Monday, September 11, 2006
Tom O'Hare
Tom and I were classmates at Michigan Law School. He and Judy married during law school as did Gretchen and I. They went to Seattle and we to San Francisco, but we have kept in contact and gotten together over the years. Around 15 years ago we started bike rides together. Judy is the rider. Tom is a casual rider, but he shines as a support person for long rides. Tom is the Gold Standard.
For as long as I have known Tom and Judy have had a camper or RV of some sort. Tom drives the RV while Judy and her fortunate companions get to ride with full support. They met up with us at Eureka, NV on this trip and will be with us into Colorado. Their RV is old and tired, so they have borrowed their son's camper, visible in the background.
When I say full support you might not appreciate what that means. He carries our gear, and drives up the road to provide us with water. That is just the beginning. On a typical morning we will set off at dawn and ride about two hours. Eventually we see Tom at the side of the road. The camper is parked at a scenic vista and situated to provide maximum shade. Lawn chairs are set up in the shade. Water to refill bottles is out. Tom is not to be seen, because he is in the camper cooking breakfast. As we fill water bottles and apply sunscreen, Tom brings out juice, sausage, bacon, pancakes, potatoes and odds and ends. The process is repeared at lunch, after which he goes ahead to check out a motel. All this makes our work easier. Maybe possible.
