MS Ride - Day 1 - Part 1 - Wow! I never knew that.

A lot of preparation goes into doing a ride like the MS Ride. The choice of jersey, shorts or bibs, socks, and the best way to honor the people you are riding for. Pam (Bill’s sister) helped Bill with this by writing the names of everyone that he knew that had MS on both of his calves in permanent marker the night before. The choice of jersey ended up being the University of Idaho (U of I) jersey that has Kirstin Armstrong’s signature on it (thanks to Deb for that). To round out the ensemble he wore his MS biking shorts, Vandal socks, Idaho beanie (for the cold), and Tour de France cap (for when it warms up). The ride of choice for the first day is the Giant Rincon mountain bike. It is a worthy steed for the amount of climbing that we will do for the day.

We headed on over to the starting area at Alpine Village after breakfast. When we got there we met a lady that had graduated from the U of I in the 90’s. She and her 12 year old daughter were volunteering this year. She told us that her daughter had her first attack of MS when she was only three years old, and she has a friend that is 11 that also has MS. Bill and I were really stunned by this since we had always heard that MS only affected people between the ages of 20 - 40. It was really nice being able to listen to the mom speak about what they go through on a daily basis. After talking to her we rode over to the start area to get ready for the ride.

The course was the same as last, year so all we had to do was follow the motorcycle escort and ride marshals. At 8:00 we started out on the ride. We did not have the misdirection that we did last year and everyone rode the proper route this year. The route took us out around the high school, by the airport and across the highway. We started onto Spring Mountain Ranch and one of the ride marshals blew his back tire. Everyone kept on going while he and the other marshal dealt with the tire. We turned onto Lick Creek Road and headed on towards the road that goes around the eastside of the lake. Bill and I passed the lead riders right after the Boy Scout Camp. We made it to the turnaround at Tamarack Bay Condominiums and almost back to the Boy Scout Camp before getting passed. As we made our way back into town there was a fire truck that came towards us with lights and sirens going. We were hoping that nobody from the ride had wrecked. We turned onto the road by the golf course and rode down the side streets to avoid the traffic. We stopped at the first rest stop at Gravity Sports; it is called the Luau rest stop, but no one was dressed up and there was no pig on a spit.

We headed off by Legacy Park and stopped to talk to Pam, Philip and Faye (Bill’s mom) right at the corner before turning onto the main road. After giving them his beanie and fingered gloves we headed off. There was a little bit of traffic in the downtown area and it kept pretty steady until we made the turn onto Warren Wagon Road. We made pretty good time riding down the road and saw a couple of other bikers along the way. Pam and Philip passed us as they drove towards the second rest stop. It would take us a little longer to get there then it would them. The lake was very nice and peaceful as we road along. We finally reached North Beach and knew that it was only a few more miles to get to the second rest stop. We finally reached the CBH Homes rest stop, and were warmly greeted by Michelle Jacobi, who we had met the previous year at the ride; Michelle’s name was one of those written on Bill’s leg. Some really good pictures with Michelle were taken and we chatted for a while. The long sleeve shirt was removed and handed to Pam since it was getting warmer. After a little while we were on the road to the summit.

A couple of miles down the road from the previous rest stop, we saw Gordon (Gordy) Myre. Gordy has MS and uses a hand crank bike to participate in the ride. He had already finished his ‘out’ part and was turning around to do the ‘in’ part. Bill shouted hi and turned around to talk with him for a bit. Gordy said that he had already done 13 miles, so this day would be a 26 mile day for him. He then said that the next day he would only do 24 miles instead of the normal 25. We wished him good luck on the rest of his ride and headed back up the road.

Pam and Philip passed us again several miles after we passed Gordy. We saw several people fishing at the outlet for the Upper Payette Lake as we went by; the lake didn’t seem as high as it had been the week before. After a few more miles we saw a deer alongside the road. At least we were not going downhill and it was not crossing the road.

