Bicycling Across America with Sara

THE BEACH -- WE DID IT!!

2006-08-09T20:32:00.000-04:00

Dana and Jim are SO happy to have reached the beach!
I too was thrilled to finally touch the Atlantic Ocean. Willis Sands Beach, Rye, NH - next to Portsmouth, NH. It was a loooong ways to pedal from the Pacific Ocean back in Oregon!
At the beach many were greeted by friends and family. Here Sarah G (who lives in Salt Lake City, UT) was greeted by her best friend, her frisky, friendly doggie. She was so happy to see her pal once again.
Bill B is not wearing socks. Those are tan lines. After he went to the ocean he had taken off his sandy socks and put just his bike shoes back on.

Day 50 Going to Portsmouth, NH

2006-08-09T20:23:00.000-04:00

This was the plaque on the cafe we stopped at in Exeter. Many of us stopped for coffee and snack at "Me and Ollie's" Cafe.
Abe Lincoln visited here too -- years ago. It was a taven back then!
These four riders joined the ABB ride in Niagara Falls, NY just to ride the final week with us. John, Joe (our most senior rider at 75 years old), Bill, and Peg (who I ride with back here in Ohio with one of the bike clubs I belong to).
One last group photo moments before we lined up behind a police escort that led us the last three miles to Rye Beach at the Altantic Ocean in Portsmouth, NH. Here we are looking fit and tan from 50 days of riding! (Click on photo to enlarge).

Day 50 Manchester, NH to Portsmouth, NH

2006-08-09T20:07:00.000-04:00

Here is Chuck D. and I bright and early on the last morning, last ride. Our "gift" last night from the ABB staff was a box of Quick Oats. We were always one of the first to come down to the hotel lobby each morning and one of the first to load our luggage and most often the first ones out on the route. When this was presented to us last night Staff Tom told the group he thought we were quick because we had been eating those "Quick Oats" every day.
These four became the best of buddies over the weeks. They would start out early and yet would ALWAYS be the FINAL FOUR to get in every day. They would enjoy their day riding at a leisurely pace and stop many many times along the route every day. They were such a delight to all of us and had some of the funniest stories to tell at route rap and dinner every day. Here they are loading their luggage for the last time on to "Box", our luggage truck. L-R: Stu, Annie, Lois, Abe.
We were all dressed in our official America By Bicycle shirts this last morning -- ready to come to the ocean looking like a sea of red, white and blue. This is at the breakfast room at the hotel in Manchester, NH.
On the ride to Portsmouth we came through the old town of Exeter, NH. Many took a coffe and snack break at "Ollie and Me" cafe. The building (now a coffee and bakery cafe) was once a taven in the 1700's, and Abraham Lincoln visited it in November of 1779.

Day 49 and 50 Manchester, NH and Portsmouth, NH

2006-08-09T19:54:00.000-04:00

This USA map was put up everyday on our bulletin board in the lobby of the motel. This black line shows how far we had biked up to Manchester, NH. The second to last day of cycling. It was so amazing to watch this line get longer as they days of riding advanced over these last 7 weeks. This map was signed by all of us, and then a drawing for it took place at our dinner there in Manchester, NH -- the night before our last ride in to the Atlantic at Portsmouth, NH.
The staff talking and joking with us at our evening of reflection in Manchester, NH. L-R: Michelle, Bill, Christine, Tom (at podium), Andy and Jim.
Everyone got a memento "prize" from the ABB staff. Our tandem riders, Daun and Bill got a chuckle when Daun was presented with a little fan to keep herself cool when riding as the Stoker behind Captain Bill on the tandem.
Nancy and Kirk had some problems with losing their sunglasses during these weeks on the road. They gave Kirk and Nancy some "cute" sunglasses as a gift from the ABB staff!

POST RIDE REPORT

2006-08-09T15:31:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody -- I"m home and I'll post a recap of the ride of the last day and also more photos. I'm so swamped having just arrived home and have only a few minutes to post this. Please check back later -- I'll post more!!

Day 50 PORTSMOUTH, NH I MADE IT!!

2006-08-09T06:40:00.000-04:00

After the ride celebration on Monday evening. Chuck, Peg and I went downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire and ate on the waterfront at the Stockpot restaurant. A wonderful relaxing place, and great food. The downtown shops and sidewalks were just filled with people in the evening. What a fun a old city. Postmouth was established in 1623. It was nice to have Peg with us for this last week of riding. I think Chuck and I were still in a bit of a daze not fully realizing what an accomplishment we had just finished -- 50 days going across America on a bicycle.
A view of the water from the Stockpot Restaurant, Portsmouth, NH
Here is Peg crossing over from New Hampshire to the state line of Maine. Kittery, Maine is the city that is across the water from Portsmouth, NH.
Peg and I pause to say hello to Maine. The post next to me is the MAINE STATE LINE sign, which did not get into this photo.

Day 49 journal Brattleboro, VT to Manchester, NH

2006-08-06T17:47:00.000-04:00

I biked 87.16 HILLY, HILLY, HILLY miles today. A glorious day to be out there on a bicycle. Weather was again the very best. Welcome to New Hampshire. One heck of a hilly terrain. If we weren’t going up we were going down. We biked just about 5,900 vertical feet, total climbing today. Joe English Rd is one of the thrills of the day. But two other longer climbs were just as steep – and longer. Going between 13% to 14% grade. At route rap last night Andy said today is known as the second hardest day of the trip (second to going over the Grand Teton Mountain Pass, in WY). And I remember in 2001 I thought I would about die before getting to this motel. But this time, it was fun, challenging and very do-able. What a difference four additional summers of bicycling had done for me. Along with a lighter bicycle, and good bike fit, I never hurt all day. I just kept a steady pace and climbed away, and pretty soon Manchester, NH and the Comfort Inn were right before me! Right after leaving Brattleboro this morning we passed the state line into our last state, New Hampshire. It was a chilly morning, reminding us of the mornings around Mount Hood, Oregon. It was 55 degrees when we started out at 6:50 AM. It is hard to express the feelings I have knowing tomorrow will be our last day together. I am both sad to see it ending, and thrilled at the thought of what lies ahead: Seeing the Atlantic Ocean. Oh what a dream come true. I’ll keep you posted. I’m going to get Peg to give me her camera disk and get some of today’s photos and post them here later.

Day 48 Troy, NY to Brattleboror, VT

2006-08-06T17:31:00.000-04:00

At the top of Hogback Mountain. TEAM OHIO! Sara, Chuck, and Peg. Looking fresh and happy after all that climbing -- amazing.
Peg at one of the decorated mouse in the city of Bennington, VT. There were many of these mouse that were painted and decorated.
Chuck pauses to say goodbye to New York and welcome to Vermont.
This wood craved horse was on the grass at our first SAG stop (you can see the table in the background and some bikes). There was a sign on this horse that said, "Must sell: $10,000, or best offer" Nobody in our group seemed too excited or interested!

Day 48 journal Troy, NY to Brattleboro, VT

2006-08-06T17:23:00.000-04:00

I biked 77.5 miles today. At route rap last night staff Jim (our mechanic) gave a nice overview of today’s ride. He lives in this area and Vermont is his home state. He had us all looking forward to this ride. And it was wonderful!! What fun it was to be back on the ups and downs. Our legs hadn’t had a work out like this since back in the Rapid City, South Dakota area. We left New York and entered Vermont. Amazing that we could cross a state in just a few hours. Helps that we are traveling across the narrowest part. The weather was absolutely PERFECT today. What a welcome relief from the heat, wind and humidity. The sun was shining and our spirits really were lifted all day. It was a day to savor. After the first SAG stop Chuck and I started out just ahead of Peg. After a little while I couldn’t see her behind us, and figured she had stopped to take a photo. Chuck and I stopped at the Vermont state line and took photos and waited a while for Peg, but figured she was taking some time to look at scenery. We started out slow and in a while were in the town of Bennington, VT. It was such a perfect day to linger and there and just feel and see the flavor of this town that has so much personality. We found a coffee shop and sat outside and watched the people walk by and our fellow cyclists stopping and cycling slowly through the narrow streets. It wasn’t long until Peg showed up and here she was way behind because she had a flat tire. Eberhardt stopped to help her change it. Later she found out it wasn’t because she ran over anything but that the valve stem on the tube was faulty and sprang a leak. Continuing we came to another wonderful little Vermont town (these places are all so old, from the early 1700’s!) called Wilmington. I remember eating the best piece of pie there. And sure enough I found the same cute café with outdoor seating. Recumbent Jim was already there and had tasted the raspberry pie. I took agreed it was darn tasty. Crust was too thick though, and so Jim begged to finish that off!

We had 10 miles of climbing today that was up to hogback mountain pass. What a great view of the distant hills we had when reaching the summit. Then it was a fantastic down hill ride all the way into Brattleboro, VT. We stopped in a bicycle shop to “check it out” and then on to the hotel. After I check in I saw Peg and asked her if she wanted to go back to get a little bite to eat – and so we ended up at a Friendly’s.

The excitement is building!! Only two days left to go. God is Good, and I have been greatly blessed. All thanks are to God for our safe and happy journey.

Day 47 journal Little Falls, NY to Troy, NY

2006-08-06T17:02:00.000-04:00

I biked 83.12 miles today. It was another wonderful day out there on my bicycle. First though, I’ll update on the rider who fell yesterday. Kent ended up going to Utica hospital, and sure enough he has a broken shoulder bone. The same one as he broke a year ago. He came back to our motel and had made arrangements for a taxi to take him to the airport this morning. He had his arm in a sling and when he gets home will check in with his doctor and see what the next step is, could be surgery. He, as are all of us very saddened by this happening and we will miss him very much. He was a steady, and fast rider. He would pass me several times a day (he stopped a lot, then catch back up. He ate several meals along the way – bottomless appetite that guy had!). When he glided on by me he would always say, “Sara, there’s pie and ice cream up there, keep going!” I saw him about 5:30 this morning in the hotel lobby and he was waiting for the taxi driver. I wished him well and had a chance to say goodbye to him. He slept last night sitting up, and he said he slept good because the high-powered drug he was sent with from the hospital. It helped with the pain.

So this morning when I woke up and was hauling my bike and bags out to the front door at 5:30 AM it was RAINING! A pretty heavy downpour. But other were saying the weather channel showed it would be passing and we would have clearing and sunny skies in the direction we were headed. Breakfast was served in the banquet room at the hotel and luggage loaded at 7:15. Sure glad that rain did stop, just in time. But the roads were still pretty wet and the big trucks splattered us some, and of course the bicycles were getting very dirty. I must get out there in a few minutes and hose down the bike and polish it all up. It was cloudy for a few hours, but the scenery was so beautiful. Mountains off in the distance on either side of us and there was deep green foliage every where. Certainly not dry looking here in New York. We had a few climbs, but nothing much. Just waiting until the next three days!!! There will be a lot of climbing! At about mile 52 we entered on to a bike path that was paved and stayed on that for nearly thirty miles. It was paved the entire way, but some places had some back bumps and cracks in the blacktop pavement. I felt a little cheated out of seeing more of the state of New York by having to stay for way too many miles on a tree lined narrow bike path. I remember in 2001 we only had to be on the bike path for a few miles and we saw a lot more of the nice terrain and beauty of New York.

Note: It is Sunday, August 6 now. I did not finish this above posting 3 days ago when I should have. So now I can’t remember much more about that day. Stayed in Troy, New York. On to the next day’s report. . . . .

2006-08-06T15:11:00.000-04:00

2006-08-05T15:44:00.000-04:00

Day 46 Journal Liverpool, NY to Little Falls, NY

2006-08-03T15:59:00.000-04:00

Today I biked 80 miles. I decided to get up early and head on over across the street to the Denny’s restaurant where the ABB ‘supplement’ breakfast was scheduled. I could have had the conti at the hotel, but wanted just a little more with pancakes and eggs. I was there at 5:30 AM, and about 12 other bikers were showing up at that time too. I was finished eating then by the time Box opened up to put luggage on at 6:15. It was muggy again this morning, and cloudy. I prepared pretty much resigned myself to getting rained on at some point today. I liked the motel we stayed at rather than the one in 2001. It was located on out past the most heavy morning traffic. Kent, Keith, Chuck, Peg, Ilka, Sarah G. and I pulled out at the same time. We were biking pretty close for several miles. There were some hills right away and then it leveled out so we took advantage of the great tailwinds we had. We had a pace line going for nearly 10 miles and holding speeds about 20-21 mph. We were all clipping along so fast that we arrived at the point (25.4 mile mark) where the first SAG was to be set up. But the van hadn’t passed us so no SAG to get some water and food. I called on the cell phone to say seven of us were moving on and not waiting around. Just then the van came in sight. Got some water and a banana and moved on. We passed a little sight that Peg stopped and took a photo of. It was this very tiny church sitting out in a pond of water. The sign said, “The world’s smallest church.” The clouds were getting darker off in the distance but I thought we would be moving away from the rain. Nope, we got a sprinkling at about the 52 mile mark. Just happened to come into a small town and took shelter under a canopy for about 10 minutes. When Chuck, Peg and I arrived at the second SAG there was a phone call from Kent. He said he had fallen (at mile 58) and was calling an ambulance. He was trying to change the cue sheet/map and didn’t have both hands on the handlebars and hit a bump in the road and went down. He thinks he broke his collarbone. This is so sad! He he was, almost all the way across and to have this accident. It is especially sad for him because last year he started out on this cross-country route and fell as he was trying to clip into his bike pedals just a few miles into the route. He broke his collarbone and was all healed and was on this trip so happy he was going for these final days and with all good hopes he would finish. These accidents happen in a flash. We haven’t heard anything yet, but he was taken to the hospital. Hearing that we started out from the SAG with thoughts and very concerned about Kent. This also caused us to be extra cautious because the roads were still wet from the rain that had passed through. The rest of our route went well and the terrain was changing a lot today. The hills were longer climbs, and off in the distance we can see bigger hills and mountainous all around. Tomorrow we are sure to be climbing a lot more. I had a great ride today. Jon G. tracked me down and said there was a masseuse very close to this motel and she had two openings. I’m going to keep on top of feeling good and get this massage at 6:15 today. I’ll miss route rap but Peg will pick up an extra cue sheet for me. Dinner is right here at the motel so I’ll just eat when I get back.

Day 45 traveling to Liverpool, NY

2006-08-03T15:52:00.000-04:00

It was SO HOT today. After 89 miles we stopped at The Retreat Restaurant. I was BEAT! I was dripping with moisture everywhere. But the eatery was air conditioned and that was wonderful to cool down before heading out for the final 2 miles to the motel.
Restaurant sign in Liverpool, NY
A cute pink house in downtown Liverpool, NY

Day 45 Photos

2006-08-03T15:48:00.000-04:00

Now if you are really into motorcycles I guess this is the mailbox you would like!
Christine and Christopher display some new shirts at the SAG stop. It says on the front: "Need water?" "We Got Some"
Their names on the back: Christ tine and Christ topher.
An old blockhouse used in 1722.

Day 45 Journal Henrietta, NY to Liverpool, NY

2006-08-03T15:45:00.000-04:00

I biked 92.14 miles today. What a fantastic day I had. Felt super the whole day – should have gone on and done a Century (100 miles)! Lots of energy, and even with the scorching heat index of 100 degrees I thought today felt cooler than yesterday. The humidity was a wee bit lower and the winds seemed to cool me better today. Others may not agree with this, but I did not mind the heat today. I really love New York roads. They are nice to ride a bicycle on out here. The shoulders are nice and wide and paved. Even though we are now into the eastern states where the traffic has increased a whole lot, with the wide (clean) berms it really makes riding smooth. The three of us, Chuck, Peg and I ate the continental breakfast at the motel this morning and then got in line for the 6:15 AM luggage loading. We were on the bikes and down the road at 6:17 AM. We were told about a road construction detour at route rap last night. That sure makes it go easier when they have found out ahead of time about road closures/detours and can tell us how to proceed. So many times we have had an added adventure in our day trying to walk or ride precariously through beyond these ‘road closed’ signs – and with no warning that we would be encountering any construction. So today at mile 5 we had to follow the detour signs and that added an extra mile on to the route today. The terrain was rolling off and on today, which made the riding fun and interesting. We could see more lakes and wildlife preserves today. We came within 10 miles (north) of Seneca Falls, NY. We are very close, but north, of the Finger Lakes region of the state. We didn’t stay long at the two SAG stops, as we were aware of trying to beat the heat – and there was a thunderstorm warning out for the afternoon. One of the riders with us until Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Dave, came to say hello at our second SAG stop. His wife was there too, and she had made enough little individual cherry topped cheesecakes for all of us. Nice treat! When we got into Liverpool and were at the 89-mile mark we saw an inviting restaurant in the downtown we were passing through. It was called The Retreat. Seemed to be a very popular and busy place. But the service was “slower than molasses in January”! But that was OK I guess, because our rooms at the motel would not have been ready anyway, so might as well hang out and drink water and re-hydrated and fuel up sitting at a restaurant. Recumbent Jim had caught up to us (or was it that we caught up to him?) and he stopped to eat with us. Of course he and I had to have a piece of pie – still on our quest to find the BEST pie in the USA on this northern route. He had the raspberry pie and I had the coconut cream. Mine was definitely made there – and was soooo good! Chuck and I split a Rueben sandwich and we were then ready to do the final 3 miles to the motel. We had gotten in at about 12:30 PM to this restaurant and it was going on 1:45 before we got back outside. Quite a few other cyclists had by this time stopped at this place to eat. When we went outside we heard thunder! The sky was really getting black. We could not see that when we were in the restaurant. It was a mad dash to ride those last 3 miles trying to beat the rain. Luck! We made it in and just as I got up to my room and opened the curtains the sky let loose. A torrent of rain and high winds. I sure did feel bad that so many bikers were still out there and were getting very soaked. Hopefully they found shelter along the way. It continued to rain for about 45 minutes. Peg took her camera along today – so I loaded photos from her disk over to my computer and will have something to post this time. Every morning I debate whether to take the camera, and I put it back because it is a weight issue. The less I carry on the bike the less I have to lug up a hill! My body itself is weight enough that has to fight gravity on every hill. Route rap is at 6:00. Dinner is across the street at some -- you guess it – BUFFET! Yippie. Hey, we got FREE bottles of ice cold Gatorade and water from the hotel manager as we came in. Also they offered us a big bowl of free bananas. I grabbed a couple of those to eat as soon as I get up in the morning. I have eaten so many bananas I know I’m turning into a monkey. Another 85+ miles tomorrow to a town near Utica, NY.

