A week and a half off took a bit more out of us than we expected. Sitting on a bus for hours on end, eating any junk food that passes by, doesn't really keep you physically in shape. Surprising, I know. We had a 20 mile shake down ride in Little Rock to see how we all felt about getting back on the bike and to get the kinks out of our bikes, which had been stashed in the trailer during the bus trip. My physical readiness did not match my mental readiness. And milk is always a bad choice. After a few too many breathing breaks along the small hills in town, we ended up making it to and from the park.
But 20 miles there and back couldn't prepare us for the mountain we were about to encounter the next day. I never realized the Ozarks had any mountains of significance. First day back in the saddle was a lovely little 88 mile ride, up hill both ways. Or at least that's what you would have thought after seeing us ascend the mountain. A little walking never hurt anyone, and it's actually a nice change of pace for the legs after riding for 60 miles. The view at the top was almost worth the brutal climb. Also, its amazing how rewarding shooting off a few fireworks at the end of the day... Try it some time, just under responsible* adult supervision.
On days that are either 90 miles long, or 90 degrees out, we get 2 lunches. It helps break up the day and make sure we have enough water and food to get us through. We can also break up the day with QLBs, such as a couple rounds of paintball. I was scared since my only experience with that is seeing JD come home with huge welts from it, and here we are playing in spandex and a mask. But the adrenaline got going after the first few shots. Gave a couple bruises, received a couple bruises... Life is good on the road..
We had our first century ride on June 19th. Combine 106 miles with Oklahoma heat and blowing winds, and you got yourself a fun filled day! But we made it, don't ask me how, but we did. The dinner provided by the Henryetta church tasted all the better after earning it like that.
Then.... the big moment.... waking up at 4:30am for it to be my birthday!! That made the early wake ups all the more tolerable. I don't think there was a person in the past couple hundred miles that didn't know it was my birthday considering all the chatter we've made about it while making plans. The plan was to ride 92 miles to Oklahoma City, but mother nature had other ideas for us. The winds were so intense by the afternoon, it was too dangerous to ride. So began the shuttle to pick up riders and bikes. As disappointing as it is to not get to finish a ride, the 3 shade tree breaks along the way made for a perfect birthday! The evening following the same pattern of awesomeness thanks to some intense dancing in tutus at a concert. Great birthday thanks to my Bike & Build family!
We had 2 build days in Oklahoma City working on houses in a subdivision of 300 lots, with 225 houses built already. Pretty impressive, especially since they are brick houses -- a very unique Habitat for Humanity neighborhood. Brick is cheap and easy to come by in OK, as well as a bit more sturdy in the city with a 400% higher tornado rate than normal.
Then began our week of battling winds, crossing borders, and preventing burns. We ventured straight west, through the slight hills of Oklahoma, into the flat barrenness of Texas, into beautiful New Mexico, to finally rest in Colorado. The panhandle plains of OK and TX may have just earned the title for worst place to live in the US. Nothing there. Horribly windy, flat, desolate places. By windy, I'm talking 25-30mph cross winds that cause you to ride at an angle, with the constant fear of being blown off the road, especially when semi's come blowing past. Then, switch that blusteriness to a head wind, and you aren't moving. At times, I have been pedaling with all my might, and only going 4.5mph. It's a little discouraging, but I've never seen people so excited to see those yellow diamond signs with a curve arrow on it. A slight curve in the road can be all the difference in your optimism of finishing the day's ride. As soon as we crossed into New Mexico, the topography and time zone changed. We could see faint outcrops in the distance. It was such a relieving sight. NM is a very underrated state, in my opinion. We have had our most beautiful landscapes so far while in NM. It's a shame we were only there for a night, but onward North to Colorado we must go!
A guy driving by asked me where we were going. I said California! He said isn't California that way? (pointing to the left) I said I don't know, I'm just riding where they tell me! Point being, we are talking a loopty looped way of getting to the West coast. Since our route was the newest route added (this is the 3rd summer), 2 routes already go through Nevada. Since those routes take up the only bike friendly roads going through the state, we have to meander our way around Nevada, into ID & OR before dropping back into CA.
So here we are, in desolate eastern Colorado. Looks strangely a lot like OK. I have a slight fear we took a wrong turn and are headed back east, especially considering the winds that struck up again as we crossed the border. They started as beautiful, amazing tail winds that had me cruising at 17mph (which is flying for this turtle). But they then switched to the dreaded severe cross & head winds. This is not the Colorado I've ever pictured. But there's a lot more to come. We're about 1400 miles into our now 3600 mile trip. Our trip to Boston cut out about 500 miles of the original 4100. That now puts us on par with the other trips, since our trips is the longest route, both days and mileage. We'll be about halfway through next week when we're in Colorado Springs doing our Blitz Build for the week. If our legs aren't made of steel yet, these upcoming mountains should do the trick!
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