X Country Rider - Maine to Florida

2011-10-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

(L) "Bubba" (me) and my "Babes)

(R) The owners of Sandpiper Supply in Savannah

a very nice donation to the scholarship fund.

Miscellaneous Pictures from Maine to Florida Trip

2011-10-17T09:41:00.001-07:00

(L) We were waiting for a ferry to cross over the intercoastal waterway when I took a moment to catch the "big" one

(R) This is the group that I rode cross country with in 2009

(L) I've just traded my bike for Harley

(R) Taking a break with the beautiful Atlantic behind me

2011-10-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

A Final blog for Days 24-25

Friday, October 14, 2011
Fernandina Beach (Amelia Island) to St. Augustine
61 miles

Now this is what I expected (or at least had hoped) that most of the ride would be like. We followed A1A along the Atlantic Ocean for the whole ride today. The islands that we rode were only about a quarter of a mile wide with the Atlantic on one side and the Intercoastal Waterway on the other side. The weather was fantastic and the wind was at our backs the entire way!

When I pulled into the motel in St. Augustine, our best friends, the Smith's were standing there to greet me. Ron and Nancy live in Beverly Hills, FL and drove the 2.5 hours to Fernandina Beach so Ron could join me on the last day of my ride. More on this in a minute.

I had time to do a little sight seeing which included drinking some water from Juan Ponce de Leon's famous "Fountain of Youth"! (pictured above). I think it must have worked because that night I dreamed of going back to school. We also visited a terrific Fort built in the 1600's by the Spainards .

Six of us went out to dinner at a great seafood restaurant on the intercoastal waterway. We sat outside and watched an incredible sunset.

St. Augustine is billed as the oldest city in the USA. What they don't tell you is that it was established as a city for Spain. I believe the truly 1st American city was Jamestown in Virginia.

Saturday - October 15
St. Augustine to Daytona Beach
53 miles

My good buddy Ron Smith joined "Bubba and his Babes" for this leisurely ride. Once again we followed A1A and the Atlantic Ocean all the way. It was a bit cloudy, but with a favorable wind we breezed along at 17-18 mph.

This is "Bikers Week" (motor cycles) in Daytona Beach. There are over 100,000 motor cycles of every size, shape and configuration. Ninety percent are Harleys and 90% of the folks were NOT wearing helmets??? Thousands of them passed us going both directions on A1A. If you've heard a Harley...you know the noise level. Compound this by thousands...then you know what a real "herd of hogs" sounds like! What should have been a nice quiet ride turned out to be too darn noisy and once again we had to be careful of traffic.

Happily we all made it to the motel safely. We are right on the beach and have a great view of the mighty Atlantic! This evening we have a closing dinner and I anticipate lots of hugs and probably a few tears.

Please allow me to summarize my view of the ride: It wasn't exactly what I expected it to be. First, the weather was terrible about 70% of the time. Secondly, there was a whole lot more traffic than I anticipated...which meant a whole lot more extra caution. Also, I thought we'd be on more "country" roads where you can hear, see and smell all those out of the way things.

On the very positive side the group of riders was fantastic. I can hardly get my head around the fact that 25 strangers can come together and bond as quickly as firmly as we did. I believe the fact that we all like riding bicycles and the fact that we are all good at it helps! All of us are goal oriented, pretty self disciplined and self motivated. We also had to be able to afford the cost of the trip and be able to take the time to do it. All in all, the people part of the trip was the best part for me.

I can tell you from my experience riding across the country...and now down the East Coast that the drivers in South Carolina are the biggest "jerks" by far...and that the roads and bike lanes in Florida are the best.

The staff of CrossRoads Cycling Adventures was terrific...and I'm not just saying this because Carol worked the tour. They fed us, hydrated us, hugged us, encouraged us and made the trip fun.

This weekend the Decorative Plumbing and Hardware Association (DPHA) is holding their Annual Conference in San Jose, CA. (Carol and I should be there)! They did a pretty cool thing for me. They had me call in on my cell phone in the middle of their big awards luncheon. They threw a picture of me in my hot spandex riding shorts and shirt up on the big screen and I talked to the audience about the ride and the Scholarship Fund. It was a one way conversation...so I could have really had some fun. But, using good judgement for once, I stuck to the facts.

Speaking of the Scholarship Fund, you wonderful folks have contributed over $17,000 to the Fund! Unbelievable!! I'm truly overwhelmed and forever grateful. More importantly, at the Awards Luncheon, DPHA awarded 2 $3000 scholarships. This in itself made pedaling those 1650 miles worth it!

Carol and I fly back to Sacramento on Sunday, October 16th and head to our home in MX the following Sunday. I'll be hanging up my bike and getting out my kayak.

Thanks so much for following my blog. It was a little tougher to do than it was on the cross country ride due to both Carol's and my schedule. I'd love to hear from you either via comments on this blog (which I understand is hard to do) or via email at darlingtonconsulting@gmail .com., or telephone 916-852-6855.

I consider myself to be very blessed with the most incredible family in the world, truly great health...and wonderful friends like you. Thank you, thank you!

October 13, 2011

2011-10-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

Brunswick, GA to Amelia Island, FL

61 miles

13th and Final State!

This was a pretty non-descript, non-exciting riding day. Another 40 miles on Hwy 17 South making a total of 296.4 miles (but who's counting) on my least favorite road. I do have to admit that we had a lot less traffic and there was a pretty good bike lane most of the way.

Today's main obstacle was about 100 huge trucks flying by us carrying newly cut pine trees. They took up their entire lane...leaving little space between us. The draft they created meant we had to hang on to the bikes and we had to dodge all the small pieces of bark that kept flying off the trucks. We think they were headed to a paper mill, but we're not sure!

Last evening "Bubba" (me) and two of my "Bubbettes" sang a song to the group about Hwy 17. It was a takeoff on the Kingston Trio's MTA song. (Oh, he'll never return...no he'll never return...). This morning before we headed out everyone wanted to take a picture of Bubba and his Broads! (pictured above). In reality I only ride with two of these gals, but the group is making a big deal of the whole thing.

We crossed into FL (our 13th State) at mile 42. We were close enough to the ocean to smell the salt water and the greenery along both sides of the road really felt like Florida.

Our motel is just two blocks from the beach so I'm thinking the sunrise out of the east should be pretty special. We follow A1A along the ocean the rest of the way to Daytona Beach.

Tomorrow it's the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine and hopefully there will be enough time for some touring. This is after a 9:00 a.m. start and a short 58 mile ride. I can't believe we're down to our last two days.

More tomorrow!

October 12, 2011

2011-10-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

Day 22 - Day off in Savannah
Day 23 - Savannah to Brunswick, GA
84 Miles

First a little bit about our beautiful day off in Savannah. I had an article due for a trade magazine I write for - so the first three hours were spent knocking that out! Then it was time to play. We had stopped here briefly here years ago, but didn't take in the sights. What a great city. Savannah was settled in 1733 by William Oglethorpe from England. He and 113 others left England for religious reasons ( plus they were cut lose from debtors prison if they agreed to go to America). Oglethorpe layed out the city in 24 squares (parks) with houses on all sides. Twenty two of the original 24 squares survive today. Each is named for an important person from the 18th Century. They all have monuments, fountains, and are surrounded by huge old Spanish moss covered oak trees. The houses are original...all restored and in magnificent shape. In addition to the squares there are several other large parks and the city is on the banks of the Savannah River. Savannah is the second largest port in America...only exceeded by Los Angeles.

One of the original homes that got my attention was the Owen Thomas House completed in 1813. It was the first home in America that had running water and indoor plumbing. Many of the most elaborate homes, including The Thomas House was designed by Wm. Jay a 21 year old architect.

Six of us took a two hour trolley tour . It had 16 stops and you could get on and off at will. We toured the Savannah Historical Museum which had lots of good info on the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, "King Cotton" and slavery. Eli Whitney, of the cotton gin fame, was from Savannah. It is also home to the Savannah College of Art and Design. This is a private college with a student population of over 10,000. They have purchased and restored over 60 building around town - and that comprises their campus! All in all, it was a great day off - and I'd encourage everyone who's not been here to come and spend a few days.

Here's a little on today's bike ride. This was our last "longish" ride - 84 miles. We left the hotel in a very thick fog. ..and it didn't lift until about 10:30. Yes, of course we got drizzled on a bit...just so I can say it's rained 16 of our 20 riding days. Tracy, the lady that runs this tour said it's the worst weather she's seen in doing this for over 15 years. The temp hit 80 degrees and it was fairly humid, but all in all not terribly bad.

We spent about 60 miles on my favorite highway: 17 South but with a whole lot less traffic - so it wasn't so bad. IO rode with two ladies again today (pulling them all the way). We've been labeled "Bubba and the Broads". (Said affectionately of course)!

We stopped at the "smallest church in America" - see picture. There were chairs for 12 people, and a little pulpit up front. I don't know if it ever gets used, but it was very cute.

We passed an elderly black couple and their granddaughter fishing off a bridge. I turned around and went back to check out how the fishing was and was advised "not very good because of a full moon and high tide". See the picture of grandpa and Naomi. When I rode away I thought that they weren't very rich monetarily, but I'll bet they were more happy and content than many people in our great country. I gave Naomi a bag of M & M's and got a huge smile and thank you!

There were numerous historical signs...mostly Civil War related. We passed a big, restored plantation, and had hoped to take the tour, but it was closed.

We're in Brunswick, GA (of which I know nothing). Tomorrow we cross into Florida and pedal to Fernandina Beach...a puney little 61 mile ride (I am sounding a little cocky, aren't I)? With only three riding days left - and all pretty short - I am feeling pretty darn good about the whole experience. Only a few more days to get those donations in...please...thank you!

More tomorrow.

October 10, 2011

2011-10-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

Beaufort SC to Savannah, GA
50 miles

We got to sleep in today because of the shorter ride. So the very first thing I did (and do every morning) is turn the TV on to The Weather Channel. What showed up got my attention: "flash flood warning, heavy rain (1-2 inches) strong gusting winds, thunder and lightning. But, not being terribly smart I donned my bike outfit and headed for breakfast. The talk of the group was "to ride or not to ride". Six or eight folks said "no way"! The rest of us headed out at 8:30 into a driving rain and strong winds. A bit nuts, I guess it's a macho thing - or just part of the adventure. Whatever - eighteen of us rode the entire time in a driving rain. The good news is - it was a warm rain so I never even put on a rain jacket.

This is our third attempt at getting this blog done - because of Internet problems here at the hotel.

About 5 minutes into the ride a garbage truck blew by four of us and hit a huge puddle soaking us from head to toe - but what the heck, we were going to be totally soaked in a few minutes anyway. Those of us that wear glasses find it even so much harder in the rain.

So you're thinking "What's wrong with him?" You'd be right to wonder. But with only 5 riding days left and the fact that I've ridden all but 30 miles (due to 3 flat tires) I really want to ride the rest of the way to Daytona Beach.

We rode over another 2.5 mile long beautifully constructed bridge coming into Savannah. This is another very big and important port city. We arrived at the hotel totally drenched and guess what? It stopped raining - of course! After a long hot shower and a quick lunch a limo picked up Carol and me and took us to two different plumbing and hardware showrooms. Mr. Steam, one of our generous contributors to the Scholarship Fund set this up. We met the owners, took a bunch of pictures and received a very nice donation from each of the companies.

Tomorrow's a rest day...our third and final one. We're going to do some serious sight seeing and touring in this marvelous old southern city. When General Sherman arrived here at the end of the Civil War, rather than burning it to the ground (as he did most cities) he gave Savannah to President Lincoln as a Christmas gift!

We'll share some of what we see and do in tomorrow's blog.

Thanks for your interest in my ride. It's been quite an adventure.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

2011-10-09T12:05:00.001-07:00

Charleston, SC to Beaufort, SC
82 miles

Day 19

Okay, if you read my blog from yesterday you know what a grump I was. It just wasn't a fun day! Well, I'm back where I'm use to being. Up, positive and happy! When I bounced out of bed this a.m. I knew it was going to be a GREAT day! It's amazing what the power of positive thinking can do for you! Hey, this might make the title for a good book! What, Norman Vincent Peale beat me to it? Darn!

After the usual HUGE breakfast I decided to use a new strategy. Instead of leaving the motel with the "Pedigrees" (remember them)? and busting my butt to keep up, I opted to leave a half hour early with a half dozen other folks. What a beautiful thing! I was the lead dog with two of the gals all day. We averaged 15+mph and got to look around and enjoy the sites. We even rode that darn highway - 17S, which I complained about yesterday. It is Sunday, so there was less traffic...there was more to see and that wonderful wind was at our backs most of the time.

After about 30 miles we left Hwy 17 and did 35 miles of "back country" riding - my favorite kind. There was a fair amount of interesting historical stuff to see (mostly roadside markers). Lots of our early American history happened all through this area. Generals Lafayette, Washington and Jackson rode through here and were entertained by the wealthy plantation owners of the day.

We were greeted at mile 18 by Carol and some of the staff - wearing crazy hats (seen above). They were clapping and cheering us on. Very cool!

The old church (ruins) in the picture was built in the early 1700's by William Bull who was from Sheldon, England. He and his wife - and several relatives are buried there. The church was burned down by the British, rebuilt and burned down again during the Civil War. Note the Spanish moss hanging from the oak trees. Typical of the trees here in the South!

The picture of the marshes was taken from a bridge and shows a lot of what we've seen the last several days...since we're traveling so close to the ocean.

We beat the rain by about a minute - but tonight we're supposed to have heavy storms. In fact, a flash flood warning is being posted for this area on the TV.

Suffice it to say, today's 80 mile ride was as good as yesterday's 120 miler was bad! Life is good!

We've done over 400 miles in the last 4 days...but have a wimpy little 46 miler tomorrow - which takes us into Savannah, GA and our last day off. We even get to sleep in an extra hour tomorrow morning. I can't believe we only have five more days of riding...and an even 300 miles of pedaling left! The time sure has flown by...and after a good day, I'm thinking maybe I don't want it to end! More tomorrow.

October 8, 2011

2011-10-08T17:16:00.000-07:00

Little River, SC to Charleston, SC
120 miles

This blog is going to be a little shorter than normal. In a moment you'll understand why! You folks that know me know that I'm an upbeat, positive, happy, love-life kind of guy! Every day I bounce out of bed knowing that it's going to be a good day. Very seldom am I disappointed. Today I was disappointed! It started with my little riding group heading out of the hotel a tad early and Champ and I getting stuck at a red light and never catching up with them.

I rode 120 miles and only enjoyed about 20 of them. I'll explain! We left Little River at the usual 7:45 a.m. and the first 20 miles along the Atlantic Ocean and through Myrtle Beach was really nice! Then we got back on HWY 17 South - the same darn highway we rode yesterday for about 80 miles. We probably rode it for 100 miles - no bike lane, tons of traffic, nothing to look at except pine trees on both side of the road. The most exciting thing is when 100 Harleys roared by us doing a Ride for Cancer. Riding the road was dangerous, noisy, bumpy, boring and no fun! This is not what I expected...although I'm told it is really the only way to get us where we are going.

One highlight for me was completing the entire 120 miles. It was my longest one day ride ever! Thats on top of 111 miles yesterday. Another highlight was riding across an incredible cable bridge coming into Charleston. It was 2.4 miles long and took us way up in the air over the Charleston Harbor.(Longer than the Golden Gate Bridge)! Charleston is a major seaport and Ft. Sumter is about two miles off shore. Will Smith, the Hollywood actor, had a big yacht anchored just off the bridge. I didn't get to the motel until 5 p.m. Carol had a staff meeting dinner so four of us riders took a taxi downtown for pizza and beer.

I wish we had a day off here because I know it would be a great city to explore.

Tomorrow we have an 80 miler to Beaufort, SC. As I look at the route sheet I see another bunch of miles on my least favorite highway (17S)...so I'm having trouble getting pumped up for tomorrow's ride. Plus, the weather report calls for rain. We'll see how it goes. Sorry about the venting, tomorrow will be better!

I stopped a runner on the bridge and asked her to take the picture of me...although there's no way of showing how magnificent the bridge is! The second picture is when I stopped at about mile 80 and found a sign that said "Charleston" - and went over to the side of the road and stuck it out...with my thumb up! If anyone had stopped I'm pretty sure I would have jumped in! Unfortunately no one stopped!

More tomorrow!

)ctober 7, 2011

2011-10-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

Tracy Lenier

Jacksonville, NC to Little River, SC
111 Miles

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday's 86 mile ride whipped me. Today's 111 ride was the strongest I've ever felt. Eating a huge dinner, and getting nine hours of sleep sure helps.

We left the motel at 7:45 with a temp of 51 degrees. By 10:30 it was in the mid 70's. I wore a light jacket to the first SAG (mile 32) and peeled it off and put it in the van.

From the first SAG to the end of the ride I pulled my little gang of 8 for the next 80 miles. The old adage "that unless you're the lead dog the scenery never changes" sure holds true when you're pedaling first! If you're back in the pace line - all you see is the person in front of you. How about an average speed of 16.9 for the entire 111 miles. My best ever by far. I guess I better give some credit to the great tail wind we had for 90% of the time.

I worked hard at standing up and changing my position on the saddle (seat to you non riders) and my butt felt the best it has the whole ride.

The ride was not particularly pretty or interesting. Very few picture opportunities. Plus we rode most of the day on a four lane highway. That means hugging a white line all the way as the bike lane was only about 15" wide. Plus there was a "rumble strip" in the bike lane a good part of the time. Your teeth literally rattle when you ride over that darn thing. I'll probably dream of white lines tonight. Plus, the noise from all the traffic wears on you after awhile.

Yes, we covered a lot of miles - but it wasn't like riding the back country roads where you can hear all the natural sounds and see all the sights.

My last blog I mentioned that I believe that I've become a much better rider. I recited a few of the things that have helped make that happen. When I started riding bike more seriously 25 years ago my good buddy Ron Smith and I would knock out 50 miles (all flat of course) and really feel like we had done something special. As I've gotten more serious about bike riding, I realize now how little I knew back then. I've learned a whole new bike riding "language". There's about a dozen hand signals and another dozen voice signals that good bikers use. They tell you when to slow, stop, and move right or left. They tell you when cars,/trucks are approaching from all directions. They warn you of potholes and junk on the road (you wouldn't believe how much dodging of "stuff" you have to do!) This "language" that we use and pass from one rider to the other helps keep us safe and in touch with what's going on around us. It's really a terrific thing - and I'd encourage everyone that rides a bike to learn all they can. You'll help yourself and you'll help other folks.

One of the pictures shows this ole boy crossing into SC - our tenth State! The other picture is of Tracy Lenier, who owns and runs CrossRoads Cycling Adventures...our tour company. She's Carol's boss and one of the best people motivators I've had the pleasure to be around. The picture of the tree filled with moss is typical of what you see in the south.

We just got back from the Officers Club Restaurant in Little River, SC - pasta once again, but I'm going to need those carbs for 118 mile day tomorrow! It's 9:00 and time for lights out! There's only one week left to get those donations in. Many thanks...

October 6, 2011

2011-10-06T17:14:00.000-07:00

Ocracoke Island to Jacksonville, NC
86 miles

Up at 5:15 a.m. - dressed and ready to ride. Packed and on the ferry at 6:30 a.m. Two and a quarter hour ride to Cedar Island. A great trip with a great breakfast prepared by Carol and Robin. On the bikes at 9:30 and off on our third longest ride to date.

The first 20 miles followed the Atlantic - and was really in the boon docks...very little traffic or habitation...very quiet and very scenic. The wind was at our backs and we sailed along at 17-18 mph. We actually followed the ocean almost all the rest of the ride. We went through a number of towns and experienced lots of traffic the last 40 miles. The roads and bike lanes were pretty good, but you still have to pay close attention to your riding and there is a lot less looking at the sights.

We crossed over the intercoastal waterway at least 5 times. BIG long bridges, lot of boats making their way north and south.

The weather was terrific! Sunshine all day! Mid 70's and that wonderful wind pushing us 70% of the time.

Tonight we're in Jacksonville, NC...the home of the Marine Base Camp Lejeune. As we came into town an passed a tall chain link fence that surrounds the base there were huge banners and sheets (yes, bed sheets) with a variety of "Welcome Home Daddy, Honey, Sgt." etc. saying we're proud of you and we love you. It was very moving. Once again I was reminded I am so proud to be an American.

Today was a long ride. I'm tired. But I recognize on this tour that I'm a better bicycle rider than I was two years ago when I rode cross country. I really can't explain why that is...but it sure feels good. I can ride in a pace line better, go down hill faster, dodge the potholes, hug the white line and do a pretty good job keeping up. I am very aware of the many hazards we face each day when we're riding. One of the gals on our ride got clipped by a side view mirror this afternoon. An older gentleman that was hugging"our" white line, driving a pickup truck truck just got to close to her. She managed to keep the bike upright, but has a bad bruise on her left side. The State police got involved and gave the driver of the pickup truck a citation. Carol stayed with our rider through the ordeal and gave her a ride in the van to the motel. She was very lucky. I too had a close call today...with a woman pulling out in front of me. She was on a cell phone and never saw me. So yes, we are constantly riding defensively.

