Right now we're in the Ozarks, right in the heart of Missouri. There was a terrible thunderstorm, but we were rescued by a guy and his daughter, who brought us to his neighbors. Now we're staying with Charlie and Susie, retired educators who are spoiling us rotten. We had as much dinner as we could eat, and we did REAL laundry, not just rinsing in the sink with some shampoo:). They're so much fun! We're having a nightcap and chatting, so there really isn't too much time to blog.
There is definitely plenty to blog about....especially this one time that Bethany and I accidentally got hit with Grizzly Bear Mace. Good times:) More about that to come!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The Kindness of Strangers: Part 2 - Ivar and Vicki
I'm sitting here in a little motel room in Eureka, Kansas with my cousin Matt (who is the perfect combination of both of his parents), relaxing and writing in the blog. What a nice change from sleeping on a picnic table under a pavilion in the city park! We parted ways with our riding partners, Jessica and Joel. They are super cool, so we're hoping we can meet up with them again some time in the future. Anyway, this is a little bit of a continuation on the kindness of strangers:
Goodness, talk about blessings. Bethany and I had just spent the night in the guest house of a multimillionaire (read below!), and we weren't sure what to do for the Fourth of July. It's not usually a big holiday for me, but Bethany is a fan of the fireworks, so we wanted to find a place that had them. We had been biking for about 15 miles when we came to a crossroads, both literally and figuratively. We could go left and continue to follow our route, possibly ending up in a town with no fireworks, or we could go right, 3 miles off route, into Telluride. If we chose Telluride, there was definitely the possibility that there would be no available camping, and the hotels way too expensive. But we chose Telluride anyway. Tom Cruise did, so it couldn't be all that bad (but he's craaaazzzzzyyyyy with a capital K). We biked 3 miles down the road, and it was absolutely gorgeous. Towering in front and to each side were giant mountains covered in green trees. Telluride is kinda like a "no outlet" type of place, so there is only one way in and out. At the very back was a tiny sliver of white, which we were later able to determine was a waterfall. Everything about the place, from the surroundings to the Victorian-style homes were just drop-dead gorgeous. I was soooo happy we had made the decision to go to Telluride! Until I went to the Visitor's Center. At the Visitor's Center, a very sweet young man told me that all of the space on the campground were taken (of course, it was July 4th in Telluride. What were we expecting?), and the hotels were starting at $159 per night. What? Nope. And it wasn't like we could just throw up a tent anywhere....its a very small town, and they're very strict about unapproved camping. I was soooo mad we had made the decision to go to Telluride:(
Goodness, talk about blessings. Bethany and I had just spent the night in the guest house of a multimillionaire (read below!), and we weren't sure what to do for the Fourth of July. It's not usually a big holiday for me, but Bethany is a fan of the fireworks, so we wanted to find a place that had them. We had been biking for about 15 miles when we came to a crossroads, both literally and figuratively. We could go left and continue to follow our route, possibly ending up in a town with no fireworks, or we could go right, 3 miles off route, into Telluride. If we chose Telluride, there was definitely the possibility that there would be no available camping, and the hotels way too expensive. But we chose Telluride anyway. Tom Cruise did, so it couldn't be all that bad (but he's craaaazzzzzyyyyy with a capital K). We biked 3 miles down the road, and it was absolutely gorgeous. Towering in front and to each side were giant mountains covered in green trees. Telluride is kinda like a "no outlet" type of place, so there is only one way in and out. At the very back was a tiny sliver of white, which we were later able to determine was a waterfall. Everything about the place, from the surroundings to the Victorian-style homes were just drop-dead gorgeous. I was soooo happy we had made the decision to go to Telluride! Until I went to the Visitor's Center. At the Visitor's Center, a very sweet young man told me that all of the space on the campground were taken (of course, it was July 4th in Telluride. What were we expecting?), and the hotels were starting at $159 per night. What? Nope. And it wasn't like we could just throw up a tent anywhere....its a very small town, and they're very strict about unapproved camping. I was soooo mad we had made the decision to go to Telluride:(
I talked it over with Bethany, and as much as we hated to, we had to turn around leave. We would continue on our route, and hope that there would be fireworks in one of the really small towns. We were pretty angry that we just wasted 6 miles. Just as we were turning our bikes around, a white van slowed down, and the person in the passenger side rolled down the window and we heard "Is everything ok?". There was a couple (possibly 50's?) that had stopped to make sure we were alright. I guess we looked pretty upset:). I just gave them a brief overview of the situation, and they proceeded to confer with each other for a few seconds. Before I knew it, the driver was getting out of the van. He told us to follow him because "we might have a place for you".
Huh? Come again? We just met you 10 seconds ago.
Huh? Come again? We just met you 10 seconds ago.
Slightly confused, we followed him for less than a block, and he opened up the garage door behind a beautiful little house. He told us we could park our bikes there. At this point, Bethany and I are thinking he will let us camp out in the yard. If we're lucky. But no, we are taken inside the impeccable little house, shown the shower where we can clean up, and given a brief tour of the basement, where we can spend the night.
Again, HUH? WE JUST MET YOU 10 SECONDS AGO!!!!
Then he left, saying that they would be back around 7:30 if we wanted to go watch the fireworks with them. We didn't even get his name!!! Bethany and I stood, dumbfounded, for at least a good minute before either one of us said anything. When we did finally speak, it didn't make sense anyway. I couldn't believe that someone would just give us a place to stay without, you know, a background check or something. But as we came to learn over the course of the day; this is Telluride, and nothing normal happens here.
Again, HUH? WE JUST MET YOU 10 SECONDS AGO!!!!
Then he left, saying that they would be back around 7:30 if we wanted to go watch the fireworks with them. We didn't even get his name!!! Bethany and I stood, dumbfounded, for at least a good minute before either one of us said anything. When we did finally speak, it didn't make sense anyway. I couldn't believe that someone would just give us a place to stay without, you know, a background check or something. But as we came to learn over the course of the day; this is Telluride, and nothing normal happens here.
