Where was I? Yes, a huge day we had on Monday! As you previously know SC and DC cycles 130.8 miles in order to beat our 122, well their victory was short lived! We road 135.8, that's right 5 more than them!
Although this was a great day, it came with a lot of bumps along the way... I first had a flat after 20 miles and also noticed my back tire was bald so I changed my flat and flipped around my tires. That wasn't soo bad, but then about 15 miles later lil foot got a flat, but her flat also meant the end of her fat crappy temporary tire. A huge construction staple got stuck in hers. She changed the flat and we crossed our fingers Nd continued. After 75 miles it was only lunch time, we were looking good. After lunch lil foot had another flat, but it wasn't the tube so much as the tire. We went to a local bike shop where we both bought more tubes. Then we sat outside at lil foot which her tires and replaced a tube. By the time we took care of tires it was already 4pm and we had a lot of miles to cover. Joce caught up at this point and would go ahead to the town we planned on camping in. As we rode on it became later Nd later the. It was dark. Joce to the rescue! She had our head lights so he met back up with us and after we were lit up she decided to trail behind us and be our headlight! I felt like a celebrity or something with this kind of support. We made it to a gas station and o ly had 4 miles til our next camping location. So off we went. As we pulled in it was plain to see this was going to be a rough night. The spot we pitched our tents eS also home to7 feral cats. Not a good sign. It spelled like pee and there was cat food on the ground close by. Lil foot Nd I were having Kentucky Dave's flash backs.
The plan for the next day, get the Hell out of there and into a hotel near by. Lil foot had her tires delivered to katoes and Kevin and they finally showed. We met katie halfway in phoenix, az where we had lunch together. Then it was movie time. Yay! A month of waiting to see harry potter and what a disappointment. Such a crap last movie, lil foot informed me the books were 1000% better. If only I liked reading. Ha.
Back to the hotel for an amazing.night of sleep on what felt like a cloud!
This morning we didn't get an early start. In fact we didn't start until 11:30, not so smart in the dessert. Joce stayed with us til 3:30ish, then we were back to supporting ourselves. Only roughly 55 mules today because of our late start. Tomorrow we hope to start riding by 6am and over the border into Cali by lunch. I think we'll get it down!
With only one state to go and 15 days til we reach San Fran, the end is near and we can taste it. Beach camping, seeing some of lil foots friends and Eric will be amazing. Can't wait to actually reach the coast so I can dive right into the ocean!
Peace out cub/girl scouts!
Sasq
A little too tired for side notes tonight, but tomorrow I'll write a few you all may enjoy!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The Joys of Car Camping!
Sorry for the wait. We've had a busy friend filled week!
As I last mentioned we joined Katie and Kevin Thursday night and camped at the Dogtown Lake an hour south of the Grand Canyon. Since Katie and Kevin were driving up, they were able to bring a ton of stuff which helped big time. Their tent sleeps 8 and ours sleeps two so it was pretty funny to have them set up right next to each other. They also brought a cooler of food and beer! Two of our favorite things. After setting up camp we hung out Nd stared at the stars for a while, it was probably one of the clearest nights yet. As the night died down we all hit the hay.
Friday morning lil foot and I wanted to sleep in but now of course when we can, our bodies are used to getting up super early so up at 6:30 am. This turned out to actually be great because our camping hosts (katie and kevin) were already up as well and making us some yummy pancakes for breakfast!! We offered to help but they insisted they were fine. After our tummies were full it was off to the canyon to shower. Haha. I should have mentioned that the Campground didn't have showers and lil foot and I hadn't showered in a couple days so it was important for everyone's help that we shower at least once during the weekend.
Well as I was saying, off we went. About an hour later we entered the park, it took another half hour or so to find the showers then when we arrived they were being cleaned. Ugh. What else to do in this situation? Crack open a beer! 11:30 am and we were cheers that we all made it to the Grand Canyon. At the same time we were waiting on the arrival of Jocelyn and Chuba, both flying from the east. I was spending an entire weekend with northeastern alumni, it was like visiting my sister in college all over again! Missed you though Katie.
The showers were open again so we bathed then got a call from Jocelyn to let us know they were about an hour away. We rushed to see an Outlook and take pictures, then hit the gift shop and headed back to Williams where we met the other two at the Route 66 Diner. A beer and a burger later it was time to get the party started at the campsite. I was soooo excited for the night time, smores, fire, beers, friends and fun! Chuba had never been camping like this so it was fun to see some of his reactions but he sure was a trooper for the weekend!
