We made it safely through the night!
We have packed the bikes and will ship them home today. Thank goodness because after all that climbing, my butt needs some time to heal! Jamey and I will head to Catalina Island tonight for 3 days of R&R before we head back to Tallahassee, and Mark, Shannon and the kids will stay here in L.A. to spend time with family.
Thanks to everyone who was checking up on us. Sorry for the mass of blogging all at once. We didn’t expect to be out of range for so long! We will see you all soon!!
Much Love,
HEIDI, Jamey, and Mark
AlcatrazIdiots
- AlcatrazIdiots
- Sunday, June 14th, Jamey, Mark, and I will be escaping from Alcatraz Island. The water is cold, the hills are steep, and lets face it, the run is going to suck. As if that were not punishment enough, we will then head down the coast to L.A. on our bikes. Oh what fun it is to ride.......
Monday, June 22, 2009
Sunday
Well, our journey ended today when we pulled into Mark’s brother’s house in L.A. We were a little worried we wouldn’t be able to get the RV up the hill and into the driveway, but we made it work. Then, we were equally as worried when Mark’s sister-in-law told us their house had just been broken into in January, and Jamey and I were suppose to sleep in the motor home which was parked in the driveway! (Just a little scary.)
Saturday
As much as we would have LOVED to stay another night in Oceano, we packed up for the short trip to Solvang. In Solvang there was a cute little Dutch-like town for the kids to explore while Jamey, Mark and I rode “The Big Fig.” The “Fig” is a 50mile loop through/over Mt. Figuera. It is Lance Armstrong’s favorite ride outside of Europe! Going into it, I wasn’t convinced it was such a good idea. Being from Florida and all, our climbing skills are probably par at best. Also, if this is Lance’s favorite ride, that means it is a climb which is not for the weak in quads! The guy at the bike shop had us worried too. He showed us his leg, which had been partially ripped off while doing this ride. (WHAT!?!) He misjudged a switchback turn going downhill at 62mph and went over the edge! That was enough to convince ME that it was not a good idea (I think it made Mark a little nervous too), but the story only fueled Jamey and made him more anxious to get going. How do I always get roped into doing these crazy things?
I have to say, the ride was beautiful! The bad part…the batteries in my camera were dead. Sad. It took us about 2hours to climb to the top. It was amazing up there. At the summit you could look down and it seemed as if you could see the ocean, but it was really just the clouds. We had climbed above the cloud line! It was so peaceful. You felt as if you were in another world.
What a relief to finally be going downhill! Our legs were on fire and we were completely out of water. We finished the ride in about 3hours and 20min. It was almost 8pm by the time we rolled back into town and we were freezing! I had started the day in a tank top and shorts, and thankfully had brought my arm warmers which offered some warmth. Not enough though. To shake the chill, we were booking it into town at about 27.5mph to stay warm. I don’t know that I have ever kept that fast of a pace before in my life!! We were flying!
When we got back to town, we were cold, tired, and hungry….so much for making it into Santa Barbara for the night. Luckily, we found an RV park about 5min down the road that had a hot tub and clean showers! We would just have to make the log trip to L.A. tomorrow.
I have to say, the ride was beautiful! The bad part…the batteries in my camera were dead. Sad. It took us about 2hours to climb to the top. It was amazing up there. At the summit you could look down and it seemed as if you could see the ocean, but it was really just the clouds. We had climbed above the cloud line! It was so peaceful. You felt as if you were in another world.
What a relief to finally be going downhill! Our legs were on fire and we were completely out of water. We finished the ride in about 3hours and 20min. It was almost 8pm by the time we rolled back into town and we were freezing! I had started the day in a tank top and shorts, and thankfully had brought my arm warmers which offered some warmth. Not enough though. To shake the chill, we were booking it into town at about 27.5mph to stay warm. I don’t know that I have ever kept that fast of a pace before in my life!! We were flying!
When we got back to town, we were cold, tired, and hungry….so much for making it into Santa Barbara for the night. Luckily, we found an RV park about 5min down the road that had a hot tub and clean showers! We would just have to make the log trip to L.A. tomorrow.
