Ed in Progress
Here's my first post about why I'm riding and why donating to Water Life Hope will inspire parades in your honor.
The Yurman clan spent the night in the company of Ed the bus on Friday, the night before the Middle Georgia Epic. Our friend Nicole rode the 200K race. Very impressive. Steve and I did the 25 mile fun ride with a really nice guy named Bennie. Much less impressive. Matt had a hurt finger (sounds like a minor complaint until you try shifting a bicycle with it) and was pretty worn out from working on Ed, so he sacked out. Not necessarily impressive, but definitely a good idea.
The race was a loop that started and ended at the Blue Goose Bike Hostel in Irwinton. The Goose is a friendly place, with bicycles scattered about and cyclists arriving, leaving, fixing bikes and nearly always eating. I was changing tires, with dubious effect, when a man named Donald just sat down and got it done. The folks who run the place appear to have remarkably detailed memories of everyone who came through. Our pal Josef had stayed there a while back, and they remembered him fondly.
Nicole had a pleasant bed in the hostel and we stayed in the bus. Although temperatures didn't dip as low as expected, rain ping-ponged on Ed's roof most of the night. Saturday's course was notable for stretches of mud. Slippery mud, mud mixed with sand, mud that clung to our tires with almost intelligent tenacity. At one point there was so much mud on my tires that they not longer turned. When I got them going again a notably stable ring of red clay mud whirled around my front tire, sort of like a potter's wheel.
We got in from 25 miles of this stuff around 11:00, 3.5 hours into the ride. Nicole came in second overall, and first in her division, in the 200K race around 3PM. Wow, did she move. We're both listed on the leader board. I'm there only because I was the only woman, and one of only 3 people, on the fun ride. Nicole's there because she's amazing.
Here's the progress on Ed.
Steve and Matt built sleeping platforms that are sturdy and reliable. There's a double, generously speaking at 40" wide, up high to make more storage accessible underneath. A single sleeping pad 30" wide is at a more normal height for convenience while still accommodating storage. There's a space in front of the seats for sleeping on the floor should visitors arrive. Matt's planning to join us during the trip and that'll be his berth.
Matt learned a wide range of practical arts from my Dad, who built bridges for the invasion during World War II. Overbuilding was designed into everything Dad ever did, and Matt carries on the tradition. Input from cautious, engineering Steve sealed the deal. The sleeping platforms could conceivably accommodate baby elephants without budging.
No improved seats yet. That will have to be solved before we go without fail. We're currently down to the driver's seat and two double seats behind it, on either side of the original aisle. Right behind them, though, the double sleeping platform spans said aisle. Getting into the back of the bus requires clambering over or slithering under the sleeping platform, or running around to the back door. We need either a 3- or 4-seat unit that can be shifted to one side, shifting the aisle to align with the end of the sleeping platform.
We bought a small heater. Some of the nights during the trip can be expected to be near freezing or even below. We got a Mr. Heater Buddy. Matt had used one in a camper van at 16 degrees fahrenheit. And when we tested it in the bus it worked so well that we had to turn it off. We made sure it was in place before the ride in Irwinton, a comfort even though we didn't need to use it.
A real shower is on the way. I checked predicted and historic average temperatures at locations along our way on the days we could expect to be there. We'll be following the spring all the way along the route. Until we get back to the South, highs in the upper 60's and low 70's are the best we can hope for. The laws of physics are against getting actual hot showers with the sort of solar shower we were discussing.
So we went in for a small instant hot water setup, powered by propane. It's a good bit more involved. There's a fair-sized water tank, a propane tank, a water pump, the portable hot water heater and a bit of plumbing connecting all of it. It's another Matt design that relies on his mastery of practical arts.
If there's anything that will chase us inside to expensive and probably underwhelming hotels it's cold and lack of showers. We're hoping we have both bases covered.
Finally we're looking forward to our solar installation. The panels themselves have been sitting in the front hall for a week or more. We've ordered all kinds of things to make them work, and work for us. My phone lights up with emails from Amazon telling the the progress of fittings, switches and wiring. They will bring with them the promise of keeping our laptops, tablets, precious phones and beloved bike lights on regardless of location.
On the way back from Irwinton the list of stuff to do lengthened. We have a slow coolant leak. Matt mentioned more preventive maintenance to be completed. We arrived home, though, to piles of smiley boxes ready to deploy. There's a chance we could be ready. Watch this space.
