Sunday, August 22, 2010

4200 Miles -- I rode my bicycle across America!

After several days of rolling shady hills through Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire we finally arrived in Gloucester, Massachusetts (just north of Boston) where we were rode the final mile together with a police escort taking us to the Atlantic Ocean.

Sadly and gladly the ride is over.  Sad to leave my new friends and fellow bicycle warriors who fought the hills and headwinds and long days with me every inch of the country.  Glad to know that this huge goal and lifelong dream has been accomplished and I'm ready to come home.

My dear wife Cindy met me in Durham, New Hampshire and we were able to enjoy the final two days together.  She joined with many other family and friends of my fellow riders to cheer us on at the end of the ride as we pulled into the parking lot of Gloucester High School at 1 p.m.   After we all arrived, as a group of 70 riders, we rode together the last mile to the beach and dipped our bicycle tires in the ocean.  Mission accomplished.

After celebrating with each other on the beach we all took showers and then met again in the evening for a small cruise on a whale watching boat in the Gloucester harbor.  It was great to see the family members of many of the cyclists and share highlight stories of our nine week adventure.   Indeed, as our tour leader Greg Walsh often said, "This is summer camp for adults."   So we exchanged addresses, email accounts and phone numbers and promised to be friends forever.   What a ride! 

Thank you all for reading along these nine weeks.   It has been so fun to hear from you along the way.  It has been a joy for me to both ride through the United States and also to write about it several times a week.  

Please know that as I have more to write about this amazing experience and some photos to share once I get back home.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Woof, Woof, Woof!

Every now and then a flash of fear comes across us as we ride our bikes across America.  Especially as we spend so much time on rural roads it is not uncommon to be greeted by dogs excited to see new people -- even ones wearing strange clothes and approaching quickly on bicycles.   Some are friendly and some see us as the highlight of their day chasing us far off their land.

As we ride we sometimes talk among ourselves of dog strategies to manage the situation.  Some cyclists like the "squirt the dog with your water bottle" theory.   Others are more in the "I don't have to be fast, just faster than you" theory, meaning they just have to out ride the slowest rider in our group.   A few suggest just yelling out in an authoritative voice, "NO!"

No matter the theory -- when you hear the barking come up behind you, it is hard not to have a knee jerk reaction and just pedal as fast as you can.    This has happened several times on our trip.  But many of us, especially those riding the whole coast to coast, know that it can also be our fellow rider Terry barking after a new rider!

Terry, a fifty-something Canadian man, with a grey pony tail, is one of our better practical jokers.  He has come up behind some of the riders and started his very real sounding bark --- only to watch riders bolt down the road hoping to avoid the huge dog they hear.

On Friday nights, like last night, we give each other "awards" -- small tokens of appreciation or jokes from the week of riding.   On two occassions Terry has received awards from newer riders.  A month ago a younger 20 year-old victim of this joke gave Terry a bone and last week another practical joker found himself a victim as well to Terry's barking.  He gave Terry a leash.  

Our ride is coming to a close.   But this is one of the fun memories I will take with me.  

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Simple Pleasures

We rode from Stowe, Vermont to Littleton, New Hampshire today for a total of about 72 hilly miles.   But the cycling felt like I was on autopilot with my legs just taking me where they were supposed to go as I rode with Philippe (France) in the morning and Martin (UK) in the afternoon.   Vermont is a beautiful place to ride but so far the roads have been a little rough and narrow. My allergies are acting up so there was a little frustration but all very managable.

What came to mind today was the small simple pleasures that have become a part of the trip.   Last week I was sharing about the big wonders such as the Niagara Falls.  But there are small joys that we have learned to especially appreciate.   As I spoke with other riders here were some of their small pleasures:

Chocolate Milk.  Somehow it is a cyclists dream to have the cold and sweet drink that many of us haven't had since fifth grade. 

Root Beer Floats.  I had at least four on the trip -- decided to cut back a little.  One rider gave me the tip to order them at Dairy Queen as you can keep refilling the Root Beer if they give you too much ice cream. 

Shade under a tree.   We have been outside so much that I have become a complete tree hugger -- looking for all the shade a tree can give.

Park benches.   Great not only to sit on but good places to lock up a bike and explore the town.  A picnic table under shade is an exceptionally great thing to lay down on as you wait for dinner at 4 p.m. in the afternoon near a creek (yesterdays experience exactly). 

