130 feet. That's the difference in my starting altitude and finishing altitude when I ride home from work according to my trusty HR monitor. However, it's not flat by any means; after looking at the data, I learned there is approximately 2600 feet of climbing in the 43 mile route! Note: I'm not the fastest climber in the world, the country, the state, or in Bloomington. I decided to make the trip for the 2nd time this year as the high was 55 degrees, and driving in with my husband saved a car trip.
I couldn't remember my milestone times from last year--like when I cross a certain intersection or pass by a particular barn. I knew I wasn't far off. However, in the last stretch of road (the almost flat stretch), I was flying! Yes, I had enough strength in my legs after the hills to pedal hard and pedal fast. I looked at the monitor, my HR was rather high, but I didn't feel like I was going to explode?!? What's wrong with this picture? After a miserable ride only 2 weeks before (where I just know my performance was due to a goblin that had latched on to my rear wheel), I was in a zone. Did I mention my intense workout the night before? My legs hurt, but they were still pumping!
None of this was making any sense. I didn't care. When I approached my house, I realized I was close to a PR--in fact, I was only 3 minutes off. I can blame that on 2 stoplights, can't I?
Feeling rather good about myself, I was somewhat deflated after someone pointed out the heavy tailwind that accompanied me part of the way. Nevertheless, there's a lesson here. Always attempt PRs on days with great tailwinds!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Here Kitty Kitty
In the previous post I commented on my own lack of creativity. Perhaps, this is the reason I find magic and humor in things like the picture of these cats. Who thinks of things like this? Nevertheless, it makes me want to give Photoshop a try.
These were lifted from How to Avoid the Bummer Life.
These were lifted from How to Avoid the Bummer Life.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Crayons & Economics
Remember elementary school and the requisite list of supplies at the start of each school year? Scissors, glue, pencils, crayons, etc. Being somewhat of a nerd, I relished the start of the new year; how exciting to move up a grade and see what challenges a new classroom would bring. What I didn’t appreciate is my box of crayons. My household microeconomics dictated I receive the minimum requirement: the 8 basic colors. According to the Crayola website, these were the first introductions in 1903!.
Nevertheless, new, sharp, untouched crayons were exciting. Even MORE exciting than 8 was 64. Yes, other students were lucky enough to get the box of 64 with a fancy crayon-sharpener in the back. Even though my creative side couldn’t justify it, I was jealous and mesmerized for there was one color that seemed mysterious—Burnt Sienna. What is Burnt Sienna anyway? Is it orange? brown? red? Just this week I Googled the hue to learn more about it. Wikipedia had an entry: It’s an “iron oxide pigment: a warm mid brown color. Chemically, burnt sienna is formed by burning raw sienna.” Again, Crayola’s website indicates this color has been an option since around 1949.
Back to economics….Jason and I decided to do our part to help the global economy. From a Bloomington store, we bought our first brand-new couch, chair, and ottoman manufactured in China with Italian leather. When I first saw the couch, the color reminded me of the mysterious, Burnt Sienna. After investigating the color, I can’t decide if my monitor needs a color adjustment or if I need to buy a box of 64 crayons to do my own color match. Most of my friends know I’m not the kind of girl that fusses over hues, so I’m sure this is a decision that I won’t worry about.
(stock photo of couch--this is not our house)
Nevertheless, new, sharp, untouched crayons were exciting. Even MORE exciting than 8 was 64. Yes, other students were lucky enough to get the box of 64 with a fancy crayon-sharpener in the back. Even though my creative side couldn’t justify it, I was jealous and mesmerized for there was one color that seemed mysterious—Burnt Sienna. What is Burnt Sienna anyway? Is it orange? brown? red? Just this week I Googled the hue to learn more about it. Wikipedia had an entry: It’s an “iron oxide pigment: a warm mid brown color. Chemically, burnt sienna is formed by burning raw sienna.” Again, Crayola’s website indicates this color has been an option since around 1949.
