Happy. Healthy. Heathen.

I’m a 14er! Twice!

Here’s to spontaneity!

Not much to the lead-in for this blog: climbing a 14er with Ben was on the list of 50. Every time he and I chat we look at the week or 10 days ahead of us to see if anything works with our schedules, and on Saturday when we chatted, we came up with something that worked! Surprised us both, but we found a little window when he was out of school, I could make it out, and the availability of flights cooperated. So Tuesday afternoon I headed out to Denver, via Atl, and arrived around 6:00. Ben’s girl, Kirsten, picked me up at the airport and we drove to meet Ben just east of the Eisenhower tunnel off of 70.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Anyone see anything wrong with this pic? I had this in Denver waiting for Kirsten. Ben texted me NOT to drink - after I'd had almost all of the glass.

Kirsten headed back to Denver, and Ben and I headed up a gravel road to the start point (in his 4-wheel drive Tracker, which was necessary). He set up the tent, and after I wrapped up in most of the clothes I brought, we slept for a few hours.

The alarm went off around 5, and we set about breaking camp, stuffing stuff sacks, filling camelbaks, and Ben even fixed us a mountaineer breakfast of coffee and oatmeal. Ben’s a fellow foodie, and had half and half and organic sugar for the coffee, and cranberries, cinnamon, and sliced almonds for the oatmeal.

We headed out of the parking lot around 6, just as it was getting light. It’s only fair at this point to tell you that our base camp was at 11,000 feet – but don’t be so quick to be unimpressed – it’s still a 3,000 foot climb to the first summit. When you begin, you are in a little valley, and can only see the faces of the mountains closest to you. As you ascend, more and more peaks peek their tips out into your field of vision. It’s as if the panorama unfolds in a reward for all your climbing effort.

See the saddle shape on that ridge between the two peaks in the sunshine? We first plan to ascend Gray’s peak on the left, then drop onto the ridge and hike it over and up to Torrey’s peak.

Ben entertained me as we hiked the elevation with tales about hiking up/skiing down these peaks in the winter. On the outside I was the cool, hip mom urging him on, celebrating his adrenaline fix, and on the inside my insides were the baking-soda-vinegar-5th-grade-volcano-science-project. It’s not easy being me.

Because these peaks are so close to Denver, and because there are two so close together, and because it’s nearing the end of the hiking season, this trail was rather busy. There were probably 20-25 other hikers on this trail, everyone smiling and good-humored, if panting and straining. There are 54-58 14ers in Colorado (any guesses why there is a disparity in the number? No fair google-cheating – you can figure this one out), and it is a common goal to summit them all, whether you are a Colorado resident or not. Ben has 11 or so. Guess how many 13,000 foot peaks there are? Over 700. He’s a little more interested in hiking the Centennial 100, or the 100 highest 13ers, because they are a lot less crowded, and a lot less developed (translation: more of a challenge).

So we hike and switchback and turn and hike and switchback and rest and hike and then….the peak!! We made it!

It was awfully gusty while we were at the peak, and we came close to choosing to turn around and go back down. Then we looked at one another and said, “Oh, HELL no!”, at about the same time, so off we went, wind gusts and all.

The trip down was much quicker, of course, and we were back at the car by 3. We had a post-hike beer that was delicious, and then hit the tostitoes for the drive back to Denver. We got to have a dinner with Kirsten at a very cool Italian place in her area of town. After that, it was a quick trip to the airport and 36 hours after the trip began, I’m home!

Ben and remarked several times while we were hiking how very fortunate we are to have this trip come together like it did. We both had to have the window of time, the flights had to work, the weather had to cooperate…and for this trip, we got them all!

Now here’s the part of the blog where I go off about my kid, so if you’ve read too many of these from this web address, you may be excused.

I’m in love with this boy/man. I love to make him smile, I love to hear him laugh. I absolutely love how his mind works and how he thinks. I love to hear him rant about religion, and I love to hear him describe skiing among those hills. I love his funny stories about his crazy-ass skiing friends, and customers he’s had in the restaurant. Watching him love on a pup that someone brought on the climb nearly brought me to tears. I want to give him everything – all the toys he wants, all the gear he needs, all the trips he wants to take. I love how he’s going back to college, and the enthusiasm he has found for that. I love seeing my little boy in the face of this grown man.