Finally made it to the Secesh Summit rest stop and Pam was waiting there for us. Got a few snacks and Pam took a few pictures of us standing by the summit sign. Philip had gone for a little hike with some others that were at the rest stop. Bill got done snacking and got back on the bike. Our next destination is the Burgdorf "Y"; it is called the "Y" since you can either go to Burgdorf or Warren. It is mostly downhill so we will get some good speed. Nothing like having the wind whip through your beard and mustache as you travel at almost 30 mph. We caught up with another rider as we made it to the "Y".

End of part 1

Week before the MS Ride - McCall and don’t bonk

This is Joe Vandal reporting on the MS Ride and the events that led up to the ride. We went down to McCall a week before the MS ride. I was not able to go on any of the rides except for the MS Ride so Bill told me what happened.

Philip (Bill’s son) and Bill went for a ride around the lake on the first Saturday that we were down in McCall. They ran into a little bit of traffic along the way, but Philip did a great job riding the 20 miles. On Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday Bill rode around the streets of McCall trying to get some miles in.

On Wednesday we went down to Nampa to stay there for a couple of days and go to a Boise Hawks game. That afternoon Bill road a few miles on the Greenbelt trail outside of Nampa. On Thursday morning Bill did a partial dump loop with Steve and Deb. Steve calls one of the steep climbs the wall and Bill hit it. He bonked when he reached the top of the hill. It took about five minutes of standing around and a few bites of an energy bar to get back on track. Steve and Bill rode back the way they had come since there was only one climb back out that way. The other way had three climbs. They made a wise choice.

The game that evening was pretty fun even though the Hawks lost. We headed back up to McCall Friday morning. Bill did one shorter ride in McCall and then spent the rest of the day resting up for MS Ride on the following day.

Sunshine, yard work and riding

Yesterday was spent working in the front yard getting rock and bark laid down. We had torn out the grass in the spring and just finally got around to getting the work done on the front yard. Still have the side of the house to do, but the yard sure does look nice. One of the finishing touches required the use of the my drill which I keep at work most of the time. Ended up taking a nice ride in to get it. It was pretty warm but it felt good to get on the bike after all that work.

Went for a ride today to Pullman today with Jorge. Jorge bent his rear wheel a little bit as we were getting on the trail close to the Best Western. He ended up riding all the way with the wheel doing a pretty cool wobbly dance. There was a pretty hard head wind as we rode towards Pullman but on the way home it turned into a very good tail wind. Ended up stopping at St. Auggies to play a quick game of pool and then headed home.

Weekend and lots of riding

Friday afternoon was spent getting new parts installed on the mountain bike. New cassette, chain, and derailleur. Bike looks really cool with the new components on it. Some of the old pieces were almost 20 years old.

Saturday began with the opportunity to take an old monitor to the recycling center. The monitor fit pretty nicely in the bike trailer. Sure glad that it wasn't a 17 inch or bigger monitor. That would have been a heavy load. The bike trailer sure comes in handy for hauling different things around. That trailer has carried 4 kids and made lots of trips to work over the past couple of years. It does need some work done on it and probably needs to have a new cover put on it. The current cover is getting a little ripped up from the trailer being tipped over every so often.

I ended up taking the Vandal bike out for a ride to Troy Saturday evening. I only went as far as the park in Troy. Partly cloudy day made it nice and cool for riding. I didn't have a chance to run over any wildlife on this trip but did see a bunny scurry off of the trail. It must have heard though the animal grapevine how dangerous I was to little furry things on trails. It was a good 25 mile ride out and back.

Sunday afternoon was spent riding with Jorge, Maura, Luisa and Philip to and through Pullman and back to Moscow. The part of the trail that snakes through Pullman is pretty cool. Gives a different view of Pullman then I have ever seen. Saw a lot of different people on the trail rollerblading, biking, skateboarding, running and walking. Sure was a busy time out there today. It is amazing what happens when good weather finally shows up. Joe Vandal even tagged along for a ride. He is going to start riding more to get ready for the MS Ride that will be coming up the middle of July.

