A Typical Day?
What is it like on a typical day on the road? Ordinary daily living chores take more effort. If we are camping, just getting up, going potty, getting dressed, fixing some coffee and breakfast take more time. Even more so if the weather is windy or it is raining. Putting the tent up, taking the tent down, it seems like we just did that. Once on the road, the day is kind of broken up by what is ahead. Is it a hill to climb? What's around the next corner? A bridge with no shoulder? A fast downhill roller coaster ride? Where can I go pee? Should we take the time to see this or that sight? Where are we going to stop for the evening? Motel or campground? The weather and availability play a role in where we stop for the evening.
Candy frequently reads a novel when the going is slow up a hill. Since I am steering I don't get to read when the road gets boring. I have to keep an eye on traffic coming up from behind while keeping an eye on what is immediately ahead of me. I now have spent a lot of time looking at guard rails from eye level, up close. From my point of view guard rails are dangerous, giving me no place to go if I get squeezed by traffic. Older bridges are a problem also. The road can have a great shoulder, then when the bridge comes up the shoulder completely disappears. So you check your mirror and move onto the bridge, knowing that you are in the lane of traffic, counting on the next driver coming along to see you. Bridges can be very intimidating, especially those older ones spanning the coastal rivers near the towns. High traffic flow, no shoulders, narrow lanes. At the bridge leaving Newport and heading south, I was so freaked by the heavy flow of traffic and lack of a shoulder that I seriously considered calling the local cops to give me an escort over the bridge. Turns out we did get an escort, but it was from a sympathetic ODOT engineer we happened to stop and ask directions from. He offered to turn on his yellow flashing light and drive behind us across the bridge. He didn't have to offer twice.
It's pretty easy to tell, watching in my mirrors, if a driver coming up has seen us. They almost always move to the left a little or a lot, depending on the oncoming traffic. Sometimes they don't move over much, even when they could. Those drivers tick me off a little. I guess I could be guilty of road rage on a trike? Then there are the drivers that slow way down and get completely in the other lane, as if we might dart out in front of them, like a deer. Occasionally a driver behind us will honk, thinking they are doing us a favor by alerting us to their presence. As if we can't hear the tires and engine noise from a hundred yards back. The drivers that really irk me are the ones that lean on their horns all the way past. That does not happen very often, but my nearly involuntary response when it does is the middle finger, held high until the car is out of sight. Now, I know this is a foolish response. If it happens to be the wrong person, they could return and make life pretty scary for us. But, as I said, depending on the circumstances, it is nearly impossible to repress. Even Candy did it along with me once, when a big luxury car's horn blasted us on a corner. Don't they know that if we could get further out of the flow of traffic, we would?
Other times during the day, we are chatting with people who are curious and/or amazed at our machine and our adventure. Those are the best times of the day. Those times and meal times. It seems like my appetite is bottomless now. Ron.
My take on a typical day...
When camping the first thing I do when I awake is to stretch, listen to the birds, check for rain, roll over, arrange my pillow and go back to sleep. Ron gets up, makes coffee and oatmeal and serves me in bed. I dress and start breaking camp...stuff sleeping bags and roll up the air mattresses, take morning meds and dispense Ron's meds, and empty the tent. We have developed a system for taking down the tent...I pull the tent pegs and unhook the fly, Ron stuffs the fly. Ron picks the tent up and shakes it, I clean the corners. We both remove and fold the poles, Ron stuffs the tent. Ron washes the dishes, I pack the trailer.We wash up (shower if available), brush teeth, and fill the water bottles. Ron connects the trailer to the bike and attaches the bags while I police the camp site.This process takes us about two hours!
Traveling down the road has ranged in speed from 1 mph to 49.5 mph. Going uphill is a warm experience, and downhill can be very chilly. It can be difficult maintaining a nice body temp with the wind, rain, sun, and wet/dry pavement. I spend alot of time taking my rain coat off and then putting it back on, same with hat and sun glasses. Some of the uphill grades are killers, I've found that reading distracts me from the pain in my legs allowing me to maintain a steady pace. We stop along side of the road for lunch, usually apples or bananas and peanut butter. We point things out to each other and visit with people when we stop to eat or shop. I quit taking blood pressures as people seem to want to know about the bike, the process of getting started on the trip or the reasons for taking the trip.
About 3-4:30 we start looking for a home. We set up the tent as soon as we stop. While I put the fly on Ron inflates the air mattresses. I fix the slepping bags and straighten out the tent while Ron unpacks the bike, cooks dinner and washes dishes. We're usually sleeping at 8:30.
