Well the book club was a success, or as one of our readers put it, the “wine club”. We had a couple new faces that were really faces from long ago. We had a great time catching up before we repaired to dinner and then discussion of the books.
The discussion wasn’t quite as good as last time, mostly I think because people didn’t enjoy the books quite as much this time around. The Glass Castle is the memoir of some neglectful/delusional/drunk parents and their suffering children. The kids were extremely intelligent and were able to break free of the family one by one when they became juniors in high school. They grew to depend on each other early and late in life, as their parents were essentially worthless.
Many of the readers found the story irritating and frustrating, but it was a good read. In the beginning of the story, I almost found myself envious of pieces of their vagabond life. A common complaint was “why didn’t they do something”, i.e. get out of this abusive situation. I find myself thinking about what I would do, but in reality this is me thinking as a 40 year old, not as a 10 year old. Would I have the strength then to get out? The book actually deals with this pretty well when one of the daughters takes over while the mother is out of town.
The Traveler was the thriller with some “big brother” themes to it. Not the best thriller out there, but I found it pretty interesting. The technology of the book is pretty much here already. Not everyone finished the book, so the discussion was pretty limited. The book is supposed to be the first in a trilogy, and it was good enough for me to pick up the next one.
Sunday started pretty lazily (probably the wine). And it was raining. I had some things to do outside, so I checked weather.com to see how long the rain would last. The radar was green (rain) everywhere with no end in sight. So I put on my work clothes and headed out.
The first task was to clean out the bed of the truck. There were some things I had picked up from my father-in-law’s storage that I hadn’t unloaded yet. The next step was to take the canopy off of the truck for the next trip down. I have had the canopy on for over 7 years and it has never come off. I originally didn’t like getting one, but I needed it for carrying around tools for work. The wife was inside listening to a presentation on fabulous vacuum cleaner. Some neighbor kid (20 something) wanted to try out his sales technique, and the wife took pity.
So anyway, I was on my own to get the canopy off. It is a bit heavy, and of course awkward. It took some prying just to get it unstuck from the bed of the truck. Seven years of heat and weather is pretty good glue for the weather-stripping. It actually took up some paint. I crawled up under it and did my best Atlas impersonation and lifted and spun the canopy so now it was sideways on the bed. Now I had to get it down. Some towels and patience and I had it slid off and walked across the side yard. I have found I am a pretty good MacGyver when figuring out how to get something done. For a while building decks I was on my own, and you have to get kinda creative when doing things that should be a two-man job.
As I was wet already, I started trimming back one of our trees so that our yard waste can would be full for Monday’s pick up. I don’t really know what I’m doing, but the wife said it looked better than when I started. By the time I headed back in, the sales presentation was over. It had gone way over on time, something the “kid” needs to work on. True to his word though, he hadn’t tried to sell it to her - she had to ask what the vacuum cost. The wife was in no way tempted to buy the system as the price tag with all the attachments was $2,000. He will have a tough time out there
October 1, 2007
September 30, 2007
A Couple of new speed records
Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie Breaks Marathon World Record in Berlin
Bike Hits 130.7 mph. On Snow
Gebrselassie broke the world record marathon time by 29 seconds at the Berlin Marathon. The record of 2:04:55 by Paul Tergat had stood for four years. Gebrselassie's new world record is 2:04:26.
My current goal is to run both the marathon and the half marathon under double the world record. The current world record time for a half marathon (also held by Gebrselassie) is 58:55. That would mean I need to beat 4:08:52 for the marathon and 1:57:50 for the half marathon.
Bike Hits 130.7 mph. On Snow
33 year old Austrian Markus Stoeckl has smashed the World Speed Record for series mountain bikes. Stoeckl, nicknamed "Hercules" because of his 6'4", 220 lbs. frame, broke the 8 year old record by 14 mph on a 2000 meter, 45 degree run in the Chilean Alps. Because of the extreme cold, Hercules had to hold his breath for the 40 second duration so his helmet didn't fog up.
September 28, 2007
Book Club
We started a book club earlier this year. There’s about ten or so of us that meet every two months. It has been really interesting so far. I’ve enjoyed discussing the books with everyone. It really fleshes things out to hear other people’s takes on the books. One of the goals of the group is to expose us to different authors that we might not have checked out on our own. Another goal for me is to read some of the classics that we all should have read so far.
