Home, homo on the range

Friends and followers, what a eventful couple of weeks. I will briefly recap.

I went to Colorado for a few days. This after a Friday dinner for the ol journal :) Ah followers, I pique your interest. 

Saturday after only a few hours sleep (literally maybe two or three hours of sleep, Friday was a tough night emotionally), I took a plane to Colorado. Oh Rockies, I miss you so. I got picked up by my sister and my nephews :) I miss them soooo much.  They are super cute and growing so much every day that when I see them it is a night and day difference.  Uncle Ricky was there and they warmed up quickly.  We had a fun day of shopping and hanging out, and some good food prepared by the sis!

Sunday, more hanging out and playing. Tickle attacks, kiss attacks and superhero play time. Then off to Greeley to see my niece and nephew.  More hanging out and jumping off coffee tables onto couches and laps around the living room. Then off to the nephews hockey game (not before a pumpkin latte).  Fun game seeing the kids trip on themselves, but then, a concussion, to my nephew.  Oh how that must have smarted.  Felt bad for him.  But he is tough and a trooper and pulled through like a true grandson of the Guy family bloodline.

 The nephews!

Monday, we as a family met at Casa Bonita, a family entertainment restaurant.  They have a huge waterfall and shows, divers, arcade and scary cave (but a four year old with a sword can scare off the monsters. But I will admit I got scared at point :)). I earned some fierce Uncle points.  I managed a potty break that went awry. My gag reflexes stayed down though and I only left tears on my nephews head from almost crying.  A hysterical moment I will remember forever. Then off to the homestead! It is always nice to be home. Nothing beats the openness of the house, the comfort of memories, and the vast expanse of farm and forest.  It is a peaceful place. I love it there! Sledding and fun in the knee deep snow and dinner of Puerto Rican Pork Chops and Rice and Beans (made by mom and my niece!).

 A Farm Cat

 

 Mom, Dad and I

Look, I am on a farm. The hen house!

Above, my grandparents homestead.

Fun in the snow!

 At points it was knee deep!

Tuesday was a hike in Red Rock Canyon and reflecting on Contemplative Trail. I could barely breathe! This was not my first hike out there but maybe the crazy cardio I do at sea level made me miss oxygen.  I could not breathe and struggled. But it was beautiful at the base of Pikes Peak and being with family. Lunch at Fargo’s (great pizza and décor). Then off to see the location of the soon to be Eastonville Extravaganza!

Wednesday, lunch with the family at home (more Puerto Rican food!) and sledding and fun.  And I came out to dad. What! Yup, sure did.  And amazing followers. It is not a private journal entry moment, but it is lengthy, one to talk about face to face.  When you see me next time followers, ask and I will tell! But in a nut shell, I have never been more proud to be his son. He loves me so much and couldn’t be more proud of his son, gay or not (and of course he has known for 15 or so years J). And a really good spiritual conversation to boot. Who knew an almost bear attack could bring out the spiritual side in you (ask followers, that is a good story to tell as well).

Two side notes;

My sister who is so anti technology (I am a technophobe as well) just got a smart phone.  And good lord, the woman cant get off it.  It just made me laugh.  She always called me out on it for being on the phone too much and look at her now!

Also, parents of twins, you are amazing. Parents in general, amazing. But multiples… my hats off to you!

Till next time
~Ricky

A love story

Follower.  This is a blog chronicling my love affair with my bike, and I have yet to post about the love, and trials that come with love, of my bike. So shoot. Here goes. Let me tell you how Blanch (her name) and I are doing.

It started quite nice. I used an outside resource to meet her. My resource (Manny if you’re wondering) had her all picked out. He used answers to questions asked of me to do a compatibility test. After scientific computations, he had her all picked out.  We set up a blind date. (Manny was there of course. He had to ensure a good fit) It was like at first sight.  She was the most handsome bike in the room. We reviewed each other (I sat on her, she felt out my leg height) and went for a trial ride. Not bad. Handsome. Witty. Good conversation. Smart (best shifting and derailing system out there). And there was mutual interest.  We agreed to meet again (granted I took her home that night. Hey oh! She slept in my living room).

