College Ho

As Carly got in the car for the trip to UNH, Deb proclaimed "College Ho!" After a few seconds of awkward silence, she said "No, I mean, we are off to college!"

And so began the day of dropping off Carly for her first year of college. We had packed the Rav to the gills with all of her stuff and, I think, probably put Wal-Mart into the black a few months ahead of the typical retail turnaround that would otherwise occur on the day after Thanksgiving.

We got to school easily enough and joined the hordes of students (with their parents) moving into the dorms. They have vast armies of volunteer students with large laundry bin-type containers that come to your car, help you load, and take up to your room so it's actually not that bad. Carly is on the fifth floor of Bixler Hall so we had a long wait for the elevator to hoist the bin to the top. We actually had to take the stairs so they could fit more bins in the elevator. Did I mention it was about 90 degrees out and about 90 percent humidity?

We got to her room and found that one of her roommates had already gotten her stuff in. Just after we got there, her other roommate and her family arrived. So, we had about 12 people crammed into this room that barely holds three, in the stifling heat, unpacking cart loads of stuff.

Here's Carly and Deb apparently trying to figure out which side of the sheet faces up or something.








And here's another that gives another look at the room.

After we got settled, we went for lunch at the cafeteria and then to the bookstore to get a power strip, and a few other things. I expect a letter from Wal-Mart shortly asking why we didn't go to the local store in New Haven to get them.

After that, we all gathered under a tent in the quad to hear all the official welcomes and messages about the beginning of the journey. I remember it all being very meaningful and motivating back when Kyle went through it. This time however, it was just plain hot and I was ready for it to be over.

At about 3:30, the parents were "dismissed". We said our goodbyes but Deb wouldn't let me take a picture - something about her allergies acting up suddenly...

The drive back was long. Partly because we were contemplating the start of new life chapters for all of us, partly because we were making a list of all the things we had to bring to her that we forgot or didn't take, and partly because I tried an alternate route home and ended up in the countryside of Connecticut behind various forms of John Deere farm machinery.

Deb actually sent a few text messages to Carly on her phone - and Deb doesn't "text".

Yeah, things are changing.

Tandemania

Well, we've been training for this century coming up in September for awhile now. Way back in May when I signed us up, I looked up all kinds of training plans for comfortably completing a century. They were basically 10 or 12 week plans where you gradually increase your mileage such that you could do a 60 or 75 mile training ride. If you can get to that point, the little bit extra on the day of the big ride would be easy.

Of course this was in May so we had plenty of time... You know where this is going don't you.

The weather this summer has been really rainy so it was very tough to get rides in. Not to mention that there just isn't time during the week. This was going to be a struggle. We have been gradually building up the ride length but it's slow going. Last week we put a long one in and by the time we got back to Uxbridge, it was really hot. I "bonked" - ran out of energy on the last bit up the hill to the house and just about died. That was only 40 miles. I think the cause was not enough water and not enough electrolytes.

Early on, I had started looking into energy replacement stuff. The newest thing is a carbo gel that comes in little packs that you rip open and squeeze into your mouth. I had no idea what they were like but I bought a box of those and tried them on one ride. It tasted like cake frosting which is kind of a weird thing to eat when you are tired and thirsty. It was hard to really tell how well they worked precisely but I seemed to feel better during the ride and not so blown afterward. I then decided to try Cliff Bars. They seem to get pretty good reviews for taste, energy, and being relatively good for you. I picked one up at a bike store in the middle of a ride and man, it was great! It tasted good and it was something to chew and "eat" as opposed to simply swallowing the energy goo. What I hadn't gotten though was any kind of electrolyte replacement drink. The gel and the bars have salts in them but I guess not in the quantity that you sweat out so I think that had something to do with the "bonk".

Anyway, after the ride, I happened to notice a spot on the tire where the casing was showing. I went online and bought a new tire and also some Cliff Shot sports drink mix and some more Cliff Bars. I also got a new pair of sunglasses. The ones I had been wearing continually slip down my nose and don't sit on my face evenly. It's risky buying glasses without seeing how they fit but I took a chance.

The stuff arrived on Friday - yesterday - so we took a ride - about 25 miles - after work. The glasses fit great and were a joy! I didn't put the new tire on because it would have taken an extra 15 - 20 minutes and I figured I could get a few more miles out of the current one.

Today, we got up at about 7 to either ride if it was not rainy, or go to an aerobics class if it was. Well, the streets were kind of wet but it was clear and getting hot so we got on the bike. I again opted not to put the new rear tire on the bike...

We planned out a ride of about 45 miles. Here's the ride laid out at MapMyRide.com




We were going along pretty good until right at mile 30. BAAM! The rear tire blew. Yup, right where the worn spot was, the tube blew through the torn casing. Guess I should have replaced that tire. Blown tubes are no big deal - they happen all the time and we have a patch kit and spare tubes to fix them. Blown tires on the other hand are not good. You can't just put a new tube in there because, a tube at around 115 PSI will just squirt through the hole in the tire and blow again. The jury rig fix for a torn tire is to use a dollar bill to "boot" the tire - line the inside to prevent the tube from coming through. The fabric of the bill - folded over - is strong enough to keep the tube from coming through - theoretically.

