Uphill Both Ways!

You know the joke about older folks sometimes make about how "When we were young, we had to walk 10 miles to school, and it was uphill! Both ways!" Well, I kind of feel like I just did that on my bicycle.

I went for a bike ride this evening with my husband and our friends Rob, Steve, and TC. Rob had come up with a route in advance, and he did tell us it had lots of hills. Now granted, it wasn't as bad as going through the Pyrenees on the Tour de France, but it was definitely a hilly ride!

I had been doing really well on my last few rides - so well, in fact, that I had been keeping my bike in 2/7 gear for entire rides, hills and all. But tonight I was forced to admit defeat and shift into lower gears on some of the hills. I went as low as 2/4, going about 5 mph, and I was still huffing and puffing! But despite my struggles, I was actually the first one to get to the top of some of the hills. So that made me feel better (at least mentally).

At one point in our journey, we ended up at a nearby drag strip. In the past, the guys have driven on the track while they're out for a ride - it's a nice empty road to pedal on, and it even forms a semi oval, so it's sort of like a velodrome. (Now, how many of you are going to look up that word? ;-))

Even though the track was empty, there were some people there, sitting in chairs under one of those "tarps held up by poles" things. (I simply can't think of the right word for that contraption! I guess I'm burned out after using 'velodrome.' :-)) We were worried they were going to chase us off the track, but they paid us no mind.

Then as we started riding down the track, Steve noticed something on the adjacent track, so everyone stopped and went over to look at it. I thought it was going to be baby animals or something cute, but instead it was several rows of quarters, laid out for hundreds of yards along the ground.

Then one of the people who was sitting under the "thingamajig" (it's 10 pm and I'm tired - I give up on that word!) came over towards us. I thought we were going to get yelled at, but instead she smiled and asked if we had any quarters to add to the path. We all started scrambling through pockets and bike bags, but we travel pretty light, and no one had any quarters. As we were searching, we asked her what the quarters were for, and she said it was a fundraiser for the Salvation Army. They're hoping to have a mile-long path of quarters tomorrow evening (when a big racing event will be taking place), which will be used to help feed needy people in the local area. She said this year they've been feeding about twice as many people as they did last year, which, given the current economic conditions, is not surprising. As she was talking, Rob found a dollar in his pocket, and he crumpled it up and threw it to her (she was about 30 feet from us). She laughed, thanked him, and said she would put four quarters down on the path to represent his contribution.

As we continued to apologize for not having more money to contribute, she said to me, "You can give me your bike!" She was joking, of course, but then she went on to say that she had just gotten a Trek hybrid bike about a year ago, and she loved it, but then she let her son take it to college, and someone stole it. She asked me where I got my bike, and I told her I got it at Cole's Bicycle Shop in Carlisle, and how friendly and helpful everyone is there.

I was surprised she didn't know about Cole's, since it's been around for years, but then we found out she just moved to Carlisle eight weeks ago, from Maine! And get this - she came from the same town that Steve and his wife had lived in several years ago, and knew of the amusement park Rob worked at up there many years ago! Talk about a small world!

We chatted with her a while longer, and then we finally resumed our ride. As we rode away, I remarked to Steve about what a amazing coincidence that was, going to a practically-deserted drag strip and meeting someone who just moved from the same town in Maine where he had lived. He agreed and said he really does believe in the "six degrees of separation" concept. And I think I agree with him too!

OK, so back to the ride. We ended up going back on one of the hilly roads we rode on earlier, only from the other direction, the hill was even steeper! I actually whimpered a little as I went up the hill. What makes it worse for me is that as of yet, I'm still unable to stand up and pedal - I'm just not coordinated or balanced enough. I did try for a couple of seconds, but I was just too wobbly, and I had to sit down again. However, I guess that means I probably got an even better workout!

When we finally ended the ride, the sun was setting, and my odometer read 17.5 miles. So that was my longest ride yet - and definitely the toughest! And, I actually went to the gym earlier in the afternoon and did a little workout on weight machines, so I got a LOT of exercise today!