Ben, thank you for this trip. Thanks for helping your mom achieve one of the things on her 50 list. I’ll never forget it – our predawn breakfast, our conversations, the moment on the drive down when we were both laughing so hard you had to pull the car over til we stopped.

Do I need to even describe how sore I am? Thighs, calves, quads, glutes, back – so exquisitely sore I really can’t move without groaning. Back to working out tomorrow, so technically I only missed today.

One more thing on the list – on to the next one.

Thanks for reading!

September 16, 2010 7

Perhaps I overestimated my timetable.

If I had any graphic design ability, this post would have been soooo much easier to read. I, however, do not, so you will have to do the best you can. I’ve centered and italisized the original post; maybe that will help some.

So here’s the 50 Things Post, dated May 18, 2010. In my enthusiasm for the spirit of the idea, I may have been a bit overzealous and ambitious. It is a failing I admit with pride. Life threw our family a curve of epic proportions in June, and we have been recovering from that ever since. I had not the inclination or interest in the list for a period of time over the summer. I’m ready to revisit it now, I think, and I’m still enamored of the project. Here’s the update:

May 18, 2010. Exactly 6 months before my 50th birthday.

May 18, 2011. Exactly 6 months after my 50th birthday.

In order to celebrate managing to stay alive, happy, and healthy to my 50th, I am going to try 50 new things this year. Some are huge (hike the Great Wall of China). Some are tiny (drink a lime gimlet). All are things I have never before done. And in that same spirit of celebration, my friends and family will be participating with me.

I’ve had a few more suggestions since my last blog, and those will be reflected in the list. I’ve decided to be a little less OCD, and a little more organic in the list. I’m not going to preemptively remove anything from the list; there will be more than 50 things. In my daily life, as I always do, I will seek out new and exciting experiences, and may very well add something to the list spontaneously, maybe even after I’ve done it. I will attempt to do all, but my primary goal will be to accomplish 50 New Things.

You all have been so enthusiastic and free-spirited about all this; thanks for the suggestions and the WILLINGNESS to do them with me!

1. Streak through Publix – Dora (You are SOOO on the hook for this)

2. Do a Bob Ross painting – Glenda

3. Drink a lime gimlet – Sam M (Next weekend?)

4. Fire-hoop – Glenda

5. Color my hair pink/blue/something for a race – Glenda/Amy

6. Go to the Superbowl

7. Scuba-dive Cayman or Honduras or Bahamas – Fran

8. Write a song – Beth

9. Hike a 14-er in Colorado – Ben (May get to do this next week)

10. Write a children’s book – Kristen

11. Be in a live audience for a TV show – Kristen

12. Eat crumb cake at Carlos’ Bakery in NYC – Kristen

13. Horseback riding on the beach – Kristen

14. Go parasailing – Kristen

15. Go bungy-jumping

16. Big-ass rubber band thingy – Mandi

17. Run 50 miles – Vic

18. Attend Loy Krathong, the sky lantern festival in Thailand – Vic

19. Hike the Great Wall of China – Vic

20. Swim in the largest swimming pool in the world, in Chile – Vic

21. See sea turtles hatch and head for the ocean – Vic

22. Go sky diving – Phil

23. Learn to play pinochle, mah jongg, canasta or gin

24. Eat gefilte fish with horseradish

25. Dress like a man and go with a man to a straight bar and a gay bar (They don’t know it yet, but I’m going to do this with Chris and Bryson when they turn 21)

26. Have a colonoscopy – mom

27. Get a tattoo – Amy (Done!)

28. Go to South Beach, Miami

29. Attend lighting of candles in Jerusalem

30. Take ballroom dance lessons – Tonya

31. Meet the President

32. Do nothing for one day: no work, no workouts, no computer, no phone, no TV

33. Go on a photo safari

34. Visit all the continents

35. Panhandle on a corner

36. Ride the TransCanadian Railway

37. Drink Paddle of Destiny at Mellow Mushroom – Susan (what a no-brainer – we can do this on Friday!)

38. Renew marriage vows – Mike

39. Finish an Ironman – me

40. Climb a redwood tree – Amy

41. Hike the Adirondacks – Becky

42. Learn to swordfight – Ted (Tuesday night if I’m not in Colorado)

43. Drive a race car – Ted

44. Hike the AT – Ted

45. Take a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class – Shannon

46. Kayak the Gauley – Sam

47. Do a road trip – Brianna

48. Swim with dolphins – Brianna

49. Full moon party in Koh phangan, Thailand – Lila

50. Visit Iguazu Falls in Argentina – Lila

51. Go dog sledding in Alaska – Lila

52. Become a licensed minister and marry someone – Lila (OK, girlie, I’ve done the become-a-licensed-minister part – just gotta find someone who is disrespectful enough of the institution to allow me to do it!!)

