Just how did a wedding invitation save the day? Well, you all heard from Nhan how agonizing it was to ride Day 1 of STP in 95 degree heat!! I guess I dodged a bullet on the infernal (or rather, inferno) ride because I happened to be attending a wedding on Saturday. Little did we know that the timing of this wedding made a dramatic rescue operation possible! Read on.....
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| The beautiful couple |
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| No bike shorts! |
This year's STP was different in that Nhan and I were joined by 4 friends who were STP virgins: Howie, Carmen, Chinh & Hong. They needed a bit of coaxing and sweet talking to get them to ride, and we promised them a honeymoon if they would only join us! I'll probably be accused of being crass here, but it should be duly noted that these 4 innocents wanted to lose their STP virginity, badly. What they lacked was the courage to do it without the guidance of more experienced riders to show them how. Now, Nhan and I can hardly be called seasoned veterans since we have only done STP once ourselves-- we're more like amateur night at the comedy club. But we've come a long way and put in many miles together since last year, so the newbies were looking to us to be the ride leaders and organizers. When we originally planned the ride, Nhan and I wanted to challenge ourselves this year by attempting to ride to the 130-mile mark in Castle Rock instead of stopping at the mid-point in Centralia like we did last year. The early logic was that we would push hard on Day 1 and make it a leisurely ride on Day 2.
The road to STP is paved with good intentions, but even well-laid plans can end up being a bumpy ride. After having registered for STP back in January, I later found out that my semi-annual business trip to San Diego was scheduled for the week immediately following STP weekend. That put a slight kink in our plans because that meant a very early flight for me on Monday morning, instead of my usual Sunday flight to prepare for work the next day. This flight, immediately following a 200+ mile bike ride! To further complicate matters, I received the wedding invitation for the same Saturday as STP. Sure-- I'm free all of July, but let's cram every conceivable social obligation into one single weekend!
Before the STP virgins were even a twinkle in our eye, Nhan and I faced a major dilemma at the moment of conception. I didn't want to skip my friends' wedding since I knew both the bride and groom. But I also didn't want to leave Nhan to ride by himself, since I had effectively registered and committed to this major ride with him months ago. And I was already cutting my business trip short. But now that our friends were joining us, I no longer had to worry about Nhan riding by himself. Everything happens for a reason, and to gain something you must sacrifice something else. My plan was to attend the wedding ceremony on Saturday morning, which meant I would have to skip out on Day 1 of STP. And by missing out on the wedding reception party, I would at least be able to ride Day 2, which is better than nothing. My business trip would then cap off the wildest weekend ever.
The Weary...
So, it was decided that Nhan would be responsible for seeing our 4 friends through Day 1, then they would ride to meet me at the motel I booked in Castle Rock, so we could all ride out together on Sunday morning. I effectively became our SAG (support and gear) vehicle, since attending the wedding enabled me to drive everyone's overnight gear down to Castle Rock. I asked Nhan to be punctual, if he could, so that I would not be sitting idly too long, in an empty motel room, at night, by myself, in a strange town. I got spooked again by how many prepositions I had to use just now!
I arrived at 8:30pm and wistfully scanned the road and looked out the window many times, hoping to see my friends safely roll in. The hot sky exhibited a spectacular sunset, then faded steadily to dark. Inside the motel room, the A/C unit ran noisily as my own disquiet grew. I started to be concerned that I hadn't heard from Nhan at all, other than a few ride photos he texted me throughout the day. I jumped when my phone finally rang at 9:30pm, well past the time I expected them to arrive. Nhan said that the gang was dead tired, and they just couldn't bike another mile. They had already biked 120+ miles in 95 degree temps all day-- drinking up all their water, haplessly re-applying sunblock, trying desperately to avoid heat stroke. He asked me to come pick them all up at the local high school.
I jumped in the minivan and headed straight to the school, which was one of the official STP food stops. By now the roads were inky dark, the food stop was closed, and there were only a few stragglers biking through those last painful miles until they reached their destination for the night. I scanned the parking lot for any sign of my friends. At that moment, Nhan called me to say that they were not there at all, that they were still on the road, and not quite sure how far away they were from the stop. I decided I would just drive along the road and see if I could find them first.
Sure enough, I found the bedraggled bunch along the side of the road-- weary, sweaty, hungry, maybe even a bit delirious. Only 2 of them had any kind of lights on their bikes for visibility, so it was a miracle I found them at all. Despite their protests of being too stinky, I hugged them all, each and every one. I was so happy to know that everyone was safe! We managed to cram 6 adults and 5 bikes into my van, human Tetris-style. On the drive back to the motel, it was evident that there were no shoulders to ride on the side of the road, no street lights for visibility, and still many more rolling hills that would have done them in since we were a good 7-8 miles away from the motel. I secretly wondered how things would have turned out if I never went to the wedding. We all would have ended up on the side of the road with no prospect of rescue.
And that is precisely how a wedding saves the day!
While they all took turns showering, I drove down to the McDonald's to buy food for them. So much for our plan to have a nice dinner out together to cap off Day 1. As wretchedly hungry as they were, they all ate halfheartedly while almost dozing off, much like a toddler does sitting in a high chair around nap time. Within the hour, I was surrounded by 5 snoring, sneezing, coughing, and farting friends who were just relieved to finally lay their weary bodies down for a rest after the rough day they had. Like Nhan said, we're not naming names (otherwise Nhan would be blushing)
The honeymoon we promised them turned out to be nothing more than falling asleep together in a cheap motel...
