I have been putting off this blog entry for two days now. Partially because I did not want this whole little adventure to be over. For a week I got to be with my closest of friends. Sharing all different types of experiences. Extreme heat and torrential down pours, crappy continental breakfasts, the joy of coasting down a hill, or the misery of getting to the top of another, only to see bigger hill after that. Thirst, hunger and chaffing, were all apart of the daily routine. Now the little break from the day to day is over and Im upset.
The last day of the trip was a real blur, and I mean that literally. We all rushed to our final destination. The scenic route of the Boston Marathon is the perfect way of ending our personal marathon. Each mile was marked and my head was spinning with the thought of ending so early.
Getting to Fenway after all that is such a rewarding experience. Being someone who lacks any sort of physical talent, the end to this trip was the ultimate reward. I never had a game winning hit in Little League, or scored in PAL football. Never qualified for States or Nationals in crew, but I did this bike trip. Something that I will be able to hold on to for a long time.
Finding out about the similarities between Yankees fans and Red Sox fans does put a universal spin on baseball. When you boil it all down, it comes down to family. Our families teach us the most important lessons in life, and probably the single most important traits to have: faith and loyalty.
Players sign new multi million dollar contracts, and owners raise the prices to attend a game but the fans still show up. Teams causes us to curse, throw remotes, punch walls, or drown our sorrows but we still watch, buy, and cheer them on.
It is pretty incredible that a hat or a shirt can spark a heated debate, a dirty look, an assuring nod, or even a high five from a sailor on Hanover Street. Baseball has that ability to unite and divide.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
All done and ripe for the recapping
Another journey is done and more lessons learned. The last two days were about as different as any two over the whole week. Thursday was rainy, miserable, and had four flat tires (the most of any day. Friday, on the other hand, was sunny, hot but not overly so, and had no mechanical malfunctions greater than a chain coming off. We were also done with the day earlier than any other, getting to Fenway before 1pm with almost the same mileage. Needless to say it was the best way to end our journey.
While not really fair to this trip, I can't help but compare it to last year's (again). One thing that was similar to last year was what it was like to arrive at Fenway. The stadium sneaks up on you as a part of the city and before you know it you smell hot dogs and everyone is wearing red, grey and navy blue. We were again greeted by Lucias bearing Dunkin Donuts iced coffee and again we celebrated by touching the plaque of Tom Yawkey. Once again we were also met with a sense of anticlimax as few people around seemed to notice that, while they arrived by SUV, we arrived by way of physical exertion and mental determination.
As much as discussion regarding the rivalry, this trip was also a learning experience for me in other areas. I am now much more confident in my bike maintenance abilities. I'm hoping to build a road bike in the next year, so this was a good intro for that. While I am no expert by any means, it was cool to have the tools to adjust brakes and change tires when in the middle of nowhere. I also learned a great deal about no budget doc filming. Of course, most of it was what not to do, but c'est la vie. Working with my footage from this and last year will be a good exercise in editing, but I'm not sure yet what the end product will look like.
As far as the Rivalry, it's still extremely interesting to me. I can't just make myself a baseball guy in a week, but I never fail to enjoy the heated "discussions" that are generated by the love of these teams. Walking around Fenway yesterday and today I noticed several couples and families representing both sides. It might be like other situations involving different groups of people. Those who continue to champion the impression that "Yankee fans are a-holes" or "Boston fans are d-bags" are probably people who haven't really spent much time with the other. Once they do, it seems that mutual respect over loving the game overcomes the dominant prejudices.
Now that doesn't mean there's less trash talking. In fact, there's probably more because it doesn't get personal as much. Over this week John didn't hide his dislike for Pedroia just because Liz was around. It just stayed there. It wasn't about Boston or Boston fans sucking. The only moment of that this week was yesterday when the cashier at the liquor store was giving John a hard time for being a Yankee fan and talking sh*t about New Yorkers being whiney. I'm no Yankee fan, but the guy was being a douche. I'd bet that this guy hasn't ever watched a game with a Yankee fan or really hung out with one.
There's nothing wrong with good natured ball busting, but the best baseball fans I've ever known are the ones who understand that can appreciate other baseball fans. Just as I enjoy debating politics with people who vote opposite of me, a great debate over baseball seems to be one of the best things about being a real fan. The personal attacks should be saved for those who deserve it -- fairweather fans.