53. Swim with sharks – Lila

54. Jump off of a waterfall – Lila

55. Watch Dr. Zhivago (how did I miss that?)

56. Memorize Pi to 50 places

57. Go see the Formula 1 race in Monaco – Brother Eric

58. Sit through an entire episode of: O’Reilly/Beck/Colter/Limbaugh – Brother Eric

59. Make Bananas Foster

60. See the Tour de France in person, not just on Versus at 2:00 in the morning!

61. Place a $1000 bet on one hand of blackjack – Brother Eric

I’d like to add here

#62. Ride my bike around Cade’s Cove in the moonlight. Done.

So there it is. My achievement ratio is disappointingly low. BUT – remember the disclaimer. If I don’t get it accomplished this year, it rolls right onto the Life Bucket List. And the ratio doesn’t take into account things I have done, since May, for the first time that DIDN’T make the list. Like bat wrangling in England. And trying to catch a longhorn. And manually expressing my dogs’ anal glands. Oh yeah. Just couldn’t bring myself to blog about that one.

And just to humble myself, this is my getup for cycling in overcast weather. This is actually what people see when they pass me in their cars. Scary.

Fave iPod random today:

(and in praise of the Pod – this is my 4-year-old iPod I got when Sam ordered his MAC for college – it was the premium with the purchase – engraved on the back with “World’s Greatest Mom” – love that kid – and it held up the entire 1 hour and 45 minutes of the bike ride!)

the HUGE opening number from Pirates of the Caribbean – great to cycle to!

Trailer for upcoming blogs: Cleaning out the Closet (I’ll try to find a way to add porn to that post to make it readable), and book review of Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (if I can find a way to slice my wrists and bleed on the keyboard).

Thanks for reading!

September 8, 2010 2

Labor Day weekend

In keeping with the commitment, here’s a little entry about my Labor Day Weekend…

First, if you keep up with FB, you know that recently Jesse commented on his status about the pond holding water after 15 years of his work. So, of course, I had to at least make the attempt to swim in it. After a rain, when the spring is running, the pond fills to the brim, then overflows with spring water until it is as clear as a stream – you can see the bottom and the whole thing is just beautiful. After the rain stops, however, in a few days it’s just a farm pond – the cattle, horses and donkeys use it as both a water trough and bathroom, there’s no fresh spring feeding it, and it develops a lovely muck on top, and squishy, let’s call it mud, on the bottom. That’s the day I chose to try to swim in it.

That was truly disgusting. I MAY try it again after a rain; I was just so excited about swimming in my own pond, I guess I chose my day poorly.

Next Exciting Thing: I have seen on National Geographic TV and magazines my whole life that a female preying mantis will consume the head of her mate immediately after their tryst. While I believed it, and saw video of it, I had never seen it real and in person…until this week. O. M. G.

There were right there on my bicycle seat, still, um, together when I went out to get ready for a ride. I missed the actual head-eating part, but this was enough for now.

Then, on Sunday, I participated in a little triathlon in Callaway Gardens, GA (little in the sense that it was a sprint distance – no triathlon is “little”).

I struggled in the water on the last 100 yards – still working on that breathing pattern, but it wasn’t too bad, and the ride and the run were beautiful – lovely little rollers and the day was the first real day of non-summer heat – not quite fall, but high of only about 85F.

Sam and Jesse got to do a quick trip to Hawaii where Sam surfed and tried to teach Jesse to surf, and Sam had an encounter with jellyfish – but I don’t want to steal Sam’s thunder, so I’ll let him tell you all about it on his adventure blog. Also, Sam Miller arrived from England to spend a month with Glenda in Knoxville before he starts graduate school, so if you see her floating around UT’s campus, you’ll know why.

