Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Vernonia, OR - One more day!
Readers! I spoiled you too much by posting all the time about a week ago. Good news is that I'm still alive and pedaling towards Cannon Beach! We're almost there!
We left Portland this morning headed to Vernonia, OR for a 48 mile ride. We crossed a bridge to get out of the city that was really nice and then followed highways to Vernonia. We climbed for awhile on the trip, but the climbing was only difficult because it was 100 degrees outside again today. Our trip coordinator Brendon drove the van and blessed us all with fudge-pops at mile 35. Dad (everyone calls him Mr. $ - Mr. Money) had a pit stop at mile 20 with redbull, gatorade, and water. About 30 mins ago I ate at a sandwich/coffee house here in Vernonia that was excellent. I can't remember the name already. The food was very memorable though. Soon I'm going to go jump in a river we passed on the way in.
Yesterday we had a day off in Portland. We woke up in a non-airconditioned church dying of heat exhaustion at about 9. (I'm still bitter, haha) We all sat around and I planned out a side trip to our final state line.. Washington! I convinced Courtney, Kira, Laura, and Boss to all ride with me. It was only a 15 mile side trip and we got to ride a bike path down the middle of an interstate to the state line. We all hung on the sign and celebrated our final state crossing and then got back on our bikes to explore the great city of Portland. My dad is currently with our trip so I waited for him to finish getting the bus looked at before Laura, Courtney, dad, and myself all rode to Lloyd Center to catch the Max(the public transportation system). We walked around Portland with no particular destination until dinner. Portland is having interesting weather with a high temp of 107 yesterday. It was very hot. I guess our destination was air conditioning! We ate the best meal of our lives at the Oregon Culinary Institute. Haley's dad is in charge there and he donated a meal at the restaurant to the group. I had a 4 course meal that was amazing. If you are heading to Oregon ever, you definitely need to go to the Culinary Institute's restaurant. The normal price for the 4 course meal is $18. All the tips and money go to help fund scholarships for the students enrolled at the school. It was amazing. Anyway, after dinner a group of us all went to Voodoo donuts and grabbed a bite to eat before heading back to the church.
The ride into Portland was a 101 mile day from Maupin, OR. I plagued Courtney with my company for 101 miles, but it was a great day for me. We were all told about 4 mountain passes that were supposed to be difficult in the morning. The first 20 miles were flat and then we had an 8-10 mile climb to our first "summit". After the first, the passes seemed more like rolling hills than actual mountains. We hit the top of the second mountain pass and flew downhill to see a summit sign for the 3rd mountain pass. We stopped for 1st lunch and everyone was in a great mood because the ride had been so scenic and the climbs weren't as bad as we had expected. After lunch we climbed a few more miles around the edge of Mt. Hood. We then descended about 10 miles through gorgeous scenery along the highway. When we reached the second lunch stop, the van went to pick up a rider with saddle sore issues, but I saw a Subway across the street and had to stop. After my refueling of Subway and water, Courtney and I flew into Portland. We were really tired towards the end, but we still had time to make a side trip to the Tour de Colvin, where Haley's parents had drinks, snacks, and a sprinkler for us to run through. It was a great side trip before making it into the church. Once we got into the church we all hung out until later and then a group of us went out together.
I don't remember the ride into Maupin, but I'm sure it was excellent. The only real news in the last week is that my dad showed up while we were riding into Fossil. He caught up to me and Laura at around the 8th mile of an annoying 10 mile climb. It was really hot and we were both tired. I looked in my rear-view mirror to see a VW bus coming my way. I waved and he pulled over stocked with ice cold water and snacks. Ever since that day, my dad, Mr. Money, has been a huge hit with the entire group. Everyone loves his VW drink stop and it's been great to have dad here to see the scenery and understand the kind of physical challenge we put ourselves through some days with the terrain. It's hard to explain in a blog how hot and steep some climbs are.. at least he will partially understand.
Well.. tomorrow is the day we all have been waiting for. It is insane to think that I will actually be in the ocean tomorrow. It's a bittersweet feeling. I'm so excited to have accomplished this feat, but I don't want to have to leave these amazing people. I have spent every waking moment with 31 people that were strangers 10 weeks ago. I have made 31 new friends and have many best friends from the group. It's going to be sad to see everyone go, but I know I will have 31 people to visit just about anywhere I go across the country. I'm trying not to think about it too much tonight and sticking with the celebration aspect, but it makes me sad thinking it's over. Well.. regardless of whether I want it to end or not, tomorrow is going to be the most epic celebration with 31 people swimming in the Pacific Ocean. I hope someone out there records all 31 of us arriving at the beach at the same time and watch us jump off our bikes, pick them up, and dead sprint towards the ocean. I'm going to dive in right away. It's going to be freezing, but perfect.
I don't know if I will post again after today, I might keep you updated on my road trip home.. but Thank You all so much for supporting me and reading about my journey. I couldn't have done it with out the support of friends and family and the donations from everyone. I have ridden far over 4000 miles, but I am still mind blown that we all made it.
The swimming hole I mentioned is calling to me - so I must be off to make more memories with friends. Thanks again.. and enjoy your air conditioning.
