Home Sweet Tired Bones!

Ahoy Bike Ridin Guys Watchers,

Well, they are home.  They came through with just enough aches and pains to prove they truly rode 530 miles in 7 days.  Icing their achilles tendons is the job of the day.  Clay is soaking in a hot tub right now and Pat is re-bonding with his remote -- a touching reunion.  If I were a betting gal, I'd say there might be a nap in their futures.

Some factoids:  

• Clay shaved so I would recognize him and looks like a leaner, tougher version of the kid I know and love.
• After attaching their biking garmin to the home computer they discovered that Pat reached a downhill speed exceeding 74 MPH.
• The highest grade they ascended was King's Highway the first day at 17.5%.
• The other 20 tough memorable hills varied between 6% and 12% grades.
• Average speed was 14.5 MPH including all the hills.
• Favorite ride was El Camino Real.  Beautiful and peaceful
• Most treacherous ride was all down Highway 1.  Semis whizzing past, one after another, an arm's length between cyclist and truck.
• Pat learned a ton about how to "do hills" from Clay.
• Both guys preferred not planning and taking each day as it came.  More exciting.
• They agree that nothing was better than a shower and a steak at the end of the day.
• Clay's most important lesson is "don't leave home without enough psyllium".

Clay and Pat are anxious to do their next ride -- on back roads -- up North -- in the summer -- camping along the way.  Any takers?

Thanks for riding along, 

A

Coastal Cruise

Hey there, Bike Ridin' Guys Watchers,

It's been a couple days without a report.  Sorry about that.  Good news!  They are still on their bikes.

They continue cruising down the coast and have leap frogged from one gorgeous coastal community to another.  After Pismo Beach they spent the night in Carpenteria just south of Santa Barbara.  Pat's favorite place so far -- Santa Barbara - dignified and funky at the same time -- beautiful.  They are trucking along making between 60 - 90 miles per day.  

The weather has turned friendlier.  Pat was up this morning before Clay and took a mile long walk with his cup of coffee while Clay stole a little more shut eye.  He strolled down by the pier in his shirt sleeves and pinched himself to be out with his son, riding his bike.  The beauty all around, their good health, the easy time together ... Such simple things, really, but he spent time in quiet gratitude this morning.  

To be sure, Clay is getting more sleep than Pat.  But perhaps upon closer inspection, there is good reason.  Let's see, who carries all forty pounds of luggage?  Umm, that would be Clay.  Okay then, who sets the pace and gets them going up the steep coastal hills at a pretty good clip?  Well, look, that would be Clay, too.  So, how about the navigation?  My oh my, Clay again.  Planning the turn-by-turn route? Clay, a huh. A definite pattern is emerging, I believe.  Who decides where they will stop for coffee, lunch, dinner?  Check, check, check-- all Clay.  Seems like Pat has found the ideal traveling companion.  Since Clay took over they haven't gotten lost once.  Seems I recall Pat asking Clay several years ago if he would take care of him when he got older and apparently he is trying out the arrangement.  So far, Clay is passing with flying colors.  

You may have noticed, Clay has not found the time, or perhaps does not want to waste his precious energy on shaving.  This may be something only a mother would notice, but I am betting some of you readers have also wondered about that.  Now you know, the kid is exhausted.  If he's smart he jettisoned the razor days ago to lighten his load. I received a photo from Pat last evening with Clay utterly crashed out by the news -- the six o'clock news!!   Sweet dreams, Son, and thanks for taking such good care of your Pop.

I heard from Pat during their lunch stop today.  They were in Oxnard.  He said they can feel the end of their ride.  His achilles tendon is sore (from riding those seven miles with one pedal, no doubt), and their thighs yip at them at night when they are trying to relax enough to sleep.  Their whole bodies will be ready for a break. The rains are right behind them up the coast a little way, chasing them to LA, their final destination.  Clay has a high school friend living in LA trying to break into "the industry".  He'll spend some time catching up with her and I bet Pat will find a hot bath --he can soak his muscles and relive some of their "ridey" adventures.

