Day 2 complete and thank you Monty!

As stated in the earlier post, we had a nice tailwind and decided to dash for miles.  We soon realized this may not have been a great idea as the winds changed, and it looked like a storm was rolling in FAST.  We were frantically looking for places to set up the tent and be safe from the heavy wind and rain that appeared to be bearing down on us.  We came to Crook, Colorado, and still had not seen anything that looked safe.  We were thinking of setting up behind a church, but that was near home, and they may not be pleased with us setting up an impromptu camp.

Crook, Colorado - The best building we saw!

We were bucking a heavy wind and having a tough time, both quite exhausted.  I was doing a great job of holding off the Charlie horse in the right leg but knew I was nearing my end, at 90 miles for the day and 200 for the first two days.  Just past Crook, Colorado, 30 minutes before dark, we knew we could not get to an actual campsite.   We went by Monty Anderson's house (I did not know him), and he was putting on his homemade putting green and sand trap outside his house.  He looked friendly, so I stopped to ask if we could set up the tents off the side of the driveway.  He offered his garage.  We took it and were glad we did, as wind gusts were over 30 MPH, and the rain was hard around midnight.

As a side note, Monty told us about how he and his wife were teachers. One day, they were hanging Christmas lights along the roof of the house, and his wife was untangling the string of lights and fell off the roof backward. This resulted in her being a paraplegic. He stated we could consider staying in the house, but we assured him the garage was fine. I think this was a wise choice, as he was already being so gracious.

We set up for the night, and Jordan cooked another dehydrated meal. The Jet Boil is cool. He also makes himself coffee in the morning. While the indoors was nice, the concrete floor was less forgiving than the dirt ground. Another great asset was that we were able to charge all the electronics!

At first, Jordan set up as far as he could from me due to the snoring.  Then he moved as the moths were so bad that the middle of the garage was the best way to avoid moths.

Jordan sleeping in the blue sleeping bag

SUMMARY OF DAY 2:  A total of 90.6 miles and 12.7 MPH (riding time only) and a total on-bike time of 7 hours and 10 minutes.  It was just under 12 hours for the day, which had a temperature range of 42 F at the start to almost 93 F at the peak.  The total ascent (according to Garmin Connect) was 1,018 feet, with a descent of 1,881 feet.  We had a net decrease in election off 778 feet, going from 4,738 feet with a climb to 5,100 feet at the start to 3,960 feet overall.

Our 10 miles splits from MapMyRide (time includes breaks, and mph is based only on riding time) were:

0-10 in 0:53:00 - 11.6 mph

10-20 in 1:05:31 - 12.2 mph

20-30 in 0:46:22 - 13.7 mph

30-40 in 1:17:04 - 11.8 mph

40-50 in 1:08:36 - 12.8 mph

50-60 in 0:48:37 - 12.6 mph

60-70 in 3:28:18 - 13.4 mph

70-80 in 1:00:14 - 13.4 mph

80-90 in 0:53:34 - 12.7 mph

Wind wind go away

 Well, it was a very cold night. I only have a 55-degree sleeping bag, and it was below 40 degrees. Jordan has a 35-degree sleeping bag, and he said he zipped it fully because it was cold. IT WAS COLD!

Morning picture of the campsite, all packed up to go!

We were up by 6:00 AM, taking about an hour to take down the site and pack. To our dismay, the campground did not have water as advertised. Fortunately for us, a neighboring camper saw our dilemma and supplied us with all the water we needed (1.5 gallons). We were facing a 60-mile ride through desolate Colorado, where there was no place to get water. We were able to escape by 7:26 AM. 

We were heading east and had a 12-14 MPH wind out of the southeast. We decided it was best if I continued to pull the trailer, and Jordan broke the wind, so I drafted. We averaged 12.4 MPH but walked many steep hills. With the headwind and the grade, the walking up the hills provided a break.

At about 40 miles, I needed a rest as he was spent. He just lay next to the road, and people stopped and asked if I was OK.

Is he dead?

Scary hill.  Jordan was doing 32 MPH, and Londell pulled away fast.

There was one long downhill (above) at about 45 miles. The picture makes it look small but over a mile long and downhill. I tried to use the brakes, but it caused the bike to shimmy. I did what I could to slow down but held onto the handlebar so tight. I reached 45 MPH, but my Garmin had died before the hill, and I do not know. At the bottom, we rested until the massive cramps in my hands subsided.