-B$ - Brian Phillips
We left Portland this morning headed to Vernonia, OR for a 48 mile ride. We crossed a bridge to get out of the city that was really nice and then followed highways to Vernonia. We climbed for awhile on the trip, but the climbing was only difficult because it was 100 degrees outside again today. Our trip coordinator Brendon drove the van and blessed us all with fudge-pops at mile 35. Dad (everyone calls him Mr. $ - Mr. Money) had a pit stop at mile 20 with redbull, gatorade, and water. About 30 mins ago I ate at a sandwich/coffee house here in Vernonia that was excellent. I can't remember the name already. The food was very memorable though. Soon I'm going to go jump in a river we passed on the way in.
Yesterday we had a day off in Portland. We woke up in a non-airconditioned church dying of heat exhaustion at about 9. (I'm still bitter, haha) We all sat around and I planned out a side trip to our final state line.. Washington! I convinced Courtney, Kira, Laura, and Boss to all ride with me. It was only a 15 mile side trip and we got to ride a bike path down the middle of an interstate to the state line. We all hung on the sign and celebrated our final state crossing and then got back on our bikes to explore the great city of Portland. My dad is currently with our trip so I waited for him to finish getting the bus looked at before Laura, Courtney, dad, and myself all rode to Lloyd Center to catch the Max(the public transportation system). We walked around Portland with no particular destination until dinner. Portland is having interesting weather with a high temp of 107 yesterday. It was very hot. I guess our destination was air conditioning! We ate the best meal of our lives at the Oregon Culinary Institute. Haley's dad is in charge there and he donated a meal at the restaurant to the group. I had a 4 course meal that was amazing. If you are heading to Oregon ever, you definitely need to go to the Culinary Institute's restaurant. The normal price for the 4 course meal is $18. All the tips and money go to help fund scholarships for the students enrolled at the school. It was amazing. Anyway, after dinner a group of us all went to Voodoo donuts and grabbed a bite to eat before heading back to the church.
The ride into Portland was a 101 mile day from Maupin, OR. I plagued Courtney with my company for 101 miles, but it was a great day for me. We were all told about 4 mountain passes that were supposed to be difficult in the morning. The first 20 miles were flat and then we had an 8-10 mile climb to our first "summit". After the first, the passes seemed more like rolling hills than actual mountains. We hit the top of the second mountain pass and flew downhill to see a summit sign for the 3rd mountain pass. We stopped for 1st lunch and everyone was in a great mood because the ride had been so scenic and the climbs weren't as bad as we had expected. After lunch we climbed a few more miles around the edge of Mt. Hood. We then descended about 10 miles through gorgeous scenery along the highway. When we reached the second lunch stop, the van went to pick up a rider with saddle sore issues, but I saw a Subway across the street and had to stop. After my refueling of Subway and water, Courtney and I flew into Portland. We were really tired towards the end, but we still had time to make a side trip to the Tour de Colvin, where Haley's parents had drinks, snacks, and a sprinkler for us to run through. It was a great side trip before making it into the church. Once we got into the church we all hung out until later and then a group of us went out together.
I don't remember the ride into Maupin, but I'm sure it was excellent. The only real news in the last week is that my dad showed up while we were riding into Fossil. He caught up to me and Laura at around the 8th mile of an annoying 10 mile climb. It was really hot and we were both tired. I looked in my rear-view mirror to see a VW bus coming my way. I waved and he pulled over stocked with ice cold water and snacks. Ever since that day, my dad, Mr. Money, has been a huge hit with the entire group. Everyone loves his VW drink stop and it's been great to have dad here to see the scenery and understand the kind of physical challenge we put ourselves through some days with the terrain. It's hard to explain in a blog how hot and steep some climbs are.. at least he will partially understand.
Well.. tomorrow is the day we all have been waiting for. It is insane to think that I will actually be in the ocean tomorrow. It's a bittersweet feeling. I'm so excited to have accomplished this feat, but I don't want to have to leave these amazing people. I have spent every waking moment with 31 people that were strangers 10 weeks ago. I have made 31 new friends and have many best friends from the group. It's going to be sad to see everyone go, but I know I will have 31 people to visit just about anywhere I go across the country. I'm trying not to think about it too much tonight and sticking with the celebration aspect, but it makes me sad thinking it's over. Well.. regardless of whether I want it to end or not, tomorrow is going to be the most epic celebration with 31 people swimming in the Pacific Ocean. I hope someone out there records all 31 of us arriving at the beach at the same time and watch us jump off our bikes, pick them up, and dead sprint towards the ocean. I'm going to dive in right away. It's going to be freezing, but perfect.
I don't know if I will post again after today, I might keep you updated on my road trip home.. but Thank You all so much for supporting me and reading about my journey. I couldn't have done it with out the support of friends and family and the donations from everyone. I have ridden far over 4000 miles, but I am still mind blown that we all made it.
The swimming hole I mentioned is calling to me - so I must be off to make more memories with friends. Thanks again.. and enjoy your air conditioning.
-B$ - Brian Phillips
Monday, July 20, 2009
Ontario, OR - Wow, almost there.
