Lewis and Clark Trail State Park to Pomeroy City Park
Day 9. June 11, 2023. Sunday
42.72 miles. 1,887 total ascent
Awakening to the sound of birds singing is such a lovely way to transition from the deep slumber of the night’s rest. It is 4:29 am. The morning light is beginning to cast shadows amongst the trees.
We are yet blessed with another day… A day to discover, a day to share this amazing world with you…a day to rejoice and celebrate being alive.
Good morning owl. Good morning woodpecker.
Today will be a lighter day, taking us to Pomeroy.
Poison hemlock is prevalent in the area. It is a beautiful plant. We see it throughout the day.
The skies sport marshmallow clouds and the beams of sun streak through. While we will have some crosswind, we will also enjoy the wind at our backs. At elevations near 2,000, it is cooler this morning.
Sunscreen and chamois butter are notably colder at these temps as well.
Because of the cooler temps last night, our clothes did not dry. I guess I get to ride with my shorts flapping in the breeze! lol!
A quick cup of coffee and light breakfast and we’re off. Our blue coffee creamer container makes a great scoop for the coffee crystals and collagen powder.
Once again, we’ll be traveling in rather remote areas where services are limited.
Along the way, our new discoveries were before us: a hide of some sort in the ditch- we think it may have been from a calf. And then a ‘Kermit’. Next, we learned where the ‘Green Giant’ originated from. So interesting!!
So…we indulge in our second breakfast just a few miles out of camp, in Dayton. Wonderful coffee and a delicious breakfast was made even better served by Jorie at Annie’s Attic & Cafe. The sourdough bread is a family recipe over 100 years old!!
Across the street was the original Weinhard Hotel Rachael was telling us about.
Onward we go and once again, encounter the support vehicle for a group of cyclists traveling across the U.S. as well, traveling from Seattle to Washington D.C. There are 19 cyclists and 5 support bets, two vans. We saw them yesterday when one of the cyclists had a mechanical. We seem to be leap frogging along the way.
A fishing lure, coyote in a field, dead mouse, a few dead birds and a soaring Red tail hawk were are finds for the day. Drew has now counted 48 black rubber tarp bungies on the side of the road.
Windmills color the horizon with their long, ivory blades.
And then the sign: 3 mile descent at 6%. Yes. Descents are great but as with all good things, comes responsibility. We are fortunate to have an ample shoulder. Now, the caution: sidewinds, road debris, vehicles moving past at high speeds, animals crossing and bike issues, like a flat tire. Thankfully, we are running tubeless and the tires were replaced for this tour. Placing my weight centered and as low as possible, I begin. During times like this, nothing, absolutely nothing, but the descent is on my mind. I am definitely in the moment!!
Whew! Those miles literally flew by and we returned to the rolls. What a great training kind of ride…climb, recover, climb again.
Others things we’ve learned along the way: solar sleeves are essential. They protect from the sun without using sun screen and buffer the impact of bugs hitting. Keeping sunscreen in the top tube bag and applying to the nose/face keeps the sunburn away. I learned a wet nose in the morning from the cool air is a ‘dog nose’ and from Ellen & Jeff-ypu can travel miles without seeing a car and suddenly there will be one coming from opposite directions passing right beside you. That’s called Murphy’s Convergence. It’s kind of funny how often that actually happened!
With today’s climbing, I am reminded how many cyclists say “I can’t climb” or ” I don’t climb”. I remember being 20 years old when I road my chromoly Univega up sunset with friends. I’d never ridden it before and refused to give up. Afterwards, I learned I had “passed the test” and was worthy to ride with. It was the hardest ride I had ever done. Until my next hardest ride. And then the next one after that. Until I ‘turtled’ riding Ochocho. I realized it, whatever ‘it’ is will the hardest until the next. And I thought of those who hate climbing and what holds them back. What experience or event that didn’t go as planned, caused them to stop trying? I think of little Theo who just learned to walk and how many times he got up and landed back on his butt. But he kept trying until now, he is unstoppable.
How sad that someone allows the results of an event, that didn’t go as planned, to define who they are in the future. So much lies in our minds, our beliefs.
How do you define yourself?
