast what’s next? Lunch, of course. The four of us flew (in two planes…not sure why we didn’t all jump in one) to Half Moon Bay for lunch at Barbara’s Fish Trap. The restaurant is famous for the clam chowder so no one ordered that. Almost everything we ordered was deep fried. No need for dinner tonight.
Masts and antennasWhere we were.
When we left home this morning, the temperature was 43 degrees but the air was smooth. When we left Modesto, it was around 66 degrees with smooth air until we got over the hills where it got bumpy. Just before landing in Half Moon Bay, we were bring tossed around in the sky but when we landed, the day was beautiful… I’m guessing 72 degrees with calm winds. Flying home we still had rough skies over the hills leaving Half Moon Bay. By the time we got to our airport, the skies were calmer and the temperature was pleasant. Huge variety in one day!
A friend gave me “The Complete Book of Long Distance Cycling” by Edmund R. Burke Ph.D. and Ed Pavelka. Copywrite is 2000. It’s a bit dated but I’m reading it for the tidbits I can glean.
Chapter four discusses loaded touring. Although my ride this summer was supported, one paragraph still applies: Be mentally prepared. “You must be prepared to face difficult times and work through them. You must convince yourself that things will improve as you continue, because they will.”
I had to stop there, get on my blog, and share these thoughts. Although I did have a couple difficult times where I took SAG to finish the day’s ride, my biggest challenge was my roommate. Very early in the ride, I realized she was an extremely negative person. My way of “working through them” was to shower at the end of my ride and then leave the motel room. That did help, but it didn’t solve the problem.
I never did figure out how to improve the situation. However, on our rest day in Niagara, we spent the day together being tourists. She told me some of her life story which helped me understand why she is the person she is.
Even with that understanding, it did not make our time together more pleasant for me. Another rider asked me, on the last day of the event, “How could you deal with all the negativity? Why didn’t you ask for another roommate?”. My response, “If I had asked to trade with someone else, who else could I wish her on?”
OK, been home for a week and a half. Went for a ride with Greg last Sunday in the smoke. 30 miles, over 3,000 feet of climbing. Rode easy because of the smoke. Today Greg, Debbie and I rode from Knights Ferry to Oakdale in the flatlands. Another 30 mile trek. Left early to avoid the heat of the day.
Not sure where the rest of the time went. Doing a little bit of this, a little bit of that.
This weekend is pot luck party weekend. Dinner and a movie on Friday; farewell party by a neighbor who comes every spring and moves back to the desert in the fall on Saturday; and a pool party at another neighbor’s house tomorrow. We are all very well fed!
Made it through the weekend. The memorial for Lynn was not well planned and so there were lots of disappointed people when unexpected turns in the service were taken.
I was pleased with the memories that were brought forth but surprised at one cousin’s presentation. It did not have anything to do with Lynn and she didn’t make any connection between what she read and why we were there.
After lots of drama, Lynn’s immediate family (mother, sisters, brother, nieces, nephews and husband) were able to gather together, alone from the rest of the extended family. I was a bit disappointed because I was unable to really sit down to talk about Lynn. Felt like I was pulling teeth to get her husband to share. Felt like brother and sister didn’t feel comfortable with the whole situation. I think no one knew what to expect or how to deal with the dynamics, including me.
I know Lynn no longer has to deal with any problems, pain, or heartache but she also isn’t here to enjoy her children and their lives along with her other likes and interests. Looking at it selfishly, I can no longer try to get to know her better as an adult. We only reconnected in the past few years. She was going to come visit last year but didn’t make it. I was looking forward to when she would or when I could go see her. Now it will never happen.
I am disappointed Lynn’s children didn’t make it to join us for remembrances but with the way it all turned out, maybe it was good they weren’t here. I feel like I’m going to lose them along with Lynn.
My memory of Lynn is she was beautiful inside and out. She was insecure in many ways and had a difficult time making decisions yet she was a teacher of adults and children, she took various kinds of dance classes, she traveled to various countries around the world, raised two children while her husband was away in the military, and helped her children get through a tough school system in Germany. She spoke three languages. She had a sweet sense of humor and was gentle. Lynn was seeing a counselor to try to get a better handle on her self and her life…trying to better herself. She must have been more complex than I knew but she almost always had a smile.
Spending all day Tuesday sitting around Logan airport in Boston, all day Wednesday sitting around trying to get home, visiting friends and family, and trying to balance the checkbook and then sitting around today flying to Montana and visiting with family has not had a positive effect on my body.
I did walk around a little at the airport but not much. I did go for a short walk with friends Wednesday evening. I took a short walk today with my nephew. None of this was anywhere near as intense as the exercise I’ve been getting this summer.
