June 10 (Holy Tailwind Batman!)

Bill PSA: 

Hey guys. Typical of me eh? Make a deal (comments for timely posts) and then immediately fail to hold up my end. Well, I like making daily posts (with no foreknowledge sprinkled in) even if they are delayed and come in bursts, so I'll persist in this for the time being. But just so you know, the reasons I haven't posted for the last five days are as follows:

Day 5) No power

Day 4) Rode till midnight, almost froze

Day 3) No Service

Day 2) No Service, No power

Day 1) Rode till midnight, no power

Anyway, I'm going to try to crank out all the blogs today, but we'll only post 2 a day, to try to make it less of a fire hose, draw it out (give me more time), and hopefully give you a better sense of events as they unfolded.

Today I'm having technical difficulties with MapMyRide.  The app lost the route in the middle and  wouldn't track me, even though the GPS was fixed, so today's route is split into two rides with a gap in the middle.

When I woke this morning, Patrick and Rachel were already gone; they both leave for work at 6:30. So of course the first thing I HAD to do was write those last 6 blogs you've been reading, the very same ones I fell asleep trying to write three days in a row.

By the time I had finished, it was almost noon and I had to pack my stuff quickly or I wouldn't get to Mountain Home on time. (Or so I thought.) Patrick came back while I was installing the tire he gave me to replace the one that got damaged. (And wouldn't you know it he walked in right as I was failing to put the wheel back on right. Whenever you don't want to look stupid...) And, after assisting me with the install, he had another present to give: an inflatable mat to replace the one that fell off my trailer a week ago. Apparently it was one they never used, but it's working great for me! (Seriously, thanks to you both for everything, you're wonderful)

I also managed to snap some pics of Patrick and his parents. Unfortunately I missed my opportunity to get a picture of Rachel, so you'll have to check out their pictures.

Patrick's Grandmother

Patrick (right) with his Grandmother's friend

After that I rode out, and after mailing some excess weight back home I hit the highway. And MAN did I make good time! I was flying down the road at 15 - 20 mph, and what should have been a 4 - 5 hour trip took only 3! I attributed it to the well conditioned road and slight grades ... until I turned around at a gas station and that tailwind became a headwind. Man was it stiff – later in the day I had to pedal hard to go downhill if the wind was against me!

When I arrived in Mountain Home, the first thing I did was head for the gas station. Right as I was about to enter, I was stopped by a woman who asked me if I was doing a cross country tour, and if she could take my picture. Apparently one of her friend's daughters had done a cross country trip years ago, and she had died a year ago today. Perhaps my picture cheered her up some. Well, I hope so anyway.

The seat wasn't as painful as I expected, but then again it might be because it was such a short ride.

I stopped at a thrift store to pick up a new book and I ended up talking to the owner for a little while. He recommended sleeping at the reservoir, as even the young "prick" cops won't bother you there. I'm glad he did, because I got to see this while finishing my old book. (A Spell for Chameleon, Piers Anthony)

Comment Responses

Aunt Mary Jo: The highest I have climbed thus far (in real time, not by June 10) is almost 9,000 feet. That irritating mountain will show up in a little over a week.

Also, you asked a while ago what my diet is like: Breakfasts are usually ramen noodles (carbs and soup!) or if I'm lucky I'll grab a breakfast from an IHOP or something. That's rare though. Lunch generally doesn't happen per se, unless I grab a burger at a gas station. Typically I'll just eat Cliff Bars, cashews, and trail mix throughout the day, with water and Gatorade liberally sprinkled throughout. And dinner is whatever I can get my hands on; usually I'm in town by evening and I'll ask the first few locals I see for recommendations, and head to whatever restaurant sounds best. Subway is kind of the default though.

Aunt Karen: I'm hoping to have a very busy week meeting with everyone I can before I head off to Seattle, and I'm glad you'll be there!

Su-Nin: Mom won't mind you calling her an editor. In fact, before – when we thought I would be dictating this – she called herself my secretary. :P

Rich: No, that key has been lost to the ages, probably sucked into some nether portal.

Danny: Thank you so much for posting another embarrassing anecdote about me on the internet. I'll get you for it...someday

.