Thursday, April 29, 2010

Day 12


110 miles / 5:33 hours / 19.87 mph avg / 1483' climbing

Breakfast 1: waffle, hard boiled egg, hot chocolate.
Breakfast 2: oatmeal, scrambled eggs, toast, orange juice.
Snack: yogurt, banana, 2 oreos.
Lunch: turkey+ham+cheese+letuce+tomato+spinach sandwich, coke, orange.
Sanck: 2 yogurts, canned pear, 5 crackers with ham and cheese.
Dinner: salad, fetucinni Alfredo with chicken, coke, 4 or 5 freshly baked buns.

Very flat and windy day. The wind was mostly sideways which made it for a very interesting ride. With gusts of 40 mph, at times it felt that I was goign to be blown away. We all made it safely and faster that I had expected. Tomorrow we head East from Pampa, crossing into Oklahoma to arrive at Elk City. We should have tail wind this time, if that is the case is going to be a breeze.

Leaving Dalhart we went through the flatest land that I have ever seen. The tallest feature on the horizon was the occasional Christian Radio antenna tower.

No matter were you looked the horizon was a straight line.

I really think Texas is a foreing country. Check out the zoo we passed (who know where).

It was right across the street from the "Johnson Tank Farm". I guess they use the term farm a bit liberally here.
Then we stopped for lunch at a bowling alley.

They did not let us play with our biking shoes on so we sat outside and did our best not to look too dissapointed.

Dinner was at a stake house next door...poor Russ, he is vegetarian and he is having a hard time in Texas. He had to go to the Walmart next door to buy himself something to eat...


Last but not least, in several places but nowhere more prominently than in the men's bathroom was the image of the great John Wayne.

I don't know if it is Texas or that I am tired a lot of the time, but I am not makin much progress in the "self reflection" department. I have to say though that the body is starting to adapt and the legs don't hurt so much anymore and the butt is stable and I would venture improving. I'll risk a massage once we get to Fort Smith (our second rest day), it should be tolerable and a good way to start the longest leg of the trip.

5 comments:

  1. I can't tell you the guilt I feel every time I check in on you, Nico. Today I climbed the stairs, had a some pizza and cake, got tired and went to sleep. You rode across Texas.
    You are incredible!
    Enjoy that massage!!

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  2. Hey Nico and Peter,

    My statistics today will make you both jealous (NOT!)

    Breakfast: 1 cup of cold jasmine tea that I drank on the way to the airport at 7am. Thanks for the ride Juliette!)
    Micowaved eggs slathered with creamed spinach, one scary looking breakfast sausage and some hard fried potatoes all courtesy of that Gourmet in the Sky, United Airlines.

    Snack: 1 cup of cold, undrinkable airline tea in a styrofoam cup. Can you believe they still use styrofoam. And lots of it.

    Lunch: 2 hands full of almonds that Isabel and I thankfully purchased in Whole Foods before we left. We ate these as we landed in DC at 6pm and before we had to leave for your mom's book event at 7pm which ended at 9pm.

    Dinner: Salmon & Asparagus

    Hours in a car: 2
    Hours on a plane: 7
    Hours exercising: 0

    Peter, while Nico gets a week's worth of massages maybe you and I can climb Kilimanjaro or something.
    xxxxx

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  3. Nico, I couldn't post yesterday, so now this is tougher to ask. Would you mind riding back to where those way-cool old Texican pick-up trucks are for sale? Just let that good ol' boy know I'll be along to haggle asap. It looks pretty flat, so you can catch up to the group in Oklahoma. Thanks. And stay away from those drive-through beer and gun stores.

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  4. On second thought, I reckon you should stick with your group and get to Fort Smith & that massage. Carter and I will have to ride our motorcycles out there. I have a hankerin' for Texas B*B*Q.

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  5. keep it up, Nico! we're with you, from the peace and comfort of our stratoloungers.

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