Airport Parking

The drive from Buena Vista to Denver airport is a solid 2.5 hours but what a beautiful drive. Thanks to Stalink, I happily chatted away to Mum and Dad for most of the drive before getting into Denver proper.

After filling up and stopping for some food, it was dark which meant the next hour was not fun. Google maps kept sending me to a toll road and then I was off on some unlit country roads where I expected a deer to come out in front of the van any minute. I didn’t have the mental capacity to figure out where I was so I had to blindly follow my phone into a dark abyss. Only when the maze of orange ground lights came into view did I have any inkling that I was near an airport.

I was grateful that Dan had pinned the Pikes long-term parking lot for me and eventually that’s where I ended up. It was 9pm now and I was over it. I wasn’t impressed when I saw multiple flashing signs stating that oversized vehicles were prohibited. I had confidence in Dan though, he’d parked in this lot many times and seen plenty of Sprinters parked up. I did too, but as I drove further into the lot, I noticed that none of them were as long as Berta. Shit.

I looked up a number and called to confirm and was told, very firmly, that 18 feet was too long. Thankfully, she told me of a third party that would probably take an oversized vehicle. I called them and yes, they were happy to take me. Despite being in there for only five minutes, I still had to pay $8 as I exited the Pikes lot. The cost of learning my lesson for not figuring this shit out beforehand.

I drove another few miles in darkness and stress to US Airport Parking, mentally preparing myself to spend the night sleeping at the airport. I knew I could get away with camping at the Pikes lot because Dan had done it, but who knew with this other one?

I was met at the gate by a very friendly man who assured me that the Pikes lot suffers a lot of theft so I didn’t want to be over there anyway. He told me where to go and within a minute of parking, a roaming shuttle bus stopped in front of me. I told him I wouldn’t be ready for a while but he wanted to know a time so I admitted I was planning to stay the night. He said that should be fine but he’d let his dispatch know. A minute later, a security car showed up and I knew that was it, I’d be sleeping on uncomfortable chairs. But no! He was another lovely man who explained that in the morning, I should call for a shuttle, otherwise they wouldn’t know to come over to my area. Well, I was smitten by the friendliness of these folks.

I faffed around until midnight to get myself packed and showered then gratefully crept into bed happy to know that I’d be undisturbed for the night.

Big Red Van

I woke at 5am, washed my face and stepped out of my humble abode to go find a shuttle. I tracked one down eventually and the driver was a little confused as to where I’d come from, but there was one seat free for me and we were off to the airport and past the ugly horse in no time.

I managed a quick stop in the United Lounge (thanks credit card) for some simple breakfast, then I was off to my gate and on into a window seat on an international-sized plane. I was reading the whole way and getting painfully close to the end of Atlas Shrugged but I didn’t push it, I wanted to enjoy the conclusion.

I landed in SFO and my ride was on his way so I sat outside, pleased with the mild temperature. I saw Ross in the blue Mazda and waved him down. He gave me a hub and off we went to SLAC. We talked cars and bike-trailer stacks on the way and he was just as amped for the Wente bike race as I was.

At work, we met Steven, Jake and Dave in the carpark and did the typical standing around catching up before I went off to my real job at another part of the lab. It was nearly lunch time already but I had some serious work to get done first. I said a big hello to Marwan, then having been sitting down for no more than five minutes, I got to see my old boss and give her a hug which was nice.

After a meeting with my current boss, I went down to meet Marwan and we went to lunch at Stanford mall. A wonderful person with his heart on his sleeve, it was great to talk to my friend, catch him up on everything and hear about his move to LA to work remotely and be with his husband.

With work to do, we didn’t stay long and after sorting out some seriously complicated shit in the warehouse with my team, Dave messaged me asking for my ETA. I told him I would pack up and head over to SSRL. Half an hour later, frantically trying to tie things up, I got the message from Dave, “the bus is leaving”. I knew what that meant! I logged off and walked out.

A big red van was in the SSRL carpark that hadn’t been there before. Step 1 of the Wente logistical master plan had been carried out successfully. I met Dave inside then loaded my bag from Ross’ car into Big Red. He told me about his Outdoorsy rental experience and within five miles of leaving SLAC, I was in the back fixing rattles.

At Dave’s place, we spent the afternoon slowly packing the van, having a few beers in the process. To fit two bikes in the van, we had to remove the bed extension and front wheels but everything we packed fitted in very nicely. Not wanting to deal with a rattling shower door the whole drive, we installed a new latch stop. Free upgrade for the owner.

