Tuesday 5/1 Day 11
Today started off with me in the dumps. This is he story of me not staying in the present. I looked up the weather and saw that it was suppose to rain for the next five days up here with possible snow. When I saw this I was in a mood of me not wanting to move on but to stay in doors. It's weird because if I was to experience the rain or the snow in he moment I would end up working with it. In this example I was going off a prediction and making conclusions before they even happened. It turned out that it didn't rain today, it was a great ride in the clouds in the mid 50s. My point is I got worked up for nothing. Finding that balance between working with the future and just focusing the moment is key, because if I don't I spend to much time focusing on things that haven't happened and miss out on what is happening.
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| Harvard, ID |
Anyways I rode north through the last of the wheat fields, I hope. I stopped at a little coffee shop where I read an article a out this lady climbing all the 8000 meter peaks without supplemental oxygen. Now I know what my mom is thinking right now, and no mom I won't do them all in a year I will take a couple of years to do them all, there are eight or so. Just kidding, k2 is ridiculous over a forth the people that start off to summit end up dead on the mountain. Oh well, interesting article. As I left town a guy wished me luck on my trip, gave me a smile. Three miles later I went into Idaho. I think 70% of cars are trucks here. There are no shoulders on the back roads here but for the most part people are friendly. And for entertainment a few Idahoans have chosen one of there favorite games to play, opening the door of the car as you pass a biker a scream at them. I have yet to figure out the main rules of the game or how they keep score but I will keep you posted since I'm guessing it will happen again. The final stretch of my day was on a deserted road, the white pine high way. I stopped for lunch in the city Harvard where it seemed to be a ghost town. It was here on the way out of town I had my first scare of dogs. 3 big Rottweilers came running at me going insane!!! Thankfully there was a fence so they didn't get me but I think I pooped my pants or left a skid mark when I saw them coming. Everywhere I go I ask bikers about their strategies with dogs so when the time comes I think I will be prepared.
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| My protectors for then night |
As I approached the national park the land scape turned into foothills with trees on them, more specifically pines. I had about a 1200 foot climb where I finished the day at the top of the pass. I camped out On some cross country skiing trails. It was here where I had my second dog scare. Three came running at me from the trees the first two were friendly and the third was growling. I screamed at him and he ran away. Could not believe that worked. But the other two stayed with me the rest of the night they looked like dogs I have seen in my life so I named them accordingly One was Louise and the other was Simon. They were so funny and expected me to walk around with them. I later found out that these dogs follow cross country skiers regularly After a bit of reading I hit the hay. Oh stuffed my sleeping bag tonight it will probably be in the thirties and it already snowed on me up here haha.
Today started off with me in the dumps. This is he story of me not staying in the present. I looked up the weather and saw that it was suppose to rain for the next five days up here with possible snow. When I saw this I was in a mood of me not wanting to move on but to stay in doors. It's weird because if I was to experience the rain or the snow in he moment I would end up working with it. In this example I was going off a prediction and making conclusions before they even happened. It turned out that it didn't rain today, it was a great ride in the clouds in the mid 50s. My point is I got worked up for nothing. Finding that balance between working with the future and just focusing the moment is key, because if I don't I spend to much time focusing on things that haven't happened and miss out on what is happening. 
Anyways I rode north through the last of the wheat fields, I hope. I stopped at a little coffee shop where I read an article a out this lady climbing all the 8000 meter peaks without supplemental oxygen. Now I know what my mom is thinking right now, and no mom I won't do them all in a year I will take a couple of years to do them all, there are eight or so. Just kidding, k2 is ridiculous over a forth the people that start off to summit end up dead on the mountain. Oh well, interesting article. As I left town a guy wished me luck on my trip, gave me a smile. Three miles later I went into Idaho. I think 70% of cars are trucks here. There are no shoulders on the back roads here but for the most part people are friendly. And for entertainment a few Idahoans have chosen one of there favorite games to play, opening the door of the car as you pass a biker a scream at them. I have yet to figure out the main rules of the game or how they keep score but I will keep you posted since I'm guessing it will happen again. The final stretch of my day was on a deserted road, the white pine high way. I stopped for lunch in the city Harvard where it seemed to be a ghost town. It was here on the way out of town I had my first scare of dogs. 3 big Rottweilers came running at me going insane!!! Thankfully there was a fence so they didn't get me but I think I pooped my pants or left a skid mark when I saw them coming. Everywhere I go I ask bikers about their strategies with dogs so when the time comes I think I will be prepared. 
Don't bother looking up the weather, as there isn't any point to getting all worked up about something that you can't do anything about. I never did unless I thought that conditions might become dangerous, ie t-storms or snow.
ReplyDeleteYelling REALLY loud works well for dogs, as does spraying them w/a water bottle. I once had some come after me from a driveway up ahead so I got aggro and started yelling and basically charged at them. They ran straight back down the driveway w/tails between their legs. Fun times.
Keep living the dream (and telling the rest of us about it)!
Riding tandem with a teacher as stoker is a great way to keep dogs away. That "Teacher Voice" is really scary.
ReplyDeleteAbout those "moments": Zen masters never tell you how to achieve enlightenment, nor what "enlightenment" is. At most, a Zen Master would just tell you to keep doing what you're doing and the enlightenment will come.