Day 3 - Ridin' with the boys.
Vantage, Washington to Odessa, Washington
The day began crossing that beautiful blue lake on a massive bridge and up an immediate 1.8 mile climb. I got some good pictures, and the morning was crisp and refreshing. The climb was a piece of cake, though it was immediately following the largest and greasiest breakfast we could have asked for at the restaurant, and Iron Mike gave me some good tips on my pedal stroke. By the end of the days I had sore muscles that I hadn’t used before, including my abs and sides. On the way up we took a pit-stop at the Wild Horses Monument, a striking display of bronze horse statues on a ridge with a scenic overlook to the lake and bridge beneath us. I allowed some pictures of myself this time so that people could see I was actually there. I have found it very difficult to take a lot of pictures. I wouldn’t have a problem stopping to take pictures, but I never think to do so. I guess I just get wrapped up in the ride and what I am seeing around me, and I feel like the attraction of the landscape that it is so huge and surrounds you and that a picture wouldn’t nearly capture it. When other people stop to take pictures, I take some as well, but I’m going to have to try to work on that.
Today was a more challenging day for me. Everyone told me that Day 1 would be the hardest, and Day 2 would be the second hardest, but I found Day 3 to be much harder because I was tired and sore. We stopped this morning for espresso, which was a nice treat. Our ride took us through more brownlands, and then through some farmland. It was bizarre for me to look to my right and see desert land with brush and then to look to my left and see lush green rows of farmlands. Any green I saw I knew was heavily watered and irrigated, and it blew my mind to think of how much water it took to support these communities and where it all came from. Apparently the water was all fuelled from the Grand Coulee Dam and the Columbia River roughly 50 miles north of us. Unbelievable. I keep wondering what it’s like to wake up every morning to this scenery.
I think the best part of this day was that each field was clearly labeled with a green road sign as POTATOES, CARROT SEED, ASPARAGUS, etc. etc. It was great. Minnesota doesn’t have those, though they’d all be CORN, WHEAT, and SOY BEANS. It became a pretty hot day today, though I hesitate to use that label because I know it will only get hotter and more humid as we go. I was hydrated enough, but felt a little weary. We stopped again about 15 miles from the end to do a little off-roading on a gravel road to find some shade alongside a barnish building. After eating, the effect was close to immediate as far as energy went, and I’ll have to remember in the future to eat more than I think I need.
The group of people I’ve been riding with is all guys, and I think that my brother would approve of the clip we’ve maintained. We’ll ride at a good pace, and then stop when we want to for espresso or fresh fruit (though we found no peaches today at the peach farm), the energy is high, we get some good pace lines going, and we just have fun. It’s great because all of the guys I ride with are about a foot taller than me, which of course means that I make a poor wake myself but receive an awesome draft from everyone else. The great thing about the actual riding aspect of this group is that people are all over the place. Some are young, some are old, some are super speedy, some are much more relaxed, some people go and go and go, some people stop all the time, some people want good conversation, some people want a good pace, and no matter how you ride there can be people around you. Often the group I’ve been riding with are in pace lines or in a fashion where conversation is limited, but I LOVE it. I love the physical part of cycling, the feeling of the road, the feeling of the bike and my muscles. I can definitely feel my body transforming already from the cycling.
The last few miles our group rode alongside the Dimmitt’s, the married couple Greg and Trish who are riding the Crew’s only tandem this year. The poor guys can’t exactly stand up on their rig, and I can not imagine how sore they are from that. But it was really fun to talk to them, and they were good company on the hills (which I fall behind on until I reach the top where the guys are waiting for me). Finally we rolled into Odessa, WA around 2:15, a small, small town. Everyone was a little more weary than the previous afternoons, but it didn’t take too long for people to cheer up as we relaxed. We stayed at a high school athletic field, with meals catered by the cafeteria, which were surprisingly good. We found some ice cream at a local shop, and got stood up by some locals at a park for a volleyball game, though we got our fill from the park swings. It was a lovely night, with a great sunset too.
