The One Song - Tour Tuneage

On my solo bicycle tour - I ended up using music quite a lot as I pounded the pedals. It helped cut some boredom out of the "long parts", was motivating on the "steep parts" and fun on the "down hill" parts. But more than that, I think music pairs well with adventure touring on a bike. Some of the terrain I rode was like the dark side of the moon - and sure enough, I had some Pink Floyd playing at the perfect times. Now, I made sure not to over do the music thing. I made a post a while back about the sounds of crickets along the road - music would have made it tough to here these little buggers. At times, my music seemed to add a surreal experience to my ride. I felt a bit disconnected from the ride experience - like my head was rolled up in cotton batting, with just two eye holes and two ear holes with inserted speaker wires with a direct connection to my primary auditory cortex. I guess that is the point of ear phones - especially my fancy, noice cancelling, high fidelity (is this term even used anymore?), micro ear buds. The other thing I find utterly facinating and very cool - is music has this uncanny ability to remind you of a certain time or event in one's life. I was wearing my Ipod the other day, mowing the lawn and the music playing took me right back to the tour. Instead of struggling with the oft not fun lawn-mowing chores, I was transported right back to riding the bike. Good stuff man!

Anyway- the song below is from Grand Funk Railroad's 1970 Closer to Home album. It is the one song that reminds me of the tour so much. The words just seem to resonate with far away exploring, being homesick and a threat of mutiny by your crew (on a bike, by yourself, with no crew... the mutinous devils could be one's own self doubts!).

Cheers!

Everybody, listen to me,
And return me, my ship.
I'm your captain, I'm your captain,
Though I'm feeling mighty sick.


I've been lost now, days uncounted,
And it's months since I've seen home.
Can you hear me, can you hear me,
Or am I all alone.


If you return me, to my home port,
I will kiss you mother earth.
Take me back now, take me back now,
To the port of my birth.


Am I in my cabin dreaming, or are you really scheming,
To take my ship away from me?


You'd better think about it, I just can't live without it.
So, please don't take my ship from me.
Yeah, yeah, yeah ...


I can feel the hand, of a stranger,
And it's tightening, around my throat.
Heaven help me, Heaven help me,
Take this stranger from my boat.


I'm your captain, I'm your captain,
Though I'm feeling mighty sick.
Everybody, listen to me,
And return me, my ship.


I'm your captain, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm your captain, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm your captain, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm your captain, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.


I'm getting closer to my home ...
I'm getting closer to my home ...
I'm getting closer to my home ...
I'm getting closer to my home ...
Ohhhh ...


I'm getting closer to my home ...
I'm getting closer to my home ...
I'm getting closer to my home ...
I'm getting closer to my home ...
Repeated to fade

"An n of 2 does not make a trend".

We have a saying in the business I am in (said business, will remain unsaid or I'd have to kill you!) that says "an n of 2 does not make a trend". I beg to differ when it comes to working out. Especially, if you are just starting an exercise program or coming back from a riding hiatus... two ticked off, is indeed a trend and something to be proud of. Today, was two in three for me. Two rides in three days and it really feels good. Especially on vacation, where it could be so tempting to just chill and not do anything. When I get back to Seattle, I will have an n of a few rides, and will feel pretty good about getting back into the routine of cycling - post vacation.

Here is today's route.

Cheers!

Swan River Ride - Short Loop

Took a spin on the Seven yesterday. Ah man- felt simply awesome to be riding again. The Montana scenery is voondahbah! Weather was perfect - about 75 degrees. I stopped in Bigfork, MT to have a Power Bar and while sitting on a bench and chomping said P-bar, a guy came up to me and struck up a conversation asking me where I had been riding. I told him I was down on the Swan and was out for a two hour ride. He had a thick Aussie accent and as the conversation progressed, he told me he was on a solo bike tour from "Portland to North Dakota". A bit of a strange 'start' and 'finish' for a bike tour to me. But, he said he comes back each couple of years and pieces together a section of the U.S. and one day will have an entire circumnavigation of the America done. Bravo for him! A few days before, he was in Lincoln, MT and some folks there - asked him whay yah wanna go to North Dakota, up in Glacier is much prettier (Glacier National Park). So, he took their advice and pedaled north. He said, now he was heading back to Lincoln to thank them. I dare say, without my bike, we would have never struck up a conversation. Ah... the communities of the cycle!

