Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Back on the Bike Again!!


Day 148, 149 & 150, August 27, 28 & 29, 2011, Back on the Bike Again

Route from Jackson Hole Campground to the entrance of Teton National Park, Wilson, and back

19.6 miles, averaging 12 mph

Worst Moment – The past three days have been fairly amazingly awesome, though the pea sized hail during the rainstorm while white-water rafting was sort of annoying.

Best Moment – There have been lots of best moments – probably too many to recall all of them but here are some of the highlights:
  • Sue made Nanaimo Bars and left me with my very own supply!  MMMmmm Good!
  •  Spending time with the family & friends
  • o   Neita’s brother and sister
  • o   My sisters and brother-in-law
  • o   Two of my cousins from California
  • o   Tom & Suzanne
  • o   And, of course, Chris & Casey!!!
  • ·      White water rafting on the Snake River – Lunch Counter Rapids rule!
  • ·      Breakfast at Shades with the family on Sunday
  • ·      And getting back on the bike to ride once again!



This weekend has been a long time in planning.  It was wonderful to see so much of our family all at the same time!  We were so very blessed to have been able to have such a wonderful visit in this beautiful part of the U.S. 

Me, Sue (sister), Lynn (cousin), Alan (Sue's husband), Mary (sister), Linda (cousin)

Ron & Paula (Neita's brother & sister), Chris, Neita & me, & Casey

While we’ve had wonderful cool and mostly dry weather, my thoughts and prayers go out to all of the parts of the country suffering from the destruction of Hurricane Irene.  After seeing the beauty of the east, I can’t imagine the ruin brought by this massive storm.  It is so sad to see the names of places I’ve ridden and hear of the damage and wonder how those we’ve met and visited are doing.

After a wonderful reunion brunch, eight of us went white water rafting on the Snake River!  It was something we had done with Chris and Casey on their last visit to Jackson.  We had a great time then even tough it was late June, cold and rainy.  We thought that it would be great fun in late August when the water was warm, the skies were clear, and the sun was shining.  Well it was still memorable fun even with the rain that started with the first paddle stroke and didn’t let up until we beached the raft two hours later and 8 miles downriver. 

Sunday afternoon everyone started leaving.  Paula was the last, leaving us around 3 pm.  Then, Neita and I started looking at travel arrangements to Guerneville.  Well, the place we had hoped to stay doesn’t have room until after Labor Day, so we are staying put for another week.

This morning, I took the bicycles off the rack that we’ve been using to transport them on Ruby.  Neita and I went for an awesome ride on the bike path along the base of the mountains.  This was a beautiful ride!  I find that it is really hard to ride with this cast.  So the ride from Guerneville to Phoenix is still up in the air.  It really did feel good to get back on the bike.  I was glad there weren’t any flats, because that is one more thing that takes two hands.  Stay tuned!





If you would like to donate to my ride, my link for the Lance Armstrong Foundation is http://grassroots2011.livestrong.org/billsbigride197.  I really appreciate your support.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

The Family’s Arrived!


Day 146 & 147, August 25 & 26, 2011, The Family’s Arrived!

Worst Moment – After seeing the orthopedic doctor on Thursday, the status of the ride is still uncertain.  The doc indicated that the fracture will take 6 weeks to heal and I shouldn’t put any weight or stress on the hand in that area, but if cycling was critical to my emotional well being, I might be able to do some.  I need the swelling in the hand to go down to see how things will feel back on the bike.

Best Moment – On Thursday, Chris & Casey arrived – They are so much fun to have around!  Today, Neita’s brother, Ron arrived with their sister, Paula.  That was a big surprise.  We had expected Ron to come with his wife, but she had to work and Paula had decided to surprise Neita some time ago.  Then my sisters, Sue, Mary, and Sue’s husband Alan arrived.  We had been planning a family reunion since early in the trip –it is so great to see everyone!

Thursday I got a new splint for my hand.  It is okay to get it wet and gives me more freedom in movement.  All of the pieces of the bone are still aligned very well so the doctor was pleased about that.  I need to go back to an orthopedic doctor in about ten days.