Back to economics….Jason and I decided to do our part to help the global economy. From a Bloomington store, we bought our first brand-new couch, chair, and ottoman manufactured in China with Italian leather. When I first saw the couch, the color reminded me of the mysterious, Burnt Sienna. After investigating the color, I can’t decide if my monitor needs a color adjustment or if I need to buy a box of 64 crayons to do my own color match. Most of my friends know I’m not the kind of girl that fusses over hues, so I’m sure this is a decision that I won’t worry about.
(stock photo of couch--this is not our house)
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Ride of the Remains
Remains of...
...my water bottle in a trash can in little Nashville after shattering on Lanam Ridge while taking a drink.
...roads chewed up from snow, ice, plows, salt, sand, etc.
...snow on the hillsides untouched by the sun.
...my pride--dropped like an anvil--on Bear Wallow Hill when it felt like my brakes were rubbing during the entire climb.
...admiration & amazement at my husband who hasn't been riding at all and still managed to pull me at surprising speeds.
...dead fish in Lake Lemon that attracted no fewer than 2,000 seagulls. Much to our delight, we also saw 3 adolescent and 1 mature bald eagles.
...my warmth left behind on Shuffle Creek when the sun didn't even bother to say hi.
...illusions of fitness for the first DINO race checked at the door as this was a humbling 32-mile ride.
...my water bottle in a trash can in little Nashville after shattering on Lanam Ridge while taking a drink.
...roads chewed up from snow, ice, plows, salt, sand, etc.
...snow on the hillsides untouched by the sun.
...my pride--dropped like an anvil--on Bear Wallow Hill when it felt like my brakes were rubbing during the entire climb.
...admiration & amazement at my husband who hasn't been riding at all and still managed to pull me at surprising speeds.
...dead fish in Lake Lemon that attracted no fewer than 2,000 seagulls. Much to our delight, we also saw 3 adolescent and 1 mature bald eagles.
...my warmth left behind on Shuffle Creek when the sun didn't even bother to say hi.
...illusions of fitness for the first DINO race checked at the door as this was a humbling 32-mile ride.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Back in the Swing of Things....
Hallelujah! Last week Brian (who I refer to as 'Dr. Feelgood'--not to his face, of course) continued healing my ITB woes with Active Release Techniques. After the 4th and final session, I was clear to start exercising again. Granted, I still get to do stretches and a little physical therapy but I should be doing that stuff anyway.
Sunday was unseasonably warm but the roads were still a mess. Energized with warm temps and clearance to ride, I embarked on a 3-hour paved/gravel road journey taking the opportunity to explore some new scenery. And for my shameless product plug.....I wore my new Lake Cycling Boots. These are awesome! Jason and others have been touting the benefits, but I was always too cheap to make the plunge. I was wrong to have waited. They are totally worth every penny.
After some weights on Monday, I tried running again on Tuesday. I got to mile 3 when I started to feel a hot spot by my knee (presumably the ITB again). So I worried and overanalyzed for the next .7 miles back to the gym, but I think it will be OK. With ice on it as I type, my worries are lessening. Onward and upward.
Sunday was unseasonably warm but the roads were still a mess. Energized with warm temps and clearance to ride, I embarked on a 3-hour paved/gravel road journey taking the opportunity to explore some new scenery. And for my shameless product plug.....I wore my new Lake Cycling Boots. These are awesome! Jason and others have been touting the benefits, but I was always too cheap to make the plunge. I was wrong to have waited. They are totally worth every penny.
After some weights on Monday, I tried running again on Tuesday. I got to mile 3 when I started to feel a hot spot by my knee (presumably the ITB again). So I worried and overanalyzed for the next .7 miles back to the gym, but I think it will be OK. With ice on it as I type, my worries are lessening. Onward and upward.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Indiana gets snow!
Although melted away now from the sun (finally) and warmer temperatures, we received quite a bit of snow over the last couple of weeks. We enjoyed cross-country skiing in the yard a couple of times. Even with a bad hip, Max is excited to play with us. Later in the week the Links joined me for a night ski.
Wookie Pies
According to Wikipedia, Whoopie Pies are, “…a baked good traditional to the Pennsylvania Dutch…made of two small, chocolate, disk-shaped cakes with a sweet, creamy frosting sandwiched between them.” My mom used to make these for me when I was a kid (and sometimes throughout my adult life.)
