Repeat Photo, New Caption:

"Philosophy is perfectly right in saying that life must be understood backward. But then one forgets the other clause--that it must be lived forward."

Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

[Journals and Papers, 1843, vol 1.]

We Did It!

The weather man did his best to discourage us with his promises of wind, rain and thunderstorms but we were not to be deterred. It rained all night on Friday and well into the wee hours of Saturday morning. I awoke early on Saturday morning and peered out the window to discover some dry patches of pavement out in the street. On the weather channel I could see on the weather radar that there was a window of opportunity on Saturday morning where we might just get this fifty-mile ride in before the rain resumed. Daniel and I pumped up the bicycle tires, grabbed our water bottles and headed out the door.

This ride was organized by the Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island Delaware Chamber of Commerce. It was just a short two-mile ride from our place up to the Chamber office where the ride started. The weather seemed perfect at eight o'clock; cloudy, not too cold, and not much wind. We were off to a very good start. I had done a one hundred-mile ride in 2004, so I was pretty confident that I could do fifty. The most Daniel had ever done before was twenty so I kept checking with him to see how he was feeling.

Daniel and I were doing great. Around mile fifteen I asked if he was feeling like he could do another thirty-five and he said he was feeling fine. Shortly after that I turned around and he was way behind me. I slowed down and waited for him to catch up. Did he suddenly hit the wall and run out of energy? When he caught up he said he was having trouble finding the right gear. I looked at his bike and I spotted the problem. His rear tire was going flat. Fortunately we had everything we needed to make the repair and we were back on the road in about fifteen minutes.

We pedaled away the miles following the map and the cue sheet, staying on the prescribed route, not missing any turns and certainly not missing any of the rest stops along the way. Occasionally we would pass other riders but more often other riders would pass us. It was a light turnout for this event -- maybe two hundred cyclists. Only about half of the people who pre-registered actually showed up to make the ride.

There were occasional sprinkles of rain throughout the morning but nothing to be bothered about . . . until mile thirty-eight. Gray clouds had come and gone but now the sky was completely gray with no white edges in sight. It started out as a light rain, but steady. It gradually got heavier and heavier until the rain was pouring down. We rode about six miles in the deluge. We were soaked! Even our shoes filled with water as we rode.

Finally, with about six miles remaining, the rain stopped. Unfortunately, that was exactly the time when we turned south on the last leg of the route. The wind kicked up to about fifteen miles per hour and, of course, it was blowing directly in our faces. Given the choice, I would have preferred more rain. We struggled and were only able to make a pitiable six or seven miles per hour on our bicycles. I told Daniel to just put it in a low, easy gear and keep on pedaling. That last six miles took us nearly an hour to complete. In the final mile I asked Daniel if he was ready to do another fifty, referring to the one hundred-miler in October. He said, "No way!" but he recanted the next morning saying, "Oh, by the way, we're doing the hundred." I'm looking forward to it!

NCR Trail

Northern Central Railroad Trail

A 20-mile trail, converted from a former railroad line for walking, running, bicycle riding and horseback riding.

Find a trail near you at the Rails to Trails Conservancy site.

Hey, I'm back!

Sorry for the long absence.

I'll be riding 50 miles on Saturday with very little training or preparation.

Wish me luck!

My faithful son Daniel will be with me to pull me along.

Hope to take lots of new photos.