Part of riding an average of 80 miles a day are the wonderful saddle sores that develop from the repetitive motion of cycling. Thankfully, some wonderful people have created creams and lotions to bring a little comfort to these raw areas. Here’s a short introduction to a few of the great products that fellow riders have introduced me to:

1. Chamois Butter- Pros: Performs consistently, not super sticky, relatively cheap. Cons: needs to be reapplied at rest stops.

2. Assos- Pros: The menthol cools veeeery niiiicely. Cons: Expensive (although many will argue that the Swiss have come up with magic in a tub that is well worth its cost).

3. Vaseline- Pros: cheap, consistent, my mother swears by this stuff! Cons: nothing

4. Desitin cream/diaper cream- Pros: Great for improving healing after rides. Cons: Having to buy the cream at the store without any other baby products and having the teenage store clerk who rings you up look questionably at you.

5. Utter butter- Pros: Also good for putting on saddle sores after rides, strong enough for cows! Cons: Kind of large tub to carry around.

If anyone has any other suggestions, please pass on that information! Our bums will gladly appreciate your help.

The wind kindly welcomed us into Kansas today…not.  First, Borat seems to be the movie of the trip, hence the “not.”  Second, the wind was anything but kind.  After 42 miles of 30+ mph cross/head-winds, the ride was called for safety reasons. 

Let me back up.  The day began in Eads, Colorodo.  The place we stayed was vaguely referred to as an “Indian burial ground,” “shack,” or “warehouse.”  Luckilly it turned out to be a much nicer clubhouse of sorts.  It was a building next to a horse track, and it had a kitchen.  One thing that is appreciated on this trip is a kitchen and hot shower facilities.  The hot shower (yep, only one stall for 23 people) happened to be at a truckstop across the street which was surprisingly clean with excellent water pressure.  Nice.

The ride was definitely character building.  Katie and I played Frogger with the many tumbleweeds flying across the road.  I don’t think anyone got a flat tire due to a tumbleweed today.  For those of you that don’t know, tumbleweeds have lots of thorns that are more than capable of deflating the most impenetrable tire.  As if avoiding tumbleweeds wasn’t enough, we practically rode leaning into the crosswind.  Wish I had some pictures.  It’s amazing how forward momentum can keep one moving forward even if the bike is tilted almost 45 degrees. 

At lunch somewhere near tribune, the bikes were loaded and we headed to Leoti, KS.  It was nice to have the decision made for us because biking in winds that flatten the grass and early crops is definitely not safe…however, there was talk of at least trying it out to see how it goes.  The decision seemed even better once a mix of rain and snow fell at some point on the drive. 

  “Wind Stirs up Chaos across Town”  (Thanks for the pics, Jen)

Once in Leoti, a visit to the Museum of the Great Plains (http://skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/Leoti/museums.html) was highly enlightening.  The woman running the museum knew an incredible amount of local history.  Buffalo Bill and a few other notables lived in or near Leoti.  Another crazy find was the rules for teachers in 1915, which is less than 100 years ago.  Some of the rules included:  No fraternizing with men other than your father or brother; no getting married while under contract during the school term; no loitering at the local icecream parlor; and no going out between 8pm to 6am unless there is a school function.  Those are only some of the 15 ludicrous rules. 

   Rules for Teachers

Let me reiterate that those were printed less than 100 years ago.  Since this ride is about world health, I’ll just suggest that everyone keep an open mind when it comes to some other countries and their treatment of women and minorities.  We have come a long way and still have a long way to go.  It was not that long ago that blatant discrimination ran rampant in the US.  There are still inequalities throughout American society today.  That does not mean we shouldn’t try to help people who are treated poorly in other countries.  Just keep in mind that the US and other countries are more similar than is perceived today, and that barriers in both the US and the world need to be addressed before change can occur.  Okay, off my soapbox.

The team went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner.  The food was quite good, especially the salty chips with salsa.  Dairy King (yep, it’s “King” instead of “Queen”) satiated our cravings for dessert.  Even when 30 degrees outside, a hot fudge sundae hits the spot. 

The Wichita High School is providing us with lodging tonight.  It has a home-ec kitchen and warm showers!  After playing Taboo and writing this blog, it’s time for bed.  I’m on support with Corey, Kel, and Stephanie…Team Melrose, named for all the drama that happens on our support days :)  Never dull.

So…there are two notable milemarkers for today:  crossing into a new state and moving into central time.  Now I’m only an hour behind my home state of Virginia.  Calling home will be much more convenient since friends and family won’t be sleeping when I finally get a free moment. 

Tomorrow we go to Ness City, KS.  80 miles pretty much downhill.  The wind should be better, too.  Welcome to Kansas R4WH.