Next morning, Saturday, we all got up and had another tummy breakfast but chief Kevin! Baton and eggs. Although I just made myself a sandwich because eggs when I'm a little hungover doesn't go down all too smooth. It was time to head back to the canyon, and instead of paying for another car we parked one cat just outside the entrance and squeezed lil foot into the trunk area! She was definitely in stealth mode for this! We went straight to Dessert view lookout and took a ton of pictures, climbed a tower to get more angles then shopped again. Not to spoil the fun for anyone but the views are pretty much all the same, not to say that's its still not amazing but it gets a little boring after an hour or so of staring at it.
We all decided it was time to head back to camp. Chuba was flying out early the next day so not much drinking for him and Kevin, Katie is pregnant so NO drinking for her and Jocelyn had a couple but lil foot and I took advantage of the fact we wouldn't be riding the next day! We drank PBRs all afternoon and a little of the night, under the caps were card numbers and symbols so we played poker. Lil foot got a full house and crushed me, damn. For dinner we had hamburgers and hotdogs, which once again the chief made the burgers but it was roasted your own weenie. As it got later it was time to call it quits. Again the next morning we were up early to say by to Chuba, Katie and Kevin. Jocelyn decided to hang out with us til Wednesday!
The three of us went to a KOA campsite Sunday morning. I stayed behind to relax and set up camp. Lil foot and Jocelyn went back to hike a bit in the canyon. The next morning we planned a huge cycling day! With Joce there to be our support we decided this would be the day to crush the boys.
Next post has our last few days.
Sasq
Ps, Chuba snores, not only snores but almost sounds like a bear. Maybe he protected us without even knowing it.
Also it was smokey the bear's 67 th bday on Friday, so happy bday Smokey!
As I last mentioned we joined Katie and Kevin Thursday night and camped at the Dogtown Lake an hour south of the Grand Canyon. Since Katie and Kevin were driving up, they were able to bring a ton of stuff which helped big time. Their tent sleeps 8 and ours sleeps two so it was pretty funny to have them set up right next to each other. They also brought a cooler of food and beer! Two of our favorite things. After setting up camp we hung out Nd stared at the stars for a while, it was probably one of the clearest nights yet. As the night died down we all hit the hay.
Friday morning lil foot and I wanted to sleep in but now of course when we can, our bodies are used to getting up super early so up at 6:30 am. This turned out to actually be great because our camping hosts (katie and kevin) were already up as well and making us some yummy pancakes for breakfast!! We offered to help but they insisted they were fine. After our tummies were full it was off to the canyon to shower. Haha. I should have mentioned that the Campground didn't have showers and lil foot and I hadn't showered in a couple days so it was important for everyone's help that we shower at least once during the weekend.
Well as I was saying, off we went. About an hour later we entered the park, it took another half hour or so to find the showers then when we arrived they were being cleaned. Ugh. What else to do in this situation? Crack open a beer! 11:30 am and we were cheers that we all made it to the Grand Canyon. At the same time we were waiting on the arrival of Jocelyn and Chuba, both flying from the east. I was spending an entire weekend with northeastern alumni, it was like visiting my sister in college all over again! Missed you though Katie.
The showers were open again so we bathed then got a call from Jocelyn to let us know they were about an hour away. We rushed to see an Outlook and take pictures, then hit the gift shop and headed back to Williams where we met the other two at the Route 66 Diner. A beer and a burger later it was time to get the party started at the campsite. I was soooo excited for the night time, smores, fire, beers, friends and fun! Chuba had never been camping like this so it was fun to see some of his reactions but he sure was a trooper for the weekend!
Next morning, Saturday, we all got up and had another tummy breakfast but chief Kevin! Baton and eggs. Although I just made myself a sandwich because eggs when I'm a little hungover doesn't go down all too smooth. It was time to head back to the canyon, and instead of paying for another car we parked one cat just outside the entrance and squeezed lil foot into the trunk area! She was definitely in stealth mode for this! We went straight to Dessert view lookout and took a ton of pictures, climbed a tower to get more angles then shopped again. Not to spoil the fun for anyone but the views are pretty much all the same, not to say that's its still not amazing but it gets a little boring after an hour or so of staring at it.