We pick two books to read in the two month period. The ones we’ve read so far are:
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
An Inconvenient Truth
The Time Traveler’s Wife
To Kill a Mockingbird
and this month’s books:
The Traveler
The Glass Castle
The Traveler is more of a “boy” book. It will be interesting to hear the ladies take on it. It is a thriller, kind of a modern day 1984 with a little supernatural thrown in. The Glass Castle is a memoir of a woman who grew up with some crazy parents, living hand-to-mouth for most all her life. Tomorrow should be fun.
We pick two books to read in the two month period. The ones we’ve read so far are:
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
An Inconvenient Truth
The Time Traveler’s Wife
To Kill a Mockingbird
and this month’s books:
The Traveler
The Glass Castle
The Traveler is more of a “boy” book. It will be interesting to hear the ladies take on it. It is a thriller, kind of a modern day 1984 with a little supernatural thrown in. The Glass Castle is a memoir of a woman who grew up with some crazy parents, living hand-to-mouth for most all her life. Tomorrow should be fun.
I Love Technology!
I was surfing other blogs, and I found out you can embed a slideshow into your blog. Here is the abbreviated set of Big Ride Glacier photos (still 66 photos). I also have decided to put a rotating photo on the blog. The current one is Brian cresting a hill on the Tour des Lacs.
The weather is turning, and soon too the leaves
On my run tonight, it was almost chilly enough to wish I had brought my vest or wore a long sleeve shirt. It is almost that time. On Wednesday’s run around Lake Sacajawea, some leaves were already falling, even though not many had changed color. The furnace kicked on for the first time in months, and now I open the shades to welcome the setting sun’s heat instead of sheltering the house from it. We’ll see if the new windows keep us warmer this fall and winter. Now I don’t need to worry about keeping the lawn green. The moss will take care of that.
The Neighborhood Market
Out for a quick run tonight. Really didn’t want to go, so I made it a short one. I also went unplugged, no gadgets.
On my way out of our street, one of my neighbors was washing her Jeep. She probably washes her car once a week. I wash my truck probably twice a year. She had her radio going and I recognized the song but couldn’t place it. A little way down the road I figured it out. Someone had remade a Kelly Clarkson song. I thought it odd that someone has remade a song only a year or two old. Yeah I just admitted that I know a Kelly Clarkson song.
Along my normal route there are several houses for sale. It seems more and more pop up each week, and they haven’t been moving at all. There is also a new development crammed into a lot and a half. As far as I can tell none of those have sold yet either. Another development is going to be built on the back lot of a church up the street. The land has been cleared for a while, but not much progress so far. I assume they are holding off until the market starts moving again.
Our housing market isn’t moving. Fortunately it isn’t crashing at this point, but nothing is really happening. Many houses are overpriced. Their listing agents are not being honest with them.
So many people are out of a job in the lending industry. One of our lender reps said last month that he had 40 accounts a couple months ago. He now has 20. That’s 20 companies that are gone, and who knows how many employees. And our market is better than most others.
Now that money isn’t being handed out to everyone, being an Integrated Agent means I can really help buyers where a normal agent can’t. It is also a buyer’s market for the first time in quite a while. But again, not many people are actively looking. Rates are great, there is a ton of inventory, but people are shying away. I may be looking at some other type of side work until things get moving again. It won’t be the first time I’ve worked two jobs.
On my way out of our street, one of my neighbors was washing her Jeep. She probably washes her car once a week. I wash my truck probably twice a year. She had her radio going and I recognized the song but couldn’t place it. A little way down the road I figured it out. Someone had remade a Kelly Clarkson song. I thought it odd that someone has remade a song only a year or two old. Yeah I just admitted that I know a Kelly Clarkson song.
Along my normal route there are several houses for sale. It seems more and more pop up each week, and they haven’t been moving at all. There is also a new development crammed into a lot and a half. As far as I can tell none of those have sold yet either. Another development is going to be built on the back lot of a church up the street. The land has been cleared for a while, but not much progress so far. I assume they are holding off until the market starts moving again.
Our housing market isn’t moving. Fortunately it isn’t crashing at this point, but nothing is really happening. Many houses are overpriced. Their listing agents are not being honest with them.
