July 9, 2012, Mehama to Bill and Karen's

July 9, 2012, Mehama to Bill and Karen's

I slept in until 8:45 this morning. It took me an hour and 2 cups of coffee to get the blood going before I could begin the attaching of bags and the closing up of the Mehama house. I also needed to count out enough calcium tablets, multi-vitamin tabs, and glucosimine tabs for the Great Parks Tour. All these little, final, details needing to get done delayed my departure until after 2 PM. I then had to stop at the Gingerbread House for some food. It has become clear to me only if I am desperate should I eat the food prepared by the Gingerbread House. I ate one-half of a deli sandwich: turkey and cheese on white bread. I did wash it down with a banana milk shake. I will stop for ice cream. I left there at 3:00. I elected to ride a flat, yet direct route to Bill and Karen's. Bike performed well. I used all the gears as their were a couple climbs needing the lowest gear but interesting enough the 26 x 34 or 32 (I haven't counted the teeth on all the cogs on the cassette) is sufficient for most climbs. The weather was warm moderated by a nice NW breeze. Air conditioned all the way. It was a head wind but not a hindrance until I turned onto Oak Grove Road which is the last leg to Farmer's. And even then it felt great. I just was not going very fast. This road goes up and down with one steep little pitch before the crest of the hill. I found myself in a race with a little wiener dog who ran with me and then chased me far beyond his home turf. Once I crested the hill I dropped "Charlie" (the owners yelled the name many times) but he was still chasing when last I looked.

T= 3:13, Max= 35.7, Av= 12.3, El Gain= 888, D= 39.7(came through Salem differently), ODO= 2979, 

The "shakedown" cruise worked well. I noticed a couple times when starting out from a dead stop the rear end seemed to sway a bit. The frame flexing? I don't really know and am not worried about it. 

I am still dealing with butt soreness. I am now wondering if my Wilderness Trails (WTB) Laser Pro seat is the problem. A few years ago we did the Bicycle Tour of Colorado. I suffered through the first 2 days with severe butt soreness when on the bike. Our route took us through Gunnison where I found a bike shop on the route, requiring a left turn across traffic to access. I made the turn very quickly. My friend Herb had recommended the WTB Laser Pro. They only had the WTB Laser in stock for about half the price of the Laser Pro. Anyway I bought the Laser and was instantly rewarded. I never thought about or felt discomfort for the rest of the week. I have since acquired 2 Laser Pros for my primary bikes. Is my quest for the perfect bicycle seat to continue? Stay tuned for further details.