Day 38:

This week is developing a pattern that makes me nervous for tomorrow: good, bad, good.  

Distance doesn't always dictate mood or ease of ride.  Today we rode 153km and it was easy and fun. 

Julia and I headed out at a good pace, picked up Mike and some others until we were too tired, dropped 2km/hr off our pace and just kept rolling. 

We were on beautiful trails most of the day.

I got an epic flat tire:

I might have been a wee bit energetic from last night's 10 hr recovery nap, or maybe it was that i knew we would encounter my favourite bicycle built for two:

Tonight I am chilling in a queen bed at my dear Kristin's place in Lansing, IL.  College friend reunion part 2.  It's the small things...

 

Day 37: #%$&:

Cycling through a thunderstorm 5km from camp can be refreshing.

Cycling 143km in the rain and wind is anything but. And then when you arrive at camp, find your pillow wet from the gear trailer and set up your tent in the rain and it rains all night? Let's just say that day 37 had me questioning my sanity.

Just as anticipated, day 36's antics haunted me.  Sore, stiff and tired didn't help at all.

We averaged 20km/hr, which is slow. We had 6hrs28mins of saddle time.  That's a long time to sit on wet shorts. 

Julia flatted around 10:30am, I had a flat tire 6 km from the camp. 

The showers were lukewarm, the food didn't taste good.  I was in bed by 8pm and slept the whole night through. That was probably for everyone's benefit.

Day 36: stupid fun

Sometimes we do things that are a bit dumb because we are stubborn and out to prove ourselves.  And really, we only need to prove it to ourselves, no one else cares.  Monday was that day.  I personally think its a great collision of Marcus and Pasma genes.  

I have previously mentioned "speedy legs" which basically refers to having legs that want you to sail, and not really wanting to slow them down.  Well rested after a nice day off, my speedy legs wanted me to go fast.  I started the day with Julia and Sarah, but I will admit that I dropped them, which wasn't nice.  Julia was gracious. They weren't alone.

I was on my own, clipping at a good speed, when two "newbies" named Kyle and Jason cycled by.  I caught their draft and asked if I could stick with them for a while. They were clipping, and said I could, but that they wouldn't really be waiting for me, which is completely acceptable when you pick up someone's draft. I assured them that I would not be able to hold on long, but it would be fun for a while.  I totally anticipated dropping them at the next SAG, but a funny thing happened.  It wasn't that bad.

After SAG one, Ava and Kaitlyn also picked us up and we cruised as a pack of five for quite a while, even taking turns pulling the pack.  It became a game for me then, to see if I could keep 31-32km/hr the rest of the 151km.  It's Monday, why not?

Eventually Ava and Kaitlyn dropped back, and Kyle admitted to slightly slowing down.  But, we booked it into camp.  We crossed the mighty Mississippi and entered into Illinois. It took some convincing to get these guys to stop for a picture.  We caught up to some other friends at the state sign.  My average speed for the day was 28.2km/hr. 

What makes this fun stupid, you might ask? When I got off the bike on Monday, I could barely walk.   Remember that we cycle for six days a week on this tour. It's a pretty dumb idea to expend all your energy trying to prove yourself on one day! That might be more of a Friday or Saturday thing to do...

Day 35: resting in Iowa

My knees are sore. Those hills did me in over the past two weeks.

"Do you want to play frisbee Shannon?"

"No, I promised myself I'd move as little as possible today."

Sundays are our only day off.  We spend time napping, reading, chatting, listening to music, and of course maintaining our trusty bikes. 

Never did I think I would be the type of person who spends TWO hours cleaning a bike. But I am now that person.

Our Sunday celebration service was in the evening. The church had leftover VBS decorations still up.  Of course we had to take a family portrait :)

"Weekends" go by quickly on the Sea to Sea, probably because they are only ONE day long.  But it's enough to regroup, refocus and get ready for the week to come.  

