The Importance of Rest Days (June 30, 2012)

We have been staying at my friend Nomi’s house in Rochester.  We stocked up on needed items, get me a new rear wheel (yay!) and rested.  We are both ready to get back on the road tomorrow but it has been wonderful to rest.

In the past, we have had the tendency to push ourselves and not rest much.  This is a big mistake. Over the course of a couple of days, my saddle sores have healed, my bug bites have subsided, and my knee feels better.  My body needed to rest. 

Through this trip there are many lessons to be learnt.  One of them is pacing.  I am not so good at this – I often will try to do too much and then get myself overwhelmed.  However, on the road pacing is critical.  We need to pace ourselves each day – taking short breaks along the way, eating regularly, and stopping when we are either too tired or it gets too hot.  We also have to pace ourselves over time.  Rest days are one way of taking care of ourselves which will give us enough energy to make it over the long haul.

  

The Saddle Consultation (June 28, 2012)

Checking out the saddle

We are on our way to Rochester and stopped in Fairport, NY.  We saw three women on bikes and asked if there was a bathroom nearby.  They inquired about our trip and we started to tell them we had come from Boston, but before we could even tell them, they noticed my saddle (which is rather unusual – it is a Selle SMP TRK which has a turned down nose).  They were intrigued by its shape and asked about comfort.  I happen to like this saddle quite a bit and it is on all my bikes.  We talked about how saddles are a very personal thing and how the ones that come with bikes are usually very uncomfortable.  It took me three tries to find one that suited me.

I also told them about the women’s cycling site www.teamestrogen.com.  It was fun to share my experiences with these women. 

The Spirited Bunch

DW: As Pata would say, these three ladies were a spirited bunch. They were impressed by the quest we were on and the distance it would take to achieve it. One woman commented that after an 8 mile ride she needed a two hour nap. The encounter turned into a spontaneous saddle consultation, the three of them huddled around Pata’s saddle like doctors around a patient. I realized their bikes were probably not as comfortable as they could be.

At the bathroom entrance a man asked me how far we were going. “L.A.,” I replied. “Wow,” he said and added, “good luck!” I find that when people see our bikes fully loaded it immediately piques their interest. We have people roll their windows down at intersections asking where we are going. One woman, when hearing our destination, used her index finger to make a rolling motion around the side of her head, the universal sign of: these two are nuts! Maybe she’s right.

We leave Rochester tomorrow with two days of rest under our belts (although we did venture out this morning so we would know our route in the early morning and racked up about 8 miles). I want to be  back on my bike, the heat and wind welcome friends as we pedal westward. I’m into the rhythm of daily riding so it feels weird to interrupt it. 

Bicycle Sculptures From Today (June 28, 2012)

This is my favorite!

Why I Am Riding Across The Country

June 22, 2012

We saw this sign early in the trip (June 22^nd to be exact) and David took a picture of it.  It made a lot of sense to us.  For me, there are many levels that this is true.  For one, given my ongoing struggle with major depression, many people would think that riding across country would be impossible.  How can a woman with such major mental health issues do such a feat?  I say, “one pedal stroke at a time!”  However, all kidding aside, one of the reason I ride is to break the stigma of depression and show myself and the world that I can accomplish many things (and have) even with depression.

So, one reason I am riding across the country is to break stigma of depression and informally for the organization Families for Depression Awareness for which I volunteer.  The organization educates about depressive disorders and suicide prevention.  I have done a number of interviews and presentations for them and feel that they make a real difference.  They are committed to breaking down the stigma of depression. (For more information about FFDA see www.familyaware.org.)

I also ride because I am fifty years old and not getting younger.  Going across is on my “bucket list” and now seemed the right time.  David will be sixty this year and this has been a lifelong dream of his.   It is also the year of the dragon – David’s Chinese zodiac sign. I want to be true to my father’s advice to do the things of your dreams while you can.