Next thing on the agenda, check in with beloved family in Malibu and environs, and then get a rental car Sunday morning and drive back to St. George together.  Getting Pat home will be great and I am so looking forward to seeing Clay again.  There might be a favorite meal in store for the intrepid travelers. Oh and I better stock up on psyllium...

Bye and thanks for enjoying the ride with me,

A

Getting the hang of it

Hello Bike Ridin' Guys Watchers,

Alright, okay, that's it, we got it, 'at's it, we're cruisin.  The fellows are finally in the groove.  

Day 3 ended and Day 4 began in Paso Robles. 

Paso Robles is at the southern end of California's vast growing area.  They loved the miles and miles of gorgeous farmland and little traffic despite their few hiccups. But now it was time to head for the coast.  The day started foggy and cool (no wonder they grow strawberries there).  But the guys were determined to make good time.  Clay leads the way.  Pat says Clay can watch the road (cracks, debris)  and traffic, read a map, and google information on his phone all while flying along at 15-18 miles per hour.  He also is carrying about twenty pounds of stuff -- change of clothes, wrench set, spare inner tube, lubricants - bike and skin and a 1/2 pound of psyllium powder.  Clay goes nowhere without his psyllium.  

They moved out despite the fog and headed west.  For lunch they stopped at a quaint little town on the coast called Cayucos and then pushed on South.  Pat had a backpack he'd borrowed from Chandler that was heavy and not designed for biking.  By mid-afternoon the pain from his shoulders carrying the pack was too much and so for the last 2-3 hours Clay carried that, too.  

They stayed in Pismo Beach.  Pat soaked in the tub, Clay stirred up some psyllium and then they both tucked in early.  Pat says he is feeling strong and loves the all day workouts.  But he is most impressed with Clay's biking skills.  Seems like Clay has found an activity that he loves and does really well. 

The weather reports are calling for heavy rain all day Friday on the coast so they are trying to get to LA before that hits.  Not sure that is possible.  The goal is Santa Barbara by tonight.  Cross your fingers...

They've started talking about their next trip.  Somewhere beautiful, but with less traffic.  Wyoming was mentioned and so was Montana.  Sounds great, and I'm pretty sure there's no spots two guys on bikes could get lost there, right? 

More later,

A

The Highs and the Woes

Hello Bike Ridin' Guys Watchers,

Yesterday started out with High hopes.  The guys were up at the crack of 9am after a restless sleep at the Lamplighter Motel.  (See attached photo). They decided to upgrade to the executive suite -- a working toilet and a humming fluorescent tube above the sink.  Clay's got a theory about where they store the pinto beans until they are needed for the frijoles based on his experience with the lumpy mattress.  

Mornings can be chilly so they decided to give the sun a chance to warm things up before they headed out -- but not before downing a hearty breakfast burrito.  By late morning they'd covered about thirty miles.  Clay set a brisk pace and they averaged 19 MPH -- an aggressive start.  Pat sent pictures of the miles and miles of strawberry fields and grape vineyards.  They were on the El Camino Real the whole way -- the inland north-south corridor running down California's rich fertile valleys. Pat texted that it was the most wonderful day he's had since retiring.  But you know how things can change suddenly...

I got a call sometime in the early afternoon asking if I could google a bike shop in King City.  No bike shop in King City or any place near King City.  Turns out that Pat broke his shoe.  Now might be a good time to discuss equipment.  Biking, like so many sports has its own aggregate of appropriate clothes, protective wear and general gear. For instance, Pat and Clay bought special biking shorts that have 2 pounds of gel quilted into the bottom.  After 6-8 hours on that little peninsula of a seat, you are mighty grateful you bought the "good shorts".  Think Dr. Scholls for your bottom and you won't be far off.  They were decidedly "gellin'"  You may have noticed in the pictures that Pat has no problem with the bright colored clothes bikers wear. This was not always the case.  In the beginning he shied away from the tights and jersey look, but now he loves nothing more than getting new biking duds- the louder the better.  Last month we stopped in Vail, CO where he purchased his latest jersey. It was signed by the artist and looks like a lot of graffiti scrunched into a small area to me.  Chandler enlightened and alarmed when she pointed out the marijuana leaves painted all over the shirt.  Pat chalks it up to poetic license and wears it proudly.  

