Thoughts...
Many have asked why I am on this journey, many ask if I'm raising money for something or riding for a cause. The true answer is I'm riding for myself! I have had such an interesting time over the last two years and this is my story...
Raised in Kansas with little memories of my childhood, the memories I can recall are those of positive notes with the negative ones blocked, however not all. The middle child with two siblings, an older brother and younger sister. Raised in small communities throught the state of Kansas throughout my youth up to till the age of seven from what I can recall. Moving lots, I'm assuming to financial reasons. I was really active as a kid and really gravitated towards sports, assuming my parents directed my attention towards that direction to cage the energy I had. I have really no idea on what type of kid I was, however again I am assuming that I was a kid with a lot of energy, I only assume this becuase as an adult I have a lot of energy!
Parents from what I recalled did a pretty good j0b raising us kids with the financial resourses at hand, however I can't recall much. I think I have selective memory due to all the pain my parents divorce has caused me at the early age of seven years old. Torn between parents, however with one eventually giving up on all parental responsibilities at a young age was tough. No father figure until my Mom remarried again around my age of eleven or twelve.
I wouldn't exactly classify my childhood as bad by any means, it was on the lower income side of things however as I don't recall really taking a vacation besides heading to the grandparents house a few hours north of the small town the three of us were raised in. The next father figure that came into my life had pretty good potential, however again divorce. The divorce happened when I was long out of the house but it still had an affect on me to today. The financial situation improved, but again things were still not complete in my mind for my family's situation.
Considered broken in my mind till this day I wonder if we will ever be whole? The history of my childhood is another story, the real story that has put me on this trip true has residual emotions and feelings that spawned from my childhood, however my real change in diretion occurred August 11th, 2008.
Having put myself through college while playing college baseball and working, true there was a little financial support there, pell grants, loans, a small amount from my step-dad of $100 dollars a month. Very grateful for all the financial support along the journey I have always wanted to experience college with a clean slate financially so I can focus on my education and not be strapped with all the other distractions of life. To be a true thinker, to study a trade and become someone with the worries of financial stress. The childhood I can remember was one of little opportunities, as I have matured I love opportunities and choices. I guess this is really no different than anyone in the world we live with. However the thing about me, I'm over the material things that money can buy! I just want to make difference while I'm here on this planet with the blessings God has provided me and that is what I'm trying to do on this trip! (A trip for me to find three things if God presents them! 1. Place to call home 2. Employment that I'll enjoy 3. Love of my life (again only if God provides)...
On August 11th, 2008 I wake and do my normal routine before I head into the office. Knowing there is turmoil in the company I head into the office. Once in the office I can tell something is wrong! People are packing boxes and a few are crying, this is not something you typically see in a corporate setting of a company that brings in 500+ million in revenue a year, with a holding company that brings in 18 billion a year. Typical day would be busy of phone calls, pushing paper, meetings, and your occasional stop to the break room for a short break to catch up with those you see on a daily basis. This was not the case today, today was what I like to call "Black Monday" a letting of hundreds of employees because the CEO of the company made a wrong bet on oil. Nothing like shorting oil at $130 a barrel with the price still rising, peaking at $170 a barrel. With no liquidity available and the CEO getting called on his margin as its time for the blood letting.
First to go the Marketing department, which I had transferred into a little over a year before to work with my Masters in Economics. I sat on this degree for two years before wanting to get a shot in another roll after being with the same company for eight years within the technical department. What a mistake this will turn out to be! I didn't think I would let go, however I was called in and the gavel had fallen. All within two hours of being at the office, I lost my salary, my athletic sponsorship, cell phone and laptop computer (small, however my connection to the outside world). I shake hands with my superior and then head back to my cube to pack boxes and collect as much contact information as possible and head out. The day was raining, one of those hard rains with the dark gloomy feeling and I had drove my jeep to work that morning with the top down, it started raining after I had arrived and figured the jeep would be dry by the time I got off work at 5, again however that wasn't the case.
Driving home in the rain with boxes filled, getting drentched as I drove I wasn't sure what to think or what I was going to do. I had saved enough money over the last ten years to get by for a while however I was not feelin good. With a mortgage and a car payment, just bought a car about six months ago, six months after I started my new position to ensure my economic situation was suitable for such an endeavor. My expenses were great so I thought, of course they were with my employment, however things have made a drastic change for the worse.
With my first Ironman on the horizon in three weeks, how am I supposed to deal with this stress when I'm trying to qualify for Hawaii? Is the race even worth it any more? What's imporatant, give upon live pursuits and get back to looking for work during some of the most historical worst econmic conditions since the Great Depression. What am I to do? I assess the situation and realized the finances won't last much longer if I don't get back to work. On top of all that's going on, my Mom moved in with me about six months ago after her second divorced was finalized as her situation isn't much better than mine now.
What a great storm I have rolled into. Reminds me of the movie the "Perfect Storm" when all the storms collide at once. Lossing my job, taking care of my Mom, and about to race my first Ironman. I was able to put things on hold mentally and focus on my Ironman, however the subconsious stress was still present. Traveling out to Kentucky I'm looking foward to what I have worked so hard for over the last two years, so much work has gone into my training. So many sacrifices and so much lost during my training. I show up to Kentucky and the host that put me up are great, I couldn't ask for such a better host!
Prepping mentally and trying to block out all that has happened was hard, and I was doing it on my own. During my training I lost what I thought was a great gal which left me a lone, I was able to use this energy to focus on my training, however I loearned training upset/mad wasn't healthy so I tried to let that go, however all this stress has built up and now its time to preform at my best for one of the most important things I thought I had going at the time. What a skewed version I had, a race being the most important, however at the time things were going great and I was thinking lets do this so I can say I've raced there. I've always been in pursuits of pushing my body physically so why not I thought. (Boy have things changed now!)
The day before the race a "Great" friend of mine came out to support me during the race and to help with the drive home. Sean Stevens is one of the most exceptional young men I have ever met in my life, a training partner, mentor, and truly a great friend for life! We hang out and for a little then I go off to be alone, to focus to mentally prepare for what I have worked so hard for, sacrificing so much. (Training for an event like this is again another story!)
Race day, everything goes as planned leading up to the race, however I did forget my nutrition, my host saved me here! Everything is going great and I just kind of let the stress of leaving the nutrition at the house roll off my back as it never happened. Faith was strong this morning as I new the Lord was looking out for me! Toe the dock and dive in and the day has begun. Swim and bike go directly as planned, and I'm feeling great for the run then it hits me on mile three. My gait changes and the energy I thought I had doesn't exist! The pace slows, with Sean cheering me on and acting as my coach today I just didn't have it. The run destroyed me, so many things to think about as I lay in the medical tent getting iv's and dealing with the GI stress I had on the run. (Again this is another story that has already been written about)
The thingss to follow were not great, turns out my cuboid in right foot was fractured, so there I had it. I fought to finish a marathon on a broken foot, breaking the foot on the same day my insurance runs out due to the lay off three weeks prior. Now what do I do, I have a broken foot, no job, the race I worked so hard for is over with poor results, and I have no idea on what to think. Truly a lost soul starting out on a new journey, not a way I would like to start one but do we ever get to start off where we want? I have an idea on where I would like to start off when this journey of mine has ended but will it? I'm assuming it will starting off where it did last, however this time its going to be different. I will have to embrace the change for sure no matter what the start line looks like, however I do have this pipedream that I would like to start with...
Going back to Tulsa, Sean and I talk about things and I'm so glad he was there! My life has ben filled with depression and I'm not sure I wanted to be alone for a 12 hour drive back to Tulsa. I get back and do the whole work search and then decide I'm going to move to Louisville where I just raced. I had some help medically there if I were to get back so I did, I move back there for 5-6 months while I rehab my foot, meaning I do nothing and it was nice to have the support I was given there, the financial support, the tender care of a host, however things just were not going like God wanted so I head back to Tulsa where I stay for a week before heading to Colorado Springs, CO to live with an old college baseball friend of mine. His family were kind enough to help me out for a couple of months before they asked me to exit, I'm not sure how to portray that experience. I'm financially struggling by now and really looking for work. I report in on how the search is going and see how they are doing, however they fail to get to know where I was in life. When looking back it was a two way street, my fault for not connecting just as much as his, I hope rekindle this relationship someday as I have always enjoyed him and his family.
Finally landing a job that I will enjoy for a coaching company that coaches triathlon, cycling, running, mountain biking I feel like I'm making a home with things now out west where I have always wanted to live. Things are great, however financially things are still a mess, I try listening to my Mom and just let things be however the stress really is tough to deal with on my own. I think I have done a great job of moving on and trying however things at this new company are starting to show through, the signs of the politics and unfairness that goes on. Little things that employees notice that can cause things to becomed a little unnerving to deal with. I could go on and on, however it would be a waste of time as this can be seen in all companys throughout the United States I'm sure.
Coming off my fractured cuboid, I get back to training and think that when the financial situation changes I'll get back to racing a little as I'm really missing it. Training and racing for me is like my medicine, however over the last couple of years I have been able to balance things. Then swimming one day my left shoulder pops while swimming, I deal with it for a couple weeks thinking all nothing is wrong, however I knew something was drastically wrong as I couldn't do what I wanted with my swimming and rock climbing and it was difficult even to put on a t-shirt in the morning.
So knowing that I need to get it checked out, I do and sure enough a torn labrum and biceps tendon. Great another surgery on the horizon I thought, this would be number eight. Yes with four elbow surguries and three knee surgeris before I knew what I was getting into! The main thing that concerned me yet again was the financial concerns, the insurance with this company was present, however not the best and I knew out of pocket it was going to be a huge hit. Over the last year and half I have sold almost everything I can to stay a float. I was fortunate to rent my house out and landed a great couple the second time around, little stress there with the first tenants as I had to evict them within the first three months. Part of the mortgage covered however most all of my salary at this new company has me at debit out of savings every month just to cover things. So happy I have been able to cover things for this long, with all the support along the way. I am so "Thankful" for all the support through all the people over the last year and half!
With all my items sold I need to find a higher paying job, odds are back into an industry I didn't have much happiness so I continue my search. Contacted by a headhunter for a job in Florida I puruse it, really with little network I have, I call in so many favors from ex-colleagues. After a lot of talk I was able to land the job, however it would mean a 2,200 mile move from the West to the East. Thinking I'm heading the wrong direction and back into an industry I really have no interest in getting back into, however I need the money and the economic conditions are not easy, if I was able to unload my house when I had a contract (loose) on it that would have been great, however they renigged so I still have it.
I make the move, looking in the rearview mirror at the mountains while I head east thinking what am I doing? I'm following money because I need it, however I know I won't be happy. It was a tough decision but every month I was at a deficit, and having an economic mind that triggers stress I need to make a move to downsize even more, and change my stars. After asking more favors from the coaches at a job I really enjoy for help to move, I'm in a sling now, isolated becuase I pulled the trigger on getting my surgery fixed all before I made the decision to take the job. Moving with one good arm to a place where I know noone and hopeing to change my stars. All by becoming a minimilist and saving as much as I can.
I get there and work for 30 days and put up in my mind one of the most "Greediest" person I have ever met in my life. I work without a computer for close to 20 days, using my own when I needed one and get put on a project that requires one. Going to rehab and working 2,000 miles away from all my friends and family was tough, however I was willing to make it work. It wasn't easy being alone, leaving great friends in Colorado Springs and Tulsa behind knowing that I need people in my life.
Things turn for the worse here as I lose this job as the owner wanted me to work close to 65-80 hours a week and I thought I'm not going to kill myself for this guy when it isn't nice at all. So many things happened down there with this job that was out of my control. Sink or swim was his motto, with no mentoring and just basic a whip for motivation I wasn't going to deal with it. I'm a worker and those who know me, know I'll do about anything to get the job done, given I get a little in return. Again, though this guy thought he owned me because he was providing a pay check in one of the most historical of economic conditions, but this is my life were talking about and I'm not willing to give up 80 hours of my week to a man that has no personality besides chasing the almighty dollar!
He lets me go after 30 days of work, stating I wasn't meeting up to his expectations when he could never articulate his expectations clearly, and to be honest he was just upset I think that the company that laid me off in 2008 still owed him money and I used to work for them so what better way to get revenge. I could be wrong, but if I connect the dots looking back I don't get it! My direct supervisor has lunch with me the day before, his first attempt to get to know me, letting me know that I shouldn't worry about anything then the next day I'm out on the Tampa streets again. Having signed a 12 month lease a couple weeks before now I was stuck in Tampa, FL with no job, a few friends, and a gloomy outlook as the economic conditions in Tampa were poor!
I had some more reassing to do now! Look for work and do it with the utmost detail was needed! I put out close to 250 resumes, contact multiple agencies for help finding employment, go to a few interviews and nada! The economic employment conditions after looking for two months are dry as Death Valley. Getting extremely now I really need to make a decision to tough it out or move back with friends and family where I will be taken care of. What to do? I vaccilate for close to two months while looking for work and then pull the plug on Florida moving what I have left to my brothers house in Missouri.
Finally putting the pride aside and accepting help I try to get back on my feet, however knowing I want to go back to school I study for the GRE, with hopes of going back to school in the fall of 2011 I study and study! Missing everything I know, living with my brother and his wonderful family I learn so much, however still having trouble emotionally as I've taken a 180 degree turn, not once but twice now and not sure where to go I start working on lawn crew with an old training partner in Tulsa, knowing I need some type of income to cover little things until something comes along. I work up till the GRE, take the test and decide its time to do something!
So I make the decision I'm going to ride my bike. Why, because it brings me happiness and it allows me to be free! Sitting around being depressed thinking about who to contact for employment, filling out resumes, applications, and just dying inside I make the decision to leave my brothers on my bike with what little I own and find myself. This small piece of written text is just a glimpse into the challenges I have had over the last two years. To tap into the emotional stress, the feeling of lonliness, and financial stress would feel volumes of books for sure.
However, I sit here today in a coffee shop thinking I cannot quit, I must push on! I must continue on this journey God has sent me on! When I left the house, everything that I know didn't matter, it was through my faith and the trust I put in the Lord is how I sit 3,000 miles away from the location I grew up, not sure where to call home right now as I really cannot define "my home". I have been asked by so many where home is, since I have left I just answer "Kansas" since I spent 26 years there I would call that home for sure, however I seek so much more, and since I can remember my Mom has been saying "Head West Young Man - Head West" - I'm North of San Fransisco right now and that's about as west as you can get...
One of my good friends continues to ask me to define my success on this trip and the success changes from day to day as God has his way of directing me towards different thoughts. I have learned so much and will continue to learn I'm for sure about that, I hope this never neds, the learning process. Without I will become stagnant and fail to live in the moment, so I Ill contine to learn and live! Another friend has challenged me to go after what I want and to be honest to have what I want is up to the Lord. I have prayed for many things and I have scene a glimpse of things I desire, however the answer is I don't know what lies ahead.
I have written to what I would like to have but can it happen, will it happen? What I would like to find is the love of my life, which I may have! Employment and the financial support to allow me to finish what I started. I have met people along the journey that could provide this, however will they, is that asking to much within my prayers? To live without the financial concerns to allow me to give all my blessings God has provided to all those I meet? To live with a clean slate, to truly start over with a net positive outlook! I know many many years of hard work are ahead of me and I'm not afraid of this, however with 12 million people out of work right now will employment presents itself to allow for this? I have inspired and motivated so many along this journey with so little financial resources available to me, however what it, what if I can continue to do what I'm doing, can I help millions throughout this short life we have?
Am I living in a pipedream? I think not - for someone to gift me the financial means to make this possible would only be paying it forward in my mind. I'm not driven my material things, or money, however you need money to make a difference. What I think the world needs right now in these times we live in is a story; a story of love, romance, faith, belief, inspiration, motivation, and just hope that there is a way! Not a fiction one, but one that's non-fiction! Am I living it right now, I'll continue to pray as when this journey comes to an end, what do I have to look forward to! I know in a positive light I have millions of things to look forward, however in these troubling times it is tough to see the light sometimes....
I sit here in a coffee shop on my day off thinking and collecting thoughts and I keep wondering am I wrong to want when I should be? Be, and let God take the reigns, he has them however I still have to act. Without action I'll never get going where I'm going, hence why I'm moving around, keeping me from becoming depressed.
On this journey my sister has been digging up family history and I have found out a lot about my fathers side of the family, which puts the missing puzzle pieces together of why my childhood was the way it was, I can't change but I sure can learn from it. I knew that my grandfather killed himself, however I didn't know until this trip that I am supposed to have another uncle. Uncle Bill shot himself when I wasn't thought of, however I was right around the corner. From the small conversations I have had about this, he was a deep thinker, I'm sure affected by his fathers death at a young age. She shot himself in the stomach at the age of 17 in my parents house to die four hours later in the hospital. I'll never know why, I'm sure we will never know however there is a tough life out there and without support from others you never know what people will do...From this my Father lead a life of drugs and alcohol which caused my childhood not to be ideal, but again the only thing I can do is learn from this. I like to think I'll be a great husband and father from all the lessons I have learned, and I truly hope and pray EJ's the one, what a love story this would be! What a story this would be if given the right opportunities and gifts this could be an epic love story, and epic story of adventure and faith, an epic story of life being lived during what one could consider the second "Great Depression"...
Days that I have off the bike are the toughest. Why? Some may ask, but becuase my busy mind slows and I'm not sure where to direct my attention so I think, think, think!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Day 49: August 30th, 2010 (Route: Fairfax, CA to Santa Cruz, CA)
Day 49: August 30th, 2010 (Route: Fairfax, CA to Santa Cruz, CA)
Technical Data:
Distance Miles:
Ride Time:
Work, kJ:
Average Power, watts:
Normalized Power, watts:
Average Speed, mph:
Forecast - It's central California in August - what do you think?
Staying with the young family in Fairfax, CA was amazing! I don't think I really wanted to leave to be honest, the weather here is great everyday and the cycling community is like a plague within this small town north of San Fransisco! What a great place to grab a few days of rest...
