Day 9: Flagstaff Rest Day Reflections and Ramblings

Humphrey's Peak outside Flagstaff,
still snow-covered in May

https://give.michaeljfox.org/barbarasbigride

https://ridewithgps.com/users/844842

Not quite sure what these rest day reflections and ramblings will look like, but I intend to use them to help me process and reflect on the week's journey and share some of the many thoughts I had over the 537.3 miles, 25,573 feet of climbing and a most frightening 41:09 hours in the saddle (according to Ride with GPS) during that time. I spent a lot of time in my head and will have to figure out how to better capture and remember those mid-ride musings. With over 40 hours of riding, plus much more with rests, I guess it really is my full-time job for the next 6 weeks and I'm more thankful than ever to Thomson Reuters and my awesome Practical Law Labor & Employment team to allow me the time off for this experience, without having to even pretend to work!

Happy Mother's Day

To Nana!

So, it seems fitting that our first rest day would be Mother's Day, given that this ride is in part in memory of and in tribute to my most spectacular mother. I had a great chat with my sister who assured me that while Nana would've thought I was "batshit crazy" to do this, she would've been proud of my grit and determination. I think I'll have a Chardonnay toast to that! I miss her every day, and still talk to her whenever I turn out the lights after leaving room (she hated "wasting" electricity). If I have been and continue to be only half the mother she was in loving and supporting her girls, I think I'm doing okay.

1 Week Down, 6 to Go

Just getting through this week was a big milestone for me. We completed the days with the longest mileage and most elevation climbed. Somehow having 1/7 of this journey completed rather than all of it looming ahead makes it seem more doable. That's not to say there won't be challenges. We were blessed with literally perfect weather the entire week (including some threatening clouds on the way to Flagstaff that didn't amount to more than a few cooling drops). Could've been hotter, could've been colder, could've had headwinds...but we had none of it. Keeping fingers crossed for next week, though some rumblings on Weather.com suggest that we may not be as fortunate. 

There is something powerful about traversing land on two wheels in the open air. While some might say motorcycles would be the better way to accomplish that, I am confident you'd miss something. Like the birds whose call sounded like a cross between construction workers whistling at passing women (at least that's what happened back in the '70's in NYC!) and cheering me on with a "woo-hoo"! I don't know what they were, but I'll remember them. Like the way the cattails bend and sway to show you which direction the wind is blowing. Like the light hitting the roadside wildflowers, which ironically were often the same orange and purple as my bike. Like seeing an endless expanse of straight roadway ahead (and we haven't even gotten to Kansas!) or the mountains ahead with no indication how or where the road will take you over them. They just look different at 15 mph (and give you even more time to contemplate at 7 mph when going uphill!). They mostly weren't individually photographical moments, but formed a collective experience that I will tuck away in my memory and hope to channel in the future. 

I already feel the journey evolving, mostly because of interpersonal interactions. It will be interesting to see how the group dynamics evolve, but I feel fortunate that the other like-minded crazies doing this ride are generally kind, affable folks who value a sense of humor and share the love of two-wheeled travel. I'm still seeking someone who rides more or less consistently at my pace, but have yet to find them. Mostly I'm just too slow to keep up, but then again, I haven't been riding for speed. Maybe that will change. 

I have especially enjoyed my random interactions with strangers. I have become unabashedly bold about sharing my story and proudly declaring not only where we have ridden from each day but where we are going. Let's just say it's usually a conversation starter, though sometimes it just evokes cries of "WHY?????"

So what's my why? When I committed to climb Kili (also for a cure!), I said it was because, like the little engine that could, "I think I can, I think I can."

That doesn't seem to be working as an affirmation for me this time around. I'm finding I have to be bolder (maybe because I'm older), and often shout (yes, out loud, because no one is around to hear me!), "You got this, you can do this, move you're bloomin' arse!" or some version of that. Most of the motivation is internal. Some of it is to make me not feel old. A bit is so my kids will think they have a bad-ass mom. But I'm finding so much strength and inspiration from the many people, from so many ages and stages of my life, who have been cheering me on -- on FaceBook, in comments to this blog, in texts, and in those who have been talking to Ben and asking about me, and saying that somehow I am inspiring them. It's not that I have anything to prove (well, maybe just a little), and I've already accomplished much of what I've set out to do by just embarking on this journey and not just talking about it. But there's something about knowing people are watching and reading and listening that makes me want to keep pedaling when the going gets tough. It's very motivating, so thank you and keep it coming! 

