Saturday, September 6, 2008

Centralia to Longview (via Mary's Corner, Toledo and Castle Rock)

55.5 Miles, 2000 feet of climbing, road kill (squirrel, 3 snakes, 2 possums, 1 mouse, 1 unknown mammal). Oh, and most importantly, not a ride for weak women.

We got an early start after a big breakfast at the Olympic Club. Weather was very foggy and there was lots of wet pavement to negotiate. But, the scenery was quite nice and we cycled past a number of parks and the John R. Jackson House - the oldest pioneer structure north of the Columbia River. Apparently old John was the only white guy in these parts and later, his house served as a stopping over point for people heading west.


But, the highlight of the day was our glimpse of an old barnyard sign for Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription for Weak Women. As this photo clearly shows, Deborah is not looking weak - even after being half way through today's ride. Turns out, Dr. Pierce, had quite a livelihood just after the Civil War - pulling in 500K a year on patent medicines. This particular medicine was used successfully by Myrtle Gehrt - maybe it could work for you?? Sounds like the key ingredient was opium so it wasn't too surprising she felt quite a bit better after a few pills. If you follow the link to Myrtle, you'll see her testimony and the testimony of lots of women. The book was written by Dr. Pierce and while we've only perused it, it is absolutely hysterical in parts. We stumbled upon page 775 and learned about "testicle wasting." Arn is hoping that his bike seat isn't causing any similar problems.

2 comments:

Dan said...

Hey guys - how many calories do you think you are burning per day? Are you making any special adjustments to your diet? Are you on the Michael Phelps diet, perhaps? Inquiring minds want to know!

arn said...

Deborah is eating pop-tarts every 15 miles. Okay, not always pop-tarts but she is eating every 15 miles. NOTE: Arn enjoys drafting behind pop-tart legs.

Regarding calories burned, neither of us knows. We just hope it is enough to cover the pop-tarts, pancakes, bacon and other goodies.