The next two days will be a real challenge for yours truly. Tomorrow's ride will cover 108 miles and the next day is 117 miles. That will make a total of 312 miles in three days. That's more than I've ever attempted before. I don't plan to be a hero. If I need to take a bump (ride in the van) I will! My legs are doing real well, but my butt continues to be uncomfortable after about 50 miles. I have a lot of company on that score!

Picture #1 is of me giving the guys haircuts on our rest day! Number 2 is from one of the bridges over the intercoastal waterway; Number 3 is me enjoying a chocolate shake at a Dairy Queen 74 miles into the ride.

We're both tired - so will sign off for now!

October 4-5, 2011

2011-10-05T05:10:00.000-07:00

Kill Devil Hills, NC to Ocracoke Island, NC
80 miles and a day off!

Okay, so why were we late posting the last blog? We learned at our "route rap" that our Tuesday (10-4) ride from Kill Devil Hills to Ocracoke Island had to be totally rerouted. Hurricane Irene had washed out some of the roads and bridges that we would be traveling. We had hoped they would be fixed and open so we could ride the entire length of the Outer Banks. No such luck! Tracy, our esteemed leader, had hustled around and came up with an all new plan. This included getting up at 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday and heading out at 6:00 a.m. Some riders riding...some were in vans. Our goal was to travel 80 miles and be at a ferry at noon. This was going to be too big a push for 2/3rds of the group. So 8 pedaled 35 miles to a SAG stop and 8 were taken in vans. Then the roles changed and 8 rode bikes to the ferry and 8 rode in the van. Nine of the fastest and strongest rode all the way to the ferry from the motel. (I was not one of them)! Everyone made it and enjoyed a 2.5 hours ferry ride to Ocracoke Island. (Picture above at the ferry loading area).

The logistics of all of this was huge. The ferry had no food available so Carol and Robin had to hustle up a meal for all of us. They served chicken, pasta, coleslaw etc. from the back of the truck while we were on the ferry. It was a terrific meal. The whole day was beautiful...both riding bike and the ferry.

The bike ride took us through some very remote areas of the deep south. I took some great pictures (I really wish I could share all of them with you). I stopped some cotton that was growing along the side of the road - and had some great quiet time riding by myself most of the time. One picture shows a plain wooden cross that was standing in the middle of a field. I stopped for several minutes and reflected how very blessed I've been in my life. We have four terrific kids, four wonderful grandchildren, Carol is great, my health is great (for an old timer) and we have so many wonderful friends. So a short thank you looking at that tilted cross felt good!

I visited and vacationed on the Outer Banks before. But this is our first visit to Ocracoke Island. We're enjoying our second day of no riding. After a leisurely southern breakfast Carol and a couple of the gals hit the shops...and Mike (from CT) did a ten mile kayak paddle...(another one of my favorite outdoor activities).

Ocracoke Island is part of the Cape Hatteras Seashore. Except for the village the entire island is owned by the US Park Service. The whole island is just 16 miles long and only a few blocks wide. It was "discovered" in the mid 1700's and has a lighthouse that was originally build in 1823. There's a British cemetery and a Ft. Ocracoke memorial from the Civil War days.

Tomorrow we have to catch a different ferry at 6:50 a.m. for a 2 hours 15 minute ride to Cedar Island and then jump on our bikes for an 86 mile ride to Jacksonville, NC. It will be a long day! The weather forecast is good! The last several days have been terrific. Making up for the rain and heavy traffic we had early on!

More tomorrow!

October 3, 2011

2011-10-05T05:09:00.000-07:00

Virginia Beach to Kill Devil Hills, NC
76 Miles

If you've been following my ride you know that I missed posting the blog the evening of the third. It was written and ready to go but we had a major change to our schedule and it didn't get done. I'll explain what happened in the next blog. I really can't believe that 11 riding days are behind us and only 10 more to go...818 behind us and 770 in front of us. If all ten remaining riding days are anything like today's ride it will be fantastic! The weather was terrific. Fifty degrees when we left the motel - and then it warmed up to the low seventies.

I am pleased (tongue in cheek) that I can report we got sprinkled on - so that I can continue to complain that we've been rained on all but one day! CrossRoads, our tour company, did this same "reunion ride" in 2008 - and they only got rained on once. But, days like today make you forget all the wet, wind, fog, hills and traffic.

About six of us rode together at a very comfortable 15 mph average. This gives us time to enjoy the sights and scenery. Plus, I took more pictures today than any day before this.

We're in Kill Devil Hills, NC. This, like the beaches in NJ and MD bring back a whole bunch of good memories. Forty years ago, the Darlingtons and best friends, the Horners, with a gaggle of kids holidayed right here on the Outer Banks. Plus we lived in NC for four years (in Winston Salem). We loved the southeast. I ran a mid-sized plumbing wholesale business that had branches in NC, SC and GA. We traveled all over this area and vacationed all up and down the coast.

Today we rode across a 2.8 mile long bridge from the mainland to the Outer Banks. Then we rode twelve miles down a street next to the Atlantic Ocean. There were houses on stilts on both sides of the street. So far I'v seen very little signs of damage from hurricane Irene...but I bet we will in the next two days.

The highlight of the day was touring the Wright Brothers National Memorial (part of the US National Park Service). Right here in Kill Devil Hills (not Kitty Hawk) is where Orville and Wilbur Wright did the very first motorized airplane flight. On a cold, windy December 17, 1903 they did four successful flights. The longest lasted 59 seconds, went 852 feet and hit a top speed of 34 miles per hour.

The Wright Brothers were from Dayton, Ohio and owned a bicycle shop (very appropriate, huh?) They had a passion for the idea of flying. They started working on it seriously in 1899. Part of their preparation for motorized flying was doing a number of glider flights. They selected the Kill Devil Hills area because of the wind, isolation, high sand dunes and soft landings.

Just think about it! From that first flight in 1903 we landed people on the moon only 66 years later! My grandmother, who lived 99 years, saw both of these events plus the inventions of electricity, cars, radio, movies, televisions, computers and so many other thing that we take for granted today. It really boggles my mind when I try to put it all in perspective. Yes - in my humble opinion America is the greatest country in the history of the world. Please let's do whatever we can to get it back on track. I want my grandkids and there kids to enjoy the many advantages and privileges that I have.

I took a short walk on the beach, got my feet wet and picked up the perfect shell to give to Carol. As I'm writing this (8 P.M.) I've showered and shaved and she's still working. Guess who got the easiest part of this tour?

Tomorrow we pedal on down the Outer Banks and take a ferry to Ocracoke Island - 78 miles of pedaling.

Get those donations in for the scholarship fund. Education is one of the most important things we can give our young people. Thank you!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

2011-10-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

Pocomoke to Virginia Beach, VA

76 miles

I apologize for always starting with the weather report. When doing a long ride like this it's a really important factor. We started out in a COLD (49 degree) rain. This lasted for about an hour an then the darn wind came up blowing straight in our face for the rest of the day. It was cloudy, windy and cold the entire 76 miles.

Once again I rode with 5 other guys who pedal the same speed I do. The last 40 miles we rode in a pace line. That's where we ride one behind the other about 18" (+ or _) behind the wheel in front of you. We took turns pulling each other with each of us taking a one mile pull up front and then going to the back of the line and rotating toward the front for you turn in the lead.

Our gang was the second group to the "transfer" are to be vanned across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. I was in the van with my bike loaded on top when a couple of women came riding in. Being the fine gentleman I am (every once in awhile) I gave up my seat and had an hour and a quarter wait for the next van. No big deal!

Here's a few facts on the bridge/tunnel. The first two lanes were completed in 1964 at a cost of $200M. It took 42 months to build it and it was selected as one of the seven engineering wonders of the world. Two more lanes were added in 1999. From shore to shore the facility measures 17.6 miles and is considered the longest bridge/tunnel complex in the world.

The pictures of yours truly pointing at the sign is self explanatory. ..but I thought the picture of the sign at the church where we did the SAG stop was pretty interesting. They claim to have the longest, continuous running Sunday School in America.

Tonight we're staying in Virginia Beach, VA (our ninth state. This brings back memories of my Army days. After I completed my Officers Training I spent time at a small Army Post called Fort Story. It was located at the northern end of Virginia Beach - actually on the beach. Believe it or not back then the Army had ships and this was a base for amphibious landing craft. What I remember most (and maybe best) is that Fort Story had one of the nicest Officer Clubs I ever frequented. And there were only about six officers stationed there. Go figure!

I think we're up to about 750 miles so that only leaves 850 to go on the trek! Looking at the map it looks like it's all down hill. (I only wish)!

Today I wore my leg warmers, two long sleeve shirts, a rain jacket, 2 pair of biking shorts, two pair of socks and full finger gloves. I actually was pretty comfortable except for the darn wind blowing dead in our face and slowing us down by 2-3 miles per hour.

Tomorrow we're on to Kill Devil Hills - 77 miles and more memories from vacations past!

Saturday, October 1, 2001

2011-10-01T16:52:00.001-07:00

Dewey Beach, Delaware to Pocomoke, MD
63 miles

What a nice leisurely day we had. We started an hour later than usual and arrived at our destination motel at around 2:00 p.m.

The first 25 miles was along the Atlantic Ocean. Most of it was biking through Ocean City, MD. How about 152 traffic lights...of which I hit 41 of them red!

Our first riding day with NO rain. Yea! The wind was pretty strong from the northwest - but since we were going mostly south, it wasn't too bad. Mostly good roads and good bike lanes. Once again I am in awe of how 25 strangers can come together an become not only friends, but almost family, in such a short time. Eight of us had 51 days together on the cross country ride in 2009. There are 17 new faces and every single person is someone I'm proud to know. I think the fact that we all have a lot in common has a lot to do with it. Of course the bike riding, being fit, being goal oriented and self motivated is part of it. And yes, you have to be able to afford the cost of the ride, have the time to do it. The camaraderie, bonding and teamwork is something I've experienced before...but never to this degree! It truly is very unique!

We have a very tight routine...and you might be interested in learning a bit about it. It starts with a 5:15 wake up call, a huge breakfast at 6:00 a.m., our two duffel bags (15 lbs. each) down to the truck by 7:00 am, sign out and take off at 7:15 a.m. We arrive at our next destination usually between 3:30 and 5:00. Then we clean our bikes and lube our chains, have a fast shower and shave and be at the next days route rap at 5:45 p.m. This is followed by dinner at 6:00 pm, doing this blog, getting clothes ready for the next days ride and lights out between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m. Then we do it all over again the next day.

Tomorrow will be interesting. We ride 76 miles to the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel. Then we're shuttle across/through this one of the longest bridge/tunnels in America. Our vans can only take 6 riders/bikes each - so the first twelve riders to the pickup spot will be hauled across first (I'm going to hustle and try and be one of the first). It's about a 30 minute van ride across the CB to our motel in Virginia Beach. The slower riders may have up to a 60+ minute wait for the vans to return.

Maryland today was state #8 - and Virginia tomorrow will be #9! Not bad for just 10 days of riding.

Carol and Robin continue to do a terrific job. It's been great having Carol on this ride and I think we both have a new respect for what each of us are doing. My pedaling...and her hard work supporting the riders.

I checked how the scholarship donations are doing and am thrilled to share that we've passed the $12000.00 mark and it's still growing. Thank you so very much. On October 15th at the Annual Decorative Plumbing Hardware Assn. conference in San Jose, CA we will award two $3000 scholarships to two very deserving students. You can feel very good about helping these young people further their education and dreams.

Remember you can leave your comments on this blog site!

More tomorrow...

September 29-30, 2011

2011-09-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

Hammonton, NJ to Dewey Beach, DE
82 miles

This is going to be a quick note. Today, the last day of September, has been our first day off since starting the ride. Eight days of riding and 605 miles behind us!

The ride from Hammonton to Dewey Beach was pretty easy. It was flat, less traffic and had better roads and bike lanes. Governor Christi, I apologize! You only need to work on fixing the roads and bike lanes in the top half of your state.

We had pouring rain three times yesterday but only for 15-30 minutes at a time. Even tho we got soaked it was warm so we dried off while riding. After 70 miles to Cape May, NJ we boarded a ferry and had a beautiful 90 minute ride across the Delaware Bay to our 7th State - Delaware.

Our son Steve was waiting at the motel when I rode in. He drove from Harrisburg, PA to spend two nights and a day with us. Today (Friday) has been a beautiful, warm, sunny day...our first day with no rain since leaving Portland, Maine. The day off was used for doing laundry, getting my glasses fixed and making a quick stop at the Drug store of some travel size toiletries.

Carol had some work duties - so Steve and I visited relatives in Ocean Pines, MD...about 30 miles away.

We all went to the beach for an hour and did a bit of body surfing. It reminded me how much nicer the East Coast beaches are compared to the rough, cold Pacific side.

This evening my nephew/godson, Corben and his mom are driving over from St. Michaels, MD to have dinner with us. We haven't seen them for a couple of years...so this will be special.

The last two days have been a "ride" down memory lane for me. I spent alot of time at the New Jersey "shore" while in high school and college. I worked at Ocean City, NJ while I was in college. Great memories!

Tomorrow we get to sleep in an extra hour because we only have to pedal 63 miles to Pokomoke, MD....most of it along the Atlantic Ocean. Barring any serious headwinds, it should be a beautiful ride. The weather forecast is calling for chilly, but sunny weather. It's time to head out for our mini family reunion - so we'll check in tomorrow evening.

September 28, 2011

2011-09-28T17:11:00.000-07:00

Somerset, NJ to Hammonton, NJ

80 miles

2500 feet of climbing

You may wonder why I always start with a weather report. The reason is because it affects our ride so much. Wind, rain, heat, humidity et al can turn a fun ride into a disaster. Today we got rained on twice (hard, but for only 20 minutes each time)! It was warm, so we dried while riding. This afternoon we rode head-on into a 15-20 mph headwind. It slows us down by 2-3 mph and makes us "chug" lots harder. The first half of today's ride was still in highly populated areas with LOTS of traffic. We also encountered 2 bridges out from the hurricane - easy detours though!

Evidently there's a move to encourage Governor Christy of NJ to run for Pres. Unless he fixes the crappy roads here and adds some bike lanes he won't get my vote.

Yesterday I said our group broke out into the big, mid and small dogs! My group (the mid dogs) took exception to the name, so hence forth we are the "Pedigrees"! You can tell we all have a sense of humor!

This isn't pretty, but unless you ride a bike you have no idea how much "road kill" there is out there. Here's an informal survey (a guy has to do something while he pedals along): for every 100 squirrels there will be 61 raccoons, 54 muskrats, 49 birds, 14 snakes and 5 deer. On the cross country ride armadillos were #1 in the southwest states. This is something you were really interested in, isn't it?

Okay, here's something that is more interesting. We stopped at Grover's Mill and Pond (see picture above). The location where the aliens from Mars landed in Orson Well"s radio program: The War of the Worlds. Back in 1938 it shook the country when it aired...because listeners thought it was real. As you can see it's just a big red barn and a pond.

I need to lodge just one minor complaint today. My poor butt is hurting. The last 40 miles today were tough...lots of standing and moving around in the saddle.

This was our seventh straight day of riding - and most of us are feeling it! Thank goodness we have our first rest day on Friday so our bodies can recover.

The picture with the scarecrow and the two good looking guys was taken at our SAG stop today (mile 36). It was a great farmers market which was all decked out for Fall and Halloween. The handsome dude with me is Larry Freidman - a fellow Lafayette College grad (15 years behind me). (Carol's aside: Everywhere from Maine to here we have seen unbelievable Fall decorations in yards, nursery's and businesses. Pumpkins, scarecrows and beautiful chrysanthemums everywhere)!

So far we've ridden 523 miles - just about a third of the 1600 total miles. It's amazing how fast time flies when you're having fun.

Hammonton, the town we're staying in this evening claims to be the Blueberry and Cranberry Capital of the World. I can't vouch for the accuracy of that claim, but I can tell you we saw a whole lot of fields of blueberries. Tomorrow we're off for Dewey Beach, Delaware (state #7). We ride to Cape May, NJ and take a 90 minute ferry ride to Delaware. I wonder if those miles count toward the ride?

Our son Steve is going to meet us in Dewey Beach and spend our day off with us. We're excited about that! I hope the sun shines because I have a vision of sitting on the beach and doing a little body surfing. All is good!

September 27, 2011

2011-09-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

Suffern, NY to Somerset, NJ
63 miles

We had another GREAT riding day. Cloudy, a bit of sunshine, temperature 80+ degrees with humidity over 90% and very foggy up until about 10:30. For the first three hours I could hardly see through my glasses. They were all fogged up and my rear view mirror fell off of my glasses early on. I saved it, but couldn't get it right back on. So there I was, I couldn't see in front of me - or behind me. Not a good thing when you're riding a bike in lots of traffic. This all got squared away when the fog lifted. The ride wasn't as pretty as yesterday because of more cars, people, houses etc. Yesterday we rode for about 23 miles through Bear Mountain State Park in New York. It was beautiful - and shy of all the things I just mentioned.

There were a few Revolutionary War history markers, but nothing terribly significant (easy for me to say, I wasn't there).

We did a ride over a bridge with several dozen flags waving. I started singing "God Bless America" and all of the folks riding with me joined in. It was a very special moment.
Every evening at 5:45 we do a "Route Rap" (picture above of us gathered in the hotel lobby for the meeting) where we go over the next days ride. We don't have maps, but do have a daily route log. It spells out every turn, stop sign, RR Crossing, big climbs, Dairy Queens, places with restrooms and more. We all have odometers which tract our speed and the distance ridden by a tenth of a mile. So we are continually reading the route sheet, looking at our odometers and trying not to run into anything.

The average number of turns for both the cross country ride and this ride so far has been between 35 and 40. Today we set an all time record with 68 turns. Several of the riders have Garmins for odometers...so we count heavily on them to keep us on route. We've also broken out into riding groups. There are the "Big Dogs" - four guys that ride fast together (19-21 mph); next are the "Mid Dogs" - about 10 of us that ride about 15-16 mph and we stick pretty close together. Then we have the "Small Dogs"...about 11 folks that are a tad slower. Six of the latter group leave the motel a half hour ahead of the rest of us. Bill, from Seattle is our lead "Mid Dog". He's got a Garmin, keeps a great pace and keeps us on course. The Big Dogs ride faster, but seem to get lost almost every day...but they still beat us to the motel.

Above is a picture is of a gentleman from American Standard presenting me with a check for $1000 for the Scholarship Fund that I'm doing this ride for. These nice folks picked me up in a limo, took me to their headquarters and brought me back to the motel. I felt a little like a rock star. I REALLY appreciate their generosity. Many, many thanks to them!

Somerset is know for the New Brusdwick Marconi Station. It was an early radio transmitter facility built in 1913 by the American Marconi Wireless Corp. After the early failure of the transatlantic telegraph cables, the facility was confiscated by the US Navy in April of 1917 to provide transatlantic communications for WWI. It was the principal communications link between the US and Europe. Woodrow Wilson's "Fourteen Points Speech" was from this site. After the war the facility was transferred to RCA.

Tomorrow we're off to Hammonton, NJ (79 miles)

September 26, 2011

2011-09-26T12:22:00.000-07:00

Fishkill to Suffern, NY

53 miles

Today reminded me of why I love riding bike. It was one of the best I've had in a very long time. The weather cooperated again. Partly cloudy - with some sunshine - 80 degrees and very humid. A little sweating has to be good for you, right? The scenery was fantastic! A dozen or more lakes, lots of valleys, mountains, rivers, waterfalls and more...plus lots of early American history - which I love...mainly the Revolutionay War. We saw where the colonist put a chain across the Hudson River to keep the British ships from going south into New York City. It's also where Benedict Arnold betrayed the colonist by trying to lower the chain so the British could get through. That failed...and he made an escape across the Hudson to the West.

We stopped before, on and after crossing the bridge over the Hudson River. The fog was just lifting in the distance. It's a BIG, muddy (because of all the rain) body of water. So now I've ridden across a number of the major rivers in our beautiful country...including the Missouri, Mississippi and now the Hudson!

Speaking of the British, look at the picture by the historical sign for Fort Clinton. The colonist met the British here and pushed them back. The fellow bike rider on the ground is Doug - from Britain. I thought the pose was appropriate - and he was a good sport about it! Some of the roads were the worst we've seen so far. There were probably ten miles of teeth jarring riding. We had 3614 feet of climbing - so it was a good workout for yours truly. I felt good and hung with the a pretty good group. (Yes, my legs are feeling it)!

No flat tires and the new bike worked just great. Many of you may remember that I HATE going downhill fast. But with a big uphill in front of you it sure helps to get up a head of steam. Having said that - I've gone over 40 mph 8 or 9 times. Talk about a white faced, white knuckled, scared to death old man! Almost everyone else loves it... 50+ miles an hour is nothing to them.

Another picture shows a road that was totally lifted up and moved over 20 or 30 feet as a result of the last hurricane. There were lakes on both sides of the road. One lake overflowed into the other lake and took the road with it. Once again, the power of Mother Nature.

