Thursday, June 30, 2011
The Big Ride 2011 June 30
Today is day 11 of The Ride. I'm in Helena, where I have to move Baby and the truck in 15 minutes. Today is 61 miles from Avon to Townsend MT, over the Continental Divide. The weather has been coolish, especially today, which suits me fine. The riders are goin through a period of "it's harder than I thought it would be", flat tires and bugs yesterday, sore ankles and butts. They're all pretty subdued at night, but elated that they made it one more day. The scenery is fantastic--Montana is a gorgeous state, at least so far. Baby is doing fine. More later.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
2011 BIG RIDE ACROSS AMERICA
June 25, 2011 Day 6 of Big Ride Spokane to Sandpoint ID
I'm a little late getting started on this, but I was also a little late getting started on the Ride. Everyone rode out of Seattle Pacific U Mon am, but I stayed home with the flu.
There are 26 riders, ranging in age from 16 (Gabe from Manhattan) to 70 (Dick, our longtime friend from Seattle), and 3 crew. And then there's Cindy, toodling along, pulling Baby, our 9 foot Burro trailer, made in 1984. On the 4th day the water pump went out, but we managed to find a new one here, so we can drink and wash. The RV store wanted to sell us an electric one, but what fun is that? Baby's bed is 41 inches wide, 2 inches wider than a twin bed. We have been in the dorm at Gonzaga U the last 2 nights, and each having our own bed was a treat.
I bought a NOOK reader for the trip, spent a day learning how to download the software to checkout books from the library, and now I can't figure out how to get the books from my computer to the NOOK. I'm going to Barnes and Noble with the puter and NOOK and have them teach me. It's clumsy to read in bed on the puter.
Yesterday we visited 2 old friends, Frs. Tom Garvin and Gerard Steckler, at the home for unwed fathers on campus. Garv has parkinson's, and is totally immobile and has some memory deficits, but when the nurse told him we were here, and that Noel is riding his bike to Washington DC, he said "He's crazy!" Steck is as sharp as ever, and as caustic, and walks with a walker. He was playing bridge when we arrived, but was gracious enough to grant us an audience. He says he is impatiently waiting for death. I reminded him that he has been hoping for death ever since I met him in 1963.
The first day of the trip was Seattle to Easton, 2nd day Easton to Vantage, where my brother met us for dinner. I also met Meg, one of the Fat Quarters, a small quilting group I belong to. We went to lunch at the Yellow Church Cafe, and then to the brand new quilt shop in Ellensburg--a very nice shop, called Quilting by Dezine. 3rd day was Vantage to Odessa, on Hwy 28. Last year that day was hot and the scenery was brown--this year it was coolish and green--beautiful. I met Christian in the pool, who wanted to know if I wanted to "go in the deep end" with him. You can just call me Mrs. Robinson. I visited the quilt shop in Odessa again, and again it was great. She has no web presence, so you'll just have to drive to Odessa. The ride into Spokane on Thurs was gorgeous--a tail wind and waving wheat.
Today the riders are going to Sandpoint via Newport, but I'm going to a quilt show in Coeur d'Alene after my "lesson:" at Barnes and Noble. I'll have to buy a new bird book, too, since that's one of the many things we forgot. We think we might have our act together by mid Montana.
I'm a little late getting started on this, but I was also a little late getting started on the Ride. Everyone rode out of Seattle Pacific U Mon am, but I stayed home with the flu.
There are 26 riders, ranging in age from 16 (Gabe from Manhattan) to 70 (Dick, our longtime friend from Seattle), and 3 crew. And then there's Cindy, toodling along, pulling Baby, our 9 foot Burro trailer, made in 1984. On the 4th day the water pump went out, but we managed to find a new one here, so we can drink and wash. The RV store wanted to sell us an electric one, but what fun is that? Baby's bed is 41 inches wide, 2 inches wider than a twin bed. We have been in the dorm at Gonzaga U the last 2 nights, and each having our own bed was a treat.
I bought a NOOK reader for the trip, spent a day learning how to download the software to checkout books from the library, and now I can't figure out how to get the books from my computer to the NOOK. I'm going to Barnes and Noble with the puter and NOOK and have them teach me. It's clumsy to read in bed on the puter.
Yesterday we visited 2 old friends, Frs. Tom Garvin and Gerard Steckler, at the home for unwed fathers on campus. Garv has parkinson's, and is totally immobile and has some memory deficits, but when the nurse told him we were here, and that Noel is riding his bike to Washington DC, he said "He's crazy!" Steck is as sharp as ever, and as caustic, and walks with a walker. He was playing bridge when we arrived, but was gracious enough to grant us an audience. He says he is impatiently waiting for death. I reminded him that he has been hoping for death ever since I met him in 1963.
The first day of the trip was Seattle to Easton, 2nd day Easton to Vantage, where my brother met us for dinner. I also met Meg, one of the Fat Quarters, a small quilting group I belong to. We went to lunch at the Yellow Church Cafe, and then to the brand new quilt shop in Ellensburg--a very nice shop, called Quilting by Dezine. 3rd day was Vantage to Odessa, on Hwy 28. Last year that day was hot and the scenery was brown--this year it was coolish and green--beautiful. I met Christian in the pool, who wanted to know if I wanted to "go in the deep end" with him. You can just call me Mrs. Robinson. I visited the quilt shop in Odessa again, and again it was great. She has no web presence, so you'll just have to drive to Odessa. The ride into Spokane on Thurs was gorgeous--a tail wind and waving wheat.
Today the riders are going to Sandpoint via Newport, but I'm going to a quilt show in Coeur d'Alene after my "lesson:" at Barnes and Noble. I'll have to buy a new bird book, too, since that's one of the many things we forgot. We think we might have our act together by mid Montana.
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