Tail winds.   Lovely.  They make us all feel like superheros on our bicycles.

A hot shower.  You wouldn't believe how many gym showers are either cold or luke warm at best.   Right up here would be good water pressure.  

Roadside blackberries and cherries.

Small acts of kindness.  I was coming out of the shower the other day and thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be great if someone gave me a bar of soap.  (I had just finished it that day).   Sure enough one of our riders bought a two pack bar of soap and just asked, "anyone need a bar of soap."   Simple things.

Public Libraries.  I don't carry a computer with me so I am at the mercy of the local public libraries and using their computers along the way.  I have to say it is great fun to see all the assorted styles and attitudes and just tone of the staff.   Some have coffee brewing and others made special efforts to let me know that water bottles are not allowed in the library.   Some love to ask about where we are coming from and going to.  Others just want to make sure we know that we have only 30 minutes on the computer!   Which reminds me my time is just about up!  

Only three more riding days to go!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Chunky Monkey

The highlight of our ride today was finding ourselves at the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory just outside of Burlington, Vermont.   Many of us did the tour and were given a sample of the flavor of the day, Chocowlate Chip.    Of course, I (also) had a kid's scoop of Chunky Monkey at the Scoop Shop and we took photos around the Cowmobile.   It was a cyclists dream come true.   Grand Tetons - okay.  Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory -- awesome!   Well, not really but it was great fun and an easier riding day for us.  Vermont is beautiful and the rolling hills, good weather and lighter schedule (only 50 miles) today made this a very relaxing way to begin to wrap up our trip as this is the last week.  We are now at a campground in Stowe, Vermont. 

Yesterday we rode from Lake Placid, New York to Burlington, Vermont and had a nice break in the day viewing the Ausable Chasm -- river, waterfalls and cliffs along the route.   As we wrap up the trip we are all faced with bittersweet emotions.   Part of me wants -- like Forest Gump -- to just turn around and ride back the other way.   I've spent all this time on my bike. I could simply keep going and going and going and going.   The other part knows that all good things must end and the memory of this trip will stay with me for the rest of my life.  Kris, one of our 50-something riders from Washington, rode this trip about ten years ago and came back for another time this year.  She mentioned that there wasn't a day that she hasn't thought of some aspect of the trip every day since.    I also spoke with Charlie, a rider who has joined us for several weeks along the route who he did a similar trip in 1992.  Charlie mentioned that for the next six months he woke up wondering what city he was in!  

I turned to Philippe (from France) who is on a computer next to me at the beautiful Stowe Free Public Library and it took us a few minutes to figure out where we were before Burlington, Vermont.   The pace is truly like a circus -- pulling up our tents and moving to the next town each day.   Yesterday was a treat though as we were able to stay at the dorms at the University of Vermont just up the hill from downtown Burlington. 

My big activity yesterday night was playing the role of Activity Director.  I spoke with Rob Panzera, the owner of Cycling Camp San Diego, who was visiting a friend on our tour.  He agreed to give a 45 minute talk on his cycling camp, nutrition, and cycling skills (climbing techniques).    After dinner and our evening meeting about 30 riders gathered around some shade outside of the dorms and he gave a nice talk about it all.   

Monday, August 16, 2010

Week 9--History Maker

Hard to believe we're at Week 9 already!  Here's this week's schedule:

Monday 8/16  Lake Placid, NY to Burlington, Vermont  48 miles
Tuesday 8/17  Burlington to Stowe  48 miles
Wednesday 8/18  Stowe to Littleton, New Hampshire  76 miles
Thursday 8/19  Littleton - Freyburg, Maine  65 miles
Friday 8/20  Freyburg to Durham, New Hampshire  85 miles
Saturday 8/21  Durham to Gloucester Mass. 64 miles

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Cycling and Speedskating

Rode across New York state this week, finishing in Lake Placid, home of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.  A highlight was riding my bike on the same track where speedskater Eric Heiden won five individual gold medals at the 1980 games.  Heiden later went on to become a cyclist, participating in the 1986 Tour de France.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

The Battle of Sackets Harbor

About half-way from Oswego, NY to Watertown, NY we had a water stop in the town of Sackets Harbor, NY.  Our water jugs were set up next to the historic battlefield and information center right next to the harbor.   I had a real historical treat and spent about an hour on the battle field before moving on to a nice coffee shop and pulling myself back on my bike to finish the ride into Watertown.