Thanks for reading!

September 6, 2010 1

Revival kicks in

In my blog yesterday, I made the promise to write more consistently. Yeah, here we go…

I know I owe a “50 things update” — that’s next, but today is about one of the specific things on the list. The tattoo thing.

Because I’m a mommy first and always, let me preface this blog by saying that there is a tremendous difference between getting a tattoo when one is 50 and getting one when one is 20. I cannot think of a tattoo that would have profound meaning to me now that I might have chosen at 20. You may be more mature, more stable, more impulsive, more daring, more of any number of personality traits, but for me, it would not have been the right thing to do. You have all heard me stand on my soapbox and preach about growing and changing and developing and learning and the absolute value of all of that; what I don’t share with you because I’d sound like Grandma in her rocker is that we also go through seasons of life. Getting a tattoo (at any age) reflects a commitment to the symbolism, so to speak, although my tattoo artist pooh-poohs that idea with talk about conversions and cover-ups. Anyway, you are not the person at 20 or 25 or 30 or even 35 that you are going to be for the most of the remainder of your life. What a thrilling, exhilarating prospect.

So here’s the bad boy:

As always, crappy camera and crappy operator, but you get the idea. And because I’m the wordiest person you know, it will take this entire entry to explain the choice.

Shortest version: It’s a symbol of my affinity for science and of living a life based on science and reason.

Longer version: It’s a reminder to me that no matter where my future takes me, I intend to live a life based on rationality and reason. I am not a Vulcan, and I know the value of passion and intuition and emotion and creativity and impulsiveness, but those are internal, personal characteristics and shouldn’t be applied to the figuring out of how our external world functions.

Longest version: There have been several major events in my life in which I abdicated the responsibility of thinking for myself. It wasn’t because of carelessness or laziness or lack of intellectual ability – each one can be explained to my own satisfaction, but an explanation is not an excuse, nor is it license to continue the habit. In each instance I have been astounded at my own complicity, profoundly surprised at myself, astonished at the discovery, and determined Not To Do That Again. I use this moment to laugh at myself and wonder: what’s next? To what area of life will I apply rational, scientific thought instead of dogma, conventional wisdom, societal pressure, and indoctrination?

When I was a young adult and just beginning my married life, the accepted lifestyle was one of credit. My own father lectured me numerous times on the topic You’ll Always Have a Car Payment. All of our peers were living this way – buying food, clothes, recreation on credit. Even our financial adviser taught us how to “manage” our credit cards. We lived the Credit Lifestyle for a few years, paying for meals long after they were in the sewage system, finishing one car payment and immediately incurring the next. We were both working, until we had the kids, and we were living beyond our means. When we finally put on the brakes and really looked at what we were doing, the solution was so very simplistic, and relatively painless. We did a lot of extra work reinventing the wheel, with constructing a budget, exploring savings options, learning how to buy, but when we discovered more information about this, it just served as confirmation that we were doing it right. It seems slightly less radical now, in this era of consumer awareness and credit fallout, but at the time it was doing almost exactly the opposite of what our peers in mainstream society were doing.

When I reached my 40th birthday, unhealthy and overweight, I made a decision to regain my health. I chose to do it by educating myself about exercise and nutrition, with a specific interest in metabolic processes. What I learned, once again, was contrary to accepted wisdom; in fact, it was almost the USDA Food Pyramid upside down. 6 to 11 servings of grains per day? 2-3 ounces of protein? Don’t get me started. I applied what I learned, and had great success, and continue to have success both personally and with clients with the science I have learned. (For a great layout of this, read Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes)

Lastly, I have examined the faith in which I was raised with a skeptical eye. Were I have been a child born to Muslim parents in Qatar, or to Buddhist parents in Sri Lanka, or to Mormon parents in Utah, I would likely have been as indoctrinated in those faiths as I was my own. I have approached my faith with the scrutiny of science, and with the same thorough examining I have to the other endeavors in my life. What I have learned has been, in an understatement, life-changing.

My tattoo reminds me every day of the joy and responsibility of skepticism. It reminds me to celebrate my beautiful brain and yours. It reminds me that there is always something to learn, some way to grow, something new to discover. And that’s why, every time I see it, it makes me smile.