So many people are out of a job in the lending industry. One of our lender reps said last month that he had 40 accounts a couple months ago. He now has 20. That’s 20 companies that are gone, and who knows how many employees. And our market is better than most others.
Now that money isn’t being handed out to everyone, being an Integrated Agent means I can really help buyers where a normal agent can’t. It is also a buyer’s market for the first time in quite a while. But again, not many people are actively looking. Rates are great, there is a ton of inventory, but people are shying away. I may be looking at some other type of side work until things get moving again. It won’t be the first time I’ve worked two jobs.
September 27, 2007
Running Note – on the road
3.43 miles / 32:32 minutes / 9:29 mpm
Beautiful Evening
September 26, 2007
HPC – Did Finish
I rode the High Pass Challenge this past Sunday. The bike ride started in Packwood and climbed up to the crater of Mount St. Helens. All total the ride was 114 miles with 7,500’ of climbing. Definitely a challenge for me and out of my comfort zone.The ride was timed, starting at 7:00am and finishing at 5:00pm. Anyone finishing before 5:00 received a finishers T-shirt. As a bonus if you finished by 3:00, you received a gold medal. Before 4:00 meant a silver medal, and by 5:00 netted you a bronze medal. If you didn’t finish by 5:00 – Bupkus! Not even a shirt. In fact even the BBQ packed up by 5:30.
As Packwood is about three hours from home, I camped out near the start line. It was a bit chilly, but no rain. I was up by 5:30, broke camp, and drove the 8 miles to the start line. I actually passed some bikers on the way. They must have started around 6:00 (cheaters). I kind of expected a mass start of 500 bikers at 7:00, but people just kind of filtered out in small groups. I started about 7:05, and fortunately the first 17 miles or so were basically flat or downhill. Nice warm up for the muscles. A number of pacelines passed me, even though I was averaging about 18 to 20 mph.
The first sharp climb was around mile 17, and it was a doozy. Just a teaser for what was to come. After the first food stop at mile 26, the road went basically uphill for the next 27 miles, with just a couple downhill breaks. I am generally a pretty good climber, but I was getting passed by most everyone. I kept plugging away, keeping any water or food stops as brief as possible.
At about mile 42 we left the tree level and saw the devastation that still remains 27 years after the eruption. Lots of felled trees along the hillside. The scenery was pretty spectacular, but I didn’t stop for many photo ops since I was on a time crunch. I did stop at the viewpoint of Spirit Lake. What you see in the photo is a huge area of felled trees still floating on the lake.
The summit of the ride was at (aptly named) Windy Ridge. It was blowing, and it was very cold. Someone said it was 39 degrees, and I’m sure the wind took it under freezing. I was shaking. There was lots of food and water at the lunch station, and even a leftover STP wind jacket that they gave me to keep warm. I had made it to the top by 11:35, and left right at noon. Since the bulk of the way home was downhill, I was pretty confident I would finish in time. I started thinking of an actual time goal. I quickly figured that I would need to average 20 mph to get gold, so that was right out.
The summit was at mile 53 but there was still some climbing to get off the top of the mountain. At mile 64 though it was downhill for the next 16 miles. Oh it was glorious! The road twisted and turned through the forest, and I was cooking along at around 30mph. On the way down it became clear how much climbing we had done.
A quick water stop at mile 80 and I had 34 miles to go. I needed to average about 15 mph to net silver. Possible. I had forgotten the hills that were left. Pretty minor comparatively, but I was pretty smoked by then. By mile 90 I was thinking bronze was looking pretty good. The wonderful downhill at mile 92 got me back on track though. With an hour to go, I needed to average 15.5 mph to get silver. The conversations started between my brain and my body. Unfortunately the body was saying “no”, and the brain was saying “probably not”. I equate it to the last few miles of the marathon. You are just physically done, but my mind kept doing the calculations of what I needed to do to make the time goal. At least on a bike you can coast for a few seconds to get your breath back.
With four miles to go I only needed to average 12mph, so it looked like I was going to make it. When I turned into the parking lot and crossed the finish line, I was surprised to see my friend Cherie there waiting for me. She and Brian had driven all this way to see me finish. It was an awesome surprise. They are bikers too, and they can relate to the challenge of this ride. It was fun reliving the ride over dinner with them.