Day 34

On Saturday we made up for Friday's sloth by riding 157km to Iowa City.  Fortunately the hills started levelling out and I had my speedy legs on. 

I set out with Bonita, but she revealed about 10km in that she'd been struggling with leg cramps the night before, and sent me on with her blessing.  

Around 30km I got to be part of a very fun surprise.  Alice and Joan ride together and are from the same church.  Joan is less fast than Alice, but Alice likes riding with her.  Unbeknownst to Alice, her family was coming in to surprise her that afternoon.  As I passed Joan, she explained this, and asked me to make Alice ride with me faster.  Since I was alone, Alice was easily convinced that I needed a partner and we shot off together at a good clip.  

Just before we hit camp, we blew by Alice's sister and her family, waving signs and yelling for her. So very fun!

Carrie, one of our favourite "SAG moms" returned to the tour today, with fourteen(!) pans of botterkoek.  Love.

Day 33: the first Dutch Mecca

On Friday, day 33, we headed into Pella, Iowa.  It was a short ride, (84km) some of our faster friends stooped to our level and rode with us. 

Of major significance today was that we hit our halfway point for mileage.  Amazing, when you think about it.  These people are amazing too. 

We arrived in Pella to a warm reception from the many CRC and RCA churches there.  If you've never heard of Pella, that's okay.  Typically only other Dutch/CRC/Calvin people have heard of it.  

We ate donuts, had free laundry at the college and worshiped with some local churches.  And we played at a local bike shop.

Day 32

When your day starts like this, it would appear to be a long one:

And then, after you walk down that hill, you get this sign:

Day 32 got better after that.  We went 120km, still on rolling hills (see day 31 for my opinion on those), but also with more flat, fast surfaces between.  Julia sagged in after the first stop, so I continued alone.  I averaged 24km/hr, and was in town in no time, it seemed.

Today's ride was brought to you by more middle-of-no-where charm:

Day 30

Imagine for a moment.  

Winds so strong that you wake up with your tent suffocating you.  Because there is never a dull moment with Sea to Sea. 

On Monday night Julia's tent buddy had decided to sleep inside the gym at camp Oasis.  We took down my little haven and I decided to join her in her castle-tent.  At 5:30 (that's AM) on Tuesday, Julia gets up to pee, returns to the tent and says, "there's a storm coming, we need to get this tent down."  I had no idea what was outside, so I protested, and pointed out that if there was a bad storm we should just keep sleeping, because they wouldn't let us ride anyways.  (I wanted to sleep in....shocker.). Just as the words were coming out of my mouth, a gust of wind blew the poles of her tent inside out, pushing the side into my face, essentially suffocating me awake.  It was go time.  When we got out of the tent there were those eerie dark clouds swirling around, wind howling in all directions, and one thought.  This is tornado country.  

The point person at camp Oasis was ordering all people and belongings inside as soon as humanly possible.  Her words were, "they say this storm isn't tornadic but I'm from here and it's weirding me out."

For all that adventure pre-communicating time, the rest of the day was pretty normal.  We were delayed an hour, which basically meant that everyone had to start at my normal start time: 8am.  Somehow we were still the last ones to leave.  

We rode through the rest of Nebraska and into Iowa, crossing the Missouri River.  Corn, soy, silos.

We stayed at the beautiful Waubonsie State park, and were privy to a great sunset and some great bugs on our tents.

Day 31: halfway mind games

The end of day 31 marked the halfway point of this journey... Which doesn't seem so crazy after all.

It was a long day, 137km of rolling hills.  "Rolling" implies sweet, low, simple hills that you could easily coast over at a decent speed. Enough of that crazy talk.  

Somewhere in Nebraska I realized (maybe with Julia's help) that I didn't give two hoots anymore, and that I didn't need to catapult myself over each hill.  Last week I was cooked by Friday, as a result of gearing up (down?) and charging up each hill, trying to maintain high speeds.  This week's strategy is a bit different.  I gain whatever speed I can down a hill, usually somewhere around 40+km, ride it as far as I can, and take the rest of the "rolling" hill at 12km.  Or slower, whatever. Nice and steady. So what we were on the saddle for 6:15 today? So what we only averaged 22.3km/hr?  We had fun. We can still talk when we get off the bike.  We didn't need 3 recovery naps.  Take that, rolling hills.