Day 44 Niagara Falls, NY to Henrietta, NY

2006-08-01T16:29:00.000-04:00

Sunday I biked 21.00 miles, today I biked 83 miles. Here it is Tuesday, August 1^st. Summer is going fast! I was not a happy camper on Sunday when I woke up that morning. I was really looking forward to riding into Niagara Falls, Canada and over the bridge to Niagara Falls, New York. But my back was still very touch and go. I tried to ignore the pain and just try to make it in doing the 72 miles. I took some of the meds I had gotten there in Canada and started out about 6:30 AM. The day started out fairly cool and the roads and countryside was lovely during that early Sunday morning. My back was really hurting but I was glad the terrain was mostly gently rolling so I didn’t have to use the glute muscles very much, as you do when climbing big hills. I tried to stay in one position leaning forward. All I could think of was “Just get there and you can REST and get on the phone and call for a masseuse or Chiropractor.” When I had to stop for a little break and got of my bike (mile 20.5) I REALLY couldn’t move in any direction. It was even painful to take a deep breath. Luckily I could see one of the ABB van’s pulled off to the side a ½ mile ahead watching riders as they came up to one of the turns in the road. I knew I could not make it any further. I joined Daun in the van. She was sick too and needed a lift in that day also. I was very disappointed in having to take another day off from riding, but I just had to listen to my body at that point. It took a couple of hours to get into the hotel since the vans stay out and make sure the riders are safe and offering water as needed along the road. It was nice to see the beautiful Falls once again. I’ve been there several times, but each time it is a little thrill to see such a wonder of the world, all that water falling over the cliff. There were a zillion people on the Canadian side milling the streets and parks by the Falls. It took about 40 minutes to inch our way forward over the Rainbow Bridge and through customs checkpoint. One very nice change that ABB made since the 2001 ride was we stayed within a stone’s through of the Rainbow Bridge and all the activities that people wanted to enjoy there at Niagara Falls on the rest day. My Paul arrived within a half hour after I got in. It was so nice to see him. I wasn’t in any condition to do much walking around with my very sore back – so we took it easy and had a good time relaxing and visiting. I got on the computer and through the yellow pages and my map software I looked up places to get a massage and a Chiropractor. Since it was Sunday it was useless to call, but had all the number ready for Monday morning. And with Paul there through most of Monday he could drive me anywhere I needed. Paul brought Peg, from Massillon along. She is riding this last week with the ABB group. It was good to see her. “Team Ohio” made connection and so Chuck, Peg, Paul, and I walked over (on recommendation from the hotel as a place to eat) to the Seneca Casino. It was about 4 blocks away. Quite a glitzy place that casino. There are several places to eat inside the casino and we chose The Three Sisters. Good food. During Route Rap at 5:00 PM that afternoon Peg was introduced and welcomed. A representative of a bus tour company did a short presentation on their offering of a tour (on Monday our rest day) to see all the major sights on the Canadian and American side of the Falls. About 20 people signed up for the 4.5-hour tour that left in the morning at 8:30 AM. I was up early and came down to the lobby and looking at the ABB bulletin board I noticed a sign-up sheet if you wanted to have a massage. Someone had contacted a masseuse and she was willing to come to the hotel from noon to 6:00 PM. I was thrilled to see that, and I didn’t have to go anywhere for that. A whole hour was just $35, a real bargain. But I was really concerned about what all was happening with this back issue and I called a Chiropractor. The receptionist asked it I could come over in half an hour (9:00 AM). Yes! It was less than a mile away. I am so glad I went. He said my pain was largely due to things getting way out of alignment. My pelvis/spine was all out of whack, and caused my left leg to be ¼” shorter than my right. He quickly did some adjustments. He said I would still feel sore most of the day, but feel a lot better by today – with instructions to ICE for 20-minute sessions for the rest of the day and evening and drink tons of water. Later in the afternoon I had a very relaxing massage and stayed close to the ice packs. Lo and behold, it was like a miracle this morning! I could ride and Peg, Chuck and I left early and got in the 83 miles by 12:15 PM. I had a lot of energy, and was SO thankful for the blessing of having my back feeling 100% better. The roads were great today, and just a little rolling in spots. It is 100 degrees here today. After leaving Niagara Falls this morning and about 10 miles into the route I saw a time and temperature sign at a bank. At 7:45 AM it was already 84 degrees! The humidity is unreal. But one thing, when you are on a bike and rolling along the breeze created from moving through the air does help. But Whoh! When you stop the sweat just pours off the skin. I drank 4-25 ounce bottles of water while biking and a bottle of juice at a gas station stop along the way. We are in the area of Henrietta, NY – a town next to Rochester, NY. We are kind of out in the middle of nowhere, not much to see or go to around here. People like to be near a Wal-Mart, Dairy Queen, or big drug store. But not out here. We will be shuttled to the Old Country Buffet for dinner. Our favorite! When rolled in the luggage truck had just arrived and our rooms were not ready, so we pedaled back down the road a little and went to Tim Horton’s for our lunch.

Life is good again – and I thank God for my renewed energy and for a body that is working in harmony once again!
Tomorrow is is on to Liverpool, NY. A bike route of 85 miles.

Day 41 journal London, ON to Brantford, ON Canada

2006-07-29T15:33:00.000-04:00

I'm posting these notes on Saturday, 7/29/06. I rode into London from Port Huron yesterday, Friday, 89 miles. Our first day into Canada. It was much the same scenery as we have had for many days. Farm land and fields of corn and beans and grain. The farm properties are very neat and clean and all the yards are very well kept. Many more flowers in the yards in Canada. I was really hurting a lot on this ride. While I was in Port Huron I injured my back lifting my luggage. I thought once I got on the bike it would work itself out, but it just got so tight and painful I couldn't even lug my luggage to my room in London. Last night I was up a lot trying ice and heat. But this morning I decided I just could not do the 67 mile ride today, that I better rest this back for one day. I rode in the luggage truck with Tom. This morning just before leaving, the new staff member, Bill, who also happens to be a pharmacist here in Canada told me I could get a muscle relaxant with codeine (Robaxisal) over the counter from any pharmacy here in this country (not available without prescription in US). When I got here to Brantford I picked up some and have taken a couple of doses. Feeling better, and will bike tomorrow into Niagara Falls, NY. I can hardly wait to hand over to Paul a whole lot of stuff from my luggage that he can take back home for me. I must lighten this luggage!! With only a week to go I will travel as light as possible! It will be great to see Paul, it is a 4.5 hour drive up to Niagara Falls from home. He is also bringing Peg S. with him who will be joining our ABB gang for this last week. There will be 4 new riders coming on. A few will be leaving. Paul will stay through Monday, our rest day, and we can sight see Niagara Falls. Such a tourist trap, but it is a lively place to be with all the people milling around the streets in the city. I've been there several times and have seen all the attractions, so mainly I look forward to finding a nice place to do dinner tomorrow evening. I'll have to take the camera tomorrow. Should really stop and take more photos. But I find when I'm biking I get peddling along in a steady beat/pace and when I stop to take photos it is takes time to get up to speed again. It breaks that nice cadence that I enjoy on the bike. So here's hoping I sleep well tonight and my back problem is short lived! I just hated not being out there on the bike today --- and it was a beautiful day with sun shine and no rain. Terrain was a little more rolling today.

Day 39 Port Huron, MI photos

2006-07-29T15:12:00.000-04:00

Here we are at breakfast in the Holiday Inn at Port Huron, MI. We ate at the hotel today (Friday, July 28) and then assembled to cross the bridge into Canada at Sarnia, Ontario. We were all wearing our official issued ABB jersey today. It looks pretty impressive to see all 55 of us wearing the jersey, we really stand out. Going across the bridge was quite a production. The authorities stopped all traffic and led us as a single group across the high level bridge. When we got to the Canadian border the non-US citizens were called forward to present their passports to be stamped. The rest of us did not have to show ID. ABB staff had given the list of all our names and pertinent information several days in advance so they could get each name checked out. One guy did get a call from the Canadian authorities as a "wanted" on their list had the same exact name and the same birth date as our rider. But on questioning him on the phone this hair color and eye colors and places he had lived didn't match with the guy they were looking for. We held up traffic for about 45 minutes. I can imagine all those semi-trucks waiting behind us to cross the bridge were not really happy. Then another hold up happened. The authority looked at our route sheet and saw that we would be running into several miles of construction. So we continued to wait and they stopped all the traffic on the other side of the road (traffic that was leaving Canada). Then we were led in front of this stopped traffic and out on to a road that took us around the construction. It did add a mile to the route, but it was a good road, and we were glad for not having to go through the tie-up of construction. The roads in Canada are pretty good, but all the roads have NO shoulders, so we are hanging on to the white line (when there is one) the whole time we are on the roads. It was another day of rain threatening, but we escaped the rains again!
Kent models this t-shirt that sums up our days: Eat, Sleep, Pedal . . . Repeat.
The "Final Four" as we call them who stop for anything and everything all along the route found a sign that said "Pick Your Own Raspberries". Of course they stopped and picked! Here at route rap Lois passed around the beautiful and delicious berries. The next day there was a sign that said "pick your own blueberries". Guess what, we had blueberries at route rap! Such fun.

Day 39 journal Birch Run, MI to Port Huron, MI

2006-07-27T16:03:00.000-04:00

I rode 87. 67 miles today. It was a WONDERFUL day! I just love to be on my bicycle. The roads today were overall much improved over yesterday's. We only had one section of about 3-4 miles of choppy roads. The riders seem to be riding closer to each other now. There aren't the big 'gaps' between the small groups of riders. Everyone is getting so strong we are closing in on each other. Still the "Final Four" are out there coming in last everyday. They have a blast though, stopping lots of times to take pictures, go on little side excursions, talk longer to the 'locals', stop to eat more and chat with each other along the route. Then there is the 'Wolfpack' who think everyday is a time trial! But they have a grand time too. Sometimes they are speeding along so fast that they tend to miss the turns. There wasn't much to look at today, just farmland all along the route. It was great to come into Port Huron and ride along Lake Huron shoreline. There are some mighty fine lakefront properties. Today Chuck and I stuck together and a couple of times we latched onto the wheels of two different groups and got "pulled" for many miles. Once it was Bob and Tom, and another draft was behind Leslie, her brother Gary, and Michael was in the line for a while too. I arrive into the city limits about 12:20 PM. We had another 5 miles to go along the shoreline before reaching the hotel. The traffic in that area was pretty heavy, but we held our line good and the drivers were considerate. If we ride and act like a vehicle (as the law says we must) and make sufficient communication with the drivers it helps a lot. I turn my head back and it notifies the vehicle behind me that I'm aware of them back there and I wave my arms in big circles when I see a car pulling up to a stop sign on my right. They sometimes only look one way and start to pull out -- and by waving and pointing my hand/finger straight ahead it lets them know our direction. We stopped at Tim Horton's cafe across from the hotel for some lunch and finished our route and into the hotel by 1:00 PM.
Tomorrow morning we will wear our America By Bicycle official jersey and cross over the big bridge into Canada all as a group. We have to leave very early so that the morning traffic going over the bridge won't be held up too much.
It is the Country Buffet for dinner tonight. I'm going to have a rude awakening when I get home -- this buffet grazing will have to come to an abrupt end!!! Right now we are burning those big meals off everyday. Quite a few people are reporting they have have lost weight. I haven't found a scale to step on. Guess the exercise rooms of some of the hotels have had scales. I'll wait until I get home to find out the plus or minus of this trip!
God is great and has blessed us all.

Day 38 journal Mt. Pleasant, MI to Birch Run, MI

2006-07-26T18:58:00.000-04:00

I biked 75 miles today. We sure got lucky today and did NOT get wet. Looking at the weather radar it looked green everywhere all around us, but lo and behold we must have gotten into some sort of pocket and escaped the wet. It had rained in the wee hours of dawn but was not raining when taking off at 7:30 this morning. I gave praises for the Michigan roads yesterday, but today’s route had absolutely crappy roads!!! Makes you want to write the governor of the state and find out why these roads around here are never repaired. I ate one of those motel waffles this morning. Big mistake. You know, those popular make your own in the waffle maker waffles that the motels are offering these days. I should know better because every time I’ve had one and gotten out on the bike afterwards it sits in the gut like a lump and makes me feel so sluggish. It was 40 miles into the route before I felt better. Stopped at the SAG (only had one snack SAG stop on this short day) that was at mile 40 and had Fig Newton’s and banana and soon felt much better and picked up speed for the last 35 miles. If it hadn’t been for the terrible roads I would have made even better time. A few times we had to turn south and boy did we have a headwind going that way. The longest stretch going that direction was 6 miles, but it was a ‘get-down-in-the-drops’ on the handlebars when fighting the wind. Coming into Birch Run we had to go right past the huge Birch Run Prime Outlet Mall complex of stores. It was noon when I rolled in so lots of us went by there and found many restaurants to choose from for a lunch before getting into the Comfort Inn Motel right at the interchange at I-75. I have enjoyed relaxing all afternoon, reading, napping, washing some clothes and resting up for the 90 miles to Port Huron tomorrow. I wonder if we will get rained on tomorrow? Good chance we will as it looks like a rain front is coming over all of Lower Michigan from the west. Route Rap is in a few minutes and then we are to walk to Tony’s Restaurant for the evening meal. It will be about a ½ mile walk. Hope it is Italian food! Those pasta dinners are good carbo loading meals. Makes a huge difference in our energy when we eat the right stuff! Last night about 15 of us went next door to the Lone Star Steakhouse for dinner instead of ABB’s free dinner at Shoney’s. Just couldn’t hack the thought of another buffet, and especially Shoney’s! Looking forward to seeing Lake Huron tomorrow. Time to go to route rap. Thank you all for your e-mail’s!! It means so much to hear from so many.

Day 37 journal Ludington, MI to Mt Pleasant, MI

2006-07-25T20:19:00.000-04:00

I rode 115.67 miles total today. WOW! I can’t believe we are finished with our ‘century’ rides. (rides 100 miles or more). Today was a wonderful ride. It went so fast and smooth. I had breakfast at the hotel at 6:30 AM and then left hoping the 115 miles would go along quickly. And it did! It started to rain about a mile into the ride, and did not stop raining for the first 75 miles. It wasn’t bad though, I only put on my jacket for about 4 miles, and then took it off as I felt too hot and the humidity was so high I rode well without anything on the arms. I was plenty wet, but I didn’t feel cold. The route was completely changed from when I came through here in 2001. I loved this route. The roads were clean, smooth, and very little traffic the entire time. The terrain was rolling up and down the whole day. Right after the 66 mile SAG stop I was riding along thinking to myself about the fact that I have not had a single flat tire in the 2,712 miles (at that moment) that I had ridden on these roads. Not a minute passed and pssssssst! I had my first flat tire. The best part was that it had just stopped raining so I didn’t have to change it out there in a downpour! I was at mile 74 in the 115 route. Keith came along and pulled Chuck and I for about 15 miles, that was a big boost and we really made good time. I was at the edge of town by 2:38 PM. Stopped at a deli for a bite to eat and got to the hotel a little after 3:00 PM. We are all so strong and fast now – we don’t think much of doing 100 miles any more. But nobody is complaining that all our rides from here on out are less than 90 miles!! The excitement is building, and we are getting closer to New Hampshire day by day! Oh what fun this has been. How I love to ride my bicycle!

Day 36 Manitowoc, WI to Ludington, MI photos

2006-07-25T19:47:00.000-04:00

Julie and Jeff relax on the shoreline waiting until we were called to load our bikes and selves on to the SS Badger boat to cross Lake Michigan.
More of the riders relaxing near the ferry/car dock waiting for the loading of the boat.
Here's Nancy on a Harley. She decided to ditch her bicycle for this shiney Harely! Just kidding. There was quite a line up of motorcyclists waiting in line to drive then on to the boat.
After a 4+ hour ride on the boat we got our bicycles in to Michigan for the first time. How exciting it is to be crossing into our 7th state!! It was just a 3.3 mile bike ride to our motel from here. The boat ride I found long and rather tiring. Really couldn't rest well on the boat and except for being on the outside upper deck outdoors it was very hot on the boat. I had a queezy stomach most of the ride so I tried to stay put in one place to keep my dizziness under control. I found the last hour being outside along the upper deck was the most comfortable, and I sat on the shady side of the deck.

Day 35 Manitowoc, MI Photos Rest Day

2006-07-25T17:54:00.000-04:00

Downtown Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Coming into the historic section at the intersection of 8th Street the Budweiser Beer brewry can be seen. It is a very large opertation. Directly behind that is Lake Michigan and the area where we all congregated to board the SS Badger boat. Standing on the corner is Nancy A.
Back at the hotel we had to load our luggage on to 'Box' at 9:00 AM and that left plenty of time for us to cycle the 3 miles to the ferry boat. Most everyone explored the downtown and found coffee shops or places to pick up some sandwiches to take along to eat later on the boat.
Jim L. more than enjoyed his hot chocolate with whip cream on top. It was a "Got Milk?" moment. Quite a few stopped in at Lewy's cafe to drink and eat.
A popular spot was Lewy's Cafe, as you can see by the line up of bicycles.
The ferry boat SS Badger is arriving. After it docked passengers that had come from Ludington, MI got off and the cars came off as well. Then a crew loaded an 18 wheeler open top truck with coal, three times, and back it on to the steam boat and dumped the coal fuel on to the ships lower belly. We walked our bicycles on to the ship about 12:30 PM and then went up to one of the three upper deck areas to relax and enjoy (?) the four hour 60 miles across Lake Michigan from Manitowoc, WI to Ludington, MI. We lost an hour in time as we enter the eastern time zone. The boat arrived and docked at 6:15 PM. It was threatening rain, so we hurried to the motel. Most stopped along the way though to get some dinner. Since this was considered a "rest day", ABB does not provide a meal and we were on our own. I was anxious to just get in to the motel and prepare things for the 115 mile ride the next morning so I had something to eat at Wendy's. The baked potato, chili soup, and yogart, and milk was fuel enough for me.

