Rest day

It has been a much needed rest day for everyone.  We spent the day cleaning bikes, eating leisurely meals, hanging out at the pool, reorganizing our baggage and other sundry chores. This is an amazing group of women.

I even managed to pick up another cute guy.  His name is Keith, he is from Yorkshire, England and he is cycling pretty much the same route we are.  I'm not sure whether he has adopted us or we have adopted him but it's been fun to interact with him as we travel along. Since he is also a mechanical engineer he had a look at my bike today.

And a picture or two - I hate to admit that I missed some good ones yesterday because I forgot to charge the camera battery.


First SAG between Boulevard and Brawley

 The beginning of the clown car episode - how many cyclists does it take to change a tire?  Actually the tire got changed in short order, but then we couldn't get the wheel back on the bike.  Not my bike and not me in the picture.  Marilyn, Flo and Nancy

Dog Beach, San Diego.  But the dogs had sense enough to come in out of the rain.

Brawley - Blythe, CA 36.9 miles

Disappointing day today.  The first few hours were fine, but rough pavement, two days of constant headwinds and mile upon mile of 1-3% grades completely and utterly defeated me.  My legs were fine, probably could have gone another 20-30 miles but my neck and shoulders  just couldn't take any more.  I had been kind of looking forward to the roller hills - my kind of riding.  After the Percocet kicks in, I am sure this will be another great day on the tour though.  And at least the issues are all mine, not the bike's.  And tomorrow is a rest day.

The desert we rode through today was spectacularly beautiful.  The Chocolate Mountains were in the distance, we passed through an extensive expanse of sand dunes - protected on the left, open for riding on the right.  As we got down to flatter areas, farmers were starting to harvest their first cutting of hay (alfalfa? timothy? not sure).  Blythe is a microscopic town, but it looked like there were interesting places to explore tomorrow after the bike cleaning workshop.

We eat at Sizzler tonight because Linda had to provide a full lunch stop - that just cuts too far into her time for preparing the evening meal.  Our food has been delicious - hats off to Linda.

WARNING - Introspection ahead

This kind of undertaking lets you explore yourself to an intense degree.  The "why am I doing it?"  the "am I capable of doing it?" soon lead to the "what constitutes 'success'  for me?"
When I was having mechanical problems, it was easy - if the  bike isn't rideable, it isn't rideable and you have no choice about riding in the van or the SAG.  But figuring out what constitutes an "acceptable" reason (to me) to accept a bump or a lift took a little more cogitating.  But today I decided (though I reserve the right to change my mind tomorrow).  I am an intelligent woman, with a fair amount of life experience and usually sound judgement.         
I am no longer going to second guess myself.  If I think that riding in  the van or the SAG is the better choice, that's what I will do.  I will stop worrying whether my reasons are "adequate".  No one here is going to question my actions or my motives, so I won't either.

Boulevard to Brawley

Today we dropped from 4,000 ft, rain and freezing cold to below sea level, warm, dry and windy.  I bumped past the 10 mile downhill with typically heavy crosswinds and a current high wind warning.  It is on the Interstate and that didn't seem like the ideal place to test out the repairs/adjustments on my bike.

We  started riding on great shoulders, wonderful scenery and crosswinds of about 10-12mph - pretty much what I typically ride, except for the spectacularly different scenery.  I don't know that I have seen the desert at people speed for many many years.  I guess I have missed it.

On the worst possible stretch of road (for those of you playing along from West Plains, it's like the road that goes behind Hillbilly Junction toward Mt. View, but worse) we also got, as an extra added attraction the worst headwinds (about 15-18 mph).  Annnnd, just because we are so special, that's where we had the clown car cavalcade of mechanical issues.  Fortunately, this time it was NOT my bike.  My bike worked fine today.  It was such a spectacular ordeal of comic complications, that by the time Flo and I got back on the road, we spent a mile or two laughing.  It was a GREAT cycling day.

I haven't gotten to do as many miles as I had hoped, but I am having a GREAT time.  This trip is everything I had hoped for and more.  What makes it so is the 31 women I am traveling with.

I was a total failure today at picking up cute guys, I'll have to up my game tomorrow

Bummer, Alpine to Boulevard 5.68 miles

Headed out this morning in misty conditions and started climbing as soon as we left the hotel driveway.  Things went well for a while, even with no warm-up time, but when we started the real climbing my climbing gears were slipping.  I walked up a couple of pretty steep hills and then Dolly (from Indiana), adjusted the set screw on the rear derailleur and I was back in the saddle.  For a while.  I now had five of the top gears instead of only three.

