April 27:
61 miles to Pattonville, TX. Slept well so slept in. Terrific headwind all morning so progress was slow but my spirits were up because Rae loves me. I was in the middle chain ring all day, except at the very end of the day when the wind abated & I needed to stand up to get off my pimpled ass. I saved a turtle today by getting him out of the road's tire track. Weather was intermittent clouds but it cleared up & the wind died down just as the sun was casting downward. There's a lot more farmland & big ranches out here. Found a roadside picnic area to settle into. I was a little paranoid as I fell asleep but as the traffic died down, I settled down. My perra formis were tight sdo sleeping on my side was uncomfortable.
April 28:
88 miles to Pottsboro, TX. 730-700. Breakfast in Paris. Texans are still allowed to smoke in restaurants ... hmmm. Beautiful, sunny day, moderate temperature, light headwind. I got of Hwy 82 to 56 so I could roll through small towns. Texans aren't nearly as friendly as the other states I've been in - they usually don't wave back & actually look at me like, "I don't know you so why are you wavin'?" From about mile 55 to the end of riding at 88 I was only off the bike twice. Once to walk the bike across a highway median around a detour & then around mile 82 to eat some trail mix since I was on the verge of bonking. Freddie & Jami came to get me about 6 miles from the marina (yea!) & we hung out on or near their big, beautiful boat - the S.S. Minnow - til 11. Jami's a sweetheart & Freddie's exactly the same - fun, funny, engaging, sincere, & nice. I'm so glad to see him again & I'm looking forward to a long, relaxing, drunken weekend - off the bike! I slept out on the deck in a wonderful light breeze. I wish my perri formis would loosen up so I could sleep on my side for awhile. Rae was already in bed when I called - poor thing was worn out & I would've liked to have been laying right next to her.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
FLASK Trip Update:
April 22:
75 miles to Rose Hill (?). 8-6. Spent too much time in Columbia looking for postcards, which I didn't find. The solar charger'sz not charging even though I try to keep it reasoably oriented to the sun all day. Nice time in McComb: stopped to say Hi to the fire department & gave them the blog address, had really good italian mango ice at a little mom & pop stand, then finally found postcards at a super friendly little shop in a beautiful little town called Summit. Took the wrong highway out of town (98 instead of 54) so when I asked an old man in his front yard where Percy Quinn State Park was ... well. I had a flat on the rear tire I nursed for awhile & finally replaced. Finally stopped at Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church & camped in the grass lot. I had an unbelievable, fulfilling, happy evening as I stepped into & stayed with the realization that I was on the big adventure of my life. The little anxiety I was feeling about not being in a park & how that feels like a kind of failure ... disappeared. I stayed in the moment as I stretched & it was physically & spiritually FANTASTIC! Stayed loose while cooking & eating dinner in a splayed seated posture - though I managed to let the pot fall off the stove twice! I was really connected to the moment as I relaxed in Dead Man falling asleep & felt a strong sense of the universe & how I was part of it's atomic fabric. Cool & seriously awesome.
April 23:
71 miles. 8-730. Rode 10 miles to Bude this morning & met Tim, a nurse, on my way into a neat little bakery/eatery. We sat down together & chatted for probably 2 hours. His wife's suffering with cancer but he was a remarkable guy: fun, nice, thoughtful, interesting, & helpful. I didn't make time in Natchez to see Longwood ( an antebellum home) or Natchez Under the Hill (a bar) he'd recommended because I just felt it best that I keep moving given the time. Two more rear flats today - it's the damn 1" tubes that the LOSERS at Steve's Bike Shop in Panama City sold me. They're splitting at the seam when not underinflated. When I ask for 1 1/4" tubes, THAT'S WHAT I WANT! I was sad to leave MS - everyone there was soo friendly. It was cool to cross the Mississippi River, though, & so far the folks in Louisiana are nice, too. Camped behind a rundown Baptist church so need to get up early so I'm well gone before they start getting ready for Easter service. Another very good stretch & the hip's doing fantastic on the trip. It feels better than it has in probably a year. Wrist is fine but I've developed some ass pimples that don't feel so great (I need to clean & swap my riding shorts every day). I would like to be home while Rae's winding down & celebrating school (really & truly) but this adventure is really fun & I'm stoked to be doing it, in it, & living it.
