Today was another good day on the bike. We got a little earlier start today, compared to when we have been starting. Since we are not on loaded, touring bikes, we are averaging decent speeds. Because of that, we are a little slow rolling out in the morning. Today, we wanted to get out of the campsite early because we had an 85 mile day, the mosquitoes were crazy, and we had a motel waiting for us (& we stunk).
We started the day on SR 278 out of Jackson. We had a couple of moderate climbs and very little traffic. There was rain all over the area, but we seemed to zig zag around it all day. We could see rain to the right of us....to the left of us....in front of us....behind us.....but, not on us. Only one time did we get rained on and it was only for about 5 minutes.
One possible problem was diverted mid-way through today's ride. Kyle has had a little problem with a creaky crank....look it up....that actually is bike lingo. We were about 47 miles from Dillon, MT at the start of the day, so we checked our map for bike shops in the town (pop. 3752). Our map said that there was one shop in town. But, hours were limited and maintenance could be received by appointment. Enter...troubleshooter Kim. I called Kim when we were about 25 miles from Dillon and asked her to call the number provided and work her magic. One half hour later, we had an 11:00 appointment with the mechanic at Alternative Bike and Board (none of us can remember his name). They were not even open today. So, he made a special trip to the shop just to work on Kyle's bike. What service!!!! Thirty minutes and $20 later (he only asked for $10), we were back on the road. Kim you rock, as does the owner of Alternative Bike and Board.
The rest of our ride went as planned and we continued through Twin Bridges and by way of SR 287, we now sit in a great little motel in Sheridan. The Moriah Motel has huge rooms, fast speed WIFI, a flat screen HD tv, and other amenities that large chain motels could take a hint from.
The next couple of days, we will be trying our best to put in good miles while still having a place to sleep. It is a tricky part of the ride to get in the miles you want, while finding lodging. Sometimes, you have to stop when you aren't ready because there is no where else to stay for another 60 miles. We are trying to get good miles in the next three days so that we can get through Yellowstone Park before the weekend hits. Yes, we are allowing our kids to see the sights in the park. We just are not thrilled with sharing the roads with the weekend crowd. If we don't get to see everything we want, we will drive back in after we ride through. It will all work out.
We have hit a part of Montana that is limited for things for the family to do. The scenery is beautiful, but actual things for a tourist to visit are limited. They did spend an hour or so today at another museum. It showed them the county's history in gold mining as well as other things. We should be about to hit a stretch of the country where they will have something to do everyday. Regardless, the kids are doing great.
While I was riding today, I started to think about how great I am feeling. Late in the rides and the next day, I have really been feeling good. It got me thinking about how amazing the human body is. It is, without question, the most amazing engineered machine known to man. If you give your body the correct stressors at the correct times, it can do anything. Because of that, there is no reason to keep from doing any activity that you desire. We all have a starting point. If you want to walk a 5k for cancer, run a 1/2 marathon for heart disease research, do a sprint triathlon for yourself, ride a 40 mile tour for diabetes, it is possible. You have a starting point. Add a little to your starting point each week, and before you know it, your body has adapted and it no longer seems impossible. Try it. It is amazing.
Ok...no other mind blowing thoughts from me today. My brain hurts.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)