Hello folks, this is Nikki, updating on what’s been going on for the past couple of weeks.
What a month June has been. Particularly the 17th–Day 24 of the Dog Cancer Ride Across America. Earlier in the day, as Ian and I were driving down Interstate 15 through Pocatello, our support vehicle broke down.
After calling AAA and having it towed to the nearest repair shop, we learned that there was literally less than half-a-quart of oil in the entire SUV. We went surprisingly far, but inevitably, the lack of oil caused the entire engine to seize, leaving us with no vehicle. The mechanics explained that there were absolutely no signs of an oil leak, so we have to conclude that, while performing the last oil change, someone forgot to replace several quarts of oil. So now we’re making arrangements with the dealership where we bought the car–the people who administered that fatal oil change–to figure out what exactly we’re going to do about the car and the $5,000 spent on it.
Later that night, we settled into our hotel in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. It was about 11:00 PM, when Ian and I decided to go for a walk down main street in search of a convenience store. A couple of blocks away, a group of teenage boys drove by and began name-calling and swearing at us for no apparent reason. They drove off and we didn’t think much of it, until a few blocks away, they stopped the car and four guys got out and started pummeling Ian. Luckily he was in martial arts for several years, so he was able to defend himself, and he probably caused more damage to them than they did to us. Once back in the hotel, we got a hold of the police and filed a report, but there isn’t much that can be done.
So, that’s what’s been keeping us away from the blog for the past 16 days, but we’re back and stronger than ever. We’ve got another vehicle, a 1994 Mercury Villager, which not only has more space, but it also gets slightly better gas mileage than the Acura we were driving before.
Well, now that you’re all caught up, I’ll pass the keyboard over to Ted. But if you’d like to see more of what happened over the past couple of weeks, check out our YouTube profile at http://youtube.com/dogcancerride!
And now, here’s Ted:
As much as I enjoyed our layover in Preston, Idaho (the town was quaint yet active, the people friendly, and for some reason I LOVED the idea of staying in the hotel room “Napolean Dynamite” slept in while filming the movie – probably too much, considering I’ve never even seen the movie…), I was one happy cyclist as I rode my bicycle past the “Welcome to Utah” sign and FINALLY out of our Idaho “adventure” – frankly, I was afraid we’d never leave.
Between car troubles, rain and wind storms, roads to nowhere, health scares, random teen thug attackers, locals throwing soda at me, etc., etc., etc. – Idaho took us about twice as long to ride through as expected. And I couldn’t wait to leave. (My apologies to any Idahoans out there supporting the Ride.)
But as I crossed into Utah, I felt a weight come off my shoulders – a lighter feeling – a feeling that we really were back on track and again making progress towards our goals. It felt good.
Who cared that my rear bicycle tire went flat about 3/4 of a mile past the Utah sign (my first flat in over 900 miles of riding) – it still felt good. Or that the same tire went flat again about 6 miles later… Or that the same tire went flat again again about 5 miles after that (O.K., by then I was getting a bit annoyed – and decided it was time to cut my ride about 7 miles short of my intended destination and have Ian drive me into town for a good night’s sleep).
And a funny thing happened as we pulled into the parking lot of the Econolodge in Logan, Utah – the entire parking lot was filled (we literally got the last room in town) with of all things BICYCLISTS! It seems we hit Logan on the eve of its annual “MS-150 Bicycle Race” to benefit Multiple Sclerosis. It felt strange walking around among literally hundreds of bicyclists – especially since I was the ONLY ONE in bicycle clothes, and knowing that I was the ONLY ONE who wasn’t riding in the race the next day.
I actually considered entering the race just for fun – curious to see how I’d do now that I’ve been “training” for the past 975 miles – but thought better of it once I realized there was a $250 entry fee (its for a good cause, but still…) and that the race covered a giant 150 mile circle over the next two days. I mean, when you’re already in the middle of a 4,281 mile ride, why add another 150 miles just to go in a big circle?
So as I sit here, planning out routes to get over the Rockies (just a few days away), it’s comforting to know there are hundreds of other bicyclists sleeping soundly in the rooms around me. I’ll think about them (and wonder how I would have done) as we roll along through my new favorite state (for now) – Utah, towards my next new favorite states (Wyoming and Colorado, coming soon) along our journey across America to Virginia Beach, Virginia, and hope for dogs who desperately need cancer care.
From the worlds hugest hotel room (it’s literally twice as big as our rooms on any other night) – in the middle of the world’s largest bicycle rally (ok, maybe not the world’s largest, but it is pretty darn big) – this is Ted Schneck saying good night from The Dog Cancer Ride Across America.
Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you down the Utah (finally) road…
- Ted Schneck in Logan, Utah