Once the Chris & Casey arrived, things have been very busy.  We’ve been to the Cowboy Bar twice, ridden on the alpine slide, and shown the kids and Ron and Paula around the town.  I even found a new Bicycle helmet on sale at one of the local sporting goods stores.

Sue and Alan made us a dutch-oven dinner tonight. There were three dishes cooked in these ovens –dessert, pork roast with a spiced rob and potatoes.  It was awesome! After dinner, we sat around the campfire roasting super-sized marshmallows (one of these monsters is the size of three normal ones) and eating s’mores.


Tomorrow two of my cousins are coming for a visit.  And we are going white water rafting.  Should be lots of fun!

If you would like to donate to my ride, my link for the Lance Armstrong Foundation is http://grassroots2011.livestrong.org/billsbigride197.  I really appreciate your support.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Happy Hour @ 9000 Feet


Day 144 & 145, August 23 & 24, 2011, Happy Hour @ 9000 Feet

Worst Moment – It’s now been nearly two weeks since I’ve been on a bicycle – the longest time without a ride for a long time.

Best Moment – Our friends, Tom & Suzanne planned to meet us when the ride arrived in Jackson.  They are in town now – we spent all day Tuesday with them, showing them around the town of Jackson and the ski area of Teton Village.


After 4:30, The Deck – a bar at the end of the gondola ride in Teton Village, has happy hour and features half priced drinks – they even have free gondola rides!  What a view!  Naturally, the place is very crowded, but with patience, we finally spot a group getting ready to vacate their table and we made our move to claim the table.



From that vantage point, high on the mountain, one can see the entire valley of Jackson Hole.  It is spectacular!  I believe that I once heard Teton Village has the greatest vertical drop of any US ski area.  (Certainly more than the ski areas I cycled through back east.)  The tram will take one to the top – over 10,000 feet.

Today, we really lazed around.  I’m reading a good book about India, called A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry.  A onetime Oprah Book Club selection, it is a wonderful story about four people and their lives from 1975 to 1984 and the challenges of the caste and social classes that still existed.

Tomorrow is going to be an eventful day! 

·      Chris and Casey should arrive late afternoon.  We can hardly wait to see them.  This is the longest time ever that we’ve been apart.  They are staying with us in Ruby through Sunday! 
·      Also, I go to the orthopedic doctor in the afternoon to have my hand looked at and hopefully a different kind of cast put on that will let me do more – like white water rafting and bicycling!

If you would like to donate to my ride, my link for the Lance Armstrong Foundation is http://grassroots2011.livestrong.org/billsbigride197.  I really appreciate your support.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Jackson


Day 142 & 143, August 21 & 22, 2011, Jackson

Worst Moment – After an okay dinner at 43 North, we had over an hour to spend before the next bus to the campground.  I was looking for Fitzgerald’s Bike Shop.  I thought I remembered the address as 245 Jackson St.  Well, I walked up and down Jackson St., and never found the bike shop.  Turns out that the address is 245 W Hansen Ave. at the corner of Jackson and Hansen.


Best Moment – This afternoon, before we went into town, I found out that I really could take down Ruby’s awning single-handedly – literally.

All weekend Jackson was having an art festival.  We went to it yesterday.  There was some really good photography and paintings of the Tetons, lots of jewelry, and several other types of crafts.  Perhaps the most unique was the artisan from Carefree, AZ that repurposed the top portion of old cowboy boots into women’s purses.  We got out of the art show with cinnamon almonds.


In walking around the town, there are lots of interesting things to see – like this beautiful cabin.


Or this fence where the fence is made of old skis.


Today we stayed close to Ruby as we were expecting the repair guy.  The shower water doesn’t drain into the grey water holding tank, as it should.  (This isn’t a huge problem since it is only the shower water but it should be fixed.)  Wayne, a curmudgeon, didn’t really listen to what we told him was the problem and went about unsuccessfully looking for blockage before telling us there must be a broken pipe.  Of course it isn’t something he can fix - we need to go to an RV repair facility.  I’m thinking of how nice it will be to have normal house systems.

