Happy, Happy

May 7, 2012

Today we rode 32 miles along part of the Shasta Wheelman’s Jamboree metric century route.  We started at Old Shasta, a little town about 5 miles east of Whiskeytown Lake along highway 299.  The ride took us into some absolutely beautiful countryside.  It couldn’t have been a better time of year for this ride; the hills were green with spring grass and dotted with wildflowers.  The terrain was a little bit more than rolling hills so we got a good climbing workout and some fun twisty downhills.  I noted one corner we rounded was marked 25 mph and we were going into it about 39 mph!!  Fun, fun, fun!!  We turned around just past the little burg of “Happy Valley”, stopping at the Happy Stop store for ice cream and chips.  Note for future reference:  just past the Happy Stop there is Ruel’s Irish Pub, closed at the time, but supposedly open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.  Could be fun if we’re ever through this area again – they even have a structure in front of a guy on a high wheeler bicycle!!

Felt really good and strong today.  Maybe, just maybe the old muscles are getting stronger!!  We camped last night and for the next two nights at Oak Bottom Campground at Whiskeytown Lake.  Arriving mid afternoon on Sunday we had our pick of the lakeshore campsites and were able to pull the boat up to the shore and enjoy not only the amenities of a developed campsite but our comfortable sleeping v-berth in the boat.

Happy, happy day!

Climbing is GOOD

May 4, 2012

Arrived at Millerton Lake, 12 miles east of Fresno, California yesterday midday.  Very nice lake for sailing!!  Also the roads leading to the lake and around the area looked good for cycling so today we headed out from our campsite into the unknown!  Our ride today was 30.6 miles and the first hour and 20 minutes involved a lot of climbing!!!  Our mph went down to 5-6 at some points in the climb, but exceeded 40 mph on the way back.  Fun, fun, fun!  The area was absolutely beautiful – green rolling hills dotted with wildflowers , valley oaks, and cows (we even saw a couple of longhorns).

Feeling pretty good after the ride, still no neck pain I am happy to report.  Will probably feel the climbing in the legs tomorrow!  Back in time to go sailing on Millerton and it looks like the wind is going to be really good this afternoon.

On the Road Again

May 2, 2012

Got back on the road again today!!  We left Quartzsite yesterday on our trek to Arcata, California for Barrett’s  graduation, arriving in at sister-in-law Vicki’s home last night.

The ride today was a flat 32 miles on the Kern River Parkway, a multi-use trail that goes from downtown Bakersfield  all the way out to I-5.  We started somewhere in the middle and rode out toward I-5, turned around  then rode back towards downtown and past CSU Bakersfield until we had enough miles in to make our total mileage about 30 for the day.

All systems were GO!!  No more neck pain, yay!!  Tomorrow we leave and head north on 99.

TOO HOT!!!!

It is now the 2nd day of over 100 degree temperatures here in the Arizona desert - ughhhh!!!  Training is at a standstill for these two days, not because of the heat but because sore neck/back muscles need to recover!

We rode 40 the day before yesterday (Friday).  Left the house at 8 am, trying to beat the heat (it only got up to the high 90s that day).  Rode to Plomosa Road then up the road to the top of Quin Pass.  We did this on NO BREAKFAST.  Read something on bicycling.com that riding first thing in the morning for 90 minutes before eating is a good way to stimulate fat burning.

Ate granola bars at the top of the pass, turned around and rode back to "home".  My neck was hurt, hurt,  hurting.  Pain is focused on the left side of my cervical spine, next to the shoulder blade.  Rick is feeling a similar pain, though not as intense as mine, on his right side.

Reading up on neck pain in cycling I am finding that position on the bike contributes to it, as well as just conditioning.  I am riding more miles now on a regular basis than I have in 30 years and being that much older, well, I guess I just need more time to recover.

Anyway, it's too hot to ride now.

Calm and Comatose

Today we started out late for a day that was going to reach 90 degrees or more.  Took Sonny into have blood drawn and left him with the car while we rode off to Bouse, or so we thought.