Day 35 journal Fond du Lac, WI to Manitowoc, WI

2006-07-23T15:52:00.000-04:00

I rode 58 miles today. Another beautiful day for a bike ride. I felt rested and refreshed after taking it easy yesterday when I arrived at our destination. We ate at the hotel last night which was great – saves time not having to get out and go somewhere for the dinner. The hotel served a good pasta and chicken dinner and plenty of it. A couple of the riders reported missing a turn yesterday and ended up with 108 miles instead of the 83 on the route sheet. Today was so comfortable, just the perfect temperature for riding (about 75 degrees), the skies were clear and the breeze was not too strong so we clipped along at a good pace the whole way. The terrain was almost constant gentle rolling. It is amazing how strong everyone has become over these weeks of riding. I left a little past 7:00 AM and arrived here at 11:00 AM. Chuck kept us at a steady pace, and I drafted most all the way as he is strong going into a headwind. Upon arriving in Manitowoc went to Applebee’s for a lunch and then over to Wal-Mart for a look around. Our rooms are not ready until 3:00 PM. People have been sitting around in the lovely lounge of this Holiday Inn. Quite a few are on their computers and we are looking for the OLN station on TV to run a re-cap of Landis coming in for the win at the Tour de France. Hooray for the American! Some have gone for a ride to the downtown area of Manitowoc and checked out where we will gather at Lake Michigan for the boat ride across the lake tomorrow. We have to be there at the docking area by 12:00 noon and be ready to board the ship USS Badger that will leave at 1:00 PM. Tomorrow we lose another hour and enter Eastern Time Zone. The boat trip will be 4 hours, and then a 7 mile ride to the motel. We’ll be resting as much as possible because we have 115 miles to ride the next day. I didn’t take my camera again today – but will have to get some photos tomorrow during our cruise on the ship. God is great, and he has blessed all of us with a wonderful day.

Day 34 journal Wisconsin Dells, WI to Fond du Lac, WI

2006-07-22T20:38:00.000-04:00

I rode 85.03 miles today. WONDERFUL ride today.
Clean roads -- cloud cover to keep me cool. Felt strong all day. Got here by 12:50 PM. It was so nice to get in early and REST!!!! I'm making this short. I need to clean the bike, wash the clothes and get to bed.

dAY 34 journal La Crosse, WI to Wisconsin Dells, WI

2006-07-22T20:37:00.000-04:00

Today I rode 93 miles. Unlike yesterday’s ride into La Crosse, WI today was a long and tiring day for me. I did not sleep well last night. Having gotten in late for the visit with my cousins/sister/niece my usual routine was thrown off. I think I only slept about 4 hours last night. There was a cloud cover today, which made for a cool day. Good for biking. I really did not like the change in the route that ABB had made since the 2001 route I took. When we got to mile 32 in Sparta, WI we got on a 30 mile crushed limestone rails-to-trails bike path. Crushed limestone is not a good surface for road bicycle tires. It is slower, and the sandy limestone surface gets kicked up into all the gears, chain, and makes the bicycle very dirty. The path was filled with fallen tree leaves and lots of small to medium sticks everywhere. We had three tunnels that when we came to them we had to turn on our flashlights and walk through the tunnel. The first tunnel was a 1-mile walk. Pitch black in there, could not see the end of the tunnel for a long time. It was dripping with water and the walking surface was bumpy stones. Not fun. The two other tunnels were similar but not as long. By the time I finished riding this boring bike path trail and arrived at mile 60 in the small town of Elroy, WI I was very hungry and out of water. The SAG van was there, but many of us opted to eat a hearty lunch at a local café. I made a BIG mistake by eating too heavy fare and too much. I was forgetting that I still had several hills and 30 more miles to ride after that stop. I ate this huge cheeseburger, a dish of bean/ham soup, chips, drink and a piece of pumpkin pie! Way, way too much protein in my tummy to get back on the bike and ride. I was feeling so sleepy after that much food, I had to fight staying awake on the bike! I was very glad to reach our motel in Wisconsin Dells!! I was more tired this night than I can remember on any other day on this trip. We had dinner at Perkins tonight and I went straight to bed afterwards.

Day 32 Welcome to Wisconsin!

2006-07-22T18:57:00.000-04:00

Crossed into our 6th state, Wisconsin. WOW Today I rode 92 miles today from Rochester, MN to La Crosse, WI. Compared to yesterday's ride this was a fabulous day. I was strong and I got in by 2:05 PM. I was a rolling terrain today, which I love to ride. Makes it interesting and the land was so green. We had one horrendous hill that was over 1 mile that went from 13% to 16% grade. I stuck with it and never stopped to rest and made it all the way to the top of the high ridge. It was in the mid 80's, so climbing brought on a very heavy sweat on that climb! After acending up this we were up high and overlooking beautiful valleys and farmland. What a ride! It sure was great to see the Wisconsin state sign just before crossing the muddy grand Mississippi River. I quick stopped in for a snack on the way to the motel. I had just a short few minutes to get ready for the relatives to come by to pick me up. We first cousins had a wonderful time, as short as my time with them was, I was so happy they were there in La Crosse to see me come through. They came the next morning at 6:15 AM to see me off. That sure was nice of them to get up so early and watch the cyclists leaving. Cena and Mary took some photos. I didn't have my camera out.

Day 32 Rchester, MN to La Crosse, WI

2006-07-22T18:45:00.000-04:00

When I arrived in La Crosse, WI I hurried and changed out of bike attire and my first cousin, Jane, who lived in La Crosse picked me up. Also coming to visit was my sister, Mary, from Pelican Lake, MN, first cousin, Judy, from Wisc. Rapids, WI, and first cousin, Cena, from Tiburon, CA. We took a cruise up the Mississippi river then over to Jane's house, and at 7:00 PM to a fabulous restaurant in La Crosse. We ate at Piggys. What a gourmet meal we had. I didn't get back to the hotel until nearly 10:00 PM. Waaaaay past my bedtime, but it was wonderful to see my relatives. Photo: LtoR: Judy (her birthday was today, July 20), Cena, Mary, Jane and Sara

Day 31 Journal Mankato, MN to Rochester, MN

2006-07-22T18:43:00.000-04:00

I rode 103 miles today. Mankato to Rochester, MN. I am 4 days behind in my journal. All I can say about today – a very tough day is:

Not far from the start I encountered 3 miles of road construction that I had to wade through. It was louse gravel and sand.

After the first SAG I got to about mile 42 and the sky was turning green and black and purple. A terrible storm was brewing and Chuck and I who were riding together, knew we couldn’t make it the 9 miles to he small town of Medford. Three riders were up ahead and suddenly a bolt of lightening flashed up ahead. I looked to my left and saw a farm with an open-ended shed with a corn planter in it. I quickly turned to run into it. The other three riders who were ahead of us came back and knocked on the farmhouse door to ask permission to take shelter in the storm that was bearing down VERY FAST. The old man who came to the door said NO! He kept saying no because he said we would smoke in the shed! I couldn’t figure out what was taking those guys so long to get into the shed, but it was this person who was holding them up. Finally the wife came to the door and said, “Well, it you HAVE to I guess it will be alright.” A couple of other riders came along and all 8 of us were in this little implement shed for 1 hour and 10 minutes. What a storm! We later learned the wind was 65 mph, the hail was nickel size and the rain was coming down in torrents. After we thought the lightening was done, and the rain was just a sprinkle we started to cycle and had gotten down the road about ½ a mile and WOW! 5 huge lightening strikes out in the distance. We ran to the nearest farmhouse and that couple opened up their big garage. They were really nice people. They brought out a Chinchilla baby that was only 10 days old. Then they brought out 3 baby puppies that were only 2 weeks old. They set up folding chairs for us, and gave us water. We were there another hour. Chuck who had not brought a jacket along asked for a garbage bag to use as makeshift protection. He put armholes and head hole in the big bag and he was set to go. Finally we started out again and made it to Medford. The ABB van pulled in at the same time as we did at the first McDonalds we saw. About 10 people didn’t continue riding and they were picked up and rode in the rest of the way. After leaving Medford it started to rain again, but we just kept on going, as there was no lightening. I rode the next 20 miles in a steady downpour. The last 15 miles of this 103 trek was really hard and I was very tired. The wind got stronger and stronger too as we neared Rochester. The terrain most all day was NOT flat, which made for a challenging ride. Five miles from the hotel as we were coming into the heart of the city and close to the Mayo Clinic, Chuck had a blow out on his tire. Luckily the ABB van came along right then and everyone helped get his tired changed and pumped up again. I rolled into the hotel absolutely whipped! I was so exhausted I could not even get on the Internet. I got in at 5:30 PM, just in time to shower and get to dinner that was scheduled at 6:30. I went straight to bed afterwards. This day was a day where the comfort zones were stretched to the max.

No photos, to wet to take the camera with me today.

Go to other websites, such as www.RideJimRide.blogspot.com, or Don Allison’s link to his website found on www.UltraRunning.com and see some stories and photos of today.

Day 30 journal Worthington, MN to Mankato, MN

2006-07-18T20:13:00.000-04:00

I rode 102 miles today. It was a glorious day! I hardly felt like I did a ride that was over 100 miles. Thank goodness for small favors such as winds (a mere breeze!) were only about 7 to 8 mph, the temperature was in the 80’s, humidity was low and most of the roads were good. It makes it so much easier to ride with someone and to take turns pulling through the headwinds. Since Chuck is stronger than I am into a headwind he did a fantastic job keeping an even 16-17mph pace into the east winds – and we were going east most of the time. I just kept about one wheel length from his rear wheel, close enough to catch the draft. I saved so much energy that way. When we would turn away from a head wind then I would take the lead. So we clipped along, getting into the first sag at 35 miles as the first riders. The SAG van was parked in a McDonald’s parking lot. When I walked into the Mc D’s all the “seniors” sitting shouted and clapped and cheered! What a nice surprise and welcome. The must have been 15-20 of them having their morning coffee klatch and they all knew the bicyclists were coming through today. One of our riders, Bill W from Coral Gables, FL was on the front page of the Worthington newspaper today. The newspapers were there in the hotel lobby this morning and we took a copy to read. Some reporter showed up last night and interviewed and photographed him for a nice blurb in the morning paper. Anyway, the ride continued and I couldn’t believe it when we rolled into the second SAG at 65 miles by 10:30 AM!! We were making good time. I wasn’t stopping to take any photos; in fact I left the camera in the luggage today. (And will tomorrow too as rain/severe thunderstorms are forecast. The “wolf pack” (the super fast riders) passed us about 10 miles from town and they were the first in and started helping unload the luggage truck. I arrived at the hotel at 1:10 PM. I immediately went to the 101 Main Restaurant here in this Holiday Inn we are staying in for a good lunch. I was SO hungry. They served popovers. You don’t see those very often in a restaurant – hot and fresh. They were so good with the homemade beef barley soup. I’m not going to go to the Country Buffet tonight for dinner. I want to get to bed super early, and that place is about 3 miles away and they will bus in several trips. I went to the grocery store up the block and got some food from the deli and enjoyed something right here in my room. I am tired tonight. 100 miles tomorrow. Wind will be blowing harder, and too. And to top it off, rain. “We takes what we gets!”

Day 29 journal/photo Sioux Falls, SD to Worthington, MN

2006-07-17T16:23:00.000-04:00

Yippie! We crossed another state line this morning!! We are into our fifth state, Minnesota. Hard to believe I have have made my bike pedals go round and round for 2,096 miles already. What a trip!! I added 73.65 miles this morning. What a ride it was. I was constantly asking God, "GIVE ME A BREAK!" (from the wind) We were traveling due east and the wind was gusting and blowing almost straight from the north, with a little east (NE) the entire time, 12-16 mph with gusts to 20+ mph. It was a bit of a battle to stay on a straight course with that strong side wind. Chuck and I tried drafting off each other, but that is hopeless in a strong side wind. When a big semi-truck would come towards us from the other side of the road, it was hang on for dear life. The big trucks barrelling down the road would create such a gap in the draft that our bikes would have fallen if you weren't hanging on with both hands on the handle bars. I was talking to recumbent Jim at the DQ when we got in and he said he almost toppled over when a truck went by -- but was able to unclip his pedal fast enough to catch himself in the gravel berm. I stopped once, here at the Minnesota state line for this photo and one other time in a tiny town of Adrian at a gas station for V-8 to get me through the last 18 miles. We had a 3.5 mile detour on the route due to a closed road. And that 3.5 miles was directly into the north wind. This ride today was not so easy, and I was glad to see the Worthington city limits sign, and knew it was only 2 more miles to the Dairy Queen! We kid each other that this is a mandatory stop when we pass one on the route. Usually we find one very close to our destination motel! I've never eaten so much DQ in my entire life, and don't expect to visit another one for years after this trip. I rolled in to town by 12:25 PM -- not bad for the 73.65 miles fighting the wind the whole time. One great break today was that it was much cooler feeling. The wind felt cooling, and not a blast of hot air. The Accuweather.com says the wind is going to change and be from the south tomorrow. That should be better. We eat tonight at the Country Kitchen about a quarter mile down the road. The next two days will be long ones. 102 miles tomorrow (Mankato, MN) and then 100 miles on Wednesday into Rochester, MN. I'm going to lay down and rest for the next 2 hours, to save all leg energy for the back-to-back 'Century' rides. (bikeez: Century Ride = 100 miles) .
Road Kill: 1 bungee cord, 2 bolts, 3 birds
Bananas: 3

Day 26 journal Mitchell, SD to Sioux Falls, SD

2006-07-16T19:39:00.000-04:00

I rode 73.55 miles. Great ride. We were all anxious to get on the road and get into Sioux Falls to begin our rest. About 6 of us went to Perkins to eat breakfast instead of waiting until 6:30 for the Bonanza to open up. We got a call from staff last night saying they were going to up the luggage load to 6:15 AM, because of the high winds and heat forecast. Chuck and I were done eating and on the route by 6:35 AM. We did not stop one time for anything until 26 miles down the route. We went into a small store and got a V-8 juice and an oatmeal cookie, and were on the way again. The Sag stop was at 40 miles and we kept on truckn' until that stop. It was very nice riding in the cool, but by 10 I was feeling the heat a little. So long as you don't stop you don't feel your body heating up. I kept on drinking religously every 10 minutes. About 20 miles from the edge of town we stopped again and had some more V-8 and hammered it into Sioux Falls. It was about 12:15 when we got in. There was not much to see except more fields of grains and corn and soybeans. The wind was at our side most of the time, coming from the South as we traveled East. In Sioux Falls we had to turn south and WOW! What a blast of hot wind in the face. Our speed dropped to a near crawl. Thank goodness we only had to head south for about 1.5 miles total. We are staying at the Super 8 across from Empire Mall. A nice touch that the motel did for the incoming riders was serve us Orange Creme Cicles, cookies and cold drinks. That was SO nice, and we really did enjoy that cold treat. After cleaning up I headed over to the mall -- it was 100 degrees outside and the indoor mall was as packed as it is during Christmas rush. They were having sidewalk sales, and people were taking in the sale, plus being an air conditioned mall it was about the coolest place to be.
At 4:00 PM about 12 people headed to the ABB vans to load their bikes and we all went to a bike shop about 6 miles away to have various tune-up and mechanicall issues taken care of. I got a new rear cassette and new chain and a tune up. I also put on my spare set of new tires. We are at that 2,000 mile mark and the bikes were due for a lot of these things.
Rest day -- I'm going to do my laundry and REST!
Hope the weather breaks and we have some cooler days.
God is good, and I am blessed. I am having a wonderful time. It doesn't get any better than this -- out for a bike ride every day, and then a rest day thrown in every 10 days. It is great. Love it!

Day 26 Journal Chamberlain, SD to Mitchell, SD

2006-07-14T20:20:00.000-04:00

I rode 74 miles today. I was really looking forward this morning to the ride into Mitchell when I saw that we had an early loading of the luggage and a fast buffet breakfast. It is so nice to get out there at the crack of daylight when it is quiet and cool. It is the most beautiful time of the day – just rolling along with my family of biking friends – soaking up the morning quietness. Our bikes are so quiet and our legs are just spinning those pedals round and round in a mesmerizing whir, reminding me of a concert of sorts. I also think of us as a band of pioneers mounting our steel steeds and setting out for an adventure of unknown. Anything can happen out there as we ride along. At route rap people have a chance for “show and tell” and we hear stories of some of the things people have observed during the ride. Quite a few saw the state bird today, a pheasant. Everyone was riding very strong today. It was only a 70-mile trip to the edge of the town, Mitchell. Everyone knew they would be getting into town early and would have almost a rest day. The weather was surprisingly cool today – if you call mid 80’s cool. The slight breeze we felt kept it comfortable. I think too because it was not so humid today that made it very nice. We had a slight tailwind too. I was cruising along at a steady, easy, 18-20. Chuck and I again rode the route near each other and were making sure we drank plenty of water, at least one drink every 10 minutes. We saw more hay crop, soybeans and cornfields today. Nearing the town of Mitchell we saw a lot more farm homesteads and lots more shelterbelts of trees. At 70 miles we rolled into the city limits just a little past 10:30 AM. Before going on to the motel we followed signs to the historic downtown area to see the Corn Palace. Pretty amazing what these people have done with many varieties of corn and some grains to form a mosaic with a theme. I was really hungry for lunch after the 10-15 minutes we spent inside the Corn Palace looking around. (Once I get off the bike I get really hungry) We asked for a suggestion for lunch and ended up at the Depot Pub and Grille on Main Street. Six of us stopped there for a good lunch.