We finally reached Steeling, Colorado, at 1:30 PM. This was intended to be our stop for the day, but a strong southeast wind riding northeast from Sterling made us decide to continue.

I'm not sure how far we will go, but when we feel spent for the day, we will look for a place to stop and set up camp.

Day 1 complete!

  After leaving Platteville, Colorado, everything was going absolutely terrific. However, we did discover that Jordan could not pull the trailer with the bike setup we had, as he tried, and the trailer and the wind combined just took over the bike.

We made Greeley, Colorado (70 miles) just before 3:00 PM, which meant we had 26 miles to go to the campsite. As we made our way through town, we had the first of three flats (at the exact location)! Well, actually, there were two, but because I (Londell) was an idiot and pinched a tube, we had to replace it again. Two were on Jordan's bike (one was a Londell error pinch flat), and one was on the trailer.

The biggest pain was when we realized we did not bring a Schrader valve pump for the trailer. Fortunately, I was able to wave down some people who were able to fill up the tires so we could at least get going. However, that was not after we had wasted a good 20 minutes. 

Londell changes tire #1

Jordan fills tire #1

Londell changes the second tire...

Jordan emphasized and was absolutely correct that the safe thing to do would be to ride back into Greeley to find the appropriate pump and replacement tubes. This was a little bit out-of-the-way, but it was the best decision. We went to the closest shop, as shown on the iPhone app—it was closed. We went to the second closest shop, and it was not even there. Shop 3 was just closing, but he didn't have everything we needed.

We decided to ride the additional 2 miles to the main shopping center area with a Wal-Mart. What surprised me was how many stores did not have the tube we needed for the trailer.  We were able to get everything we needed at Wal-Mart. Typically, we would not be huge Wal-Mart fans, but Wal-Mart trucks were generous today and slowed down as they went around us. This was different for most of the truck traffic we encountered. 

Jordan caught a rainbow right over where we were headed while I was in Walmart.  

This resulted in a 12-mile detour.  So, if we were going to make camp, it would mean close to 110 miles.  We finally left Greeley, Colorado, at 5:30 PM and had about 26 miles.  The headwind and traffic made this a challenging 26 miles.  With about 10 miles, sunset required us to use the headlamps.  With the darkness, road conditions, and traffic, we were lucky to go 10 MPH.  We took several small breaks as well.

I would like to give you pictures of our campsite, but that's impossible because after 112 miles we reached the campsite in complete darkness.  We were greeted by a camper who informed us the campground was full.  He also told us there was a site reserved near the creek that appeared empty, and we could try that site.  It was dark, but we were able to find the site. We quickly set up the camp, and Jordan made an excellent sweet-and-sour chicken from a dehydrated meal. It was delicious since we had not eaten since 12 o'clock, and it was now 9:30 PM.   It was such a blessing to have the jet boil!

Overall, a day that started with great success took a turn and made the last 40 miles, actually 50 miles, difficult. We did the absolute best we could, and I am ecstatic that we made the campground at the place listed as stop one.  Shortly after arriving at stop one, the Charlie horses started to fall into my legs.  They were so painful and woke me throughout the night.  I would like a good nutritional meal, vitamins, and E-caps to take care of that for tomorrow.

We are both quite exhausted, and we are going to go to sleep as early as we can. Fortunately, tomorrow's ride is only 60 miles. I will try to take a picture at the campsite in the morning.  


SUMMARY OF DAY 1:  A total of 111.1 miles and 12.8 MPH (riding time only) and a total on-bike time of 8 hours 44 minutes and 23 seconds.  It was just under 13 hours for the day, with a temperature range of 44.6 F to almost 95 F. The total ascent (according to Garmin Connect) was 1,079 feet, which was a decent of 2,150 feet.  We had a net decrease of 1,233 feet in elevation, going from 5,971 feet to 4,738 feet.

Our 10 miles splits from MapMyRide (time includes breaks, and mph is based only on riding time) were:

  0-10 in 0:45:10 - 14 mph
10-20 in 0:50:04 - 13.6 mph
20-30 in 1:13:35 - 13.7 mph
30-40 in 0:44:28 - 14.2 mph
40-50 in 0:56:25 - 14.1 mph
50-60 in 1:30:18 - 16.3 mph
60-70 in 1:55:58 - 13.5 mph
70-80 in 1:40:23 - 10.5 mph
80-90 in 0:53:45 - 11.7 mph
90-100 in 1:01:15 - 11.2 mph
100-110 in 1:05:18 - 11.4 mph

Nice start, quick break and lunch

  

Still need to master parking the trailer.

