I just looked at what I'd written about over the last few weeks and realized I had missed a few things along the way that I wanted to write about. I'm going to use this post as a general clean-up on the events of the last couple weeks and hopefully be able to get a fresh start in the days ahead. Jim and Marilyn (Amy's folks) have dial up and I felt like I was monopolizing time on the computer and phone line, so I started doing only "mission critical" things like job searches and email and had to leave the blog alone for a few days. They just got a second phone line dedicated for the computer, so I should be a little freer in posting things in the days ahead.
On the job front...
Had the two interviews yesterday and applied for two more jobs today. One was for an "Executive Search Consultant" and the other was for a library assistant position at Augustana College. Add that to the Citibank and art gallery interviews from yesterday and I think I'm showing a willingness to be pretty broad in the scope of what I am willing to consider for employment. The only one that I really have little to no interest in now is the Citi job. Just didn't feel like a good fit for me at a company that is more obsessed with money than people.
On the home front...
It looks like we'll be back in Indiana from about the 17th through the end of camp on the 30th, but we'll be without the kids. We couldn't take them to camp with us and the thought of having to drive back midway through those few weeks to take the kids back seemed like more stress on them and us than it was worth. It should give us a chance to be around Hanfield for a few Sundays, so we'll look forward to reconnecting with some friends.
We did finally have a musical outlet last weekend. Casey, Amy's brother, is a part of a great church in Mitchell, SD that was having an outdoor event that he was organizing music for. He invited us to do about 20-25 minutes worth of music and then we sat in with the band from the church for another 12 songs or so with me on guitar and Amy doing some vocals. Casey is a solid guitar player/singer and they had invited a guy that used to go to their church who is now living in Omaha who was a great guitar player as well. My job was to listen to what they were doing and try to figure out where I could color around the edges and support what they did. I got to do a fair amount of ebow, tremolo, effect-heavy color stuff and had a good time with it. It was a little over 90 degrees on a metal flatbed trailer, sunny and about 25-30 mph winds. It presented a few challenges and was not the most comfortable setting to play in. There were times we felt like we were in a sandstorm with the wind whipping through the gravel parking lot at the site that they are renovating for their new building. They hope to be in the building in October and it was somewhat reminiscent of the building at Hanfield circa 1998.
The first lady did about four or five songs all of very different styles with recorded accompaniment. The second girl did one Jaci Velasquez song with piano accompaniment. We did five songs including "Famous One", "Who Am I?" (which I wrote a couple of years ago but seems more appropriate to my life now than it did then), "Breathe On Me Now" by Kathryn Scott, "Come Thou Fount" and "I Will Not Forget You" from the first "Enter the Worship Circle" CD with Waterdeep and 100 Portraits. The big band followed with a slew of songs from artists like Casting Crowns, The Newsboys and Shane & Shane as well as a few originals from Casey and Dave (the other guitar player). Things went really pretty well with the exception of one power outage that held things up for about ten minutes. I felt like our set was received well (especially considering we were the only ones that don't go to that church) and we really were glad to have the chance to do something musical after being out of action for about three weeks. I told Casey we'd have to look for an excuse to do some more together.
The best thing about the trip to Mitchell, though, was seeing Casey's family. We hadn't seen them since Christmas and had fun seeing the changes in the kids. The last time we had seen Chase (born last fall), he was just a lump who didn't do much and whose expression didn't change much. He was crawling, expressive and just fun to be around. Rylie, their daughter who is three, is just about the cutest child God ever placed on the earth. I did my best to keep her off balance and had fun playing with both kids. I had been thinking about how nice it was going to be for everybody to get to see our kids more often, but I hadn't considered how much I was going to enjoy seeing Casey's and my sister Rena's kids more often.
Otherwise, my time has been spent on the computer looking for jobs, on the bike or in the hot tub (one of the perks of living here). I accidentally went for an 87 mile ride the other day. I had mapped out a route that I thought would be around 70 and discovered it was a bit more once I was too far to turn back. It was around 90 degrees that day and I came back tired and with a little bit of heat rash from the bike shorts on my legs where the elastic was. What I love about riding around here is the view (the Missouri River and lake area above the dam), the hills and the fact that it is different than what I'm used to riding. What I don't care for is the wind which is usually pretty stiff and the road construction which is eating up the main roadway right outside the park entrance where Jim and Marilyn live. No matter which way I ride I have to contend with construction somewhere which can make for some dangerous riding. Oh well. If that's the price I have to pay for the view and the hills, I'll do it.
Life is good on the river and will be even better with employment and the sale and purchase of homes. Hopefully it won't take too long.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Death of a righteous billy goat
I had to shave the billy goat down to a more "professional" length the other day in anticipation of my first set of interviews. I had been allowing the goatee to grow since mid December and had grown rather fond of my friend. It allowed me to play more fully the role of artist and gained me notoriety on the Tour de Kota as I made the front page of the paper and was instantly recognized by the other riders when they saw the majesty that extended several inches below my chin.
I may have been the only one sorry to see it go, but I felt like I lost a uniqueness that I rather enjoyed. Oh well.
I did get the print of the photo from the paper in the mail today. It was an extreme close-up of me drinking from a water bottle at a rest stop on the first day of the Tour. I'll probably scan it and include it on the blog in the next few days if I can get permission from the paper. Ironically, I also found out today that I will be unable to order a back issue of the paper in question due to the demand that the Argus Leader had for all of the issues during the Tour de Kota, so I still haven't seen it in the paper itself, caption and all.
I may have been the only one sorry to see it go, but I felt like I lost a uniqueness that I rather enjoyed. Oh well.
I did get the print of the photo from the paper in the mail today. It was an extreme close-up of me drinking from a water bottle at a rest stop on the first day of the Tour. I'll probably scan it and include it on the blog in the next few days if I can get permission from the paper. Ironically, I also found out today that I will be unable to order a back issue of the paper in question due to the demand that the Argus Leader had for all of the issues during the Tour de Kota, so I still haven't seen it in the paper itself, caption and all.
Interview update
I had a few interviews in Sioux Falls today. After a hard ride yesterday (I anticipated riding about 60-70 miles and ended up with 87 instead) I had to be at Citibank at 10:00 after a few hours in the car. I nearly didn't get the opportunity to do the interview. They have required classes for the position starting July 18 and I will not be around for the first two weeks, so I would have to take the classes the next time around. My interviewer, Dan, wasn't quite sure whether to do the interview or have me come back later. Since I'd just driven one hour, forty minutes to get there, I was in favor of proceeding. Dan decided to go ahead and do the interview.
Most of the questions were along the lines of, "Describe a time when you encountered a customer with unreasonable expectations and what was the outcome." Since I have little retail experience, I could only relate to ministry situations for each of the questions that he asked. He basically got and hour of talk about church from me.
I don't know when to expect to hear anything back, but I'm only mildly interested in the position anyway.
I bummed around SF for awhile after the first interview to kill some time before my 3:30 at Rehfeld's Art and Framing. I hit Scheels and looked at the Lemonds and Treks (bikes). Back in the day, Scheels carried pretty low end stuff, but they had some pretty solid bikes including one "Livestrong" replica Trek for $9997.00. Needless to say, that isn't the kind of bike you ride, but you collect if you have a spare 10 grand sitting around the house.
I hit the mall for lunch but decided it was a bit too chaotic an atmosphere for the moment. I hit Old Chicago instead. Old C in Greeley was a second home in grad school. The beer list was a mile long with enough variety to keep this snob happy. The SF Old C was a disappointment in that respect. They had a few decent beers, but not enough to bring me back time and again to discover new friends.
After lunch, I headed downtown. I had no change in the car and only a debit card with me, so I wasn't able to park within five blocks of where I needed to be because of the parking meters. The temps were near 90 and my suit and tie were a bit much for walking around. I holed up first at Zandbros which was a favorite for Amy and me back in undergrad because of it's eclectic items and food. The air conditioning was a welcome relief, but I knew I couldn't stick around too long for fear that the aroma of the store (mostly incense and other exotic aromas) would linger when I went across the street for my interview.
I wandered down to another bookstore, hit an ATM and grabbed an iced cafe mocha at Coffee 'n Clay, a little coffee shop I had read about in the paper a few months back.
Finally, about 3:00, I headed down to Rehfeld's. I wanted to give myself enough time to linger, look at the art and get a feel for the place before the interview. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the work that they carry. Yes, they have a few things that really don't suit my taste, but they had some pieces that show a great deal of creativity and artistry as well. Their featured artist, Eyob Mergia, especially caught my attention with some really powerful pieces featuring musicians.
The interview went fairly well, I think. The biggest thing working against me is the fact that I have next to no retail experience and no experience selling art or high end home decor. My hope is that my love and enthusiasm for art, artist and patrons of the arts will overcome my deficiencies. This is a job I could see doing and loving. We'll have to see what the decision is.
At least I have a few interviews under my belt and can say that I'm at least trying to get a job. I'll probably spend some more time online and following up on some more job leads tomorrow.
Most of the questions were along the lines of, "Describe a time when you encountered a customer with unreasonable expectations and what was the outcome." Since I have little retail experience, I could only relate to ministry situations for each of the questions that he asked. He basically got and hour of talk about church from me.