Here is the story -- all of which I learned today at the information center and battlefield between about noon and 1 p.m.    It is all about the events that occured on May 29, 1813 during the War of 1812.   But first you need to know that battlefields on the whole are classified by somebody (according to the young guide at the information center) on a scale from A- C.  For example, Gettysburg and Vicksburg are Class A battlefields.  They are rated not just in terms of size but also to their degrees of strategic importance.  They were very proud to say this was a Class A battlefield.  Had we lost this battle we would all be saying "Eh" at the end of everything we say as good Canadians.

The British and the French were fighting along between 1793 - 1812 and the USA was trying to stay neutral.  Problem was, the British kept seizing US merchant ships and impresssing American sailors into service aboard British warships.   This didn't go over so well and tensions arose.    The U.S. began building big ships to protect Lake Ontario and this Sackets Harbor is one of the few areas deep enough to hold and receive large ships.   So the British attacked the area, landing on "Horse Island" and then moved to attack the fort on land while American squadrons were fighting on the other side of the lake.  

A huge battle occured and things got so intense that the US soldiers let out a 32 inch cannon full of grape shot and wiped out 30 percent of the attacking forces (roughly about 1000 red coats).   All this is a bit rough and the battle went back and forth for sometime but in the end the British retreated.  It was great fun to visit and learn all this along the way.    So often we have seen some huge natural wonders that to see some cool historic spots like this are a special treat.  I loved every minute of it.

The Incredible Hulk

Last night as I went to bed with my tent pitched on the lawn of the Oswego High School in Central New York, I felt like the Incredible Hulk.   My legs were so massive that they were like small trees.  It reminded me of the thighs that you see on Olympic speed skaters with veins and muscles on muscles.   Bicycling across the country changes a person dramatically.   And my waist was so slim that I need to go find a belt to keep my jeans from falling at least to my thick thighs.   Pulling on the handle bars, especially through the Teton, Cascade and Big Horn mountains have made my arms like Popeye so that I even cut off the sleeves of my jersey to make them more comfortable.  And, although the Hulk was green, I am red from the sun coming down on me daily. 

Then I woke up at 5 a.m. and realized it was a dream and I was the same ol' me! Many people have sent texts or messages wondering what I look like.  Because I don't have a computer and library computers don't have the capacity to download photos I'll have to wait a bit to post what I look like.  But basically I'm the same -- only about 10 pounds lighter as I weighed myself at the YMCA today (without clothes and before dinner!).   But in general cycling has been great for the legs and general health on the whole.  Folks on our trip look a little slimmer after 8 weeks of riding but we both eat like horses and ride like horses so there isn't a lot of weight loss or whatever most people expect.  Most will lose about 5-7 pounds.  There are a few exceptions though. One lady told me she lost 20 pounds about 10 years ago when she did this ride but then gained 30 pounds back!   

Anyhow -- I feel great and love being outside and riding seven hours or so a day but on the whole I needed to find a way to reduce some of the expectations you may have when you see me next!!  For me this has not been a weight-loss program per-se but  it is having great healthy side benefits.   I'm totally trying to think of a next goal to keep up the conditioning that biking 86 miles a day gives you.  But all of the riders know we need to reduce our eating before we stop the ride as we consume so much food every day to give us the calories to bike along mile after mile.   I am feeling lighter than I have in more than a dozen years though combined with the weight loss of another 10 pounds from simply training for this ride.   So I hope not to disappoint you all entirely!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Seven Natural Wonders of our Trip across America

We rode about 95 miles from Albion, NY to Sodus, NY today.   Fairly uneventful ride except we did have some nice glances of Lake Ontario from time to time.   It was relaxing to finish the ride at Sodus Point, New York before heading to the Village of Sodus where we are staying at the local public school.  
One sad note was a woman named Judy from Missouri who was in an accident yesterday and I heard broke her collar bone.   She had riden with us for the first three weeks of the trip and then was just joining us again this week. On the first ride of the week (Monday) she collided with another rider and won't be able to continue.

