Timon and Pumba-ing My Way to Cave-in-Rock!



(The Sunrise Rangers - Timon and Pumba!)

Miles Ridden Today - 87.95 Average MPH - 14.1


Today was one of those days where I felt very ambivalent about riding.  On the one hand, I was all snuggled up with my boys in bed and it was so warm when the alarm went off at 5:00 am.  All I wanted to do was roll over and sleep for a few more hours.

But I also remembered that today was the day when I would be riding for the Rangers of Sunrise Day Camp - the Timon Boys and Girls and Pumba Boys and Girls.  For those of you not indoctrinated into the organization of Sunrise, these are our first and second grade campers and they are some of the most enthusiastic and upbeat kids you'd ever want to meet!  Even those who are fighting cancer right now have such a positive outlook and are always such balls of energy.  As a drama specialist it was always a challenge to keep up with them.

So with those thoughts in my head I quickly got ready, got my complimentary breakfast of a waffle and coffee from the good folks at Super 8 and headed on the road to Cave-in-Rock, IL, a mere 87 miles away!

As I rode, I thought of the Rangers and how much they would enjoy all of the nature I was seeing so I made a video of the lake I was passing;

And I thought how much the Rangers would enjoy seeing so much natural water, especially in the heat they were experiencing.

And then I rode on and for the second day in a row, I came across another one of these guys;

If this keeps up I'll have to open a sanctuary for rescued turtles!  I headed on my way with the idea of meeting up with my family sometime after Goreville for a much needed water and food break.  However, since I was low on cold water I stopped at a small truck stop outside of Goreville and that's when I received three text messages from Deanna that made me cry.  The first was of her guy on a bicycle that was to represent me and where I was on my journey.  The second was full page shot of the map and it looked amazing (of course, since she is such an an incredible and creative artist) and the third text simply said, "rangers...cheering and thanking u! be safe!" and that's when I started to sob.  Just knowing that they were with me and they knew I was thinking of them made my day and renewed the flagging energy in my legs.  It has been two days of hellatious up and down climbing but that was like the biggest jolt of caffeine to my system.  So much so that Amy and the kids didn't catch up with me until about mile 64, about 24 miles from the end of today's ride!

It was fortuitious that they did so since we met another cyclist coming the other direction and climbing the hill I was about to go down.  We offered her some ice and water and we compared notes about the roads ahead.  Her name is Ariel and she has just graduated from NYU with a degree in Journalism. She's heading back home to Golden, CO and has had some harrowing adventures on the road.  Of most interest to me was the fact that she had been bitten by a dog in Eastern Kentucky!  I've heard the warnings and so far I've been able to scare the dogs away by yelling at them and squirting them with water (although the one who came after me today took some doing before he backed off).  However, I do have some pepper spray if that non-violent method doesn't work.  But if I'm riding with Sarah and they come after us, no more mister nice guy - its right to the spray.

I continued riding after we parted and went our ways and took my next rest in Elizabethtown, MO known as E-Town to the locals.  I stopped at the local gas station/grocery and had some Mountain Dew and talked a little about Sunrise and why I was riding.  She was very impressed and said she'd be keeping our campers in her prayers.  While waiting outside I got into a discussion with the Hostess delivery man who was making his rounds.  And then Amy and the kids drove up!  Apparently, they had just had lunch on a converted barge there in E-Town.  And as they drove up I got one of the best gifts of all - he handed me a box of Twinkies and said, "a gift from Southern Illinois" and what a gift indeed!  I can't wait to eat them - of course I have to share them with the kids!  Immedieately following that, the lady came outside and asked us if we wanted some slushies - on the house!  I didn't but the kids availed themselves of the offer and thanked her profusely.  I am sure going to miss the wonderful, friendly and supportive folk of Illinois!

And then it was off for the final 13 miles of my journey.  It was more of the same, 23% grades that were short but killer in this heat.  But as I rode I thought again of our Rangers and how they were at that moment going home to be with their families after a great day at Sunrise!  I hope that through this journey we can make that possible for just a few more!

And now I'm finishing up this blog while overlooking the Ohio River.  There are hummingbird feeders on the windows behind me and I can hear them buzzing back and forth as they feed and flit on.  A little while ago I heard a thump and looked over and saw a small hummingbird lying on the ground just five feet from me.  I saw it was still alive so I picked it up and took it back to the cabin so it wouldn't become a meal for some animal.  As I called for Amy and the kids to come outside and see the poor stunned creature it suddenly revived itself and flew into the open door of the cabin.  There were a few moments of panic as we realized we couldn't find it and how frightened it must be.  It was then that I noticed it had stunned itself again by running into the wall and was lying on the carpet.  I carefully picked it up again and took it outside making sure to hold it so that it wouldn't take off in the cabin again.  This time only a few moments went by before it began to stir and took wing - our little hummingbird was okay!

And now, its time to eat some dinner, enjoy some Twinkies and watch the Olympics.  I have a rest day tomorrow but on Thursday I'll be riding to Owensboro, KY and riding for the Thunder Boys and Girls!


And today's report;

FFL - 1 Rabbits, 1 Skunk, 1 Possum, 4 Squirrels, 1 Fox,  6 UFO's, 1 Turtle (I couldn't get to him in time)
RRL - Two couch cushions, one really cool throw pillow and what appeared to be one XXXL pair of men's underwear (I don't want to know)

Stay well and I'll update more from the road!

