2011 MS Rides Recap

Well, Kevin and I did meet up to ride the WV ride, but before we could get on the bikes, he had to return home to assist with a monstrous rainfall. As we were at dinner on Friday night, Kevin got two phone calls and a picture text from Allison about the tremendous rainstorm they were having at home. The power had gone out and there was 4 feet of water on the back patio which was seeping into the house. After dinner we put the bike and the suitcase back in his car and he headed home.

Maybe next year.

The ride was hilly. Who'd have guessed, right? Well, it was.

The ride started in White Sulphur Springs at the Greenbrier and finished at Snowshoe Mountain. They didn't make us ride clear to the top of the mountain, but stopped at a fire station in Cass and then bused us to the top. It was a kind gesture that all of us appreciated. As it was, we climbed almost 2300 feet that day. You know how many times you have to go up and over the overpasses in central IL to get to 2300 feet? I was tired by the time we got to the mountaintop.

Then came my mistake on Sunday. We were told on Saturday night not to miss the bus in the morning. There would be one bus and it would leave at 7:00am. If you weren't on it, you'd have to figure out your own way down the mountain to get your bike. So I exited my hotel building (the one that acted as the headquarters, where we had the meal on Sat. and breakfast on Sun. The complex at the top of Snowshoe Mountain must have 30 hotel-sized buildings, so to keep it simple, I stayed in the one where all the MS activity was going to be.) So now, back to my mistake.

So in the morning after breakfast, I walk out the front of my hotel building and there is a bus waiting to take us down the mountain. So I get on. I'm about the 5th guy on, but soon it fills with other bikers. My clue should have been when the women who has been in charge all weekend came on and said "Everybody got their trail map?" See in addition to the rode ride, there was also a trail ride that rode an old rail-to-trail line. But I didn't think fast enough. BTW, when I got on the bus, I looked for something that might have said what bus this was, but there was nothing.

Soon the bus left the mountaintop. And when it made a right turn at the bottom of the mountain instead of a left turn, I was a little concerned. As the miles went on, my concern was soon confirmed I was on the wrong bus. When we finally arrived at the town where all the trail riders were to get their bikes, I waited to get off the bus so that I could ask the driver if he was going back to the lodge and to Cass. Well, he said he was going back to the lodge, but that I needed to go to Cass and he wasn't going there. (Really? Cause my memory was that Cass was at the bottom of the mountain and would only be about 2 miles out of your way to take be there). He suggested I talk with some of the cars that had followed us that had other riders going on the trail ride (spouses along for the weekend driving their own vehicles). With that advice, he took off. Thanks buddy.

So I asked the first car behind the bus and the very nice women said she'd be happy to drive me to Cass but she was going to need a cup of coffee first. Heck, I told her I would buy her an entire breakfast for driving me back. On the way back to Cass, we took a different route than the bus had taken to get us there. As we drove up WV-28, I started seeing bikes coming at us. Sure enough, this was on the route back. If you ever get a chance to ride WV-28 from Dunmore to Hunrtersville, I would recommend it. The advantage of climbing 2300 feet on Saturday was that we got to come down 2300 feet on Sunday. That 15-16 mile stretch of WV-28 was almost all downhill. It was wonderful.

I made it back to the Greenbrier on Sunday and after I had finished eating a box lunch and taking a shower, I headed for home, arriving about 11:30 Sunday evening.

2011 MS Rides

So clearly I am not a blogger. I can't nor apparently have the desire to keep up with this. That said, let me at least update you on plans for 2011.

Kevin and I will be doing the WV MS Ride "Country Roads Ride" on August 20-21. It will be the first time together since Cape Cod since we couldn't make calendars work last year. I am looking forward to it.

And then on September 17-18 I will be in Tulsa OK riding in the "Mother Road Ride" from Tulsa to OK City. I am excited about this ride because my niece Karen lives/works in Norman and we are going to get to see each other. In fact, I might spend Saturday night at her home if I decide camping is too rough given that the town of Chandler OK only has two hotels and both have been booked for several months.

West Virginia MS Ride
Oklahoma MS Ride

More on W.R.A.T.H.

Sunday was only slightly better than Saturday. It wasn't raining when we started the ride, but it misted and drizzled a lot of the day. For some reason (the lousy weather) the Society decided to cancel the long route (75 miles), so that let only the 44 mile route as the long option. That route took us back through Custer State Park With the mist and fog, we missed seeing any buffalo. However, on the ride, I did see several flocks of wild turkeys.

What I didn't do is figure out how to use my new Garmin Edge 705 GPS. And that is unfortunate, because I could have had a map of the route that would have helped me remember and retrace my steps. I have since figured out how to use the device and have used it to record several rides. I am still trying to figure out how to create and edit routes, but I think that will come with time.

Here is a picture from Saturday.

Click here to view these pictures larger

W.R.A.T.H. 2009

The Weekend Ride Around the Hills is done.

The good news is that my new, really expensive Gore Bike Wear rain jacket works GREAT. The bad news is, I needed it all weekend. Most of South Dakota enjoyed sunny and warm weather this weekend, but there was a small little area that was centered around Mt. Rushmore that rained all weekend and never warmed up.

Saturday started with rain and for the next six hours, it rained. Sometimes hard, sometimes not very hard. But until about 2:00pm, it was really nasty. And climbing the hills (mountains?) in the rain is not fun and even scary. I smartly elected not to do the century and only did 71 miles, hitting a top speed of 43 mph coming down some hill. I have a feeling it was after leaving the four presidents. It was sunny then and the road was dry. And for those of you that have been to Mount Rushmore, you know the road down to Keystone is steep.

Dinner last night was at the Mount Rushmore Cafe where we got to select from anything and everything we wanted from the counters. I ate a lot. And then the staff gave away a few door prizes. I won the big prize of the night!! It is a new Garmin Edge 705 Bike Computer with the US Street map option. It is a wonderful device that I am anxious to learn how to use.

I am in Sioux Falls SD tonight. I'll write more later.

MS-150 Bike to Jack and Back

I just returned yesterday from Franklin, TN and the MS Ride "Bike to Jack and Back." They have hills in Tennessee! Lots of hills. Being a flat lands rider, it is a shock to the legs to ride all those hills.

The Long Route (75 miles) on Saturday took from the Page High School left to the Peytonville-Trinity Road and then to highway 431 for a short jog and then for a bit on Bethesda Road. After our first stop at the Bethesda Market (13.4 miles) we veered onto Pulltight Road and got to enjoy the biggest climb of the weekend. As mountains go, this was a little one; according to Google Maps, it looks like we only climbed about 200 feet, but we did that in about 1/2 mile. It was a hard climb. Kevin has pictures from the top as well as me when I reached the top. Both are worth seeing. When I get them from him, maybe I'll add them to this blog.

Nothing the rest of the day compared to that climb. There were lots of additional hills to work the muscles, but nothing compared to Pulltight. Everyone that rode the 75 talked about Pulltight on Saturday night. Please note that on the ride down from Pulltight, I hit 42 mph without pedaling. And the downhill was probably twice as long as the uphill. Fortunately, on Sunday, we took a different route so we didn't have to encounter Pulltight again.