While perusing the baked goods of Trader Joe’s a couple of months ago, I came across a package of these. When I expressed my excitement to my friends, I was surprised they hadn’t heard of them. Naturally Cheryl observed how much they resemble HoHo’s. In true Star Wars fashion, Meredith kept messing up the name. Imagine my surprise when she brought me a treat with the packaging below from her last Trader Joe’s run. Thanks, Mer! And kudos to MRLink for the graphic.
While perusing the baked goods of Trader Joe’s a couple of months ago, I came across a package of these. When I expressed my excitement to my friends, I was surprised they hadn’t heard of them. Naturally Cheryl observed how much they resemble HoHo’s. In true Star Wars fashion, Meredith kept messing up the name. Imagine my surprise when she brought me a treat with the packaging below from her last Trader Joe’s run. Thanks, Mer! And kudos to MRLink for the graphic.
Hilly Hundred
Yeah - here's a late report from Angela on this year's Hilly Hundred. A good time was had by all! Fifty miles each day on Saturday and Sunday rewarded us with the excuse to eat not-so-healthy food as we basked in some sunshine and relished the time with our friends from near and afar (AZ & PA). In fact, I had ice cream twice on Saturday during the ride and a Pepsi afterward!
Below are some pics. I'm still not very adept at riding without my hands on the bars, so I missed out on capturing some of the highlights. Nevertheless, my (not-so) favorite hills such as Mt. Tabor, Bean Blossom, Water Tower, and others defined the title of this annual, epic event. The Autumn leaves were gorgeous; I can't wait to do it again.
Route profiles from the Hilly Hundred website:
Everyone looks engrossed in their own Hilly thoughts & tasks in this group shot:
The costume contest may need reconsideration:
And, of course, the scraps of a Hilly lunch: fried chicken, ice cream, cookies, etc.
DINO TRTP race - during Hurricane Ike 2008
I just wanted to add some pics to go along with Randi’s post on the last DINO race in Indianapolis during hurricane Ick, I mean hurricane Ike. Indeed, I was also perplexed how mud and dirt could get into unimaginable places—not to mention the buddy moogers. While Randi escaped the camera’s lens after the race, she looked somewhat like Meredith and myself in the pic below. Before the rain started, it was more like this:
Image taken 3 hours before the race start from NWS:
Ange & Meredith:
Image taken 3 hours before the race start from NWS:
Ange & Meredith:
DINO - BCSP 2008
Today (June 1, 2008) I won money at a bike race! DINO #2 kicked off at Brown
County State Park with 6 Expert women on the start line. A couple of the girls came up from Kentucky since this race served as the “Kentuckiana Championship,” an inventive ploy to get more racers at events.
On the start line, I got that sinking feeling in my stomach that my laziness and carefree riding of late was going to get me. My confidence was low—sometimes I’m easily intimidated. So, the goal for this race was to beat last year’s time of 1 hour 39 minutes 51 seconds.
We started in the grassy field at the trail head of the north parking lot. Instead of taking said trail to the top, we had the privilege of climbing the paved, STEEP road all the way to the North Tower entrance to the trail. Granted, it’s not steep all the way, but the incessant climbing doesn’t do much for my attitude. Just before I entered the trail, my dad & step mom were cheering me on. Too cool.
I was in 5th when I entered the woods (not counting the super fast Sport riders who had beat me up the hill). However, in the first ½ mile, an Expert rider had gone down. She was off the trail when I went by but quickly passed me again. Argh! For some reason, there seems to be a lot of pressure when it’s your home course and everybody expects you to do well. (I know, it’s imagined.) Nevertheless, I feel like I should perform better for some reason.
At the bottom of the North Tower Loop, about 4 miles in to the race, I spotted my husband and threw my sunglasses off in the grass; I was having trouble seeing the trail. Of course, that could have been from the lack of oxygen in my brain.
Then we started on the Aynes Loop—the one with the long climb that just sucks everything out of the legs. Yep, I was in the granny gear cross chaining b/c I knew I would need it for the steep parts. I tend to pedal smaller gears with a faster cadence; especially on the first lap. I didn’t want to burn my legs on the first climb knowing I would have to do the hill again. Near the top was a competitor off her bike gasping for breath. Huh—local knowledge may have come in to play. Did she go too hard too fast? Not pace herself good enough? I didn’t care. I just went by her.