April 24:
75 miles to Gum Springs CG in the Kasatchie NF. 8-6. Happy Easter. 3 flats before I could even get on the road. Those a-holes at The Bike Shop are on my s%#$ list. Breakfast was good even though it was at a gas station in Jonesville, LA - ham & cheese omelette, though the folks there weren't overly friendly. 2 more flats leaving there, then nursing a semi-flat, then two more for a total of 7 today. Stopped in Jena's Autozone (yea! Open on Easter!) & got tube patch with regular patches & rubber cement. Of course, I didn't get any more flats after just pumping up the tire some more! Hahaha! I ripped of big chunks of mileage on the saddle this afternoon. Instead of the typical 5-7 mile rest period I did 22, 16, & 12 stretches. Ass is numbing, wrist is fine, palms hurt in the morning but were fine all afternoon. Stayed on 84 out of Winfield at 5:30 & rode easily to Gum Springs CG in Kisatchie NF. Beautiful campground with water at my site & great view through pines of a nice lake, in which I cleaned up both myself & the days clothes. I know I'll sleep better - I've been so sticky the last few nights it's actually uncomfortable, which must be pretty bad because I typically shower less than one per week (if I can get away with it. i.e. if Rae's not around). Bugs forcing me to sleep in the tent again. Too bad because otherwise it's just gorgeous out - light breeze, low clouds, whispering pines. Mmmmm ... outdoors. The desire to see & be with Rae is overwhelming some times & often I get weepy; especially if I'm listening to music.
April 25:
94 miles to Shreveport. 7-530. I thought I saw a bobcat today, making its way into some tall roadside grass. Good breakfast in Clarence, LA, at a donut shop opened just last week by some lovely Cambodians. My ass is covered in a rash but feels fine. Palms hurt but I think I just need to keep my left grip adjusted properly - I'm worried about locking it down until I know what position's best. Terrific tailwind nearly all day so made it to River City Cycling, where they comp'd me 2 tubes (they're probably too big but that's probably better than the too thin tubes I have) & told me about the tornadoes forecast for tonight. I've hunkered down at a crappy Days Inn, showered (wow, was I dirty), cleaned clothes, got some Newcastle, & had beef tips & rice for dinner. I'd rather not stay tomorrow, even though I'm figuring out that I'm days ahead of schedule so will definitely hang with Freddie B in Sherman, TX, this weekend.
April 22:
75 miles to Rose Hill (?). 8-6. Spent too much time in Columbia looking for postcards, which I didn't find. The solar charger'sz not charging even though I try to keep it reasoably oriented to the sun all day. Nice time in McComb: stopped to say Hi to the fire department & gave them the blog address, had really good italian mango ice at a little mom & pop stand, then finally found postcards at a super friendly little shop in a beautiful little town called Summit. Took the wrong highway out of town (98 instead of 54) so when I asked an old man in his front yard where Percy Quinn State Park was ... well. I had a flat on the rear tire I nursed for awhile & finally replaced. Finally stopped at Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church & camped in the grass lot. I had an unbelievable, fulfilling, happy evening as I stepped into & stayed with the realization that I was on the big adventure of my life. The little anxiety I was feeling about not being in a park & how that feels like a kind of failure ... disappeared. I stayed in the moment as I stretched & it was physically & spiritually FANTASTIC! Stayed loose while cooking & eating dinner in a splayed seated posture - though I managed to let the pot fall off the stove twice! I was really connected to the moment as I relaxed in Dead Man falling asleep & felt a strong sense of the universe & how I was part of it's atomic fabric. Cool & seriously awesome.
April 23:
71 miles. 8-730. Rode 10 miles to Bude this morning & met Tim, a nurse, on my way into a neat little bakery/eatery. We sat down together & chatted for probably 2 hours. His wife's suffering with cancer but he was a remarkable guy: fun, nice, thoughtful, interesting, & helpful. I didn't make time in Natchez to see Longwood ( an antebellum home) or Natchez Under the Hill (a bar) he'd recommended because I just felt it best that I keep moving given the time. Two more rear flats today - it's the damn 1" tubes that the LOSERS at Steve's Bike Shop in Panama City sold me. They're splitting at the seam when not underinflated. When I ask for 1 1/4" tubes, THAT'S WHAT I WANT! I was sad to leave MS - everyone there was soo friendly. It was cool to cross the Mississippi River, though, & so far the folks in Louisiana are nice, too. Camped behind a rundown Baptist church so need to get up early so I'm well gone before they start getting ready for Easter service. Another very good stretch & the hip's doing fantastic on the trip. It feels better than it has in probably a year. Wrist is fine but I've developed some ass pimples that don't feel so great (I need to clean & swap my riding shorts every day). I would like to be home while Rae's winding down & celebrating school (really & truly) but this adventure is really fun & I'm stoked to be doing it, in it, & living it.
