after only 3 days of school. sheesh! like i said, i got back and hit the ground running, but don't worry, i'm sleeping now. i slept until after 10a this morning, a new late for me. knowing that it was hot outside, i thought i was going to just go for a short run. ten miles later, i finally got back to my house. it felt good.
despite the fact that there's a lot going on in the present to occupy me, i've been getting more and more excited about the future. the folks at ironman just added a new race to their schedule...in austin, so i'll be racing ironman 70.3 austin at the longhorn triathlon festival in about five weeks. i'm not setting any time or place goals for myself. i just want to enjoy it. like i mentioned earlier, my running legs feel pretty good, and i'm excited to get back on my tri bike (hopefully it doesn't take too long for my muscles to adapt to the new geometry). a few days after the longhorn triathlon festival i take off for hawaii. i didn't realize it when i got my plane tickets, but kona is actually that weekend. i don't think i'm going to get to go see any of it though because my friend's wedding is the same day on oahu. after that i'm also signed up for the dallas marathon on 12/14. i have run a marathon that weekend for the last five years. this year will be my 6th anniversary of being able to run, and the first year that i don't have to take a final a day or two after the race. all of my finals will be the week before this year. woohoo!
i had a talk with my advisor the other day about where my research will be going in the next few years. we just got a brand new camera system and i'm the only one in the lab familiar with the new software. i'm therefore responsible for setting everything up in the next couple months. this is actually a good thing because i'm not the resident expert on how the system works. i'll be doing some research on tripping, but i really want to see if i can get my advisor to let me do some work with running. one of my labmates was looking at stability during the walk to run transition, but i'd like to take some of the techniques i'm currently using and just apply them to steady-state running. i need to do some background research first though to see what's been done.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
back to school
the end of the road trip back to austin was pretty epic. it involved flat tires, the highway patrol, tempers flaring, traveling down the wrong roads, great music and much laughter at the ridiculousness of it all. i got back to austin sometime after 2am on august 27th...the day school started.
after less than 4 hours of sleep i was awake and heading to class. my day was spent in class and taking care of all sorts of registration and hiring errands. i also found out that i would have to take placement tests today and tomorrow (good thing i knew about them in advance so i could study?). i finally got to run in the afternoon, but due to the lack of food and hydration i'd had throughout the day, i spent the evening nauseated before just being downright sick. what a great way to start off the new school year!
i'm still living out of my bag from the summer and sleeping in my sleeping bag on my bed. one of the people who lived in my room this summer still doesn't have all of her stuff out of the room yet, so i don't really want to start unpacking...that or i'm just being lazy. there are also two beds and four bikes in my room at present, so there's also just not a lot of space to be adding boxes. i have some ideas for how i want to change my room, so some shopping may also be necessary for closet organization purposes.
my classes all seem like they'll be interesting, but i'm still not sure exactly what i'm taking. one of the classes requires that i pass both of the aforementioned placement exams, and the other class requires that i pass the matlab exam in particular. fortunately, that was passed earlier today. tomorrow afternoon i'll take the exam on probability. i'm actually kind of excited about tomorrow, not because of the exam but because it will be friday afternoon and i'll be on campus...not in san antonio. all of last school year, i was in san antonio on fridays so i never got to go to happy hour and hang out with the other grad students. tomorrow afternoon post exam, i will be enjoying happy hour margaritas for the first time since being in texas--it's about time!
after less than 4 hours of sleep i was awake and heading to class. my day was spent in class and taking care of all sorts of registration and hiring errands. i also found out that i would have to take placement tests today and tomorrow (good thing i knew about them in advance so i could study?). i finally got to run in the afternoon, but due to the lack of food and hydration i'd had throughout the day, i spent the evening nauseated before just being downright sick. what a great way to start off the new school year!
i'm still living out of my bag from the summer and sleeping in my sleeping bag on my bed. one of the people who lived in my room this summer still doesn't have all of her stuff out of the room yet, so i don't really want to start unpacking...that or i'm just being lazy. there are also two beds and four bikes in my room at present, so there's also just not a lot of space to be adding boxes. i have some ideas for how i want to change my room, so some shopping may also be necessary for closet organization purposes.
my classes all seem like they'll be interesting, but i'm still not sure exactly what i'm taking. one of the classes requires that i pass both of the aforementioned placement exams, and the other class requires that i pass the matlab exam in particular. fortunately, that was passed earlier today. tomorrow afternoon i'll take the exam on probability. i'm actually kind of excited about tomorrow, not because of the exam but because it will be friday afternoon and i'll be on campus...not in san antonio. all of last school year, i was in san antonio on fridays so i never got to go to happy hour and hang out with the other grad students. tomorrow afternoon post exam, i will be enjoying happy hour margaritas for the first time since being in texas--it's about time!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
on the road again
it is the morning of day 3 of the roadtrip back to texas. in theory we should have left edmonton early this morning and be headed towards salt lake city tonight. instead, we are hanging out in fort st. john, bc, because one of our vans has decided to make start making strange noises. we're having a gmc dealership look at it this morning, so keep your fingers crossed.
we left anchorage a little later than we thought we would, and after that, it was just slow moving on the roads. we decided that instead of stopping that first night we'd just drive through the night so that we could actually be to edmonton last night. although the mileage we had planned for the first couple days of the trip was aggressive, it wasn't unfeasible. or so we thought. it turned out that the roads were curvy, dusty and in several places have had pilot cars through construction. the scenery has generally been gorgeous though (aside from the very overcast the first day and night). yesterday i felt like i was driving through a game park at one point. i saw a huge heard of bison with a lot of babies. i saw lots of reindeer including one male with very long antlers. i almost hit several of them actually because you'd be driving by (slower than you had been going before) and at the last second they'd jump into the road in front of you. fortunately, no one (reindeer included) were injured. i also saw a porcupine.
late last evening i finished my second book since finishing the ride. the first book was called refuge by terry tempest williams. the second book was mountains beyond mountains by tracy kidder. both of these books i picked out somewhat randomly at the bookstore, but ironically, they have both been stories i needed to hear. both are nonfiction and the people whose lives they depict both had something i needed to hear. what interested me about the first book was that williams is a married mormon woman with no kids (by choice) and (what sounds to me) a great career. in a culture that encourages having children and being a mom, it was interesting to hear how she "defends" her decision. i loved reading about her passion for what she does (natural scientist, director at the natural history museum in salt lake). the second book, mountain beyond mountains, is about a man named paul farmer who is an md/phd who has done some amazing things in promoting proper healthcare for the poor. though he was born and raised (and received medical training) in the us, he lives primarily in haiti, where he has revolutionized their healthcare system. at least from the description in the book, farmer never went out to change the world necessarily, but he did go out to seek equality in care for the poor of haiti. he started working there when he was in medical school and now runs programs in russia, peru, haiti and roxbury (and i believe a couple other places). i had already been thinking about volunteer work i wanted to do when i got back to texas and had been looking into a few different things, so i wouldn't saw that his book necessarily inspired me to do something. i would say though that it taught me about the potential of just going out and doing something.
farmer also seems to have a view of religion that i find interesting in a scientist. at first it seems he didn't subscribe to anything necessarily though he saw the wisdom in taking care of one's fellow man. but after living in haiti and seeing the importance of religion in the lives of the poor, his opinion seems to have changed. while some people argue it (religion) is a crutch for the weak, farmer seems to have had an epiphany about its importance because it is so important to the poor people with whom he was working. i hadn't really thought about it that way before but i found his perspective (which i know i have done an inadequate job of repeating) to be enlightening.