We are all very conscious of our last two weeks together.  Yesterday as I rode along I started to think of seven natural wonders that we have seen along the way.  Here they are:

1) Cascade Mountains.  Located in Washington these were the first mountains we passed and they were a good challenge as it was raining and even had snow at the top of the pass when we crossed them the last week of June.  I had never heard of these mountains before so to see the waterfalls coming out of the mountain as we rode up the hill was a real treat and blessing.   It reminded me how often good things come out of our struggles.

2) Teton Moutains.  This was my first time to see these fabulous peaks.  To ride and ride and ride with them in front of us as we came closer and closer was great fun. To go over the pass and see them close up on the front side was even more spectacular.   Slam dunk awesome and a significant cycling challenge to climb up and around them.

3) Devils Tower, Wyoming.  I think I'm the last person not to watch "Close Encounters of a Third Kind" which I blame in part for not knowing about this rock formation.   Wow.   We spent an off day hiking around it and camped so close we could see it directly as we got out of our tents.   Thanks to Teddy Roosevelt for making this one of the first national park sights to preserve it for future generations.

4) The Black Hills of South Dakota.   I had to lump several things together as our week of riding through South Dakota was one of the best.  Every rider remembers riding on the Needles Highway and past the Cathedral Spires.  It turned out to be a cyclist's roller coaster of a ride as we also went through Spear Fish Canyon, enjoyed one lane tunnels through huge rocks, pig tail bridges and then ended with the monuments of Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore.   

5) The Badlands, South Dakota.  Even though I had seen them before I had never cycled through these interesting rock formations.  The best way I could put it is that this was as close to cycling on the moon as I will ever get.   We rode slowly for about 30 miles through the Badlands just taking our time and enjoying each stop along the road.  As a group we just had fun together and slowed down to take photos and be together.  Thanks South Dakota -- you really surprised me!

6) The Great Lakes -- Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario.  We took a five hour boat ferry  ride across Lake Michigan on the SS Badger and then rode along the shores of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario in parts of Michigan, Ontario and New York.

7) Niagara Falls, Canada and New York.   I'm a huge waterfall guy so this was one of my dreams to finally see.   I knew that someday I would have a chance to see it but didn't think I would end up biking for two months to make this dream come true!  And, it was good fun to hang out with my new biker friends as we took the Maid of the Mist boat tour and even ate breakfast on one of the towers high above the falls.

We now have 10 more riding days through New York and New England.   Each of us are trying to finish the trip well and enjoy not only the big sights but the small simple pleasures as well like having ice cream after long 95 mile rides on humid days.   Soon I will list some of the simple small pleasures of this trip as well.

Thank you for following along,

Monday, August 9, 2010

Niagara Falls, Canada

A few days ago I sat down to blog in Port Dover, Canada and my mind was completely blank -- I had no idea what to say.   But now after arriving in Niagara Falls there is almost too much to write about.  Today we rode 75 miles from Niagara Falls, Canada to Albion, New York.  I spread out  my sleeping pad an hour ago in the gym of the local High School.  We will spend the week riding through New York and should find ourselves in Lake Placid next weekend.

Seven weeks finished -- only two more to go with something like 3500 miles behind us and about 700 more to go.  This week takes us through New York and the final week we wrap up riding through New England.  I've not been to the east coast often so this is very interesting to me.    A great way to end the trip on a high.

I've not been to the Niagara Falls so I found it great fun to go down and look at it -- and later in the evening checked out the IMAX theatre (still using the 1987 film though) with some other riders.   Pretty much as I expected -- stories about tight rope walkers and those going down the falls in a barrel.   Given the choice I think I would prefer to walk across it on a rope.  Secretly, I've always wanted to be a tight rope walker.

Sunday morning I went with Eve (Georgia), Martin (UK), Jan and Marnix (Netherlands) to ride on the famous Maid of the Mist boat ride taking us right up to the falls.   I did all I could do on Sunday to stay completely off the bicycle for a good rest day.  Glenn, a rider from Colorado, joined me in attending a local Baptist church at 11 a.m. on Sunday.   It was a small church (approx 50 people?) with a least 20 percent of those attending their for the first time -- no doubt also coming to see the falls.

