1 June 2002 - Oh Deer, The BEAR Facts!!!
Well, since this was supposed to be "taper" week, i decided to do something else and drove to Shenandoah National Park to ride on Skyline Drive! What a great idea....my bike was already in the car even though last weekend i spent some of my off days cleaning out my "locker" (also known as my van) so i didnt have as much as gear as i would have liked. Anyway, i leave bright and early and drive the hour it takes to get there, take my bike out of the car, get the pump to fill the tires...and lo and behold i had two broken SPOKES!!!!!!!!!!!! what the heck do you do then. i had read that you should have extra spokes with you...which i did not of course, but even if i had had them what the heck would i have done with them...it's like my famous (or infamous) remark when i pass people stopped on the road "Hi, do you need any help? i've got plenty of tools, i just dont know how to use any of them" - that's usually good for a chuckle (except from the bicycling jocks) and eases the tension and embarrasment if someone actually needs help. but, i digress........i had no idea what to do or what would happen if i rode on the bike with broken spokes...so, i said, i didnt come this far for nothing and got on the bike and rode with some difficulty (i didnt really know til the next day that it was from the spokes - i just thought it was me, the slowpoke) i went about 16 miles total and gave up and went about a search to find a bike store. i went north to Warrenton and could not find one - people there thought it closed...sent back to Culpeper which is where i go thru to get to Shenandoah and went intoa rite aid to ask someone if they know of a bike store...of course, i had to wait to ask them because as i was going in, some guy was walking out and set off the alarm and then proceeded to take off running..obviously he had stolen something and the store crew was more preoccupied with that...finally i was able to get some info and they directed me to the Bike Stop - this is THE BEST bike store i have ever found and will eventually go on and on about it but will probably wait until the wrap up after the ride. They quickly fixed my spokes but the guy said that another one broke while he was fixing it so that meant it was a defective wheel since it's only about 2 1/2 months old. that made me reeeeeeaaaaaalllllllllllyyyyy happy as you can imagine. this bike has done nothing but act weird or act up since i've gotten it. i regret that decision and not having enough opportunity to ride it before the 30 days was up so that i could return it. oh well, that's my story as usual. i eventually was able to mosey on home with my bike after a very cruddy day of riding.
Oh, yeah, the title of this - as i was going out on my short trip i came across a cute deer standing in the middle of the road - he/she moved to the other side as i rode by (but didnt go into the woods)...just watched me and then went back the exact middle of the road after i passed...and of course, i didnt have my camera so i missed a perfect opportunity. on the way back i saw a car stopped in the middle of the road as you come aorund a curve. i thought that wasn't a particularly smart move..and of course, the New Yorker in me runs thru the pervert possibilities (which i have been exposed to [no pun intended[ when training for the 3 day - a schizophrenic who drove around the battlefield covered by newspaper to protect himself from the "bad" rays from something....what a sicko). but i decided i was so slow (it was uphill) that i just figured i'd go around the car as much as possible. - as i did that the driver got out with a camera and i looked up on the ridge...it was so precious - there was a momma deer (like mommie dearest maybe) and a baby - i have never seen such a small deer and it was as if they were camouflaged too - they had spots on them. again, no camera on my bod.
then i get about 1 mile from the car i see a BEAR crossing the road. that was unbelievable for me - remember i'm a city girl and have never seen a bear anywhere but in the zoo and here it was not very far from me (this was more "intriguing" than the possibly rabid racoon or the very big snake i had to run over - what a bump that was and it's head had been up with the tongue darting out..not sure what kind of snake it was but it was big).. it stopped and looked my way as i was slowing (how can someone as slow as i slow down anymore) and then fortunately turned back and continued to mosey across the road. i was amazed and really wished i had had my camera!
2 June 2002 - Sunday - Up the MOUNTAIN!
And boy, do i mean a MOUNTAIN. i went back to the Skyline drive with new spokes and decided to go further than i had the previous day..little did i know what i was going to be up against...this mountain didnt stop. it went from about 2100 feet to 3400 feet at the top ( i have a picture somewhere). and then like a nut i went down the other side..not very far, thank goodness, but still had to come back up it. it took me forever..and i had to stop several times to catch my breath..i'm not sure it went but i had to go catch it and wait for my heart rate to go down. it took me 3.5 hours to go just 22 miles - how discouraged i was. you just cant believe it. i know how very hilly Virginia is and i 'm very afraid i'm not goign to be albe to do this ride because of the hills...this is where i should have been training - well, i guess i know for the future. nuts. but i did make if up the first ountain without walking, just stopping. i did walk up about 300 yards up the second mountain.
Figures, today i had made my camera pouch ready to go all day. the only thing i got a picture of worth anything was a very pretty butterfly but no deer and certainly no bear. i saw two people who had seen a bear separate times today. but i didnt get to see him (her). maybe next week if i come up here. we'll see...home to be discouraged. i have to travel to great lakes this week too. so that takes me out of synch for sure.
and i dont have very many donations yet either but that's a very long and complicated story.
more later...please pray for me to be able to do this ride. it's so important for so many reasons!