The ride is a real challenge to be sure. If it had rained at all, it would have been tough to finish on time as the descent would have been very tricky. I should have been in better shape, and definitely should have eaten more early on. I was very light headed by the time I reached the summit. The altitude probably didn’t help either. This was the first time Cascade put on this ride, and it was very well supported. The only thing I would change would be to have some food and a bathroom at the start line. Otherwise, very well done.
Happy Totals:
Distance: 114 miles
Climbing: 7,500 feet
Time: 8:50
Avg. Moving Speed 14.3 mph
Avg. Overall Speed 12.9 mph
Heart Rate 160/178
September 21, 2007
Serendipity
When I ran the Marine Corps Marathon in 2006 (my first finish), I wanted to get some things to commemorate the event. I have a few pictures and I bought the DVD of the marathon with some shots of me. I had seen this bottle opener before I went, but didn’t buy it. When I returned, they were all sold out. I kept the link in my favorites in case they made them again. I have checked in every so often, but it never reappeared.
I sent an e-mail to the company asking if they planned to make the opener again for this year’s marathon. A day later I received this response: Hi Sean- Thanks for the inquiry and you must be the luckiest guy alive. I have ONE bottle opener left and we are not producing any more for the expo this year. When I called her to order it, she said they had just moved their offices last week and she found the opener had been sitting on her bookshelf gathering dust.
So, I now have the “People’s Opener”. Maybe not quite as cool as the “Popener”, but pretty cool nonetheless.
This wonderful life
This has obviously been a trying period for my wife and I, and our friends have rallied to our side. I never questioned how fortunate we are to have the friends and family we do, but the wife and I are still blown away with the support we have received. One of our friends put together a wonderful care package of food, magazines and other comforts for the wife while she spent time with her Dad. I was also invited over for dinner while the wife was out of town.
When we came back to town last night, another friend showed up with dinner all prepared and a bouquet of flowers. Apparently several of the ladies have set up a schedule of prepared dinners for us. What a wonderful gesture, and one we truly appreciate. There have been lots of supportive phone calls and e-mails as well. Still others have stopped by to take care of the house while we were away.
Thank you one and all. Your support and friendship has, and never will be taken for granted.
When we came back to town last night, another friend showed up with dinner all prepared and a bouquet of flowers. Apparently several of the ladies have set up a schedule of prepared dinners for us. What a wonderful gesture, and one we truly appreciate. There have been lots of supportive phone calls and e-mails as well. Still others have stopped by to take care of the house while we were away.
Thank you one and all. Your support and friendship has, and never will be taken for granted.
The stuff of life
We all accumulate so much “stuff” during our lives. Some of it is simply functional, some sentimental, some just plain stuff we haven’t tossed out.
I am a pack rat. I don’t like throwing anything away if there is a chance I or someone else will use it. Fred was probably similar in this, but he had far more time to accumulate stuff, and a larger variety of interests. He had been at various times a logger, carpenter, welder, mechanic, fisherman, hunter and more. I have been helping go through all his things, and he has tools of the trade for all of his interests. There are also lots of nails, bolts, screws, car parts and boat parts. Boxes and buckets of bolts that I’m sure he knew exactly what they belonged to, but leave me a loss. There are things like repair kits that weren’t even opened that I’m sure he picked up thinking might come in handy some day. I think his first reflex was always to build or fix something himself, and he picked up lots of tools along the way.
It is an interesting look through a person’s life. We can look through what people hold on to, but we may never know why. There are certain sentimental things that we hold on to that have great meaning to us, but that other’s will have no clue of their significance. Our method of filing things away probably only makes sense to us as well. Why on earth is this carburetor in with a drawer full of sockets, bolts and screwdrivers, and what vehicle does it go on? There may be no reason other than haste in this case. Fred had sold his home of 37 years in the last year, and had too little time to pack it all up. Much of his stuff was put in a storage area, and whatever organization existed was soon lost in the rush to get it all packed up.
I look at our own garage and I realize it is a mish-mash of stuff, mostly worthless to someone else. I have no idea what image someone would draw by going through it all (probably not too flattering). I am tempted to spend a week with the wife just going through all our stuff, explaining the meaningful things, and getting rid of all the rest.
