Countdown to Triathlon – 139Days, 19.85 weeks to Race Day (See Installment 83 of "The Journey", 220 mile bike ride, below)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY –

Here's two thoughts for the day about bike riding and the wind:

You never have the wind with you - either it is against you or you're having a good day.  ~Daniel Behrman, The Man Who Loved Bicycles

"If the wind is not against you, it is not blowing."

James E Starrs 

Early in the story of the bike ride, I told about riding one day with Pastor Don.  We rode about six miles out to a little community called Denair.  As we rode,  the wind was blowing furiously in our faces.  We really had to struggle to make headway.  We encouraged one another by saying that at least going home it would be at our backs.  Would you believe it?  When we rode through the town and turned back toward home, the wind changed direction and blew in our faces all the way home.  I guess it a way to prepare me for the adventure of the day I will describe below.

You'll see what the wind blowing has to do with today's story.  However, we have been getting some visitors at our kitchen window for days.  These little fellows sit all day in the Star Jasmine outside the window and peck on the window all day and even into the evening after dark.  You'd think they would bend their beaks pecking on the glass.  My husband Bob says there are tiny little bugs on the window.  I certainly can't see them and you'd think that the bugs would all have been eaten by now.  They are sooo cute, I wish I could hold them.  They are so tiny - look at them compared to the leaves.  The leaves are about the same shape and size as a bay leaf that you cook with.  I don't know what kind of birds they are - maybe sparrows.  But they peck, peck, peck constantly.

I kind of went overboard in taking pictures of them with my telephoto lense.

The Journey - Installment Eighty-Three

        After the first rest stop we just kept on pedaling in the warmth of that sunny June day. As we neared Fairfield, the wind picked up and of course it was blowing in our faces.  After about twenty more miles we arrived at our lunch rest stop at the Trinity Lutheran Church.  The volunteers had set up tables and the fixings for sandwiches.  We just told them what we wanted on our sandwiches and they fixed them for us.  We sat for a few minutes enjoying the rest from pedaling, used the restroom and then were off for the next leg of the journey – on to Napa and the wine country.

        During our rest stop, Lisa and I went into the rest room and we applied, "personal lubricant" to our bottoms and inner thighs.  We had been advised to do that by some of female volunteers so that we would not get blisters or chaff badly in those tender areas.  We really gooped it on, so much so that we emptied the container and I threw in the restroom wastebasket.  Then Lisa and I laughed and said we wondered what the church workers will think when they see this empty container in the trash.  What will they think went on in their rest rooms?  It occurs to me now that I should call that church and see if any of the ladies who were working then are still employed and explain to them.  Just as we left the restroom, giggling, one of the female employees entered to use the restroom.  She probably heard what we had said. As it turned out, that was a very good suggestion because by the third day neither Lisa or I had trouble with those areas of our bodies because of the lubricant.

        We set off on our bikes.  About ten of us came to a very busy intersection where we had to cross.  The traffic was heavy and they had no stop sign or traffic light.  We were trying to figure out how we’d ever get across the traffic when a shabbily dressed man who looked like he’d seen better days stepped out into the traffic and became our “traffic cop”.  He had seen that we were not going to be able to cross in quite a while and took it upon himself to be our hero.  He stopped all the traffic in both directions and we were able to cross the road. He looked like he either had been drinking or was high on something but we were thankful for the help.  We shouted a big thanks over our shoulders as we clicked into our pedals and took off.  After a short distance, we remembered that we had been given some booklets which told about Jesus and were supposed to give them out on journey.  We felt badly that we hadn’t thought to give one to the man. 

         By the time we rode away from Fairfield and out into the country toard the hills, the wind was really blowing.  At one point, the wind had changed direction and was blowing from the side.  It was blowing so hard that it actually moved my bike sideways while I was pedaling.  I remember talking to the Lord and saying, “Lord, we’re doing this ride for you.  Why are you making it so hard?”  I got no answer to that question but then I really wasn’t expecting one.  Later, I checked back with the local weather man and the winds were as follows:

27 mph (WSW)

31 mph Max Wind Speed

36 mph Max Gust Speed

Obviously, the gust of wind is what blew my bike sideways.  If you don't think a 35 mph wind in your face or pushing you sideways is very much, you have another thinks coming.