Day Twentyfour- Done (Over 1775 miles)

August 13th-

I did wake up in the middle of the night a couple times. One time, I was so thirsty that I had to finish the last drops from my water bottle. Another time, it was so cold outside that I had to use the trusty thermal blanket. I'm not sure if I used it right, but I'm still alive, so it's all for the better.

I packed up my things in the bitter cold of 6 am in the hills (Rockies). I had no water, so breakfast wasn't a good idea. I didn't want to dry out my body with digestion. I figured I had about ten miles until I reached a place I could get water, so I rode.

The ride was still uphill, but was beautiful. I kept wondering when I was going to get some water though.

After it seemed like too long, I went over to a creek and tested the water. There was no strange smell or taste, so I took one sip to get me the rest of the way. Right after the summit of the "hill," I had to stop at a point in the road where there was construction. The construction guy said, "I brought an extra bottle of water today. You can have it." Who could ask for anything more?

They let me ride down behind the other cars going about 30 MPH into part of a valley. There is a visitors' center there which I stopped at to fill my waters. I realized I had a little glimpse of phone service, so I made some calls.

Following the phone calls, I met Kristen. She works at the Moose State Park State Recreation Visitors Center (I'm not 100% on the name still). She gave me some tips for my travel and I asked her to follow along on the trip.

I rode mostly North into a small town by the name of Walden. There wasn't much to this town, but it was a nice stop before the many empty miles I was about to travel. I got an extra water bottle and some food to eat for dinner in the middle of nowhere.

A few miles down the road I met Kurt and Krista (see picture). They took some time off to cycle around Colorado. It seemed to me that he was carrying all their stuff, but I'm sure they worked out some deal. We told eachother of what was to be expected in the other directions. Kurt gave me a pair of gloves saying, "it gets cold in the mornings, especially if you spend the night in Rabbit Ears Pass." It was that sentence which made me decide to ride faster and farther to avoid having to sleep in Rabbit Ears Pass.

Rabbit Ears Pass was a beautiful climb of up and up and up. But, like I said before, going up a mountian means you get the downhill. What a downhill it was. I flew down the hill with a top speed of 35.5 and an average of 33 MPH. The descent lasted around ten minutes as it was about 5 miles long. I would've loved to have taken some pictures, but the ride was too exhilerating to stop.

I rode into Steamboat springs which is where I asked a guy by the name of Travis a million questions about the area. He works at the Gas Station/Ski shop there. After hearing my story, he bought the food for me that I was about to buy. I gave him the blog information, so hopefully he reads my thank you!

I ate some hot, fatty food at the McD's in town and typed until they kicked me out at 11 pm. I rode over to the camp sites that Travis and Kurt had told me about and was surprised to see the $29.54 charge for camping there. I think I stayed at a hotel for cheaper than that back in Lincoln, NE. Well, I rode over to a campsite where the people were still awake and asked if I could camp in the corner of their site for the $18 cash that I had. Alex (see picture) said I could camp there for free.

The two of us stayed up until about 4 am talking. He kept offering me a beer everytime he grabbed one, but I stayed true to my goal: no alcohol on the trip. We enjoyed the campfire until we let it die out and went to bed.

Daily Lesson: Memories come in two speeds; fast and too fast.

To donate, go to http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Day Twenty Three- Done (Over 1685 miles)

August 12th-

It was truly an early morning. I woke up to dogs barking in the trailer park which was 100 yards away from my tent. I started packing everything up when I thought to check around me to see what there was to do until Clair came back for me. Lo and behold, there was a McDonald's just three buildings away. So, I waited and ate breakfast.

When Clair got there, we put my things in the van and headed over to the bike shop; "Full Cycle." The shop didn't open until 10 am, but there was a coffee shop called "Mugs" right across the street. That is where I passed the time until the shop opened. Clair ended up coming back from his meeting very quickly, because the lady was out of office until 1 pm, even though she scheduled their meeting for 9 am. Oh well.

We sat and talked some more until the shop opened up. I went in and had my rear rim looked at and replaced within fifteen minutes. The guy who worked on it was a little abrupt (yeah, that's the word I'll use), but he got the job done. I rode it around for awhile to make sure it was better before heading into the rockies (or the hill, as the locals call it).