I made it down the other side of the hill and through the straight section by the creek only to catch another one on the hill to the connector. I made it by her and made a mental note to step it up so she couldn’t catch me.
I started the second lap relaxed and ready to do it all again while focusing on my time. On the North Tower Loop, I see the girl in second place, Melanie Rogers. Melanie pounded me last year at Warsaw and in the Iceman, so I’m stoked to be this close to her. I gave chase and seemed to be 20 seconds or so behind her at all times. During this section, my chain came off once and I lost several seconds from chain suck, or something similar—I couldn’t pedal at all. Weird. I got off the bike, shifted, and pedaled by hand. All was well. Again—weird. So, I managed to catch up with her again on the downside of the Aynes Loop. Every time she saw me, she would find a reserve of energy and take off. You know how drivers do in movies when they are neck-in-neck—one of them will shift and find some extra power to inch away? Kind of like that.
I caught her on the last climb. I was breathing down her neck almost touching tires, but I couldn’t muster actually passing her. The new tactic would be to hang on her wheel to the finish and sprint for it. How exciting! She was choosing the best lines in the downhill and not giving up any time. Her speed and my speed were equally matched. Coming out of the woods and into the finish area, I was still on her wheel but clipped a log with my pedal. My foot came out and I couldn’t get it back in. Had my cleat been stripped off? I turned the pedal over, still nothing. We turned into the grassy field coming to the finish line, and I still couldn’t get my #$%^@ foot in the pedal! Needless to say, she pulled away from me and won my 3 seconds. I finished with one foot in. I checked my cleat after the finish—it was still there.
So, the lingering question, “Could I have beat her in the sprint?” Hell yeah, I could have and would have. But the world will never know. Final results: Heather C, first (by 7 minutes); Melanie R, second (by 3 seconds); Angela Breeden, third--$25 richer (2 minutes faster than last year’s time). What a tremendous day!
County State Park with 6 Expert women on the start line. A couple of the girls came up from Kentucky since this race served as the “Kentuckiana Championship,” an inventive ploy to get more racers at events.On the start line, I got that sinking feeling in my stomach that my laziness and carefree riding of late was going to get me. My confidence was low—sometimes I’m easily intimidated. So, the goal for this race was to beat last year’s time of 1 hour 39 minutes 51 seconds.
We started in the grassy field at the trail head of the north parking lot. Instead of taking said trail to the top, we had the privilege of climbing the paved, STEEP road all the way to the North Tower entrance to the trail. Granted, it’s not steep all the way, but the incessant climbing doesn’t do much for my attitude. Just before I entered the trail, my dad & step mom were cheering me on. Too cool.
I was in 5th when I entered the woods (not counting the super fast Sport riders who had beat me up the hill). However, in the first ½ mile, an Expert rider had gone down. She was off the trail when I went by but quickly passed me again. Argh! For some reason, there seems to be a lot of pressure when it’s your home course and everybody expects you to do well. (I know, it’s imagined.) Nevertheless, I feel like I should perform better for some reason.
At the bottom of the North Tower Loop, about 4 miles in to the race, I spotted my husband and threw my sunglasses off in the grass; I was having trouble seeing the trail. Of course, that could have been from the lack of oxygen in my brain.
Then we started on the Aynes Loop—the one with the long climb that just sucks everything out of the legs. Yep, I was in the granny gear cross chaining b/c I knew I would need it for the steep parts. I tend to pedal smaller gears with a faster cadence; especially on the first lap. I didn’t want to burn my legs on the first climb knowing I would have to do the hill again. Near the top was a competitor off her bike gasping for breath. Huh—local knowledge may have come in to play. Did she go too hard too fast? Not pace herself good enough? I didn’t care. I just went by her.
I made it down the other side of the hill and through the straight section by the creek only to catch another one on the hill to the connector. I made it by her and made a mental note to step it up so she couldn’t catch me.
