31 Dec 2011 Ride: Journey Completed!!!

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect way to end the journey (okay, maybe a little less wind).  A December 31st day that saw the temperatures going into the mid 60s at ride time.  I arrived at the Botanical Garden parking lot about 12:25 to get in a little pre-ride.  Arrived back to meet with the photographer for the article by Kevin Kinder of the NWA Times that will probably come out next week.

I was very touched by all the bicyclists that were mulling around in the parking lot waiting to take off on the ride.  I never got an official count but it was around 25 cyclists.  I was pleased that we had time before pushing off for me to pose with everyone.

And, my apologies for not remembering everyone's name.

 Pat Murray, who holds the dubious honor of riding with me the most separate times, six, for a total of 283.70 miles.

 Branton, from Highroller Cyclery, who has kept my bike in good repair over the past year.

 Chuck and Kurt

 Debby and Mack

 Of course, Dorothy of Roadie fame.

 Grant and Laura

 Katy and...

 Ming Ming, Richard and Tim

 Philip and Philip

Ted, who I rode the most with in one stretch on our 7 day stint in Texas and Oklahoma with his brother Cliff. Just over 400 miles.


And, we're off!

  I put the group through the paces with my grueling tempo.  They were begging me to slow down but I showed no mercy.

 If anything, they were biting at the bit, unaccustomed to the snail pace.   But, I do believe everyone was enjoying themselves (except for the wind).   And, I thank them immensely for joining me on this last hour of this year-long journey.

 Coming home!

 Party time!

 Rachel gives John some sage advice on life and everything.

 Angie.  My very good friend from Harp's who has followed me way back from when I did the AR - GA trip.

 And, my neighbor John, who has also been a big follower from way back when.

 Laura from Community Meals who suggested the idea of blogging to me back in January.

John's wife, Patti.

And, of course, Rachel and Carol.  Thank you both so much!

What a year.  What a journey.  How appropriate that today's blog is filled with pictures of people as I have always said that that is what makes journeys so special, the people we meet along the way.  And even though this was "just" a journey that mostly occurred in my backyard, what an adventure it has been where my encounters with people have been just as rich as if I was traveling across the country.  To everyone, from those that were there today, to those in Fayetteville who couldn't make it, to those in all the various parts of the country and the world that have followed me, thank you so much!!!

Jorge, a Spring student we know from Mexico, sent me this message yesterday:  " I wish I could be celebrating with you tomorrow not only the end of one goal but the start of tons of motivating ideas that your goal generated."  This led me to think that today is, indeed, not the end, but the beginning as I, we, move forward onto other goals.

A Very Happy New Year!!!

Today's Ride:  1hr 22mins.  15.11 miles.  63°   15-20mph winds.  Miles for 2011:  10,358.16
Hours ridden for 2011:  901.9

Donations for Community Meals can still be sent to:

Biking for Food,  St Paul’s Episcopal Church,   224 N. East Ave.,   Fayetteville, AR  72701

 To see older postings, search the Archives listed on the right had panel.

To see postings before 30 November 2011, please go to www.mylifeasabike3.blogspot.com

To see postings before 15 August 2011, please go to www.mylifeasabike2.blogspot.com

To see postings before 11 June 2011, please go to www.mylifeasabike.blogspot.com

30 Dec 2011 Ride: Happy Birthday, Carol Anne

One day to go.  Wow.  It doesn't seem possible that the journey will come to an end tomorrow.  And, speaking of what seems possible, this journey would not have been possible without the support of Carol who has put up with my eccentric ways this past year.  Thank you for bearing with me and looking the other way as I neglected many duties around the house this year (and people wondered what project I have going for next year!).

Congratulations on all your wonderful accomplishments this year and being such an inspiration to so many people.  I hope that we can inspire each other for many years to come.

So, today's posting is dedicated, on her birthday, to my wife Carol.  Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

I hope you enjoy the photos.

I've waited all year to catch a picture of a great blue heron.  The irony of this picture is that I did not have my Canon Rebel with the zoom lens when I first passed it as I thought, what the heck, I would travel light on this quick neighborhood ride.  When I got back by the house, I ran inside and grabbed the camera; maybe it would still be there.  I passed it, dismounted around the curve and walked back towards it.

How appropriate that I should get some shots of one today, even in flight. 

Happy Birthday!

Today's Ride:  61mins.  11.28 miles.  58°    Miles YTD:  10,343.06

Hope to see y'all tomorrow at the Botanical Garden at 1:00 for the ride or 2:15 for the after ride celebration.

Donations for Biking for Food, which support the Community Meals at St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, AR, can be sent to:  Biking for Food,  St Paul’s Episcopal Church,   224 N. East Ave.,   Fayetteville, AR  72701

Or, make a pledge per bike miles ridden at  www.stpaulsfay.org/bikingforfood.html.

