Fire Road 2019

August 17, 2019 was the Fire Road Gravel Grinder bike race.  100K, 60K and it's a climb!

https://www.bikesignup.com/Race/UT/CedarCity/CedarCityFireRoad100K

Amazing athletes that I never even thought to take a photo of this time. Our job was to offer water. So that's what we did. And we cheered them on, refilled water bottles, offered treats. Mike picked up our "supplies" at the city offices on Friday evening while I was ushering at Shakespeare (and had a visit with Gail and Seth!).  2014 was the first time we did this. It was much bigger then, with over 200, close to 300 riders.  This year there were only 79 registered, and 73 that were there. It's much more streamlined.  It was only us to do water at "Water Stop #1" on the route.  Me and Mike. That's it. We've done that stop at least two other times. In the past, with larger groups, we've had a pop up shade tent, more than one table, we've gotten helpers and volunteers to come with us. We had drink powders to give out, some snacks, ice, Gatorade, a bike rack for those who needed to park a while and rest, a first aid kit, emergency bike tire pumps, chairs.

This year?  We got one folding table and 10 gallons of water, a small bin of Clif and granola bars. That's it.  We brought ourselves, our own chairs, our own water bottles, we ate some of their Clif and granola bars. And it was easy for just the two of us to handle it.  We left our house around 7:00 a.m. on Saturday and were at our spot and set up by 7:45 a.m.  That is such a climb! We were joined by one amateur radio operator, Ron. He was nice.  And it was chilly!  in th high 50's I think. Maybe 60.  Until the sun came out, but we were not in the sunshine for long.

The first rider came through at 8:30, the last by 9:40 and we were off the mountain and home by 10:00 a.m. Easy, peasy. And we were not covered in a ton of dirt and mud like the first time we did this. Whew! THAT was hard work back then.

Once home, I called and talked to Mom and Donna about the offer on Mom and Dad's place. I picked some garden produce, I cleaned the living room, I listened to my audio book for about 1 1/2 hours in the hammock. And then Gail and Seth and Caroline and Jonathan came by!  I went to Shakespeare and later Seth and Gail came to see the play. It was Seth's surprise for Gail's and his 20th anniversary of thier first date--to see a Shakespeare Play. :-)  How cute. It was a comedy 20 years ago, and Saturday night's was a comedy, too, "Twelfth Night." Such a silly play. I think everyone's first introduction to Shakespeare should be through one of his comedies.

 While we waited for cyclists to arrive, I took photos of Mountain Lupine flowers.  It was just a pleasant morning spent on the mountain.

 Turkey Tracks, accordin to Mike. I thought they might have been ravens. We saw neither up there. But we did see a deer on the drive up, and one jack rabbit. We saw two cotton tails as we left our neighborhood area in town.

 Lots of pretty greens in the fields, on the mountains. Sage, pinon, juniper, grass.

 

Overlooking the valley from our "Water Stop #1"

The view from our chairs, just gazing up the mountain side. The scrub oaks there are all knarley and they look as though a large buck is about to come striding right through them.

 

This was what our little station looked like. HAM radio guy's jeep is parked right by our table. He kept track of rider's numbers and so forth. There's water and granola bars on the table, Not even a table cloth. We provided our own trash bag, too.

 

Then I went home and picked this from the garden and listened to "Healing Hearts" by Sarah M. Eden. And made phone calls, scanned documents and emailed documents and sent emails.

Mom and Dad listed their home with a realtor on Thursday, it was shown twice and by Friday -- -  they had an offer. Things are moving fast (maybe too fast for some of us to handle!) on getting Mom and Dad out here and in assisted living. :-)