Let's get back to Day 3.  Part of the biker's equipment is the shoe.  The shoe has a knob poking out of the soul which locks onto the pedal.  This arrangement allows for both pulling and pushing and improves performance.  What happened to poor Pat is he broke his shoe.  When trying to unlock his shoe so he could put his foot down at a stop, he yanked so hard he ripped the coupling apart -- irreparably.  Hence the search for a bike shop.  He rode one footed for seven miles and then decided to see if they could figure something else out.  In a town of 20,000 they could not find a single English speaking adult, but in front of the local grade school, with the help of a little boy, they made their needs known and hired someone to drive them the 40 miles to their night's destination.  

So, just another day of surprises, some wonderful, some challenging. 

The real payoff was that they ate hamburgers for dinner and slept like babies all night long.

More later,

A 

"Lost!"

Good Morning Bike Rider Guys Watchers,

I heard from Pat sporadically yesterday and the pictures came with captions like "Lost in the farm land", and "Here we are lost on a two lane road." and "Stopped by police on the highway who said we were lost and way off track."  His sense of direction doesn't seem to have improved by having a great body of water on his right side to aid in orientation.  His dad is smiling with understanding and compassion, I believe. 

He did have enough time to stop and have his pic taken with a large yard sign he spotted. 

They got a later start Sunday and only road about 75 miles because dark closed in earlier than expected.  They wound up in the agricultural region and were in a tiny town called Gonzales.  They were the only people within 100 miles whose mother tongue was English.  Luckily, urban planning hadn't gotten around to demolishing a 1950's era motel and they were able to snag a room for $29.  The proprietress felt so bad about gouging them on the price that she threw in laundry services -- so it all worked out well.  They ate at the only place in town -- a Mexican Taco Shop and fell asleep by 9, but not before downing a few prophylactic swigs of Pepto.  

Today, their goal is 90 miles passing through small towns on flat roads.  Ahh, that sounds easy enough. 

But, as you and I know, the best laid plans of mice and men ...

I think you will join me in admonishing them to " Get an early start, watch the road signs, and be kind to your intestinal tracts." 

Adios,  A

Keep on Truckin'

Hi Bike Ridin' Guys Watchers,  

Pat and Clay started off fresh on Saturday morning from San Francisco.  Both bikes arrived San Fran Friday evening in perfect shape.  They wrapped them up in bubble wrap and strapping tape and checked them like luggage.  Clay had to change planes but the bike made it just fine.  Pat has promised to send pics along the way.  I will try to keep you up on all the doings.  

They rode about 75 miles yesterday, Saturday, and stopped the night in Santa Cruz -- the one spot on the planet where no one got the message about Jerry Garcia already being dead.  Peace, Baby.  Anyway, they were "bushed" after ascending a 10 mile stretch of the King's Mountain west of San Fran.  Straight up a 16% grade.  Clay beat Pat to the top but felt the effects later.  He ate the largest burrito he could find at the taco stand on the beach they cruised into for lunch.  Pat's lunch, also gargantuan, Mexican and with a name that was unpronounceable, turned out to be a big mistake later on-- but that is another story.

Looks like rain in the forecast for today.  They have the right gear as long as it doesn't get too cold and wet.  They only packed one change of clothes so laundry duties tonight.  Not sure where they are heading for today but the goal is 110 miles.  Hopefully, on a more level stretch of ground...

More later,

Keep on Truckin' as Ol' Jerry used to say,

A

Getting Ready!