Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

Even with a wonderful breeze blowing through the window right next to me, and even though it's been three hours since I arrived home and took a cold shower, I'm still sweating after my 60 miler today. 80+ degrees along with high humidity turned me into a sweat factory. I can't get enough to drink which tells me I didn't drink nearly enough during the ride. I'm bad about eating and drinking enough, so figuring out what amounts to "enough" is definitely one of the must-do's before I begin the ride. Last night's stay in the tent went great. With the super moon and a cool breeze, the night was perfect. The new sleeping bag worked out just fine, giving me a comfortable sleep out in the back yard. After much research online, going to several sporting goods stores, and emailing a route leader on what kind of bag to get, I settled on the Columbia Reactor 35. I'm sure most nights I'll be sleeping on top of the bag, with just a light sheet, but onc...

I slept in a sleeping bag in my new tent last night. I settled in around 9, and not too long into an episode of Twin Peaks I fell asleep. Rain started falling at 12:04 am. I know because I checked my phone when the pops against the rain fly woke me up. Thunder rumbled at 4:30 am. I know because I checked my phone when I awoke to a flash then the thunder that followed. I burrowed down into my sleeping bag, hoping to fall back to sleep, but when another flash lit up the inside of the tent, I decided to head inside the house. Lightning scares me. I snuggled down under the comforter and wondered how I was going to fare during the summer if a storm pulls me out of a peaceful sleep like just happened. I won't be able to just up and go inside my house to take comfort in being in my own bed. I'm going to have to deal with being scared. And uncomfortable.

On Saturday, I went back to Wild Country to buy the sleeping pad I first looked at in January. With less than 60 days remaining before the ride begins, I figure I better start gathering the things I need. The sleeping pad was my first purchase. After four to six hours in the saddle each day, getting a good night's sleep will be important, and I want to make sure I have the one thing that will help ensure I get the sleep I need. The pad I bought is self inflating, which is very cool, so I won't have to sit and blow it up every evening. All I'll have to do is roll it out and let it do its thing. After the trip to Wild Country, I went across the street to Vitesse Cycle and bought a new helmet. The helmet I have is fine, but after researching helmets and what makes one better than another, I decided to invest in a road cycling style helmet. It was a bit more expensive than the helmet I've been wearing (which came from a large, multi-sport, one-size-fits-all kind of place)...