April 24:
75 miles to Gum Springs CG in the Kasatchie NF. 8-6. Happy Easter. 3 flats before I could even get on the road. Those a-holes at The Bike Shop are on my s%#$ list. Breakfast was good even though it was at a gas station in Jonesville, LA - ham & cheese omelette, though the folks there weren't overly friendly. 2 more flats leaving there, then nursing a semi-flat, then two more for a total of 7 today. Stopped in Jena's Autozone (yea! Open on Easter!) & got tube patch with regular patches & rubber cement. Of course, I didn't get any more flats after just pumping up the tire some more! Hahaha! I ripped of big chunks of mileage on the saddle this afternoon. Instead of the typical 5-7 mile rest period I did 22, 16, & 12 stretches. Ass is numbing, wrist is fine, palms hurt in the morning but were fine all afternoon. Stayed on 84 out of Winfield at 5:30 & rode easily to Gum Springs CG in Kisatchie NF. Beautiful campground with water at my site & great view through pines of a nice lake, in which I cleaned up both myself & the days clothes. I know I'll sleep better - I've been so sticky the last few nights it's actually uncomfortable, which must be pretty bad because I typically shower less than one per week (if I can get away with it. i.e. if Rae's not around). Bugs forcing me to sleep in the tent again. Too bad because otherwise it's just gorgeous out - light breeze, low clouds, whispering pines. Mmmmm ... outdoors. The desire to see & be with Rae is overwhelming some times & often I get weepy; especially if I'm listening to music.
April 25:
94 miles to Shreveport. 7-530. I thought I saw a bobcat today, making its way into some tall roadside grass. Good breakfast in Clarence, LA, at a donut shop opened just last week by some lovely Cambodians. My ass is covered in a rash but feels fine. Palms hurt but I think I just need to keep my left grip adjusted properly - I'm worried about locking it down until I know what position's best. Terrific tailwind nearly all day so made it to River City Cycling, where they comp'd me 2 tubes (they're probably too big but that's probably better than the too thin tubes I have) & told me about the tornadoes forecast for tonight. I've hunkered down at a crappy Days Inn, showered (wow, was I dirty), cleaned clothes, got some Newcastle, & had beef tips & rice for dinner. I'd rather not stay tomorrow, even though I'm figuring out that I'm days ahead of schedule so will definitely hang with Freddie B in Sherman, TX, this weekend.
Oh, Honey!
After two weeks of traveling, Wes and I were hanging out for what was supposed to be a chill evening in Prescott with his cousin Zach.
"Quinn, what kind of honey is this?" Zach hollered from the kitchen with a chuckle. I turned my gaze, his hands were caked with a dull yellow colored goo stringing like glue between both fingers and palms. It was everywhere, and it was hardening! (photos to come) His laughter stopped when he barely could pry his hands away from one another.
Zach was just mixing honey with some spices for a yummy chicken dinner, or so we thought. When the honey started quickly rising in the mixing bowl, Zach chose to pour it into the sink instead of over the chicken. The mixture continued to rise and thicken, so he shoved his hands in the mix to assist removal. What was this mystery item that was so cleverly masked in a squeeze bottle on a shelf next to brown sugar and coffee in the van?
More on that in a minute.
The two weeks prior were filled with much family, driving and desert landscape. It started with a last minute trip to Lubbock, Texas to visit with Wesley's immediate family.
After a weekend of baseball, soccer games and wonderful company, we made our way back to the Phoenix area. Ops, and a quick stop to see the largest pistachio. These people make lovely flavored pistachios, and an okay pistachio wine.
One night to unpack, re-pack and we were off again to Red Rocks, Las Vegas. This time we were taking the VW van for a tour! What a spoiled way of traveling...bed, fridge, stove, even stocked with a little coffee, honey, and pinto beans!!! The weather was stellar, as well as the company! Some friends from Canada were down for a week at a "conference." Another group of friends was also down from Colorado Springs. It was great climbing with everyone, jokes and laughter abound!