in any case, both books hit on something i have been thinking about a lot in the last few years, particularly the last year. i enjoy planning things and problem solving, but i think need to get out and just start doing stuff more. i think i get caught up in how things will work out and imagining what the future might be like, when it would really be better to just start doing--whether that be volunteering, doing school work, speaking spanish, running more, or whatever else (regardless of whether it is for the community or selfish purposes). lately, i feel like i have been having a lot of 'aha!' moments where i see how things i have done in the past have gotten me to the place i currently stand (literally and figuratively).
the trip this summer also gave me a lot of time to think about my friends. i have been blessed with a random group of friends from all over the country and from all different backgrounds. i frequently wished i could talk to them when things happened during the trip though for various reasons (lack of phone reception, internet, etc) i didn't. someone i know (who shall remain nameless) is in the habit of telling me i'm weird. this tends to happen everytime i want to read a book or talk about "nerdy" things or when i just want to be by myself (not because i'm sad or angry just because i like being by myself sometimes) or when i ask a question (usually about the basic nature of something). while not said with the intention to be mean, it does make me feel like i'm being made fun of and has definitely left me feeling rather isolated at times. i spent a lot of time in high shcool feeling that way (isolated), and more frequently than i cared to in the last few months, i felt like was back in high school. let's suffice it to say that its really hard on me (i know i shouldn't care what other people saw, blah, blah, blah). one of the great things for me about college was that i was finally in a place where i wasn't ostracized for being me...maybe because everyone else (though we were all very different) also embodied that "weirdness." i didn't go to college with all of the people i cosider my closest friends, but they all seem to value my weirdness. at least in my opinion, they're all "weird" too, which i think is why we're friends. anyhow, the point of this abstract ramble is that i would like to say thank you. thanks to all my friends and family who have been so supportive...even when i say i'm going to do something a little "weird" (ride my bike across the country, leave my phd program, move to hawaii, move to texas, run an ultra, you get the idea). you guys make feel normal and remind me that anything is possible. i really value having you in my life.
enough cheesiness for now, i've got to a roadtrip to finish. with the current delay it is looking like we might not have time to make it to zion np, but stay tuned!
we left anchorage a little later than we thought we would, and after that, it was just slow moving on the roads. we decided that instead of stopping that first night we'd just drive through the night so that we could actually be to edmonton last night. although the mileage we had planned for the first couple days of the trip was aggressive, it wasn't unfeasible. or so we thought. it turned out that the roads were curvy, dusty and in several places have had pilot cars through construction. the scenery has generally been gorgeous though (aside from the very overcast the first day and night). yesterday i felt like i was driving through a game park at one point. i saw a huge heard of bison with a lot of babies. i saw lots of reindeer including one male with very long antlers. i almost hit several of them actually because you'd be driving by (slower than you had been going before) and at the last second they'd jump into the road in front of you. fortunately, no one (reindeer included) were injured. i also saw a porcupine.
late last evening i finished my second book since finishing the ride. the first book was called refuge by terry tempest williams. the second book was mountains beyond mountains by tracy kidder. both of these books i picked out somewhat randomly at the bookstore, but ironically, they have both been stories i needed to hear. both are nonfiction and the people whose lives they depict both had something i needed to hear. what interested me about the first book was that williams is a married mormon woman with no kids (by choice) and (what sounds to me) a great career. in a culture that encourages having children and being a mom, it was interesting to hear how she "defends" her decision. i loved reading about her passion for what she does (natural scientist, director at the natural history museum in salt lake). the second book, mountain beyond mountains, is about a man named paul farmer who is an md/phd who has done some amazing things in promoting proper healthcare for the poor. though he was born and raised (and received medical training) in the us, he lives primarily in haiti, where he has revolutionized their healthcare system. at least from the description in the book, farmer never went out to change the world necessarily, but he did go out to seek equality in care for the poor of haiti. he started working there when he was in medical school and now runs programs in russia, peru, haiti and roxbury (and i believe a couple other places). i had already been thinking about volunteer work i wanted to do when i got back to texas and had been looking into a few different things, so i wouldn't saw that his book necessarily inspired me to do something. i would say though that it taught me about the potential of just going out and doing something.
farmer also seems to have a view of religion that i find interesting in a scientist. at first it seems he didn't subscribe to anything necessarily though he saw the wisdom in taking care of one's fellow man. but after living in haiti and seeing the importance of religion in the lives of the poor, his opinion seems to have changed. while some people argue it (religion) is a crutch for the weak, farmer seems to have had an epiphany about its importance because it is so important to the poor people with whom he was working. i hadn't really thought about it that way before but i found his perspective (which i know i have done an inadequate job of repeating) to be enlightening.
in any case, both books hit on something i have been thinking about a lot in the last few years, particularly the last year. i enjoy planning things and problem solving, but i think need to get out and just start doing stuff more. i think i get caught up in how things will work out and imagining what the future might be like, when it would really be better to just start doing--whether that be volunteering, doing school work, speaking spanish, running more, or whatever else (regardless of whether it is for the community or selfish purposes). lately, i feel like i have been having a lot of 'aha!' moments where i see how things i have done in the past have gotten me to the place i currently stand (literally and figuratively).
the trip this summer also gave me a lot of time to think about my friends. i have been blessed with a random group of friends from all over the country and from all different backgrounds. i frequently wished i could talk to them when things happened during the trip though for various reasons (lack of phone reception, internet, etc) i didn't. someone i know (who shall remain nameless) is in the habit of telling me i'm weird. this tends to happen everytime i want to read a book or talk about "nerdy" things or when i just want to be by myself (not because i'm sad or angry just because i like being by myself sometimes) or when i ask a question (usually about the basic nature of something). while not said with the intention to be mean, it does make me feel like i'm being made fun of and has definitely left me feeling rather isolated at times. i spent a lot of time in high shcool feeling that way (isolated), and more frequently than i cared to in the last few months, i felt like was back in high school. let's suffice it to say that its really hard on me (i know i shouldn't care what other people saw, blah, blah, blah). one of the great things for me about college was that i was finally in a place where i wasn't ostracized for being me...maybe because everyone else (though we were all very different) also embodied that "weirdness." i didn't go to college with all of the people i cosider my closest friends, but they all seem to value my weirdness. at least in my opinion, they're all "weird" too, which i think is why we're friends. anyhow, the point of this abstract ramble is that i would like to say thank you. thanks to all my friends and family who have been so supportive...even when i say i'm going to do something a little "weird" (ride my bike across the country, leave my phd program, move to hawaii, move to texas, run an ultra, you get the idea). you guys make feel normal and remind me that anything is possible. i really value having you in my life.
enough cheesiness for now, i've got to a roadtrip to finish. with the current delay it is looking like we might not have time to make it to zion np, but stay tuned!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
rest and relaxation in anchorage
ever so slowly i will start to unwind from this trip, but i'm starting to think its going to take a long time. the first couple days after the trip ended were filled with dinners, cancer themed movies and visits to local cancer hospitals where we visited with patients, painted mugs and made puppets for use in alternative therapy for kids. i also got to make the 999th paper crane for a project a university of alaska student was working on at providence cancer center. daniel c. made the 1000th. i felt like someone had planned art therapy sessions for me as a present. i really enjoyed what we were doing and meeting all the staff that worked at the hospitals.
yesterday i was waiting for a phone call from someone so we could figure out our roadtrip back to texas. i never received one, so i got in the car and started driving to whittier, a town on the ocean about 50 miles from anchorage. i saw portage glacier and several other glaciers for that matter. i didn't realize that to get to whittier you had to go through a tunnel. well, the tunnel was a trip. it was 2.7 miles long and one lane wide. yep, one lane wide. down that one lane cars, rvs and trains travelled. there were schedules for when you could get into and out of whittier because they changed the direction of traffic through the tunnel every 30 minutes. i got into whittier, found a small cafe and my cup of tea and i found a cozy corner to sit and read. i was right on the water. after a couple hours, i got up and moved myself outside and sat back down and continued reading. being by myself all day with a book was exactly what i needed. i hope to have a few more days like that in the near future. its rejuvenating.