Greetings from our final state! I can't believe I made it this far. It's mind blowing to understand that I've crossed 14 state lines by bicycle. When we started this trip Cannon Beach seemed so far away. It seemed like a destination that would take years to reach.. and it only takes 10 weeks. Crazy. Where did the country go? It has gone by way too fast!
Today we rode from Boise, ID to Ontario, OR. I left the church alone but caught up with a group of 14 people riding at the front of the group. We rode in a paceline for the first 33 miles that consisted of Me, Boss, Haley, and Barb. We held a fast pace but there was a tailwind helping us. We stopped in Notus, ID for lunch at a gas station to wait for the van. While we were eating, we noticed an apricot tree in a yard across the street. We went over to inspect the mouth watering fruit on the tree when the owner of the house came out to greet us. He told us that we could take as many as we'd like. The whole group basically stood around eating as many apricots as our bellies allowed. The homeowner came back out with trash bags and a ladder and told us we should take some with us. We loaded up bag after bag of apricots. After lunch I rode with Courtney, Kira, and Laura. We had fun riding 2 wide and goofing off. We hit the state line at mile 48 and celebrated! We took a bunch of pictures and then waited for Bridget because she had gotten two flats since lunch and we wanted to hang out with her. After eating more candy than you can imagine and taking more pictures than you can imagine.. we headed on to our destination. On the way there a van flagged us down and interviewed all of us for a women's cycling magazine. They said they would post a story about us soon. I'll post a link when I find it. Sad news... I had my first flat today. It was a slow leak. I had to change it. I can't believe I made it 9 weeks without a flat and all the way to the last state before getting one. I'm not too upset about it because I figured I would get a lot of flats at the beginning. The lack of flats in the past 9 weeks made me hopeful I would survive 1 more. Oh well. Good news is that I have seen enough people change flats that I know what I'm doing. I changed my flat on my own and Courtney and Kira provided moral support. We got into Ontario at 3:00 and I found my $5-footlong haven and enjoyed an afternoon snack (meal). We had provided dinner at the church an hour and a half later and I ate a ton of pasta. I'm surprised I haven't gained 15 lbs since the beginning.
Two days ago we rode from Idaho City, ID to Boise, ID. The ride into Boise was only 40 miles and it was mostly downhill. Laura and I rode in together and we got in early. The ride was a great way to set up a good day off the next day. The afternoon in Boise was spent walking around downtown with a group of people. We were informed that there happened to be a professional cycling race in Boise in the evening. Courtney and I headed down to watch these men and women riding an average of 32 around a track for an hour and a half. It was amazing to see the races. After that, we all went out for Nick's birthday. The next morning I got to sleep in until 10, which was a real treat. I went out with Mark, Kira, Courtney, and Bridget to breakfast. After breakfast we went tubing down the Boise River with the group. The water was freezing, but it felt really good to not be able to feel my sore butt for awhile. I'm pretty sure I ran into everything possible to run into while on the river, but it was still a great time. After tubing, we all decided to go see the new Harry Potter movie. I didn't like it as much as I liked the older movies, but I'm sure the final movie will be amazing. The time spent in Boise was a lot of fun and I think it has been my favorite day off so far. Hopefully our day off in Portland can top it!
The day before all of that was the ride from Stanley, ID to Idaho City. I know I talked about that in my last blog and I was wondering when people were going to show up. The next person finally showed up at 5:30 and informed me that they weren't looking for me. I was worried they would be because I skipped both lunch stops. They said that people were concerned at the first lunch stop because Laura told them I was with Courtney and Kira.. and Courtney and Kira said they hadn't seen me all day. Apparently everyone was a little worried until they saw my chalking to Laura on a big hill in the middle of the day. They told me they celebrated the fact that I was alive when they saw it. Haha. Crazy days.
Tomorrow we have an 80 mile day into Unity, OR. I'm sweep with Courtney so I better go get some rest. We're in the Oregon desert and heat, so enjoy your AC (if you have it) while you read this.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Idaho City, ID - Almost to Oregon!
Hello!
Today we biked 91 miles from Stanley, ID to Idaho City! The day started out extremely cold. The low was supposed to be 31, but I don't know how low the temperature actually got. We survived the cold camping last night by packing 6 people in a 4 person tent. Here at Bike and Build we all like to get extremely cozy with one another. After we finally thawed out enough to ride, everyone headed to a coffee shop/cafe to warm up. I can't drink coffee before rides because it will make me crash throughout the day, so I stopped to fill up water and then headed out. When I left the cafe with my water, the van was gone from outside so I assumed it was driving to the lunch stop. I rode on towards Idaho City expecting to see the van at mile 35 and mile 65. The only rider that had started riding before me was Laura and I passed her at mile 8.. I would've ridden with her but it was so cold that I just wanted to get there as fast as possible. I reached mile 35 and wondered why the van wasn't there. We've been having lunch stops later than the planned 35 mile mark lately so I rode to mile 37. When I stopped this time, I didn't have signal or I would've called the van to see where lunch was going to be. I decided after 20 minutes that it must be at mile 40. After riding to mile 40 with no van in sight, I realized that I had probably missed my chance to get the van lunch and riding back (all uphill) was not an option. I rode on until I found a diner at around mile 47. I ate two full meals at the diner, filled up on water, and continued my trek. The rest of the ride was an ascent over 2 long mountain passes followed by some decent downhills. I assumed after skipping the first lunch stop that I wouldn't see the van on my ride, but I was pretty sure I had enough water. When I was at mile 77, I got to the summit of some climb and there was a man from Boise that offered me some water. It was perfect timing because I had just run out of water in my camelback. I made it into Idaho City at 2:30 today and I haven't seen another rider yet. That is why I am here blogging away.. there's nothing else to do!