With everything loaded in, we went inside to catch up with Andrea. She’d injured her foot right at the end of her back surgery recovery so she wasn’t a happy camper but she was making the most of it. I had a chat to Lizzy sitting outside on the porch to give Dave a chance to pack his clothes, then our dinner arrived and Andrea’s friend Lisa shortly afterwards. We sat down to eat and hear Lisa’s stories of travel then went to our corners of the house to sleep for the night.

Pre-Game

My watch hadn’t updated to the CA time zone so I was up an hour earlier than I needed to be but I only figured that out after I had a shower so I sat up and read waiting for Dave to rise. We’re both morning people so it didn’t take us long to be ready to head out, we were in Big Red and heading to Scott’s place at 6:30am.

Scott and Dave had exchanged words the night before thanks to Scott being an old woman and fussing over unimportant details and the entertainment kept coming as we drove over to his place. He called to make sure Dave had his SLAC badge then hung up abruptly.

His garage was laid out with all his gear and the bike I’d be riding for the weekend and he seemed to have gotten over last night’s tantrum but I didn’t hear any sorries. We loaded his stuff and two bikes into Bed Red then we were off again to pick up the last member of the Orange Peelers team.

Steven was at the front door ready as we pulled in and was traveling light compared to the other two. We had his bike in the back and everything loaded by 8am. Now we could get on the road properly.

Steven and I, both in our thirties, felt like the kids to a gay couple (Dave & Scott both in their sixties) and the chatter didn’t stop the whole way up to northern California. It was good to catch up with Steven while Scott regaled Dave with old-time stories and bitched about this, that and the other.

Nearing Willits, we stopped in at the famous Lola’s market for a breakfast burrito. It was near 11am so it was more like lunch and wow was I ready for it. I was starving! We sat outside enjoying the weather and pleased with ourselves that we’d beaten the construction crew lunch rush.

The rest of the drive went quickly and we did it from memory, turning right after the record and pizza shop to find the Wente Scout camp. Dave navigated the narrow twisting roads expertly in Big Red and she cruised along just fine when we hit the dirt road into the camp.

It all looked so familiar and I got properly excited when the lake came into view. After check-in we were directed straight up to van camp where I felt special when Dave told Scott to shut-up so he could listen to me, the van camping expert. We got settled near the corner of the lot near some oak trees that would give us shade and spots either side of us for our friends coming later.

We got the shade structure up then Steven and I went off into the tent camping area to save spots for the rest of the crew. We’d driven in at noon and I’m glad we weren’t any later because many of the yurts were already taken. After some hunting, we found a great little cluster of them with a picnic table up the hill and got to work setting up tents for me, Bart, Wayne and Ross. Steven was a scout so we made light work of it.

Done with tent camp, I got dressed to ride then joined the others at van camp to help finish the set-up. I managed to get a phone call off to Ross and Bart to tell them about their new residences and Bart was on his way in so I rode down to meet him. After helping him cart his stuff up the hill, it was chill time at van camp just waiting for our friends to roll in. Eduardo showed up and he positioned his borrowed Westafalia next to the Ram and our van camp was nearly complete!

Scott and Kelsey were next and once they got themselves settled up in tent camp, a little ways up the hill from us, we were ready to hit the dirt. Bart was the only first-timer in the group but we were all happy to get out and do a lap of tomorrow’s race course.

It was a hot day but the course was as well shaded as we’d remembered so we enjoyed it. At the top of the gauntlet, everyone wanted to warn Bart not to go off the narrow track for fear of pitching it into a ditch or hitting a hidden rock but everywhere else was self-explanatory. Just enjoy.

We stopped often to let everyone catch up and took in the view at the halfway point.

The berms were just as good as last year but the climb out that switchbacked though the trees seemed much longer! Cruising back into camp, I think Bart was excited for tomorrow’s race. We were ahead of the rest of the group so we went to registration to pick up our packets then we rolled up the hill to meet the latest addition to our crew in Nina and Vonneth. They’d parked their Ford Transit perfectly next to Big Red’s awning and so our van camp was complete. Time for dinner!

Just as I’d set my plate down on the table outside the dining hall, I saw a fully-loaded white Mazda rolling up the hill to van camp. It was Ross, Jen, Levi, Jonah and Wayne. They saw me waving at them and I could have seen Levi’s smile from a mile away.