i was reading a book called refuge by terry tempest williams. i bought it because the author was supposed to write like barbara kingsolver, rachel carson and other naturalist writers. the book turned out to be perfect though because it actually focused on the author's struggle with her mother and grandmother getting cancer. she wrote about this story in conjunction with all the changes in water level and the subsequent destruction of habitat that was occurring at the same time in the Great Salt Lake (the book takes place in Utah). i became more excited as i read her descriptions of the lake and surrounding areas and wildlife because we are planning on roadtripping back to texas via utah, namely so we can visit zion national park.
yesterday i was waiting for a phone call from someone so we could figure out our roadtrip back to texas. i never received one, so i got in the car and started driving to whittier, a town on the ocean about 50 miles from anchorage. i saw portage glacier and several other glaciers for that matter. i didn't realize that to get to whittier you had to go through a tunnel. well, the tunnel was a trip. it was 2.7 miles long and one lane wide. yep, one lane wide. down that one lane cars, rvs and trains travelled. there were schedules for when you could get into and out of whittier because they changed the direction of traffic through the tunnel every 30 minutes. i got into whittier, found a small cafe and my cup of tea and i found a cozy corner to sit and read. i was right on the water. after a couple hours, i got up and moved myself outside and sat back down and continued reading. being by myself all day with a book was exactly what i needed. i hope to have a few more days like that in the near future. its rejuvenating.
i was reading a book called refuge by terry tempest williams. i bought it because the author was supposed to write like barbara kingsolver, rachel carson and other naturalist writers. the book turned out to be perfect though because it actually focused on the author's struggle with her mother and grandmother getting cancer. she wrote about this story in conjunction with all the changes in water level and the subsequent destruction of habitat that was occurring at the same time in the Great Salt Lake (the book takes place in Utah). i became more excited as i read her descriptions of the lake and surrounding areas and wildlife because we are planning on roadtripping back to texas via utah, namely so we can visit zion national park.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Day 70
The short story: We made it to Anchorage!!
The slightly longer story: We got up at 6:30a this morning, packed our bags and grouped up for the ride dedication. It was by far the most powerful ride dedication we have had all summer, and I think almost all of us were in tears for at least some of it. When it was my turn, I dedicated my ride to Barb Grisham, the wife of Paster Dan who is currently battling cancer. I then took a minute to tell everyone about my application. On my application, I wrote that I rode for six people: my four grandparents, my aunt Rose and my dad. But after that I added that I had enough anger in me to fuel an entire ride to Alaska because of something that happened to me a few years ago.
About three years ago, I went into the doctor thinking I had a cyst on my shoulder. He thought I had skin cancer. Being told at 24 that you have skin cancer (let alone any other age) will make your life seem to stop in its tracks. I didn't really know what to do, so I called my mom. Moms are great resources when you have problems and you don't know what to do about them. The doctor scheduled me to see a surgeon, and the appointment was set for two weeks from that day. In the interim time, my brother bought me an umbrella hat so I didn't have to be in the sun and my mom started sending me all sorts of links to websites that had clothes with high spfs. The day rolled around when I went to see the surgeon, knowing that he was likely going to do something to me that I didn't want to happen. Instead of just doing a biopsy, he cut the whole offending piece of my shoulder out and stitched me closed. I was pretty traumatized. I went home and sat around worried for a couple days before one of my roommates told me that I should just start calling the doctor and asking what the results were. Why the doctor had told me I had to wait for more than a week for the results I have no idea. I called and was able to get through to a nurse. She told me I didn't have cancer. I had a cyst and scar tissue. While I should have been sighing with relief, I was actually really really angry. For those who don't know me well, I get annoyed but I very rarely get angry, so to make me angry you have to have done something bad. I was angry for being misdiagnosed. I was angry for the doctor not telling me he misdiagnosed me. And a couple months later, as my scar turned into a keloid scar and kept getting bigger, I was even more angry that he messed up my body and never apologized for it. I didn't (and still don't) understand why doctors are so eager to put people under the knife and do more than is necessary (in my case a punch biopsy would have been a lot smaller that what was actually done). And I really didn't understand why there was not a non-invasive technique to decipher cysts from blisters from cancer from tumors or what have you.
Fast forward to this spring. I enrolled in my first biomedical engineering core class for grad school. We had to do term projects and many of the students in the class did their projects on something related to their research. It turned out that several people in the class were doing research on ultrasound...and its use in detecting tumors versus cysts. So to return to that other reason why I rode this summer. I rode for my classmates. They are the researchers developing and refining the technology that will prevent cases like mine from happening. I am so grateful for their work, and I am proud that we are donating to organizations like MD Anderson and the American Cancer Society who are helping fund this type of research.
I was one of the last people to actually leave the church this morning because I decided to ride sweep today. Dane and Alberto also accompanied me (whether or not that was intentional I don't know). The first segment of the ride went very quickly as we were talking about all our plans for Anchorage and our excitement to see our families. We had at least one flat and then it started raining, so we were soaked and covered in mud...somehow though this didn't affect people's spirits. We arrived at the first rest stop and celebrated the last rest stop we as a team had to man. We thought our next rest stop would be 20 miles later, but after a few miles on the road, we discovered that our next rest stop, which was to be hosted by the Texas Exes, was actually less than 10 miles from the previous stop. We rolled into Mirror Lake and were greeted by friends, family and a bunch of UT alum. We also received the gift of non-roaming cell phone reception and I called my parents to let them know I was almost there.
A UT alum led us the rest of the way into Alaska Pacific University, the official finish line of the ride. We wandered around bike paths through Anchorage and after what seemed like forever, we finally arrived. We were again greeted by friends and family. We all jumped off our bikes, exchanged hugs and did one last haka in celebration.
The Texas Exes had prepared a feast for us and we sat and dined with our family and friends. Chris, Keat and others got up and said a few words. The president of APU even came out to thank and congratulate us. I was interviewed by ABC (?) and was actually on the news in Anchorage (and I believe Austin) either that night or the next morning.
While all of this celebrating was occurring, it started raining more and more. While some thought this was a bit depressing, I found it oddly appropriate. The day we left Austin it had been pouring down rain and we thought we might have to just drive everyone out to Cedar Park. So we started as we finished...in the rain.
After dinner I got to take a very hot, much appreciated shower. Many people went out for a night on the town to celebrate. Todd, Brooke and I went to the Moose's Tooth and had appetizers and drinks. We shared fun stories, laughed, complained and compared. For me, it was great to sit with them and review the trip. Sometime after midnight we headed back to the gym to sleep. I hadn't been in a great mood earlier in the day for various reasons, but by the time I fell asleep, I was a much happier camper.
Thank you all for your support this summer. It has been greatly appreciated. I hope you have all enjoyed reading about the trip and were able to get a sense of what life is like on the road.
I now return to my irregularly scheduled blogs.
The slightly longer story: We got up at 6:30a this morning, packed our bags and grouped up for the ride dedication. It was by far the most powerful ride dedication we have had all summer, and I think almost all of us were in tears for at least some of it. When it was my turn, I dedicated my ride to Barb Grisham, the wife of Paster Dan who is currently battling cancer. I then took a minute to tell everyone about my application. On my application, I wrote that I rode for six people: my four grandparents, my aunt Rose and my dad. But after that I added that I had enough anger in me to fuel an entire ride to Alaska because of something that happened to me a few years ago.
