I'm pretty sure White Castle makes all of their business off of first time customers. When we rolled into the one in Elizabethtown, KY, there were people outside having their pictures taken in front of it. I was hungry as heck, so hey, perfect place. Our friend Chris that we have been riding with suggested that we get a Crave Case, which is 20 burgers and four medium fries (they only have two sizes of fries, medium and sack) and the perfect amount of food!
It wasn't. It was too much food. The fries were alright, I gotta admit, but when are crinkle cut fries ever bad? The burgers were a whole other story. I've seen how they are made before, but I didn't realize what the finished product truly looked like until I had it first hand. I hate the burgers. Steamed buns, paper thin patty, onions, a pickle, and cheese. It was a wreck. But I ate nine of them. And I have nightmares about it.
In retrospect, I'm glad that we went there. Probably won't ever have it again, but I did what I set out to do. And we got some hilarious memories out of it.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Oh Heat My Heat
I hate this heat; it is so intense. Today, the 19th of July, is the hottest yet. I started biking at around 7:30 but only managed about 25 miles by 11:30 due to the head wind. Then things started to get hot. We had this brilliant plan that we would get up early, bike a couple of hours, and then take a break during the hottest part of the (from about 2-4) and then finish the day out with another 20 or so miles in the evening. Somehow, it just didn't work.
By three I was still on my bike. Well not for long anyway. By about 3:10 I decided to pull off to the side in a small clump of shade. I was just going to stand there for a minute, while I tried to remember how to breath in the water they call air around here, but then my helmet was too hot, so I figured I would just take it off for a minute. Then I looked at the ground, "look there is ground," I said to myself. "One could sit on the ground."
And that's what I did. I woke up around 3:45. It was still incredibly hot. The high today is 97, with a heat index of fantastically infernal degrees, which in layman's terms is somewhere between roasted egg on pavement and "well I guess I didn't make it to heaven" hot.
Unfortunately because I am slow anyway, Ivan and Chris spent about 45 minutes waiting for me. Though because they had to wait for me they had an excuse to find some McDonald's and shade. I think they survived.
I have had so much water to drink. I have refilled my Camelbak twice and finished one of my two water bottles. That is about 180 ounces, which equals 5.62 standard nalgene bottles. The problem is that it means I have to go to the bathroom all the time, but unlike a man I kind of have to bare all--so to speak. On a rather trafficked road, where cars zoom by, and there is hardly any shoulder cover that isn't probably infested with snakes (considering all the dead ones I have ridden past and the one live one I rode over) it is a little hard to find places to go. It is not like there is a gas station conveniently placed, according to my specific bladder needs. I have found that it is all about timing. You pick a spot, as covered as possible, and wait till you don't hear anything, drop the drawers, and hope that you timed it right. So far I have been very lucky.
How long do you think my luck can hold?
Darn men and their convenient anatomy.
By three I was still on my bike. Well not for long anyway. By about 3:10 I decided to pull off to the side in a small clump of shade. I was just going to stand there for a minute, while I tried to remember how to breath in the water they call air around here, but then my helmet was too hot, so I figured I would just take it off for a minute. Then I looked at the ground, "look there is ground," I said to myself. "One could sit on the ground."
And that's what I did. I woke up around 3:45. It was still incredibly hot. The high today is 97, with a heat index of fantastically infernal degrees, which in layman's terms is somewhere between roasted egg on pavement and "well I guess I didn't make it to heaven" hot.
Unfortunately because I am slow anyway, Ivan and Chris spent about 45 minutes waiting for me. Though because they had to wait for me they had an excuse to find some McDonald's and shade. I think they survived.
