The Most Grueling Day (Hopefully)

This morning I woke up with my eyes basically swollen shut, sore over my entire body, and the first thing I did was Google "sunburn that turns into a rash". This was because of the completely brutal ride we accomplished yesterday.

I usually try and write this blog with the intention of showing people that anyone can do a bike trip. I'm physically active but I'm not an athlete, so the rides that Travis and I do aren't completely taxing, and I feel like anyone who has the gumption and the time can do them. I might have changed my stance on this one yesterday.

Yesterday we were on our bikes for 8.5 hours traveling 85 miles, arriving at our campsite at 9:30 pm, after breaking down camp at 7:30 am. 

The day started out promising because we left so early, which is quite a feat for us. We decided on the scenic route, which was plenty scenic and even shady, but also probably added an extra 1000 feet of elevation. By the time we made it back out to the highway it was noon, and that big, bright, cloudless Montana sky was ready to shine down unrelentingly for the next 10 hours. 

Meanwhile, my saddle situation was not improving. I have yet to find a comfortable bike setup, so I foolishly bought a new bike saddle right before tour, thinking that it would solve my problems with the right amount of adjusting. This thinking was wrong. It was so painful to pedal that my body was tensing up trying to brace myself for every pedal stroke I took, resulting in a sore butt and a sore body. We pulled over around 2pm to discuss options.

I could overnight my old Brooks saddle, but it would cost $150 and FedEx was already closed on the East Coast because of Independence Day. I could send it ground mail but it would take at least a week to arrive. I could buy a new mystery saddle once we got to Canada and hope it fit my butt right. I could ask my friend Brit in Missoula to buy me a Brooks saddle and then drive 2.5 hours to deliver it to me. None of these options were great. Then Travis had a great idea: Let's switch saddles!

When I bought this new saddle from our friend Brian at the bike shop, he said some people have magic butts and can ride whichever saddle with no problem. Can you guess what kind of butt my easygoing, Jimmy Buffet-idolizing boyfriend has? A magic butt. He rode my accursed saddle with no problem, and though his Brooks isn't a perfect fit for me, it certainly isn't painful, so I was able to continue riding in only slight discomfort.

Which is good, because we still had about six hours of pedaling to go! I can't even remember what happened in those six hours. I know we stopped for Travis to cannonball into the river.

I remember that we stopped at a bar to refill our water bottles, and there was this great sign that my friend Ashten would love.

I know that I noticed the sunburn on the tops of my thighs and backs of my calves was starting to turn blotchy and raised, and that contact with sunlight made them tingle. I remember a giant hill on the way into the town that we stayed in, and the dismay at checking the map and realizing the RV park we were staying at was yet ANOTHER five miles. I remember that the sun was going down as we were packing up dinner, and that my feet dragged as I tried to lift them across the gravel parking lot to the bathroom. I'm pretty sure my speech was a little slurred right before I finally went to sleep. 

LUCKILY today was a rest day AND the 4th of July, so Travis and I spent the day napping, watching a parade, eating fair food, napping, and eating.

Tomorrow we're hoping to get out early before that brutal sun becomes intolerable, and now with my new saddle my poor buns should be able to handle the wear.

Grizzly Tour 2015!

UMy, my, what challenging first days of bike tour. I always have to remember that the first three days are the hardest, and somehow with our tours they are ESPECIALLY hard. Like our first trip we rode through the Utah desert for three days. Last year we did a crazy ride up to Hurricane Ridge and climbed 5000 feet in 17 miles. Aaaaand this year is no different-- in order to make it to a Fourth of July celebration in a small town called Troy, we have to book it 180 miles in three days. Turns out there is currently a massive heatwave in Northwestern Montana, with highs in the upper 90s and zero cloud cover.

Once we got out of Missoula the country started to open up into a wide, grassy valley flanked by tall ridges, and the road followed the Clark Fork river the whole way. We were scheduled to ride 80 miles the first day, but after 62 miles of unrelenting sun and saddle trouble, I couldn't really pay attention to the views anymore. Well, this view was pretty good.

We were able to pull off by the river to spend the night, and even though it was past 7pm, the sun doesn't set till almost 10pm, so we set up camp, went skinny dipping, hung the bear bag and fell asleep. We've decided to call this adventure the Grizzly Tour, hoping to make it seem more hardcore but hoping to not to have to use the bear spray. 

Day two was very similar to day one. I stupidly bought a new saddle thinking it would remedy some of the issues I have with my Brooks saddle, but alas my problems were amplified and my ass is one paying for my hasty shopping decisions. I keep hoping that I will get used to the discomfort (pain) by day three, so me and my cheeks are praying for a miracle. I got a flat tire today as well as a sunburn, so after another 43 miles we decided to take the advice of the man at the souvenir store who suggested we stay at Thompson Falls State Park. We got another beautiful "afternoon" of river time since the sun didn't cross the ridge till 8pm.

I'd like to take the time to say that so far everyone in Montana is SO NICE. I'd venture to say they are the nicest people I've encountered in travels throughout the US. We met two teenagers named Tyler and Jason who showed us the water snake they caught while floating in the river, and told us about the best fish to catch. A man at the gas station offered his property as a campsite. That man at the souvenir store not only had four poodles in his shop for me to pet, but gave us directions to avoid traffic. Drivers have also given us plenty of room when passing us. So, Treasure State, your folks are okay in my book.

Summer List 2015

Around April of 2013, me and my best friend Danielle sat down to lunch and started talking about everything we wanted to do that summer. On the back of our lunch receipt, we wrote down every place we wanted to visit, the fruit we wanted to pick, and most importantly all the places we wanted to swim. When I got back to a computer, I put the list into a spreadsheet, separated by categories and organized by what kind of time the activity needed-- after work, day trip, or weekend trip. And then every time we finished something, I noted the date and highlighted the activity. NERD ALERT. But you gotta organize your free time or else how are you gonna swim everywhere you want to?

This year is no different, and since I now live in North Central Florida instead of the Panhandle, rivers and springs reign for ideal swim spots. When my sister Scottie comes home from France in August, we're going to continue springs exploring by searching out new sinkholes we've never been to. But so far, here are some of the swimming spots I've visited this summer.

Cherokee Sink

Gilchrist Blue Spring

Manatee Springs

Madison Blue Spring

Some of the 11 springs visited along a Suwannee River canoe trip

Just one more spring to visit before we leave on Monday-- Ichetucknee Springs for my 31st birthday!

Where has 2015 gone?

You may have noticed that I have not posted anything here since the beginning of the year. Well, it turns out that when you go from spending most of your day working outside to spending most of your day reading and writing on a computer, the urge to willingly sit in front of a screen wanes significantly. Also, the transition from farmer to grad student has been a tough one, as has this past year. But, not only did I get all A’s my first semester, I also went on a lot of adventures that I didn’t tell this blog about. So let me catch you up!

First, a 160 mile round trip tour to St. Augustine with our friend Luke in January, to visit our other friends Ryan and Bonnie.

Then my plans for spring break were altered by a giant ice storm, so we a little Gainesville staycation that week. 

Then I needed to prove that I was still my own woman and could do cool things without my boyfriend, so I biked to the Ocala National Forest in the rain, canoed Juniper Run, and camped on the Florida Trail for a weekend in March. 

I also had a nice little adventure with my friend Lilly hunting for pitcher plants in the Apalachicola National Forest. 

Travis and I traveled to Tennessee to visit Danielle and Sevy, and we went swimming at a waterfall. 

So that's kind of it for this spring. By the time we got back from Tennessee, my first semester was over and summertime had begun. What a year!