I also think that “it is fun to do the impossible” and figure out how to approach it.  If I look at how many days and miles the whole trips is too much, it feels impossible.  If I think about all of the wind, rain, heat, bugs, sleepless nights, sunburns, rashes, aches and worries, I get totally paralyzed.  It seems impossible.  But in my heart, I know it is not impossible.  It is about perspective and being in the present moment.  Am I riding, focusing on each pedal stroke?  Am I sitting by the Erie Canal resting?  Am I mapping out the next day?  If I focus on the present moment and what I need to do in it, then it is not so overwhelming. 

The journey itself can also be fun, although there are times it is not.  It is fun to be in new places and meeting new people I would have never met had I not done this.  It is wonderful to be surprised by stranger’s warmth and kindness.  (This is not always the case, but more often than not it is.)  It is adventuresome and stretches my comfort zone which leads me to growth.  I am committed to growing, despite its challenges.  I really do believe that life is a journey not a destination.

Also, I know if I finish, I will be proud and feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment.  Even if I don’t, I have already traveled more miles on a single tour than I even have done before.  This is an accomplishment in itself.  I feel it represents willingness and perseverance to go forward despite obstacles and limitations.  It reflects the nature of my spirit and says something about who I am and what I can do.  It reflects my belief that life is about possibilities and that we should never let others say that the possible is impossible.

Pictures From Today (June 26, 2012)

Riding the Erie Canal Trail

Stopped to taste gourmet coffee at a roasting company.  Coffee was okay.  Not as good as Peets.

David's bike as packed and fully loaded

Picture from Syracuse.

Pata at one of the bridges crossing the canal.

Sign from the small town we are staying in tonight.

Station 10 to the Rescue! (June 26, 2012)

Add caption

So there is a theme to some of these blogs of us getting lost and then helped by others to find our way.  (This is not a very good endorsement for Google Maps bicycle.)  We were just at the edge of Syracuse and not looking forward to going through the city much.  We have been lost in Worchester, Pittsfield, and Albany, ending up in bad neighborhoods and having to hammer (on the fifty plus pound touring bikes) to get out.  I was not looking forward to doing this once again, but not sure how to avoid it.

So here we were lost and heading into the city when we pulled into Fire Station 10.  The team was spirited and gave us great directions with landmarks and main routes to follow.  (Google has a way of leading one astray and onto small roads without signs – which can be okay in rural places but not great in the inner city. 

We had a fun chat with the fire fighters (as you can see there was a woman in the bunch). One fellow had just gotten a bike and we gave him some advice about saddles.  They were all interested in our mission to get to LA.  Once again the directions angel was looking out for us!

DW: These guys are great! The directions were accurate to a tee. Our rolling into their driveway broke up their day and made ours. Thank you Station Ten staff for your help!

The Trail Guide Steve: June 24, 2012

Steve and Pata

So it is Sunday and we make it back to the Erie Canal Trail which goes on and off the road as well.  It can be rather confusing.  We were at one place where we saw a fellow cyclist and asked him for directions.  He kindly gave them to us and then came back to find us at one particularly tricky place where you had to go through a parking lot to get to the other side of the trail.  He rode with us for quite a while.  His name was Steve and we learned a lot about him during the ten miles we rode with him. 

For one, he is a nude model for art classes at local colleges as well as a kitchen remodeler.  He also was a runner but is having back problems and knee problems and as a result is doing more cycling.  He has done a number of triathlons and competitive running.  (We seem to find a lot of men who have the same story as David.)  Anyway, he led us along until he had to turn back.  We appreciated his guidance about the trail and his company

The Budget Inn and The Denny-ites: June 24, 2012

Last night we spent the night at the worst motel I have ever experienced.  It was called the Budget Inn and it looked more like a holding cell at a prison.  It had cinder block ceiling and walls which were stained.  Both David and I sat in the chairs and ended up with wet butts.  (David wondered why just his ass was sweating.)  I don’t even want to think about WHY those chairs were wet.  I put a plastic bag on one of them in order to sit on it.