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| Matt on the single sleeping platform |
The Yurman clan spent the night in the company of Ed the bus on Friday, the night before the Middle Georgia Epic. Our friend Nicole rode the 200K race. Very impressive. Steve and I did the 25 mile fun ride with a really nice guy named Bennie. Much less impressive. Matt had a hurt finger (sounds like a minor complaint until you try shifting a bicycle with it) and was pretty worn out from working on Ed, so he sacked out. Not necessarily impressive, but definitely a good idea.
The race was a loop that started and ended at the Blue Goose Bike Hostel in Irwinton. The Goose is a friendly place, with bicycles scattered about and cyclists arriving, leaving, fixing bikes and nearly always eating. I was changing tires, with dubious effect, when a man named Donald just sat down and got it done. The folks who run the place appear to have remarkably detailed memories of everyone who came through. Our pal Josef had stayed there a while back, and they remembered him fondly.
 |
| Bennie, me (yes, I'm eating) and the mud. This was the Middle Georgia Epic's fun ride. |
Nicole had a pleasant bed in the hostel and we stayed in the bus. Although temperatures didn't dip as low as expected, rain ping-ponged on Ed's roof most of the night. Saturday's course was notable for stretches of mud. Slippery mud, mud mixed with sand, mud that clung to our tires with almost intelligent tenacity. At one point there was so much mud on my tires that they not longer turned. When I got them going again a notably stable ring of red clay mud whirled around my front tire, sort of like a potter's wheel.
We got in from 25 miles of this stuff around 11:00, 3.5 hours into the ride. Nicole came in second overall, and first in her division, in the 200K race around 3PM. Wow, did she move. We're both listed on the leader board. I'm there only because I was the only woman, and one of only 3 people, on the fun ride. Nicole's there because she's amazing.
Here's the progress on Ed.
Steve and Matt built sleeping platforms that are sturdy and reliable. There's a double, generously speaking at 40" wide, up high to make more storage accessible underneath. A single sleeping pad 30" wide is at a more normal height for convenience while still accommodating storage. There's a space in front of the seats for sleeping on the floor should visitors arrive. Matt's planning to join us during the trip and that'll be his berth.
Matt learned a wide range of practical arts from my Dad, who built bridges for the invasion during World War II. Overbuilding was designed into everything Dad ever did, and Matt carries on the tradition. Input from cautious, engineering Steve sealed the deal. The sleeping platforms could conceivably accommodate baby elephants without budging.
No improved seats yet. That will have to be solved before we go without fail. We're currently down to the driver's seat and two double seats behind it, on either side of the original aisle. Right behind them, though, the double sleeping platform spans said aisle. Getting into the back of the bus requires clambering over or slithering under the sleeping platform, or running around to the back door. We need either a 3- or 4-seat unit that can be shifted to one side, shifting the aisle to align with the end of the sleeping platform.
We bought a small heater. Some of the nights during the trip can be expected to be near freezing or even below. We got a Mr. Heater Buddy. Matt had used one in a camper van at 16 degrees fahrenheit. And when we tested it in the bus it worked so well that we had to turn it off. We made sure it was in place before the ride in Irwinton, a comfort even though we didn't need to use it.
A real shower is on the way. I checked predicted and historic average temperatures at locations along our way on the days we could expect to be there. We'll be following the spring all the way along the route. Until we get back to the South, highs in the upper 60's and low 70's are the best we can hope for. The laws of physics are against getting actual hot showers with the sort of solar shower we were discussing.
So we went in for a small instant hot water setup, powered by propane. It's a good bit more involved. There's a fair-sized water tank, a propane tank, a water pump, the portable hot water heater and a bit of plumbing connecting all of it. It's another Matt design that relies on his mastery of practical arts.
If there's anything that will chase us inside to expensive and probably underwhelming hotels it's cold and lack of showers. We're hoping we have both bases covered.
Finally we're looking forward to our solar installation. The panels themselves have been sitting in the front hall for a week or more. We've ordered all kinds of things to make them work, and work for us. My phone lights up with emails from Amazon telling the the progress of fittings, switches and wiring. They will bring with them the promise of keeping our laptops, tablets, precious phones and beloved bike lights on regardless of location.
On the way back from Irwinton the list of stuff to do lengthened. We have a slow coolant leak. Matt mentioned more preventive maintenance to be completed. We arrived home, though, to piles of smiley boxes ready to deploy. There's a chance we could be ready. Watch this space.
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