I was kind of complaining as we went up the hills - mostly the later ones - but as is always the case when I exercise, when I'm finished, I never regret it. And I did stretch a lot when I got home, so I'm hoping I won't regret it tomorrow either! :-)

OK, as I said before, I'm pretty tired, so I need to end this. Good night! :-)

A few quick trip pictures

I thought I would post just a few pictures here on the blog so you can get an idea of some of the things we saw while we were in California. (See the post below for a brief trip report.) Enjoy!

A restless sea along 17-Mile Drive

This rock is called Bird Rock, but as you can see, lots and lots of sea lions hang out here too!

Cypress trees with Pebble Beach golf course in the background

We encountered this large group of lazy harbor seals along 17-Mile Drive

The Lone Cypress - a very famous tree at Pebble Beach

Crashing waves along the Pacific coastline

Us standing at the edge of the Pacific

Some cool-looking stinging nettles at the aquarium

A very cute resting sea otter at the aquarium

California - brief trip report

Once again, I feel I must start my post with an apology. I'm sorry I haven't posted anything for so long. Over the past few weeks, there were a lot of things I wanted to talk about - my bike odometer passing 100 miles, my first bike ride in the rain (both were on the same trip), and a few other things that I've since forgotten. But June turned out to be such a busy month that I just never found the time to sit down and write about them.

However, one thing I did do in June, that I'm definitely going to make time to report about, was my first-ever trip to California. Brian had to go out to Monterey for a work conference, and after the conference ended, I flew out to join him and spend a long weekend there.

Simply put, we had a great time! We drove on the scenic 17-Mile Drive, a coastal toll road which goes to Carmel and Pebble Beach (home of a very famous golf course), and took lots of pictures of the coastline and the sea life there (most notably the sea lions and harbor seals). We also spent a lot of time at Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf, shopping and dining. We visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which was at least as nice, if not nicer, than the National Aquarium in Baltimore, for those familiar with that venue. And, last but not least, Brian and I tried kayaking for the first time! We went on a guided kayak tour of the Bay area and learned about the different kinds of kelp, algae, and other sea life in the ocean, but more importantly, we got to observe some sea otters, including mothers with babies, as well as more sea lions and a couple of harbor seals. And of course the most important part of the kayak trip was that we didn't tip over! :-)

Now, my next task is to go through the HUNDREDS of pictures we took out there and decide which ones to post. We went a little crazy taking pictures of the seals and sea lions, because we were so excited to see them, so I'll have to be judicious in selecting how many to share online. But as I get them posted, I will let you know! And as I get the pictures posted, my intent right now is to also post a little more detail here about the part of the trip for which I've posted the pictures. But at least if I don't get that accomplished, you know now pretty much what we did and that we had a very good time. :-)

Oh, and one more thing before I end this - Happy Independence Day!

Pop Quiz: What is 142?

First, I want to apologize for my blog silence. I've been really busy at work lately, and that has left me with little time - or even desire, frankly - to sit at home on the computer and write. This week has been the busiest yet, but I was determined to write a little something tonight.

OK, now onto the quiz. The answer, as you can see above, is 142. Now here are your choices as to what that number represents:

A. My weight
B. My IQ
C. The mileage on my bike odometer
D. My most recent bowling score


All right, have you had enough time to come up with a guess? Then pencils down! :-)

So how many people chose A? Sorry, that's incorrect - the number is too low. At my height, 142 would be rather underweight for me.

Did anyone choose B? I wish it were true, but sorry, that number is too high - at least to the best of my knowledge. (And I'd say anyone who knows me would heartily agree. :-))

How about C? That seems like a good answer, since I have been posting a lot about all my bike rides. But no, that's not right either - although I'm closing in on that number pretty quickly! (More on that in my next post - which will hopefully be soon!)

So, for any of you who chose D, my most recent bowling score, give yourselves a gold star!

Yes, that's right, last Thursday I bowled one of the best games of my life, earning a score of 142! I know that's not really spectacular, but considering the other game I bowled that evening was an 88, and the fact that the last time I bowled (for real, not Wii bowling ;-)) was Feburary of 2008, I was pretty darn proud of myself for bowling a 142.

