Month: June 2017

June 24.

On Saturday we got to participate in our first build day with a local Fuller Center group.  There are around 20 of us and we were split up and sent to different work sites.  We also had a few extra people who came to see their relatives on the ride and to help with building projects.  I saw an application for the work at the local church where we are staying.  Materials were provided and we mainly provided labor—both skilled and unskilled.

I got to work on a log home outside of town belonging to Miss Scottie, an 85 year old woman who said that she had broken every bone below her waist at some point.  She worked along with us and wore herself out, and she was a delightful person.  She had a lunch prepared for us—salad, bread and poor man’s beef stroganoff (which was really made with elk meat.) We coated her house with linseed oil.  She said that she asked the forest service about how to maintain those log buildings and they said linseed oil mixed with paint thinner to help it dry.  She didn’t care if it dried, so she skipped the paint thinner.  The drips of linseed oil had run down over time and made little icicles on the house.  She was delighted and told us so over and over.  She also said her children would be delighted that she didn’t have to climb any ladders.

We oiled her house, moved about a cord of wood from a wood pile to the shed where Scottie stacked it herself (no one else could do it properly), did some mowing and weed-eating, and dug a post hole.  Then she remembered two plants that needed transplanting which were too heavy for her to lift, or hard to get to, so we helped with that also.

Our group got lucky, I think, to work with someone who was so delighted to have our help, and so willing to work along with us even though she was clearly disabled.  She was totally worn out by the time we left, as we also were, but she still insisted on getting back up to give us all hugs and wave goodbye from her front porch.

June 23.

This ride started with a long, relatively flat ride, but there was plenty of climbing and rolling hills in store.  The flat ride was made tougher by a head wind part of the way.  I was really proud of myself, because I was able to mostly keep up during that first part of the ride.  I went 18 miles before I lost sight of the person in front of me!  So that was an accomplishment.

Several people had talked about riding the first segment of the ride and then taking the van to the third rest stop of the day, after the very long, big climb.  I decided to do the same, but then it turned out they changed their minds.  They had gotten help during the windy section of the ride and weren’t as worn out, so they went instead to the second rest stop and got out.  I decided to stick with the first plan.

The third rest stop was at the General Store in Maybelle, Colorado.  Mary, who ran the general store was really a nice person.  We set up all the refreshments on a picnic table under a carport like shelter.  They had bumper stickers in the store saying “Where the hell is Maybelle, Colorado?”  I found out later that it’s also the name of a motorcycle ride.  At Maybelle, I rejoined with the group that had ridden with us to rest stop two.  They had learned to draft each other.  I managed to keep up for about five miles, but then I lost them.

We got a really big welcome in Craig, and we will be here for two days and three nights.  We arrived on Friday and the local Fuller Center Covenant Partner had arranged a picnic in the park for us.  Members of the local Fuller Center board were there, and they also invited a county commissioner and the mayor to the dinner.  The commissioner and mayor were invited to speak and they talked about what an impact we cyclists have had on the town over the years.  We nearly always stop here on the cross country ride because this is the chapter of the Fuller Center furthest to the west in the country (I think).  We also got to hear their history.

This local chapter started out as a chapter of Habitat for Humanity.  About the same time that Habitat for Humanity fired their founders, Millard and Linda Fuller, they also changed the rules for the local chapters.  This local chapter in Moffatt County, Colorado was going to be discontinued because the population of the area was too small.  The only option they were given was to join up with the Steam Boat Springs Habitat for Humanity chapter, about 40 miles away.  So in 2005, they opted out of Habitat for Humanity and became a Fuller Center Covenant partner.  So far they have built two houses which are now producing income through no-interest, no-profit mortgages and have a third in progress.  They have done several Greater Blessings projects, basically home repair help which helps people stay in their homes.

In the park, I got several photos of wood carvings.  Years ago, many of the trees started dying and the then mayor decided that they would contact chain saw carvers from all over and have a contest.  The contest still goes on every year over Father’s Day weekend, but now they have had to move the contest to a larger park on the edge of town.  They also bring in logs to carve and then the carvings are placed around town.  At the beginning of the contest is a drawing to see which log each carver gets.  They have about three days to complete the carving and then the various prizes are decided.  Some of them are really great.

June 22.

We’re visiting our fourth state—California, Nevada, Utah, and now Colorado.  We have seen a lot of different terrain and covered over 1000 miles of the 3600 mile trip.  Hard to imagine!

The road from Roosevelt to Dinosaur was pretty nice—hot, but a nice ride.  We are mainly on Hwy 40, except for a little bypass to skip going through Vernal, Utah.  I actually missed the turn and ended up in Vernal, but I missed the pink dinosaur that is, apparently, the town mascot.  The terrain in Eastern Utah and Western Colorado is desert and canyons and river valleys.  There isn’t much growing except where it is irrigated.  You can get some pretty good pictures of rocky buttes or mesas, and of sedimentary rock.