Rolling out of there place a little later than expected I head up Bolinas Road, one of the best rides in the area that I have heard about for the last couple of days, I wanted to ride it without the BoB trailer, but getting a chance to ride it with BoB was well worth it! There was a lot of climbing, the road conditions could have been better, however it was great! I don't like getting "chicked" when riding, however there is no choice when pulling this BoB. I was cruising this morning and getting passed by lots of cyclist out on their Sunday morning ride!
Nothing like shooting up a 1,500 foot climb to wake the legs! The legs felt great today thought, and they should with 2.5 days off I was ready to rocket another 100+ miles and this climbing was perfect! I was getting passed on the climb and there were a lot guys complimenting on how strong I was and to unhitch the trailer! I even had one guy comment, "I always wondered how they got the pot out of this area? Now I know!" I thought right...
The climb was good, however a little more difficult then I wanted for the first 25 miles of the day, you take what you can get when your out on the road though. I even climbed up the Mountain (find out name later) a couple guys recommended and was able to see San Fransisco Bay and the Golden Gate in the far off distance, what a sight this was!
Descending was awefully nice after all that climbing and I was feeling really strong, however I loaded BoB a little heavy on the left side this morning and could feel him tugging to the left so I had to descend even slower than usual today. Once into San Fransisco I enjoyed all the scenery and snapped off a few photos of the bridge. Since I was running a little late now in the day since I took to many extra minutes thinking on top of the Peak and looking around I really needed to get out of the city! The weather was chilly and surreal to be honest! If I would have thought about it, I could have gotten up early and watch the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon this morning, but I slept in which I needed!
I'll have to make it back to San Fransisco some day as its beautiful with lots of culture and plenty to do I'm sure of that! I get a little claustorphobic in big cities like this though, I really enjoy my wide open spaces! Comes with being from Kansas where you have more space then people...
I did get lost in the city though, took a couple wrong turns that again delayed me from getting out of town! Finally out of the city I stop and hit up a subway as I was pretty hungry after all the climbing! I continue to ride down the coast thinking of all kinds of things, but mostly riding "mad" today! The conversation yesterday and this morning put me into a terrible mood that I just couldn't kick! I'm sure it will pass, however I'll just have to sit in the emotions today, riding mad isn't allowing me to enjoy the day!
Out onto the highway now and the fog has burnt off a little allowing me to see the coast which is nice! Again - still thinking about the conversation I continue to ride a little upset/mad which is good, however I would rather be riding relaxed mentally today! Talk about not getting into the moment, however I'm sure we all have those days...
Riding down the coast and enjoying the tail wind I start to calculate distance and time, as the sun doesn't appear its going to give me much to work with if I don't get a move on! Way too many stops today and the locals haven't been correct on the mileage from point to point so I'm working with lots more miles today then expected, however I told myself Santa Cruz before night fall so Santa Cruz it will be, sunshine or not!
I continue to push down the highway, talking to myself about riding and to just keep pedaling! Riding away from the sunset I have to stay on the throttle as I have no chance of making it into Santa Cruz before the sun goes down. The good thing was I got to enjoy another sunset!
Once into to Santa Cruz I hit up a grocery, Safeways are so nice with their 50-70% off rack! After picking up some groceries I ask directions to the Brighton Beach State Park and it appears no one knows where this is. Talking with four people the fourth finally pulls out a map and helps me out! Six miles away, I think great - six miles of night traffic with little light - I kept thinking I need to quit riding so long and make sure I'm in camp before dark. I wasn't really thinking much for safety today as I was pretty pissed off still from the conversation - I tried so hard to shake this however I needed something to shake the thoughts! Didn't work at all today - no phone calls either! I finally roll into camp and set up things!
When I rolled into a camp a sweet retired military lady chatted with me, she even gave me 4 quarters for the shower and some protein bars. She was so impressed with my story she felt obligated to help me out I think. She asked if I was military since I kept saying "Yes Maam" and I had to reply no, you forget I was born and raised in Kansas! She laughed and smiled...
The night was quiet except for the three/four raccoons that kept trying to find some food throughout the night. My bag must have smelled like something as they wouldn't leave me alone at all! I did forget to put things in the food boxes, I did in the middle of the night, then finally just put my bag in the shower across the street so I could get some sleep!
Technical Data:
Distance Miles:
Ride Time:
Work, kJ:
Average Power, watts:
Normalized Power, watts:
Average Speed, mph:
Forecast - It's central California in August - what do you think?
Staying with the young family in Fairfax, CA was amazing! I don't think I really wanted to leave to be honest, the weather here is great everyday and the cycling community is like a plague within this small town north of San Fransisco! What a great place to grab a few days of rest...
Rolling out of there place a little later than expected I head up Bolinas Road, one of the best rides in the area that I have heard about for the last couple of days, I wanted to ride it without the BoB trailer, but getting a chance to ride it with BoB was well worth it! There was a lot of climbing, the road conditions could have been better, however it was great! I don't like getting "chicked" when riding, however there is no choice when pulling this BoB. I was cruising this morning and getting passed by lots of cyclist out on their Sunday morning ride!
Nothing like shooting up a 1,500 foot climb to wake the legs! The legs felt great today thought, and they should with 2.5 days off I was ready to rocket another 100+ miles and this climbing was perfect! I was getting passed on the climb and there were a lot guys complimenting on how strong I was and to unhitch the trailer! I even had one guy comment, "I always wondered how they got the pot out of this area? Now I know!" I thought right...
The climb was good, however a little more difficult then I wanted for the first 25 miles of the day, you take what you can get when your out on the road though. I even climbed up the Mountain (find out name later) a couple guys recommended and was able to see San Fransisco Bay and the Golden Gate in the far off distance, what a sight this was!
Descending was awefully nice after all that climbing and I was feeling really strong, however I loaded BoB a little heavy on the left side this morning and could feel him tugging to the left so I had to descend even slower than usual today. Once into San Fransisco I enjoyed all the scenery and snapped off a few photos of the bridge. Since I was running a little late now in the day since I took to many extra minutes thinking on top of the Peak and looking around I really needed to get out of the city! The weather was chilly and surreal to be honest! If I would have thought about it, I could have gotten up early and watch the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon this morning, but I slept in which I needed!
I'll have to make it back to San Fransisco some day as its beautiful with lots of culture and plenty to do I'm sure of that! I get a little claustorphobic in big cities like this though, I really enjoy my wide open spaces! Comes with being from Kansas where you have more space then people...
I did get lost in the city though, took a couple wrong turns that again delayed me from getting out of town! Finally out of the city I stop and hit up a subway as I was pretty hungry after all the climbing! I continue to ride down the coast thinking of all kinds of things, but mostly riding "mad" today! The conversation yesterday and this morning put me into a terrible mood that I just couldn't kick! I'm sure it will pass, however I'll just have to sit in the emotions today, riding mad isn't allowing me to enjoy the day!
Out onto the highway now and the fog has burnt off a little allowing me to see the coast which is nice! Again - still thinking about the conversation I continue to ride a little upset/mad which is good, however I would rather be riding relaxed mentally today! Talk about not getting into the moment, however I'm sure we all have those days...
Riding down the coast and enjoying the tail wind I start to calculate distance and time, as the sun doesn't appear its going to give me much to work with if I don't get a move on! Way too many stops today and the locals haven't been correct on the mileage from point to point so I'm working with lots more miles today then expected, however I told myself Santa Cruz before night fall so Santa Cruz it will be, sunshine or not!
I continue to push down the highway, talking to myself about riding and to just keep pedaling! Riding away from the sunset I have to stay on the throttle as I have no chance of making it into Santa Cruz before the sun goes down. The good thing was I got to enjoy another sunset!
Once into to Santa Cruz I hit up a grocery, Safeways are so nice with their 50-70% off rack! After picking up some groceries I ask directions to the Brighton Beach State Park and it appears no one knows where this is. Talking with four people the fourth finally pulls out a map and helps me out! Six miles away, I think great - six miles of night traffic with little light - I kept thinking I need to quit riding so long and make sure I'm in camp before dark. I wasn't really thinking much for safety today as I was pretty pissed off still from the conversation - I tried so hard to shake this however I needed something to shake the thoughts! Didn't work at all today - no phone calls either! I finally roll into camp and set up things!
When I rolled into a camp a sweet retired military lady chatted with me, she even gave me 4 quarters for the shower and some protein bars. She was so impressed with my story she felt obligated to help me out I think. She asked if I was military since I kept saying "Yes Maam" and I had to reply no, you forget I was born and raised in Kansas! She laughed and smiled...
The night was quiet except for the three/four raccoons that kept trying to find some food throughout the night. My bag must have smelled like something as they wouldn't leave me alone at all! I did forget to put things in the food boxes, I did in the middle of the night, then finally just put my bag in the shower across the street so I could get some sleep!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Random Morning...
Last night I received a text from a friend that has read my last 4-5 blogs, after reading they felt the utmost concern for my heart so from here on out I don't plan on writing that much about my personal thoughts. I can contest this morning that all the moments on this trip are special, from receiving mail to all the people I have met, all are truly moments that will never be forgotten. I have no idea on where this journey will take me in life, that was the point of the journey to relinquish all control. Up to about an hour ago I had not read anything I had written, which I wish I still hadn't however the text conversation prompted me too, as their concern made me think, maybe over think...
So the plan going forward, I said plan! Isn't that having control??? I will not mention any names, or abbreviations as I don't want to offend someone that could read this. I don't like putting a governor on things however out of respect for people maybe I should. I don't know now...
The conversation was interesting and left me pretty upset and wanting to quit to be honest and to allaborate might upset someone so in that case maybe I shouldn't share anymore of my desires and wants...
Maybe I'm over thinking things and wanting things a little too much according to them, however thoughts are just that thoughts. With change being the only universal constant I'm not sure how to pursue forward, to share my deepest thoughts on what I would like to have, and again that is "what would like to have!" Everyone in this world desires things, whether that be love, material items or just a hug, capturing my thoughts in the moment on this blog may have upset them I really don't know!
Spending as much time out here on the road alone as I have is tough, somedays I don't know how I do it to be honest! Rest days when i walk around alone and see people together, laughing and having a good time! Yes, I desire this and maybe I'm jealous a little, however to completely be in the moment, how can one avoid those emotions? Are we kidding ourselves if we don't allow all emotions when they are present?
I don't know what to think now, I've had a couple of days off and to be honest I don't like them! Alone, with the body releasing toxins that are not countered by endorphins, just feel miserable... When I get to share moments with people like last weekend I really enjoyed it, maybe I wrote too much about them, I don't know but I do know that I had a great time with her last weekend. So in respect I'll leave it in the past and continue on letting God control things, asking for nothing and seeking nothing, though that is not what my heart desires. Maybe I've scared her off by mentioning how I feel...
The thoughts have entered into my mind of giving up, should I? I'm a fighter so I know I'll push on, however will I continue to share my thoughts, my feelings, my emotions? I used to blog my thoughts a long time ago until something I wrote came across hurtful, when it wasn't supposed too...
Maybe I should quit writing and just do the general blog of updating photos and a line of "I rode from A to B today and it was X" - I'm sure people would love to read that! However would my mind be clear of all the thoughts I have, I could always write and not publish the post - however that would be going against my desires to write it as Raw as possible...
So what do I do? Give up the search - many have asked what I'm searching for and I have written about this just haven't published it yet, I will soon though! I'll have to go back to my quote "be anxious for no things, but in all things give thanks" - so I'll stop my pursuit and see what happens. (Was this the advice my friend had for me?)
So for now, I'll leave it with I'm not sure where anything goes and I'll have to find some updrafts on the road as I feel really upset this morning and not wanting to ride. Maybe an updraft will come through today in an email, a text, a person I encounter as I need a few - 95% of the time I'm positive, very positive person, but I'm human so 5% I can come across negative - probably because I too am dealing with some difficult times...
I'm pushing off today from Fairfax, CA to LA and then catch that flight from San Diego - where will this journey take me next? I have some places I would like to end up, however again I will keep close to my heart as its my heart my friends are concerned about I'm pretty sure...
So the plan going forward, I said plan! Isn't that having control??? I will not mention any names, or abbreviations as I don't want to offend someone that could read this. I don't like putting a governor on things however out of respect for people maybe I should. I don't know now...
The conversation was interesting and left me pretty upset and wanting to quit to be honest and to allaborate might upset someone so in that case maybe I shouldn't share anymore of my desires and wants...
Maybe I'm over thinking things and wanting things a little too much according to them, however thoughts are just that thoughts. With change being the only universal constant I'm not sure how to pursue forward, to share my deepest thoughts on what I would like to have, and again that is "what would like to have!" Everyone in this world desires things, whether that be love, material items or just a hug, capturing my thoughts in the moment on this blog may have upset them I really don't know!
Spending as much time out here on the road alone as I have is tough, somedays I don't know how I do it to be honest! Rest days when i walk around alone and see people together, laughing and having a good time! Yes, I desire this and maybe I'm jealous a little, however to completely be in the moment, how can one avoid those emotions? Are we kidding ourselves if we don't allow all emotions when they are present?
I don't know what to think now, I've had a couple of days off and to be honest I don't like them! Alone, with the body releasing toxins that are not countered by endorphins, just feel miserable... When I get to share moments with people like last weekend I really enjoyed it, maybe I wrote too much about them, I don't know but I do know that I had a great time with her last weekend. So in respect I'll leave it in the past and continue on letting God control things, asking for nothing and seeking nothing, though that is not what my heart desires. Maybe I've scared her off by mentioning how I feel...
The thoughts have entered into my mind of giving up, should I? I'm a fighter so I know I'll push on, however will I continue to share my thoughts, my feelings, my emotions? I used to blog my thoughts a long time ago until something I wrote came across hurtful, when it wasn't supposed too...
Maybe I should quit writing and just do the general blog of updating photos and a line of "I rode from A to B today and it was X" - I'm sure people would love to read that! However would my mind be clear of all the thoughts I have, I could always write and not publish the post - however that would be going against my desires to write it as Raw as possible...
So what do I do? Give up the search - many have asked what I'm searching for and I have written about this just haven't published it yet, I will soon though! I'll have to go back to my quote "be anxious for no things, but in all things give thanks" - so I'll stop my pursuit and see what happens. (Was this the advice my friend had for me?)
So for now, I'll leave it with I'm not sure where anything goes and I'll have to find some updrafts on the road as I feel really upset this morning and not wanting to ride. Maybe an updraft will come through today in an email, a text, a person I encounter as I need a few - 95% of the time I'm positive, very positive person, but I'm human so 5% I can come across negative - probably because I too am dealing with some difficult times...
I'm pushing off today from Fairfax, CA to LA and then catch that flight from San Diego - where will this journey take me next? I have some places I would like to end up, however again I will keep close to my heart as its my heart my friends are concerned about I'm pretty sure...
Friday, August 27, 2010
Day 46: August 26th, 2010 (Route: Kit's place to Fairfax, CA)
Day 46: August 26th, 2010 (Route: Kit's place to Fairfax, CA)
Technical Data:
Distance, miles: 40.43
Ride Time: 3:05:41
Work, kJ: 1898
Average Speed, mph: 12.65
Average Power, watts: 165
Normalized Power, watts: 199
Forecast - Simply Amazing!
Slept in this morning close to 8:30 or so before everytone woke up in Kit's girlfriends place. I sure do wish I could remember names, maybe I should start writing them down! After spending a wonderful morning sharing stories and enjoying great company, eating bread and drinking lots of water! I decide to head out to Fairfax, CA for a couple of days. Kit's girl friends kids allowed me a place to crash for the night in Fairfax so I gladely accepted instead of hitting up the camp ground at Pt. Reyes...
Beautiful young family!!! I will definitely keep in touch with them...
I'm keeping this post short as I need some rest and relaxation and I'm going to begin that "Now"...
Technical Data:
Distance, miles: 40.43
Ride Time: 3:05:41
Work, kJ: 1898
Average Speed, mph: 12.65
Average Power, watts: 165
Normalized Power, watts: 199
Forecast - Simply Amazing!
Slept in this morning close to 8:30 or so before everytone woke up in Kit's girlfriends place. I sure do wish I could remember names, maybe I should start writing them down! After spending a wonderful morning sharing stories and enjoying great company, eating bread and drinking lots of water! I decide to head out to Fairfax, CA for a couple of days. Kit's girl friends kids allowed me a place to crash for the night in Fairfax so I gladely accepted instead of hitting up the camp ground at Pt. Reyes...
Beautiful young family!!! I will definitely keep in touch with them...
I'm keeping this post short as I need some rest and relaxation and I'm going to begin that "Now"...
Day 45: August 25th, 2010 (Route: Russian Gulch Campground, CA just sout of Fort Bragg, CA to Bodega Bay, CA)
Day 45: August 25th, 2010 (Route: Russian Gulch Campground, CA just sout of Fort Bragg, CA to Bodega Bay, CA)
Technical Data:
Distance, miles: 101.22
Ride Time: 7:58:42
Work, kJ: 5138
Average Power, watts: 178
Normalized Power, watts: 220
Average Speed, mph: 12.6
Forecast: Sunny and beautiful!
Waking up this morning was the hardest thing I have done in weeks! I just didn't want to get up, the blanket EJ bought me has been the best blessing since this journey has started I kept thinking when all snuggled up! I just didn't want to move, the legs are close to being shot and the motivation is starting to become tought to muster up! After rolling around in the tent, I decide to write a little before I get out of the tent, I had a letter that has been on my mind and I have to write it! I don't have an address on where it goes, however once I can get the thoughts out of the head the less I'll think about it! So I write it and then finish the rice crackers I bought the night before for breakfast. I know not a healthy one, however its what I have so it will have to do! So differnt then living in a house, were we take for granted that ice box down the hall in the kitchen!
Rolling out of the tent around 9:30 this morning, one of the latest days I have slept and I know things need to get rolling. Pack up the Bob and roll out as I needed to get on the road! The campsite was buzzing this morning, with a Park Ranger holding a Junior Ranger meeting first thing in the morning. I should have attended as this was something I never experienced as a kid! It was cute though as the kids were enjoying the Rangers talk and you could tell by the smiles that things were going great!
