June 13, 2011

Today's report from my Ride

Started at 6:00 am and finished at 2:30 pm.     

Covered 104 miles, ave speed of 14.8 mph.  Max speed - 30.7 mph

Riding time - 7 hours and 2 minutes.  

Feet of elevation climbed - 2381'. 

Wind - out of the SSE.  On the "Hurt/Help" Wind scale, today was a +1.0. 

The "Hurt/Help" Wind Scale is my way of saying "this is how much the wind hurt/helped me over the course of the day".  It can Hurt me up to a -5, or help me up to a +5.

About today:

Today was AWESOME!!  I'd have to say, it was the best day of the ride so far!  However, I definitely did not know that starting out.  When I left my host home at 6am it was misting quite heavily.  (FYI - You know it's misting when water is dripping off the front of your helmet.  It's raining if it's dripping off your helmet and the end of your nose.  It's raining hard if it's squishing out of your shoes.  And you know it's pouring when your attitude shifts from "This rain is a nuisance" to "Hey, this is kind of fun.  I can not get any wetter, so I'm just gonna have a good time!!")

Anyway, I started from Lake Maloney, south of North Platte.  I didn't even get to NP before I had a flat tire from a "sticky rock".  It's much easier to get have a puncture when it's raining as tiny shards of rock stick to the tire because it's wet.  If they hit point first, sometimes they "work through the tire" (being driven in a bit further each time the tire goes around) until they puncture the tube.  Then you're sitting in the ditch putting on a new tube.  That's where I found myself just 6 miles after I started, quite "damp" from the heavy mist, sitting on wet grass, surrounded by a swarm of little phlebotomist wannabes, putting a new tube in my back tire.  This was NOT a good way to start a long day.  But, then it occurred to me, "Hey!  This is probably the worst thing that's going to happen to me today.  That means you've got the "rotten thing of the day" out of the way before it's even 7am!"  And that is indeed what happened!!!

The day really turned around at the 30 mile mark.  I had an average of 12.6 mph and was still pretty wet from the mist earlier.  But just south of Stapleton is where my sag driver caught up with me, Kirk Shuck.  And the rest of the day was fantastic!  He always had a smile and a word of encouragement for me.  Thanks Kirk!!!!

Just look at that smiling face of encouragement!!!!

Here's a pic of me when he arrived.  

Mike and Bike covered in a coat of glorious grime!

         














 Well, after Kirk arrived, the wind seemed to actually help me a bit, the mist went away, and I just felt strong, and I mean STRONG for the rest of the day!  Over the next 74 miles, I rode fast enough to raise the 12.6 mph (for the first 30) up to 14.8 mph for the entire 104 miles!  Wow!  My hands did not really hurt.  My "undercarriage" was not as tender.  My ankles didn't really bother me (beyond being stiff for a bit when I got off the bike).  Ten miles east of Mullen we "gained" an hour by entering Mountain Time Zone, and then when I thought, "This can NOT get any better!", the sun came out about 6 miles east of Mullen!!  Now, it's a sunny, hot Sandhills afternoon and I feel great!  Marvelous day!

the Dismal River

      Here are some other pics from the day.  The Dismal River valley area is beautiful!!!!  There is a scenic loop (about a mile perhaps) which crosses over the Dismal just east of the main bridge.  It's part of old Hwy 83.  That's where we took this picture, looking east.  Take this loop!  It leaves Hwy 83 before the bridge and then rejoins Hwy 83 on the other side of the bridge.  Neat!

The Dismal River area

The Dismal River area

The Dismal River valley

 When we arrived at Mullen, we were met by Gerri Peterson.  This friendly young lady is the owner of the Hooker County Tribune.  She interviewed me and snapped a couple of pics.  Kirk took this picture while she was also taking one for the paper.

Glidden Sandhills Motel

It's by the sign for the Glidden Sandhills Motel here in Mullen.  Owner, Patty Glidden, gave Kirk and me two rooms for free as her way of supporting Make-A-Wish Foundation of Nebraska.  Then she gave us $20 to help pay for our supper tonight!  Thank you for your generosity!!  If ANY of you ever have a chance to stay overnight in Mullen, please check in at the Glidden Sandhills Motel.  They are great folks!!!!  They also have canoe rentals besides the motel if you want some outdoor adventure on your trip.  Check out their Facebook page and an information page on them listed below.  