 To see older postings, search the Archives listed on the right had panel.

To see postings before 30 November 2011, please go to www.mylifeasabike3.blogspot.com

To see postings before 15 August 2011, please go to www.mylifeasabike2.blogspot.com

To see postings before 11 June 2011, please go to www.mylifeasabike.blogspot.com

29 Dec 2011 Ride: 100 miler #7

Getting down to the wire and I didn't know if I would get in the 7th century ride for the year.  I've been wanting to do this for about a month as 7 Centuries just had a better ring to it than 6.

With my slow pace and the lack of sunlight, I made sure to get on the trail before sunrise.  I parked at Old Missouri trail head, rode north for a couple of hours and then headed back to the van to shed the cold weather gear. 

The temperature was 36 when I took off but a very curious thing happened as I made my way to the north and then east side of Lake Fayetteville: the temperature dropped dramatically and I noticed heavy frost on the ground.  I went from well above freezing to 28 degrees and my hands certainly knew it.  That is an aspect of climate that I get a kick out of, the way that there can be marked changes from one area to another in the same town. 

After shedding some gear, I continued on to the south end of the trail where I met Wes who accompanied me on 50 miles of the trip today.  I already had logged 26 miles by the time we rendezvoused so I was anticipating fairly smooth sailing for the remainder of the ride.  Riding with Wes definitely made the time go by but by mile 50 I was beginning to get a bit weary. 

I guess it didn't help that I picked a route that had some good climbs in it, including a half-mile hill that had a 23% grade.  It's the one on the road that connects Hwy 74 with CORD 38 (Sunset Rd).  And, we had to deal with a headwind for the first half of the ride.

We were moving along nicely on 71 with the wind at our backs when my front tube did not merely go flat, but blew.  The bang was loud enough to get Wes' attention who was riding a good 30-40 feet in front of me.  I guess the last 100 miler of the year had to have a bit of extra excitement.

With 25 miles to go and with Wes needing to head off to work, I continued on my own. 

Thanks so much for today's ride, Wes.

Alone now, I could feel my pain more intensely and the miles rolled gruelingly along.  When I got home, I mentioned to Carol that part of the ride became grueling and she asked, "Why didn't you stop?"  I looked at her in disbelief, wondering if she was joking.  She was not.  There have been plenty of grueling moments during this past year; why stop now?  Getting in one more century seemed to be a perfect finishing touch.

With the sun getting low, I stayed on the trail, going back and some as I worked to get in the last miles.  The long shadow below, cast by the fence on the other side of the trail, really caught my eye.  I really needed a camera with a VERY wide angle lens to capture the feel of this line that seemed to mystically run across the trees.  There was something surreal about the line, a Stonehenge quality where people wait a full year to see the shadow cast upon the trees in just that manner and thus revealing some secret message.

Only 3 miles from the end I passed Becky Purcell.  I believe I have a picture of her son Carlin in the blog and I know I have her husband Larry.

She was out for quite a ride herself zig-zagging back and forth around town, visiting friends and doing errands. 

And, back at the trail head, I made sure to throw in another mile for good measure. After all, Disney knew something when he came up with 101 Dalmatians instead of 100; it just sounds better.

Whew!

Today's Ride:  8hrs 47mins (actual time: 10 hours, almost exactly).  101.17 miles.    28°-58°
Miles YTD:  10,331.78.  Hours to date:  899.53 hours. 

Donations for Biking for Food, which support the Community Meals at St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, AR, can be sent to:  Biking for Food,  St Paul’s Episcopal Church,   224 N. East Ave.,   Fayetteville, AR  72701

Or, make a pledge per bike miles ridden at  www.stpaulsfay.org/bikingforfood.html.

 To see older postings, search the Archives listed on the right had panel.

To see postings before 30 November 2011, please go to www.mylifeasabike3.blogspot.com

To see postings before 15 August 2011, please go to www.mylifeasabike2.blogspot.com

To see postings before 11 June 2011, please go to www.mylifeasabike.blogspot.com

28 Dec 2011 Ride: ...3...

Rachel joined me at Community Meals today and she prepared fresh green beans with other fresh vegetables while I worked on the pizzas.  Because of the holidays, we were short on volunteers and Rachel's presence was immensely appreciated.

The spirits continue to soar as the 31 December approaches.  They really received a boost when I came into cook and heard news of three more donations for Biking for Food totaling $250. 

The finals days of December are being VERY kind: temps in the 50s with lots of sunshine.  On Saturday, the 31st, a high of 62 is in the forecast.

The spirits soared even more (if that was even possible!!) over news of hearing how many people are planning to come Saturday to the Victory Lap Ride and celebration.  If you are around, please come, 1:00 at the Botanical Garden.  If you don't want to ride, about 2:15 for the after ride tailgate apple cider toast.