I ditched dinner and rode up the hill to say hi and show them their camp. Everyone was happy to see me, especially Levi, and I was happy to whisk each of them into my arms for a hug. They were very impressed with the digs we’d snagged for them and Steven and I had been right not to peg down the family tent because the first thing Ross did was move it.

Wanting to set up camp efficiently, Ross and Jen asked if I’d take Levi so I propped him on my knee and we rode back down the hill to hang with the crew. Everyone was tucking into dinner and they were happy to see the little man. He sat on my lap and took it all in as I ate, then we got him a plate of dinner which he wolfed down.

We were all excited for a great MTB race but really, this is what we’d all come here for. To be with each other, talk shit, laugh and see how much the kids had grown.

After a warm brownie for desert, we retreated up the hill where I got two new additions, Quinn and Jasmine, settled in at tent camp then we all hung out around the vans talking bikes and tomorrow’s race and throwing a frisbee around. When the frisbee landed on our neighbor’s Dodge van, I ended up talking to them for a long while and happily suggesting Trusted House Sitters to them for their pet sitting needs.

With Ross’ muscles and two people holding down my bike, we were able to get the seat up to a suitable height and last was the last of the day’s business. A few beers were drunk that Friday night but tomorrow was race day so everyone kept it pretty mellow and we were all in bed early.

Race Day

 I was up at 6am and it was hard to believe a race would be starting in only two hours. I got straight into my riding gear and by the time I was back from the bathroom, the others at tent camp had awoken. I sauntered down to van camp and saw movement there too and with meal tickets in hand, we rode down the hill to start our race day.

The breakfast spread was decent ad those of us not starting the race loaded up big. The time went quickly and before we knew it, people were lining up at the start line to get rolling. Bart rode up the hill to get his race kit, the other starters got ready and us non-starters staked out our position next to the lake at the finish line to spectate, hang out and support our riders.

Dave, Steven, Scott A and I posted up outside the dining hall watching the mob of riders grow and at 7:50am, I was getting concerned at the lack of Jonah I saw in the crowd. Team Bupkis consisted of me, Ross and Jonah and neither of my team members were in sight! Jonah made it with five minutes to spare and I saw him settle into position with Vonneth towards the back of the field. We all laughed at Scott J who put himself in the third row amongst the pro- and fast-riders that would all leave him in their dust by the first corner.

Then, all of a sudden, it was race start! A buzzer went off, there was cheering from the crowd and we watched the mob of 200-ish riders take to the race course. Wente was on!

This was a new experience for me having ridden the 8-hour race as a soloist last year when I managed eight laps. This year, I was taking it easy with my team and planned to fully enjoy the social aspect of the race.

Jen, Levi, Wayne and I sat in the sun by the lake to watch the fishing goings on and when a kid about Jonah’s age caught a big bass, he drew quite the crowd as they worked to release him back into the water.

It only took forty minutes for the leading riders to come through for their second lap and I first change over was just after an hour when Jonah sped across the finish line. Where was Ross?

We’d already agreed that he should ride second so that he could get a lap in before it got too hot and Dave helped me to search the crowd for him. Oh dear! I stripped off my outer-shell, put my gloves on, strapped on my bag and helmet and was just about to reach for my bike when Dave saw him coming down the stairs across the track. We waved frantically at him and he got the message. He laughed as he ran across to strap his gear on and get his bike, then we were laughing as he rushed to get his Strava going and get out onto the race track. He’d underestimated what Jo-Joe could do!

We cheered every rider across the line as we waited for our team mates to come through with the kids on the cowbells keeping the atmosphere alive.

I got myself into position when Ross had been gone about 55 minutes, not wanting to underestimate him! It didn’t seem natural speeding away from him when I crossed the line – I wanted to hear about his lap!

I swear I was smiling like an idiot for most of the lap, especially in the berm sections where I was quite vocal about how much fun I was having.

When I came to the end of the lap, I could see Jo-Joe in the change-over crowd waiting for me and he was off as soon as I came across the line. Go Jo-Joe! I didn’t know he’d be so enthusiastic for his second lap! He was trying hard to break the one-hour barrier I think.

Now I got to enjoy giving Ross shit for missing his start, hear about everyone’s lap stories and support the solo riders with filling their water and feeding them gels. There’d been no mishaps and everyone was having a great time.