Friday
This morning, we all rode in the RV to the town of Cambria. Here we found a coffee roaster and had breakfast and coffee. From there, Shannon and the kids took the RV to Morrow Bay to meet us for lunch, and we headed out on the bikes for the 25mile ride. Along the ride we were joined by some guy riding a pink bike who was also headed to L.A. for his daughter’s 20th birthday. He had ridden across the country twice and was going to do a double century ride from L.A. to Santa Barbara and back. Crazy.
We met the kids and Shannon at Top Dog Coffee (p.s. we drink a lot of coffee) got some food charged our phones and went down to the water to explore and take our picture next to the huge Morrow (it’s just a big rock). Down by the water you could kayak and explore the cove and there were sea lions sunning on the docks.
Mark drove the RV the rest of the way down to Oceano for our next stop. Jamey and I had a beautiful ride through the farm lands, and SLO town, and linked up with another rider (some 60 year old) who was headed to Pismo Beach. Luckily he was familiar with the route because it got a little harried crossing over the 101hwy! We were thankful we had a guide. Pismo Beach was beautiful! It was a quaint little town right on the water and we took the scenic route along the coast to explore. This was how I imagined Oceano would be, except maybe smaller. Boy was I wrong!
Oceano was like nothing we had EVER seen! For starters, the “mom &pop” RV park turned out to be a parking lot inhabited by mostly permanent residents who’s motor homes/ trailers probably haven’t moved in 10years! We were right next to the beach, but what we didn’t know was the road leading to the ocean was the main entrance to the biggest redneck party EVER! It was like being in the middle of a monster truck rally. There were trucks and trailers everywhere. People were loading up their vehicles with cases of beer and driving them onto the beach like the sand and salt water was no big deal. We even saw VW bugs, Hyundai compacts, and samurai’s driving through the sand and down the beach. Huge jacked up trucks pulling dirt bikes and ATV’s, and even motor homes were making the trek, at high tide, 2miles down to what looked like some trailer park regatta!
We were like moths being pulled to a flame. After our BBQ dinner, which we bought and then ate sitting in the middle of the liquor store parking lot (yes, all 6 of us, the kids and all), we made the 2mile walk down the beach to find out what we were missing. It looked like a scene post hurricane Katrina! The tide was washing in and people had plywood propped up against their motor homes, like that was going to help keep out the salt water. Kids and ATV’s were everywhere. Playpens were set up in the middle of truck and trailer circles, people had bonfires going, rebel flags flying, and music blaring. I figured there had to be carnie food somewhere! I never thought the left wing liberals would allow something like this to happen in their great state of California! It reminded me of Panama City on steroids.
Equally as amusing was the crowd of people that had gathered on the beach to watch all the trucks, trailers, motor homes, and compact cars drive onto the beach. Because the tide was in, about half the people driving out didn’t even make it 100ft onto the sand before getting stuck. It was truly a train wreck!
That night, we pulled all the shades closed and locked all the doors as we heard, what we hoped, was fireworks. Needless to say, there was no sitting outside around the bonfire tonight!
We met the kids and Shannon at Top Dog Coffee (p.s. we drink a lot of coffee) got some food charged our phones and went down to the water to explore and take our picture next to the huge Morrow (it’s just a big rock). Down by the water you could kayak and explore the cove and there were sea lions sunning on the docks.
Mark drove the RV the rest of the way down to Oceano for our next stop. Jamey and I had a beautiful ride through the farm lands, and SLO town, and linked up with another rider (some 60 year old) who was headed to Pismo Beach. Luckily he was familiar with the route because it got a little harried crossing over the 101hwy! We were thankful we had a guide. Pismo Beach was beautiful! It was a quaint little town right on the water and we took the scenic route along the coast to explore. This was how I imagined Oceano would be, except maybe smaller. Boy was I wrong!
Oceano was like nothing we had EVER seen! For starters, the “mom &pop” RV park turned out to be a parking lot inhabited by mostly permanent residents who’s motor homes/ trailers probably haven’t moved in 10years! We were right next to the beach, but what we didn’t know was the road leading to the ocean was the main entrance to the biggest redneck party EVER! It was like being in the middle of a monster truck rally. There were trucks and trailers everywhere. People were loading up their vehicles with cases of beer and driving them onto the beach like the sand and salt water was no big deal. We even saw VW bugs, Hyundai compacts, and samurai’s driving through the sand and down the beach. Huge jacked up trucks pulling dirt bikes and ATV’s, and even motor homes were making the trek, at high tide, 2miles down to what looked like some trailer park regatta!