While not really fair to this trip, I can't help but compare it to last year's (again). One thing that was similar to last year was what it was like to arrive at Fenway. The stadium sneaks up on you as a part of the city and before you know it you smell hot dogs and everyone is wearing red, grey and navy blue. We were again greeted by Lucias bearing Dunkin Donuts iced coffee and again we celebrated by touching the plaque of Tom Yawkey. Once again we were also met with a sense of anticlimax as few people around seemed to notice that, while they arrived by SUV, we arrived by way of physical exertion and mental determination.
As much as discussion regarding the rivalry, this trip was also a learning experience for me in other areas. I am now much more confident in my bike maintenance abilities. I'm hoping to build a road bike in the next year, so this was a good intro for that. While I am no expert by any means, it was cool to have the tools to adjust brakes and change tires when in the middle of nowhere. I also learned a great deal about no budget doc filming. Of course, most of it was what not to do, but c'est la vie. Working with my footage from this and last year will be a good exercise in editing, but I'm not sure yet what the end product will look like.
As far as the Rivalry, it's still extremely interesting to me. I can't just make myself a baseball guy in a week, but I never fail to enjoy the heated "discussions" that are generated by the love of these teams. Walking around Fenway yesterday and today I noticed several couples and families representing both sides. It might be like other situations involving different groups of people. Those who continue to champion the impression that "Yankee fans are a-holes" or "Boston fans are d-bags" are probably people who haven't really spent much time with the other. Once they do, it seems that mutual respect over loving the game overcomes the dominant prejudices.
Now that doesn't mean there's less trash talking. In fact, there's probably more because it doesn't get personal as much. Over this week John didn't hide his dislike for Pedroia just because Liz was around. It just stayed there. It wasn't about Boston or Boston fans sucking. The only moment of that this week was yesterday when the cashier at the liquor store was giving John a hard time for being a Yankee fan and talking sh*t about New Yorkers being whiney. I'm no Yankee fan, but the guy was being a douche. I'd bet that this guy hasn't ever watched a game with a Yankee fan or really hung out with one.
There's nothing wrong with good natured ball busting, but the best baseball fans I've ever known are the ones who understand that can appreciate other baseball fans. Just as I enjoy debating politics with people who vote opposite of me, a great debate over baseball seems to be one of the best things about being a real fan. The personal attacks should be saved for those who deserve it -- fairweather fans.
The Perfect Ending
For all of the ups and downs that we endured during this trip, from the flat tires to the bad weather and the hills... we could not have possible had a better final day of our trip. We woke up in Worchester and knew we had about 43 miles to finish our trip. The weather was beautful, and I actually felt really really good considering all that we had been through.
John and B made a decision last year that the last 26 or so miles of the trip would be the Boston Marathon route. I loved this decision for a few reasons: 1) It was cool that we got to see the route that the runners run every year, another little tidbit that we picked up during this trip. 2) Every mile we covered was marked on the side of the road, so I was able to have a mental countdown in my head the closer and closer we got.
We covered ground in a hurry today... we only briefly stopped for a quick granola, bathroom break and another quick water fill stop. As we got closer and closer I got more and more excited.
The 1st time I really felt that we were close was as we were coming over the Boston University Bridge and John pointed out that you could see the lights of the stadium over the buildings... what an incredible feeling that was. Then the other noticible sights of Fenway came into play slowly, the Citgo sign, the Monster and Yawkee Way. Once we got there the 5 of us approached the wall and at the same time put our hands on Fenway Park. What an incredible feeling that was... to know where we started and what we went through. Liz's mom and aunts were there waiting for us which was pretty cool, they congratulated us and had drinks for us.
We got lunch ad the "best sports bar in America" and ran into Peter Gammonds of ESPN. we took a picture with him, but the guy taking the picture screwed up and it did not take, either that or the camera broke because Peter Gammonds was not looking too good when we ran into him.
Looking back on the trip it is really hard to put my thoughts into words. Its Satruday afternoon and we are sitting in Liz's apartment having a few drinks watching the game (we were not able to scalp tickets.. too expensive which was a bummer) and just talking a bit about what we did on the trip. Its hard to explain to anyone who was not on the trip just how much fun it was, and in such a weird way it was fun despite the fact that it was probably the hardest most grueling week of my life. I know there are absolutly some things that I will miss.
1) I will miss the silly converstions on the road, trying to pass the time, trying to get through the tougest parts of the trips, or just trying to make each other laugh. Sometimes its just a matter of someone saying one word and everyone else laughing: maybe out of delusion, or because its something we had been joking about but that is something I will miss.