The climb out of the gulch first thing in the morning was not something the average cyclist wants to wake to after the last couple of days I have had, exspecially towing Mr. BoB. The campground was nice, however having to pay for a shower is a bummer! One would think for $35 dollars a night to throw a tent on State land would warrant a warm shower. The campsite was right off the 1 so getting back on route was so easy, rolled out and headed on my way. With little breakfast in my belly I knew I would have to focus on taking in the right nutrition along the way in order make sure I made it to Bodega Bay today. Adding up the miles I thought the ride was close to 75 miles, however as you can tell by the technical data I was way off, another indicator that my mental processor is in need for some rest!
Rolling down the coast now and enjoying every minute of it! The ocean breeze feels great and I'm really enjoying the ride. Suns high and I'm feeling surprisingly great! The terrain is great, rolling and not going to let down until I get to San Diego! I'm looking forward to the training today as I'm really looking forward to a couple days off which I plan in the San Fransisco area. Kit, my friend that I meet in Eastern Colorado plans on meeting me in Bodega Bay, I'm really looking for a hot shower the next couple of days.
Tons of thoughts going through my head along this stretch! The ocean waves breaking on the rocks and the beaches grabbed my attention throughout this entire ride today! Its growing on me, I kept thinking about EJ and how she so elagantly descrived the ocean when we went for out walk along the windy beach a few days ago, about its force and beauty! Thoughts of her come in and out all day and I can't wait to see her again, hopefully that time will come! The mind is all of ther place and starting to creep into a dark place along this first section of this ride, I was fading fast and the body was going with it! The power was fading, all because of the residual fatigue, the last four days of riding, the lack of proper nutrition and sleep. I'm sure hydration has a huge part of that as well.
I point my thoughts directed to the goal of Bodega Bay, however that felt like it was a million miles away! So as I thought about the shorter distances, 10 miles at a time today as the miles were not passing with ease! About 40 miles into the ride I have to stop at a grocery and do what I rarely do on a ride, however in order to get to my destination I was going to need a lot of help today! I went for the Starbucks caffeine today, I sometimes do this when I'm driving long distances if I'm fading for my safety. Well, I thought this a little more important and since I rarely take lage doses of caffeine, don't want to fall asleep on the bike as that wouldn't be safe...
I down the caffiene while talking with Ian, an extremely nice guy from the area while shopping in the small grocery store! We chat about my journey and the area a little bit, along with a little Lewis and Clark history. After talking with Ian I get back on the bike, just waiting for the caffeine to kick in and the little caffeine I added to the system. Few miles down the road and Ian pulls up next to me in his little white sports car and says he wants to give me a CD (music). Find out he's an artist in a band that produced the rock CD! We chat for a little bit and exchange information, looking forward to listening to the music! I had to share with him my sister and her music, now I can't wait to get to wi fi now...
Heading South now I roll out of the forested area where I had some pretty good climbing and roll out onto the coast, what a coast it is! Ian mentioned that this area is typically fogged in, however today that is not the case! I get blessed with some of the most beautiful Northern California coast I have experienced yet! Amazing...
The riding is easing and I'm enjoying life right now! The ride is where every cyclist with an opportunity to ride this section of coast should do so! The terrain is not easy either, I keep thinking flag down someone to drop this BoB down the coast 40 miles and I'll ride too it! That would not help with training but it sure would make the ride a little more enjoyable! I keep cruising and stopping to snap a few photos, however if I keep doing this I'll never to get to my destination!
Then it hits me, a 15-18% percent grade!!! I was able to ride it in my 39/26, however when at the top I was so thankful for it to be over! There was a guy hiking down the coast sitting at the top, I'm assuming he just hiked and said "That climbs a bitch isn't it!" I laugh and cruise on down the highway! Would have loved to chat with that guy, however I'm in need of some sleep and some rest there is no way I'm stopping! Enjoying the coast line I start feeling better, the calories have digested to usable energy and I'm feeling pretty alert! Such an altered state of mind when on caffeine for me, I can tell how alert I get and now I can understand why people need this to wake and how its a billion dollar industry!
Continuing my journey down the coast I roll up on the best riding I have experienced I kept thinking. I wonder how many times I have mentioned this on this trip when writing! So many great places to ride a bicycle with such a great view! The climbing continues and its not going to let up, the short steep climbs are continuing and riding out of the saddle is allowing me to get stronger. This riding was so much fun and I couldn't keep from smiling!
I think I could write on and on about this coast and the riding along it! All I can say is that I'll be back as I really want to ride this without BoB and with friends! I have so many cycling friends that would love this ride!!!!!
I finally arrive at Bodega Bay, CA after having a poor conversation with the next to no cell service out here on the Coast. Texting Kit where I am and when I'll be there, et cetera was such a pain to try and communicate out here. Along this stretch earlier in the day I had the greatest "Up Draft" a single man could have while out here on the road while riding and feeling like quiting for the day! EJ sent me a message this morning asking where I was and if I was safe. Talk about making my heart lift a million miles into the heavens! I keep thinking about here and hoping things realign so we can see each other again, until that time comes I'll continue to pray! The real bummer of it is though, I can't reply and I hate to allow her to worry as I'm safe and enjoying the day! I know she's safe as another email mentioned how much fun she is having with friends in San Fransisco, so elagantly put, described to allow a picture for me to view through my curious imagination I can share the moment with her!
Continuing on down the road I keep thinking of getting to Bodega Bay and shutting it down for the day! One more climb, after passing three cyclist at the base of the climb eating dinner I start the climb and think I have to be close! Up the hill and feeling good I roll right into Sonoma County Beach Coastal area where surfers are having fun and familys are about to blessed with one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever scene! What a view...hard to top the sunsets in Hawaii but this sure does come close! Putting in a hard days work and this for a reward, gotta love my life right now! I keep thinking about how this needs to continue, how I feel so alive and how I love it! Blessed is the only way to explain it...
Rolling down the coast, passed by the train of cyclist sitting at the store! I think this sucks, their traveling so lite and drafting, not a way to tour I keep thinking. The guy pulling is jamming out to his Ipod and I'm thinking again not away to do a coast to coast trip. He's missing out on all the things happening around him, I love music but listening to the sounds of the ocean the last couple of weeks along this NW coast has been amazing and worth not bringing the tunes! I do miss them though as they really bring me down to earth when I'm deep in tought. With about five miles to go before I hit the Bay I think, empty the tank with any energy left, you have a couple days of rest coming up so I put the hammer down and pass the group of three never to see them again. Okay, I'm a little competitive and I'm enjoying this so why not!
I roll into the bay and head to a store where I can charge my phone that has now died, I figure I can connect with Kit and hope he hasn't left the area since he had dinner plans at 7PM. I figure I could be waiting for a while since I wasn't able to text back over the last 50 miles or so. After collecting enough electrons to power the radio in my phone I call and luck has it, he is across the street having dinner with his family. I think how wonderful! A family dinner to send his son off to school! I head over to meet Kit to throw my things in his truck, then I relax while they have their family dinner eating a little and trying to get some calories into my system...
After dinner, Kit invites me over for coffee and I'm able to meet his family and down some remaining desserts they didn't finish off! I figure I'll take as many free calories as I can at this point! His family was great! Ex-wife, daughter, son, sons girlfriend, and grandfather. It was great to chat with them for a little bit, then we headed out. The entire familiy was extremely tall, son was 6'7+ or so! Every one made me feel so short! Heading out Kit and I chat about the journey's we have had and share all kinds of stories!
We head back and I'm tired so I try and crash as soon as possible, showere, little more food and then to bed! Nice to be inside a house, on a couch, and not taking for granted of the little things that God has blessed me with today!
Technical Data:
Distance, miles: 101.22
Ride Time: 7:58:42
Work, kJ: 5138
Average Power, watts: 178
Normalized Power, watts: 220
Average Speed, mph: 12.6
Forecast: Sunny and beautiful!
Waking up this morning was the hardest thing I have done in weeks! I just didn't want to get up, the blanket EJ bought me has been the best blessing since this journey has started I kept thinking when all snuggled up! I just didn't want to move, the legs are close to being shot and the motivation is starting to become tought to muster up! After rolling around in the tent, I decide to write a little before I get out of the tent, I had a letter that has been on my mind and I have to write it! I don't have an address on where it goes, however once I can get the thoughts out of the head the less I'll think about it! So I write it and then finish the rice crackers I bought the night before for breakfast. I know not a healthy one, however its what I have so it will have to do! So differnt then living in a house, were we take for granted that ice box down the hall in the kitchen!
Rolling out of the tent around 9:30 this morning, one of the latest days I have slept and I know things need to get rolling. Pack up the Bob and roll out as I needed to get on the road! The campsite was buzzing this morning, with a Park Ranger holding a Junior Ranger meeting first thing in the morning. I should have attended as this was something I never experienced as a kid! It was cute though as the kids were enjoying the Rangers talk and you could tell by the smiles that things were going great!
The climb out of the gulch first thing in the morning was not something the average cyclist wants to wake to after the last couple of days I have had, exspecially towing Mr. BoB. The campground was nice, however having to pay for a shower is a bummer! One would think for $35 dollars a night to throw a tent on State land would warrant a warm shower. The campsite was right off the 1 so getting back on route was so easy, rolled out and headed on my way. With little breakfast in my belly I knew I would have to focus on taking in the right nutrition along the way in order make sure I made it to Bodega Bay today. Adding up the miles I thought the ride was close to 75 miles, however as you can tell by the technical data I was way off, another indicator that my mental processor is in need for some rest!
Rolling down the coast now and enjoying every minute of it! The ocean breeze feels great and I'm really enjoying the ride. Suns high and I'm feeling surprisingly great! The terrain is great, rolling and not going to let down until I get to San Diego! I'm looking forward to the training today as I'm really looking forward to a couple days off which I plan in the San Fransisco area. Kit, my friend that I meet in Eastern Colorado plans on meeting me in Bodega Bay, I'm really looking for a hot shower the next couple of days.
Tons of thoughts going through my head along this stretch! The ocean waves breaking on the rocks and the beaches grabbed my attention throughout this entire ride today! Its growing on me, I kept thinking about EJ and how she so elagantly descrived the ocean when we went for out walk along the windy beach a few days ago, about its force and beauty! Thoughts of her come in and out all day and I can't wait to see her again, hopefully that time will come! The mind is all of ther place and starting to creep into a dark place along this first section of this ride, I was fading fast and the body was going with it! The power was fading, all because of the residual fatigue, the last four days of riding, the lack of proper nutrition and sleep. I'm sure hydration has a huge part of that as well.
I point my thoughts directed to the goal of Bodega Bay, however that felt like it was a million miles away! So as I thought about the shorter distances, 10 miles at a time today as the miles were not passing with ease! About 40 miles into the ride I have to stop at a grocery and do what I rarely do on a ride, however in order to get to my destination I was going to need a lot of help today! I went for the Starbucks caffeine today, I sometimes do this when I'm driving long distances if I'm fading for my safety. Well, I thought this a little more important and since I rarely take lage doses of caffeine, don't want to fall asleep on the bike as that wouldn't be safe...
I down the caffiene while talking with Ian, an extremely nice guy from the area while shopping in the small grocery store! We chat about my journey and the area a little bit, along with a little Lewis and Clark history. After talking with Ian I get back on the bike, just waiting for the caffeine to kick in and the little caffeine I added to the system. Few miles down the road and Ian pulls up next to me in his little white sports car and says he wants to give me a CD (music). Find out he's an artist in a band that produced the rock CD! We chat for a little bit and exchange information, looking forward to listening to the music! I had to share with him my sister and her music, now I can't wait to get to wi fi now...
Heading South now I roll out of the forested area where I had some pretty good climbing and roll out onto the coast, what a coast it is! Ian mentioned that this area is typically fogged in, however today that is not the case! I get blessed with some of the most beautiful Northern California coast I have experienced yet! Amazing...
The riding is easing and I'm enjoying life right now! The ride is where every cyclist with an opportunity to ride this section of coast should do so! The terrain is not easy either, I keep thinking flag down someone to drop this BoB down the coast 40 miles and I'll ride too it! That would not help with training but it sure would make the ride a little more enjoyable! I keep cruising and stopping to snap a few photos, however if I keep doing this I'll never to get to my destination!
Then it hits me, a 15-18% percent grade!!! I was able to ride it in my 39/26, however when at the top I was so thankful for it to be over! There was a guy hiking down the coast sitting at the top, I'm assuming he just hiked and said "That climbs a bitch isn't it!" I laugh and cruise on down the highway! Would have loved to chat with that guy, however I'm in need of some sleep and some rest there is no way I'm stopping! Enjoying the coast line I start feeling better, the calories have digested to usable energy and I'm feeling pretty alert! Such an altered state of mind when on caffeine for me, I can tell how alert I get and now I can understand why people need this to wake and how its a billion dollar industry!
Continuing my journey down the coast I roll up on the best riding I have experienced I kept thinking. I wonder how many times I have mentioned this on this trip when writing! So many great places to ride a bicycle with such a great view! The climbing continues and its not going to let up, the short steep climbs are continuing and riding out of the saddle is allowing me to get stronger. This riding was so much fun and I couldn't keep from smiling!
I think I could write on and on about this coast and the riding along it! All I can say is that I'll be back as I really want to ride this without BoB and with friends! I have so many cycling friends that would love this ride!!!!!
I finally arrive at Bodega Bay, CA after having a poor conversation with the next to no cell service out here on the Coast. Texting Kit where I am and when I'll be there, et cetera was such a pain to try and communicate out here. Along this stretch earlier in the day I had the greatest "Up Draft" a single man could have while out here on the road while riding and feeling like quiting for the day! EJ sent me a message this morning asking where I was and if I was safe. Talk about making my heart lift a million miles into the heavens! I keep thinking about here and hoping things realign so we can see each other again, until that time comes I'll continue to pray! The real bummer of it is though, I can't reply and I hate to allow her to worry as I'm safe and enjoying the day! I know she's safe as another email mentioned how much fun she is having with friends in San Fransisco, so elagantly put, described to allow a picture for me to view through my curious imagination I can share the moment with her!
Continuing on down the road I keep thinking of getting to Bodega Bay and shutting it down for the day! One more climb, after passing three cyclist at the base of the climb eating dinner I start the climb and think I have to be close! Up the hill and feeling good I roll right into Sonoma County Beach Coastal area where surfers are having fun and familys are about to blessed with one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever scene! What a view...hard to top the sunsets in Hawaii but this sure does come close! Putting in a hard days work and this for a reward, gotta love my life right now! I keep thinking about how this needs to continue, how I feel so alive and how I love it! Blessed is the only way to explain it...
Rolling down the coast, passed by the train of cyclist sitting at the store! I think this sucks, their traveling so lite and drafting, not a way to tour I keep thinking. The guy pulling is jamming out to his Ipod and I'm thinking again not away to do a coast to coast trip. He's missing out on all the things happening around him, I love music but listening to the sounds of the ocean the last couple of weeks along this NW coast has been amazing and worth not bringing the tunes! I do miss them though as they really bring me down to earth when I'm deep in tought. With about five miles to go before I hit the Bay I think, empty the tank with any energy left, you have a couple days of rest coming up so I put the hammer down and pass the group of three never to see them again. Okay, I'm a little competitive and I'm enjoying this so why not!
I roll into the bay and head to a store where I can charge my phone that has now died, I figure I can connect with Kit and hope he hasn't left the area since he had dinner plans at 7PM. I figure I could be waiting for a while since I wasn't able to text back over the last 50 miles or so. After collecting enough electrons to power the radio in my phone I call and luck has it, he is across the street having dinner with his family. I think how wonderful! A family dinner to send his son off to school! I head over to meet Kit to throw my things in his truck, then I relax while they have their family dinner eating a little and trying to get some calories into my system...
After dinner, Kit invites me over for coffee and I'm able to meet his family and down some remaining desserts they didn't finish off! I figure I'll take as many free calories as I can at this point! His family was great! Ex-wife, daughter, son, sons girlfriend, and grandfather. It was great to chat with them for a little bit, then we headed out. The entire familiy was extremely tall, son was 6'7+ or so! Every one made me feel so short! Heading out Kit and I chat about the journey's we have had and share all kinds of stories!
We head back and I'm tired so I try and crash as soon as possible, showere, little more food and then to bed! Nice to be inside a house, on a couch, and not taking for granted of the little things that God has blessed me with today!
Day 44: August 24th, 2010 (Route: Humbolt Redwoods, CA to Russian Gulch State Park, CA)
Day 44: August 24th, 2010 (Route: Humbolt Redwoods, CA to Russian Gulch State Park, CA)
Technical Data:
Distance, miles: 102.07
Ride Time 7:45:18
Work, kJ: 4900
Average Power, watts: 174
Normalized Power, watts: 211
Average Speed, mph: 13.03
Up early after talking with Carl from LA late last night, I pack quick and got off to ride. I wanted to try and cover some mileage today after yesterday. I was four miles away from the neartest place to grab some food, I roll into this small little town to grab something for breakfast and nothing. The store was closed so I rolled 10 miles down to the next little town and see a little cafe and think what the heck. Yesterday I was smashed from the two previous days along with the short day so I head into the cafe thinking I can score some pancakes or something.
Enter the cafe in cycling gear and the looks come as they always do! I have a seat and notice a nice family in the corner waiting for their food. Talk with them for a little while, from Seattle heading back up the coast. Father, Wife and son and I could tell they were a great little family. I wish I could remember names, however after riding for 100 miles or so you can't really remember all the details. I can remember he was in the Internet Biz, she was a massage therapist, Conner the son was 15 and enjoyed baseball and was about to start lacrosse this year. I enjoyed talking with them and shared my blog and contact information. Hope they'll keep in touch as I have met so many great people on this trip! They head out and I still have a large plate of buckwheat pancakes to down. I finish them up and sit there waiting on the check but nothing, I thought what's going on? This is usually the waitress favorite thing, chance to empty a table and collect a tip. I decide to just get up and go to the register and she say's that nice family picked up your breakfast. I thought "What", I had no idea, I left a tip and headed outside and just began to fill with emotions of being blessed, I'll have to admit I'm a bit of a cryer, I sat there for about 5-10 minutes just sitting in my emotions, thinking of how blessed I am as when I'm in need of something God has provided it. I hope I can repay this family someday soon as they were extremely kind with a lot of vibrant! I could also tell there was little competitive nature in this family too which is always great to see, makes things interesting!