After six stellar days of climbing, Wes and I made our way back to Arizona. Some time before seeing Zach in Prescott, we stopped off in Jerome. A cute steep hillside town with wine tasting, many motorcyclists, and old mine history. A well known musician established a winery and tasting room that we both wanted to check out. The wine was great, but the service by one of the gals was a bit snobby.
Back to the honey, I mean expanding foam. Yes, expanding foam!!
After spending the rest of the evening manually picking at, pouring various chemicals on, and a making use of a car scrapper on Zach's hands, we finally saw skin just before midnight. Poor guy. Crusty pieces of curry flavored expanding foam were on his hands for days!
Poor sink. Wes reached down the disposal and pulled out a Nerf football sized chunk of foam. We tried to help put the kitchen back together, Wes working on the drain clog, me putting away the various products we poured on Zach in attempt to slough the stuff off. We left the next morning, feeling terrible. We thought we were just offering him honey!!!
Arriving early in the morning back in Phoenix, I had just enough time to pack up all of my belongings. The loaded corolla headed out that same day to spend a few days in New Mexico with a good friend who happens to be working on a job in Albuquerque for the next few months! A warm goodbye hug to Rae and Wes sent me off on another leg of the journey.
Douglas and I climbed just outside of town on Friday, and then headed up to El Rito on Saturday.
El Rito is just north of Santa Fe. The climbing is on oddly composed conglomerate rock piled in small spires along a hill side. You grab onto large river stones cemented together, or the holes where stones used to be. Douglas ran into an old expedition buddy at the cliff, so over a drizzly campfire dinner that evening we made new friends and told stories. I woke up a bit chilled but motivated to finish the snowy drive to Estes Park. I arrived yesterday to lovely snowy conditions. It feels good to be back to one of my favorite places in the world!!!!
"Quinn, what kind of honey is this?" Zach hollered from the kitchen with a chuckle. I turned my gaze, his hands were caked with a dull yellow colored goo stringing like glue between both fingers and palms. It was everywhere, and it was hardening! (photos to come) His laughter stopped when he barely could pry his hands away from one another.
Zach was just mixing honey with some spices for a yummy chicken dinner, or so we thought. When the honey started quickly rising in the mixing bowl, Zach chose to pour it into the sink instead of over the chicken. The mixture continued to rise and thicken, so he shoved his hands in the mix to assist removal. What was this mystery item that was so cleverly masked in a squeeze bottle on a shelf next to brown sugar and coffee in the van?
More on that in a minute.
The two weeks prior were filled with much family, driving and desert landscape. It started with a last minute trip to Lubbock, Texas to visit with Wesley's immediate family.
After a weekend of baseball, soccer games and wonderful company, we made our way back to the Phoenix area. Ops, and a quick stop to see the largest pistachio. These people make lovely flavored pistachios, and an okay pistachio wine.
 |
| Wes squeezing on Cloud Tower |
 |
| Last Pitch Cloud Tower |
 |
| Eric avoiding the water hazard at the base of a climb |
 |
| View from the tasting room in Jerome. Sedona in distance. |
 |
| Disgruntle customers |
Back to the honey, I mean expanding foam. Yes, expanding foam!!
After spending the rest of the evening manually picking at, pouring various chemicals on, and a making use of a car scrapper on Zach's hands, we finally saw skin just before midnight. Poor guy. Crusty pieces of curry flavored expanding foam were on his hands for days!
Poor sink. Wes reached down the disposal and pulled out a Nerf football sized chunk of foam. We tried to help put the kitchen back together, Wes working on the drain clog, me putting away the various products we poured on Zach in attempt to slough the stuff off. We left the next morning, feeling terrible. We thought we were just offering him honey!!!
 |
| Barbie doll shoved in hole? |
 |
| Douglas hiking to the cliffs! |
Douglas and I climbed just outside of town on Friday, and then headed up to El Rito on Saturday.
El Rito is just north of Santa Fe. The climbing is on oddly composed conglomerate rock piled in small spires along a hill side. You grab onto large river stones cemented together, or the holes where stones used to be. Douglas ran into an old expedition buddy at the cliff, so over a drizzly campfire dinner that evening we made new friends and told stories. I woke up a bit chilled but motivated to finish the snowy drive to Estes Park. I arrived yesterday to lovely snowy conditions. It feels good to be back to one of my favorite places in the world!!!!
 |
| Karla and Astro with snowball cling-age. |
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