The hand is about the same – still swollen and bruised.  I thought of something else that takes two hands to do – floss one’s teeth.

If you would like to donate to my ride, my link for the Lance Armstrong Foundation is http://grassroots2011.livestrong.org/billsbigride197.  I really appreciate your support.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Boxer's Fracture


Day 140 & 141, August 19 & 20, 2011, Boxer’s Fracture

Just around Jackson Hole

Worst Moment – We had an incredible thunderstorm late this afternoon.  It came up quite quickly and we hadn’t stored Ruby’s awning.  So in the wind (so strong it snapped our tie-down), rain and hail, Neita and I were trying to keep the canopy from being destroyed.  We managed to preserve the awning but got really soaked in the process.

Best Moment – Taking off the splint in the Urgent Care Center yesterday felt so good.  I was able to wash my hand and arm for the first time in a week. They told me that I now can take the splint off in order to take a shower – no more garbage bags around my arm in the shower!


Neita and I took the bus into town yesterday.  She went to the salon for a pedicure and a haircut.  I went to the Urgent Care Center to have my hand evaluated and x-rays.  From the bus stop, I could wait for the free local shuttle, or hike about a mile.    It was a great walk.

After getting checked in and a bit of a wait, I got to see the doctor – woman from Iowa, with friends who were planning to do RABRAI on a tandem (Register’s Annual Bicycle Across Iowa).  She understood my desire to get back on the bike.

New x-rays were taken and she confirmed I had a Boxer’s Fracture.  So named because this injury normally occurs when hitting something with a fist – in my case, I hit the ground with my hand wrapped around the handlebars. (Kim had already told me that was what it was.)  The 5th metacarpal is broken in three places, but look well aligned and is healing.  The doctor referred me to an orthopedic doctor who I see on Thursday.

Guess that I won’t do the Around the Block ride in Jackson this Saturday.  This is a 109-mile ride that climbs the 8442-foot Teton Pass and goes through Victor and Swan Valley, ID before heading back to Wyoming and Jackson.  In fact, the status of the rest of the ride is still uncertain.  The doctor I saw thought that the orthopedic doc may be able to cast my hand differently to allow the use of my thumb and first two fingers while immobilizing my ring and pinkie finger. 

Stay tuned.  I have to admit that another concern is that it’s now been eight days since I’ve been on a bike and all the conditioning and training is going away.

We’ve been enjoying the beauty of the Tetons and Jackson.  Before the storm, we walked to a small organic market about a mile from the campground.  We were on the bike path, which parallels the road to Teton Village and goes past a very pretty golf course.  





If you would like to donate to my ride, my link for the Lance Armstrong Foundation is http://grassroots2011.livestrong.org/billsbigride197.  I really appreciate your support.

Friday, August 19, 2011

It Takes Two Hands


Days 138 & 139, August 17 &18, 2011, It Takes Two Hands

Route from Jackson Hole Campground to Jackson and to Teton Village

Worst Moment – Seeing all of the bicyclists on the wonderful bicycle path along the road to Teton Village and not being one of them.

Best Moment – We went to the Snake River Grill for dinner tonight and had the most amazing dessert – Eskimo Pies.  Their version was a brownie, topped with ice cream, then dipped in dark chocolate with a caramel dipping sauce.

The past few days we’ve taken the START bus into Jackson and Teton Village.  One of the other riders today called it the best travel value around.  It is really great – in Jackson, there are free shuttles around town. This really is a beautiful area!




Tomorrow will be one week since The Big Crash.  I will have my hand x-rayed and get to see how it is healing.  It still seems really swollen and is very uncomfortable.

Since my left-hand is all banged up and not at all useful, I’ve been reflecting on all of the some of the things that really require two hands and the things where two hands are most helpful.  (It has sort of reminded me of the old Burger King commercial –“it takes two hands to handle a burger – the burgers are bigger at Burger King.”