Terrie
Well, since this was supposed to be "taper" week, i decided to do something else and drove to Shenandoah National Park to ride on Skyline Drive! What a great idea....my bike was already in the car even though last weekend i spent some of my off days cleaning out my "locker" (also known as my van) so i didnt have as much as gear as i would have liked. Anyway, i leave bright and early and drive the hour it takes to get there, take my bike out of the car, get the pump to fill the tires...and lo and behold i had two broken SPOKES!!!!!!!!!!!! what the heck do you do then. i had read that you should have extra spokes with you...which i did not of course, but even if i had had them what the heck would i have done with them...it's like my famous (or infamous) remark when i pass people stopped on the road "Hi, do you need any help? i've got plenty of tools, i just dont know how to use any of them" - that's usually good for a chuckle (except from the bicycling jocks) and eases the tension and embarrasment if someone actually needs help. but, i digress........i had no idea what to do or what would happen if i rode on the bike with broken spokes...so, i said, i didnt come this far for nothing and got on the bike and rode with some difficulty (i didnt really know til the next day that it was from the spokes - i just thought it was me, the slowpoke) i went about 16 miles total and gave up and went about a search to find a bike store. i went north to Warrenton and could not find one - people there thought it closed...sent back to Culpeper which is where i go thru to get to Shenandoah and went intoa rite aid to ask someone if they know of a bike store...of course, i had to wait to ask them because as i was going in, some guy was walking out and set off the alarm and then proceeded to take off running..obviously he had stolen something and the store crew was more preoccupied with that...finally i was able to get some info and they directed me to the Bike Stop - this is THE BEST bike store i have ever found and will eventually go on and on about it but will probably wait until the wrap up after the ride. They quickly fixed my spokes but the guy said that another one broke while he was fixing it so that meant it was a defective wheel since it's only about 2 1/2 months old. that made me reeeeeeaaaaaalllllllllllyyyyy happy as you can imagine. this bike has done nothing but act weird or act up since i've gotten it. i regret that decision and not having enough opportunity to ride it before the 30 days was up so that i could return it. oh well, that's my story as usual. i eventually was able to mosey on home with my bike after a very cruddy day of riding.
Oh, yeah, the title of this - as i was going out on my short trip i came across a cute deer standing in the middle of the road - he/she moved to the other side as i rode by (but didnt go into the woods)...just watched me and then went back the exact middle of the road after i passed...and of course, i didnt have my camera so i missed a perfect opportunity. on the way back i saw a car stopped in the middle of the road as you come aorund a curve. i thought that wasn't a particularly smart move..and of course, the New Yorker in me runs thru the pervert possibilities (which i have been exposed to [no pun intended[ when training for the 3 day - a schizophrenic who drove around the battlefield covered by newspaper to protect himself from the "bad" rays from something....what a sicko). but i decided i was so slow (it was uphill) that i just figured i'd go around the car as much as possible. - as i did that the driver got out with a camera and i looked up on the ridge...it was so precious - there was a momma deer (like mommie dearest maybe) and a baby - i have never seen such a small deer and it was as if they were camouflaged too - they had spots on them. again, no camera on my bod.
then i get about 1 mile from the car i see a BEAR crossing the road. that was unbelievable for me - remember i'm a city girl and have never seen a bear anywhere but in the zoo and here it was not very far from me (this was more "intriguing" than the possibly rabid racoon or the very big snake i had to run over - what a bump that was and it's head had been up with the tongue darting out..not sure what kind of snake it was but it was big).. it stopped and looked my way as i was slowing (how can someone as slow as i slow down anymore) and then fortunately turned back and continued to mosey across the road. i was amazed and really wished i had had my camera!
2 June 2002 - Sunday - Up the MOUNTAIN!
And boy, do i mean a MOUNTAIN. i went back to the Skyline drive with new spokes and decided to go further than i had the previous day..little did i know what i was going to be up against...this mountain didnt stop. it went from about 2100 feet to 3400 feet at the top ( i have a picture somewhere). and then like a nut i went down the other side..not very far, thank goodness, but still had to come back up it. it took me forever..and i had to stop several times to catch my breath..i'm not sure it went but i had to go catch it and wait for my heart rate to go down. it took me 3.5 hours to go just 22 miles - how discouraged i was. you just cant believe it. i know how very hilly Virginia is and i 'm very afraid i'm not goign to be albe to do this ride because of the hills...this is where i should have been training - well, i guess i know for the future. nuts. but i did make if up the first ountain without walking, just stopping. i did walk up about 300 yards up the second mountain.
Figures, today i had made my camera pouch ready to go all day. the only thing i got a picture of worth anything was a very pretty butterfly but no deer and certainly no bear. i saw two people who had seen a bear separate times today. but i didnt get to see him (her). maybe next week if i come up here. we'll see...home to be discouraged. i have to travel to great lakes this week too. so that takes me out of synch for sure.
and i dont have very many donations yet either but that's a very long and complicated story.
more later...please pray for me to be able to do this ride. it's so important for so many reasons!
Terrie
posted by Terrie at
1:03 PM