Sad news. Tomorrow is Jen L.'s last day riding with us. She is extremely excited about dental school that starts next week, but it is a bummer to lose a rider. I think we're all going out tonight for a going away party.
Yesterday we biked from Challis, ID to Stanley, ID. It was a 67 mile ride and the terrain wasn't too bad. We followed a highway that ran alongside the Salmon River all day. Apparently no one in our group knew anything about the Sawtooth Mountains that are in Stanley, because Laura and I thought that we were riding through them all day. After rounding a turn near Stanley, the Sawtooth Mountains were in full view and you could see that they were appropriately named. Yesterday it seemed that everyone is starting to get sick, hopefully everyone will start feeling better soon!
My mom called me yesterday and told me that the news station in Idaho sent the interview of me to the Oklahoma station and I was on the news at 5 in Oklahoma. Crazy! There must really be nothing going on in the news if I get put on the news in Oklahoma for being interviewed in Idaho. Oh well, it's neat that Oklahoma seems interested in Bike and Build!
Well, I don't know what else to talk about so I'm going to head out. Idaho is beautiful but I'm ready for Oregon! If you're going to be at Canon Beach, get ready to see 31 people go crazy and swim in cold water! It's going to be a party and I'm really excited!
Try to stay cool in Oklahoma! Don't melt before my next post.
Today we biked 91 miles from Stanley, ID to Idaho City! The day started out extremely cold. The low was supposed to be 31, but I don't know how low the temperature actually got. We survived the cold camping last night by packing 6 people in a 4 person tent. Here at Bike and Build we all like to get extremely cozy with one another. After we finally thawed out enough to ride, everyone headed to a coffee shop/cafe to warm up. I can't drink coffee before rides because it will make me crash throughout the day, so I stopped to fill up water and then headed out. When I left the cafe with my water, the van was gone from outside so I assumed it was driving to the lunch stop. I rode on towards Idaho City expecting to see the van at mile 35 and mile 65. The only rider that had started riding before me was Laura and I passed her at mile 8.. I would've ridden with her but it was so cold that I just wanted to get there as fast as possible. I reached mile 35 and wondered why the van wasn't there. We've been having lunch stops later than the planned 35 mile mark lately so I rode to mile 37. When I stopped this time, I didn't have signal or I would've called the van to see where lunch was going to be. I decided after 20 minutes that it must be at mile 40. After riding to mile 40 with no van in sight, I realized that I had probably missed my chance to get the van lunch and riding back (all uphill) was not an option. I rode on until I found a diner at around mile 47. I ate two full meals at the diner, filled up on water, and continued my trek. The rest of the ride was an ascent over 2 long mountain passes followed by some decent downhills. I assumed after skipping the first lunch stop that I wouldn't see the van on my ride, but I was pretty sure I had enough water. When I was at mile 77, I got to the summit of some climb and there was a man from Boise that offered me some water. It was perfect timing because I had just run out of water in my camelback. I made it into Idaho City at 2:30 today and I haven't seen another rider yet. That is why I am here blogging away.. there's nothing else to do!
Sad news. Tomorrow is Jen L.'s last day riding with us. She is extremely excited about dental school that starts next week, but it is a bummer to lose a rider. I think we're all going out tonight for a going away party.
Yesterday we biked from Challis, ID to Stanley, ID. It was a 67 mile ride and the terrain wasn't too bad. We followed a highway that ran alongside the Salmon River all day. Apparently no one in our group knew anything about the Sawtooth Mountains that are in Stanley, because Laura and I thought that we were riding through them all day. After rounding a turn near Stanley, the Sawtooth Mountains were in full view and you could see that they were appropriately named. Yesterday it seemed that everyone is starting to get sick, hopefully everyone will start feeling better soon!
My mom called me yesterday and told me that the news station in Idaho sent the interview of me to the Oklahoma station and I was on the news at 5 in Oklahoma. Crazy! There must really be nothing going on in the news if I get put on the news in Oklahoma for being interviewed in Idaho. Oh well, it's neat that Oklahoma seems interested in Bike and Build!
Well, I don't know what else to talk about so I'm going to head out. Idaho is beautiful but I'm ready for Oregon! If you're going to be at Canon Beach, get ready to see 31 people go crazy and swim in cold water! It's going to be a party and I'm really excited!
Try to stay cool in Oklahoma! Don't melt before my next post.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Idaho Falls, ID - Build Day and more adventures.
Hello! To start off my blog this week, look at the Tetons!
I rode from Pinedale, WY to Jackson, WY with Jen Dvorsky! This ride was rolling hills in the morning and then a huge descent (about 20 miles) into Jackson in the afternoon. We saw a lot of wildlife, but didn't stop much because we were both excited about Jackson. It was a great day, I just am having problems remembering a ton about it because it is late!