I don't know when to expect to hear anything back, but I'm only mildly interested in the position anyway.
I bummed around SF for awhile after the first interview to kill some time before my 3:30 at Rehfeld's Art and Framing. I hit Scheels and looked at the Lemonds and Treks (bikes). Back in the day, Scheels carried pretty low end stuff, but they had some pretty solid bikes including one "Livestrong" replica Trek for $9997.00. Needless to say, that isn't the kind of bike you ride, but you collect if you have a spare 10 grand sitting around the house.
I hit the mall for lunch but decided it was a bit too chaotic an atmosphere for the moment. I hit Old Chicago instead. Old C in Greeley was a second home in grad school. The beer list was a mile long with enough variety to keep this snob happy. The SF Old C was a disappointment in that respect. They had a few decent beers, but not enough to bring me back time and again to discover new friends.
After lunch, I headed downtown. I had no change in the car and only a debit card with me, so I wasn't able to park within five blocks of where I needed to be because of the parking meters. The temps were near 90 and my suit and tie were a bit much for walking around. I holed up first at Zandbros which was a favorite for Amy and me back in undergrad because of it's eclectic items and food. The air conditioning was a welcome relief, but I knew I couldn't stick around too long for fear that the aroma of the store (mostly incense and other exotic aromas) would linger when I went across the street for my interview.
I wandered down to another bookstore, hit an ATM and grabbed an iced cafe mocha at Coffee 'n Clay, a little coffee shop I had read about in the paper a few months back.
Finally, about 3:00, I headed down to Rehfeld's. I wanted to give myself enough time to linger, look at the art and get a feel for the place before the interview. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the work that they carry. Yes, they have a few things that really don't suit my taste, but they had some pieces that show a great deal of creativity and artistry as well. Their featured artist, Eyob Mergia, especially caught my attention with some really powerful pieces featuring musicians.
The interview went fairly well, I think. The biggest thing working against me is the fact that I have next to no retail experience and no experience selling art or high end home decor. My hope is that my love and enthusiasm for art, artist and patrons of the arts will overcome my deficiencies. This is a job I could see doing and loving. We'll have to see what the decision is.
At least I have a few interviews under my belt and can say that I'm at least trying to get a job. I'll probably spend some more time online and following up on some more job leads tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Go... (part 2)
Somebody give me a job, please. Today was really the first day on this trip that I couldn't pretend it was vacation and had to start the job search. A few possibilities, but I'd rather that something just fell in my lap so I could stop guessing and wondering what people are thinking about the self-unemployed guy sitting around the house all day.
Okay, I did spend about five hours online looking through various job sites and finding some postings. So far I've only applied to take the exam for the Postal Service, applied to attend a pre-employment session at Citi Financial and have looked at other leads in Brookings, at Wells Fargo, Spherion and Manpower. Not too many of these make me jump up and down, but I'm recognizing that this is probably not a "forever" career change for me, but just a layover while I get to know the community better.
I am planning on meeting for lunch with a Pastor from Sioux Falls on Thursday about his church and possibly a church plant. I'll also probably get in touch with the Vineyard folks again in the next week or so to talk about their desire for a church plant. Don't know what might come of either, but we'll have the conversations and see if there's a nudge in any particular direction.
Tomorrow I'm planning on going for a bike ride and spending some more time following up with Wells Fargo and seeing what else might present itself. I've also got to spend some time with the guitar and get myself ready for a concert in Mitchell on Sunday. Amy and I are doing about 20 minutes of music and we're helping a group of Casey's some as well. I haven't played too much in the last few weeks and will be glad to get in front of a microphone again. Hopefully things will go well and we might even get a chance to do some other things in the weeks ahead.
Okay, I did spend about five hours online looking through various job sites and finding some postings. So far I've only applied to take the exam for the Postal Service, applied to attend a pre-employment session at Citi Financial and have looked at other leads in Brookings, at Wells Fargo, Spherion and Manpower. Not too many of these make me jump up and down, but I'm recognizing that this is probably not a "forever" career change for me, but just a layover while I get to know the community better.
I am planning on meeting for lunch with a Pastor from Sioux Falls on Thursday about his church and possibly a church plant. I'll also probably get in touch with the Vineyard folks again in the next week or so to talk about their desire for a church plant. Don't know what might come of either, but we'll have the conversations and see if there's a nudge in any particular direction.
Tomorrow I'm planning on going for a bike ride and spending some more time following up with Wells Fargo and seeing what else might present itself. I've also got to spend some time with the guitar and get myself ready for a concert in Mitchell on Sunday. Amy and I are doing about 20 minutes of music and we're helping a group of Casey's some as well. I haven't played too much in the last few weeks and will be glad to get in front of a microphone again. Hopefully things will go well and we might even get a chance to do some other things in the weeks ahead.
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Tour de Kota stage 5 wrap up
Friday, June 17
103 miles
Chamberlain to Pierre(ish)
We knew about the length, we knew about the hills, we knew today was going to be interesting. I rolled over at about 5:40 and saw that half the camp was already up and dressed and would be on their way shortly. I dragged myself out of the van, got dressed, got the bike ready and was on my way about 6:15 for a good long day in the saddle. 103 miles with an optional "jump start" about 35 miles into the course. There was no way I was doing the shorter ride since I had really been gearing up to take on the challenge.
One of the things that was on the organizers' schedule for the day was a visit from the Governor to kick today off at 6:30 since the ride was being touted as the "Governor's Challenge." Most of the riders were long gone by the time the Governor must have started, but I was glad to find out that they held back the group that were taking the jump start, so the Governor must have had at least a group of 50 or so to talk to.
One thing I had determined for the day was to take it easy, stop frequently and just treat the day like a victory lap. The first few climbs out of Chamberlain were longer and steeper than most of what we had seen throughout the week and I was just glad that I was fresh to tackle them. There were several spots where I was coasting on the downhills at over 45 mph (I think I peaked at about 48) for a mile or so at a time. It was fun, but I found myself a little worried about what would happen to me if I blew a tire on one of those sections. They'd have had to scrape me off the pavement. Luckily, it proved to not be a problem.
I stopped for the first time at about 20 miles just before Fort Thompson Dam after doing the first two of the nine major climbs. Things felt good and I was riding pretty well without pushing too hard. I knew that most of the friends I had made over the last few days were on the road in front of me still, but there were a few that I thought I might be able to catch up with and ride with for awhile.
Right before the dam, I found myself alongside Mike and Ruth, a couple from Sioux Falls. I had just pulled up to them when Ruth's tube blew. I stopped to help out and they shared that they had never changed a tire before. Ruth has been riding for about 25 years and this was only the second flat tire she had ever had. I part demonstrated and part instructed them through the change. We wound up having to use my mini-frame pump to inflate the tire so that she could ride again. I told her that it would probably only give her enough pressure to limp along, but that we could top off the tire down the road once we got to our van.
I rode with Mike and Ruth for about 10 miles or so and enjoyed talking with them. They both have done marathons in the past and are in good shape, probably in their mid-late 40's. They kept a good tempo on the flats and I waited on the climbs and descents, so we made fairly good progress through some gorgeous scenery. They asked about what I did and I had a chance to, yet again, tell about the call to Sioux Falls. They let me know that they have a nephew that runs a coffee shop in Sioux Falls called "Cool Beans" and suggested that I try to hook up with him. We saw the Spoke-n-Sport support van and they stopped off to get Ruth's tube filled and I kept on.
I settled into a little quicker tempo and tried to make up a little time when, about three miles later, I came across another person with a flat. He seemed to be doing alright, but I stopped just in case he needed anything more. Turned out he had a regular hex nut on his valve stem that he couldn't get loose. Most of the time, bike tires come with a circular nut that twists off easily. This one was way too tight and needed more tools than he had. I happened to have a small wrench kit in my bag that helped us get the nut off, finished the tire change and got him pumped up again (also with my frame pump). Just as we were getting ready to go again, the Spoke-n-Sport van came up and we flagged him down to top off the tire. Once I was sure he was in good hands, I started off again.
Right before I stopped that time, I had crossed paths with Becky Ryder again. She had taken the jump start and seemed to be enjoying the early part of the ride. I slowed and we talked for a minute before resuming the tempo.
A few miles later came my second stop with Amy at the 50 mile point. We had a chance to talk to Becky and the nice couple from Madison that we had met at breakfast the day before. They were riding a tandem and the husband gave me their email address. He had been thinking about us and said there was an event in Madison that he thought might be good for me to know about and might provide an opportunity to make some connections with area artists.
Everybody hit the road again and a few miles later I was on a gradual downhill going about 24 mph when I heard a sound that has become all too familiar to me this year on the road. I had lost another tire. I got myself stopped without any trouble and found that a rock had left a gash in my side wall almost big enough for me to put my pinky through. This is the third tire that I've lost in the last month to the tune of $110 or so. I had only had this tire for about two weeks, so I was ticked.
I called Amy, but we were both in the middle of Indian Reservation land and I wasn't able to get her so that she could bring my spare tire from the van. I decided to wait for the Spoke-n-Sport van who I had just seen a few miles back so that I could buy a new tire. Mike, Ruth, Becky and the other guy with the flat I had helped all passed by, but there was nothing any of them could have done.
A few minutes passed and Chad from Spoke-n-Sport came by. He had been really busy so far on the day with a lot of people experiencing flat tires, a few broken spokes and other mechanical maladies. He asked where I was from and I had yet another chance to share about the move. He told me a little about the bike club he's a part of in Sioux Falls and even joked about whether I had ever thought about working in a bike shop. He put on a new $50 tire for me which I told him I'd have to pay him for later at the campground and I was on my way again.
By this point, the temperature had climbed and there was no place to escape the sun. The wind had kicked up to over 20 mph from the south which helped by keeping us cool on the western stretches and pushed us a bit when the road hinted north.
I reached 68 miles and our next scheduled stop in a machine shed where they were selling sandwiches and allowing people to hole up inside the garage, in the shade, on seats that were not of the bike variety. Chad was there when I got there, so I told Amy what had happened and we got him paid. Pretty much everybody I had ridden with for the day was there including Mike, Ruth, Becky, Warren, flat tire guy and the couple from Madison. I was treated as somewhat of a saint for all of my efforts trying to help out followed by my own mechanical incident. A sandwich, some chips, some water and a pit stop later and I was back at it.
By this time, temps were pretty high and even the wind wasn't doing much to cool us down. The pavement for most of the day had been a little less than forgiving. It was mostly chip and seal stuff that usually takes a few mph off of the speed while also softening up the legs a bit. As we approached the last two big climbs, both the pavement and wind conspired to make life a bit more difficult.
Time for a little bikespeak. My road bike has 14 speeds with two chainrings and a seven speed cluster in the back. I really could have used a third chainring or a few larger cogs on the cluster to help me with the last two hills.
Eightyish miles in, the first hill bit. The pavement at the bottom of the hill was not good and forced me to slow down faster than I wanted to. The grade of the hill was probably as steep as we had seen all day and the road was headed dead west, so we were fighting a pretty good crosswind at this point that made it a little harder.
I was in first gear almost immediately and had to alternate between grinding very slowly and standing to dance on the pedals a little to keep any kind of forward momentum. Near the bottom of the hill I had to ask myself whether I was really going to be able to make it to the top without walking. I inched my way up the hill at the only pace possible to me, any faster and I would have blown up, any slower and I would have fallen over. I was still passing folks, but none of us seemed to be enjoying it much.
As I finally reached the top, I could see a very short respite of maybe a mile before the next hill. It was exactly like the previous one and I hurt on every pedal stroke on the way to the top.
Once I reached it, it was just a few miles to our last scheduled stop at the Buffalo Interpretive Center. We had been wondering all day about what exactly that meant. It turned out to be a center where they raise buffalo and educate people about the unique relationship that the Sioux people have with the buffalo. I didn't go in. I just wanted a quick refuel and an end to the day.
We were told it was all downhill from there. I had heard that kind of thing before and wasn't really willing to believe it for fear that I would find my spirit crushed by one more meat grinder of a climb. I knew that there were supposed to be nine big climbs on the day, but I had lost count long before we reached this point.
I asked Amy to go back down the road a bit to check on Warren and Becky to see if they needed anything and that I'd meet her at the camp. She went back, neither needed anything and the one person that she tried to offer assistance to chewed her out. The rider had apparently fallen off the bike on one of the hills and her frustration, weariness, the temperature and her embarrassment seemed to cause her to snap at Amy. My hope is that her offer to Becky and Warren showed that we cared about them and made them feel better even if they didn't accept any help at that point.
It turned out that the forecast for it being all downhill from that point was correct. In fact, there was a stretch of winding descent that seemed to go forever. It was all I could have asked for at that moment. We then turned and rode through Fort Pierre (Pierre's ugly little sister across the river) before turning toward the Oahe downstream camping area. I pulled into the campground right in front of Amy and my day of pain ended.
Once in the campground, I was able to find Verne, Tim and a few other folks I'd met. We said our goodbyes, I got cleaned up and we headed for home.
I found it to be a very bittersweet ending to the week. After leaving Indiana, this was the first group of people that I got to identify with, the first group I found belonging in, and just as quickly as it started, it was over. I may not ever see any of these people again, and fresh off of dealing with leaving another community of people that I love, I found the sense of loss something that I hadn't anticipated.
This week begins the next chapter as I begin to look for a job. More on that in the days to come.
103 miles
Chamberlain to Pierre(ish)
We knew about the length, we knew about the hills, we knew today was going to be interesting. I rolled over at about 5:40 and saw that half the camp was already up and dressed and would be on their way shortly. I dragged myself out of the van, got dressed, got the bike ready and was on my way about 6:15 for a good long day in the saddle. 103 miles with an optional "jump start" about 35 miles into the course. There was no way I was doing the shorter ride since I had really been gearing up to take on the challenge.
One of the things that was on the organizers' schedule for the day was a visit from the Governor to kick today off at 6:30 since the ride was being touted as the "Governor's Challenge." Most of the riders were long gone by the time the Governor must have started, but I was glad to find out that they held back the group that were taking the jump start, so the Governor must have had at least a group of 50 or so to talk to.
One thing I had determined for the day was to take it easy, stop frequently and just treat the day like a victory lap. The first few climbs out of Chamberlain were longer and steeper than most of what we had seen throughout the week and I was just glad that I was fresh to tackle them. There were several spots where I was coasting on the downhills at over 45 mph (I think I peaked at about 48) for a mile or so at a time. It was fun, but I found myself a little worried about what would happen to me if I blew a tire on one of those sections. They'd have had to scrape me off the pavement. Luckily, it proved to not be a problem.
I stopped for the first time at about 20 miles just before Fort Thompson Dam after doing the first two of the nine major climbs. Things felt good and I was riding pretty well without pushing too hard. I knew that most of the friends I had made over the last few days were on the road in front of me still, but there were a few that I thought I might be able to catch up with and ride with for awhile.
Right before the dam, I found myself alongside Mike and Ruth, a couple from Sioux Falls. I had just pulled up to them when Ruth's tube blew. I stopped to help out and they shared that they had never changed a tire before. Ruth has been riding for about 25 years and this was only the second flat tire she had ever had. I part demonstrated and part instructed them through the change. We wound up having to use my mini-frame pump to inflate the tire so that she could ride again. I told her that it would probably only give her enough pressure to limp along, but that we could top off the tire down the road once we got to our van.
I rode with Mike and Ruth for about 10 miles or so and enjoyed talking with them. They both have done marathons in the past and are in good shape, probably in their mid-late 40's. They kept a good tempo on the flats and I waited on the climbs and descents, so we made fairly good progress through some gorgeous scenery. They asked about what I did and I had a chance to, yet again, tell about the call to Sioux Falls. They let me know that they have a nephew that runs a coffee shop in Sioux Falls called "Cool Beans" and suggested that I try to hook up with him. We saw the Spoke-n-Sport support van and they stopped off to get Ruth's tube filled and I kept on.
I settled into a little quicker tempo and tried to make up a little time when, about three miles later, I came across another person with a flat. He seemed to be doing alright, but I stopped just in case he needed anything more. Turned out he had a regular hex nut on his valve stem that he couldn't get loose. Most of the time, bike tires come with a circular nut that twists off easily. This one was way too tight and needed more tools than he had. I happened to have a small wrench kit in my bag that helped us get the nut off, finished the tire change and got him pumped up again (also with my frame pump). Just as we were getting ready to go again, the Spoke-n-Sport van came up and we flagged him down to top off the tire. Once I was sure he was in good hands, I started off again.
Right before I stopped that time, I had crossed paths with Becky Ryder again. She had taken the jump start and seemed to be enjoying the early part of the ride. I slowed and we talked for a minute before resuming the tempo.
A few miles later came my second stop with Amy at the 50 mile point. We had a chance to talk to Becky and the nice couple from Madison that we had met at breakfast the day before. They were riding a tandem and the husband gave me their email address. He had been thinking about us and said there was an event in Madison that he thought might be good for me to know about and might provide an opportunity to make some connections with area artists.
Everybody hit the road again and a few miles later I was on a gradual downhill going about 24 mph when I heard a sound that has become all too familiar to me this year on the road. I had lost another tire. I got myself stopped without any trouble and found that a rock had left a gash in my side wall almost big enough for me to put my pinky through. This is the third tire that I've lost in the last month to the tune of $110 or so. I had only had this tire for about two weeks, so I was ticked.
I called Amy, but we were both in the middle of Indian Reservation land and I wasn't able to get her so that she could bring my spare tire from the van. I decided to wait for the Spoke-n-Sport van who I had just seen a few miles back so that I could buy a new tire. Mike, Ruth, Becky and the other guy with the flat I had helped all passed by, but there was nothing any of them could have done.
A few minutes passed and Chad from Spoke-n-Sport came by. He had been really busy so far on the day with a lot of people experiencing flat tires, a few broken spokes and other mechanical maladies. He asked where I was from and I had yet another chance to share about the move. He told me a little about the bike club he's a part of in Sioux Falls and even joked about whether I had ever thought about working in a bike shop. He put on a new $50 tire for me which I told him I'd have to pay him for later at the campground and I was on my way again.
By this point, the temperature had climbed and there was no place to escape the sun. The wind had kicked up to over 20 mph from the south which helped by keeping us cool on the western stretches and pushed us a bit when the road hinted north.
I reached 68 miles and our next scheduled stop in a machine shed where they were selling sandwiches and allowing people to hole up inside the garage, in the shade, on seats that were not of the bike variety. Chad was there when I got there, so I told Amy what had happened and we got him paid. Pretty much everybody I had ridden with for the day was there including Mike, Ruth, Becky, Warren, flat tire guy and the couple from Madison. I was treated as somewhat of a saint for all of my efforts trying to help out followed by my own mechanical incident. A sandwich, some chips, some water and a pit stop later and I was back at it.
By this time, temps were pretty high and even the wind wasn't doing much to cool us down. The pavement for most of the day had been a little less than forgiving. It was mostly chip and seal stuff that usually takes a few mph off of the speed while also softening up the legs a bit. As we approached the last two big climbs, both the pavement and wind conspired to make life a bit more difficult.
Time for a little bikespeak. My road bike has 14 speeds with two chainrings and a seven speed cluster in the back. I really could have used a third chainring or a few larger cogs on the cluster to help me with the last two hills.
Eightyish miles in, the first hill bit. The pavement at the bottom of the hill was not good and forced me to slow down faster than I wanted to. The grade of the hill was probably as steep as we had seen all day and the road was headed dead west, so we were fighting a pretty good crosswind at this point that made it a little harder.
I was in first gear almost immediately and had to alternate between grinding very slowly and standing to dance on the pedals a little to keep any kind of forward momentum. Near the bottom of the hill I had to ask myself whether I was really going to be able to make it to the top without walking. I inched my way up the hill at the only pace possible to me, any faster and I would have blown up, any slower and I would have fallen over. I was still passing folks, but none of us seemed to be enjoying it much.
As I finally reached the top, I could see a very short respite of maybe a mile before the next hill. It was exactly like the previous one and I hurt on every pedal stroke on the way to the top.
Once I reached it, it was just a few miles to our last scheduled stop at the Buffalo Interpretive Center. We had been wondering all day about what exactly that meant. It turned out to be a center where they raise buffalo and educate people about the unique relationship that the Sioux people have with the buffalo. I didn't go in. I just wanted a quick refuel and an end to the day.
We were told it was all downhill from there. I had heard that kind of thing before and wasn't really willing to believe it for fear that I would find my spirit crushed by one more meat grinder of a climb. I knew that there were supposed to be nine big climbs on the day, but I had lost count long before we reached this point.
I asked Amy to go back down the road a bit to check on Warren and Becky to see if they needed anything and that I'd meet her at the camp. She went back, neither needed anything and the one person that she tried to offer assistance to chewed her out. The rider had apparently fallen off the bike on one of the hills and her frustration, weariness, the temperature and her embarrassment seemed to cause her to snap at Amy. My hope is that her offer to Becky and Warren showed that we cared about them and made them feel better even if they didn't accept any help at that point.
It turned out that the forecast for it being all downhill from that point was correct. In fact, there was a stretch of winding descent that seemed to go forever. It was all I could have asked for at that moment. We then turned and rode through Fort Pierre (Pierre's ugly little sister across the river) before turning toward the Oahe downstream camping area. I pulled into the campground right in front of Amy and my day of pain ended.
Once in the campground, I was able to find Verne, Tim and a few other folks I'd met. We said our goodbyes, I got cleaned up and we headed for home.
I found it to be a very bittersweet ending to the week. After leaving Indiana, this was the first group of people that I got to identify with, the first group I found belonging in, and just as quickly as it started, it was over. I may not ever see any of these people again, and fresh off of dealing with leaving another community of people that I love, I found the sense of loss something that I hadn't anticipated.
This week begins the next chapter as I begin to look for a job. More on that in the days to come.
Tour de Kota rest day wrap up
June 16
Today was a rest day with an optional 40 mile ride. I opted out. My butt needed the rest and my body needed the rest with 100 miles and the hardest climbs of the Tour waiting for us tomorrow. Breakfast was provided at the camp by a local church and we had a chance to continue conversation with some of our new friends. We wound up in line in front of a couple from Madison, SD and had a really good conversation with them about where we're headed.
We decided to take the day to head over to Mitchell to visit Amy's dad and step-mom and see Xander and Maia who had just reached there the night before. We had a good time with Dave and Marie and the kids and just played and talked for the day.
We returned to camp that night, just in time to reset our gear for the night and get a good, early sleep. Everyone seems to have a nervous energy about tomorrow's ride. Some high school guys are running to burn off the extra steam, others are checking their gear for probably the fourth or fifth time, others are just walking around, too anxious to sleep.
Should be an interesting day.
Today was a rest day with an optional 40 mile ride. I opted out. My butt needed the rest and my body needed the rest with 100 miles and the hardest climbs of the Tour waiting for us tomorrow. Breakfast was provided at the camp by a local church and we had a chance to continue conversation with some of our new friends. We wound up in line in front of a couple from Madison, SD and had a really good conversation with them about where we're headed.
We decided to take the day to head over to Mitchell to visit Amy's dad and step-mom and see Xander and Maia who had just reached there the night before. We had a good time with Dave and Marie and the kids and just played and talked for the day.
We returned to camp that night, just in time to reset our gear for the night and get a good, early sleep. Everyone seems to have a nervous energy about tomorrow's ride. Some high school guys are running to burn off the extra steam, others are checking their gear for probably the fourth or fifth time, others are just walking around, too anxious to sleep.
Should be an interesting day.
Tour de Kota stage 4 wrap up
June 15
67.5 miles, Snake Creek to Chamberlain
Today was the polar opposite of yesterday. We had to re-ride the infamous 14 miles into Platte in the opposite direction of yesterday, but with just a hint of wind. I must say, I enjoyed the hills a great deal more than yesterday, but after Platte, we didn't see many hills.
Shortly after Platte, I met a guy named Verne from Brookings and rode several miles with him. We had some good conversation and parted ways at Academy where he was stopping for a "second breakfast". Academy really turned themselves inside out for the Tour. The town consists of about two houses, a fire department and a church, but they threw a big shindig in Academy and had at least three other booths set up along the long stretch of nothing that followed. The oddest stand of the day though was the lamb kabobs one that a former senator from Pukwana set up. There he stood in all his glory in his three piece black suit on a barren blacktop surrounded by farmland, holding a ceramic sheep. Only in South Dakota.
I rode for a little while with a nice couple from near Avon. Mary knew Amy's mom, Marilyn and we enjoyed a bit of conversation before they had to stop for an energy bar. After that, I rode with a guy named Chad from Sioux Falls for a little bit. Turns out he's a huge Colts fan, so I found myself talking Indianapolis football in the middle of South Dakota.
After a rest stop with Amy about 40 miles into the day, I decided to get serious about riding. The wind was a gentle cross wind helping to keep us cool and the road was almost arrow straight all the way to Pukwana. After we turned at Pukwana, I wound up finding a group of five riders doing a draft line into Chamberlain. I latched onto the back and found that the other riders were basically just drafting off of this guy on a recumbent bike that we had taking to calling "Recumbent Guy." He was a guy that, everyday, had a small group drafting off him as he flew across the countryside. Right place, right time. In a draft line you can save about 20 percent of your effort when you are in somebody else's slip stream. It can be difficult to be in a draft line with people you don't know though, since you have to be very close together, keep a tight line and not brake if somebody is behind you. I gave a little more gap than I would normally give in a line that consisted of riders that I trusted. I was holding onto these guys at roughly 21 mph at the end of a long day and benefited by being towed into Chamberlain.
When we hit the edge of town, we had a huge downhill that Recumbent Guy shot down. All the other riders were of different sizes and descending skills, so the group broke up, but we were only about two miles from the campground. I wound up passing the group one person at a time, but one of the riders drafted off of me as we came through town. Turns out she is from El Paso, Texas and she was kind of the poster child for the Tour website. She's done a lot of tours throughout the country and some of the bigger one day rides like Lance Armstrong's Ride for the Roses.
We were in fairly early and would have a rest day the next day in the same place, so we settled in and looked for stuff to do. Amy had parked the van right near the river with an unobstructed view of the bridge coming out of Chamberlain crossing the Missouri. Amy and I relaxed at the camp for a little while before heading into town on bikes. We wandered through main street and stopped to top off the tanks a bit at 3:00 with some cheese balls and jalepeno poppers, you know, health food. We decided to head to the south side of town to the South Dakota Hall of Fame where Amy has some relatives in with the likes of Tom Brokaw and Joe Foss (the WWII pilot, former governor, former president of the American Football League, host of "American Sportsman", and past president of the NRA). Turns out, Joe Foss was a friend of Marilyn's Uncle Curley and Aunt Rose who are in the Hall of Fame.
We headed back to camp, grabbed a nap and then joined the rest of the riders for free burgers, brats and hot dogs. Had some more conversation with Verne and a few other guys who we would wind up going across the river to Cedar Shore with later for beer and more conversation. A guy named Tim from Terrell, IA turned out to be the life of the party, throwing one liners left and right and spouting off about whatever subject happened to come up. He kept us well entertained for the evening before we headed back to camp.