 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sandhills-Motel-Glidden-Canoe-Rental/103342909701882
 http://sandhills-motel.mullen.nebraska-hotels.tel/

Bible verses dealing with Jesus and “wishes”.  A WISH…

    To thank Jesus for His forgiveness – Luke 7:36-50

Quote of the Day: 

I have always struggled to achieve excellence. One thing that cycling has taught me is that if you can achieve something without a struggle it's not going to be satisfying. - Greg LeMond

New Spin Home Wisdom story: “Don’t just ride into the wind.  Tear the wind apart!"  Tomorrow and Wednesday are the long awaited Spin Home Wisdom on dogs entitled, "Caution - Cujo Wannabe Ahead!"

Closing thoughts for the day: 

I have put the original route in below for tomorrow.  We were told that the road between Tryon going west to Arthur was closed due to flooding.  Not really flooding so much as high ground water that's over the highway.  Wow!  So, I'm going to bike south to Tryon and if the road is open, I'll head west to Arthur.  If it's still closed, we'll drive back to Mullen, then I'll bike west to Hyannis, and then south to Arthur.  It'll all work out. 

Thank you for your continued support and prayers.  Please keep telling others about this journey.  As more and more people know, I believe the donations will continue to rise.  They've been a little slow starting, but bottom line is I'll be happy with whatever amount we end up with.  Having said that, I WOULD like to top $100,000 though...(-:).


Forecast for the next day:

30% chance of rain.  Wind out of the NW at 13 mph.  In the 80's for the high. 

Route/Towns for the next day:

June 14 - Mullen to Tryon (maybe) to Arthur to Hyannis                                 

June 12, 2011

Today's report from my Ride

Started at 6:00 am and finished at 4:30 pm.     

Covered 96 miles (note), ave speed of 14.6 mph.  Max speed - 35.6 mph

Riding time - 6 hours and 36 minutes.  

Feet of elevation climbed - 3681'. 

Wind - out of the SSE.  On the "Hurt/Help" Wind scale, today was a +1.0. 

The "Hurt/Help" Wind Scale is my way of saying "this is how much the wind hurt/helped me over the course of the day".  It can Hurt me up to a -5, or help me up to a +5. 

NOTE: My mileage was less than planned as I had to stop once I reached Hwy 83 rather then take it south into North Platte.  It was 4:30 (we "lost" two hours stopping for church in Broken Bow) and my host family had to be somewhere at 5:30.  So, we had to drive into town to their house before they left.  I will still cover this part of Hwy 83 when I leave North Platte and go north tomorrow morning. 

MY SECOND WISH CHILD:

Cole, from the Fremont area

     The second Wish Child I am sponsoring is a fighter!  When Cole was just 10 days old he suffered blood clots in his heart.  Now, as a 3 year old, he has an aggressive kidney cancer. In July of 2010, he was diagnosed with stage 5 Wilm’s Tumor. He started chemotherapy the next day. He is a strong boy who continues to struggle against his illness. When the Wish-Granters met with him to discuss his wish, they learned that he loves rides and wanted to go to a special theme park in Orlando.  Having Cole's wish granted will mean so very much to him and his family.

The biggest tree planter in world!  It's growing up in the silo. 

About today: Beautiful weather today, and LOTS of beautiful countryside!  When we arrived in Broken Bow, we stopped for worship at Our Savior Lutheran Church.  

Our Savior LC in Broken Bow

Ready to tip over Democrat Hill!

Looking back to Democrat Hill.  Pictures never do it justice!

     One of the things I really looked forward to today was descending Democrat Hill, between Callaway and Broken Bow.  It drops 210 feet (according to my altimeter), but is not much fun as it is SO rough.  Didn't even hit 36 mph as I had a headwind as well. 

looking east

North of Arnold is Junkins Table.  It is a huge climb north out of town up onto this table and from there the views are beautiful!  You MUST see it for yourself sometime.  (-:)

looking west

looking down into Devil's Gulch

Thank-yous for today: A huge thank you goes to Barry and Colleen Schochenmaier for sagging me today!  They were so very helpful.  Thank you my friends.  See yesterday's update for a picture of them.  

Many thanks to Todd and Tammy Hlavaty, my host family tonight in North Platte.  

Bible verses dealing with Jesus and “wishes”.  A WISH…

     For a loved one to live again (widow of Nain) – Luke 7:11-17

Quote of the Day: 

"If the pack splits, and it will, it's a hell of lot better to be the weakest guy in the first group than the strongest guy in the second group." - Anonymous

New Spin Home Wisdom story: "When Critters Meet Bikes"

Forecast for the next day:

Wind out of the NNE up to 9 mph.  So, not too bad, but not in my favor until I turn east at Thedford.  30% chance of isolated thundershowers.  Highs in the 80's.  We'll see how the day goes...