The MS symptom that one really doesn’t want to discuss is the one that is attacking full force. I’ve been able to keep it under control all through the bike ride across the country with fiber. It does not seem to be working at all since I got off the bike. The issue is bowel control or rather lack thereof. I’ve had more showers in the past three days than I had in a week of cycling. This is not fun and it is embarrassing.
Starting tomorrow I’ll try taking fiber three times a day instead of two. Cross fingers this works.
On a more positive note, I am glad to be back with my hubby. We did spend the night at a friend’s house in Newark after I arrived in Oakland at 10pm Monday. We got to visit with them the next morning before we drove over to visit Dan’s parents. When the overcast finally lifted enough, we flew home in the Mooney. Then that evening, Dan and I went for a walk around the airport with friends.
Today we got up early to fly to Montana. All went well until we got into the area where the smoke from the many wildfires made the air difficult to see through. Dan’s skill and experience came through for us again on this trip and we arrived safely in Townsend.
It has been nice to see my mom, sister, nephews, and daughters all together. Looking forward to more time together in the next few days.
Did spend some time today preparing for Lynn’s memorial service. Mom had some notes and Sue, Rocky and I added some of our own memories.
The ride is over. My feeling of wanting to continue is also over. I’m ready to go home. After yesterday’s emotional end to the ride and great dinner with my new friends, I was too worn out to write. I climbed into bed expecting to fall right to sleep. My brain had other ideas…it was running full tilt recalling so many things about the past two months.
The day was perfect for ending the ride. The threatened afternoon showers never arrived. It was a short day mileagewise but I asked to start with the early group and am glad.
Roel, Ann and I made up the final day’s group for the most part. Others were with us off and on during the day. Because we’d left early, there was time to stop for coffee/tea. But not too much as we needed to be at Rye Jr. High by a specific time. We did arrive in plenty of time. There was lots of hugging and good-bying at this point because we weren’t sure what would happen at the beach.
Our police escort showed up and we rode the last few miles in style, as a group. We had the blue carpet treatment at the beach. (A blue carpet led us onto the sand). Some took off their shoes, carried the bike and held it over their heads in triumph as photos were taken.
Family and friends were there to cheer for us all. Even the locals who were just visiting the beach were cheering for us and offering congratulations. It was quite a feeling of accomplishment.
Staff had collected water from the Pacific and our tandem team of Chris and James were chosen to pour it into the Atlantic.
Chris and James from England pouring Pacific water into the Atlantic.Elation
At this point, we had choices. Pack bike in trailer and take van to motel, ride into Maine (just to say you’d done it), or ride to the motel. I chose to ride to the motel. As I was alone, it gave me time to reflect on what had just happened. Lots of feelings: happy, sad, elated, wonder, accomplishment…
View of beach where we dipped wheels in Atlantic Ocean.
Phil, one of the riders who lives near here, arranged for a group dinner at Warren’s Lobster in Maine. Although not everyone was there, it allowed us another chance to get together before the final farewells.
I sat at the table with Hao and his parents. His father came here from Shanghai and his mother from Beijing both around 30 years ago. I would have liked to talk to them more since I visited China a few years back and have questions about life under Mao.
This morning there were still several of our group having another wonderful motel breakfast which gave us more time together and more goodbys.
Finally those of us going to the airport loaded up into the van for the drive to Logan Airport in Boston. Once we got to the airport, more hugs. The others were taking airlines in another terminal so I’m by myself in terminal C waiting for my evening flight. Can’t even check in my luggage until noon (its 9:30) so I’m very sedentary for now. What a strange feeling.
Hard to believe this adventure is almost over but we completed day 45 and only have five more days of cycling. When I started this, one of my thoughts was about other cycling events I’ve done. I always wanted to keep riding when the four to ten day rides were over. Riding for 50 days across the US should take care of that, right? No. I don’t want this to end!
On the other hand, I miss Dan a lot and will be glad to see him next Tuesday. We are already discussing things we can do together which helps with the wanting to keep riding issue.
Something goofy has been going on with our data plan so I’m afraid to download my photos from the phone so no pictures today. Maybe I can add them in a couple days.
Today’s ride started on a bike path that runs beside the Erie Canal. It was nice to ride for 15 miles or so without worrying about traffic! When I got to one of the locks, there was a small boat waiting to be let down so it could continue down the canal. Got to see the water let out and the gate opened for the ladies who were waiting to continue their journey.
We have been very fortunate with the weather. Today was another mild day (and the winds were in our favor). My saddle issues are back so I had the saddle adjusted again this evening hoping for better results tomorrow, sigh.
Ninety two miles today. The rest of our days will be shorter.
thecyclingdiva 