We all decided it was time to head back to camp. Chuba was flying out early the next day so not much drinking for him and Kevin, Katie is pregnant so NO drinking for her and Jocelyn had a couple but lil foot and I took advantage of the fact we wouldn't be riding the next day! We drank PBRs all afternoon and a little of the night, under the caps were card numbers and symbols so we played poker. Lil foot got a full house and crushed me, damn. For dinner we had hamburgers and hotdogs, which once again the chief made the burgers but it was roasted your own weenie. As it got later it was time to call it quits. Again the next morning we were up early to say by to Chuba, Katie and Kevin. Jocelyn decided to hang out with us til Wednesday!
The three of us went to a KOA campsite Sunday morning. I stayed behind to relax and set up camp. Lil foot and Jocelyn went back to hike a bit in the canyon. The next morning we planned a huge cycling day! With Joce there to be our support we decided this would be the day to crush the boys.
Next post has our last few days.
Sasq
Ps, Chuba snores, not only snores but almost sounds like a bear. Maybe he protected us without even knowing it.
Also it was smokey the bear's 67 th bday on Friday, so happy bday Smokey!
Friday, August 5, 2011
grand Canyon Fun, Friends and some Rest!
Wow what a few days we've had! Between hauling ass to meet our friends, hitching rides (promise I won't do that again mommy), relaxing by the camp site and having a couple beers. It's sure been an insane few days!
For now I'm just going to write a short summary due to the fact that Kevin is cooking some chicken for dinner and I'm sucking down a few drinks!
Tuesday was a pretty long day, we rode into the night to Cannonville, Utah. The ride wasn't insane, boulder ledges, uphill downhills and some crazy foreigners. I think there must have been a flight special from France to Utah because the amount of French people we encountered was beyond ridiculous. We even saw the stereotypical French girl, long as cigarette hanging from her 16 year old hand, while her father took a picture of lil foot and I with his kids. I was baffled to see such a young girl smoking in front of her father, gross.
We finally rolled into Cannonville at about 10:30, I do not recommend riding a fully loaded bike in the pitch black. Needless to say we made it in one piece and set up camp at a nice KOA, which we once again bailed out before having to pay! I had some weird dreams that night, usually little foot has the crazy dreams but looks like we're switching roles. I liked it a lot better when I had good dreams but weird dreams are sometimes interesting as well. I won't get into the dream details so back to biking.
After a couple 100+ milers and a couple just under we needed the half day that lil foot posted on. We had a big day Wednesday and made it over the border into Arizona! During the day we were hit with an intense thunderstorm and had to find dome shelter. Luckily enough there was a campground about 2 miles down the road which we hustled to. Once there it was hiding out at the bathroom time. Storms in Utah generally come in the afternoons and last anywhere from 30 min to 2 hours, and the rainfall can be about 2 or 3 inches. INSANE. We took a bit of a detour and thank god for that, our ride was mostly flat with a slight incline then we had an amazing downhill just about for the rest of our ride over the border. We went to the first gas station open and began asking about a place to camp out for the night. After the second gas.station we were directed to the local motel which allowed us to camp out on a patch of "grass". I say "grass" because it was more like patchy dry tall grass that was cat territory. Lil foot and I looked at each other and knew we would be having a rough night of sleep. We set up our tent and crawled in, we agreed that Thursday would be a day of hitch hiking to somewhere in or around the south rim... About 175-200 miles away.
After listening to cat fights all night I woke up at about 2am having to pee bad, so out of the tent I went. Since we were not at.a campground I had no choice but to POP a squat. As a began to pee (i had toilet paper) I noticed a creepy white cat staring at me, damn I hate that cats are evil. Haha. Maybe not all cats but think about it, they poop in a box then hide it for you to have to find it later, Evil. Though it may seem like I'm an animal water on this trip, I'm not, I just hate assholes who don't keep their pets under control.
I will save our hitch hiking day a couple days with friend until tomorrow so be on the look out for that!
Beer time bitches! Enjoy the weekend people!
Sasq
Ps. BIG THANKS TO KATIE AND KEVIN!!!! just as a little sneak peek of our weekend, they got up at about 6 6:30 and made pancakes this morning, on top of that we're about to make smores so look out tomorrow for our last two days.
Also Congrats to Jenna and Jordan for their engagement! Jenna you're very lucky, Jordan can cook! Haha
For now I'm just going to write a short summary due to the fact that Kevin is cooking some chicken for dinner and I'm sucking down a few drinks!
Tuesday was a pretty long day, we rode into the night to Cannonville, Utah. The ride wasn't insane, boulder ledges, uphill downhills and some crazy foreigners. I think there must have been a flight special from France to Utah because the amount of French people we encountered was beyond ridiculous. We even saw the stereotypical French girl, long as cigarette hanging from her 16 year old hand, while her father took a picture of lil foot and I with his kids. I was baffled to see such a young girl smoking in front of her father, gross.