By the time we left the Pub it was getting very hot but we only had about 1.5 miles to the motel. It just continued to swell in temp all afternoon. I stayed in and read and relaxed. By route rap the temperature at 5:00 PM was 100 degrees. Whew! We had to walk across the highway to the Bonanza restaurant for dinner. It was OK, nothing great, but certainly plenty of food to fuel up for the ride tomorrow. I wish we were loading luggage earlier tomorrow so I could get into Sioux Falls by at least 11:00 – but they said luggage truck wouldn’t open until 6:45 AM, and breakfast at Bonanza at 7:00. That will mean getting out on the route more than an hour later than this morning. I called ahead to Sioux Falls and found a masseuse and have an appointment at 4:00 PM. Plenty of time to get in and clean up and ride to a bike shop first and then the 4 miles to the massage place. We said our first “good byes” to 7 riders tonight. They will ride with us to Sioux Falls and this will end their time on this trip. We pick up a couple of new people. I will have a roommate starting in Sioux Falls. I’ll meet her tomorrow. I have LOVED having a single room all this time and asked to extend my single room to the end as I have gotten very spoiled spreading all my stuff all over the room. But ABB office said there were not enough rooms at the motels between Sioux Falls and Niagara Falls, NY.

Road Kill: 2 pheasant birds

Bananas: 2

2006-07-14T17:51:00.000-04:00

Mitchell's famous Corn Palace in the center of downtown. Built in 1902. Every year they change the facade outside the front with a new theme. Thousands of corn cobs are nailed onto the building. This year the theme was Salute to Rodeo 2006.
Our staff bike surgeon, Jim during Mechanic's hour outside the motel. He is great and fixes all our bikes when needed.

Day 25 Journal Pierre, SD to Chamberlain, SD

2006-07-13T18:16:00.000-04:00

I biked 85.5 miles today. What a difference a day makes! After 3 people were in the ER for some saline yesterday, and a couple of falls and the majority transported in from the 85-mile mark – today was an entirely different day. We are a wonderfully resilient group of hardy souls and bodies. When we started pouring into the breakfast room at 6:00 AM this morning, everyone looked all fresh and all were ready to get right out there and roll on. It was an 85-mile route for us today. The wind Gods were not so angry today. The sun still was a cooker though and the thermometer on the bank as I rolled into Chamberlain, SD at 12:30 PM read 100 degrees!!! There was a thunderstorm about 4:00 AM this morning, and when we started out I had my rain gear with me. I could see rain pouring down off in the distance, but figured it was moving out and away. We never got a single drop on us. At the first SAG wagon I pulled out the rain jackets and put them into the ‘drop box’ and they were hauled in for me to reclaim here at the motel. Chuck talked to me at breakfast and thought it would be a good idea if we rode near each other --- seeing yesterday the heat can get you in trouble fast it is a good idea to be riding near another person. We go about the same speed and we both wanted to get into Chamberlain before the blistering heat of the afternoon. We had a nice tailwind for about 20 miles, and then a cross wind which wasn’t nearly as strong as yesterday. We saw a small store at about mile 48 and stopped for a bottle of V8 juice and filled the bottles with Gatorade. It was a good break and gave us a whole lot of energy to keep on truckn’. The scenery was mostly cattle ranches and hay crops with some corn and soybean crops here and there. There were 3 killer hills today, one being 3 miles from Chamberlain. As we started up this 10-13% grade that went on for about 1-½ miles it was SO HOT because the wind completely died as we entered the climb. I took my water bottle and doused myself head, arms, neck, and legs. Just cooling down the body temp makes a huge difference. Chuck and I kept yelling back and forth, “We can do ANYTHING!” as we slowly mashed down on our pedaling and kept our eyes fixed on the top of the hill. This was about 80 miles into the ride, so we were getting tired, and very hot – but we sure had our spirits high today and sailed right on up and were rewarded with a 2 mile 6% grade downhill all the way into town. It was a beautiful ride along the wide and green/blue Missouri River today. There were times when we were not in sight of the river, but often we were climbing the bluffs and getting a gorgeous view of the river that made today’s ride really grand. Soon as I got in I could hardly wait to get to the café by the motel, Casey’s. It had pie to die for. Genuine, made there, made from scratch crust. But I had a difficult choice to make. The bread pudding was also made right there and it looked so good. I had some of that warmed up. I think I’ll go back now and get a piece of pie “to go”!

Tomorrow it is Mitchell, SD. Home of the Corn Palace. A 70-mile route is planned. But the weather will stay up there in the upper 90’s again. Looks like we will have a NW wind, and going east that will be great.

Road Kill: 1 tumbleweed

Bananas: 3

Hooray! 1/2 Way !! Day 25 Pierre to Chamberlain

2006-07-13T17:31:00.000-04:00

This was the most exciting moment out here on the road today. We crossed the half-way point in our cross country trek on our bicycles. This spot was 23 miles east of Pierre, South Dakota. We had just finished a long hill, climbing 300' in 1 mile. A leg awakening hill so early in the morning! As you can see it is really desolate and clear out here in the plains. This was before 8:00 AM this morning, Thursday, July 13, 2006. It is hard to believe we have come this far already.
Chuck Delaney from Cincinnati, Ohio was traveling with me the whole route today. As you can see on the far right is a van. This was our first SAG stop today. We loaded up with some bananas, filled the water bottles again and took off after about a 4 minute break. Only two others were ahead of us. We were really ripping along this morning on our 85 mile route headed to Chamberlain, SD. We passed a few other cyclists on this section. There were 10 traveling the Lewis and Clark Trail from Oregon to St Charles, MO. They too had their own SAG vehicle and saw it pulled along side the road a little further past this point. Also seen in this photo is a building that looks like a barn. It is the only "store" around this area. Next one wasn't until another 30 miles down the road.

Day 24 Wall, SD to Pierre, SD

2006-07-12T20:34:00.000-04:00

I rode 85 miles today. It was a BRUTAL day. It is 7:15 PM and there are still a couple of riders out there who are determined to make it in. They started at 5:30 AM this morning. Only about 10 riders made it the entire route today. It was 105 degrees, and the wind was unreal. The riders were falling like flies after the last sag stop at 84 miles. It started out really great this morning, getting out by 5:30, after a breakfast buffet at the restaurant near the motel. It seemed cool and we had a tailwind. I saw 5 bikes who were changing flats within the first 25 miles. Could be something to do with riding on that mess yesterday? I was in and out of the first SAG at mile 30 in about 4 minutes flat. I did not want to waste any time as it was heating up fast. The 55 mile SAG was a quickie too -- and oh my was it getting hotter by the minute. It was 98 degrees by 11:00 AM. We were getting some headwinds right before that stop - but after a big climb and a change of direction to head North for the next 22 miles we had a tailwind. But it was SO HOT that I drank 4 bottles of water from the second SAG to where we turned East and into the most brutal head/side winds you can imagine. Gusts up to 40 mph. It was not flat road either, and I was fighting the wind for 6 miles trying to make it to the 85 mile mark. It took me over 30 minutes to go 6 miles. I had no one to draft off and it was every man for himself. I started to feel sick to my stomach, and then I got the chills. I knew I was in trouble as I was dehydrating real fast. I was looking for some shade - - any shade somewhere just to lay down in the shade to cool off. I was pouring the last of my water on my body to try and cool down. Finally, there was one lone building (about 3/4 mile from the SAG) and I pulled in there. I couldn't even go inside until I rested up against the shady side of the building for about 10 minutes. This place out in the middle of nowhere was also an antique shop and tiny convenience store. They had cold Gatorade and ice cream bars. They wouldn't even fill my water bottles, as they said they don't have drinking water there. They have to bring in bottled water. I had some of Gadorade and ice cream. Nancy A pulled in there too. We revived enough to make it up the next hill and into the SAG stop. Everyone there was calling it quits. Nancy went on until mile 108. An ABB van was pulling up with a load of more riders who did not even make it to this third SAG. There was 35 more miles to go and some started out -- but most were just too beat up to continue. We have another brutal ride tomorrow and the temperatures in the 100+ again tomorrow. I did not take my camera with me today.
We had a time change today, so we have lost an hour.
The weather has been overall -- until today very bearable -- but today it was really very unsafe to be out there riding. Stay tuned, we'll see how it is on the 84 mile day into Chamberlain, SD tomorrow.
Time to go to bed. It is 7:45 PM. What a day! God bless us all, and I thank Him for protecting all of us. And many thanks to our wonderful ABB staff who did an outstanding job running the route to keep our water bottles filled all day long.
Goodnight

Day 23 Rapid City, SD to Wall, SD photos

2006-07-11T18:02:00.000-04:00

Kirk at our SAG stop this morning.
This was the clean up of our bike tires after reaching the hotel in Wall. I-90 was a terrible mess and we had to ride through fresh tar and stones that stuck to the bike tires.

Day 23 Rapid City, SD to Wall, SD

2006-07-11T17:31:00.000-04:00

I biked 63 miles today. The party is over . . . . This day had some good moments -- but mostly it was a nightmare out there. The weather has changed and our cooler days are behind us. It is in the upper 90's. But the big problems today were a road was closed and I (and about 10 others who were in my sight) had to turn back, adding an extra 6 miles on to the day. Luckily the construction man gave us an alternate route and put us back on our cue sheet. After the SAG stop which was suppose to be at our 23 mile mark, but we had traveled 29 miles with the detour -- then the real big problem started. Our cue sheet said to enter on to I-90 for 18 miles. But about 4 miles on the route they were laying fresh asphalt. What a terrible mess and terrible situation. It would have been better if ABB would have checked with SDOT if there was construction going on. We ran out of road and had a horrible problem riding about 10" from the passing cars. We couldn't go on to the fresh oil and tar part. Our bike tires were quickly getting all gunked up with stones and tar. A very dangerous situation. I am very, very thankful that those of us in the lead group made it through there. Finally the highway patrol got ahold of the ABB van and told them if any more cyclist attempt to enter the construction zone they would be ticketed. They intercepted the cyclists that were still approaching the I-90 entrance and put their bikes on the top of the van and transported them in to Wall. I got in about 11:30 AM and it took over an hour to clean my tires of the build up of the gravel and tar. Some just gave up and put a new set of tires on their wheels. (We all brought extra sets of tires, but did not expect to use them because of this event). I was starved and went on down to the famous Wall Drug Store. That store is a huge tourist attraction, and a fun place to wander around. I bought a couple of autobiography books written by pioneer women who were part of the settlers in the 1800's when they came to these areas our West. I had a wonderful lunch and then came back to the motel to finish some more cleaning on the bike. Photos today are few -- had to concentrate on the road all the time. I hear the temperature in Pierre, SD tomorrow is going to be in the 100's!! We are loading the luggage truck by 5:15 AM to try and beat some of the heat on our 117 mile journey. Time to walk back down to Wall Drug and see what I missed the first time around. This place is several city block long it is so big. The population in Wall is only 808 people, but it sure does bring in the visitors to see Wall Drug.
Route rap is at 5:00 today -- I'm sure the staff is not wanting to hear from all the frickn' mad riders who endured the mess on I-90 today!!! But we survived and it is history now. Tomorrow is another day and another adventure. Thanks be to God for all the many blessings and safe journey.

DAy 22 Journal Hot Springs, SD to Rapid City, SD

2006-07-11T17:30:00.000-04:00

I rode 76 miles today. Though it was a shorter distance today, it was not an easier ride. We had a LOT of climbing right from the get-go. It was a beautiful day with going through the Black Hills area and forests if trees on the way to our two highlights of the day, Crazy Horse monument and Mount Rushmore. They certainly named it appropriately MOUNT Rushmore, because you cannot get up there to view it without mounting up the long climbs. There were a lot of RV’s on the highways today. They scare me as some of those drivers only get out there in those big units about once a year for a trip to see the sights. I don’t imagine it is anything like driving their little 4-door sedans the rest of the year. Anyway, we had a glorious day out on the highways and byways. Several people saw buffalo roaming the open ranges. There are no fenced in areas for these big wildlife - - they roam free, and can come on to the roads any time. I saw Tim and Katherine up ahead stopped to take a photo and when I got up to them there was a pretty tame antelope standing very quietly beside the road. I think if I had thrown out some tidbit of food he would have come right up to me. But there are signs warning not to approach the wildlife. The town of Custer was interesting. It is hilly all around and there are a lot of log cabin mountain type of homes built on the slopes. The town is a little touristy though with lots of cafes, museums and souvenir shops. It is one of the last towns coming or going to the Crazy Horse monument and other sights on the way to Mount Rushmore. Keystone, SD lies just on the other side of Mount Rushmore about 3 miles away and that too is very touristy. One rider commented that it seemed like riding through a carnival. We had a SAG stop in Custer before heading UP and UP out of town. The first of the long and continuous climbing we did today. It started to rain as I was climbing those hills and when I got to the turn off to the Crazy Horse monument I decided not to go into the viewing area – wanting to get beyond the rain. I put on a light rain jacket for about 10 minutes. Just long enough to get my bike all splattered up with muddy raindrops. Had to clean the bike again tonight. It is always impressive to see Mount Rushmore and marvel at that marvelous art in the limestone. It was a screaming 10% downhill from there into Keystone where the ABB van was parked for our second SAG of the day. I signed in and went to the Miner’s Café for a veggie burger. This place is known for its BIG BUNS (Nancy bought a t-shirt there that says that on the back of the shirt). The big bun is a humongous cinnamon roll. My lunch was just what I needed to carry me on for the next climbing out of town. The last 20 miles into Rapid City was nice and the highway smooth. It was a tricky steep down the last 2 miles into the city. It sure is down here in a hole. After the long day of hills the legs were tired and I rested the rest of the day and evening.

Mount Rushmore ABB riders

2006-07-11T07:46:00.000-04:00

A great shot taken by Sarah Grant (the other Sarah on this trip) when stopping at Mount Rushmore. Posing like the statues are: Jim, Dale, Jeff and Julie.

2006-07-10T19:01:00.000-04:00

I'll post the journal later --- must go clean my dirty bike before route rap and dinner time. The bike got dirty in the light rain today.

Day 22 Hot Springs, SD to Rapid City, SD

2006-07-10T18:51:00.000-04:00

Darn! It was only 9:30 AM when I passed by the PURPLE PIE PLACE in Custer, SD and it was closed! It could very well have served me the best piece of pie in the USA on this bike trip -- but I'll never know. I had miles to go and places to see on my journey to Rapid City, SD this day.
This is the turn off from the highway to the scupture in progress called Crazy Horse. Only the face is complete as of now. It can be seen on the side of the mountain in the middle of the photo. It was raining when I got here so I didn't stop long.
Pausing at Mount Rushmore (in the background) are Rob, Bill, Daun, Tom, Eberhard and Anija.
An antelope on the side of the road this morning.

More from Hot Springs, SD photos

2006-07-10T07:31:00.000-04:00

The t-shirt swap. A barrel of laughs as we presented our "stories" about the t-shirt we were putting in the line-up for the swapping to begin. When your name was drawn you could pick out a shirt. But it could be stollen from you later by someone else. Lots of cute and funny stories about each shirts and there were quite a few that became very "wanted" in the swapping.
This is out in front of the Dairy Queen. We all love to stop in to this favorite ice cream joint after a long day on the bike. 13 year old Chris and Keith are tasting the big cone on the way back from dinner to the motel last night.

Day 21 Journal Lusk, Wy to Hot Springs, SD

2006-07-09T19:32:00.000-04:00

I biked 91 miles today. Day 21 of this journey across the USA on my bicycle was another winning day. All I kept thinking about today was comparing today with this date in 2001 and what a contrast it was. It must have been 99 degrees in the shade that first trip through here. It was so hot I remember after leaving the second SAG stop at Edgemont, SD and we had to climb for 4 miles at 6% grade I had to stop the ABB van and get in the air conditioning to cool my body down before I could continue. I was such an inexperienced biker 5 years ago that the heat and my asthma bothered me terribly. But oh what a good day it was today. I looked outdoors about 5:30 AM and it was raining very lightly. So I took out my clear plastic rain jacket and also the new featherweight jacket. I packed an extra pair of socks and extra pair of bike gloves – to change into dry ones if needed later down the road. I ate at the motel this morning instead of going back to the Outpost Café where the ABB official breakfast was. I knew it would be really slow there and with 91 miles, and the rain and possible headwinds I wanted to get on the road as soon as possible. I put on the plastic jacket and it rained, lightly, not a downpour, for the first 20 miles. I don’t mind riding in the summer time rain. And in July the rain isn’t cold. It actually felt good. I kind of put myself back in time when as a little kid I would ride my bike in the rain around town. I would ride to the swimming pool every day all summer long, and some days it would close because it would start to rain and I would have to ride home in the rain. I thought it was so fun to be out there in the rain. So I tooled along at a steady clip on the rolling terrain. The first SAG stop was beside the road at mile 35. There were only 4 people ahead of me and as I was leaving, after eating some cookies, banana, trail mix, corn chips, there was quite a few others just pulling in. They said the rain was really coming down hard back where I had just come from. Guess the rain was coming our way, so I hustled to keep ahead of it. I got in a pace line for about 10 miles and that was fun, and saves a lot of energy. When we turn directly east after going north for 45 miles – the party was over. HEADWINDS right in the face. I got dropped real fast right then and there from the pace line. The hills were steeper, longer and the winds got me and I couldn’t keep up. I hit a low about then and it took about another 10 miles before I struggled through that. I stopped at the Wyoming/South Dakota state line and yelled some whoopee’s and halleluiahs, took a picture and got back on the bike. The winds began to change and pretty soon it was almost a tailwind. The terrain off to my left and to my right was hilly. Nothing flat, but VERY desolate. Every once in a while I could see some cattle grazing out on the grasslands. I did begin to see a few more trees – it had been several days since we saw a good number of trees during our riding. At the 67 mile point was another SAG stop. There was also a convenience store there too so I went in and bought a cold bottle of V-8 Juice. That hit the spot and went to the SAG van and made myself a PB&J piece of bread. Leaving there we started the real climbing of the day. It wasn’t bad at all because it was cool and cloudy. Sure makes a HUGE difference in the way you feel when you get a break from the heat. The rain cloud was drawing closer though, and just after I came on down a 2 mile 6% grade decent it started to sprinkle on me for about 2 miles. Felt good and I pulled out my lightweight jacket from my back pocket and wore that for a little while. Coming in to Hot Springs I was really hungry and it was about 1:15 PM and I was at the 90-mile point in today’s ride. A group was eating at a local café and I stopped in to say “Hi” to them and asked it they had home made pie there – I would stay if they did. No, none there today. So I continued the last mile down the road and checked into the Best Western and went next door to the Dairy Queen for lunch. The guys that had been eating a meal at the café I stopped in to say hi to them, they were now pulling in to the Dairy Queen for some more food! We eat a lot. It takes about 5,000-7,000 calories a day to keep up our energy levels for these endurance rides we are doing. After I had my carbo loading snack I joined several others outdoors with my rags to clean the bike. It got dirty from the rain today – and we must lube the chain after a day like today.