2) Our pre-trip prayer/talk...this has not been talked about much by anyone I dont think, but every morning we would come together after we got our bags on our bikes, brng our hands in and Billy would lead us in prayer. It was usually along the lines of asing that God protect us and help us have the mental and physical strength to make it through the day. It was always a great way to start the day and it always ended with a word, usually our final destination
3) Ill miss the sence of accomplishment every time we made it up a hill, or reached our stop for the night. Some days were much tougher then others, but we made it and I will remember every step forever.
Looking back on what we did it would be impossible to write a post about the last day with our thanking the members of Team Shamrock (our team name) for the trip.
B- The leader of the pack... without Alex we would have not made it past the 1st day. From the helpful hints about riding to the ability to fix just about every problem that we had with our bikes he was the glue that held us together. He was our map and our guide and I am sure that there were times that he was frustrated with the fact that we were slow, or not as strong as he was, but he led us all the way. I hope the documentary is able to be put together and it is an honor that I was able to be part of it.
Liz- We voted her "most improved biker" yesterday at lunch and it was absolutly not meant to be a joke or a knock on her. Her desire and ability to finish the trip despite day 1 is something that i envy. She almost always was leadng the pack and digging as hard as she could to climb every hill. I am sure there were times when she was sick of being with 4 boys...but she was great and I am glad for her that she finished with us. She was a huge part of our group and it would not have been the same with out her
Billy- When my tire busted for the 3rd time he was the one that convinced me that quitting was not an option. He rode ahead of me for the 2 and a half miles and let me blow off some steam. He was always the one who would drop back in the pack to make sure noone was riding alone, trying to keep everyone moving and motivated. He contributed in so many different ways and was a huge part of why we were able to finish.
John- First off if it was not for John none of us would even be on the trip. I want to thank him for the offer, and for doing this trip again. A quick story about the kind of guy John is, yesterday after the trip we were walking towards the bank to get money for lunch and we passed a homeless man by the bridge, we both gave him change and then after we got our money John went into McDonalds and bought that man a Big Mac, fries and a soda. Thats just who John is, and more importantly he is probably embaressed that I am even putting this story in the blog. He does good things because he knows they are good. That is one of the things I will miss most about John next year at St. Anthony's. I can never thank him enough for doing this trip. I know he said last year that it was one of the greatest experiances of his life, and after doing it for myself I have no choices but to agree with him. It was an unbelievable experiances, he was the captain of the Shamrocks.
Another bit of thanks has to go to my family for all the encouragment even when I did not sound so good the pushed me to keep moving and working even though I know they thought i was out of my mind. Also to my cousins and friends who read the blog sent texts along the way and were quick to call, or send well wishes.
Also a huge thanks to everyone we stayed with along the way... The Bova family who provided us with a great meal and night sleep on day 1 when we needed it the most. The Letson family for showing us a good time. Aunt Deb and her family for a great pasta dinner, some great videos of the kids (which should be on YouTube they are so funny) and introducing us to So You Think you Can Dance. Without the kindness of these people this trip would have been much tougher.
A final thanks has to go to the nameless people that we met along the way who helped us out. Whether it was a place to refill our water, use the bathroom or somethign bigger like fixing a tire, giving us a tire, helping us with directions or just offering us encouragment when they heard about what we were doing. It is amazing the kindness of strangers and what a good feeling you get from it.
I dont know that ill ever do somethign like this again, or if ill ever want to do it again, but we did it once and that is waht is important. Thank you again to everyone who donated. If you still want to donate its not too late. ALL the money goes to cancer research, two great causes, and tons of people will benefit from it. I will probably post another time with a better reaction once I am a little more removed from the trip. So keep checking back to read everyone elses reactions.
John and B made a decision last year that the last 26 or so miles of the trip would be the Boston Marathon route. I loved this decision for a few reasons: 1) It was cool that we got to see the route that the runners run every year, another little tidbit that we picked up during this trip. 2) Every mile we covered was marked on the side of the road, so I was able to have a mental countdown in my head the closer and closer we got.
We covered ground in a hurry today... we only briefly stopped for a quick granola, bathroom break and another quick water fill stop. As we got closer and closer I got more and more excited.
The 1st time I really felt that we were close was as we were coming over the Boston University Bridge and John pointed out that you could see the lights of the stadium over the buildings... what an incredible feeling that was. Then the other noticible sights of Fenway came into play slowly, the Citgo sign, the Monster and Yawkee Way. Once we got there the 5 of us approached the wall and at the same time put our hands on Fenway Park. What an incredible feeling that was... to know where we started and what we went through. Liz's mom and aunts were there waiting for us which was pretty cool, they congratulated us and had drinks for us.