Most helpful:
  • ·      Drying dishes
  • ·      Doing laundry
  • ·      Walking Duncan and scooping his poop
  • ·      Opening jars
  • ·      Showering and shaving
  • ·      Eating
  • ·      Typing blogs and emails
  • ·      And, zipping my fly


Required:
  • ·      Uncorking a bottle of wine – if it has a screw top – see above
  • ·      Tying shoes
  • ·      Cutting up food with a knife and fork
  • ·      And, riding a bicycle


If you would like to donate to my ride, my link for the Lance Armstrong Foundation is http://grassroots2011.livestrong.org/billsbigride197.  I really appreciate your support.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Feeling Blue


Day 136 & 137, August 15 & 16, 2011, Feeling Blue

Route from Bozeman, MT to Jackson Hole Campground, Wilson, WY & Ruby to the laundry and Ruby to Calico Restaurant

Worst Moment – I was really feeling depressed today.  The reality that I may not be able to ride through Idaho, Washington, and Oregon is beginning to settle in.  Though, there is yet an alternative plan to salvage at least part of the ride.  We’ll have to see how the hand heals.  As it is now, I wouldn’t be able shift or brake the bike – not good.

Best Moment – The campfire didn’t smoke!  I don’t know if the wood was extra dry or the breeze was blowing the smoke in the other direction, but tonight’s campfire after dinner was one of the best ever.  Once the sun goes down, the mountain air becomes chilly and the fire feels great.  (It was 39 degrees this morning in Jackson! BRRRRR!)


The aches are subsiding and the road rash is beginning to disappear.  I still have a nasty bruise and scab where the mirror hit the back of my left arm.  The worst is my hand – the swelling isn’t going away.  Even though I’m right-handed, I’m finding how difficult life is with only one hand.

Yesterday, we left Bozeman on Hwy191 along The Gallatin River, across the Continental Divide into West Yellowstone and through part of Yellowstone Park.  We went by Old Faithful, climbed the 8262-foot Craig Pass, and drove along Yellowstone Lake.  We saw elk, deer and a lot of other tourists.  Simply gorgeous!


Yellowstone National Park was created by The Organic Act, which was passed by Congress in 1872, to “preserve matchless natural wonders.”  What foresight that post-antebellum legislature had.  Yellowstone and The Grand Teton National Parks are matchless in their beauty. 

There were a couple of cyclists loaded for touring grinding uphill.  I was a little jealous of their ability to ride, but the ones that I was most envious of were the two we passed stopped by the side of the road, admiring the view of the Tetons.  It brought back fond nostalgic memories of my bicycle trip in the area 37 years ago with several friends.  About 6 or 7 of us drove up from Casper for the weekend, camped at Flagg Ranch and cycled along the Tetons.



The drive was long and challenging.  Neita does an amazing job of piloting Ruby!  I don’t think that I’d be able to drive this beast with the finesse she does.  The roads through the park are not Interstate Highways, but fairly narrow mountain roads –with lots of other motorhomes all over the place.

Today, we just stayed around the campground.  Neita was very ambitious and shampooed Ruby’s carpet.  It now looks amazing, after 4 months of use.  I was a slug and didn’t do much – I did do a load of laundry. 

The other evening we watched a very entertaining DVD – Cedar Rapids.  Going into Jackson tomorrow on the bus.  The bus has a 50% Senior Citizen Discount for people over 60!  There are some advantages to getting old!

If you would like to donate to my ride, my link for the Lance Armstrong Foundation is http://grassroots2011.livestrong.org/billsbigride197.  I really appreciate your support.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Status


Day 135, August 14, 2011, Status

Route from Williston, ND, to KOA Kampground, Bozeman. MT

I’m in Ruby and she can go fast!

Worst Moment – Leaving the Buffalo Trails Campground with both of my bicycles on Ruby and I’m not riding one of them was very disheartening.  This is the first time of the entire trip I’ve not left for a new destination via bicycle.