We have our second stop of the day: Brighton, CO, 43.3 miles in 3 hours and 7 minutes. We are now off the excellent Colorado trails and into rougher roads. US Business 85 was a moderately busy two-lane highway without a shoulder. This will take us to 85, which is four-lane with a shoulder.

Jordan tried to take the trailer, and it totally controlled his bike.  This frustrated him, and he seemed to blame himself.  (Later, I googled this issue and found two issues related to the trailer's weight controlling the bike; he had 25 racing-type tires.  My 28 gator skins and over 100 pounds more than him was a huge difference.)

We filled up with water as it was starting to get warm. The clouds have totally dissipated, and we have a slight headwind. It's currently about 12:30 PM, and we are making good time. We planned a stop to the east at about 51 miles.

We stopped for lunch at Subway in Platteville, Colorado. In the first three and a half hours of riding, we traveled 50 miles, about 46 miles to the campground. We are feeling pretty decent but are a little fed up with that slight headwind—about a 10 MPH headwind.   

We may order more enormous sandwiches and save some for later.  We ended up only saving Jordan's cookies.  After sitting for about 45 minutes, getting started was not hard, but we knew we had been riding.  One thing we remembered was to reapply chamois butt'r on the bottom!  That is like sunscreen and needs to be put on several times throughout the day.

Nice to have food and air conditioning

Parking improvement?

First stop - many more coming

The start was difficult.  The loaded trailer wanted to take control of the bike.  I needed to grip the handlebar with a much greater intensity to feel the trailer's impact on the bike.  I was starting to adjust, but my test rides were different from those in this fully loaded trailer.

First unofficial stop

About 13 miles into the ride, he needed to stop. The first part of the trip was on excellent trails, and many locations were provided for stops, as required. He needed to stop, and you can see why.

Let the RIDE begin!

 I had planned to leave much earlier, but it was raining when I woke at 5:00 AM.  It was coming down pretty hard.  I checked the radar, and it was supposed to clear up early.  It quit raining by 7:30 AM,,, and I woke the gentle giant (AKA Jordan).

It was 8:15 AM, and we were hoping for good weather before the start of the ride. It is not too bad with the temperature at about 45 degrees and a slight wind to our backs.  We plan to go less than 100 miles on this first day of camping. We saw no need to delay as this ride will likely be rain-free over the next 12-16 days.  The forecast was for regular rain all week. 

All smiles before we head out...

All smiles before we head out...

Jordan wanted to complete the angry photo before we started, too. Below is our first effort to be mad at each other. It did look fake. Special Thanks to Katerina Bujnoch for taking the photos.

I tried to look angry, but it did not work.

I am on my way For Epic Bicycle ride

 There are so many possibilities that I am getting overwhelmed.  Do we ride on a four-lane highway with a more prominent shoulder, a two-lane, less traveled road with little or no shoulder, or last, gravel roads?  As gravel would have many issues and slow us down, we have decided to avoid all gravel.  Getting out of Colorado is moderately complex.  We are to ride the Interstate (Legal in Colorado) to Nebraska or take side roads up to Greeley, Colorado, head East to Sterling, Colorado, and take the State 138 to Nebraska and the Lincoln Highway.

Once we reach Nebraska, we can take the Lincoln Highway to Fremont (Almost to Omaha) or zig-zag through the sand hills of Nebraska.  If we zig-zag, we may not have phone access and need help finding food and water.  On The Lincoln Highway, the segments are:

1.        Ogallala to North Platte – 53 miles
2.        North Platte to Gothenburg – 36 miles
3.        Gothenburg to Lexington – 25 miles
4.        Lexington to Elm Creek – 21 miles
5.        Elm Creek to Kearney – 17 miles
6.        Kearney to Grand Island – 40 miles
7.        Grand Island to Central City 25 miles
8.       Central City to Columbus – 40 miles
9.        Columbus to Fremont – 50 miles
10.        Fremont to Sioux City – 70 miles

I took the time to drive back from Colorado on May 10 on the intended route options.  That was a blessing, for sure.  A few issues were evident.  Like the total reconstruction of the road so it did not exist and then a 40-mile detour on less-than-desirable roads.  As I drove all these roads, I found a great route to get to Sioux City, Iowa.  Then all hell broke loose.  Between Sioux City and Mankato, the route is not usable for a bicycle.  I spent over 6 hours rerouting Sunday, making it reasonably safe and logical.  I am not driving this segment; I am worried but do not have any other options.

