STP 2007: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Ride summary:
July 14
Mileage: 100, from Bellevue WA to Centralia WA
Weather: temps in the 70s to 80s, sunny with increasing clouds and humidity
as the day progressed
July 15
Mileage: 106, from Centralia WA to Portland OR
Weather: temps in the lower 60s to upper 70s, occasional light sprinkles in
the morning with afternoon clearing.
Bike: Erickson tandem, purple with a blue fade

Good:

1. We arranged a deal with someone where each person got an advantage:
a. We got our luggage dropped off at our hotel for us in Centralia, so we
didn't have to fight the crowds at the start line, and had a relaxing
beginning of our ride
b. The person who dropped off our luggage didn't have to wake up before
dawn to go to the start line and drop off her husband. She dropped off our
luggage on her way home to Portland, hardly out of her way.
c. Her husband got guidance from the hotel near our house to an
intersection with the start line, and didn't have to fight the crowds at the
start line, got to sleep in a bit, and had a relaxing beginning of his ride,
such that he could complete the ride to Portland in one day.

2. My husband and I didn't file for divorce by the end of the ride :-)

3. We had fun goofing around, joking, and singing

4. We had excellent tandem teamwork - I felt both of us contributed equally
to the success of the ride

5. It seemed to me that there were far fewer clueless riders than in years
past. Either we were lucky, or the Cascade Training Series is beginning to
pay off.

The Bad:

1. Every year there seems to be less fruit offered at the stops. Since I
basically live on fruit for long rides, this was troublesome for me. I
especially miss watermelon at the St. Helens rest stop! I can not carry
watermelon myself very effectively (vision of towing a large melon on some
sort of bob yak), and it makes such a difference!

2. Strawberry banana sports drink at the Lexington food stop meant that I
stopped drinking any sort of sports drink - it tasted so gross.
Intelligently I dumped it at St. Helens, about 30 miles later, and duh, made
another bottle of nuun. Better to use the stuff I like and that works, than
to not drink something that I filled a bottle with because it was free.

3. The air conditioning in our hotel was broken. The whole point of getting
a hotel, and not staying further down the road (we usually at least go to
Chehalis, another 30 minutes along the route) was to have increased comfort.
Well, no. The hotel at first was intransigent, saying that we paid for the
room and we got that. We argued that we were paying for an AIR CONDITIONED
room which we did not get. Finally, they gave us a fan and a paltry $10 off
of the room charge.

The Ugly:

At an unofficial rest stop about 15 miles from the finish line, my husband
discretely lowered his shorts and showed me where he was chafing. Ow.

--
Warm Regards,


Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

Claire Petersky wrote:
Ride summary:
July 14
Mileage: 100, from Bellevue WA to Centralia WA
Weather: temps in the 70s to 80s, sunny with increasing clouds and
humidity as the day progressed
July 15
Mileage: 106, from Centralia WA to Portland OR
Weather: temps in the lower 60s to upper 70s, occasional light
sprinkles in the morning with afternoon clearing.
Bike: Erickson tandem, purple with a blue fade

Good:

1. We arranged a deal with someone where each person got an advantage:
a. We got our luggage dropped off at our hotel for us in Centralia,
so we didn't have to fight the crowds at the start line, and had a
relaxing beginning of our ride
b. The person who dropped off our luggage didn't have to wake up
before dawn to go to the start line and drop off her husband. She
dropped off our luggage on her way home to Portland, hardly out of
her way. c. Her husband got guidance from the hotel near our house
to an intersection with the start line, and didn't have to fight the
crowds at the start line, got to sleep in a bit, and had a relaxing
beginning of his ride, such that he could complete the ride to
Portland in one day.
2. My husband and I didn't file for divorce by the end of the ride :-)

3. We had fun goofing around, joking, and singing

4. We had excellent tandem teamwork - I felt both of us contributed
equally to the success of the ride

5. It seemed to me that there were far fewer clueless riders than in
years past. Either we were lucky, or the Cascade Training Series is
beginning to pay off.