About three years ago, I went into the doctor thinking I had a cyst on my shoulder. He thought I had skin cancer. Being told at 24 that you have skin cancer (let alone any other age) will make your life seem to stop in its tracks. I didn't really know what to do, so I called my mom. Moms are great resources when you have problems and you don't know what to do about them. The doctor scheduled me to see a surgeon, and the appointment was set for two weeks from that day. In the interim time, my brother bought me an umbrella hat so I didn't have to be in the sun and my mom started sending me all sorts of links to websites that had clothes with high spfs. The day rolled around when I went to see the surgeon, knowing that he was likely going to do something to me that I didn't want to happen. Instead of just doing a biopsy, he cut the whole offending piece of my shoulder out and stitched me closed. I was pretty traumatized. I went home and sat around worried for a couple days before one of my roommates told me that I should just start calling the doctor and asking what the results were. Why the doctor had told me I had to wait for more than a week for the results I have no idea. I called and was able to get through to a nurse. She told me I didn't have cancer. I had a cyst and scar tissue. While I should have been sighing with relief, I was actually really really angry. For those who don't know me well, I get annoyed but I very rarely get angry, so to make me angry you have to have done something bad. I was angry for being misdiagnosed. I was angry for the doctor not telling me he misdiagnosed me. And a couple months later, as my scar turned into a keloid scar and kept getting bigger, I was even more angry that he messed up my body and never apologized for it. I didn't (and still don't) understand why doctors are so eager to put people under the knife and do more than is necessary (in my case a punch biopsy would have been a lot smaller that what was actually done). And I really didn't understand why there was not a non-invasive technique to decipher cysts from blisters from cancer from tumors or what have you.
Fast forward to this spring. I enrolled in my first biomedical engineering core class for grad school. We had to do term projects and many of the students in the class did their projects on something related to their research. It turned out that several people in the class were doing research on ultrasound...and its use in detecting tumors versus cysts. So to return to that other reason why I rode this summer. I rode for my classmates. They are the researchers developing and refining the technology that will prevent cases like mine from happening. I am so grateful for their work, and I am proud that we are donating to organizations like MD Anderson and the American Cancer Society who are helping fund this type of research.
I was one of the last people to actually leave the church this morning because I decided to ride sweep today. Dane and Alberto also accompanied me (whether or not that was intentional I don't know). The first segment of the ride went very quickly as we were talking about all our plans for Anchorage and our excitement to see our families. We had at least one flat and then it started raining, so we were soaked and covered in mud...somehow though this didn't affect people's spirits. We arrived at the first rest stop and celebrated the last rest stop we as a team had to man. We thought our next rest stop would be 20 miles later, but after a few miles on the road, we discovered that our next rest stop, which was to be hosted by the Texas Exes, was actually less than 10 miles from the previous stop. We rolled into Mirror Lake and were greeted by friends, family and a bunch of UT alum. We also received the gift of non-roaming cell phone reception and I called my parents to let them know I was almost there.
A UT alum led us the rest of the way into Alaska Pacific University, the official finish line of the ride. We wandered around bike paths through Anchorage and after what seemed like forever, we finally arrived. We were again greeted by friends and family. We all jumped off our bikes, exchanged hugs and did one last haka in celebration.
The Texas Exes had prepared a feast for us and we sat and dined with our family and friends. Chris, Keat and others got up and said a few words. The president of APU even came out to thank and congratulate us. I was interviewed by ABC (?) and was actually on the news in Anchorage (and I believe Austin) either that night or the next morning.
While all of this celebrating was occurring, it started raining more and more. While some thought this was a bit depressing, I found it oddly appropriate. The day we left Austin it had been pouring down rain and we thought we might have to just drive everyone out to Cedar Park. So we started as we finished...in the rain.
After dinner I got to take a very hot, much appreciated shower. Many people went out for a night on the town to celebrate. Todd, Brooke and I went to the Moose's Tooth and had appetizers and drinks. We shared fun stories, laughed, complained and compared. For me, it was great to sit with them and review the trip. Sometime after midnight we headed back to the gym to sleep. I hadn't been in a great mood earlier in the day for various reasons, but by the time I fell asleep, I was a much happier camper.
Thank you all for your support this summer. It has been greatly appreciated. I hope you have all enjoyed reading about the trip and were able to get a sense of what life is like on the road.
I now return to my irregularly scheduled blogs.
Day 65-69
Day 65
We made it to Alaska!! Today we rode from Beaver Creek, YT to Northway, AK. I dedicated my ride to Christy Francis's parents. It was a somewhat slow start to the morning, but I think that was due to the border race...the first border race where the two routes were "competing" against each other. After breakfast and ride dedication about half us got on the road and started heading for the border while the other half hung back. They wanted to give us ample time to get there and have cameras at the ready for when they reached the border. I rode the later half of this stretch with Amy L. and Kacie, and Amy suggested that for each of the last five miles before the border we talk about someone for whom we were riding this summer. I shared the stories of my father, aunt and grandmother, and I have to say they were some of the best miles I have ridden. Talking about these people and what they mean to me really brought back into focus the purpose of the ride. Mike won the race, but the whole pack of racers came in not too far behind him. After a slew of pictures at the Welcome to Alaska sign (these included pictures by team, gender, major, tent...you get the idea), we headed to the Customs building. The remainder of our day was relaxed. I know that we only crossed an arbitrary border between countries, but the scenery in Alaska was gorgeous...until we got into camp and it started raining. My tentmates and I set up our tent and then piled in a van and drove to Northway for dinner. Upon return to camp we piled back into our tent to stay warm and busted out a card game called Male/Female. Basically this involved trivia questions intended to stump people based on gender and lead to some rather amusing discussion of Batman and saffron.
Day 66
I dedicated today to Kasaundra's grandparents. While our schedule says we were riding from Northway to Tok, AK, we actually rode about 25 miles past Tok to the Log Cabin Inn, which is owned and operated by some friends of Kyle's. The ride today was again very relaxed. This was in large part due to lots of construction. Gravel roads can only be taken so quickly if one wants to remain on one's bicycle! We had to sag through 1 mile of the day, but fortunately, the pilot cars simply loaded us and our bikes into the back and drove us though the work site. I sat in the cab with one of the construction guys and started chatting. It turns out that he was a Vietnam veteran after I told him what I did, and we started talking about the VA, the war and the general outlook on the military...don't worry, it was a friendly conversation. He was really impressed with the innovations in rehabilitation with which I work. When we finally reached the last rest stop of the day, one thing sticks out in my mind: we had cell phone reception. Normally when you pull into a rest stop people are sitting there talking to each other. At this rest stop though, almost everyone was on a cell phone with a family member or friend. I guess we really haven't had reception lately! We arrived at the Log Cabin Inn shortly before dinner. The house and cabins are beautiful and I would highly recommend stopping by if you are in the area. The owners John and Jill are fantastic. They and Kyle's parents and sister prepared an amazing dinner for us. Afterwards, people hung out around the camp fire or inside the main building. Around 7p or so, Becca and the Culotta's arrived. Becca had been gone for training for work for a couple weeks, but once she arrived, the Sierra team was back in full force. This evening the geriatric tent and Becca were invited to spend the night in the cabin the Schaefer family had rented for the evening. We were quick to take them up on the offer. There is nothing like being warm!