We got lunch ad the "best sports bar in America" and ran into Peter Gammonds of ESPN. we took a picture with him, but the guy taking the picture screwed up and it did not take, either that or the camera broke because Peter Gammonds was not looking too good when we ran into him.
Looking back on the trip it is really hard to put my thoughts into words. Its Satruday afternoon and we are sitting in Liz's apartment having a few drinks watching the game (we were not able to scalp tickets.. too expensive which was a bummer) and just talking a bit about what we did on the trip. Its hard to explain to anyone who was not on the trip just how much fun it was, and in such a weird way it was fun despite the fact that it was probably the hardest most grueling week of my life. I know there are absolutly some things that I will miss.
1) I will miss the silly converstions on the road, trying to pass the time, trying to get through the tougest parts of the trips, or just trying to make each other laugh. Sometimes its just a matter of someone saying one word and everyone else laughing: maybe out of delusion, or because its something we had been joking about but that is something I will miss.
2) Our pre-trip prayer/talk...this has not been talked about much by anyone I dont think, but every morning we would come together after we got our bags on our bikes, brng our hands in and Billy would lead us in prayer. It was usually along the lines of asing that God protect us and help us have the mental and physical strength to make it through the day. It was always a great way to start the day and it always ended with a word, usually our final destination
3) Ill miss the sence of accomplishment every time we made it up a hill, or reached our stop for the night. Some days were much tougher then others, but we made it and I will remember every step forever.
Looking back on what we did it would be impossible to write a post about the last day with our thanking the members of Team Shamrock (our team name) for the trip.
B- The leader of the pack... without Alex we would have not made it past the 1st day. From the helpful hints about riding to the ability to fix just about every problem that we had with our bikes he was the glue that held us together. He was our map and our guide and I am sure that there were times that he was frustrated with the fact that we were slow, or not as strong as he was, but he led us all the way. I hope the documentary is able to be put together and it is an honor that I was able to be part of it.
Liz- We voted her "most improved biker" yesterday at lunch and it was absolutly not meant to be a joke or a knock on her. Her desire and ability to finish the trip despite day 1 is something that i envy. She almost always was leadng the pack and digging as hard as she could to climb every hill. I am sure there were times when she was sick of being with 4 boys...but she was great and I am glad for her that she finished with us. She was a huge part of our group and it would not have been the same with out her
Billy- When my tire busted for the 3rd time he was the one that convinced me that quitting was not an option. He rode ahead of me for the 2 and a half miles and let me blow off some steam. He was always the one who would drop back in the pack to make sure noone was riding alone, trying to keep everyone moving and motivated. He contributed in so many different ways and was a huge part of why we were able to finish.
John- First off if it was not for John none of us would even be on the trip. I want to thank him for the offer, and for doing this trip again. A quick story about the kind of guy John is, yesterday after the trip we were walking towards the bank to get money for lunch and we passed a homeless man by the bridge, we both gave him change and then after we got our money John went into McDonalds and bought that man a Big Mac, fries and a soda. Thats just who John is, and more importantly he is probably embaressed that I am even putting this story in the blog. He does good things because he knows they are good. That is one of the things I will miss most about John next year at St. Anthony's. I can never thank him enough for doing this trip. I know he said last year that it was one of the greatest experiances of his life, and after doing it for myself I have no choices but to agree with him. It was an unbelievable experiances, he was the captain of the Shamrocks.
Another bit of thanks has to go to my family for all the encouragment even when I did not sound so good the pushed me to keep moving and working even though I know they thought i was out of my mind. Also to my cousins and friends who read the blog sent texts along the way and were quick to call, or send well wishes.
Also a huge thanks to everyone we stayed with along the way... The Bova family who provided us with a great meal and night sleep on day 1 when we needed it the most. The Letson family for showing us a good time. Aunt Deb and her family for a great pasta dinner, some great videos of the kids (which should be on YouTube they are so funny) and introducing us to So You Think you Can Dance. Without the kindness of these people this trip would have been much tougher.
A final thanks has to go to the nameless people that we met along the way who helped us out. Whether it was a place to refill our water, use the bathroom or somethign bigger like fixing a tire, giving us a tire, helping us with directions or just offering us encouragment when they heard about what we were doing. It is amazing the kindness of strangers and what a good feeling you get from it.
I dont know that ill ever do somethign like this again, or if ill ever want to do it again, but we did it once and that is waht is important. Thank you again to everyone who donated. If you still want to donate its not too late. ALL the money goes to cancer research, two great causes, and tons of people will benefit from it. I will probably post another time with a better reaction once I am a little more removed from the trip. So keep checking back to read everyone elses reactions.