We are basically out in the middle of nowhere so I guess we'll have to try that. We could call Carly and have her bring the new tire but let's just see if we can fix this. Open up seat bag to get tire levers to remove the tire - no levers. Oh yeah, Kyle takes them and puts them in his bag when he goes for a ride alone - Argh!. OK, I guess we call Carly. Get cell phone from plastic bag in my pocket. Hmm, the screen is blank. Press button - "Battery drained, Shutting down" it says before going dark again. I repeat this to Deb and she smiles her wry smile - "I guess we are walking then."

Just then, an elderly man comes out of a small house and he walks over to us holding a tiny baby turtle that he says he raises in his backyard. Hmm, OK, "Um, we've got a mechanical problem with the bike, do you think I could use your phone to call someone to help us?" He says "Sure, just let me take this little guy down to the pond."

He comes back and leads me into his house as I'm trying not to drip all over the place. I call home and get the machine. "Pick up Carly, pick up!" Nothing. I call the neighbors but get their machine as well. I then try Monique Cote since they have a phone number that is very easy to remember (I have everyone's phone number - on my cell phone that is dead).

She answers thankfully, finds a spare key to son Nate's truck and says she will pick us up. We agree to meet at the vacant lot of a burned down restaurant that we passed about a mile or two back. I thank Ma and Pa Kettle and head back out to Deb who, by this time, has been supplying sustenance for all the mosquitoes in the forest. We start walking back toward the restaurant to wait for Monique. She shows up not too long after we get there, we load up the bike in the back, and head back home.

At home, after I put the new tire on the back, Deb asks if I want to continue the ride. It's kind of hard to get back in the mood but we really didn't get the full ride in so I say OK. Just then, the sky opens up and, in full sunshine, pours for about 5 minutes. We look at each other, shrug, and get on the bike and head out.

It's not really raining but the roads are wet and the spray coming up from the tires is soaking us. The rooster tail from the front wheel is mostly blocked by the downtube of the bike but as I make small steering corrections, the wheel swings out from under the tube and throws the stream up which hits me in the chin. Mmmm, tasty! Deb, of course, has what we know looks like a skid mark all the way up her back from the stream off the back tire.

We stop in Douglas at a little coffee shop for some ice coffee. This is the new "carrot" for Deb. We have to stop for ice coffee about halfway through the ride to give her "a purpose". I now know that's the reason she suggested continuing the ride - she hadn't gotten her ice coffee.

In Douglas, we decide to try a different route to loop back home. Neither of us knows Douglas however so we end up thoroughly lost taking random roads that "seem" like they will take us the right way. Eventually, we find some familiar roads and complete the loop, adding another 15 miles for a total of 45.

I spend the next two hours cleaning and re-lubing the bike.

Despite the setbacks, we feel pretty good about our progress. We are no longer totally spent after a ride of this length (although my neck and shoulders are sore) so we are thinking we might just be able to do this. Oh man, I shouldn't have said that...

Ships and Salsa

Saturday was Deb's birthday of course and it just so happened that the EMC Latin Leadership Interest Team (ELLIT) was sponsoring a "Salsa Cruise" in Boston Harbor that night. Well, since we've been taking all these dance lessons it seemed like a great opportunity to bust some moves! A couple from our class - Gary and Judy - joined us for the trip into Boston. They own Vaillancourt Folk Art and make amazing figurines of all kinds.

We managed to find a parking spot in Boston and make our way to the dock and the boat. The boat was actually really nice - it was really nicely decorated and very large. There were two decks and the top deck had an opening that looked over the dance floor. We found a table and watched the people come on board. There were a few people I knew from EMC but it turned out that this was not exclusive to us. This is a weekly cruise and apparently quite popular. We grabbed a plate of food from the buffet, which was very good, and waited for things to get rockin'. We didn't have to wait very long. They fired up the music and we hit the floor. They played a lot of actual Salsa speed music which is very fast. Ironically, as the music gets faster, you do less complicated steps so it wasn't very difficult. We were also able to do our rumba and Cha-Cha's when it slowed down a little. They even threw in some popular hip hop style songs that were fun too. The dance floor was very very hot and I was embarrassingly drenched from the effort. We had to go out on deck to cool off at one point.

Another thing that was heating up the dance floor was the girl who was sitting at our table. She was a tiny thing who was poured into a dress. Here name was Reena and she was from St. Petersburg - Russia! When she got out on the dance floor, Gary and I joked that we felt this strange compulsion to open up our wallets and look for 1's. As we were dancing, a circle formed on the dance floor of the type where each person goes out in the middle and shows a couple of moves. Well, this girl went out and didn't stop. Seconds later, Deb goes out and joins her and they both practically set the place on fire. Muy Caliente!

Anyway, we had a blast despite being way too old for this kind of thing. Our knees and feet paid the price on the walk back to the parking garage - but we'll probably do it again...