Day 67
Today is the Schaefer's 30th wedding anniversary and I dedicated my ride today to Mrs. Schaefer. The ride was from Tok to Chistochina and ended up being 10 miles or so shorter than I thought it would, which was a nice surprise. The day started out with another amazing meal prepared by our hosts. John made us his famous oatmeal and even gave us the recipe! The first 4-5 miles of the ride today were a bit rough (literally) but we were soon back on the Alcan Hwy. The scenery just keeps getting more and more beautiful. The skies are clear and it was sunny for the first time in days (or more). We are seeing more and more glaciers, and they are breathtaking. The residents of Chistochina were gracious enough to let us stay at the school after some confusion about us staying at the community center. While everyone made dinner, a few of us headed to the trading post and did everyone's laundry...the last load we need to do before Anchorage! In between loads, I finished reading The Screwtape Letters, which was my fifth book on the the trip. I spent the rest of the evening talking to people before eventually heading to bed. It was the first night that I used earplugs this entire trip, and I have to say they were amazing. It is amazing how much snoring can echo in a gym!
Day 68
Almost there! Today we rode from Chistochina to the Grizzly Paw Gift Shop. I dedicated my ride to Jill, one of our hosts in Tok. I was feeling pretty slow today, but this could have been due to all the hills we seem to be climbing! I spent a lot of time today looking at glaciers and talking to Alberto. I think I have mentioned this before, but he and I work on similar research, so we occasionally find ourselves talking shop, which is actually a lot of fun. I rode the later part of the day with Becca and catch up on each other's lives. It's such a busy time! The last 20 miles or so we rode today were pretty slow and pretty tiring. We arrived at the gift shop around dinner time and then set up our tents for the last time! The drivers today cooked a feast for us in an effort to use leftover food in the trailer. We were joined at dinner by another cyclist who had flown in from France to bike from Vancover to Anchorage. He shared stories with us about touring all over the world, and definitely left me with an itch to get my panniers to Austin so I can do weekend trips. After dinner, some of us crowded around a tv inside the gift shop to watch the Olympics. I feel so out of the loop with how they have been going, but we're doing our best to watch or read about them whenever we can.
Day 69
Some people are thinking of today as the last day of the trip because tomorrow we will be carried across the finish line on shear adrenaline. We rode from the gift shop to Sutton, AK, and I dedicated my ride to Becca's parents. Today we got closer and closer to the glaciers. We even passed a shop or two which offered hiking tours on them. Going into today we knew two things: 1) we would have to sag the entire team for five miles through a construction zone because we weren't allowed to ride and 2) the entire team sagged the last 30 miles into Sutton last year. We did one rest stop as normal and then at the second rest stop we had everyone load their bikes into the trailers (about half a mile before the construction started). As an aside, the 20 or so miles into this second rest stop were great--almost all downhill! After a brief wait, we were allowed to pass through the construction zone (behind the pilot car). Towards the end of the construction we passed a few signs that talked about how curvy the road was and how few turnouts there were for the next 25 miles. We pulled off to the side of the road at the first turnout and told everyone to please wait before pulling the bikes out of the trailers. Todd and I took one of the minivans and drove up the road five miles or so to see if it would be safe to ride. We were thinking it would be better not to have people ride, but after hearing that the team did it a couple years ago we decided to go ahead and ride. We pulled all the bikes out of the trailers and got on the road. Within a couple miles though two riders were run off the road by an oversized vehicle (no one was hit, though there were some scratches). Needless to say, the entire team turned around and road back to the turnout. We loaded all the bikes back into the trailers, jumped in the vans and drove the rest of the way into Sutton. Our hosts were ready and waiting for us. Fortunately didn't give us a hard time about having to sag! They prepared a great meal, and all the riders thoroughly enjoyed it. After dinner, a family with their own bluegrass band came to play for us a bit. They quickly learned we liked sing-a-longs and you can imagine the amusement that ensued. I hung out around the campfire with Pastor Dan and his daughter Miriam and a few other riders. Sometime after midnight we decided we better get some sleep and we all headed back inside to happily past out in our sleeping bags for our last night.
We made it to Alaska!! Today we rode from Beaver Creek, YT to Northway, AK. I dedicated my ride to Christy Francis's parents. It was a somewhat slow start to the morning, but I think that was due to the border race...the first border race where the two routes were "competing" against each other. After breakfast and ride dedication about half us got on the road and started heading for the border while the other half hung back. They wanted to give us ample time to get there and have cameras at the ready for when they reached the border. I rode the later half of this stretch with Amy L. and Kacie, and Amy suggested that for each of the last five miles before the border we talk about someone for whom we were riding this summer. I shared the stories of my father, aunt and grandmother, and I have to say they were some of the best miles I have ridden. Talking about these people and what they mean to me really brought back into focus the purpose of the ride. Mike won the race, but the whole pack of racers came in not too far behind him. After a slew of pictures at the Welcome to Alaska sign (these included pictures by team, gender, major, tent...you get the idea), we headed to the Customs building. The remainder of our day was relaxed. I know that we only crossed an arbitrary border between countries, but the scenery in Alaska was gorgeous...until we got into camp and it started raining. My tentmates and I set up our tent and then piled in a van and drove to Northway for dinner. Upon return to camp we piled back into our tent to stay warm and busted out a card game called Male/Female. Basically this involved trivia questions intended to stump people based on gender and lead to some rather amusing discussion of Batman and saffron.
Day 66
I dedicated today to Kasaundra's grandparents. While our schedule says we were riding from Northway to Tok, AK, we actually rode about 25 miles past Tok to the Log Cabin Inn, which is owned and operated by some friends of Kyle's. The ride today was again very relaxed. This was in large part due to lots of construction. Gravel roads can only be taken so quickly if one wants to remain on one's bicycle! We had to sag through 1 mile of the day, but fortunately, the pilot cars simply loaded us and our bikes into the back and drove us though the work site. I sat in the cab with one of the construction guys and started chatting. It turns out that he was a Vietnam veteran after I told him what I did, and we started talking about the VA, the war and the general outlook on the military...don't worry, it was a friendly conversation. He was really impressed with the innovations in rehabilitation with which I work. When we finally reached the last rest stop of the day, one thing sticks out in my mind: we had cell phone reception. Normally when you pull into a rest stop people are sitting there talking to each other. At this rest stop though, almost everyone was on a cell phone with a family member or friend. I guess we really haven't had reception lately! We arrived at the Log Cabin Inn shortly before dinner. The house and cabins are beautiful and I would highly recommend stopping by if you are in the area. The owners John and Jill are fantastic. They and Kyle's parents and sister prepared an amazing dinner for us. Afterwards, people hung out around the camp fire or inside the main building. Around 7p or so, Becca and the Culotta's arrived. Becca had been gone for training for work for a couple weeks, but once she arrived, the Sierra team was back in full force. This evening the geriatric tent and Becca were invited to spend the night in the cabin the Schaefer family had rented for the evening. We were quick to take them up on the offer. There is nothing like being warm!
Day 67
Today is the Schaefer's 30th wedding anniversary and I dedicated my ride today to Mrs. Schaefer. The ride was from Tok to Chistochina and ended up being 10 miles or so shorter than I thought it would, which was a nice surprise. The day started out with another amazing meal prepared by our hosts. John made us his famous oatmeal and even gave us the recipe! The first 4-5 miles of the ride today were a bit rough (literally) but we were soon back on the Alcan Hwy. The scenery just keeps getting more and more beautiful. The skies are clear and it was sunny for the first time in days (or more). We are seeing more and more glaciers, and they are breathtaking. The residents of Chistochina were gracious enough to let us stay at the school after some confusion about us staying at the community center. While everyone made dinner, a few of us headed to the trading post and did everyone's laundry...the last load we need to do before Anchorage! In between loads, I finished reading The Screwtape Letters, which was my fifth book on the the trip. I spent the rest of the evening talking to people before eventually heading to bed. It was the first night that I used earplugs this entire trip, and I have to say they were amazing. It is amazing how much snoring can echo in a gym!