Rolling out of the cafe I see the last of the Redwoods and think about how old they are, along with their beauty! I remember leaving Missouri and a guy said, You have to see the Redwoods, they've been around since Jesus was walking the earth. They sure do have this unexplainable beauty to them! When it comes to a higher power I like to use the word unexplainable I have noticed lately, however when things just happen like they have been happening it truly is unexplainable. Feeling pretty good now that I have a belly full of a ham n' cheese oamlet, potatoes, toast, and three giant buckwheat pancakes I dial in the mental training! I kept thinking along this section just pace it, your feeling pretty good, don't light anything up that you're going to pay for later. I know from looking at a topo map a couple weeks back that I'm going to have about a 2,500 foot climb and it's potentially right in the middle of the ride so I really want to be dialed in mentally today, and I was! The rest yesterday did help the mental side of things and allowed the legs to get a little rested. The XS drink the guy gave me at the store helped too, I wonder how much caffeine is in those things, as the lactate wasn't burning, thinking the intensity was low, however it wasn't. Maybe there is something to the amount of B12 that's in those drinks.
Lately I have noticed my diet as been a "See All and Eat All" diet, meaning anything that has to do deal with a calorie, its fair game! From donuts, to cookies, to chips, to anything really! How I'm eating the American Diet on this trip and it has finally caught up to me, I feel like shit to be honest. I don't think I have cused in this blog, however that's how I feel. I feel gross, my skin doens't look its best and my stomach has been churning and I just feel like I'm stuck in this fog mentally. Another reason why I decided to stick with the breakfast this morning of real food! I need to eat better I keep thinking and I'm planning on making the switch today for sure! The roads are great on this section of the 101 and I'm really enjoying the ride! Short power climbs, mixed with sustained longer climbs at a lower percent grade!
Mind is all over the place, to wondering off into the forest thinking I really want to see some wildlife, to wondering what' its like in the city of San Fransisco with all that hustle and bustle of the city life. Wondering what EJ is up to? Wondering if I should be back for my Uncle Bills Memorial (I plan on writing a lot about this soon so stay tuned). From what my precious four neices are doing! To how I'm always away when my Mom is moving, I guess I'm pretty lucky on this as I don't have to help move, however i do feel guilty!
Lots of climbing and I'm enjoying all of it, the legs have definitely moved into another arena of fitness and I can feel it. Power is feeling easier in the 330 range for a long time and the power (normalized power) has been significantly higher, I'm pretty sure some of that is due to me standing on a lot of these climbs, however if I want to get up them I have too! Some of the pitches I have seen won't allow me to sit with the 12/26 I'm running. Still climbing and enjoying life today, thinking about all the great blessings the Lord has provided on this trip! What a day....
I approach a sign that says Legette (sp), CA and after climbing I think this can't be all the climbing up to the city I thought had the huge climb. I've been climbing a long time but nothing with switch backs or anything that closely represents a long sustained 2,500 foot climb. Before I hit the city I take a sharp right onto California Highway 1 which I'll be on most of the route down the coast to San Diego. I notice a sign about a tree you can drive through and some grocery stores, so I think I'll swing over and see this tree and refill my bottles. No go on the tree as it was down a dirt road and a little out of the way, odds are their going to charge to drive through it anyways from the stories I have heard, so I back tracked to the pizza shop to grab some water. I talk with a few guys in there, all they had to stay was "Man is it hot out there!" Refueled and headed out.
Back on the road the climb I thought i had done was now standing right before me and what a climb it was! So much fun, I felt so strong and I pretty much stood the whole climb with a few rest, driving and driving as if I was racing, but with a sustained effort, nothing out of the ordinary! I was loving the terrain and loving the views, though mostly trees I was really enjoying the moments on this ride! I kept thinking, man what can I do on this climb without this trailer, could I climb it extremely fast or would I be average. Can't wait to see exactly see what its going to be like to climb without my companion BoB.
Once up the climb a beautiful decent and then another climb! I'm loving it and yes with my mastikistic mind I'm loving every minute of it! I keep climbing and decending until I roll out into an awesome ocean view, what a view!!! The odometers reading close to 90 miles and I'm sure to hit another 100 today as that's the goal over the next few days or riding, to just put int he miles and see where I end up!
Feeling great I roll into town (not sure of the name as I'm drawling a blank) but I'm hungry and I know there are State Park camp grounds on the other side so I stop and grab some groceries and some more post cards. Then I'm thinking I want to eat some healthy food then I make the mistake of hitting up this all you can eat buffet (Chinese) and I'm glad I did! The food was great and for the price I'm really sure I got my fair share! They had sushi, rice and unbreaded chicken, fuits and tons of vegetables. I figured what the heck today! I also took the time to plug in the phone to grab some electrons! After eating and writing a little I head to the Russin Gulch Campground where I planned on crashing for the night based on the destination I wanted to travel.
Rolling down to the Gulch I'm blessed with an amazing sunset! The sun has been shining like the Florida Sunshine for days now and I'm loving it! The word is that most of these bay towns are all fogged in most of the time! I'm one lucky cyclist I guess...
Rolling into the Gulch I take care of registration and head to this field the ranger told me about, down a steep incline I roll right into camp, set up and try and write however I'm tried and ready to go to bed! I fall asleep pretty quick which wasn't a good idea as I had to use the bathroom before going to bed! (well I should have) To sleep I fall, and with all this random food I dream like crazy tonight! Not bad crazy just a sleugh of random things, from playing baseball, to watching a movie, to watlking on the beach with a beautiful girl.
Falling asleep lately has been a breeze, however last night I couldn't sleep and actually woke up to write some more, I haven't had a day like that in a while, very strange too...
Technical Data:
Distance, miles: 102.07
Ride Time 7:45:18
Work, kJ: 4900
Average Power, watts: 174
Normalized Power, watts: 211
Average Speed, mph: 13.03
Up early after talking with Carl from LA late last night, I pack quick and got off to ride. I wanted to try and cover some mileage today after yesterday. I was four miles away from the neartest place to grab some food, I roll into this small little town to grab something for breakfast and nothing. The store was closed so I rolled 10 miles down to the next little town and see a little cafe and think what the heck. Yesterday I was smashed from the two previous days along with the short day so I head into the cafe thinking I can score some pancakes or something.
Enter the cafe in cycling gear and the looks come as they always do! I have a seat and notice a nice family in the corner waiting for their food. Talk with them for a little while, from Seattle heading back up the coast. Father, Wife and son and I could tell they were a great little family. I wish I could remember names, however after riding for 100 miles or so you can't really remember all the details. I can remember he was in the Internet Biz, she was a massage therapist, Conner the son was 15 and enjoyed baseball and was about to start lacrosse this year. I enjoyed talking with them and shared my blog and contact information. Hope they'll keep in touch as I have met so many great people on this trip! They head out and I still have a large plate of buckwheat pancakes to down. I finish them up and sit there waiting on the check but nothing, I thought what's going on? This is usually the waitress favorite thing, chance to empty a table and collect a tip. I decide to just get up and go to the register and she say's that nice family picked up your breakfast. I thought "What", I had no idea, I left a tip and headed outside and just began to fill with emotions of being blessed, I'll have to admit I'm a bit of a cryer, I sat there for about 5-10 minutes just sitting in my emotions, thinking of how blessed I am as when I'm in need of something God has provided it. I hope I can repay this family someday soon as they were extremely kind with a lot of vibrant! I could also tell there was little competitive nature in this family too which is always great to see, makes things interesting!
Rolling out of the cafe I see the last of the Redwoods and think about how old they are, along with their beauty! I remember leaving Missouri and a guy said, You have to see the Redwoods, they've been around since Jesus was walking the earth. They sure do have this unexplainable beauty to them! When it comes to a higher power I like to use the word unexplainable I have noticed lately, however when things just happen like they have been happening it truly is unexplainable. Feeling pretty good now that I have a belly full of a ham n' cheese oamlet, potatoes, toast, and three giant buckwheat pancakes I dial in the mental training! I kept thinking along this section just pace it, your feeling pretty good, don't light anything up that you're going to pay for later. I know from looking at a topo map a couple weeks back that I'm going to have about a 2,500 foot climb and it's potentially right in the middle of the ride so I really want to be dialed in mentally today, and I was! The rest yesterday did help the mental side of things and allowed the legs to get a little rested. The XS drink the guy gave me at the store helped too, I wonder how much caffeine is in those things, as the lactate wasn't burning, thinking the intensity was low, however it wasn't. Maybe there is something to the amount of B12 that's in those drinks.
Lately I have noticed my diet as been a "See All and Eat All" diet, meaning anything that has to do deal with a calorie, its fair game! From donuts, to cookies, to chips, to anything really! How I'm eating the American Diet on this trip and it has finally caught up to me, I feel like shit to be honest. I don't think I have cused in this blog, however that's how I feel. I feel gross, my skin doens't look its best and my stomach has been churning and I just feel like I'm stuck in this fog mentally. Another reason why I decided to stick with the breakfast this morning of real food! I need to eat better I keep thinking and I'm planning on making the switch today for sure! The roads are great on this section of the 101 and I'm really enjoying the ride! Short power climbs, mixed with sustained longer climbs at a lower percent grade!
Mind is all over the place, to wondering off into the forest thinking I really want to see some wildlife, to wondering what' its like in the city of San Fransisco with all that hustle and bustle of the city life. Wondering what EJ is up to? Wondering if I should be back for my Uncle Bills Memorial (I plan on writing a lot about this soon so stay tuned). From what my precious four neices are doing! To how I'm always away when my Mom is moving, I guess I'm pretty lucky on this as I don't have to help move, however i do feel guilty!
Lots of climbing and I'm enjoying all of it, the legs have definitely moved into another arena of fitness and I can feel it. Power is feeling easier in the 330 range for a long time and the power (normalized power) has been significantly higher, I'm pretty sure some of that is due to me standing on a lot of these climbs, however if I want to get up them I have too! Some of the pitches I have seen won't allow me to sit with the 12/26 I'm running. Still climbing and enjoying life today, thinking about all the great blessings the Lord has provided on this trip! What a day....
I approach a sign that says Legette (sp), CA and after climbing I think this can't be all the climbing up to the city I thought had the huge climb. I've been climbing a long time but nothing with switch backs or anything that closely represents a long sustained 2,500 foot climb. Before I hit the city I take a sharp right onto California Highway 1 which I'll be on most of the route down the coast to San Diego. I notice a sign about a tree you can drive through and some grocery stores, so I think I'll swing over and see this tree and refill my bottles. No go on the tree as it was down a dirt road and a little out of the way, odds are their going to charge to drive through it anyways from the stories I have heard, so I back tracked to the pizza shop to grab some water. I talk with a few guys in there, all they had to stay was "Man is it hot out there!" Refueled and headed out.
Back on the road the climb I thought i had done was now standing right before me and what a climb it was! So much fun, I felt so strong and I pretty much stood the whole climb with a few rest, driving and driving as if I was racing, but with a sustained effort, nothing out of the ordinary! I was loving the terrain and loving the views, though mostly trees I was really enjoying the moments on this ride! I kept thinking, man what can I do on this climb without this trailer, could I climb it extremely fast or would I be average. Can't wait to see exactly see what its going to be like to climb without my companion BoB.
Once up the climb a beautiful decent and then another climb! I'm loving it and yes with my mastikistic mind I'm loving every minute of it! I keep climbing and decending until I roll out into an awesome ocean view, what a view!!! The odometers reading close to 90 miles and I'm sure to hit another 100 today as that's the goal over the next few days or riding, to just put int he miles and see where I end up!
Feeling great I roll into town (not sure of the name as I'm drawling a blank) but I'm hungry and I know there are State Park camp grounds on the other side so I stop and grab some groceries and some more post cards. Then I'm thinking I want to eat some healthy food then I make the mistake of hitting up this all you can eat buffet (Chinese) and I'm glad I did! The food was great and for the price I'm really sure I got my fair share! They had sushi, rice and unbreaded chicken, fuits and tons of vegetables. I figured what the heck today! I also took the time to plug in the phone to grab some electrons! After eating and writing a little I head to the Russin Gulch Campground where I planned on crashing for the night based on the destination I wanted to travel.
Rolling down to the Gulch I'm blessed with an amazing sunset! The sun has been shining like the Florida Sunshine for days now and I'm loving it! The word is that most of these bay towns are all fogged in most of the time! I'm one lucky cyclist I guess...
Rolling into the Gulch I take care of registration and head to this field the ranger told me about, down a steep incline I roll right into camp, set up and try and write however I'm tried and ready to go to bed! I fall asleep pretty quick which wasn't a good idea as I had to use the bathroom before going to bed! (well I should have) To sleep I fall, and with all this random food I dream like crazy tonight! Not bad crazy just a sleugh of random things, from playing baseball, to watching a movie, to watlking on the beach with a beautiful girl.
Falling asleep lately has been a breeze, however last night I couldn't sleep and actually woke up to write some more, I haven't had a day like that in a while, very strange too...
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Day 43: August 23, 2010 (Route: Eureka, CA to Humboldt Redwoods)
Day 43: August 23, 2010 (Route: Eureka, CA to Humboldt Redwoods)
Technical Data:
Distance, miles 55.25
Ride Time 3:43:20
Work, kJ: 2203
Average Power, watts: 162
Normalized Power, watts: 186
Average Speed, mph: 14.6
Rolling over in the tent this morning I was wishing I was rolling over in a nice soft bed! O' how I have missed my bed on this journey of mine, the therma-rest I have been using is one from 2003 that has a slow leak, I still haven't been able to locate the leak as everytime I'm around a bathtub I don't think of it! So every two hours I have to air it back up. One would think that I would have this figured out by day 43, however I don't have the spare funds to buy a new one so I'll just have to deal with it. It's not that bad to be honest, however some nights the leak isn't slow and I'm sleeping on the ground the entire night, just becuase I'm too tired to air it back up. Some long days the last couple of days so my bed or even a bed in a spare bedroom somewhere would be great! The blanket EJ bought me is great I do have to admit! Thanks again EJ and I think I'll mail it back when this journey is up, well I'll think about it!
The tent was soaked this morning, I heard that Eureka was like the Oregon coast, always trapped in this fog. I must have lucked out though, as the night was calm and the moon was so bright. The clerks at the KOA mention last night was the first night they have seen the moon in months. The next morning was gorgous! The sun was bright and warm, I have been thinking about that California sunshine and finally its here! Not motivated to get on the bike I head to grab a bite to eat and charge up my pc and phone. You can find electrons everywhere in this country! Hotels, campground bathrooms, coffee shops, et cetera. I have scene a lot of cyclist with solar panels which is nice to have I'm sure, however I planned a whole two days and only planned on taking what I currenly had or could borrow.
I took the morning and wrote, filled out another postcard and sat thinking how tired I am! 280 miles in the last two days is a new record for me and trust me it hurt, I'm feeling it this morning!!! The tent was soaked on the inside and out so I wanted to wait for it to dry before pushing off this morning, which I didn't mind because when I climbed the ramp at the KOA I didn't like what I felt! The quads are trashed!!! I pack up BoB for what I could while I wanted on the glorious sunshine to dry the small beads of water up from my tent and towel, its been a couple of days since I've had a dry towel and this sun should do the trick. I head back and sit with my things inside the little gameroom at the KOA. They had a Mrs. Pac Man game here, but I was extremely disappointed as it was the slow version and I can't stand the slow version. They also had a Whirlwind pin ball game I used to play at the FastTrip next to the house in Parsons I grew up in. Again it had problems though so I didn't waste my time. I wrote and checked emails and did a little research on employment opportunities. I have to start thinking about this as my journey is nearing and end, which means I'll need to get back to work. Which I feel I'm ready for!
Thoughts were all over the place this morning! Thinking about what the legs are going to feel like once on the road. Will it be a head wind like yesterday or will I have that nice tail wind they have talked about on the coast? Will it take me long to find employment when I am have finished up this trip? What will I do? Will I go back to school? Will someone have helped me find work while I'm on the road? Will I go back to Oregon in pursuit of EJ? Will she want me too? Will I take a job in a foreign country? Truly the thoughts are all over the place this morning? I was supposed to race Ironman Kentucky in eight days from now, however I tore my shoulder so I'm not going to be able to. Would I have qualified for Kona this time around? Will I ever race Ironman again? The change that is taking place within me is liberating and I'm embracing it the best I know how, even though it can be tough! Maturing and learning so much about myself and life in general along with all the Amerian people!
Sitting in the game room I watch a few young boys play with the board games in the room. You could tell they were swimming a little while ago, running around bare foot with wet hair, I remember those days! Days when I would go to the swimming pool and just hang out all day, then walk home through the park and up four blocks to the house on Broadway in little Parsons, Kansas. Small towns are great and I miss that atmosphere, crazy how it was only 5-6 weeks ago and I was in Kansas riding through these little towns and bringing back memories of my childhood! Precious moments that will never be forgotten. I remember how I was adventurous as much then as I am now! I would ride my bike all over that little town.
i check the tent a few times throughout the morning, grab a shower and pack up the rest of BoB's contents and hit the road, I get out of there really late. Close to 11 AM and I'm supposed to ride 100 or so depending on how the body feels after the last couple of days. Still no word from EJ about hanging out in San Fran so I'll try and pedal as much as I can before I shut it down, maybe I'll make it before she leaves, maybe I won't. In all reality I put out a suggestion and I'm not sure she'll even want to hang out or have the time. I do hope she would like to, however I'm not sure how she feels. I know how i feel but I wonder what she thought of me...