All in all this was a great day. I feel very, very blessed! I have ridden my bike 1,568 total miles these past 3 weeks. I can’t believe we are already in South Dakota! This group of 60 people is the best. I would describe these people I am riding with each one having these characteristics: Committed, Dedicated, and Determined. And we certainly are in love with getting from point A to point B on a bicycle! And nobody whines! Whiners would not last long on something like this.

Road Kill: bunnies, antelope, deer

Bananas: Yummy. 2

Day 21 Lusk, WY to Hot Springs, SD

2006-07-09T18:29:00.000-04:00

Whoopee! We crossed the state line today and here we are in SOUTH DAKOTA. This was at mile 53 in our 91 mile ride today.

Day 20 Journal Casper, WY to Lusk, WY

2006-07-09T18:28:00.000-04:00

I biked 107 miles today. Alarm got me up and going by 4:30 AM this morning. Jumped out of bed, grabbed the laid-out pile of bike clothes and put those on followed by a slathering of 45 SPF sun-protection. That’s the morning ritual. The bags are all packed and ready to go the night before, 2 water bottles filled and are put back on the bike. Key to making a stress free start to each day is get it ready before going to bed the night before. I have all my energy gels ready, the lip protection, cash, gloves and light jacket ready to stuff in my jersey pocket all laid out. Don’t have to do much thinking at all. I keep the laptop plugged in and check www.Accuweather.com one more time before putting it away in the backpack case. I like to see what the current weather is in the town we’re in and the wind direction, and for the town we are headed for. Gives me an idea if I need to get out rain gear or just wear arm warmers or a light jacket. I bought a super thin lightweight rain resistant jacket yesterday on my day off when I visited the Casper bike shop. It is a Patagonia brand jacket and it is light as a feather. It came be stuffed in my back pocket of my jersey it is that compress able and light.

The ride was fantastic! After loading the luggage I hopped on the bike and rode a half block to AJ’s restaurant for our buffet style breakfast. We sure do a lot of buffet eating. Only way to get 60+ in and out quickly. I was out on the route by 6:30. The terrain was gently rolling most all day today. For about 20 miles I saw a lot of wild life along side the road coming up from the 20’ wide ditch. Mostly hundreds of rabbits. They were scurrying everywhere. Two young antelope galloped along side me for about a quarter mile. I was just afraid they would turn right in front of me. They did, but not so close that I had to brake, and thank goodness no car was coming in either direction when they darted in front of me to cross the highway. After the first SAG at mile 30 we got on I-25 for fourteen miles. The interstate was down to just two lanes! That was pretty tricky making sure we stayed as far right as possible with some concrete barriers we were up against. But the good thing was the berm was clean and we didn’t have to dodge around re-tread tire debris. There was a cloud cover ALL day today. What a blessing that was. When I rode here in 2001 it was a full sun and in the upper 90’s. It was miserable. But today was just a completely different day and made the bike ride a joy. About the only thing to see are the super long freight trains on the tracks that run next to the highway for miles and miles. The trains are about 1.5 miles long! When we waved the engineer would blow the whistle. I bet they like seeing all the cyclists too – a change of scenery - - as there sure isn’t much to look at out here. We had hardly any wind except for the last 10 miles. I got behind Ilka and Anija for about 15 miles coming into Lusk. The wind had picked up and to be able to draft off them pacing at 22-25 mph was such fun, and saved a LOT of energy when I was closing in on the last of the 106 miles. I got in by 1:30 and had time to go down the block to the Outpost café for a patty melt and a piece of homemade pie. I’m still looking for the BEST pie in the USA on this cross-country route. This piece of coconut cream was OK, but I won’t put it in the running. It does win the highest meringue though. I bet it stood 3 ½ “ on that piece! Then I met up with a few others at the ice cream drive-in café and had a vanilla ice cream cone. It is fun to chat with the riders when we can relax after the ride. The clouds were really getting dark and there was to be a parade at 4:00 PM. Some horse show goings on in town today. Over at a stadium there was a big crowd and lots of horses out in a ring doing different tricks and showing them off. I wondered with those dark clouds if those riders who were still out whether they were going to get wet. Yup, they did – and they really got into a downpour they said at route rap tonight. The parade I guess was delayed because it started to rain here in Lusk too. It went right past the motel. But I didn’t hear it or watch it. I took a nap for about an hour and a half. We ate dinner tonight at that Outpost Café. It was completely filled with locals eating when 60 of us walked in the door. So it was a wait for the tables. But the food was home-style good. Those poor waitresses were pretty over whelmed!

Road Kill today: whose counting? Oh yeah, I remember seeing a coat hanger and a couple of hub cabs and a dead box turtle. And three bungee cords.

Bananas: I’m sick of bananas!

Day 20 Casper, WY to Lusk, WY photos

2006-07-09T18:00:00.000-04:00

If there were any less population in this town it wouldn't exist! But with Ilka and Jim standing there it just increased to 3. Small town America out here in the desolate and desserted land ranch and grasslands in Wyoming. This was about 30 miles from our destination for today, Lusk, WY.
I was pacing behind Anija and Ilka running along at about 22-25 mph for about 15 miles and when we saw this windmill we came to a screeching hault for a photo shoot. Not much to see out here so when we finally saw something, ANYTHING, it was time for a photo.

2006-07-08T18:31:00.000-04:00

Check out Jim's sunrise

2006-07-07T20:02:00.000-04:00

I didn't stop yesterday morning to take a photo of the spectaular sunrise as I headed out of Riverton, WY at about 5:30 AM. But Jim (rides a recumbent bike) captured it's beauty. Check out his photos on his Blog website: http://www.RideJimRide.Blogspot.com

Visiting downtown Casper, WY Friday. photos

2006-07-07T19:52:00.000-04:00

Here is Jon checking out the cowboy boots in the downtown Casper, WY at Lou Taubert Ranch Outfitters. "One of the nation's leading western stores" it says on their store front and all the billboards for miles around. The building is nine stories tall, and has about 3 floors of western wear. Where Jon is standing is just ONE small section of just boots! Enlarge this photo -- and take note of Jon's ankles. A dead give away that he is a bicyclist. His feet are white -- and the legs are tan. His long shorts are covering his white upper legs!
Aonther section of Lou Taubert's Ranch Outfitters store, Casper, WY. There were more cowboy hats in this store than you have ever seen!
And more hats and western wear in Lou Taubert's Ranch Outfitters store.

Day 18 Journal Riverton, WY to Casper, WY

2006-07-06T22:06:00.000-04:00

I rode 120 miles today. IT WAS A MIRACLE!!! A TAILWIND for the first 91 miles!!! God does hear and answer the smallest of favors. To have a tailwind for nearly the entire ride today was just such a blessing – I have experienced the worst of Wyoming from Riverton to Casper and the best of Wyoming from Riverton to Casper. This day on my cross country in 2001 was by far the most energy sapping day of the entire trip. Today those 120 miles were a pleasure, overall. I was up at 3:45 AM. I left at 5:30 AM after loading the luggage at 5:00 AM. We had to wait until daybreak before heading out. I was averaging 18 mph for the first 54 miles – it seemed too good to be true. I was expecting the wind to shift anytime, but it never happened. Even though it was nearly 70 degrees when I started out at such an early hour, it never got unbearable all day. It was near 90 by noon – but still it was not uncomfortable. When we got to the third rest stop/SAG at mile 91 it was only 11:30 – and just 30 miles to go to Casper. I was eating power bars while riding, and drinking plenty of water, but was still getting hungry for a sandwich. The third SAG had ice-cold watermelon. Boy did that hit the spot!! I ate about 6 pieces and headed out for the last leg. The wind had shifted and we had a very strong 12-15 mph side-wind. That cross breeze was holding the mph down some, but still I was making pretty good time. The longest part and most tiring were the last 7 miles. The wind was so strong from the side that at times it was hard to keep control of the bike. The route we took into Casper was pretty uninteresting. All industrial and very dirty looking. I was riding mostly near Chuck – and we both were saying we were hungry and ready to get to the motel. We were in just after 1:30 PM – Not bad for a 120-mile day! I still can’t believe how well the ride turned out today – it will make the rest day so much better tomorrow not to have been beaten to a pulp with the headwinds that this area is most known for.

Several of us ate immediately after checking in. Since the luggage still wasn’t unloaded a group of us went to the motel restaurant to eat. We were so hungry and the food was fabulous. I think the rear end of a horse would have tasted good actually! We are burning a whole lot of calories to ride this fast and long. Route rap tonight was at 7:00 PM – and a dinner at the restaurant AJ’s next door. Tomorrow our meals are on our own and we will be going in many different directions. We’ll be checking out the local bike shops and the downtown stores. The hotel has a hose and rags ready for us to use to wash bikes tomorrow. I called a masseuse ahead of time and have an appointment at 11:15 in the morning. I am so looking forward to just taking it easy tomorrow. On Saturday we head for Lusk, WY and that will be a 102-mile trek. I’m going to try and update the photo album with more photos. I have not been able to find enough time to download many more photos into the Flickr Album. I have taken many more pictures than I post here on the main page of the blog, and would like to get a few of those others on the Album.

Thank you so much for your emails and good thoughts and good wishes for our many blessings.

Road Kill: There were so many rabbits and Jack-a-lopes on the road today I couldn’t begin to count them all. Hundreds! We really had to watch the road closely all day long because there were so many road kill to dodge.

Bananas: 4

2006-07-06T19:47:00.000-04:00

If you click on the photo to enlarge you can see some antelope roaming on the free range. All day long for about 110 miles I saw antelope out on the range lands. This is pretty much what we saw for scenery the whole day's ride - until just before the edge of Casper.
Small town America at it's best! We were at 5,998 feet elevation -- that's just over one mile high. Just one lone store in this town.

Day 16, 17, 18 photos

2006-07-06T19:31:00.000-04:00

Hell's Half Acre. This stunning deep canyon is beautiful and very deep. It is about 40 miles west of Casper. There is NOTHING, and I mean nothing before this (riding 80 miles in the wilderness) and then you see this sign that points to Hell's Half Acre on the right side of the road. The Indians used to drive the buffalo down into this canyon so that they would have their meat to eat and hides to use. It reminded me a little of Bryce Canyon area in Utah. Someone else remarked it was a "little Grand Canyon". There was a great cafe right by this and we were all looking forward to something to eat - - but it was all boarded up and closed. A big disappointment for the bicyclists as we were getting hungry for something other than the usual SAG stop snacks. But I managed and make it to Casper on the 3 SAG stops of food.
Another view of Hell's Half Acre.
A friendly bird that approached us at one of the SAG stops.
The Cowboy Cafe back in Dubois, WY. This was a very small cafe that was open before 6:00 AM to feed all of us. We did have to eat in two groups as it could not hold all 60+ riders. The service was good, and the food was excellent.

2006-07-05T19:27:00.000-04:00

A shack of a cafe -- but oh did it have gooood food! Out in the middle of nowhere about 10 miles from Dubois, WY
Cowgirl riding her horse in Dubois, WY
4th of July bike decorating contest.
The locals in downtown Dubois, WY

Three day catch up - Jackson, Wy, Dubois, Riverton, WY

2006-07-05T19:25:00.000-04:00

Have not had a chance to update since leaving Idaho Falls, ID. The last three days have been challenging and by the time I got into Jackson, WY I was so whipped that I just couldn’t do the computer thing. I had to take a break. Another thing was that the Internet connections in Jackson, and Dubois were bad. I couldn’t get online. I could have written my journal into a Word Document and posted them today, but honestly I just needed a break. I did not sleep well the night in Jackson Hole because I made a big mistake by drinking a very large glass of iced tea at dinner. It didn’t dawn on me that I would have a terrible time with the (even small) amount of caffeine that it had. I could not fall asleep for several hours, and that alarm went off at 4:00 AM – a short night. I get up at either 4 or 4:30 everyday. So it is a real rush to get everything done everyday – and this posting of the photos and blog takes over an hour of my time. I turn the lights out by no later than 8:00 PM. Last night it was 7:30 PM and I got a good nights rest for today’s ride.

The ride from Idaho Falls, ID to Jackson, WY went better than I expected. I was totally trashed doing that 88 miles back in 2001. Just knowing what was ahead really helped. I stopped for a good lunch before the big steep climb and that helped a lot. A lot of people were saying that it was the toughest challenge they have ever done in their life. Yesterday was another day of hot weather. But seeing the Teton mountain range is just incredible. Pictures cannot express the beauty. God really out did himself with this one. And seeing it on a bicycle is just the very best possible way to go by these mountains. After crossing the Continental Divide it was downhill all the way into Dubois. Only bad part was 14 miles of road that was all tore up – it was shake and bake and rattle and roll all the way in. Several stopped at a small local café along side the road. The cook had just brought from the oven fresh made cobblers and pie. I had a piece of cherry pie that was to die for! She also had just made a pan of cornbread to go with her freshly made chili soup. Some ate that and said it was the best. Last night was pretty interesting in this cowboy town. I guess the square dancing ended at 2:00 AM. There was no air conditioning in this small Stagecoach Motel. So we just opened our windows and it wasn’t long before the higher altitude air cooled the place down just fine. Except the fireworks were a bit loud – some said. I was so tired I fell asleep by 7:30 PM and never heard a thing until the alarm at 4:00 this morning. We ate a 6:00 breakfast at the Cowboy Café. Another hole in the wall local eatery. I just love these local folk places. They make the best. Those hearty pancakes and oatmeal got me through today. I was averaging 18.8 mph for the first 30 miles this morning! What a ride! I left the SAG stop at 30-mile mark and continued to ride strong – but then 8 miles from the second SAG (mile 54) a cable that leads to the back derailleur BROKE. So there I was in my 52-chain ring and my 12-cassette ring for 8 miles. This gear combination is the hardest of all the gearing. I could not shift the back at all and had to stay in that gear. Thanks are to God that mechanic Jim rolled into the SAG stop about 1 minute after I got there. He had one more cable left. And in about 20 minutes he had the bike back in good shifting condition once again. What would I have ever done without the wonderful support of this touring team? They are the best. I continued on into Riverton, WY getting here just after 11:30 AM. That was 80 miles of riding. Coming into town I saw a sign for a Chiropractic office and Massage. I stopped in and begged for a massage appointment. I was in luck; the masseuse had a 2:45 appointment open. I had time to go the last 2 miles to the Comfort Inn, shower, get something to eat and go back for the very relaxing massage. I’m all set now for the 120 miles to Casper, WY tomorrow. That was my very toughest day of all during my 2001 trip. The WIND out here in Wyoming is brutal. Could ya all say a prayer to God that my spirit remains high tomorrow, and I won’t feel defeated when I am pedaling against this wind! It would be a total miracle if the wind would come from the west tomorrow and blow us into Casper. A much needed rest day on Friday.

2006-07-05T18:35:00.000-04:00

This was on the way UP the mountain pass, hwy 22 that leads over Teton Pass. Steep 10% grade for about 6 miles non-stop. It was a tough one, everyone was going slow and steady. I stopped to rest a few times and took some movies along the way.
There just isn't anything more magnificent than the Grand Tetons. I was riding with Chuck during this stretch coming out of Jackson Hole. He had told me he CLIMBED over the Grand Teton back in 1976. That moutain is the highest at about 13,000' - and it is the one in the middle of the photo. It took him two days to hike over that mountain with ropes and a guide carrying all his overnight gear and food.
A little wayside rest stop along the way. That's Tom who is on the ABB staff and I standing along side. It was about 7:00 AM in the morning. On Independence Day, July 4th.
It was a total of 15 miles of steady climbing to reach this Togwatee Pass and then the Continental Divide at 9,658 feet. It was cool up here but we didn't stay cool for long as the temperature was about 88 degrees by the time we rolled down the other side of the pass into Dubois, WY. We were all wearing our official AmericaByBicycle shirts today to celebrate July 4. When we arrived in Dubois we saw a town parade. LOTS and LOTS of horses and REAL cowboys everywhere in this small town out in the middle of nowhere. The town was really alive with all the local ranchers and cowboys and cowgirls and cowhands coming in to the local festivities. What a ride, what a day!

Idaho Falls, ID to Jackson, WY photos

2006-07-05T15:01:00.000-04:00

WOW! Here we are in our third state: Wyoming. The biggest climbing started just after this point. I had eaten a short way back a good lunch to carry me over the mountain top.
One the way up and up and up. 10% grade in most places for 6 miles. A lone tree stands by the deep cliff below
The climbing just keeps on going and going. A really tough climb for all of us.
But at last I reached the summit. 8,431 feet elevation. Then the 6 mile down at 10% grade lie just ahead. Some were hitting speed of 55 mph on their bikes!! I stopped several times. It was just too scary going beyond 38mph

Idaho Falls, ID to Jackson, WY photos

2006-07-05T14:48:00.000-04:00

Idaho Falls, ID. We stayed at the hotel across the street from the water falls. The bank of the falls were about a quarter mile long.
Mechanic Jim gave a maintenance clinic in the afternoon with some good pointers on keeping our bicycles running smoothly.
Abour 25 miles out of Idaho Falls, ID on the way to Jackson Hole, WY. The wind was strong and in our face for these first 25 miles. Some of the riders are looking over the beautiful valley below.
Pine Creek Pass 6,741' elevation. On the way to Jackson Hole.