I find myself reveiwing my life in my mind or designing a house when my senses are not taking in the sights of the road. YES, I am very spoiled and I make sure Ron knows that I know it.
Candy
Candy frequently reads a novel when the going is slow up a hill. Since I am steering I don't get to read when the road gets boring. I have to keep an eye on traffic coming up from behind while keeping an eye on what is immediately ahead of me. I now have spent a lot of time looking at guard rails from eye level, up close. From my point of view guard rails are dangerous, giving me no place to go if I get squeezed by traffic. Older bridges are a problem also. The road can have a great shoulder, then when the bridge comes up the shoulder completely disappears. So you check your mirror and move onto the bridge, knowing that you are in the lane of traffic, counting on the next driver coming along to see you. Bridges can be very intimidating, especially those older ones spanning the coastal rivers near the towns. High traffic flow, no shoulders, narrow lanes. At the bridge leaving Newport and heading south, I was so freaked by the heavy flow of traffic and lack of a shoulder that I seriously considered calling the local cops to give me an escort over the bridge. Turns out we did get an escort, but it was from a sympathetic ODOT engineer we happened to stop and ask directions from. He offered to turn on his yellow flashing light and drive behind us across the bridge. He didn't have to offer twice.
It's pretty easy to tell, watching in my mirrors, if a driver coming up has seen us. They almost always move to the left a little or a lot, depending on the oncoming traffic. Sometimes they don't move over much, even when they could. Those drivers tick me off a little. I guess I could be guilty of road rage on a trike? Then there are the drivers that slow way down and get completely in the other lane, as if we might dart out in front of them, like a deer. Occasionally a driver behind us will honk, thinking they are doing us a favor by alerting us to their presence. As if we can't hear the tires and engine noise from a hundred yards back. The drivers that really irk me are the ones that lean on their horns all the way past. That does not happen very often, but my nearly involuntary response when it does is the middle finger, held high until the car is out of sight. Now, I know this is a foolish response. If it happens to be the wrong person, they could return and make life pretty scary for us. But, as I said, depending on the circumstances, it is nearly impossible to repress. Even Candy did it along with me once, when a big luxury car's horn blasted us on a corner. Don't they know that if we could get further out of the flow of traffic, we would?
Other times during the day, we are chatting with people who are curious and/or amazed at our machine and our adventure. Those are the best times of the day. Those times and meal times. It seems like my appetite is bottomless now. Ron.
My take on a typical day...
When camping the first thing I do when I awake is to stretch, listen to the birds, check for rain, roll over, arrange my pillow and go back to sleep. Ron gets up, makes coffee and oatmeal and serves me in bed. I dress and start breaking camp...stuff sleeping bags and roll up the air mattresses, take morning meds and dispense Ron's meds, and empty the tent. We have developed a system for taking down the tent...I pull the tent pegs and unhook the fly, Ron stuffs the fly. Ron picks the tent up and shakes it, I clean the corners. We both remove and fold the poles, Ron stuffs the tent. Ron washes the dishes, I pack the trailer.We wash up (shower if available), brush teeth, and fill the water bottles. Ron connects the trailer to the bike and attaches the bags while I police the camp site.This process takes us about two hours!
Traveling down the road has ranged in speed from 1 mph to 49.5 mph. Going uphill is a warm experience, and downhill can be very chilly. It can be difficult maintaining a nice body temp with the wind, rain, sun, and wet/dry pavement. I spend alot of time taking my rain coat off and then putting it back on, same with hat and sun glasses. Some of the uphill grades are killers, I've found that reading distracts me from the pain in my legs allowing me to maintain a steady pace. We stop along side of the road for lunch, usually apples or bananas and peanut butter. We point things out to each other and visit with people when we stop to eat or shop. I quit taking blood pressures as people seem to want to know about the bike, the process of getting started on the trip or the reasons for taking the trip.
About 3-4:30 we start looking for a home. We set up the tent as soon as we stop. While I put the fly on Ron inflates the air mattresses. I fix the slepping bags and straighten out the tent while Ron unpacks the bike, cooks dinner and washes dishes. We're usually sleeping at 8:30.
I find myself reveiwing my life in my mind or designing a house when my senses are not taking in the sights of the road. YES, I am very spoiled and I make sure Ron knows that I know it.
Candy
posted by Candy and Ron | 8:47 PM
1 Comments:
Hey there Mom & Pap!
I have been leaving messages on your phone for days, cause I just miss you guys so much...It might help to hear your voices.
Keep up the good work. Mom, watch your sugar! Ron, watch my mom! Call me! I love you BOTH.
k
Post a Comment
<< Home