After we brought our stuff in and cleaned up a little bit, we decided to walk the town. I'm not kidding when I say that Telluride has a magical feel. It is impossible not to smile when you're walking down the street. Little shops, people everywhere, bicycles all over the place....there was nothing about this place that I didn't like.
We happened to stumble across a pie eating contest. Score! After very little convincing, Bethany and I were signed up. Shocking, I know. For $10 it was all-you-can-eat food and drink, as well as the pie. For hungry cyclists, $10 was a total steal. When we sat down at the table for the pie eating, we noticed that we were surrounded by kids 10 and under. Hmmmm. I guess the honorable thing to do would be to allow one of the kids win. So we did. (But I took second....beat that kiddies!)
After all the pie eating and the arm wrestling, there was a lot of socializing with what turned out to be some of the elite in Telluride. One guy owned a night club down the street. When he found out that we were doing our ride for the American Cancer Society, he pulled a big wad of cash out of his pocket, peeled off a $100 bill and handed it to us, then went back to the conversation. He didn't even blink. That was fantastically cool, and he trusted us!
We eventually got back in time to go to the fireworks with the family that let us use the house. We introduced ourselves in the car on the way to the city park. Their names were Ivar and Vicki, and they were the coolest people. It was amazing just getting the chance to talk and hang out with them for a few hours. They had made big fat brownies with chocolate icing (mmmm!), and Bethany and I had about 7 between the 2 of us. After the fireworks (there was a downpour just before they were supposed to start, and we thought they would be cancelled. All that for nothing!), Ivar and Vicki left us alone in the house, just making sure that we knew not to lock the doors when we left the next morning. Alone. In the house. By ourselves. I still can't believe how trusting they were:).
One big thing about this trip I have learned: We all watch too much of the news. It has made us all cynical and untrusting. Every single person we have met on this trip has been helpful, kind, and generous. We're amazed at the everyday kindnesses that people extend to complete strangers. I guess we just look incredibly non-threatening with our little helmets and half-finger gloves:)
After all the pie eating and the arm wrestling, there was a lot of socializing with what turned out to be some of the elite in Telluride. One guy owned a night club down the street. When he found out that we were doing our ride for the American Cancer Society, he pulled a big wad of cash out of his pocket, peeled off a $100 bill and handed it to us, then went back to the conversation. He didn't even blink. That was fantastically cool, and he trusted us!
We eventually got back in time to go to the fireworks with the family that let us use the house. We introduced ourselves in the car on the way to the city park. Their names were Ivar and Vicki, and they were the coolest people. It was amazing just getting the chance to talk and hang out with them for a few hours. They had made big fat brownies with chocolate icing (mmmm!), and Bethany and I had about 7 between the 2 of us. After the fireworks (there was a downpour just before they were supposed to start, and we thought they would be cancelled. All that for nothing!), Ivar and Vicki left us alone in the house, just making sure that we knew not to lock the doors when we left the next morning. Alone. In the house. By ourselves. I still can't believe how trusting they were:).
One big thing about this trip I have learned: We all watch too much of the news. It has made us all cynical and untrusting. Every single person we have met on this trip has been helpful, kind, and generous. We're amazed at the everyday kindnesses that people extend to complete strangers. I guess we just look incredibly non-threatening with our little helmets and half-finger gloves:)
The Kindness of Strangers: Part 1 - The Multi-Millionaire and Me (Us)
We're not dead! Just a long time between internet access:) We're always in town after the library closes (or on Sunday), so it gets very hard to blog.
Just as a quick update, we're now in central-ish Kansas.....I hate it almost as much as Nevada. All I have to say is "HEADWIND". Boo. We met up with a really awesome couple that is biking their way back to Virginia, and we've been hanging with them for several days now. They're a little more hardcore than we are, so it is definitely giving us good motivation. We had our first "century"....we biked 103 miles on 7/13, so that felt pretty good (for the mind, definitely not the body - ouch). We're going to keep up with them as long as we can, because they are great company:)
Wow, we've had such great experiences on this trip so far, and not nearly enough time to blog about it. There are so many amazing people. You've already heard about Don, Nicole and Mitch. There was also Wayne, Bob, Ron, Cynthia, Ivar, Vicki, Steve, Steve, etc. This is just one of the stories that we think you could find amusing.
July 3rd we were heading along our path as normal, and we decided to stop for lunch on a little bridge that crossed the Dolores River. We swung our legs over the edge and ate our healthy PopTart and NutriGrain bars. Before long, we heard someone yell "Don't do it! Don't jump!", so we turned around. Up a tiny hill on the other side was a pretty huge mansion - all wood. A guy was waving from his second floor balcony. We waved back. Then we forgot about it. A little while later, a cyclist came up to talk to us. As it turns out, he was the mansion guy. His name was Steve. He was kind of pompous at first...within 5 minutes we knew he had a Maserati and he lived in the huge mansion behind us. Ok, tough guy. He also offered us his phone number in case we were in Telluride, because he would take us around to the bars. I think Bethany and I both had to work really hard to keep our eyes from rolling back into our heads. The second he left, I told Bethany that I would be fine if we never saw this guy again. But things never work out as I think they will:)
Several miles after that, when we were looking for a place to spend the night, we came across a small town called Rico. There was only one place in town to get food, so we stopped at the gas station. And guess who was there? Steve. I KNOW! Anyway, we sat down and had a break, and ended up spending most of the time talking to Steve. He told us how he used to live in Tucson, and he had the best and most outrageous stories. Apparently he made his millions as a florist (who knew! I'm looking into that when I get home), and later he bought a night club. The Tucson police couldn't believe that he made his money without doing something illegal, so they had it "in" for him. He was shot at a couple times, two guys were killed outside of his club, Kid Rock played at his birthday, blah blah blah. And on and on and on. For 45 minutes/an hour, Steve talked. My responses consisted mostly of "wow!", or "no kidding!", or "I can't believe the Tucson Police had it out for you!", or "so, you're wife knew about your mistress?". Crazy stuff.
