Auburn by 5 AM (PST)

 Last Saturday was also the Tevis ride, the be-all if not the end-all for many endurance riders - this impaired my already shoddy productivity even more as I monitored their webcast throughout the day.

https://teviscup.org/about-the-ride/

Riders set out at 5 AM Saturday morning & have 24 hrs to make it across the Sierra Nevadas from Lake Tahoe to Auburn. This year in particular there seemed to be a preponderance of “Buckle Hour” riders who completed in that last precious hour between 4-5 AM - completion rate was also slightly lower than average (it’s generally roughly 50%, this year it was 45%). We had a fairly decent turnout of Texas riders (6 or 7?) but one friend had to bow out at the same point I did (22 yrs ago) - Deadwood due to a lost shoe.

It’s a three-day haul to get out to Northern California, giving lots of time for reflection especially if you’re going home with your tail tucked between your legs. “Why I Do This Here” ?

I got in a short ride Sunday morning with Mr. Bo, his first experience out on a real trail - with me, that is! I have no idea if his previous owner had ever ridden him outside of an arena. He did very well - of course my friends were full of plans for future camp-outs and rides. I’m having trouble seeing past the nose on the end of my face as I struggle through my malaise, and worry about clinic relocation. I did a walk-through on that workshop facility last night which has great potential, if only I can get city water to it and get the owner to agree to a reasonable price. Yet I’ll still be up to proverbial creek if & when we get there: short on staff, long on work and no help in sight! Discouraging.

Nothing to do but keep pacing forward - two more days until I hopefully get some answers with my cardiac center tests. I really hate the way I’m feeling these days but it isn’t as if I can walk off and leave this ol’ carcass - I’m pretty much stuck with it. I’ve got too many folks depending on me: mother, son, employees, clients - the suffocating weight of my responsibilities, indeed

I can’t even manage to get a decent night’s sleep - my bladder awakened me shortly before 1 AM and then it was fitful naps for the rest of the night, ugh!