last night was bittersweet.
first: we celebrated the completion of our first official century. (some people have already riden 100+ miles on this trip, but usually because of poor directions or over-ambition). but the bad news was that our dear friend molly pederson returned to us from the hospital - broken collarbone, torn ligament and no bike riding for 4-6 weeks. she took a spill over her handlebars after hitting a rock and managed to tuck and roll into the ditch, but not without consequence.
second: we were excited to hear that our ride today would be shorter - almost ten miles shorter (a total of 59 miles)! unfortunately, that makes tomorrow's ride 130 miles. yes. 130. into colorado springs, a gain of 2,000 feet from la junta.
so we celebrate when we can, and we persevere through the rest.
we are really excited to get to colorado springs tomorrow because we've got family and friends to celebrate with! eric's sister, liz, and my friends, dave, greg, and mike will welcome us to the beautiful city of colorado springs and stay the night to share stories and hugs. and a new belgium brew, or two. maybe this will help us realize what we're doing and what we've already accomplished. some days it seems so unreal... biking over 2,000 miles in five weeks?! wow. these last 1,000 miles have flown...
i wish i could end this post with a funny story, but as you have all experienced at one time or another, some stories are only funny the moment they happen or if the listener knows the people involved. so i will spare you a long, mediocre story and instead thank everyone who has written and called - it has been nice to hear from everyone while we've been on the road. please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we prepare to climb some big mountains, starting tomorrow!
pura vida,
molly
ps - i've learned on this trip that camping is not as glamorous when 30 people are involved. cooking, cleaning, tenting, packing in the morning, etc. i've been inspired to go on a small group backpacking trip to reignite my love for camping! you in?!
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2 comments:
as i sloshed, uphill, in muddy shoes and soaked clothes, i wondered how anyone could ever find backpacking enjoyable. it was our second straight day of transylvanian rain.
we lost ourselves on the twisted Romanian map. We were attacked by sheepdogs, lightning, and greendina. Greendina is the Romanian word for hail.
I nearly died of hypothermia inside a hut, made out of a large barrel.
then the sun came out. i think that's why camping, in all of its forms, is so damn good.
this article should be about you!!
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/index.php?ntid=201414
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