One Month

The MS Ride is a little over one month away. I am really looking forward to some good biking in McCall over the weekend of the 23rd and 24th of July. Been getting some riding in so I won't be to tired. Would like to get more in but life and the weather gets in the way. Commuting to work gets me some mileage in. I try different routes to work just to make it more interesting. They tend to give me a little more mileage.

Last Saturday a group of us went for a ride on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes. It was so much fun. Quinn, Jorge and I made it all the way from Plummer to Mullan. We even rode back down to Wallace to meet up with the rest of the group. The three of us then rode from Harrison back up to Plummer for a total of 97 miles. We saw two moose and a baby, ducks, heron, a coyote, and a dead chipmunk. The chipmunk wasn't dead until I ran over it as it was trying to dodge Jorge's front wheel. The scenery was really neat as we traveled along. It was interesting seeing all of the mining operations from a different view point. Usually traveling by car you do not notice everything that is along the way. The river was high and all of the low areas were filled with lots of water. I really need to do this ride several more times during this summer. It would probably be interesting to ride from Plummer to Mullan and then back to Plummer.

The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes is used for the Inland Northwest Chapter of the National MS Society ride. Their ride will be on the 10th and 11th of September.

The ride that I do is put on by the Utah-Southern Idaho Chapter of the National MS Society. For those who want to donate to the MS Ride in my name it is real easy to do that. Just go to my MS Society donation page and you will be able to donate there. We can make a difference in so many lives. Joe Vandal will be tagging along again this year to help encourage me along the way. I will be riding for several people that I know of that have MS this year. If you know of any others please let me know and I will write their names on my bib number. Thanks to all who have donated in the past and for all of your support.

Joe is ready to ride and other thoughts

It is that time of year again where Joe is thinking about being on the bike. He is getting ready for the MS ride that will take place on July 23rd and 24th. This will be Joe's second year and my fourth year on this ride. He is such a trooper to be riding along again. Since the ride is a month early we hope that Secesh Summit will be clear of snow. Joe and I are still taking donations for the ride. If you would like to donate please go to my page on the MS Society site. Thanks for helping out.

I sure have had fun commuting to work with the bike this Spring. The weather sure has been interesting. It is nice to be able to park in the front of the library without having to park behind the dome. Only problem with parking there is that someone may end up locking their bike and your bike together. Ended up leaving the bike over the weekend locked up there. Was good incentive to get on the Vandal Bike that Saturday.

I have started going out with a group of riders on Wednesday evenings. The first ride ended up being about 40 miles. I ended up only doing 30 for today. The wind has been such a killer on both rides. Head winds are no fun to deal with. I am going to continue doing this plus rides on Saturday, Sunday and any other day that calls for riding.

I didn't realize that it has been two months since my last post. I better do this more often.

2011 MS150 McCall Ride

I am all signed up for this years MS ride that will be happening in McCall on the 23rd and 24th of July. This will be my 4th year riding and I have enjoyed the experience. It is great to have so many others riding in support for those that have MS.

If you would like to support me please go to my personal page on the MS Society site to donate. http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/UTUBikeEvents?px=4939697&pg=personal&fr_id=16823

Thanks to all that have supported me in the past.

January so far

Trying to bike to work most of the days of winter has been a very interesting time. Out of 12 days of work I have biked 8 of them. I have also biked 5 non-work days. Total miles so far is over 89.

The weather has been quite a mixture. I have fallen twice on icy patches but not anything real bad. It is best to try and stay away from the traffic areas but sometimes that can be just as dangerous since the plows don't usually get a lot of the side streets. The trails have been very good for the most part. The Chipman Trail looks like it does not get plowed as well as the Latah Trail. I hope we get more snow so that I can actually see if there is a difference.