2006-07-04T18:02:00.000-04:00

Day 14 Journal Burley, ID to Idaho Falls, ID

2006-07-02T17:47:00.000-04:00

I rode 35 miles today. I very short ride today. I took it REAL easy the whole way in. I ended up riding with Recumbent Jim, Stu, Abe, Ilka and Lois. We all missed a turn at about mile 15 so we added another mile – but glad we got turned around and realized the mistake before we got too off route. We saw two huge while Pelican birds on some rocks in the river. The route today had quite a few turns but it was all on quiet country roads until the last 8 miles into town, which got us on US 20 for a while. Still on a Sunday morning 20 wasn’t even very busy. The weather was just absolutely perfect – warm but a very gentle cooling breeze. We tended to ride two abreast and chat as we rode along, and if the rare car came down the road we would move single file. It was still early when we spotted the Frontier Pies restaurant. Couldn’t pass that up; even though we had just snacked at the SAG stop a few miles back. It was a good time to visit and talk to some of the locals. It is funny when we tell some of these folks where we are going. They want to give us directions - and will start naming all these streets and turns and ‘short cuts’ for us. They just don’t get it that we have a fixed route that we must stay on. “But, you have to go over this BIG hill if you go that way,” they will sometimes say. We tell them we’ve already climbed over the Cascade Mountains, and the Rockies and we aren’t afraid to go over any “hill” along the way. Told someone today I was cycling tomorrow up and over Teton Pass tomorrow on the way to Jackson Hole, WY – and his eyes nearly popped out! A good many of us are “senior citizen” age and they look at us how in the world can you possibly be doing this! There was this discussion at the table the other night about how some people are a little crazy for what they are doing. Don Allison is one of the riders. He happens to be the publisher of the magazine, “Ultra Running”. An ultra runner is one who isn’t just into running a marathon (26.2 miles) but beyond that, like 24 hours marathon runs, 100 miler races, and 50-mile races – ultras! I was telling those I was sitting with that Don told me when I asked him how many races he has done, he said, “50 marathons, and 33 ultra marathons. So we were saying he is NUTS, he is crazy. But then we all stopped and realized that most of our family think WE are nuts, and a little crazy to be riding a bicycle clear across the US from coast to coast some 3,700 miles. Doesn’t seem one bit nuts or crazy to us! So these wild and crazy things we can make our bodies achieve are all very possible when one decides that is what interests the individual. I really enjoy the diversity of this group of people. So many interesting personal and professional backgrounds, so many experiences to share. As the days go by we are learning more about each other as we ride along sharing and at our meals and times we lounge around at the pools, the lobby or on walks about the towns we stay in. Lois commented today that she has been talking often via phone with a girlfriend back home. The friend just keeps saying, “Lois, you are having entirely too much fun, I’m jealous!”

So it was an early arrival into Idaho Falls today. A few of us went out for something to eat. We also heard that one of our riders; Liz (who is riding with her husband on this trip) fell as she was going over some very rough tracks coming into town. She fell and her helmet cracked and I guess she was unconscious for a few minutes. She was taken to the hospital and is being checked out. Word is she is OK, but they are going to do an MRI to check thoroughly. Should hear more this evening or tomorrow.

Tomorrow is going to be probably the toughest riding day that some will experience on this trip. We will be climbing up to over 9,000 feet from this 4,000+ we are at now. There will be two mountain passes. The toughest climb will be Teton Pass and the grade can get up to 13% incline. Then it is a 6 miles of 10% down on the other side of the mountain leading into Jackson Hole, WY. I remember it as a very hot, hard and long day. I was so tired I thought I would fall asleep at dinner that night. It is an 88-mile day tomorrow. So must eat well tonight to fuel up for the miles ahead. I am having a massage at 6:00 this evening, right after dinner. One of the riders called a masseuse and she has come to the hotel to give our muscles the kneading they need! I’m going to take a walk and look at Idaho Falls, which is just across the street from this Red Lion Hotel we are staying at. There is a path and park to check out.

Road Kill: 1 shoe, 1 Idaho potato (!), 3 bolts, 1 bird

Bananas: 2

Day 14 Burley, ID to Idaho Falls, ID

2006-07-02T16:48:00.000-04:00

9:30 in the morning and we were ready for PIE! We could not pass up the Frontier Pies restaurant & bakery about 8 miles from Idaho Falls. Pictured are L-R: Sara, Lois, Abe and Jim. On my search for the BEST piece of pie in the Northern states across the USA. Click photos to enlarge.
The Frontier Pies interior was unique. The booths shown to the right side of the photo were like covered wagons. Here is Sara, Jim, Abe, Stu, Ilka and Lois enjoying selections of apple, ruhbarb and sourcream blueberry pies. And we all thought they were a good sample on this journey.
We are going to report at Show & Tell tonight at the dinner table route rap session that we saw a BEAR! (we may see many more REAL ones tomorrow when we go over the mountain passes) Here are L-R: Lois, Stu, Abe and Jim
After arriving at the hotel, our rooms were not ready so we went down the street to some Bistro cafes. Zonker seemed like a good beer to try. We hope it will help to "zonk" out the rider for a good nights sleep before the hard 88 mile cycling day tomorrow to Jackson Hole, WY. We have been crossing the Snake River now for many days, and this beer was seemingly appropriate with the Snake River in it's name.

2006-07-01T21:35:00.000-04:00

Recumbent Jim took this photo today. All of us who are writing these "Blogs" I guess this means we are in violation today, since we didn't stop and get our permits to do so!

Day 13 Journal Burley, ID to Blackfoot, ID

2006-07-01T21:29:00.000-04:00

I rode 110.87 miles today. It was a GREAT day out there on my bicycle today. Breakfast was ready at 5:30 AM. It was so good – the hot oatmeal was prepared just the way I like it and they had thee best pancakes yet. So fluffy and hot, I wanted to eat 10 of them! I was full and ready for the 110 miles that lay ahead. Luggage was loaded a few minutes after 6:00, and Lois and I started were on the route by 6:08 AM. We were on very quiet roads for 109 miles today. In the early morning there were a lot of dogs coming out onto the road and giving chase. One very small black dog ran up ahead of us only a few feet out front for at least a mile! Finally he just collapsed in the ditch, he lay down and watched us go by. Most of the first 30 miles was just ranch land, deserted and couldn’t see a building anywhere. The road just laid out ahead of us line a very long ribbon. Then after the SAG stop at mile 32 it got a little more interesting with some rolling hills. We had one 7-mile section on the Interstate. This time the interstate berm was smooth and clean, so the ride went fast. I was making real good time and was thinking I would be in by 2:00 PM. But I stopped at mile 87 at this local café at the edge of a small town, Springfield. It was a Harley biker’s bar type of place. The bikers in the café were asking me all sorts of questions about my trip. The posters on the walls were pretty risqué and when I went into the women’s restroom and closed the door the back of the door had posters of nude guys! But the cheeseburger I had there was just what I needed to give me a big boost of energy to finish the last 20 miles. After I left the café the third SAG/snack stop was only a mile down the road. I checked in and had my dessert to top off my lunch – delicious, cold watermelon. We all love that treat on these hot days. The weather was not as hot as I was expecting. It was about 86 degrees, I think. Plenty warm, but not blistering. Big clouds were forming along the mountain range up ahead and I was hoping I would get in before an afternoon thunderstorm. Rain never came, and we all stayed dry. I was tired though when I finally reached the motel, and I really enjoyed my shower to cool off. I walked over to a big grocery next door; Albertson’s and got some sports drinks and an apple turnover – that held me until our 6:00 PM catered dinner. We had a picnic style dinner tonight eating outdoors. The caterer brought a whole lot of good food – all homemade and you can imagine how hungry we were after such a long ride today. We are at 4,500’ altitude here. In a couple of days we will be going UP, UP, UP over two mountain passes. So our legs are getting stronger and stronger in preparation for the big days ahead.

I thank God for this day and for our safe journey!

Road kill: 4 rattlesnakes (yuk), 1 bungee, 2 falcon birds

Bananas: 4

2006-07-01T21:01:00.000-04:00

Tim and Dan stand by the patriotic decorations at last night's dinner at the hotel. The tables were beautifully decorated too. This place really went all out to make our stay and dinner memorable.

Day 13 Burley, ID to Blackfoot, ID photos

2006-07-01T19:39:00.000-04:00

This place sure did have a lot of steel wagon wheels all around their yard and along the road leading up to the house.
When I saw this Tin Man atop a roof, I could almost hear him say, "We aren't in Kansas anymore!"
Our laundry hangs to dry in the warm breezes. We get in, rinse it out and hang it up. When we get back from dinner it is all dry ready to pack up. Jim's recumbent sits outside his room and Jim in the photo.

Day 13 Burley, ID to Blackfoot, ID photos

2006-07-01T19:27:00.000-04:00

The winners! Team "High Rollers" won first place in the scavenger hunt yesterday. They collected all the things on the list and did a very creative presentation. The team "Rails to Trails" came in second. I was on that team and Bill on our team did a great presentation for us. There were only two teams that decided to take on the challenge of collecting all the things. A good time was had by all with lots of laughs at dinner when the 'judging' took place.
A scene from the long and lonely stretch of road we were on for nearly 30 miles. The road just went on and on with all to see was sage brush and ranch land that were thousands of acres. Nancy stops to take a photo
Ah!Ha! I knew I'd soon see my first Wall Drug of South Dakota sign! We are many hundreds of miles from the world famous drug store in the city of Wall, SD -- but one will see the signs everywhere -- and as we get closer there will be many more of these signs and billboards. I can't wait --- they had SUPER good pie there!!!
I stopped at mile 90 to have a lunch here at Homers. It was a biker (of the other kind) bar and cafe. But the food was good and the locals were fun to talk to. They are always so amazed at what we are doing -- riding coast to coast on our bicycles!

Day 12 Journal Twin Falls, ID to Burley, ID

2006-06-30T17:19:00.000-04:00

I rode my bike 38.82 miles today. Another great day! It was warm and sunny when we started out of Twin Falls at 8:00 AM this morning. Since it was such a short distance we had a later breakfast and later luggage loading. Those who were participating in the scavenger hunt were given the list of things to collect. Some of the things to collect and look for were a pretty rock, a store stamp from any store in Burley, a flower, anything unusual along side the road, a clothespin, a church key – and the list went on for a total of about 15 different things. I wasn’t much help from for the team, but I guess none of us collected very many of the things on the list. There will be judging and presentation of our collections this evening.

I was planning on going to the waterfalls and swimming area on the route today. Most riders did stop there. But I somehow missed the turn off the route that took you to the falls. They were saying it was just beautiful and a fun side trip. I’m sure a lot of the other website bloggers will post some photos. I was riding most of the way until about mile 28 with Kirk. He is an interesting guy and is a professor who teaches history. He was telling me his wife is going to go on her own adventure leaving tomorrow for a hiking trip to the Canadian Rockies. After the sag stop I hop scotched along the road with the tandem bike riders, Bill and Daun from Tucson, AZ. We were running about 22-25 mph coming down the stretch of secondary and less traveled road that led into Burley. We arrived at the hotel just after 10:30 AM. Plenty of time to go get some lunch and walked across the street and wander the isles of Wal-Mart. Since our luggage truck hadn’t arrived nor the rooms ready those of us who were in super early we went for some brunch/food. I cycled across the street to Wal-Mart for some sunscreen and a banana. I saw Franz there too picking up some grocery items and a big bottle of sunscreen. Franz is an Ear/Nose/Throat physician in his country and has traveled all over to lead many humanitarian groups.

I have begun to see more cowboys now – all driving their pickup trucks and always wearing those big cowboy hats. This is so fun to see because we just don’t see this back in Ohio. Saw more fields of beets, and potatoes again today. Everyone irrigates the crops here.

I’m going to head back to the room now and take a nap. I want to get plenty of rest for the 110-mile ride we have tomorrow. We head a little more east and then go north up to Blackfoot. This stop here in Burley, Idaho is the most southern point on our entire route.

Road Kill: 1 skunk, 1 snake, 1 bird

Bananas: 2 Short day today so only 2‘nanas.

Weather: PERFECT. Low 80’s, and sunny. Wonderful headwind today!! Yee-haw!

Day 12 Twin Falls, ID to Burley, ID photos

2006-06-30T16:32:00.000-04:00

The nice hotel we stayed at last night had a little media center in the main lobby. Those that have not had a chance to get on to a computer appreciated using this to catch up on reading their emails and writing notes home. Keith, from St Paul, MN is here in the lobby early this morning taking a turn at using the free computer services
About 10 miles out of town we crossed a high bridge, named the Hansen Bridge. There was a stunning overlook that we could pull off and take a look down 400' below to the Snake River. It is very impressive and makes you realize how difficult the pioneers had it with out a bridge over this 16 mile gorge. The only way to cross the canyon/gorge was by rowboat back before a bridge was built.
A view from the overlook before crossing the Hansen Bridge, about 10 miles out of Twin Falls, ID
Keith and Dennis using their cell phones calling home or catching up on business while they rest outside their motel rooms this afternoon. With only a 38 mile ride today they got in early in time to get plenty of rest for the 110 mile ride tomorrow to Blackfoot, ID.

2006-06-30T09:51:00.000-04:00

Bicycle Ride Journals - Fellow riders post their stories and photos

2006-06-29T22:55:00.000-04:00

Several of the riders I am making this journey across America with are also keeping website journals with photos. There are some great writers! It is interesting how each person has a slightly different perspective of this adventure.
1) Li, Raymond and Christopher (riding a triple tandem bike)
fitnesstravelfrance.com
2) Sarah Grant
Sarahsride.net
3) Bill Weidenfeller
bikingwithbill.blogspot.com
4) Ken Iobst & Rob Dahlstrom
biker.iobst.com
5) Don Allison (find link to blog)
ultrarunning.com
6) Ilkka Suvanto
ilkkausa2006.livejournal.com
7) Jon Gregg
vermontstudiocenter.org/bicycle/journal
8) Annie O'Grady
anniesbigbikeadventure.blogspot.com
9) Jim Lehman
RideJimRide.blogspot.com
10) America By Bicycle company - by Susan, staff member
Abbike.com (click on Rider Journals/Across America 2006 Northern tour

Day 11 Journal Mountain Home, ID to Twin Falls, ID

2006-06-29T21:12:00.000-04:00

I rode 98 miles today. What a wonderful ride! I could hardly believe how easy those near 100 miles rolled on by and before I knew it I was here at the motel in Twin Falls, ID. The luggage truck opened at 5:45 AM and there was a long line ready to throw their bags onboard. Most then went next door to AJ’s Restaurant for breakfast. Lois, Chuck and I had already eaten something in our rooms (remember I swiped an extra banana from the salad bar last night!) and we wanted to get a super early start before the heat warmed us too much and the long mileage day. We wanted to get right out there at the butt-crack of dawn. We were on the road just before 6:00 AM. There was daylight, but barely. But the roads we took were very quiet with hardly any traffic for miles. Lois and I made sure we didn’t get too distracted with chatting this time so that we would not miss any of the cues for the turns. The surrounding mountains in the distance were beautiful, and as the sun came on up over the hills it was a photo moment to capture. There was a lot of farming all around. All the fields had irrigation systems. As we continued we could see flat top buttes for miles. Had a blast going down some hills that led us right down to the Snake River bed and through a narrow pass between the butte. The first 30 miles we saw no other riders pass us and we rolled into the first SAG/snack stop by 8:00. Within minutes the “fast riders” who we call the Peleton came in. Ate some bananas, a quick potty break, and on the road again. Nancy arrived too and she started out with Lois and I. We had a climb out of the little town we stopped in and I was going down the hills at a good clip and just continued to pick up my speed from there on out. Nancy and I paced between 15-18 mph most all day. We stopped at this really sleazy store/café on the side of the road at about mile 50 and bought some cold drinks and were off again. The cook was grilling catfish on the grill right behind the counter. We came up to a “detour” sign on the road, but that didn’t stop us, we went right on through – and it was really nothing to hold us back. The road equipment was off to the side, and it was only some new blacktop surface that was being laid that kept the road closed to cars. For a bicycle, no problem.

We had such fun trying to get in the line of the water falling from the irrigation equipment. We would cycle through the sprays of water, and say “Ahhhhhhh!” It would be so cooling on our body! The sun came out towards the end of the ride, and we were getting a lot warmer those last 10 miles.

We passed a lot of dairy feed lots for many miles today. The smell got a little rank in some places, but it was quite an interesting sight to see so many Holsteins being raised in this area. The fields were growing lots of hay, alfalfa and Idaho potatoes all along the route today. The biggest break of all today was the cooler weather because of the cloud cover. That really helped keep us considerably cooler compared to the last 5 days of riding. And another huge plus was the tailwind all day long! We got in early, had a chance to relax and then attended route rap at 5:00. Tomorrow is a short mileage day – only 39 miles. The route does do some climbing, but we’ll get in early for sure. Some will stop at the waterfalls and swim. There is going to be a scavenger hunt tomorrow. For those that want to participate we were going around forming our “teams” at dinnertime. I’ll be on a team of 6. The winning team gets a prize: FIRST IN THE DINNER LINE FOR A WHOLE WEEK!!! For us that’s a big deal, cuz we are always hungry and love to get our food – fast! We will get the list of things to find and collect on the hunt/route during breakfast tomorrow. We ate about ¼ mile down the street tonight at the Golden Corral. All you can eat – and for the bikers we were filling those plates mighty high!

I thank all of you who are remembering me, and all the riders in your thoughts and prayers. It has been just an incredible time these past 12 days – I have no words to really tell it like it is! I am thoroughly enjoying myself everyday. God is Good!

Road Kill today: 3 rattle snakes. 2 birds (owls, maybe), 1 skunk, 1 bobcat, 1 bungee cord, 3 nuts and bolts

Bananas: 3

Weather: upper 80’s. Two times in the early morning it rained very lightly – once I put on my rain jacket, but really didn’t need it for more than a minute. The second time I just kept riding through the sprinkles that lasted only about 3 minutes.