Best Moment – Thank you all for your good wishes, phone calls, e-mails, blog posts, and Facebook comments. They mean so very much to me and have been the very best moments of the past two days while I’ve been disheartened about the status of the ride.

I actually feel pretty good physically – especially considering that I was hit by a car two days ago.  My neck, shoulders, and hips are a little sore as is the place of impact on my left arm.  My hand isn’t terribly uncomfortable, but all of my left-hand fingers are swelling up.  The biggest pain is the disappointment about the ride.

The status of the ride is really uncertain.  A lot will depend on what the x-rays show on Friday and what the doctor says.  I may be able to pick up the ride and continue the rest of the route physically.  Mentally, while the Big Ride is still something I really want to accomplish – especially cycling down the west coast, I’m not really 100% sure I’m up to it.  This accident really scared me particularly considering what could have happened.

If bodily functions, like urination are too much information for you to handle, you may want to skip the next four paragraphs.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!  Before the Big Crash, I was considering what the topic of the day for the blog would be and had decided it was time to discuss The Predicament of Peeing. It has sort of been an issue for most of the ride, but at least in the east there were normally trees I could hide behind, or side roads without traffic.  This isn’t the case in ND.

It so happens, as long as I stay relatively hydrated, I need to pee every couple of hours and when I do, I really need to go, urgently.  Sometimes there are convenient fast food places like McDonald’s. Burger King, or Subway –they have easy to get to restrooms and I’ve used all three.  Other times, I’ve gone around the other side of a seemingly deserted building to go.  Sometimes there are outhouses or public restrooms.  Ohio, along Lake Erie was good for this, and so were some of the beaches on the east coast of Florida.  In some towns the businesses let you know that the restrooms are for their customers only –not good for someone like me.

Also, most of the time I wasn’t riding in a town.  So usually I had to urinate along the roadside.  Now I’m a fairly modest person, so I try to find inconspicuous places, and most of the time, I’ve been successful.  That is until North Dakota, which is wide open, with few trees and the road was busy –I sort of had to let my modesty go!  I think I’ve been seen in the act only three times before ND, but one time, it was the sheriff in upstate New York.

Thank goodness for the male anatomy – because of it, I don’t even have to get off the bike.  I can just sort of lean over a little bit to take care of my business.  And, I can do it from either side.  I can’t imagine what women doing this kind of ride go through.  

While in Williston, we were staying at the Buffalo Trails Campground and it stank.  It really smelled bad –sort of like someone had dumped their tanks on our space.  With all of the oil work going on in the area, housing of any kind is limited.  One of the workers next to us was living in a camper shell.  There was another site with a large tent and lots of tarps.  Under the tarps was this guy’s open-air living room complete with comfy couch.  Many of the trailers look like they are being prepped for winter living.  Frightening prospect in North Dakota!

There are entire families living in the RV.  A bright spot at the campground was Duncan’s new friend, Gracie.  I took Duncan for his evening walk and this adorable seven-year old girl ran up to pet him.  She had her right arm in a cast.  I asked her what happened to her arm.  She told me, “I broke it like you did.”  When I asked her how, she said, “on her bike.”  I said, “me too.”

Today, Neita drove nearly 500 miles to Bozeman MT.  Cycling would have taken at least 5 days.  And we crested the 5700 foot Bozeman pass.  The scenery along the Yellowstone River was spectacular!  I guess I’d never been west of Billings.  Billings is where we would go for our back to school shopping when I was little. I had to share my space with Duncan.


If you would like to donate to my ride, my link for the Lance Armstrong Foundation is http://grassroots2011.livestrong.org/billsbigride197.  I really appreciate your support.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Big Crash

Day 133, August 12, 2011, Big Crash

Route from Ross to Buffalo Trails Campground, Williston, ND

At least 26 via bicycle, some via ambulance, and the rest in Ruby

Worst Moment – Probably the worst moment of the entire trip is when I was hit by the passenger side mirror of a passing motorist.  I heard a loud WHUMP and thought, “SHIT, I’ve been hit by a car.”  And that’s all I remember until looked up to see people standing over me.