We finally rolled into Cannonville at about 10:30, I do not recommend riding a fully loaded bike in the pitch black. Needless to say we made it in one piece and set up camp at a nice KOA, which we once again bailed out before having to pay! I had some weird dreams that night, usually little foot has the crazy dreams but looks like we're switching roles. I liked it a lot better when I had good dreams but weird dreams are sometimes interesting as well. I won't get into the dream details so back to biking.
After a couple 100+ milers and a couple just under we needed the half day that lil foot posted on. We had a big day Wednesday and made it over the border into Arizona! During the day we were hit with an intense thunderstorm and had to find dome shelter. Luckily enough there was a campground about 2 miles down the road which we hustled to. Once there it was hiding out at the bathroom time. Storms in Utah generally come in the afternoons and last anywhere from 30 min to 2 hours, and the rainfall can be about 2 or 3 inches. INSANE. We took a bit of a detour and thank god for that, our ride was mostly flat with a slight incline then we had an amazing downhill just about for the rest of our ride over the border. We went to the first gas station open and began asking about a place to camp out for the night. After the second gas.station we were directed to the local motel which allowed us to camp out on a patch of "grass". I say "grass" because it was more like patchy dry tall grass that was cat territory. Lil foot and I looked at each other and knew we would be having a rough night of sleep. We set up our tent and crawled in, we agreed that Thursday would be a day of hitch hiking to somewhere in or around the south rim... About 175-200 miles away.
After listening to cat fights all night I woke up at about 2am having to pee bad, so out of the tent I went. Since we were not at.a campground I had no choice but to POP a squat. As a began to pee (i had toilet paper) I noticed a creepy white cat staring at me, damn I hate that cats are evil. Haha. Maybe not all cats but think about it, they poop in a box then hide it for you to have to find it later, Evil. Though it may seem like I'm an animal water on this trip, I'm not, I just hate assholes who don't keep their pets under control.
I will save our hitch hiking day a couple days with friend until tomorrow so be on the look out for that!
Beer time bitches! Enjoy the weekend people!
Sasq
Ps. BIG THANKS TO KATIE AND KEVIN!!!! just as a little sneak peek of our weekend, they got up at about 6 6:30 and made pancakes this morning, on top of that we're about to make smores so look out tomorrow for our last two days.
Also Congrats to Jenna and Jordan for their engagement! Jenna you're very lucky, Jordan can cook! Haha
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Back by popular demand!
Well, okay... not exactly popular demand, but there was a request or two! It's hard to come between an addict & their addiction, but after some bartering, sasq and I came to an arrangement--I'll write a post & she'll add in all the bits I forget. I think she's struggling a wee bit, but the beers are helping!
So to fill you in on the deets...
Last sasq mentioned we were resting after an ugh, big night out in to-hell-u-ride. Needless to say, her tent stealing leaves us even with my feigning sleep at Dennis "yeah, I have expensive things" creeper. We bummed around telluride for the day, which as DC put it, is a bit like Disneyland--beautiful, wicked expensive, and kinda too perfect to be real. Our second night in telly, we managed to camp out in a proper site, but after dropping 3$ each for 5 mins of hot water, we decided to skip out on the camping fee's; doesn't seem like they're hurting anyway.