Day 68
Almost there! Today we rode from Chistochina to the Grizzly Paw Gift Shop. I dedicated my ride to Jill, one of our hosts in Tok. I was feeling pretty slow today, but this could have been due to all the hills we seem to be climbing! I spent a lot of time today looking at glaciers and talking to Alberto. I think I have mentioned this before, but he and I work on similar research, so we occasionally find ourselves talking shop, which is actually a lot of fun. I rode the later part of the day with Becca and catch up on each other's lives. It's such a busy time! The last 20 miles or so we rode today were pretty slow and pretty tiring. We arrived at the gift shop around dinner time and then set up our tents for the last time! The drivers today cooked a feast for us in an effort to use leftover food in the trailer. We were joined at dinner by another cyclist who had flown in from France to bike from Vancover to Anchorage. He shared stories with us about touring all over the world, and definitely left me with an itch to get my panniers to Austin so I can do weekend trips. After dinner, some of us crowded around a tv inside the gift shop to watch the Olympics. I feel so out of the loop with how they have been going, but we're doing our best to watch or read about them whenever we can.
Day 69
Some people are thinking of today as the last day of the trip because tomorrow we will be carried across the finish line on shear adrenaline. We rode from the gift shop to Sutton, AK, and I dedicated my ride to Becca's parents. Today we got closer and closer to the glaciers. We even passed a shop or two which offered hiking tours on them. Going into today we knew two things: 1) we would have to sag the entire team for five miles through a construction zone because we weren't allowed to ride and 2) the entire team sagged the last 30 miles into Sutton last year. We did one rest stop as normal and then at the second rest stop we had everyone load their bikes into the trailers (about half a mile before the construction started). As an aside, the 20 or so miles into this second rest stop were great--almost all downhill! After a brief wait, we were allowed to pass through the construction zone (behind the pilot car). Towards the end of the construction we passed a few signs that talked about how curvy the road was and how few turnouts there were for the next 25 miles. We pulled off to the side of the road at the first turnout and told everyone to please wait before pulling the bikes out of the trailers. Todd and I took one of the minivans and drove up the road five miles or so to see if it would be safe to ride. We were thinking it would be better not to have people ride, but after hearing that the team did it a couple years ago we decided to go ahead and ride. We pulled all the bikes out of the trailers and got on the road. Within a couple miles though two riders were run off the road by an oversized vehicle (no one was hit, though there were some scratches). Needless to say, the entire team turned around and road back to the turnout. We loaded all the bikes back into the trailers, jumped in the vans and drove the rest of the way into Sutton. Our hosts were ready and waiting for us. Fortunately didn't give us a hard time about having to sag! They prepared a great meal, and all the riders thoroughly enjoyed it. After dinner, a family with their own bluegrass band came to play for us a bit. They quickly learned we liked sing-a-longs and you can imagine the amusement that ensued. I hung out around the campfire with Pastor Dan and his daughter Miriam and a few other riders. Sometime after midnight we decided we better get some sleep and we all headed back inside to happily past out in our sleeping bags for our last night.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Day 62-64
Day 62
My last drive day! Today the group rode from Haines Junction to Burwash Landing, YT. I dedicated my day to Katherine's mom. Cooking for 40 people with three pots, several non-stick pans which have recently become stick pans and one stove is tough. Trent, Daniel, Ben V. and I were driving together and we just couldn't get food ready fast enough. I know there are growing pains in having the two routes back together, but hopefully we learn quickly! Last night, a couple people met a lady who ran a flight touring operation in town, and she offered a few free flights for people. So this morning, all those interested put their names into a hat to figure out who would get to go. After ride dedication, when everyone else headed out on the ride, the lucky eight headed to the airport. I was the support vehicle for this group, so I headed up to the first rest stop with everyone else, but then waited for the eight when they came through later. It was actually really relaxing to wait for them. I heard quiet for the first time in awhile, which was weird. By the last rest stop though they had caught up to the rest of the group. At the last rest stop, Dan, Troves and a couple others came in very excited about a few animals they'd seen on the road...grizzly bears. There was a mama and two cubs to be exact. Fortunately they'd caught them on video, so the rest of us got to see as well. At this point, Daniel informed us that he was the only person to have not yet seen a bear. Most of the Rockies riders that heard this were shocked because we'd been seeing four or five bears a day for a bit. Before we left that last rest stop though, someone came running from our front van to announce that a grizzly had just wandered across the road not to far away, and Daniel got to see it! Shortly thereafter we arrived in Burwash Landing and immediately started to get dinner going. We didn't want another repeat of this morning. Dinner went off without a hitch and people said they were full which is always a good sign. Afterwards I joined some people in the restaurant for dessert and general hanging out before turning in for the evening. I joined a new tent tonight. Its known as the 'geriatric tent' because everyone in it is over 24. I had a good evening of laughter.
Day 63
I dedicated my ride today to MJ's dad and brother Kyle. I have been trying to dedicate my rides recently to the people for whom my teammates are riding. We rode from Burwash Landing to Lake Creek Campground, YT. We though the ride would be 70 miles but it turned out to be a little less than 60 because the campground recommended to us was actually beyond Lake Creek but had three resident bears: two grizzlies and a black bear. The roads are not in the best condition lately which is really hard on our bodies. The rattling around just really starts to get to you. I rode most of the first leg today by myself, but as the group was pretty spaced out, I was passing people pretty regularly. By the first rest stop the sun had started to peak out which was nice and made it slightly warmer. I got to ride with Todd for a little bit enroute to the second rest stop and that was the first time I'd ridden with him since Lampasas! My legs started feeling pretty tired again, which at this point I've just learned to accept. By the second rest stop it was getting cold again. Apparently while Texas is having one of the hottest summers on record, Alaska is having one of its coldest. Great. I got back on the road and caught up to Kacie and Amy L. and made it to the campground with them. We didn't all head directly to the campground though, we actually just sat in the vans on the road in front of it while some of the drivers drove ahead to figure out if we should go to the farther campsite. Once news of the bears arrived and a mounty told us it was better to stay there, we got back on our bikes and headed down the road to camp. There was a pavilion we were able to cook in which had a wood burning stove in the center. Once a fire got going in that the whole place warmed up which was a nice change of pace, and we all stayed nearby for the rest of the evening.
Day 64
Today we rode from Lake Creek Campground to Beaver Creek, YT. I dedicated my ride to Brooke's dad. Today was only supposed to be a 34 mile day...so I was actually going to run the whole thing instead of bike. I didn't get to do it in the end though because our campsite last night was 15 miles from where we had planned to camp. Bummer. It was really cold when we got up this morning. I ended up with three layers (at least) of clothing on all day. Some people were still wearing shorts, but yours truly has very little tolerance for cold. Because the ride was only 50 miles, we only had one rest stop. I rode with Brooke, Katherine and Kasaundra the first half of the ride and part of the second. Then Geoff, MJ, Stella, Troves and I picked up the pace for no particular reason. Its hard to be on the bike right now. We're so close to being done, but not yet there. I thought things would sort of settle down once the teams joined up again but both personal and team issues have just kept going strong. I looked in the mirror and saw bags under my eyes like I have only rarely seen. I'm exhausted. I'm supposed to be driving the cars back, and it has definitely occurred to me in the last couple days that maybe I should just buy a plane ticket so I don't have to deal with all the combinations of people who "can't" drive together (insert roll of the eyes here). Back to the day though, we got in to camp around 3:30p, set up tents, showered and then hung out in the laundromat drinking hot cocoa, tea and coffee and waiting for our clothes. Afterwards, Brooke, David, Javier and I went out to dinner. After dinner, a bunch of us headed back to the laundromat (which is also a store and had a bunch of chairs) to hang out in the warmth. It started raining at some point, and after helping put the rain tarp on the geriatric tent, a few others and I start putting all the group stuff into the trailers and vans as quickly as we could. With cold, raw weather, most of us headed to our tents shortly thereafter, not necessarily to bed, but just to talk. A lot of people are excited about tomorrow and the border race to Alaska. Yes, that's right. We head back into the US tomorrow. Only six days left to go.