After Steve ran out of stories, he offered his 51 acre land for us to camp on. He said we could ride back down to his house, camp on his property, and then he would drive us back up to where we left off. It sounded like a great deal to me. Any day we could get free camping was a good day. Not to mention, although Steve was full of incredible (and possibly false) stories, both Bethany and I felt that he was completely harmless. Just a really outgoing type of guy that lived in a tiny tiny town, and was dying to tell his stories to new people. Plus, I had a really really big knife, just in case. So, we did it. We rode back down to his mansion, fully prepared to camp on his property. The only problem was this: mosquitos. I guess the season had been unusually rainy, and the mosquitos were breeding like crazy. They were all over Bethany like a bear on honey, and they were biting us through our clothing. Fortunately, Steve offered us his guest house.
Yes, guest house. He offered for us to stay in his 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom guest house. Then he made us a dinner of spaghetti and homemade sauce....during which time he told us more stories, each one crazier than the next. Even better, Steve, who is 50 years old, has a 25-year-old girlfriend. We were eventually introduced to her, and she looked more like 12. After a rough start, she ended up being very nice...:)
The next morning Steve made us the best oatmeal either one of us has have ever eaten. Then his girlfriend cut up a huge watermelon, and essentially the 4 of us ate it all. Then, true to his word, Steve drove us back to where we left off, and actually a few miles further (to avoid a big hill). He dropped us off, and then he was gone, leaving Bethany and I to wonder what in the world had just happened.
It is frustrating to have so many MANY stories, and not be able to type fast enough. I would imagine the next few blogs would be:
Just as a quick update, we're now in central-ish Kansas.....I hate it almost as much as Nevada. All I have to say is "HEADWIND". Boo. We met up with a really awesome couple that is biking their way back to Virginia, and we've been hanging with them for several days now. They're a little more hardcore than we are, so it is definitely giving us good motivation. We had our first "century"....we biked 103 miles on 7/13, so that felt pretty good (for the mind, definitely not the body - ouch). We're going to keep up with them as long as we can, because they are great company:)
Wow, we've had such great experiences on this trip so far, and not nearly enough time to blog about it. There are so many amazing people. You've already heard about Don, Nicole and Mitch. There was also Wayne, Bob, Ron, Cynthia, Ivar, Vicki, Steve, Steve, etc. This is just one of the stories that we think you could find amusing.
July 3rd we were heading along our path as normal, and we decided to stop for lunch on a little bridge that crossed the Dolores River. We swung our legs over the edge and ate our healthy PopTart and NutriGrain bars. Before long, we heard someone yell "Don't do it! Don't jump!", so we turned around. Up a tiny hill on the other side was a pretty huge mansion - all wood. A guy was waving from his second floor balcony. We waved back. Then we forgot about it. A little while later, a cyclist came up to talk to us. As it turns out, he was the mansion guy. His name was Steve. He was kind of pompous at first...within 5 minutes we knew he had a Maserati and he lived in the huge mansion behind us. Ok, tough guy. He also offered us his phone number in case we were in Telluride, because he would take us around to the bars. I think Bethany and I both had to work really hard to keep our eyes from rolling back into our heads. The second he left, I told Bethany that I would be fine if we never saw this guy again. But things never work out as I think they will:)
Several miles after that, when we were looking for a place to spend the night, we came across a small town called Rico. There was only one place in town to get food, so we stopped at the gas station. And guess who was there? Steve. I KNOW! Anyway, we sat down and had a break, and ended up spending most of the time talking to Steve. He told us how he used to live in Tucson, and he had the best and most outrageous stories. Apparently he made his millions as a florist (who knew! I'm looking into that when I get home), and later he bought a night club. The Tucson police couldn't believe that he made his money without doing something illegal, so they had it "in" for him. He was shot at a couple times, two guys were killed outside of his club, Kid Rock played at his birthday, blah blah blah. And on and on and on. For 45 minutes/an hour, Steve talked. My responses consisted mostly of "wow!", or "no kidding!", or "I can't believe the Tucson Police had it out for you!", or "so, you're wife knew about your mistress?". Crazy stuff.
After Steve ran out of stories, he offered his 51 acre land for us to camp on. He said we could ride back down to his house, camp on his property, and then he would drive us back up to where we left off. It sounded like a great deal to me. Any day we could get free camping was a good day. Not to mention, although Steve was full of incredible (and possibly false) stories, both Bethany and I felt that he was completely harmless. Just a really outgoing type of guy that lived in a tiny tiny town, and was dying to tell his stories to new people. Plus, I had a really really big knife, just in case. So, we did it. We rode back down to his mansion, fully prepared to camp on his property. The only problem was this: mosquitos. I guess the season had been unusually rainy, and the mosquitos were breeding like crazy. They were all over Bethany like a bear on honey, and they were biting us through our clothing. Fortunately, Steve offered us his guest house.
Yes, guest house. He offered for us to stay in his 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom guest house. Then he made us a dinner of spaghetti and homemade sauce....during which time he told us more stories, each one crazier than the next. Even better, Steve, who is 50 years old, has a 25-year-old girlfriend. We were eventually introduced to her, and she looked more like 12. After a rough start, she ended up being very nice...:)
The next morning Steve made us the best oatmeal either one of us has have ever eaten. Then his girlfriend cut up a huge watermelon, and essentially the 4 of us ate it all. Then, true to his word, Steve drove us back to where we left off, and actually a few miles further (to avoid a big hill). He dropped us off, and then he was gone, leaving Bethany and I to wonder what in the world had just happened.
It is frustrating to have so many MANY stories, and not be able to type fast enough. I would imagine the next few blogs would be:
- Fourth of July in Telluride with Ivar and Vicki
- The night we slept in a volunteer firehouse with five other cyclist (on top of the firetrucks, no less!)
- Why Bethany was so traumatized in childhood (one guess: older siblings!)
- Peanut butter and jelly vs. Peanut butter and banana...the debate continues
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Random thoughts...
We spend a lot of time on the bikes....between 6 and 8 hours, depending on the terrain. During this time, sooooo many things cross our minds. You can try to block out the random brain-thoughts with music, but there isn't a lot that can suppress an active brain on the open road. There isn't really a "story" in this blog, but I thought it would be fun to try to catalog as many of those random thoughts as possible, and list them. They really are....strange.