We were like moths being pulled to a flame. After our BBQ dinner, which we bought and then ate sitting in the middle of the liquor store parking lot (yes, all 6 of us, the kids and all), we made the 2mile walk down the beach to find out what we were missing. It looked like a scene post hurricane Katrina! The tide was washing in and people had plywood propped up against their motor homes, like that was going to help keep out the salt water. Kids and ATV’s were everywhere. Playpens were set up in the middle of truck and trailer circles, people had bonfires going, rebel flags flying, and music blaring. I figured there had to be carnie food somewhere! I never thought the left wing liberals would allow something like this to happen in their great state of California! It reminded me of Panama City on steroids.
Equally as amusing was the crowd of people that had gathered on the beach to watch all the trucks, trailers, motor homes, and compact cars drive onto the beach. Because the tide was in, about half the people driving out didn’t even make it 100ft onto the sand before getting stuck. It was truly a train wreck!
That night, we pulled all the shades closed and locked all the doors as we heard, what we hoped, was fireworks. Needless to say, there was no sitting outside around the bonfire tonight!
Thursday
Today we had our long ride down to San Simeon State Park. (About 70miles) Mark, once again, drove the RV then rode back to meet us. It was a BEAUTIFUL ride! We took the 1 all the way down the coast. When I think of riding down the coast, and imagine what the route should look like, this is what comes to mind! The jagged cliffs, the blue water, the green hills, it was stunning. I could have ridden all day. We passed a group of 4 guys on beach cruisers towing a mini trailer with sleeping bags and supplies that had a cardboard sign that read: “L.A. or bust!” I am SO not that hard core. If I’m going to ride 500miles, I want a bed to sleep in and hot shower waiting for me at the end of the night!!
Jamey and I stopped for lunch at a place called Lucia’s, which was the only restaurant for the next 30miles. It was a great stop. The deck overlooked the cliffs and there were sea lions playing down in the water. The sun was shining and it was so peaceful. We had lunch and drank our coffee out on the deck soaking up the sun and watching the wave’s crash up against the rocks below.
After prying ourselves away from the view, we were back on our bikes and headed south. We didn’t make it far before traffic was at a standstill. Up ahead a red helicopter was hovering over the side of the cliffs and lowering something that looked like a platform down to the people below. It seemed as if there had been an accident and they were trying to life flight someone out of there! The longer we watched, however, we realized there were construction workers up the mountains and the helicopter was bringing them large nets to cover the cliffs and prevent avalanches. It was pretty cool to watch.
Once they were finished, we were back on our way. At about 50miles, and the peak of the final mountain, before our decent down to San Simeon State Park, we met up with Mark. We followed him down about 7miles for coffee at a place called Ragged Point. It was about 5pm and the temperature was dropping fast. We had about an hour left to ride before we reached our destination. Despite the cold, we made time to stop and check out the heard of elephant seals lounging on the beach. Just so you guys know, I do a pretty good imitation of an elephant seal! We were carrying on a pretty lengthy conversation before the guys made me leave! (Bill, remind me when we get back to show you! It will make you laugh! :)
We pulled into the campsite at about 6pm. It was a beautiful spot. This was our remote site, so that meant no hookups and no generators on after 8pm. We played catchphrase by the campfire and roasted marsh mellows until we were too tired to keep our eyes open.
Jamey and I stopped for lunch at a place called Lucia’s, which was the only restaurant for the next 30miles. It was a great stop. The deck overlooked the cliffs and there were sea lions playing down in the water. The sun was shining and it was so peaceful. We had lunch and drank our coffee out on the deck soaking up the sun and watching the wave’s crash up against the rocks below.
