Messages for Steve
Please leave Steve a message or cheering on, by making a comment on this page. We will save them and give them to Steve. Also, if you are willing to share your photo, please send them to Lynne at divideitt@gmail.com to post with your message.
How do I post a comment?
1. To post a note for Steve, go down two lines where it says posted by "JLS at 1:30pm."
2. Next to that it says, 6 comments, or some number and comments. Click on that and enter your message. We'd love to get many comments from all over the states and world, so please leave one to encourage him as the going gets rougher. Thanks!
Posts
36 comments:
Steve, thanks so much for riding for DDD. You have touched families around the world, most of whom you will never meet. But they know you and their hopes and dreams for a cure for DDD are riding with you. You are a hero to many.
go steve! Jess
Hi Steve - this is such a great project! I will be keeping track of you! I will share with others around here, I'm sure they'll be very excited about this.
Annette
Ride smartly, Steve!
And he's off! I talked with Steve an hour before the start this morning. He said he slept well and he is getting acclimated to the altitude. "I'm ready to do this!"
He bought a new can of bear spray yesterday. He shared that the people in Banff are talking about the latest bear attack on a man. The man's 70 year old father charged the bear with his cane and scared it off.
He told me they will cross over an area covered by snow from a recent avalanche today. The riders talked about the surprise snow storm they encountered in Montana two years ago when they were without gloves or any winter gear. "We thought we were going to die on that mountain!" They agreed it was best to take as much winter gear as possible and get rid of it after Montana.
You're doing great Steve!
Keep on truckin.
Way to go Steve! you're ALMOST across the Canada/US border!....sooooo close!
We can't tell how rigorous the climbs are....but based on your hourly progress at times we are figuring you all are either heading up a steep incline, or stopping for a food break/breather :)
jenna
Steve called Saturday morning. Thunderstorms all day Friday. He slept a few hours under the eaves of a building. He came upon a grizzly. He was riding too fast to stop and just rode past the bear. He said if he were ever going to see a sasquatch this would be the time.
A side note: It looked like Brunello Godio was trying to head off the lead riders by going off trail down a riverbed. It appears he got lost in the wilderness, backtracked and ended up where he started, and camped for the night.
Steve said Saturday was brutal. He said it was a "bike pull" up steep inclines through eroded trail and water, "I'd climb and then reach to pull my bike up...over and over!" He found himself without food and hungry for several hours. "It was a miracle. I came upon a family opening their cabin and they grilled me a hamburger." They told him about a place to stop and rest where he wouldn't be bothered by bears. Today he is stocking up on sandwiches to take with him. "I gotta keep moving," he said.
Steve, Thanks so much for riding to raise funds for DDD research. You are in our thoughts and prayers for a safe ride.
Granny
Hey Steve…I knew you could race past just about any bear…glad you brought along “bear spray” anyway!
…you are aren’t you…or were you kidding? Plan to keep up with you and share your blog with my prayer partners, you know the Friday Girls!
Love,
MOM
holy cow steve...thunderstorms, bears, friendly strangers...sounds like quite an adventure already! If you're still riding when Rion get's home he'll be able to give you some wilderness pointers (but you'll probably have figured any necessary things out by then). Don't forget to take breaks!
-jen
Steve;
As you are riding for DDD what are your thoughts? The scenery, endurance, family, etc. Just really curious. Is so much energy spent on cycling you don't have time to reflection? Just wondering. Keep up the good work.
Jenna's Granny
already 50 mile today and you've been goign 6 hours. looks like you had a nice 21 mile stretch for a little ways there.
Steve called and said he crawled inside an outhouse to get out of a thunderstorm Sunday night. He slept in there and said it was heaven! He could feel the warmth from the waste percolating below. His other option was a bear cage that dangles from a tree provided by the National Parks due to this area having the highest density of bears. Monday night he got a hotel and was happy to take a hot bath. He says he is feeling good!
I heard you saw a bear! Just added my vote that you would see 3 more. Good luck with the journey - thinking about you!
We wish you many days of mild weather on this awesome bike ride. Thanks for doing it--and representing those of us who are too wimpy! Best wishes Steve and Trudy
Thanks for your support! My wife, Lore, is reading me your messages! If you have questions go ahead and ask them. Lore will post my responses.