We spent our coldest night to date camping at the bottom of the mountains, but still managed to get a decent jump on the day and rolled outta Telly happy, or at minimum, ready, to be back in the saddle. We cruised (shockingly) easily uphill, enjoying the scenery and loving the speedy cruise downhill to Dolores. Finally the weather had cooled down and seems the heat wave that kicked our arses in MO & KS is behind us. Unfort, Telly proved to be an ineffective rest day to sort my tires, so after popping into every bike shop from eastern kansas to western colorado, i resigned to the fact that I would need to order them ahead. We ended up spending a couple hours in Dolores, eating lunch & popping into the lib to order them... which proved to be just enough time for DC & SC to catch up & say goodbye until we meet up again in CA for some end of trip celebrations & DC's bday (won't toss out any numbers here though haha). this would prove to be one of several goodbyes, but we'll get to that later. so because the guys are lazy, and we're pro (wink wink), we rolled on to dove creek and bagged another century. Without many sleeping options, we strolled into the grocery store/gas station/deli to inquire on potential tent pitching sites. As the way small towns go, the locals were more than helpful & interested in hearing bout our travels. Moments later we were introduced to Dave, who chatted us up for a bit, gave us his entire life story, warned us of skunks, and eventually directed us to a cushy patch of grass behind the store/gas/deli combo... which happened to be directly next to a helicopter landing pad and health clinic. Fortunately for us, there was no need for any heli landings, and the evening proved to be a bit warmer. Cruising outta dove creek the next AM, we were hoping for another 100+ day, but didn't quite make it that far. We stopped a few times along the way to stock up on water & supplies. The scenery had changed quite a bit as we passed from western CO into UT, and just as the afternoon desert sun set in, we started in on the hills. With little to no amenities for the better part of 130ish miles, we struggled with the heat & the climbs and stopped short at the natural bridges national monument, which was off route & downhill approx 5 miles, but did offer the prime amenity of clean drinking water. camping was pretty uneventful--we rolled in, threw up our tent, made some quick dins, hid from the rain, & hit the hay. We started in good spirits the following day, given we were cycling back uphill the 5 or so miles we had come to the camp the night before. The riding proved unbelievably fun & fast. complemented by the stunning scenery, we were reminded why we started out on the trip in the first place--riding bicycles is fun! For all the beauty that was in the Rockies and CO, Utah boasts an arguably more stunning back drop. replace the mountains with massive colorful mesas and deep canyons. it's hard to explain the scale and vastness of this landscape, but it does make the passing cyclists feel very, very small. not in a small, vulnerable, I'm getting-hit-by-an-18-wheeler kind of way, but more like a reminder that there are much, much larger things in this world than you and I.
We've easily taken more photos in the past several days than in the whole rest of the trip combined, so sit tight & we'll eventually share/post some. We still haven't managed to find an convenient way to post from the road, so consider this your license to stalk us on the FB for all your viewing pleasure. but in the mean time, here's a little something something to hold you over.
on one of our many photog snapping stops, we were feeling hot and botherd and dying for any sort of cold beverage. considering the options, which is to say, decideding between flat out asking or just trying to look pathetic, sasq opted for somewhere in between; rather loudly, she starts whining about how all she wants is a nice cold gatorade... at which point i had to turn around to keep from blowing her spot and busting a gut laughing. although less than clever, it was very effective. we walked away with a couple cold bottles of water, joice boxes, and sodas. well played sasq.
after filling up on cold liquids, we carried on to hanksville, ut. of course the last 10 or so miles were downhill with a headwind and a serious lightning storm going off in the distance. with the rain starting in just as we rolled into town, we made the decision to cash in on another hotel offer. thanks again to ma and pa brown for the room! sure as hell beats camping in the rain and lightning. to our surprise, just as we were sorting out a room, we see Jo (SC's wife). turns out SC & DC decided that they were gonna try and beat our mileage record of 122. which they did, and are the current mileage record holders with 130.8. apparently they just weren't ready to say goodbye! we celebrated their short-term victory with them over a few beers. you should note however, that their record was without carrying bags... so arguably, not the same! no less, we'll let them have the glory... for now.
leaving DC and SC behind in the AM (once again), we set out for another 80 - 90 mile day. although feeling physically good and ready to cycle, it seems we had hit a wall mentally. we've been on the road now for 63 days, and for whatever reason... just simply did not feeling like riding our bicycles. we spent the better part of the day riding slowly, taking pictures, battling head winds up hill, and simply put, dragging ass. after stopping for lunch for about an hour and a half, we bumped into Jo once again and heard that the guys weren't feeling to frisky for cycling either. turns out they had a bit of a slow morning and didn't even head out until 1030/11. i think their legs must have been tired from the big ride the day before ;)
we kicked around for another hour or so and eventually, after great diliberation, did the inevitable and booked another room haha. there are a million excuses--rain, flood warnings, hills, but ultimately, we just did not feel like riding bikes. so we bought some beers, had a drink with our favorite touring friends, and headed over to the days inn for some more beer drinking and shitty tv watching (we watched quite possibly the worst made for tv movies... thanks life time haha). thanks again to grandma tynion for shouting us the hotel room!
so here we are. just munching down a quick b-fast before we head out for a windy morning ride. we've got a few miles to make up since we had a very short day yesterday... and we need to get to the GC to meet up with the homies! looking forward to seeing katie, kev, joce, & chuba!
godspeed.
little foot.