After prying ourselves away from the view, we were back on our bikes and headed south. We didn’t make it far before traffic was at a standstill. Up ahead a red helicopter was hovering over the side of the cliffs and lowering something that looked like a platform down to the people below. It seemed as if there had been an accident and they were trying to life flight someone out of there! The longer we watched, however, we realized there were construction workers up the mountains and the helicopter was bringing them large nets to cover the cliffs and prevent avalanches. It was pretty cool to watch.
Once they were finished, we were back on our way. At about 50miles, and the peak of the final mountain, before our decent down to San Simeon State Park, we met up with Mark. We followed him down about 7miles for coffee at a place called Ragged Point. It was about 5pm and the temperature was dropping fast. We had about an hour left to ride before we reached our destination. Despite the cold, we made time to stop and check out the heard of elephant seals lounging on the beach. Just so you guys know, I do a pretty good imitation of an elephant seal! We were carrying on a pretty lengthy conversation before the guys made me leave! (Bill, remind me when we get back to show you! It will make you laugh! :)
We pulled into the campsite at about 6pm. It was a beautiful spot. This was our remote site, so that meant no hookups and no generators on after 8pm. We played catchphrase by the campfire and roasted marsh mellows until we were too tired to keep our eyes open.
Wednesday
We tried to find some good routes to tour around Big Sur, but all the cool trails required a mountain bike, so we were out of luck. Instead, we found a road that led down to Pfiefer Beach, so we rode down for lunch. (Cliff Bars and Poweraid-Yummy!) It was a 2mile ride straight down to the beach, so that meant a 2mile ride straight up to the highway. It only took us a half a day, so we spent the rest of the day tubing down the freezing cold river! It is beautiful here when it’s sunny!
Our entertainment for the night was watching some guy scrape his 40-something foot RV up against the roof of the registration hut. The hut was actually a little trailer up on jacks, so when this guy pulled in, he knocked it off the jacks and the hut was suspended up against the side of his RV! Several people went to get their car jacks to put under the hut so when they moved the RV, it wouldn’t come tumbling down! By this time, the chaos had drawn quite a crowd. To move the RV, the guy had to cut off an arm of the awning and the corner of the roof with a saw all to get it free. They finally managed to get the thing loose, but he had a massive scratch down the side of his RV, hopefully he bought the insurance!
Tuesday
This morning we decided to stop at a little coffee place just outside of Carmel called ACME Coffee. They roast their own coffee there and one of the Google reviews said “Stopping here was the BEST decision I have ever made!” How can you not check it out after a review like that?!? It was awesome. The building was an old garage (like the kind you take your car to get an oil change) and they brew each coffee one cup at a time. It doesn’t take as long as you would think. They have a set up where you pick your brew; they take out a filter and put it in the brewing station. They put your cup under the filter and pour hot water over the fresh grounds and Voila! Fresh coffee! I think they can brew about 4 cups at a time.
After coffee we jumped on our bikes and headed into Carmel to look around and grab some lunch. What should have been a quick 20-30 min ride turned into a long hour and twenty minute ride zigzagging and back tracking. We found Shannon and the kids illegally parked on one of the side streets so we had to relocate the RV to the outskirts of town. All I want to say is…I am so glad I wasn’t driving that big thing down those narrow streets!
We ate lunch at Clint Eastwood’s Hog’s Breath Café. It wasn’t like the Hog’s Breath Café we have at home where everything is fried and frozen; this place had the best food! We were going to eat ice cream while walking on the sidewalk, but it was freezing! (For his first act as mayor, Clint Eastwood made it legal to eat ice cream while walking down the sidewalk.) All we wanted to do was get back on the bikes and warm up.
Our next stop was Big Sur. It was a 50-60mile ride. Mark drove the RV to the campground then headed back on his bike to meet us. The fog had lifted by the time we pulled in and the spot we were staying was beautiful! We were right across from the river and tucked in between the trees. We stayed here for 2 nights.
Monday
Today we drove over the Bay Bridge to pick up our RV that we will be traveling in for the next 7 days! It was a 31ft rig and it would be our home for the next week. Our first stop for the day….Wal-Mart! We figured it would be cheaper and more sanitary to just buy our own sheets and towels than to rent them from the RV place. Gross. I think it took us longer to check out at Wal-Mart than it did to actually drive to our first stop! Our first night we stayed at Marina Dunes just north of Carmel. We roasted marsh mellows and cooked steaks on the grill.
Race Day (Sunday)
Transition opened up this morning at 4am. We rolled in at 5am to set up our stuff. It didn’t feel as cold as it had been, but that may be because of the anxiety and excitement of pre-race. We set up our gear in the dark and caught the first bus to take us to the ferry boat. Usually at a race, the transition area is right by the start, but at Alcatraz, everyone gets on the ferry and they take us out to the rock and we all jump off. There were almost 2,000 people racing and all of us were on the same ferry. They emptied the boat in less than 6min!
The pros were the first wave and they all climbed over the rails so they all could jump off the boat at the same time. The rest of us were ushered off the sides and our time started once we hit the timing mat at the edge. It was a frenzy of people, willingly jumping into the cold water and frantically swimming to shore! The current was pushing us downstream at 1.8 knots so we had to aim at a point directly across the bay to avoid overshooting the swim finish and being swept under the golden gate bridge. It was cold, salty, and rough! By far one of the hardest swims I have ever done. The total distance was about 2 miles, but because of the current, we only swam about 1.5 miles.
Mark rescued some guy in the water. He heard someone yell “help” and saw the guy roll over on his back and black out. He had to wave a kayak over to pick the guy up and by the time the kayak got there, the current was so strong, it had swept him pretty far off course. I managed to rub a nasty strawberry on the back of my neck from my wetsuit, but other than that, Jamey and my swim was pretty uneventful.
This race is different from other races because at Alcatraz, there are 2 transition areas. The first transition comes right after the swim. We had to pack a transition bag with shoes, towel, water, or whatever you thought you might need and they would have it waiting for you after you got out of the water. The reason this transition exists is because the main transition area is ¾ of a mile from where we exit the water! So, once you finished the swim, you found your bag, took off your wetsuit, put your shoes on, and ran the ¾ miles to the transition area where the bikes were.
Although the ride was only 18 miles, this may have been the hardest ride I have ever done!! We did about half the ride on Friday just to check it out, but we had NO idea how hard the rest of the course would be! Even Jamey, for a brief moment, considered getting off his bike and walking it up the hill! The incline on some of the hills was intense. If you want to check out the elevation changes and the course maps, go to www.escapefromalcatrazcom.
During the swim, I couldn’t wait to get out of the water and get on the bike, and during the bike, I actually found myself looking forward to the run! The run was crazy, it was more like an Xtera run rather than just an out and back course. Most of the 8 miles was uphill, on the trails, up the stairs, through the tunnel, down the beach, up the sand ladder, and back through the trails. Mark had to be extra careful going through the tunnel because the tunnel starts out 6.5 feet tall and by the time you get to the end of the tunnel it is about 4.5 feet tall (Jamey and I, not so much. J )! How does that even happen? Do they not have building codes in California?! It was beautiful though. We ran right under the Golden Gate Bridge and at mile 3.5 we hit the beach and ran in the sand for about a mile and then it was up the sand ladder. This was a 100yd climb up the sand back to the road. It felt like 200yds and was brutal! Mark wanted everyone to know that he beat Andy Potts up the sand ladder. (That’s the guy that won. They had a timer at the bottom and at the top.)
It was an awesome race and we couldn’t have asked for a better day. The sun was shining, we all finished and no one had to get off and walk their bikes! We ended the day with a burger from In-N-Out, and topped it off with hot fudge Sundays! It was a good day.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Saturday June 13th
Saturday, Race Day Eve
Today we hopped a boat to tour "the rock." It was neat to take a tour through the cell blocks, and I had no idea that the prison guards actually lived with their families on the island. You would have a hard time convincing me that it was a good idea to move my family to an island where the only thing on it was a maximum security prison! On another note, the island looked a lot closer from shore! Standing on Alcatraz, the shore seemed miles and miles away!!
After our tour, I went out for a little run and then we rode our bikes down to packet pick up and to check out the expo. I have to say, for such a big race, the expo was a let down. During the set-up, it looked like it was going to have such potential. Sad.
Our plan for today started out: take it easy, pick up our packets, get a good dinner, and get to bed early. I think we only accomplished 2 of those. After walking around the island all day, I had to take a couple Advil because my feet were killing me, and an 8pm bedtime somehow turned into 11pm. It's hard to balance race and vacation!
Today we hopped a boat to tour "the rock." It was neat to take a tour through the cell blocks, and I had no idea that the prison guards actually lived with their families on the island. You would have a hard time convincing me that it was a good idea to move my family to an island where the only thing on it was a maximum security prison! On another note, the island looked a lot closer from shore! Standing on Alcatraz, the shore seemed miles and miles away!!
After our tour, I went out for a little run and then we rode our bikes down to packet pick up and to check out the expo. I have to say, for such a big race, the expo was a let down. During the set-up, it looked like it was going to have such potential. Sad.
Our plan for today started out: take it easy, pick up our packets, get a good dinner, and get to bed early. I think we only accomplished 2 of those. After walking around the island all day, I had to take a couple Advil because my feet were killing me, and an 8pm bedtime somehow turned into 11pm. It's hard to balance race and vacation!
Friday June 12th
Maybe I should have known this prior to coming to San Francisco, but it is COLD here!! Don't they know it's June?!
Jamey and I flew in Thursday night and it was freezing and windy. All of our cold weather gear (ok, our fleece jackets and A pair of jeans) was shipped over with our bikes so we had nothing warm until we picked everything up the following morning. After walking about 3miles (pre-coffee) to find the bike shop our bikes were shipped to, we were told we couldn't pick anything up till 1pm.
It was 10am and not much warmer than it was the night before. 3 hours in nothing but a tank top and shorts was NOT an option, so we broke down and bought some warm clothes.
Once fitted in our proper June clothing, we hunted down some coffee and met up with Mark, Shannon and the kids. (p.s. The coffee shop had cups just like the ones at the Red Eye! Terrible coffee though.)
We had lunch at the Fisherman's Warf then caught a cab back to the bike shop, actually it was more like an REI. It was called the Sportsman's Basement. It was in an old supermarket. Pretty cool. Anyway, we picked up our bikes and headed out to see just how hilly the course was going to be. We were joined by a guy from Chicago named Jim who I think was impressed by our climbing skills, being from Tallahassee and all. We toured about 5 miles of the course before we had to turn around and get back for the mandatory race meeting. Judging on what we rode, things didn't seem so hard. Little did we know how hard the last 4 miles till the turnaround was going to be!!
At the meeting all our troubles were eased when we found out #1: the secret to surviving the swim was to just "swim across the river" and #2: the water was unseasonably warm, hovering around about 59 degrees!
Thank goodness we have been training in cold water.......oh, wait.
Maybe I should have known this prior to coming to San Francisco, but it is COLD here!! Don't they know it's June?!
Jamey and I flew in Thursday night and it was freezing and windy. All of our cold weather gear (ok, our fleece jackets and A pair of jeans) was shipped over with our bikes so we had nothing warm until we picked everything up the following morning. After walking about 3miles (pre-coffee) to find the bike shop our bikes were shipped to, we were told we couldn't pick anything up till 1pm.
It was 10am and not much warmer than it was the night before. 3 hours in nothing but a tank top and shorts was NOT an option, so we broke down and bought some warm clothes.
Once fitted in our proper June clothing, we hunted down some coffee and met up with Mark, Shannon and the kids. (p.s. The coffee shop had cups just like the ones at the Red Eye! Terrible coffee though.)
We had lunch at the Fisherman's Warf then caught a cab back to the bike shop, actually it was more like an REI. It was called the Sportsman's Basement. It was in an old supermarket. Pretty cool. Anyway, we picked up our bikes and headed out to see just how hilly the course was going to be. We were joined by a guy from Chicago named Jim who I think was impressed by our climbing skills, being from Tallahassee and all. We toured about 5 miles of the course before we had to turn around and get back for the mandatory race meeting. Judging on what we rode, things didn't seem so hard. Little did we know how hard the last 4 miles till the turnaround was going to be!!
At the meeting all our troubles were eased when we found out #1: the secret to surviving the swim was to just "swim across the river" and #2: the water was unseasonably warm, hovering around about 59 degrees!
Thank goodness we have been training in cold water.......oh, wait.
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