Ya Sham Right a.k.a. The End of the Road a.k.a. What a long, strange journey it has been
I'm typing this on Saturday, the day after we finished. Yesterday was a very strange day in a very good way.
First, it was reminiscient of the first two days. It was hot, or at least hotter than Wednesday or Thursday. It was hilly. AND we didn't have any mechanical problems.
We awoke at 7 am in Worcester, were on the road by 8:30 and we reached Fenway by approximately 1 in the afternoon. We stopped twice along the way. We stopped once for a granola bar/refuel session and we stopped once to refill our water. At this point in our trip we were all so determined to get to Fenway that we just pressed on through our hunger AND I WAS STARVING. So hungry, in fact, I could've eaten a monkey bar. But, our resolve to finish was stronger than our hunger pangs.
When we reached Fenway Liz's mom and aunts were there waiting for us with Iced Coffees, my first coffee in over a week, pretty incredible stuff for a teacher. We grabbed a bite to eat at Game On! outside of Fenway, had a celebratory drink, texted those we knew to inform them we were alive and victorious, and returned to Liz's apartment (via bicycle) to shower and unwind...and like that...
it's over
Wow...
I'm not really sure how I feel about it, I still need some time to reflect and think about it. For now, let me just thank some people real quick.
To my fellow riders (in alpha order):
Alex: Thanks for being the leader. For keeping your head on straight and being as patient with us novice riders as you were. Without your organization and know-how we would probably have ended up in Oklahoma somewhere.
Billy: Thanks for being the encouraging spirit. While you obviously had some mechanical difficulties, when all was well you kept everyone going and kept everyone positive.
John: Thanks for your comic relief. You always kept things light on this ride. It was a difficult and trying experience and without your humor we'd have all been in big trouble. And of course, thanks for thinking this idiotic trip was worth taking again albeit by different means of transportation.
Liz: Thanks for not quitting on yourself and us. I think your presence kept us all motivated to wake up and go every morning. Your turn-around from Day 1 told me that no matter how hard this trip became we'd be okay, especially if you were around.
And everyone else:
Mom, Dad, Mary, Bill, Will, Katie, Kevin, DJ and Chrissy: Thanks for knowing this was a ridiculous idea and supporting me regardless...I guess that's how life with me goes, huh? You guys are the best!
Friends: Thanks for the texts of encouragement. And your feigned envy almost makes me want to do it again.
God: Yup, God too. Thanks for looking over all of us, keeping us safe, faithful, patient and humble. We looked to you before every ride and while it was never perfect, what in life is?
Love you all!
Only dissappointment...Not getting to go to a Sox games. Scalpers wanted $200 for a ticket..Oh well. I'll be back...eventually.
I probably have one more post-ride post...So check back...Who knows?
So it goes...
First, it was reminiscient of the first two days. It was hot, or at least hotter than Wednesday or Thursday. It was hilly. AND we didn't have any mechanical problems.
We awoke at 7 am in Worcester, were on the road by 8:30 and we reached Fenway by approximately 1 in the afternoon. We stopped twice along the way. We stopped once for a granola bar/refuel session and we stopped once to refill our water. At this point in our trip we were all so determined to get to Fenway that we just pressed on through our hunger AND I WAS STARVING. So hungry, in fact, I could've eaten a monkey bar. But, our resolve to finish was stronger than our hunger pangs.
When we reached Fenway Liz's mom and aunts were there waiting for us with Iced Coffees, my first coffee in over a week, pretty incredible stuff for a teacher. We grabbed a bite to eat at Game On! outside of Fenway, had a celebratory drink, texted those we knew to inform them we were alive and victorious, and returned to Liz's apartment (via bicycle) to shower and unwind...and like that...
it's over
Wow...
I'm not really sure how I feel about it, I still need some time to reflect and think about it. For now, let me just thank some people real quick.
To my fellow riders (in alpha order):
Alex: Thanks for being the leader. For keeping your head on straight and being as patient with us novice riders as you were. Without your organization and know-how we would probably have ended up in Oklahoma somewhere.
Billy: Thanks for being the encouraging spirit. While you obviously had some mechanical difficulties, when all was well you kept everyone going and kept everyone positive.
John: Thanks for your comic relief. You always kept things light on this ride. It was a difficult and trying experience and without your humor we'd have all been in big trouble. And of course, thanks for thinking this idiotic trip was worth taking again albeit by different means of transportation.