So just how do you spend 6hrs of saddle time? Here's the mind game break down.

Km 13: I'm already 1/10 of the way there!

Km 20: the first SAG better be soon, I had tea with my breakfast.

Km 25: oh good, SAG 1.

Km 37: only 100 to go!

Km 37-68.5: various math games to determine exactly when this wretched day will be half over. 

Km 68.5: this day is already half over!

Km 68.5-100: dreaming about dropjes.  I think this is a result of all the sweating.

Km 100 is huge.  It means that any difficult mental math is done for the day.  I can easily determine how many km are left.  

Km 100-125: word problems: if Shannon and Julia are traveling at an average speed of 22.3km/hr, at what time will they arrive at camp? More importantly, will Marc, Rachel and Mike have set up their tents for them? (The answer is almost always no, but there was this one time...)

Km 125-137: get me off this bike,  now. If the mileage sheet isn't accurate and I have to go one pedal stroke further than it says... Hey look! There's camp!

So if you were expecting profound thoughts and wise nuggets of wisdom, I'm sorry to disappoint.  Perhaps picturing the hamster spinning on its wheel in an empty brain is more accurate.... :)

Onward and upward. And downward. And then upward some more. 

Days 28 and 29

Our weekend location was Fairbury, Nebraska.  As I preciously mentioned, there wasn't much going on in this town. The park where we stayed lent itself well to a relaxing, restful Sunday. laundry, organizing our baskets, card playing, reading and of course church.  

We joined the local Presbyterian church for worship.  To our pleasant surprise, the minister really caught the vision for Sea to Sea and incorporated our group into all areas of the service. After church, we were fed mountains of food.  I think they warned the church that cyclists eat a lot of food, but no one was expecting two tables lined with every salad and dessert the church potluck scene has ever known.  

They sent our kitchen people back to camp with the leftovers, and we got to enjoy for a second time on Sunday night.  

AND, I got my new handle bar tape put on.  Definitely a good start to the week. 

Day 29 was short and uneventful, which is refreshing around these parts!  Julia is healed from an injury, and has become a great riding buddy. We rode 84km to the middle of no where (still) and camped at Oasis Bible camp.  

Of course a shorter day can only mean one thing: stopping in the nearest town for donuts.  

(A brief interesting tidbit about this, the only open cafe in Beatrice, NE.  Monday was their first day back open after a fire.  One hundred cyclists made for an excellent first day of business!)

Day 26

Sometimes we psych ourselves up for big rides, and then they aren't as bad as we expect.

Since the fabulous Miss Christy's departure, I've been struggling to find a riding partner with whom I gel.  

Today we were scheduled to ride 165km, and that's a long time to spend with anyone, let alone the "wrong" group.  I don't mean wrong in a mean way, but it can be a struggle to keep up with a pack of fast cyclists, and a struggle to keep pace with a pack of cyclists who don't quite go your speed.  

I set out with about 7 cyclists, some of whom I had ridden with early on.  A few miles in Bonita joined us and then broke out saying, "see you later."  I mumbled something about not wanting her to be alone, and chased her down.  We rode the rest of the day together, and it was good.  We were evenly matched for speed, time off the bike at the SAG and for a gradual slow down as the day progressed!

As we headed into town, just after crossing the state sign for Nebraska, we saw a huge dark cloud forming.  We tried hard to beat it in, but got caught 5 minutes from camp.  The wind picked up, the rain and hail started and we got drenched. It was wonderful!

Today was made extra special by hospitality from two local groups.  The reformed church near Phillipsburg, KS had a brunch ready for us, and a local fast food joint served us free ice cream.  It's the small things...

