Ed's "Time Behind Bars" - Welcome

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Hey there, thanks for stopping by - see the "Pages" menu for my various musing, adventures, and misadventures in amateur cycling.

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Day 2 (6/6): questionable decision-making

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I awoke about 30 minutes before my alarm went off and wasn't sure where I was for just a minute. As things came into focus I realized that one, I could have slept another 30 minutes (longer actually as it will become evident in just a bit). Two, I already had the beginnings of a saddle store...no fun...so had to jump on that. Long day ahead and I was at a 20 mile deficit, distance-wise, for my plan - was supposed to be in Corvallis end of day one. Obviously that wasn't the case and so I planned an earlier start to make up the time. So, note the title of day 2...perfect example this decision to leave early. It was still raining but as yesterday's rain wasn't super cold I figured that I could put up with it for a 20 mile ride. But no...this rain was cold, very cold and by the time I got to Corvallis I was non-mission capable; had to sit in the McDonald's for over an hour to recover. This essentially wiped out any benefit that leaving early might have given me. A 20 mi...
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Day 7 (6/11): Misery and company

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NWS reports severe thunderstorm activity with heavy rain in NW Montana. This weather in conjunction with the melting snowpack increase the possibility of flooding in the area. Morning in Riggins, ID and time to go. Most of my kit was dried out and I had again repacked my gear, discarding a couple of items that didn't work or that I deemed too much weight to the benefit that they might bring. As I pushed my bike outside I found Stuart out there doing some drivetrain maintenance and I set forth doing a bit of my own. I found that if I spent a couple of minutes in the a.m. wiping/lubing the chain, wiping off the derailleurs, and (using a cut down toothbrush) cleaning the rear derailleur gears that the bike shifted a lot better and was overall more reliable than if I didn't. Having done that it was time to roll. As we slow-rolled down to the local C-store for supplies it...wait for it...began to rain. Great...just great - so much for drying anything out.  yup, more rain...
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Day 6 (6/10): Idaho grinding

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Morning came with the screech of an unknown animal off in the distance. It was probably a dog howling but in my half asleep head it was something spooky and maybe dangerous so sleep was over and it was time to get underway. Took a bit longer to get everything stowed on the bike; bivvy would not pack down to the size I needed it to get to and so it took a couple of tries to get it sort of right. I slept decently but was feeling a bit groggy with a little bit (maybe more than a little bit) of fatigue. My coffee habit/dependency was not being fulfilled despite bringing a full pack of Starbucks instant packs. The packs are really handy for a quick pickup; put one in a water bottle (make sure it's water of course... probably not delicious with Gatorade, etc) and shake well - instant caffeine. However, I drink a lot of coffee on a normal basis and while these helped it was not quite enough. Oh well, coffee can't be too far away, right? Wrong...coffee was still miles and hours away up...
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