,

That worked until we got to the 12% grade.  At the point we were supposed to get on the Interstate, I decided the better part of valor was to stay somewhere that the van/trailer had room to come fetch me.  I knew there would be times I would SAG, but I didn't really expect two in the first two days.  My riding has been fine, but the weather and the gear issues have conspired against me.  

  

Carol, the grand guru and all around fantastic tour guide, checked my bike this afternoon and was able to get the slipping transferred to the higher gears, but not totally resolved.  She is a pretty competent mechanic, but isn't quite sure why the cogs are slipping.  I am grateful it is down now to one of the cogs and one of the higher ones.  At least I will be able to continue riding.

But I spent the day in good company, we enjoyed the scenery, and the trip is still fun.  It is cold still, but the snow has melted off the roads.  First up tomorrow is a long downhill with vicious cross winds - the majority of us intend to bump up past that, and then continue on with what Carol assures us is a "happy" ride after that.  It is supposed to be sunny and a little warmer.

PS - I picked up a cute guy cyclist as I walked up the last hill.  He rode alongside as I walked and made sure that I was ok and not in immediate need of assistance.

We're off - San Diego to Alpine, 18 miles

An interesting day, educational too.  Started off in sunshine to get to the beach, where it promptly started raining.  We dipped tires, took lots of pictures and headed down the bike path toward Florida.  And the sun came out.  Yayyy, sunshine.

The dedicated bike path was nice, but soon gave way to an object lesson in urban cycling.  Merging left across right turn lanes is ........ stimulating, to say the least.  At least drivers here are aware of  bikes, they may not like them, but they are aware.  We climbed slowly but pretty steadily for a while and I was pleased with how things were going.  

As we started to climb for real, my rear derailleur decided not to cooperate (Chris, the back fender is coming off tonight) - pretty hard to ride up a 6% hill in the highest gear of the big chain ring.  The 6% turned into 10% (I was walking by then) then flattened out to 6% again.  I made it to the SAG stop just as it started pouring.  I was debating whether to take the fender off there and keep going or just hop a ride.  Then the lightning started - bag it.

A fortuitous set of circumstances gave three of us a direct  ride to the hotel and we  warmed ourselves in front of the lobby fireplace until our rooms were ready.  It would be SOOOOO nice to take a hot shower - but then what, the van with the dry clothes was still on the road.  We settled for warming our hands with coffee until the supplies arrived.

Lots of kinks got worked out today and we are all settled down and better prepared for the 
journey ahead.  It was a good day.

Twas the night before take off...........

Not sure about mice and sugar plums, but there is a strong sense of something magical about to begin.

 

The day was filled with bike retrieval and fitting out, briefings and schedules.  The evening banquet was lovely - lots of lively chatter, sharing of experiences, dreams and apprehensions.  The group is coming together well, lots of support and encouragement for each other, lots of admiration for each others accomplishments and ambitions.

The weather report is rather discouraging, with talk of heavy rain, possible thunderstorms with maybe some hail mixed in, snow at higher elevations (which we will hit on Saturday).  The good news is that there is also supposed to be a strong west wind.  Tail winds are good.

With great anticipation we wait to see what things are like in the morning, knowing that whatever they are like, whatever happens, we will get through it together and come what may, we will be in Alpine tomorrow afternoon.

Hoping for good dreams and good weather.

One Foot Out the Door

And the rest of me soon to follow.

All that's left to pack is my Kindle and I am out of here.  The stuff in the black bag is all bike stuff, it's helped me figure out why you want to start out with a light bike - the accessories add weight fast.  

I am in an odd Neverland sort of place right now.  Time has been like an accordian.  First it was two years, then six months, then only six months, then it's suddenly six weeks and the pressure is on.  Then six days......some of which were 98 hours long and others lasted 10minutes, now  I have to keep counting because I can't even remember which day it is today.  We are down to hours now, with not much left to do except straighten up the chaos my packing has left behind.

I have wondered what it would be like to do this again without the element of the unknown that has colored everything this time.  You would know where and when you would be able to resupply, you would have a better idea of what level of energy this is going to take.  You would know what will work back home and what won't.  More than that, you would know whether or not you could even DO it, or want to.  A lot of the anxiety would be gone.

But I guess that's what makes it such an adventure.  I can't even imagine how it would be to set out on your own, planning to camp (or not) along the way.  That's more adventure than I am up for.

Only a few last minute things to do, then I will be out of last minutes and on my way.