It was a few days before we met again.  We took it slow. We still looked each other over every time we saw each other (I had no idea what bikes did so I had to review the shifters, chain, tires). Just so handsome.  Yes, you can’t judge a book by its cover but the cover does help with the selling.  And I got quite a few compliments from fellow bikers (literally, at least 3-4 times a ride someone always says, nice bike). And she was beautiful. Over the course of that next couple of months we met once or twice a week, nice rides around Kensington and University Heights. Trips with friends. Solo trips. Long trips around the bay. And it was just working out so well. I really really liked her.  She was fantastic. I met someone whom I was really starting to fall for.  And I am pretty sure she liked me.  She felt me out. She started to understand my cadence, my speed, my singing to myself (I do that often) my slips as I tried to clip into her peddles, though I know I may have bruised her a little. Those clips are hard to navigate when you are first getting used to them and I am sure she thought the moves were crass. 

I may have gotten too used to her though. She was incredible. She was there for me and I started to forget to check her chains.  Her braking system. I got comfortable, and she made it so easy for me to get comfortable since she treated me so well. But for all that she was giving me, safe rides, smooth shifts, easy peddling, I forgot that she needed me in return to support her as much as she supported me. But she stood by my side ensuring that I was comfortable every mile of the way. She treated me so well.  I knew I needed to support her and coach reminded me so. I had was going to give her the TLC she deserved.

And then life turned upside down for me.

My best friend lost her loved one and I fell apart.  I was devastated.  The day I found out, I called upon Blanch, my rock, and rode her to her and I’s extreme. Phone calls were made on her back and tears fell on her from my eyes.  I was at my worst and she saw all of it. Those weeks were tough; and through every tear and question and sleepless hour, she was there. She was there when I worked my 12 hour shifts, my late night phone calls, and my depressed god challenging moments. We rode, we ate, I cried on her, we paused and watched life, we sat and watched TV together, her in the living room a constant reminder that I had someone to be my rock as I was a rock for those who needed me. I follower, was at my worse than I had been in over ten years.  I never thanked her during that time but have since.  She needs to know how incredible she was to me for that time, though she may not have realized it.

During this dear follower, I totally neglected Blanch. For a while.  I think I took a month off from her.  Don’t get me wrong, we saw each other almost every day (she had since moved to the kitchen). And I thought of how I needed to ride her and get to know her. I was committed to her. (We are going to go on a huge 7 day ride, of course I was committed). But I couldn’t pull myself out of my rut, dare I say depression, to ride her and let her know how much she meant to me.  Friends and also myself as well got the same neglect. Unfortunately I saw it and knew it.  I knew that I neglected my friends and her needs and put my complacency auto drive self first. How shitty of me.

Follower, I got through the rough times. Time heals all wounds they say.  And I am healing for the loss, and I am healing from my work. Yes follower, I let work take over my life a little too much. But life has gotten so much easier. I have a kick ass boss who took tons of pressure (and 60+ hour work weeks) off my shoulders and an Assistant Supervisor to help with my work load.    And through that, all the relationships, family, friends and Blanch all got a bit of a hold from me. However, now that work is better and my friend is healing, life is taking off again. My friendships are taking off. I am meeting so many new friends and people through ALC that life is changing.  This really is a wonderful life. My life is really a wonderful life.

“Blanch, I am sorry” I tell her.  She seems to understand.  I know I have been absent but I am here now, and you Blanch, deserve the best from me. You gave me the best when I was down.  Oh follower, it was rough. They say it’s like riding a bike, well, not so true. It is now officially training season and we have been absent from each other.  I took Blanch out of the kitchen and recommitted myself to her.  We spruced up, oiled and cleaned her chain, adjusted the brakes. I sat on her, felt the positioning of my body against hers and said let’s try this out. We were good before, it’s like riding a bike, yeah??

Well, no. The first week she and I went out and it was rough. I slipped off of her. She would shift and move under my feet. I couldn’t clip in, and our peddles and clips sometimes just didn’t meet up. I was absent and it was going to take more than this one day to get back on track.

Training day one with ALC is upon us. It was not bad. She still loved me and I loved her. We knew this may be hard and a challenge but we needed to try it out, so we rode. Some moments I clipped in no issues and we would take off and feel the salt air on our skin, refreshing, and blissful. Other times, we didn’t connect, one legged riding, through a stoplight as it is turning red and it was hard not to think will this work out. But we made it through day one.