My last drive day! Today the group rode from Haines Junction to Burwash Landing, YT. I dedicated my day to Katherine's mom. Cooking for 40 people with three pots, several non-stick pans which have recently become stick pans and one stove is tough. Trent, Daniel, Ben V. and I were driving together and we just couldn't get food ready fast enough. I know there are growing pains in having the two routes back together, but hopefully we learn quickly! Last night, a couple people met a lady who ran a flight touring operation in town, and she offered a few free flights for people. So this morning, all those interested put their names into a hat to figure out who would get to go. After ride dedication, when everyone else headed out on the ride, the lucky eight headed to the airport. I was the support vehicle for this group, so I headed up to the first rest stop with everyone else, but then waited for the eight when they came through later. It was actually really relaxing to wait for them. I heard quiet for the first time in awhile, which was weird. By the last rest stop though they had caught up to the rest of the group. At the last rest stop, Dan, Troves and a couple others came in very excited about a few animals they'd seen on the road...grizzly bears. There was a mama and two cubs to be exact. Fortunately they'd caught them on video, so the rest of us got to see as well. At this point, Daniel informed us that he was the only person to have not yet seen a bear. Most of the Rockies riders that heard this were shocked because we'd been seeing four or five bears a day for a bit. Before we left that last rest stop though, someone came running from our front van to announce that a grizzly had just wandered across the road not to far away, and Daniel got to see it! Shortly thereafter we arrived in Burwash Landing and immediately started to get dinner going. We didn't want another repeat of this morning. Dinner went off without a hitch and people said they were full which is always a good sign. Afterwards I joined some people in the restaurant for dessert and general hanging out before turning in for the evening. I joined a new tent tonight. Its known as the 'geriatric tent' because everyone in it is over 24. I had a good evening of laughter.
Day 63
I dedicated my ride today to MJ's dad and brother Kyle. I have been trying to dedicate my rides recently to the people for whom my teammates are riding. We rode from Burwash Landing to Lake Creek Campground, YT. We though the ride would be 70 miles but it turned out to be a little less than 60 because the campground recommended to us was actually beyond Lake Creek but had three resident bears: two grizzlies and a black bear. The roads are not in the best condition lately which is really hard on our bodies. The rattling around just really starts to get to you. I rode most of the first leg today by myself, but as the group was pretty spaced out, I was passing people pretty regularly. By the first rest stop the sun had started to peak out which was nice and made it slightly warmer. I got to ride with Todd for a little bit enroute to the second rest stop and that was the first time I'd ridden with him since Lampasas! My legs started feeling pretty tired again, which at this point I've just learned to accept. By the second rest stop it was getting cold again. Apparently while Texas is having one of the hottest summers on record, Alaska is having one of its coldest. Great. I got back on the road and caught up to Kacie and Amy L. and made it to the campground with them. We didn't all head directly to the campground though, we actually just sat in the vans on the road in front of it while some of the drivers drove ahead to figure out if we should go to the farther campsite. Once news of the bears arrived and a mounty told us it was better to stay there, we got back on our bikes and headed down the road to camp. There was a pavilion we were able to cook in which had a wood burning stove in the center. Once a fire got going in that the whole place warmed up which was a nice change of pace, and we all stayed nearby for the rest of the evening.
Day 64
Today we rode from Lake Creek Campground to Beaver Creek, YT. I dedicated my ride to Brooke's dad. Today was only supposed to be a 34 mile day...so I was actually going to run the whole thing instead of bike. I didn't get to do it in the end though because our campsite last night was 15 miles from where we had planned to camp. Bummer. It was really cold when we got up this morning. I ended up with three layers (at least) of clothing on all day. Some people were still wearing shorts, but yours truly has very little tolerance for cold. Because the ride was only 50 miles, we only had one rest stop. I rode with Brooke, Katherine and Kasaundra the first half of the ride and part of the second. Then Geoff, MJ, Stella, Troves and I picked up the pace for no particular reason. Its hard to be on the bike right now. We're so close to being done, but not yet there. I thought things would sort of settle down once the teams joined up again but both personal and team issues have just kept going strong. I looked in the mirror and saw bags under my eyes like I have only rarely seen. I'm exhausted. I'm supposed to be driving the cars back, and it has definitely occurred to me in the last couple days that maybe I should just buy a plane ticket so I don't have to deal with all the combinations of people who "can't" drive together (insert roll of the eyes here). Back to the day though, we got in to camp around 3:30p, set up tents, showered and then hung out in the laundromat drinking hot cocoa, tea and coffee and waiting for our clothes. Afterwards, Brooke, David, Javier and I went out to dinner. After dinner, a bunch of us headed back to the laundromat (which is also a store and had a bunch of chairs) to hang out in the warmth. It started raining at some point, and after helping put the rain tarp on the geriatric tent, a few others and I start putting all the group stuff into the trailers and vans as quickly as we could. With cold, raw weather, most of us headed to our tents shortly thereafter, not necessarily to bed, but just to talk. A lot of people are excited about tomorrow and the border race to Alaska. Yes, that's right. We head back into the US tomorrow. Only six days left to go.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Day 57-61
Day 57
Today we rode from Upper Liard to Swift River, YT. I dedicated my ride today to the mother of the owner of the RV park we stayed at last night. I woke up before the wakeup call this morning and had the opportunity to catch up on some blogging. After breakfast, the sun was shining and the temperature felt warmer than it had in days. One mile into the ride I stopped to put on my arm warmers, and it just got colder from there! I started today with my legs feeling a little off and it got worse by the 40 mile rest stop. I pushed my pace up the hill into the rest stop, but by the time I left it, I felt terrible. The next 30 miles were really slow and mentally really difficult. A mile or two before the campsite we had a hill to climb. It seemed to take forever, and I was getting cold as I was riding. I finally arrived at our campsite and climbed into the tent. I laid there for 15 or 20 minutes flat on my back before I finally got up to take a shower. I learned later that other people were sweating bullets going up that hill…so something was evidently not right while I was riding. I grabbed some dinner and joined the girls for ice cream up at the shop before turning in for the night. I was exhausted.
Day 58
The ride today was from Swift River to Teslin, YT. I dedicated my ride to Darlene, one of the cooks at the restaurant at the RV park we stayed at last night. By 40 miles into the ride today, I knew it was going to be another very long day. I arrived at the rest stop quite a bit behind our slowest rider. Dane and Pete, our drivers for the day, had treated us to grilled cheese at the rest stop, but I didn’t have an appetite. I tried to keep up with some of the other girls the rest of the afternoon. MJ and I started riding together from the next to last rest stop. We came over a hill into Teslin, started to cross a long metal bridge (the kind with holes in the road so you can look down and see the water moving beneath you) and I felt my tire go flat. We pulled over on the other side of the river so I could change my flat, and as I was changing it, one of our guys walked out of the nearby restaurant to get our attention. Meanwhile, four of the other girls caught up to us. MJ, Kasaundra, Katherine, Geeta, Stella and I decided to just stop at the restaurant and have dinner. So we did. We finished and then hopped back on our bikes for the last eight or so miles of the ride. We rolled into the campsite at 9:05p, the latest we have ever arrived anywhere. After a shower and checking out the lake, everyone headed to their tents. While some people might say they fell asleep at this point, most of us talked between tents for a bit, but even when that quieted down, we were woken several times by a very hyper dog wandering around the campground. Its never a dull night!
