last

i just crossed the last north-south interstate. in front of me i see the last mountain range (which i probably won’t reach until tomorrow) i find that google has added two more miles to what i have left…. if i can just reach the mile markers to the finish it will be the last time that happens. laz  

shrinking days

september 9 day 123 26 miles  total 3,209 remaining 96 3×26 + 1×18 another big climb to start the day. but it was the steep 13 mile downhill that followed, and the absence of shoulder that made progress so slow today. not a lot of fun picking thru traffic on a winding up and down road with little or no shoulder. but i have to admit that people were mostly considerate today, which made the Read more…

a race every day

september 8 day 122 26 miles  total 3,183 122 remaining  4×26 + 1×18 so santium pass is behind me. it was a nice climb, a little long, but not terribly steep. the descent on the other side was steep and brutal… so i had to work hard to hold serve. but i am finally out of the rain shadow of the mountains and in green again! the scenery is great. huge ponderosa pines great beds Read more…

mountains

september 7 day 121 27 miles  total 3,157 148 remaining  5×26 + 1×18 little by little i walked out of the desert today. as this thing moves into the final days i am reminded of basketball. it doesn’t matter how well you play  you have to be able to close. let me tell you, closing is hard. every possible obstacle seems to spring up. with this thing coming down to the last minute  i can’t Read more…

google maps

september 6 day 120 29 miles  total 3,130 remaining 175 6×26 + 1×19 made it to the turn in bend today! hell highway is finally behind me. along the way google maps lost a couple of miles. the google measure only changed by 27, while i knocked off 29 mile markers in the real world. i hate google maps. with the end drawing closer, and hardly an inch to spare on my deadline  i am Read more…

you never know

september 5 day 119 26 miles  total 3,101 remaining 202 7×26 + 1×20 one more day on hell highway. endless straightaways  relentless sun and heat indy 500 traffic. after the people upstairs practiced for mma competition all night (literally making pictures on the wall rattle in my room) i was less than well rested for the day. holding serve required everything i had. thank god for greg and john who have helped keep me from Read more…

130 miles of hell

september 4 day 118 27 miles  total 3,101 remaining 228 8×26 + 1×20 the road from burns to bend oregon is the hardest road i have encountered on my trek. not because it is the emptiest 130 miles. not because it is an endless vista of vast plains covered with sagebrush and tumbleweed broken only by low volcanic rock hills dotted with juniper trees. not because of the relentless sun beating down on my head Read more…