Best Moment – The best moment was in the ER when I was released.  The accident wasn’t more serious than it was.

After an early morning of lots of lightening, thunder, and torrents of rain, I started out a little late, but with clearing skies and beautiful views of the rolling hills of North Dakota.  I remember checking the odometer and saw that even with the hills, I was averaging around 14 mph.

I was as far to the right as possible when I was hit.  It seemed like there were people over me immediately.  I know the driver stopped, as did several other people.  (Highway 20’s speed limit is 70 mph.)  I think that I was surprised that there were so many people trying to make me comfortable.

The ambulance arrived pretty quickly and I got to take my first (and I hope last) ambulance ride.  The really amazing thing is I only have a broken left hand, (it’s in a cast) a pretty severe case of road rash on my left hip and some general bumps and bruises.  My bike appears to be okay!  My helmet is destroyed and my clothing has a few extra holes.

I know it is hard to tell from this photo, but the foam is totally fractured



The emergency room staff, the ER doctor, and the paramedics were amazing.

I’m not sure what will happen to the rest of Bills Big Ride.  We’re headed to Jackson, Wyoming for nearly two weeks.  I’ll have another x-ray in a week and we’ll decide what to do then.  It won’t be a complete perimeter ride, but it will be - has been one heck of a Big Ride.  Typing one handed is really tough.  (James, I’ll never understand how you do it with just two fingers.)

If you would like to donate to my ride, my link for the Lance Armstrong Foundation is http://grassroots2011.livestrong.org/billsbigride197.  I really appreciate your support.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Dakota Skys


Day 132, August 11, 2011, Dakota Skys

Route from Minot to Dakota West Campground, Ross, ND

64.8 miles, averaging 15 mph

Worst Moment – There’s a lot of truck traffic on the road and when there is a construction zone as there has been for 8 – 10 miles today, things are just a little more scary than I’d like. 

Best Moment – Ruby’s back and has water pressure.  We can shower, wash dishes and even flush the toilet!  The guy at the RV place got Neita in early this morning, but couldn’t find what the problem was.  He ended up wiring the water pump directly to the fuse box.  Problem solved.

Thunderstorms were threatening all day.  With the big Dakota sky, I could see rain coming down to the south and to the west of me.  The sky was blacker than pitch and there was even an occasional lightening bolt in the distance.  I was nearly certain that I would be drenched.  Miraculously, I somehow missed most of the showers and only got sprinkled on once for about 20 minutes.

I was on Highway 20.  It had mostly good bicycle conditions other than all of the traffic and the construction, but at least the highway was wide enough to accommodate the traffic.  I’d heard that the alternative route also had a lot of traffic and was much more narrow.

There were sweeping vistas of rolling green hills.  Lots of grain production in the area as evidenced by the huge grain elevators.  There is also lots of oil exploration and production.  According to the campground owner, the area has gone crazy – there are boon town conditions.  In fact, that is part of the reason our camping has been more challenging here than in other parts of the county.  The oilfield workers throughout all of western North Dakota are forced to live in RV’s full time.  I guess this would be a good place to come for work.



Dakota West Campground has been full – so full that the owners haven’t had time to landscape or make other improvements.  We nearly lost Ruby in one of the potholes on the way to the campsite.  They have recently expanded adding the new section by the old school.  We are in the new section with an intriguing view of the abandoned school.


I’ve been listening to A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn.  He has a different perspective of our history than was taught in high school.  Most of our history and the decisions made were economic decisions by and favoring white males, according to Zinn’s view.

If you would like to donate to my ride, my link for the Lance Armstrong Foundation is http://grassroots2011.livestrong.org/billsbigride197.  I really appreciate your support.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Water, Water Everywhere, So Why is Ruby Dry?


Day 131, August 10, 2011, Water, Water Everywhere, So Why is Ruby Dry?