Tomorrow is another fairly short ride day (64 miles) to Somerset, NJ. (state #6). I'm afraid to ask about how much climbing there will be - so I'll just wait and be surprised.

Carol sends her best to all!

September 25, 2011

2011-09-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

Windsor Locks, CT to Fishkill, NY

93 miles - 6100 feet of elevation

We headed out at the usual 7:30 a.m. start...cloudy skies and very humid. As the day progressed the clouds disappeared and the sun actually shined through for part of the ride. The temperature hit 81 degrees - 20 degrees above normal. All in all, very, very pleasant! Hurray!

We rode lots of back roads today...with fairly heavy traffic. There were only fair bike lanes - so we did alot of hugging the proverbial solid white line on the right side of the road. But hear this, five days of riding and no "jerk" drivers have pulled up beside us , blowing their horn and yelling at us...another nice thing about beautiful New England.

I love antiques...especially original Currier and Ives lithographs. (I did buy one while we were up in Maine). We passed a dozen or so great looking shops. The bike wanted to pull into a couple but the rider showed great restraint and kept on peddling.

So after one flat tire on day two, two on day three and three flat tires yesterday guess what I woke up to this morning? Yep, another flat! Mac, our mechanic, put new tape on the inside of the wheel rim, put on another new tire and tube and I made it though the day with no flats!

Five days of riding and we're in our fifth state. Pretty cool, huh?

Okay, this is hard to tell you. As you can see I'm saving it for last. I took a "bump" from the second SAG stop (mile 64) all the way to the motel. The hills were steep and long. The toughest I've seen since the Rocky Mountains two years ago. My legs just didn't feel like riding the last 30 miles. I did about 4600 feet of elevation so I don't feel too bad. Those of you that know me, know how hard this was for my A++ very competitive personality. But with over a 1000 miles to go I want to enjoy the rest of the ride. Our four kids might even say that the "old man" is finally using some good judgement (wonders never cease)! We have dinner on our own tonight - not with the whole group. We can chose our own fare and I'm thinking there may be a glass of wine on the menu.

Carol has had a very long hard day. Up at 5 a.m., two SAG stops, picking up worn out folks like me, shopping for tomorrows SAG stop goodies and restocking the vans. She didn't get back to the room until 6:00 p.m. and still has more to do. Both Carol and Robin are doing a GREAT job and it's their first tour!

There are 25 of us on this ride. All but one did a cross country ride with this same tour company (CrossRoads Cycling Adventures). There's 8 from my 2009 ride and we're getting acquainted with the other 17 folks. A great group!

Above is a picture of yours truly standing in front of some of the SAG stop goodies. I think that's it for today. Tomorrow we have a short 53 mile, but very hilly ride to Suffern, NY. (No new state)! Stay well - and thanks for your interest and support.

September 24, 2011

2011-09-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

Worcester, MA to Windsor Locks, CT

68 miles

Windsor Locks: Population 12,000,

Named for a set of canal locks that opened in 1829.

Well, I'm here to report some good news and some bad news. The good is: NO rain, unseasonably warm weather and a "short" day of riding in New England. The bad: 3 flat tires (all on the back wheel and tougher to change) and I ran out of tubes and CO2 cartridges. So with 11 miles to go I had to join Carol in the SAG wagon. I'm bummed! I'm upset and I'm very disappointed that I won't be riding EFI (Every Fantastic Inch)! Sometimes the middle "F" word is a different word!

I like riding up hills and I'm pretty good at it, but steep down hills scare me. The first two days I hit 40 mph twice. Today I was a tad over 40 mph when the rear tire went flat. I was lucky I was able to control the bike and get stopped. Thank goodness it was the rear tire. If it had been the front tire I could have had serious problems.

The neat thing about riding with a group of other riders like this is the camaraderie and team work. Whenever anyone has a problem folks stop and help. It's never fun because it slows all those folks down. But we all know that the next time it might be you.

I'm very pleased and honored to have Mr. Steam as a sponsor for my ride. They are a manufacturer of steam generators for the home. Note the above picture of me in one of my Mr. Steam bike shirts. The folks at Mr. Steam have made a very generous contribution to the DPHA Scholarship Fund and they're working very had to encourage others to join them. Thank you one and all!

Three days of riding and we've been in 4 states. Tomorrow we have another tough one (93 miles) and a whole lot of climbing...6000+ feet. And of course, what's the weather report? Rain all day! Maybe we'll get lucky like today and dodge the liquid sunshine!

We stay in nice motels and we eat very well. On the longer days with lots of climbing we burn between 5000 and 6000 calories. Yes, that means we eat a whole lot more than normal...and we are continuously hydrating with Gatorade and water. Plus, we eat power bars, gels, trail mix, fruit and pastries at the SAG stops. In doing all of this I will probably lose weight. Carol did a great job picking me up with the SAG van and loading my bike on the van.

We're surrounded by history, but have seen very little to document with pictures. But take a close look at the picture of the house we passed today. What you see are the results of a tornado that passed through the area last month. There were several houses that looked like this and every tree was sheared off. Wow! The power of Mother Nature. I guess I better not complain about a little rain. BIG day tomorrow so I better turn this over to Carol to type and post. If you're following this I hope you're having as much fun as we are.

September 23, 2011

2011-09-23T17:01:00.000-07:00

Today we rode from Portsmouth, NH to Worcester, MA. It was 93 miles and 4200 feet of climbing elevation. (Yes, there's an equal amount of descending)! The first 70 miles were great! Cloudy, mid 70's, a bit humid, but better than rain. But, at about mile 70 after a stop at the Dairy Queen and consuming a small chocolate shake - the skies opened up! About a mile past the DQ I got a flat tire - then had chain and gear problems. I sent my riding buddies ahead and toyed with the idea of getting in the SAG wagon. But, after proving I'm not such a bad bike mechanic I got everything working...and rode on into the city of Worcester.

It's a pretty big city. I think every main street was torn up because I hit bumper to bumper traffic. Heck, riding the sidewalk is an advantage for us bikers! I didn't arrive at the motel until 5:00 p.m. - and then had our daily "route rap" at 5:45 p.m. I have to tell you the long, hot shower felt good - but washing out the dirty bike clothes wasn't so fun! I had a really good dinner of steak with all the trimmings - and a well deserved glass of wine!

It's now 8:00 p.m. and both Carol and I are whipped. Thus a short blog! Carol worked hard today - with several folks opting for a ride in the van - which means putting the bikes on the van racks - in the rain. Her day started at 5:30 a.m.!

We're in our third state - and tomorrow will be our fourth - Connecticut. Guess what the weather is predicted to be: heavy rain and flood warnings. Oh please, talk to the sun gods for us! This should be such a pretty ride, but it's hard to enjoy it when you can't see it!

September 22, 2011

2011-09-22T13:29:00.001-07:00

Day one of riding is behind us...70.3 miles! I felt good all day. Okay, I'm only going to complain about the rain once (today) - then I'll casually mention it and you'll know it was an ugly day!

It was raining when we left the hotel at 7:15 a.m. in Portland and was still raining when we pulled into the motel in Portsmouth, NH. We're in our second state out of a total of thirteen on the ride. We only hit 15 states on the entire cross country ride two years ago. Today would have been a beautiful ride if the weather had cooperated. We followed the coast of Maine about 50% of the time - and not far from it the rest of the time. We did a group photo before we started this morning (above). The only other picture s today were of several of us standing on the shoreline with the Bush Compound behind us in Kennybunkport. Wow, what a georgeous little highend "burg" that is! (picture above - but the fog was so bad Idon't think you can see the compound)

One of our riders went down at mile 2.2 and he thinks he cracked a couple of ribs...but he finished the ride and will probably ride tomorrow. The only other incident was a broken chain - and Carol and Mac, the mechanic took care of that!

As you can imagine, we were all soaked to the bone and chilled by the time we arrived at the hotel. I hustled to the washer and dryer and will have clean, dry clothes for tomorrow's 90 mile ride to Worcester, MA (3 states in three days - not bad, huh)? And yes, rain is still predicted for the next 4 days! Not just rain, but thunderstorms and hard rain! Come on Mother Nature - turn on the sunshine.

To all of you who have contributed to the DPHA Scholarship Fund - THANK YOU! If you haven't gotten around to it there's still plenty of time. Let's help these kids go to college!

"Talk with you tomorrow".

September 21, 2011

2011-09-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

A BIG hello from Portland, Maine. The fun and games are over! It's time for me to get serious. We start our ride tomorrow. It will be a 70 mile ride to Portsmouth, NH...and the first leg of a 1600 mile ride to Daytona Beach, Florida. Champ, (yep, that's his given name) Walker and I went out for an easy 10 miles this a.m. to be sure our bikes were put back together right (and that I could still stay upright after 10 days of running around the East Coast). Last Saturday I met Champ, and his wife Ronnie, and we toured North Central Maine where my mom grew up and I spent the first 15 summers of my life living with my grandparents in a rustic cabin (kerosene lights, wood stove etc.) on Lake Seabassticook. GREAT memories. You folks that like lobster may be a bit envious...I've had that delicacy from the sea 5 times in the last 5 days. (Not the best diet for my bike ride - but oh well!

We had our first group meeting this evening...introductions and our "route rap" for tomorrow's ride. We're all a bit blue. The weather report for the first 5 days of our ride is rain! Lots of it! I for one hate riding in the rain. It's tough for those of us who wear glasses. It's cold and the riding is a whole lot trickier. But, it is what it is...and Carol will be driving a SAG van so if needed I can always get a "bump". Speaking of Carol, I've hardly seen her since we both arrived here yesterday.

More tomorrow. Help my by praying for sunshine.

September 14, 2011

2011-09-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

Hello from Duncannon, PA (outside Harrisburg). I'm spending three days with our son Steve (in picture) and his wife Andy as I make my way to Portland, Maine...the beginning of the East Coast Ride.

I left Sacramento on Sunday and did a short stop in Hot Springs, AR where I did a Showroom Selling Workshop for a wonderful, family owned business.

Steve has set me up with his bike on a trainer in the basement so I'll be able to put in a few "miles" while I'm here. I'm also going to see several high school, college and "old" work friends while I'm here in central PA. I'm excited about that!

Since I started serious training about 10 weeks ago I've logged about 2000 miles on my new Trek, 30 gear bike (all around the Sacramento area). I'm not quite in the shape I was for the cross country ride, but I think I'm ready for the 1600 mile jaunt down the East Coast. Let's hope they're done with the earthquakes, tornadoes, floods and hurricanes! I do know we'll have some detours along the way.

Carol leaves this Sunday for Hartford, CT and SAG (Support and Gear) driver training. This is a very responsible job and she's taking it seriously. Saturday I fly to Portland, Maine to meet Champ, my roommate on the 2009 cross country ride. Champ, his wife Ronnie and I are going to do a little sightseeing in that beautiful part of the country before meeting up with the team of riders and staff next Tuesday.

I'm ready, and pumped! I'm excited, I'm a little nervous but I'm also anxious to get started!

More next week!

2011-08-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I promised to start my East Coast bike ride blog on August 29th - so here it is! In 2009 many of you know I rode my bicycle from Manhattan Beach, CA to Boston, MA...some 3600 miles. I did an almost daily blog of that ride - and if you missed it - you can still read it below. I just said "I did a blog of that ride" If the truth be known my wife, Carol, really did the blog. Here's how it worked: I would ride an average of 85 miles per day. I would take pictures along the way...then, every evening before the lights went out I would send Carol a list of bullet points of what I saw and did on each days ride. Then she turned these bullet points into a great blog.

There's no way I could adequately describe that thrill of seeing our beautiful country at an average speed of 16 mph! We traveled as many back roads as possible. The high points were the people we met along the way, the beauty of our country and the many historical points of interest. The low points were the wind, rain, traffic and drivers that don't like bicyclists on the road.

The tour company that I used in 2009 and will be using for the East Coast ride was/is CrossRoads Cycling Adventures. They are terrific! They offer a totally supported ride...that means we stay in motels every night, don't have to carry lots of stuff on our bikes and have two SAG (Support And Gear) vans that travel with us each day. All we have to do is ride our bikes from Point A to Point B.

This trip Carol has been "hired" to drive one of the SAG vans. I'm really excited that she'll be with me for all 25 days of the ride. She'll be working hard from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day so I'm not sure how we'll keep up with the daily blog. We'll see!

I hadn't done much riding since the cross country ride. Last summer I played a lot of golf (Carol's favorite sport) and when we're in residence at our Baja, MX home I can't ride. The roads are narrow, full of pot holes, hilly and the drivers don't know how to handle bicycles on the road.

This year's ride is a "reunion" ride of cyclists that have done the cross country rides with CrossRoads. My 2009 group had 16 people finish the ride. Eight of us are signed up for the 2011 ride. It's hard to describe the strong bonds that were created by riding and living together for 51 days. For the Past two years e-mails and phone calls have been flying through the airwaves.

When I decided to sign up for this ride and get back in shape again I did what I should have done for the cross country ride. I retired my 15 year old, 24 gear Trek bike - all 24 lbs. of it and treated myself to a new, sleek Trek Madone 5.2, 19 lb. bike...with 30 gears. I started training in earnest about 6 weeks ago and have logged 1500 miles. I'm doing 50 - 80 miles a day and am starting to feel like I might just be ready to attack the East Coast. Actually, as I'm writing this Hurricane Irene is hammering the very roads we 'll be traveling!

I'm taking my bicycle in for a "tune-up" tomorrow - and will keep training until September 11th - when I fly to Arkansas for a couple of days of consulting work. Then I head to PA to visit our son Steve and his wife, Andy - and other friends of family that we left behind when we moved west 33 years ago. Then on September 17th I'm meeting Champ, my roommate from the cross country ride - and his wife, Veronica in Portand, ME. We're going to spend three days exploring parts of Maine where my mom and grandparents lived. Carol will be SAG wagon training in Connecticut - and we'll all meet in Portland on Wednesday, September 21th. On Thursday 25 of us will climb on our bikes and head to Portsmouth, NH - our first night's stop!

How about if we do the next blog on September 14th - and we'll start daily blogs on Wednesday, September 21th.

If you're reading this you most likely received a "letter" from me announcing the trip and asking for a donation to the Decorative Plumbing and Hardware Scholarship Fund that Carol and I helped start - and that we feel very close to. If you choose to make a donation that would be wonderful. Please feel free to make comments on the blog site - it would be great hearing from you. We are so blessed!

In Training

2011-08-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

Off today on a 70 mile ride. It's tough getting back in shape!

Testing the blog to be sure it's working!

2009-06-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

Date: June 25, 2009 - Final Day of the Ride

Riding Route: From Burlington, MA to Revere Beach, MA (Boston)

Weather: Great!

Elevation Climb: Minor

Miles Ridden: 18

Today's ride is dedicated to my two riding buddies: Charlie Semperton and Bob Fuller. If you've read my blog you know about the circumstances of these two fine gentleman. You both made it to the finish line with us! The pictures above include our flag salute to Charlie. Bob, my man in blue, is still recovering from his accident! Today you were with us in thought and spirit!

I'm sitting in the motel room in Burlington, MA (Boston) with huge mixed emotions. The bike ride of a lifetime is over. I made it! I rode my bicycle across America - all 3420 miles of it! We went through 15 states, stayed in 43 different motels, climbed over 100,000 feet of elevation and pedaled about 985,000 strokes! We encountered all kinds of weather (both good and bad); all kinds of roads (both good and bad); all kinds of people (good and not so good). I ate more food (and burned it off) than I thought could have been possible. I saw America at 15 mph. I stopped and smelled a lot of roses. I took over 400 pictures - and now I have the job of trying to organize them and remember who, what, when, and where is going to be a challenge!

A couple of folks have asked me what were the highlights and the low lights. The highlights were: the camaraderie of the 16 of us that completed the entire ride; the unbelievable professionalism and quality of the staff of CrossRoads (the tour group) - their dedication to our safety, comfort, happiness et al far exceeded my expectations; seeing America at a slow pace and over the back roads vs. the freeways; the historical facts; having a number of friends meet and greet me along the way; the people we met along the trek; the accomplishment of being able to do the ride at my age - and so much more!

The low lights: having two original members not be able to complete the ride with us; some of the tough weather conditions; a few days when I just didn't want to climb in the saddle again; the small percentage of drivers that were real jerks to those of us on bikes; some of the road conditions; and always being concerned about personal safety (mine and fellow riders). Notice this is a much shorter list!

The idea of trying to raise money for the Rod Denhart Memorial Scholarship Fund for the Decorative Plumbing and Hardware Association - and seeing the unbelievable response to this has also been a highlight! I had set a goal to raise $25,000 - and we're close to $24,000. If you were waiting to see if the "old man" would make it before you committed, you can go ahead and make the pledge now. We're so darn close not to make the goal! It's a great cause for something I am passionate about. For everyone that has committed - thank you, thank you, thank you!

This morning we rode all together - 18 miles to Revere Beach. The last 5 miles we rode in twos - with an escort vehicle in front and in back. I was honored to be asked to lead the group. (I think age had something to do with it)! We all did the traditional dipping of the front tire in the Atlantic Ocean (picture above). There were 60-70 folks lined up on the beach to greet us as we came in. My good friends, Ted and Lily Mahoney, were there to greet me with black and white checkered flags - and a Boston Red Sox tee shirt! (pictured above). Thank you Ted and Lily! My son Steve, and his wife Andrea (pictured above), were with Carol and I for the celebration - thank you "kids"...for sharing in your dad's accomplishment! I can't tell you how much it meant to have you here! What a great feeling! Tonight we have a closing banquet and then we're all off in different directions. In case you're interested, my bike and I are flying home! I'm not going to do the East to West pedal!

This ride would not have happened without the incredible support of Carol . When I threw the idea out last Fall she said "go for it"! (Heck, it got me out of her hair for 7 weeks). She's really been a biking widow since November 1st of last year when I started seriously training for the ride. I've had a number of folks comment on my blog. Again - all the credit goes to Carol. I'd call her every evening with a list of bullet points from the day's ride! She researched all the historical information, she made it interesting, personal, and the great read that it was. Thank you so very much Carol!

So in the beginning of this last blog I said I'm sitting here with many mixed emotions:

I'm glad the ride is over
I wish the ride could go on (country roads with no traffic, the sun shining and the wind at our backs)
I'll miss my friends so much!

So what will the next adventure be? I'm wide open for suggestions! Thanks to each of you for being part of this incredible experience!

2009-06-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Thursday, June 25, 2009
Riding Route: From Brattleboro, VT to Burlington (Boston), MA
Temperature: in the 70's/ Winds: 10 mph
Elevation Climb: 5900 feet
Miles Ridden: 91 miles

For the third day in a row I woke up with a very upset stomach. I've been riding the best I could - but today I took a "bump" and rode in the van. I haven't been able to eat anything - and the multiple trips to the loo have left me dehydrated, achy and in general feeling crummy. I am really bummed to have missed one of the prettiest days of the ride through the heart of the "founding of America" countryside. Oh, so much great history! (One other of our riders, Alec, is also sick with the same thing. It was a tough thing for him to "bump" today, because he has ridden every other inch of the ride.).

I told you yesterday that my friend, Todd McDonough, came to Brattleboro to ride with me. No problem though! He rode with Champ and did a great job. It was one of the longest rides he's done! I'm sorry I couldn't have shared the time with you Todd! And thanks Champ, you're a real "champ" in my book for filling in for me! Dr. George (one of our riders) gave me some Cipro - and I think it's working! I had dinner tonight - the first meal in two days.

Tomorrow is our ceremonial 18 mile ride to Revere Beach. We ride the last 5 miles in a procession with an escort and end the trip by dipping our front tires in the Atlantic Ocean. Tomorrow night we have a closing banquet which will be very emotional. We've become a very close group - laughing, crying, helping each other etc.

I was excited to have Carol, Steve and Andrea and Ron and Nancy here for the closing events. Several of the people have family and friends here supporting them too.

When I look at the big map that gets set up in the hotel lobby each day and see the black line that shows the route we followed - it sinks in that I rode my bike the whole way (well almost!) I have trouble comprehending the task we undertook. When you're riding 85 miles a day - virtually every day - it all kind of becomes a blur. I'm sure as I sit back and reflect on the highs, lows and in-betweens - it will all fall into place.

Only one more entry in this fabulous experience...dipping the tires in the Atlantic - and our group dinner.

2009-06-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: June 24, 2009 - Day 48
Riding Route: From Albany, NY to Brattleboro, VT
Temperature:65-77 degrees /Winds:5-15 mph Elevation Climb: 6100 feet
Miles Ridden Today: 76

We completed our 12th State Line crossing today: Vermont! We had a heck of a climbing day - as we rode through Vermont's beautiful Green Mountains. They extend approximately 250 miles - with the highest peak being about 4400 feet. (There are actually 4 passes that are over 4000 feet). The range is part of the Appalachian Mountains which stretches from New England to Georgia. This area includes many downhill skiing areas and also a portion of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail - a hiking trail that runs 2170 miles - from Georgia to Maine. (There are three main trails in our country that form what is known as the "triple crown of long distance hiking". They are: The Appalachian Trail, the Continental Divide Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail).

