Old Flying Farts Bicycling Club
 
End of day four:
After a six day drive to San Francisco we picked up Pat and Rod smoothly.  Then everything went a wrong.  We tried to drive to the Presidio to start the ride.  Of course we got lost and drove all over  town.  When we arrived time was tight for Pat and me to unload the bikes and take some pictures. Rod and Pat had to be down at the Alcatraz ferry by 1:45.  When I took my tires out the rear was flat.  I put on one of Pat's spare wheels.  We took off to the picture site and my front tire popped off the rim.  Put on Pat's other spare.  Now organized we tried to find Rod for the photos. No Rod.  He went to a different picture sight.  We finally got together for the pictures.  Pat and I hopped on the bikes and did the 5 mile ride to the ferry.  Because of construction Rod and Sal got lost getting to the ferry.  With minutes to departure They showed up.  We quickly loaded the bikes and the guys went to Alcatraz(Sal and I have been).
Sal and I hung out near fisherman's wharf.  I went to the van and fixed both tires.  Pat and Rod met us at the van.  Rod got behind the wheel for the first time to head to our motel across the bay.  No problem except we got caught in a two hour traffic jam in the city.  It ended up a very long stressful day.
Day two involved a 107 mile ride from Vallejo to Folsum.  Easy ride until the final seven miles when my front tire started going flat.  We went thru three CO2 cartridges.  We saved one in case I had to change the tube.  Eventually we called Rod and Sal to come rescue us.
Day three had us leaving Folsum, hopefully to Carson Pass.  We made it half way.  Gruelling steep hills, high heat and no breeze caused us to abandon for the day.  We decided to drive over the pass and find a motel.  60+ miles later  we found one.
Today we drove back 60+ miles to where we stopped and continued the ride.  Oh yeah, we got up at three am to back track.
We had a 50 mile steep climb today.  We finally arrived at Carson Pass.  We roared down, Pat hit 45 mph.  I hit the breaks a little more frequently and topped out at 40mph.
We rolled into the same motel we had stayed the previous night.  Hope things start going a little more smoothly.
Don
Roy
6/27/2010 10:20:38 pm

Donald:

I seem to recall stories of your other biking adventures when the first week did not start off too well. You are an old pro at this, so I expect the situation to improve steadily for you as the ride progresses. Yes, probably annoying and frustrating at first, but doesn't it make the accomplishment all that more satisfying knowing you overcame the adversity?

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    Don Ballingall

    I am a retired elementary school teacher.  Married with a daughter and two wonderful grandchildren.
    I have ridden across the United states at  ages 38, 50 and 60.
    So why not try it again at 70.

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