Day two it gets better. Training ride three, even better.  We are relearning ourselves together and recommitting ourselves to each other.  We never forgot what each other needed, but it took time to feel each other intimately again. Things were getting better, slowly, sometimes difficult, but  they were getting better. Hey Blanch, let’s ride a Century. You and I work well together, and I want to be there for you as you have been there for me and make a journey of this love that we share. Let’s do it.

More getting to know you again needs to occur before the journey. Blanch now knows my style.  She ignores my perpetual signing to myself the same song over and over as she can be cool like that. But she feels my cadence. I feel her shifts. She feels my posture. She feels my grip. I am showing her more of me now, as it was when we first met. She sees the determination in my spirit. The love in my heart. And the humor I lack. But she gets me. We clip in, no issues. Yeah, we still slip and don’t connect right away sometimes, but we mutually know that we have to clip together to ride the journey, so we do.    I give her my everything, and she is as well.

Century. We get to the start of our journey. Golly, the first ten were scary and hard.  Life blew a sand storm quite literally at us; at one point we disconnected and unclipped from each other. We may be apart, but we still are by each other weathering the storm. We both had no idea that life was going to pelt us with pebbles. But after that ten, we got back in our groove and rode our journey.  And follower, it was brilliant. We meshed and felt each other’s jive. We excelled each of us pushing the other to that next milestone and being each other’s cheerleader on the way. Granted we took some time apart to rest and enjoy the journey from our own perspective (rest stops. She can’t join me in the porta potty), but we always joined back up. And follower, we did it and we finished together.

I would say follower, I love my Blanch. We are on a journey and met one milestone and have many more ahead of us. And though we will both change; clips, peddles, strength, posture and each of those changes may take a second to adjust too, I know that this is just the start to our incredible journey!

The (60 MPH) Wind Between My Teeth, p2

Followers! Here is part two of my Century Ride weekend. I do apologize for taking so long. It was a long work week. But a quick note, work is actually going great. Our Park President twice in two separate meetings noted my service to providing a safe working environment for both our Department and the Blue Horizons show.  And he treated a few of us to a Dine with Shamu to celebrate our Christmas success! Also, I am back home in Colorado for five days spending time with my family, niece and nephews (loving it so far!).

So did you watch the video from last blog??

You can watch all 5 minutes but if your short on time watch from 45 seconds to just after 3 min

http://youtu.be/Mr3BKUA9_3s
Saturday 2/11/12


So David and I woke up at 5 am to get our day started. While I got ready, David got us coffee!  Thanks David! We were out of the hotel at 6 and at the starting line in ten minutes.  There we met up with Logan, another ALC participant, first time TRL, second time doing ALC.  Logan is great.  He is super cool and very funny.  So at 630, the band played us off and we took off!  The route itself wasn't bad, although so many people told me that it was going to be rough with lots of cyclists.  It wasn't though. There were a lot of people (8000+), and dickhead cyclists who you thought were going to kick you out of their way, but they were far ahead of you within minutes so it wasn't that bad.  What was bad was the winds!!!!  The wind was 30-50 MPH with gusts of 60 MPH.  Holy shit.  I got scared.  Literally, the front wheel of my bike would kick off to the right as the side winds hit it. I saw people wiped out, people in near misses, and lots of frustrated people.  Some even quit it was that bad.  David and Logan kept going and pushed me along, but then the sand picked up.  Low and behold, it was pretty much a sand storm.  But with the winds so great, it was actually picking up small pebbles and striking the side of us.  There was also construction and a huge 7 foot deep ditch in the direction people were falling.  So a lot of people walked.  I could have braved the biking, but it got to a dangerous point where the only option was to get off the bike and walk the 1/4 mile through the pebble storm.  Otherwise I would have had to navigate people walking, falling and the time trial people. And of course, the dickhead riders were yelling at us the entire time to get over, but meh, whatever.  I got a nice exfoliation on the left side of my body and an ear full of sand to clog my hearing for the day.  The odd part was at one point I looked up and saw bicyclists leaning into the wind.  That is an image I will never forget.  I could not believe we were all almost ten degree tilt into the wind as it was that strong.  What an odd way to cycle. I almost could have quit.  This was mile 6 and 7 and it was this bad.  It took about 1 1/2 hour to go 10/12 miles. How was the rest of the day going to be??  I know I wouldn't quit, but if I had to, now was going to be the time. But David and Logan kept riding and so did I.