Four miles north of Eureka I toll out onto the highway, the sun is shining bright, sky is o' so blue and the cool breeze blowing in from the ocean feels great. I'm still going to rock a jacket today, I get cold way to easy and on downhills the chill can cut right through me so better be safe than sorry. Rolling into Eureka I take the alternate route along the ports and just take in the sights. About half way through Eureka I notice the trailer is really shifting more than usual so I stop and check the skewer I purchased as the original needed replaced. The skewer had worked itself loose enough to cause the rear wheel to come loose. I tightened it and when putting the trailer back on a guy walking by asked if I needed a third hand, I greatly accepted as I find it difficult to mount the trailer when BoB is loaded. The load I am running is significanly lighter now all the food is gone and the nutrition product i have been carrying is dwindling.
I decide to check my phone while stopped and there has been a flood of emails regarding the Tulsa Triathlon changes, I stopped and read them all just to get a feel of what's going on with the small community I used to live in. Then I see that EJ has emailed, and the verdict was not what I was hoping for. No time available when in San Fransisco, this kinda bummed me out for a little bit, then I thought if I was working the odds are I wouldn't have time either so no worries. Not to mention the odds of me getting to San Fran by Wednesday night are pretty slim, however I do think I have a chance but its more than likely I'll land there on Thursday when she would be departing. Hopefully I can see here again someday, it was a short email, however short email is better than no email in my mind. Back to the road and no need to hammer it to San Fran now, I did leave an option there though just in case she did have time. So my motivation to push on today has kinda been lost in the moment. I put it back into cruise mode.
Everything happens for a reason I'm sure of it, and to be honest if I would have pushed to get to San Fran by Wednesday I would have been toast. So since I'm coaching myself I stopped and looked at the scenario of my riding over the last two days and took an assessment on my thoughts. It's so easy to listen to a coach when training on when to rest, its really hard to self coach as you always think you can do it all when in reality you can't! I needed to rest today, more than I wanted to so I decided to ride until I found a campground that looked good and shut it down for the day. The game plan was then to sleep, and sleep, and sleep some more!
Rolling out of Eureka I climb, then descend, and climb some more. These climbs are not huge just a lot of rolling terrain! I know I have about 40 miles until I drop into the "Avenue of the Giants" the Humbolt Redwood Forest that is supposed to be gorgous! The ride to the Avenue was fast, I wasn't really pushing it, my legs just felt better than I thought I guess. I did have a nice tail wind though!
Thoughts were still all over the place at this point in the ride. Then I check my phone while stopped in Del Rio (I think that was the name of the small town) and see a couple emails about my friend Jane has relapsed... A flood of emotions hit me when I read this, thoughts of quitting and getting back home to visit her. I was away on my first solo vacation when I lost Carla and I dind't want to be away if Jane should pass. Jane has been a wonderful friend of mine since I moved to Tulsa since 2006 and she is such an inspiration of "fight"! She's a fighter and won't give up on life, loves to travel and just enjoys life so much! I'm a bit of a cryer, this was the first time on the trip I cried, I don't want to loose another friend to cancer! To be honest I don't want to loose any more friends to anything to be honest! Jane if your reading this "Hang in there! You can beat this!!!" I miss you and will see you soon...
I think cancer, lime disease, heart disease, MS, and all the other diseases that have affected the ones I love need to go! I'm a pretty emotional person when it comes to my friends! I've fought for my friends on the ball field and rarely think about fighting when it comes to people insulting me or even tempting me, however when it comes to my friends and the people I love forget about it. I'll do about anything for the people I love!!! I know this may sound odd, as I really don't consider myself a fighter but when it comes to protecting those I care about I can have a quick temper! I'm sure others are like this too when it comes to people that mean so much to you...
Since I'm writing this after my ride. I really should pray for all of those people I know are battling for there lives. I'm going to take a moment of silence for the following:
Matt H., Jane E., Marilyn A., David B., Bryce (just met Bryce in Florence), and all the others I can't think of right now as I'm sure I'm missing someone! I pray for my family and friends as well during this moment of silence, those that have passed and their families (you truly are missed!)
I hope that everyone does this daily to make sure you are praying over those that have passed and those that are battling something. I struggle with doing this every day but I'm doing the best I know how! I battle with so many things, as well as others but I will never forget to try...
After readign the email I really want to go home, not sure where home is, but I want to get back to where I feel comfortable, to go see Jane and let he know that I'm thinking of her! To be strong, to know that she will run again soon, when the strength comes back! Keep fighting Jane, I love you!!!
The ride was tough after this to be honest, I rolled into the Avenue of Giants and didn't really care about riding or sightseeing anymore. I hate this feeling to be honest! Am I just tired, has the time come when I feel I'm ready to call it quits? Will I have the energy to make to remainder of the trip? Is my body telling me something? Should I be back in Tulsa? Should I be back at my brothers in Missouri? Where should I be? I think about this for some time, I'm sitting in a mental toilet it feels like it. My friends are back in the Midwest, some battling for their lives and I'm out here seeing the country? What shold I do, should I catch a bus back?
All these thoughts going through my head, so many friends lost and I don't want to lose another! I think this is why when I meet someone I want to get close to I really want to get to know them, because life is so short! I roll into Burlington Campground, right in the middle of the Redwoods and all I can think about are things I cannot control right now. The best thing for me to do when I'm like this is to sleep as something is off when I am letting my thoughts control my every being. I set up camp and jump right into my tent and laydown, its not 3-5 minutes and I'm passed out. I have this crazy ability to sleep through about anything when I'm tired/fatigued like I am now! I sleep for a solid hour and a half before waking up and make some dinner. Naps are great, I used to hate them as I found them unproductive, however I was so wrong about that one! I can take power naps for ten minutes now and be revived for the rest of the day!
The nap did help me mentally as I was able to surpress the thoughts I was having, even though I am still pretty sad about the situation in Tulsa and the fact that I am still missing EJ. I can't do anything about them right now so I'll have to wait. Contacting a few people today was nice as I haven't talked to really anyone from back home for at least five days or so. The time spent with EJ was the first time I spent just hanging out with someone I wanted to hangout with since Colorado Springs I think and that was around day eight or so. Wow, I think I have been out here for that long? Time has flown by as I have been really living in the moments that have presented themselves, I need to continue doing this for the remaining of the trip as its a must! I cannot allow things to get to me, control nothing! I do desire to be back in Oregon, and this I will pray for!
After downing some pasta I started craving some chocolate as I often do on days like the past 40! I notice a care heading out, a camper heading to the store I think! I approach them and asked them if they were heading to the store, they said nope, I was pretty disappointed and then mention I was just going to see if could bum a ride into town to get some food as I have been craving something sweet. They know that I have been biking all day as they saw me in the hiker/biker section with my rig, they gave me some cookies and some vitamin water from the cooler though! I thought how thoughtful, I didn't ask for it I just mentioned I would like to bum a ride in if they were going.
Back to the tent I go, to sit and eat some cookies and type! I jump into the tent as the mosquitoes here are really bad! Their not big, just a lot! I turn the computer off to rest and hear another biker entering the sight, I figure I'll let them get things set up before I get up and say "Hello". I was going to need to get some water and use the restroom before I fell a sleep for good and I'm glad I did!
I got to meet Carl, a 24 year old from LA that works in the television industry on set for sitcoms. We talk about all kinds of things, from the LA lifestyle to training and all kinds of things! We stay up talking till close to midnight, it was good to sit down and have a great conversation on this trip. I might have talked about training alot with Carl, however he had a million questions and I had a rough day so teaching/sharing about what I love was good for me! I hope I was able to articluate the answers too! Carl gave me some great insights to the amount of money that is in LA, which intrigues me a little just because I'm curious about true differences in lifestyles from Florida to California!
Then I crashed - overall the day was okay! Very emotional day though...
Technical Data:
Distance, miles 55.25
Ride Time 3:43:20
Work, kJ: 2203
Average Power, watts: 162
Normalized Power, watts: 186
Average Speed, mph: 14.6
Rolling over in the tent this morning I was wishing I was rolling over in a nice soft bed! O' how I have missed my bed on this journey of mine, the therma-rest I have been using is one from 2003 that has a slow leak, I still haven't been able to locate the leak as everytime I'm around a bathtub I don't think of it! So every two hours I have to air it back up. One would think that I would have this figured out by day 43, however I don't have the spare funds to buy a new one so I'll just have to deal with it. It's not that bad to be honest, however some nights the leak isn't slow and I'm sleeping on the ground the entire night, just becuase I'm too tired to air it back up. Some long days the last couple of days so my bed or even a bed in a spare bedroom somewhere would be great! The blanket EJ bought me is great I do have to admit! Thanks again EJ and I think I'll mail it back when this journey is up, well I'll think about it!
The tent was soaked this morning, I heard that Eureka was like the Oregon coast, always trapped in this fog. I must have lucked out though, as the night was calm and the moon was so bright. The clerks at the KOA mention last night was the first night they have seen the moon in months. The next morning was gorgous! The sun was bright and warm, I have been thinking about that California sunshine and finally its here! Not motivated to get on the bike I head to grab a bite to eat and charge up my pc and phone. You can find electrons everywhere in this country! Hotels, campground bathrooms, coffee shops, et cetera. I have scene a lot of cyclist with solar panels which is nice to have I'm sure, however I planned a whole two days and only planned on taking what I currenly had or could borrow.
I took the morning and wrote, filled out another postcard and sat thinking how tired I am! 280 miles in the last two days is a new record for me and trust me it hurt, I'm feeling it this morning!!! The tent was soaked on the inside and out so I wanted to wait for it to dry before pushing off this morning, which I didn't mind because when I climbed the ramp at the KOA I didn't like what I felt! The quads are trashed!!! I pack up BoB for what I could while I wanted on the glorious sunshine to dry the small beads of water up from my tent and towel, its been a couple of days since I've had a dry towel and this sun should do the trick. I head back and sit with my things inside the little gameroom at the KOA. They had a Mrs. Pac Man game here, but I was extremely disappointed as it was the slow version and I can't stand the slow version. They also had a Whirlwind pin ball game I used to play at the FastTrip next to the house in Parsons I grew up in. Again it had problems though so I didn't waste my time. I wrote and checked emails and did a little research on employment opportunities. I have to start thinking about this as my journey is nearing and end, which means I'll need to get back to work. Which I feel I'm ready for!
Thoughts were all over the place this morning! Thinking about what the legs are going to feel like once on the road. Will it be a head wind like yesterday or will I have that nice tail wind they have talked about on the coast? Will it take me long to find employment when I am have finished up this trip? What will I do? Will I go back to school? Will someone have helped me find work while I'm on the road? Will I go back to Oregon in pursuit of EJ? Will she want me too? Will I take a job in a foreign country? Truly the thoughts are all over the place this morning? I was supposed to race Ironman Kentucky in eight days from now, however I tore my shoulder so I'm not going to be able to. Would I have qualified for Kona this time around? Will I ever race Ironman again? The change that is taking place within me is liberating and I'm embracing it the best I know how, even though it can be tough! Maturing and learning so much about myself and life in general along with all the Amerian people!
Sitting in the game room I watch a few young boys play with the board games in the room. You could tell they were swimming a little while ago, running around bare foot with wet hair, I remember those days! Days when I would go to the swimming pool and just hang out all day, then walk home through the park and up four blocks to the house on Broadway in little Parsons, Kansas. Small towns are great and I miss that atmosphere, crazy how it was only 5-6 weeks ago and I was in Kansas riding through these little towns and bringing back memories of my childhood! Precious moments that will never be forgotten. I remember how I was adventurous as much then as I am now! I would ride my bike all over that little town.
i check the tent a few times throughout the morning, grab a shower and pack up the rest of BoB's contents and hit the road, I get out of there really late. Close to 11 AM and I'm supposed to ride 100 or so depending on how the body feels after the last couple of days. Still no word from EJ about hanging out in San Fran so I'll try and pedal as much as I can before I shut it down, maybe I'll make it before she leaves, maybe I won't. In all reality I put out a suggestion and I'm not sure she'll even want to hang out or have the time. I do hope she would like to, however I'm not sure how she feels. I know how i feel but I wonder what she thought of me...
Four miles north of Eureka I toll out onto the highway, the sun is shining bright, sky is o' so blue and the cool breeze blowing in from the ocean feels great. I'm still going to rock a jacket today, I get cold way to easy and on downhills the chill can cut right through me so better be safe than sorry. Rolling into Eureka I take the alternate route along the ports and just take in the sights. About half way through Eureka I notice the trailer is really shifting more than usual so I stop and check the skewer I purchased as the original needed replaced. The skewer had worked itself loose enough to cause the rear wheel to come loose. I tightened it and when putting the trailer back on a guy walking by asked if I needed a third hand, I greatly accepted as I find it difficult to mount the trailer when BoB is loaded. The load I am running is significanly lighter now all the food is gone and the nutrition product i have been carrying is dwindling.
I decide to check my phone while stopped and there has been a flood of emails regarding the Tulsa Triathlon changes, I stopped and read them all just to get a feel of what's going on with the small community I used to live in. Then I see that EJ has emailed, and the verdict was not what I was hoping for. No time available when in San Fransisco, this kinda bummed me out for a little bit, then I thought if I was working the odds are I wouldn't have time either so no worries. Not to mention the odds of me getting to San Fran by Wednesday night are pretty slim, however I do think I have a chance but its more than likely I'll land there on Thursday when she would be departing. Hopefully I can see here again someday, it was a short email, however short email is better than no email in my mind. Back to the road and no need to hammer it to San Fran now, I did leave an option there though just in case she did have time. So my motivation to push on today has kinda been lost in the moment. I put it back into cruise mode.
Everything happens for a reason I'm sure of it, and to be honest if I would have pushed to get to San Fran by Wednesday I would have been toast. So since I'm coaching myself I stopped and looked at the scenario of my riding over the last two days and took an assessment on my thoughts. It's so easy to listen to a coach when training on when to rest, its really hard to self coach as you always think you can do it all when in reality you can't! I needed to rest today, more than I wanted to so I decided to ride until I found a campground that looked good and shut it down for the day. The game plan was then to sleep, and sleep, and sleep some more!
Rolling out of Eureka I climb, then descend, and climb some more. These climbs are not huge just a lot of rolling terrain! I know I have about 40 miles until I drop into the "Avenue of the Giants" the Humbolt Redwood Forest that is supposed to be gorgous! The ride to the Avenue was fast, I wasn't really pushing it, my legs just felt better than I thought I guess. I did have a nice tail wind though!
Thoughts were still all over the place at this point in the ride. Then I check my phone while stopped in Del Rio (I think that was the name of the small town) and see a couple emails about my friend Jane has relapsed... A flood of emotions hit me when I read this, thoughts of quitting and getting back home to visit her. I was away on my first solo vacation when I lost Carla and I dind't want to be away if Jane should pass. Jane has been a wonderful friend of mine since I moved to Tulsa since 2006 and she is such an inspiration of "fight"! She's a fighter and won't give up on life, loves to travel and just enjoys life so much! I'm a bit of a cryer, this was the first time on the trip I cried, I don't want to loose another friend to cancer! To be honest I don't want to loose any more friends to anything to be honest! Jane if your reading this "Hang in there! You can beat this!!!" I miss you and will see you soon...
I think cancer, lime disease, heart disease, MS, and all the other diseases that have affected the ones I love need to go! I'm a pretty emotional person when it comes to my friends! I've fought for my friends on the ball field and rarely think about fighting when it comes to people insulting me or even tempting me, however when it comes to my friends and the people I love forget about it. I'll do about anything for the people I love!!! I know this may sound odd, as I really don't consider myself a fighter but when it comes to protecting those I care about I can have a quick temper! I'm sure others are like this too when it comes to people that mean so much to you...
Since I'm writing this after my ride. I really should pray for all of those people I know are battling for there lives. I'm going to take a moment of silence for the following:
Matt H., Jane E., Marilyn A., David B., Bryce (just met Bryce in Florence), and all the others I can't think of right now as I'm sure I'm missing someone! I pray for my family and friends as well during this moment of silence, those that have passed and their families (you truly are missed!)
I hope that everyone does this daily to make sure you are praying over those that have passed and those that are battling something. I struggle with doing this every day but I'm doing the best I know how! I battle with so many things, as well as others but I will never forget to try...
After readign the email I really want to go home, not sure where home is, but I want to get back to where I feel comfortable, to go see Jane and let he know that I'm thinking of her! To be strong, to know that she will run again soon, when the strength comes back! Keep fighting Jane, I love you!!!
The ride was tough after this to be honest, I rolled into the Avenue of Giants and didn't really care about riding or sightseeing anymore. I hate this feeling to be honest! Am I just tired, has the time come when I feel I'm ready to call it quits? Will I have the energy to make to remainder of the trip? Is my body telling me something? Should I be back in Tulsa? Should I be back at my brothers in Missouri? Where should I be? I think about this for some time, I'm sitting in a mental toilet it feels like it. My friends are back in the Midwest, some battling for their lives and I'm out here seeing the country? What shold I do, should I catch a bus back?
All these thoughts going through my head, so many friends lost and I don't want to lose another! I think this is why when I meet someone I want to get close to I really want to get to know them, because life is so short! I roll into Burlington Campground, right in the middle of the Redwoods and all I can think about are things I cannot control right now. The best thing for me to do when I'm like this is to sleep as something is off when I am letting my thoughts control my every being. I set up camp and jump right into my tent and laydown, its not 3-5 minutes and I'm passed out. I have this crazy ability to sleep through about anything when I'm tired/fatigued like I am now! I sleep for a solid hour and a half before waking up and make some dinner. Naps are great, I used to hate them as I found them unproductive, however I was so wrong about that one! I can take power naps for ten minutes now and be revived for the rest of the day!
The nap did help me mentally as I was able to surpress the thoughts I was having, even though I am still pretty sad about the situation in Tulsa and the fact that I am still missing EJ. I can't do anything about them right now so I'll have to wait. Contacting a few people today was nice as I haven't talked to really anyone from back home for at least five days or so. The time spent with EJ was the first time I spent just hanging out with someone I wanted to hangout with since Colorado Springs I think and that was around day eight or so. Wow, I think I have been out here for that long? Time has flown by as I have been really living in the moments that have presented themselves, I need to continue doing this for the remaining of the trip as its a must! I cannot allow things to get to me, control nothing! I do desire to be back in Oregon, and this I will pray for!
