Stem-O-Rama Bicycle Ride- July 17, 2010 Stem, NC
The first annual Stem-O-Rama was ridden June 17, 2010.
The acronym S.T.E.M. stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Our hosts and organizers were Eric Wiebe and Cynthia.Shimer.
Stem, NC
We parked behind the Stem Post Office and beside the Stem Community Fire Department.
Cynthia and Eric made up the route with cue sheets.
Stem is a very small community close to the Virginia border.
Stem is a town in Granville County, North Carolina. This is just North of Durham, NC. The population is just a few hundred. In 2006, Stem became home to a high school when Granville Central High School opened it's doors to freshman and sophomores. The school added a grade each year and now has grades 9-12.
The route was to be 64.5 miles, but I'm sure most of the riders felt like it was 65 miles.
Here, above, is one of the partners in crime- Cynthia!
As you will see- Cynthia and Eric really did a fine job with the scenery!
Isn't she cute?
I knew I had been here before! Cycle North Carolina 2004!
The above picture is from the 2004 Cycle North Carolina "cross state bicycle ride".
http://www.bicycleinn.com/Cycle_NC_04_PageI.htm
This is one pretty church!
Stem?
From where does this ride Stem?
The ride stems from Stem.
Ahem! Stem?
What do you mean Slim?
I hope you do not find me dim,
But what do you mean, pilgrim?
A bike ride begins in a town named Stem!
The ride was begun as others are- on a whim!
It began with Eric and Cynthia, a couple quite trim,
Bicycling keeps them slim, the both of them!
Well Virginia Slim,
Married Tiny Tim,
This ride from Stem,
Is really a gem!
Here is my buddy Dave. He has been my friend for 300 years.
What's that? Oops- 30 years!
A garden needs tending.
It's early yet, huh Dave?
There were many scenes like this one above.
July 17, 2010 Stem Bicycle Ride, video #1
The videos are in the order as taken with the pictures.
The videos are short but just as the pictures do, they also give me little "memories" of what the day was like.
Honestly- I'm sure I'm frying brain-cells out there on the bike.
I could not remember most of these memories without pictures.
The memories I would retain would be very blurred and inaccurate.
So- take as many pictures as you can.
It's cheap enough today going digital.
However- never take pictures while moving on a bicycle!!!
We only have about 35 to go! (maybe)
July 17, 2010 Stem Bicycle Ride, video #2
Remember- BE SAFE!
Never take pictures or videos while moving on a bicycle!!!
July 17, 2010 Stem Bicycle Ride, video #3
My kingdom for a helmet cam!
The route goes in the direction our fearless leader is taking.
But Michael T. wanted to see Virginia!
So Micheal T and I keep riding north.
The road narrowed.
The road was distinctly different from the roads we had been on.
I was enjoying our journey over pleasant hills.
But we turned around and headed back to North Carolina.
We never saw anybody named Virginia.
There seems to be a vanishing point up ahead!
Michael T really knows how to have fun!
Backy!
We found our friends here.
They were trying to determine- exactly what the temperature would be "in the shade"!
This was mile marker 34 miles and we were hoping a quick mart would be right here.
Google had the wrong address for the "inconvenience store".
The store was in the opposite direction.
Hydrate or die!
We were running out of fluids!
A couple of emails ensued the ride from Dave and Eric:
Dave: What a hoot!! My first search was off the address which defaulted me to Yahoo. I opted for the Google Maps site which shows the location to be about 1/2 way between Amis Chapel & Blue Wing on the west side of 96. Google gave me a street view of the location. Guess what? It is a field!
Dave: Ah-Ha!! I checked out "Bowen's Mini Mart" on Hwy 96 on Yahoo maps. We came down Amis Chapel Rd & made a Rt onto 96. Looks like the store is just a little ways down the rd turning left on 96.
Eric: Yup, Google Street View shows a mini mart just a half mile south on Hwy
96 (we went north). It also shows a different street number than Google
listed for the store, which is probably why Google put the store 2 mi
north from where it really is. Good research Dave. Now we know...
I'm sorry Dave, but I think your seat is still a little low.
We enter Person County.
We exit Granville County.
The Vernon Hills Baptist Church had delicious water!
Here's my buddy, Dave. He seems to perspiring.
I think Larry's still having fun.
Fun looking place ahead.
This was a very nice spot here.
Is that a Merita Bread door frame?
It started raining somewhere out here.
I gave this a "glowing accent" as it was a little fuzzy from the rain.
Look at this! After 60 miles - she smiles!
We were making good "rooster tails" for each other.
Rain came up from the rear of each bike- right into the face of the rider behind.
Form the post office in Stem:
00.1 Right on Main ST.
00.2 Right on Old Route 75/State Road 1004
01.2 Straight -Culbreth Road (left as 1004 goes right)
04.7 Right on Enon Road.
11.9 Quick Mart
11.9 Cross US 158 and onto Cornwall Road
12.5 Right to stay on Cornwall
14.2 Quick Mart
24.8 Quick Mart
26.6 Left on Grassy Creek Virgilina Road
29.8 Left Amis Chapel Road
32.7 Right NC 96 North
34.1 There's a big empty field here! But no Quick Mart!
34.6 Left Blue Wing Road
36.2 Left NC 49 North
36.3 Left Charlie Stovall Road
36.4 Left to stay on Charlie Stovall Road
40.1 Left to stay on Charlie Stovall Road
41.0 Right Noel Tuck Road
41.4 Right Webb Chapel Road ((Noel turns to gravel)
44.8 Left Polk Huff Road
45.9 Cross Walnut Grove Road
48.6 Right on Goshen Road
49.4 Left Ben Thorp Road
52.6 Left Old Roxboro Road
55.7 Left US-158 West
56.2 Quick Mart
56.3 Right Culbreth Road
63.3 Right Old Route 75/State Route 1004
64.3 Left on Main St.
64.4 Tally Ho Road
64.5 We're done!
The cue-sheet says 64.5 but it felt like 65 miles!
My GPS says we accumulated 5900 Ft. of climbing and descending.
Seems like a lot for a course with easy riding for most of it.
Michael T and I added about 3 miles into Virginia.
The Stem-O-Rama Metric Map!
I was out riding around with the top down a week and some change ago now, when I ran into the ride and riders below:
Duke Multiple Myeloma Bike Ride * 7-10-10
Duke Multiple Myeloma Bike Ride
The Duke Multiple Myeloma is a 50 K or 100 Kilometer road bike ride from the Duke campus through rural Durham and Orange Counties.
The registration fee, from the cyclists, helps support the families and patients undergoing treatment at the Multiple Myeloma Center at Duke and support research about the disease.
So I'm riding around and I run into friends on their bikes! Go figure.
So I wheeled around and played with these folks for a while.
July 12, 2010 Saturday- MM Bicycle Ride
Cynthia gets stronger every week!
Heeeeere's Eric!
Heeere's Cynthia!
We won the race with the John Deere.
I think it was the gearing!
Well my fellow cyclists pull into a rest stop and I mosey on down the road!
These folks were from out of town.
Some place called Australia.
So, I ran up on this fellow. He asked which way I was going when we came to a stop.
I said, "which way you going?"
He said, "I was going to turn to the right on Orange Grove".
I said, "well maybe I'll ride along with you".
"He said, "I like the way you think!"
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