Logan on Left, David on Right (I safely took this picture at mile 80, there was no one behind me and no traffic)

Mile 9 will live in infamy. So, wind still hitting us and I needed a boost.  So I pulled out a pack of Cliff Shot Blocks, an electrolyte supplement. It was not opened.  So I used my teeth to open it! I have big fillings on the front of my teeth, and I ripped that sucker (my tooth)  right in half. Yup. Fantastic. No pain but I heard it and bit down on it.  I pulled over and had Logan and David pull over.  I showed them the tooth as I spit it out in my hand.  "You in pain" they ask. "Nope". Peddle on they say.  So I pocket the tooth and peddle on! There was no pain, keep this in mind for the duration of the story.  But what was great, we turned down Dillion road where the wind is now pushing us along.  Got up to 41.9MPH on the bike!  I literally was smiling feeling the wind between my teeth.  It was incredible and so funny at the same time. Here is a pic of the first SAG stop at about mile 18 with my missing tooth!


The Next 82 Miles....


This is my new Gamin GPS that tracks my miles and peddle time. I download it to my computer afterwards and it is amazing! Nice way to keep track of my rides.

So onward.  Nothing was hurting too bad.  Just keep a cadence, watch out for your fellow bikers and enjoy the ride.  The desert is beautiful. Palm Springs, not so much, but it wasn't ugly.  I did enjoy the ride and the scenery.  But really, you get to that zen place I have mentioned before.  Logan, David and I did not stay side by side, so frequently I was by myself for the first 60 of the ride.  And it was delightful. You peddle, get into a rhythm and go. I wish I could describe accurately how it felt for me to be on this ride. I can't in written words.  Talking to people, I have had better luck.  But I will say this, it is the closest to god (whichever god you believe) that I could ever get to. You are being peace when you ride.  At least that is how I find it to be.  And when I am not in zen, I am in thought with myself and it is truly blissful and contemplative.  Oh followers, I wish you could be there with me when I get to that spot!

But each rest stop, we regrouped and rode out again.  They (SAG) took care of us refilling our water and giving us snacks, usually with a good band.

At mile 40 something was the bail out for century riders.  I was near David when we passed it.  He said after we passed, guess we are committed.  I never thought of it that way, but when he said that I knew a) I could do this! No Problem. and b) what am I doing, 60 some odd more miles to go, what am I thinking!!!!

 Still Beautiful and still going strong, but now I am in BFE.  I am going downhill (wheee!!!! I love downhills) and I see Logan on the side of the road, flat tire. Bummer. I stop.  David is close behind and he stops.  So we change out Logan's tire and we see a guy approaching on his bike, slowly lifting his right pant leg.  It was obvious as he was approaching downhill and had the biggest tan line. David says, he is about ready to pee.  WHAT! No way, Logan and I say.  David says just watch.  And so followers, we watch tan boy going downhill and we pause and watch.  The seconds stretch on as we wait in anticipation.  And then suddenly, a stream of liquid comes jetting off the side of his bike!!!!  The dude is peeing while riding his bike.  He was in it for time, so no time to stop.  Just whip it out and go.  Well two thoughts followers crossed our head. Either how talented to get his shorts so high up and not fall off your bike or how huge is this guy to pull that off.  (I asked Manny about it at work the next time I saw him and he said this is quite normal for timed events)

Mile 47 approaches and its a lunch stop.  Turkey and cheese sandwiches with a community high school choir screeching show tunes in our ears.  It was a nice respite though.  And then the pain.  Yup, my root was exposed on my tooth.  That sandwich quite killed my tooth.  But I needed to eat, so I pushed through it and like before, we peddled on!

Now followers it gets interesting. I had been riding to ride. Get the miles in. Get saddle time in. Feel the burn of riding 100 miles.  But it all changed for me after lunch.  Yes, I was starting to feel it. My quads hurt and I was slowly getting tired. But it changed in the sense that I was now in a happy Zen place, and loving this moment, right here, right now in life.  I was solo riding and thought I need to ride with the boys. Logan had pulled far ahead. David was just behind. I pulled over to wait for David.  David had been such a support to me, encouraging me, motivating me and a fast friend to me.  If I was going to finish out the last fifty, I wanted it to be by a friend.  David came up and asked if I was OK.  Great I say. I can finish if I need to, but what fun is it to get to the finish line and not be with friends.  Awesome he says.  So we ride.  