Route from Rugby to Lucy’s Amusement Park, Minot, ND

69 miles, averaging 13.1 mph

Worst Moment – When I got to Minot, I called Neita to see if she needed me to pick up something at Walmart.  That’s when she told me that Ruby’s water pump wasn’t working.  Her brother had said that they go out and that it might be a good idea to have an extra one.  I went on to the campsite to get Rocket and go get a new water pump and a fuse.  I replaced those and the water pump still didn’t work.  Looks like sponge baths and gravity toilets tonight.


Best Moment – Joanne at Magic City RV was so very helpful with Ruby’s water problem.  When I went to get the water pump and fuse, she asked questions to help diagnose the problem.  After I replaced the pump and the fuse and the water still didn’t work, again Joanne tried to help me fix what was wrong.  When I was not able to, she checked with service and even called another RV service place to make sure that we would be able to get things looked at tomorrow.  It was great to have someone so helpful. 

Today’s ride was completely along Highway 2, which, even though it is a 4-lane road was a great road for bicycling.  The state has certainly had a lot of rain this year.  In places, the water came right up to the road.  In other places, I saw farm machinery that was stranded in water. 





Near Minot, I left Hwy 2 for a less traveled road only to find that it was closed as I got closer to the city.  I imagine that a bridge over the Souris River had been washed away.  As things worked out, I got back to Hwy 2 near the ND State Fairgrounds.  It is truly amazing the damage and destruction caused by the flooding in the area.  Near the curb, there were piles of rubbish that had been removed from homes and businesses affected by the water.   Minot’s zoo was closed.   

Because of the flooding, we had a very difficult time finding anyplace to camp for the night.  Some of the RV Parks were wiped out with the floods.  Others are filled with local residents whose homes were damaged and are now living in RV’s.  The destruction is heartbreaking. 

Neita, with her convincing manner, and by asking, calling, and asking again, finally was told that we could park at Lucy’s amusement park.  Lucy’s is a miniature golf course, though there are mobile homes parked in front of the fun park.  We are parked between Lucy’s garage and her vegetable garden (which has wonderful looking tomatoes, but needs weeding.)  This isn’t a normal thing that they do.  In fact we have to go into the garage to connect our power.

If you would like to donate to my ride, my link for the Lance Armstrong Foundation is http://grassroots2011.livestrong.org/billsbigride197.  I really appreciate your support.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Center of the Continent


Day 130, August 9, 2011, Center of the Continent

Rest Day

Worst Moment – At dinner, Neita and I were discussing the route change, and she mentioned that the route didn’t change after Jackson, WY.  She was very unhappy with me when I told her that it did.  I thought that she would see that in the revised spreadsheet that I sent her.  She had spent much of the morning working on the changes prior to Jackson.

Best Moment – I spoke with the owner of the bicycle shop in Williston, ND about my touring bicycle and asked if he would be able to take a look at it.  He mentioned that he was planning on going camping with his family and was hoping to leave work early on Friday, but would wait until I got there so he could get that bicycle back on the road.  He also advised me that Route 2 was probably a better road than the way the Adventure Cycle maps have routed me.  Less scenic, but better roads and more direct.

Today was a great rest day and there was not much to do.  I was able to get my hair cut, do laundry and rest. 

Rugby is a small North Dakota town and the, nearly 3,000 residents take a lot of pride in their community.  All off the homes I saw were well maintained and the gardens very beautiful.  In talking with the woman who cut my hair, she mentioned how unusual all of the water is – even western North Dakota is green.  She had grown up in a small community north of here and couldn’t imagine living anywhere other than North Dakota.

The geographic center of the North American Continent is at the center of Highway 2 and State Route 3.  We can see this monument from Ruby.



If you would like to donate to my ride, my link for the Lance Armstrong Foundation is http://grassroots2011.livestrong.org/billsbigride197.  I really appreciate your support.

Fun Factor - Falling


Day 129. August 8, 2011, Fun Factor - Falling

Route from Devils Lake to Oakwood Inn and Campground, Rugby, ND

75.2 miles, averaging 11.4 mph

Worst Moment – I’m not sure that there was a best moment.

Best Moment – I got to the Ruby!