I have had so much water to drink. I have refilled my Camelbak twice and finished one of my two water bottles. That is about 180 ounces, which equals 5.62 standard nalgene bottles. The problem is that it means I have to go to the bathroom all the time, but unlike a man I kind of have to bare all--so to speak. On a rather trafficked road, where cars zoom by, and there is hardly any shoulder cover that isn't probably infested with snakes (considering all the dead ones I have ridden past and the one live one I rode over) it is a little hard to find places to go. It is not like there is a gas station conveniently placed, according to my specific bladder needs. I have found that it is all about timing. You pick a spot, as covered as possible, and wait till you don't hear anything, drop the drawers, and hope that you timed it right. So far I have been very lucky.
How long do you think my luck can hold?
Darn men and their convenient anatomy.
Friday, July 15, 2011
We Are Expecting!!
Yes, it is true. Ivan and I will soon be welcoming a bouncing, bright, young man of 17 into our little clan.
We are calling him Chris, but his full name is Chris Xia (pronounced Shaw). He is from New Jersey, still in high school, and biking the same direction and route as us. He is riding solo with his father following in a support car.
Tomorrow, July 15th, we will head out together and Chris's father will head for home. We met him two days ago now. He is smart, fun, and very mature (for a 17-year-old). He asked us very politely if we wouldn't mind if he joined up with us. Ivan and I thought about it for maybe two seconds and said yes.
We made sure to talk finances with him. I think we have covered all the bases, and I think it will turn out well. There are some practical things to consider. It is a responsibility, and for all his maturity he still is a minor and if something were to go wrong or some accident were to happen Ivan and I would be responsible. But I have no worries. I have also checked out his blog and done some research...I like him already. His blog is chrisxia1.blogspot.com
I have been complaining of being a little homesick and Ivan joked that I could, in an attempt to rectify that, be as domestic and motherly as I want. I am sure if Chris is reading this probably thinks I am insane. I promise not to mother him...too much.
Ivan says that he gets to be the cool one of the group, the bad influence. "Quick, she isn't looking," he will say to Chris. "Let's do back flips off this."
There will be no back flips.
Vesuvius
The hill leading from the Blue Ridge Parkway (which although having gorgeous views was much harder to enjoy during a heat wave) to the town of Vesuvius should have a sign at the top and bottom for cyclists denying responsibility for anything that happens in those three sweet miles. You lose 500ft in elevation every mile on short hairpin turns. Or gain, if you're going the other direction. It's impossible to maintain momentum going up, and improbable going down. Everyone recommends partially deflating your tires before heading down. You can't ride your brakes on the hill because the heat build up on the rims will increase the PSI in the tubes to dangerous levels and could cause a blowout. You also can't bomb the hill with any gear at all because you don't have the turning capabilities. You can accelerate from 0-45mph in a few seconds. Very intimidating.
We took breaks partway down the hill in order for our rims to cool off. Another necessity. We both made it down, but Nikki blew out a tube regardless. The valve stem broke clean off of the rubber. She didn't want to stop and change it so she walked her bike the rest of the way.
All this being said, we had a great place to stay. There is a BBQ joint in Vesuvius owned by Gertie that lets cyclists camp in the back for free. We were famished and went inside to get delicious BBQ pork and slaw sandwiches (a habit since coming to Virginia). The lady working saw that we were cyclists and showed us where to set up. We had access to a hose and outhouse, which was all we needed for the day, and promptly (re:slowly) went to bed.
Oh! They brought us sharpie pens to add our signatures to the thousands of others that have rolled through the town after we had finished eating. Fantastic stuff. I drew a Croatian coat of arms next to a light bulb on the ceiling. Hopefully some one finds it.
Nikki losing her Mind
Nikki already wrote a post about her card being disabled, but for all you interested, her is a video of her freaking out.
A Commentation on Comments
So I just did a quick perusal of all the comments everyone has been so great to leave. I am taking this time to answer a couple of questions and make a couple comments of my own.
First--yes we are wearing helmets. Anytime I am on the bike the helmet is on me. We all know how clumsy I am, therefore need all the help I can get.