Clair gave me a ride up to a camping area. We said our goodbyes, and off he headed back to the meeting. As I was setting my bike up, I met two more people; Dave and Christy (sp?). We chatted for about fifteen minutes or so as I got my bike ready and relaxed by the water for a bit. They gave me some almonds that were well taken. Dave and I (see picture) came up with a good idea for a bike part. I cannot disclose the information contained within that conversation at this time.

I left from there slowly climbing the mountain. The roads were a bit dangerous, but the drivers were mostly kind enough to give me room. Along the thirty mile trek for the day, I went through a small "town" called Rustic. It was more of a tourist's stop. But, it served me quite well. I reloaded my water bottles and had lunch.

I passed many scenic areas. I took a lot of pictures.

I found my destination to be a little too far away, but heard about a nice camping area which is free just twenty miles sooner. I decided to set up tent there, and get an early start to make up the miles. The place is absolutely beautiful. Picturesque (see picture)! There are some ice capped mountains off in the distance, a huge lake, tall pines, and a free campsite. I set up for the night excited for the downhill I was about to receive.

It started to get a little chilly outside, so I got the thermal blanket that my uncle gave me ready to be used if I needed it.

Daily Lesson: Sometimes it takes longer to climb a mountain than it does to go around, but around has no downhill.

To donate, go to http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Day Twentytwo- Done (Over 1655 miles)

August 11th-

I know how sad it must be to see that I only finished about 25 miles of riding today. I understand because it is just as sad for me. But, everything happens for a reason. Here's today's story:

Steve gave me a ride from his house in Kansas back to the corner that I saw the bar from. I thanked him for the hospitality and he asked if there was anything else he could do for me. He is a very kind man. I said no and set my bike up and he saw me off.

I felt great. I was a little tired because of the whole time change situation confusing me into thinking that I got more sleep than I actually did. I rode about five miles before a spoke broke on the rear wheel. I know this may sound exactly like the day before. Trust me, it felt like the same thing to me. But, this time the spoke was in a spot I had to pull the gears off to get to it. The only problem was that the tool I got for that almost fit my bike, but no quite. So, I had to find a shop to change it for me or to sell me a proper tool.

I rode into the next town with a little wobble. It was early so most things were just opening. I went into the subway and asked if there was a bike shop in town since the population seemed to be supportive of one. I was wrong. So, I asked for a phone (directory) book to look up the nearest bike shop. I called one 27 miles away; no longer in business. I called one about 27 miles past that one; also no longer in business. Frustrated with the lack of support for cycling, I sat on the corner with my thumb out to get to the next closest bike shop which was just over 80 miles away. How crazy!

I sat there for over an hour and a half with people either pretending to look the other way, shaking their heads "no," or waving while not realizing what a thumb in the air means. Finally, a guy pulled up in a white van with a military signals sticker on the back window. I wasn't sure if he was actually going to give me a ride or not, but he said, "I would've stopped earlier when I drove by but I had some things in the back. So, I went and dropped them off so I could give you a ride." Wow!

Well, I put my bike in the back and introduced myself to my new friend Clair (see picture). We talked for the entire ride up to the next town, which he happened to know a guy that fixes bikes at a hardware store. I learned a lot about him in the thirty minutes and he learned much about me as well. He took me into the town to see if the guy would look the bike over, and the guy (Shad) said he would. So, Clair told me that he had to drive back through on the way to Fort Collins in a few hours, and that if we couldn't fix the bike (find the tool to get the gears off), he would take me up there to the bike shop.

Shad and I worked at the bike for a few minutes and found the right tool to get the bike back to its rightful state. I repaired the spoke, put it back together, and thanked Shad for his help. I told him he could have the tool I had to fix the bike, since it didn't fit mine and served me no purpose. He ended up giving me the one that fit in an exchange.

I rode the bike across the street, bought some food from the local grocery store to eat for lunch, and headed back to Highway 34. Right as I turned onto the road, the rear tire whihc I had just repaired, locked up and wouldn't budge. Coincidentally, I asked Shad for the store number incase something happened. I called and asked if I could come back and borrow a socket wrench. He said he would come and get me and bring me back to the store so that my stuff wouldn't grow legs (not his words; mine).