Liz: Thanks for not quitting on yourself and us. I think your presence kept us all motivated to wake up and go every morning. Your turn-around from Day 1 told me that no matter how hard this trip became we'd be okay, especially if you were around.
And everyone else:
Mom, Dad, Mary, Bill, Will, Katie, Kevin, DJ and Chrissy: Thanks for knowing this was a ridiculous idea and supporting me regardless...I guess that's how life with me goes, huh? You guys are the best!
Friends: Thanks for the texts of encouragement. And your feigned envy almost makes me want to do it again.
God: Yup, God too. Thanks for looking over all of us, keeping us safe, faithful, patient and humble. We looked to you before every ride and while it was never perfect, what in life is?
Love you all!
Only dissappointment...Not getting to go to a Sox games. Scalpers wanted $200 for a ticket..Oh well. I'll be back...eventually.
I probably have one more post-ride post...So check back...Who knows?
So it goes...
Patron Saint of Hopeless Cases
Jumping back to the second to last day..
My biggest concern withe the rain was braking. There are points when we ride that we are all pretty close to each other. Nothing quite as stylish as the Tour de France but still pretty compact. That tended to make me nervous if someone in front suddenly braked then I wouldnt be able to stop and before you know it legs are through tire spokes and my shammies are all in bunches.
Luckily that did not happen but it did get a couple of flat tires. After the first one I said it was simply my turn. It felt like the second half of my bike was not connected to the front half. I would turn left and feel the back half turn in the opposite direction. We were going downhill when I started to brake and did not know that Liz and Billy and Billy were right behind me. Liz nearly crashed into me as I stopped, and the two Billies avoided a collision as well. The roads were very slick and I feel that I am lucky to have been able to stop without gettng hurt or causing a pile up. As I walked up to tell Liz and Billy and Billy what happened I passed a statue of Saint Jude on the front lawn of the house I parked at. Collision avoided right in front of my patron Saint.
I bought a replacement tire in Spencer Ma that cost me $16. Now here is my new philosophy on bargan shopping. I bought a pair of $12 shoes at payless that I am using on the ride. Now when you buy a pair of $12 shoes your get $12 shoes. You buy a bike tire for $16, you get a $16 bike tire.
That baby went flat in less then 10 miles. Quinn walked about a mile with me in the rain before we met up with the rest of the group. It was decided that Liz and I would walk up to the Hotel and call different bike shops in the area.
We showered and then called a cab to take us to Barney's Bike Shop in Worcestor with my back tire in tow. The cabbie was glorious! A little old man who talked to us about his days of being a truck driver and his misadventures. He hated the troopers in Maine (why would people bother going back!!) Talked about the tickets he got for idling in Brooklyn, ($1,200). He was a hoot.
The guy at the Bike Store was really nice and not looking to make a buck. He told me that my tire was good and would probably be able to finish the trip but they dont carry that tire any more. I wanted nothing to do with that tire so I asked for a new one and hey gave me one with kevlar in it.
Called the cab company and waited a few minutes outside for it. After 20 minutes we got a bit nervous but sure enough a cab pulled up. It was our buddy!!! He told me that I have to read A Confederacy of Dunces. He said he read it in five hours and was upset when it was over. He then handed me a poem to read by a poet that he really enjoyed. He copied it down from the library and carried it with him in a little handbook, it was by Sylvia Plath. It was incredible that he carried that around with him.
He did not charge us as much for the ride back as he did for the ride there. He forgot to put meter on right away.
My biggest concern withe the rain was braking. There are points when we ride that we are all pretty close to each other. Nothing quite as stylish as the Tour de France but still pretty compact. That tended to make me nervous if someone in front suddenly braked then I wouldnt be able to stop and before you know it legs are through tire spokes and my shammies are all in bunches.
Luckily that did not happen but it did get a couple of flat tires. After the first one I said it was simply my turn. It felt like the second half of my bike was not connected to the front half. I would turn left and feel the back half turn in the opposite direction. We were going downhill when I started to brake and did not know that Liz and Billy and Billy were right behind me. Liz nearly crashed into me as I stopped, and the two Billies avoided a collision as well. The roads were very slick and I feel that I am lucky to have been able to stop without gettng hurt or causing a pile up. As I walked up to tell Liz and Billy and Billy what happened I passed a statue of Saint Jude on the front lawn of the house I parked at. Collision avoided right in front of my patron Saint.
I bought a replacement tire in Spencer Ma that cost me $16. Now here is my new philosophy on bargan shopping. I bought a pair of $12 shoes at payless that I am using on the ride. Now when you buy a pair of $12 shoes your get $12 shoes. You buy a bike tire for $16, you get a $16 bike tire.