I was starving by the time I got to Dinosaur.  Apparently we have a new policy that we only have sandwiches at rest stops on century days (strictly speaking, days of 100 miles or more).  Light snacks won’t do it for me, even on a 60 mile ride day.  I had some beef jerky with me, but tried to go on without it.  It didn’t work well.  I finally had to stop and eat some protein.  When I got to Dinosaur, people were asking me if I needed a cold drink, and I gobbled up a turkey and cheese sandwich.  I felt much better after eating that sandwich.

After arriving in Dinosaur and being welcomed into the only church remaining in town, several of us (14 people in a 12 passenger van) took a field trip to Dinosaur National Monument back in Jensen, Utah.  We arrived just in time to catch a shuttle to the area where dinosaur bones were first discovered by a paleontologist in 1909.  They’ve built a building around the quarry wall, have models of some of the things that have been found in the region, and even allow you to touch some of the dinosaur bones.  It was pretty cool.  We got back to the church where we had a great dinner of spaghetti, bread, salad, and brownies.  Everything tastes better when you’re really hungry!

Pics from the Dinosaur National Monument:

June 20 and 21.

The ride from Salt Lake City to Heber City, Utah started out with two long climbs and then a beautiful ride along a bike trail that went past Park City, where the 2002 Winter Olympics were held.  This was no rail-trail.  Rail trails typically have no greater than 3% grade except where they intersect roadways.  This went up and down quite a bit.  It was a lot of fun.  The morning climbs, though, had worn me out.  We went up for eleven miles straight, then a downhill run followed by more climbing—about five miles along the interstate again.  (We were told that going into Salt Lake City was our last interstate stretch, but that was an error)  As the day wore on, it also got hotter.  Reaching the rest stop at 30 miles out, I decided to call it a day.  This turned out to be a smart move.  After reaching our destination, people kept asking me if I was doing OK—so I must have looked terrible!  I felt a little better after a shower and some ice cream, but still totally wiped out.

I have had heat exhaustion/sun stroke before, to the point that I couldn’t even take a sip of water or Coke without throwing up, and went to the emergency room to get an IV.  I wasn’t there this time, but I think I was close to entering the danger zone.  I’m glad I am not trying this without a support vehicle!  Anyway, the time that I got the hospital visit heat exhaustion, it took me a day and a half to recover, so I decided to ride along with some of our support people on the 21st, the trip from Heber City, UT to Roosevelt, UT.  We got up at 5 and started out a little before 7 when it was still cool.  Now, instead of Interstate 80, the ride is mostly along Hwy 40.  I am not sure which is better, to tell the truth.  I was tired of interstate riding, but Hwy 40 still looks very busy, and has two way traffic to contend with.  I will be glad to reach the more populous states with paved rural roads, I think.

I didn’t think to take as many pictures as I should have, but the change in terrain in that 100 miles is just astounding.  We stayed at Mountain View Fellowship in Heber City, a very aptly named Church which does, indeed, have a beautiful mountain view.  We passed through a wooded area going up a mountain to Daniels Pass (8020 ft).  Coming down the mountain we saw a reservoir and the Strawberry River valley.  Shortly after that, we were in mountain desert terrain once again.  I think, from what I learned in school long ago, that the rain clouds typically drop their moisture on one side of the mountains while the other side doesn’t get much, depending on which way the wind blows way up in the sky.  But a real meteorologist could give a more detailed explanation, I’m sure.

At Starvation Lake, we had gone about 65 miles and had seen all kinds of terrain since morning.  It’s really pretty amazing.  The view from the Starvation Lake rest stop was pretty—a lake in the middle of the dry hills.  We also saw a boat with water skiers behind.  Riding into Roosevelt are huge boulders right behind the buildings along the highway.  We also saw a sign advertising a hospital—Don’t let joint problems prevent you from enjoying life!  The picture was of two people riding bicycles.  I find this interesting, because we have a couple of people on the ride who have had joint replacements.  I didn’t know it was possible to do a bike trip like this after joint replacement, but apparently it is.

Tonight we are sleeping in a high school gym in Roosevelt, Utah.  Tomorrow we travel 61 miles to Dinosaur, Colorado.  And it’s going to be hot again tomorrow.

June 18.

Today was a perfect day for a ride.  We only had to go about 40 miles into Salt Lake City.  I rode sweep with Judy from Florida.  Sweeps get to come in last and make sure everyone is OK.  Except a couple of times people passed us!  They had stopped for a bathroom break or for a coffee break without letting us know.  These are riders who have more confidence in themselves than in the sweeps of the day (and rightly so!).  Even so, it was a weird feeling to be responsible to make sure everyone made it in OK and then to realize that we had let someone get behind us without seeing them.