Okay, I've figured out a few new blogging techniques.. so enjoy the new media! It's too bad I figured this out with only 2 weeks left in the trip! Oh well, it's better late than never!
The lack of internet access has made it harder and harder to update this lately! Sorry about that. Apparently I'm doing better than some of the other riders because they only have 1 or two entries! We're all staying busy and having fun.. here's some things that have been going on the last few days.
Today we had a build day in Idaho Falls. We had a lot of fun hanging siding and throwing things for animals to fetch! We also made the local news! I found a link to the video earlier.. hopefully you can find the video! They interviewed me and Buttaro. Check it out:
You may have to scroll through a page or two of videos before you see the Bike and Build one!
We've been at the First Presbyterian Church in Idaho Falls for 2 nights now, and I must give a big "Thank you" to their congregation. They have provided amazing meals and great accomodations! Tonight we ate at the pastors house and the food was epic. It's nice to have a break from PB&J!
Anyway.. lets talk about the rides.
Yesterday I rode from Jackson, WY to Idaho Falls, ID. This ride was awesome because we finally got to conquer Teton Pass. We have heard about Teton Pass the whole time we've been on Bike and Build as one of the hardest, steepest climbs of the trip. The mornings are getting so cold we're bundled up in all of our arm warmers, leg warmers, and rain jackets. I rode out in the morning with L-Peso (Laura) and we headed towards the pass. We climbed for 4 or 5 miles at a 10% grade! It sounds intense, but it really wasn't that bad. Laura and I climbed slowly and steadily all the way up without stopping. It was a great experience because we both took our time and talked. Once we got to the top, everyone was waiting and cheering the other Bike and Builders on! We stopped at the top and got a bunch of group pictures and then headed towards the descent! On the descent, it was also 10% grade for 3 or 4 miles. Good news is that Kira let me borrow her camera handlebar mount.. so I filmed my descent down Teton Pass. I hit a speed of 52.9! A new top speed! Check it out!
After the descent, we were only at mile 20. We entered Idaho and headed to Victor, ID where we got Huckleberry milkshakes at a store called the Emporium. They were amazing! We had another mountain pass to climb after the milkshakes and it wasn't nearly as long or steep as the Tetons. I was riding alone during the pass being bored and thinking, "I wonder how long this will last," when a car drove by and yelled, "Whooo! Keep going, You're almost there!!" I got a spur of inspiration from this stranger and I pedaled faster all the way to the top. (Later that day, I found out the stranger was Christina's dad cheering on all the Bike and Builders!) Thanks Christina's dad (if you happen to read my blog!). Anyway.. once I reached the top, the Church of the Tetons had set up a drink and snack station for us. That was perfect. I ate watermelon, brownies, and cookies and drank Gatorade. I rode the rest of the ride with Emily and Idaho is beautiful. There were mountains and green fields. We made it to Idaho Falls right before a storm came in at 3:00. It was a good day.
The day before that, we had a day off in Jackson. We stayed the night and spent our day off in Jackson at the Ambler's house. They had an amazing house and let us camp out in their front yard. Their house had an epic view of the Teton's! The Amblers also took some of us on a tour of Teton National Park. We got to see some Bison, antelope, and a moose! This is my 2nd moose sighting ever! We also went white water rafting down the Snake River on our day off! It was a great time and I'm glad I went! No one got thrown out, but we all got soaking wet and the water was really cold!
I rode from Pinedale, WY to Jackson, WY with Jen Dvorsky! This ride was rolling hills in the morning and then a huge descent (about 20 miles) into Jackson in the afternoon. We saw a lot of wildlife, but didn't stop much because we were both excited about Jackson. It was a great day, I just am having problems remembering a ton about it because it is late!
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Rock Springs, WY - Utah flew by!
Hey everyone.. this will be an extremely short update because I'm supposed to be at town hall meeting in a few minutes!
We biked into Utah and it was amazing to see the gorgeous snow capped mountain landscape turn into desert/mountain landscape. Yesterday we biked from Vernal, UT into Flaming Gorge, UT. It was only a 43 mile ride, but I'm glad it was so short. We climbed about 20 miles in the first few hours of the day. After a brief lunch stop, we headed downhill for a good 15 mile ride. It was amazing. I believe I broke my speed record for the trip yesterday, because a lot of people went 50 mph.. but my bike computer broke off, so I have no idea how fast I was going on the downhills! Jen D. was riding with me and she went 47 and I flew by her.. so I'm guessing I broke my record.. I just don't know by how much!
Anyway.. today we biked from Flaming Gorge, UT into Rock Springs, WY. Wyoming was a beautiful surprise. I have never been to Wyoming before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Wyoming has blown away all of my expectations!! We rode through beautiful mountain landscapes different from Colorado and Utah. We had a few big climbs in the morning, but the scenery made the climbs not seem that bad. I rode with Laura all day today and we killed the hills and mountains together. The only times we stopped while pedaling uphill was to take pictures. It was great. We got to lunch and the day got a little more intense. The wind shifted directions and we had a direct head wind for the last 30 miles. Although the head wind was bad, we kept our spirits up and finished the ride in good style. (If you call sweaty spandex a style!)