Thanks for reading!

September 1, 2010 1

Wayward poster returns

There is a concept in Southern Baptist tradition called Revival. It’s based on the premise that even though you are completely convicted about your belief system, occasionally you need to be reminded of the grand nature of it, and the best way to do that is through an emotional, spiritual experience called Revival. It literally means reviving those feelings of awe and joy you associate with your beliefs, but because of the nature of life, you may at times not be able to fully access.

I’m going to apply the concept of Revival to blogging. I love this blog, this beautiful, training/eating/traveling/child-showcasing/book-reviewing/opinionated blog. I love the process of it – the seeding of an idea in my mind, the marinating part, the fleshing out/developing part, and finally, the click of my fingers on the keys writing part. But I find that days and days pass without my posting an entry. I have begun to identify part of the problem. I’m a sucker for pictures. Sometimes I’ll think of a post to make, then I’ll try to create the pictures to enhance it. I still want to do that, but I’m committing to creating entries that DON’T have the visuals. Gah – guess I’ll have to make up for it with good writing.

Having said that — here are some pictures! That’s another part of the problem – I live a fairly busy life, always have my cheapass camera with me, so even though they are of questionable quality, I usually have pictures of my significant events, slowing down the blog process even more! Since I don’t want to take fewer pictures, I’ll simply make the effort to streamline the retelling a bit. (HAH!)

Mass start at the HOT 100, an annual bike ride in Mboro, beginning at Lascassas Elementary school and offering 14, 33, 66, and 100 mile supported routes. Jesse did 66, I did 33, and there is a reason it is called the HOT 100 – so hot and muggy I was drenched by mile 12. Weird having Demo’s catering serve out of the cafeteria where my children went to school through 8th grade – used to seeing chicken nuggets, baked beans, french fries, and fruit cups in there.

Next is a trip to Knoxville to bring the girls the crap they forgot when they took their first load of crap to Knoxville (no offense, girls, my stuff is my crap too). We got Glenda a mattress and Amy a kitchen table to complete their adorable apartments.

Don’t know how I missed not getting a pic of Glenda in hers, but that will come. A couple of nights before I got there, Amy had been splashing about in a series of puddles, and found a storm grate. A raised storm grate. With her 4th toe.

Next is one of my favorite ways to take a picture of my girls. I have them from the back in London, Paris, on bikes, on the farm, as toddlers, grade-schoolers, high-schoolers, and now as college students.

Then there was the Midnight/Moonlight ride around Cades Cove. Cades Cove is a little plateau in the Smoky Mountains that during the day, and especially in the fall, is a haven for sight-seeing tourists. It’s about a 12-mile loop that is full of cars looking for deer and bear in a breathtaking setting. The road is closed at sunset, and on a clear moonlit night, it lends itself to one of the most spectacular rides you can ever do on a bicycle. The pavement is good, it is gently rolling mini-hills and it passes several pioneer-era buildings: churches, a mill, some houses. Put it on the list as a must-do.

There were 9 of us who went, and there isn’t a picture to reflect the Echo Area where we stopped and shouted and whistled and clapped. It was over almost as soon as we started, and the idea that every month it’s just there, waiting to be ridden and enjoyed…well, keep tabs on the blog and I’ll try to give a heads up next time. This is one of those rides where any bike will do – helmet required – and you can leave Mboro late afternoon and be driving back in around dawn, hoping your coworkers will ask you why you look so sleepy!

Then it’s off to Atlanta to take Sam to work for Uncle Eric for a few weeks. (Uncle Eric graciously funded Sam’s trip to Africa earlier this summer, so that’s part of the arrangement). Brother Eric lives south of Atlanta and raises chicken, turkeys, and longhorn cattle.

Since I have come back home, Sam and Eric have gotten his first longhorn bull. He’s about half-grown and is black and white – I can’t wait to see him. Sweet Grandma has named all the heifers and calves flower names (Pansy, Lily, Blossom, Little Blossom, etc) and so the new bull is, of course, Ferdinand. He’s got a white V on his black face, so I’m trying to come up with a name that connects to that. I might thesaurus that (rights of a blogger: creating a verb out of a noun, and vice-versa).

