Interview with Helen Holmes

Name: Helen Holmes

 

Family? (Who stayed home or who came with you?): No one lives with me as my 4 children are all adults. I also have 7 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

Age (be as vague as you wish!): Chronologically I'm 64, Spiritually I'm about 100, Physically (my doctor says) I'm 44 and emotionally I'm about 34.

Where are some of the places you’ve bicycled with ExperiencePlus!: Belgium and Paris in 2004 to celebrate Lance's 6th win of The Race. Greece to explore the islands of Paros and Naxos. Italy to cross the country from Venice to Pisa in 2005. And of course, The first ExpeditionPlus!

Describe your perfect day outdoors: It would be doing my favorite triathlon in Coeur d'Alene Idaho. The lake is clean and clear (you can actually see the bottom!); The run has a cross-country section through the woods with a little bit of rock climbing thrown in; and the bike is beautiful with just enough hills to give people from my area an advantage!!"

Where is your favorite travel destination?: Right now I would say Europe.

Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know: Probably it would be that I dropped out of school when I was 14 (9th grade). Later, with the help of mentors, I obtained my BS degree and then my MS degree.

Do you have any movie or book recommendations?: Three of my favorite books are "Life of Pi" , "Seabiscuit" and (this is an oldie) "Boy's Life" by Robert McCammon. It's almost worth reading for the bicycle scene. :-)

What’s your favorite ride or hike in your hometown?: Up the Snake River into Hell's Canyon. This canyon is the deepest in North America. It's not spectacular like the Grand Canyon because it reaches a plateau and then continues up. From the bottom you can only see to the height of the first plateau.

How often do you bike when you're not on an ExperiencePlus! tour?: About 4 times a week.

What other outdoor activities do you do?:Open water swimming, walking.

What's one outdoor activity that you would like to take up?: I used to play tennis. I would like to do it again.

What's one outdoor activity that doesn't interest you in the least?: Golf.

Is the ExpeditionPlus! trip the greatest adventure you have ever taken?: Absolutely!!!!

What prompted you to join ExpeditionPlus! this past summer?: Unexpectedly I had to stop running. So it has occurred to me - what if someday I couldn't bike? It's definitely that time of life that if you have a dream you better not put it off. I was enthralled by the idea that it hadn't been done before, the personal challenge, and the many countries we were going to see.

How was the food on the Expedition? Any surprises or favorite cuisines?: I was delighted with the food everywhere. If there was a surprise it was just how good it was.

Do you have any favorite or striking historical or political sights or experiences to recount?: If anyone has been through the Eastern Europe boarder crossings you will appreciate this. In Slovakia I got through without my passport! (Yes, I forgot it. No I won't ever forget it again.) Robin was with me and we talked in our language and the guard talked in his. We showed him the list of hotels, etc. Finally he said in English "No problem" and waved me through!

What was most difficult about the Expedition?: No rest days the last 2 weeks.

Can you identify a favorite day, ride, or country on the Expedition? What was special about it?: Wow! There were so any incredible experiences - to pick only one! O.K. In my top 10 experiences was one day when we were riding in Poland. Many of the roads through the country side were lined with trees and the shade they provided was a much appreciated relief from the hot sun. It felt like being in a story book land. I happened to be by myself and all of a sudden I came to this grove of trees. When I first entered this forest I had to slam on my brakes because it was so dark. As my eyes adjusted to this dramatic change I started to hear birds singing. I feel very inadequate to describe this but it was a surreal experience. The light filtering down through the trees was soft and beautiful and timeless. I felt as if I had stumbled into a primordail secret of nature. I could not see a single bird and yet their song filled the air to capacity. I sat and ate my lunch and just marveled at this magical, wonderful place.

 

What did you like most about the Expedition?:The length of time and places it covered. Day after day of new and exciting experiences and sights. The adventure of doing something and being somewhere that few (if any) have done before.

What question do you wish we had asked, and how would you have answered?: What kind of shape was I in when I got back? Better than I've ever been before in my entire life! I rode two back to back centuries the first weekend in Oct. with my local group (Twin Rivers Cyclists). The first one had 8060 ft. of climbing and the next day about half that. The second day I averaged 15 mph for 100 miles!