Ps. I cannot count the number of times we have been asked where we are cycling from, only to be followed up by some response along the lines of, "no you have not cycled all the way from Maine" at which point we reply, yes we have, answer a series of basic tour questions--when did you start, how many miles do you ride, where do you sleep, when will you finish, etc--and finally, the ultimate question... are you going to cycle back?!?! are you kidding me? seriously, you didn't think we actually cycled from ME in the first place and now you want to know if we're going to bicycle another 5500 miles back?? You've got to be kidding me!
So to fill you in on the deets...
Last sasq mentioned we were resting after an ugh, big night out in to-hell-u-ride. Needless to say, her tent stealing leaves us even with my feigning sleep at Dennis "yeah, I have expensive things" creeper. We bummed around telluride for the day, which as DC put it, is a bit like Disneyland--beautiful, wicked expensive, and kinda too perfect to be real. Our second night in telly, we managed to camp out in a proper site, but after dropping 3$ each for 5 mins of hot water, we decided to skip out on the camping fee's; doesn't seem like they're hurting anyway.
We spent our coldest night to date camping at the bottom of the mountains, but still managed to get a decent jump on the day and rolled outta Telly happy, or at minimum, ready, to be back in the saddle. We cruised (shockingly) easily uphill, enjoying the scenery and loving the speedy cruise downhill to Dolores. Finally the weather had cooled down and seems the heat wave that kicked our arses in MO & KS is behind us. Unfort, Telly proved to be an ineffective rest day to sort my tires, so after popping into every bike shop from eastern kansas to western colorado, i resigned to the fact that I would need to order them ahead. We ended up spending a couple hours in Dolores, eating lunch & popping into the lib to order them... which proved to be just enough time for DC & SC to catch up & say goodbye until we meet up again in CA for some end of trip celebrations & DC's bday (won't toss out any numbers here though haha). this would prove to be one of several goodbyes, but we'll get to that later. so because the guys are lazy, and we're pro (wink wink), we rolled on to dove creek and bagged another century. Without many sleeping options, we strolled into the grocery store/gas station/deli to inquire on potential tent pitching sites. As the way small towns go, the locals were more than helpful & interested in hearing bout our travels. Moments later we were introduced to Dave, who chatted us up for a bit, gave us his entire life story, warned us of skunks, and eventually directed us to a cushy patch of grass behind the store/gas/deli combo... which happened to be directly next to a helicopter landing pad and health clinic. Fortunately for us, there was no need for any heli landings, and the evening proved to be a bit warmer. Cruising outta dove creek the next AM, we were hoping for another 100+ day, but didn't quite make it that far. We stopped a few times along the way to stock up on water & supplies. The scenery had changed quite a bit as we passed from western CO into UT, and just as the afternoon desert sun set in, we started in on the hills. With little to no amenities for the better part of 130ish miles, we struggled with the heat & the climbs and stopped short at the natural bridges national monument, which was off route & downhill approx 5 miles, but did offer the prime amenity of clean drinking water. camping was pretty uneventful--we rolled in, threw up our tent, made some quick dins, hid from the rain, & hit the hay. We started in good spirits the following day, given we were cycling back uphill the 5 or so miles we had come to the camp the night before. The riding proved unbelievably fun & fast. complemented by the stunning scenery, we were reminded why we started out on the trip in the first place--riding bicycles is fun! For all the beauty that was in the Rockies and CO, Utah boasts an arguably more stunning back drop. replace the mountains with massive colorful mesas and deep canyons. it's hard to explain the scale and vastness of this landscape, but it does make the passing cyclists feel very, very small. not in a small, vulnerable, I'm getting-hit-by-an-18-wheeler kind of way, but more like a reminder that there are much, much larger things in this world than you and I.
We've easily taken more photos in the past several days than in the whole rest of the trip combined, so sit tight & we'll eventually share/post some. We still haven't managed to find an convenient way to post from the road, so consider this your license to stalk us on the FB for all your viewing pleasure. but in the mean time, here's a little something something to hold you over.
 |
| earning our keep washing dishes at the mayors house in KA |
on one of our many photog snapping stops, we were feeling hot and botherd and dying for any sort of cold beverage. considering the options, which is to say, decideding between flat out asking or just trying to look pathetic, sasq opted for somewhere in between; rather loudly, she starts whining about how all she wants is a nice cold gatorade... at which point i had to turn around to keep from blowing her spot and busting a gut laughing. although less than clever, it was very effective. we walked away with a couple cold bottles of water, joice boxes, and sodas. well played sasq.