Route/Towns for the next day: 

June 13 - North Platte to Stapleton to Thedford to Mullen

June 11, 2011

Today's report from my Ride

Started at 5:15 am and finished at 1:15 pm.     

Covered 89 miles, ave speed of 13.9 mph.  Max speed - 33.7 mph

Riding time - 6 hours and 23 minutes.  

Feet of elevation climbed - 1784'. 

Wind - out of the SSE.  On the "Hurt/Help" Wind scale, today was a -1.0. 

The "Hurt/Help" Wind Scale is my way of saying "this is how much the wind hurt/helped me over the course of the day".  It can Hurt me up to a -5, or help me up to a +5. 

About today:

thick fog!  The flash from my camera wiped out the picture. 

very peaceful moment...

It was REALLY foggy when I left this morning, wow!  The road from Brewster to Taylor is pretty free of traffic, well except for a skunk that wanted to keep walking down the middle of the highway in front of me.  He had his tail (and his temper) up and kept looking back to check on me.  I didn't want to pass him until he went to one side or the other so I had to patiently follow him until HE decided when to let me pass. I just waited.  A shot from him would've been a "day-changer" to say the least...  Anyway, regarding people traffic, I had covered 14 miles before the first vehicle passed me.  Pretty road and a lonely road.  Lots of interesting sounds though, especially birds.  Oh yes, and the deer that crossed the road in front of me at a full gallop.  I could hear her hooves clattering on the pavement.  (cool!)  It was actually a pretty morning, and a good day over all. 

For tomorrow, one of the things I really look forward to is descending Democrat Hill west of Broken Bow, between BB and Callaway.  It is HUGE!  I've only climbed it (on a BRAN ride), but never had the fun of flying down.  Big grin time!!!!

Thank-yous for today:

Tom and Lynda Tambling

Thank you to Tom and Lynda Tambling from Grand Island for being my support today!  I really appreciate your help!

Also, thank you to those of you who greeted me at the courthouse in Ord!  That was a day brightener.  In the picture below (l to r) are Christina and Caleb, their sons Calen (standing) and Elijah (I forgot to get their last name!!), the Tamblings, Janelle Schochenmaier (front/center), her folks (and my support drivers tomorrow) Barry and Collen Schochenmaier, and myself.  Taking the picture is Mary Molle. 

Friends in Ord!

Bible verses dealing with Jesus and “wishes”.  A WISH…

     Healing from an incurable disease – Luke 5:12-16

Quote of the Day: 

“For a cyclist, the sound of a car door opening in front of you is similar to the sound of a gun being cocked.” - Amy Webster  

New Spin Home Wisdom story: "Bike Helmets, Cantaloupes and Preschoolers".  Enjoy!  I have a two part story on dogs coming up.  I really had a blast writing them!!! 

Closing thoughts for the day: 

Tomorrow is a long day (125 miles), but I'm still going to meet Barry and Colleen in Broken Bow and we're going to go to church at Our Savior LC at 9:30.  See you all tomorrow night! 

Forecast for the next day:

Isolated thunderstorms in morning (30% chance of rain), SE wind up to 17 mph.  I am going mostly west tomorrow, so the wind will help most of the time.  (-:)

Route/Towns for the next day:

June 12 - Loup City to Ansley to Berwyn to Broken Bow to Callaway to Arnold to 
                   North Platte  

June 10, 2011

Today's report from my Ride

Started at 6:30 am and finished at 4:30 pm.     

Covered 127 miles, ave speed of 16.2 mph.  Max speed - 30.7 mph

Riding time - 7 hours and 51 minutes.  

Feet of elevation climbed - 2585'. 

Wind - out of the NNW.  On the "Hurt/Help" Wind scale, today was a +2.0. 

The "Hurt/Help" Wind Scale is my way of saying "this is how much the wind hurt/helped me over the course of the day".  It can Hurt me up to a -5, or help me up to a +5. 

About today:


Terry and Ann Hofman, Mike


Today's ride went VERY well!  Beautiful country, not much pain and terrific support drivers!  My sag folks were Terry and Ann Hofman from Grand Island.  They did a great job and seemed to have had a wonderful day.  They saw some beautiful country side.  It started out with a crossing of the Niobrara River just south of Valentine. 



Niobrara River south of Valentine



Niobrara River south of Valentine



hmmm...



As I approach Ainsworth, I suddenly found myself in the "Middle of Nowhere".  I had already suspected I was there before receiving visual confirmation. 