We averaged 25.2km/hr and were in the saddle for about 6.5 hrs.  

Days 24 and 25

Things are officially starting to blend together, out here in the prairies.  We stay in small, small towns, and blow by grain, corn, soy and cows.  There aren't many people, and there aren't many places to stop.  

The wind is wicked, and can either be a force to reckon with or your best friend. 

Writing this from day 26, I can't recall anything significant from Day 24. I believe I rode with Ava and Kaitlyn again, I had a flat tire and we made fast time, working to keep our average above 25km/hr.  

I really do love small town USA.

Day 25 was fast.  we had a fierce tail wind almost the entire way, and sailed into camp pulling 32.2km/hr. that's fast, for Shannon.  We stayed at Prairie Dog State Park.  

Day 27

Saturday was rough again.  The plains so far have not been my friend.  Or maybe it's just the total distances each day that haven't.  Here's our week in review:

Monday: 120km

Tuesday: 125km

Wednesday: 109km

Thursday: 116 km

Friday: 165km

Saturday: 122km

That's 757 km in 6 days.  What did you do this week???

I digress.  I was on Sweep, which means that we help with breakfast and then load the truck and basically leave camp last. All my buddies were out ahead, and I decided to go alone-ish.  I headed out at 8.  I basically rode into a head wind all day. It was very hard. Wind, I've decided, is worse than hills because you think you should be going fast, but you just can't.  When you combine wind WITH hills, it's a long day of cycling.

About 30km from camp, there was another dark cloud and another downpour.  It was nice to cool off, but 30km is a long way to ride in the wind, rain and soaking wet.  At the risk of giving too much information, chafing is a big risk when you ride that long in wet shammies (bike shorts). 

My total time for the day still wasn't awful, and I still averaged 21.8km/hr, but I was so tired from all the long days.  The only thing that got me through was knowing that when I was done, I would not have to cycle again until Monday.

We are spending the weekend in the booming metropolis of Fairbury, Nebraska, population 3200. 

There's not much here, but we did find a great Mexican restaurant.

Day 23

Today was not stellar, for a whole host of weird reasons.  The "downhills" aren't really downhill, because overall we are only dropping a couple hundred feet of elevation.  We've picked up a nasty side wind that Mark tells me will last through the prairies.  

We rode more than half of our 125km on the freeway, which led to a flat (my first in 19 days!).  Trying to keep a bike straight in those winds leads to a very sore back.  I'm so tired I'm mixing tenses.

Our average speed was 24.9km/hr, which I should be happy with, but I had assumed it would be higher.  

There aren't any pictures from today.  Just imagine my grumpy face, and then picture me sleeping it off under a tree this afternoon.

That is all there is from Burlington, Colorado.  

"The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning..."

Day 22

I've decided I would rather climb hills (mountains too) than cycle in the rain and fog.  Shortly after heading out yesterday, it started to pour.  It was windy and cold, and looked like this:

My "Trusty" computer stopped working, because it doesn't like extreme temperatures of any sort, and so I couldn't tell how fast I was riding.  When you can't tell your speed, see more than 30 feet in front of you or see cars or cyclists, it feels a bit trippy.  Fortunately that was over after 60km. 

I was riding with Ava and Kaitlyn.  Halfway through the ride Kaitlyn's gear cable snapped and she was limited to two gears - hard, and harder.  Ava pulled for most of the way, and I went beside Kaitlyn to break the side wind.  Together we got her into camp.  Her bike is better now.  By the time we arrived in Limon the sun was shining and we enjoyed an evening of cards and visiting.  Overnight it was only 10C which is a welcome change from some of the temperatures we've had on this trip!

Day 21: the first third

I'm writing this after sleeping 10 hours straight in a bed, with no one else near by.  I also had the luxury of a shower, a bathtub and the opportunity to wash 3 loads of laundry. 

Yesterday marked the end of the first third of our journey, which warrants a few thoughts.

