Bike and Trailer: Ready for Road Trials

NOB HILL--Before starting on the Transamerica bike trip, I went on a little jaunt along the Malpais to test out the equipment. Here everything is ready to go, waiting on the porch for Bob to arrive. His wife Wendy drove us out to Grants. We then biked south to Quemado.

Bike Returns. Story Continues...Even though I am Stuck Here

NOB HILL--Even though my big bike trip has been either postponed or canceled (depending on the level of optimism one brings to the situation), it continues to be a story. My bike finally arrived from the bike shop in Astoria, Oregon. I took it down to Two-Wheel Drive for re-assembly. They are the ones who boxed it up for me in the first place.

When their ace bike-mechanic Jeff originally took it apart for shipment a month ago, he explained that there was a difference between disassembly for a bike tourer and disassembly for resale: a bike tourer wants his bike taken apart as little as possible...just enough for safe shipment and still fit in a box.

Well, my bike was totally in pieces when it arrived from Oregon. Even the trunk rack was off the bike.

Be that as it may, I'm glad to see the bike again. I'll pick it up today or tomorrow. My cast interferes with my driving the 4Runner (stick shift) and that is the vehicle with the bike rack. Also, I am taking care of my grandson Robby today and have no child seat for him. So maybe tomorrow.

On another note, the Albuquerque Journal was to do a piece on the transamerica ride, but when I got hurt I called them up and they canceled the story. Well, writer Glen Rosales called my up and said they had rewritten the story and were putting it in the "Go!" section. It appears in today's paper.

The online version of the story doesn't have the pictures that the print edition has. Thank God! I had no idea I was that ugly! No "star" qualities here. Other than my looks, the pictures were pretty nice. And the story placement, on the first page of the Go! section, is wonderful. Now maybe some more former students will get ahold of me.

Of course, the fact that I'm not actually doing anything doesn't lessen my interest in the piece whatsoever. It may matter to other readers.

Today, if I were riding, Missoula, Montana would be coming into view. The trip odometer would have reached somewhere around 1100 miles. Mike and I would be looking for an air-conditioned motel room to celebrate.

Mike Begins Bike Ride On His Own

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I arrived in Astoria the evening of the 13 of July. I found the Bicycle and Beyond bike shop on the corner of 11th and Marine Ave. You can’t miss it because it is conveniently located next to a coffee shop. That night I set up my computer in the coffee shop had a salmon salad that was excellent. The band began playing around 8:00PM and serenaded the locals with a variety of old time favorites.

The next morning found me at the same location for breakfast. At nine I went next door and put my bike together. The folks at “Bikes and Beyond” charged me $10.00 to receive my bike and they let me use the facilities and tools to put it back together. Not to mention the free suggestions and words of wisdom.

I begin this ride bombed because my companion rider and good friend Jon Knudsen had an unfortunate event that prevents him from beginning his trek across the nation. Needless to say I was and still am a bit apprehensive about riding alone, but the folks at the bike shop assured me there was little to fear. Plenty of bikes were out on the road and I wouldn’t have any difficulty sharing my day with a number of bikers and gracious locals. My first day started out after lunch. I grabbed a piece of BBQ chicken for the road and headed south. The ride along the coast is outstanding. There was a slight breeze from the South but not enough to slow me down too much. Once in a while a few drops of rain would cool me down but for the most part a good day.

Mike Moye Summits Mt. Rainier

NOB HILL--Even though I could not take the plane to Portland to meet Mike Moye and start our Transamerican bike adventure, I was only half the story. Mike was already in the northwest. He had just climbed Mt. Rainier and was to meet me in Portland.

Mike went on his own to pick up his bike in Astoria and started without me...not across the U.S., but Astoria to Eugene. That's about 250 miles. Mike called last night from Cape Lookout State Park. The sun was going down. Man, I wish I was up there.

I have added Mike as a contributer to this blog. I only hope he can find some hotspots from which to post along the way.

No Trip... but What a Cliffhanger!

NOB HILL--"What a cliffhanger!" said the email from Frank Zoretich. How true. Roughly 26 hours before I was to leave for the airport Dr. Sotelo informed me I had completely ruptured my ATF ligament. I didn't even know I had one.