Day 11 Mt. Home, ID to Twin Falls, ID photos

2006-06-29T18:30:00.000-04:00

We passed a big farm that had many goats that were grazing near the fence as we rode by. Nancy and I stopped and some of the goats came up wanting to be petted and were very curious about our bikes that we leaned against the fence.
After riding for about 45 miles on a high plateau we came upon entirely new scenery at this outlook. We could see the beautiful canyon with the Snake River running deep in the canyon.
This stunning view is what we saw crossing a long bridge over the canyon and the Snake River as we entered Twin Falls, ID. This is also a place where Evil Kneviel (spl?) once attempted to jumpwith his motorcycle across this deep canyon that spans the river.

2006-06-29T18:10:00.000-04:00

A neat mailbox, I bet this owner is a bicyclist! This unique design was homemade to took like the old fashion Penny Farthing bike. They used a tractor seat for the saddle, an old set of bike handle bars, and a heavy chain holds the mailbox to the large buggy wheel. This was on the road in the early morning on the way out of Mountain Home, ID. Click on any of the photos to enlarge them.
Lois, Chuck and I were out on the road at the butt crack of dawn and saw an incredible sun rise coming over the mountains around Mountain Home, ID. We stopped to take some pictures. Behind me off in the distance you could see the lights of the Mt. Home US Airforce Base. Chuck said he had flown in and out of that base many times. He said that plane (the one I posted in the photos yesterday) in town was old F1-11 super sonic flighter jet. He said he flew those many times too. His comment was: "They were a bear to fly!"
In the very early morning the sun shone on this lone worker hoeing in the field. Her red shirt made her really stand out against the green crop.
At about 75 miles into the ride we passed miles and miles of dairy farms. Here is a shot of some cows all lined up eating their food. We saw this scene many times today.

Day 10 Journal Boise, ID to Mountain Home, ID

2006-06-28T21:50:00.000-04:00

I rode 51 miles today. It was great to have a rest day yesterday. We were all talking about what we did on our day off. Some strolled the downtown of Boise. This is one town where downtown is a very big social gathering place. It has lots and lots of unique restaurants with many places to eat outdoors. Some people checked out Boise State University, some went to a Shakespeare Festival play. Most everyone had to do laundry. The Marriot Hotel did a great job providing us with a hose and plenty of rags to clean our bikes. Just two blocks from the hotel was George’s Bike Shop and I think everyone made a trip or two to that place. It is a well-stocked place with several mechanics. One of the riders, Ron had a serious problem that the bike shop handled expertly. Ron was washing his bike and saw a place on the down tube was cracked all the way around. This high-end bike he owns was a new bike and he was pretty shocked to see this had happened. Needless to say he was concerned that his trip was going to be interrupted. He took it over to George’s and the mechanic knew right away that it was a warranty issue. They called the bike manufacture and they sent over night a replacement frame, which arrived this morning. The bike was put back together with his components from the damaged bike. Our ABB van picked up the bike and Ron in no time had a bike once again. He was so fortunate that if this had to happen that it happened while we were in Boise because after that town, there isn’t much in the line of good bike shops until maybe Casper, WY or Sioux Falls, SD.

I spent my day by getting up early having a wonderful breakfast that is prepared at the hotel and then left at 7:30 AM to ride seven miles out on the west side of the city to see a Dr E Crum, D.C. He is certified in doing Active Release Technique treatments. He spent about 45 minutes going over all my muscles and seeing that things were good condition. He was great, and commented that I really did not have any serious soft tissue problems going on. I then rode about 2 miles (stopping first to browse around a big REI store) to get to my massage appointment. For an hour and a half massage. It was so relaxing and I felt so refreshed it was like getting the effect of a full eight hours of sleep. When I biked back towards the hotel I stopped at one of those neat restaurants in old town Boise. Had a delicious portabella mushroom sandwich. It was about 99 degrees out yesterday, and I was glad to get back indoors. Took a nice nap and then cleaned my bike. Al and Deanna picked Christine and I up at 6:30 and we were treated to a fantastic dinner at The Reef in downtown. We dined on the rooftop that had lots of little Tiki huts and great service. Afterwards went for the ice cream treat. Got back to the hotel after 9:30 PM, and had to hustle to get things lined up for this morning’s bike ride, and get some sleep. Sure was nice having a rest day.

Today’s ride was short and I got in about 11:30ish. Going out of town was scenic as we climbed up on a little bluff. Then at about mile 12 we entered the interstate and in total we had 30 mile of I-84 riding. It was too hard to look at the surrounding terrain while riding that super busy highway. The last 7 miles into town was easy and was good to arrive at the hotel nice and early. It was almost like having another rest day. Many were lounging around the pool and cooling off in the water. It was another scorching hot day. I noticed at the exit going off I-84 a marquee that said it was 9:10 AM and it was already 84 degrees!

Tomorrow we have a much longer day with 97 miles going into Twin Falls, ID. We will be loading the luggage at 5:45 AM to get a start before the heat and to get in at a decent hour tomorrow. I’m going over to the Pilot truck stop in a few minutes and get some things to eat for a breakfast in my room. ABB gives us breakfast at AJ’s Restaurant but not until 6:00 AM. By the time I get served and out of there – I will be wasting too much cool-of-the morning time.

Road Kill: LOTS of tire debris. 1 snake.

Bananas: 2 (and I took one with me from the salad bar at the buffet restaurant we ate at tonight – to eat for my breakfast in the morning)

Day 10 Photos Boise, ID to Mountain Home, ID

2006-06-28T21:01:00.000-04:00

The bike line-up. Coming into the SAG/rest stop for our snack break.

Day 10 Boise, ID to Mountain Home, ID photos

2006-06-28T20:10:00.000-04:00

Karen and Barry. Barry stopped at Wal-Mart on the way to the motel today and got himself a snazzy new red cap. Barry is riding good these days having made a trip to the ER the other day when he suffered heat exhaustion.
The Best Western Foothills motel has a great pool. This is showing just a part of it. The water falls over the rocks into the pool. Pictured are left to right: Ben, Tim, Catherine, Ken, Rob and Joyce. (I'm still terrible at remembering the names! Someone helped me identify everyone)
This old super sonic jet is along side the road in a park as we came through Mountain Home. This town is home to Mt Home Air Force Base. The base is about 10 miles out of town.
Liz applies high-test sun protection on her husband Keith. So important to keep our skin protected from the sun on these long days on the bikes. This was at the SAG/rest stop after doing 12 miles on I-84. We exited here and had snacks and then entered again on the interstate for another 18 miles. That was hard riding because you need to be very alert to watching for re-treaded tires debris on the shoulder. Today there were quite a few flat tires. About 10-12 people rasised their hands at route rap when Andy asked how many people had to stop to fix flats today.

2006-06-28T17:56:00.000-04:00

Deanna and Al. I rode with them across country in 2001. They now live in Boise, ID. They came to the motel and took Christine and I out for Dinner last night (6/27).
Here we are at the REEF restaurant in the Basque district of old Boise. We enjoyed a wonderful meal there. If you are ever downtown Boise, this is a great place to go!
This morning, Susan (ABB staff) and I were the butterfly girls -- showing up with our matching jersey.

Day 10 Boise, ID to Mountain Home, ID photos

2006-06-28T17:39:00.000-04:00

At the Westside Drive-In they serve the famous Idaho Ice Cream Potato. You can see above that I've already taken a few bites. It is a treat of ice cream shaped into an Idaho Potato, rolled in fine powered chocolate, a slit through the top is then filled with whipped cream and the 'bacon bits' are dark chocolate and nuts topping the potato. Such fun! I ate one of these the last time through here and was delighted that Deanna and Al took Christine and I to this place to get this unique dessert.
Part of the menu sign outside of the drive-In that tells about the Idaho Ice Cream Potato.
The Westside Drive-In was a real "50's" place, with 50's music playing. This is where we got the yumming ice cream treat.
Deanna's car. The license plate says, "CYCLIST"

2006-06-28T16:12:00.000-04:00

Day 8 Journal Ontario, OR to Boise, ID

2006-06-26T22:32:00.000-04:00

66.49 biked miles today. I’ve posted a few comments on the photos below that re-cap some of today. I felt strong all day and it was another fine ride. But it sure is HOT out here. Tomorrow is a rest day, and I’ll be back posting the journal day after tomorrow --- unless I feel energetic and get out the laptop sometime tomorrow. I made some phone calls as soon as I got in this afternoon and lined up some appointments early tomorrow morning. I’m going to see a Dr Eric Crum, D.C. he is certified in doing Active Release Technique, and will check over my spine and all my muscles for any tightness. Then I routed myself a short way from that office to the Boise Massage Therapy spa. It will be sooo soothing to have that 1.5-hour massage. This will get my legs feeling really fresh for the start of the next leg of this trip. We have some really tough days ahead, especially the climb over Teton Pass on our way to Jackson Hole, WY. We won’t have another stop until Casper, WY. So I’m taking care of the body as best I know with ART treatment and massage on this day off.

At route rap tonight we got our cue sheets for when we leave on Wednesday morning to Mountain Home, ID. Some riders left us today, saying goodbye to us was hard for them, and they all wished they could continue on, but for various reasons this was the leg of the trip they could do this time. Two new riders joined the group.

As soon as I had finished lunch in the Hyde Park district coming into Boise I rode with others to George’s Bike Shop, which was right on our way near the motel. It is a large bike shop and I bought my new water bottles and saw a bright colored sleeveless jersey that I just had to have! (Paul, you know how I love to buy bike clothes, sorry!). Several bikers were having some mechanical issues handled at the shop. Nancy had to buy a new set of matching wheels. One of her wheels was damaged in the transport out to Astoria when she checked her bike box through the airport. They couldn’t get the bike box open and hacked away at it and in the process bent her wheel. She bought a new wheel in Astoria, but couldn’t get a matching one. Quite an expense, but she’ll be whizzing down the roads now with shiny new wheels. Oh, Barry, who had to be taken to the ER room late yesterday was back riding today. They gave him an IV of salts and replaced his lost electrolytes. He looked great and rode strong today. We were all saying we too should have checked in for that IV seeing what it did for him!

I thank God for this wonderful trip, these first 8 days have been wonderful. It just cannot be expressed in these little blurbs that I’m writing. I just can’t believe how great it is to be doing this a second time. Even better than the first time – wish you all could be here with me. Peg, I know it is several weeks until you join us in Niagara Falls, NY, but I’m so looking forward to having you join all of us when we pick you up there. Hope you are getting in lots of training rides – but I have no doubt about that, you ride EVERY day! You must have at least 3,000 miles by now with Stark County Bike Club rides?

Time to wash the bike clothes, clean and shine the bike, change out the water bottle cages, and oil the chains.

Day 8 Ontario, OR to Boise, OR Photos

2006-06-26T22:28:00.000-04:00

Route Rap in Boise, ID. We are going over the cue sheets for our Wednesday ride to Mountain Home, ID. Photo showing about half of the 60+ number of riders on the ABB tour.
A herd of Bison seen along the route today.
Farmers out in the field laying irrigation pipes.

Day 8 Ontario, OR to Boise, ID Photos

2006-06-26T21:51:00.000-04:00

Bye-Bye Oregon!! It was wonderful visiting and riding through this state. Incredible scenery along the route we took. Mountains and near mile high summits to pass over, and the high desert, the pine trees, and ranches and the farm lands and rolling hills -- all so beautiful. We were treated well by the folks here in Oregon.
Entering into our second state early this morning, just a 1/2 mile from the hotel we crossed the state line. It wasn't too many miles down the road and I saw my first fields of IDAHO POTATOES. We'll be seeing lots of those fields -- most growers here supply all of the McDonald's chains with these Idaho grown spuds.

Day 8 Ontario, OR to Boise, ID Photos

2006-06-26T21:03:00.000-04:00

Lois and I thought we were pretty cool getting a very early 6:05 AM start out of town to get on our way to Boise this morning. We headed out of town together, no other riders around us. We got to talking and yakking away and about 8 miles down the road we suddenly realized that we had MISSED two turns and were hopelessly lost. We stopped and looked at the cue sheet, and then the detailed map drawings. Still could not figure out which way to go. We wanted to find the street called New Philadelphia Ave., thinking that was the road we wanted to be on. I saw a lone farmer walking along his rows in the fields. I yelled to him and asked him which way to Philadelphia Ave? He only answered in SPANISH and kept pointing over in the other direction! Next car that came along, and cars were few and far between, we asked that driver, and then another driver. They were directing us all over the place! Everyone had a short-cut to Boise for us. We tried to explain we had to get on these certain roads where our group was and our support vans were. We would show them our cue sheets and marked maps. No help. Then one guy said ask the owner of the shop up ahead. He was friendly but he had us laughing so hard, and he couldn't believe we were riding to WHERE? From Oregon to New Hampshire?? Finally, he pulled out his pen and started drawing this road map on the hood of his white pick truck. Lois and I were just cracking up it was so funny. By this time near 45 minutes have gone by with trying to figure out where the heck we were. He just told us, get on this road right there beside him and go to Sandhollow. We knew that was where the SAG vans would be. But before we left we handed him our cameras. Lois pointed to where the button was on her camera and said, "press here". He had no idea what to do. That picture has just our feet showing. He did a little better with my camera. We were trying to look "lost". But Lois is still laughing in this shot, I have a desparate look on my face. We got down the road about 5 miles and suddenly we saw the ABB shirts intersecting with the road we were on. We were SO relieved. We really did not go too far out of the way, only we lost a lot of time, meaning we were riding in more heat of the day than planned. We thought we would get to Boise by 11:30 AM, instead it was about 12:30. Come to find out we were not the only ones who missed some turns today.
When we got to the 35 mile rest stop Deanna from Boise was there to greet Christine and I. She rode this cross country route with us in 2001. She was living in Seattle at the time, and is now living in Boise. Her riding friend, Dana, also came to meet us and the two of them led 11 of us into Boise. It was great seeing her again! We'll meet her for dinner tomorrow evening. Deanna brought HOME MADE cookies to everyone at the rest stop. We get a little tired of the same 'ol same 'ol, so the cookies were a huge hit with us all. Lisa, another former rider from our 2001 trip, who now lives in Boise, stopped by the motel/restaurant this afternoon to say hello.
Here is Kirk, from Minnesota, relaxing in Hyde Park in Boise on the way in to town. How do you like those nifty Ray Charles shades?! It was a scorcher of a day and all the riders were stopping at this great strip of shops and outdoor cafes in this neat section of the city. After stopping here we continued to State Street and rode by the state capitol building.
This was a few minutes before 6:00 AM this morning. This is the "Early Bird" group who like to get up and out at the crack of dawn! Luggage truck was scheduled to open at 6:00 this morning and here we are standing with our bags waiting for the staff to open it up.

Day 7 Baker City, OR to Ontario, OR Photos

2006-06-26T20:42:00.000-04:00

This was some of the terrain coming out of Baker City, OR. I noticed a small mine entrance on the side of this hill. The terrain was rolling -- all downhill on the roads we were on.
Leaving Pacific time. We gained an hour today, so we stopped here to set our watches ahead an hour.
All along the hot and windy stretch of the last 25 miles there was a lot of farm lands. Lots of big commercial hay bales with hundreds of fresh baled crop.
Chuck from Cincinnati, OH. We were all eating at the Sizzler Steak House and when he asked for a refill on his lemonade the waitress came with this SUPER SIZE ME glass. We are all drinking so much fluid all the time now, so of course Chuck had no problem finishing this off right away. Chuck is a retired Air Force pilot. He decided that instead of seeing the USA for years at 500 mph he would ride the US and see it at 15 mph!

Day 7 Journal Baker City to Ontario, OR

2006-06-26T20:39:00.000-04:00

83 miles today. It was record-breaking temps all over Oregon today. So say it was hotter than Hades says it like it was. The breakfast was really good. Best part was the hot oatmeal, done just perfect. Andy says oatmeal is wallpaper paste, but maybe that’s why a lot of this group loves it when we are served oatmeal because “it sticks” with us and seems to provide longer lasting energy. I was on the road by 7:20 and headed out of Baker City. We had all most all downhill for the first 56 miles. It was great. We followed along I-84 for most of the time, and we had to enter on to ride the interstate three times. Short distances, and all downhill. The semi trucks were courteous and moved to the far left lanes and gave us plenty of room on the wide shoulder. The bad part riding on the interstate is the debris from radial tires. Those pieces of re-tread from the tires that are on the berms have hair fine wires, and if you run over any it will result in a flat tire. Only two cyclist out of the 60+ got flats on the interstate, and a few got flats soon after exiting. The scenery was mountain ranges all around for several miles. It was not a good time to look at the landscape for quite a few miles when on the Interstate highway – it took too much concentration looking down all the time watching for the tire stuff and avoiding it. But by the time we got off the busy highway and back on Old route 30 things quieted down. Saw a few freight trains go by – one went right in to a tunnel through the mountain. It was just fun having the road continually going downhill - - I made good time most all day. But it was really heating up as early as 8:30 and when I pulled into the rest stop at mile 33, I was out of water and ready for some salty foods. Back on the road and passing through a little town, Huntington, I saw Bill and Dawn’s tandem bike out side the local café. They said it had some good pie. I was just too hot and wanted to keep on the move so passed it up this time. Hated to pass up a good piece of pie, but I’ll be looking for then pie place tomorrow! We soon were following along the Snake River basin and some good-sized lakes. Lots of fisherman in boats out today, and campers and RV’s going in and out of the campsites. Saw a lot more farming today than we saw the last couple of days. Very large fields of onions – maybe they were those delicious Vadalia onions? Sure were thousands of acres of them. Hay was baled in many places, and cattle ranches along the way. Also the corn in the fields was a lot taller than I know it is back in Ohio. Some fields the corn had to have been 6’ tall. Along with beets there were some rhubarb fields. Our last SAG/rest stop was at the 56-mile point. It was so hot by then that we were all gathering alongside the luggage truck (we call this truck “Box”) on the shady side. The staff was great to also set up a canopy to stand under to eat our snacks. This was the last chance to get any water and it was more 25 miles into town. As we climbed away from the Snake River it was flatter and more open, and then some headwinds to boot. With the temperature in the upper 90’s by 1:00 I was really pushing as hard as I could to get in just as soon as possible. About 10 miles out of town I saw a guy watering his flowers in the yard and I pulled up and asked him to hose me off from head to toe. That was the best thing I could have done – so important to keep your bodies core temperature down to avoid heat exhaustion. Nancy and I rode in together the last 10 miles and she was still talking about the hot dog she has wanted for the last four days! I knew where a Dairy Queen was in Ontario—just past the motel. We passed up the motel and went right over to the Dairy Queen. We were so hungry! When we stop at places we people always start asking questions – where we are going, where did we start? They can hardly believe it when we tell them where we are cycling to New Hampshire! There are 20 of us that are over 60 years old on this trip. We are a tough bunch of oldies but goodies!

I was so whipped and felt so wind-blown when I got to my room I couldn’t get into the cool shower fast enough. Since we cannot get an Internet connection here I treated myself with a 45-minute cap nap before Route Rap at 5:00 PM. We were meeting outside and the last two riders pulled in right at the star. Within a few minutes one of the riders, Barry, fell down. There was a rush for ice, and water for him. He was taken down with dehydration and heat exhaustion. 911 were called. He should be all right; they’ll give him IV’s of fluids and electrolytes. But it is scary how dangerous the heat can be if you don’t do the right things out there. We were again instructed on important things to do to keep our cool.

We ate at the Sizzler Steak House across the street. Besides the big salad bar we could have steak, chicken or Halibut fish. Plenty of food. Amazing how famished we all are. We are burning a heck of a lot of calories! I drink about 4-5 bottles of water every day starting as soon as I finish my ride and through out the evening. I even wake up at night and drink a few glasses of water. Tomorrow we head for Boise and our first rest day will be Tuesday. Everyone is looking forward to that. I emailed a Chiropractor in Boise who is certified in doing Active Release Therapy asking if I could get in for an appointment on the rest day. He will make sure that I don’t have any muscle tightness that would keep me from feeling my best on the bike. I want to also get in a massage if possible. I can’t remember the place I went to the last time I was there in 2001, but will search the phone book. There are a couple of good bike shops in Boise too – and I want to get to those too. I need some different water bottles. The ones I brought along are these heavy clear plastic bottles and they sometimes rattle in the water bottle cages. I’m going to look for something different.

I found out that those black and white birds that I see around here are called Magpies. I have been seeing a lot of Kill Deer birds too. They get all excited if you come near their nests. They build their nests on the ground sometimes right along side the road. Their eggs are the same color as the stones they lay them in. We lost an hour today – entering a new time zone, leaving Pacific Time Zone, entering Mountain Time zone.

Road Kill: 2 baby skunks, 1 glove, 1 squirrel

Bananas: 3 ½ Just keep eating them, Sara!

2006-06-25T20:24:00.000-04:00

Day 6 Journal John Day, OR to Baker City, OR

2006-06-24T22:59:00.000-04:00

It doesn’t get any better than this! Another day in bicycling paradise. I was up and loading my luggage by 5:45 AM and cycled down to the Outpost Café for a good breakfast. They served hot oatmeal, my favorite, stick-to-yaw bike food. I saw a cute plaque on the outside of this café. It said, “On this day in 1897 nothing happened.” Leaving John Day wasn’t as cold or windy as yesterday’s ride out of town. By mile 18 we started to climb the first of the three summits today. There was a nice photo opt along the way, a big covered wagon with a beautiful view of the snow capped mountain range in the background and the ascending road. Susan from the staff was taking lots of pictures for us as groups of riders came through and wanted their pictures by the big western wagon. I felt strong today, and I am finding the climbs are not difficult. I’m not a fast climber, but get to the top at my own steady pace. It is such a blast when you reach the top because then the fun begins with miles and miles of downhill. After Dixie Summit we had two traffic lights we had to wait for. They were doing construction so the road was down to one lane and we could only proceed during the green light. It slowed up our ride going down, having to wait for the lights – but still had plenty of miles of smiles going down.

This state of Oregon is incredibly beautiful! If you’ve never traveled Oregon, it is worth the trip out here. We passed through lands that had cattle ranches, and then going up the mountains it was more pine trees. The pinecones are so big! A couple of times we passed a few cattle that were out on the road. I rode with Nancy again most of the day, and she was great on the last 10 miles pulling me in to Baker City. The headwinds were really roaring head on for the last 10 miles. When we got in to town the main street was all blocked off and we could see little kids lined up for bicycle races. It happened today was the 9^th Annual Elkhorn Bicycle races. We came upon the group of 6 and under without training wheels lined up for their race. This little three years old that was on the far end near me was so adorable. And he sure did want to win! He took off pedaling just as fast and furious as he could.

I’m tired tonight and want to get to bed. Several others mentioned they were tired tonight too—the heat and wind was taking it’s toll. I wasn’t able to get an internet connection until nearly 8:00 PM so I’m trying to hurry now.

Road Kill count: 2 rattlesnakes, 1 toothbrush, 1 shoe – yup, just one! 1 deer.

Banana count: 3

Miles 81.63 Elevation climbing totaled 4,709 feet

Day 6 John Day, OR to Baker City, OR photos

2006-06-24T22:38:00.000-04:00

Coming all the way from Germany is Eberhard Messling. His wife Anja is here on this trip too. They own and operate a bike touring company in Germany and the Island of Majorca (spl?). He says that that island off the coast of Spain is the most popular spot for bicyclist to go in the winter months. Over 80,000 cyclists come to ride there every year. Their company is Diana Sports. www.dianasports.de This photo was taken coming down from Dixie summit and we had to wait for some construction traffic light.
A plaque found next to the entrance to the Outpost cafe in John Day. We ate our dinner there last night and our breakfast this morning.
So many pine cones everywhere. They are big ones too!
A young bull lost along rte 7. He just kept on walking down the road. Nancy and I were riding together and we were glad he didn't come charging after us!

Day 6 John Day, OR to Baker City, OR photos

2006-06-24T22:28:00.000-04:00

Nancy A. stopping along the Powder River on the way down the mountain pass. We followed this river that ran along Rte 7. We were about 10 miles from Baker City at this point. It was hot and windy -- but having a grand time!
Lil at the SAG, rest stop taking a well deserved break in the ABB staff chair. She is the Captain of the triple tandem that her 13 and 16 year old sons are riding with her. They live in France.
Flowers at the snack table. Local wild flowers that were picked up along the roadway.
When we arrived into Baker City we came upon a kids bicycle race. This group lining up at the start line were the 3-5 year olds without training wheels classification. The end fellow was three years old. He was adorable! And when the start gun went off he pedaled his little legs as fast as he could. He may be the next Lance Armstrong! The professional bike racer, men and women were racing later in the afternoon. This is the 9th annual Elkhorn Bike Race.

Day 6 John Day, OR to Baker City, OR Photos

2006-06-24T22:20:00.000-04:00

Coming out of Prairie City, OR. Beginning to climb to Dixie Pass - 5,277' elevation to the summit.
A nice photo op at the covered wagon on the way to Dixie Mt. summit.
Barry and Karen Mason reached the summit!
Nancy A takes a break by having an ice cream cone to fuel up for the next mountain pass.

Day 5 Prineville to John Day

2006-06-24T00:05:00.000-04:00

It was a long and hot ride of 117 miles today. All was well, and a most enjoyable ride. But it sure was good to see this welcome sign knowing our overnight stop was just a mile ahead of us.

2006-06-24T00:01:00.000-04:00

This place in the hick town of Dayville had a junk yard sale. They had the edge of the roof top all lined up with old Tonka trucks/toys from one end to the other.
Still out here in cowboy country, and lots of horses. This was a good looking white one.
Hey, "Pinkie" (Toni) this one is for you. Couldn't help thinking of you when I saw this PINK mailbox with your last name on it! How 'bout that. This was on the way from Dayville to John Day.
Nancy starts into the John Day Fossil Bed canyons.

Day 5 Journal Prineville to John Day, Oregon

2006-06-23T23:59:00.000-04:00

Oh Lordy! The Bicycle Gods were showering down good wishes and tailwinds and traveling mercies today! I had a terrific day, for pedaling 117 miles today I really can’t complain about a single thing. I was up at 3:45 AM and took care of eating my breakfast in my room, afterwards I relaxed a little checking email and weather reports on the wireless internet. There was an instant line-up at the luggage truck at 5:30 AM. I was out of the gates at 5:34 AM. I started out with arm warmers, full fingered gloves under the padded bike gloves, a wind jacket and a special cloth I like to wear under my jersey at the shoulders to protect the upper back from the cold winds. It was 41 degrees when I left, and a very brisk head wind. I have this thing called Raynards Syndrome that impairs the circulation to my extremities – the fingertips and toes. It wasn’t long down the road and my fingertips and toes were made so numb with cold, I was very anxious to get up and out of the canyon we were in coming out of Prineville. We started the first of our total 5,189 vertical feet of climbing of this day at mile 11. It wasn’t until about mile 30 and near the end of this climb that I felt warm enough to shed most of the clothes. Then we had a great downhill all the way into Mitchell. The scenery was beautiful. I saw several interesting birds. I especially would like to know what the name of the one was that was about 17” in length, and was black and white. It was quite a large bird, and so stark looking with the black and white body. Someone saw a bobcat jump out near them today. I saw a rat! All morning I was looking forward to the little café that sits at the edge of this very small town of Mitchell. They made homemade pie there. And I walked in and had a wonderful piece of blueberry pie, and so did recumbent Jim and Nancy. I was riding with Nancy (from Florida) all day. We seem to be going the same pace and she was great to even stop when I wanted to pull off and get some photo shots. She too got a lot of nice pictures today, and I’ve downloaded them into a file on this laptop. So I’ll post some of those too in the Photo Album. By the time we got into Mitchell it was getting very hot, and we had to start a long climb up to Ochoco Pass. I just took it nice and easy and paced myself so as not to wear myself out for all the other miles that lie ahead. I was drinking a lot of water and one bottle I used to periodically pour some water over my head, legs and arms to keep my core temp down. That sure did help. After that summit it was miles and miles of downhill, with only slight inclines to finish out the day. When we rolled into Dayville we were hungry for some lunch. Nancy kept saying she was craving a good ‘ol hot dog sandwich. We stopped into a little local restaurant and though she didn’t get her wish, we both like the excellent BLT’s. Several other bikers had stopped there too. It was just what we needed to give us a great boost to keep up our steady pace. The 117 miles were melting away! It was a great ride and looking good to finish before 5:00 PM. Our café stops did eat up time, but well worth taking those breaks. The John Day Fossil Bed region was very beautiful rock formations. The road is just a narrow double lane road through there. The cliffs that rise up from both sides of the road were magnificent. I was uncomfortable with cold toes in the early morning, but by this point in the ride I was so warm, I wanted to cool my feet off in the mountain stream that flowed along side the road. One biker passed me and said his thermometer was reading 98 degrees. A scorcher. Stopping just 8 miles from John Day at a gas station in small town America, Mt. Vernon, the local person said it was going to be even hotter tomorrow. Nancy and I got some cold drinks and some salty peanuts to replace those salts we lose on such a hot day – and then headed down the road like horses into the barn looking for the Sunset Inn here in John Day. A quick shower and then I tried to get on the Internet. Quite a few people were not getting connected. So I’ll post this tomorrow along with the photos. I am so grateful for today. It was really a blessing to have had such an enjoyable ride, despite the heat, the ride went so smoothly. We have a shorter day tomorrow about 81 miles. Piece of cake!

Road Kill count: 1 LARGE rattlesnake, 1 golf ball, and 1 rat

Bungee count: 2. 6 pieces of rope.

Banana count: 3 more yellers down the hatch

Day 5 Prineville, OR to John Day, OR

2006-06-23T23:52:00.000-04:00

Our first summit today. Ochoco is an Indian tribe in this area. It was really hot getting up to this point. And we were cooled off by the 25 miles on downhill that followed.
PIE!! And it was the BEST blueberry pie ever. It was the sugar rush that I need to help me climb 7 miles to the summit Ochoco Pass.
Next summit was Keyes. Whew! was it hot. Sara and Nancy.
Now this is the sign all bikers love to see! DOWN. This 7 mile downhill really cooled us off from the blistering heat.

Day 4 Journal Warm Springs to Prineville Oregon

2006-06-22T22:17:00.000-04:00

Another perfect day to be on a bicycle! Luggage truck loaded by 7:15 and I was off down the steep hill that led up to the Ka-Nee-Ta Resort. It was a fast down for about three quarters mile, and then out on to rte 8. Most of the population is American Indian as this resort and casino was on a reservation. We made a gradual climb out of the box canyon area and into Warm Springs. Most of the riders were spread out today, but there are little groups forming and people are finding their own pace. Coming into a small town near Warm Springs we rode along the Deschutes River. Then at about mile 13 we started a 5% grade climb for 4 miles. We were then into more farming country and saw many fields being irrigated. Quite a lot of hay was freshly cut and being racked. It was a beautiful sight to be riding along and still look off into the distance and see the mountain peaks. But this will be the last time we see them, and our last glimpse was just outside the town we are staying in.
You've probably read in the newspapers about those two soldiers that were slain in Iraq. Madras is the home of one of them and when we came up to our first SAG rest stop at mile 31 we could see a long fence where many balloons, handwritten notes, banners and flags were hung. The town had flags flying everywhere. Tom Tucker is being remembered in this small town here in Oregon. The town is grieving for the family and the loss of our soldier. It was a moving experience riding by this on our way through town.
I rode for a while with Mike who lives in San Diego. He has just retired from the Navy and has taken time to ride one leg of this trip - Astoria to Casper, WY. He couldn't take time to go the whole route as he has a new job waiting for him. He told me about all the travels he did in the Navy, and he has been all over the world. As I came near Prineville Nancy came up behind me and she stopped for a photo of some big huge wooden chair. We both were hungry for some lunch and at the edge of town we went into a great Mexican restaurant. A couple of other bikers had stopped there too. Enjoyed some homemade food, and then we found the Best Western down the road.
I was so glad today was not terribly windy, as the last time I rode this it was so hot and windy that I was about trashed when I got in. But today was just wonderful, and such an enjoyable ride. A number of riders were feeling the freshness of their legs was just not there today. Some had been pushing it pretty hard these first 4 days, and it is catching up with them. I seem to be pacing myself well, and can't say I'm hurting. Now after tomorrow -- may be a different story!
Route Rap was at 4:30 this afternoon and the main thing stressed was DRINK, DRINK, DRINK water all the rest of this day in preparation for the blistering heat and long mileage tomorrow. It will be a 117 mile day with some serious climbs. We were told to pull over where ever the vans are along side of the road and fill our water bottles. Keep them full and drink, and pour some water over the body if we feel stressed from the heat. We don't want anybody dehydrating or bonking. I am looking forward to this little cafe that sat at the bottom of the first big climb. They had the most delicious, fresh from the oven pie the last time I came through. I know it carried me up and over the climb! Hope they still are out there and have some pieces of pie left by the time I get there. There are some super riders in this group and they go by me like I'm standing still. But tomorrow I think all most everyone is going to feel the effects of the 90 + degree heat that is forecast.
I ate dinner at the Apple Peddler next door. We had several choices to choose from on the menu. I sat with Dawn and Bill who live out in Tucson, AZ. It was fun to talk to them - I go to Tucson nearly every winter and have taken my bike out several times too. So they told me some places to ride out there. Bill was discribing his bike rides up Mt. Lemon. I was impressed, as that is a 25 mile non-stop climb to the summit of some 9,000'. They are going cross country riding a tandem. After dinner I went next door to the grocery store and bought things to have breakfast in my room. I'll have a wake up call for 4:00 AM. I have to eat and let it settle and then get out to the Budget Truck where we will load luggage at 5:30 AM. Breakfast is scheduled for 5:45 at the restaurant next door, but they are really slow, and I want to get out on the road and beat some of the heat. So I hope to be out on the road just after 5:30 AM. Hey, Debbie and Peg -- you remember the ride from Prineville to John Day, don't you!!! It was a killer wasn't it? Well it looks like a repeat this time around.
Road Kill count: ONE rattle snake! 1 bungee, and a banana peel (not mine!)
Bananas: 3 (they still taste good 4 days into the trip)
Terrain: rolling to climbing and flattened out at the end. 60 miles today.
Weather: Dry, very warm mid 80's. Sunny and a slight cooling wind.
I'm having a wonderful time. God Bless this beautiful country. There is nothing like being on a bicycle and seeing this incredible scenery.

2006-06-22T19:58:00.000-04:00

Here is how we dry our laundry, bike shorts and shirts. It was so dry here that everything dried in about 1 hour. I'll write my journal for Day 4 later, I hope. Tomorrow is 117 mile day. Will be in the 90's. We will leave at 5:30 AM to beat as much of the heat as possible. I need to eat and get bike and things ready for tomorrow.

Day 4 Warm Springs, OR to Prineville, OR

2006-06-22T19:49:00.000-04:00

We entered cowboy land! Began to see horse ranches all along the way from Madras to Prineville. We'll be seeing horses many, many of them for a long time - all the way until at least the end of the state of WY.
This cowboy cross the road in front of me and started up and into the hills on his horse.
Arriving in Prineville I saw this giant wooden chair out in front of a store that sold rustic furniture and carvings. It was a Poppa Bear sized chair. Nancy stopped too and we had a photo shoot.
Coming out of Warm Springs was the Deschutes River. This fly fisherman was having a good day enjoying his sport. This river is in the valley and we rode along it for a ways and then started a 4 mile climb.

2006-06-22T19:39:00.000-04:00

Climbed for 1,000' for 4 miles at 5% grade. Coming out of Warm Springs, OR - in the high desert region. This climb came at mile 13 this morning. The road curved and wound up the plateau.
Near the end of the 4 mile climb I looked back and could still see the mountains. High desert region of Oregon.
You have all read in the newspapers about the 2 US GI's that were brutally killed in Iraq. We rode through Madras, OR the home town of Tom Tucker one of the soldiers. This long memorial was along the main road, US 26, in the town. Very moving. Pray for all our troups!
Saw irrigation of crop land in this high desert region near Madras, OR. Beautiful mountain view on the horizon.