I think we both were feeling a little less than stellar today, but we made it to Bouse, got water and a Nutty Buddy bar (yum, yum) then stopped at the friendliest little bar (NOT) for a beer and some "lunch" (french fries and onion rings). Hey, and even watched part of an episode of "Bonanza".  Gave me something to think about the rest of the day....

Then, instead of just riding back down Plomosa Road we decided to ride Hwy. 72, to 42E, to 60 to Brenda and then back on the I-10 to Quartzsite.  I'm really glad I didn't know the exact mileage.....

So 62 miles or so later, we roll off of I-10 into Quartzsite.  Silly Al's here we come -- need calories!!  Beer and Cheesy Garlic Bread (yum, yum too).  Then another 5+ miles after that back to La Posa South (our home for the winter), part of which was on dirt/gravel road (interesting on a road bike!).

Total miles today:  67.9, time 4:23.  Aching upper back again.  But I am so CALM, practically comatose, most likely because my blood pressure was down to 101/64 due to dehydration.  Love it!!!

Moving Muscle Aches

Sunday, April 15, 2012


R and I have this ride we've been doing now off and on for several weeks, Plomosa Road.  It starts just a few miles north of Quartzsite ("Q") and has a moderate hill climb for 9.5 miles, then a moderate downhill and some rollers for another 10.5 miles till the road tees with Highway 72 at the little nothing town of Bouse, AZ.  Nice little community park in Bouse, a public library located in an old portable building, a thrift store,  small market, and a bar.  There may be other things as well but these are the things I see on our way into town.  The bar spouts the friendliest bartenders (NOT)....the first time we stopped in, we were served a beer then the tender proceeded to go outside and smoke with some local patrons.  We finished our beers and would've had another, but he never made a motion to come back inside and see if we needed anything!  The second time we were served, more attentively, by a very severe-looking woman whose face would've probably cracked open if she had ventured a smile.  Oh well, it's not the destination, it's the ride!

So yesterday, we did the Plomosa Road to Bouse ride again.  This time we beat the times we had done before.     It helps when there's no wind.  Last week we did the ride and came back (downhill) in a 30 mph quartering headwind which slowed our pace to 10-12 mph when normally it would've been 19-24!!!  That was NOT a fun day.  Total time that day was 2:40.

But yesterday was good.  We got to the top of the hill in 37 minutes, some seconds.  All the way to Bouse in 1:04:30 (hours/minutes/seconds), didn't even get off the bike this time, turned around and back to the starting point in 2:09:50!!!  The last mile I started to sit up because my neck/back around and in between my shoulder blades was paining me.  This non-aerodynamic maneuver dropped us down several mph, then Rick says we're/he's trying to break 2:10 on the trip.  That means I need to get down and CRANK. Okay, okay and we did it, averaging 18.6 mph.

Man, my neck/shoulders hurt!  Not as bad and two days before, but still reminding me that all the muscles that need to get in shape are not there yet.  After the initial leg fatigue, my moving muscle ache went to my mid/lower right side of my back.   That ache is pretty much over now, but now it's the neck/shoulders.

What will be next?

Are We Nuts?

If you've read Rick's blogspot, BicycleNaked.blogspot.com, you have the lowdown on the group that's decided to make this trek and their backgrounds and cycling credentials.

I'd like to add a little more to the information about Gloria & Ivan, and Sonny, specifically their AGES!!  Ivan will be 73 when our trip begins, Gloria 71, and Sonny 80!!!  Rick and I will be 59 and 56 respectively, and I will be the only one of our entourage who will celebrate a birthday during the trip - I'll turn 57 on October 4.

I am calling this a "magic" bike ride across America, because, well, it will be magic if we make it!!!!  Also, because all of us "amigos" know each other from the Magic Circle, our little community in the long-term visitor area of La Posa South in Quartzsite, Arizona.

So are we nuts??  Some would say YES!!!  Heck, we all would say yes.  But being nuts can be really entertaining....

So stay tuned.  Between now and when our ride commences, which is now set for Saturday, September 22, I will be posting how Rick's and my training is going.