I am a pack rat. I don’t like throwing anything away if there is a chance I or someone else will use it. Fred was probably similar in this, but he had far more time to accumulate stuff, and a larger variety of interests. He had been at various times a logger, carpenter, welder, mechanic, fisherman, hunter and more. I have been helping go through all his things, and he has tools of the trade for all of his interests. There are also lots of nails, bolts, screws, car parts and boat parts. Boxes and buckets of bolts that I’m sure he knew exactly what they belonged to, but leave me a loss. There are things like repair kits that weren’t even opened that I’m sure he picked up thinking might come in handy some day. I think his first reflex was always to build or fix something himself, and he picked up lots of tools along the way.
It is an interesting look through a person’s life. We can look through what people hold on to, but we may never know why. There are certain sentimental things that we hold on to that have great meaning to us, but that other’s will have no clue of their significance. Our method of filing things away probably only makes sense to us as well. Why on earth is this carburetor in with a drawer full of sockets, bolts and screwdrivers, and what vehicle does it go on? There may be no reason other than haste in this case. Fred had sold his home of 37 years in the last year, and had too little time to pack it all up. Much of his stuff was put in a storage area, and whatever organization existed was soon lost in the rush to get it all packed up.
I look at our own garage and I realize it is a mish-mash of stuff, mostly worthless to someone else. I have no idea what image someone would draw by going through it all (probably not too flattering). I am tempted to spend a week with the wife just going through all our stuff, explaining the meaningful things, and getting rid of all the rest.
September 18, 2007
An incomplete tribute to my father-in-law
Fred passed away last night. He went peacefully with family surrounding him. He went out on his own terms, the way he felt was right.
I didn’t know him all that well, but what I knew I respected. Fred lived 140 miles away and we didn’t have occasion to see each other all that often. He wasn’t a man to show up at the holiday table. My wife joked that he was comfortable in a group of two, with him being one of the two. It is my loss for not getting to know him better.
Fred was a salt-of-the-earth type of person. He did what had to be done to survive and provide for his family, taking or creating work where he could. He was good with his hands and was a skilled mechanic and carpenter. He built the house my wife grew up in. A friend of his was calling him just last week for help on a well pump. He was a smart man and would always be there to lend a hand to a friend.
I have a feeling my best chance of getting to know him would have been to work side by side building something. I know he could have taught me plenty, not just about building, but what it meant to him to be a man.
He was a strong man in body and in character. He lived his life doing what he felt was right. I will be hearing more stories about Fred in the coming days, many from friends who can’t believe that he is gone. I have a feeling he had more of an effect on people than he knew. He will be missed.
I didn’t know him all that well, but what I knew I respected. Fred lived 140 miles away and we didn’t have occasion to see each other all that often. He wasn’t a man to show up at the holiday table. My wife joked that he was comfortable in a group of two, with him being one of the two. It is my loss for not getting to know him better.
Fred was a salt-of-the-earth type of person. He did what had to be done to survive and provide for his family, taking or creating work where he could. He was good with his hands and was a skilled mechanic and carpenter. He built the house my wife grew up in. A friend of his was calling him just last week for help on a well pump. He was a smart man and would always be there to lend a hand to a friend.
I have a feeling my best chance of getting to know him would have been to work side by side building something. I know he could have taught me plenty, not just about building, but what it meant to him to be a man.
He was a strong man in body and in character. He lived his life doing what he felt was right. I will be hearing more stories about Fred in the coming days, many from friends who can’t believe that he is gone. I have a feeling he had more of an effect on people than he knew. He will be missed.
September 17, 2007
DLF > DNF >> DNS
I saw this T-shirt shop a while back, and I really appreciate the sentiment on this one.
As I mentioned, I have a DNF in the 2002 Tour des Lacs bike ride. I also have a DNF on my first marathon attempt. I was originally training for the Vancouver Marathon in May of 2006. I started getting injuries a few months out, and it was clear I would not be ready. I postponed my attempt for a month and signed up for the North Olympic Discovery Marathon. I had missed quite a bit of my scheduled runs, so I still was not fully trained. My longest run was 14 miles and that ended with me walking in pain (birth of my IT band problems). Anyway, I was going to give it a shot. I didn't want to have another entry fee go to waste, and I didn't know what would happen unless I tried. I also had two friends running the half marathon.