I started the second lap relaxed and ready to do it all again while focusing on my time. On the North Tower Loop, I see the girl in second place, Melanie Rogers. Melanie pounded me last year at Warsaw and in the Iceman, so I’m stoked to be this close to her. I gave chase and seemed to be 20 seconds or so behind her at all times. During this section, my chain came off once and I lost several seconds from chain suck, or something similar—I couldn’t pedal at all. Weird. I got off the bike, shifted, and pedaled by hand. All was well. Again—weird. So, I managed to catch up with her again on the downside of the Aynes Loop. Every time she saw me, she would find a reserve of energy and take off. You know how drivers do in movies when they are neck-in-neck—one of them will shift and find some extra power to inch away? Kind of like that.
I caught her on the last climb. I was breathing down her neck almost touching tires, but I couldn’t muster actually passing her. The new tactic would be to hang on her wheel to the finish and sprint for it. How exciting! She was choosing the best lines in the downhill and not giving up any time. Her speed and my speed were equally matched. Coming out of the woods and into the finish area, I was still on her wheel but clipped a log with my pedal. My foot came out and I couldn’t get it back in. Had my cleat been stripped off? I turned the pedal over, still nothing. We turned into the grassy field coming to the finish line, and I still couldn’t get my #$%^@ foot in the pedal! Needless to say, she pulled away from me and won my 3 seconds. I finished with one foot in. I checked my cleat after the finish—it was still there.
So, the lingering question, “Could I have beat her in the sprint?” Hell yeah, I could have and would have. But the world will never know. Final results: Heather C, first (by 7 minutes); Melanie R, second (by 3 seconds); Angela Breeden, third--$25 richer (2 minutes faster than last year’s time). What a tremendous day!
Jedi Training Camp - State College, PA
July 2008
“You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes.” – Yoda, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
Just in time for the upcoming Westwood DINO race, Meredith and I took part in Jedi Training Camp in State College, PA. Yes, this was our vacation with the boys. The trip was awe-inspiring and the many references to Star Wars and using the force refreshed my memory of Cheryl’s technique of visualizing herself successfully negotiating obstacles on the trail.
(In fact 4 of 5 X-Wing Fighters team members were in attendance.)
The KIBTT mini-van was full of bikes, people, gear, and enthusiasm as we departed for State College, PA. on Thursday, July 17th. Arriving with some daylight left, we immediately changed and grabbed the bicycles for an hour-long tour of the neighborhood golf courses and other urban features on mostly double track paths.
Friday we hit the nearby single-track section of woods that felt much like Wapehani (times a thousand!) in that it was very tight and twisty with trail offshoots that led who knows where. Several parts of the trai
l were overgrown leaving crisscross patterns on our arms and legs where thorn bushes had cut through the skin. The pace was perfect and I felt good for the 3+ hours of meandering to and fro. After supper we took a slow/moderate tour of Penn State on the bicycles stopping by Berkey Creamery for some ice cream. Coach Battin and Jason showed off their technical prowess by climbing up and down this flight of stairs on campus. (Sorry for the poor picture quality.)
Day 3 – Saturday – An Indiana native, our friend Nick drove down from Maryland to join us on our Tussey Mountain Excursion including Shingletown Gap. The Nittany Mountain Bike Association has a brief description of this trail and others on their website. Rock & Roll, Baby! When I wasn’t trying to breathe hard or contemplating my next move through boulders, I had a big smile on my face. Big Wheel (My Gary Fisher 29er) performed beautifully on this rocky, technical course; switching out my
seapost for a Thudbuster (suspension seat post) gave me the perfect set-up for this new experience. We logged about 4.5 hours of riding including our lunch stop at the top of the mountain. Of course the way down reminded me I really need to work on strength as my arms and core were worn out from braking. As if this wasn’t enough fun, the guys decided to do a 17-mile hammer night ride on some nearby double track. Meredith and I opted for pillows.
Again, the girls chose to skip the Sunday morning 2-hour loop in lieu of eating breakfast at a local waffle shop. After some grub, we decided to do a little more shopping at Appalachian Outdoors, Jean-Luc’s hang out. Luckily, we returned to the house just in time for JL and Matt to lead us on their second, our first, 2-hour loop. Stephanie joined us for this jaunt while Scott, Jason, and Nick caught up on some recovery time.