The funny thing was, the two other people in my lane had scores one point higher than the next. I was in third place, with a 142. The second-place bowler had a 143, and the winner had a 144! I did have the chance to beat them both, especially when I had two strikes in a row in frames 8 and 9 (and I don't know if I've ever done that, outside of Wii Bowling), but then I kind of blew it in the 10th frame. Still, I wasn't at all disappointed with my performance. In fact, I thought it was kind of neat how our scores ended up the way they did.

The other thing I want to mention about my bowling experience was that I actually used a respectable-weight ball this time. In the past, I would always choose a pretty light ball - maybe 8 or 9 pounds. But this time, I decided I should be able to handle a heavier ball, since I've been going to the gym and using arm weight machines for quite a while. So I found a 12-pound ball that fit my fingers well, and I used that for both games. Again, I know that's not really all that heavy, but it was a pretty big increase from what I used to use.

Well, I guess that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed participating in the Pop Quiz!

The Ascent

Because it took me so long to plant flowers on Sunday, we never did get to ride our bikes over the weekend. I was a little disappointed, but I was happy that I had been able to spend a lot of time outdoors - and as a bonus, I actually accomplished something as well!

Brian said we would definitely go for a bike ride on Monday. Then he casually mentioned that we would ride our bikes up to his parents' house to return a movie we had borrowed from them (Sideways, which we both enjoyed). Upon hearing this, I kind of flinched a little inside. His parents live in a neighborhood located about halfway up the side of a mountain - OK, not a mountain like the Rocky Mountains, but what passes for a mountain in this area. He reminded me that I said I wanted to get a better workout from biking than I had been. I then reminded him that I got more than enough of a workout the other day, riding 16 miles with my brake rubbing my rear tire! :-) However, I decided I was ready to accept the mountain-climbing challenge, so after a quick supper Monday evening, we took to our bikes and started our journey.

It's not really that far to Brian's parents' house from our house, and the ride to the base of the mountain is actually quite nice - a couple of gentle hills, but nothing too demanding. I even got to do some really good coasting at one point, which was quite fun.

But the fun ended not too long afterward, as we got ready to start the climb. Brian said the first section, up to the point where the road curves, was the worst. I was sort of surprised at that comment, since from my experience with driving up the hill, it seemed like there were steeper portions later on, but I soon discovered he was correct.

Wow! Was it tough! I was huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf, but it didn't seem like I was making any progress. I felt rather pathetic as cars drove past at 35 mph and I was struggling mightily to go 5 mph. I suppose I should have tried standing up off the seat, but I really didn't think about it at the time, and I'm not sure I'm quite comfortable with doing that yet.

However, somehow I did make it past "the worst part" without having to stop. And what a relief it was when the incline became more gradual! We went a little further up the hill until we came to a little gravel area off to the side, and then we stopped for a moment to get a drink and catch our breaths. Then it was "onward and upward" again.

The funniest part of the whole trip was when a car drove by us, and we realized it was Brian's dad's car! We both waved wildly as the car continued up the hill, but there was no indication that his parents saw us.

Finally, after some more uphill biking, we got to his parents' house. When his mother opened the door, she was quite surprised to see us in our cycling attire. We told her that they had just driven past us a few minutes beforehand, and that we even waved, but she said she didn't see us at all! I guess they were deep in thought or conversation or something.

Anyway, we dropped off the movie, drank some more water, and then began the fun - but slightly scary - part of going down the mountain. It was certainly much easier than going up, but we did have to be careful not to go too fast, and we had to really watch our rear-view mirrors for cars coming up behind us, because with the wind rushing in our ears, we couldn't really hear much. But we made it down the mountain safely.

