Wow! So much to do and so little time. I have decided to start the ride even though I am a little underfunded at the moment. I guess you could say this is a "leap of faith" in more ways than one. I just want to thank all of you who have encouraged me, given me tips and tricks, warned me about the dangers, and contributed financially.
An adventure is, almost by definition, striking out on an odyssey with a lot of unknowns. This will definitely be an adventure. Each day will be different. A different section of highway, new scenery, different people to meet, different weather conditions, possible road hazards such as flat tires. I am actually looking forward to all of it, even the problems for the problems contribute to the story.
I will miss you all, so do try and keep in touch. I will probably be done riding by 3pm most days and more available to talk via cell phone. Texting and email, will help me conserve battery power.
Many have asked about how I will stay in communication. I will have a Solar/Battery battery charger. It is a battery and solar charger in one unit. One hour of daylight can provide 10 minutes of talk time. I also plan on taking my notebook computer and blogging every day I can get a chance.
Well, I have to get back to preparations now and get ready for the big day tomorrow!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Three Days until I Start Riding Across America
I finished the Alpine Challenge and had a great time even though I had a flat tire! 60 miles in 5hrs 14min, 11.3mph average speed while riding. Those aren't great numbers but they are respectable. I got a good idea of what it will be like to hit a lot of hills in a short period of time. I did not push myself as I really didn't know what to expect and didn't want to blow up!
Monday morning me and three of my friends left for the Grand Canyon. Tuesday we hiked 7.5 miles to the bottom from the south rim along the South Kaibab trail, to the Colorado River and Phantom Ranch. From there we hiked 9.5 miles back up Bright Angel trail back to the south rim. You can see pictures of the trip from my Facebook Page . It was a very long hike and there are many warnings not to try and do the whole hike in one day. I have to say I am very sore but thanks to my running and cycling I was able to make it in one day. We had great weather as the high temperature at the bottom was probably only in the mid 70's. I am so sore that I will not be riding 40 - 50 miles as planned today. I need at least one more day of recovery.
It is getting down to the wire with only three days left for departure and I do not have all the money I would like to have for the ride at this time. I am hoping to not have to cut the ride short but If I don't have at least $1500 by Saturday I may not be able to do the whole ride as planned. Right now I am about $700 short of that amount. I have to make a decision on whether to do a shorter ride or wait a few more weeks and hope that more money comes in.
I was hoping to post how my ride, pulling the trailer weighted down with 70lbs, went. I guess that will have to wait until tomorrow.
Cheers,
Russ
Monday morning me and three of my friends left for the Grand Canyon. Tuesday we hiked 7.5 miles to the bottom from the south rim along the South Kaibab trail, to the Colorado River and Phantom Ranch. From there we hiked 9.5 miles back up Bright Angel trail back to the south rim. You can see pictures of the trip from my Facebook Page . It was a very long hike and there are many warnings not to try and do the whole hike in one day. I have to say I am very sore but thanks to my running and cycling I was able to make it in one day. We had great weather as the high temperature at the bottom was probably only in the mid 70's. I am so sore that I will not be riding 40 - 50 miles as planned today. I need at least one more day of recovery.
It is getting down to the wire with only three days left for departure and I do not have all the money I would like to have for the ride at this time. I am hoping to not have to cut the ride short but If I don't have at least $1500 by Saturday I may not be able to do the whole ride as planned. Right now I am about $700 short of that amount. I have to make a decision on whether to do a shorter ride or wait a few more weeks and hope that more money comes in.
I was hoping to post how my ride, pulling the trailer weighted down with 70lbs, went. I guess that will have to wait until tomorrow.
Cheers,
Russ
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