| (Long Distance) Ramblings |
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I like to ride my bicycle - for long distances. I have earned the California Triple Crown and finished the Furnace Creek 508. My goals include qualifying for RAAM and ...(read the blog to find out). "The bicycle has a soul. If you are able to love it as it deserves, it will give you emotions you will never forget." "Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride."
"The important decisions in my life I make while out riding my bike."
"Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.” Lance Armstrong
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Wednesday, August 07, 2002
It maybe August, and it maybe California, but it can still rain when you travel from Oregon. My wife Joanne Heilinger, Pete Richards and I drove down to Mt. Shasta on Saturday. The weather was clear and warm, except for the smoke from the forest fires in southern Oregon. At Mt. Shasta, the wind was blowing from the south, keeping the smoke at bay. However, when we awoke on Sunday, the wind had changed and was from the north, where the forest fires were. I started at 6:00 am and headed north to the first pass - Parks Creek Summit. I had climbed this pass last year so I knew that it was steep, rough and long. The smoke was not a problem, execpt that it obscured the view. The next pass was Mumbo Summit. This was the first time that I have climbed this hill and I was impressed. It was the steepest and longest climb I have ever done! But, I made it to the top! But, on the desent, it started to rain! It was just a few drops at first, but soon a full-fledge summer rain was comming down. By the time I had decended back into Shasta City, it was comming down hard. So, I had to leave the third climb - Mt. Shasta - for another day. None the less, I got in 96 miles and 9600 feet of elevation gain, but only at 12.5 miles per hour. This was my second ride of the Mt. Shasta Summit Century, and I must say that the ride was well supported, the routes were challenging, and the after ride feed was great!
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