David was sick the day prior so we took our time.  We were heading back into civilization, but were still in farm country.  It was pretty. We were in fields of date trees for all the date farms.  The mountains were just ahead of us.  At one point he says, “See the base of that mountain Ricky. That is where we are finishing.”  “Oh, that close mountain” I say.  “No” he says. “The one behind that.”  Crap.  We peddle on.  David lent me an ALC jersey.  I loved it.  It has a huge heart right on the front and says motivational words on it.  It felt right, like a perfect fit.  What was cool was that Logan also wore an ALC shirt.  So all three of us had on ALC jerseys from various years.  And soooo many people stopped to talk to us (well rode by our side to talk to us).  They asked how it was, if we had done it, or they had done it themselves.  I met quite a few people while riding as they all said hi, inquired and also said good for you for doing that ride.  It was nice and made me realize what a well known large family I am about to enter into. 

Mile 74. SAG Rest stop.

Filled up on four 20 oz bottles of water, a few bananas, and jammed out to a great High School jazz band. Peddle on.

Mile 88. SAG Rest Stop

Logan was ahead of us.  David and I pull in to find Logan on the ground of the parking lot. “Guys, my face is numb”. Alright followers.  We were tragic!  I am missing a tooth, David is coughing up his lung and Logan is cramping up and numbing up.  Water, food, SALT! Oh so close but the lot of us are a sad bunch :)  We were strong and were going to finish but man we probably looked so pitiful!  Now here followers was were a very cool moment happened.  A lady rode up and David says hi.  He says this is the person I told you about.  It was Doreen.  Doreen is a superhero.  She has been riding in all ALC’s and AIDS Rides (what it was called before ALC) since day one.  Every mile, every year, for the past 18 years!  How remarkable a woman.  She was nice, full of stories and just a genuine happy person.  She motivated us then and there congratulating me on my first century, getting Logan back on his feet, and keeping our spirits up. Peddle on.

The lot of us rode out. All four of us having a fun time, encouraging each other on, in a team.  12 miles to the end.  We can do it!  But alas, I finally hit my brick wall.  Mile 92, we are back in the suburbs and with that the stop lights and stop signs.  So no more riding on end without any stops.  Because of that, I think I hit my wall.  I was beat.  It seemed like the end was just around the corner but far away.  Peddle on, you can do it, we are almost there.  Of course, I know we can do it. But David, Logan and I were at our end (well David seemed better than both of us).  Mile 98 and I blanked.  We approached a stop sign, Doreen stopped, I did not.  Ran right into her.  I felt so bad.  She said don’t worry, it happens, it’s just a bike kiss (my first kiss, how wonderful and how cool to kiss a woman! A superhero woman).  No damage, but a nice wake up call for the last 4 miles (yes followers, it was actually a 102 mile ride).

 

The end is in sight.  David, Logan, Doreen and I are right there.  David waits, Logan waits, Doreen is right there with us, and the four of us cross the finish line together!  How wonderful. I did it! 100 miles! CENTURY!!!! Followers, it was moving. I am not sure what I felt.  I had tears in my eyes. I was tired, happy, on cloud 9 and just a mix of emotions, but not sure which one I felt most.  My legs hurt. Standing sucks as I am now static.  I had tears and so did Logan.  But then David, my motivator and friend says, “No one said saving lives was going to be easy”.  Flood gates. Got it.  That’s what I am feeling. This wasn’t about the century. Don’t get me wrong. I am damn proud of myself and know that I am happy for this amazing accomplishment. We finished at 4pm but our peddle time was 7 hours! But his words put it in perspective.  This is bigger than me. I am part of something that I may never know its full reach. I hurt, my body is done and I am tired.  But it doesn’t matter. I am riding to train for a ride that is bigger than me, and saving lives is not easy.  But we, this ALC family are doing just that.  Go us! We have a lot to be proud of :)

So how does this journey end? Well a quick rundown.