Not being pizza fans, Rachel and I headed out for a quick lunch and then when drove to the high school where she had soccer practice.  I took off for home on the bike and I was determined to find some good pictures.

I have passed the above shadow many times and finally decided it was time to dismount and get the camera out.  Not until I was looking at the image at home did I notice the profile of a person.

 I rode passed Ben and then decided to circle back and work up the courage to ask if I could take his picture.  He is from Arcata, CA, which is a small town on the northern coast in Humboldt County.  He has been hitchhiking and was looking for a train to catch to Kansas City.  The "So What" on his hat flap refers to comments he gets fro people regarding his dress.

If an object continues to catch my eye, I think it's finally time to stop and photograph it.  Such was the case with the yellow pipe above.  I think the yellow drips of paint on the wall is what gives this its finishing touch, making it seem as if the pipe is leaking the yellow paint.

I have passed KC many, many times on the trail.  I keep wanting to stop and get his picture but he always seemed to have such a determined and focused look on his face and I have been hesitant to flag him down.  But, with the year-long journey coming to an end and his familiar profile approaching me, I found a perfect opportunity as he emerged around a curve.  He was very amiable and tries to ride everyday, unless it's raining.  I'm glad to have a new friend to wave to now when I hit the trail.

Today's wonderful ride:  1hr 53mins.  21.08 miles.  54°   Miles YTD:  10,230.61

 It's definitely not too late to donate!

Donations for Biking for Food, which support the Community Meals at St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, AR, can be sent to:  Biking for Food,  St Paul’s Episcopal Church,   224 N. East Ave.,   Fayetteville, AR  72701

Or, make a pledge per bike miles ridden at  www.stpaulsfay.org/bikingforfood.html.

 To see older postings, search the Archives listed on the right had panel.

To see postings before 30 November 2011, please go to www.mylifeasabike3.blogspot.com

To see postings before 15 August 2011, please go to www.mylifeasabike2.blogspot.com

To see postings before 11 June 2011, please go to www.mylifeasabike.blogspot.com

27 Dec 2011 Ride: ...4...

I waited till just before 1:00 to get on the bike so that I could take advantage of the above average highs for December.  I was in high spirits after posting an announcement of a Victory Lap Ride on Saturday where I invited others to join me for a casual final hour ride to cap off this year-long journey.  I don't know how many people will be able to show up but there were numerous encouraging responses and the excitement of the finals days of this adventure are beginning to swell.

I left from the Botanical Garden and planned to stop and see Joe at the hospital where he is, unfortunately, still holed up.  I also planned to take lots of pictures as I was very much in the mood to do so.  But as I rode and looked around, I found it difficult to find a photo opportunity that matched the emotions of the morning: the enormity of the journey really hit me and that I was actually accomplishing this adventure filled me with an incredible high.

Joe seemed to be doing better, even if the medication he was on made him view objects sideways at times, literally; a very disconcerting perspective.  I stayed long enough to tire him out and then moved on.  I was enjoying the ride, having now one more new goal in mind for the end of the year.  I noticed the other day that I had put in 885 hours for the year.  Well, naturally, that got me to thinking that I should make that a nice round figure of 900 by Saturday.

Finally, a photo op.  Back on a very early ride last summer, I came across a trail bridge where the shadow of the opposing railing cast a shadow on the other.  It made for a striking image.  It was with the new Nikon camera and I ended up erasing all images from the card when I was trying to remove just one.  So, I looked forward to recapturing that image.

It is interesting that at 3:30 in the afternoon on December 27, the sun is low enough to cast a similar shadow to that of a very early summer morning.  But, the reddish-orange light of that early morning is missing.  That early morning light gave the shadow more depth and created a more interesting composition.  Next summer.

If you can make it:  1:00PM, Saturday at the Botanical Garden.  A very casual one hour ride followed by a tailgate celebration of apple cider, fruit and maybe homemade cookies.  Be there!

Today's Ride:  2hrs 41mins.  30.04 miles.  44°-47°   12mph wind.   Miles YTD:  10,209.53

Donations for Biking for Food, which support the Community Meals at St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, AR, can be sent to:  Biking for Food,  St Paul’s Episcopal Church,   224 N. East Ave.,   Fayetteville, AR  72701

Or, make a pledge per bike miles ridden at  www.stpaulsfay.org/bikingforfood.html.

 To see older postings, search the Archives listed on the right had panel.

To see postings before 30 November 2011, please go to www.mylifeasabike3.blogspot.com

To see postings before 15 August 2011, please go to www.mylifeasabike2.blogspot.com

To see postings before 11 June 2011, please go to www.mylifeasabike.blogspot.com