Lake Tahoe, Part 1

As Les mentioned in the previous post, we had a wonderful time in Lake Tahoe! Even with the Death Ride looming, we enjoyed ourselves on Thursday and Friday. We are blessed to live in such a beautiful state. Just a couple hours from Los Angeles and we were on highway 395 heading north. Red Rock Canyon, Mount Whitney, Mammoth Mountain, Mono Lake, huge trees, mountains, rivers and streams were all part of the scenery.


Our first destination was the town of Markleeville, home of the Death Ride. Les checked in, received his number to put on his bike and jersey, turned in his paperwork and filled his goody bag. On our way back to our car we saw Les' former boss, Kevin Cramer. Kevin has ridden Death Ride 15 times and completed all 5 passes 13 times! He told Les to just keep his own pace and Les would be fine (perfect advice!)




We then headed into the city of South Lake Tahoe, which is on the California side (for those who may not know, Lake Tahoe is shared by California and Nevada). We stayed at the Tahoe Keys Resort and were pleasantly surprised with the size of our cabin! We had decided not to stay in one of the many chain hotels so we could make sure Les got proper nutrition leading up to his ride. Our cabin had a full kitchen (stove and oven!), living room with fireplace, bedroom with walk-in closet, bath, backyard and hot tub!


I admit I was a little nervous about Les' ride, which was evident by what happened early Friday morning. I had a dream that Les and Kevin met up in the parking lot prior to the ride and were able to ride together. I awoke from my dream, looked over at the clock and said, "Les, wake up! It's 5:30, you've missed the start of the ride!! Oh... never mind... it's only Friday morning." Yes, I really am blond at times!!

We enjoyed kayaking on Lake Tahoe Friday afternoon. We have kayaked numerous times in the ocean, but never in a lake. What a difference! No crazy waves or currents, just easy stroking. The pollen was extremely high - there was a film of yellow over parts of the lake and covering our car. Yes, that was me you heard sneezing!!


We even saw someone walking on the water...


Friday night we had pizza at our favorite Tahoe pizza place - The Brewery. Then it was an early bedtime because Les was up at 3:20 Saturday morning and out the door by 4:00. After walking by the lake, I spent some time relaxing and studying for an upcoming Sunday school lesson (I'll tell you about it after I teach it!) I was sitting outside when I was visited by a very young squirrel who didn't realized I was there! Once he saw me, he chattered away, but he sounded more like a squeaky toy than anything!


I was SO happy when Les called to say he was in the car and headed back! I've lived through one bike accident with him and that is enough!


Here are SOME of our pictures. For those of you sweltering in the heat, just pretend you're next to the river, or sitting under one of the trees, or breathing in the cool mountain air!

Death Ride Recap

Here is Les' recap of the weekend that he sent to family and cycling friends. I've got over 200 photos to work through before I can write mine!! Enjoy...

Wow, what a great weekend! It began with kayaking on Lake Tahoe Friday and ended with hiking above 11,000 feet at the top of Mammoth Mountain on Sunday, with a little bike ride in between.

And about that little bike ride...

As many of you know, I attempted the Death Ride in 2008, and only completed 4 of the 5 passes. I remember thinking at the time that I was not sure I was capable of going the distance, even without the hailstorms that day. It is such a hard ride with many variables that come into play. And so I pushed it to the back of my mind and enjoyed a relaxing year of riding in 2009 with nothing extreme. But toward the end of the year, a nagging feeling of unfinished business began whispering ever more loudly in the back of my mind. And my fate was sealed when Kathy registered me in January for this year's ride.

My training was different this time around. It really started with a 700-mile month in March (thanks to my previous employer), then the 1st annual Georgia Boot Camp in April (thanks to my brother, Lance), a Breathless Agony ticket in May (thanks to Karen and her husband), and a series of solo climbfests in the San Gabriel Mtns in June (thanks to Hammer Gel and Litespeed).