I left Ruby a little early for what I thought would be a short fast ride.  North Dakota is generally flat, the road I was taking was Highway 2, and it was only 75 miles.  Oh boy, I didn’t plan on the 25 – 30 mph headwinds, the construction, and the rumble strip shoulder with nothing but rumble strip or mud.

Leaving East Bay Campground, I crossed Devils Lake.  There were about 4 miles of hard packed dirt road heading north out of the campground and across the lake.   They are going to have to do something to keep the causeway and bridge open if the lake keeps rising.  As it was, the waves were coming right up to the road.

One of the best sights of the day was the sunflowers growing along the side of the road along the lake.



Then I turned on Hwy 2 heading west.  The winds started and didn’t stop for another 70 miles.  The shoulder east of the town of Devils Lake, while wide, was covered with mud and not great riding on the Cannondale road bike.

West of the town of Devils Lake, there was about 5 miles of construction where the four lane highway was reduced to two lanes and the shoulder was eliminated completely making me ride in the dirt/mud.  Wish I had a mountain bike.  For much of the rest of the next 30 miles the shoulder was reduced to only a rumble strip – again not fun for the light-weight road bike.  The last part of the route was a great road, but the wind speed seemed to be greater than earlier.  The first half of the ride, I was able to average 12.3 mph.  This dropped to 11.4 mph for the day on the whole.
Farmers Co-op

I arrived at Ruby around 3, tired and with sore legs and sore butt.  I tried calling the bicycle repair place for my touring bike.  The number has been disconnected and there isn’t any place in Rugby that fixes bicycles.  (The town only has about 2500 people.)   The Fun Factor is really low.

All day, I’d been thinking about the necessity of cycling into Yellowstone, and decided that I could still do a perimeter bicycle ride by cycling straight across Montana.  I’m planning on taking a break from bicycling to ride with Neita, in Ruby, from Shelby, MT to Yellowstone and back to Shelby, when I will recommence the perimeter bicycle ride.  This will give us more time in Jackson and me more time to get the Fun Factor back.
If you would like to donate to my ride, my link for the Lance Armstrong Foundation is http://grassroots2011.livestrong.org/billsbigride197.  I really appreciate your support.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Devils Lake


Day 128, August 7, 2011, Devils Lake

Route from Erie to East Bay Campground, Warwick, ND

121.3 miles, averaging 16.4 mph

Worst Moment – Any flat tire is a nuisance, but two, both before I left the campground, is ridiculous!  This morning as I was filling the tires, the valve stem on the rear tire broke off and the tube had to be replaced.  As I was filling the rear tire, the tube exploded and I had to start all over.  

Best Moment – Thank goodness that this part of North Dakota is fairly flat and has good cycling roads.  I really enjoyed the ride after I finally got started – even though it was 121 miles long.

After the rain showers of yesterday, the air was clean and cool.  Everything was green.  There had been weather warnings about the danger of flooding and in fact there were a couple of places today where there was actually water on the road.  A lot of water on the road!  The road had become part of the adjacent lake. 

There were miles upon miles of corn and other crops.  I saw the first field of sunflowers – they were just beginning to bloom.  I imagine that will be an incredible sight in a couple of weeks.
Sort of interesting

One of the other things of interest today was the missile silo and there was a sign letting everyone know that it was there.  In Cooperstown, one of the small towns on the route, there was even a Cold War Museum. 


East Bay Campground is not on a paved road.  But going 10 miles on a dirt road, on a skinny tire road bike was a challenge.  Fortunately, things had dried up enough after the rains to make things not too terrible.  Although there was one scary moment when one trucker felt he had to pass me on a hill going much too fast for the road and came close to hitting the oncoming car.   


Devils Lake is too full of water.  The view we have from Ruby is spectacular.  The water level is two feet higher than it had been.  The campground has lost an entire row of campsites.  One can still see the water faucets sticking up out of the water. 


If you would like to donate to my ride, my link for the Lance Armstrong Foundation is http://grassroots2011.livestrong.org/billsbigride197.  I really appreciate your support.