Training continues (default setting – I’ll remark when I’m NOT training). Family update: Sam’s a college graduate, planning on doing the ceremony thing in December, girls are back in Knoxville in school, Ben is taking classes in Beaver Creek. We’re planning a bike ride on the Natchez Trace over the kids’ fall break in October – 6 day 400-mile ride with the bus. Room for more if you are interested…

Thanks for reading — remember my promise about posting more often – hold me to it!

August 31, 2010 2

Another catch-up post

I haven’t blogged since Ragbrai, and while there hasn’t been high drama going on, we have had lots of fun with the girls home!

This first picture is of the girls and me at Arrington Winery. We may not be Napa or Sonoma, but Tennessee has developed some pretty nice vineyards. Glenda and I stopped at a couple on a trip from Atlanta; one in Monteagle and one in Manchester, right at the Bonnaroo entrance, and we were pleasantly surprised at both the grounds and the wine. Arrington had a great Blush, and since we were there on a weekday, we were able to taste everything they had!

Amy made a quick road trip last week, going to Atlanta, then to Athens, then to Asheville, through Knoxville, and back home. She joined up with her Humboldt posse for all that, and they all ended up here (pics of that bunch later in this post). This particular trip she rose to the occasion with this onesie, gold belt, gold boots – I think she was representing Tennessee. Her friends are from Germany, France, Colorado, and Georgia, and she may have been channeling Dolly Parton.

Next was the bus outing to the square in Murfreesboro. We bought beer and pizza, then parked right next to the courthouse for chat.

Gibson found us and joined us for a bit. It was hot and muggy, but it was a pleasant way to spend the evening, and to introduce the Europeans to small town southern life.

After breakfast, we all piled back into the bus for a trip to Lynchburg, TN, to see the Jack Daniels distillery.

After the tour, and BBQ in Lynchburg (only so-so), back home went the bus, showers all around, and then the group piled into the van (me as DD) to visit the hot metropolis of Nashville.

Glenda made some contacts at a couple of the bars, and may have picked up some weekend work with her hoop, and all in all it was a fun night in the honky-tonks. The 4 travelers had to hit the road the next morning, leaving Amy and Glenda to pack for their move to UT in Knoxville.

Sam, as I write this, is on a plane from Johannesburg, SA back home. We’ll pick him up at the airport in the morning as we head to campus. I’ve taken a couple weeks off from training (since Ragbrai), but will pick it back up tomorrow with a scorching run, even at 8am.

This morning the girls and I met with a group of friends at Starbucks to discuss their experiences in Paris and California, and the differences in those societies and our own here in middle Tennessee. We had some delightful conversation and intriguing questions, and we plan to meet soon to do it again.

I know, I know, I haven’t blogged about my 50 things – I’ve got some things cooking, and I’ll catch up with that soon (how often have I written that?).

Thanks for reading!

August 15, 2010 2

Ragbrai 2010, part 2

To continue with our story…

I blogged earlier about the significance of the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. What an intriguing place. They’ve tried to preserve it as much as possible to 1959 appearances, down to even the coat check.

Good friend and fellow therapist Mandi Parker knew the history due to her Iowa heritage and told me that The Bopper was the Chantilly Lace singer. Also, Waylon Jennings, a very young man at the time, traded his seat to Richie Valens just as they were leaving for the airport. Oh, Bobby, you would have loved this place.

The next picture is another story. Riding into a town down Main Street, we heard the “Free Beer” call, and never being a team to pass that up, we stopped and indulged. When we started asking for who to thank, and why, we were directed into the house where the table was full of food of all kinds, just because. The lady of the house refused any donation (“Oh, Goodness NO!”), and said she was just so excited about Ragbrai coming through her town she had been cooking for days.

About a mile off-route on the last day, we were directed to the Field of Dreams house and ball field. We had been through there before, in about 1993, and have a picture of Ben on the pitcher’s mound. The field was too crowded for the same picture with Aden, but we took one at the field.

This Ragbrai had been billed as one of the fastest, shortest, and flattest. However, on the last day, the day into Dubuque, we had a little different picture. We had been hearing about Potter’s Hill all day long; we knew it was steep, and we knew it was about a mile. We did not know it was an 11% grade. I have never walked my bike up a hill. Until Saturday. But here’s the best part: Flava Flave pulled Aden up the hill in the kiddie cart. He’s a beast, and he impressed all of us. I think Aden may have been playing his DS at the time.

