What Karen Likes (not a comprehensive list)

First, something that I didn't really like very much.  I had to take two days off from training.  I was riding so slowly and it was taking such increased effort that I thought my bike ("MyBike") needed adjustments or maybe there was a giant wad of toilet paper wrapped around one of my tires.  Turned out I had the flu or something.  One day in bed and another for recovery at home (which means I did housework all day) and I'm back to normal  ("normal").


Peter noticed the other day that I really like riding MyBike.  I was thinking about what it feels like to ride and what I enjoy about it.  Here's what I thought of:

Racing down from Pollock Pines to Placerville on Carson Road in the sunshine past acres of rolling hills covered with neat, shining rows of new green grape vines while the Dr. Zhivago soundtrack soars on the music player

Crunching through snow and slapping through mud

Huffing and burning up a steep grade without stopping to rest

Looking down over the side of a bridge

Keeping a steady pace, noticing that everything is working smoothly

Feeling the muscles pumping, seeing the miles racking up and the scenery going by

Passing a little brown bunny eating grass at the side of the road

Going somewhere under your own power

Drinking when you're really thirsty

Knowing that you made it

Feeling alive

Plus, the cool clothes.
Of which my brother-in-law Mark and his lovely wife Seannette of Aussie Racing Apparel  are going to send me more.  (women's medium)  (Peter wears XL.)  (Thank you very much.)


Rode 20 miles in Placerville today and saw some kind of animal skull on the side of the road.  After that, from a car going the opposite direction, someone who knew me honked.  Or maybe it was someone who thought I looked hot.  Maybe it was someone who wants to drive a leg of our trip because we don't have enough drivers yet. 

That would be good and I would definitely like that.

Latest Progress

We have a dog sitter!  Our friend Bronwyn has agreed to take our dalmatian,  Layla (aka "Helen Keller") for the duration of our trip.  We'll be taking her to Bronwyn's for playdates so she can memorize where the furniture is located.

We have several drivers lined up, but still need someone for the first half of May and then for the beginning of June.  Think you'd like to see some of the country?  Like camping in Wal Mart parking lots?  Give us a call!  It'll be a quiet getaway - perfect if you're working on a book, catching up on sleep, or like long, romantic drives.  Check out the Trip Schedule to see which dates you would like to sign up for!

Peter and I rode 25 miles along the American River bike trail yesterday.  It was beautiful, but windy.  In fact, we had a head wind going both directions.  Saw lots of deer, rabbits, squirrels, and water fowl.  Thought we were in a wildlife documentary.  Today we took off and worked on the Camelot set at the theater.

Little Aches & Pains

Okay, so part of our deal to use Andy & Yvonne's fabulously posh and perfect-for-our-trip motorhome is that we have some repairs made.  Just called Kevin the Mechanic to authorize payment for radiator, battery and fanbelt.  Now I'm breathing deeply and resting comfortably while the blood returns to my face.

 Rode from Starbucks in Cameron Park to Old Folsom yesterday and saw: a dead coyote, snake, skunk, cat, mouse, and one flat squirrel.  Realized that I need to start a Rode Kill Sighted log.

I had a near death experience at the corner of East Natomas and East Natomas in Folsom.  While I confusedly gaped at the street signs, the computerized crosswalk startled me by beeping and talking to tell me that I was going West, right when a Lexus SUV careened past at warp speed and a huge dog stuck its head out the window to bark in my ear, which made me jump and another car almost hit me, but I grabbed the signal post and hung on till the beeping, honking, barking and skidding stopped.  No hits, no runs, no errors.  It's like nothing Ever Happened.

So I rode past the prison and into Old Town.  Peter wants us to come up with names for our bikes.  His bike says "NEKO," so he's calling it Neko.  As I rode my 36 miles, several names for mine popped up.  Some of them aren't very nice.  "Wrist Breaker" and "The Grinder" were two of the printable ones.  I suggested them to Peter, but he wants something sexy like "Rocket."  Mostly I just call it "My Bike."  I'll probably just stick with that.

Milestones:  Last week sometime my odometer flipped over 1000 miles.  I missed it.

I turned my little computer around so it's right-side up.  It took me awhile to stop reading it upside down.  I would try to figure out what time it was and almost fall over.  But now I've got the hang of it again.

Countdown to Launch

Okay, it looks like it's really going to happen.

We have the MotorHome, thanks to our cousins Yvonne and Andy.
We've been riding.
We have a route and are working on the camping locations.  We have a list of the WalMarts enroute, since they allow overnight motorhome parking.

We are seeking drivers to get our vehicle across the country.  The plan is to have drivers exchange at the closest airport to our route for the day.  So the Schedule shows the closest airports within a three-hour drive.

We went to San Diego last weekend and scouted the first day's route.  Talked to some folks at the local bike shop for advice.  We're climbing from La Jolla to Julian, which is a 4000 foot elevation in 40 miles.

So I've ramped up on the hill training.

I'm riding at least 100 miles a week.  Peter is riding at least 4 days a week and reading bike books and watching touring videos for advice.

So we've still got to get pet sitters and a few more drivers...
The dates of the trip are set for April 18 to July 4th.
Getting excited!