The Polka Dot Journal: September 2012

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

All Things End

Okay. I am writing this from my phone so excuse the lack of eloquence. Our cross country trip has come to an abrupt close. My close friend and father of my daughter (and my ex) was senselessly shot and killed last night. I am currently on a plane flying to Baltimore to be with my daughter. We are all shocked and heart-broken.

This turn of events is a sharp reminder of how tenuous this life we have really is. I urge everyone -- if you love someone tell them. If you want to accomplish something do it. Because we never know when this short life we are graced with will be gone.

I will be back to the blog when the dust settles. Thank you for all the support and encouragement you have offered us over the past three months. We made it to Washington state and for that I am proud and grateful.

In sadness,
Pata

Monday, September 17, 2012

Idaho: From Lowell to Kamiah to Lewiston (September 14 $ 15, 2012)

From Lowell to Lewiston was basically all downhill. We mostly traveled along the rivers. The road we were on was not great though as it had little shoulder and trucks would speed by at times. All though for the most part it wasn’t too bad and we made it without incident – although one pickup truck driver who had plenty of room (no oncoming traffic and two lanes going our way) decided to be an ass and sit on his horn as he passed us. I guess there are jerks everywhere.

On the way to Kamiah, there were a number of places where there was access to the river for fishing.

The river flowed all along the route.

Reminders that we are on a historic route.

Me and the Bear -- a candid of me putting stuff away.

The one really big issue was smoke from the wilderness fires that settled in the valleys in which we were riding. It was as thick as bad fog in San Francisco and the visibility was bad. In addition, I could hardly breathe and had to use the asthma medication more than usual. It really was unfortunate because the scenery would have been breath-taking had we been able to see it clearly.

Beautiful despite the smoke.

Funny looking dog in Kamiah. He must be hot with all that fur.

Some of the most beautiful scenery we have experienced.

Break for water and a stretch. Rosie poses for the picture.

Believe it or not, it is mid-day. This is the sun through the thick smoke.

All our gear on the bikes and ready to roll.

Even Rosie is ready to roll.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Lolo Pass: From Lolo Hot Springs MT to Lowell, ID (September 13, 2012)

We stayed in Lolo Hot Springs right before Lolo Pass. I was still recovering from being kind of sick and thought it would be better to do the pass when I was fresh in the morning. So, we climbed up and up.

We were part way up when we hit some construction. A woman road worker yells at us, "You two, pull over." We were being followed by a tandem which she pulled over. She informed us in no uncertain terms, that they were paving and there were trucks pulling in and out. It was almost like she expected us to go back. We told her we understood and she told us to ride on the left side. In her walkie-talkie she says, "I've got three pedal pushers coming your way!" So up we rode.

A bit later, a truck pulls up next to us and says that there is traffic coming, trucks paving, and no shoulder. He suggested that he take us up past the construction in the truck. We are not too proud or stupid to ride when it is dangerous. We took his ride up probably a half a mile or so.

Here are the bikes and me in the back of the truck with the other equipment.

His name is Pete and when I said thank you, he apologized for the inconvenience, saying "You guys have a right to the road too." What a peach! (And such a different attitude from his colleague earlier.) He took us past the construction to where it was safe to climb again. We took his picture and saw him later as he rode up and down the mountain.

Pata and Pete in front of his truck.

We made it to the top of Lolo Pass and went from Montana to Idaho. Yay!

Finally leaving Montana (I can't believe it!) at the top of Lolo Pass.

And into Idaho we went. Notice all the smoke from the wilderness fires in Idaho and Montana.

Phew!

Friday, September 14, 2012

The Meaning of Speed

In the past two weeks we have climbed a lot of passes and have gone up to about 7400 feet and down to 1500 again. When I am home riding around on an unloaded road bike, occasionally I worry about how fast (or slow as the case may be) I am going. Riding friends will talk about what their average speeds are for a ride or apologize because they think they are going too slow (me included). I am not sure why this is so, or what the real meaning of speed is for people, but I do know that it all changes for me on a touring bike.

On this tour I have gone the slowest I ever have on a bicycle and the fastest. I went about 3 MPH on a particularly steep climb and 41 MPH on a lovely descent. However, for the most part I ride between 8 and 12 MPH – probably an average of about 10 MPH. Although sometimes it feels like I am crawling along, for the most part this is fine. (After all, my bike probably weighs 75 pounds fully loaded and then you add me and the darn thing is heavy!)

Going at “touring speed” means that I can see more and worry less about the number on the computer and pay more attention to the landscape and my surroundings. Now, this is not to say that I don’t sometimes try to stay at a particular speed in order to get to our destination with some alacrity; however it is not something that is overbearing or that occupies my attention daily. It is refreshing for me because so much of the time on group rides speed is the focus – and I get tired of going fast sometimes, and even more tired of worrying about going fast enough.

I do understand that speed can be fun. Certainly flying down the mountain when the road was good and I could see a good distance in front of me was a blast. Yet, it can also be terrifying to me, like it was after Chief Joseph Pass where there were switch backs, backed up vehicles, and the shoulder was not so great or after Lolo Pass where the grade was steep and there was little or no shoulder and huge trucks barreling down the mountain. At these times, I tend to ride my brakes more than I should and pray a lot. This strategy has worked for the most part as I am still here to tell the tale.

I guess the upshot is that there is a lesson for me in all of this about slowing things down and finding my own pace. When I teach bicycle riding, I am often telling people that everyone learns at their own pace and that it is not a race. So it is with much of riding too. I have a friend who was worried that she was going too slow – I told her that I didn’t care and that what was important to me was riding with her and not how fast or slow we went. Although I understand that if you are a racer that speed is critical, however for those of us who are not currently racers, I think it behooves us to consider what the purpose of riding is and how speed does or does not fit that purpose. I find that when I pay too much attention to speed, riding becomes less fun and much more of a chore. This is when I know to refocus because when the delight and joy are gone my riding days are over. May I remember this when I am at home worrying that I am too slow. May I remember to slow things down and focus less on the numbers and a goal and more on the process.