In any event, the motel was right next to a 24 hour Denny’s.  In the morning, I walked over and when I arrived, the server, a cheery toothless man named George said that he saw me coming and almost got the coffee ready.  I asked for a smoothie for David and he said that he could get the coffee but asked another server to do the smoothie.  She was on it, saying that she made the best smoothies.  They were quite a spirited team, especially for an early Sunday morning. 

I asked if they had muffins, and they said no, but offered me donuts that a girl, who seemed to be George’s girlfriend had brought in for them.  (They were from Dunkins.)  Somehow it came out that we were riding our bikes across country and that we had stopped in Herkimer because we needed a bike shop.  The smoothie girl said that her grandmother had worked at that bike shop.  I was surprised that a woman of her grandmother’s generation was a mechanic.  The whole experience warmed me and I am reminded that one can find camaraderie in the strangest places.

I went back to the motel and packed up thinking that very different people can relate to each other and inspire each other.  

Leigh Who Saved the Ride: June 23, 2012

Leigh the Mechanic and Pata

So we made it to Dick’s Wheel Shop in Herkimer NY though “the kindness of strangers” and were standing in front of it when a young man rode up on a BMX bike and asked what was up.  I said that I broke a spoke and he said something about how that was a bummer.  He proceeded to open the shop and helped us wheel our bikes into the shop. Such was the beginning of an encounter that would prove to be our wheel salvation.

He looked at the bike and the wheel and said that he could fix it.  I sighed a sigh of relief. He admired the upgrades to the Fuji and the tires but commented that the wheels were the weakest part of the bike.  They were the stock wheels and the rims did not have reinforced spoke eyelets and the hubs were probably made in Taiwan.  We decided once we get to Rochester to get a new wheel.

In the meanwhile, he fixed what I had like a wizard.  He fixed the spoke, trued the wheel, made it right.   

P.S. It's been two days riding since the wheel was fixed and it is still true!


DW: Leigh you did an outstanding job with the wheel! Two days later as we ride the mostly empty Erie Canal bike path I ride behind Pata's bike and the wheel is perfectly true. You are the master of the spoke wrench! Much appreciation for taking us in and getting us out the same day; especially considering your shop is only open for four hours on Saturday.

Angels Named Tony and Kelly

Kelly and Tony

Yesterday was a very difficult day.  It started out okay.  We made our way out of the Albany area and worked our way to St. Johnsville -- a 60 mile trek.  Most of the day was on the Erie Canal Bikeway.  It was a very flat crushed stone and packed dirt trail for the most part.  The trail was off the main roads -- which was relief after the harrowing experiences in Albany where we crossed bridges which were under construction and had only one narrow lane. 

Anyway, somewhere along the way my rear wheel went out of true.  By the end of the day I had a broken spoke and a bicycle that was as David said, “dead in the water.” 

Luckily, we did make it to the very nice marina camp ground, but after taking the cassette off the wheel and trying to fix the spoke it was clear that the job was bigger than I could manage – especially without a right sized spoke and a lot of time. 

So we were pondering what the hell we were going to do, when David saw a man and asked him if he knew where the nearest bike shop was.  The man, whose name was Tony, answered that the nearest one was in Herkimer, which was about 17 miles from the campground.  He told us he was going there in the morning to pick up a wheel he had left there for repair.  David asked him if it was possible for him to give me a ride with the wheel so I could get it fixed.  He said sure, that in fact he could get us and our bikes and gear there because he had his cargo van at the marina and was staying overnight on his boat with his girlfriend Kelly.

The wonder van!

We couldn’t believe his generous offer and accepted it immediately.  We didn’t know if the wheel would be fixable or not, but we could only find out by going to the bike shop. 

We have no idea what we would have done if we hadn’t met Tony.

 

As it turned out, David and Tony were cut of the same cloth.  Both had been smokers who gave up the cigarettes for running marathons.  Both had blown out their knees and had to have meniscus surgery.  Both had returned to athletic activity way too soon after the surgery and their knees had suffered.  (Kelly and I also had a lot in common as partners of these guys.)  And both David and Tony had turned to bike riding, when they could no longer run.  Strange how these things happen!