Between Ainsworth and Bassett, I crossed over the Cowboy Hike/Bike Train.  This 321 mile long trail (made from an old railroad bed) stretches from Norfolk to somewhere around Chadron.  Here's a picture of it. 

The Cowboy Trail



Wind turbines south of Ainsworth. 
I counted 47 of them!



from bridge over Long Pine Creek



Barrel Cactus in bloom!!



open country between Ainsworth and Brewster



                   

beautiful country!



Swallows at the bridge over the Calamus River south of Brewster





A row of swallow apartments!



Bible verses dealing with Jesus and “wishes”.  A WISH…

     For sight – Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52

Quote of the Day:

Perhaps the most vivid recollection of my youth is that of the local wheelmen, led by my father, stopping at our home to eat pone, sip mint juleps, and flog the field hands. This more than anything cultivated my life-long aversion to bicycles. – Tennessee Williams

Perhaps the most vivid recollection of my youth is that of being flogged by the local wheelmen, along with the field hands, the postman, and a young Tennessee Williams. This more than anything cultivated my life-long aversion to his plays. – Truman Capote

No spin home wisdom story as I couldn't figure out how to pull it off my hard drive using this computer.  Sorry.  More good ones to come though...(-:)

Closing thoughts for the day:  It was a wonderful day!  Tomorrow will be even better as I get to see a group of friends of MAW at the courthouse in Ord, then I get to see my wife in Loup City where I am staying for the night.  Many thanks to the couple from Peace who paid for the motel room!  You know who you are.  Your generosity is deeply appreciated. 

Also, thanks goes to Uncle Bucks Lodge for letting me stay and eat for free tonight!!  Check out their website.  This is a totally cool, awesome place.  http://www.unclebuckslodge.com/

Forecast for the next day:

Wind out of the SSE, exactly the direction I am going.  So, not as nice as today.  Ah well.  

Route/Towns for the next day:

June 11 - Brewster to Almeria to Taylor to Burwell to Elyria to Ord to Loup City

June 9, 2011

My report from yesterday's ride and today's (glorious!) rest day:

Started at 8:20 am.  Forgot to look at the time when I quit.   

Covered 75 miles, ave speed of 14.7 mph.  Max speed - 35.3 mph

Riding time - 5 hours.  

Feet of elevation climbed - 1975'. 

Wind - out of the NNW.  On the "Hurt/Help" Wind scale, today was a 0.0. 

The "Hurt/Help" Wind Scale is my way of saying "this is how much the wind hurt/helped me over the course of the day".  It can Hurt me up to a -5, or help me up to a +5. 

About today: Well, today (as Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen would say) I "popped", more mentally than physically.  I only got in 75 miles when it was supposed to be 145.  A failure?  Yes, from a number of miles point of view.  A learning lesson?  Absolutely, one that I feel will truly make me stronger for the rest of the ride.  Let me tell you about it.   


I had a "bad feeling" about this day before I even went to bed, knots in my stomach at thinking about it.  Sure enough, when I awoke at 4:30, the wind was already blowing 20-30 mph out of the NW.  Well, as you may guess, NW was my direction today, from O'Neill to Valentine.  Since there was no way I could fight wind like that for 145 miles, I called my support drivers, LeAnn and Nia Karmen, who were staying at the Super 8 in O'Neill.  I felt AWFUL asking them to drive me over 100 miles to Valentine so I could ride to O'N so they could drive me clear to Valentine again.  )-:)  But, they were so very gracious. 

Mike, Nia and LeAnn

So, by the time we arrived in Valentine and I start, it's already 8:20 am.  So, I felt "two hours behind" on a day when I had 145 miles to cover.  Not good.  And it was cold today, upper 50's and lower 60's.  Huge change from the day before.  The wind was relentless.  Even though it pushed me a bit going east, it was still hitting me from the side all day long.  Plus, where I was riding was kind of desolate, almost no traffic, few buildings along the way.  It was truly a lonely feeling out there, which always made it nice to see LeAnn and Nia on the horizon!  I'm not sure how to explain it, but as I went along I experienced about every emotion there is, and my spirit, my desire to keep going, just ebbed away, leaving me feeling very "empty".   Frankly, I just lost the will to keep pedaling.  Even the chance to ride about 40 miles with a 25-30 mph tailwind did not excite me!  Now THAT is weird!!!  Every hill was a trial due in part to my ankle.  I was able to point my toe down a bit and pedal without too much pain if I was careful.  But, to really climb hills, it is so helpful to pop up out of the saddle and pedal standing up a lot of the time.  I could not do that without making my eyes pop open really wide (oweey!  oweey!  oweey!).  So, cllimbing hills, which I normally LOVE was just pure misery. 

