Hmmmm.....
I think Walter is going to stay with us back on a county road and we'll just have him dump water on us every so often. Barely anyone goes by on the country roads so we can just kind of mosey along.
Walter just said, "of course today is a record breaking high. The highest since 1939."
It's 12:15 in the afternoon now and we've decided we'll ride at night tonight.
We only have 19 miles to go today at least to Earth, Texas. My mom called and told me to make sure I put on a light and the big old orange vest she got me. Ay yi yi. :)
Alright....off to get the ice that will undoubtably melt within a few hours in our shoddy cooler. Must conserve the heavy cream! Must conserve the cream!!
God speed and popsicles, sweet petunia!
ReplyDeletexx
Hope the cream made it through the heat OK. :)
ReplyDeleteToo bad YOU'RE not an Arabian horse ;) Hope you all are ok!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHey Linny,
ReplyDeleteThe heat is nothing to fool with. Heat stroke can happen, even if you are drinking lots of water. Remember what happened to Chris in Viet Nam! He is still trying to recover from it. He is at the doctor's today, getting more tests to determine what is going on with his thyroid or something else. The riding at night sounds like a good solution. The stars can guide you. You'll experience a whole different perspective riding in the dark. Can't wait to hear what they are.
Tried to organize a trip with your mom to meet in Fredricks but it didn't pan out. Not sure if there will be another window of opportunity for me this summer but nothing will keep me from being in NH come October, or when ever you get there.
Just finished reading a book; A Sudden Country, about traveling from the east to Oregon during the 1840's. Now that was an era in our country's formation that has so many conflicting stories. Such a collision of cultures, desires and beliefs. As much as I admire the courage and passion the people had in blazing trails across unknown territories, the destruction of land, animals and Native Americans is heartbreaking. What the pioneers endured is so beyond my realm of understanding that I question my ability to survive crossing the Mississippi in a ship, let alone the Columbia or Snake in a oxen drawn wagon.
There were times while reading the book that I thought of you and your trials and accomplishments. Your luxuries and comforts can't be compared with the harsh conditions of driving a wagon across the vast expanse of the plains but the dreams are similar in origin. You, too, are facing the same yearnings and finding answers to questions you didn't know you had. You have the opportunity to test what your boundaries are and view your life from a larger perspective. There must be times when you ask yourself just why you continue to ride, what purpose does it really have and what are you doing with the experience. When reduced to the absolute essence, the simplest form is your awareness of self. We are such a small fragment of the whole, yet what we do has significant consequences, both in a physical sense as well as emotional.
I continue to admire your perseverance and keen observations of the life you are passing through. Your story is so much more engaging than the published ones I've read and I only hope you will share it to a larger audience at some point in the future. Bet Tom will help.
Keep the sunscreen thick and the water cold.
love always,
Nancy
Popsicles?? Strawberry popsicles?? I must find!! ;)
ReplyDeleteSo much love to you too, Nancy! Miss you tons. Let's all write the story together one day. :) All of our thoughts mixed into one pretty book.
Darcy! I know!! That rascal doesn't break a sweat and I am drenched (partly because I dump water on myself all the time, but.....)
And the cream didn't make it. :( We made a special trip to the store this morning just for heavy cream to go with my coffee though. :)
The formula for when it is too hot to ride:
ReplyDeleteThe Formula is:
air temperature + relative humidity + wind speed = answer.
If your answer exceeds 180 or above...DONT RIDE,
between 170-180- advisable not to ride... do so only if it is a necessary evil,
if it is 130-170-use caution and
130 or below...enjoy the ride and take it all in!
In Frederick today...it's 90 degrees. You are coming down hill into a cooler valley if you continue on US70's general path.
After that...if you are still headed to Frederick..it's all green grass and cooler weather ahead.
Ride on... you are coming out of the worst.
Hmm...all sounds risky to this non rider. Also sounds like you cannot be too careful. It is true that if you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated so be aware of that. I like the numbers that were posted as a way to know whether to ride or not. Makes sense to me. Hard to argue with numbers.
ReplyDeleteAnd,yes, it is all just a moment in time, but it is a moment to be lived fully and you are doing exactly that. Ride on...