It's 1 am. I am in a tent in someone's backyard in Hull Iowa and I am freezing. The breeze outside would be a pleasant refreshment most days but paired with Charlie's snoring is adding to my discomfort. Oh great. I hear raindrops tapping on the top of the tent. When you wake up in the night like this you usually need to visit the little room down the hall. Tonight that little room is up the hill and across the parking lot of a church or around a cluster of tents up a stairs into a house and downstairs into the basement. As if on cue a response to my cold predicament is heard from a group of people some blocks away as they let out a huge laugh. I wish this comic relief would relieve some other things. In a few short hours I will be donning my official "Pedaling for Parkinson's" kit ( cycling clothes). The big yellow tandem will carry us 69 miles to another host house. Agh now firecrackers. There are 7 people with Parkinson's riding on our team of 65. Tonight we introduced ourselves at dinner. Later we attended a local support group meeting and each gave a little talk. There will be a few more opportunities to share our stories of the effect of exercise on the symptoms of PD. For now? Wrapping up in my blanket and trying to sleep .
Brrr where is my nice warm camper?
I was dressed and ready to ride when the storm hit. Lightning and thunder and pouring rain. These powers decided for me. My riding today would be inside a support vehicle. Charlie decided to ride his single bike. This would be wonderful for him on a good day, I just worried. He didn't have any rain gear, not that it would help in this monsoon. Although the PfP group was on the road ahead of him, I knew there were about 15 thousand other cyclists he could follow.
Our resident doctoral student in biochemical engineering was also on transport today. She had bad road rash from a a serious wreck the same day of my mishap. As we rode along on the pickup she asked me if the cycling helped my Parkinsons. I explained to her that I sleep better, sometimes my handwriting is better. At that point we came to a stop in the parking lot of a convenience store. I jumped out and scurried, somewhat jogging across the parking lot with no assistance from trekking poles. "AND SOMETIMES ITS JUST LIKE THIS AND I CAN WALK!" I called to her across the parking lot.
Yeppérs. A true benefit of biking.
Sometimes I can walk.
Its been quite a comedy act getting on and off this big bike. Even funnier
is having my trekking poles attached "just in case" I need them for a
long walk. We pulled in front of the house last night and when I got off
I saw that the trekking poles had wiggled out and lengthened
themselves. No one would want to draft us with those pointy objects
protruding from the tail end of this tandem.
(I dig deep for humor)
Here is a typical tandem conversation between captain C. and stoker S.
C. Going
S. Omg. If you don't hear me say ready my left foot is not on the pedal
C. Pedaling. Stoking. STOKING!
S. Oh, you mean you want me to pedal faster
C. Up hill, changing gears. Wow that snake has dried out since yesterday. There's a car coming in front of us.
S. Hey, I don't care about oncoming cars or dead dries up snakes. I just report what's behind us.
C. Gliding
S. EEEEEK It wouls be good to warn me of the glide before not while we are gliding
C. Slowing. Glide. Stopping. When we come home I will always stop us at this gutter.
S. Like I can see that gutter. I will look for the third building from the end.
S. Nice ride dear
C. Yeah, that was fun, we are getting so good at communication .