I would like to thank everyone who emailed me or commented in such a nice and encouraging way. That meant so much to me. Especially now that the fickle finger of bike fate seems to have written me out of the picture for a few months.

They are boxing up my bike again in Astoria and sending it back. It would have been such a sweet, sweet adventure.

Ankle X-Ray Shows Nothing, MRI Next

NOB HILL--I wrote a piece for the Duke City Fix this morning detailing my visit to the Doctor's office. I went to Dr. Sotelo yesterday to get the second of my cortizone shots for the pain in the ball of my foot, a condition called neuroma. Anyway, Dr. Sotelo didn't bother with the shot, once he saw my ankle he sent me straight over to Anna Kaseman to get it x-rayed. I brought him the pictures this morning.

He couldn't find anything, but said he was going to schedule an MRI. I don't know whether this is a cause for celebration or not. "The only thing that is certain," he said, "is that you aren't going to need surgery."

I'm all packed. My trailer is boxed. My bag is ready. The clothes I'm wearing on the plane are sitting on top of the bag.

I can only wait for his phone call.

Post Ride Carb Intake...Lam's Chinese Restaurant

CENTRAL & RIO GRANDE SW--Yesterday I tried out my ankle on what turned out to be a 35 mile jaunt. It would have been longer except for an incident as I was riding past the Hispanic Cultural Center.

I was on my #3 bike, that beautiful road tourer, just cruising like a sonofabitch, when a bee popped out of the bushes and flew into one of the vents on my bike helmet. I tried to brush it off, but it couldn't get out. I was shaking my helmet as best I could (since it was still on my head) and hoping the bee would work its way to freedom. It stung me as all this was going on. Not only that, it kept stinging me until I could stop the bike and take my helmet off. Right on the top of my noggin.

Well, I decided to cancel the 50 miler and settle for the 35 miler...especially since my ankle is still more than a little tender.

I stopped at Lam's on the way home. I usually do.

For me, a good lunch starts with the word "Cheap." Ideally it would also be tasty, fresh, low-fat, and good carbs. As I said, I usually stop at Lam's. It is west of Rio Grande on the south side of Central Ave.

I ordered my favorite: the #6 off the luncheon menu. This is their jumbo portion of Szechwan chicken. It comes with egg drop soup, an egg roll, and a mountain of fried rice. Cost: $5.25! I usually splurge and get an iced tea. They bring a pitcher and put it on the table. That's an extra dollar.

The portions are so big, I have never been able to finish the meal. I take home enough for supper. They serve lunch until 3:00. It is always a pleasant way to end these long rides.

Ankle Still Swollen but Tomorrow I Ride

NOB HILL--Look at that picture. Still, the pain is gone and I even walk just fine. I'll do a ride tomorrow and see what happens. I soaked it in epsom salt today. Not sure it helped. Thanks to everybody who emailed suggestions. I leave for Oregon a week from tomorrow.

Bikeway Accident Causes Concern Right Before the Trip

NOB HILL--I had been slacking off. Although I rode 175 miles last week, I didn't ride last Sunday. Then I had a Dr. appointment on Monday morning and a Duke City Fix post that was due Tuesday morning. Those posts take longer than one might think: this one took 7 or 8 hours by the time I was finished about 8:30 A.M. yesterday. So I didn't ride Monday either. Yesterday I started out doing the south Bosque Trail, but felt really hot and tired and so quit after 15 miles or so. I think it was little sleep and high heat.

So today I vowed to ride about 50 miles. That is, I thought I would do the bosque end to end and then do the south side twice. 34 + 16 = 50. Great. I took my #3 bike, a Novara Randonee from REI. It is a touring road bike.

The excitement started in the 25th mile. My chain popped off as I started going up the hill on Rio Bravo. I got off the bike and was fooling around with the chain bending over the bike to do so. Suddenly a big gust of wind came and blew my bike off the pavement and me too. My bike fell to the ground right beside the bike path. I was falling on it and stepped beyond it to keep from squashing the bike under my feet. I turned an ankle on the steep embankment and tumbled head over heels down through the brush, coming to rest about 15 feet down the embankment.