Anyway.. I have town hall meeting! Tomorrow we have a century day (100+ miles) into Pinedale! We're getting up at 4. It's going to be fun.
Thanks for reading again! Hope everyone had a happy 4th!
We biked into Utah and it was amazing to see the gorgeous snow capped mountain landscape turn into desert/mountain landscape. Yesterday we biked from Vernal, UT into Flaming Gorge, UT. It was only a 43 mile ride, but I'm glad it was so short. We climbed about 20 miles in the first few hours of the day. After a brief lunch stop, we headed downhill for a good 15 mile ride. It was amazing. I believe I broke my speed record for the trip yesterday, because a lot of people went 50 mph.. but my bike computer broke off, so I have no idea how fast I was going on the downhills! Jen D. was riding with me and she went 47 and I flew by her.. so I'm guessing I broke my record.. I just don't know by how much!
Anyway.. today we biked from Flaming Gorge, UT into Rock Springs, WY. Wyoming was a beautiful surprise. I have never been to Wyoming before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Wyoming has blown away all of my expectations!! We rode through beautiful mountain landscapes different from Colorado and Utah. We had a few big climbs in the morning, but the scenery made the climbs not seem that bad. I rode with Laura all day today and we killed the hills and mountains together. The only times we stopped while pedaling uphill was to take pictures. It was great. We got to lunch and the day got a little more intense. The wind shifted directions and we had a direct head wind for the last 30 miles. Although the head wind was bad, we kept our spirits up and finished the ride in good style. (If you call sweaty spandex a style!)
Anyway.. I have town hall meeting! Tomorrow we have a century day (100+ miles) into Pinedale! We're getting up at 4. It's going to be fun.
Thanks for reading again! Hope everyone had a happy 4th!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Kremmling, CO! - Finally have internet!
Sorry about the few days of not updating! Today I finally have internet access thanks to a local public library! The sad thing is that I don't have cell phone signal.. So I guess its a trade off.
Anyway.. We've had some amazing epic days.. So I'll get onto talking about that because I only have 20 minutes.
We had a day off and a build day in Denver. Denver was an amazing place to ride around and see downtown. They had bike paths that ran everywhere. I don't call it much of a day off for me because I spent the 2 days there biking 70 miles. Laura and I rode to Cherry Creek Reservoir and swam.. but other than that the group just checked out downtown Denver.
After Denver we had a 50 mile ride to Boulder. We got up early and had a quick ride to Boulder. It was just rolling hills and at the top of each hill you could see the mountains getting closer. I rode with Dave that day. We were riding in downtown Boulder talking with our wheels slightly overlapping when a car pulled up next to us and yelled "What the F, ride single file!" As the guy yelled that at us, he was not paying attention to the road and slammed into the car in front of him. Which caused that car to slam into the car in front of it. It was a crazy moment.. but I really think that karma has shown it's work here. We were riding single file, I just didn't want to run into Dave's wheel.. but he shouldn't have yelled at us. We're just cyclists on the road.. it's not hard to pass us. It was just unfortunate for him that his anger made him have an accident. Anyway.. in Boulder I got to see Sarah Ballew! We walked around Boulder together and she gave me a tour of the town. It made me wish our day off would've been in Boulder so we all could've gone hiking or something outdoorsy.
The next day we rode from Boulder to Estes Park! This was our first day to actually enter the mountains. As we rode closer to the mountains, I was so excited that I couldn't slow down! I rode an average of 20 until I reached the mountains. Once we were in the mountains, the first 7 miles had a nice grade that I could still ride 10-13 mph, but it quickly got steeper! Dave and I rode up going very slowly at around 6 mph as we climbed another 5 miles. It was very steep and hard to breathe because of the altitude. The scenery made up for the torture we put ourselves through! Once we made it to the top of the road, we connected with CO-7 or Peak to Peak Highway and had an amazing descent that lasted probably 5 miles. It was gorgeous watching around each turn as more of the Rockies unfolded in front of us! We had a few short climbs and descents into lunch.. but it was awesome to see almost everyone made it to lunch at the same time. Our group is getting so solid that not even the mountain passes spread us out too much! I'm really proud of everyone! After lunch, it was mainly uphill until we reached a long descent. This descent was the best of the trip so far. We were riding with all the trees and high rock walls around us when all of a sudden there was a break in the mountains and we looked out and could see all of Estes Park surrounded by the mountains. It was an amazing descent! It was so beautiful and it made it so much better that I didn't have to pedal for about 7 miles! I flew down it at around 40! It was great.
I could probably talk all day about that descent, but I still have other things to say in 6 minutes! Moving on!