We also met a guy named Warren from Indianapolis who works at Ivy Tech. Warren is near retirement age, a bachelor and a tour veteran. He told us he was going to get home from South Dakota, put in a few days at work and then head off to Bike Virginia for a week with a friend and his friend's son. Later this summer he's headed to the Pacific Northwest to ride. I really enjoyed conversation with Warren on a number of topics.
Today was different for me on this ride as the people grabbed my attention more than the ride did. It was a good day on the Tour.
67.5 miles, Snake Creek to Chamberlain
Today was the polar opposite of yesterday. We had to re-ride the infamous 14 miles into Platte in the opposite direction of yesterday, but with just a hint of wind. I must say, I enjoyed the hills a great deal more than yesterday, but after Platte, we didn't see many hills.
Shortly after Platte, I met a guy named Verne from Brookings and rode several miles with him. We had some good conversation and parted ways at Academy where he was stopping for a "second breakfast". Academy really turned themselves inside out for the Tour. The town consists of about two houses, a fire department and a church, but they threw a big shindig in Academy and had at least three other booths set up along the long stretch of nothing that followed. The oddest stand of the day though was the lamb kabobs one that a former senator from Pukwana set up. There he stood in all his glory in his three piece black suit on a barren blacktop surrounded by farmland, holding a ceramic sheep. Only in South Dakota.
I rode for a little while with a nice couple from near Avon. Mary knew Amy's mom, Marilyn and we enjoyed a bit of conversation before they had to stop for an energy bar. After that, I rode with a guy named Chad from Sioux Falls for a little bit. Turns out he's a huge Colts fan, so I found myself talking Indianapolis football in the middle of South Dakota.
After a rest stop with Amy about 40 miles into the day, I decided to get serious about riding. The wind was a gentle cross wind helping to keep us cool and the road was almost arrow straight all the way to Pukwana. After we turned at Pukwana, I wound up finding a group of five riders doing a draft line into Chamberlain. I latched onto the back and found that the other riders were basically just drafting off of this guy on a recumbent bike that we had taking to calling "Recumbent Guy." He was a guy that, everyday, had a small group drafting off him as he flew across the countryside. Right place, right time. In a draft line you can save about 20 percent of your effort when you are in somebody else's slip stream. It can be difficult to be in a draft line with people you don't know though, since you have to be very close together, keep a tight line and not brake if somebody is behind you. I gave a little more gap than I would normally give in a line that consisted of riders that I trusted. I was holding onto these guys at roughly 21 mph at the end of a long day and benefited by being towed into Chamberlain.
When we hit the edge of town, we had a huge downhill that Recumbent Guy shot down. All the other riders were of different sizes and descending skills, so the group broke up, but we were only about two miles from the campground. I wound up passing the group one person at a time, but one of the riders drafted off of me as we came through town. Turns out she is from El Paso, Texas and she was kind of the poster child for the Tour website. She's done a lot of tours throughout the country and some of the bigger one day rides like Lance Armstrong's Ride for the Roses.
We were in fairly early and would have a rest day the next day in the same place, so we settled in and looked for stuff to do. Amy had parked the van right near the river with an unobstructed view of the bridge coming out of Chamberlain crossing the Missouri. Amy and I relaxed at the camp for a little while before heading into town on bikes. We wandered through main street and stopped to top off the tanks a bit at 3:00 with some cheese balls and jalepeno poppers, you know, health food. We decided to head to the south side of town to the South Dakota Hall of Fame where Amy has some relatives in with the likes of Tom Brokaw and Joe Foss (the WWII pilot, former governor, former president of the American Football League, host of "American Sportsman", and past president of the NRA). Turns out, Joe Foss was a friend of Marilyn's Uncle Curley and Aunt Rose who are in the Hall of Fame.
We headed back to camp, grabbed a nap and then joined the rest of the riders for free burgers, brats and hot dogs. Had some more conversation with Verne and a few other guys who we would wind up going across the river to Cedar Shore with later for beer and more conversation. A guy named Tim from Terrell, IA turned out to be the life of the party, throwing one liners left and right and spouting off about whatever subject happened to come up. He kept us well entertained for the evening before we headed back to camp.
We also met a guy named Warren from Indianapolis who works at Ivy Tech. Warren is near retirement age, a bachelor and a tour veteran. He told us he was going to get home from South Dakota, put in a few days at work and then head off to Bike Virginia for a week with a friend and his friend's son. Later this summer he's headed to the Pacific Northwest to ride. I really enjoyed conversation with Warren on a number of topics.
Today was different for me on this ride as the people grabbed my attention more than the ride did. It was a good day on the Tour.
Tour de Kota stage 3 wrap up
June 14
51 miles from Pickstown to Snake Creek Park west of Platte.
Hills and headwind- that's all you need to know about today. On paper, it looked pretty easy. In reality, we rode northwest for 51 miles with a wind that started at over 20 mph and continued to get stronger throughout the day the entire way.
I had counted on the hills to be a buffer for the wind, but instead it was a 1-2 punch that kept me in first gear almost the entire day. Downhills offered no relief since you couldn't coast without stopping and most downhills still required an effort in second or maybe third gear.
The last 14 miles from Platte to the Snake Creek campground were an exercise in pain that saw hill after hill threaten to bring me to a stop. I did stop on a level surface at one point to eat my least energy gel and watched a red winged blackbird flying absolutely nowhere for the better part of 30 seconds. Neither of us were making much progress.
Rumor has it that some folks started as early as 4 am in order to beat the wind. We drove back from Yankton that morning, so I wasn't able to get started until nearly 7:30.
Rumor also has it that I was on the front page of the Argus Leader on Monday, but I have yet to see it for myself. I heard a couple of other riders say it when I passed them, but I thought they were talking about someone else. Then a few other guys I had stopped with said they had seen it. Hopefully someone will be able to snag me a copy.
A little later...
We ran into Becky Ryder tonight when we went to get ice cream. I student taught under Becky at Vermillion Jr. High 10 years ago and haven't seen her for years. It was great to catch up with her and she was able to confirm that it was me in the paper.
We talked to the nice lady at the info center and she said to call the paper and they would mail us a copy of Monday's paper. She also said we might be able to order a print of the photo which might look nice framed with the century patches that I'll have from Sunday and Friday's rides.
51 miles from Pickstown to Snake Creek Park west of Platte.
Hills and headwind- that's all you need to know about today. On paper, it looked pretty easy. In reality, we rode northwest for 51 miles with a wind that started at over 20 mph and continued to get stronger throughout the day the entire way.
I had counted on the hills to be a buffer for the wind, but instead it was a 1-2 punch that kept me in first gear almost the entire day. Downhills offered no relief since you couldn't coast without stopping and most downhills still required an effort in second or maybe third gear.
The last 14 miles from Platte to the Snake Creek campground were an exercise in pain that saw hill after hill threaten to bring me to a stop. I did stop on a level surface at one point to eat my least energy gel and watched a red winged blackbird flying absolutely nowhere for the better part of 30 seconds. Neither of us were making much progress.
Rumor has it that some folks started as early as 4 am in order to beat the wind. We drove back from Yankton that morning, so I wasn't able to get started until nearly 7:30.
Rumor also has it that I was on the front page of the Argus Leader on Monday, but I have yet to see it for myself. I heard a couple of other riders say it when I passed them, but I thought they were talking about someone else. Then a few other guys I had stopped with said they had seen it. Hopefully someone will be able to snag me a copy.
A little later...
We ran into Becky Ryder tonight when we went to get ice cream. I student taught under Becky at Vermillion Jr. High 10 years ago and haven't seen her for years. It was great to catch up with her and she was able to confirm that it was me in the paper.
We talked to the nice lady at the info center and she said to call the paper and they would mail us a copy of Monday's paper. She also said we might be able to order a print of the photo which might look nice framed with the century patches that I'll have from Sunday and Friday's rides.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Tour de Kota stage 2 wrap up
I think we must have lost some of our more serious riders after yesterday's ride, because I was one of the first to reach the campground in Pickstown, and I was dying!
So, why am I able to write today when I didn't think I'd be able to check in until the end of the Tour again? Well, Amy's mom, Marilyn, and step-father, Jim, were delayed coming back from Alaska due to the cancellation of their flight and weren't able to get home until this afternoon. Since we were only finishing today's ride an hour from their house, we decided to drive back so we could see them and then drive to Pickstown again in the morning for the start of stage 3.
So, back to the ride. It was supposed to rain off and on all day with the wind shifting from directly behind us to somewhat of a headwind by 1:00 or so. The rain held off for the most part and I managed to finish before the wind had the opportunity to present a problem for me. What I didn't anticipate was the severity of the climbing today and the after effects of yesterday's effort. I started off feeling pretty well and riding on roads that I know pretty well from riding here on vacations in the last three years, so I left with a good amount of confidence and immediately began passing people. I did get blown away by a guy in an Alessio jersey riding a really sweet Lemond bike who was probably the first person into the campsite today.
After a short stretch of headwind into Springfield, I headed out of town and only saw four other people in the next 35 miles. It was a lot of beautiful, rolling terrain through the Missouri River valley, but by about 35 miles into the day, I began to feel horrible. My legs ached, my butt hurt and my speed dropped like crazy. Amy and I were supposed to meet in Greenwood, but I started so fast that she wasn't there when I got there. I gave her a call and told her to meet me in the next town, Marty (60 miles into the ride), instead and we reached it at the same time.