That baby went flat in less then 10 miles. Quinn walked about a mile with me in the rain before we met up with the rest of the group. It was decided that Liz and I would walk up to the Hotel and call different bike shops in the area.
We showered and then called a cab to take us to Barney's Bike Shop in Worcestor with my back tire in tow. The cabbie was glorious! A little old man who talked to us about his days of being a truck driver and his misadventures. He hated the troopers in Maine (why would people bother going back!!) Talked about the tickets he got for idling in Brooklyn, ($1,200). He was a hoot.
The guy at the Bike Store was really nice and not looking to make a buck. He told me that my tire was good and would probably be able to finish the trip but they dont carry that tire any more. I wanted nothing to do with that tire so I asked for a new one and hey gave me one with kevlar in it.
Called the cab company and waited a few minutes outside for it. After 20 minutes we got a bit nervous but sure enough a cab pulled up. It was our buddy!!! He told me that I have to read A Confederacy of Dunces. He said he read it in five hours and was upset when it was over. He then handed me a poem to read by a poet that he really enjoyed. He copied it down from the library and carried it with him in a little handbook, it was by Sylvia Plath. It was incredible that he carried that around with him.
He did not charge us as much for the ride back as he did for the ride there. He forgot to put meter on right away.
Friday, July 25, 2008
When it pours.... we get soaked
2nd to last day... unfortunatly was one of the toughest day we had encountered so far. We suffered many set backs, most importantly the weather was a huge issue. It rained for the entire 48 miles that we rode.
The nice part about the rain is the fact that once it starts raining and you get wet you no longer care about how hard it is raining or how wet you are, you are just focused on finishing the trip and getting where you need to go. The other nice part is once you are soaked you think things are much funnier then you would when you are dry. John got his 2nd flat tire of the day and while we were changing it we had some difficulties with somethings, it was raining so hard that all we could do was just laugh it off and figure it out.
Today was hilly, but we were still able to ride strong and I dont think we had to get off the bike at any point and walk...we just kept moving and tried to stay as close together as possible. John tied me with flat tires by popping three tires in 1 day.
Worchester was not really as nice a city as I thought it would be. When i drive by it on the highway I see the college of the Holy Cross and it looks like a very nice quant city but it was not that nice when we rode through it. The hotel we stayed at also was not that nice which did not help its cause.
A quick back story...at Aunt Deb's her girls told us how great the show So you think you can dance is...we watched it with them while we were there and tonight we decided to wacth the results show to see what the outcome was. i was very upset to see that the two guys i thought were the best, Will and Twitch, were in the bottom 2. Will was voted off which I found sad because I thought he was the best guy on the show. This is why I do not have any faith in reality shows which give America the right to vote people off.
Tomorrow is the last day and I am very excited. The word from John and Alex is that we will ride the Boston Marathon route into Boston. I cant imagine what my emotions will be as we arrive into Boston and get a chance to see Fenway Park up close. I have been to Fenway before but not before such a long journey. This has been one of the more difficult things I have ever done athletically and emotonally and the final few pedals should make it all worth it. Today was rough be we are all hoping that tomorrow is a day that we will never forget.
Thank you agian to all of our family and friends for all of their support and encouragement. Knowing that they are all there for us makes this trip worth riding. The comments on the board and the text messages as we ride keep us motivated and pushing towards our goal and it has been so important to us.
The nice part about the rain is the fact that once it starts raining and you get wet you no longer care about how hard it is raining or how wet you are, you are just focused on finishing the trip and getting where you need to go. The other nice part is once you are soaked you think things are much funnier then you would when you are dry. John got his 2nd flat tire of the day and while we were changing it we had some difficulties with somethings, it was raining so hard that all we could do was just laugh it off and figure it out.
Today was hilly, but we were still able to ride strong and I dont think we had to get off the bike at any point and walk...we just kept moving and tried to stay as close together as possible. John tied me with flat tires by popping three tires in 1 day.
Worchester was not really as nice a city as I thought it would be. When i drive by it on the highway I see the college of the Holy Cross and it looks like a very nice quant city but it was not that nice when we rode through it. The hotel we stayed at also was not that nice which did not help its cause.
A quick back story...at Aunt Deb's her girls told us how great the show So you think you can dance is...we watched it with them while we were there and tonight we decided to wacth the results show to see what the outcome was. i was very upset to see that the two guys i thought were the best, Will and Twitch, were in the bottom 2. Will was voted off which I found sad because I thought he was the best guy on the show. This is why I do not have any faith in reality shows which give America the right to vote people off.