After Estes Park we rode to Grand Lake, CO. That was the day we rode on Trail Ridge Road, which I believe is the highest elevation highway in the U.S. (You might check Wiki on it's importance!) I was riding out in the morning getting so excited about Rocky Mountain Natl Park that I was on an adrenaline high. We rode into the park when I caught up with Laura. I decided to hang with Laura so neither of us would have to do the climbing alone, because we had a 25 mile climb ahead of us. We caught Trail Ridge Road and started slowly climbing. Around each switchback and turn we got to see more beautiful mountains and scenery. I can't describe it all in words. We rode 4-6 mph all the way up to 12,100 feet.. but I wish I could've gone slower to take in each moment of the scenery. We stopped and took tons of pictures, which one of these days I'll upload again! We hit lunch at around mile 26, where we were informed of a Bike and Build dance party at the Information Center at the top. We coasted downhill into the info center where all the riders in the front had waited for everyone to show up. It was great coming around the turn into the Visitor Center and seeing everyone yelling, cheering, and being so excited about me making to the top. It was great. I stood with them and cheered the last few riders in that we behind me. The van pulled up right next to where all 31 of our riders stood and Barb cranked the music in the van and we all danced, hugged, and had fun. It was one of the best moments so far on the trip. It was awesome to see the group all at the top of a huge climb dancing and cheering. (I'm pretty sure there are videos of it.. If I find one, I'll link to it!) After the dance party, we all took the descent. We probably descended 5000 feet in a matter of 30 minutes. It was awesome to fly down the other side of the park. On the way down, we stopped at the Continental Divide sign and took pictures. We talked with people about our cause and a couple on a motorcycle followed me from the stop down the rest of the descent. When I was stopped at one point for construction on the road, we were chatting about how amazing the scenery was.. and they asked what wildlife I had seen so far. I was telling them about all of the Elk that we saw on the way up and how I'd never seen a moose before and I was really hoping to see one. It was finally our turn to go through the construction and I rode the rest of the descent in front of the couple on the motorcycle. They finally passed me on a slight uphill because I was no longer going the speed limit.. and we both waved as we parted. A little while later, I was riding downhill again and the couple was coming towards me on their motorcycle. They were pointing towards a little parking area and yelling, "Moose!" I pulled off into the parking area and ran towards the field with my camera. There were 2 moose, a baby moose, and a ton of elk! I got to see my first moose! There were probably 15 cyclists behind me.. So I grabbed my chalk and chalked on the road, "Hey B+B! Moose!" and an arrow pointing into the parking lot. A bunch more people all pulled up and saw it as well. The rest of the ride was great too. Laura and I finished the day together and it was such an accomplishment to say we climbed up that high! All 31 of us finished the ride! I'm so proud of everyone! Another note about Trail Ridge Road.. This was the first time we were riding on the road that cars honked or yelled at us with a thumbs up out the window. We received so much support that it was a real boost on the way up to be cheered on by random people! It was great! Sorry.. I can talk all day about these things!
Now, finally onto today! We rode from Grand Lake to Kremmling, CO. It was only a 40 mile day and it was mostly downhill. The scenery was awesome, but BG and I flew by it. We averaged 21.5 mph into a small town that had a diner. We ate there for about an hour and then rode on into Kremmling through a beautiful canyon. We stopped at a bakery when we got in and ate donuts and drank coffee. We got in about 11:00, so I have all day to do nothing.. which is really nice. I bet we'll find something to do!
Anyway.. Tomorrow we are riding into Steamboat Springs and it should be about a 50 mile day. I know we have some climbing, but it won't really matter because tomorrow is also one of the best days of the year.. My birthday!! Luckily tomorrow night we are all able to go out and celebrate because we have a build day on the 4th! For all of those who sent me birthday cards and presents to the mail drop, Thank you so much!!! I really love getting mail and it's nice to know that people are reading my blog, even when I can't update it that often!
That pretty much sums up the last week for you guys. I can't believe we only have 4 more nights in CO. It's crazy how fast this trip is flying by. Less than 4 weeks left! I wish it could slow down!
Sorry about the novel, but thanks for reading! Will update again when internet is available!
Have a good 4th of July!
Anyway.. We've had some amazing epic days.. So I'll get onto talking about that because I only have 20 minutes.
We had a day off and a build day in Denver. Denver was an amazing place to ride around and see downtown. They had bike paths that ran everywhere. I don't call it much of a day off for me because I spent the 2 days there biking 70 miles. Laura and I rode to Cherry Creek Reservoir and swam.. but other than that the group just checked out downtown Denver.
After Denver we had a 50 mile ride to Boulder. We got up early and had a quick ride to Boulder. It was just rolling hills and at the top of each hill you could see the mountains getting closer. I rode with Dave that day. We were riding in downtown Boulder talking with our wheels slightly overlapping when a car pulled up next to us and yelled "What the F, ride single file!" As the guy yelled that at us, he was not paying attention to the road and slammed into the car in front of him. Which caused that car to slam into the car in front of it. It was a crazy moment.. but I really think that karma has shown it's work here. We were riding single file, I just didn't want to run into Dave's wheel.. but he shouldn't have yelled at us. We're just cyclists on the road.. it's not hard to pass us. It was just unfortunate for him that his anger made him have an accident. Anyway.. in Boulder I got to see Sarah Ballew! We walked around Boulder together and she gave me a tour of the town. It made me wish our day off would've been in Boulder so we all could've gone hiking or something outdoorsy.