Second--Arianna it is really hard to write you a letter if I do not have your address. I can write and write and write and yet have no where to send them to. Get me your address; I'll write you a letter.
Third--"Our Schedule" We usually set the alarm from somewhere between 5 and six which means we get up somewhere between 6:30 and 8. Then we get ready. I have my system down and can be ready in 45 minutes if I am not rushed and 30 minutes if I feel like I need to move. This includes packing up all my gear, taking down my tent, eating breakfast, brushing teeth, pretending to wash my face, and liberally applying Bag Balm.
Then we ride. Ivan is navigator (a very good one), and I follow him. He is a lot faster than I am, and can ride a lot of the hills that I tend to end up walking. I am getting better, but I am still slow. I do not mind that much. I can take my time and look around and talk to myself. I have also started singing along to my Ipod while biking--out loud . I know I look and sound insane, but when you are in the saddle for 11 hours during the day what else is there?? I find that it actually helps me regulate my breathing and I am teaching myself how to harmonize, which is pretty fun.
Anyway, I find that I like to take a rest (about 3-5 minutes) every ten miles. I get off my bike, stretch out my shoulders and thighs, drink some electrolytes, and then get back on. We have learned not to take too long of a break in the afternoon--it just gets hotter, but I do like to take about 30 minutes to an hour for lunch. Then it is back in the saddle. We usually roll into camp around 4 or 5, sometimes 6 and then we make camp, shower if possible, eat, and sleep. It is a simple routine.
Right now I am averaging about 10 Mph. Obviously this varies going up and down hills. Mileage wise we are covering between 40 and 60 miles a day, with a grad total of 837.55. In about three or four days we will break the 1,000 mile mark!
Fourth--We are avoiding riding at night at all costs. It is just too dangerous: visibility is low for us and others, anything could happen, and it is scarier at night. So we are just having to deal with the heat. It sucks, but there is no way around it.
Fifth--in the post titled Sorry/Mineral/Domestic Abuse I mentioned a quote that I had been thinking of. The actual quote goes "we have met the enemy, and he is us." Obviously, the poster is posted above. Enjoy!
In the house of the Cookie Lady
A long day short, we eventually left Charlottesville, catching the trail again headed up to Afton and the start of the Appalachian mountain range. It was hot, it was long, and there were climbs, including a tough 1.9 mile climb to our destination.
We were going to find the Cookie Lady, June Curry, the Trail Angel of the Trans Am. She is legendary. She's hosted cyclists going cross country since the first Bikecentennial in 1976. There's a house always stocked with food and plenty of room to sleep. Everyone who bikes the trail knows of her. There's a book about her, countless news articles, and thousands of stories about her hospitality.
Sadly, at the time that we arrived she was in the hospital. She is over 90, and suffered a stroke a few years ago. They aren't sure if she'll be able to make it home this time. Her neighbor, Hope, came over to let us into the bike house to set up our things and explain the whole situation to us. She left us to our rest and we got to explore the bike museum.
She keeps everything that the 14,000+ bikers that have stayed there over the years leave or send back to her. Words don't do it justice. Without further comment, the pictures I took of the four main rooms of the bike house.
We were going to find the Cookie Lady, June Curry, the Trail Angel of the Trans Am. She is legendary. She's hosted cyclists going cross country since the first Bikecentennial in 1976. There's a house always stocked with food and plenty of room to sleep. Everyone who bikes the trail knows of her. There's a book about her, countless news articles, and thousands of stories about her hospitality.
Sadly, at the time that we arrived she was in the hospital. She is over 90, and suffered a stroke a few years ago. They aren't sure if she'll be able to make it home this time. Her neighbor, Hope, came over to let us into the bike house to set up our things and explain the whole situation to us. She left us to our rest and we got to explore the bike museum.
She keeps everything that the 14,000+ bikers that have stayed there over the years leave or send back to her. Words don't do it justice. Without further comment, the pictures I took of the four main rooms of the bike house.
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