After my high from Saturday’s 100 mile ride, I wasn’t sure if the weekend could get better. And, then it did.
Yes I am wearing a t-shirt that shows how much I love Friday Night Lights
I told you last week that my century ride with Venus de Miles was cancelled due to the flood. Instead, Venus connected riders with ways to volunteer and help with the flood relief effort. Some of us were asked to go to a farm near Longmont, along one of my most favorite riding routes. Ironically, this weekend while doing loops for my long ride, I went by this farm many times and noticed the devastation.
In a weird way I felt a connection to this place, probably because I have passed it too many times to count on training runs and rides. I know you all get what I mean – you go by places a million times and briefly take note of them, but at the same time hardly notice…they are just part of your landscape.
When we got there, my friend Michelle and I grabbed masks, shovels, gloves and boots and headed towards a little 1800’s garden house that had not yet been cleaned out.
She and I went about removing 8” of mud from the floor of this structure, uncovering lawnmowers, rototillers etc. We would dump the mud outside the doors and other volunteers put it in wheelbarrows and dumped it. It’s a good thing I am not freaked out by earth worms as big as snakes. And, too bad this was a rest day because it was not a rest day. Shoveling mud was some serious upper body and core crap.
One funny thing we found in the shed – this sign:
There once was a man with a sick head
Who grew tired of bikers peeing in his shed
When he finally caught one
He loaded his gun and now that biker is dead
Like I said, this farm is along a popular cycling route. The story goes that cyclists were stopping and actually coming into the shed and peeing in the fountain the family had in there. Seriously? Who does that? I am not above taking a dump in the bushes on a trail run, but I wouldn’t dream of going into a shed that someone owned. I have standards after all.
And, no the homeowner did not really shoot a cyclist and pour him down the sink. And yes, I did ask them if I could post the sign.
We talked a lot to the homeowners. They have lived there for 8 years and live on about 7 acres. Their house has been totaled – it will take more to rebuild it than to just tear it down. The attitude of the owners, however, was amazing, despite FEMA’s less than stellar response. They said that it has been the generosity of people that has outweighed the trauma of losing so much.
You get what you give is what so many have told them. Apparently these people have been incredibly generous to those around them for years. When it came their turn to need help, the outpouring has been amazing.
Can you find me?
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Have you ever done any disaster relief work or had someone do it for you? This was a first for me.
Ever pee/poop on someone’s property (would you admit it?). Believe it or not, I have not intentionally done this. I did poop inside a tree once in a moment of desperation, but I think it was on public property.
SUAR