My route

Swan River

The Garden Bar in Bigfork, MT. Very famous in these parts!

Swan River

Alone...listless...breakfast table in an otherwise empty room

It has been a month since the tour. I have been busy on vacation with some work at work in between. Went on a 2000 mile motorcycle trip with some buddies up into Canada. Now, I'm in Montana with family enjoying summer time. I haven't ridden a bike in a month. Yes, I'm a bit listless. Am trying to come up with a end of summer tour. Maybe a "bike overnight" somewhere in the Puget Sound. Not in... but, around the sound I mean. Summers seem to go so quick in Seattle. Maybe a fall ride would be good. East of the mountains? Not much rain yet over there in the fall. Gotta finish our kitchen remodel too. Always something. On my m/c trip, I saw a fair amount of bicycle touristas pounding the pedals. I was happy to be powered by my Yamaha inline 1300cc motor, but kind of envied my "brothers from another mother". I would watch their image get smaller and smaller in my mirrors as I rode on. I knew they would be grimacing at times. And grinning ear to ear at other times. I usually tried to give them a big thumbs up as I'd go by. Power to the pedalers!

So, that's it for now.

And yes, the blog post title is a lyric in a Pearl Jam song. And I am alone (well technically, Luna is outside and Jen downstairs, family is in town), a bit listless, sitting by the dining room table.

Posted with Blogsy

Remembering Bill White – Founder of Bike Camp in Twin Bridges, Montana

Reblogging a pretty cool story about cycling in Montana and a bike camp in Twin Bridges.

http://pathlesspedaled.com/2012/07/remembering-bill-white-founder-of-bike-camp-in-twin-bridges-montana/

Props to My Proppers

Thanks all - who have been so thoughtful and congratulated me on my tour. It was kind of a silly folly-full, bit foolish perhaps,  extravaganza for me. But so nice to know my friends and family think it was 'slicker than shit through a tin horn'. I mean you guys have been so nice to recognize and comment on the effort and support me. I do bask in your thoughts of support!

Thank You So Much All!

Scott

Hill v. Hill

For the longest time - I have focused my rides and training in what one would call their regular domain. Bascially, mine starts in my front driveway and extends out in about a 100 mile radius. My home is the hub and I complete spoked sorties into western Washington, centric to Seattle. This is a fancy way of saying - I'm bloody used to the "terroir" around here. Fer chrissakes, can I get a road without any trees on it? A ride here has only hints of big terrain,  hints of vast vistas, hints of any expansiveness. When I first moved to Seattle, I felt a bit claustrophobic since it felt like there was a lid of clouds on the city all the time. Gray, green, gray is what one sees, pedaling your bike around these parts. Gray road, lots of green trees and gray skies. Don't let me "mis-pedal" you - I love Seattle.

On my tour, in hind site, I felt like my mind blew out like a tubular tire on a searing hot summer day in Death Valley. The vastness, scale and magnitude of the ride and terrain east of the mountains, over my local Seattle "rideries" was mind blowing. Everything on the tour was expanded. Distances were longer, hills higher, winds bigger. Terrain seemed crueler, horizons farther and skies higher. Don't let me "mis-terrain" you - I loved it.

So, as you know, I'm back home and I've patched up the hole in my head. I went for a ride here in Seattle a couple days ago. My local hills and distances seemed absolutely puny compared to the tour. On one ride, I've ridden probably 50 times, the notorious "long" hill was over in the time it takes to put my kit on to suit up for a ride. Very different from the tour - where a long hill meant four hours of pain and riding.

Hill v. Hill