So when the big day arrived (and my weight down to a 25-year low of 135 lbs), I felt I had done everything possible to set me up for success. And waking up Saturday morning at 3:30 am, I was confident about my ride plan and determined to get to the top of the elusive 5th pass. My strategy was to ride my own pace paying attention only to my heart rate, and to keep it averaging around 140 bpm on the climbs. To do this, I would have to forcefully slow down my natural climbing speed (from "slow" to "slower"), but the reduced intensity would result in longer endurance, and it was the end of the day that counted, not the beginning.

I rolled out just before 5:00 am in the dark with the temps around 55. After 30 minutes of riding, I was at the base of Climb 1, the west side of Monitor Pass. There is nothing like being part of a continuous snake of some 3,000 cyclists from all over the world, working our way up a mountain road closed to all motorized traffic while the unseen eastern sun is just beginning to chase away the darkness of the night. I ascending this 2,551 foot 7.9 mile climb in 1:19 and rolled down the east side for my first break.

Climb 2 is back up the east side of Monitor Pass. This climb can be really tough because the sun by this time is hitting full on the side of the mountain and there is very little shade to be found. It is a 3,000 foot climb to the summit and I got up its 9.3 miles in 1:40. I rolled over its 8,314 summit for the 2nd time and bombed down its western flank.

Once at the west base of Monitor Pass, I took my second break. I was exactly 4 hours into my ride, had 2 climbs behind me, and I felt really well. I was on track with all of my hydration, fueling and heart rate goals. The next 4 miles was a gentle incline following the banks of Silver Creek, a beautiful little stream whose source is snow melt from the surrounding mountain peaks. Then the serious climbing begins again with Climb 3.

Climb 3 ascends the eastern approach to Ebbetts Pass. It is 8.5 miles long, climbs about 2,400 feet, and tops out at 8,730 feet above sea level. It's also the highest point in the ride and considered by most riders to be the toughest climb since it includes several short sections of 12-17% grades. I got to the top in 1:17 and rolled down its west side for my third rest stop.

By this time, I was exactly 6 hours and 61 miles into the ride, still feeling very strong and beginning to realize that I was going to complete the ride. In 2008, I really struggled with Climb 3, and had to stop three times on the way up to get my heart rate down. My energy was dropping, I was feeling a bit queasy, and my legs were shaky. But Saturday was the complete opposite. I just cruised up the mountain without stopping or even breaking pace.

Climb 4, coming out of Hermit Valley and back up the west side of Ebbetts Pass, is the shortest climb. I rode its 1,500 feet and 5.2 miles in 51 minutes. And I was ecstatic when no hail enveloped me as I crested the summit as in 2008. From here, it was about 24 miles to the base of the final climb. Most of it was downhill, but there were a few stingers for good measure, and by this time of the day, the temps at the lower elevations (around 5,500') were in the high 80s. This stretch took about 1:15 and I began to feel the toll of the effort, elevation and temps.

And so Climb 5 began, new territory for me in several ways, most importantly the accumulated climbing. I had climbed 12,500' on three previous occasions, but never more than that. The final climb is up to Carson Pass, elevation 8,580'. It is about 17 miles long and ascends over 2,800 feet. It was a long slog with the "bonus" of a head wind all the way up. It took me 2:03 to finally get to the top. It was sunny and a comfortable 75 degrees, but I was feeling somewhat light-headed. I took a short break to regroup before the long descent to the finish line. So the world stopped spinning while I ate an ice cream bar, the first non-liquid fuel I had all day.

The cruise down from Carson Pass was its own reward. I crossed the finish line and arrived back at my car in 11 hours 22 minutes, completing all 5 passes, 129 miles and 15,000+ feet of climbing of the 2010 Death Ride. I'm still euphoric over completing a goal set over 2.5 years ago. Thanks to all of you for the encouragement and riding companionship along the way.

After a little bit of junk food and some rest, I'll be ready to do it again. Any takers to join me for Death Ride 2011?

Ride on,
Les

He Did It!!!

After more than 11 hours, Les is back. I'm happy to report no crashes or near misses!

Here's proof. Five stickers on his number:

It's A Beautiful Day

Les was up and out the door at 4:00 this morning. I sent him off with a kiss and a prayer. I slept a little longer then was awake at 5:30 - my normal running time! What else could I do but get up and go!

I was greeted by this fellow...