He picked me up, we rode back to Hardware Hank('s), and we tried to fix it together. We took the entire wheel apart and racked our brains. He kept offering left over pieces the store had to fix what was wrong. We were close to fixing it when I got worried that it wouldn't work and I would miss the ride from Clair to a shop that specialized in problems like that one. It just so happens that Shad knew Clair, and had his phone number handy.

I called Clair and he said he would take me up there in about an hour. So, Shad and I continued the struggle. We came close to solving it when Clair got there. So, I scraped up all the spare pieces and packed them in his van in the hopes that someone in Fort Collins would be able to fix it right (unlike my way of fixing it). I thanked Shad and off Clair and I rode.

We stopped in a town to fill his gas tank and our bellies, and then continued up to Fort Collins. He said that we would find a bike shop so that I could get there in the morning when they opened. That we did. It wasn't easy, but the phone book always works. He dropped me off in a semi-vacant field without the bike and said he would be back to pick me up in the morning. So, I set up my tent and got ready for bed as usual.

Daily Lesson: Just because you know what's wrong doesn't necessarily mean you can fix it.

Please donate to show me that you support what I'm doing:

http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Day Twenty One- Done (Over 1630 miles)

August 10th-

I got a pleasantly late start due to an extra shower in the morning at the hotel. But, I read the map over and figured out a route that I'm allowed to ride that would only add about 250 miles to the trip. How sarcastically wonderful! I'll keep looking at that map until I can possibly figure something better out.

After writing the blogs, I hit the road wanting to make it to the Colorado border. I rode swiftly. I find it hard however to ride on Highway 34 without stopping to see the "historical markers" (see picture).

After riding for about an hour from McCook, I had a little bicycle mishap. I had to change a spoke on the bike (finally took a picture of me fixing the bike). It was pretty hot outside, but I didn't mind at all. I found comfort in the shade of trees and mosquito wings.

I saddled up again a little saddened by how late in the day it was and how few miles I rode. I was in for the best surprise of the trip though; The most amazing sunset EVER!

I stopped at a gas station soon after the sun had set so that I could refill my water bottles and get back on the road. I felt that I needed to make up some of the miles I lost during the day by riding at night. Some of the bikers (motorcycle riders) at the gas station thought I was crazy for doing the trip and even more so for riding toward the storm that was brewing the whole day. I paid no mind to their doubts. I just rode.

It was the most peaceful part of the ride, yet. I figure there were only about 6 cars that had passed me in the same direction for over two hours. I rode through on town that was closed down for the night and into another called Haigler that was looking just the same.

I saw some soda machines, so I was going to buy a water out of them and keep riding. Just as I was fishing for change, I notice that there was some "beer neon lights" on up the road. I rode over there figuring that maybe they were open and I could get some free water. Sure enough, they were open.

I went inside the bar and met four people; two of them hadn't been to the bar in about a year. Those two are Steve and Tami Workman. After chatting for about thirty minutes, I was invited back to their house to spend the night. I asked if I could get back here in the morning to continue from where I left off and Steve said he would drive me back. So, I crossed the border into Kansas with them to their home.

There was more land than anyone in Eastern New York or Southern California would know what to do with. Just beautiful. They told me about the hail storm that just hit there about a week before. Thankfully, I wasn't riding through West Nebraska at that time.

They gave me a place to sleep upstairs and with the changing time zone within the limits of their house, Steve and I synchronized our clocks. Mine changed as I walked upstairs to the living room. I planned accordingly.

Daily Lesson: In the death of a day, the sunset can be it's lasting impression. (It's never too late leave your mark.)

Please donate to help END POLIO NOW! http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Information

Please don't be worried if I don't post a lot for the next week or so. I need to ride a lot of miles in order to get where I need to be. I'll do my best to post them in towns that allow, but if I'm short on time I might not be able to. Thanks for understanding,
David

Day Twenty- Done (Over 1555 miles)

August 9th-

Well, I'm sure that you can tell by the number of miles that today was a good day for riding. The wind was at my back whispering sweet nothings in my ear all day long. The hills had all laid down for a day long nap. The sun was playing hide and seek behind the clouds. Who could ask for anything more?

I enjoyed the beautiful skies for hours as I rode an average of 15 MPH. I had promised myself that I wouldn't stop in any towns for more than a couple minutes so that I could get as far as possible. I still had enough time to let them know what I was doing though.