Utah is beautiful! I have been enjoying the scenery so much at times I forget I’m on my bike. I feel very lucky to have this opportunity to see different parts of the country, and all at just the right pace!

Here are some pictures from Utah:

Hot Springs in Panaca, NV

After a great meal cooked by Marianne we went for dessert at a restaurant called the Windmill Ridge. It was fun and relaxing, and because we are all so good at sharing (I love that!) we all got to try most of the desserts on their menu. My personal favorite was the peanut butter brownie. After that a group of us went to the hot springs nearby for a quick dip. This picture is Ashley, Stephanie, and I underwater acting out hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.

Cedar City to Tropic

I was on support the day these two pictures were taken. The first is the view after the long climb out of Cedar City, Utah. It was a great climb and everyone did awesome! The second picture is from Bryce Canyon the same day! I was driving the support vehicle and kept stopping to take pictures because I couldn’t get enough. When we got to the high school we made the riders tomato soup and grilled cheese which went over really well.

 Lunch Stop

Jamie and I taking a rest during lunch. Our lunch stop was at a great lookout over the canyons.

Natural Bridges Monument

 We camped out at the Natural Bridges Monument after a 100 mile day. A group of us went on a short hike when we got to the camp site to walk under one of the bridges. This picture is of Seth, Van, Cory, Anuj, Nate, Josh, Jamie, and I.

Karaoke in Monticello

In Monticello, Utah we sang Karaoke! There was a restuarant across the street from the Church where we were staying and the Karaoke DJ made a special trip for us! The first picture is us singing Summer Nights (Anuj, Nate, and Van for the men, and Steph, Marianne, and I representing the ladies). The second picture is when all of the guys serenaded Marianne singing “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling.” Maybe we should start singing for World Health. Just a thought

Tropic to Boulder, Petrified Forest

On our way to Boulder, Utah we had a lunch stop at a petrified forest. This is a picture of some of us hiking along the trail to see the petrified wood.

Riding into Telluride

Snow! Riding into Telluride we had a huge climb in the mountains and were surrounded by lots of snow! Dave, Bobby, and I stopped for a picture during the descent.

I am so far behind at this point I don’t think I will catch up soon. Camping is a strange and wonderful experience. After a long hard day of riding we must unload all the gear. This includes all the riders bags, and bedding as well as the food bins, cooking utensils, two extra jumbo sized coolers, and the camp stove, propane tank, tents etc etc. You get the idea.

Now we must figure out what to feed 23 plus very hungry riders. Thankfully Cory struck a deal on many cans of almost expired turkey chili at the local convenience store. I think someone mentioned stocking up for Y2k! You remember that don’t you?

On this particular day our team was on support for the riders from Bolder to Hanksville UT. We managed to put together an edible supper of doctored up turkey chili and veggie chili made from one very large can of tomatoes, two packages of taco seasoning, several cans of re-fried beans, can corn, garbanzos, mmm my mouth is watering. It is a good thing everyone was extremely tired and hungry. I do not think there was much left.

With full bellies everyone settles down in their tents and sleeping bags. Many chose to sleep under the stars. The night sky is glorious with no city light to fade the stars. Sleep tight because we will be up at dawn to begin again. Peace, Marianne

John Steinbeck referred to Route 66 as “the Mother Road” in his classic novel, The Grape of Wrath. Route 66, originally an interstate from Chicago to Los Angeles, proved to have quite a wrath of its own. Ever since a parallel interstate was built to replace Route 66, the historic Route 66 has been severely neglected!

Good news: very few cars travel on that road.

Bad news: there were approximately 13 miles of rocky unpaved concrete with large craters that made riders swerve through both lanes in an attempt to find semi-smooth riding surface.

Route 66 definitely left its mark on Ride for World Health riders (Cory has a pretty gash on his thumb, Carissa has a sweet bruise on her left thigh just like the one on the girl who slid into home plate in “A League of Their Own,” and I have a nice scratch on my chin after taking an Ang Lee style skid on gravel).

The best news of the day, however, is that all riders completed their first century ride (100-miles) despite the rocky start…literally. The Mother Road gave us some great battle scars but couldn’t break our spirits!

