Originally Posted by BikeMomma
Present and accounted for! :D
I was concerned about the ride home, admittedly. But, I stopped by Starbucks and got extra caffeine, so I was fine for about half of the 4.5-hour drive. After that, the caffeine wore off and sleepiness took over, so I pulled over at a well-timed rest area and took a little catnap. After waking, I was fine for the rest of the ride home, with the help of a bag of m&m's and some nasty french vanilla cappucino purchased at a mini-mart gas station. Yeck!
Got in at about 11:45, after stopping at the grocery store for the husband. Apparently, he didn't think I had a full enough day......:rolleyes: The bed felt wonderful, I must say.
As for my ride report, I started the ride about 15-20 minutes later than I really wanted to, as I wanted to hook up with Tracy & the others before the start, but with having to check out of the hotel & all beforehand, I got there a bit late. My 'puter said 6:48am as I rolled out.
I had the descriptions of Tracy and Karen in my head as I started and sorta hoped I'd be able to catch up to one of them somewhere. Well, I ended up passing Tracy somewhere along the line (she said later she thought it was me, but wasn't sure), but as I passed this cute long-haired redhead on a bike decked out with pink accessories, I thought "Hmmm...bet this is Karen." And lo and behold it was.....and so, I gained a riding partner. ;)
The hills were tough in some spots, but with the hill training I've done this year, I was able to get up them without problem. I was faster up the hills than Karen, however, but it was no biggie for me to stop at the top and let her catch up. Hill climbing is all about pace -- you have to go your own speed and at your own level of comfort. Waiting gave me a chance to really enjoy my surroundings. It's a gorgeous area.
I admit, though, sometimes the crest of the hill turned into a sweet downhill right away, and I couldn't resist a fast curve or two before I stopped. Those switchbacks were fun, fun, fun!! My max speed was about 36mph (it actually shows 56.4mph, but I know that's incorrect -- must have had some interference somewhere). There were some fun, twisty, fast descents. Good for adrenaline junkies (like moi).
The bee sting, though, took the cake for my most memorable moment of the ride. The sucker got me on the forehead right above my eyebrow. Yowwie zowwie!
The rest stops were awesome as reputed - plentiful, good food, fresh fruit, lots of liquid. Even the porta-potties were tolerable ('cept for the lines...). The registration the night before was nicely organized, as was the post ride check-in. The friday night pasta dinner was good, got carbed-up pretty well there, and the post ride meal was yummy (ate it on the drive home). Those were some huge popsicles...yum! The hangliders at the last rest stop were of particular interest to me...another thing I want to try. ;)
I took pics (ask Karen :p ), and I'll post those a.s.a.p. I really can't spend any time on it tonight, as I have some reading to do for my night class.
It was great to meet you, Brandy, Pam, Tracy, and especially Karen (anyone I miss?). We must work on the Nor-Cal gals to come down to this ride (it's worth the drive, really, but then again, they'd have an even longer drive than I did...).
Cool breezes to you all,
~BikeMomma (Kim)