The day began crossing that beautiful blue lake on a massive bridge and up an immediate 1.8 mile climb. I got some good pictures, and the morning was crisp and refreshing. The climb was a piece of cake, though it was immediately following the largest and greasiest breakfast we could have asked for at the restaurant, and Iron Mike gave me some good tips on my pedal stroke. By the end of the days I had sore muscles that I hadn’t used before, including my abs and sides. On the way up we took a pit-stop at the Wild Horses Monument, a striking display of bronze horse statues on a ridge with a scenic overlook to the lake and bridge beneath us. I allowed some pictures of myself this time so that people could see I was actually there. I have found it very difficult to take a lot of pictures. I wouldn’t have a problem stopping to take pictures, but I never think to do so. I guess I just get wrapped up in the ride and what I am seeing around me, and I feel like the attraction of the landscape that it is so huge and surrounds you and that a picture wouldn’t nearly capture it. When other people stop to take pictures, I take some as well, but I’m going to have to try to work on that.
Today was a more challenging day for me. Everyone told me that Day 1 would be the hardest, and Day 2 would be the second hardest, but I found Day 3 to be much harder because I was tired and sore. We stopped this morning for espresso, which was a nice treat. Our ride took us through more brownlands, and then through some farmland. It was bizarre for me to look to my right and see desert land with brush and then to look to my left and see lush green rows of farmlands. Any green I saw I knew was heavily watered and irrigated, and it blew my mind to think of how much water it took to support these communities and where it all came from. Apparently the water was all fuelled from the Grand Coulee Dam and the Columbia River roughly 50 miles north of us. Unbelievable. I keep wondering what it’s like to wake up every morning to this scenery.
I think the best part of this day was that each field was clearly labeled with a green road sign as POTATOES, CARROT SEED, ASPARAGUS, etc. etc. It was great. Minnesota doesn’t have those, though they’d all be CORN, WHEAT, and SOY BEANS. It became a pretty hot day today, though I hesitate to use that label because I know it will only get hotter and more humid as we go. I was hydrated enough, but felt a little weary. We stopped again about 15 miles from the end to do a little off-roading on a gravel road to find some shade alongside a barnish building. After eating, the effect was close to immediate as far as energy went, and I’ll have to remember in the future to eat more than I think I need.
The group of people I’ve been riding with is all guys, and I think that my brother would approve of the clip we’ve maintained. We’ll ride at a good pace, and then stop when we want to for espresso or fresh fruit (though we found no peaches today at the peach farm), the energy is high, we get some good pace lines going, and we just have fun. It’s great because all of the guys I ride with are about a foot taller than me, which of course means that I make a poor wake myself but receive an awesome draft from everyone else. The great thing about the actual riding aspect of this group is that people are all over the place. Some are young, some are old, some are super speedy, some are much more relaxed, some people go and go and go, some people stop all the time, some people want good conversation, some people want a good pace, and no matter how you ride there can be people around you. Often the group I’ve been riding with are in pace lines or in a fashion where conversation is limited, but I LOVE it. I love the physical part of cycling, the feeling of the road, the feeling of the bike and my muscles. I can definitely feel my body transforming already from the cycling.
The last few miles our group rode alongside the Dimmitt’s, the married couple Greg and Trish who are riding the Crew’s only tandem this year. The poor guys can’t exactly stand up on their rig, and I can not imagine how sore they are from that. But it was really fun to talk to them, and they were good company on the hills (which I fall behind on until I reach the top where the guys are waiting for me). Finally we rolled into Odessa, WA around 2:15, a small, small town. Everyone was a little more weary than the previous afternoons, but it didn’t take too long for people to cheer up as we relaxed. We stayed at a high school athletic field, with meals catered by the cafeteria, which were surprisingly good. We found some ice cream at a local shop, and got stood up by some locals at a park for a volleyball game, though we got our fill from the park swings. It was a lovely night, with a great sunset too.
posted by elizabeth at 11:13 PM
1 Comments:
We have wheat in Minnesota? I could have sworn it was corn, corn, corn, soybeans, and more corn, haha.
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