Christy and Joel both left the tour yesterday.  Christy has been my constant companion so far, we were assigned to room together that first weekend, and since then earned the nickname Shisty, because we were never apart.  Joel/Rev also brought much hilarity, fun and insight to our first three weeks.  We will miss them!

So far this tour has been both harder and easier than expected.  Physically, I have to say its been a bit easier - the only task is cycling, and when it is difficult or tiring, you stop, drink water, engage in some self talk ("I chose this, I chose this, I chose this"), get on the bike and go some more.  Climbing the mountains was, in hindsight, fun, because I like a challenge, and a good downhill!

The ironic challenge so far has been the people. I do love people, but I'm learning that I also love and crave personal space.  Since landing in California I have shared almost every meal with people, been forced to use words before 7am and cannot seem to find ways to escape.  This is my goal for the next third: read more than 15 pages, walk away from the group and find some alone time!

The weeks to come will bring a descent into the plains - Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and then the Midwest.  Please continue to pray or cyclist safety and well-bing as we travel!

Days 18, 19 and 20

Day 18 was almost a nothing day, as far as cycling on this tour has gone.  Except for one important detail.

We rode straight and flat for a long time (who knew you could do strait and flat in Colorado?) and then we did a brief hike to another summit.  9000 feet? Meh, whatevs.

 And then we sailed.

We sailed down so fast that I have a new record: 75.3km/hr.  the road was smooth, the cars were infrequent and when I felt as though I had control, I opened up, as they say in the cycling world.  It was phenomenal.  

We stayed in Salida, which is a beautiful mountain town with 4 bike shops in the little downtown.  They love their cyclists in Colorado!

Salida was the first time I felt the effects of the altitude.  I had a hard time getting deep breaths and felt light headed a bit.  Nothing serious, but worth warning my riding buddies about.  

Day 19 gave us a beautiful, calm descent for over 80 kilometres.  No breakneck speeds, just continuous downhill.  We followed the river the entire way, and travelled through a canyon.  We climbed a bit at the end, and descended into Cañon City.  Another gorgeous day of riding, with a average speed of 29.9km.  That's on the faster end for me, since we were mostly downhill all day.  We dropped almost 2000 feet in elevation.  

Day 20 we rode from Cañon City to Colorado Springs.  The ride was thankfully short and surprisingly arduous.  I was happy to arrive after a mere 80km.  

I'm even happier to be hanging with this beautiful gal for the weekend.  College roomie reunion. 

Day 17

Today was nothing short of amazing.  We climbed and climbed.  

We hit the summit.

And then we hit another one.

Somewhere in there we crossed into Colorado.

There were times that I thought these caterpillars were moving faster than I was. 

I smiled all day at the beauty around me.  

Worth it. Every moment and every hill.  

Elk running in front of my bike. Lightening in the distance.  Cool temperatures.  

The stats don't matter today. 

Day 16

Today was a hard, hard day of cycling.  When you cycle 21.9km/hr it takes 6hrs28 mins of saddle time to travel 142 km.  that's a long, long time.  We left at 7:30 and were in camp by 4:10.  You can tell that because I'm doubling my words, I am very very tired.

Check out this elevation graph: 

This graph tells us that we climbed uphill 5884 feet, and only went downhill approximately 3784 feet.  I took most of those hills at 11km /hr.  

BUT, you know what the cool part was? We finished it.  Not everyone did. There were a lot of people who had to take SAG in, and I understand why.  It was a hard day. 

Here are some cool pictures from our grind.  You can see that the scenery is improving from our desert dashes.

Day 15: my other happy place

Day 15 was a great day.  The ride was uneventful, relatively quick and executed with a group of 7 great cyclists. 86ish km, 25.3 km/hr, rolling hills.

For those of you following in the printed devotional booklet, we are officially off route for the next few days, due to the fires in parts of Colorado.  Truth be told, I'm not even sure where we are camping tonight!

Because of the last minute changes, we ended up being hosted here: it's a winery!

And so after a leisurely ride, we got to do this: