Utah
Moab- Errrr- ummm paradise.
Moab- Halfway- 40 rides down- 10 to go. 4000 miles.
The proverbial halfway point has been reached. Now it’s time to buckle down for the last half- this is where it gets tricky-
Moab is a beautiful town and I enjoyed the brief stay there. Thanks to Charlotte for setting us up at the Moab Valley Inn- the ride start for the Skinny Tire Festival.
It was short but definately sweet. We woke to a belgian waffle breakfast and yogurt and oatmeal (a staple), the hotel usual. Then we ended up heading out to get the tires changed (after 3 flats yesterday) and the bike ready. It was awesome to see the sun rise as I was changing the tire on the bike- the red rocks around the town lit up like there was a spotlight on them.
So then it was off to ride another 100 miles. This was an important one. It felt great to ride. Scot and I both agreed that the pace of this trip was crazy! It has been a whirlwind of a trip and we have both had times of fatigue and exhaustion. We also both experienced the times of jubilation and excitement! Moab had all of this. With 4000 miles in my legs the hills were tough. I still maintained a steady pace with the help of the van and cold drinks, thanks Scot. It ended up getting us back in time to have lunch at Pasta Jay’s. I had my celebratory halfway beer and pizza. MMMMM
Then it was on to enjoy some great views on the way to New Mexico. I even had a coffee to keep me awake to enjoy the views. That worked for all of about 6 seconds until I was snoring in the front seat.
The highlight of today was seeing the faces of all the mountain bikers in Moab as a road cyclist rode by. I guess they don’t have as much road riding- it may be due to the lack of roads. It was beautiful to see. Maybe I’ll do the century on a mountain bike next year.
On a different note- We may need some additional support-
We have been having a hard time getting airfares switched from our previous driver to Scot so he can fly out for the conclusion event. It seems Alaska and American Airlines keep putting the ticket on the other airline. I will be very dissapointed if Scot might not be able to get out to Hawaii with me for the last ride. If anyone has any connections at American or Alaska Air- please let us know. Scot had worked very hard on this trip and I would love to see him come out to Hawaii for the final ride. In addition- he is looking forward to staying ther eto live and work....this would be a great opportunity for him, and a great way to reward him for his efforts.
Due to the fact that we are committed to raising funds for cancer survivors- we need to work within our budgets to provide money for this cause. This is why we can not afford to just go out and buy a new airfare at $1000. This is a trip dedicated to empowering people to be active to prevent disease and to raise awareness about cancer survivorship.
We were recently written up in the Coal City Illinois Newspaper- I really liked the way Ann wrote the article- it touches on some good focal points of Ride For Your Life.
http://www.coalcitycourant.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=975&SectionID=14&SubSectionID=14&S=1
Off to see Santa Fe and complete ride 41.
Riding onwards-
Gary G