Tony and Kelly gave us a ride to Dick’s Wheel Shop in Herkimer and dropped us off.  It also turned out that the owner Dick was a customer of Tony’s.  He owns a water and coffee company called Campione Water Company.  He told us to tell Dick that Tony sent us, in fact brought us to his shop, which we did.

I believe that things happen for a reason and that the Universe will provide what I need.  This was born true by this incident. (David said that the whole thing made him believe in a higher power.) Tony and Kelly were our angels and we are so grateful for their generosity and kindness.   May they be blessed as we were (without the broken spoke though)!  Thank you again, Tony and Kelly.  

Some Pictures of the Tour

Here I am on Day 2.  I don't look too worse for wear. . . yet.

Me after a big climb on Day 3.  Phew!

At the camp site with Rosie the Touring Bear

So David took this picture after we crossed this one lane bridge that was under construction into Albany.  

In Albany. . .the vendor took this picture.  It's really, really hot!

Tuesday: Climbed Goshen Mountian

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Okay, the computer was resurrected to some degree.  (It only works on safe mode and very slowly.)  Yet it functions, which is good.

We are at the DAR State Forrest and don’t have internet or electricity.  This will be posted when I can.

It was a hard climbing day, but short.  We went about 34 miles which is modest, but definitely enough. 

Computer Died

So my computer just died. Sigh. I will be posting when I can or very briefly with my phone. More trials I guess.

Day Two and Still Climbing

We are in Amherst MA on day two.  David got some sunstroke so we decided to get an inexpensive motel to stay the night and hopefully get a reasonable night’s rest.  Day one was rather grueling.  Not only did Google maps take us over the hills (literally) on roads that did not reach our destination, but the climbing was vicious and we got a late start.  We didn’t reach Wells State Park until close to 8 PM after back tracking a few times and getting slightly lost.  Unfortunately, a mile here and there off-course adds up! 

I also think that the fact that David was recently ill and that I had been too busy with my dad’s death, my daughter’s graduation, and getting ready to really train, play a factor in today’s exhaustion.  So the trip has started off with some trials – and David keeps saying, “and it’s just day two!” 

But I think the real lesson is that it IS really just a day at a time (and sometimes counted in hours or minutes).  We had to veer off our original plan and do a shorter day than we expected.  Yet, I am sure there will be many of these “recalculations” and they are to be expected.  Yesterday, the day was much longer than we expected – we went almost 70 miles when we expected to do 50 or so.  So, how to take things in stride is the key.

So, I am working on not stressing about the magnitude of the trip or the fact that my knee hurts  or how I will feel in two weeks of two months.  Right now, I am trying to rest after a shorter day of 45 miles (again with some tangential routes) and look at the route to Rochester NY to see how to minimize the climbing.  I am focusing on being in the moment and thankful for the chance to give this trip a go and for the support I have gotten along the way. 

Touring as a Tribute to My Father

About two weeks ago my dad died.  It has been a hard couple of weeks.  Now every time I get on my bike I start to cry.  Mind you, my dad and my riding are not connected in some special way. However, I think the reason I cry is because riding is a contemplative practice for me.  Riding is a time when I am in my body and quiet.  It is both active and reflective.  It is a time when I can ruminate.  Recently, my ruminations have been about my dad and my upcoming tour across the country and the connections between the two. 

My partner and I have been planning to ride our bicycles from Bedford, MA to El Segundo CA – We will travel east to west, across Adventure Cycling’s Northern Tier bicycle route, then to the Lewis and Clark trail, and then down the pacific coast.  We will ride more in one summer than I do most years.  It is a rather daunting trip and it is odd that in the midst of grieving, I am planning to undertake something so challenging for me.  Yet, I think this is a good thing.  It reminds me of things my father said to me, especially late in his life, about living for the day and following your dreams while you can.  I think he felt he didn’t do enough of that.  So, in a funny way taking this trip is a tribute to my father.