The next day we rode from Boulder to Estes Park! This was our first day to actually enter the mountains. As we rode closer to the mountains, I was so excited that I couldn't slow down! I rode an average of 20 until I reached the mountains. Once we were in the mountains, the first 7 miles had a nice grade that I could still ride 10-13 mph, but it quickly got steeper! Dave and I rode up going very slowly at around 6 mph as we climbed another 5 miles. It was very steep and hard to breathe because of the altitude. The scenery made up for the torture we put ourselves through! Once we made it to the top of the road, we connected with CO-7 or Peak to Peak Highway and had an amazing descent that lasted probably 5 miles. It was gorgeous watching around each turn as more of the Rockies unfolded in front of us! We had a few short climbs and descents into lunch.. but it was awesome to see almost everyone made it to lunch at the same time. Our group is getting so solid that not even the mountain passes spread us out too much! I'm really proud of everyone! After lunch, it was mainly uphill until we reached a long descent. This descent was the best of the trip so far. We were riding with all the trees and high rock walls around us when all of a sudden there was a break in the mountains and we looked out and could see all of Estes Park surrounded by the mountains. It was an amazing descent! It was so beautiful and it made it so much better that I didn't have to pedal for about 7 miles! I flew down it at around 40! It was great.
I could probably talk all day about that descent, but I still have other things to say in 6 minutes! Moving on!
After Estes Park we rode to Grand Lake, CO. That was the day we rode on Trail Ridge Road, which I believe is the highest elevation highway in the U.S. (You might check Wiki on it's importance!) I was riding out in the morning getting so excited about Rocky Mountain Natl Park that I was on an adrenaline high. We rode into the park when I caught up with Laura. I decided to hang with Laura so neither of us would have to do the climbing alone, because we had a 25 mile climb ahead of us. We caught Trail Ridge Road and started slowly climbing. Around each switchback and turn we got to see more beautiful mountains and scenery. I can't describe it all in words. We rode 4-6 mph all the way up to 12,100 feet.. but I wish I could've gone slower to take in each moment of the scenery. We stopped and took tons of pictures, which one of these days I'll upload again! We hit lunch at around mile 26, where we were informed of a Bike and Build dance party at the Information Center at the top. We coasted downhill into the info center where all the riders in the front had waited for everyone to show up. It was great coming around the turn into the Visitor Center and seeing everyone yelling, cheering, and being so excited about me making to the top. It was great. I stood with them and cheered the last few riders in that we behind me. The van pulled up right next to where all 31 of our riders stood and Barb cranked the music in the van and we all danced, hugged, and had fun. It was one of the best moments so far on the trip. It was awesome to see the group all at the top of a huge climb dancing and cheering. (I'm pretty sure there are videos of it.. If I find one, I'll link to it!) After the dance party, we all took the descent. We probably descended 5000 feet in a matter of 30 minutes. It was awesome to fly down the other side of the park. On the way down, we stopped at the Continental Divide sign and took pictures. We talked with people about our cause and a couple on a motorcycle followed me from the stop down the rest of the descent. When I was stopped at one point for construction on the road, we were chatting about how amazing the scenery was.. and they asked what wildlife I had seen so far. I was telling them about all of the Elk that we saw on the way up and how I'd never seen a moose before and I was really hoping to see one. It was finally our turn to go through the construction and I rode the rest of the descent in front of the couple on the motorcycle. They finally passed me on a slight uphill because I was no longer going the speed limit.. and we both waved as we parted. A little while later, I was riding downhill again and the couple was coming towards me on their motorcycle. They were pointing towards a little parking area and yelling, "Moose!" I pulled off into the parking area and ran towards the field with my camera. There were 2 moose, a baby moose, and a ton of elk! I got to see my first moose! There were probably 15 cyclists behind me.. So I grabbed my chalk and chalked on the road, "Hey B+B! Moose!" and an arrow pointing into the parking lot. A bunch more people all pulled up and saw it as well. The rest of the ride was great too. Laura and I finished the day together and it was such an accomplishment to say we climbed up that high! All 31 of us finished the ride! I'm so proud of everyone! Another note about Trail Ridge Road.. This was the first time we were riding on the road that cars honked or yelled at us with a thumbs up out the window. We received so much support that it was a real boost on the way up to be cheered on by random people! It was great! Sorry.. I can talk all day about these things!
Now, finally onto today! We rode from Grand Lake to Kremmling, CO. It was only a 40 mile day and it was mostly downhill. The scenery was awesome, but BG and I flew by it. We averaged 21.5 mph into a small town that had a diner. We ate there for about an hour and then rode on into Kremmling through a beautiful canyon. We stopped at a bakery when we got in and ate donuts and drank coffee. We got in about 11:00, so I have all day to do nothing.. which is really nice. I bet we'll find something to do!
Anyway.. Tomorrow we are riding into Steamboat Springs and it should be about a 50 mile day. I know we have some climbing, but it won't really matter because tomorrow is also one of the best days of the year.. My birthday!! Luckily tomorrow night we are all able to go out and celebrate because we have a build day on the 4th! For all of those who sent me birthday cards and presents to the mail drop, Thank you so much!!! I really love getting mail and it's nice to know that people are reading my blog, even when I can't update it that often!
That pretty much sums up the last week for you guys. I can't believe we only have 4 more nights in CO. It's crazy how fast this trip is flying by. Less than 4 weeks left! I wish it could slow down!
Sorry about the novel, but thanks for reading! Will update again when internet is available!
Have a good 4th of July!
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