It was a great day for a run - Clear but not too warm. I decided to take a walk break after each mile, hoping to keep the IT issue at bay. I had bought IT straps a couple of weeks earlier and they seemed to help, but for some reason I didn't wear them at the start. I put them on when I started to feel pain around mile 8. I hit the halfway mark at about 2:20, so I wasn't far off my target pace. By mile 14 though, both knees were really hurting and the walk breaks became longer and longer. I stumbled along to mile 18 before calling it quits. I called the wife and she came to pick me up. I probably could have walked it in, but the half marathoners had long since finished and were waiting, and walking wasn't really what I had planned on. I also had a few big biking events coming soon and I didn't want to do any more damage.
I had a quick breakdown in the car with the wife. Finishing was a bit suspect with my injuries, but I was still pretty disappointed. I pulled it together and met the half marathoners at the finish line and celebrated their success. It helped to be around friends and fellow runners. It also helped that I already had the next goal planned.
I have another bike event coming soon, and it is the first in a while where I'm not sure if I will get an official finish. There is a time limit so that adds to the pressure. My bib number is 499 and there are 500 participants. I hope that isn't an omen of my finishing position.
As I mentioned, I have a DNF in the 2002 Tour des Lacs bike ride. I also have a DNF on my first marathon attempt. I was originally training for the Vancouver Marathon in May of 2006. I started getting injuries a few months out, and it was clear I would not be ready. I postponed my attempt for a month and signed up for the North Olympic Discovery Marathon. I had missed quite a bit of my scheduled runs, so I still was not fully trained. My longest run was 14 miles and that ended with me walking in pain (birth of my IT band problems). Anyway, I was going to give it a shot. I didn't want to have another entry fee go to waste, and I didn't know what would happen unless I tried. I also had two friends running the half marathon.It was a great day for a run - Clear but not too warm. I decided to take a walk break after each mile, hoping to keep the IT issue at bay. I had bought IT straps a couple of weeks earlier and they seemed to help, but for some reason I didn't wear them at the start. I put them on when I started to feel pain around mile 8. I hit the halfway mark at about 2:20, so I wasn't far off my target pace. By mile 14 though, both knees were really hurting and the walk breaks became longer and longer. I stumbled along to mile 18 before calling it quits. I called the wife and she came to pick me up. I probably could have walked it in, but the half marathoners had long since finished and were waiting, and walking wasn't really what I had planned on. I also had a few big biking events coming soon and I didn't want to do any more damage.
I had a quick breakdown in the car with the wife. Finishing was a bit suspect with my injuries, but I was still pretty disappointed. I pulled it together and met the half marathoners at the finish line and celebrated their success. It helped to be around friends and fellow runners. It also helped that I already had the next goal planned.
I have another bike event coming soon, and it is the first in a while where I'm not sure if I will get an official finish. There is a time limit so that adds to the pressure. My bib number is 499 and there are 500 participants. I hope that isn't an omen of my finishing position.
2007 Tour des Lacs
As I mentioned in my previous post, the Tour des Lacs was my first bike event and my first ride in the SAG wagon. This year three of us were riding the 64 mile route with another relatively new biker. He would be a good barometer to see if this ride was as difficult as I remembered. Another four friends were riding a different route, and we would meet them at the end.
We were up at 6:00am to get our butts and bikes out of the hotel. The ride has a pancake breakfast to get the riders full of carbs and caffeine. We hit the road at 7:10 and the first long hill was only 2 miles later. It was pretty steep and a tough way to start a ride. I had dressed lightly as I knew I'd be overheating on the way up this hill. The three of us made it one piece and continued onto the next hill.
About 10 or 15 miles in, there is a red barn to the side of the road. Five years ago one of our riders was checking out some cool ironwork on it when he veared off onto a soft shoulder and wiped out. I had just finished climbing another hill when I saw the barn. Just then I heard an odd sound from my front tire. I first thought my brakes were rubbing, but it was a rush of air from a blown tire. That barn is a curse! The tire had blown at the valve stem. I swapped out for another tube and we were rolling again.
Two miles later, the tire was flat again. As I started to take the wheel off, I noticed the valve wasn't completely closed. Hopefully this flat was just a stupid mistake on my part. I pumped the tire back up, but two miles later it was flat again. It turns out my replacement tube had already been patched, and the patch was leaking. Two ladies rode up from the opposite direction. They weren't part of the ride, and were just out on their own. They had passed by on one of my previous flats, and stopped to offer some help. They gave me another tube and wouldn't accept any money. Just pay it forward they said.