The scenery was just too beautiful for running. I decided to just walk and take it all in.


After about a mile I came upon Lake Tahoe


It was so peaceful...



The boats and jet skis are silent for now...


I saw the Tahoe Queen...


And this balloon taking off...


But nothing compares to God's handiwork...


Yes, that IS snow on the mountains!


Six miles later I'm back at our little cabin...

Friday Foodie - What to Feed a Training Cyclist

24 hours from now Les will be pedaling his way through the Death Ride. I can't tell you how many training miles have gone into this, but as long as the weather cooperates I expect him to do just fine. My job has been to cheer and feed him! Carbo-loading is a bit overrated, so we haven't had pasta every night for the past month. Here are some of the things we've eaten this week:

Spicy Shrimp Fried Rice
Pasta with Marinara Sauce
Italian vegetables
Fruit Salad
Smoothies every morning (his have a banana and extra vitamins thrown in)
Lasagna and salad last night.
NO sweets (that's him, not me!) I do have some No Pudge Brownies with me that he can have after the ride.

The "last supper" will not be pasta, it will be pizza! I don't know exactly why, but it works. I guess it has the right amount of carbs, but not too much.

Tour of the Alps

Some of you may be aware that there is a bike race going on in Europe. It is called the Tour de France. I wrote about it (and how it compares to life) last year in Lessons from the Peloton and More Lessons from the Peloton. We are NOT on our way to France, but Les IS getting ready for one of the most challenging rides of his life!

The Tour of the California Alps is also known as The Death Ride. It is 129 miles, 15,000 feet of climbing, over 5 mountain passes. Riders will ascend Monitor Pass with an elevation of 8,314 feet and go down the back side. They will then turn around and go back up Monitor Pass and down. Following Monitor, they will go up and over and back up and over Ebbetts Pass with an elevation of 8,730 feet. The grand finale is Carson pass with an elevation of 8,580 feet. Riders only have to go to the top and back of Carson! Here is the route:



In 2008 Les did 4 of the 5 passes. He was determined, but got hailed on coming down Ebbetts pass and watched the same storm clouds head to Carson. We are on our way to South Lake Tahoe now. We'll probably do some kayaking tomorrow. I'm looking forward to relaxing, doing a little trail running, and reading on Saturday. Les has a little unfinished business in the California Alps...

Praise Report

Tonight during service Pastor White gave a quick update about the Missions Trip to Mexico. Bro. Glen Wakefield has been working with a pastor who recently received the revelation of Jesus name baptism. A large group from his church in Acapulco traveled to Puebla to be in services while our group was there. Many of them were seeking the Holy Ghost. During their final service Pastor White asked for any who were seeking the Holy Ghost to come forward, none did. That's just the way it is sometimes...

Bro. Wakefield called Pastor White after he got home. The pastor had called SO excited. On the bus ride back to Acapulco the Holy Ghost fell! EVERYONE who did not have the Holy Ghost received it on the bus ride home and all those who already had it were refilled!!! It's real!

Just Let It Unfold

On my way back from the mailbox yesterday I saw this in my front yard:



What caught my attention was not the single rose in the bloom, but the many buds just waiting to burst forth!


I immediately thought of the poem "Just Let It Unfold"

It's only a tiny rosebud
A flower of God's design
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine

The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I
The flower God opens so sweetly
Would in my hands fade and die

If I cannot unfold the rosebud
This flower of God's design
Then how can I think that I have wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?

So I'll trust in Him for His leading
Each moment of every day
And I'll look to Him for his Guidance
Each step of the pilgrim way

For the pathway that lies before me,
My heavenly Father knows
And I'll trust Him to unfold the moments
Just as He unfolds the rose.
- Author Unknown

I have heard that poem and the message by Elder Morton my entire life. God really does a great job unfolding our lives when we let Him. If you are in the "rosebud" stage, I encourage you to keep waiting. Don't worry about those who seem to have bloomed already. Just as the rest of the buds on my rosebush, your time will come.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time..."

Hannah's Quiz Team Does It Again

The latest quiz results are in...

Saturday Hannah's team quizzed in the Midwest Tournament of Champions. The tournament is a prep tourney for Nationals, with all the teams being champions from their respective districts.

