Fresno County Bicycle Coalition

Today was a miracle.  After the storm that rolled in last night I feared the worst.  But we actually remained dry all day.  The cloud cover kept the temps down most of the day although there was a couple of hours in the day that my computer on the bike registered over 100 degrees.  But a storm front came in and dumped some rain just ahead of us and the temperature dropped to the mid 80’s.  What a relief!

About an hour after we got in to our motel another storm front came in with thunder, wind, lightning and sheeting rain.  But that has passed on as well.  I hope our luck continues….it made for a much more enjoyable day.

I rode with Greg again today and Tom decided to stay back and help as well. 

Jeanine, as usual, was powering it up in front, mostly with Doug keeping her company.  They actually got hit by the earlier deluge of rain that we avoided by being slower. 

Overall, a long day, but a better weather day.  The humidity still is something new and novel to experience.  By the first rest stop today we were all just dripping wet.  It hasn’t been terribly uncomfortable but just unusual to have so much moisture in the air and on our skin.

These multi-route signs are common.  Thankfully, our laminated daily route sheets are so detailed that you have to work at getting lost.  And when its is even a little ambiguous, the PAC crew paints the arrows on the road.

Rollers….and more rollers.  We climbed 4,000 ft today but actually went just 300 ft higher in elevation from Livingston to Greenville.

Crossing the Alabama River.

When Weiner Dogs Attack!  Two of em almost got Greg.  I was laughing too hard to get a good picture.  I took this picture for my friend Jeanie Borba, even though I know she will be upset that they were out in the road…even if it was just to try to chew off Greg’s shoe.

Historic cabin in Pine Apple, Alabama.  Our last rest stop of the day.

As we rode by, we said hey was that a goat on the front porch?  After we took this picture the goat and the dog below chased us.!

Tom, left.  Greg, right.  This was a good day for Greg because he found another license plate on the side of the road to add to his collection.

We came in on beautiful rural roads….

Four days left.  Its gone by so fast.  Now when we get together for dinner it is starting to sink in that we won’t be doing this much longer and we are going to miss our Pac Tour family.  Are we going to miss breakfast in the parking lot at 6am, the pain in our legs, living out of our suitcase, doing laundry in the motel sink, drinking sport drink, smearing chamois butter in our shorts?…..maybe.  But mostly we will miss the camaraderie of accomplishing this sometimes really difficult trip….together.

Good night,  and TGIF for tomorrow.

Lori

 

I have finished my ride.  Hung up my wet dirty clothes to dry and wash tomorrow.  The warm shower is always the best at the end of these rides.  Ate an Alabama fish fry dinner.  I am warm, dry, fed and sitting on my bed writing this. 

The thunder outside just got my attention.  Big flashes of lightning.  I just looked out the window and the rain is coming down so hard I can’t see the cars parked in the parking lot outside.  Hard to get excited about riding in that another day….but hopefully this is a night t-storm that will be finished by morning.  Sheets of rain….jeez!  Scary lightning! 

 

Today’s ride started in pouring rain again.  But this time I was better prepared.  Just because it 70 to 80 degrees outside doesn’t mean you won’t get cold if you are soaking wet!  Rain jackets trap all the heat inside and it feels like a sauna….but it sure beat hypothermia!  So I rode the morning in my rain jacket unzipped and it worked just fine.  By lunch the rain had cleared and it was just slightly steamy warm in the 80’s.

 

Today I rode with young Greg.  He had a really tough day yesterday and ended up riding alone and came in about 1 1/2 hours after everyone else, after 6:30pm.  All day I thought he was ahead of us since we had to stop for so many flats.  But he actually had 5 flats yesterday and the first one was about 2 miles from the start.  That put him way behind everyone. 

By the time he came in last night, his feet had been waterlogged for so long that his skin was folded in deep prune-like creases on the soles of his feet and it was painful for him to walk.  I felt so bad for him.  Being out in that extreme weather is hard enough, but alone, and with so many problems is super tough.