And that brings us to the Mississippi River. I’ll try to get more pics from the other riders of some of that – I stopped short at the bus for my shower.

It was as good a ride as we have ever had. Except for one rainy morning, the weather was flawless – moderate temps, low humidity, cool nights, and it really was a flat, easy, short ride. The team was great, and we were so fortunate to have our sweet Aden along!

Thanks for reading – last full week of July, 2011!

August 1, 2010 4

Ragbrai 2010, picture post

I don’t know the capability of the blog to handle the pics, so it may take an entry or two or three. So here goes:

The ride up is most interesting. We didn’t have Ben and Kirsten, the Colorado duo, for most of the 24 hours because they drove their van to Dubuque, the end town, and got in the bus with us there. We left Murfreesboro at 4pm Friday, and arrived in Sioux City at around 6pm Saturday. There were plenty of potty stops, gas stops, and food stops, but even with that factored in, the new engine performed beautifully. Jesse would love to tell you about it, so ask him if you see him.

After arriving in Sioux City and setting up camp, we all converged on the party deck for the annual Riders’ Meeting. First rule of Ragbrai, Jesse style: A Clean Bus Is A Happy Bus.

The next picture needs a little explaining. We didn’t KILL the roadkill, we just DECORATED the road kill. And by we I mean the other 20,000 cyclists, not me. Only because I didn’t have any Team Fly stickers. I know it’s a little disrespectful, but it’s what we do.

Okay, so I’m going to post this since it’s about the halfway point of the ride, and start another entry. I’ve got the pictures and write-up spread over the Team Fly Facebook Page, my Facebook page, and here, plus I’m gathering everyone else’s pics, so just keep looking and being patient!

Thanks for reading!

August 1, 2010 1

Can’t believe we at in the last overnight town.

It happens every year. We just get a good rhythm on Ragbrai, everyone’s hindquarters are beginning to toughen up, and here we find ourselves in the last town =(.

Today was a little challenging, as Ragbrai days go. We started out today’s 62 miles in a mild drizzle. That turned into a soft rain. That turned into a downpour. That was constant. I don’t like riding in the heat, so I’ll take the rain (or a headwind – which comes later) over the heat any day, but I will admit that it was a bit on the brisk side with a saturated rain jacket and 30K speeds! The worst part about bad weather is that the riders tend to put our heads down, leaving the townspeople with those hundreds of pies and rice krispie treats left over. I stopped in the breakfast town and bought a cinnamon roll I didn’t really want, and 2 slices of lemon pound cake which was the best I’ve ever tasted.

The worst part for me was the first half hour when the rain washed all my sunscreen (I was optimistic) into my eyes and mouth. About the time I was losing my good humor about the whole thing, the rain stopped, the sky cleared, and it turned into a fabulous day – the high was about 80, and although we had a headwind headed into the town of Manchester, it was just so pretty, it didn’t matter much. I rode into town with Jesse and Sam, who gave me a boost or two on the last couple of hills (Sam, not Jesse – Sam told me he had been pushing Jesse before they caught up with me!)

In celebration of our last night, Ben and Kirsten cooked dinner – salad, pasta, bread – fabulous after a long day’s ride. Dustin chimed in with salmon cakes that were out of this world. We are now hoping to go toward the square for Glenda’s last night of performance.

One more exciting note: today Aden learned to ride his bike without training wheels! I’m not suggesting he’s Ragbrai ready, but he did great on his Transformers bike and was really proud of himself. What a memory to have – I dropped my training wheels on Ragbrai! He’s also a hula-hooping champion, and works the crowd while Glenda prepares to fire hoop.

All in all, a phenomenal Ragbrai. We were so glad to have Aden with us, and so look forward to next year!

Check back for pics and as always, thanks for reading!

July 30, 2010 1

Happy. Healthy. Heathen.

Traveling, training, thinking, talking, typing

I’m a 14er! Twice!

Perhaps I overestimated my timetable.

Labor Day weekend

Revival kicks in

Wayward poster returns

Another catch-up post

Ragbrai 2010, part 2

Ragbrai 2010, picture post

Can’t believe we at in the last overnight town.

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Gayle Jordan