Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Owl Ride

16 Miles? Seems easy right? No worries or hurries, ride the streets in the dark and enjoy the pleasant company of other bikers on the bike route.

Not hardly. The whole thing, completely backwards thinking on my part.

Let me start at the beginning; I haven't ridden a bike in 10 years, So it was really arrogant of me to think that I could conquer the concrete jungle streets of Omaha, only having driven on them the last 6 years. My legs became bowls of vegan jello on the first hill; twitching but having no control of the muscle to move to my will. There was also the problem of no worries...what the hell?!? No worries like traffic, heat exhaustion (it was 100 degrees), 2400 other bike riders (all who seemed far more experienced than me) and add to the equation it was all at night. And the other bikers, they don't look intimidating, but they are a cut-throat group and will run you down if you are in their path.

However, there were many wonderful surprises on this journey through our great city.

First off, the organization of the bike ride was fantastic. At the "Owl Perches" (rest stops) the volunteers had pools of iced bottled water, cookies and granola bars to grab and go; also tools to fix your bike if you needed a quick repair.  At every intersection, police officers were there to stop traffic and there were a ton of supporters cheering us on to the finish line. Also, MOST bikers were very encouraging as well to all the NOOBs who joined in the night time ride , as everyone was just looking to have a little fun. We did, I hope to see more people out next year for this event.
TOP 5 Worst Things
5) I borrowed a bike from a dear friend who is taller than me...uncomfortable all eight miles I rode.
4) Obnoxious, impatient riders
3) Potholes and cars parked on the side of the street. Both suck the same.
2) Chaffing... ya.
1) INSANE HEAT

TOP 5 Best Things
5) Volunteers
4) Glow sticks and colored lights in abundance
3) Using the short cut path on Leavenworth (became an 8 mile ride) which was manageable to complete
2) I got a T-Shirt that says I accomplished something this Summer! (who doesn't love t-shirts)
1) The city at night is beautiful, and 2400 bikes with lights trailing through ConAgra, Downtown, up and down Farnam and Leavenworth...the memory gives me such warm fuzzies that are only comparable to Christmas morning.

Til next week, RWBB 

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Everyone should have a Kayak

Weeks have passed...from bronchitis to drinking 3 days straight on a lake in Minnesota it is great to find a moment to write.

At our cabin we stayed at had two really great kayaks...at least the smaller green one was awesome; the larger orange kayak was cumbersome, uncomfortable, and a literal pain in the ass. Almost every person who got in this thing was flipped out and dunked into fish-piss-lake-water. For whatever reason I thought I was different and could handle it on choppy waters.

I did a great job, made it to the middle of the lake, was so proud and being smug about it; then I turned to check on my friend Julie who was 10 yards behind me and FLIP!! I was upside down in water, my floppy hat floating on the surface.

There is no feasible way to get in a kayak that is filled with water in the middle of a lake that you can't stand in. So I swam...the whole way back. Julie laughing and encouraging me the whole way as the life jacket made it very difficult to swim.

Great way to work out...trying not to drown ^_^

Remember: it is best not to brag or be boastful unless by a turn of hilarious events you get a funny story to tell.

Another post very soon

RWBB4EVR ^_^