Wanderlust!!!
Day 2 held all the promise of a happy riding day! Sunday was about 20 degrees cooler than the day before; everyone woke up refreshed and ready to conquer the day. After sitting through a Catholic wedding service, doing a 108-mile drive to Castle Rock, and hanging out for hours in the motel, I was so ready to get out and ride! Since I didn't have to experience the hellish heat from the day before, I had fresh legs and couldn't wait to get on the open road and start the adventure! My friend Tri made fun of me since I was only doing half of STP. He said he would make me a special finisher's badge for CTP (Castle Rock to Portland)....womp, womp, sad trombone. But I was too excited to care!
I have a thing for cute calves now...and I don't mean baby cows. It's a very underrated body feature. My friend Stephanie joked that I would have my pick from 9,999 pairs of calves at STP. Judging from all the hot legs on the road, it was an embarrassment of riches!
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| From L to R: Chinh, Hong, Nhan, Me, Carmen, Howie
Our group in front of "The Rocket" at Castle Rock High School on Sunday morning.
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From here on out, it was good times! No mechanical problems, no flat tires, cooler weather, and all our friends re-united for the ride of their lives!Look at that exuberant, happy smile on Chinh's face behind me (in the bright yellow jersey).
Nhan seemed relieved that they all survived Day 1, so he appeared really relaxed and enjoyed himself on Day 2. All day, he extolled the virtues of generous amounts of Butt Butter, liberally applied to prevent chafing. I think he learned his lesson from last year's ride. Ouchie!
Here we are, a "peaceful" bunch, queuing up for our turn to climb The Willamette River Bridge!
Last year, I remember Nhan and I trembling in the shadow of this bridge. At the time, it looked like a steep and scary climb, right next to car traffic going in the opposite direction. They sent us in waves the way they send soldiers into battle. This year, I climbed the bridge with ease and coasted down with exhilaration. What a difference a year makes!
Shame on me for taking bike selfies while riding! But I wanted to convey the sense of riding up this bridge. You can see a battalion of bikers in front of you and behind you. The sheer number of riders going up at the same time is breathtaking, and this photo doesn't do it justice. If you look closely behind me, you can see Nhan talking to Chinh, coaching him up the bridge.
Here we are at one of the mini food stops. Nhan always gets a hot dog here. He offered me a bite of it, but no food sounded good to me at the time. I was eating Clif Shot Bloks like it was nobody's business. Each gel shot is the equivalent of a cup of coffee. It had me pretty wired at this point, so I didn't want any real food. We all stood in line to use the Honey Buckets, but Nhan's a rebel and he went in the woods behind them instead. He's too cool for lines.
The pic below was taken by a fellow rider that I had struck up a conversation with at the food stop. He just turned 70 years old and was doing his 10th STP! He said it had been 9 years since his last ride, and he wanted to do it just one more time. I wish I had taken a picture of him instead, because the old guy was rocking his lycra-spandex bike shorts.
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| From L to R: Chinh, Howie, Hong, Carmen, Me, Nhan |
We took this pic shortly after Nhan hallucinated that he was smelling Mongolian beef on the road. After 2 days of peanut butter sandwiches and bananas, I think he was ready for some real grub. Nhan and I outpaced our friends for most of Day 2. Again, I had fresh legs and was exhilarated by the ride, so I can't credit myself too much.
I think Nhan felt a little less worried about the newbies, so he could feel free to fly today. It's really amazing to think how inexperienced and ill-equipped we were last year, and yet we managed to survive and ride again.
We waited here for our friends to catch up before our last major food stop.
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| Carmen and I |
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| Chinh, Hong, and Howie chillaxing at the Mt. St. Helens stretch |
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| Smiley faces after the juiciest damn watermelon ever! |
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| Another bridge to cross, steady rain and lightening strikes by now |
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| Can't tell if Howie is kissing or cursing Nhan.... |
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| And the Cutest Couple Award goes to.....Hong & Chinh! |
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| I took a spill and put a pretty good dent in my helmet. No concussion though! |
At the finish line party, we ran into our friend Phal who is six degrees of separation from everyone else I know in the biking community. He and his brother, Lum, did STP in one day. They biked all 200+ miles in less than 12 hours on the hottest day of the year.....in a full-body black Spiderman biking jersey! Here he is, trading ride stories with Howie.
We all finished the ride with all our limbs and our lives intact. Memorable rides aren't always the perfect rides. Some things are bound to go wrong, but you can't put a price on these kind of memories. Nhan and I were so lucky to be joined this year by our plucky friends. None of them had ridden STP before, but they were just as determined as we were last year. All it takes is a dash of courage, a sprinkle of spunk, a reliable bike, and a happy heart to get you through. We want to give a special shout out to our friend Ly, seen here with Nhan. Two years in a row, she came all the way from Bainbridge Island to pick us up in Portland and take us home. She's a loyal and reliable friend, and STP would not be possible without her! Thanks, Ly!!!
After all the fun and adventure, I still had an early morning plane to catch to San Diego for work. Within hours of STP, I was on the beach playing with the sea lions. The wedding, STP, and San Diego all within a span of 3 days-- all to satisfy my wanderlust and love of life. All I know is that when I got back home from my trip, I had a car full of dirty laundry from 3 different events. It was a hectic weekend with many costume changes-- but I would do it all again in a heartbeat! Nhan and I do crazy stuff together, but now we are dragging our friends along for the ride!
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| Sea lions in San Diego! |
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