But before that, I'd like to give a giant shout-out to Don, Nicole and Mitch...a couple of our favorite people from this trip. They adopted us for the day! We all hiked back to a Lower Calf Creek Falls waterfall (and took some awesome and hilarious pictures). Then they went completely out of their way to take us to our hotel, and in the mean time, they bought our dinner! You guys were so much fun, and I'm glad we're still in touch!
Anyway, bring on the random thoughts, some related to cycling, some not:
But before that, I'd like to give a giant shout-out to Don, Nicole and Mitch...a couple of our favorite people from this trip. They adopted us for the day! We all hiked back to a Lower Calf Creek Falls waterfall (and took some awesome and hilarious pictures). Then they went completely out of their way to take us to our hotel, and in the mean time, they bought our dinner! You guys were so much fun, and I'm glad we're still in touch!
Anyway, bring on the random thoughts, some related to cycling, some not:
- Why, out of all the different parts of my body that are sore, do my THUMBS hurt the most?
- How am I going to get rid of these ridiculous tan lines?
- Why can I only remember half of the Quadratic Equation? My math teachers would be so disappointed.
- Road kill or piece of tire? Road kill? Or tire? Road kill. No! Tire. Whew....tire. (this is a little game I like to play when you see something on the road in the distance and don't know what it is. It happens a LOT, and I'm getting better).
- How are the soles of my shoes falling off? They're on the pedals of the bike 90% of the day. I'll have to use Dad's fix-it method...duct tape.
- Ohhh, a penny!
- Colorado smells nice.
- "Free credit report dot com/Tell your friends, tell your dad, tell your mom/We've been singin' this song since we first showed up with our pirate hats on".....ugh, commercial jingles...
- When I hear a vehicle behind us, I try to figure out what kind it is by how the engine sounds. I'm 100% on 18-wheelers so far. Everything else, not so much.
- I think I would have made a good outlaw.
- I wish I could figure out how to reset the time on my watch. That way I wouldn't have to subtract 2 hours every time I try to figure out what the time is.
- Oh, man. My sunglass frames are broken. I'll have to use Dad's fix-it method...duct tape.
- On ER, when Doug Ross finds out that Carol is pregnant with his twins, why doesn't he come back?
- When will we see a town with more than 1,000 people?
- Will I live long enough to witness Bethany actually eating a vegetable? On purpose?
- It's probably not a wise decision to fly down a hill at 45 mph with only what essentially amounts to a tiny styrofoam cap on your head for protection.
- I have to use the restroom. And we're 30 miles from anything in either direction. Help.
- I wonder what passing motorists are thinking: "They are CRAZY", or "What a great idea. I might do that some day", or "50 points for the blonde one with the pigtails"?
- Again, with the passing motorists. When they see us in the middle of nowhere, do they worry even a tiny bit about us? Why don't they offer water? Why don't they offer a ride? Not that we'd take it, I'm just saying. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE? So far the only ones to offer water are foreign. Figures. Americans are all "they're dumb, they deserve what they get".
- Why do I harbor such fiery hatred for people in vehicles?
- Why don't any of the motels have people working at the front desk?
- When passing motorcyclists wave, are they mocking us?
- Bethany's handlebars have some cuts in them. I'll have to use Dad's fix-it method....duct tape.
- The "Welcome to Utah" and "Welcome to Colorado" signs are 50 yards apart. Sooooo, what is that land in between?
- There are a ton of washers/bolts/nuts/nails on this road. Dad would have a field day.
- Can I build a log cabin in Miami?
- I wonder when the season premiere of Bones is scheduled.
- Dear God, please don't let the 18-wheeler hit us. We're not that good at staying on the shoulder...
- How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
- Why is this map taking us into the middle of nowhere with roads that don't have a shoulder? Safe? NO.
- Will I ever be able to pass through a tiny tiny town and not think of Texas Chainsaw Massacre?
- That root beer did NOT settle well.
- How can I work soooooo hard all day on the bike, and I'm still gaining weight?
- On a related note, why don't my legs look any different?
- Why, at the end of a perfectly good downhill, is there always an uphill?
- Would those people mind if we asked to ride their horses?
- Green is definitely my new favorite color.
- I wonder which one of us is adopted. I would guess me. Bethany would agree. We can't possibly be related.
- On an uphill: From 1 to 10, this rates a 14.35 on the "This is the Worst Idea Ever" scale.
- On a downhill: Hey, this isn't so bad!
- I smell burnt skin. Is that me?
- I wonder what I did with my passport? I should find that when I get home.
- Does hay have any nutritional value for humans? Might be good to know, just in case we get in some trouble one day.
- Is Bethany more miserable now, or will she be more miserable when she has to sleep in my apartment with all of the cats?
- Canyon is a weird word.
Here is what Bethany said she thinks about all day on the bike:
??
Anyway, we'll come back with a good story for the next blog, but this will have to hold until then. I'm sure we'll have some good stuff coming out of the Rockies!
And please comment! We looooooove reading the things you have to say, and it makes it more fun to write:)
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Breaking and Entering....not if you don't get caught!
Two posts in one day! Crazy! We had a lot to tell, but it was narrowed down to the rattlesnake story (see below), and this one. Fun times.
We had finally made it out of Nevada, and we were so excited to leave the nothingness behind. We got into Utah and it was.....exactly like Nevada. Ugh. For a very long time it looked exactly like the state that we had just left....brown, no wildlife, mountains in the background. The only thing different was more wind. Directly in our faces. At 30 miles an hour. *Awesome*. I don't think either one of us had a really great feeling about our first few experiences in Utah (it has since gotten WAAAAAY better).
