Wednesday, October 5, 2011
The aftermath of the storm...
Much more like a December storm... Lots of tired wet riders but we're coping.
Wetness aside, the fog was pretty this morning and the lack of rain at dawn was as welcome as anything!
That's my blue tent on the left. No the tree cover didn't help...
The bikes got some cover last night but my saddle is assuredly wet.
Wetness aside, the fog was pretty this morning and the lack of rain at dawn was as welcome as anything!
That's my blue tent on the left. No the tree cover didn't help...
The bikes got some cover last night but my saddle is assuredly wet.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Brutal rain...
The rain is so bad tonight people can't sleep... Lots of wind and wet tents. A few looked at the nearby barn for shelter but it's locked. Bad night. Hope this lets up soon.
Biking this kind of distance is enough of a challenge without rain and lack of sleep thrown in! My tent's relatively dry inside but I've got some seepage or (more likely) condensation here and here.
In a word: "duuuuuuude."
Biking this kind of distance is enough of a challenge without rain and lack of sleep thrown in! My tent's relatively dry inside but I've got some seepage or (more likely) condensation here and here.
In a word: "duuuuuuude."
Day 3 ending thoughts
Technology is odd... I'm in a tent with wifi access but no cell signal.
As predicted it's raining steadily right now. The structure situation seemed unresolved at best as the first drops came down so I quickly pitched the tent and got in while still dry. I had plenty of food left over from the ride so I'm sticking it out in here and skipping the evening events. Why bother getting wet?
The ride today was fun... Tomorrow, I'm not loving. The prospect of another icy wet day is not high on my list of to do's but there's not much in the way of options short of skipping and riding windy roads in support vans til I get motion sick. I know... Some choice, eh? I'll probably rock the ride ;)
SF is less than 100 miles away! Crazy!
As predicted it's raining steadily right now. The structure situation seemed unresolved at best as the first drops came down so I quickly pitched the tent and got in while still dry. I had plenty of food left over from the ride so I'm sticking it out in here and skipping the evening events. Why bother getting wet?
The ride today was fun... Tomorrow, I'm not loving. The prospect of another icy wet day is not high on my list of to do's but there's not much in the way of options short of skipping and riding windy roads in support vans til I get motion sick. I know... Some choice, eh? I'll probably rock the ride ;)
SF is less than 100 miles away! Crazy!
Not a century kinda day...
Ended in Gualala today... Fun ride with lots of ups and downs. The mechanic Brian told me what I already knew... My rear cassette is not geared for these kinds of climbs. I always felt I was working so much harder than others on hills despite being in comparable shape. So, that explains it.
My expression here is comical and odd...
Gualala is awesome. Getting a grilled cheese because I can.
Getting shuttled to camp - rain is in the air. Definitely thinking shelter over tent tonight...
My expression here is comical and odd...
Gualala is awesome. Getting a grilled cheese because I can.
Getting shuttled to camp - rain is in the air. Definitely thinking shelter over tent tonight...
Midpoint...
What a difference a day makes! Cool and dry conditions and I'm rolling about 35 milesinto a 65ish day. The coast has been stunning...
Looking forward to My favorite Mendocino County coastal town of Gualala in the early afternoon!
Rain likely tonight... Might try to sack out in a structure rather than tent it. We'll see...
Looking forward to My favorite Mendocino County coastal town of Gualala in the early afternoon!
Rain likely tonight... Might try to sack out in a structure rather than tent it. We'll see...
Day 3...
Early start!
Should be dry until tonight, then more rain. I have one dry pair of shoes left. We'll see how dry they stay!
Should be dry until tonight, then more rain. I have one dry pair of shoes left. We'll see how dry they stay!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Much better
Had a great night and a good dinner... Tonight's speakers included the 1% for the Planet presentation, which is the group I'm biking with.
Goal is to do the century tomorrow. Bike will be fixed or hacked to work by the time we're out on the road eaaaaarly. 5am van to breakfast and bikes and on the road by 7. Sleep will be outrageously awesome.
Goal is to do the century tomorrow. Bike will be fixed or hacked to work by the time we're out on the road eaaaaarly. 5am van to breakfast and bikes and on the road by 7. Sleep will be outrageously awesome.
Day 2... Welcome to hell
I have no pictures today, only bad, bad, cold memories...
The rain began last night at 11pm and is... Wait let me check... Yep, still going. Everything got wet, although my tent handled the night ok.