We made it to mile 36 before it started to rain. There were several longer climbs - a 7.1 mile one and then another 4 mile one...not real tough - but long. Doesn't sound hard, does it? The toughest part seemed to be the long descents in the rain. There were pines and white birch everywhere. It was the first time I felt we were in the New England states! We crossed over into Vermont at mile 31 - and the roads changed immediately. There was a fair amount of traffic - and we were once again hugging the white line.

Brattlboro is a quaint town with a population of about 12,000 people. In the early years Whetstone Falls provided water power for watermills, beginning with a sawmill and gristmill. By 1859, when the population had reached 3,816, Brattleboro had a woolen textile mill, a paper mill, a manufacturer of papermaking machinery, a factory making melodeons, a flour mill and a carriage factory. Okay, who knows what a melodeon is? Yep, it's an accordian!

My friend Todd McDonough of Home Portfolio arrived at 3:00 and is going to ride with us tomorrow. He's a ex-tri-athelete and currently is a marathon guy! What a challenge he'll be for us! We have 91 miles tomorrow - and 6700 feet of climbing. It's our last full day of riding. As our group talked this evening we agreed that the 7 weeks seems like 7 months. We've been in 42 towns and different motels - and everything seems to run together at this point. I'm going to have to go through my blog and pictures to sort things out when I have time.

Tomorrow Carol, son Steve and Andrea and our friends Ron and Nancy Smith will arrive. On Friday we do the ceremonial 21 mile ride to Revere Beach to dip our tires in the Atlantic Ocean! Then we're done...with the exception of Peter. He has a friend coming to join him and they are going to ride from Boston to New York City - where he lives. Some people just don't know when to quit!

2009-06-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Riding Route: Little Falls to Albany, NY
Temperature: 69 - 83 degrees/Winds: 10-15 mph
Elevation Climb: 2900 feet
Miles Ridden Today: 69 miles

We had a wonderful ride today along Route 5 East - 38 miles of 2 lanes - but with little traffic. We passed through a few towns - but mostly followed the Mohawk River on the right - and wooded forest areas on the left! (Would a forest area be anything but wooded?) UGH! About 30 miles outside of Albany began to be in an area that was town after town! We had traffic, traffic signals, stop signs and way to many people! Where were those country roads that were so peaceful?

We passed several historical sites - the major one being Fort Klock. The fort is part of a 30-acre complex that includes an historic homestead, a renovated Colonial Dutch Barn, blacksmith shop, and 19th century schoolhouse. It was built in 1750 by Johannes Klock...and was a trading post and fortification for farmers in the French and Indian War - and again against the British and their allies in the Revolutionary War. The thick stone walls of Fort Klock have firing ports, allowing the occupiers to fire rifles at attackers. They do reenactments here throughout the year.

After our ride I took a 2 hour nap... then gave Peter and Al their haircuts! Yep, I've converted a few of the guys to my easy style of hair! I gave myself one too - so I'll look good for the finish line!

Later I met my friend, Frank Dorrance, from Aird Dorrance in Ballston, NY (picture above). They are a consulting client of mine... who specialize in the plumbing, industrial and building materials business. Thanks Frank for a great evening! I really enjoyed it! I can't tell my readers how nice it's been to renew acquaintances along the way! It's certainly added to the quality of my trip!

Tomorrow and the next day will be the 3rd and 4th biggest climbing days of our trip. Tomorrow is 6100 feet and the next day is 5600 feet! I think they're trying to do us in on the last days! Only three days to go and your's truly will have completed the ride! Hurray!

2009-06-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Monday, June 22, 2009

Riding Route: From Syracuse to Little Falls, NY

Temperature: 64 to 83 degrees/Winds: 10-15 mph

Elevation Climb: 2800 feet

Miles Ridden Today: 78

At this point in the ride I'm looking for an easy way to the end of the trip. The limo caught my eye and if I could afford it - it might just be the way to finish this ride! ha (picture above)! We rode about 8 miles before we got out of the town of Syracuse this morning. The usual traffic, lights and stop signs slowed the trip some, but we're all use to it by now. After that we had a wonderful 35 mile ride on great country roads. The scenery was beautiful and we rode side by side as we followed the Erie Canal and the Mohawk River ...passing through many small and picturesque towns. It was wonderful while it lasted! Once we were on Rt 5 the traffic picked up considerably. After the peace and quiet of the back roads the noise seemed deafening - and we had to get back to concentrating again!

We arrived in Little Falls about 2:30. After getting settled in the hotel Champ, Tom and I took a walk around the area. Little Falls is probably one of the smallest towns we've stayed in...with a population of a little over 5000. This area was a thriving place in the 1800's - when it had the biggest cow hide processing plant in the country. Later there were paper mills and woolen mills - mainly because of the abundance of water - and the ability to ship products on the canal. As we walked town we observed many old brick building sitting empty - a sign of the hustle and bustle of days gone by. Both the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal go through town. Two of the pictures above are of the canal at Lock #17 (still a working lock). Today it's used mostly for pleasure boats - with very little commercial traffic. This lock is part of the New York State Erie Canal which replaced 3 locks of the original 1825 Erie Canal... and until recent years was the highest lift lock in the world at 40.5 feet in height.

This is the first time I've explored the upper part of New York state - and I have to tell you it's quite beautiful...and has lots of history. As in past days, we again rode by beautiful old mansions with immaculate yards. Some of these home were build in the late 1700's and 1800's. What stories they could tell!

Short report today! Albany, NY tomorrow!

2009-06-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Sunday, June 21, 2009 - Father's Day and the first day of Summer
Riding Route: From Canandaigua to Syracuse, NY
Temperature: 61-80 degrees/Winds: 1o mph in our face
Elevation Climb: 3600 feet
Miles ridden Today: 68

It was cloudy and misty when we took off this morning at 8:15. Because of the rain - we were delayed an hour. For the first hour or so we had drizzle and mist, but by 10:00 the sun started showing through the clouds. We were a happy group! Jeff Morrell joined us this morning (Picture Above) - and rode for about 25 miles with us. Because of Father's Day activities with his family he turned around at that point and headed back. Now he's a real rider! His normal pace is about 22-23 mph. He was kind and dawdled along with us at 17+ - and I think it was a ride in the park for him. Last night Jeff and his wife Tracy, took Champ, Tom Ryan and me to dinner. What a wonderful meal! They also gave us a tour of the Finger Lakes area. Jeff and his brother Scott are in the process of building out a huge showroom that includes everything for the home. They are builders in the area - and can't keep up with the business. Eat your heart out all of you in California! Business is great here! I can't thank them enough for their wonderful hospitality!

Today we passed the north end of a couple of the Finger Lakes. There are eleven lakes in all - and each one is long and very narrow (hence the name "finger lakes"). We rode by Seneca Lake which is the second longest (38 miles) and by far the deepest...with 4.1 trillion gallons of water! As you would guess from their depth they were formed by glaciers. ( By contrast - for those of you on the West Coast - Lake Tahoe is the third deepest lake in North America and the tenth deepest in the world. Its greatest measured depth is 1,645 feet and averages 1,000 feet). I learned that Senaca Falls was an area that played a huge part in the women's rights movement in the mid 1800's. The first Women's Rights Convention was there here in 1848 (Picture Above). Any women reading this blog should buy the movie "Ironed Jawed Angels" - which Carol would highly recommend! It's a true story about two women who took a strong stand for women's rights in this country. Think about the women of Iran as you see it! It's inspirational!

We also passed by the Erie Canal. There is so much history in this area that I could write ten pages and still not cover the basics! But just a few facts: The Canal runs 363 miles from Albany to Buffalo tying together the Hudson River and Lake Erie...and was the first navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. It was under construction from 1817 to 1832 - but officially opened in 1825 when the first phase was complete. The main problem encountered was that the land rises about 600 feet from the Hudson to Lake Erie. Locks at the time could handle up to 12 feet, so at least 50 locks had to be built along the 360 miles canal. The cost was astronomical even for those days! For my young readers I need to tell you that the channel was a cut 40 feet wide and 4 feet deep. The soil that they took out of the channel was piled on the downhill side to form a walkway called the "towpath". Canal boats, up to 3.5 feet in draft, were pulled by horses and mules on the towpath. So how did the boats pass each other? There was only one towpath, generally on the north side of the ditch. When canal boats met, the boat with the right-of-way steered to the towpath side of the canal. The other boat steered toward the berm or "heelpath" side of the canal. Did you know that the sides of the canal were lined with stones set in clay? It took hundreds of German masons to do the work - and much of the original canal is still in place today!

We also stopped in Waterloo, NY today. (Yes, the village is named after the Waterloo, Belgium where Napoleon was defeated). It's known as the birthplace of Memorial Day. They first celebrated it here on May 5, 1866. The date was later changed to May 30th - which we celebrate today. It was originally known as "Decoration Day" in honor of our fallen soldiers. As we passed through communities today there were some beautiful "old" homes that were built in the early 1800's. They were well maintained and the yards were immaculate.

New York continues to get the best marks for bike lanes. BUT...yes we had another incident. Nancy flew off her bike today and dislocated her shoulder, has her arm in a sling and lots of "road rash". She was taken to the hospital - but is back with us tonight, and probably won't ride the remaining 5 days. I also checked in with Bob Fuller - who had the run-in with the motor cycle. He's been moved to a convalescent hospital but sounds in good spirits. If you're reading this Bob, know that you're in our thoughts and prayers! Get well soon!

Today was Willie's 52nd birthday and when we arrived at the hotel there were balloons from his family and a celebration for him. We all signed a card - and had cupcakes! Happy birthday Willie!

Both my knees are stiff and sore. The Aleve in the morning and evening are helping, but I think it's good that I'll have a rest in a few days. Carol, our son Steve and his wife Andrea, are meeting me at the finish - along with our good friends Ron and Nancy Smith (who are coming up from Florida) and we'll have some good hugs and a celebration that the old man made it all the way across the country! However, as you can see from the picture above, I've upgraded my bike from when I left Manhattan Beach! (Do you remember that picture)? More tomorrow!

2009-06-20T16:30:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Saturday, June 20, 2009
Riding Route: From Hamburg to Canandaigua, NY
Temperature: 60-72 degrees/Winds:10-15 mph
Elevation Climb: 5100 feet
Miles Ridden Today: 94 for a few - 0 for some and 27 for me!

Day 43 presented us with another test. You probably know the east is getting inundated with rain, rain and more rain. Today was another tough day weather wise. It was raining when we started today and the prediction was for rain all day. Many of our riders opted not to even get in their biking gear and took the SAG wagon from the beginning. I decided I'd give it a try - and lasted for 27 miles. Again it was dangerous and wasn't fun. The wind was blowing and I couldn't keep my glasses clear enough to see in front of me! Champ, my roommate, made it the entire way - and he had a flat tire to boot! (That's #11 for him)! Needless to say he was soaked to the bones when he arrived at the hotel. I told you about the EFI Club. He wants to join the "Every Fantastic Inch" club but said if we have another day like this one he's going in the SAG wagon also! Enough is enough! Our room looks like a tornado went through it! We're in a hotel that has no laundry facilities (which is unusual)...and have clothes and gear all over the place trying to get it dry before morning. It's kinda like a sweat box in here! If you'd pray to the weather gods to give us a nice day tomorrow we'd sure appreciate it!

Tonight I'm having dinner with my good friend Jeff Morrell. If the weather holds he's going to ride with me for part of the day. He needs to be home to celebrate Father's Day with his family in the afternoon! If the weather's bad - then we'll have breakfast and call it a day!

If you can pronounce the name of this town, Canandaigua, you're doing pretty good! Most of us can't! I did find out it comes from an Iroquois word which means "chosen spot." The only bit of history I was able to find out was that in 1873, women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony was tried in the local county courthouse for voting. She was found guilty and fined $100. (Which I'm sure she didn't pay)! We're also told there is a beautiful lake just south of town - Canandaigua Lake, which is the fourth largest of the Finger Lakes in NY. But to be honest, we don't have any interest in seeing another drop of water! Where is the Mojave Desert? I need to conjure it up in my imagination!

Tomorrow it's on to Syracuse - a 68 mile ride!

2009-06-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Friday, June 19, 2009

Riding Route: From Erie, PA to Hamburg, NY

Temp: 60's - 70's/Wind: 5-10 mph - Yep...in our faces again!

Elevation Climb: 2600 feet

Miles Ridden: 78 miles

Today we made the trek from Erie, PA to Hamburg, NY. Another state line crossing (our 11th state) as you can see from the picture above. I know you're wondering where Hamburg is! No it's not Germany! (Altho did you know that Hamburg, Germany is the second-largest city in Germany (after Berlin) and the sixth-largest city in the European Union?) Hamburg, NY is on the western edge of Buffalo, NY! We are only 8 miles from Niagra Falls! Some of our riders went there today and had some facts to give me for the blog. You know that the Falls straddle the Canadian-United States International Border and is in both the Province of Ontario and the State of New York. It attracts some 12 Million tourists to her majestic beauty each year. It's a fairly young river, only 12,000 years old, a microsecond in geological time. (Think of the time you and I spend on this earth - we hardly exist in the time frame). It's the second largest falls on the globe next to Victoria Falls in southern Africa. Okay, enough!

The weather prediction for the ride today was of course rain, rain, rain! BUT...we had only drizzles the first hour and then outbiked the rain for the remainder of the day! What a joy! I would put today in the top three days of our trip: it was beautiful scenery, a fun ride and relatively easy! We followed Route 5E. Lake Erie was on our left - and miles and miles of grape vineyards were on the right. These vineyards produce grapes for Welch's...which began in 1869 in Vineland, New Jersey. (A physician and dentist named Thomas Bramwell Welch and his son Charles processed the first bottles of "unfermented wine" to use during their church's communion service). Welch's is the world's leading marketer of Concord and Niagara-based grape products! Most of us grew up on their grape juice!

Our group gave PA four stars for their bike lanes! But I have to tell you that NY gets 5 stars - at least so far! They have 6-8 foot wide shoulders - and have recently enacted a law that says all roads will have these wide lanes - basically for "breakdowns" - but it sure makes bike riding much easier too! We loved the sign as we rode into New York that is pictured above. It's a "Share the Road" sign that really makes sense. A good reminder to all of us - no matter where we live!

Bob and Gayle, if you're reading this blog I rode by your home in Forest Park today! We also went to see Gail at The Sugar Shack! We all agreed that it was one of the best stops we've made on the trip. The Sugar Shack (Gail - pictured above) has a cute gift shop, sells syrups, grows grapes, strawberries, cherries etc. She was so kind to our group - having expresso coffee and tea + ice cream with her delicious homemade syrups available for all of us. If you would like to buy the best syrups available then email Gail at http://www.sugarshack1.com/. Several of the riders ordered things to be sent home! Or, if you're in the area of Westfield, NY - go by and see her!

I had shifting problems at Mile 11 today. My bike got stuck in the "granny gears"! (Lowest gears). Rick, our mechanic, met me and got it into the middle gears - which I rode in all day. He promised to have it fixed tonight. Tomorrow will be another tough ride of 94 miles and 5100 feet of elevation climb! I'll need all my gears. We'll hit the 3000 mile mark tomorrow!

2009-06-18T17:14:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Thursday, June 18,2009

Riding Route: Day Off!

Temperature:57-67 degrees / Winds: 5mph

Woke up this morning and had chores on my mind. Champ and I met my brother and we walked down the street to do our laundry! Had a Starbucks with a few of the other guys while we were waiting. After that the three of us decided we'd go Presque Isle which is a 3,200-acre PA State park on a sandy peninsula that juts into Lake Erie. It's a popular area for swimming, boating and hiking and of course bike riding! It's famous for being the location of French, British and American forts - all of which still stand in replica today. It also served as base for Commodore Oliver Perry's fleet in the War of 1812! (He captured the area for the United States...and The Perry Monument on Presque Isle commemorates the U.S. naval victory on Lake Erie in the War of 1812). It was a major port in the 1800's - and as a result there are several lighthouses in the area. The park has been named one of the best places in the US to watch birds, and protects them in its Gull Point State Park Natural Area. It wasn't very crowded - but they boast over 4 million visitors a year!

After that we decided to take a boat tour of the Erie area. We went down to the docks and bought our tickets to go on "The Katie". (Picture above). There was not an overflowing crowd - in fact, only six of us! In essence it was a private tour! Where are all the tourists? Times must be tough! We learned that the earliest known inhabitants of the southern Lake Erie coast were the Eriehonan also known as the "Eriez", an Iroquois speaking tribe. Erielhonan meant the "Cat" or "Raccoon" people, and the name "Erie" became the name of the lake and county and city! Erie is the states fourth largest city in Pennsylvania with a population of 104,000. We Californian's can hardly relate to a city that small! We have over 40 cities that are bigger that that!

I also wanted to let you know how Pennsylvania got it's name. Its founder, English reformer William Penn, born in 1644, in London, England, named it in honor of his father. Persecuted in England for his Quaker faith, Penn came to America in 1682 and established Pennsylvania as a place where people could enjoy freedom of religion. The colony became a haven for minority religious sects from Germany, Holland, Scandinavia, and Great Britain. Penn obtained the land from King Charles II as payment for a debt owed to his deceased father. "Penn" comes from the family name - and "sylvania" means forest...hence Penn's Forest! My family has in it's possession an actual deed where William Penn deeded property to the Darlington Family...altho closer to Philadelphia.

I can't tell you how nice it was to spend time with my brother! Thanks Steve! By the way, where did you get all that hair?

2009-06-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Day 40 of the ride...June 17, 2009
Riding Route: From Niles, OH to Erie, PA
Temp: Cold and Windy and Rainy all Day!
Elevation Climb: 2500 feet
Miles Ridden Today: 89 miles

Have you ever seen the sky open up and dump a pouring rain on the parched land below? Well today was that kind of day! It was raining when we started - and we were in the rain all day. It was our first "all day rain " of the trip. We've had rain off and on, but there was no let up today! Of course the wind was right there with the rain...we'd take a left and the rain would be at our backs - and we'd take a right and the wind would be in our faces. Our first SAG stop (at about mile 36) many of the riders quit! They jumped in the van and went to the hotel! I have to admit that I made it only to mile 60. My fingers were white and numb, my feet were frozen, my shoes full of water and worst of all I couldn't see anything because my glasses were streaked with water the entire time. When you have rain coming from above, the visor helps keep the rain off the glasses. But, when the wind is blowing, the visor does no good - and the rain hits the glasses and continues on down to soak every part of your body. When the SAG wagon went by...I put my hand on my helmet...and they stopped. (We have the signals down pat)! Good common sense told me that it was time to quit! My group arrived at the hotel about 2:00 - and I'm sure the hot water bill of the hotel went up significantly! Boy did that hot shower feel good!

Crossroads Tours has an elite group of riders who belong to the "EFI Club". What's that you ask? It's the "Every Fantastic Inch" Club. It means you ride every inch of the trip. Some of us have other words for EFI! Use your imagination! We have 8 people who are hoping to become members this year. Let me tell you - those who stayed with the ride today - deserve it! More power to them - and we will all be proud of their accomplishment! However, I know that I didn't get to this ripe old age without using some good old fashion common sense!

I didn't take any pictures today. Certainly every picture would have been blurred with the streaks of rain coming down the lens! We have a day off tomorrow...hurray! Of course it will be laundry day - and we'll see what we can learn about Erie, PA! I can tell you that Erie is one of the cities in the triangle of Cleveland, OH, Buffalo, NY and Pittsburgh, PA (which is directly south). The city emerged as a maritime center after the American Revolution, then as a railroad hub during the great American westward expansion. It became an important city for iron and steel manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution and thrived well into the 20th century with big industry. Today Erie is known for it's heavy manufacturing sector which now consists mainly of plastics and locomotive building. They are part of the "Rust Belt"! Yep, I said Rust Belt! This area includes Minnesota (where massive iron operations took place which were critical to the steel industry) to Northern IL, IN and OH, MI, WI, NY, NJ and PA and down into the northern part of WVa. It signified the collapse of the steel industry which resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs in the region. The job losses dislocated many workers - particularly in Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Syracuse, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, Bethlehem and other towns forcing this area to diversify or decay. New technologies in this region include hydrogen fuel cell development, nanotechnology, biotech, information technology and wind power. These communities are hopeful that these new industries will help revitalize the economy of affected communities. Let's think about this: Did we bail out the steel companies?

Tonight I had the pleasure of my brother Steve's company again - and that of Gayle and Bob McNeil. We hadn't seen Gayle and Bob for 12 years - and what a wonderful time we had catching up on family news. They made the trek over from New York - and I thank them for their effort. What fun it was to spend time with them and do a major "catch up"!

More tomorrow!

2009-06-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Riding Route: From Wooster to Niles, OH

Temperature: 56 - 78 degrees/Winds: 5-15 mph

Elevation Climb: 4600 feet

Miles Ridden Today: 100 with detours!

