So I know I've been bad about updating my blog here. Thing is, my days are generally pretty full. As you might imagine. Also, I don't have a laptop with me, and I tend to write by spending somewhat long stretches of time composing and refining my words. So I've had little ability to blog like I'd want. But I need to blog! So here I am.

Some of the details of the Sierra ride so far have been covered by others, so I'll hit the points which stuck out for me. (I'm short on time: Gotta ride to Lubbock tomorrow, and it's supposed to be a toughie, so I need to sleep well...)

Day Zero was surprisingly hard for such a short ride, I thought. It might have been nerves and lack of sleep, but there were a couple of surprisingly tough spots. But we all got in okay, after figuring out where our turn was. (I'm glad to have teammates with data-connected smartphones.) The things which made me most happy about the evening: donated chicken dinners and getting new strings onto my acoustic guitar, which will be in the Sierra trailer for team usage. Not having my laptop with me means not having my music collection, so I'll be making my own when I can. It's quite a comfort.

ATLAS was pretty neat. I had a good time riding/talking with past riders and other members of the public, as well as eating much barbecue. Much. MUCH. I got a little sluggish for a while there after the ride, but still was glad to be with my dad and little sister, whom I showed off to everyone. Then it all changed: Friends and family left, and Texas 4000 2009 was on its own (aside from the 2008 riders who were hanging around to see us off in the morning).

The next morning, we learned the T4K haka from the 2008 folks. More thoughts on that later, but the main point: pretty cool. Then off to Lake Brownwood Christian Retreat. REAL BEDS YES.

Leaving there was pretty emotional. Ride dedications (another thing I'll elaborate on later), then Thaison did our first solo haka, then we rode a couple of miles, then Rockies and Sierra split. This is a big deal. Like, a big deal. Big deal. Many tears, much lamentation. But by the first rest stop, we were totally rockin' it as the Sierras. It's like we were in a relationship which ended because someone had to move away, and it's painful, but then you're happy to be single. I guess. Maybe I shouldn't try too hard to come up with funny analogies at this hour.

Heh. "At this hour." It's midnight: this used to be EARLY for me.

On the way to Winters, Jeehyun rode for a while with us. He's the guy who (with his crew guys) is making a documentary about the ride. My anthropologist brain loved that he did that: he was a consummate participant-observer. Also a decent enough rider, considering his lack of experience with road bikes.

Winters was a great town to stay in. After our break at the public pool and a dinner of burgers and chips and cake and brownies and more burgers, we split into smaller groups to stay with local families. Max and I stayed with the Couches, who were LOVELY to us. Everyone else seemed to have had similar experiences, from what I hear. We were totally spoiled.

Today, Michael McMillin, Emily Sawtelle, and I did SAG duty (which is the term for driving one of the support vans for the day, setting up rest stops and helping riders on the road as necessary). Surprisingly stressful work, actually. But the terrain was cool, especially the sci-fi windmills everywhere. I love both alternative energy and anything which looks totally bizarre, and these fit into both categories.

Now the team's in Snyder, sleeping after a successful inaugural Program presentation. And I should join them.

I'll have much more to say in days to come. I want to maybe make each blog a musing on a particular theme which I've found relevant and inspiring, but if the linear timeline of what we're doing is more compelling, I'll do that, too. Keep checking in!