Redhead

Like a humming crowd at an NFL playoff game, we are waiting for the second half to begin. I'm on an airplane over the Pacific, and with some time to spare, I thought about writing a summary of the trip so far. Mostly for my benefit, so I can remember some of the details, it's also for anyone following us on the blog that may find it interesting.

Just as in any football game worth watching, there were highs and lows, if not for that it would be boring. And like any time you leave home for a long time, things remain the same at the same time they change. My friend Carl looks much better even though he doesn't feel very good right now. Lisa, aka Bonecrusher, is healing and will be better than new. The grass and trees have all turned green in Denver, making it feel like we've missed a good part of summer. I don't have a job, and that is starting to sink into my stubborn head. Our friends aren't doing anything different, but we are, and that's kind of scary at the same time it's exciting. So like the wagon train that stopped for the winter, we resume the trip not sure what to expect. But now that we're at halftime, we have some idea.

First, the bike. Big O is a great bike even with a few things I either don't like or have had a hard time getting used to. The front wheel is under my outstretched legs, which causes it to turn like a giant sectional couch with four casters. I've really gotten used to that, but still don't like the way the tire hits my heel if I don't watch out. The seat is just really beyond comparison to a wedgie bike seat. Think of straddling the edge of a bathtub for 8 hours compared to sitting on your lazy boy recliner. Think of a cat curled up on a pillow or Ed Hess laying back in his beige chair in the break room. My upper body doesn't even feel like it's been on a bike with Big O, so neck, shoulder, arm, wrist, and back problems are nonexistent. I have had to get used to the idea to change gears at the slightest change in road grade, it's just so heavy you can't pedal through a hill. Even though it changes easily in back, I have thrown the chain off in front about 6 times, and I am as careful as I can be. Any tension at all and it will not go into the small gear in front. I would like to see a stop of some kind put in on the front gears to prevent the chain from coming off. It's taken awhile to get used to going up a hill at 4mph, on my road bike even on the steepest hill in the Alps I wasn't below 6, and around Colorado hardly ever go below 8 or 10mph. I am used to that now and it doesn't bother me unless the Wyoming wind is blowing me off the road. The bike computer hasn't worked right since about the 3^rd day, which is irritating, but we will get that fixed. I have had to tighten a loose spoke a few times, but that is probably resolved now.

One thing that is a little surprising is the sense of responsibility that comes with riding the tandem. On a bike by myself I only have to think about one thing, me, and that's pretty easy. With two people, and only one driver, I can't help feeling like I have someone to take care of, and it takes some mental effort. It's not easy to think with your feet up in the air. Missing debris is much harder, now I know why 18 wheelers don't try to swerve around a deer in the road. Like the Indians, we became creatures of the weather, and it's a big change to get in a car or a building where it doesn't matter if the hill is big or the sky is black. I think we've found also that the hardest part of the trip isn't the riding, it's the living that goes on around it. Like in the tracon, it's not working the traffic that's hard, it's the stuff that goes on around it. Figuring out the route, meals, water, money, clothes, shelter, sleep, these are all taken for granted at home, but something to be challenged with on the road. Pedaling the bike is pretty simple when everything else is taken care of.

Highlights and lowlights are fun to remember, even if the lowlights weren't that low. It isn't life or death out there, and we're lucky to be able to do this trip. But try telling yourself that when you're walking Big O up a big hill with 50mph gusts, the sky is black, the chain comes off, trailers being towed whiff you as they swerve in the wind, the nearest sign of civilization is 25 miles away, it's late, you're hungry, tired, and at wit's end, Then add in the fact that the only person you have to vent on is in the same boat and wants to vent also. And you've been married to this other person for 30 some years, she has red hair and is not exactly a shrinking violet. Yeah, that was probably the low point. The worst meal was the Whimpys burger I had in Arco, along with the mushy fries I couldn't get down. The beer and chocolate in the room later made up for it. The best meal was probably the picnic in Prineville, where we had cheese, wine, fruit, bread, and chocolate out in the park. But there were many other good ones too. The best town: Mitchell, home of the bear and the one I called Mayberry. The worst town had to be Arco, a run down 10 acres in the middle of a uranium field. The best motel for me, maybe Hailey Idaho, a great place with homemade waffles as part of the deal. No doubt on the worst motel, it was the dump in Unity. Home of the epileptic donkey and the peeling interior, with a mattress shaped like a funnel. It's hard to pick the most interesting person, but perhaps the 80 some year old cowboy who appeared to be a real ladies man takes the prize. He was a calf roper and a rodeo clown, and told us some great stories while we waited out a thunderstorm. As for riding, there was a lot of gorgeous country. We talked about what we were seeing and stopped whenever we wanted to talk to people or read the historical markers. There is nothing like a big tailwind and a long, curvy road with smooth pavement to make you feel alive. I think we're both looking forward to more of that, and it makes all the trouble worth it. In the words of another biker we saw doing the same thing we are, it may not be the trip of a lifetime, but it is the experience of a lifetime. So like that playoff game, we are waiting with a little nervousness to see if the Broncos can win.