After we got back to level ground, we took a slightly different way to get home, and when we got back to our driveway, my trip odometer was at exactly 10.0 miles. So it wasn't my longest ride, but it definitely had the most challenging part to it that I've done so far. And I considered it a personal accomplishment to have "conquered" that mountain, because the last time I rode a bicycle, before I got my own a few weeks ago, was quite a few years ago (more than 5, I'm sure) when I borrowed Brian's sister's old 10-speed bike (which was too small for me, although I didn't really realize it at the time) and rode with Brian up and around the hills of his parents' neighborhood. It was not a very great experience for me, and I believe I did end up having to walk the bike up a hill at some point. So I was happy that this ride in that neighborhood went much better than my last one.

Annual Planting

After I won the "War of the Roses," I turned my attention to the market packs of vinca and celosia waiting to be planted. It took me about three hours to plant all of the flowers (hey, that rhymed!), which, when you divide 3 hours by 72 plants, means it took me about 2 1/2 minutes to plant each flower. It probably would have taken less time, if it weren't for the crumbly soil of the vinca plants - unlike the celosia, the vinca refused to come out of the market packs in one nice compact clump of soil with the roots all wound around the outside. So I had to take extra time with each of them, making sure I got enough of the roots and also enough soil from the plastic tray to give them the best chance of survival in our nasty clay soil.

72 plants sounds like a lot, and it certainly felt like a lot when I was planting them, but when you have a lot of ground to cover, 72 plants don't really make much of an impact. Below are pictures of my flowerbeds after I finished planting everything. I realize they don't look nearly as impressive as the example pictures I posted before. However, the plants will grow and fill in some of the spaces, plus in the larger flower bed, I wanted to make sure I left enough space around the mum plants that came back from last year and are starting to grow and spread. And besides all that, I really didn't want to spend any more money on flowers. I don't like gardening enough to enjoy spending lots of time and/or money on it. I basically do the bare minimum to make things look presentable according to the standards of suburbia. :-)








So now that I've finished that annual chore (pun intended), I'm hoping the plants will take root and grow well and add some color and, dare I say beauty, to the front yard throughout the summer months.

War of the Roses

On Sunday, before I started planting my 72 packs of annuals, I had one other task to accomplish: to tame a wild rose bush.

I mentioned in my other post that the flowerbed on the one side of the house hardly has anything in it but weeds. However, that's not completely true. There are two rose bushes close by the air conditioning unit, given to us as a gift a few years ago by my mother. While the one seems to be keeping to a relatively bush-like shape, the other seems to be more of the climbing variety, and it has definitely started getting out of control in the past year. But because I'm such a lazy gardener, I didn't do anything about it until this year.

On Saturday, when I bought my flowers at Lowe's, I also picked up a ladder trellis for the rose bush. The ends of the trellis are only about 2 1/2 inches long, so I wasn't sure how it was supposed to be secured into the ground (since I wasn't planning to attach it to the siding). I found one of the store managers and asked him for advice, and he came up with the idea of getting a couple of iron rebar rods, sinking them into the ground, and then attaching the trellis to them with hose clamps. I was going to go with this plan until another employee happened by and suggested something smaller that would be likely to work even better. So instead I got some stainless steel rods (much like wooden dowel rods) and planned to fasten the trellis to them with cable ties (aka zip ties). And, to secure the rose bush to the trellis, I found a roll of velcro-backed plant ties, which could be cut to size and secured tightly using the velcro.

So on Sunday morning, dressed in my long-sleeved shirt, capri pants, and gloves, I confronted the untamed rose bush. First came the easy part -getting the trellis in place. The stainless steel rods worked well - I was able to push them into the ground about 8 inches, and then I attached the trellis to them with the zip ties.

Then came the hard part - wrangling the thorny branches of the rose bush up against the trellis and securing them with the velcro plant ties. It wasn't quite a war, as the post title implies, but it was at least a skirmish. Those thorns were trying their best to get through my gloves and my shirt sleeves! However, in this battle of woman versus nature, woman prevailed, and eventually I got the rose bush sufficiently secured to the trellis, as you can see below. And I'm happy to say that everything is still in place as of Monday - even after a very breezy Sunday afternoon.


Here's a picture of how the trellis is fastened to the steel rods.