The Bad:

1. Every year there seems to be less fruit offered at the stops.
Since I basically live on fruit for long rides, this was troublesome
for me. I especially miss watermelon at the St. Helens rest stop! I
can not carry watermelon myself very effectively (vision of towing a
large melon on some sort of bob yak), and it makes such a difference!

2. Strawberry banana sports drink at the Lexington food stop meant
that I stopped drinking any sort of sports drink - it tasted so gross.
Intelligently I dumped it at St. Helens, about 30 miles later, and
duh, made another bottle of nuun. Better to use the stuff I like and
that works, than to not drink something that I filled a bottle with
because it was free.
3. The air conditioning in our hotel was broken. The whole point of
getting a hotel, and not staying further down the road (we usually at
least go to Chehalis, another 30 minutes along the route) was to have
increased comfort. Well, no. The hotel at first was intransigent,
saying that we paid for the room and we got that. We argued that we
were paying for an AIR CONDITIONED room which we did not get.
Finally, they gave us a fan and a paltry $10 off of the room charge.

The Ugly:

At an unofficial rest stop about 15 miles from the finish line, my
husband discretely lowered his shorts and showed me where he was
chafing. Ow.

TMI...but(t) otherwise Nice eg .

Bill "should have taken the fan after that abuse" S.

At an unofficial rest stop about 15 miles from the finish line, my husband
discretely lowered his shorts and showed me where he was chafing. Ow.
==
Better you than some 13 year old on that tv show..

==============================================
"Claire Petersky" wrote in message
ink.net...
Ride summary:
July 14
Mileage: 100, from Bellevue WA to Centralia WA
Weather: temps in the 70s to 80s, sunny with increasing clouds and
humidity as the day progressed
July 15
Mileage: 106, from Centralia WA to Portland OR
Weather: temps in the lower 60s to upper 70s, occasional light sprinkles
in the morning with afternoon clearing.
Bike: Erickson tandem, purple with a blue fade

Good:

1. We arranged a deal with someone where each person got an advantage:
a. We got our luggage dropped off at our hotel for us in Centralia, so we
didn't have to fight the crowds at the start line, and had a relaxing
beginning of our ride
b. The person who dropped off our luggage didn't have to wake up before
dawn to go to the start line and drop off her husband. She dropped off our
luggage on her way home to Portland, hardly out of her way.
c. Her husband got guidance from the hotel near our house to an
intersection with the start line, and didn't have to fight the crowds at
the start line, got to sleep in a bit, and had a relaxing beginning of his
ride, such that he could complete the ride to Portland in one day.

2. My husband and I didn't file for divorce by the end of the ride :-)

3. We had fun goofing around, joking, and singing

4. We had excellent tandem teamwork - I felt both of us contributed
equally to the success of the ride

5. It seemed to me that there were far fewer clueless riders than in years
past. Either we were lucky, or the Cascade Training Series is beginning to
pay off.

The Bad:

1. Every year there seems to be less fruit offered at the stops. Since I
basically live on fruit for long rides, this was troublesome for me. I
especially miss watermelon at the St. Helens rest stop! I can not carry
watermelon myself very effectively (vision of towing a large melon on some
sort of bob yak), and it makes such a difference!

2. Strawberry banana sports drink at the Lexington food stop meant that I
stopped drinking any sort of sports drink - it tasted so gross.
Intelligently I dumped it at St. Helens, about 30 miles later, and duh,
made another bottle of nuun. Better to use the stuff I like and that
works, than to not drink something that I filled a bottle with because it
was free.

3. The air conditioning in our hotel was broken. The whole point of
getting a hotel, and not staying further down the road (we usually at
least go to Chehalis, another 30 minutes along the route) was to have
increased comfort. Well, no. The hotel at first was intransigent, saying
that we paid for the room and we got that. We argued that we were paying
for an AIR CONDITIONED room which we did not get. Finally, they gave us a
fan and a paltry $10 off of the room charge.

The Ugly:

At an unofficial rest stop about 15 miles from the finish line, my husband
discretely lowered his shorts and showed me where he was chafing. Ow.

--
Warm Regards,


Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky