Action Wipes Review

When Jenny and I brought our first born son home I was petrified because I knew nothing about babies. I remember thinking to myself “What if I were to drop him because he’s so wiggly and What if he breaks, he’s so tiny”. I remember that first day when we realized that he had a dirty diaper I thought to myself “oh no, here we go”. That first diaper change took both of us holding down body parts and wiping like there was no tomorrow for what seemed like hours. I’m sure it was only 3 or 4 minutes but when it was all said and done he had a clean diaper but we sure did have a huge pile of used wipes in front of us.

It’s amazing how you learn and adapt though. By the end of 10 years of changing diapers I could change a really dirty diaper in the dark, with my eyes half closed and still only use one wipe. After so many years of diaper changes I don’t have many fond memories of changing diapers but also I don’t have many bad memories either. The one thing I still can’t get out of my head after all of those years is the smell of wipes and what that relates to. Anytime I smell a wipe I think of one thing and that’s a ripe diaper.

You’re probably thinking to yourself what the heck does this have to do with cycling? Believe it or not there’s actually a connection here.

Recently, Martha Van Inwegen of Action Wipes sent me some of her Action Wipes and asked me to give them a try. Action Wipes are a larger, reusable and tougher version of a baby wipe and they smell a whole lot better. When I opened them up and took a whiff there was no correlation to dirty diapers for me so I was all in for giving them a try.

Last Thursday when I made my maiden voyage with my new bike I had a limited time to get some riding in. I took off at 2 knowing I had to be home to take my youngest daughter to piano lessons at 5. Because I knew I was going to try out the Action Wipes I was able to stay out until the last second before I had to do my Dad duties. As I arrived home from my ride I put my gear away and pulled out the Action Wipes to give them a go. When I opened up the package I was a little over powered by the smell because it’s a mixture of Tea Tree and Eucalyptus. That’s really not my favorite smell but it wasn’t your run of the mill baby wipe smell either so I was good with it. I was also a little skeptical about wiping my face down with this wipe because of the strong smell but I had made my mind up that I was going to give it a try so I did just that. At first, it was pretty strong but man did this wipe do the trick. I was able to clean up with one wipe because they are very large and the smell of the wipe went away really fast. I really couldn’t smell any scent after a minute. So off I went to take my daughter to piano and I actually felt pretty darn good. When she was finished we rushed off to a choir concert of hers for the rest of the evening.

Here’s the kicker. Jenny was willing to sit by me the entire evening without the slightest pained look on her face. They must have really worked. I was sold on them. So, the bottom line is do Action Wipes replace a good shower? Absolutely not, because nothing is as good as a nice hot shower after a ride. But, if you’re in a rush for time, need to pick up some things at the store after a ride, want to get a bite to eat before heading home, or need to clean up after your bike commute and before work Action Wipes are the way to go.

I’m going to keep a packet of these around from now on. Also, if you’re a bike commuter I’m sure these will look way cooler sitting at your desk than a large container of baby wipes.

Book Review of Ghost Trails by Jill Homer

This week I finished reading “Ghost Trails – Journeys Through a Lifetime” which is a book recently written by Jill Homer.

Overview:

"Ghost Trails" is the true story of Jill Homer and her unlikely route to and on one of the most difficult winter bicycle races in the world, the 350-mile Iditarod Trail Invitational in Alaska. Through her struggles and intimate confrontations with her fears and weaknesses, she discovers the surprising destination of her life's trails.

My thoughts:

I’ve been following Jill’s blog for quite some time now and when I read her overview of her participation in the 2008 Iditarod Trail Invitational I was riveted to it. I couldn’t believe the suffering and learning that she went through to complete this race. I was so impressed with it that I made Jenny sit down and I read it to her as well. Needless to say, when I found out that she had written a book about her 2008 race experience I couldn’t wipe the grin off of my face.

I’m not much of a reader but once I started reading this book I seriously considered taking a sick day from work so I could sit down and finish it because I just couldn’t put it down. If it wasn’t for a pressing project at work I would have done just that. So, as an alternative I put off training and stayed up late for a number of nights until I finally finished it up. I have to say, it was worth it.

Even though I knew Jill finished the race the book was very suspenseful. This book takes you through the highs, lows, injuries, struggles and elation of the race. If you’ve ever completed an endurance event you’ll be able to relate to all of these emotions only Jill’s were intensified 100 times over. As I read the book I found myself cheering for her to keep going and cringing for her when she faced almost insurmountable obstacles.

Books of this nature tend to be just travel logs but Ghost Trails had a lot more to offer. Every other chapter told a story from Jill’s life which in some way gave her experiences to lean on for the Iditarod Trail Invitational. Admittedly, this switching from the race to supporting stories was confusing at first once I got into the rhythm of the book it tended to fit right in.

Conclusion:

If you enjoy non-fiction books about endurance sports you’ll love this book. This is a great first effort from Jill Homer. If you’re like me you’ll love this book and have a hard time putting it down which may be to the dismay of your spouse.

If you’re interesting in picking up this book you can order it through the following website.