The Calvary kids beat Missouri, Ohio (Toledo), and Michigan (Troy) twice. The final quiz was iced after question #12. During the 4 quizzes they answered 42 questions correctly and missed only 8. Hannah was second high quizzer in the first Michigan quiz, but otherwise wasn't a big contributor - mostly because her teammates are so good but to a lesser degree because she had a head cold and was a bit out-of-it.

The National tournament is the last week of July.

I'm just wondering how Les and I can score airline tickets to St. Louis...

Fun on the Fourth

We had a very fun Fourth of July this year. Of course we were in church yesterday morning. Les taught an excellent lesson in our Adult Sunday School class about "God in Flesh." Bro. Flores preached about freedom and there were several visitors in attendance. Since we had so many out of town, including 29 in Mexico, Pastor White dismissed formal service. We had prayer for an hour for those who could make it.


After prayer, Les and I headed home and the Flores family met us here. We ordered pizza - I know, how un-American that we didn't barbeque! But we had a hill to climb!


Our plan was the go up the service road behind our house to see the fireworks. Unfortunately a new sign was post - Absolutely NO Trespassing! We readjusted our plans and found another hill to go up. It was quite dark by the time we got settled in...


The camera's flash worked perfectly, though!


These shots were taken by Nic, the view as seen through the eyes of a 5 year old...


One of the neighbors was playing patriotic music that we could hear. Then the show began...



And a little more "Nic Photography" - these were really fun because the camera's screen was completely black when he was taking them.




Can you tell who didn't want to be blinded by the flash?

Happy Birthday, America!

In 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote the poem, Defense of Fort McHenry. The poem was later put to the tune of (John Stafford Smith's song) The Anacreontic Song, modified somewhat, and retitled The Star Spangled Banner. Congress proclaimed The Star Spangled Banner the U.S. National Anthem in 1931.

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!


And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.


O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

England Taking Back America

You may have seen this before, but on the eve of American Independence Day, I thought it would be a fun post. To be read with a British accent of course!

To the citizens of the United States of America from Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

In light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy).



Your new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect: (You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary.)


1. Then look up aluminium, and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.

2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as "colour", "favour", "labour" and "neighbour." Likewise, you will learn to spell "doughnut" without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-ise'. Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up "vocabulary").

3. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as US English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take into account the reinstated letter "u" and the elimination of -ize.

4. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

5. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can't sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not ready to shoot grouse.

6. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. Although a permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

7. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.


8. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) of roughly $10/US gallon. Get used to it.

9. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.


10. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).


11. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.

12. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.



13. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).

14. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 pm with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.



God Save the Queen!

Friday Foodie

I have been having wonderful smoothies for breakfast lately! Here are two variations:

Soymilk Smoothie

2 cups light Silk soymilk (chocolate or vanilla)
1 cup frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries, etc.)
2 scoops Recoverite

Blend and enjoy!

If you are a Weight Watcher you will get to check off both your dairy boxes for the day and two of your fruit boxes! This is about 6 points, but will definitely hold you until lunch time. You could probably reduce it by using a different protein powder or smoothie mix instead of the Recoverite which is specially formulated for endurance athletes (yes, running 10 miles counts as endurance!)

Fruit Smoothie

2 cups Diet V-8 Splash
1 cup frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries, etc.)
2 scoops Recoverite

Blend and enjoy!

This one is lower in points (only 3) because the diet Splash is only 10 calories per cup. Of course you're not getting any dairy, but you can get that later in the day.

I have one of these every morning when I get back from running.

Missions Trip 2010

This morning at 2:30 the Victory Tabernacle Missions Team departed for Mexico! They are going to Toluca to be with the Loa Family and to Puebla to be with the Wakefield Families. I'm not exactly sure how many are on the team - we had prayer for them at the end of service last night and it seemed there were 20 or more.

Please remember them in your prayers - they will return on Monday. Pray that God will use them to light fires of revival, that their lives will be changed, and that God will keep His hand of protection upon the entire group. Who knows, there may be a missionary in the group and they don't even know it yet!