We did get to stop and help one couple with a flat.  They were working on it and fixing it when we arrived, but a flat, like most problems, is less discouraging when you have company and aren’t alone.  We get a day off in Salt Lake City.  I usually have great plans for seeing the sights but end up just reading and relaxing.  As I write, I am enjoying the outdoor seating at a local coffee shop with free wi-fi!

June 17.

I had a really great day on the 16th riding into Wendover.  There were a couple of very long hills that I climbed without dismounting.  (If you’ve ridden with me, you know that hill-climbing is not my strength.)  When I reached the top of the last one, there was a view of the salt flats down below that was amazing.  It was a wonderful day.

In the evening, though, I had the wind totally knocked out of me.  Perhaps I should have expected this would happen at some time.  After all, I am out here doing something completely out of the ordinary.  Though it’s very exciting, it’s also quite difficult.  On top of that, I have had problems with my teeth and I am technically homeless.  My cats are in Logansport, IN.  My dog is in El Dorado, KS.  My mail is going to KS.  Most of my worldly goods are in IA.  And I went through all those changes very shortly before I set off on this adventure.

We had a team meeting, the purpose of which was to present a problem–the support team is being stretched too thin.  Unfortunately, the suggested remedies were all focused on getting the slow people to either speed up or to ride in the van for the first part of the day and thereby get a head start.  Being pretty much the slowest person on the tour (someone has to be the slowest), I ended up crying inconsolably.  I hate crying in front of people, but we basically have no privacy.  A couple of the others who are often near the back were angry.

I worked really hard to get to the standard that the Bike Adventure advertised: averaging 12 mph and able to go 20 or 25 miles without long stops.  I am in the best shape of my life.  And I have been amazed at the end of these days with long climbs to discover that I am still averaging over 12 mph.  So I felt like the rules had been changed and that I had been lied to.   I felt like I had been told I shouldn’t even try if I wasn’t absolutely sure I could complete the day’s ride.  (Remember I am telling you how I felt.  I don’t think that was necessarily what was meant.)

The next day we had a 94 mile ride along the salt flats, with a strong crosswind/headwind, which would have been tremendously difficult in the best of spirits.  I could hardly speak the words when I asked Grace to put my bike on the carrier.  Later in the morning, I called a good friend and advisor from back home who listened sympathetically and then told me she was proud of me for taking the van!  She said it would have been a cruel thing to make myself ride in that condition.  And she reminded me that, truly, I am on a spiritual journey.  God is able to work miracles within us when we have reached the limits of our own strength.  I have experienced it before, so I know it is true.  “When I am powerless, than I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)  After getting support from back home, I was able to have a good day, and even play around a bit.

My original dream was to ride every mile.  That dream was already busted when my crown fell out on the second or third day.  But I am on a pilgrimage, and I am not in control of everything on the journey.

 

June 16.

Today we rode from Wells, NV to Wendover, Utah.  Wendover is in both states. On the Nevada side, West Wendover, are several casinos, but not on the Utah side.  Today was only (haha) 61 miles long, but we had some very large hills to climb.  Our first rest stop was at 6967 ft elevation, where I-80 crosses the Pequop mountains.  And I rode all the way up–about five miles, maybe six.  The inclines on the interstate are not steep, but you sure have to climb for a very long time.  That means, though, that you also get to descend for miles!

There were a couple of construction areas on the way, where the left lane was closed and also the shoulder for a very short distance.  Some of our number thought it would be safe to head on through, but when I looked at it, I decided to walk my bike on the other side of the concrete barricade.  Sorry–no photos! The sheriff showed up at our first rest stop and asked everyone who remained to go ahead and stop.  I would have done that anyway, and already had done so at the first area.

When you go really slow, like 4 to 6 miles per hour up a long incline, you notice more in the scenery, I think.  I can imagine that it might be boring to look out the window at the scrubby plants and flatlands, with short mountains in the distance when you’re tearing along at 75 or 80 miles per hour.  But at this slow pace, you notice the light changing on the hills.  You crane your neck and look up at the rocks as you pass through the cuts in the hills to make a less steep road.  I even had a mouse run into my path once!

At the crest of the last hill before descending into Wendover, I saw a sight I wasn’t really expecting.  I hadn’t thought ahead about the salt flats of Utah, and I didn’t know that they started right there!  I bicycled all the way up that hill, reached the crest and was amazed by what I saw below.  The pictures I got aren’t nearly as amazing as the sight was, especially when accompanied by the feeling of accomplishment after climbing.

In Wendover, we are staying in what was once the officers’ club at a military base where they trained for the mission of the Enola Gay, carrying the nuclear bombs in WWII.  The officers’ club has been restored using as close as possible to the original colors and there are many photos and models of the WWII times.  So we are spending a Night at the Museum.  I hope it stays calm!