Luckily today was much better.  No flats, rain only in the morning, dryer feet.

Tomorrow’s ride is 127 miles.  Forecast….rain.  Sigh!

But when it stopped raining today I could finally take a few pictures:

Well.  Was it something I did?

This is Greg’s foot today by lunchtime. Our shoes are like little swimming pools filling with water that comes off our wheels on the wet road. Yesterday was 10 times worse.  We stopped at Payless shoes today in a town we rode through and bought him some dry socks.  His feet are size 14.  He is only 16…

We hooked up with Sue later in the morning and rode with her the rest of the day.

This is what the rural households use for trash containers out on the road.  Keeps the critters out.

Kudzu is the vine that is growing over everything here.  It is called the “vine that ate the south.”  It is super invasive and grows a foot a day.  It is a climbing, coiling, trailing vine that originated in Japan and is out of control here.  It creates a weird rounded landscape that is very green but Dr. Seuss-like.

We crossed into Alabama today but on rural roads and had no welcome sign.  This is Doug and Greg after dinner at the town sign….Our plan is to turn around and get the Alabama sign when we cross into Georgia.

Wishing I was in Fresno roasting in the heat and wishing for a little rain once in a while.

Stay dry and I’ll try too.

Love,

Lori

 

 

The Weather:  Unbelievable!  Truly, amazingly, unbelievable.

The prediction was for torrential rain, at times.  How about…most of the day!  We started in pouring rain at 7am this morning.  And then it started raining harder.  And then the wind was blowing.  The rain was like cold darts hitting us for hours.  I have ridden in my share of rain.  Lots of rainy days….but never has so much water poured down on my head for so long.  We had a couple of hours near the end of the day that it stopped….and then all hell broke loose and we were like salmon swimming upstream going over rollers that were rivers for the final hour.  If I had been in a car, I would have pulled over and waited for it to stop.  But we were 10 miles from town and had been out on our bikes for over 9 hours in the wet stuff.  We just wanted to be done.

So many of the riders had multiple flat tires today.  The rain kicks up rocks, thorns and wires and the tires just pick it up.  The flats made the day even longer and harder. 

But it was such an insanely wet crazy day that we found ourselves just laughing.  These trying times out on the bike are when you appreciate your fellow riders more than any other time.  We all got each other through it.  Today I had to pass up a rest stop because I was just too cold to stand still and we had already stopped to help someone with a flat.  When Jay caught up to me later after I stopped to help someone else with a flat, he had brought me a wrapped rice crispy treat.  It was so thoughtful and so needed.  And then at lunch, Alan, who wasn’t going to continue riding, loaned me his jacket.  Those two acts of kindness did more to save my day than anything else. 

I took only a few pictures in the morning because to take my camera out in the rain would have ruined it.  I am pretty sure we rode through areas that probably dumped 4 inches of rain in an hour.  You could see it up ahead through the rain…a wall of more rain….and then you would hit it.

As you can see our visibility was bad and there was no shoulder on a lot of the roads.  It was a dangerous day and there was only one crash.  Melissa from Australia fell when her wheel got caught in a longitudinal crack in the road.  She had a hip replacement prior to this trip and fell on that side.  Xrays were done and it seems everything is ok but she is on crutches and I am not sure if she will be able to ride the rest of the way. 

Tonight, now that we are all in…the weather has cleared and it is a lovely night.  We will cross our fingers for good weather tomorrow.  Rain is 40% likely tomorrow.  Our route tomorrow is shorter but has a lot more climbing.  Everyone is pretty beat up from today so I am sure tomorrow will be a tough one too but we will be crossing another state line, in to Alabama!

Joke of the day:  Why did the chicken cross the road?

Answer:  To show the armadillo it could be done.

(still seeing lots of those nasty things as road kill!)

Love ya,

Dreaming Dry!