It was at that point that I announced my retirement from the sport of cycling. Well, it was at that point that I wanted to announce my retirement, but instead I sat in the van, ate some food rested a little and tried to recover for the last 15 miles or so. We looked at the race profile and saw a few really severe climbs ahead which was okay with me. For whatever reason, I've been climbing really well and I'm able to catch people who can tear me up on the flats whenever the road goes up.
Amy told me that she had only seen two riders ahead of me, the Alessio guy and a guy in a purple jersey that I had encountered about 10 miles before as he was leaving a rest area and promptly left me for dead. As we sat in Marty, another six riders passed by.
Fed and a little rested, I started back in. The first stretch was a long uphill that gradually went up over the course of about three miles. Once we turned off that road, the road surface improved a lot, but the hills got more severe. I still felt pretty good climbing, but the uphills had equal counterparts in the downhills, and I fell like a stone down those hills catching two of the riders that had passed while I ate. A quick ride across the Fort Randall Dam and I dropped into the campground where I met Amy, grabbed a quick shower and then a drive back to Yankton. We estimated that I was probably one of the first ten to finish, so not a bad day for all the pain.
Tomorrow is 55 miles to Snake Creek with a few long hills, but not as rolling as today. Hopefully my body will recover tonight sleeping in a soft bed after a relaxing evening with family and I'll feel better on the bike tomorrow. Again, I expect that I probably won't be able to write about the rest until the end of the week, but you never know. In the meantime, the Argus Leader has a Tour de Kota section on their website www.argusleader.com with stories and photos from the road.
So, why am I able to write today when I didn't think I'd be able to check in until the end of the Tour again? Well, Amy's mom, Marilyn, and step-father, Jim, were delayed coming back from Alaska due to the cancellation of their flight and weren't able to get home until this afternoon. Since we were only finishing today's ride an hour from their house, we decided to drive back so we could see them and then drive to Pickstown again in the morning for the start of stage 3.
So, back to the ride. It was supposed to rain off and on all day with the wind shifting from directly behind us to somewhat of a headwind by 1:00 or so. The rain held off for the most part and I managed to finish before the wind had the opportunity to present a problem for me. What I didn't anticipate was the severity of the climbing today and the after effects of yesterday's effort. I started off feeling pretty well and riding on roads that I know pretty well from riding here on vacations in the last three years, so I left with a good amount of confidence and immediately began passing people. I did get blown away by a guy in an Alessio jersey riding a really sweet Lemond bike who was probably the first person into the campsite today.
After a short stretch of headwind into Springfield, I headed out of town and only saw four other people in the next 35 miles. It was a lot of beautiful, rolling terrain through the Missouri River valley, but by about 35 miles into the day, I began to feel horrible. My legs ached, my butt hurt and my speed dropped like crazy. Amy and I were supposed to meet in Greenwood, but I started so fast that she wasn't there when I got there. I gave her a call and told her to meet me in the next town, Marty (60 miles into the ride), instead and we reached it at the same time.
It was at that point that I announced my retirement from the sport of cycling. Well, it was at that point that I wanted to announce my retirement, but instead I sat in the van, ate some food rested a little and tried to recover for the last 15 miles or so. We looked at the race profile and saw a few really severe climbs ahead which was okay with me. For whatever reason, I've been climbing really well and I'm able to catch people who can tear me up on the flats whenever the road goes up.
Amy told me that she had only seen two riders ahead of me, the Alessio guy and a guy in a purple jersey that I had encountered about 10 miles before as he was leaving a rest area and promptly left me for dead. As we sat in Marty, another six riders passed by.
Fed and a little rested, I started back in. The first stretch was a long uphill that gradually went up over the course of about three miles. Once we turned off that road, the road surface improved a lot, but the hills got more severe. I still felt pretty good climbing, but the uphills had equal counterparts in the downhills, and I fell like a stone down those hills catching two of the riders that had passed while I ate. A quick ride across the Fort Randall Dam and I dropped into the campground where I met Amy, grabbed a quick shower and then a drive back to Yankton. We estimated that I was probably one of the first ten to finish, so not a bad day for all the pain.
Tomorrow is 55 miles to Snake Creek with a few long hills, but not as rolling as today. Hopefully my body will recover tonight sleeping in a soft bed after a relaxing evening with family and I'll feel better on the bike tomorrow. Again, I expect that I probably won't be able to write about the rest until the end of the week, but you never know. In the meantime, the Argus Leader has a Tour de Kota section on their website www.argusleader.com with stories and photos from the road.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Tour de Kota stage 1 wrap up
Well, I just finished the first day of the 1st Tour de Kota a few hours ago. There were two options: one of about 65 miles and one of just under 100 miles. Like an idiot, I chose the long way around.
I have to admit to a fair amount of apprehension at the start of the day. I hadn't ridden in five days and had a few other training rides cut short due to flat tires and blown tires (not exactly the same thing). I also am not used to riding with other riders, so I wasn't sure how I'd stack up. This isn't a race, but there's still a pride thing in riding that makes me want to ride a fairly respectable speed and I was pretty convinced that I would probably be in the bottom half of riders when it came to speed.
The day started beautifully in the mid-50's with almost no wind, sunny skies and every other favorable factor that you would want in the first day of a six day tour. I found myself in an attitude of worship and thanksgiving as I sang the Doxology about seven miles into the ride (after making sure that I wasn't within earshot of anybody so I didn't freak them out). We went through towns like Volin and rolled past a beautiful natural landmark, Spirit Mound. It was about that time (roughly 30 miles in) that the wind began to make its presence a little more known. Thankfully, it was in our faces which meant we'd have it behind us for the return trip.
Those doing the century ride headed south into Vermillion where Amy and I went to college. We went downtown and passed places with memories from college days like Leo's, Carey's and the Char Bar. Okay, I was a different guy back then. We then went south of town and hit the turn around point on the other side of the Missouri River in Nebraska. Just like the Tour de France often visits neighboring lands on its race route, we apparently were destined to visit Nebraska. The scene of crossing the bridge (though uphill) was breathtaking (in a good way).
A short return trip to Vermillion found me meeting Amy at the Winery for lunch. Okay, I used the restroom in the winery and we bought our food out of a van in the parking lot. Tres chic. That marked the 51 mile point and I was feeling pretty good. I shared with Amy that I was not among the slowest riders, in fact I was fairly fast compared to a lot of the folks out there. That helped me relax and just ride my own rhythm without worrying about my pride.
We left Vermillion. Amy headed for Yankton and I headed for what would turn out to be the remaining 47 miles or so of my ride. The tailwind felt great and I was able to pick up some pretty good speed. Once the century route met up with the shorter ride I began passing people, some for the second time of the day. I was feeling pretty good about life, the universe and everything when we hit a fork in the road. To the left was an idyllic continuation of flat lands with lovely tailwinds, to the right was one of the steeper hills I had seen where strong cross winds waited to sap the body of strength. You guessed it, the short route went left, the century went right and my body started screaming at me for going the wrong way.
The next 15 to 20 miles was a little surreal. I saw very little of other riders, absolutely no support personnel and almost none of the locals. This route took us through Wakonda where I had played for a community band concert once upon a time ago at the request of a friend. It was like a ghost town. I saw a few bikes in front of the bar and grill, but otherwise, no one was to be seen. It was quite awhile before I saw anybody again even when I could see for two miles in front of me and one behind. I have never felt so alone on a group ride.
I was ecstatic to see people again when the long and short routes finally met up again. I began passing some of the people for the third time on the day and my body just hurt. I only had about 15 miles to go, so my mind convinced my body that the pain would not stop until I got off the bike and the best way to ensure that the pain didn't last as long was to push harder. My body bought it (the idiot). I pushed like crazy the rest of the way in and the pain stopped after about 98 miles, two short of the promised century ride of the day, but I didn't care. Amy picked me up and we had a short van ride back to her mom's.
Now I just wonder if I can convince my body to get back on the bike in the morning. It's a 79 mile day tomorrow with the threat of 25-30 mile headwinds through most of the day. Should be fun.
I have to admit to a fair amount of apprehension at the start of the day. I hadn't ridden in five days and had a few other training rides cut short due to flat tires and blown tires (not exactly the same thing). I also am not used to riding with other riders, so I wasn't sure how I'd stack up. This isn't a race, but there's still a pride thing in riding that makes me want to ride a fairly respectable speed and I was pretty convinced that I would probably be in the bottom half of riders when it came to speed.
The day started beautifully in the mid-50's with almost no wind, sunny skies and every other favorable factor that you would want in the first day of a six day tour. I found myself in an attitude of worship and thanksgiving as I sang the Doxology about seven miles into the ride (after making sure that I wasn't within earshot of anybody so I didn't freak them out). We went through towns like Volin and rolled past a beautiful natural landmark, Spirit Mound. It was about that time (roughly 30 miles in) that the wind began to make its presence a little more known. Thankfully, it was in our faces which meant we'd have it behind us for the return trip.