One thing that’s disappointing to me is that, in this place, where models of the nuclear bombs are displayed along with the smiling crew of the Enola Gay, there is no mention that I found of the horrible destruction and suffering caused by those bombs.

It’s not too late to support the Fuller Center for Housing!

Donate to the Fuller Center

June 15.

We had great scenery and tailwinds on our way from Carlin UMC to the school gym in Wells, NV.  It was about 73 miles.  The day started out with a run through Carlin Canyon, about 8 miles from our starting location.  The river that carved out the canyon ran right alongside the road.  It was amazing to ride that road with the steep rock walls all around us.  We were told that if you came at sunrise, the walls of the canyon are purple.  I did see some purple rock so I can believe it.  When we exited the canyon, we took a bike trail that led us right up to the shoulder of I-80!  Most of our day was spent on I-80.  As I said before, we have an entire lane width for the shoulder, and most of the way we are separated from traffic by a rumble strip which will serve to alert drivers who start to stray into the shoulder.  The main problem is that it is quite noisy on the interstate.  Concrete pavement seems to be noisier than asphalt.

June 14.

This morning, as everyone was getting ready to hit the road, I was really taken by all the rushing and scurrying that was going on.  It’s a madhouse, but everything gets done.  We are organized into chore teams and each team has a task to do.  Some of the tasks are mainly in the morning and others are mainly in the evening.  So far I have been on the trailer team and the breakfast team.  Next week I expect to be on the site cleanup team.

It’s a little hard for me to get used to this type of group ride.  As one of the slower people, I feel like I have to consider how much I am slowing other people down and if I am going to make other people too late, then I need to get in the sag vehicle.  I am accustomed to having a little more freedom to decide what I am going to do than what I have on this ride.  We rarely pass any gas stations or anything, but even when we do, it doesn’t usually seem like we have time to stop.  So today, I might have been able to go further, but we had a headwind and I was going pretty slow, so I took the sag wagon after the second rest stop.  Most rides I have been on, use of the sag wagon is basically for emergencies.  Here, it seems to be more acceptable to take the sag wagon than to arrive really late.  That’s not entirely true, because those designated as sweeps came in quite late tonight and we held dinner for them and cheered for them when they came in.  So, like I said, I don’t quite get it.

I did do something today that I was really proud of.  I rode all the way up a three mile long incline.  I’m not sure how steep it was, but it was long.  I was even singing on my way up!  And having fun!  But after that came a long stretch with headwinds that really sapped my energy.

Today, we left Winnemucca United Methodist Church and ended up in Carlin United Methodist Church 102 miles away.  We were expecting to stay in the school, but when our leader called to confirm, the person he talked to had forgotten we were coming.  Or they didn’t realize we needed a place to stay.  Or something.  In any case, somewhere the wires got crossed.  Ellen was the person our leader spoke with on the phone.  Within about an hour she had arranged a place for us to stay, a place to take showers, and a meal for us.  Carlin, a town of about 2400, turned out to be one of the most welcoming places we have been.

I got to speak with the pastor’s wife and had a good visit with her.  They have been here three years, but are appointed to another place soon.

Also, for those who are wondering, my tooth feels much better and I am almost done with my antibiotic.  I hope it continues to feel good.

June 12 & 13.

The trip from Fernley to Lovelock was chilly, rainy, and windy for 63 miles, nearly all of it on Interstate 80.  It’s legal for bicycles to travel on the interstate in Nevada, because many places that’s the only paved road.  It’s not as dangerous as it sounds, either, because the paved shoulder is as wide as the traffic lanes with a rumble strip in between.  Mostly it’s noisy.

 

Lucky for me I had adequate clothing for the wind and the rain and made it all the way to Lovelock on my bike.  We stayed in a tiny house church there.  We were scheduled to take showers at the town pool.  Most of us didn’t actually manage a shower because the water was cold!  When the pastor found out, he called a friend of his at the Super 10 motel and a few people went there to get a warm shower.

Before we took the tables down, I didn’t think there was any way for all of us to be able to find a sleeping spot.  It was much roomier after the tables were put away.  We got to see a beautiful sunset.

The next day the weather was beautiful for the 73 mile trip from Lovelock to Winnemucca.  We had snow covered mountains on one side and other mountains without snow on the other.  We didn’t have to ride quite as much on I-80, but we still rode about 25 miles there.  On one stretch, we ran into road construction where the asphalt had been ground off to make way for new.  It was so rough it almost shook my glasses off so I couldn’t see.  I ended up walking about half a mile. The last two days have been relatively flat with tail winds, so it wasn’t too bad.

 

 

Photos on the way to Winemucca

Tomorrow we ride 102 miles to Carlin.  Let’s hope for tailwinds again.