The ride was a brutally wet and windy day hovering around 55. The biggest obstacle was Leggett Hill, a monster between the redwood region and the coast of Mendocino County. I made it up the 6 miles then down the looping, winding 12 miles gaining a new appreciation of wind chill factor. As I approached the final hill before the coast (shorter but steeper) my saddle came half unattached... I lost a bolt someplace on Leggett Hill. So, I vanned the rest of the way to Fort Bragg with a bunch of grumpy Climate Riders.
Turns out everyone had a rough day. So much so, we are now taking over the Fort Bragg Quality Inn tonight. Let me tell you: that hot shower was worth everything.
Weather is supposed to improve tomorrow then degrade Wednesday. The bike needs some TLC but I'll deal with it mañana - tonight is about warm food and a warm bed. I'll return to my (hopefully dry) tent tomorrow night.
When it will rain again.
##Sigh.##
The rain began last night at 11pm and is... Wait let me check... Yep, still going. Everything got wet, although my tent handled the night ok.
The ride was a brutally wet and windy day hovering around 55. The biggest obstacle was Leggett Hill, a monster between the redwood region and the coast of Mendocino County. I made it up the 6 miles then down the looping, winding 12 miles gaining a new appreciation of wind chill factor. As I approached the final hill before the coast (shorter but steeper) my saddle came half unattached... I lost a bolt someplace on Leggett Hill. So, I vanned the rest of the way to Fort Bragg with a bunch of grumpy Climate Riders.
Turns out everyone had a rough day. So much so, we are now taking over the Fort Bragg Quality Inn tonight. Let me tell you: that hot shower was worth everything.
Weather is supposed to improve tomorrow then degrade Wednesday. The bike needs some TLC but I'll deal with it mañana - tonight is about warm food and a warm bed. I'll return to my (hopefully dry) tent tomorrow night.
When it will rain again.
##Sigh.##
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Your bike is busted...
That's not what the mechanic told me, but it's practically true.
But first... The rest of the ride. My blogging went downhill for two reasons: (a) no signal - I expect that to be an issue for much of the ride and (b) the dynamo? Mmm, yeah not so much. I need to start with lots of juice and not draw do much. That means no streaming football games and even more sadly, no more tracking my ride with the gps. Total bummer.
The bike. Yeah, so the bearings in my rear wheel are shot. It rides, but when I coast downhill my chain loses tension, and it's a bit of an issue. Next bike shop is at water break 2. That's good. Bad? I have a 12 mile decent tomorrow. Rather than coast it I might have to pedal. I'm prepared to hate tomorrow, but we'll see. The upside is we bike to the coast.
Did I mention it's likely to rain all day? Yeah. Awesome.
Yoga tomorrow at 7... off to sleep. Here's some more cool pics through the Avenue of the Giants today. Simply awesome.
But first... The rest of the ride. My blogging went downhill for two reasons: (a) no signal - I expect that to be an issue for much of the ride and (b) the dynamo? Mmm, yeah not so much. I need to start with lots of juice and not draw do much. That means no streaming football games and even more sadly, no more tracking my ride with the gps. Total bummer.
The bike. Yeah, so the bearings in my rear wheel are shot. It rides, but when I coast downhill my chain loses tension, and it's a bit of an issue. Next bike shop is at water break 2. That's good. Bad? I have a 12 mile decent tomorrow. Rather than coast it I might have to pedal. I'm prepared to hate tomorrow, but we'll see. The upside is we bike to the coast.
Did I mention it's likely to rain all day? Yeah. Awesome.
Yoga tomorrow at 7... off to sleep. Here's some more cool pics through the Avenue of the Giants today. Simply awesome.
8 miles, first break?
Yep.
And PS I'll be damned if I don't have my Bills on if "we" have a shot at 4-0. Thank you Internet, cell phone streaming and 97 Rock...
And PS I'll be damned if I don't have my Bills on if "we" have a shot at 4-0. Thank you Internet, cell phone streaming and 97 Rock...
Day 1...
I've never been a morning person. Then I started biking. I'm still not a morning person but the morning of a big trip I'm up and at em. I promised myself I'd wait til sunrise before I got really going.
Yeah that didn't happen. I took this shot after a shower and a cup of coffee and... Well it was pitch black when I was rockin it all out. The crazy breakfast setup for all 120 of us is getting up to speed so I'll stop writing and get me some calories. I'll need them!
Yeah that didn't happen. I took this shot after a shower and a cup of coffee and... Well it was pitch black when I was rockin it all out. The crazy breakfast setup for all 120 of us is getting up to speed so I'll stop writing and get me some calories. I'll need them!
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