Monday proved to be the most exciting part of the trip for Meredith and me. This was the last stage in the Tour de PA—another epic ride. Our first drive and ride, we headed to Greenwood Furnace State Park. Right out of the parking lot is a climb that seemed never-ending. In fact, it took just under an hour to complete. At one point I actually tried to shift down and found I was already in my granniest of grannies. (I think the trip enabled me to use every gear on my bike!) Sadly, one rider succumbed to the climb. At the top of the hill, Jason turn back towards the car for some food and a nap. With 5 of us left (Nick had returned to MD and Stephanie was working), we rode onward through more rocky single and double track undulating trails. Around the 3-hour mark, Meredith and I decided we would let the guys hammer out the rest of the trail (they had been patiently—almost happily waiting on us all weekend) while we took the gravel road shortcut back to the car. Estimating 30-minutes for this “shortcut” we grabbed one of JL’s maps and headed towards home.
Unfortunately, one of the turns was not marked as all the others had been. We proceeded going the wrong way until we were off the map. Not wanting to turn around and climb the nasty hills we had just gone down, we decided to look for some other way back to the park. Summoning the courage to ask two lumberjacks for directions (As females, we realize the peril of our situation. We’re lost and alone!), we were given a lot of useless information about the roads in the park; they were able to regurgitate the information on the sign 30 feet from us. Note: this information is not on our map so it does not connect us in any way to where we need to go. We did get, “the logging trucks are going this way,” as it might be some indicator of the way we want to go. Seriously? In their defense, they were nice and didn’t harm us in any way. Using logic and useless information, we went the way of the logging trucks. Lo and behold, we found a sign at a trailhead for Greenwood Furnace State Park—ONLY 9 MILES AWAY! Note, on mountain bikes this takes a lot more time than road bikes, and we had already concluded the guys were now worried about us. Using some 6th sense, we didn’t go that way, rather we decided to stick to our “paved road” that would take us to the “main road” thereby giving us potential of calling for a ride as neither of us had phones. Oddly enough, another mile or so down the road we found another sign for Greenwood Furnace State Park only 4 miles away. This time we took the bait and arrived at our destination about an hour and 15 minutes after our scheduled time. Jason and Matt were in the van driving gravel roads looking for us while JL & Scott stayed behind to welcome us. Coincidentally, the search and rescuers did our entire route! They figured out our mistake at the unmarked road, talked to the loggers, and came back the same road we did using the same signage.
Instead of driving back to Indiana the next day, we all agreed it would be fantastic to pull an all-nighter and leave Monday night and arrive home early Tuesday morning. What an extraordinary trip! I’m happy to have some new skill sets under my belt and am looking forward to more adventures.
“You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes.” – Yoda, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
Just in time for the upcoming Westwood DINO race, Meredith and I took part in Jedi Training Camp in State College, PA. Yes, this was our vacation with the boys. The trip was awe-inspiring and the many references to Star Wars and using the force refreshed my memory of Cheryl’s technique of visualizing herself successfully negotiating obstacles on the trail.
(In fact 4 of 5 X-Wing Fighters team members were in attendance.)
The KIBTT mini-van was full of bikes, people, gear, and enthusiasm as we departed for State College, PA. on Thursday, July 17th. Arriving with some daylight left, we immediately changed and grabbed the bicycles for an hour-long tour of the neighborhood golf courses and other urban features on mostly double track paths.Friday we hit the nearby single-track section of woods that felt much like Wapehani (times a thousand!) in that it was very tight and twisty with trail offshoots that led who knows where. Several parts of the trai
l were overgrown leaving crisscross patterns on our arms and legs where thorn bushes had cut through the skin. The pace was perfect and I felt good for the 3+ hours of meandering to and fro. After supper we took a slow/moderate tour of Penn State on the bicycles stopping by Berkey Creamery for some ice cream. Coach Battin and Jason showed off their technical prowess by climbing up and down this flight of stairs on campus. (Sorry for the poor picture quality.)
