Grant Anderson's Ride

Editors Note: Grant is quite the shutterbug and his article refers to many photos that I did not include due to the space limitations of the Paceline. I've tried to pick one or two photos from each of his days on the road that I think best show what he was seeing.

15) Sixth and final Day, Summary

This is 15th installment in which I arrive home after passing through small towns from my childhood and by large concrete temples to my late teenage years.
 

                   

16) Ride Epilogue.   

This is 16th installment in which I summarize the ride, my preparation, my thoughts.  The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Just over one week since I've finished my ride and I've filled it with 4th of July fun, time with relatives and long-time friends, packing my bike up and shipping it, travel home and 3 days of work. So now, like with any travel adventure, time to reflect on what went well, what went wrong and what I learned.

What went well:
I have to start off with the weather. While I posted about cold mornings and rain, the alternatives could have been a heat wave, which can be worse. I could always put on my rain jacket for warmth and rain, but straining through heat for miles (and I know something about THAT living in Tucson) is at best difficult and at worst life threatening.

The unseasonably wet spring and early summer also had the bonus of making what would have otherwise been brown rolling hills into green, verdant carpets to drift through. Again, coming from the desert, that was an unexpected treat.

And then the winds. Prevailing winds for the season were potentially a problem, but the stormier weather gave me winds from behind and at some times higher than normal. I was very happy to not be fighting headwinds on the longer days.

Mechanically, things could hardly have been better. One jumped chain on the last day (I shifted back and front fast and simultaneously--my mistake) and nothing else. Not even a flat tire on the actual 600 mile ride. I wouldn't have left anything home in my bike repair kit--because piece of mind is worth a lot--but it's good not to have had to use it.

What went wrong:
I forgot banana chips! Though on my packing list, the snack and potassium source was slated to be picked up in Rapid City. I think the two flats on my post re-assembly test ride and breaking of my handlebar-mounted rear view mirror got me focused on getting the replacements. I noticed this after I turned in my rental car so resolved to find a place to get them once on the ride. But there were no obvious places on my route or near my motels to stock up. On the second day, when breakfast was 77 miles in, I definitely could have used them. I settled for the buffalo jerky I'd picked up in Scenic which worked fine for salt but not potassium.

Breakfast: I naively thought that almost any small town would have a cafe/diner open for breakfast. There were only two mornings that worked (the third was Sioux City and that's hardly considered small town.) Other days I ended up biking until 10-10:30 until something was open for lunch or settled for decidedly non-breakfast items like donuts and snickers. I also found that mapping program info is very out of date. More than half the places I did find on map programs were no longer called what the map said and didn't have the same hours. I'd ask owners when things had changed and the usual answer was 2-3 years prior. When I did find breakfast (3rd , 5th and 6th day) it was GREAT. But it takes more research. Hence the banana chips were missed more than they might have been.

New rear view mirror: The handlebar mounted rear-view slipped out of the handlebar end on day 3 and before I could circle back and pick it up, a car ran over it (nicked it) and it flew into the ditch. Luckily I found it and re-installed it on the spot. But it must have been damaged as two days later going through Sioux City it broke off at the mirror mount in what looked like a classic fatigue fracture. Good that I had two (my beer view mirror) but having one did cut down on awareness of what was coming up behind me.

 What I learned:

The cafe/diner that is open for breakfast either only existed in my memory or has disappeared from small town America. They are much more rare but a precious resource for bicyclists. I detest chain restaurants when traveling, as local places give me a chance to meet locals that are usually interesting and always have a story to tell. There's something about being a stranger in a small town diner that invites questions...especially when you're 6 foot 4 inches, 225 lbs and arrive in spandex!

SD and IA drivers are almost universally courteous. I only had three incidences of drivers making what I would term "risky" decisions to not slow down or move over sufficiently when encountering me. Much better than my experiences here in Tucson. I DID have one so-and-so diesel pickup driver intentionally downshift to "smoke me" when he passed but I've had that happen to me in AZ too (with young kids riding beside me no less.) There's one in every crowd. I have faith in Karma.

Tomato juice is a great drink on the road. About the second day I developed a craving for tomato juice and/or V8. I went with it but research once I got home showed me why my body new more than I did. It's a great source of potassium and salt. I've maintained all along that milk is still the best recovery drink, but I'd add tomato juice or V8 to on-the-road diet. I've always felt that Gatorade and other sports drinks are more advertising than anything else and not really beneficial. They never seem to satisfy when doing the long rides.

Whomever noted that I didn't have bug spray on my packing list nailed it. I was eaten alive in Interior since I had all afternoon there. I looked to buy some but the bottles were Costco-size rather than travel-size. Luckily when riding you just don't notice itching, but it did effect my sleep some. I learned my lesson!

Basic human kindness to travelers coming through is universal in the rural US. I hardly learned this, but I would call it more of an affirmation of belief. Start with a friendly, "Hello" and maybe a handshake and next thing you know you're sharing stories, opinions and even cooking tips and you're probably going to be invited to dinner (or supper for some in the Midwest.)