I was bleeding a little, but otherwise seemed unhurt. I got up, fixed the chain and continued on.

By the 35th mile I was back at Kit Carson Park where I had started from. I bought an ice cream sandwich and relaxed on a bench for a while. I looked at my legs. They were pretty beat up. I wondered if I should just go home after the ride instead of stopping by Lam's Chinese Food for a late lunch as I had intended.

Well, I got back on the bike and started down the south loop again. Everything seemed okay except that I was pretty tired. I blamed this on the high termperatures and gusting winds. Oh, and my left ankle felt warm...very warm. Anyway, when I finally finished I just packed up my bike and went home.

Later, when I took my socks off I found this pretty large amount of swelling on my left ankle. I can't really even walk on it. I iced it down for half an hour. I hope it heals quickly. I don't want to start this trip on crutches!

By the way, the cortizone shot in my left foot has all but cured my neuroma. This swelling of the nerve sac on the ball of my left foot had kept me from wearing anything except an extra-soft pair on NewBalance shoes. It is getting better and better.

Good-Bye to the Bike

NOB HILL--The Big Bike Trip goes all the way across the U.S.A....from the Pacific to the Atlantic. But first I have to get my bicycle to the west coast. I am shipping it to a bike shop in Astoria, Oregon where it will be unpacked, assembled, and waiting for me on the 14th of July when I should be picking it up.

Actually I had been having some trouble with the wheels, three broken spokes in the last few months. So I took the bicycle, a Gary Fisher mountain bike, to Two-Wheel Drive near Central and University. Jeff rebuilt the wheels using a heavier gauge spoke. He also used stainless steel rather than the anodized spokes that came as original equipment. That done, he packed it up and was just finishing when I stopped in to pick up the box.

My wheels and tires are the best I have ever owned! I already had replaced the tires with Schwalbe Marathons (26x1.5). These tires are supposed to be virtually indestructible. Well I stood around and talked to Jeff and shop owner Charlie for a while...even managed to talk Charlie out of a tee-shirt. I'll wear it for tomorrow's post.

But the real BIG thing was that they packed up my bike for free! "Think of it as our way of supporting your trip," said Charlie. Wow.

There was a time when Two-Wheel Drive was bike touring headquarters for New Mexico. Then mountain bikes came along and sort of redefined the bicycling movement. Or maybe it was that my generation grew up and got serious jobs and no longer went on extended bike tours. At any rate, here's hoping bike touring gets popular again. And Two-Wheel Drive has the history to be right at the forefront. They know how to take care of bike tourers.

The last thing I had to do was to drive up the street a few blocks and drop off the box at the UPS Store. I did it. For roughly $111 the bike is being shipped to Bikes & Beyond in Astoria. They receive, assemble, and store bikes for $50. If you want to put it back together yourself, they will receive it and store it in their basement for ten bucks. They will even let you put it back together in their basement. It just make you smile!

THE BIG BIKE TRIP!!!

CENTRAL & TINGLEY DR. NW--Oh, did I mention that starting July 14th I will be riding my bicycle across America? This is the Transamerica Trail first designated during the bicentennial year of 1976. It goes from Astoria, Oregon to Yorktown, Virginia. Joining me for at least the first thousand miles will be my biking partner Mike (Mike Biker) Moye. I hope he pedals with me longer.

At any rate I am in training. My body is not perfect...however, I decided not to wait until it was. My plane ticket to Portland is for July 13th...Friday the 13th that is.

I already took my bike to Two-Wheel Drive to have the wheels rebuilt by their ace bike mechanic, Jeff. So I am riding my #2 bicycle, this 10-year-old Giant hybrid. It does deserve some respect: it has carried me over 11,000 miles without a lot of problems.

I've got it loaded down this week with everything from a gallon of water to a hatchet and a couple of propane bottles. I have been riding 34 miles each day this week carrying this weight of about 15 to 20 pounds. Most of the time it has been in the heat of the day, around 95 or 100 degrees.

I can't seem to think about anything except the ride.