One of our first days, we encountered these heavy headwinds, and they kept our progress to an average of 6mph and below, which is incredibly defeating, especially on flat land. One of these nights, we couldn't make it to our destination for the evening, so we stopped in the tiny Utah town of Minersville. I think the population was 870, but I can't be sure. There is no motel/hotel/hostel/campground in Minersville, so we had to improvise. We made our way to the Beaver County Fairgrounds, right on the outskirts of Minersville. I think they have a different idea of "fairgrounds" than I do, but it was still kinda neat. There was a large red building that had a giant garage (probably for housing the maintenance equipment), and on the other side was a concession stand-type area. This area had a flimsy overhang, and there were some picnic tables underneath. There was a huge set of bleachers, and they looked out into a strange looking rodeo arena. There were a bunch of cows that were being held on the outside of the arena, and we made friends with them. There was also a giant playground, right next to the bleachers, so all 12 of the Minersville children could play while their parents watched the...rodeo? Cattle sale? Not really sure what happens in there.
Anyway, the fairgrounds hadn't been in use for a while, but it was still well taken care of. Some children were playing on the playground when we got there, but they left when it started to rain (yay rain!). Bethany and I thought we scored big time....we would just sleep in our sleeping bags on top of the picnic tables. We would be under the overhang near the concession stand, so the rain wouldn't be a problem, and we wouldn't have to pack up a tent in the morning, so we could get started faster.
Then the storm got worse. A lot worse. Because it obviously hadn't rained in Minersville for the last decade, the winds whipped up the dust, making it nearly impossible to see 5 feet in front of you. On top of that, it was raining. It was a pretty nasty predicament, but fortunately we weren't on our bikes when this started! Just for kicks, Bethany and I decided to try all the doors to the red building, just in case one was open and we could go in and wait out the storm. And guess what. One was open. I KNOW! I didn't believe it either. Well, it wasn't "open" so much as it was busted. The deadbolt was closed, but the door frame had been messed with, and it didn't lock to anything. The door led to the room right behind the concession area...and it was carpeted and well-lit due to some fantastic skylights. It was so tempting....we could just move our stuff in, stay the night, and be out before anyone knew we were there. So we did. We moved our stuff in and prepared to make dinner in the kitchen area on the stove (using all of our own equipment....we didn't want to use anything of theirs). The storm had calmed down, and it was clear outside again, but we were already making ourselves at home inside. We made some nice food, and just as we were getting comfortable.....every single neighborhood child and their parents came to play on the playground. Oy.
We though we could wait them out...how long could a kid possibly be entertained on the playground? More than anything, we were worried about being caught inside a building where we certainly didn't belong. I don't think anyone would believe us when we told them the door was already broken. Sure. At some point, someone went around and tried to open all of the doors EXCEPT the open one that we had found. Oh, man. Talk about having your heart stop. How awkward that would have been? If it were just the kids, I'm pretty sure I could have scared them away, then made a break for it. But their parents were there, and I didn't think Bethany and I could do the ole' "Hey, look over there!" with them.
So we sat. Every muscle tensed. For three hours. Three. And I had to use the restroom for atleast 2 1/2 of those hours. I'm talking maximum discomfort. And the restroom/port-a-potty is outside the building, not inside. That just made perfect sense. It started getting really really dark in the room, and Bethany and I were positive that the kids couldn't play in the dark. Well, I did some recon (I'm sure most of you can picture what I looked like...dressed all in black with a little blue skull cap. Crawling around and popping my head around corners. I looked like a thug, for sure), and of course there were lights on the playground. Of COURSE! Which is why they were still there after it had been dark for an hour. Ugh. Good parents playing with their kids. Can't stand 'em.
Bethany was 100% certain that we were going to get caught, because my hacking cough returned at just the right time. Doesn't it always?!?! I was the human noisemaker for about 1/2 an hour, and Bethany started to think of ways to smother me without actually killing me. Although I'm not entirely certain that the second part was as important to her.
Anyway, the only thing that got these people to leave the playground was a second round of rain. As soon as their headlights were gone, I ran so hard into the port-a-potty that I almost knocked it over. I'm not even entirely sure that I closed the door. Poor panicked Bethany wanted to go back outside and continue with the original plan to sleep on the picnic tables, but after we were certain everyone was gone, we just kinda fell asleep. Stress can really take all the energy out of you.
So, from now on, we're not going to enter (because technically there was no "breaking") any buildings unless there are no playgrounds. That is a valuable piece of advice for all of you. Utah is full of excitement already, and its just getting better!
We had finally made it out of Nevada, and we were so excited to leave the nothingness behind. We got into Utah and it was.....exactly like Nevada. Ugh. For a very long time it looked exactly like the state that we had just left....brown, no wildlife, mountains in the background. The only thing different was more wind. Directly in our faces. At 30 miles an hour. *Awesome*. I don't think either one of us had a really great feeling about our first few experiences in Utah (it has since gotten WAAAAAY better).
One of our first days, we encountered these heavy headwinds, and they kept our progress to an average of 6mph and below, which is incredibly defeating, especially on flat land. One of these nights, we couldn't make it to our destination for the evening, so we stopped in the tiny Utah town of Minersville. I think the population was 870, but I can't be sure. There is no motel/hotel/hostel/campground in Minersville, so we had to improvise. We made our way to the Beaver County Fairgrounds, right on the outskirts of Minersville. I think they have a different idea of "fairgrounds" than I do, but it was still kinda neat. There was a large red building that had a giant garage (probably for housing the maintenance equipment), and on the other side was a concession stand-type area. This area had a flimsy overhang, and there were some picnic tables underneath. There was a huge set of bleachers, and they looked out into a strange looking rodeo arena. There were a bunch of cows that were being held on the outside of the arena, and we made friends with them. There was also a giant playground, right next to the bleachers, so all 12 of the Minersville children could play while their parents watched the...rodeo? Cattle sale? Not really sure what happens in there.
Anyway, the fairgrounds hadn't been in use for a while, but it was still well taken care of. Some children were playing on the playground when we got there, but they left when it started to rain (yay rain!). Bethany and I thought we scored big time....we would just sleep in our sleeping bags on top of the picnic tables. We would be under the overhang near the concession stand, so the rain wouldn't be a problem, and we wouldn't have to pack up a tent in the morning, so we could get started faster.