The thing about Niagara Falls, at least on the Canadian side, is that it is both a beautiful natural wonder and at the same time a tourist trap similar to some kind of combination of Las Vegas, San Francisco and New Orleans all mixed together.    After seeing the falls I walked on a main street with huge signs selling cuban cigars and promoting the House of Frankenstein, right next to Ripley's Believe It or Not and a half dozen wax museums.   The place is completely crazy once you get off the main area of looking at the falls.    I found it best simply to enjoy the Niagara Falls and to try to avoid the other distractions.

What is so cool is that we have bicycled from Seattle to Niagara Falls!   I can't believe it myself.   And, although we have two more full weeks of cycling, this feels like a major accomplishment and we all are very conscious that our time together is getting shorter and shorter.   Today's ride was an "easy" 75 miles so we ended up at an ice cream shop with several riders and began talking about the seven wonders of the trip to date.  I'll share them in a future post to be sure.  

Writing from the Albion Swan Public Library.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Week Eight - New York

This week is all about New York:

Niagara Falls, Ontario - Albion, NY  75 miles
Albion - Sodus  80 miles
Sodus - Fulton 72 miles
Fulton - Dexter  65 miles
Dexter - Star Lake 68 miles
Star Lake - Lake Placid  72 miles
Total Miles: 432

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Blood, Sweat and Gears

I met a new rider at breakfast, George, who has joined us this week from Ohio.    There is a core of 40 of us that have been together from the start of the trip and are riding all the way across America.  Then each week folks like George may join us for any of the nine weeks we are riding.    In a way it has been good for us to continue to get some fresh blood into our group each week.   I like George's bicycle jersey which was from a ride he did in North Carolina called "Blood, Sweat and Gears."

Blood.  Thankfully I have been free of accidents.  But they happen most every day with some rider slipping on gravel or hitting an occassional pot hole in the road.  There are lots of close calls though so we are all closely paying attention to what is going on around us.    Many people have asked if I spend a lot of time reflecting along the way.  The truth is that you almost always need to have your "A Game" when riding.  So mostly I'm trying to watch the riders next to me, the road conditions, the cars (and huge semi trucks) and the odd dog here and there.   And, of course, I hate to mention it but in the theme of blood, there are hundreds of road kill including deer, rabbits, skunks, and assorted unknown animals along the roads.  

Sweat. We rode into West Lorne, Canada today from Richmond, Michigan. It was so hot last night in Richmond, Michigan that many of our riders who slept in the High School gym just found themselves so oppressed by the heat that they wandered out into the lawn of the school where the rest of us had set up tents. So, when I woke up I found someone sleeping right next to my bike and tent. Hello!  Things have been heating up a bit and with the flat roads we find ourselves moving quickly but also sweating up a storm.  Today we ended up at a ice cream shop next to the library in West Lorne.   I spent about an hour and a half cooling off at the ice cream shop waiting for the library to open at 2 p.m.

Gears.  Not much to say here except that I had my bike worked on last night.  There are two great bike mechanics that travel with us.  They put on a new back tire which had worn down, cleaned and oiled the chain, and worked on my disk brakes a bit to make sure I'm set to go for the remaining two weeks of our trip.  I think we are all growing attatched to our bikes.  I was riding with Philippe a few days ago and we were heading out of breakfast when he simply shared, "I just love my bike, it is like a horse to me."   This morning he took a picture of his ultimately clean cassette (the circular chain teeth on the back wheel) that the mechanics cleaned.  He said it was so clean you could lick it.  Man and bike becoming one. 

We move on to Port Dover tomorrow -- should be long 95 - 100 mile ride.   It is a fun change to now be in Canada for a few days until we end the week at the Niagara Falls. 

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Raw Hide

A few weeks ago when we were in Minnesota our volunteer staff router, Bill, enthusiastically said, "This should be a great ride, you'll see a lot of corn on the right side of the road and soy beans on the left.  Later you will see some soy beans on the right corn on the left."

He was sure right for that day and several days to follow through Minnesota.  Now that we are in Michigan we have started to see a little bit more of the corn and soy beans again but on a lesser scale than Minnesota.  The actual route and scenery didn't make a huge impression on our minds -- no monuments, hills, forests or rivers.   Just soy beans and corn for much of the 87 miles.