We have six days of l-o-n-g and hard peddling behind us - and one to go! Anyone who says Ohio is flat hasn't ridden it on a bike! Today was not near as fun as it should have been. The weather was good, the scenery terrific and the company great! Oh-oh you say...here comes another "but"! You're right! The roads were the worst we've experienced the entire trip. We've had days where we had places that were tough to ride...but this was an entire day of teeth jarring bumps and holes and cracks in the roads! On top of that we had several unplanned detours. I will also tell you that our group voted to give the Ohio drivers the prize for being "Absolute Jerks" (being said nicely) to bike riders! This was unanimous, absolute, unqualified and undisputed! If there was plenty of room on the road for them to move over - they came as close to us as possible...and blew their horns, swerved in front of us - and tried to run us off the road! At one point today I decided a HOG would be a better way to travel (picture above). You'll recall I couldn't get the little boy to trade bikes with me a few days ago - and today I couldn't get the big guy to either!

Last night I received a call from my good friend David Hawkins who lives in Canton. He and his wife Wendy drove over and had dinner with me tonight. You should have seen the three of us in their little Porsche Boxster! It was a challenge - but we did it! Thank goodness the restaurant wasn't too far away! We had a great meal and a wonderful time sharing thoughts and ideas! As many of you know, David is one of the preeminent showroom designers in the nation. If you're thinking of building out a showroom - he's your man!

My roommate Champ had a "crappy day" - as he put it! When he woke up this morning his bike had a flat tire. Then a couple of miles into the ride his bike computer gave out! He was going up a hill and the chain came off...and because the computer wasn't working he got lost! To top it all off 10 miles before we arrived at the hotel he had another flat tire! He did more than 100 miles today...and they were tougher than the rest of us had! It made us all stop complaining! However, a little time in the whirlpool helped him bounce back and he's in great spirits again.

Today Bob (who had the accident yesterday) had screws put in his ankle and his leg set. We were told that it was a good thing he had his helmet on - it was completed "shredded"! He's doing much better tonight! On a good note, Willie, one of our riders, is having 6 friends join him on the ride tomorrow. It really makes it fun when that happens. I've also got two more friends joining me before the ride is over.

A little history on Niles (population 21,000): It's known to most Ohioans as the birthplace of William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States. President McKinley's death in 1901 was the result of an attack by an assassin. It shocked the nation and especially people in this area...and in 1915 the McKinley Memorial was built in downtown Niles. The facility currently houses the community's library as well as a small museum. Not much else here!

Only 9 more riding days! Where has the time gone?

2009-06-14T22:16:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Monday, June 15, 2009

Riding Route: From Marysville to Wooster, OH

Temperature: mid 50's to 80 degrees /Winds: 10 mph

Elevation Climb: 5100 feet

Miles Ridden Today: 97

Those of you who have been reading my blog from the beginning know that we lost a rider in Santa Fe, NM. He died doing what he loved! His death had a very sad and profound effect on each of us. Charlie had become part of our team and we've all put his name on our flags - which we fly each day on our bikes. He IS finishing this ride with us! We have now come to understand how much cycling meant to him...and I wanted to share the story with you. The following article appeared in his Vermont hometown newspaper on Friday:

"A Barre City man has bequeathed $1 million to his hometown and neighboring Barre Town to complete planned bike paths in the two communities.
Charles Semprebon died at age 66 on May 24 while on a cycling tour in Sante Fe, N.M.His family met with city and town officials last week to inform them of the bequest.
"I'm overwhelmed by Charlie's generosity," said Barre City Mayor Thom Lauzon. "Everyone who knew Charlie knew of his strong advocacy for fitness and cycling. This generous and thoughtful gift to our communities will help us realize Charlie's dream of a regional bike path that can be enjoyed by cyclists in perpetuity."
"For Charlie to honor his community so generously demonstrates just how much fitness, cycling and his community meant to him," said Jeff Blow, Barre Town chairman.
Semprebon was born in Barre, attended city schools and returned after graduating from college to work at the family-owned business, Calmont Beverage Company. He retired last year."

Today started out as a great day! We had good weather - with mild wind and no rain. BUT, (isn't there always a "but") at about mile 20 one of our riders, Bob...from Princeton, NJ was involved in an accident and had to be airlifted to Columbus. It was a case of just not seeing the other guy. He ran into a motorcycle...and ended up with multiple injuries. He was alert when the helicopter swooped him away - and all reports tonight indicate he is resting comfortably - and will have surgery tomorrow to set some broken bones. You're in our thoughts and prayers Bob. We wish you a speedy recovery and will miss having you with us! You'll be finishing this ride with us in our hearts and minds! All I can say is this cycling can be a rough sport!

The ride today took us through the town of Delaware, OH which is located near the center of the state, about 20 miles north of Columbus. It is the site of the Ohio Wesleyan University, one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. The city is famous for The Little Brown Jug, an internationally famous harness race which is part of the Triple Crown of harness racing. President Rutherford B. Hayes was born in Delaware...but there is very little note of it...just a small marker along one of the roads we were on. The picture above was taken there.

Our destination today was Wooster...which is home of the Rubbermaid brand of products. Tonight Champ and I had the pleasure of having dinner with my brother and his wife, Steve and Barbara who drove down from Cleveland. One of Steve's law school roommates and his wife also joined us for the evening. We had a great meal - and a great time! Thanks so much to the four of you for sharing time with us.

The map in the picture above shows our progress to date. Tomorrow we head to Niles, OH...a 91 mile ride! Weather reports tell us it will be 54 degrees when we leave in the morning - and we will see a high of around 81 degrees. Winds will be from the Northeast again at 5-10 mph. We keep wondering when they will change to be at our backs!

We're closing in on raising the amount of money I'd set as a goal for the DPHA Scholarship Fund. If any of you are holding out on your pledge to see if I'm going to make it all the way across the country I'm thinking you could do it now! There are only 10 riding days left - and I guarantee you I'm going to stay alert and healthy! My many thanks to all of you who have supported this worthy cause...and at the same time supported me with your thoughts, prayers and dollars. For once I think I'm speechless!

2009-06-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Sunday, June 14, 2009

Riding Route: From Richmond, IN to Marysville, OH

Temperature: mid 70's/Winds: Yes, again!

Elevation Climb: 3500 feet

Miles Ridden Today: 104

Today was another challenging, but wonderful day of riding. The temperature was perfect! The challenging part was that we were trying to outrun a huge storm that pursued us the entire day! We had the feeling it was racing us to the finish line! Huge, black, ominous clouds filled with rain were in our sight at all times. Ah-h, but we were the winners in the end! Only a few drops of rain got us!

Today was the eighth "century" (100 miler) ride of the trip. We have two more...tomorrow and the next day (and a final one in New York). What are they trying to do to this old guy? We hit two unplanned detours today. It would have been fine, except that we had to ride in gravel for several miles. Have you ever tried to do that on these skinny tires we're using? Ah ha - another challenge!

The back roads continue to give us the opportunity to view America at its heart! We're seeing a part of our country the average "interstate traveler" doesn't have the chance to see. I'd sure recommend that if you have the good fortune to do a road trip - then take the road less traveled! You'll be amazed at what you'll see, the people you'll meet and the experiences you'll have. We passed into Ohio today - our ninth state crossing - and we're in the Eastern Time Zone!

Above is a picture of Sue on her recumbent bicycle. She joined us about a week ago and is going to Boston on this strange looking bike. And speaking of different bikes I must tell you that we passed many Amish on their way to church this morning. Guess what they were riding? Yep, tandem bikes and single bikes! It was a heck of a sight seeing them dressed in their Sunday best attire riding bikes! There were also the traditional buggies - but of course the bikes really caught our eye!

I'm calling it a night. They tell us tomorrow is the toughest day of the trip. For sure it's going to be a long one! My brother and his wife, Steve and Barbara, are meeting me tomorrow night for dinner. Yea! Something to look forward to!

2009-06-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Saturday, June 13, 2009
Riding Route: From Indianapolis to Richmond, IN
Temp: 65 degrees and cloudy/Wind: 15mph constantly
Elevation Climb: 3000 feet
Miles Ridden: 84

We had our usual schedule this morning - and took off on our 84 mile trek by 7:20 a.m. It was cloudy, but no rain! The first 8 miles were really tough because we were on a main street trying to get out of Indianapolis. We faced the challenge of a tremendous amount of traffic - and stop lights the entire way...and were extremely glad to get past that area. About 10 miles into the ride we saw Jo Ellen Lee out on the street waving and giving us the encouragement we needed. Thanks so much Jo Ellen!

The first 37 miles were tough for me today. I just didn't have the "juice" I normally do. My legs were tired - and the wind was in our faces again. All of us are tired of the wind. One of our riders did a little research on the wind and found out that from May to July the wind comes from the Southwest 82% of the time. That would be great - because it would be at our backs. I can tell you that for the past 5 days the wind has come from the Northeast. We sure have to work alot harder to get where we want to go! Now what's with that?

We passed through Millville, IN today. It's a small town thats only "claim to fame" is that Wilbur Wright was born there (Orville was born in Dayton). There is a small museum - but not much more! We also rode through the heart of the Indiana Amish country. We heard the clip clop of horse’s hooves pulling the black buggies (picture above) along the countryside next to us on bicycles - as RVs' were passing both of us! This area has the 3rd largest settlement in the US. I grew up in Pennsylvania where the Amish are prevalent. They value rural living - and resist modern technology. Over the years I've come to respect them for their family values and care of the land.

At noon we stopped in Hagerstown for lunch - and I tried to trade my bike to a four year old who had a two wheeler with training wheels! I tried it out and liked it (picture above). He didn't want to have anything to do with it! Scoffed again! In the afternoon we passed more beautiful farms with endless acres of manicured lawns. These folks sure do have a love affair with their riding mowers! I wonder what else they could be doing with their time?

Tonight we're in Richmond - not far from the Ohio border. In the next four days we have 390 miles to cover. We're hoping for good weather! I didn't get my photos uploaded - so will add them tomorrow!

2009-06-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Friday, June 12, 2009
Riding Route: From Crawfordsville to Indianapolis, IN
Temperature: 64 - 75 degrees/ Winds: 10mph headwinds
Elevation Climb Today: 2400 feet
Miles Ridden: 64

Day 35 of riding was another good one. The weather was great. It was cool and balmy - and as you can see I wore my jacket most of the day. There were a minimum of hills and the scenery was beautiful. Our only challenge was that in the 64 miles we rode there were 48 different turns on our route sheets. It meant that we had to really pay attention to where we were going all the time. Champ took on the responsibility for us today - which was great!

There were two major highlights today.

The first one was that I had two riders join me from Lee Supply in Indiana: Chip Lee, who is VP of Operations and Andy Cherf, who is Branch Manager for their Carmel, IN location. First thing this morning Bill Lee (VP of Sales and Marketing), Dave Barnes(Controller) and Jeff Beeson (General Manager) showed up to send us off on our ride! Thanks guys - for all your support! (Group pictured above) I've been working with Lee Supply for about three years. It's a family owned and operated business...with the 4th generation now entering the scene. They operate great showrooms - and have been great listeners and implementers of Darlington's ideas!

The second fun thing today was our SAG stop at mile 33: The Gentry Dairy Farm. Each year the family opens up their yard and home to the Crossroads Riders. They were wonderful! The picture above was taken on their front porch! More of the embracing Midwest hospitality!

We passed through many small communities (in Jamestown I had my picture taken at Darlington Street), hit lots of country roads, had detours and did anything to stay out of the Indianapolis traffic...which meant going through several local neighborhoods and past golf courses and parks. We're told it was the calm before the storm - because the next five days are supposed to be long and tough!

Indianapolis is known for the Indy 500 and the Motor Speedway...and is the racing capital of the world. The facility has a permanent seating capacity for more than 257,000 people and infield seating that raises capacity to an approximate 400,000. That makes it the largest and highest-capacity sporting facility in the world. (Just so you have the facts - the world's largest stadium is in Prague and seats 220,000 spectators). The first Memorial Day "500" race was run in 1911 - 2 years after the track officially opened! If you're a race car fan, then you know the rest is history! (Of course Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina is my namesake)!

I've done a little survey to try to find out where the term "Hoosier" came from. Ohio has the "Buckeyes" and North Carolina has the "Tarheels"...so these state names are somewhat common. But no one seems to know where the term came from. Most agree that it had a very derogatory meaning in the beginning. But today the term is used with pride! The Indiana University teams (Carol's alma mater) are part of the Big Ten Conference and we all know they are referred to as the Hoosiers! What a strange word!

2009-06-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Thursday, June 11, 2009

Riding Route: Champaign to Crawfordsville, IN

Temp and Winds: Getting Casual here huh? Both were great!

Elevation Climb: 2400 feet

Miles Today: 79

Today was another great day! However, it didn't begin that way! In the very eary hours of the morning we were awakened by a very violent thunder, lighting and rain storm. When we met for breakfast the rain was pouring down and all of us had moderately sad faces! By the time we assembled for our ride (which was an hour later than normal because we had just passed through another time zone) the rain was over and the sun was peeking through the clouds.

At the appointed time we all showed up in front of the hotel ready to ride. Yesterday I told you about the helmet decorating challenge. Everyone made an effort - some more than others. As you can see in the picture above I was voted "Most Patriotic"! Most of us removed the decorations before we left. Nancy rode with her decorated helmet all day - and received lots of attention as we passed through each town. It made for great conversation ...especially in Veedersburg where we had lunch.

We crossed the Indiana State line - our 8th State Crossing - (9th State - picture above). Another milestone for us! Can you believe we only have 17 more days? If the answer is no, I can't either! It's going way too fast! Carol told me there was a great article in the News Gazette in Champaign today on Champ and me. I was lucky to slide in with him - a native of the area! More great publicity for the Decorative Plumbing and Hardware Assn. and our challenge to raise money for the Scholarship Fund.

The remainder of the day there was NO rain, NO wind...but lots of humidity. Althought we had 2900 feet of elevation climb today, none of us felt it! It was a fun and easy day of riding. We had great roads, lots of little Indiana towns - and beautiful farm country! There were new crops of corn and soybeans everywhere we passed. Because of the late rains, everyone told us that the crops were planted extremely late this year also. We moved along at 16-17 mph and it was a comfortable pace.

Can you believe the sign as we entered Hillsborough, IN? (Above) Also, one of the small towns we passed through today was Waynetown, IN. There is an old Pioneer Cemetery there - where William Bratton is buried. Many of you know I'm a Lewis and Clark expedition fan - and Willaim Bratton (1778-1841) is buried there. With a US Army rank of private, he joined Lewis and Clark Expedition's Corps of Discovery near Clarksville, Indiana 1803. The Corps explored lands of the Louisiana Purchase and Pacific Northwest. He was a hunter, blacksmith and saltmaker. He completed the entire journeyand was discharged October 10, 1806. He may have had a minor position - but he helped make the journey successful!

More tomorrow!

2009-06-10T10:43:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Wednesday, June 10

Riding Route: A Welcome Day Off!

Location: Champaign, IL

I now have a few pictures uploaded from yesterday - so wanted to share them with you. When we took off yesterday morning I decided I wanted to ride with the "Big Dogs". They are the leaders of the pack - first out in the morning - and first in each afternoon. I hung with them for about 15 miles - and it occurred to me that I had yet to be the "leader of the pack". Of course all of you know my Type A personality - and I decided I had to do it just once. A surge of energy enveloped me and off I went. My good friend Jim took the above picture as I passed him by. It didn't last long, but it was fun to do!

The second picture is of me with a "senior" group of ladies in Clinton, IL. Three mornings a week they go to an exercise class. I think they do it for only one reason - and that's because when they are done they treat themselves to a Dairy Queen! I had a great time with them - sharing our exercise routines! What a great experience in this mid-America area!

I discovered this morning (our day off) that one of my wheels had cracked! I thought there was something wrong yesterday...because it felt like my rear tire was "out of true". So much for buying the best wheels available! There were three cracks where the spokes went into the wheel. So I went to a bike shop and they had exactly what I needed - (the wheel was still under warranty) - so I'm ready for tomorrow. Sometimes things go easy!

Today we were given a challenge to decorate our helmets! It's just a fun thing to do to celebrate being 2/3rds of the way across America. All of our group grabbed on to the idea and from what I can tell we've all been creative! I went to the Dollar Store and got busy. Hopefully I can send you a picture or two of the results tomorrow.

Champaign is the home of John Philip Sousa's Library and Museum. He was known as "The March King." Any of us who played an instrument in a band know he was an a famous American composer and conductor and was known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. A little bio on him tells us that when Sousa reached the age of 13, his father, a trombonist in the Marine Band, enlisted John in the US Marine Corps as an apprentice to keep him from joining a circus band. Sousa served his apprenticeship for seven years, until 1875, and apparently learned to play all the wind instruments while honing his skills on the violin. After being in and out of the service he eventually returned to the become the band's head in 1880, and remained as its conductor until 1892.

Sousa organized his own band the year he left the Marine Band. The Sousa Band toured 1892-1931, performing 15,623 concerts. In 1900, his band represented the United States at the Paris Exposition before touring Europe. In Paris, the Sousa Band marched through the streets including the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe - one of only eight parades the band marched in over its forty years.

Sousa died of heart failure at age 77 on March 6, 1932, in his room at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Reading, PA. He had conducted a rehearsal of "Star and Stripes Forever" earlier that day. He is buried in Washington, DC's Congressional Cementary.

Tomorrow we head to Crawforsville, IN. It's 79 miles - and our 8th state crossing! I hope everyone's having a great week!

2009-06-09T21:29:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Riding Route: From Springfield, IL to Champaign, IL
Temperature: Winds:
Miles Ridden Today: 87

Today is the one month anniversary of beginning our trip...and it was a GREAT ride! It made up for the past several days of bad weather. It was fun, comfortable, bright and clear - and best of all - there was hardly any wind! Everyone enjoyed the ride and we arrived in Champaign early.

Our neighbor in Sacramento, Debbie, who is from Champaign, got on the phone - and drummed up some good publicity for us through the Champaign News Gazette. Interestingly enough Champ (my roommate) graduated from the University there - and they had word of him being on the ride also. The reporter was there to meet us at the hotel - and did an interview. Thanks for all your effort Debbie! There should be an article in the paper on Friday!

Champ invited his brother, son and friends to meet us and we enjoyed time together this evening. Tomorrow we have a much needed day off! I should have a few facts on the area tomorrow for you.

2009-06-08T21:19:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Monday, June 8, 2009

Riding Route: From Quincy to Springfield, IL

Temp 60-mid 80's/ Winds: Too Much!

Elevation Climb: 3800 feet

Miles Ridden Today: 108

It was another long, tough day today. There was thunder and lighting when we woke up - and the ride was delayed 1.5 hours. The first 70 miles again consisted of LOTS of hills. We had pouring rain for an hour + but it let up after that. It was the wind that did us in! It was one of the worst days we've had - and after 5 of the last 7 days being tough it got the best of several people today. We averaged about 11 mph for the first 70 miles. I have to be honest and tell you that it was not fun and many of us were depressed with the conditions. Several of the guys got in the van and took a "bump". The good news is that at mile 70 the winds changed direction - and the terrain became flat. We again had the wind at our backs - and the ride became much faster. I completed the entire ride today - but am one exhausted guy tonight!

What countryside I saw today was beautiful. Everything was lush green and we passed miles and miles of corn fields. The farms we passed had beautifully manicured lawns. I did a survey among the team tonight and asked them how much time they thought we spent looking at the landscape vs. looking down. There was some mixed thoughts - but they all promised to pay attention the next few days and report back to me! I'll pass on the consensus when I get it!

Today was my worst "dog" day since the trip began. I had five dogs come out yapping, nipping and chasing me in this one day! With the weather we had they should have been hiding in barns somewhere! Two of the guys following me said I ran great interference for them! The dogs were exhausted by the time they got up to them! I'm glad some good came of the experience!

Champ (my roommate) had a friend, Roger, join him for the ride today. We rode together about half the time - and I rode by myself the rest of the time...just trying to concentrate on getting through the challenges of the day.

I can tell you we are one tired group tonight. We are ready to leave the wind, rain, thunder and lightening behind!

We are in Springfield, IL tonight. Since we were late in our arrival (and exhausted) we're not taking time to visit any of the highlights of the city. Springfield is the capital of Illinois... and has an area population of around 200,000 people. I'm sure most of you know that the city's most important and prominent past resident was Abraham Lincoln, who moved from Indiana to the area in 1831 and lived in Springfield from 1837 until 1861. He began his study of law here - and spent the next 24 years as a lawyer and politician.

Lincoln is my favorite President. He served this country as it's 16th President from 1861 - 1865...when on Good Friday, April 14, 1865, he was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington by John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln's body was taken to Springfield by train, and he was buried in the Lincoln Tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery on May 4, 1865. For my young blog readers you should know that Abraham Lincoln is remembered for his vital role as the leader in preserving the Union during the Civil War... and beginning the process that led to the end of slavery in the United States. He was a masterful politician and a man of gentle spirit.

2009-06-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Sunday, June 7, 2009 (Day 30)
Riding Route: From Kirksville, MO to Quincy, IL

Temperature: 60-80 degrees/Winds: 15 mph

Elevation Climb: 2900 feet

Miles Ridden Today: 76 miles

This is going to be my good news - bad news report!

Good News: No thunder and lightning when we left the hotel this morning @ 7:15

Bad News: An hour into the ride it started raining hard.

