Day 41: Let Us Whine a Little

Total: 2704 miles

Cyclist's Observation: Fingers work better before a ride than after a ride.

As you can see from the picture, we have arrived in San Diego, California. Please feel free to have a drink of your choice to help us celebrate. Bill and I left Boulevard at 5:45 am. What could be better than letting gravity thrust you along at about 20 mph through some incredible scenery. We had a few headwinds that kept our speed under control and the brisk wind in our faces also kept us awake. After almost 20 miles we took our first break. Since the temperature was in the low 40s, Bill helped peel my fingers off of the handlebars. Donuts and coffee and more clothes helped to ease some of the embedded stiffness. It was now time to move on to our next breakfast. We arrived in San Diego in the early afternoon with 74 miles behind us at 12.8 mph.

As you can see from the second picture, Serotta and Cannondale have finally decided to call a truce with the Old Land Cruisers. I think it's safe to say that neither of us have worn the other completely out! Bill and I have tried to minimize the amount of whining in the blog, but we have reserved some additional observations. These will be more obvious to cyclists who abuse their bodies on a regular basis. I won't bore you will the details of the abuses, I will simply try to provide an understanding of the symptoms. As we arrive at a motel we dismount the bikes. After five, six, or seven hours on the bike your legs are a little shaky, your hands are stiff and probably tingling, your feet may be hot, and you may have other ailments specific to your body mechanics. The problems usually surface as you check into the motel. Filling out your name, address, phone number may be challenging as your hands are still shaking and your mind adjusts to the flow of oxygen. Your signature has marks that are totally incomprehensible and if you print your name, it's not any better. A few other problems we have noticed. As you get in the shower the little EASY tear shampoo packets aren't so easy to tear open with numb wet fingers. Lotion packets are a similar problem. Dinner is always an adventure with dropping items, opening plastic utensils, and trying to sign your name when you charge it. We don't meet the ADA standards for the disabled, but we have borderline conditions yet to be diagnosed by the medical profession.

I will have the final blog entry submitted tomorrow. So if you have had nothing better to do than follow this drivel, this is fair warning. You may have to sign up for Facebook to waste the same amount of time.

We are the Old Land Cruisers and we are done cruisin for now.