We left Frankenmuth this morning and arrived by about 2 p.m. in Richmond, Michigan.   Frankenmuth was an interesting change of pace as it had a Bavarian Village theme.  Even the local muffler shop had a Bavarian look to it.   It was a tourist trap to be sure with about five fudge stores, a couple large breweries, coffee shops and german themed gift stores.  But it was also nice to ride through and hang out for a few hours for dinner and breakfast the next morning.  We camped out in our tents at the local middle school.  Due to the heat I hung out at the local library and did a blog entry.  I wasn't much into the tourist trap shoppiing mood. 

The last two days I've been hitting it hard on the bicycle so I wanted to relax a bit.  All went mostly according to plan until the end when a "pelaton" of cycling friends road past Philippe and I and we found ourselves in their midst.   But it was great fun to finish together at a strong pace without getting too wiped out.  Because I relaxed a bit in the morning it felt good to finish strong with another average day of 17 miles per hour.   To put this in perspective, before the trip I rode by myself and often would average 14 miles an hour. So with several weeks of riding and some flat roads and the company of stronger riders it has boosted my normal average.   I normally don't follow this too closely but this past week it has been interesting for me to note whether I'm burning out or growing stronger.  

Some friends have texted me and asked about how my butt is doing?  Sort of a personal question you would think.  But my simplest answer is, "Raw Hide."   You may be interested to know that every day I am covered from head to toe with some kind of lotion.  For my feet which have tended to crack due to sandels I have some lotion to keep them from hurting or even bleeding.  For my legs, arms, face and neck it is sun block as often as I can throughout the day.  And for the bums, there is a special chamois cream that is used with cycling shorts to minimize the chaffing that occurs mile after mile after mile after mile.  Some call it "Butt Butter."  Still, the sore butt syndrom, even with the precations, never goes completely away.   I / we do what we can but there is no quick fix solution.  It is just one of those things that comes with the territory!   This is all for the, "in case  you were wondering" department.

The Richmond Public Library was right next to the High School were we are staying at and is open till 8 p.m.  Funny, these are the simple pleasures we find on the road.   I've spent so much time under the shade in local parks and find myself very content in the air conditioned buildings of local libraries along this whole journey.   Even though my wife, Cindy, is a librarian I am mostly spoiled as she brings books home to me.  Soon I may be able to say I've been in more libararies around the nation than she has! 

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Moved to Wonder

"People are moved to wonder by mountain peaks, by vast waves of the sea by broad waterfalls and rivers, by the all-embracing extent of the ocean, by the revolutions of the stars.  But in themselves they are uninterested."   -- Augustine of Hippo

We travelled 82 miles from Farwell, Michigan to Frankenmuth, Michigan today.   Yesterday I mentioned that I averaged 17 miles an hour for the whole of 95 miles.  Today was no slacker day either as I looked and saw my bike computer at 17.3 -- on a day that included plenty of both tailwinds and headwinds.    After lunch I grouped up with three other guys (Philippe from France, Martin from England, Bob (?) from Ohio) and we drafted with each other fighting through the headwinds.  Great fun but also hard work -- I'm a bit of the novice of the bunch so this is sort of like cycling camp for me.  

What I wanted to mention was how I see this quote from Augustine played out in our Cycle America tour.   Yes, we totally see the wonders of America.   Mountain peaks, think the Teton mountains.   Seas and Oceans -- we just crossed Lake Michigan and of course started from the Pacific Ocean from Seattle.   Stars -- I wish you could see the stars like we saw them in Montana and Wyoming.  Pure beauty.   Waterfalls -- we are on our way to see the Niagara Falls but have also seen dozens of them, especially coming out of the hills at the Cascade Mountains.   Rivers -- we cycle by them constantly including going over the Mississippi River, I wish I knew the names of all the others, including the one made famous by "A River Runs Through It" in Montana.   So this trip, outside of cycling is a wonder of beauty.   Slam dunk, hands down, a very wonderful way to slowly see the beauty of God's nature.  

And there is a beauty and true wonder in so many of those that I'm riding, eating, tenting and cycling with every day.  

There is Casey Gerety, an 18 year-old young lady, that skipped her graduation to come on this ride.  We all held an informal graduation for her! 

Mark Oncale, a 81 year-old man from New Orleans, started this trip as the fourth time to travel across the country by bicyle.  Our hearts were broken when he developed a nerve problem and had to pull out after a month of riding with us.   But now his dauthter, Sheree, has decided to ride the rest of the way in his honor.

Glenn Derussy from Colorado lost his wife due to cancer in February.  They always wanted to do something like this.  He is riding the trip in her honor. 

Jo Allen is a 32 year-old woman from England who is doing three huge cycling challenges as she took a leave of absence from her job.   She did a cycling camp in California that followed the Tour de California. She is crossing the country with us, and will end with doing some massive rides through the Alps -- and raising funds for charities along the way.

Kari, Larry and Nathan Noomen are riding as a family together.   Nathan is in Community College in California and it is refreshing to see them all enjoy the ride.

Philippe Melot from France has forgotten more American history than I have learned.  He is a retired lawyer writing a book about American - French relationships since the founding of America.   His wife is also a librarian and we are looking forward to connecting with our wives together when all this cycling comes to an end.   And, he loves America and rides with the American flag flying from his bike saddle.

Martin Prime, a 37-year-old man from England, decided to do this ride because it was the longest ride across America he could find. He loves cycling and has been a good friend along the way.

Jan and Marnix Landman -- a father and son combo from Holland.   They are fondly known as the Holland Express as they "race" across America together. Strong riders who love to stop at every coffee shop along the way.  And it is fun to see them grow as not only father and son but friends.   

Dan Olson, a 46-year-old cheese worker from Wisconsin who loves to cycle.  He has a touching story as a heart transplant survivor.   It would melt you into tears. 

Time and space do not allow me to continue -- forgive me for this especially if you are someone I missed -- Margaret, Norma, Eve, Tony, Tom, Terry, Frank and others. We have about 60 folks riding this week.

I need to close this blog entry but do you see what I mean?   Those that are with me -- sleeping in the tents next to me, passing me along the road, eating with me three meals a day,  are wonders as much as the oceans, rivers, mountains and waterfalls.     I'm seeing so many wonders but it is easy to forget that some of them are right next to me.

Monday, August 2, 2010

This Week--Thundering Falls Spectacular

Here's the schedule for the week:
Ludington, Michigan--Farwell      98 miles
Farwell-Frankenmuth                    85 miles
Frankenmuth - Richmond             88 miles
Richmond - West Lorne, Ontario 75 miles
West Lorne - Port Dover              96 miles
Port Dover - Niagara Falls           68 miles
510 total miles for the week, averaging 85 miles a day

Dollar A Mile Update

Thank you for your support of the Dollar A Mile efforts!  We're now at $3520, only $680 from the goal of $4200.  3520 miles translates to a few miles outside Sodus, New York which the group is scheduled to reach on August 10.  If you're interested in giving towards the final push towards the goal of $4200, please visit the Navigators website.  Thanks!

A FAST 95 MILES

I'm tired.  Sleepy.  Could just crash right now but have to wait for dinner at 5:30 p.m. and then our ride meeting afterwards followed by a massage afterwards.  The massage is for my left hand -- things continue to go numb and it has been hard to shift and increasingly harder to do other more simple things like holding a plate of food or anything that requires lifting or pressure.   But I can pedal so pedal I do!

The ride today was 95 miles from Ludington, Michigan to Farwell, Michigan.   This whole week is going to be more of a milage week I heard several riders mention, with fewer things to see and more miles to get us across Michigan and into Ontario, Canada by next week.  We should end our week on the Canadian side of the Niagra Falls.   There is something strange about Ontario our tour director, Greg Walsh, indicated.  He said, "if you don't see someone walking around in a space alien suite, you haven't seen the real Ontario!"  Guess we'll find out more about this later.

For today's ride I rode the first half with one of the volunteer staff members of Cycle America, Scott Wood.  He specializes in sports massages and so I'll link up later this evening with him.  But he is a very strong rider and just laid back and rode with me to the half way picnic at 42 miles.   For me though, it really stretched me out and it was great to get going fast on a Monday morning after yesterdays day off.  Then I linked up after the lunch with Philippe, our French cyclist of the tour.   And we moved along quite fast for me (not for him!) and as we finished up the day I noticed my average speed for the day was an incredible 17 miles an hour for the entire day.    We had a tail wind to be sure, but riding with these stronger guys really sped up my day as well.  

It was nice to finish the 95 miles by 2 p.m.  -- set up our tents at Farwell High School, home of the Eagles, and head off to do laundry.    A few blocks over was the Public Library where I am posting this report.   Time to run off to dinner.