When Jo-Joe came back in, Ross was at the ready and straight out to big cheers from our camp. Once Jo-Joe had cooled down, we ventured over to the dining hall for lunch with Bart who was taking a break after completing three laps.

As the afternoon wore on, the race track became quieter with the hobby soloists calling it a day and the teamsters doing the same. I was excited for my second lap and was happy to be waiting in the changeover crowd with Dave and seeing Vonneth as he came in. It was the highlight of my weekend to see his Mum, Nina, come over to see him at the end of his third lap. A 13-year old kid with a steady head on his shoulder and a big heart, you could see how proud Mum was of him and the bond the two have. Missing their husband and father who was ill and so hadn’t been able to join us, it was nice to see them doing what they love together.

Right, lap two! Riding in a team I was determined to do as best I could so I kept the pace up. I was slowed down by a chain drop and then on the back half, I saw a guy go down in a corner so stopped to make sure he was ok. His pride was hurt, but he carried on. Everyone gets looked after at Wente.

I was surprised to see Jo-Joe in position again at the changeover, thinking he’d have lost interest by now, but as soon as I crossed that line, he was gone. We were getting towards the end of the eight hours now and Ross rightly predicted that we could only get one more lap in as a team. Ok by me! I was happy for him to take the last lap, but I was prepared to go one more in the rare event that Ross made it back by the 4pm cut-off.

Jo-Joe had slowed a little and made it back at 3:15pm. That meant Ross would have to do a 45 minute lap for me to get another one in. His best time was in the 50s so it was very unlikely, but I made sure he saw me pointing at my watching and mouthing “forty-five minutes” as he rode off. Ha ha, now I could relax.

I sat with Jo-Joe, Wayne, Eduardo and Dave and we swapped lap stories while contemplating the finish for Team Bupkis and Team Orange Peelers. Steven was doing two laps in a row for the team and while he’d made it back in time to start the final lap, he had to make sure he was back by 5pm for it to count.

When 4pm went by with no Ross, I de-robed, taking of my helmet, gloves and pack ready to cheer in my team mate. I was happy to be done riding for the day. He rode past fast at 4:15pm and we welcomed him home. Our race was done. It was a busy hour of cheering with the whole crew coming to rest but Steven had the most dramatic finish, coming in with only a few minutes to spare. The hero of the Orange Peelers!

We’d all had a successful race. There’d been no injuries, we’d all stayed hydrated and everyone had a smile on their face. We focussed on packing up camp and getting everything back up to the vans, then the crew dispersed. Some went to dinner, others went to shower and others watched the podium ceremony.

I was up on the balcony with Ross, Jo-Joe and Scott A when we saw Dave, Wayne and Steven down below. Steven and Wayne both had drinks in hand but Dave was empty. It looked weird. Ross had a spare beer so I took it down to my friend and he was a happy recipient.

The podium celebrations were good to watch and when they were over, at least ten of us got in line for food together so we kept each other entertained throughout the wait. Levi was the life of the party again as we filled our bellies with recovery food.

Now it was time to party. Everyone retreated to van camp where I joined after having a shower. We chatted with our neighbors about their race, then happily sat around to relax and swap stories. Everyone was on the beers and in some cases, tequila, but I stayed sober knowing I’d be having an early night.

Not wanting to listen to Scott J’s horrible records and talk over them, when Levi was sent up to bed, I followed and snuggled into my sleeping bag for a great post-race sleep.

Post-Game

The goal for today? Leave Wente as late as possible. It wasn’t a common goal across the crew, but somehow, I made it happen. After breakfast, everyone was in pack-mode and I was happy that I’d packed so light. Levi helped me to breakdown my tent and when I had everything packed into my bag, he walked down the hill with me to help the others de-van camp.

Scott J was useless thanks to his hangover so the rest of us got stuck in packing the bikes, gear and taking down the awning. Levi was ever-helpful constantly asking what he could do next to help us.

Then the logistical conversations started and we found a solution that meant I would get to drive home with the Aussies to Santa Cruz, then get back to work the next day with Nick as he drove from Pebble Beach. It meant some of the Aussie gear had to go back in Big Red so that the extra seat in the back of the CX-7 could pop-up and hold Jo-Joe for the trip back.

Once we’d done all the shuffling, there were three of us and a Levi that wanted to get another ride in. It was only the Aussies sticking around so we hugged all round to our riding friends and thanked them all for a great time together, already looking forward to next year.

I clipped into the Nomad and followed Ross on the Heckler with Levi in tow and Wayne on the Sorbet Santa Cruz. Instead of going up the fire road climb of the race loop, we sought out the Best Day So Far trail and started a two-mile single-track climb up to the top of the hill. We met a few other groups doing post-game rides but it was quiet in contrast to yesterday’s action. We took many breaks and Levi ate through all his snacks, as usual.

At the top, there was a new trail to experience and from the outset, you could feel the difference from the meticulously-maintained race track. It was dusty, fast and slippery! The trails had the surroundings of Skeggs but the characteristics of Flow trail and I enjoyed every meter.

Back down to lake-level, we found our way back to the Meander trail and finished out a lap. That’s how good these trails are. Despite having ridden this route all day yesterday, we still wanted more.

Coming down the last hill, we were happy to see the lake and after sitting the bikes at the car where Jen was chilling in the shade, we didn’t waste any time getting in. We couldn’t come to Wente and not have a swim!

The boys walked in from shore but I opted for the pier entrance so I could do a quick dive, knowing that the water would be too cold for me to gradually enter. We hung out treading water for about twenty minutes before it got too cold and we were out to snack on some lunch. Jen and Jo-Joe had enjoyed relaxing by the lake and now it was our turn to sit back and do nothing for a little while, laughing at Levi’s antics and chatting.

When 2:30pm rolled around, a mad with a radio came by and informed us that we were supposed to be gone by 2pm so that was our queue! We loaded the bikes, gear and our bodies into the car and cruised out of Wente saying goodbye and thank you for another year.

We stopped at Russian River Brewing Company for a drink outside and a meal inside and Levi did well to contain his displeasure at being woken up from his car-nap.

The drive home went quickly after that. I switched between chatting with Wayne, Levi and Ross, Jo-Joe was glued to his Nintendo switch in the boot and Jen marked exams up front. At home, we made quick work of un-packing with Ross showing me the efficient method of throwing things from the rooftop box up onto a catcher on the balcony to go into the house.

The boys and I did an hour of trampolining in the backyard and it wasn’t long after that that we were all ready for bed. No dinner needed after such a big lunch. Poor Levi wasn’t having a great time, I think he was exhausted from the day.

Blue Beauty

We had optimistic plans to go mountain biking on the local trails, but Wayne’s late-night meetings, my 8am meeting and Levi’s throwing up in the night cancelled that. Instead, after breakfast, we opted for the Santa Cruz cruise so we loaded up and rode through Paradise Park and down to the foreshore.

It was a familiar jaunt for all of us with our favorite coffee shop as our destination and we all enjoyed the pace. We paired off chatting the whole time and the sun came out just as we ate the last bites of our croissants.

Back at the house, we were straight out onto the deck to soak up the sun, eat cherries and throw the pips over the balcony. When we heard the low idle of an old car, we rushed out front to meet it. My ride was here!

Nick had driven his recently acquired beautiful blue 1968 Mustang. I’d seen photos of this machine but the color in-person took my breath away. We all huddled around the car for a good while before Nick and I actually got in to go. I gave my Aussie family big hugs goodbye and when Levi asked Nick politely to “punch it”, he obliged, making him cover his ears quick smart.

It was nice to be able to catch up with Nick properly as we took the winding route through the hills and I was just in awe of this car. What a beautiful machine that handled well and made such a beautiful sound.

By the time we got to SLAC, it was past 2pm so I decided it would be too hard to go over and see my production team before they left. Instead, I opted to sit and have lunch with Nick outside SSRL where people came and went to say hello, just like always. I got a lot of hugs in between mouthfuls of food.

I managed to get a couple of hours work in at my building, chatting with Antonio while moving out of my cubicle per the latest change-up in our team. After a few emails, it was time to head back to SSRL for one last catch-up.

Pople was on the bridge when I walked in. He had the French Open draw on one screen and a cricket match on the other paused at the coin toss. Nothing had changed. Its was great to sit and chat with my mate about sport, travel, work and life and it was all over too soon. Nick was about to head home so he joined us at the end until I got myself an Uber to the airport.

It was my last logistical step in a weekend of fun that had filled my heart with joy and although it left me with aching muscles and a rough cough, every minute had been worth it. I can’t wait to do the same again next year.

29 May – 3 Jun, 2024