Lori

Today wasn’t a picture taking day.  We had a flat route and everyone was in a hurry to get in early. So it was 135 miles and 7 hours of being in a pace line.   Doug wanted to get in so he could visit the Blues Museum.  Clarksdale is the birthplace of the blues.  I know why.  Its hot, poor and depressing here.

Jeanine had family to visit.  And I promised to come with her so she wouldn’t have to face them alone.  Her family is Mennonite.  So she warned me to clean up my language, wear a skirt and try to behave myself. In return for good behavior, I would be rewarded with lots of wonderful home cooked Mennonite food.  And I was!

Jeanine’s mother’s cousin, Eldin Schmidt, took us on a short car tour of the town’s highlights.  The Blues Museum, Morgan Freemans Blue’s Club Ground Zero, and a fun crazy hotel called the Shack Up Inn that has converted a cotton mill into a B & B (thats Bed and Beer). http://www.shackupinn.com/  If I ever find myself back in Clarksdale, Mississippi…which I doubt….I will certainly book a shack there.

Dinner was delightful.  Eldin invited the whole clan and there must have been about 40 people.  The best part was hanging out with the kids.  There were at least a dozen and they were all wonderful.  Mostly girls ages 4-6.  And a few older boys 6-8.  The kids took me out to play on the gigantic John Deere tractor…very fun.  They took me out into the soybean fields…I had never seen soybeans plants growing up close and it is their most abundant crop and these people are all farmers. 

But then the kids convinced me to trek down the dirt road between the fields, it had just rained an hour earlier.  I was introduced to Mississippi Delta MUD.  The kids were all barefoot and I had my sandals on.  In 4 minutes we were all sliding in mud that stuck to us like glue.  It took 45 minutes and a scrub brush before we got that stuff off!  I wish I could share pictures with you but I forgot my camera.  We took some shots with Jeanine’s camera but she can’t download them.  Beautiful children though….

So today’s ride was a fast sweat-fest.  From 9am on the humidity is just there- the heat is oppressive–and our jerseys and shorts felt like we showered in em.  The highlights of the ride were crossing the Mississippi River and crossing another state-line from Ark to Miss.

Snack stop at a rice mill. 

I know you can’t see this picture well but it is Jeanine getting chased by about 6 dogs…They have just given up. 

Soybeans….Corn…….Soybeans……Corn….More Soybeans…..more Corn….that’s all we really saw today.

Heading up the bridge over the Mississippi River

Jeanine and I cross another state line….Our 10th state crossing.

The ride tomorrow is 135 miles again.  But the forecast is for torrential rain at times. Can’t wait!  When it rains here, it really really rains here.  And rain jackets in this heat are a joke. 

We might be swimming….

Take care,

We will too….

Lori

 

Today started with rain as soon as we mounted our bikes.  But it actually turned out to be a good thing…kept the temps down!  I think it was in the mid 80’s all day. 

Great names of these towns….we had a moment.  Russell, me, Jeanine and Doug. Tom is the photographer.

Doug at the first rest stop of the day.

Picturesque roads with little or no traffic….and mostly flat with small rollers.  And the rain finally stopped.

This is Bob.  We haven’t seen him much during this tour because he is usually so far back that he comes in when we are going to dinner.  Now he has lost about 10 lbs or more and we don’t have so many of the hills that he hates….and he is getting stronger.  So today he rode more or less with the group all day.  Great guy!

I now have FAITH that I am going to make it to Savannah.  Those hard windy days in Texas made me really have my doubts. 

Some of the locals tampered with the road sign!  I don’t think this one is MUTCD approved!

At the end of every day the crew sets up a bike cleaning station.  Jeanine is doing a fine job!  Today’s rain meant we really needed to get the grit and mud off, and clean and lube the chain for tomorrow.  It looks like we are in for a week of on and off rain here in the south.

Hope your weekend was memorable….if you took pictures, send me some!