Those doing the century ride headed south into Vermillion where Amy and I went to college. We went downtown and passed places with memories from college days like Leo's, Carey's and the Char Bar. Okay, I was a different guy back then. We then went south of town and hit the turn around point on the other side of the Missouri River in Nebraska. Just like the Tour de France often visits neighboring lands on its race route, we apparently were destined to visit Nebraska. The scene of crossing the bridge (though uphill) was breathtaking (in a good way).
A short return trip to Vermillion found me meeting Amy at the Winery for lunch. Okay, I used the restroom in the winery and we bought our food out of a van in the parking lot. Tres chic. That marked the 51 mile point and I was feeling pretty good. I shared with Amy that I was not among the slowest riders, in fact I was fairly fast compared to a lot of the folks out there. That helped me relax and just ride my own rhythm without worrying about my pride.
We left Vermillion. Amy headed for Yankton and I headed for what would turn out to be the remaining 47 miles or so of my ride. The tailwind felt great and I was able to pick up some pretty good speed. Once the century route met up with the shorter ride I began passing people, some for the second time of the day. I was feeling pretty good about life, the universe and everything when we hit a fork in the road. To the left was an idyllic continuation of flat lands with lovely tailwinds, to the right was one of the steeper hills I had seen where strong cross winds waited to sap the body of strength. You guessed it, the short route went left, the century went right and my body started screaming at me for going the wrong way.
The next 15 to 20 miles was a little surreal. I saw very little of other riders, absolutely no support personnel and almost none of the locals. This route took us through Wakonda where I had played for a community band concert once upon a time ago at the request of a friend. It was like a ghost town. I saw a few bikes in front of the bar and grill, but otherwise, no one was to be seen. It was quite awhile before I saw anybody again even when I could see for two miles in front of me and one behind. I have never felt so alone on a group ride.
I was ecstatic to see people again when the long and short routes finally met up again. I began passing some of the people for the third time on the day and my body just hurt. I only had about 15 miles to go, so my mind convinced my body that the pain would not stop until I got off the bike and the best way to ensure that the pain didn't last as long was to push harder. My body bought it (the idiot). I pushed like crazy the rest of the way in and the pain stopped after about 98 miles, two short of the promised century ride of the day, but I didn't care. Amy picked me up and we had a short van ride back to her mom's.
Now I just wonder if I can convince my body to get back on the bike in the morning. It's a 79 mile day tomorrow with the threat of 25-30 mile headwinds through most of the day. Should be fun.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Go.... (part 1)
Well. We're in Iowa at my mom & dad's after a rather eventful drive on Thursday. We got a late start after packing the van and car tighter than a kielbasa, kids and cats included. We packed a picnic that saw us through two meals in two states and provided opportunity for the cats to become as overheated as they have ever been. Shortly after lunch in Momence, Il the muffler on our van decided it had had enough and started falling apart. We limped into a nice, family owned shop in Kankakee where they kindly removed the pipe that was dragging for no charge. We decided to go on without a fully functioning muffler until we got to Mom & Dad's and could afford the time to have it worked on. In pulling out of the lot, my bike (which was on the back of the van) met a parking barrier destroying the back wheel (more on that later). The rest of the trip was uneventful and we arrived in at about 11:00 Thursday night.
Friday kicked off with us making arrangements for the van to be worked on in Sheldon at our family friend's shop and trying to find a bike shop with wheels that would work for me so that I can start the Tour de Kota tomorrow. Dad and I dropped off the van (along with a lot of our cargo that I would later regret not unpacking) and came home for lunch before taking the bike to Storm Lake. I had called a bike shop in Cherokee which I wasn't convinced could really help me out, one in Sioux Falls that will be providing support at the ride which would have cost me close to $400 for one wheel (the bike only cost $350 new) and Lakeshore Cyclery in Storm Lake. I had bought a mountain bike there about 15 years ago and I was pretty comfortable that if there was a local shop (only an hour away) that could help me out, it would be them.
I was on the phone with the owner for probably about 15 minutes while he looked to see what they had and I checked the specs on what I was needing to replace. The prospect of having to build a new wheel was probably going to be too time consuming as he'd have to order the rim and it would be a stretch for him to finish it in time for me to pick it up before the start of the ride. I was also wanting a shop to check out the frame to make sure that it wasn't damaged or bent since we weren't sure whether the parking barrier had only made contact with the wheel or with the rear drops on the frame. The owner looked around and found a pair of used wheels that a guy had traded in when he upgraded. These wheels probably cost more new than my bike did and he was selling them for $170.
Dad and I hopped in the van and drove the hour to Storm Lake, dropped the bike off, puttered around town for about an hour and then headed back to pick it up. Turns out the frame was "misaligned". The guy at the shop (the owner's son, I think) said they had never seen one quite so bad. They got it all set straight again, put on the new wheels and we were off to home.
I mentioned that I would regret not unpacking some things. Well, we weren't originally expecting the van to take more than a day, so I left our computer, my guitars, all of Amy's jewelry (she is selling jewelry and has a few thousand dollars worth of inventory) and most of my bike gear in the van. Aside from the stress of leaving an estimated $7000 worth of stuff in a van on a car lot overnight, I had really hoped to ride today to test the new wheels and frame alignment, but didn't have my gear. I haven't had a chance to ride since Wednesday and I start the Tour tomorrow with a 100 mile day on new gear I've never ridden. Not the best situation, but it will have to do.
Friday was also Maia's (my daughter) first birthday, so we had to get back for a party with my folks, our family and our nieces, Cassie and Lexi. The girls had helped Mom plan the party and they did a great job. Maia now has more clothes, a few more toys and no idea what all the fuss was about. She lit up when everybody started singing to her. That was probably the highlight of my day.
The cats are living in the coop on my Mom and Dad's place. Maja seems to have settled in pretty well and enjoys watching the world through the windows in the coop. Morpheus has remained in hiding behind a wood pile and was seen briefly yesterday. Not sure how well he's adjusting to his first trip.
I'm hoping to check in intermittently during the Tour, but it may be that I'll only get to blog about day one while we stay at Amy's mom's and have to save the rest until we get back on Friday night or Saturday.
Friday kicked off with us making arrangements for the van to be worked on in Sheldon at our family friend's shop and trying to find a bike shop with wheels that would work for me so that I can start the Tour de Kota tomorrow. Dad and I dropped off the van (along with a lot of our cargo that I would later regret not unpacking) and came home for lunch before taking the bike to Storm Lake. I had called a bike shop in Cherokee which I wasn't convinced could really help me out, one in Sioux Falls that will be providing support at the ride which would have cost me close to $400 for one wheel (the bike only cost $350 new) and Lakeshore Cyclery in Storm Lake. I had bought a mountain bike there about 15 years ago and I was pretty comfortable that if there was a local shop (only an hour away) that could help me out, it would be them.
I was on the phone with the owner for probably about 15 minutes while he looked to see what they had and I checked the specs on what I was needing to replace. The prospect of having to build a new wheel was probably going to be too time consuming as he'd have to order the rim and it would be a stretch for him to finish it in time for me to pick it up before the start of the ride. I was also wanting a shop to check out the frame to make sure that it wasn't damaged or bent since we weren't sure whether the parking barrier had only made contact with the wheel or with the rear drops on the frame. The owner looked around and found a pair of used wheels that a guy had traded in when he upgraded. These wheels probably cost more new than my bike did and he was selling them for $170.
Dad and I hopped in the van and drove the hour to Storm Lake, dropped the bike off, puttered around town for about an hour and then headed back to pick it up. Turns out the frame was "misaligned". The guy at the shop (the owner's son, I think) said they had never seen one quite so bad. They got it all set straight again, put on the new wheels and we were off to home.
I mentioned that I would regret not unpacking some things. Well, we weren't originally expecting the van to take more than a day, so I left our computer, my guitars, all of Amy's jewelry (she is selling jewelry and has a few thousand dollars worth of inventory) and most of my bike gear in the van. Aside from the stress of leaving an estimated $7000 worth of stuff in a van on a car lot overnight, I had really hoped to ride today to test the new wheels and frame alignment, but didn't have my gear. I haven't had a chance to ride since Wednesday and I start the Tour tomorrow with a 100 mile day on new gear I've never ridden. Not the best situation, but it will have to do.
Friday was also Maia's (my daughter) first birthday, so we had to get back for a party with my folks, our family and our nieces, Cassie and Lexi. The girls had helped Mom plan the party and they did a great job. Maia now has more clothes, a few more toys and no idea what all the fuss was about. She lit up when everybody started singing to her. That was probably the highlight of my day.
The cats are living in the coop on my Mom and Dad's place. Maja seems to have settled in pretty well and enjoys watching the world through the windows in the coop. Morpheus has remained in hiding behind a wood pile and was seen briefly yesterday. Not sure how well he's adjusting to his first trip.
I'm hoping to check in intermittently during the Tour, but it may be that I'll only get to blog about day one while we stay at Amy's mom's and have to save the rest until we get back on Friday night or Saturday.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Please Don't Hit Me One More Time
I'm watching NBC's "Hit Me Baby One More Time" where they take mostly washed up musicians and give them a chance to relive the glory days. Loverboy started the night out and I couldn't help but think, "Coming soon to a county fair near you..." "Working for the Weekend" never sounded worse except at some podunk karaoke bar at about 2:30am. At least the next artist, CeCe Peniston, could sing even though her song was crap. I'm kind of looking forward to hearing Flock of Seagulls just for the sheer novelty of it.