Day 3 – Saturday – An Indiana native, our friend Nick drove down from Maryland to join us on our Tussey Mountain Excursion including Shingletown Gap. The Nittany Mountain Bike Association has a brief description of this trail and others on their website. Rock & Roll, Baby! When I wasn’t trying to breathe hard or contemplating my next move through boulders, I had a big smile on my face. Big Wheel (My Gary Fisher 29er) performed beautifully on this rocky, technical course; switching out my
seapost for a Thudbuster (suspension seat post) gave me the perfect set-up for this new experience. We logged about 4.5 hours of riding including our lunch stop at the top of the mountain. Of course the way down reminded me I really need to work on strength as my arms and core were worn out from braking. As if this wasn’t enough fun, the guys decided to do a 17-mile hammer night ride on some nearby double track. Meredith and I opted for pillows. Again, the girls chose to skip the Sunday morning 2-hour loop in lieu of eating breakfast at a local waffle shop. After some grub, we decided to do a little more shopping at Appalachian Outdoors, Jean-Luc’s hang out. Luckily, we returned to the house just in time for JL and Matt to lead us on their second, our first, 2-hour loop. Stephanie joined us for this jaunt while Scott, Jason, and Nick caught up on some recovery time.
Monday proved to be the most exciting part of the trip for Meredith and me. This was the last stage in the Tour de PA—another epic ride. Our first drive and ride, we headed to Greenwood Furnace State Park. Right out of the parking lot is a climb that seemed never-ending. In fact, it took just under an hour to complete. At one point I actually tried to shift down and found I was already in my granniest of grannies. (I think the trip enabled me to use every gear on my bike!) Sadly, one rider succumbed to the climb. At the top of the hill, Jason turn back towards the car for some food and a nap. With 5 of us left (Nick had returned to MD and Stephanie was working), we rode onward through more rocky single and double track undulating trails. Around the 3-hour mark, Meredith and I decided we would let the guys hammer out the rest of the trail (they had been patiently—almost happily waiting on us all weekend) while we took the gravel road shortcut back to the car. Estimating 30-minutes for this “shortcut” we grabbed one of JL’s maps and headed towards home.
Unfortunately, one of the turns was not marked as all the others had been. We proceeded going the wrong way until we were off the map. Not wanting to turn around and climb the nasty hills we had just gone down, we decided to look for some other way back to the park. Summoning the courage to ask two lumberjacks for directions (As females, we realize the peril of our situation. We’re lost and alone!), we were given a lot of useless information about the roads in the park; they were able to regurgitate the information on the sign 30 feet from us. Note: this information is not on our map so it does not connect us in any way to where we need to go. We did get, “the logging trucks are going this way,” as it might be some indicator of the way we want to go. Seriously? In their defense, they were nice and didn’t harm us in any way. Using logic and useless information, we went the way of the logging trucks. Lo and behold, we found a sign at a trailhead for Greenwood Furnace State Park—ONLY 9 MILES AWAY! Note, on mountain bikes this takes a lot more time than road bikes, and we had already concluded the guys were now worried about us. Using some 6th sense, we didn’t go that way, rather we decided to stick to our “paved road” that would take us to the “main road” thereby giving us potential of calling for a ride as neither of us had phones. Oddly enough, another mile or so down the road we found another sign for Greenwood Furnace State Park only 4 miles away. This time we took the bait and arrived at our destination about an hour and 15 minutes after our scheduled time. Jason and Matt were in the van driving gravel roads looking for us while JL & Scott stayed behind to welcome us. Coincidentally, the search and rescuers did our entire route! They figured out our mistake at the unmarked road, talked to the loggers, and came back the same road we did using the same signage.
Instead of driving back to Indiana the next day, we all agreed it would be fantastic to pull an all-nighter and leave Monday night and arrive home early Tuesday morning. What an extraordinary trip! I’m happy to have some new skill sets under my belt and am looking forward to more adventures.
More pics:
Meredith:
Ange:
Jason and Scott:
Intro
After hijiking keepitbetweenthetrees, I thought I should start a new site to post pics of my dogs, adventures, and other stuff. You'll see some repeats from the aforementioned site as they are my favorites, but I'll start new stuff soon. Welcome to the site!
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