Good News: It stopped raining at 10:30 a.m.

Bad News: It started raining again at 11:00 a.m.

Good News: We had no wind for the morning hours

Bad News: At our first SAG stop (picture above with several of us in our rain gear) the wind came out of nowhere and was in our faces the rest of the day...along with a light rain.

Good News: No traffic on the roads until 11:00 a.m.

Bad News: LOTS of traffic after that!

Good News: Not nearly as many hills as yesterday.

Bad News: We still did 2900 feet of climbing.

Good News: Most cars and trucks gave us as much room as possible.

Bad News: Those that didn't tried to run us off the road - and honked their horns at us!

Good News: Eight inch wide white lines were freshly painted and easy to follow.

Bad News: NO shoulder and we had to ride the white line.

Good News: The road was in great repair 95% of the trip.

Bad News: The remaining 5% was in horrible shape!

Good News: We passed the 2000 mile mark today (Picture Above)

Bad News (well, really not so bad): We still have 1500 miles to go.

Good News: We've made it through some tough wind & weather the past 5 days.

Bad News: We have a Century Ride tomorrow - and 87 miles the next day - before we have another rest stop.

Good News: My roommate Champ's wife, Veronica, arrived today from Washington, IL and I'll have the room to myself for three nights.

Bad News: I can't think of any!

Throughout the day everywhere we looked we saw signs in the corn fields that said "Crow's Planted Here"! All of us had a different thought. I finally had to ask! Crow is a brand name of hybrid corn. The company also products hybrid soybeans, alfalfa and sorghum! See picture above.

Ah ha.....you thought you were going to get away without a little history lesson today, huh? No such luck. We crossed the mighty Mississippi River today (Picture Above) - and I thought I'd tell you a few facts about the river:

The Mississippi River is 2,348 miles long and is the second longest river, after the Missouri, in the United States. (The Missouri beats it by 208 miles)!
The area that drains into the river comes from 31 states! Even I just learned that!
The Mississippi starts in Minnesota and then flows south, following the boundaries between the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana on the west, and Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi on the east. It ends in the Gulf of Mexico. It is the actual diving line between these states.
The river's name means "father of waters" in the Algonquian language.
The advent of the steamboat in 1812 brought dependable transportation, and river traffic increased rapidly. During the Civil War control of the river was a major strategic objective; the Vicksburg Campaign of 1863 achieved that goal for the Union armies. Traffic resumed after the war, and the steamboat reigned it's waters for many years.
Eventually they were replaced by diesel, screw-driven towboats pushing barges. The rivalry between rail and river transport, which started in the late 19th century, persists to this day.
The widest point of the Mississippi River is Lake Winnibigoshish (how would you like to have this name in a spelling Bee?) near Grand Rapids, Minnesota at over 7 miles across. Now that's a W-I-D-E river!

One last thing: I'd like to encourage any of you who want to donate to the Scholarship Fund to get your donations in. You can do it online at www.bikewithhank.com. On the left side of the page is a "Make a Donation" tab. Okay, that's it for today! Tomorrow we're off to Springfield, IL

2009-06-06T22:20:00.000-07:00

Reporting for 2 Days: Friday, June 5, 2009 and Saturday, June 6, 2008

Riding Route: St. Joseph, MO to Chillicothe, MO

and Chillicothe to Kirksville, MO

Temp: 50-82 - both days/Wind Up to 35 mph

Elevation Climb: 4900 feet and 5100 feet

Miles Ridden on Friday: 86

Miles Ridden on Saturday: 76

First off - I have to report that my roommate got back on his bike and has ridden both days after his mishap! Go Champ!! You're one tough old coot!

Well, I'm doing a two day report - but not because of being lazy I can assure you. This Missouri riding can be a tough ordeal! Yesterday (Friday) we pedaled 86 miles in constant major rolling hills. We started out at 500 feet above sea level - and ended up at 500 feet above sea level - and in between did almost 5000 feet of elevation climb. It truly was one hill after another. We'd pedal up a 1/2 mile hill and then go down as fast as we could to get a "run" on going up the next hill. Some of the hills were 13% grades - which can be a real challenge. I have to proudly tell you that I reached a top speed of 34 mph going down the hills (previous record 30 mph). I'm getting braver! You know I don't like the downhills - and the rest of the group is still passing me..but I can still beat most everyone going uphill!

The countryside was beautiful. We left the flat, treeless, relatively easy riding of Kansas behind us - and are now seeing lots of trees, lush green grasses - and lots of hills. At Mile 30 our group gathered together - and rode into the town of Maysville in pairs. Maysville has a population of about 1200 people and I'm not sure it's known for anything! But I can tell you that they have the nicest people anywhere around! Each year they meet the Crossroads Riders in the same fashion. Everyone - young and old - come out on the streets to meet us. (Picture above) The children routed and cheered and clapped for us as we crossed into their town. But the most amazing thing was that the "senior" ladies of the town put on a breakfast which included their famous homemade cinnamon rolls and all the trimmings! It was a wonderful event for everyone. They have a small museum and you can see I got a kick out of the bicycle they had on display. I'm sure glad I'm not riding one of those across the country! (Picture above). I even visited the local plumbing store. I'm not sure their showroom would meet the DPHA standards, but it was indeed special to meet the owners and share some time with them.

Today (Saturday) we had 5100 feet of elevation climb. Our day began later than usual because of lighting and thunder storms. We usually are on the road by 7:15 a.m. - but couldn't leave today until 10:00 a.m. When we finally did get on the road it was in rain and wind...which lasted until almost noon. We rode on a four lane highway in the morning - and turned north on Highway 11 in the afternoon. This change of direction put the wind and rain at our backs - which we were all thankful for. The afternoon also brought us a break from the heavy traffic we experienced in the morning...but the road was filled with cracks and potholes! All I can say is that at 5:00 when we arrived we were exhausted. We had our route rap, ate and headed for bed.

Our one historical fact for the day was that we passed through Laclede, Missouri where General John Pershing was born. He attended West Point military academy in 1882...and served in the Indian campaigns and in Cuba during the Spanish-American war. Later he lead the African-American unit (known as the Buffalo Soldiers), commanded forces in the Philippines from 1899 to 1905 and then did duty as a military attaché to Japan and an observer in the Russo-Japanese War (1905-06). This man was all over the place! He's most well known to us history buffs as the man who became the commander of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe during World War I. He ended up being one of the most celebrated soldiers in United States history. Another very interesting fact is that he was the only living person ever to be promoted to the rank of General of the Armies of the United States. This is the equivalent of a six-star general, but Pershing never wore more than four. The only other person to ever hold this rank was George Washington.

Enough, enough...I'm off to bed. Tomorrow is going to be another tough day as we ride to Quincy!

2009-06-04T17:53:00.000-07:00

Date: Thursday, June 4, 2009
Route: From Topeka, KS to St. Joseph, MO

Temp: 55 to 80/Winds: 10-15 mph

Elevation Climb: 3500 feet

Miles Ridden: 86 miles

Nothing against Kansas - but after 6 days and about 500 miles (one wide state) it was fun to cross another state line! We went through Atchison, KS which was Emelia Earhart's home. We're in St. Joseph, MO tonight - which was the kick-off spot for the Pony Express Route that ends in our hometown of Sacramento.

Carol stopped and toured Amelia's birthplace home as you can see from the pictures above. She was an amazing woman - and her accomplishments were many. Amelia made great strides in opening the new field of aviation to women. In 1935, she became the first person to fly from Hawaii to the American mainland. By doing so, she became not only the first person to solo anywhere in the Pacific, but also the first person to solo both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Also in 1935, she joined the faculty of Purdue University as a female career consultant. It was the purchase of a Lockheed Electra, through Purdue University, that enabled Amelia to fulfill her dream -- circumnavigating the globe by air.

In May of 1937, Amelia embarked upon the first around-the-world flight at the equator. On July 2, after completing nearly two-thirds of her historic flight -- over 22,000 miles -- she vanished along with her navigator Frederick Noonan. They took off from Lae, New Guinea, bound for tiny Howland Island in the vast Pacific Ocean. The distance from Lae to Howland was about equal to a transcontinental flight across the U.S. A great naval, air and land search failed to locate Amelia, Noonan, or the aircraft, and it was assumed they were lost at sea. To this day, their fate is the subject of unending speculation. Some theorized the pair ran out of fuel looking for Howland Island, and had to ditch in the Pacific. Others thought they may have crash landed on another small island. Some speculated they were captured by the Japanese, accused of espionage, then held as bargaining chips in the event war erupted between the U.S. and Japan.

Along the way today, Champ and I were passing through one of the little Kansas towns - and we spotted a hammock in front of a house on a tree lined street. There was a young lad sitting in it with his dog. We asked if we might try it out - and after he got the okay from his mom, the picture above shows a very relaxed bike rider!

We arrived safely at the hotel - with the exception of my roommate Champ, who was taking a short cut to get our chocolate milk (which I've learned is a great energy booster after a long day one the road). He hit a big ditch, went over his handle bars, hit his head - and broke his helmet, bit his lip and bruised his leg badly. We went thru the excitment of the calling the EMT's and took him to the hospital. He's back in the motel licking his wounds and threating to ride tomorrow. I'm not sure that will happen! He's a very lucky guy that it wasn't any worst than it was!

Carol's been here for four days and it's been great having her here. It's been fun sharing this experience with her. It's hard to believe that in three weeks we'll be in Boston and she'll be there to see me dip the front tire in the Atlantic Ocean.

Please excuse the shorter message tonight, but we've been busy going to the hospital, buying Champ another helmet, getting his prescriptions - and I've got another 86 miles tomorrow. More then!

2009-06-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

Bob Fuller and Tom Ryan

Bike Sculpture outside of Dover, KS

Norma and me - outside the Summerset Hall Cafe - The Pie Queen

Bob Fuller

Limestone Walls built by farmers and ranchers. The 1867 law abolishing the open range provided for the payment of 40 cents per "rod" - 16.5 feet - to landowners to build and maintain a fence that would be 4.5 feet tall. You can tell the stone was plentiful - these fences were everywhere.

Typical SAG stop. Mac (from England) and me

2009-06-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Riding Route: Took a day off!

Weather: Cloudy and Windy - Temp: 70's

Elevation Climb: I missed 6000 feet of up and down elevation today - a good day to take off!

Miles ridden today: 106

I have to admit that I took a day off riding today to spend the day with Carol, Wendy and Norm (pictured above). Wendy works at Fort Riley and took us there for a tour of the grounds and the museums. It's a U.S. Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort covers 100,656 acres. It's a huge facility with a daytime population of nearly 25,000.

Fort Riley is named in honor of Major General Bennett Riley who led the first military escort along the Santa Fe Trail. The fort was established in 1853 as a military post to protect the movement of people and trade over the Oregon-California and Santa Fe trails. In the years after the Civil War, Fort Riley was a major United States Cavalry post and school for Calvary tactics and practice. It was also a base for skirmishes with Native Americans after the Civil War ended in 1865, during which time George Custer was stationed at the fort.

The U. S. Cavalry Museum houses an extensive collection detailing the history of the horse soldier from the Revolutionary War to 1950 when the branch was deactivated. The 1st Infantry Division Museum tells the history of the 1st Infantry Division from 1917 to the present. The Custer House is furnished with period pieces from the 19th century and relates the history of Army families from this period. We visited all three - and had a great history lesson! The above picture of me with some of the soldiers was taken in the museum gift shop. "Yes, Sir" what great guys these were! A large group of them are leaving for Afghanistan tomorrow morning. Keep them in your prayers!

Then we toured the campus of Kansas State University! It has a student population of about 25,000. A beautiful campus! Their sports teams are called the "Wildcats" and they participate in the NCAA's Division I and the Big 12 Conference...and they are wild about sports in this town!

We left Manhattan and picked up with the tour group for the last 20 miles of their ride. We stopped in Dover, where we had a piece of pie made by 89 year old Norma - who last year was selected the best pie maker in America. She was on the Today Show. She wasn't there when the first of our group arrived - but came down to see everyone as they came in for a pice of her famous desserts! I can't add anymore pictures to this blog - so am going to do another one with just pictures for you to see!

2009-06-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: June 2, 2009

Route: None! a day off from riding!

Weather: Pouring Rain Most of the Day!

Today Carol, Champ and I went to the Eisenhower Library and Museum. We spent about 3 hours there learning about the life and events on one of our great American Presidents...Dwight D. Eisenhower. For you young people reading this blog “Ike” Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was our 34th President - from 1953 until 1961 and a five star general in the United States Army. During the Second World War, he served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe with responsibility for planning and supervising the successful invasion of France and Germany in 1944-1945. In 1951, he became the first supreme commander of NATO. Some of his achievements as President were that he oversaw the cease-fire of the Korean War, kept up the pressure on the Soviet Union during the Cold War, made nuclear weapons a higher defense priority, launched the Space Race and began the Interstate Highway System. He was the last World War I veteran to serve as U.S. president, and the last president born in the 19th Century. Eisenhower ranks high among former U.S. presidents in terms of approval rating. Enough history now!

After leaving the museum and checking out of the hotel we headed to Manhattan, Kansas to visit with Carol's sister and her guy, Wendy and Norm. They have a wonderful piece of property a few miles outside of Manhattan...with a barn chocked full of antiques, tractors and treasures - and full-on garden that would make any green grocer jealous! We had a cookout for lunch - and a fantastic shrimp pasta for dinner! And I have to admit that there was a glass of wine added to complete the meal. We are going to Fort Riley tomorrow - where Wendy works - to visit the Army/Calvary museums. More on that in tomorrows report!

2009-06-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Monday, June 1, 2009

Riding Route: From McPherson, KS to Abilene, KS

Temperature: 60-90 degrees/ Winds: 10-25 mph

Elevation Climb: 1700 feet

Miles Ridden: 62

Today was another great day...however the first humid day hit us! But, the wind was from the south all day. The first 22 miles we rode east - so the wind was on our right side. Then we turned due north on Route 15 and had a 15-25 mph wind at our backs. What a beautiful thing! I probably averaged 20 mph for the full 62 miles...another great "Disneyland" ride! Now if we can keep the wind God working for us our ride to Boston would be a breeze (pun intended)!

We're in Abilene tonight...which is the boyhood home of Dwight Eisenhower who was our 34th President...and home of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. We have a day off tomorrow - and will go visit it - so I'll give you a little history on it tomorrow. This is also the culmination of the Chisholm Trail Cattle Drive - where hundreds of thousands of cattle were driven up from Texas to be shipped back east to feed the beef lovers there.

When I arrived at the hotel a very special friend of mine, Dave Harrison, and his wife Nancy, were sitting on a bench in front of the hotel. (Pictured above with me where we had dinner tonight). I had no idea they were going to be here - other than Dave said he'd see me along the trail somewhere. They drove 895 miles from Birmingham, Alabama to have dinner with Carol and me this evening! Can you even imagine that? David is a very special and unique person - and a real entrepreneur. He owns 5 kitchen and bath stores in AL and TN.

Miss Carol flew into Kansas City today - and drove 2.5 hours to Abilene. She arrived at 4:30 this afternoon after an easy trip! Tomorrow we're going to visit Wendy and Norm (Wendy is Carol's sister) who live in Manhattan, KS...about 35 miles from here. More on that tomorrow too! But you can bet I decided to use some of this 73 year old wisdom and good common sense to see this area from the car window - and not from the seat of a bike!

I'm also losing my good riding buddy, Tom Dunn - who is leaving our group here in Abilene. His wife drove in from Colorado to pick him up and they are off for a week trip to South Dakota to see the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore. Have a safe trip you two!

2009-06-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

Reporting for the day of: March 31, 2009
Riding Route: From Great Bend, KS to McPherson, KS
Temperature: 70-90 degrees/Winds: moderate tailwinds
Elevation: 1000 feet
Miles Ridden: 63

And who says Kansas isn't beautiful????

2009-05-31T06:58:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Saturday, May 30, 2009

Riding Route: From Dodge City to Great Bend, KS

Temperature: 60 - 90 degrees/Winds: 15 mph tailwinds

Elevation Climb: 800 feet

Miles Ridden Tiday: 86

This was day 22 of our ride - and it was another very good one with favorable weather conditions. Remember a few days ago when I asked you to pray to the wind gods to be on our side? Well, many of you must have put in some good thoughts, because today we had 15 mph winds pushing us. We barely had to pedal at all! (When we had the headwinds I was averaging 10 mph - but today I/we averaged over 20 mph). It certainly made the 86 miles whiz by!

We passed miles and miles more of the amber waves of grain! At mile 60 wepassed Highway 50 - the same highway that passes just a mile or so from our home in California. In Kinsley, KA we stopped at the halfway point between San Francisco and New York City (picture above). This is also an area where the Santa Fe RR passes through - and as you can see from the picture I'm just testing the weight of that engine. Nope, I couldn't budge it!

The highlight of our history lesson today was stopping at the Pawnee Rock Historical Marker. Rising up out of the plains, Pawnee Rock (pictured above) was a landmark for explorers and a popular campsite for travelers crossing the prairie. The large rock formation later became a popular stop on the Santa Fe Trail for the white settlers heading west in search of adventure and fortune. The Rock was considered the mid-point of the long road between Independence, MO and Santa Fe. Water, provided by the nearby Arkansas River, and fresh meat, obtained by plentiful game, was vital to the survival of the wagon trains. It's said that this is where the Indians came to hunt buffalo before the white man came. They could get up on the rock outcroppings and look down over hundreds of thousands of buffalo. But between 1872 and 1878 it's estimated that that white man killed over 3 Million buffalo - and it dessimated the food supply for the Indians - driving them out of the region. We all know this sad story.

You might wonder what I think about on the long rides. Of course my mind is all over the place, but recently I've done a survey on how cars and trucks react to bike riders on the road. When we have big berms to ride on it's not a problem, but when we only have a 2 foot berm things can get tight. My survey took into account only vehicles traveling the same direction as us:

25% move all the way over into the opposite lane (when possible)

50% go right down the center line

15% move toward to center line, but not all the way

5% don't move at all

3% move in towards us - to crowd us as much as possible

2% get as close as they can and then blow their horns - which can really startle us!

Well, that's it for now! We're off to McPherson, KS tomorrow!

(Do you know you can double click on the photos to get a close up view?)

2009-05-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Friday, May 28, 2009

Riding Route: 2 days riding from Guyman, OK to Liberal, KS and Liberal to Dodge City, KS

Temperature: 50 - 90 degrees/Winds: 10 mph

Elevation Climb: minimal

Miles Ridden: 39 miles the first day, 83 miles today

I have to admit that the entire trip is becomming blurred! It's tough sleeping in a different town and motel every night! Today we are in our fourth state in 4 days! I used to think a 40 mile ride was a great accomplishment - but man has 7 months made a huge difference in my outlook.

Yesterday we rode from Guymon to Liberal, Kansas. It was an easy ride. We left in 65 degree weather and it rose to 90 by 3 p.m. Our first stop after leaving Guymon was a small town called Hooker! Yep, that's really the name of a town - and you can imagine the fun we had with it! Several of us stopped and bought tee shirts - and some of the slogans were...uh-h-h well, you know! (You can see me in the picture above "propositioning" Nancy...to no avail!). Liberal is the home of Dorothy's original house of OZ - and Highway 54 is officially designated as the Yellow Brick Road. There is also a wonderful air museum in the town. My first question when hearing that we were going to be staying in "Liberal" was "Is there a "Conservative", KS?" Did I need to get El Rushbo on the band wagon? Although some of you may think of its name as a political statement, Liberal really got its name from a spirit of hospitality and generosity. In the 1880's water was a rare commodity in Southwest Kansas. S.S Rogers homesteaded this area and always offered free water to every traveler. He was considered very generous and "liberal" with this valuable resource.

Today we rode from Liberal to Dodge City...83 miles in sunny weather and gentle winds. Our first SAG stop at Mile 38 was in Meade, KS. This is home to the famous Dalton Gang hideout... which we took time to visit (pictured above). Most of you will remember that the Dalton Gang was an infamous outlaw group in the American Old West during 1890-1892...and they specialized in bank and train robberies. There were 15 children in the Dalton family - and several of them started out on the side of the law...being deputy marshalls. But that changed - and they became the enemy of the law! Their last robbery attempt occurred the morning of October 5, 1892 when five members of the Gang (Grat Dalton, Emmett Dalton, Bob Dalton, Bill Power and Dick Broadwell) rode into the small town of Coffeyville, Kansas. Their objective was to achieve financial security and make outlaw history by simultaneously robbing two banks in daylight. From the beginning, their audacious plan went astray. The hitching post where they intended to tie their horses had been torn down due to road repairs. This forced the gang to hitch their horses in a near-by alley - a fateful decision. To disguise their identity, (Coffeyville was the Dalton's hometown) two of the Daltons wore false beards and wigs. Despite this, the gang was recognized as they crossed the town's wide plaza where they split up and entered the two banks. Suspicious townspeople watched through the banks' wide front windows as the robbers pulled their guns. Someone on the street shouted, "The bank is being robbed!" and the citizens quickly armed themselves - taking up firing positions around the banks. The firefight lasted less than fifteen minutes. A brief moment in time in which four townspeople lost their lives, four members of the Dalton Gang were gunned down and a small Kansas town became part of history.

