We are a little behind in the blog. The cellular service here is very sketchy, and we couldn't get any of the photos to download. Once we started riding the bicycles, Cam could not carry the big camera any more, so all of the photos were taken using his Blackberry. Because the cell service is so unreliable, none of the photos would transfer. So, now that we are trying to catch up, and since some of the photos finally transferred, we will try to review some of the activities from the previous 3 days, then include an additional blog with a sampling of the photos.
The rides continue to be beautiful, although a cold front has come through, and that has resulted in some chilly mornings when we begin our rides (temps in the low 40's, warming up to 60's in the early afternoons when we finish our rides). We have been plagued with a couple of physical issues in terms of riding. Kelley has developed tendenitis in her achilles, and Karen is having a lot of pain in her hamstring. Both of them are "toughing it out" to continue riding, but it has limited the length of some of their rides.
Monday, Jim and Kelley, Karen, and Julie chose the 50 mile route. The turn-around point for this ride was a little "quick-stop" in a tiny town along the ride with only a single bathroom. As 400 cyclists arrived, the little place was overwhelmed, and the extended serpentine line for the bathroom was long enough to even be comical. While the rest of our crew waited in line to use the restroom prior to returning to Fredericksburg, Cam grew impatient and rode his bike up the road, found an outdoor facility behind a tree, then continued on to complete the 70 mile route for the day on his own.
Monday night was a special treat. Caroline, our younger daughter, does not have Tuesday classes at Baylor. So, once she was free Monday afternoon, she drove the 2.5 hours from Waco and joined us at the Blue Cottage. Everybody pitched in and we enjoyed a picnic dinner in the back yard of BBQ chicken and grilled salmon, salad, double-stuffed potatoes, green beans, watermelon, chips/salsa, and an assortment of cakes and pastries from a local bakery. Caroline and her dog, Timmy, stayed the night with us and we had a fun visit.
Tuesday, Jim and Kelley and Karen decided to give their legs a rest. Fredericksburg is home to the Admiral Nimitz Pacific War Museum which occupies an entire city block. Admiral Nimitz was born and raised in Fredericksburg. Jim has always had a special interest in studying past wars, so he spent most of the day touring the museum. Karen and Kelley and Caroline ran errands, did laundry, explored the town, and organized things at the house. Cam and Julie chose to ride, although a day of rest might have been a good idea. They arrived home from today's outing with tired, sore legs after their 55 mile jaunt. But, they met some nice men on the ride who shared the day with them, including a stop at the town of Luckenbach, made famous in a song sung by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. This town consists of 3 buildings - a post office/gift shop, dance hall, and a hat store.
After Julie and Cam returned from the ride, Jim and Kelley had leftovers at the house for lunch while the rest of us had German food at the Auslander Restaurant. Caroline joined us for lunch, then she and Timmy drove back to Waco.
Tuesday night, there was a pasta banquet at a local gathering hall. For the first time, we saw all of the Hell Week participants together in one place with everyone in their regular clothes. We were shocked to find that with the 5 of us all hovering on either side of 50 years old, we were definitely the younger crowd. The majority of the participants in this gathering are in their 60's, with quite a few closer to 80. Everyone with whom we spoke had spent their lives racing and touring on bicycles. There were some fascinating histories. And we also got a little background on the inception of Hell Week. It began 21 years ago as a training event for ultra-endurance cyclists who came to Hell Week to ride approximately 140 miles/day for 8 days. In order to get more participants, the format morphed to include 3 rides each day at 50, 70, or 100 miles, with a single 200 mile ride one day during the event. Jim, Kelley, Julie, Karen, and Cam have been off the bikes for most of the winter due to the exceptionally harsh winter in the northeast, so we have been content with the 50-70 mile routes.
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