Day 59
Today we rode to Whitehorse! It was our last day of riding as the Rockies team only. I dedicated my ride to the friends of our hosts at the RV park in Swift River. I should have known the day would be interested when before 10a someone informed me that both of our propane tanks were empty. Great. Fortunately, the restaurant at the campground had an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. We all got up and headed up to the restaurant for some homecooking. We finally got on the road around 11a or so. Our first rest stop was relatively uneventful. MJ, Amy and I took off and continued on our way. As we were riding, we suddenly heard screaming and turned to see two vans full of Sierra riders driving past us! They were all leaning out the cars cheering. We pulled into the 40 mile rest stop and were greeted by our long lost teammates. Unfortunately, the reunion had to be cut short though because we still had 60 miles of riding to go before we could call it a day. We got back on the road and booked it to the next rest stop. I have to say, fresh baked bread at rest stops is one of the greatest things. We were feeling pretty good though, and didn’t stay at the rest stop for long. Our next 20 miles, we did in an hour. Considering how my legs had been feeling the last couple days, I was pretty happy about this. Eventually, we finished our ride—105 miles. MJ and I rode together all day, which was the first time I think either of us had ridden that long with one person on this trip, and we were definitely booking it all day. It was pretty neat to reflect on that as we rode those last few miles. At the church, we cleaned up and then piled into the vans to go find dinner. After dinner we returned to the church and Ben and the Bassketeers treated us to a performance. We have some very talented musicians on the Texas 4000 2008 teams, I must say. I sat around with the other team for the rest of the evening talking and sharing stories with everyone.
Day 60
Rest day in Whitehorse, YT! I didn’t sleep in very much this morning. Todd and I headed straight to the stores to get food for the team and take care of the propane tanks. We raided Walmart and then headed back to the church for a break and to find food. We made some pancakes and then hung out chatting with people for a little bit. I headed to the tea house next door for a quick cup of tea and was treated to a delicious chai. Mid-afternoon found Evan, Todd, Alberto, Javier and I out running more errands—oil changes for the vans, laundry and the like. We again swung back to the church to pick up a couple people and then headed to an Indian restaurant for dinner. After dinner we went to the bookstore, Starbucks and another grocery store. We are definitely stocked up on food at this point! When we got back from the store, we were only at the church for a few minutes before one of the 15 passenger vans rolled up and most of the Rockies team piled out…including Julio! He came back and is itching to ride. We are all really excited to see him. Much time was again spent this evening hanging out and catching up with people. All-in-all it has been a pretty relaxing day of rest.
Day 61
Today we rode from Whitehorse to Haines Junction, YT. It was our first day as a whole team in 60 days. I dedicated my ride to Mrs. Casey, Mike’s grandmother. After the ride dedication, each team did their chant so we could all see what the other team had been up to for the last couple months. It was pretty crazy riding with everyone this morning. Julio was on the road, and a lot of the Rockies riders surrounded him as he rode. I got to talk to so many people on the bike today, which was awesome. Rest stops today were a lot of fun because there were twice as many people as normal…which roughly translates to twice the potential for general silliness. I think everyone on both teams is ready to be done with the ride, and I think the extra company on the roads right now does a lot to make the time on the bike pass quickly. At one point today, Rocky, Geoff and Troves (?) passed Alaina and I making gremlin sounds, but before we had a chance to fully understand what was happening Dan passed singing the Superman theme song while being laid out in Superman flight position on his bike. We tried not fall off our bikes laughing. We arrived in Haines Junction around 6p, and have been hanging out, eating and catching up on email. I’m really looking forward to the next week or so of riding with these guys!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Day 55-56
Day 55
We left Mama Z’s in Dease Lake today and headed for Jade City. I dedicated my ride in memory of my coworker Ben’s aunt who passed away from cancer. We got off to a late start this morning, but it wasn’t because we got up particularly late. As I mentioned previously, Mama Z had been kind enough to let us stay in the apartments above the restaurant, and before we left, we wanted to make sure they were spotless. When we were finished and ready to go, the staff all came out and took a picture with us in front of the restaurant. From what we’re told, we’re the first Texas 4000 team to see her new place. Its beautiful and the chefs Kevin and Stephen are great. The ride today was supposed to be about 75 miles. It got off to a pretty uneventful start—the usual rough roads, overcast skies and maybe an occasional bit of rain. Then we came to the gravel roads. One fear I have gotten over on this trip is gravel roads. I’m not sure if I fell on them as a kid or something, but riding road bikes on gravel roads makes me rather uneasy. We’ve had enough patches of gravel road and/or rest stop that I finally decided that I needed to just start riding faster. So I did. I kept up with Mike and Dane on the first long patch of gravel road we hit today. Our first rest stop was actually still on the gravel road! Our drivers Geeta and Geoff started getting creative with the food we had in the trailer, and we ended up with tomato soup and hot chocolate at our first rest stop. While this may seem warm and great, what I have found the last few days is that as soon as we stop cycling, the temperature drops 10 degrees. So you end up back on your bike freezing for a several miles. We got back on the road and our second stop was at Dease River Crossing, the place we were supposed to have camped the last couple days. Most of the team learned how to skank at that rest stop (skanking is a type of dancing). Ivan and I rolled out of the last rest stop thinking we still had 15 or so miles to go, but in mid-conversation about 10 miles into the ride, I realized that we were already in Jade City. We headed into the jade store and had a free cup of tea and waited for everyone else to arrive. The owners let us take quick showers (defined as one minute a piece) and I think it may have been the fastest shower I’ve ever taken. Geeta and Geoff mixed up a great dinner concoction that contained tofu, beans, canned veggies, rice and goodness knows what else. The sun stays up later and later up here, so every night it seems we’re up a little later talking and doing stuff—cleaning the trailer, listening to music in the van, playing Catan. It’s the little things in life.
Day 56
Since our day yesterday was short, our day today was a little longer. We rode from Jade City, BC to Upper Liard, YT—our second border crossing in Canada. I dedicated my day to Mrs. Ackerman, Mike’s grandma. I was thanking the owner of the jade store before we left, and she inadvertently reminded me of the remoteness of our location and a little Texas 4000 cycling tradition. The first 20 miles of our day today was relatively uneventful. We’re riding past more lakes it seems. The roads are rougher than they have been but we’re still able to ride. The second 20 miles of the day passed very quickly, mostly due to adrenaline…and maybe to the fact that we had all sorts of people taking pictures, honking and waving at us. We rode the whole 20 naked. The guys all rode together and took off first. Then Stella, MJ and I started riding. Apparently the guys didn’t get as many honks, pictures and waves as we did…hm. We were the only three girls to complete the full 20 miles. The rest of the girls did a modest mile and went topless for a mile. So many people were opposed to the naked mile earlier in the year that I was surprised this many people participated. Ironically the air temperature didn’t even seem that bad. As we put our clothes on it started to rain a bit and the temperature dropped again, Ivan, MJ and I started riding to get warm as fast as possible. I wasn’t at the last rest stop too long before Mike and the rain arrived, so we started riding again to finish off the day. There was a lot of gravel in the last 15 miles. I really don’t understand why people pave 50m or less of road in the middle of a huge gravel stretch. We ended up on and off gravel for most of the 15 miles. As we started nearing the end, Dane road up and he and Mike started to race towards the Yukon border. I tried keeping up with them, but their last kick at the end put them about 100m in front of me as opposed to the 50m they had been. We cruised the last two or three miles to the RV park. When we arrived we were worried because the RV park had no record of us, but we were then referred to the owner who knew exactly who we were and who showed us where we would be camping for the evening. We all headed to our tents early in the evening because the bugs were biting, but its really hard to fall asleep in daylight!
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