By the first water stop, my flat adventures and our slower pace meant we were the last bikers in. We were still on pace to finish in time, but it was a little close for comfort if we had any mechanical issues. We made our stop brief and hit the road again. One of our riders was having some knee trouble, so he opted to get in the SAG wagon for about 7 miles and would rejoin us at the next water stop. We were able to pick up the pace a bit, and we caught up with some bikers at the next stop.
This is where the route changed from five years ago. The last 18 miles goes along the Trail of Coeur d' Alenes, a converted railway. The trail is new and the path is very smooth. The first seven miles is a glorious downhill ride through the forest to the lake. It was a great reward after all that climbing. The trail continues along the lake and took us to the pier in Harrison. We actually arrived with an hour and a half to spare. The downhill and flat portion along the lake really helped.
The boat ride was beautiful, and we met our friends at the dock in Coeur d' Alene. They had enjoyed their ride as well, and we would all be together on the same route the next day to head back to Spokane.
Our route the first day was certainly challenging. I am a better biker than I was five years ago, but it was still a tough climb. I felt a bit better about my DNF. Fortunately it is my only biking DNF so far (I have one in a marathon). The event boasts five different routes the first day, and two choices the second day. There is something for everyone, and the elevation charts they hand out help to avoid any nasty surprises. The support of the volunteers is great, and the two pay-it-forward ladies reminds me of the type of community bikers should be.
We were up at 6:00am to get our butts and bikes out of the hotel. The ride has a pancake breakfast to get the riders full of carbs and caffeine. We hit the road at 7:10 and the first long hill was only 2 miles later. It was pretty steep and a tough way to start a ride. I had dressed lightly as I knew I'd be overheating on the way up this hill. The three of us made it one piece and continued onto the next hill.
About 10 or 15 miles in, there is a red barn to the side of the road. Five years ago one of our riders was checking out some cool ironwork on it when he veared off onto a soft shoulder and wiped out. I had just finished climbing another hill when I saw the barn. Just then I heard an odd sound from my front tire. I first thought my brakes were rubbing, but it was a rush of air from a blown tire. That barn is a curse! The tire had blown at the valve stem. I swapped out for another tube and we were rolling again.
Two miles later, the tire was flat again. As I started to take the wheel off, I noticed the valve wasn't completely closed. Hopefully this flat was just a stupid mistake on my part. I pumped the tire back up, but two miles later it was flat again. It turns out my replacement tube had already been patched, and the patch was leaking. Two ladies rode up from the opposite direction. They weren't part of the ride, and were just out on their own. They had passed by on one of my previous flats, and stopped to offer some help. They gave me another tube and wouldn't accept any money. Just pay it forward they said.
By the first water stop, my flat adventures and our slower pace meant we were the last bikers in. We were still on pace to finish in time, but it was a little close for comfort if we had any mechanical issues. We made our stop brief and hit the road again. One of our riders was having some knee trouble, so he opted to get in the SAG wagon for about 7 miles and would rejoin us at the next water stop. We were able to pick up the pace a bit, and we caught up with some bikers at the next stop.
This is where the route changed from five years ago. The last 18 miles goes along the Trail of Coeur d' Alenes, a converted railway. The trail is new and the path is very smooth. The first seven miles is a glorious downhill ride through the forest to the lake. It was a great reward after all that climbing. The trail continues along the lake and took us to the pier in Harrison. We actually arrived with an hour and a half to spare. The downhill and flat portion along the lake really helped.
The boat ride was beautiful, and we met our friends at the dock in Coeur d' Alene. They had enjoyed their ride as well, and we would all be together on the same route the next day to head back to Spokane.
Our route the first day was certainly challenging. I am a better biker than I was five years ago, but it was still a tough climb. I felt a bit better about my DNF. Fortunately it is my only biking DNF so far (I have one in a marathon). The event boasts five different routes the first day, and two choices the second day. There is something for everyone, and the elevation charts they hand out help to avoid any nasty surprises. The support of the volunteers is great, and the two pay-it-forward ladies reminds me of the type of community bikers should be.
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