Tomorrow is the last day and I am very excited. The word from John and Alex is that we will ride the Boston Marathon route into Boston. I cant imagine what my emotions will be as we arrive into Boston and get a chance to see Fenway Park up close. I have been to Fenway before but not before such a long journey. This has been one of the more difficult things I have ever done athletically and emotonally and the final few pedals should make it all worth it. Today was rough be we are all hoping that tomorrow is a day that we will never forget.
Thank you agian to all of our family and friends for all of their support and encouragement. Knowing that they are all there for us makes this trip worth riding. The comments on the board and the text messages as we ride keep us motivated and pushing towards our goal and it has been so important to us.
Flashback...Worcester, I don't even know 'er!
The penultimate day as described by Liz prior to our embarkation from Aunt Deb's. In track, the penultimate step is the second to last step, one of the most important steps, especially in jumping events. Therefore, I thought this day would be one of the most important in our journey...Well, here's how our penultimate day went:
rainrainrainrainrainrainrainflattirerainrainrainrainfixbrakesrainflattirerainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainflattirerainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainflattire
That about sums it up.
Really bodes well for the end of the trip right?
Keeping things in perspective, it really couldn't have gone any better; and realistcally it could have gone much worse. The day before was slightly moist, extremely flat and ended at the home of a relative of one of the riders...it was a perfect day. So, it's without wonder that we had to struggle through this last day. Once again, these struggles reminded us of how much better things could be.
A few things I did think of while riding/or waiting while fixing a tire:
1) Every time I see a banana peel, I think of Woody Woodpecker. I envisioned my bike hitting one of these peels, going end over and and me landng in an awkward position with little woodpeckers dancing around my head while laughing only as Woody could. (All in cartoon fashion of course, otherwise it'd be too morbid to imagine).
2) Alex Bea is a bike afficionado. Without him we'd've been lost. Maybe for real, but at least struggling to get along.
3) The Quabbin Reservoir provided us with means for a fun word association game. It started with Batman and Quabbin and ended with Swiss Family Quabbinson (maybe). I'll miss these word association games now that John is living in MA.
4) Worcester is not an asthetically pleasing city. I'm glad to be through and done with it.
5) It's amazing how one person, namely a gas station attendant with the ability to deny or grant permission to empty ones bladder, can influence a person's outlook on mankind. One in particular, who was unwilling to search for a key for a bathroom initially, eventually came to his senses and did the right thing and for that Liz, Alex and I are VERY appreciate. Once again, "relying on the kindness of strangers" as Alex and Blanche Dubois like to say.
6) Can't wait for tomorrow...
It's almost as if I'm psychic, because I know what happens after we left Worcester, because I'm there right now. I'll be back. Word.
So it goes...
rainrainrainrainrainrainrainflattirerainrainrainrainfixbrakesrainflattirerainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainflattirerainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainflattire
That about sums it up.
Really bodes well for the end of the trip right?
Keeping things in perspective, it really couldn't have gone any better; and realistcally it could have gone much worse. The day before was slightly moist, extremely flat and ended at the home of a relative of one of the riders...it was a perfect day. So, it's without wonder that we had to struggle through this last day. Once again, these struggles reminded us of how much better things could be.
A few things I did think of while riding/or waiting while fixing a tire:
1) Every time I see a banana peel, I think of Woody Woodpecker. I envisioned my bike hitting one of these peels, going end over and and me landng in an awkward position with little woodpeckers dancing around my head while laughing only as Woody could. (All in cartoon fashion of course, otherwise it'd be too morbid to imagine).
2) Alex Bea is a bike afficionado. Without him we'd've been lost. Maybe for real, but at least struggling to get along.
3) The Quabbin Reservoir provided us with means for a fun word association game. It started with Batman and Quabbin and ended with Swiss Family Quabbinson (maybe). I'll miss these word association games now that John is living in MA.
4) Worcester is not an asthetically pleasing city. I'm glad to be through and done with it.
5) It's amazing how one person, namely a gas station attendant with the ability to deny or grant permission to empty ones bladder, can influence a person's outlook on mankind. One in particular, who was unwilling to search for a key for a bathroom initially, eventually came to his senses and did the right thing and for that Liz, Alex and I are VERY appreciate. Once again, "relying on the kindness of strangers" as Alex and Blanche Dubois like to say.
6) Can't wait for tomorrow...
It's almost as if I'm psychic, because I know what happens after we left Worcester, because I'm there right now. I'll be back. Word.
So it goes...
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