After downing some pasta I started craving some chocolate as I often do on days like the past 40! I notice a care heading out, a camper heading to the store I think! I approach them and asked them if they were heading to the store, they said nope, I was pretty disappointed and then mention I was just going to see if could bum a ride into town to get some food as I have been craving something sweet. They know that I have been biking all day as they saw me in the hiker/biker section with my rig, they gave me some cookies and some vitamin water from the cooler though! I thought how thoughtful, I didn't ask for it I just mentioned I would like to bum a ride in if they were going.
Back to the tent I go, to sit and eat some cookies and type! I jump into the tent as the mosquitoes here are really bad! Their not big, just a lot! I turn the computer off to rest and hear another biker entering the sight, I figure I'll let them get things set up before I get up and say "Hello". I was going to need to get some water and use the restroom before I fell a sleep for good and I'm glad I did!
I got to meet Carl, a 24 year old from LA that works in the television industry on set for sitcoms. We talk about all kinds of things, from the LA lifestyle to training and all kinds of things! We stay up talking till close to midnight, it was good to sit down and have a great conversation on this trip. I might have talked about training alot with Carl, however he had a million questions and I had a rough day so teaching/sharing about what I love was good for me! I hope I was able to articluate the answers too! Carl gave me some great insights to the amount of money that is in LA, which intrigues me a little just because I'm curious about true differences in lifestyles from Florida to California!
Then I crashed - overall the day was okay! Very emotional day though...
Monday, August 23, 2010
Day 42: August 22nd, 2010 (Route: Brookings, OR to Eureka, CA)
Day 42: August 22nd, 2010 (Route: Brookings, OR to Eureka, CA)
Technical Data:
Distance, miles: 109.12
Ride Time: 7:42:07
Work, kJ: 4772
Average Power, watts: 171
Normalized Power, watts: 203
Average Speed, mph: 14.04
Forecast: Sunny with winds all over the place, 60-80 degrees...
I was moving pretty slow this morning after an epic day of riding, to be honest my body was still riding the bike even when I was sleeping. I woke and and got on the bike right away after doing my normal routine! I didn't get that much sleep last night either, I was on the move again one would say. Trying to get to SanFran in good time just in case someone has time, however I'm not thinking its looking good as I haven't heard back and to be honest its with short notice. I see a couple of guys that I camped with a few nights earlier before rolling out, I say my Hello's and Goodbyes rather quick as i want to get on road and attack another day.
Before heading out of town I wanted to hit up a cafe for some wi fi so I can update my blog and listen to some music! Traveling 40+ days now without music is tough, however I get a song in when I can with the help of youtube.com! I was planning on downloading all my songs to my pc before I left, however I never found the time to transfer so I'm relying on what I have in my head, and trust me I can't sing very well so your safe from damaging in your tempanic membranes!
I roll down the hill and into town and head to a coffee shop for some wi fi and get to blogging, there was just no way I wanted to write last night after writing EJ back. I also wanted to get that email sent off as I didn't want to drop it on the phone, much easier for her eyes to read when I draft on the pc then drop to email. The same goes with the post, as you may have thought about how I post from all the places I camp, well I draft then post to the net when I can. I really enjoyed the rest when writing and tried to take in some calories and some water so I could fuel the remaining of the day! After listening to some Tyrone Wells and thinking about my future and the memories that have been captured I head to a small gift shop to buy some postcards. I wanted to let EJ know how much I enjoyed her company. Funny how the heart likes to play with your thoughts when things are so fresh, sure do hope something comes out of the time we spent together, however I'll have to give it to God and see what he thinks. I have to stick to my game plan of having no control even though I'm extremely sad right now for leaving Oregon!
Back to the road, I think I can get these postcards out in the mail, however its Sunday. I have lost track of the days along with time since I haven't worn a watch since I left Missouri. What a way to live, in the moment trying to enjoy every moment of ever day! I know this is temporary and I'll have to return to work or school soon so I better enjoy it while it last. Today was one of those days where I really didn't have to warm up, heck I just got off the bike a few hours ago I thought, maybe the body still thinks its riding! One thing i did notice is that the fluid that had collected in my lower legs has gone and I'm back to my runing legs which I love, I hate when my legs feel so heavy. Feeling light has always been something I have enjoyed, never to be weighed down!
Crossing the border into California felt like I was going into another country as they were checking for vegetation I'm assuming, they just waved me through which was great! With a nice tail wind at my back I roll into California and I'm thinking what a transistion! Oregon was so beautiful, I was told a long time ago about its beauty from a good friend of mine, now I know what she was talking about! I hope I'll be able to return soon as I believe it just might be where I want to live given my heart and God lead me back this direction. I had a friend cheer me up a few minutes ago that I talked with a couple days back when she was having a terrible day and she said "Now work towards what you want and don't let anything get in the way!" I thought about this for a minute and the thoughts that came to me where as follows:
On top of McKenzie Pass I found a diamond amongst the lava fields. It was so surreal! The analogy I like to make is "amongst all this black, which reminded me of a field of coal, walks a perfectly cut diamond!"
I think about what my friend has stated and this Diamond I want so bad...then think about what it would take to get this Diamond. I would do about whatever it would take to be honest. When you know, you know and boy do I know! I'll have to pursue from a distance as I think it will be worth while if I do!
Back to the ride - I could talk about that for days! The biological diversity moving into California was so different then Oregon! I could notice the terrain changed and the bugs were a little thicker and to be honest it just appeared a little dirtier. Not to take anything from Northern California however I will give Oregon some credit as it was an amazing state even though I complained about the cloudiness and wanted my sunshine. However, I'll complain a little when I'm extremely tired and cranky from riding! This typically only happens after a long day in the saddle and I failed to fuel properly. Riding along the California coast I see a dozen or so surfers and what a site to see! I'm not sure I'm up for surfing in the Pacific this far north however I'm sure I would get used to it!
Climbing now up into the RedWood forest and what a sight! I have never seen trees this big before! The legs were extremely worked from yesterday so when I hit this climb I was not liking what I was feeling, however what a great way to train! 42 days in with 30+ solid days of riding, I'm pretty sure when I get back to where ever I plan to call home I'll be in extremely strong cycling shape, only one problem, it will be winter! Looks like I'll have to go south if I want to utilize the strength I have built however I'm not sure that's likely!
Stopping at a pull out on the climb I chat with a "biker" from Minnesota. He road from Minnesota to southern California, now he's on his ride back. I wonder what that's like to ride a motorcycle where all the exercise you get is moving your wrist, just sitting? I did think it would be nice to have that throttle for this climb however! Climbing today was not like yesterday, the cadence is much lower and the legs are feeling rather tight but not to bad. The cadence was low because the grade was 6-7% and the traffic was tight, I sure do miss those open roads in the prairie states I kept thinking!
Rolling now, rolling right through the northern most Redwood Forest in California and what a sight to see, however I didn't get to see much as I had to focus on the climbing and staying as close to the white line as possible. Sometimes I think how is this supposed to be enjoyable with traffic buzzing along at 60+ mph? Safety has been something I have thought of alot on this trip, however I figure when its my time to go its my time to go, what can I do? Rolling down the climb I roll right into Klamath a little salmon fishing town due to the salmon that run in the Klamath river. I stop for water and find out I just missed the Salmon Festival yesterday on the river, hence why there are so many people in and out of this small little town. I talk with a young kid in a softball uniform, he informs me of the alternate route through the next RedWood Forest and says its a must, it will keep me out of the big climbs on 101 highway.
I climb up to the entrace of the next state park and think how this kid really knows his back yard as he had the distance down and the terrain described to the "T"! I climb up into the park and it reminds me of the climb out of the Tulsa Tri transistion, steep, however this climb was about three times longer then the one at Skiatook lake. I miss that lake I think, however I don't miss the jet ski's buzzing around causing all the chop...
Once into the Park I take my time and look around, trees the size of cars and so massive! I look up and the trees just keep going higher and higher, I think I took a picture and it took three shots to shoot the whole tree being a few feet away. This place is breathtaking! So green and so alive yet with the feeling of being in a surreal movie! I think I could stay here all day, however I need to push on!
The ride in California today was nothing like the rides in Oregon, little off the coast and in some farm country. I continue down the 101 and it turns more into freeway and nothing really to see, now I'm really missing Oregon and that perfectly cut diamond from Eugene! Not to happy to be honest about leaving Oregon! Sad and wanting to turn around...
Riding into Arcata I hit the century maker and just think I need to find a place to crash, I remember the guys the night before mentioning a KOA in the area as its the only place here, no state park close for me tonight. I figured it would hit me eventually, the need to crash at another place besides these hiker/biker sites. California really needs to put some cycling maps together like Oregon!
Rolling down the freeway now, see a sign for a detour for cyclist due to construction. Okay, this ride was pretty lame to be honest! The roads they diverted me on were horrific, I would have rather ridden on loose gravel the entire 6 miles worth of detour. I'm sure they had there reason, but being 100+ in and tired from the day before I was having trouble focusing on the positive tonight.
Heading toward Eureka now, detour took me around Arcata and I'm thinking this KOA has to be around somewhere. Three miles after I thought this I look up and see a sign "KOA Drive" and think "Awesome" as I'm tired and ready to get some sleep! I pull in and take care of registration and set up tent, make some pasta and call it a night. Another 100+ day in the books and one day closer to San Fran.
Technical Data:
Distance, miles: 109.12
Ride Time: 7:42:07
Work, kJ: 4772
Average Power, watts: 171
Normalized Power, watts: 203
Average Speed, mph: 14.04
Forecast: Sunny with winds all over the place, 60-80 degrees...
I was moving pretty slow this morning after an epic day of riding, to be honest my body was still riding the bike even when I was sleeping. I woke and and got on the bike right away after doing my normal routine! I didn't get that much sleep last night either, I was on the move again one would say. Trying to get to SanFran in good time just in case someone has time, however I'm not thinking its looking good as I haven't heard back and to be honest its with short notice. I see a couple of guys that I camped with a few nights earlier before rolling out, I say my Hello's and Goodbyes rather quick as i want to get on road and attack another day.
Before heading out of town I wanted to hit up a cafe for some wi fi so I can update my blog and listen to some music! Traveling 40+ days now without music is tough, however I get a song in when I can with the help of youtube.com! I was planning on downloading all my songs to my pc before I left, however I never found the time to transfer so I'm relying on what I have in my head, and trust me I can't sing very well so your safe from damaging in your tempanic membranes!
I roll down the hill and into town and head to a coffee shop for some wi fi and get to blogging, there was just no way I wanted to write last night after writing EJ back. I also wanted to get that email sent off as I didn't want to drop it on the phone, much easier for her eyes to read when I draft on the pc then drop to email. The same goes with the post, as you may have thought about how I post from all the places I camp, well I draft then post to the net when I can. I really enjoyed the rest when writing and tried to take in some calories and some water so I could fuel the remaining of the day! After listening to some Tyrone Wells and thinking about my future and the memories that have been captured I head to a small gift shop to buy some postcards. I wanted to let EJ know how much I enjoyed her company. Funny how the heart likes to play with your thoughts when things are so fresh, sure do hope something comes out of the time we spent together, however I'll have to give it to God and see what he thinks. I have to stick to my game plan of having no control even though I'm extremely sad right now for leaving Oregon!
Back to the road, I think I can get these postcards out in the mail, however its Sunday. I have lost track of the days along with time since I haven't worn a watch since I left Missouri. What a way to live, in the moment trying to enjoy every moment of ever day! I know this is temporary and I'll have to return to work or school soon so I better enjoy it while it last. Today was one of those days where I really didn't have to warm up, heck I just got off the bike a few hours ago I thought, maybe the body still thinks its riding! One thing i did notice is that the fluid that had collected in my lower legs has gone and I'm back to my runing legs which I love, I hate when my legs feel so heavy. Feeling light has always been something I have enjoyed, never to be weighed down!
Crossing the border into California felt like I was going into another country as they were checking for vegetation I'm assuming, they just waved me through which was great! With a nice tail wind at my back I roll into California and I'm thinking what a transistion! Oregon was so beautiful, I was told a long time ago about its beauty from a good friend of mine, now I know what she was talking about! I hope I'll be able to return soon as I believe it just might be where I want to live given my heart and God lead me back this direction. I had a friend cheer me up a few minutes ago that I talked with a couple days back when she was having a terrible day and she said "Now work towards what you want and don't let anything get in the way!" I thought about this for a minute and the thoughts that came to me where as follows:
On top of McKenzie Pass I found a diamond amongst the lava fields. It was so surreal! The analogy I like to make is "amongst all this black, which reminded me of a field of coal, walks a perfectly cut diamond!"
I think about what my friend has stated and this Diamond I want so bad...then think about what it would take to get this Diamond. I would do about whatever it would take to be honest. When you know, you know and boy do I know! I'll have to pursue from a distance as I think it will be worth while if I do!
Back to the ride - I could talk about that for days! The biological diversity moving into California was so different then Oregon! I could notice the terrain changed and the bugs were a little thicker and to be honest it just appeared a little dirtier. Not to take anything from Northern California however I will give Oregon some credit as it was an amazing state even though I complained about the cloudiness and wanted my sunshine. However, I'll complain a little when I'm extremely tired and cranky from riding! This typically only happens after a long day in the saddle and I failed to fuel properly. Riding along the California coast I see a dozen or so surfers and what a site to see! I'm not sure I'm up for surfing in the Pacific this far north however I'm sure I would get used to it!
Climbing now up into the RedWood forest and what a sight! I have never seen trees this big before! The legs were extremely worked from yesterday so when I hit this climb I was not liking what I was feeling, however what a great way to train! 42 days in with 30+ solid days of riding, I'm pretty sure when I get back to where ever I plan to call home I'll be in extremely strong cycling shape, only one problem, it will be winter! Looks like I'll have to go south if I want to utilize the strength I have built however I'm not sure that's likely!
Stopping at a pull out on the climb I chat with a "biker" from Minnesota. He road from Minnesota to southern California, now he's on his ride back. I wonder what that's like to ride a motorcycle where all the exercise you get is moving your wrist, just sitting? I did think it would be nice to have that throttle for this climb however! Climbing today was not like yesterday, the cadence is much lower and the legs are feeling rather tight but not to bad. The cadence was low because the grade was 6-7% and the traffic was tight, I sure do miss those open roads in the prairie states I kept thinking!
Rolling now, rolling right through the northern most Redwood Forest in California and what a sight to see, however I didn't get to see much as I had to focus on the climbing and staying as close to the white line as possible. Sometimes I think how is this supposed to be enjoyable with traffic buzzing along at 60+ mph? Safety has been something I have thought of alot on this trip, however I figure when its my time to go its my time to go, what can I do? Rolling down the climb I roll right into Klamath a little salmon fishing town due to the salmon that run in the Klamath river. I stop for water and find out I just missed the Salmon Festival yesterday on the river, hence why there are so many people in and out of this small little town. I talk with a young kid in a softball uniform, he informs me of the alternate route through the next RedWood Forest and says its a must, it will keep me out of the big climbs on 101 highway.
I climb up to the entrace of the next state park and think how this kid really knows his back yard as he had the distance down and the terrain described to the "T"! I climb up into the park and it reminds me of the climb out of the Tulsa Tri transistion, steep, however this climb was about three times longer then the one at Skiatook lake. I miss that lake I think, however I don't miss the jet ski's buzzing around causing all the chop...
Once into the Park I take my time and look around, trees the size of cars and so massive! I look up and the trees just keep going higher and higher, I think I took a picture and it took three shots to shoot the whole tree being a few feet away. This place is breathtaking! So green and so alive yet with the feeling of being in a surreal movie! I think I could stay here all day, however I need to push on!
The ride in California today was nothing like the rides in Oregon, little off the coast and in some farm country. I continue down the 101 and it turns more into freeway and nothing really to see, now I'm really missing Oregon and that perfectly cut diamond from Eugene! Not to happy to be honest about leaving Oregon! Sad and wanting to turn around...
Riding into Arcata I hit the century maker and just think I need to find a place to crash, I remember the guys the night before mentioning a KOA in the area as its the only place here, no state park close for me tonight. I figured it would hit me eventually, the need to crash at another place besides these hiker/biker sites. California really needs to put some cycling maps together like Oregon!
Rolling down the freeway now, see a sign for a detour for cyclist due to construction. Okay, this ride was pretty lame to be honest! The roads they diverted me on were horrific, I would have rather ridden on loose gravel the entire 6 miles worth of detour. I'm sure they had there reason, but being 100+ in and tired from the day before I was having trouble focusing on the positive tonight.
Heading toward Eureka now, detour took me around Arcata and I'm thinking this KOA has to be around somewhere. Three miles after I thought this I look up and see a sign "KOA Drive" and think "Awesome" as I'm tired and ready to get some sleep! I pull in and take care of registration and set up tent, make some pasta and call it a night. Another 100+ day in the books and one day closer to San Fran.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Day 41: August 21, 2010 (Florence, OR to Brookings, OR)
Day 41: August 21, 2010 (Florence, OR to Brookings, OR)
Technical Data:
Distance, miles: 169.05
Ride Time 11:22:52
Work, kJ: 7732
Average Power, watts: 187
Normalized Power, watts: 223
Average Speed, mph 14.71
Forecast: Cloudy and cold to start, NW wind at 10 mph, 65-75 degrees with a cool ocean chill at times.
After spending the last two days resting I was ready to rock this morning! With close to 12 hours of sleep each night prior I was really feeling like today was going to be the day to capture my 200 mile day, however I was happy with ~170 miles! So before I get into the day, the gap in the post is because I took a couple of days off in Florence to visit with a friend on Friday. Delaying the trip to visit with EJ was well worth it! To sum up the day on Friday I would describe it as "Magical!" (I'll ellaborate a little more about my rest days soon, however most of them are just filled with reading and seeing the sights, though there has been some interesting things happen, but if I spent all my time writing I wouldn't be able to have anything to write about. As with photos, some sites are captured, some are for my eyes only!) However, I do wish everyone that reads this could see all what I have seen, heard, smelled, scenced, touched on this journey of mine. However the day with EJ will be treasured for years to come, Thank You so much EJ for taking the time out of your busy busy schedule to spend a few hours with me...