For another perspective on our journey check out Amy's blog at http://www.crosscountrymama.blogspot.com/
To help us get the kids to Sunrise go to https://www.wizevents.com/register/register_add.php?sessid=1809&id=1056
Check out our website at http://www.connorsarmy.org/

Plodding (and Pouring) My Way to Pagosa Springs

Today's Distance - 106 Miles

Yesterday my family and I enjoyed a rest day in a place I've wanted to visitn since I was 13-years-old - Mesa Verde, CO.  More specifically, the Cliff Palace of the Anasazi (see picture at top of Saturday's post).  We had a great time on the bus tour, as we went to Spruce House and then Cliff Palace.  Sarah and the boys have decided they want to build a kiva in the back yard.  Of course, how they plan on working around that big French drain in the middle of the yard, I have no idea!

The day started out really beautifully.  Amy and I woke up very early and she drove me the ten (very winding) miles down the side of the Mesa to the five mile mark so I could pretty much begin where I would have left off.  As we got into the car and pulled away from our hotel we saw three young male deer (or possibly elk) crossing the parking lot.  They just looked at us very nonplussedly and continued on their way.  We then made our way down the Mesa enjoying the quiet early morning and the views of the sun coming up over the mountains.  I made all my preparations and Amy filmed a bit for the dcocumentary as I climbed my way out of the final small valley and prepared to bomb down hill for four miles of 6% descent!  With the sun coming up on my right and the chill of the early morning it was heaven!

Eventually I hit level ground and it was time to pedal my way towards Pagosa Springs.  I was hoping to get there by 2:30 so I could meet with Jim McQuiggin who wanted to take a picture and do a follow up interview for the local paper, the Pagosa Springs Sun.  Despite the fact that we had just had a rest day, we are having another tomorrow because one of the big things Pagosa Springs is known for is Hot Air Ballooning.  Why Hot Air Balloons?  Let's go back in time thirteen years and three weeks.

My wife and had been plagued by unexplained infertility and after three years of trying we were finally pregnant.  It was coming to the end of my second year of teaching and one morning, instead of waking me up to make the long drive out to Syosset, NY (we were still living in Manhattan at the time) my wife woke me up to inform me that she needed me to go the nearest Duane Reade and pick up some supplies for her as she was in labor and we needed to go to Mt. Sinai Hospital.  "Whaaaaaaaaattttt?!?!", I shouted, "how long have you been in labor?"  "About two hours," she replied.  So I rushed out, got the supplies, we got everything ready and we caught a cab with a nice driver by the name of Solomon (a wise cabby in NY has its perks).  He got us there in no time flat and as I was paying him I noticed my lovely bride was wandering across the street!  Despite the fact she had been in labor for hours now she was drawn by something in the park.  That something turned out to be a hot air balloon that was being inflated in Central Park as part of a promotion.  It was then that I discovered her fascination with hot air balloons and her burning passion to have the chance to fly in one.  If they would have allowed her, she would have gone then and there.  Fortunately for all involved (Sarah not the least) it wasn't really a possibility.

So fast forward thirteen years and a few weeks and Amy is going to get the chance to do that tomorrow.  We've confirmed the ride with the operator and as I was riding today much of what I thought about was how happy she's going to be when she finally gets to lift off tomorrow.

Most of the ride today was just a blur.  It was hot, it was hilly (but no major elevation changes) and at one point someone in the division of signs screwed up because just when I thought I had 15 miles to go it turned out I had 35 to go - talk about being a bit put out!!!!!  But I just sucked down some energy gel and I kept on going.  Once the caffeine kicked in I was good to go, only my sore bottom gave me any trouble.

Eventually I got to within ten miles of Pagosa Springs and I could see some rather ominous clouds looming in the distance.  It was my hope that perhaps I could beat them since it seemed as if the wind would blow them away from me.  And then the wind shifted and it was pretty clear they were going to intersect with me about the time I hit Pagosa Springs.  It was time to time trial again!  So I dug in and started pedaling for all I was worth.  It was then I saw my saviours in their black van swoop over the horizon.  I quickly refueled and Amy told me I was only 10.8 miles away from the hotel - I could do this!  And the race was on!

Since there was lightening flashing in those ominous looking clouds Amy decided she would leap frong me in case I needed to jump in the van to avoid becoming what Sarah has dubbed "Deep Fried Daddy".  Every time she would leap ahead, I would pull up and she would give me the new mileage, "6 miles, 4.2 miles, 3.5 miles, 2 miles" and then the skies opened up just as I hit the top of the last decline that would take me into town.  At that point I was already soaked and stopping to get in the van didn't make much sense so I decided to just keep riding in the rain down the busy road and hope I wouldn't lose control, slide into the road and get squished by a semi truck.

Well, as you can see I survived.  Amy was flipping out following behind me and watching me careen down the road in the pouring rain (I could barely see to tell you the truth), with semis only three feet away but just as I got to the bottom of the decline the rain started to let up.  I was soaked but I decided to call on Jim at the Sun office just in case I could catch him.  It turned out I had just missed him.  After waiting around for the rain to finish I headed off to the hotel to shower and dry off.  We rescheduled the interview/photo shoot for tomorrow after the balloon ride and with any luck it will bring another donation or two to Sunrise!

And now after a well deserved meal, it is time to get some shut eye before the great balloon ride!  (Oh, and as this is being finished way after the actual day, here is a link to the article that was done from the follow up interview http://www.pagosasun.com/latest_photos/cyclist.html)

And the report for the day;
FFR - 14 Deer, 12 Birds of indeterminate species, 1 skunk, 1 rabbit, 1 squirrel
RRL - 1 cooler, 6 cooler lids

Stay well and I'll update more from the road!

For another perspective on our journey check out Amy's blog at http://www.crosscountrymama.blogspot.com//
To help us get the kids to Sunrise go to https://www.wizevents.com/register/register_add.php?sessid=1809&id=1056
Check out our website at http://www.connorsarmy.org/