The basic premise of the show is: the bands perform one of their greatest hits (or in some cases their only hit), later perform one of today's songs, people vote and the winning act gets a donation made to the charity of their choice.
Flock of Seagulls had the good sense to not break out the early 80's era new wave hair, but they really could have used the early 80's era new wave production. Live performance definitely is not a strength for them.
Arrested Development is next up. They hit the scene after I gave up on pop music and immersed myself in Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Wynton Marsalis, Duke Ellington and every other jazz artist I could get my hands on. Their song is one of the least complicated so far, but at least they sound good. The female vocal is a little hot in the mix, but I'll blame that on the sound techs rather than the group. So far, easily the best of the bunch.
I've got to say, the host for this show is beyond horrible. If I never watch this show again, he will be a big reason why. Overly loud, British guy who's working way too hard to convince the audience that they're witnessing a great show.
Tiffany still has a voice. "I Think We're Alone Now" was fairly solid. She's covering Kelly Clarkson later in what will probably be one of the best performances of the night. I have to admit, I had Tiffany's debut album on tape back in the day. I owned a lot of crap back in the day.
Loverboy is covering Enrique's "Hero" right now. I can't believe these guys still do 100 shows a year. It shows me that some people don't know when to call it a night. I'm all for washed up musicians making music (since I will soon be one), but to subject a paying audience to your attempt to recapture the glory days is poor form.
CeCe is covering Faith Hill now. She did a fairly good job, to which our announcer stated, "She's just taken the roof off." I'm sorry. She did alright, but any of the female contestants on Idol could have done it better.
Flock of Seagulls is covering "On the Way Down." The band sound is not bad, but the vocal reminded me of a guy rocking out in the bathroom wearing only a towel and singing into the hairbrush. Horrible does not begin to describe it.
Arrested is covering "Heaven" by Los Lonely Boys which could be interesting. They're definitely able to work the room well. They've got good energy on a great hip hop adaptation. I actually liked something that someone on this show did!
Tiffany's up with "Breakaway." Like I said, she still has a voice, although studio production would clean up the rough edges. Amy made the observation that she probably should wear different clothes now that she has "squishy mom belly." I'll not chime in on that one.
Time for the studio audience. I would probably vote for Arrested, which is odd since I'm not an urban music guy. Tiffany would be a close second. CeCe is the only other one that should be allowed to perform for cash.
Arrested won. I feel vindicated.
Thank you! Good night!
The basic premise of the show is: the bands perform one of their greatest hits (or in some cases their only hit), later perform one of today's songs, people vote and the winning act gets a donation made to the charity of their choice.
Flock of Seagulls had the good sense to not break out the early 80's era new wave hair, but they really could have used the early 80's era new wave production. Live performance definitely is not a strength for them.
Arrested Development is next up. They hit the scene after I gave up on pop music and immersed myself in Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Wynton Marsalis, Duke Ellington and every other jazz artist I could get my hands on. Their song is one of the least complicated so far, but at least they sound good. The female vocal is a little hot in the mix, but I'll blame that on the sound techs rather than the group. So far, easily the best of the bunch.
I've got to say, the host for this show is beyond horrible. If I never watch this show again, he will be a big reason why. Overly loud, British guy who's working way too hard to convince the audience that they're witnessing a great show.
Tiffany still has a voice. "I Think We're Alone Now" was fairly solid. She's covering Kelly Clarkson later in what will probably be one of the best performances of the night. I have to admit, I had Tiffany's debut album on tape back in the day. I owned a lot of crap back in the day.
Loverboy is covering Enrique's "Hero" right now. I can't believe these guys still do 100 shows a year. It shows me that some people don't know when to call it a night. I'm all for washed up musicians making music (since I will soon be one), but to subject a paying audience to your attempt to recapture the glory days is poor form.
CeCe is covering Faith Hill now. She did a fairly good job, to which our announcer stated, "She's just taken the roof off." I'm sorry. She did alright, but any of the female contestants on Idol could have done it better.
Flock of Seagulls is covering "On the Way Down." The band sound is not bad, but the vocal reminded me of a guy rocking out in the bathroom wearing only a towel and singing into the hairbrush. Horrible does not begin to describe it.
Arrested is covering "Heaven" by Los Lonely Boys which could be interesting. They're definitely able to work the room well. They've got good energy on a great hip hop adaptation. I actually liked something that someone on this show did!
Tiffany's up with "Breakaway." Like I said, she still has a voice, although studio production would clean up the rough edges. Amy made the observation that she probably should wear different clothes now that she has "squishy mom belly." I'll not chime in on that one.
Time for the studio audience. I would probably vote for Arrested, which is odd since I'm not an urban music guy. Tiffany would be a close second. CeCe is the only other one that should be allowed to perform for cash.
Arrested won. I feel vindicated.
Thank you! Good night!
Soul Survivor
I just finished the book "Soul Survivor" by Mike Pilavachi. Pilavachi is the founder of Soul Survivor ministry in Watford, England which has produced worship leaders like Matt Redman and Tim Hughes and ministers to a good number of young adults through their regular ministry in Watford and conferences worldwide.
"Soul Survivor" (the book) is about "finding passion and purpose in the dry places." Now, I've read other books and articles about those "dry seasons" in the Christian life. They usually come off sounding like the literary equivalent of the "Hang in there" kitty posters. They tend to give coping strategies for the individual while they wait for their next mountaintop experience. Not "Soul Survivor."
In this book, Pilavachi focuses on how God shapes the character of the believer in the desert. He uses examples like Moses, Joseph (version 1.0 in Genesis) and Jesus as well as drawing on his personal experiences to help paint a picture of the desert as a place to be loved and embraced, even though it can be difficult and expansive. Pilavachi is a great storyteller and has a very easy to follow, but never shallow communication style.
In a season where I've found myself drawn to lament and experiencing faith in uncertain circumstances, this has been a great book in helping me recognize the need for patience and perseverance as we step out in pursuit of a vision that may take a great deal of time and suffering to see come to reality.
"Soul Survivor" (the book) is about "finding passion and purpose in the dry places." Now, I've read other books and articles about those "dry seasons" in the Christian life. They usually come off sounding like the literary equivalent of the "Hang in there" kitty posters. They tend to give coping strategies for the individual while they wait for their next mountaintop experience. Not "Soul Survivor."
In this book, Pilavachi focuses on how God shapes the character of the believer in the desert. He uses examples like Moses, Joseph (version 1.0 in Genesis) and Jesus as well as drawing on his personal experiences to help paint a picture of the desert as a place to be loved and embraced, even though it can be difficult and expansive. Pilavachi is a great storyteller and has a very easy to follow, but never shallow communication style.
In a season where I've found myself drawn to lament and experiencing faith in uncertain circumstances, this has been a great book in helping me recognize the need for patience and perseverance as we step out in pursuit of a vision that may take a great deal of time and suffering to see come to reality.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Welcome to unemployment
Today is my first official day of unemployment, although I'll be going in to the church in a little bit to get together with Mike and Luke as we do some more orientation with them as the new music area champions for the worship arts ministry. I've been a little scarce on blogger lately so that I could focus on getting things ready for us to step out. I should have a little more time on my hands now while we prepare to move and look for a new job.
I'm already finding myself restless just sitting around the house. If it was the weekend or vacation, I wouldn't have any trouble hanging out watching ESPN News and dinking around on the web, but knowing that I don't have any definite plans for when I need to be back on the job is making me a little anxious. Even though I trust that God is working in the midst of this, I wish it was September 1 instead of June 1 because I should be employed and have a little more direction by then. I did manage to take an old love seat, some clothes and a few other items to the rescue mission, but otherwise I feel pretty useless.
I did apply for a job at a church in Sioux Falls today as well. I wasn't really expecting to apply for church jobs, but had a friend send me a job listing that I had seen earlier and began to remember some conversations I'd had earlier in the year. Those conversations were about the idea of taking a vocational ministry job as a "tent making" job in order to pursue other ministry that I feel called to. I figured it wouldn't hurt to see whether this church might be a good fit for me as we begin the job search.
I think I'll go read a book, or take a nap, or something productive like that.
I'm already finding myself restless just sitting around the house. If it was the weekend or vacation, I wouldn't have any trouble hanging out watching ESPN News and dinking around on the web, but knowing that I don't have any definite plans for when I need to be back on the job is making me a little anxious. Even though I trust that God is working in the midst of this, I wish it was September 1 instead of June 1 because I should be employed and have a little more direction by then. I did manage to take an old love seat, some clothes and a few other items to the rescue mission, but otherwise I feel pretty useless.
I did apply for a job at a church in Sioux Falls today as well. I wasn't really expecting to apply for church jobs, but had a friend send me a job listing that I had seen earlier and began to remember some conversations I'd had earlier in the year. Those conversations were about the idea of taking a vocational ministry job as a "tent making" job in order to pursue other ministry that I feel called to. I figured it wouldn't hurt to see whether this church might be a good fit for me as we begin the job search.
I think I'll go read a book, or take a nap, or something productive like that.
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