after filling up on cold liquids, we carried on to hanksville, ut. of course the last 10 or so miles were downhill with a headwind and a serious lightning storm going off in the distance. with the rain starting in just as we rolled into town, we made the decision to cash in on another hotel offer. thanks again to ma and pa brown for the room! sure as hell beats camping in the rain and lightning. to our surprise, just as we were sorting out a room, we see Jo (SC's wife). turns out SC & DC decided that they were gonna try and beat our mileage record of 122. which they did, and are the current mileage record holders with 130.8. apparently they just weren't ready to say goodbye! we celebrated their short-term victory with them over a few beers. you should note however, that their record was without carrying bags... so arguably, not the same! no less, we'll let them have the glory... for now.
leaving DC and SC behind in the AM (once again), we set out for another 80 - 90 mile day. although feeling physically good and ready to cycle, it seems we had hit a wall mentally. we've been on the road now for 63 days, and for whatever reason... just simply did not feeling like riding our bicycles. we spent the better part of the day riding slowly, taking pictures, battling head winds up hill, and simply put, dragging ass. after stopping for lunch for about an hour and a half, we bumped into Jo once again and heard that the guys weren't feeling to frisky for cycling either. turns out they had a bit of a slow morning and didn't even head out until 1030/11. i think their legs must have been tired from the big ride the day before ;)
we kicked around for another hour or so and eventually, after great diliberation, did the inevitable and booked another room haha. there are a million excuses--rain, flood warnings, hills, but ultimately, we just did not feel like riding bikes. so we bought some beers, had a drink with our favorite touring friends, and headed over to the days inn for some more beer drinking and shitty tv watching (we watched quite possibly the worst made for tv movies... thanks life time haha). thanks again to grandma tynion for shouting us the hotel room!
so here we are. just munching down a quick b-fast before we head out for a windy morning ride. we've got a few miles to make up since we had a very short day yesterday... and we need to get to the GC to meet up with the homies! looking forward to seeing katie, kev, joce, & chuba!
godspeed.
little foot.
Ps. I cannot count the number of times we have been asked where we are cycling from, only to be followed up by some response along the lines of, "no you have not cycled all the way from Maine" at which point we reply, yes we have, answer a series of basic tour questions--when did you start, how many miles do you ride, where do you sleep, when will you finish, etc--and finally, the ultimate question... are you going to cycle back?!?! are you kidding me? seriously, you didn't think we actually cycled from ME in the first place and now you want to know if we're going to bicycle another 5500 miles back?? You've got to be kidding me!
Issues w/ Fundraising Web Page
Just wanted to post up a quick message regarding the fundraising web page. we've heard from a couple of people that there has been some trouble with the processing of donations. we're still looking into sorting it out, but please leave a comment or give us a shout if you have experienced any trouble. not currently sure if the issue has been resolved yet.
also, there have been loads of strava failures. it doesn't work quite so well without service, making our mileage reported look a bit low if it manages to record at all.
cheers.
b.
also, there have been loads of strava failures. it doesn't work quite so well without service, making our mileage reported look a bit low if it manages to record at all.
cheers.
b.
Monday, August 1, 2011
We're still alive!
Hey all! Just wanted to let you all know we are indeed alive, but have been cursed with terrible service and long riding days so we haven't had the time to post for a few days. Lil foot wants to do the next update so I'm just here to let you know all is well and we've made it to Utah in one piece!
Stay tuned for a post from lil foot with the details of our last few days, which trust me have been crazy/fun/tough/amazing all at the same time!!
Peace out cub scouts.
Sasq
Ps hope the Carita Family Mocation is starting off well and hope you get great weather all week! Love you guys and wish I was laying on the beach with a cold one in my hand next to you all!
Also thanks Den Den (lil foot's mom) for the night in the hotel tonight, you saved us from a bad lightning storm!
Stay tuned for a post from lil foot with the details of our last few days, which trust me have been crazy/fun/tough/amazing all at the same time!!
Peace out cub scouts.
Sasq
Ps hope the Carita Family Mocation is starting off well and hope you get great weather all week! Love you guys and wish I was laying on the beach with a cold one in my hand next to you all!
Also thanks Den Den (lil foot's mom) for the night in the hotel tonight, you saved us from a bad lightning storm!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Telluride you are beautiful!