Then the storm got worse. A lot worse. Because it obviously hadn't rained in Minersville for the last decade, the winds whipped up the dust, making it nearly impossible to see 5 feet in front of you. On top of that, it was raining. It was a pretty nasty predicament, but fortunately we weren't on our bikes when this started! Just for kicks, Bethany and I decided to try all the doors to the red building, just in case one was open and we could go in and wait out the storm. And guess what. One was open. I KNOW! I didn't believe it either. Well, it wasn't "open" so much as it was busted. The deadbolt was closed, but the door frame had been messed with, and it didn't lock to anything. The door led to the room right behind the concession area...and it was carpeted and well-lit due to some fantastic skylights. It was so tempting....we could just move our stuff in, stay the night, and be out before anyone knew we were there. So we did. We moved our stuff in and prepared to make dinner in the kitchen area on the stove (using all of our own equipment....we didn't want to use anything of theirs). The storm had calmed down, and it was clear outside again, but we were already making ourselves at home inside. We made some nice food, and just as we were getting comfortable.....every single neighborhood child and their parents came to play on the playground. Oy.
We though we could wait them out...how long could a kid possibly be entertained on the playground? More than anything, we were worried about being caught inside a building where we certainly didn't belong. I don't think anyone would believe us when we told them the door was already broken. Sure. At some point, someone went around and tried to open all of the doors EXCEPT the open one that we had found. Oh, man. Talk about having your heart stop. How awkward that would have been? If it were just the kids, I'm pretty sure I could have scared them away, then made a break for it. But their parents were there, and I didn't think Bethany and I could do the ole' "Hey, look over there!" with them.
So we sat. Every muscle tensed. For three hours. Three. And I had to use the restroom for atleast 2 1/2 of those hours. I'm talking maximum discomfort. And the restroom/port-a-potty is outside the building, not inside. That just made perfect sense. It started getting really really dark in the room, and Bethany and I were positive that the kids couldn't play in the dark. Well, I did some recon (I'm sure most of you can picture what I looked like...dressed all in black with a little blue skull cap. Crawling around and popping my head around corners. I looked like a thug, for sure), and of course there were lights on the playground. Of COURSE! Which is why they were still there after it had been dark for an hour. Ugh. Good parents playing with their kids. Can't stand 'em.
Bethany was 100% certain that we were going to get caught, because my hacking cough returned at just the right time. Doesn't it always?!?! I was the human noisemaker for about 1/2 an hour, and Bethany started to think of ways to smother me without actually killing me. Although I'm not entirely certain that the second part was as important to her.
Anyway, the only thing that got these people to leave the playground was a second round of rain. As soon as their headlights were gone, I ran so hard into the port-a-potty that I almost knocked it over. I'm not even entirely sure that I closed the door. Poor panicked Bethany wanted to go back outside and continue with the original plan to sleep on the picnic tables, but after we were certain everyone was gone, we just kinda fell asleep. Stress can really take all the energy out of you.
So, from now on, we're not going to enter (because technically there was no "breaking") any buildings unless there are no playgrounds. That is a valuable piece of advice for all of you. Utah is full of excitement already, and its just getting better!
Close Encounters of the Reptile Kind
Just add this to the many reasons why I don't like Nevada....(we're well into Utah now, but this is the first time we've been near a computer in ages, and this story is kinda worth telling).
On our very last day in the desolate land of Nevada, Bethany and I had two fairly large climbs to make. It took us quite a while, and as a reward, we stopped for lunch on the summit of the second peak. Cute, right?
We propped our bikes against a flimsy metal reflector post, and then we had to sit on the ground, because there weren't really any other options. So, picture this: from the side of the road to the beginning of the grass/bush area is about 15 feet. It is all gravel, which is a lovely place to sit for lunch, but again...no other options. We sat down, broke out the NutriGrain bars and PopTarts (endorsements???), and each of us also had an apple.
We sat there talking about random things for a while, and I was half of the way through my apple. I'm not sure why you need to know how much of the apple was eaten, but it was one of the things I remembered, so I'm throwing it in. We're both sitting cross-legged on the ground, and I felt something rub against the outside of my left leg. Normally I would have swatted it, assuming that it was an ant or other small insect, but it didn't feel like little legs walking, it felt like.....a rub. So, instead of swatting, I lifted my leg and looked down and what had been touching me, and I saw........snake skin. At this point, Bethany had to tell me most of the story, because I went a little bonkers. Apparently I screamed "Is that snake skin?!?!?!?!", and immediately proceeded to throw my apple in the air and do a super-awesome backward volleyball roll to escape the encroaching snake (thank you Coach Renzi!! Who knew volleyball was going to save my life?!).
Bethany, bless her, jumped up faster than she has ever moved in her life. While I was jumping around like a little girl and brushing off my clothing, (just in case a second snake had somehow crept up my body without me knowing...ha), Bethany kept her cool. We noticed that it was a rattlesnake because of the, you know, rattle. It must have been pretty aggitated because it was rattling A LOT. And sticking its black tongue out at us. Poor Bethany had to listen to me ask her 15 times if the snake had bitten me. That would probably be something that I would feel, but I couldn't be too sure. The snake, lets call him Rocky, then made himself completely comfortable in the shade my CamelBak. He recoiled a couple of times when I got to close, but I was pretty sure that we were out of striking distance. Poor guy, all he wanted was some shade, but we ruined it.
At some point, one of us realized that I was going to need my CamelBak to continue the trip, so we would have to move Rocky. I had the bright idea to take my silly little BOB trailer flag to push him away, but I made Bethany do it instead. I'm not saying I'm a chicken, she just happened to be the one who was shaking less at the time. She pushed the CamelBak over and expertly guided Rocky back into the grass/bush (I have a pretty good video of it, and I can't wait to see it on the computer). When we could finally see his full length, we estimated that he was between 2 and 2 1/2 feet long. I don't know what that means in terms of age, but that thing was curled up under my thigh, so I can't really say that I would have cared either way. Wouldn't this have been a terrible way to end this trip? Hey, Mom and Dad, we're coming home because ERIN WAS BITTEN BY A RATTLESNAKE. Sadly, I'm pretty sure that most people would respond with...."Yeah, that sounds about right".
