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There have been some posts about the Iron Butt folks, and some stories from "regular guys" (and maybe Sachi) that tear up the tarmac for one reason or another.
Well, I returned home from my first LD bike ride Wednesday afternoon. I had to go to Myrtle Beach, SC to be with my Mom when she went in for a Hip Replacement. I figured that since I was going up there by myself, and the Weather Channel said it'd be nice, I'd save a bunch of money (and carbon credits) if I took my trusty Sprint ST instead of my trusty Tundra.
It'll be a while before the saddle imprint in my butt goes away.
541.7 miles and 11-1/2 hours up on Sunday. 603.5 miles and 11 hours back on Wednesday. I went up on Georgia Rte 84 to Hinesville, then up to MB on I-95 and then SC Hwy. 17. Took the Interstate system back. Bike got better mileage (45.6 vs. 41.7) at 78mph than it did putzing though those towns, as it turns out.
The climatological prognosticators let me down. I started out the ride with my Meteor jacket, Ballistic pants, shorts and a t-shirt. About halfway into the ride, I put on my Widder System2 electric vest. It was in the mid 60's, as forecast, and things went well until...
I froze when I got North of Savannah. It was 51 degrees when I rolled into Surfside Beach. It started raining on me about 10 miles from the house. The Widder is all that saved me. I used every bit of hot water in the water heater.
Of course, I cooked on the ride Wednesday.
And the Dairy Queen at I-10 Exit 241 was out of brownies. So I had my Georgia Mud Fudge Blizzard made with Heath Bar. Not bad, but I prefer the brownie.
BTW, the DQ at Exit 251(?) that burned down is being rebuilt as part of a big fuel depot. And yes, I got rained on, but only over a 10-mile stretch, just before I got back home. I was dry by the end of the ride.
Did I mention that I had a stomach virus when I left on Sunday morning? That made it even more special. I was doing Pepto-Bismol shooters at every stop, and hoping the Immodium would hold up. It did, although a couple of whoops in the road had me worried. I'm still a little queasy.
My Mom made it through her hip replacement surgery real well, but had some problems afterward. She did not respond well to the morphine, and was in agony from the muscle spasms. They decided (11 hours later) to change her over to Demerol. Well, that worked real well, but it stopped her breathing.
After all that excitement, they put her on oral Roxycodone, which I was told is a rapid-onset version. That worked, and she did much better.
I went back to the hospital the next morning, dreading what I'd find, and found her sitting in a chair and talking! The even better part was that she had no memory of the previous day. I was really glad I had made teh trip to be with her.
All-in-all, a dynamic four days. The Sprint ran like a sewing machine. However, I felt like I'd been three rounds with Mike Tyson. Except my ears are still attached.
Those LD guys are nuts!
Well, I returned home from my first LD bike ride Wednesday afternoon. I had to go to Myrtle Beach, SC to be with my Mom when she went in for a Hip Replacement. I figured that since I was going up there by myself, and the Weather Channel said it'd be nice, I'd save a bunch of money (and carbon credits) if I took my trusty Sprint ST instead of my trusty Tundra.
It'll be a while before the saddle imprint in my butt goes away.
541.7 miles and 11-1/2 hours up on Sunday. 603.5 miles and 11 hours back on Wednesday. I went up on Georgia Rte 84 to Hinesville, then up to MB on I-95 and then SC Hwy. 17. Took the Interstate system back. Bike got better mileage (45.6 vs. 41.7) at 78mph than it did putzing though those towns, as it turns out.
The climatological prognosticators let me down. I started out the ride with my Meteor jacket, Ballistic pants, shorts and a t-shirt. About halfway into the ride, I put on my Widder System2 electric vest. It was in the mid 60's, as forecast, and things went well until...
I froze when I got North of Savannah. It was 51 degrees when I rolled into Surfside Beach. It started raining on me about 10 miles from the house. The Widder is all that saved me. I used every bit of hot water in the water heater.
Of course, I cooked on the ride Wednesday.
And the Dairy Queen at I-10 Exit 241 was out of brownies. So I had my Georgia Mud Fudge Blizzard made with Heath Bar. Not bad, but I prefer the brownie.
BTW, the DQ at Exit 251(?) that burned down is being rebuilt as part of a big fuel depot. And yes, I got rained on, but only over a 10-mile stretch, just before I got back home. I was dry by the end of the ride.
Did I mention that I had a stomach virus when I left on Sunday morning? That made it even more special. I was doing Pepto-Bismol shooters at every stop, and hoping the Immodium would hold up. It did, although a couple of whoops in the road had me worried. I'm still a little queasy.
My Mom made it through her hip replacement surgery real well, but had some problems afterward. She did not respond well to the morphine, and was in agony from the muscle spasms. They decided (11 hours later) to change her over to Demerol. Well, that worked real well, but it stopped her breathing.
After all that excitement, they put her on oral Roxycodone, which I was told is a rapid-onset version. That worked, and she did much better.
I went back to the hospital the next morning, dreading what I'd find, and found her sitting in a chair and talking! The even better part was that she had no memory of the previous day. I was really glad I had made teh trip to be with her.
All-in-all, a dynamic four days. The Sprint ran like a sewing machine. However, I felt like I'd been three rounds with Mike Tyson. Except my ears are still attached.
Those LD guys are nuts!