Wanting to get an early start this morning was warranted, however the cold weather wasn't going to allow it! I slept like a champion last night, finally 1 out of 30+ sleeping outside with warmth. EJ bought me a fleece blanket and it make the world of difference vs. the sheet I have been using! Thanks again! I woke refreshed and feeling great, I wanted to start the day off and alert so I took a shower to clear out the cobwebs and I have always enjoyed a hot shower in the morning before starting my day. I hit up some oatmeal and filled my bottles before rolling out of camp. I was training today, the game plan was to hit Brookings before night fall and leaving at 8:30 wasn't helping! I haven't had a huge ride in a while and today was going to be the day!
With so many motivators going through my mind I was ready to ride! The key movitivators this morning was a 100+ day is called for and over due, rested with fresh legs (I could tell I have had a lot of fluid in my legs over the last couple of days and its time to flush that out too). The border of California and Oregon is close to 175 miles form here and I figured if I can get there I can possibly get to San Fransisco by Tuesday or Wednesday which is close to 411 miles from Crescent City, CA. EJ will be there and spending just a few more hours with her on this journey would be so cool...So was I racing today or training! I left the hiker/biker site with a game plan like Ironman!
Pace it, save the power for the last 1/3 of the ride. I paced it out the gate and didn't look down until 50 miles had passed, mentally things were dialed in. Thinking over and over of the motivators kept me going this morning. I bet your can think of the one that really had me driven today! I was having so much fun on the nice black pavement today, not to mention I was running brand new tires and running with new bar tape all thanks to my good friend Julian Joy and coming off an unbelievable day with my new friend EJ things were set up for an "Epic" day!
The weather was pretty much as it has been the last couple of days, wind coming out of the NW in the afternoon and cool and cloudy in the morning! Today however was chilly for most of the day, one of those riding days where your not sure what to wear, long or short sleeves, wind jacket et cetera? I kept with the Ironman mentality of pacing it, stop refill use the facilities and keep it rolling, keep all my stops to a minimum as the terrain was rolling like the rolling terrain of the Ozarks, however a little more scenic!
About 50 miles in I stop at a Diary Queen to grab some water and just keep cruising, however I take a wrong turn down the road fromt he DQ which took me out onto a cape, I was very close to my route however I took a right when I should have gone left. I think my thoughts of sticking to the game plan was a little too focused I failed to read the signs correctly. However, as with many things on this trip it was well worth it and maybe it was Fate! I head down the cape and stop at a lookout to see hundrends of Sea Lions and it was so beautiful! I snapped a few photos, however with this little Blackberry camera I can't get the shots I want, having a love for photography I can't wait to get back to work so I can purchase a new camera! I've had my eyes on this one camera for the last two years and I'll have it one day for sure...
Making the U-Turn off the cape I got kinda down as I wasn't sticking to the plan, then I thought - just motor on! The day is here for you to enjoy, not to get down because you made a mistake. Mistakes are bound to happen, its how we react to them that matters. I just smiled and shook it off and got back to the plan at hand! I make the correct turn this time and hit "The 7 Devils Road" - 7 stands for the seven small steep climbs on this stretch of road. I must have been out of glycogen during this section as I wasn't enjoying myself, or maybe the climbs were just super hard pulling BoB, the quality of roads were not that good either so that could have played with my mental strength. Pulling myself out of the depths of having no fun I get back to my day! Quickly the legs turn around after downing some Gu's and I get back to having a blast...
So many rollers I keep thinking about and how much fun this ride will be without pulling 50lbs of extra weight! Rolling on I keep to the hydrating and nutrition plan and things start to turn around! I keep thinking about trying to get to San Fran. and if she even wants to see me there? I figure I'll be closer to LA and San Diego so whether or not I'm not worried. Matters of the heart control my mind often, however I've learned to allow it too and to pull the reigns back when I have no control. One of the lessons I have learned over time is that I have no control of anything and that I should enjoy every moment, even when my thoughts want to control me. I figure if I get to the LA area by the 29th I might be able to see Tyrone Wells in concert again, I've heard him a couple times and I looked up if he would be playing in the area a couple days ago and sure enough near LA so that would be a bonus on this trip! Sure do wish I could share him with so many as all his songs are so positive!
I hit the 100 mile marker and I'm thinking 70 more is going to be tough, but I have to go for it! Pushing the body to new limits is what I thrive on, the body is so remarkable on how it adapts and this endurance I am building on this trip will stick with me for the rest of my life! Leaving me prepared for the next adventure ahead of me! On this next section I kept thinking about where will I end up after all this is over? Where will I reside, where will I find work? I think Oregon may be tugging at heart for numerous reasons, so who knows!!!
Once to Bandon, OR my heart got lost in the Ocean - the scenie rocks off the coast and numerous beaches was so scenic! I sure do hope that I can tour with the one I love someday to share all these romantic moments, I'm sure the time will come! Passed many cyclist along this stretch but I just stuck to the plan as I wanted the 170 mile day, nothing like pushing the body and if you look at the data this is by far my longest and strongest day with a 233 normalized power, letting me know the terrain was something and there was a lot of climbing! That field test coming up after I get done with this trip is going to be something! Maybe I'll hit the 400's and at 175 lbs I'll be ready to ride that 40K TT for sure...
The day was getting away when I rolled into Gold Beach, I still had 25 miles to go and it was 7PM, with a few good solid climbs ahead of me and no lights I needed to move. I stopped for groceries at Gold Beach and figured I wouldn't be eating until after 9 but my mind was still on the game plan so I new I was mentally alert which was good, 145 miles in and feeling great, just running out of day light. The next section I should have bagged and stopped at the HumBug Mountain Hiker/Biker but I rolled on thinking I need to do this!
This section had all the hills that the topo read it would, but the best thing about this section was the "Sunset" - what an amazing veiw!!! I had to stop and watch even though I was close to 15 miles outside of the camp site. Now in the dark I put my headlamp on backwars, flashing and using the light of the moon I roll on! These hills were not easy and I was starting to feel the pain in the quads from the long day. Thinking I need to get off this highway I rolled on, scared no, worried yes! I roll into the campsite with no problem, stations closed so I'll have to pay in the morning! I set up camp and start dinner that I purchased back in Gold Beach, more pasta with some milk! Nothing like a little recovery protein to top off a 7700+ calorie ride! What a day, I made it and now its time to eat, shower and get some sleep. However, once at camp I check my email and text and EJ has responded to the long email so I have to reply! Up now at 12:30 I decide to call it a night, however the ride still has me a wake so I think I got to sleep close to 1:20AM or so! O' so worth it, I was thinking about all the partiers and how they stay up till 2-3 partying and here I am riding my bike till sunset to start dinner when most people are heading out to party! What a day, what an epic day!!!
Technical Data:
Distance, miles: 169.05
Ride Time 11:22:52
Work, kJ: 7732
Average Power, watts: 187
Normalized Power, watts: 223
Average Speed, mph 14.71
Forecast: Cloudy and cold to start, NW wind at 10 mph, 65-75 degrees with a cool ocean chill at times.
After spending the last two days resting I was ready to rock this morning! With close to 12 hours of sleep each night prior I was really feeling like today was going to be the day to capture my 200 mile day, however I was happy with ~170 miles! So before I get into the day, the gap in the post is because I took a couple of days off in Florence to visit with a friend on Friday. Delaying the trip to visit with EJ was well worth it! To sum up the day on Friday I would describe it as "Magical!" (I'll ellaborate a little more about my rest days soon, however most of them are just filled with reading and seeing the sights, though there has been some interesting things happen, but if I spent all my time writing I wouldn't be able to have anything to write about. As with photos, some sites are captured, some are for my eyes only!) However, I do wish everyone that reads this could see all what I have seen, heard, smelled, scenced, touched on this journey of mine. However the day with EJ will be treasured for years to come, Thank You so much EJ for taking the time out of your busy busy schedule to spend a few hours with me...
Wanting to get an early start this morning was warranted, however the cold weather wasn't going to allow it! I slept like a champion last night, finally 1 out of 30+ sleeping outside with warmth. EJ bought me a fleece blanket and it make the world of difference vs. the sheet I have been using! Thanks again! I woke refreshed and feeling great, I wanted to start the day off and alert so I took a shower to clear out the cobwebs and I have always enjoyed a hot shower in the morning before starting my day. I hit up some oatmeal and filled my bottles before rolling out of camp. I was training today, the game plan was to hit Brookings before night fall and leaving at 8:30 wasn't helping! I haven't had a huge ride in a while and today was going to be the day!
With so many motivators going through my mind I was ready to ride! The key movitivators this morning was a 100+ day is called for and over due, rested with fresh legs (I could tell I have had a lot of fluid in my legs over the last couple of days and its time to flush that out too). The border of California and Oregon is close to 175 miles form here and I figured if I can get there I can possibly get to San Fransisco by Tuesday or Wednesday which is close to 411 miles from Crescent City, CA. EJ will be there and spending just a few more hours with her on this journey would be so cool...So was I racing today or training! I left the hiker/biker site with a game plan like Ironman!
Pace it, save the power for the last 1/3 of the ride. I paced it out the gate and didn't look down until 50 miles had passed, mentally things were dialed in. Thinking over and over of the motivators kept me going this morning. I bet your can think of the one that really had me driven today! I was having so much fun on the nice black pavement today, not to mention I was running brand new tires and running with new bar tape all thanks to my good friend Julian Joy and coming off an unbelievable day with my new friend EJ things were set up for an "Epic" day!
The weather was pretty much as it has been the last couple of days, wind coming out of the NW in the afternoon and cool and cloudy in the morning! Today however was chilly for most of the day, one of those riding days where your not sure what to wear, long or short sleeves, wind jacket et cetera? I kept with the Ironman mentality of pacing it, stop refill use the facilities and keep it rolling, keep all my stops to a minimum as the terrain was rolling like the rolling terrain of the Ozarks, however a little more scenic!
About 50 miles in I stop at a Diary Queen to grab some water and just keep cruising, however I take a wrong turn down the road fromt he DQ which took me out onto a cape, I was very close to my route however I took a right when I should have gone left. I think my thoughts of sticking to the game plan was a little too focused I failed to read the signs correctly. However, as with many things on this trip it was well worth it and maybe it was Fate! I head down the cape and stop at a lookout to see hundrends of Sea Lions and it was so beautiful! I snapped a few photos, however with this little Blackberry camera I can't get the shots I want, having a love for photography I can't wait to get back to work so I can purchase a new camera! I've had my eyes on this one camera for the last two years and I'll have it one day for sure...
Making the U-Turn off the cape I got kinda down as I wasn't sticking to the plan, then I thought - just motor on! The day is here for you to enjoy, not to get down because you made a mistake. Mistakes are bound to happen, its how we react to them that matters. I just smiled and shook it off and got back to the plan at hand! I make the correct turn this time and hit "The 7 Devils Road" - 7 stands for the seven small steep climbs on this stretch of road. I must have been out of glycogen during this section as I wasn't enjoying myself, or maybe the climbs were just super hard pulling BoB, the quality of roads were not that good either so that could have played with my mental strength. Pulling myself out of the depths of having no fun I get back to my day! Quickly the legs turn around after downing some Gu's and I get back to having a blast...
So many rollers I keep thinking about and how much fun this ride will be without pulling 50lbs of extra weight! Rolling on I keep to the hydrating and nutrition plan and things start to turn around! I keep thinking about trying to get to San Fran. and if she even wants to see me there? I figure I'll be closer to LA and San Diego so whether or not I'm not worried. Matters of the heart control my mind often, however I've learned to allow it too and to pull the reigns back when I have no control. One of the lessons I have learned over time is that I have no control of anything and that I should enjoy every moment, even when my thoughts want to control me. I figure if I get to the LA area by the 29th I might be able to see Tyrone Wells in concert again, I've heard him a couple times and I looked up if he would be playing in the area a couple days ago and sure enough near LA so that would be a bonus on this trip! Sure do wish I could share him with so many as all his songs are so positive!
I hit the 100 mile marker and I'm thinking 70 more is going to be tough, but I have to go for it! Pushing the body to new limits is what I thrive on, the body is so remarkable on how it adapts and this endurance I am building on this trip will stick with me for the rest of my life! Leaving me prepared for the next adventure ahead of me! On this next section I kept thinking about where will I end up after all this is over? Where will I reside, where will I find work? I think Oregon may be tugging at heart for numerous reasons, so who knows!!!
Once to Bandon, OR my heart got lost in the Ocean - the scenie rocks off the coast and numerous beaches was so scenic! I sure do hope that I can tour with the one I love someday to share all these romantic moments, I'm sure the time will come! Passed many cyclist along this stretch but I just stuck to the plan as I wanted the 170 mile day, nothing like pushing the body and if you look at the data this is by far my longest and strongest day with a 233 normalized power, letting me know the terrain was something and there was a lot of climbing! That field test coming up after I get done with this trip is going to be something! Maybe I'll hit the 400's and at 175 lbs I'll be ready to ride that 40K TT for sure...
The day was getting away when I rolled into Gold Beach, I still had 25 miles to go and it was 7PM, with a few good solid climbs ahead of me and no lights I needed to move. I stopped for groceries at Gold Beach and figured I wouldn't be eating until after 9 but my mind was still on the game plan so I new I was mentally alert which was good, 145 miles in and feeling great, just running out of day light. The next section I should have bagged and stopped at the HumBug Mountain Hiker/Biker but I rolled on thinking I need to do this!
This section had all the hills that the topo read it would, but the best thing about this section was the "Sunset" - what an amazing veiw!!! I had to stop and watch even though I was close to 15 miles outside of the camp site. Now in the dark I put my headlamp on backwars, flashing and using the light of the moon I roll on! These hills were not easy and I was starting to feel the pain in the quads from the long day. Thinking I need to get off this highway I rolled on, scared no, worried yes! I roll into the campsite with no problem, stations closed so I'll have to pay in the morning! I set up camp and start dinner that I purchased back in Gold Beach, more pasta with some milk! Nothing like a little recovery protein to top off a 7700+ calorie ride! What a day, I made it and now its time to eat, shower and get some sleep. However, once at camp I check my email and text and EJ has responded to the long email so I have to reply! Up now at 12:30 I decide to call it a night, however the ride still has me a wake so I think I got to sleep close to 1:20AM or so! O' so worth it, I was thinking about all the partiers and how they stay up till 2-3 partying and here I am riding my bike till sunset to start dinner when most people are heading out to party! What a day, what an epic day!!!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Day 38: August 18th, 2010 (SouthBeach Campground outside Newport, OR to Honeyman Campground outside Florence, OR)
Day 38: August 18th, 2010 (SouthBeach Campground outside Newport, OR to Honeyman Campground outside Florence, OR)
Distance, miles: 51.59
Ride Time 3:43:57
Work, kJ: 2233
Average Power, watts: 163
Normalized Power, watts: 207
Average Speed, mph: 13.56
Forecast: Cloudy, temperatures around 60 degrees with wind out of the NW 5-10 mph.
Up early thinking I can get to Florence, have laundry finished up by the middle of the day and just relax and write! Right - with campgrounds and biking on the coast you come across cyclist touring that want to visit and its tough to get to work. Kinda like the office when people spend all there time around the water hole and complain about not having time to finish projects. At South Beach campground Tobi and I met some folks traveling from Seattle with a load! The largest load I have scene so far, four paniers and a trailer. They had a lot of solar panels that charged their electronics, pc and phones and maybe some other electronics they may have. They were only traveling 25-40 miles a day as they have plenty of time. I sure do wonder how much money some of these people have as they sure do have plenty of time! I'm on this tight budget trying to get by and doing my best on what little I have and loving it. I wonder what touring will be like when I'm older and have money to stay in nice hotels and eat at the diners and cafe's for lunch along the trip, occasionally having a good dinner! O' the thoughts - this all makes me think about getting back to work.
Can't think about this now as the journey is right in the middle and thoughts like this have me thinking I should throw in the towel and get back to work, however what's the rush? I have so much time to work and experiencing this right now is what the Lord has led me to do, embracing it was easy in the beginning, having these thoughts makes it tougher to embrace. Kinda like our faith, and other things in life, for instance relationships. So many relationships are started out on lust, or infatuation and last a short period of time. What if you really get a hold of the true meaning of why you meet someone or why your doing what your doing? You might just unlock a door to the meanings, or turn over a stone that has the answers to life or the situation you are in at the moment. Thoughts of throwing in the towel have come and gone and I'm back to enjoying the journey, I would be crazy to quit now, no matter what the cost. Lots of pedal strokes ahead of me to return to my Brother's where I started this epic journey, many have commented on that I'll remember for the rest of my life!
I feel I'm rambling again, however I have explored many things and will continue to do so on this trip. Before I started this trip I explored a relationship with a girl to the fullest, no lust even though there was an attraction I did not follow through with those thoughts. I followed my heart and asked a million questions to get to know this girl. Questions extremely deep that I believe surprised her and me and I will never forget this. It appeared the timing may have been off but there was definitely something there, and if the time presented itself again I would love to explore the relationship. However I have learned many things from this that I will hold deep to my heart for the rest of my days, matured so much!
So when your diving into something, slow down and ask questions as questions can unlock the answers to anything in your life! Do parents spend the time with thier children teaching them how to ask and what to ask when? So much to parenting, have parents forgotten this? I can think about my unborn children and how I hope to teach and mentor them all the things I have learned over course of my short life! Still the things I have learned as I put myself into unknown scenarious have taught me things even mentors will not be able to share. Is it our childhood that molds us, our mentors, our education, or our life experiences? I would say it's all encompassing, everything has a positive or negative affect on our outlook in this world. Hence, why some have bad attitudes and others positive, however that's a choice not the experiences we have experienced. Change is the only universal constant, its' how we embrace it that truly reflects the way we life our lives. Today I choose to live a life of smiles and laughter! (The sun is back and I'm so happy today for that! The warmth of the sun can change my mood as quick as a shimmer of light that reflects off a mirror while in traffic...)