In the end, I just got to the point where I "popped" and kind of gave up.  And when you have 70 miles to cover yet, that's not a good thing.  I went through the motions, rode a couple more miles and then did something I never thought I'd do on this trip: I quit the day early. 



It is what it is.  I'm looking at what I can learn from it to prepare for the days ahead so it doesn't happen again.  I really needed this rest day.  In hindsight, it would've been good to schedule it a day or two earlier.  I'm venturing into new territory here so I gave it my best guess as to when I would need it and missed it by a day or so.  Live and learn. 

 


Long Pine Creek



        Nia, LeAnn and I stopped in Butte for ice cream sundae's, and then drove a ways into the Long Pine State Rec area to get come pictures.  The sun came out and it was neat to see this beautiful area of Nebraska.  It was truly a good day over all. 

        It was absolutely spetacular to sleep in this morning!!!!  I've been getting about 6-7 hours, and I think that was pretty much repairing my body but not my mind.  In my simple understanding of how sleep benefits the body, the first part of the night, the body repairs itself physically through really deep sleep.  Then the second part of the night, it repairs itself mentally through lighter sleep and lots of dreaming.  (Don't quote me at a medical convention or anything, but I think that's a fairly accurate simple explanation)  Well, last night I got 7 hours of "like a rock" sleep, and then 2 1/2 more hours of "doze, dream, wake...doze, dream, wake..." sleep.  I realized I haven't been doing this for several days and believe this also contributed somewhat to my mental demise yesterday.  So, the chance to dream and doze this morning was wonderful. 

THEN even more wonderful, was the chance to step out of my bed, turn around and say to it, "I don't have to make you today!!"  Woo Hoo!!  It gave me a delicious sense of getting away with something.  (-:)


I had an interview on the radio station and with a reporter from the newspaper this morning.  Then I went to see the Physical Therapist over noon (thank you Sue Whitney!!!).  She was VERY kind to work me in and very helpful in her treatment.  I have a bruise on the inside of my ankle, which means I have a slight tear in my tendon and it did a bit of bleeding.  She did a treatment on it, set me up with basically a "compression sock" to wear when I'm riding, and then tape wrapped my ankle so I could see how to do that in case the compression sock wasn't enough.  I need to get the swelling in my ankle down some so things can heal better.  Feels pretty good right now.  Then at 5:00 pm I had a massage to work all the lactic acid out of my legs, back, shoulders, etc.  I feel like a completely new man!



Me and Ralphy



  Doug is a big-time hunter and in 2006 he dropped a huge buffalo up in South Dakota.  These are enormous animals!!!!  They figured he was over 2500 lbs!  They were able to get just over 1000 lbs of meat from it. 



an expensive clothes drying rack!



    Doug and Sandy also have a Harley.  Here is the ultimate degredation for a Harley: to be used as a drying rake for REAL cycling clothes!



Sandy, Doug and Jackson





Thank-yous for today:

Thank you to my host family, Doug and Sandy Jacobs.  Sandy is Ken Moderow's daughter.  They were VERY helpful and kind.  Thank you!  Also in the picture is their grandson Jackson.  He's a little ham! 
Thank you also to those who have encouraged my with phone calls, especially my brothers Doug and Kevin, and friends Keith and Brian (I had a can of pineapples today!).  Thank you to Linda and Tony and also to Kathy from Keya Paha County.  I sorry I didn't make connection with you (Kathy), but I did cycle through Burton.  (-:)  The support and prayers of all of you are greatly appreciated. 

Thank you also to Terry and Ann Hofman, my support drivers for tomorrow! 

Bible verses dealing with Jesus and “wishes”.  A WISH…

     For relief from demons – Luke 8:26-39; Matthew 17:14-18

           For physical protection – Matthew 14:22-33


Quote of the Day:

 “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.”  - Ernest Hemingway

What do you call a cyclist who doesn't wear a helmet?  An organ donor. - David Perry

Spin Home Wisdom story:

In honor of Doug's Harley, I've posted "Motorcycles, and the Finger that Pointed East".  Enjoy!!

Closing thoughts for the day: 

This has been a very nice day.  I am looking forward to riding tomorrow.  Thanks for following my blog and keeping me in your prayers. 

Forecast for the next day:

Medium wind out of the NW.  Temps in the low 70's.  Only small chance of rain.  Considering that I'm going SE, I'm pretty excited!  (-:)

Route/Towns for the next day:

June 10 - Valentine to Wood Lake to Johnstown to Ainsworth to Long Pine to Bassett

to Long Pine to Ainsworth to Brewster