Cheers,

Lori

 

 

OH MAH GAWD……We have officially arrived in the HOT, STICKY, STEAMY SOUTH.

We dropped down in altitude off of the parkway hills into amazing humidity.  98% humidity, 95 degrees.  When we would stop to take a picture in the morning….our glasses would fog up and water beaded up on our skin.  WOW.

The humidity means it is wet here. The vegetation is thick.  The air is filled with the loud steady hum of the cicadas, crickets and who knows what else coming from the woods all around us.  Today was a nice spin out from yesterdays climbing and we stopped a lot to visit little stores in tiny little towns along the way and sip a soda out on a stool in front of a store.  It is actually better to be riding than standing still in this humidity because then you at least have a slight breeze.  It does make you feel pretty sluggish though.

These guys ran the little store in the town of Big Fork.  I told them I needed a picture to make my husband jealous.  Sweet…            .Willy?  Worried?

I took this sitting outside a store in Norman.  Greg’s hair is getting so long it is popping out the top of his helmet.

Plants are growing and taking over this dilapidated building.

This is Doug standing in front of the great BBQ place we went to dinner tonight. 

We all have these wonderful tan lines….I think they will be with us for life!

 

Tomorrow is another easy day….I think the heat and humidity will be with us for the rest of the trip.  On our day of a million rollers…Tom said to me when I was sighing and looking ahead a bunch more hills to climb  that I should   ”Just submit to it”.  That’s how I feel about the humidity and heat.  I ride a little slower and sweat a little more but hey…its great to be riding my bike!

Later,

Lori

The weather:  At times on the lower climbs my computer registered close to 100 degrees but as we rode along the ridge breezes kept the temps in the lower 90’s.

Riding Companion:  Just young Greg.  We rode together in a large group about the first 50 miles but then at the rest stop just before the climb, Greg got a back tire flat.  As everyone left the rest stop I saw he would be alone and one of the last ones up the hill.  Shucks.  I wasn’t in a hurry.  It took about 45 minutes to get him  back on the road but then the pressure was off to keep up with anyone.  He told me stories all the way up the mountain and we had a great time. 

The first part of the ride from the hotel was a gentle descent and we rode in a large peleton.  Then we turned off to head toward the Parkway. 

OOps!

Road Closed.

Lon Haldeman, our ride leader was riding with us this morning.  As we stopped to regroup and figure out how to negotiate a detour that took us way out of our way and truck from the construction site pulled up to the barriers.  He said we could not go on the closed road because a bridge was out and they were working on it.

I knew we were in trouble when Lon asked…

“How deep is the river?”

I am not much of a swimmer so this had me worried.  After some discussion our group decided to take our chances with the bridge construction instead of adding miles to an already long day.  It all worked out just fine as you can see from the pictures below.

The River.

Once we finally were  back on pavement the fun climbing began.  The road wound around the tops of the hills like a snake.  The descents were steep and fast….the climbs were steep and slow.  We would descend going about 35 mph …fly up the first 1/3 of the next hill and then ratchet down the gears as fast as we could to maintain 5mph up the next 2/3 of the climb and then just grind it out.  Every curve was a surprise…would the road go down?, up?, to the left?, right? 

Lots of pictures below:

It was like doing the last mile of Wildcat 10 times but with only 4 descents between.  And to look at the climbs was like coming from Mariposa to Oakhurst and seeing the huge climb ahead.  Lisa would have loved this part and I thought of her a lot all day.  She got so excited when she saw the profile of this day. 

Crossing our 9th state line….Arkansas.

Cleaning my bike at the end of the ride…esp after the construction site.  Beer fits nicely in the bottle cages.

I borrowed this from a different kind of BIKER.  But it adds too much weight to my bike.

 

Hope you have a GREAT WEEKEND.  We have 10 days left and now it seems like the trip is flying by too fast.

Hugs,

Lori