We start to walk back to the hotel. We pass Bill’s pizza.  “David, let’s eat.”  We got some pizza and it tasted so good. The best pizza ever (or maybe I was that hungry. I burned over 5000 calories on the ride!). And then the pain again.  I have to call my dentist.  This exposed root is just too much.  

Walking, moving, sitting then standing, all was slow.  Man were my legs tight! Twice I stumbled while walking back.  One would have thought I was drunk!  It was just hard to walk after all that same position peddling.

David jumped in the shower. I made a phone call. I had to call my supporter and fan.  I wanted to share with him first how this was for me. Thanks Jose. It was nice to share my first feelings of the ride with you.

I got in the shower next.  David left a slew of sand on the tub floor for me. I just added to it. No joke.  There was so much sand in the tub.  And our washcloths were both so dirty and grimy from all the crap that was hitting us on the ride.  The washcloths were sandy black.  And I still had sand in my ear!

Celebratory Stella!! Or two.

David and I went to an ALC BBQ after the ride.  Now followers, this was fun.  Greg, Sandy, John, Doreen, David and so many more.  Hugs abounded, cheering occurred, Doreen made a loud big deal of my first century.  But it was fun.  I am entering a family. A large ALC family all riding for one cause.  And it felt great!  The love from everyone, friendly conversations, and high spirits were so awesome.  I ate a burger, tons of potato, macaroni salads and half a bowl of chips (it was next to me so I just didn’t stop).  It was short (David and I were beat) but so much fun to hang out and meet new people.  Followers, this is going to be so incredible. I am so happy to be a part of this group of people.

It’s 8 and David and I go back to the hotel. We grab some hot chocolate from Starbucks and ambisol for my tooth (I called the dentist; he will see me the next day!). Off to the hot tub.  We sat in there for 40 minutes.  It felt so nice.  We had our drinks and talked.  It was nice to relax and recuperate from the ride.  And it was nice to talk with him and get more insight to riding and ALC.  We also talked about life, work, family.  Then, bed by 9.  I was wiped.

Next morning, not too bad.  Upper body was sore.  Legs ok.  Surprisingly, my upper body hurt worse than my lower body.  It was from all the static that your upper body has to do to keep itself upright.  Great ab workout! David, Logan, Logan’s BF (sorry, I cant recall your name right now) and I ate at Pinocchio’s.  It was a local dive that was gay’d out.  Super fun though. Good food.  Mimosa and country benedict.  Logan and I talked and made plans to be tent mates for the ALC ride.  I think he will be a great tent mate as he is fun, funny and just a great guy.  He will definitely make the ride fun after long days of peddling.  I hope he is not a snorer. Oh yeah, and David, who is not riding this year, is sweeping.  So he will still be a part of it.  Though I hope to not encounter him on the ride as that means I needed to be swept off the route.  Hopefully I will only see him at rest stops, camping area and maybe waving help and encouraging us all on as he sweeps the route.

Left for home.  Due to unexpected construction….. there was only one lane open on the interstate.  Took about 2 hours to go 20 miles or so.  But the ride back was smooth and not too bad.  However followers, I have to admit something to you which David and I talked immensely about.  I did not pee at all that day.  Nor did I really pee while riding or after the ride.  I drank about 200 or so ounces of water. And I really thought I had enough.  But I didn’t pee.  So lesson learned for next time, drink more.  As they say in biking, drink ride pee.  I should follow that mantra.

That Sunday night, I finished the great weekend I had by meeting up with Jose and having dinner.  (Wait, why has Ricky mentioned Jose twice in this blog.  Arnt they…..) Yes followers, but as I said, he is an amazing guy and a supporter of me, this ride and what it means to me.  So him and I had dinner and talked about this ride and life, and Whitney (RIP) and it was a great way to end a great weekend :)

Followers, it has been a trip. Probably the longest entry I will make. And with that, i bid you farewell and take care.

Till next time

~Ricky

p.s. Oh and my tooth?? Dr Chau at Uptown Dental is the BEST dentist in San Diego.  He saw me on a Sunday, did a root canal and temporary until I get a crown.  He was great.  ZERO pain, funny guy, great conversations (or as much as you can converse with his fingers in your mouth) and on a Sunday.  Thank you so much Dr Chau!!!!  Looks good, no one can tell it’s a fake!