So we have been in Utah for awhile, and while thr southern portion of the state has been relatively devoid of such necessities as grocery stores and showers, it has been chock full of big hills! This has lead to the breaking of many personal speed records over the past week. The highest I’ve heard recorded was 58 mph, which I’m pretty sure was a clear violation of the speed limit in that area (which of course begs the question: can you get a speeding ticket on your bike?) anyway, while most of us love flying down the hills, everyone here knows that I in fact hate the descent. It’s been that way as long as I can remember, which my long time cyctling buddy, my dad, can attest to. While we may grind it up the hills together, when it comes to the downhill, he goes bombing down, no brakes without a care in the world, as I watch enviously as he goes by. In fact many times I’ve thought of how much fun he would have flying down the peaks of Utah. So, since this trip is all about challenges, the last few days I’ve challenged myself to pretend I’m back in NJ chasing him down the hills. So far it’s worked: my highest speed has gone from around 20 before this trip to 38 mph. So Dad, here’s my challenge for you: when I get home let’s race down that big hill off of Mountain Blvd, and if I win, we’ll get you clipless pedals to go on your new bike

Today we left Cedar City and headed out to Tropic, Utah, making our first ascent to almost 10,000 feet.  We had barely had time to warm up when our the “hill” started.  4,000 feet, 17 miles, 8% grade (check this out if you’re interested to know what this means: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_%28slope%29).  Suffice to say, it was steep.  Snow and icicles lined the road starting at about 7,000 feet, and by 9,000 feet I was having trouble catching my breath as the air thinned.  It’s pretty obvious though judging by how well we all did that we are all getting stronger daily on this trip.  While some people zipped up in a pace line, others spent the time talking in pairs, and others rocking it out to their iPods, I was pretty sure that I was the only one grinding it up the hill to the BeeGees.  Now although I do admire the musical stylings of Barry Gibb, the inspiration and drive to push up the hill had little to do with him.  Two days before I left, my mom and I had spent the evening playing cards and having an impromptu BeeGees singalong.  Listening to them reminded me of how supportive my mom has been throughout this trip, and how her confidence in me has inspired me to work that much harder on this ride.  I then started to think about what a wonderful group of people we have on this trip and how there must be many special mothers out there to have raised such interesting, inspiring and caring people.  So, I guess what this entry really is is an early Happy Mother’s Day and thank you to all the mothers out there who helped get us here, up the mountain, to Tropic, Utah today. 

I think I have finally graduated from being a “rookie” cyclist! My first few days in San Diego I was informed that these grease marks on my legs are a trademark of a rookie. Everyone on the team has been kind enough to point out my new marks on a daily basis. I managed to get them on both of my legs, my arm, my face, you name it Only recently did I make it through a day without a new tattoo. Very exciting! By counting the number of marks on my legs I could tell how many days we’d been riding, like the rings on a tree. I guess I’ll have to look at the calendar now.

Yesterday as we headed out of Panaca, Nevada we said goodbye to the hot temps we’ve been riding in the past few weeks. I think many of us underestimated the cooler weather in Utah. By the first rest stop we were doing whatever we could to stay warm. This is what 13 riders look like in 40 degree weather with strong winds at 6,719 feet in one car! We got nice and cozy!

After the break we bundled up to ride 26 more miles to lunch. The support team graciously offered what warm clothes they could spare for those of us riding.

We have the day off today in Cedar City, Utah. We are giving three lectures throughout the day, running errands, taking trips to the bike shop, and preparing to conquer the surrounding mountains. I know many of us decided to invest in some additional gear to keep us warm as we will be spending more time in the mountains these next few weeks. There’s only one way out of here- up we go!

Thoughts regarding a typical ride day - Well to start with - there is not really a typical ride day. When we wake up, we might be in a high school gymnasium in a small town, a campground in a dessert or a resort in Las Vegas. Often there is a general routine of packing bags, putting on some R4WH biking gear, eating breakfast, pump my tires, put on sun block.

Invariably though, I’ll get off course (perhaps trying to fix something I accidentally broke the night before) when support team yells at me “HAVE YOU EATEN BREAKFAST - SETH”. So I eat. Yadda, yadda, ya and next thing I find myself on my bike without really knowing where I’m going except that I need to keep an eye out for orange arrows and bikers in front of me.

Riding is fun, but invariably, one gets tired and starts thinking about food. Then VOILA –on the side of the ride is a rest stop full of nourishment and fellow bikers. Once again the support team yells at me – this time telling me ‘SETH YOUR EARS ARE RED. PUT SUNSCREEN ON’. Two minutes later ‘SETH - PUT MORE SUNSCREEN ON’.

After sharing some laughs with the rest of the team we’re back on the road. By the end of the ride, I’m not sure if I’m facing east, north or west (although east always sounds right like the way we should be going). If I’m lucky I know the name of the town (or campsite) I’ve arrived in. Nevertheless, I am happy and feel perfectly safe. The support team always has our backs - It turns out that I don’t actually have to know where I am.

Fun story of the day. After getting confused as to whether there were men’s locker rooms in addition to women’s lucky rooms , Joe offered, “Seth I don’t know when it will happen, but I look forward to bailing you out jail one day.”

The picture is from Tammy, with the caption “Will the real Hulk please step forward?”  You’ll have to ask her for the story.