I really wish this story could have been recorded for all to see, because I'm certain that I am not doing justice to the hilarity that happened in those 5 minutes (plus, I really wish everyone could have seen my crazy cat-like reflexes). Just keep in mind that cars were driving past us during the whole incident, so it might have looked a little strange to see a girl jumping up and down trying to check herself for secondary snakes. Not to mention, I lost half of my apple, which made me a little sad. It was a really good apple.
On our very last day in the desolate land of Nevada, Bethany and I had two fairly large climbs to make. It took us quite a while, and as a reward, we stopped for lunch on the summit of the second peak. Cute, right?
We propped our bikes against a flimsy metal reflector post, and then we had to sit on the ground, because there weren't really any other options. So, picture this: from the side of the road to the beginning of the grass/bush area is about 15 feet. It is all gravel, which is a lovely place to sit for lunch, but again...no other options. We sat down, broke out the NutriGrain bars and PopTarts (endorsements???), and each of us also had an apple.
We sat there talking about random things for a while, and I was half of the way through my apple. I'm not sure why you need to know how much of the apple was eaten, but it was one of the things I remembered, so I'm throwing it in. We're both sitting cross-legged on the ground, and I felt something rub against the outside of my left leg. Normally I would have swatted it, assuming that it was an ant or other small insect, but it didn't feel like little legs walking, it felt like.....a rub. So, instead of swatting, I lifted my leg and looked down and what had been touching me, and I saw........snake skin. At this point, Bethany had to tell me most of the story, because I went a little bonkers. Apparently I screamed "Is that snake skin?!?!?!?!", and immediately proceeded to throw my apple in the air and do a super-awesome backward volleyball roll to escape the encroaching snake (thank you Coach Renzi!! Who knew volleyball was going to save my life?!).
Bethany, bless her, jumped up faster than she has ever moved in her life. While I was jumping around like a little girl and brushing off my clothing, (just in case a second snake had somehow crept up my body without me knowing...ha), Bethany kept her cool. We noticed that it was a rattlesnake because of the, you know, rattle. It must have been pretty aggitated because it was rattling A LOT. And sticking its black tongue out at us. Poor Bethany had to listen to me ask her 15 times if the snake had bitten me. That would probably be something that I would feel, but I couldn't be too sure. The snake, lets call him Rocky, then made himself completely comfortable in the shade my CamelBak. He recoiled a couple of times when I got to close, but I was pretty sure that we were out of striking distance. Poor guy, all he wanted was some shade, but we ruined it.
At some point, one of us realized that I was going to need my CamelBak to continue the trip, so we would have to move Rocky. I had the bright idea to take my silly little BOB trailer flag to push him away, but I made Bethany do it instead. I'm not saying I'm a chicken, she just happened to be the one who was shaking less at the time. She pushed the CamelBak over and expertly guided Rocky back into the grass/bush (I have a pretty good video of it, and I can't wait to see it on the computer). When we could finally see his full length, we estimated that he was between 2 and 2 1/2 feet long. I don't know what that means in terms of age, but that thing was curled up under my thigh, so I can't really say that I would have cared either way. Wouldn't this have been a terrible way to end this trip? Hey, Mom and Dad, we're coming home because ERIN WAS BITTEN BY A RATTLESNAKE. Sadly, I'm pretty sure that most people would respond with...."Yeah, that sounds about right".
I really wish this story could have been recorded for all to see, because I'm certain that I am not doing justice to the hilarity that happened in those 5 minutes (plus, I really wish everyone could have seen my crazy cat-like reflexes). Just keep in mind that cars were driving past us during the whole incident, so it might have looked a little strange to see a girl jumping up and down trying to check herself for secondary snakes. Not to mention, I lost half of my apple, which made me a little sad. It was a really good apple.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Hitchhiking 101
Ok, here's the thing about today...and I'm not proud of it...but there was some hitchhiking. Well, technically not hitchhiking, because we didn't stick out our thumbs or anything, but....
It was kinda a horrible day to ride. Tons of hills, and the weather was crappy. About 14 miles into the ride, it started to rain. Hard. I had some "laundry" hooked to the back of the bike drying, so that was a bust. We trekked on for another 6 miles until the rain let up a little bit. By then we were soaked to the bone. And cold. Unfortunately for us, we couldn't have stopped if we wanted to. Eureka (the town we were in the previous night) and Ely (the town where we were headed) are separated by 78 miles of NOTHING. There is no gas station, no restaurants or cafes, no rest stops....the only thing on the road worth mentioning are two little white tables set up for passing drivers to lunch on. No water, no hills to camp in....getting my drift?
So Bethany and I had no choice but to make it to Ely. We weren't really psyched about the hills, but they weren't too bad to start. Not to mention that ever UP hill has a DOWN:). Fun times.
Anyway, we are still on Highway 50 (I KNOW!) for the fourth day (ugh), and the rain has just started to let up after 6 miles. Mom and Grum, stop reading now. Most of Highway 50 has pitiful shoulders for bikers to ride on, but this particular portion had none at all, so we were out in the road a little bit....with vehicles passing at 70+ mph. It is not ideal, but what can you do? The road gets a little twisty, and around one particular turn, we were out of sight of any vehicle coming behind us (even with my stupid little yellow flag flying behind my trailer). A motorcycle was coming on the opposite side of the road, and we hear the familiar rumbling of a vehicle behind us at the same time....but he can't see us, and we're in the lane. **Before I go on, can I just tell you how freakin' rare it is to have two vehicles crossing at the same time we are on the road? Like, next to impossible. We go miles without seeing anything. I'm serious, this was weird** Anyway, this story is getting long, but lets just say we are almost run off the road by this giant blue pick-up truck that didn't see us. I didn't think it was that big of a deal....he didn't even seem that close. Or we're getting used to it. One or the other.