Hi Granny,
"While I am riding I stay focused on where I am and where I need to go next. There is always a risk of getting lost. I use maps and cue sheets and an odometer to navigate. Today, I got off trail 10 miles. When that happens I take off my odometer so that my mistakes don't compound. Even though this area is very remote, there are many logging roads that I could end up on if I don't pay attention."
posted by Lore for Steve
Steve said Richmond Peak was a tough climb and it was snow covered because the trail does not get direct sunlight. He was able to climb it and get off before thunderstorms last night. Wednesday will be a tough day because he crosses the divide three times and there will be a lot of climbs. This is funny - he told me that the night he slept in the outhouse he dreamt that bears were knocking on the door. Goldilocks says he'd like to get out of bear country so he can get rid of his big can of bear spray.
Hi Steve,
We're up in Seattle cheering you on with family and friends up here. We know you have a tough day today with climbs and will be sending our best wishes your way.Lynne
Hi, Steve:
I so admire what you are doing. I can't imagine the stamina and courage it takes to do what you are doing. Keep up the good work.
I have another question for you.
While you are biking, do you communicate with the others on your tour? If so, how? Do you have like a "buddy system" to make sure everyone is okay? Are you each on your own? What if someone is really in distress and needs help. How is that person cared for?
I'm really curious.
Stay safe.
Jenna's granny
June 18, 2009 12:13 PM
Steve, you're lookin good. Do you have different food and drink requirements for different altitudes, environment, etc.? Dean Lanning (Jenna's Grandpa)
Steve, Bob Shaffer and his parents are watching your progress and wish you a safe journey. Bob thinks this is great to be able to follow you and says to tell you to sleep in a tent. Be careful!
Steve, It's great fun following your progress with the Spot Tracker. Looks like you're just west of the Montana Tunnels open pit mining operation tonight.
On the long climbs do you get any particular song stuck in your head to match your pedal cadence?
Dave P
Thank you for
your awesome commitment to making this world a better place!
Really fun to follow your progress -
travel safe.
ppagliai
Steve,
I am following your progress everday and try to imagine the effort and emotions that you go through. Your efforts are very impressive! Your Dad would enjoy this tremendously! Love, D
Hi Dave!
"The song I have stuck in my head is Neal Young's There Comes a Time (I think that is the name of it). I'm a big Neal Young fan. I watched a concert in the hotel room in Banff and that song stuck with me."
Posted by Lore for Steve
Hi Granny!
"For the most part you are on your own. There is no buddy system, and riders aren't aware of each other even if they are only one mile apart. We run into one another in town. Last night Jeff Kerby and I were lost in the same area and we were unaware of it until we saw each other in town. The spot trackers have a 911 button, and both Jeff and I wondered if we were going to need it! Last year Kevin Montgomery used the 911 call when he witnessed a car accident."
Last night Steve got lost! A new logging road, and tracks from other riders threw him off and he ended up off trail. Fatigued from a day of intense climbs he decided to pitch his tent and wait until daylight. At 8000 feet, and in the snow, he shivered all night until he fell asleep for three hours. When he made it Basin in the morning he met up with Jeff Kerby and the two found comfort in the fact that they both were lost in the same area. Check out Jeff's call on the Tour Divide blogs!
Hi Dean!
"Let's put it this way. Normally I eat about three hamburgers a year, and on this ride I am eating them like cookies. I try to eat dense calorie foods. I keep about 10,000 calories in my bag. I started out with power bars in my bag, now I never want to see another one. Right now I have two rueben sandwiches, a package of oreos, a box of cheez-its, four hersheys bars, four snickers bars, and three sticky buns."
Steve!!! I got a bike today and thought of you and think about your ride everytime I get on it. I'm so excited. I explored the website more today and listened to some videos. Looks like there are quite a few interesting stories on there already. YOu'll have to listen to them when you're done.
THink warm thoughts. I found if you're hands are cold you can put your arms down by your side, flex your hands and do repeated shrugs...it gets the blood flowing to your fingers.
-jenna
Steve called to say he is experiencing frequent need to empty his bowels. He is cold, wet, and muddy and decided to take a break to see if his bowels sort themselves out. He says he just doesn't seem to bounce back after a difficult day like he used to. He may or may not be able to continue...we'll see.
You're still my hero! Come back to the nice hot Iowa weather and start feeling better :) then we'll have some kind of picnic or something.
You made the right decision and did a great job!
-Jenna
Well done Steve. Every mile that you did will help people with DDD. Many congratulations and thanks.
Steve, Welcome back to tropical Iowa. Great ride. I can't imagine riding the back-to-back-to-back-to-back (and so on) big-mile days under Cailleagh's icy tinkle, fueled with fare found next to wiper fluid, tire chains, and kino machines. Much respect for realizing when enough was enough. I'll be anxious to hear the stories when your thoughts are sorted.
Dave P.
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