Onward to Dodge City: At mile 60 we turned due north on Route 283 where there was minimal traffic. I couldn't help think about the words to "America the Beautiful" (O beautiful for spacious skies",for amber waves of grain; for purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed His grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea). We've been riding under spacious skies, through the waves of grain, we've seen the purple mountains majesty and we're riding from sea to shining sea!

Dodge City's history began with the establishment of Fort Dodge in 1865. Its purpose was to protect wagon trains on the Santa Fe Trail and to serve as a supply base for troops involved in the Indian Wars to the south. Dodge City was founded in 1872 and quickly became the world's largest shipping point for Longhorn cattle. It was the wildest of the early frontier towns, but law and order was soon established with the help of men such as Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, and Bill Tilghman. We visited the Boot Hill Museum (pictured above with Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp) and watched re-enactments of shootouts and events of it's early history. It's a great town to visit with your family if you have any interest in early western history!

Carol will be visiting me in Abilene in 3 days! Hurray!

2009-05-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Wednesday, May 26, 2009

Riding Route: From Dalhart, TX to Guyman, OK via Route 90

Temperature: 43-75 degrees/Winds: 10-30 mph

Elevation Climb: 500 Feet

Miles Ridden Today: 76

It was 43 degrees when we began our ride today...sunny with light winds. Not a bad start! By noon it was 75 degrees and we were meeting 30 mph head winds...reminiscent of yesterday! In Texas, Route 90 is only two lanes with very little berm riding area. The minute we crossed over into Oklahoma it became a 4 lane road, wide berms and a grassy median strip between the lanes. I want to thank my friend Faye Norton for paying lots of taxes so we could enjoy the good roads!

When we left Dalhart, TX this morning we were immediately in a big wheat producing area. The land was irrigated, the green fields were refreshing - and we couldn't keep count of the number of silos we saw. All day the roads were FLAT. (I only used three gears the entire day). Definitely easier terrain today than yesterday! Yes, the wind was still tough, but having a divided road made a huge difference! (We passed miles of wind farms today also - very appropriate for this area)!

I sprinkled my good luck sand (the riders call it "fairy dust") at the base of the "Welcome to Oklahoma" sign. Margaret and Mac, two of our support people , are in the above picture with me. Margaret's from Florida - and Mac's from England. Both of them have done this ride...and now are back as volunteer support people. We couldn't do it without them!

Four of us arrived in Guymon about 2:30 and stopped at the "Burger Barn" for lunch (pictured above). The owner, Albert, was genuinely interested in our adventure. He took our picture and said it would be up on his wall next time we stopped by! Guymon is best known for it's Pioneer Days Rodeo which has been celebrating our pioneer spirit every May since the 1930s. The Rodeo is the 5th Largest Outdoor Rodeo and the 10th Largest Rodeo in Prize Money in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. The city's largest employer, a pork processing plant, processes 16,000 hogs daily, and its 2,300 employees make up about 20% of the entire city's population. You can thank them when you have your bacon tomorrow morning!

2009-05-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Riding Route: Tucumcari, NM to Dalhart, TX via Route 54
Temp: 50's to 70's - Winds: 10-30 mph

Elevation Climb: 3300 feet

Miles Ridden Today: another century! - Second one in a row!

In life's experiences, some days are great, others are okay and some are just bad! I began my day by breaking off a valve stem in my tire - and Jim (a retired Chem prof) announcing that we were to have strong winds from the northeast ALL day! If you look at the map you'll see that we were riding NE ALL day! Yep! Jim was right! The winds hit us dead-on in the face every mile we rode today.

We made it to the first SAG stop at mile 29. The ride had been hard, but bearable! When we left the SAG stop winds were a minimum of 30 mph. It was the hardest headwind most of us had ever experienced. To put it in perspective: on a normal riding day I will average 17 mph - not killing myself. Today I averaged 10.5 mph overall for the day. I hit 7-8 mph going uphill - pedaling as hard as I could...and I had to pedal just as hard going downhill...and maybe hit 14 mph! I was in the "fast" group riding today. I'm glad I was, because the slower group hit LOTS of rain - and we had none! If you believe in a "wind God" - then say a prayer for us tonight that the winds let up! All in all the scenery was boring today! No ranches, people, gas stations, stores. Nothing! I have to tell you I'm tired of the high desert and scrub brush - and think even the cows are bored with the area! (At mile 54 we crossed from NM into Texas - our third state line crossing. Yes, we sprinkled our Manhattan Beach sand at the sign post - but I'm not sure the omen for a great ride in Texas was with us)!

Only a few more comments on the ride today. We experienced lots of traffic, but it was the wind in my ears that drove me nuts! The trucks coming from the opposite direction created 5 X the noise and draft. It must have been the angle of the wind! And, I have to admit I had my first flat tire today... at mile 85. I had one tube with me and it exploded because it got "pinched" in the tire! Needless to say I spent the last 15 miles in the van. I had mixed emotions - because I wanted to finish the ride. But on the other hand - I felt a bit of relief at the break.

As we headed in to Dalhart (population about 7,000) we passed HUGE feeding lot areas owned by the XIT ranch. It's a shipping point for agriculture and cattle and has the world's largest amateur rodeo in late summer. Up to 400,000 cattle are in the feed lots here. Can you imagine the smell? The XIT Ranch was more than 3 million acres at one point. Things are big in Texas! It's also in the center of the "Dust Bowl", an area that was (and still is) adversely affected by long periods of draught and dust storms during the Great Depression of the 1930's.

We passed into another time zone today: Central Standard Time. At 6:30 this evening we were having dinner - and George, a physician from Springfield, MO arrived in his biking cloths. He had finally finished the ride for the day! We saluted him and voted him hero of the week! Go George!

2009-05-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Monday, May 25, 2009 (Memorial Day)

Riding Route: Las Vegas NM to Tucumcari, NM

Temperature: 48-87 degrees/ Winds: Headwinds @ 10mph

Elevation Climb: 4200 feet

Miles Ridden Today: 109

Today was both a good day & a tough day! Let me tell you the good part first. It was a perfect day for cycling! I think this is how I imagined riding across this great country of ours would be: great scenery, mountains that were snow capped, cattle in the fields beside us, huge gates into ranch entrances, a two lane road with barely any traffic! Sounds idillic, huh? It was! However, it was a l-o-n-g 109 miles with more up and down than any of us had anticipated. Our day ended at about the 4000 foot elevation mark - which is 2500 feet lower than yesterday. I rode most of the day by myself. I like the peace and quiet and the time to reflect.

Right after our first SAG stop (mile 27) we encountered a huge downhill run (picture above). I opted to take an 8 mile "bump" in the van. It turned out to be wisdom at it's best! (Yes, with age comes wisdom)! It was an 8% downhill grade with switchbacks, guard rails and cattle guards. I told you I didn't like going downhill! Champ topped out at 42 mph - and our hotshot rider, Peter, who loves the downhills hit a top speed of 52 mph. Heck, I'd still be on the road if I had decided to ride it!

At mile 66 we had the hardest "short climb" of the trip. (The climbing up doesn't bother me)! All cyclists call it "the wall". It's less than a mile of 9% grade - straight up hill! The temperature had risen to 86 degrees - and the arm coolers felt good! We reached our first 1000 mile distance today - as you can see in the picture above. Hurray! At mile 80 I was ready to be at the hotel. I was tired, my back and neck were stiff - and I can tell you that I don't think my butt will ever get use to sitting in the saddle that long. All of us were tired when we hit the hotel about 4:15.

Now to the tough part of my story. Yesterday as we were leaving the hotel in Santa Fe we saw an EMT truck pull into the hotel parking lot. No one thought much of it until last evening when we learned that one of our riders, Charlie Semprebon (age 66) from Vermont, had passed away in his sleep on Saturday night. I can't tell you how it affected all of us. Charlie was a great guy - and a real team member. Tracy and the team put together a tribute to Charlie: This morning all of us rode five miles out of town where we gathered. Then we did a two mile ride, single file - with a van in the front - and a van in the rear. We left an open spot for Charlie. It was emotional and overwhelming as we rode in silence - each saying a prayer in our own way. I can tell you it's mighty hard to ride with tears streaming down your face. A very poignant thing happened as we began our ride. A group of wild mustangs joined us - running along the fence...and they stayed with us for almost the entire two miles. We figured Charlies spirit was in there among them. Bless you Charlie.

Tonight we're in Tucumcari. The town's claim to fame is that many of the scenes from the TV show "Rawhide" (1959 to 1966) starring one of my favorite actors, Clint Eastwood, were shot in this area. Yep, Clint is now 79 years young. He should be on this trip with us!

2009-05-24T17:58:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: May 24, 2009

Riding Route: Santa Fe to Las Vegas

Temp:44 to 70 degrees - Cloudy/Winds: not much wind!

Elevation Climb:4800 feet

Miles Ridden Today: 72

We had a GREAT ride today! We left this morning in cloudy 44 degree weather - with a 40% chance of rain in the forecast. (However, no rain plagued us)! We immediately started climbing - and all day it was "up and down" the mountains...anywhere from a 4%-8% grade. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it was a challenge to some of us! The terrain was beautiful. We were on Route 66 for all but 5 miles of riding on Highway 25. Tracy told us this is the last of highway riding! We're done with the heavy traffic areas! All of us let out a huge shout at that news! I need to tell you that each day I get up I still have butterflies in my stomach - just not knowing what is ahead...but 4-5 miles into the ride it's forgotten and I'm zoned into the challenge of the day!

This area of Route 66 was officially designated part of The Santa Fe Trail in 1987 by the National Park Service. It extends for nearly 1,200 miles across five states...beginning in Missouri and obviously ending in Santa Fe. It's history began in 1821 when it became America’s first great international commercial "highway" (between the US and Mexico). With the outbreak of the U.S.-Mexican War in 1846, it became a military highway of invasion until U.S. forces brought an end to Mexican control of the region. Following that time and for nearly sixty years it remained one of the nation’s great routes of adventure and western expansion.

Today was the highest point of our ride: 7570 feet. We peaked at Glorieta Pass in northern NM in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. In 1862 a decisive battle in the New Mexico Campaign of the American Civil War took place in this pass. The victory by the Union Army (mostly of the Colorado Militia) prevented the breakout of the Confederate Army forces onto the High Plains...which halted the intended Confederate advance northward along the base of the Rocky Mountains. (Sorry to pepper you with so many facts...but you know I'm a history buff)!

Okay, you looked at the pictures above. A few days ago I challenged you to guess which animal I'd have my picture taken with next. Did any of you guess a buffalo? Poor guy didn't survive long enough for me to ride him! Lets see, how many animals is that so far? The second picture is of me with Amber Lynn Vacero, who is Miss Teen for Las Vegas. She and her parents were at the hotel serving hot dogs and hamburgers to raise money for her to participate in the Miss New Mexico Pageant. All of us supported her - even if we didn't eat!

Tonight we're in Las Vegas. That's Las Vegas, New Mexico! No gambling here! As we rode into town we passed through "Old Town"...and it certainly has the "old west" look! It is famous because it was home to many notorious characters of the Old West. A few names you'll recognize are dentist Doc Holliday and his girlfriend Big Nose Kate (yes, for real!), Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp and the Durango Kid. The word on the street is that there was no town with a more disreputable gang of desperadoes and outlaws! I hope I survive the night here!

2009-05-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Saturday, May 23, 2009

Riding Route: From Albuquerque to Santa Fe

Elevation Climb: 5300 feet

Weather: Terrible!

Miles Ridden Yesterday: 66

Today we have a day off - and we really need it after the cold and windy climb to Santa Fe yesterday! We left the hotel about 7:30am in balmy, but cloudy and windy, 70 degree weather. About a half hour out the rain really started coming down and the winds kicked up to about 35 mph. We had our first SAG stop at mile 36. All of us were freezing cold by then...the temperature had dropped to about 50 degrees and we were wet and shivering. Several of us were ready to jump in the van. Margret, one of our drivers, started the van and turned the heater on. My fingers were totally numb and I sat holding them by the heater for 20 minutes before the feeling came back. Not a good thing! Margret gave each of us 2 pairs of plastic food serving gloves to wear under our bike gloves and we were ready to go again. It did the trick!

We headed on up the mountain and had lunch at the Mine Shaft Tavern in Madrid. When you "belly up to the bar" at the Mine Shaft you will be served from the longest stand-up bar in New Mexico! We passed on the bar – but had a cup of hot soup…which was appreciated more than any drink would have been! Back out on the road the wind changed direction and the rain was directly in our faces. It was miserable! The slow climb on into Santa Fe was tough. There were several riders who ended up riding the remainder of the way in the van - but yours truly completed the ride all the way! Another challenge met! The first thing I did after checking into the hotel was put on my swim suit on and head for the hot tub! Ah-h-h to thaw out! The remainder of the day was cloudy and stormy.

Just a few words on the Turquoise Trail. It’s a 65 mile National Scenic Byway that begins in the town of Tijeras about 16 miles east of Albuquerque. Madrid and neighboring Cerrillos to the north (both designated ghost towns) have long been known for the turquoise nestled in the surrounding hills. The beautiful blue-green stone was first mined by the Pueblo people as early as 900 A.D. It was continuously mined by the Indians for centuries. The area was later discovered by Spaniards who also searched the area for silver and gold. In the early 1800’s, American prospectors moved into the area and in the 1880’s large coal mine companies began operations.

Last night we had dinner at “The Cowgirl Hall of Fame” restaurant. One of our riders knew the owner – who put on quite a feast for us. Kim and Nick, our daughter and son-in-law lived here until recently – and have given us a list of several things to do. First trek today is a visit to the Georgia O’Keefe Museum…and then into town.

The forecast for the next three days is thunderstorms, wind and rain. We have 9 straight days of riding ahead of us before our next “day off”. That will be in Abilene, KS – where Carol is going to meet me. Her sister, Wendy, lives in St. George, KS – so I’ll get to see family along the way. A home cooked meal sounds good to me!

2009-05-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Thursday, May 21, 2009

Riding Route: From Grants NM to Albuquerque

Temp: 50-60 degrees - Winds:10 mph

Elevation Climb: 2700 feet

Miles Ridden Today: 75 (well, sort of)!

We were up at 5:30 am and walked about 1/3 mile to Denny's to have a Grand Slam breakfast! You can't believe how much I'm eating! Rain was in the forecast for the entire day and the hotel employees gave us shower caps to put over our helmets as we left in low 50 degree weather. Great idea, huh? It poured for the first hour! The roads were slippery, it was hard to see (especially for those of us with glasses) and our hands were c-o-l-d!

We completed about 30 miles on Route 66 - passing a few lost and forgotten towns! Traffic was minimal and it was an easy ride - especially when the rain eventually let up! (In fact it stopped after about an hour and we didn't feel another drop the rest of the day)! The picture above is typical of many of the buildings we have passed in the past several days. This is Budville! It was named for H.N. “Bud” Rice. The town began when Bud and his wife Flossie opened an automobile service, trading post, and tour operation in 1928. It was a full fledged business for the many travelers of Route 66 for many decades The store was held up by desperadoes in 1967 and unfortunately Bud was murdered. Flossie continued to run the family business for another 12 years before it closed for good. Now I can guarantee you "This Bud's NOT for you"!

After our first SAG stop we got back on Interstate 40 - BUT - there was road construction - and NO bikes were allowed! So we packed into the vans (6-8 at a time with the bikes on top) and were shuttled about 16 miles through the construction zone. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow! Tracy - our tour captain, did a great job! We then had 19 more miles on I40 and I have to tell you it just wore me out! We had a 2 foot riding area because the rest of the berm was like a washboard. You know - with the ruts in it to wake you up if you're dozing off! There seemed to be an inordinate amount of noise and smell from the big rigs - and they were traveling a 65+ mph about 2 feet from us...creating a draft that was a challenge to not get sucked into! Also, my legs just didn't have the same "juice" today!

The last 5 miles of the day were straight uphill - and as we crested the top we looked down into a huge valley...home of the largest city in New Mexico, Albuquerque! We rode through town and across the Rio Grande River! This is the second longest river in North America. It's second only in length to the Mississippi/Missouri River. We arrived at the hotel about 2:00.

We are losing 6 members of our riding team here. Many of our riders are still working full time - and 2 weeks was all the time they could take off! It's sad to see them leave us and I imagine it will change the dynamics our our group. Tonight a dozen+ of us went out to dinner at an Italian restaurant in "Old Town" to bid them farewell! We have a couple of people joining our group here - and we're looking forward to getting to know them.

Tomorrow will be a challenging ride up to Santa Fe, NM. I'll be reporting on our route up the Turquoise Trail!

2009-05-20T17:16:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Riding Route: From Gallup, NM to Grants, NM

Temperature: 75 degrees/Winds: up to 45 mph

Elevation Climb: 1800 feet

Miles Ridden Today: 67

Well, I have to admit that today was one of the more unusual days of my ride so far. We began an hour later than usual because we only had 67 miles to ride today...and it was relatively level terrain! It was a beautiful sunny morning! As I was leaving town a guy in a pickup truck turned right in front of me. I mean RIGHT in front of me. He claimed he never saw me! I was going about 15 mph and I'll tell you it was the closest I've ever come to being creamed, wiped out, gone! When we both finally stopped there was less than 12 inches between us. I'm glad I'm here to report to you tonight!

Route 66 was our road of the day again! In my effort to give you a few tidbits about the area we're in each day here are a few facts: The song "Route 66" was composed in 1946 by American songwriter Bobby Troupe. It was recorded that same year by one of my favorite singers...Nat King Cole. Us "oldsters" will remember that version! But many of you will remember it being performed by other artists...including Perry Como, Chuck Berry and The Rolling Stones. The song's lyrics follow the path of U.S Route 66, which ran from Chicago, IL to Los Angeles, CA. The highway got it's number designation in 1926. The two lane, fully paved road was completed by 1938 - just prior to WWII - and helped this country facilitate the single greatest wartime manpower mobilization in our history. Later, in President Eisenhower's second term he pushed Congress for passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956. This bill financed the cost of the national interstate and "defense highway" system. However, by 1970, nearly all segments of original Route 66 were replaced/bypassed by Interstate 40 - a "modern" four-lane highway. Well, I can tell you that all of us got "our kicks - on Route 66" today!

The only time we had to be back on Interstate 40 today was for a short 19 mile stretch - which proved to be the worst road section we've had on our trip since beginning in Manhattan Beach. The shoulder was full of debris & gravel - deep gravel! It was like trying to ride a dirt bike in the sands of the Sahara! UGH! We couldn't ride on the road because there was so much traffic.

We had a SAG stop ( to new readers SAG = Support and Gear) at the Continental Divide at an elevation of 7275 feet. Peter, if you're reading this blog to your children tonight let them know that the Continental Divide is the line that divides the flow of water between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean... and runs from northwestern Canada along the crest of the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico. Show them the pictures above!

We (Champ, Tom and I rode together all day) had soft rain in the early afternoon and watched as a "very visual weather front" began moving in on us. About 10 minutes later the winds came up...and as it hit us we endured about 15-20 minutes of 35-40 mph winds. We were literally doing everything possible to stay on our bikes. Then the winds diminished to a mere 25 mph tailwind and pushed us down the final hill into Grants, NM. No pedaling necessary for 20+ miles!

Most of the day was a beautiful ride with rolling hills and mountains in the distance. Tomorrow thunderstorms are again forecast. We can handle the rain - but sure hope the winds aren't as bad as they were today.

My last thought tonight regards the Rod Denhart Memorial Scholarship Fund...the cause I'm riding for. To date DPHA has posted just shy of $20,000 in the account. My goal is $25,000 - so we still have a way to go. I have a picture of Rod tucked in my shirt every day as I ride - and his spirit surely is helping me along on this endeavor. If you would like to donate you can go to the Decorative Plumbing and Hardware's http://www.bikewithhank.com/ site. I thank each of you with sincere and heartfelt thanks! Each and every dollar helps us achieve this goal.

2009-05-19T18:09:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Riding Route: from Holbrook, AZ to Gallup, NM

Temp: 80's/Wind: 10-15 mph

Elevation Climb: 3300 feet

Miles Ridden Today: 86 miles

Another GREAT day of riding! We crossed our second state line (picture above). Not only did we change states - we changed time zones! One of the traditions we do at each crossing is to stop at the sign and leave a little Manhattan Beach, CA sand by the posts for good luck! So far it's working!

We headed out on Highway 40 today leaving Holbrook and the dry/barren eastern AZ lands behind us. We passed the entrance to the Petrified National Forest and headed into New Mexico and the Painted Desert area. Almost immediately we began to see beautiful rock formations. This area is an amazingly scenic and colorful expanse of undulating mounds and unusual eroded rocks covering 4000 acres hidden away in this high desert (picture above). It stretches from the Petrified Forest to the Grand Canyon. It's amazing!

In my spare time my mind was working...so I'll share some calculations with you. So far we've ridden 708 miles! I think I've averaged 15 mph and am accomplishing 72 revolutions per minute. All that equates to 205,000 pedaled strokes! I must have too much spare time on my hands, huh?