But the story gets better....about half an hour down the road, a big blue pick-up truck is coming from the opposite direction, and it is slowing down...a lot. Then the truck comes to a stop, and the driver rolls down the window to ask if we are ok. This guy (sweet sweet old man...Angela, you would love him!) took the time to turn around and come back to check on us, albeit 30 minutes later. But to make it up to us, he said he would give us a ride to Ely! Well, who are we to say "no"? I'm glad he almost ran us off the road with a pick-up, because we would have had some trouble if it was a sports car.
Bob ended up being a super sweet retired man from Reno who was on the way to visit his father in Colorado one last time before he passed away (his dad is 97). We had some delightful conversation, and as it turns out, he got his giant blue pick-up truck 2 days ago and wasn't really comfortable using it yet. Lucky for us, I guess? Five minutes after we got in the truck, it started to storm. And this time there was lightning...so I took it as a sign. The Big Man must have been looking out for us.
Bob was great, and Bethany and I thanked him for the ride when we got to Ely an hour later. I really had trouble restraining myself from giving Bob a giant bear hug, and for any of you that know my obsession with cute old men, you know where I'm coming from.
So now we're in Ely, approximately 5 hours earlier than expected. And before you ask, yes, I feel like a little bit of a cheater, but I'm in it for the experiences, not to get killed by lightning or giant blue pick-ups:) Lucky for us there was another library in Ely with internet access. We're staying at a historic motel/casino/dive bar/restaurant, and the plumbing is so old that there are written warnings everywhere telling us that the shower can switch from hot to cold without warning. Awesome. The peep hole is actually just a hole in the door, and anyone can see inside. Also awesome. But on the bright side, we got tickets for a free margarita at the hotel bar...and that really is awesome. No sarcasm.
I really really really wish there was some way that I could upload pictures. We have some fabulous images from Cali (not so much from Nevada because it is a giant waste of good land. How anything survives here is beyond my understanding), not to mention I have some great images of my new haircut. Out with the long brown, in with the very short black. Yikes.
We have some camping ahead of us, so not sure when the next post will be:) If you care enough to be reading this, you're super-cool. And thats no joke. :)
It was kinda a horrible day to ride. Tons of hills, and the weather was crappy. About 14 miles into the ride, it started to rain. Hard. I had some "laundry" hooked to the back of the bike drying, so that was a bust. We trekked on for another 6 miles until the rain let up a little bit. By then we were soaked to the bone. And cold. Unfortunately for us, we couldn't have stopped if we wanted to. Eureka (the town we were in the previous night) and Ely (the town where we were headed) are separated by 78 miles of NOTHING. There is no gas station, no restaurants or cafes, no rest stops....the only thing on the road worth mentioning are two little white tables set up for passing drivers to lunch on. No water, no hills to camp in....getting my drift?
So Bethany and I had no choice but to make it to Ely. We weren't really psyched about the hills, but they weren't too bad to start. Not to mention that ever UP hill has a DOWN:). Fun times.
Anyway, we are still on Highway 50 (I KNOW!) for the fourth day (ugh), and the rain has just started to let up after 6 miles. Mom and Grum, stop reading now. Most of Highway 50 has pitiful shoulders for bikers to ride on, but this particular portion had none at all, so we were out in the road a little bit....with vehicles passing at 70+ mph. It is not ideal, but what can you do? The road gets a little twisty, and around one particular turn, we were out of sight of any vehicle coming behind us (even with my stupid little yellow flag flying behind my trailer). A motorcycle was coming on the opposite side of the road, and we hear the familiar rumbling of a vehicle behind us at the same time....but he can't see us, and we're in the lane. **Before I go on, can I just tell you how freakin' rare it is to have two vehicles crossing at the same time we are on the road? Like, next to impossible. We go miles without seeing anything. I'm serious, this was weird** Anyway, this story is getting long, but lets just say we are almost run off the road by this giant blue pick-up truck that didn't see us. I didn't think it was that big of a deal....he didn't even seem that close. Or we're getting used to it. One or the other.
But the story gets better....about half an hour down the road, a big blue pick-up truck is coming from the opposite direction, and it is slowing down...a lot. Then the truck comes to a stop, and the driver rolls down the window to ask if we are ok. This guy (sweet sweet old man...Angela, you would love him!) took the time to turn around and come back to check on us, albeit 30 minutes later. But to make it up to us, he said he would give us a ride to Ely! Well, who are we to say "no"? I'm glad he almost ran us off the road with a pick-up, because we would have had some trouble if it was a sports car.
Bob ended up being a super sweet retired man from Reno who was on the way to visit his father in Colorado one last time before he passed away (his dad is 97). We had some delightful conversation, and as it turns out, he got his giant blue pick-up truck 2 days ago and wasn't really comfortable using it yet. Lucky for us, I guess? Five minutes after we got in the truck, it started to storm. And this time there was lightning...so I took it as a sign. The Big Man must have been looking out for us.
Bob was great, and Bethany and I thanked him for the ride when we got to Ely an hour later. I really had trouble restraining myself from giving Bob a giant bear hug, and for any of you that know my obsession with cute old men, you know where I'm coming from.
So now we're in Ely, approximately 5 hours earlier than expected. And before you ask, yes, I feel like a little bit of a cheater, but I'm in it for the experiences, not to get killed by lightning or giant blue pick-ups:) Lucky for us there was another library in Ely with internet access. We're staying at a historic motel/casino/dive bar/restaurant, and the plumbing is so old that there are written warnings everywhere telling us that the shower can switch from hot to cold without warning. Awesome. The peep hole is actually just a hole in the door, and anyone can see inside. Also awesome. But on the bright side, we got tickets for a free margarita at the hotel bar...and that really is awesome. No sarcasm.
I really really really wish there was some way that I could upload pictures. We have some fabulous images from Cali (not so much from Nevada because it is a giant waste of good land. How anything survives here is beyond my understanding), not to mention I have some great images of my new haircut. Out with the long brown, in with the very short black. Yikes.
We have some camping ahead of us, so not sure when the next post will be:) If you care enough to be reading this, you're super-cool. And thats no joke. :)
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