Notes from Monomoy

Day 17: Virginia, or, Not So Bad!

*Note* I’m slowly (S L O W L Y) still migrating all these posts from Renewable Ride to Notes from Monomoy. I’m not actually cycling right now.

Today’s the 17th day since I’ve left Providence, and the 14th day of riding. I passed 1,000 miles (ended up at 1,035) today and ended up in Damscus, VA. I’d planned to get here after 13 days of riding, so I guess I’m content to say I’m making good time- considering the flat tires, rain, surprise hills, headset explosion, more rain, long stops, and late starts, an extra day for every 2 weeks on the road isn’t bad.

Today was definitely, definitely a day in the South and presumably a day in Appalachia. Warm weather, the first advertisements for sweet tea, and Confederate flags continue to outnumber American flags by approximately 2.5 to 1. Plentiful sunshine and a blue sky helped make the trail smooth (as well as keep the solar panel charging), and by around second lunchtime (or 14:00), I had made it past the numerous Christmas tree farms and was at the entrance to the Jefferson National Forest’s Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area. Rejoice! The roads were smooth and relatively traffic free except for the passing trucks (which left behind a faint scent of balsam and diesel exhaust) and mostly considerate drivers.

Around these parts of Virginia, it becomes apparent that the state is clearly too large, because the place names are things like “St Clair’s Bottom,” “Mouth of Wilson,” and “Troutvale.” To be fair, it appears that Troutvale is a popular fishing destination, and many of the very many streams in the area do double duty as fish hatcheries, dammed off for a few hundred yards where the trout are raised. Besides hopping back and forth across some prime trout fishing waters, I also intersected the Appalachian Trail several times on my way down to Damascus, which I learned is one of the best-known intersections of the two trails. In town, I also found a great hostel- Crazy Larry’s- who will provide you with FREE STICKERS, and mercifully a library as well- I’ve read The Solar Cookbook about three times so far, and it’s only so useful to learn how to cook chicken korma and keylime pie in a solar oven while you’re biking across the country.

Tomorrow’s a day off- it’s supposed to rain, plus in the last week since DC, it’ll be nice to take a day to stretch out and take a look around, or maybe just to take some time to read books and catch up on the news. After that, it should be about 1 more day’s riding until Kentucky, and according to some, the end of the steepest hills of the ride. 🐙 Keeping my fingers crossed.

Welcome, 2018.

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30-12-2017

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R.I.P. Head Racing, 2017-2017

Come and gone already has the 2017 head racing season. In college, the year was split into two seasons, both four months long: autumn (August through November) and spring (February through May). Now, it’s a long, long sprint season that runs mid March through mid August, and a blip of a head racing season that lasts a mere 15 days from the start of the first singles race on Navy Day until the last 500 meters of the quad at Head of the Schuylkill.

That’s not to say that the season wasn’t without significant highlights. A new boat and a win at the Head of the Charles made the short season an exciting one, even if it was bookended by the mild frustration of Navy Day’s boat teething challenges and Head of the Schuylkill’s wicked survival conditions on the racecourse. This season showed that I can have solid races, and more importantly, that the difference between being just good at rowing and really having a mastery of it is the ability to row a fast race regardless of water conditions- or as someone put it post-race, don’t let the weather affect the margins between yourself and your competitors.

In addition to my own experience racing this summer, observing my teammates and competitors at events over the last few months has helped to shape some of my goals heading into winter training. With luck, 2018 will be a season that can build on the successes of 2017, learn from its failures, and ultimately lead to some very fast races.

On the way to setting a course record at the 2017 Head of the Charles

On the way to setting a course record at the 2017 Head of the Charles

Thank you to row2k for the excellent photos this season, as always.

Olympia Traveller

Currently: typing letters on mine. Definitely m best flea market find of the 21st century.

Typewriter Review

Olympia Traveller (1969)

By the late 1960s Olympia had perfected the typewriter. While other manufacturers seemed to have lowered their standards, Olympia boldly introduced a line of distinctive typewriters called The Traveller. The style certainly speaks to the age of 2001: A Space Odyssey. While one could never imagine a typewriter floating in space, it has the mechanicals beyond its years and ahead of everybody else. It has everything you could ever need in a typewriter. It’s a writing machine. The keys seem to defy gravity and feel super light to the touch. You can hit supersonic speed and feel confident that your typewriter can keep up. Even the weakest of fingers can operate this typewriter, that it feels like child’s play. But don’t let the color fool you, this is a serious machine.

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