| (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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Tuesday, July 05, 2005
We have returned from the Northwest Tandem Rally. This year, the rally was held in Bend, Oregon. We have cycled in and around Bend for many years, so the routes were not new to us, but it was nice to ride them again. On Saturday, we took the long option and headed north to Smith Rocks State Park. On Sunday, we again took the long option and headed east toward, but not quite, to Primeville. And on Monday, the Fourth of July, we rode up Mt. Bachelor. The three day total mileage added up to 195 miles. We took our Aerolite Trailer and parked it at Summit High School. We enjoyed the company of many new, old and current friends. One quick story... The ride on Saturday began with a mass start at Summit High School. We then headed toward the countryside to the north of Bend. While the mass to tandems had broken up, the 'traffic' was still quite heavy when came upon a stuffed moose lying on the road. Yes, there was a moose on the loose! I could not stand the thought of the poor lost moose being run over my tandems till it's stuffing was spread about the Oregon dessert, so we stopped and rescued it from that horrible fate. No one was coming back looking for the moose, so we took it with us to the next rest stop. Imagine if you will, a parking lot full of cyclists, when one yells out "Anyone loose a moose?". Well, I guess you just have to have been there. I got empty looks and no former moose owners. At the following rest stop, I told the story of the lost moose to a friend, Joan Cullin. She remember following the moose, but could not identify the owners. She did say that the tandem team was wearing matching jerseys. It was beginning to look like the moose may become an orphan, when Joan returned with the distraught owner. At the reunion, both the owner, Maria Monteleone, and the moose were very happy.
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