All the towns were small. As a matter of fact, one of the towns had a population of 80. Guess what? That didn't stop them from having a police car. I got a kick out of that.

Right as I decided not to look at the odometer/speedometer to encourage a faster pace, I saw a giant tower (see picture). Now, some of you may know that I'm afraid of heights. So, today I decided to test my fears. I hate fears. I rode over to the "tower" on a pebble and rock county road. Little did I know that the tower belonged to TV station 26. It was Sunday, so they were closed.

That never stopped a rebel like me from accomplishing my mini-goals. I was going to conquer my fear of heights. Well, I parked my bike, jumped the barbed wire fence (Don't tell anyone!), ascended the ladder to the roof, and then walked the plank to the base of the tower. I put everything but my camera down and started to climb. Rung after rung, my nerves started to poke me. My muscles grew weak from the lifting for minutes after minutes. I didn't realize how hard it was to climb a tower. I kept climbing until I thought I would be able to get a great panoramic shot with my camera. I must've been 200 rungs up, when I was satisfied. Nervously satisfied. I hope you like the picture (only one of the 8 panorama).

I carefully climbed back down, scraping both elbows just once. I saddled up and headed down the road; accomplished!

As I rode, I saw a sign for a Holiday Inn Express. I had travelled over fifty miles at that point, and the sign said the hotel was 55 miles ahead. Hmmm... "I can do that," I thought to myself. Thanks to all the people that helped me on the 131 mile day, I knew I could. So, I called my mom to see if she could get me a sweet deal at the hotel.

I rode like I stole something. I rode like I was in East Cleveland at night. I rode like I wanted to sleep in a soft bed with my own shower nearby. I rode.

As I got closer, I got in touch with my mom and she came through. She talked with Mary (correct me if I'm wrong, I was out of it), who was working the front desk, and got me the employee's rate for the night. I rode faster.

I got there a little after ten o'clock and checked into my room. I washed my laundry, ate some food, showered, studied my maps over and again, then called it a night. I had to get up early for my free breakfast and to thank Collete (the manager who wasn't going to yell at Mary for helping me out).

Daily Lesson: There are two great motivators; People and absence of people. (Not in this case, but sometimes it takes people leaving us for us to finally do something right.)

Donate to eradicate Polio at http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Day Nineteen- Done (Over 1445 miles)

August 8th-

I woke up in Friend looking forward to another day of riding. My body was a little sore, but my tent was dry. So, I was happy.

I rode feverishly toward Sutton, which is a larger font on the map, thus I figured I could get internet access there. I was right. There happened to be a hotel on the outskirts of town that had free WiFi. How convenient! I sat there and typed while eating lunch for the better part of two hours. It was refreshing in comparison to the heat and wind that were pouring and blowing East.

After posting a couple blogs and talking to a local, I went to the gas station and filled up my water bottles in the bathroom sink (I realized it's not worth spending money on filling up my water bottles. Wasted some money early on in the trip doing that).

I headed West intending to run into a town or two between Sutton and Hastings (about 30 some miles), but no such luck. There are no gas stations on Highway 6 between those two towns. That's free information for you, that I wish I had before.

I stopped by a farm house just off the road when I saw a truck pulling out. I asked the man in the truck if I could get some water from his spicket. He said it was okay. So, I filled up my bottles and my gullet and rode on into Hastings.

I arrived there around 6 pm and the sun was blazing. I went to the local grocery store and bought about 10 lbs of food for $10. They had a lot of sales going on that day. I took the food and ate some of it outside the store.

After I was fed up, I decided to relax at a deserted building's cement loading dock for about an hour to let the sun calm down. When it did, I rode for awhile before realizing that the drivers weren't seeing me because of the low sun. I stopped off at a restaurant for a little while waiting for the sun to fall a little more. It did. I rode.

I didn't go very far because I found a school just to the West of Hastings that looked like a nice, safe place to sleep for the night. I checked the perimeter for scoundrels and found none. I set up my tent far enough away from the ant pile I distrubed when I got there. I didn't lock the bike to the tent tonight. I don't think I needed to.

(My average mile per hour for the trip so far is 11.9 MPH)

Daily Lesson: You don't miss your water 'til the well runs dry.

Donate to help eradicate Polio (and put the Polio team out of a job) at http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

A gift from my brother: