Bear Lake Monster Century II

Again this year Jared sponsored the Bear Lake Monster Century Bike Rice.  It began and ended in Montpelier.  After his accident a few weeks ago he has been stressing some over how this event would turn out.  Iris and I volunteered to help him and  we were there, as requested, at 6:00 AM at the park near the Oregon/California Trails Center in Montpelier.  Jared had already been up since 4:00 AM making the final preparations.  There were  five different routes for the riders to follow, some opting for the 100 mile ride, some choosing the 100 kilometer/62 mile ride, and still others the 75 mile, the 50 mile, and the 25 mile rides.  It was a beautiful clear day in the Bear Lake Valley.  The temperatures were on the cool side with morning lows dipping to the mid thirties.  I talked to one young man who told me that he was from Phoenix and that he had rarely felt such cool temperatures in his life, let alone at the beginning of the summer season.  The sun soon began to warm the valley and by the time the riders were returning  after a hard workout most of them were praising the cool crisp Bear Lake Valley air. 

 

When an event like this is planned, of course, you want everything to go off without a hitch, but most especially that no one involved gets hurt or  has an accident of any sort.  With so many people involved in an event like this it is not unlikely that their will be a few mishaps. Luckily, on Saturday there was nothing worthy of note in the accident or injury report.  Nearly everyone who participated seemed to have had a good experience.  A few complained that the wind was gusting a little to much from time to time, but that , of course, couldn't be blamed on the event planners.  All in all it went well. I didn't get a count on the riders, but I'd guess over three hundred in total.  One always hopes for more, but this was a manageable number. Nothing to cry about, for sure.

 

I was inspired by the participants.  Most of them had come to Montpelier from quite a distance to participate.  They had, for the most part, rather expensive equipment, the were dedicated to physical fitness, which a lot more of us should be, and were willing to put in some effort to be fit.  I appreciated the sociality among the bikers.  They all seemed to be getting along well with one another and were enjoying the day.  I was especially inspired by a few individual riders.  There was a young lady there riding who had only one leg.  The other was a prosthetic leg.  She refused to let this handicap curtail he activity in these kinds of events.  Another young man was just passing through town and stayed in a motel on Friday night.  He learned about the race and wanted to participate.  He showed up in a wheel chair and his bike was one of those you propel with your hands and arms.  He took off and was able to stay right with some of the other riders.  I wonder what I would do if I had just one leg, or none at all!  Another young lady told me she had never done anything like this before.  She didn't have the best of equipment and was a bit overweight, but determined.  She chose the 50 Mile ride.  When she returned I talked to her again.  She was tired and a bit sore and could begin to feel the stiffness that accompanies overused muscles beginning to settle in, but she had a big smile on her face.  That together with the words; I DID IT! told a huge story and was an inspiration to me.  There were people of various ages, most were young adults, some were middle aged, and there were a few who I would have classified as old, but they say you are only as old as you think you are.

I keep trying to tell myself that.  One lady, very slim, with gray hair and a few wrinkles rode the 100 Kilometer/62 miles.  She astounded me with her ability and determination.  I thought about asking her how old she was, but I've learned that that is not a good question to ask a woman who might appear to be in he seventies, so I left it at that and admired her willingness to keep on keeping on.  It was a great lesson to me.

 

All in all it was a good day!  I was thankful that Jared was able to be there and did so well.  We could have been in mourning instead after his accident.  I was thankful to Dr. Shana.  She is such a support and steadfast person.  Jared is fortunate to have her by his side and I feel very fortunate that she is a part of our lives along with their beautiful family.  I was thankful for the good people we met whom we knew and loved when we lived in the Bear Lake Valley. Where else would the mayor  go home and bring my sweet Iris a pair of socks to keep her cold tootsies warm until the sun came up. They are good and they are genuine.  We enjoy living closer to the Temple in Logan, but a part of us will always be in the Bear Lake Valley.

 

One of the volunteers was there with his daughter.  He was having fun with the names of the places around the Bear Lake Valley.  He texted a friend.  "I'm here in Montpelier"  The friend texted back: "France?"  He replied:  I was in Paris, just yesterday, and this afternoon I'll be at the summit in Geneva."  It was fun to see someone having a good time with the place names bestowed on various places around the Bear Lake Valley and  which speaks to the heritage we, who have lived it in the Bear Lake Valley, share.

 

Below are just a few photos of the days events.

 

The Bear Lake Monster Century started near the  Oregon/California Trail Center in Montpelier.

Here, some of the riders are beginning to assemble to get instructions from Jared.  He has a great voice, but using the bullhorn, nobody had any trouble understanding what he had to say.  We were glad to be there and are proud of our son, Jared, as we are of all of our children and grandchildren.

 

Jared giving instructions prior to the start of one of the rides

Jared and Shana.  We could all learn something about supporting one another from their example. 

Iris and one her good friends from the Bear Lake Valley.  Here she is with Cindy Raymond, who is working at the Oregon/California Tail Center this summer as an actress in the living history museum there.  She is the mother of one of Stephen's best friends from high school, Brad Riska.  Interestingly. his mother reports that he is married, doing well, and living in Boise, and that he has a little girl named Sophie.  Imagine that. I remember Cindy's words one time when we were at an event our ward sponsored in Montpelier.  It was a missionary focused event and Cindy came, feeling a little apprehensive and maybe unsure if he should be there.  A few seconds later she spotted Iris.  Relieved, she exclaimed: "O. there is my good friend Iris."  That's just the way they are. It's hard not to feel better when you are around either of these two wonderful women.  Cindy reported that they will be moving to Boise following the summer.  It couldn't be a desire to be closer to the grandkids, now, could it?