Rolling out of camp I know I have about 50 miles or so to go and plan on doing it without any nutrition today. Why, becuase I have felt full the last couple of days eating all the goodies the gals sent me in Astoria! I devoured all those goodies very quick!!! Funny how many calories I contine to burn while on this trip even when I have teared the milage back. Rolling on down the road, huge shoulder and a mental aleartness as keen as the sight of an eagle today I'm ready to get to my destination and do some laundry. After smelling myself in my tent last night I think its time to do some laundry! I hope to have this finished up before the afternoon so I can sit and enjoy the day, a day of nothingness, seeing the sights and watching the people. All in the sunshine! Finally SUN!!!
Rolling along in the scattered clouds I hit the next little town and notice I'm riding on a slow leak with the front tire. I'm thinking I'm so glad its the front as the rear is a pain to change and needed a new skewer for the BoB (its' bent) I really don't like taking that off right now. I do have my friend planning on bringing me one from Eugene to allieviate the problem which will be nice, along with tires and bar tap from my good friend Julian! (Thank you Julian - we will ride together soon and trading coaching for gear is a great deal, I just hope you are ready to hurt! LOL) I stopped at a local filling station, they still have full service here in Oregon. I'm not sure why, somebody please do explain. Do they truely think that people don't know how to pump there own fuel? I'm sure there is something to it, never have a spill is what I'm considering. I watched a lot of Californian's filling up heading South, this must be a vacation spot for most of them. Maybe some own vacation homes up here, maybe just visiting, I'll never know as they just stop and go!
I get the mall leak fixed with a patch and continue on my journey, its foggy ahead so I'm thinking I might get caught in another day like yesterday, however its unknown. There is one climb before I roll down to Florence and to be honest, the coast is rolling so I'm not expecting much flat terrain which is okay as I wouldn't get the rocky cliffs without the topography that supports them. Rolling along I'm not really thinking about much. I have had some interesting close encounters with RV's today, however its just another day I'm guessing! Once through the fog I head into some more rolling terrain and just enjoy riding along! The Ocean is to my right and it is Gorgeous!
So many places to stop and visit, Light Houses, Sea Lion Caves, Et cetera. So many places to spend money on this trip, however I'm content with taking photos of these places and reading about them versus spending the money to go in an visit. I know I'm missing out on somethings however I don't have the money. I don't let this get me down though, as I think about this trip as a recon for the next one! The imagination is something - sometimes I have thoughts whether or not technology is stealing the imaginations of our youth or enhancing it? I remember when I was a kid playing Nintendo alot, I wonder what my childhood would have been like without it. I didn't get to play as much as I could have as it was limiited by my Mom but I have to say Thanks for that - I do remember complaining a lot when I was younger about being bored. If only I would have tapped into my imagination more at this age, what more would I have experienced, accomplished, or just shared with others versus being trapped in a technological daze.
This ride was short and I could tell, I got to the base of the small climb very fast. I think I had the flat around mile 25 or so, leaving 25 miles to go. After checking the data this is one of my shortest rides and one of the easiest with little topographical change. Rolling up the climb I see a gentlemen stopped looking down into one of the caves along the seashore. I recognized the man from the coffee shop and stopped to say hello. Rich was his name, a traveler from Austin Texas. He was taking pictures of the Sea Lions swimming down below, and those on the rocks basking in the sun! It was perfect, about 10 miles North of Florence next to a pay site to see the Sea Lions.
I chatted with Rich for about an hour and watch numerous cyclist pass and thougth I should head on, however I was amazed at the beauty of these creatures in the wild and I was in no hurry to be honest. Sit in a laundrymat or watch Sea Lions swim in the ocean? I think I can smell myself for a couple hours more! Rich was great to talk too, he had driven his 5th wheel from Austin to Alaska for the summer to beat the heat and o' the stories this man has! I'll remember his advice about travel, marriage, and life for the remainder of my days. The scenery will help recall these memories!!!
Put yourself in the moment I was in for a small piece of time:
Ocean waves breakin' on the Oregon coast, sea gulls flying in and out of the sea cave. Sea Lions barking for attention, tourist dancing up and down the pull out. Cameras clicking, flashes flashing. In the distance a light house, fog surrounding its red top, horizon lined with lush green forest. Sweet smell of the ocean enters your nostrils, deep breath in you feel connected with the ocean tides, the peacefullness of its beauty.
The feeling of being small enroaches your thoughts, surrounded by beauty of this depth is worth more than any material thing. To feel alive, the warmth of the sun hitting your forehead, face, and lips. Sweet ocean breeze dances around you with the most elegant of touch. Sea Lions continue to swim in surft, a pod of them out at sea just floating while others along the rocks hit with waves that would knock the heaviest human to the undertoe below.
Perfect moment for a perfect ride, an hour out of my day! O' so peaceful - I have to ask why have I been stationary for so long when all this beautiful country exist to explore. The television can portray only so much. To experience nature with all five senses is truly something! I recommend putting down the remote, closing the laptop, shutting down the computer your on right now and see if they sun is setting? Are the leaves changing? What is truly happening right now as you read this? Are children laughing in the background, is dinner burning on the stove top? Has something just exploded in the microwave? So many things going on in this world with so many people? The moments of time we miss can never be captured so capture as many as you can!
I sit here in a coffee shop capturing my thoughts of the day and look up to read:
"the story of a home - its the simple everyday moments that TELL the STORY of our home"
The words "simple moments" stick out to me as I have been trained to look at the little things in life, the simpliest of details to take it in, to embrace it, to love it, to cherish it as the moment we have is so brief that its worth it! My good friend Jan has commented about Baseball players and there attention to detail. When I watch a baseball game I see so many things that the normal person, I guess maybe my time playing ball and studying economics where you have to piece together the ripple affects caused by the smallest of shifts in the economy have me intune with something. What that is I'm not sure, however I'll never miss the moments if I'm truly in the present.
I didn't want to leave the Sea Lions today or my conversation with Rich. Ten miles to Florence and most of it was down hill which I was indifferent about, legs felt great and the little efforts on the bike I have put in have felt really good the last couple of days! Once into Florence I start my chores, pick up some fuel, and head to the laundry! I make a few calls to line out tires in Eugene and find a skewer for my friend EJ to pick up tomorrow. Tried to get this done as quick as possible as the sun was shining and I was enjoying it to the fullest! One more stop at the Safeway to check the 50% off rack for any goodies and then to camp. Sure enough, score a box of Kashi cereal and some pasta (really don't need it but at 80 cents its worth the weight!) I grab some milk for the cereal and attach it to the top of BoB head to camp. Camp is close to 3 miles South of Florence just across the bridge and I'm looking forward to see what the hiker/biker sites are like. Some have been secluded others right at the front of the campgrounds. I have heard this one is in the trees and is really nice. I pull in and its what I had imagined! Small but worth it!
John the Intel Marketing guy is chatting on the phone when I pull in and there is another sites that full. I hope to have a quiet evening as on the way down from Sea Lion Cave I ran into my other Canadian friends (French ones) that had a few bike issues on the decent. I stopped however it looked like his free wheel was in need of replacement and I couldn't help so I headed on to camp. They would join us later too, which was great! Then another group of three. The three were three guys that went to high school together reuniting for a trip down the coast for a couple of weeks. What a cool way to reconnect I thought! I should connect with my friends form high school soon!
After dinner I read a little then headed to sleep, looking forward to a day of relaxing in Florence and waiting for Friday to hang out and enjoy the ocean, the sand dunes, and the small city of Florence.
Distance, miles: 51.59
Ride Time 3:43:57
Work, kJ: 2233
Average Power, watts: 163
Normalized Power, watts: 207
Average Speed, mph: 13.56
Forecast: Cloudy, temperatures around 60 degrees with wind out of the NW 5-10 mph.
Up early thinking I can get to Florence, have laundry finished up by the middle of the day and just relax and write! Right - with campgrounds and biking on the coast you come across cyclist touring that want to visit and its tough to get to work. Kinda like the office when people spend all there time around the water hole and complain about not having time to finish projects. At South Beach campground Tobi and I met some folks traveling from Seattle with a load! The largest load I have scene so far, four paniers and a trailer. They had a lot of solar panels that charged their electronics, pc and phones and maybe some other electronics they may have. They were only traveling 25-40 miles a day as they have plenty of time. I sure do wonder how much money some of these people have as they sure do have plenty of time! I'm on this tight budget trying to get by and doing my best on what little I have and loving it. I wonder what touring will be like when I'm older and have money to stay in nice hotels and eat at the diners and cafe's for lunch along the trip, occasionally having a good dinner! O' the thoughts - this all makes me think about getting back to work.
Can't think about this now as the journey is right in the middle and thoughts like this have me thinking I should throw in the towel and get back to work, however what's the rush? I have so much time to work and experiencing this right now is what the Lord has led me to do, embracing it was easy in the beginning, having these thoughts makes it tougher to embrace. Kinda like our faith, and other things in life, for instance relationships. So many relationships are started out on lust, or infatuation and last a short period of time. What if you really get a hold of the true meaning of why you meet someone or why your doing what your doing? You might just unlock a door to the meanings, or turn over a stone that has the answers to life or the situation you are in at the moment. Thoughts of throwing in the towel have come and gone and I'm back to enjoying the journey, I would be crazy to quit now, no matter what the cost. Lots of pedal strokes ahead of me to return to my Brother's where I started this epic journey, many have commented on that I'll remember for the rest of my life!
I feel I'm rambling again, however I have explored many things and will continue to do so on this trip. Before I started this trip I explored a relationship with a girl to the fullest, no lust even though there was an attraction I did not follow through with those thoughts. I followed my heart and asked a million questions to get to know this girl. Questions extremely deep that I believe surprised her and me and I will never forget this. It appeared the timing may have been off but there was definitely something there, and if the time presented itself again I would love to explore the relationship. However I have learned many things from this that I will hold deep to my heart for the rest of my days, matured so much!
So when your diving into something, slow down and ask questions as questions can unlock the answers to anything in your life! Do parents spend the time with thier children teaching them how to ask and what to ask when? So much to parenting, have parents forgotten this? I can think about my unborn children and how I hope to teach and mentor them all the things I have learned over course of my short life! Still the things I have learned as I put myself into unknown scenarious have taught me things even mentors will not be able to share. Is it our childhood that molds us, our mentors, our education, or our life experiences? I would say it's all encompassing, everything has a positive or negative affect on our outlook in this world. Hence, why some have bad attitudes and others positive, however that's a choice not the experiences we have experienced. Change is the only universal constant, its' how we embrace it that truly reflects the way we life our lives. Today I choose to live a life of smiles and laughter! (The sun is back and I'm so happy today for that! The warmth of the sun can change my mood as quick as a shimmer of light that reflects off a mirror while in traffic...)
Rolling out of camp I know I have about 50 miles or so to go and plan on doing it without any nutrition today. Why, becuase I have felt full the last couple of days eating all the goodies the gals sent me in Astoria! I devoured all those goodies very quick!!! Funny how many calories I contine to burn while on this trip even when I have teared the milage back. Rolling on down the road, huge shoulder and a mental aleartness as keen as the sight of an eagle today I'm ready to get to my destination and do some laundry. After smelling myself in my tent last night I think its time to do some laundry! I hope to have this finished up before the afternoon so I can sit and enjoy the day, a day of nothingness, seeing the sights and watching the people. All in the sunshine! Finally SUN!!!
Rolling along in the scattered clouds I hit the next little town and notice I'm riding on a slow leak with the front tire. I'm thinking I'm so glad its the front as the rear is a pain to change and needed a new skewer for the BoB (its' bent) I really don't like taking that off right now. I do have my friend planning on bringing me one from Eugene to allieviate the problem which will be nice, along with tires and bar tap from my good friend Julian! (Thank you Julian - we will ride together soon and trading coaching for gear is a great deal, I just hope you are ready to hurt! LOL) I stopped at a local filling station, they still have full service here in Oregon. I'm not sure why, somebody please do explain. Do they truely think that people don't know how to pump there own fuel? I'm sure there is something to it, never have a spill is what I'm considering. I watched a lot of Californian's filling up heading South, this must be a vacation spot for most of them. Maybe some own vacation homes up here, maybe just visiting, I'll never know as they just stop and go!
I get the mall leak fixed with a patch and continue on my journey, its foggy ahead so I'm thinking I might get caught in another day like yesterday, however its unknown. There is one climb before I roll down to Florence and to be honest, the coast is rolling so I'm not expecting much flat terrain which is okay as I wouldn't get the rocky cliffs without the topography that supports them. Rolling along I'm not really thinking about much. I have had some interesting close encounters with RV's today, however its just another day I'm guessing! Once through the fog I head into some more rolling terrain and just enjoy riding along! The Ocean is to my right and it is Gorgeous!
So many places to stop and visit, Light Houses, Sea Lion Caves, Et cetera. So many places to spend money on this trip, however I'm content with taking photos of these places and reading about them versus spending the money to go in an visit. I know I'm missing out on somethings however I don't have the money. I don't let this get me down though, as I think about this trip as a recon for the next one! The imagination is something - sometimes I have thoughts whether or not technology is stealing the imaginations of our youth or enhancing it? I remember when I was a kid playing Nintendo alot, I wonder what my childhood would have been like without it. I didn't get to play as much as I could have as it was limiited by my Mom but I have to say Thanks for that - I do remember complaining a lot when I was younger about being bored. If only I would have tapped into my imagination more at this age, what more would I have experienced, accomplished, or just shared with others versus being trapped in a technological daze.
This ride was short and I could tell, I got to the base of the small climb very fast. I think I had the flat around mile 25 or so, leaving 25 miles to go. After checking the data this is one of my shortest rides and one of the easiest with little topographical change. Rolling up the climb I see a gentlemen stopped looking down into one of the caves along the seashore. I recognized the man from the coffee shop and stopped to say hello. Rich was his name, a traveler from Austin Texas. He was taking pictures of the Sea Lions swimming down below, and those on the rocks basking in the sun! It was perfect, about 10 miles North of Florence next to a pay site to see the Sea Lions.
I chatted with Rich for about an hour and watch numerous cyclist pass and thougth I should head on, however I was amazed at the beauty of these creatures in the wild and I was in no hurry to be honest. Sit in a laundrymat or watch Sea Lions swim in the ocean? I think I can smell myself for a couple hours more! Rich was great to talk too, he had driven his 5th wheel from Austin to Alaska for the summer to beat the heat and o' the stories this man has! I'll remember his advice about travel, marriage, and life for the remainder of my days. The scenery will help recall these memories!!!
Put yourself in the moment I was in for a small piece of time:
Ocean waves breakin' on the Oregon coast, sea gulls flying in and out of the sea cave. Sea Lions barking for attention, tourist dancing up and down the pull out. Cameras clicking, flashes flashing. In the distance a light house, fog surrounding its red top, horizon lined with lush green forest. Sweet smell of the ocean enters your nostrils, deep breath in you feel connected with the ocean tides, the peacefullness of its beauty.
The feeling of being small enroaches your thoughts, surrounded by beauty of this depth is worth more than any material thing. To feel alive, the warmth of the sun hitting your forehead, face, and lips. Sweet ocean breeze dances around you with the most elegant of touch. Sea Lions continue to swim in surft, a pod of them out at sea just floating while others along the rocks hit with waves that would knock the heaviest human to the undertoe below.
Perfect moment for a perfect ride, an hour out of my day! O' so peaceful - I have to ask why have I been stationary for so long when all this beautiful country exist to explore. The television can portray only so much. To experience nature with all five senses is truly something! I recommend putting down the remote, closing the laptop, shutting down the computer your on right now and see if they sun is setting? Are the leaves changing? What is truly happening right now as you read this? Are children laughing in the background, is dinner burning on the stove top? Has something just exploded in the microwave? So many things going on in this world with so many people? The moments of time we miss can never be captured so capture as many as you can!
I sit here in a coffee shop capturing my thoughts of the day and look up to read:
"the story of a home - its the simple everyday moments that TELL the STORY of our home"
The words "simple moments" stick out to me as I have been trained to look at the little things in life, the simpliest of details to take it in, to embrace it, to love it, to cherish it as the moment we have is so brief that its worth it! My good friend Jan has commented about Baseball players and there attention to detail. When I watch a baseball game I see so many things that the normal person, I guess maybe my time playing ball and studying economics where you have to piece together the ripple affects caused by the smallest of shifts in the economy have me intune with something. What that is I'm not sure, however I'll never miss the moments if I'm truly in the present.
I didn't want to leave the Sea Lions today or my conversation with Rich. Ten miles to Florence and most of it was down hill which I was indifferent about, legs felt great and the little efforts on the bike I have put in have felt really good the last couple of days! Once into Florence I start my chores, pick up some fuel, and head to the laundry! I make a few calls to line out tires in Eugene and find a skewer for my friend EJ to pick up tomorrow. Tried to get this done as quick as possible as the sun was shining and I was enjoying it to the fullest! One more stop at the Safeway to check the 50% off rack for any goodies and then to camp. Sure enough, score a box of Kashi cereal and some pasta (really don't need it but at 80 cents its worth the weight!) I grab some milk for the cereal and attach it to the top of BoB head to camp. Camp is close to 3 miles South of Florence just across the bridge and I'm looking forward to see what the hiker/biker sites are like. Some have been secluded others right at the front of the campgrounds. I have heard this one is in the trees and is really nice. I pull in and its what I had imagined! Small but worth it!
John the Intel Marketing guy is chatting on the phone when I pull in and there is another sites that full. I hope to have a quiet evening as on the way down from Sea Lion Cave I ran into my other Canadian friends (French ones) that had a few bike issues on the decent. I stopped however it looked like his free wheel was in need of replacement and I couldn't help so I headed on to camp. They would join us later too, which was great! Then another group of three. The three were three guys that went to high school together reuniting for a trip down the coast for a couple of weeks. What a cool way to reconnect I thought! I should connect with my friends form high school soon!
After dinner I read a little then headed to sleep, looking forward to a day of relaxing in Florence and waiting for Friday to hang out and enjoy the ocean, the sand dunes, and the small city of Florence.
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