May 26, 2002

distances in km.

May 26, 2002

I am sure this is going to sound worse than it actually was – but my PERCEPTION of it at the time was pretty scary.

I was on the road by 8:00 into tons of long weekend traffic. A couple of hours into my ride, I approached a construction zone. As the traffic was being merged into one lane in the oncoming lane, I continued on into the construction to see if there was a way I could get through without merging into the traffic.

No way – it was a bridge and it was being re-paved. I looked and looked for some other way around, but the bridge went over a river and there was no way across except to join the single lane traffic.

So I backtracked and stopped at the junction to wait for a visible break in the flow. I found the break and took off. There was a 3-foot shoulder – just enough room for a small car and me, but probably not a semi. I kept the pace up and continued to watch my rear view mirror for any vehicles approaching.

So far, so good – I kept pressing on.

Oh, oh – what’s that ahead? The shoulder disappears? No!!!!

It was the bridge crossing. There was a concrete divider between my lane and the oncoming lane, as well as a concrete divider to my right. The space between was wide enough to fit ONE semi trailer without paint. Pick up the pace Greg. Check the rear view – what’s that!?!?!

A truck? A semi trailer in the distance? How far back? How far do I have to go? How fast is he going? Does he see me?

So I really started to hammer those cranks. The semi was getting bigger and bigger. Dam – where is the end of this bridge??

I could hear the engine breaks kick in as the little square truck grew in my mirror. Closer, closer, closer, drive Greg – drive!!!

There’s the end! I can pull off right there. So I pealed out into the dirt and stopped as the semi whizzed by, engine breaks still engaged.

I just sat there for a while and thought: What the hell am I doing here? It’s Sunday, I should be home with my family. We would probably be going out for diner tonight, then a movie. Maybe Star Wars.

So I consoled myself by digging into the danish I took from the hotel this morning.

But not the whole day was happy and fun – My battery on my watch went dead, I lost a cotter pin that I need to hold up my running push pad, and I lost one of my cycling shoes!!! When I was running today, I took a bit of a detour into a store to get some water. I had to cross a cattle gate. The rumble probably caused my shoe to fall off of the seat. I didn’t notice it until I went to put it back on when I was finished running. It’s a drag because my cycling shoes fit the Shimano cleats on my pedals.

Tomorrow it’s on to Malad City, then Utah!

Idaho lava fields