I want to let you know how the ole' body is holding up: Basically I'm doing great. The problem most of us are having is that our fingers go numb from leaning on the handle bars. It's easy to lose strength in the hands if we're not constantly moving them. My neck gets sore from keeping my head tilted while keeping my eyes on the white line and watching out for debris. Last, but certainly not least, my lower back and "butt" hurt unless I keep moving around on the seat. All of us are experiencing that feeling! I have to tell my geriatric friends that overall I'm representing you well!

They had predicted afternoon thunderstorms again today - so I headed out with the "A" team this morning and stayed on the move all day. My stops were short & we kept on the move. It paid off - because we arrived at the hotel about 1:30 - well ahead of the rain. To my great surprise my good friends from Sacramento, Tom Hessler and Jacque Conway, met me at the hotel and we had dinner together. I'm sure there was a look of disbelief on my face when I saw them! A real double take!

Above is a picture of me taken with Karen Netherton - who along with me is a member of the Sacramento Wheelmen Riding Club. We met several times before the ride and did a century ride together in the buttes of northern California a couple of weeks before we began this journey. She's a free spirit - and having a great time!

Tomorrow I plan to crank it out again - because the afternoon thunderstorms are a real possibility again. They seems to go with this territory!

2009-05-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Monday, May 18, 2009

Riding Route: From Flagstaff, AZ to Holbrook, AZ
Temp: Varied/Winds: Varied

Elevation Climb: 3100 Ft

Miles Ridden Today: 96

Today we followed Rt 40 (Historic Rt 66) out of Flagstaff and did a long descent (well, some ups and downs along the way) into Holbrook, AZ. It was 44 degrees when we started our ride at 7 am - and by noon the temperature had risen to 98 degrees. That type of extreme makes it tough to know how to dress in the morning! Arm warmers to arm coolers! The 4 lane road was really good for about 80% of the ride. Then it all fell apart! Lots of debris, (okay, it might be exaggerated just a little, but we really had to keep our eyes on the road at all times)! cracks in the pavement etc. I helped 5 team members change flat tires today...may that be good tire karma for me! Champ (my roommate) had two more flats to make a total of five flat tires since leaving Manhattan Beach! I'm knocking on wood when I tell you I haven't had my first one! We had a good tailwind for about 60 miles which allowed us to average 20+ mph. That was the good news! At mile 70 we had a SAG stop - (at Jack Rabbit Trading Post) and when we looked south we saw HUGE thunder clouds coming our way. Champ and I decided to eat & drink fast and try to get to Holbrook before we were drenched. A few minutes later we had 25-30 mph winds coming from the side and a light rain began coming down. It was all we could do to keep our bikes upright and not be blown into the traffic! The last part of the trip we averaged 9 mph...a far cry from the 20 mph earlier in the day. A real test! But we made it!

We stopped in Winslow today - which some of you will remember because of Jackson Browne's song "Take it Easy" which was made famous by the popular rock group, "The Eagles." In that iconic song there is a line attributed to a hitchhiker who is standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona who sings "…when a girl, my lord, in a flat bed Ford slows down to take a look at me…". (If you know that one - we have some idea of your age)! The city has built a park featuring a six-foot tall bronze sculpture that depicts this fictional character. Yep, in the picture above is Champ and me... "standing on the corner in Winslow, AZ"!

As I said: At mile 70 we had a SAG stop at the Jack Rabbit Trading Post. (Yes, that's me sitting on the famous Jack Rabbit!) You've probably heard of it - but not many of you have been there. Their signs along the road are famous! A little history on our route today: In 1939 John Steinbeck proclaimed Route 66 as the "Mother Road” in his classic novel "The Grapes of Wrath". When the movie was made a year later, it immortalized Route 66 in the American mind. Soon after, more than 200,000 people migrated to California to escape the Dust Bowl of the Midwest, symbolizing the highway as the “road to opportunity.” Now that's probably more than you wanted to know, huh?

Just a couple of things to share with you: All in all I felt very strong riding today! My bike worked perfectly after the repair...and my new shoes felt like slippers on my feet! It was amazing going from Flagstaff, where the pines were thick and the air was cool (reminded me of Lake Tahoe, CA - without the lake) to Holbrook, where it is high desert with lots of scrub brush! While we had 3100 feet of elevation climb today, we actually ended up dropping 2000 feet from Flagstaff (almost 7000 feet) to Holbrook (5000 feet). More tomorrow...on our "ride" to "Gallup" (pun intended)! By the way, all the dehydrated bikers are rehydrated and back on the road!

What animal am I going to come across next?

2009-05-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: Sunday, May 17, 2009

Riding Route: Yesterday from Cottonwood to Flagstaff/ Today a our first rest day!

Temperature and Winds: Easy going on both!

Elevation Climb Yesterday: 4700 feet

Miles Ridden Yesterday: 46

A day missed, and a day of riding missed! Yesterday (Saturday) morning I had my bike checked because of some gearing problems I was having at the end of the day on Friday. It turned out to be a problem with my chain - and Rick, our SAG wagon mechanic, said not to worry that he'd put a new chain on the bike for me. It turned out that I have an unusual size chain - and he didn't have one! Not good news to a boy who wants to ride! It was going to be a tough climb from Cottonwood to Flagstaff - through Sedona and up Oak Creek Canyon. I needed my "granny gear" (the lowest gear on the bike) to do it successfully. He said there was no way I could make the climb without it! So, they loaded me (and my bike) in the van and once the team started they took me to Flagstaff where I spent the day finding a bike shop that had the right size chain. In checking my bike they also found out that I had a bent sprocket - which was repaired and by 4:00 in the afternoon I was ready to go again! Of course the team was already arriving in Flagstaff - so I missed the entire day of riding! A very unhappy boy indeed! Everyone said it was a tough ride - no berm at all... and lots of cars and motorhomes which created a very hard riding situation. Everyone made it safely though and we celebrated with cold beer at our happy hour before dinner! The picture of me kissing the pigs was taken in Sedona. Champ said I must really be missing Carol to defer to such drastic measures!

Today (Sunday) was our first "Rest Day"! Early this morning I did a ten mile test ride with the new chain. I did some hills - and no problems occurred! I'm optimistic that tomorrow will be a great day! My good friend, Mark, and his wife Melissa, invited me to ride back to Sedona and have lunch with them there. (Melissa is following Mark for two weeks on the journey. He leaves us in Albuquerque). It is a beautiful ride between the two towns - and those of you who have done it know what I mean! In the afternoon I had a little time at the pool - and then a short nap! (Yes, I'm keeping lots of Neosporin on my lips because they are so burned. I'm surprised the pigs had any interest in me)! Tonight we had dinner at The Olive Garden! Great pasta!

I'm glad to know the hardest part of the trip is behind us...at least that's what we're told! Tomorrow we're headed to Holbrook, AZ - a 96 mile ride on Rt. 66! Our elevation climb will be 6600 feet - a big day - but cooler weather (supposed to be a high of 90 degrees with a chance of thunderstorms). I'll let you know how the day goes!

Thanks to everyone for their continued support! One week down - and six more to go!

2009-05-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: May 15, 2009

Riding from: Prescott, AZ to Cottonwood, AZ

Temperature: 85 degrees most of the day/Winds: Mild - and appreciated

Elevation Climb: 4500 feet - over the Mingus Mountains

Miles ridden today: A lowly 43

Today we had a leisurely start at 9:00 am. (one of the few "late" starts we'll have). The first 26 miles were ALL uphill. We had an abundance of switchbacks. I loved the uphill climb! (6-7 mph going up). Again - lots of ponderosa pines - and we saw a herd of antelope! BUT, remember I told you yesterday that I didn't like going downhill? Well once I made it to the top, I have to admit that I got into the SAG wagon for the three mile downhill ride. My roommate, Champ, did just the opposite! He did this exact ride last fall (as a test) and decided to take the van up - but rode the hill down! He couldn't believe how tough it was to slow down enough to make the curves! We had a SAG stop in Jerome - and then headed on to Cottonwood - where I arrived at 3:15. My lips are extremely sunburned. Our leader told us that every time we take a drink of water, we should be reapplying more zinc oxide on them! That's a tough thing to do when you're riding! Also, my clip-in shoes are bothering my feet! I think it's from walking in them too much. They are made for riding - not walking!

The last 3 days have been filled with lots of "false flats" and "false summits". That means it looks like it's flat, but we're still going up a 3% grade. You're panting - and think you've made it to the top, but you haven't! UGH!

I wanted to tell you a little about our typical schedule each day:

5:30 - Alarm goes off

6:00-6:45 - We have a BIG breakfast - with lots of carbs

7:00 - Our duffel bags need to be at the truck (2 bags, 15 lbs each)

7:15 - Sign out and start the day's ride!

About mile 25-35 (depending on the day) we have our first SAG stop. We fill our camelbacks & water bottles with a combo of water & gatoraid. There are power bars, power gels, orange slices, bananas, muffins, trail mix, peanuts and more! We eat/drink at the stop and take some with us!

There are unofficial SAG stops at stores, gas stations etc. if anyone needs to replenish drinks and eats...or hit the "john"! (That's another story)!

Lunch is on our own!

Between miles 60-80 we have a second SAG stop.

Depending on how fast a person rides, we arrive at the hotel between 3 and 5 pm.

5:45 - We have our Route Rap (15-20 minutes) and go over the ride for the next day. Most of us try to shower and shave before this daily event.

6:00-7:00 - Dinner - Most of the time this is done as a group!

Tonight we're having dinner at The Sizzler!

All for now - more tomorrow!

2009-05-14T16:49:00.000-07:00

Reporting on Thursday, May 14, 2009
Riding Route:Highway 89 from Wickenburg to Prescott, AZ

Temp: in the 80's/Winds 10-15 mph

Elevation Climb: 7600 feet!

Miles Ridden Today: 59

History and fact from Hank's Almanac: Cross-Country Car Ride! On July 26th, 1903, a doctor named Horatio Nelson Jackson became the first person to have driven a car across the entire United States. Jackson and his companions (who included a jaunty, goggle-wearing bulldog named Bud) drove from San Francisco to New York City in less than two months--quite a feat at the time! (We're riding our bikes in less time than Horatio made it in the car)!

Our first serious mountain pass...Yarnell! 7600 feet of climbing! A real test! It was a great day! I rode much of the time by myself. I knew as I was climbing the main 26 mile uphill grade that all the training I had done was paying off. It was amazing to look down on the valley and the desert below...knowing that I had peddled every inch to the top of the mountain. At the end of the ride there was a real downhill slope. I don't like going downhill! The fastest I'll go is 30+ mph. Some of the other riders whizzed past me! Safety, safety, safety I keep telling myself! It was a wonderful experience going from the dryness of the desert to the cooler air and the ponderosa pines of the mountains. Hurray! Our destination was Prescott, AZ - and as you can see from the picture above I ended up on historic "Gurley Street"! I left at 7:15 a.m. and arrived at the hotel at 2:15.

Tonight I did my laundry and then jumped in the jacuzzi! Ah-h - pain relief! Another biker ended up in the hospital with hydration problems. We have to remember to drink liquids! More tomorrow!

2009-05-13T23:04:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: May 13, 2009

Riding Route: Interstate 10 from Blythe, CA to Wickenburg, AZ

Temp: 104 degrees/Winds from the South

Elevation Climb: 4000 ft.

Miles Ridden Today: 115

This will be a short report tonight! We had a great day - and were thankful for the mild weather we had. This was the longest ride I've ever done - and on top of the 100 miles yesterday it wore the old boy out! We had 2 long climbs today - one 7 miles and another 11 miles. So far I've had no flat tires - very lucky. My roommate, Champ, has had three! I rode a good part of the day with Jack - who came here from Israel just for this ride. And you thought I was crazy!

We reached our first state crossing! We're in Wickenburg, AZ tonight. The highlight of the day was just getting here!

2009-05-12T23:11:00.000-07:00

Reporting on: May 12, 2009

Riding Route: Interstate 10 from Indio, CA to Blythe, CA (on the AZ border)

Temperature: Up to 110 degrees/Winds up to 20 mph

Elevation Climb: 3200 feet

Miles ridden today: 100.4 (our first "century" ride)

Whew! What a day! We did 100 miles of Mojave Desert - and I felt every mile of it! It was 70 degrees when we started at 7:15 - 80 degrees by 8:00, 90 degrees by 10:00 and it continued on up! We did over 80 miles on Interstate 10 - with the other 20 miles on parallel roads. I've gotten use to the trucks and cars - they're not the problem. It's the debris on the berm that creates the problems for us: glass, tires, garbage, etc. We must keep our eyes on the road at all times! Two of our riders were taken to the hospital because of dehydration problems. They'll get IV's and be back on the road hopefully tomorrow or the next day.

We started our day at 7:15 a.m. Most of us would like to begin earlier, but our tour leaders won't allow it because it's the time of day that the glare is bad in the truckers eyes. The sun needs to be a little higher to make it safe. The picture above was taken at mile 80...and I still had 20 miles to go! I arrived at the hotel a few minutes after 3:00.

My good friend Steve Bates (of Bates and Bates) was supposed to ride with me yesterday and today. Our tour company wouldn't allow it at the last minute! He was ready and had trained for it. But there were so many problems crossing the desert last year that they decided not to let any guests participate in this part of the ride. I miss you Steve - but you can be thankful that you got a pass on this one!

There is a great spirit of camaraderie forming. The team is pulling together and each person is part of the supporting network. Each of us takes time to make sure the next person is doing okay as the day goes on. Our SAG team is wonderful! We stop mid-morning and mid-afternoon - and they have fruit, drinks, nutrition bars etc. for us. It was a day of gatoraid and electrolyte pills! I drank over 210 oz. of gatoraid from my camelback today - and kept tap water in my bottles to pour over my body. It was a full-on sunscreen day!

Just a note on the "elevation climb" statistic. It refers to the amount of elevation we accomplish each day. We go up and down hills - but this is the "up" climb we do. It refers to the hills. For instance, today we started out with a climb from -15 ft sea level to 1000 feet above sea level. It was an 11 mile ride up hill at a 7% grade. A good morning workout!

More tomorrow.

2009-05-11T16:42:00.000-07:00

Picture taken on Sunday, May 10, 2009
Arriving at the hotel in Riverside, CA after my first day of riding! Hurray, I made it!

Reporting on: Monday, May 11, 2009
Riding Interstate 10 from Riverside, CA to Indio, CA
Temperature: 102 degrees/Winds up to 30 mph
Elevation Climb for the Day: 3300 feet
Miles Ridden: 84

Today we crossed the San Andres Fault line, went through Palm Springs, saw the windmill "farms" and hit the lowest point on our tour. Indio (where we are tonight) is 14' below sea level!

We left the hotel in Riverside at 7:00 a.m. I rode with the "fast" group and arrived at the hotel in Indio about 2:15...and mighty glad to be here! We had 2 major "hill climbs" today which consisted of our 3300 foot climb...not a problem! Let me tell you...there is a lot of sand out here. One refreshing thing was that we could see snow in the surrounding mountains! Probably the most interest thing of the day was that about 20 miles outside of Palm Springs the wind came up. And I mean up! Thank goodness it was at our back - and for quite awhile I didn't need to pedal the bike at all - and was going about 30 mph. There was a lot of road construction along the way...but we were lucky that their were some parallel roads along side of Interstate 10 that we were able to travel on.

All in all it was a great day! I do have to tell you that about 20 miles before Indio I stopped at a Del Taco (yea, really!) and went into the restroom and doused myself with water. That means my hat (I wear it under my helmet for sun protection), my arm "coolers" (yes, I started out with arm "warmers" the first day when it was only 60 degrees in Manhattan Beach -two totally different pieces of clothing!) and the rest of my body! I rested for about 15 minutes and was refreshed and ready to go.

Tomorrow is another long day in the desert. That means long sleeves (my arm coolers), a visor under my helmet (for head, neck & eye protection), water in and on the body at all times (got to keep the core temp down) and of course LOTS of sunscreen. I also need to drink more than 20 oz. of fluid every hour! They recommend every time we take a drink of water from our camelbacks that we reapply the sunscreen on our lips! UGH! Does than mean I have to stop often - NO! It will all evaporate out of my body! I hope I 'm able remember that 60 degree morning we left Manhattan Beach!

First Day Under My Belt! (uh-h-h Helmet)

2009-05-11T10:15:00.000-07:00

Sunday, May 10th

It's here! I'm excited & I'm nervous! The day has finally arrived and it's time to unchain my bike and get on the road. Getting the padlock off was the hardest part of the process! My mind is now open to all the possibilities that lay ahead! It's going to be an incredible journey!

Our group was ready to leave the hotel at 7:00 a.m. We had an escort as we rode our bikes about 5 miles to the Manhattan Beach Pier in Southern California. I was thrilled to see Betsy Denhart, Debbie Cusolito & my good friend Reed Fry and his children, Christopher and Jamie, there. Thank you so much!

By 7:45 a.m. we had dipped our rear tires in the Pacific Ocean - and were off on our ride. The first hill up from the beach was a tough one! Thank goodness it only lasted two blocks! My roommate, Champ, and I rode together most of the day. (Champ is a retired high school history teacher from Washington, IL - so I know we'll share some good talk). It was a challenge getting out of Los Angeles...through traffic, stop lights, stop signs and hoards of people! We went out with the "fast" group who were averaging more than 20 miles per hour. At the first SAG stop we decided to step back a pace - and at the end of the day had averaged 17-18 mph. Not bad for us more mature guys! The temperature rose from 60 degrees in Manhattan Beach to 96 degrees when we checked into our hotel in Riverside. I even had a few minutes by the pool! Whoa! Every evening before dinner we have a "route rap" where the ride the following day is discussed. Tomorrow is going to be a tough one: we begin our ride across the desert. The temperature is supposed to be 104 degrees - and with 10-20 mph winds. That's mild compared to past years - so we're happy! I'll let you know how it goes!

I'd like to mention that the pledges you have donated toward the support of the Decorative Plumbing and Hardware Scholarship Fund is closing in on $20,000. I promise to do my best to live up to your expectations of my ride - and earn every dollar that you have sent in or pledged. To my family, friends and industry partners: "I can't thank you enough. Your support in terms of encouragement and dollars has been incredible"! I will keep you posted on the progress of dollars raised.

2009-05-09T17:39:00.000-07:00

Wow, the day has finally arrived. We left Sacramento at 7:30 A.M. on Thursday morning. I was totally surprised by being met with all my neighbors being in front of the garage when the door was opened! Thank you Nancy and Gene for your efforts and the coffee and donuts that everyone enjoyed! What a wonderful sendoff - with well wishes from everyone! My special hat from Terri and Jesse truly set the stage for the all the things I need to remember! Thanks to everyone for their support. It's greatly appreciated!

Sunday morning we leave the hotel at 7:00 a.m. and head to Manhattan Beach Pier where we dip our rear tire in the Pacific Ocean. We have a group photo and then we're off to Riverside - our first stop on the trek. It's a 78 mile day. We had a 3 hour orientation meeting. I met the other 26 riders followed by dinner and getting acquainted. I've set the alarm for 5:00 a.m. for the first day activities!

More later...

Final Weeks!

2009-04-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

The time is less than two weeks until I embark on my trek! Yesterday I rode another century ride in Chico, CA with my son-in-law, Chuck. Lots of hills and lots of fun! Some days I can't imagine doing this for 50 days! My bike goes in for a complete overhaul today - so I have a couple of days rest!

We leave Sacramento on Friday, May 8th for Manhattan Beach in southern California where we will embark. Saturday the group (about 20 of us) will meet and greet - and get our bikes ready. Many of the people are flying in - from all over the country - and England... so will need to assemble their bikes. That night we'll have a banquet - with our families included. Sunday morning at 5:30 a.m. we'll have breakfast, pack up - and head for the beach where we'll dip our rear tires in the Pacific Ocean and begin our trek!

Letters in Mail

2009-03-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

March 13th

I rode 55 miles of hills yesterday - and am feeling better about my training in that area. I'm now averaging 300+ miles per week - with generally one day off for my body to recoup! (Recommended by my trainer). By the time I take off on this adventure I will have completed over 5000 miles in training.

Carol and I mailed almost 300 letters to industry & personal friends and family requesting their support in my quest to raise dollars for the DPHA Scholarship Fund. We know it's a tough time to be raising money, but we believe our goal to help build the Fund is a worthy cause. Each time a scholarship is awarded to a college student we will help that individual move closer to achieving his or her dreams. Especially in these times our young people will be needing all the help they can get. Thanks to everyone who is helping these dreams come true.

2009-03-04T20:42:00.001-08:00

Well, I'm getting ready for the ride of my life! I'm spending lots of time in the "saddle"! Right now I'm riding my bicycle 40-80 miles a day while in training for my ride across these great United States of America...which commences on May 9th in Los Angeles - and ends in Boston on June 29th.

I hope all of you will follow my trek across this beautiful country - and support me with your donations to the DPHA Rod Denhart Memorial Scholarship Fund and your thoughts and prayers as the journey gets underway.

I'll being doing "almost" daily reports of my trek- and hope you'll check in with me along the way.