Where to begin.... The start of the day was about 30 miles of decent riding with wide shoulders! Lil foot and I are still riding with the guys, their new names are Sweet Cheeks and DC (double chin/daddy Chris). I think the names don't need any explaining so I'll continue on with the riding. From Montrose to Telluride it was supposed to be an easy 60 miles but instead it was about 70 miles of mostly uphill climbing. On the map elevation profile it didn't look so bad but man oh man what a climb. Being that I have a road bike and not a touring bike like I should, the mountains have been a bitch on my legs. With the combination of my lack of a lower gear and the altitude, I was struggling big time. Lil foot hauled ass and made it about 3 or 4 miles ahead of me into town. Just when I was considering hitching a ride the road turned and opened up to possibly the most amazing view ever. A 3mile downhill into Telluride creates a beautiful view of the mountains surrounding the town, and the river flowing through it. I decided to sit a while and catch my breath while taking in the view.
The guys were already at the bar and planning to hit the bottle hard, so lil foot and I of course joined in without any objections! The Sheridan was the first place in a while that didn't have a drink maximum and we enjoyed every minute of it! After a few rounds Sweet Cheeks went and had some family time while DC stayed back and continued on with us. I think meeting these guys has been the best part of the trip, they're down to earth, funny and looking to enjoy their cycling the same way we are. A couple weeks ago DC joked about hiring lil foot and I to work in France at his ski/boarding lodge. That joke is in the works of becoming a reality, and if all goes well the adventures of Sasq and Lil Foot will continue! Last night DC mentioned he and his wife are looking into work visas for us, so fingers crossed for Sasq & Lil Foot take on France!
Words can't describe how amazing this adventure has been so far and we still have about 2000 miles to go. With the grand canyon as our next big destination then the coast of California to finish, we can't be happier that we chose to go from east to west. Jocelyn, Chuba, Katie and Kevin are joining us at the grand canyon then Eric will be joining us along the coast! Tons to look forward to but for today we are going to enjoy Telluride and check out the mountains, off a bike thank god!
Tata for now.
Sasq
Couple side details I thought you all might enjoy... After 8 weeks of riding, my ass is hating me right now. No matter what people say about getting used to the seat, they're lying. I might have to get one of those inflated donut seats. Thanks to my mom for mailing me new shorts back in Pueblo, it takes a little of the pain away but my tushy is still soar.
Lil foots sun poisoning on her legs has cleared up pretty well, now she just has super dry flakey skin... Gross haha.
Feeling in my fingers comes and goes, the new gloves I have definitely help but these Rockies are super rough on my hands as well as legs.
Positive note... I probably lost about 15 and a ton of inches! Lil foot is toning up as well, but she doesn't think so, so we'll probably start adding some ab work outs here and there... I know we're out of our minds but we can't cycle across the country and finish looking like the same lazy asses we were.
Now that's all folks!
The guys were already at the bar and planning to hit the bottle hard, so lil foot and I of course joined in without any objections! The Sheridan was the first place in a while that didn't have a drink maximum and we enjoyed every minute of it! After a few rounds Sweet Cheeks went and had some family time while DC stayed back and continued on with us. I think meeting these guys has been the best part of the trip, they're down to earth, funny and looking to enjoy their cycling the same way we are. A couple weeks ago DC joked about hiring lil foot and I to work in France at his ski/boarding lodge. That joke is in the works of becoming a reality, and if all goes well the adventures of Sasq and Lil Foot will continue! Last night DC mentioned he and his wife are looking into work visas for us, so fingers crossed for Sasq & Lil Foot take on France!
Words can't describe how amazing this adventure has been so far and we still have about 2000 miles to go. With the grand canyon as our next big destination then the coast of California to finish, we can't be happier that we chose to go from east to west. Jocelyn, Chuba, Katie and Kevin are joining us at the grand canyon then Eric will be joining us along the coast! Tons to look forward to but for today we are going to enjoy Telluride and check out the mountains, off a bike thank god!
Tata for now.
Sasq
Couple side details I thought you all might enjoy... After 8 weeks of riding, my ass is hating me right now. No matter what people say about getting used to the seat, they're lying. I might have to get one of those inflated donut seats. Thanks to my mom for mailing me new shorts back in Pueblo, it takes a little of the pain away but my tushy is still soar.
Lil foots sun poisoning on her legs has cleared up pretty well, now she just has super dry flakey skin... Gross haha.
Feeling in my fingers comes and goes, the new gloves I have definitely help but these Rockies are super rough on my hands as well as legs.
Positive note... I probably lost about 15 and a ton of inches! Lil foot is toning up as well, but she doesn't think so, so we'll probably start adding some ab work outs here and there... I know we're out of our minds but we can't cycle across the country and finish looking like the same lazy asses we were.
Now that's all folks!
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