Some Random Learnings and Observations

General Thoughts

In no particular order of importance or relevance: 

• People are generally good and curious (a very high emotion on the mood elevator).
• There are exceptions to the above, especially among certain motorists who make it a sport of shouting at cyclists.
• I do not like doing laundry (not in the tub, not in the sink, not in guest laundry, to me it all stinks)! Personally, I'd rather eat green eggs and ham.
• I went to Walmart today and bought two cute dresses, a razor, and contact lens solution. There's a first for everything!
  
  
• I'm very sad I missed my niece Adina's wedding (see below). But I'm not sad I didn't leave the tour. It would've made it very difficult to have any chance of completing it, and would've assured I couldn't accomplish E-F-I (Every F..... Inch). I love her and the whole family for understanding how important this is to me, for whatever reason. 
• Stop and smell the roses, and the cacti. Listen to the birds while you're at it. 
• Pull over at those signs for "Historical Markers" -- even if you don't have the context of their import at the moment, someone took the time to deem them "historical." You can learn more about them later but know that you were there.
• There's some benefit to the predictability of "free" hotel breakfasts. But there's a reason they're free.
• So far the Marriott chains seem to be the best. The Best Westerns are the worst. 
• The worst hotel is better than camping on a trip like this. I couldn't imagine ending a ride day and getting into a tent. Or sleeping on a gymnasium or church floor. Not for me. So I'm grateful for a bed and a hot shower at the end of every day.
• Appreciate people. They often appreciate you back. Ted Lasso got that one right.
• Total strangers will donate to your charitable causes, especially if you take the time to tell them your story and listen to theirs.
• This ride was my crazy dream. Find yours, and go for it!
• Big goals are attainable. Just break them into small parts. 
• Hydrate or die-drate. 
• Notwithstanding the above (can't completely ditch the lawyer in me!), a cold beer after a long ride is a beautiful thing.
• Sometimes a glass of wine will do the trick as well. Ditto for Bloody Mary's. 
• I haven't had a martini in over a week. 
• I don't think I'll have a martini next week until Friday.
• I miss Ben and am so looking forward to seeing him in Santa Fe.
• I miss Bondi when I eat peanut butter or see other dogs.
• I miss my girls generally, but am used to not seeing them on a daily basis.
• Find a proper meal whenever you can. You never know when the only options may be fast food.
• Twinkies may be nostalgic, but they also may give you a sugar rush and may make you crash. 
• Parkinson's sucks. Even Michael J. Fox says so.
• "With gratitude, optimism is obtainable." (Michael J. Fox said that too.)
• Blogging is a full-time job. Given the hours in the saddle, I may have to shorten these going forward. But I won't stop, or else the whole thing will be a blur -- all I can remember are 70's lyrics.
• Speaking of which, and spoiler alert for tomorrow, we're going to Winslow, Arizona, where I may be standing at a corner, and singing an Eagles song!

Did you know that: 

• Body parts that don't hurt after a 3 or 4 hour ride can become problematic after 7, 8, or 40 hours in the saddle.
• This is a big country. Duh.
• This is a geographically diverse country...even in the first 500 miles.
• The people of this country are diverse in so many ways. Double duh. 
• California is a big state, even if you go the short way.
• It's legal to cycle on the interstates when there is no other viable route between two points.
• There's a lot of crap on the side of the interstates, but at least they have wide shoulders.
• False flats suck. They look flat, but aren't.
• Many gas stations sell beer, except when the greyhound bus is fueling up.
• Some Mexican restaurants next to hotels sell beer to go, either in a cup or by the bottle.
• The eggs at the free hotel breakfasts are powdered. Mostly.
• You should spray the waffle maker at the hotel breakfasts before pouring in the batter and flipping the waffle maker, even though it doesn't say so in the instructions about how to operate them.
• Some hotel laundries charge $1.00 per load, while others charge $3.00? (Same goes for the dryers.)  Pick your poison.
• They don't air Jeopardy at night in all TV markets.

Mazel Tov to My Niece, Adina Brilleman!

One of the many challenges of planning this trip is that after I had committed to it my niece Adina got engaged, and as luck would have it the wedding was during the trip. She literally just got married minutes ago, and fortunately at least it was a rest day so I was able to FaceTime with the family and witness her as a beautiful and glowing bride. It won't be the same without dancing in celebration in person, but I am with them in spirit and I love her even more for understanding why I couldn't be there, much as I had planned to be. I wish her and David Mandel a beautiful life together and promise to throw them an Aunt Barbara BBQ Bash when I return!