Either way, I fly out in three days and start the ride in 5 days.  The days flew this spring, and I only hope I will think the same after the ride.

At this point, I have 13 rides planned, giving us a three-day margin for error.  The rides are:

DAY	From Golden
1	96.64
2	60.5
3	89
4	86
5	64
6	66
7	73
8	45
9	45
10	83
11	80
12	75
13	71
TOTAL	934.14
PER DAY AVE	71.9

  Doable? It will be doable.  We have all day to ride and rest.

I met a girl...

It was on this day 10 years ago I met a girl.  I had been divorced for several years and was ready to date.  Long term dating breakups or divorce is never easy as we once though that person was perfect and then somehow, I failed in making that assumption.  Looking back over the years, I often blame myself for issues, not the other person.  It helps keep the best of those memories alive.  The bad memories are forgotten as once I formed a new habit to rid myself of any perceived issues, why rehash them?

I always believed that the “one-year rule” is essential after a breakup or divorce.  This means you should limit dating, if you date at all, for one year from any significant breakup.  Well, it was not really always a one year rule, but one year or the amount of time you were together, if it were less than a year.  It always gives you time to “get over” the past relationship.  I was married for a decade, so in this case, it was one year but became 2.5 years before I felt I was ready…

I knew little about the girl I was going to meet.  She was older than I and shared many similar interests and noted differences.  It was a blind date lunch. 

We were to meet at Panera Bread at 11:30 AM.  I was there at 11:25 AM, as I hate being late.  I waited…  It was 11:35 AM and nothing.  I was feeling a little down as I thought I would be stood up.  Then at 11:38 AM, I saw a girl drive up in a Nissan Pathfinder.  Now those who know me know I really do not like big gas guzzling vehicles.  So here she was, late and driving the monster truck, but tossed my disappointment aside.

We introduced each other and her natural beauty stuck me.  She did apologize for being late (although over the past ten years, I think she has been 8-10 minutes late 99% of the time.  It is just the ways she is...) 

Then we went in to order.  As she ordered, it was painfully slow.  I even had the nerve to say “OK Sally” as she ordered like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally.  She laughed!

We instantly had a great conversation.  It was easy.  I was felling really good about the girl… Then she proceeds to tell me she is still married, but separated.  So here I am, a man who likes promptness, prefers prompt decision-making and insists the one-year rule is essential to allow her to be ready for another relationship.  So why did we keep talking?  Well, I liked her…  Could be more of the opposites like the challenge?

Since that day, I have gone back to that Panera store every year at 11:30 AM on March 23.  All but last year when I was so stressed at work, I totally did not realize it was March.  When the day came and I realized I forgot, my heart sank!  Fortunately, she did not show either. (In all fairness, she asked if I would be there and I told her I forgot and had a scheduled meeting.)  However, what she does not know is I left the meeting early and went to Panera arriving at 11:34 AM.  I was alone…  She did not show.  Although, I never told her I went… 

I know, that was mean, but I think this day we met means so much more to me than her.  Even without her there, at 11:34 standing on that sidewalk, I get a happy heart with the memory…  Of course there were other times she did not show, but that is another story.

Since that day, my life is better in so many ways, but one of the best ways is that she brought back the long last enjoyment of storytelling. When we first started talking, back during that week of furious emailing before we met in person.  I told many stories and some I still recall to this day.  I digress…  She is quirky like I am! she is almost a female version of me in more ways than we are opposite!  I know, that is unfortunate, but we meshed…  Sorry, I digressed…back to today.

Today is the day I will go at 11:25 AM to Panera Bread.  Will I eat alone?  Will she show?  I do not know.  All I know is on/off for 10 years; things have been a challenge for me yet she makes my life better.  Although I think we only yelled at each other three or four times over the thousands of times were spent together.  I can’t recall more than a few times were mad at each other, if at all.  Not sure there is another out there like her, as in all my life, I have never found such a perfect match.  I hope she shows up at the restaurant and feels the same.  Because to this day, I still say “I met a girl…” 

I hope you all have a chance to meet someone who just seems like a match.  It is a good feeling and one every human should experience. 

Carry on my friends…