tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39641520607921546582024-03-04T22:55:26.174-08:00Jim's Big Ride (XC09)Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-301943305301090552009-06-27T15:54:00.001-07:002009-07-13T16:13:16.365-07:00Boston, Massachusetts to Hermosa Beach, California3,500 miles, 5:45 hours of flying, 25,000 feet of climbing, ZERO Calories <p>I'm safely home. Deborah met me at LAX and I'm catching up on hugs and kisses that I missed. It took seven weeks to ride my bike from Los Angeles to Boston; it took less than six hours to fly back. I had a window seat on the plane and could look down on the approximate route that we took riding our bicycles the other way. Wow, is the U.S. of A. big! I'm suffering a little separation anxiety - my trusty bicycle is <em>en route</em> and won't be here for a week, but it's good to be home. <p>Final thoughts <p>If you decide that you, too, want to ride your bicycle across the United States, I offer the following suggestions and comments: <p>Go with Cross Roads Cycling Adventures! Tracy and her crew will take care of you. They have years of experience, are highly organized and efficient. All you have to do is ride your bicycle from hotel to hotel and CR will take care of all the rest. <p>Don't take stuff you don't need. At a minimum, all you really need, in addition to the stuff you will carry on your bicycle, is: bike shorts (1), jersey (1), bike socks (2 pair), arm coolers, street shorts (1), street shirt (1), windbreaker, sandals or Crocs, and a toothbrush. [You will need a camelback or equivalent for the desert crossings - send it home after.] Everything else is optional. <p>Wash your bicycle clothing in the motel sink each night. Cross Roads provides detergent. After washing, roll the wet clothes in a towel to pre-dry them, hang them up, and they will be dry in the morning. [Tom R. suggested a ShamWow or equivalent in place of the towel] <p>Get trip insurance. Riding a bicycle is potentially dangerous. You've paid a lot of money to take this trip. Get trip insurance. <p>Take a digital camera and get a "bento box" for your bike. It's much easier to get to your camera when it's in the bento box. <p>Buy a good quality road bike from a professional bike shop. Do not spend less than $1,500 for your bike. [Carbon frames are softer rides than Aluminum, steel, or Titanium.] <p>Get a bike fitting from a professional bike shop. Pay special attention to the five points where you come in contact with your bike: bottom, feet, and hands. Buy good quality shoes, padded shorts, and padded bike gloves. <p>Use tire liners; gatorskins or armadillo tires won't protect you from getting flats caused by wires on freeway shoulders. Trust me, I know. <p>A bandana is handy. It keeps the sun off your neck and can be moistened for cooling. <p>Instead of a "head sweat," bring a bicycle cap to wear under your helmet. The visor helps keep the sun off your face and the rain off your glasses. <p>Go on line and check your cell phone provider's coverage (especially in the western states). <p>Wireless internet connection is available at all hotels. Start a blog and either use the hotels' terminals or bring a netbook (they only weigh about two pounds). <p>Do EVERYTHING that Tracy tells you to do in her pre-ride emails. After years and years of taking intrepid cyclists across the U.S., she knows best. Do EVERYTHING she suggests you do. Trust me. <p>In preparation for the trip, the LONG training rides are more important than the short ones. Yes, you need to be in shape, but the long rides will tell you where you need to make changes in your shoes, gloves, shorts, etc. You don't want to discover that your saddle isn't comfortable between Riverside and Wickenburg! You will find out how to "go long." Oh, yes, wear your camelback (full) on your long training rides. <p>Chamois butter is not optional! Use it. <p>You, too, can ride your bike across the country! Just do it! <p>And, finally, support our troops. Make a donation to the USO. I thank you. <p>RSRO (ride safely, ride often),<br />Jim</p>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-68854371419580582322009-06-26T09:14:00.001-07:002009-07-13T16:14:26.302-07:00Burlington to Revere Beach, Massachusetts<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9pZk8OyMH5mQQuAJi0cmfqQ4LMW1swRmn7g7nOnhQZlDjxX4W_whfIQ9eM3CB-2NdbWqD8wuGbmGboYLUicKsToSYSa00PNKJVT5rtg31gh9Kz6VrTK4jOz2FvAUBV41oGC47PX-0tLm/s1600-h/reveremap-766472.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351670412758737746" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9pZk8OyMH5mQQuAJi0cmfqQ4LMW1swRmn7g7nOnhQZlDjxX4W_whfIQ9eM3CB-2NdbWqD8wuGbmGboYLUicKsToSYSa00PNKJVT5rtg31gh9Kz6VrTK4jOz2FvAUBV41oGC47PX-0tLm/s320/reveremap-766472.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADdTBdsik1kUnWjB9xbaiFHPdVodX4jN7KeSkuRZhIFIb060gApWodwWx_neUNDePMu0i2_tGrLDUwzfahlJa3a8x-AZ2bAKqAk3UHIlojn4DoGRupRSVqeqlDRe8k45O1sa2czoGIbmE/s1600-h/revereletsgo-767094.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351670415913334114" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADdTBdsik1kUnWjB9xbaiFHPdVodX4jN7KeSkuRZhIFIb060gApWodwWx_neUNDePMu0i2_tGrLDUwzfahlJa3a8x-AZ2bAKqAk3UHIlojn4DoGRupRSVqeqlDRe8k45O1sa2czoGIbmE/s320/revereletsgo-767094.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdHtNIFLov2Zx3aUNf5zLqmkBwaMRITfEooAZ0nWP5ZZ24AoSsY3DcTmVMK445zr9SzVS6ctHvJQVC8pxygoAHFVIJczsVU2P0AjbEd7gRvtSbHcKEzphtxquQKwXFE73NOQHao2_vGZW/s1600-h/revereregoup-769478.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351670422649711762" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdHtNIFLov2Zx3aUNf5zLqmkBwaMRITfEooAZ0nWP5ZZ24AoSsY3DcTmVMK445zr9SzVS6ctHvJQVC8pxygoAHFVIJczsVU2P0AjbEd7gRvtSbHcKEzphtxquQKwXFE73NOQHao2_vGZW/s320/revereregoup-769478.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZvrGYNtX2R8jlwYbdAut2IU5NCFdPAtrTr2Z4bhMdxNRCNJF7k5naYKXT3GVLKMQcJLioJcLOr7yM1NjvReakqXuF8t8odgcwFg5hyovR4q8MDg1ex5vKoPzGYufYLuwFtHxHt24MR1b/s1600-h/reveregroup-767688.JPG"></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8_Yzr4IhN0WnE4mQ_gmxie9H6w4Z5YcpU8cuQlFfquD2EH01aI4BU9KxlvhFpa82MDwTKh1qRT3JfrdJ0Dopx0YKqwKD6T6QEml1jywSJgZG1XZn_jrlSdQs4uUEwcdO9H1Xl0YQmLLR/s1600-h/reverewater-768707.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351670418041113394" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8_Yzr4IhN0WnE4mQ_gmxie9H6w4Z5YcpU8cuQlFfquD2EH01aI4BU9KxlvhFpa82MDwTKh1qRT3JfrdJ0Dopx0YKqwKD6T6QEml1jywSJgZG1XZn_jrlSdQs4uUEwcdO9H1Xl0YQmLLR/s320/reverewater-768707.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8_Yzr4IhN0WnE4mQ_gmxie9H6w4Z5YcpU8cuQlFfquD2EH01aI4BU9KxlvhFpa82MDwTKh1qRT3JfrdJ0Dopx0YKqwKD6T6QEml1jywSJgZG1XZn_jrlSdQs4uUEwcdO9H1Xl0YQmLLR/s1600-h/reverewater-768707.JPG"></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZvrGYNtX2R8jlwYbdAut2IU5NCFdPAtrTr2Z4bhMdxNRCNJF7k5naYKXT3GVLKMQcJLioJcLOr7yM1NjvReakqXuF8t8odgcwFg5hyovR4q8MDg1ex5vKoPzGYufYLuwFtHxHt24MR1b/s1600-h/reveregroup-767688.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351670414091789922" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZvrGYNtX2R8jlwYbdAut2IU5NCFdPAtrTr2Z4bhMdxNRCNJF7k5naYKXT3GVLKMQcJLioJcLOr7yM1NjvReakqXuF8t8odgcwFg5hyovR4q8MDg1ex5vKoPzGYufYLuwFtHxHt24MR1b/s320/reveregroup-767688.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdHtNIFLov2Zx3aUNf5zLqmkBwaMRITfEooAZ0nWP5ZZ24AoSsY3DcTmVMK445zr9SzVS6ctHvJQVC8pxygoAHFVIJczsVU2P0AjbEd7gRvtSbHcKEzphtxquQKwXFE73NOQHao2_vGZW/s1600-h/revereregoup-769478.JPG"></a></p>19 miles, 1.:35 riding time, 447 feet of climb, 904 Calories <p>It's still hard to accept, but today was our final ride together. We are here, Boston, finally, after seven weeks of riding. It was a short 19 miles from the hotel to Revere Beach. We paused at mile 14 to regroup and ride to the shore together. The mood was festive, riders waved to everyone on the street, and got a big cheer from some school kids. There was a lot of joking, singing, and shouting. <p>When we rounded the turn to the beach, a cheer went up from family and friends who had gathered to witness our triumphant arrival. My youngest son and his wife had driven down from Connecticut as representatives of my clan. <p>Although the tide was out, riders carried their faithful bikes across the sand to dip the front wheel in the Atlantic Ocean. We posed for our group picture and the bikes were loaded onto the trucks to be transported back to the hotel. This afternoon, we will pack up the bikes for shipment home. The banquet is tonight.</p>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-89635782664078905002009-06-25T13:14:00.001-07:002009-07-13T16:15:37.225-07:00Brattleboro, Vermont to Burlington, Massachusetts<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCO7d5MoPD_aZvS3XKjqaWoSWX7vVyfH0R0QzlMRH2BgMscel8xatkZozLYZWCj9PLhtsP_lQqi8gI2gSI6VGkSsGhiEjnmY4pPFMToZwD9fM7RGWV51Ff9Oi7we7EXPK5a59cgV3yxKUc/s1600-h/masssign-775614.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351361213499130450" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCO7d5MoPD_aZvS3XKjqaWoSWX7vVyfH0R0QzlMRH2BgMscel8xatkZozLYZWCj9PLhtsP_lQqi8gI2gSI6VGkSsGhiEjnmY4pPFMToZwD9fM7RGWV51Ff9Oi7we7EXPK5a59cgV3yxKUc/s320/masssign-775614.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq6P23AJmY3as4alxu8-af0EcFlzzv2k_3FMO4-zQWqs1IqYZTLm2CiCy1G2rSLr0sH6-lmLa2zbmXCVSuAgWzDRgCaHyJ6pqsugfmVNDtHjF4M0_bWn3iXcQcR7Xo_ED1cTEKIUyauCFq/s1600-h/massbridge-776301.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351361216918512690" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq6P23AJmY3as4alxu8-af0EcFlzzv2k_3FMO4-zQWqs1IqYZTLm2CiCy1G2rSLr0sH6-lmLa2zbmXCVSuAgWzDRgCaHyJ6pqsugfmVNDtHjF4M0_bWn3iXcQcR7Xo_ED1cTEKIUyauCFq/s320/massbridge-776301.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAZSus8SJKB34jvb1xFCtiCatuZuDB9DCONrSXjmVbAvsHNSb1VP-VQ5gS4YyfKDFIvig9jwSCw69p_3-18mBEzpneVdCo3-8GG2RHFPqEGQJIoSQm5z3nGEFtXNZ39Sxq-C-ykDqXqSy/s1600-h/masslastsag-776966.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351361215400015234" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAZSus8SJKB34jvb1xFCtiCatuZuDB9DCONrSXjmVbAvsHNSb1VP-VQ5gS4YyfKDFIvig9jwSCw69p_3-18mBEzpneVdCo3-8GG2RHFPqEGQJIoSQm5z3nGEFtXNZ39Sxq-C-ykDqXqSy/s320/masslastsag-776966.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYTDZC8-qpqGSPnk5mO7d9_0PT4KBCGFCDkffz2o6fmJaQ3QmiXjZAPB-j8wKnkLQQ6QHupq_10cW-evg-qajU2jfb50gKaf9sxPMaobNwSB9GZJgViyXFNRCraZ7gEXX-zdM850iFMhY/s1600-h/massminute-777611.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351361219257553458" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYTDZC8-qpqGSPnk5mO7d9_0PT4KBCGFCDkffz2o6fmJaQ3QmiXjZAPB-j8wKnkLQQ6QHupq_10cW-evg-qajU2jfb50gKaf9sxPMaobNwSB9GZJgViyXFNRCraZ7gEXX-zdM850iFMhY/s320/massminute-777611.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKWaOikTt3NqO6ENzURUQin8i3BKRT9z7MWDzm_TseNKsdBDdjrYe_F9a_epo0zzirty3A2CDF1K41ForBalnWZDNJtL357THHHOb3DftJjeOAVm4RjYpW2gMc8sv5ALLWK8EX60X1nnT/s1600-h/massmealpeter-778281.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351361225940584338" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKWaOikTt3NqO6ENzURUQin8i3BKRT9z7MWDzm_TseNKsdBDdjrYe_F9a_epo0zzirty3A2CDF1K41ForBalnWZDNJtL357THHHOb3DftJjeOAVm4RjYpW2gMc8sv5ALLWK8EX60X1nnT/s320/massmealpeter-778281.JPG" border="0" /></a></p>93 miles, 6:03 riding time, 4,380 feet climbing, 4,826 Calories <p><em>By the rude bridge that arched the flood,<br />Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,<br />Here once the embattled farmers stood,<br />And fired the shot heard round the world. (Emerson) </em><p>Almost there! <p>No rain, partly cloudy skies, and mild winds (no, still not out of the west), made for a perfect day to ride from Vermont into the outskirts of Boston. We crossed two state lines today, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The New Hampshire border came shortly after leaving the hotel. We crossed the Connecticut River and followed the river for a while before joining Route 119. Cross Roads saved the steepest hills for today; my Garmin measured slopes of 12% on a couple of long climbs! It was such a beautiful day, I left Al and Peter for a bit and rode ahead of them, up and down the mountains, into the first SAG stop. My buddies soon caught up with me at the SAG and we rode the rest of the day together. About half way thought the ride, we began a long descent, losing a thousand feet of elevation over a few miles. The second SAG stop was our last SAG stop of the trip; it was located next to a nice hot dog stand that served fresh squeezed lemonade. The rest of the day was spent riding up and down over rolling hills through the forest. Ron, one of last year's riders met us in Carlisle and led us in to the hotel - this was much appreciated as the route was very windy with many turns to navigate. We stopped briefly to photograph the statue of the Minuteman in Lexington, rolled into the hotel, gave each other a high five, and collapsed. <p>Today was our last, full day of riding! Unbelievable. Tomorrow, we ride the final eighteen miles to Revere Beach to complete our coast to coast bicycle trip.</p>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-34689581205519396992009-06-24T13:33:00.001-07:002009-06-24T13:33:49.417-07:00Albany, NY to Brattleboro, Vermont<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKD0KHsDrV5SSef1NSd6dgiaBoMi99COAmaHSQgRb3Yanr5GjPiwfWo7OoLvNOnShsMy3wfCq0MGwTkGE8AEKmd69PsQ98AcLbYYzmju3uldCxwpOB6N53e5vhWBLI5WClO4BUi8fbRDX/s1600-h/vermontmoose-729419.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKD0KHsDrV5SSef1NSd6dgiaBoMi99COAmaHSQgRb3Yanr5GjPiwfWo7OoLvNOnShsMy3wfCq0MGwTkGE8AEKmd69PsQ98AcLbYYzmju3uldCxwpOB6N53e5vhWBLI5WClO4BUi8fbRDX/s320/vermontmoose-729419.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350995084081448690" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWO2VBGtgybHDZNpRl1byKeJvVMVb3eKSTlx9C6IOGIgaN4iTaz8iEVW4KTfrg3tuVng5M3SljW9HbUdJOD3WiXBv9eGPKd6JAwGCZoatXeKBqwJQ0PGllEEhhniHMBJAu6usO14dQnRp/s1600-h/vermontsign-730102.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWO2VBGtgybHDZNpRl1byKeJvVMVb3eKSTlx9C6IOGIgaN4iTaz8iEVW4KTfrg3tuVng5M3SljW9HbUdJOD3WiXBv9eGPKd6JAwGCZoatXeKBqwJQ0PGllEEhhniHMBJAu6usO14dQnRp/s320/vermontsign-730102.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350995088576410578" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhpR2UmRYURVjZKwuJM5woS5rVn-WhyCqxANrqrmaWYMxkp0o4tR8AAomYR5yNLA_HB_kdC8R6K4uoqo4aQh7qtVNprkfoV8Aq2Jc_1wCLKhU9RaazZscIXggYyvny4GvzYDOwgcRUdTBu/s1600-h/vermont+monument-731038.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhpR2UmRYURVjZKwuJM5woS5rVn-WhyCqxANrqrmaWYMxkp0o4tR8AAomYR5yNLA_HB_kdC8R6K4uoqo4aQh7qtVNprkfoV8Aq2Jc_1wCLKhU9RaazZscIXggYyvny4GvzYDOwgcRUdTBu/s320/vermont+monument-731038.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350995093703663330" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4QjvsUlWh1J-p19eay6bjbixdEQ5KbBT9GPd6y5roUsoI93IfVMFVvrh0EOSK1hMbyFsxbeQiQdMqGnEmnG2kc_I4eBvhT9BzMmT3w8pxXNTDVGACWUNDbi4yLe3jCryUNo84shUZ37X/s1600-h/vermontstream-731903.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4QjvsUlWh1J-p19eay6bjbixdEQ5KbBT9GPd6y5roUsoI93IfVMFVvrh0EOSK1hMbyFsxbeQiQdMqGnEmnG2kc_I4eBvhT9BzMmT3w8pxXNTDVGACWUNDbi4yLe3jCryUNo84shUZ37X/s320/vermontstream-731903.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350995094313329730" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAGDvLOYtBtYIIC1G_fi6hR0rUBWfuClXvx5sz_UKr4WAnyN95cwzL_kLw-h2tn6ckejE5Fc2NZhzWDaDu4CxHuTe2_IANur5kU64-fk6veBxjeFxFKpbvPxx_efUoxBZVrjTVItDvPaJ/s1600-h/vermontflowe-733763.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAGDvLOYtBtYIIC1G_fi6hR0rUBWfuClXvx5sz_UKr4WAnyN95cwzL_kLw-h2tn6ckejE5Fc2NZhzWDaDu4CxHuTe2_IANur5kU64-fk6veBxjeFxFKpbvPxx_efUoxBZVrjTVItDvPaJ/s320/vermontflowe-733763.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350995099692075714" /></a></p>80 miles, 5:34 riding time, 5,119 feet climbing, 4,013 Calories<p>Rain! Headwinds! Climbs! The gorgeous Green Mountains of Vermont.<p>The forecast was for 40% chance of rain and winds from out of the north. I pocketed my wind breaker, just in case, and headed out of the motel parking lot. We navigated the city streets, with potholes, impatient traffic, and even a tunnel. Inside the tunnel were some potholes big enough to swallow a bicyclist, but we safely navigated our way around them. Eventually, we turned onto Route 7 and entered the forest. Thirty-one miles from Albany we crossed the Vermont State line, pausing to take pictures and sprinkle some of our CA sand.<p>Painted moose structures appear to be all the rage in Vermont; I especially like this gold one. We stopped at the Bennington Battle Monument - the tallest manmade structure in Vermont. The monument commemorates a battle during the Revolution; unfortunately, the actual battle site is some ten miles away in the state of New York, but don't tell anyone.<p>Coming out of Bennington, we started a 7 mile climb. Near the top, the grade was 8 & 9% for a couple of miles. In fact, the entire day was spent climbing or descending. As we neared the top, it began to sprinkle and then to rain in earnest. We donned our jackets for the descent. It rained, off and on, all the way to the hotel. This wasn't as bad as the rain we had riding from Erie to Canandaigua, but my left shoe was full of water at the end and everything was covered in mud.<p>It's too bad the rain detracted from a wonderful ride in the Green Mountains. There were streams and rivers, lots of trees and steep hills, a perfect mix for a perfect day of bicycling through Vermont.<p>Brattleboro is the oldest town in Vermont. It's situated in a deep valley next to the Connecticut River. Since Vermont doesn't have any regulations against public nudity - it's usually so cold here, no one would think of going outside with no clothes on - Brattleboro is the home of the Vermont World Naked Bike Ride. Unfortunately, the ride was two weeks ago, on June 13, so we missed it.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-34180917454641091842009-06-23T13:05:00.001-07:002009-06-23T13:05:45.441-07:00Little Falls to Albany, NY<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXZDbNxKdKbAwG3zH-VIxSja1zYweUGASzpbPyPKkuO915avzcKoDS17JoeU_quFJISmK8PLVvUBsISNZGeuL1fOTHHJPSMfKfKMFfeRevFAMzvnJspEb4Ci7JS3SeW-kPeCnYqDooyEQ/s1600-h/albanybridge-745442.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXZDbNxKdKbAwG3zH-VIxSja1zYweUGASzpbPyPKkuO915avzcKoDS17JoeU_quFJISmK8PLVvUBsISNZGeuL1fOTHHJPSMfKfKMFfeRevFAMzvnJspEb4Ci7JS3SeW-kPeCnYqDooyEQ/s320/albanybridge-745442.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350616765652783202" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IifzH6H72b84XVw_Z30vmLqVmqkzY3Fa_uuEdjD1rGYCiw9-q2BX2bxnbCwMY0FxPF0j5HWT-PJYO5QeApr9H8G5SCuk8WFYBt2MFhKFScqydzz3pHOzJ2-gl4-qy_Vws-x-ycHFbdGE/s1600-h/albanyKlock-746432.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IifzH6H72b84XVw_Z30vmLqVmqkzY3Fa_uuEdjD1rGYCiw9-q2BX2bxnbCwMY0FxPF0j5HWT-PJYO5QeApr9H8G5SCuk8WFYBt2MFhKFScqydzz3pHOzJ2-gl4-qy_Vws-x-ycHFbdGE/s320/albanyKlock-746432.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350616771969549490" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHN9KwRBc1g2faGmxjSrkELQ5aUI9Sn59IO0IO3maw32pohnleIHZn5et0yhRSwbthE9uHeMOGtjq16SGvV7ZOYbLWgfM2AtNPX21d_u_PLvTzVUUlZBgg2Skw70vQAucecw9RXUzwFa9/s1600-h/albanymohawk-747055.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHN9KwRBc1g2faGmxjSrkELQ5aUI9Sn59IO0IO3maw32pohnleIHZn5et0yhRSwbthE9uHeMOGtjq16SGvV7ZOYbLWgfM2AtNPX21d_u_PLvTzVUUlZBgg2Skw70vQAucecw9RXUzwFa9/s320/albanymohawk-747055.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350616773239301122" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOsjer7qnes-by-xWCliIzdrRwt4ItFh3HOxlqVSGL5D9OXpvktmOeeEqtPFLDjlsIK-wR4qxlZooxYEswC5uVyJX7zPetBrLAZvPU8mITCECgA1reKSxodHb_k5NH4YOwCNNxslT_953X/s1600-h/albanyrrandriver-747815.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOsjer7qnes-by-xWCliIzdrRwt4ItFh3HOxlqVSGL5D9OXpvktmOeeEqtPFLDjlsIK-wR4qxlZooxYEswC5uVyJX7zPetBrLAZvPU8mITCECgA1reKSxodHb_k5NH4YOwCNNxslT_953X/s320/albanyrrandriver-747815.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350616776128413826" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD58337TVWHD1Dohp_Rbip6Cog5qsWPq9wagrwgURnY_hB8gIsJjq6zhP4cAbetBXko02BuYVTy8sCKHFBsIAvOrMLHZv4Za4n6mycByDyz7BPExxSSLkd8kze3Q-XCe0X-sLV50v3Acoq/s1600-h/albanydonbarbara-748570.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD58337TVWHD1Dohp_Rbip6Cog5qsWPq9wagrwgURnY_hB8gIsJjq6zhP4cAbetBXko02BuYVTy8sCKHFBsIAvOrMLHZv4Za4n6mycByDyz7BPExxSSLkd8kze3Q-XCe0X-sLV50v3Acoq/s320/albanydonbarbara-748570.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350616778209360226" /></a></p>72 miles, 4:29 riding time, 1,862 feet climbing, 3,647 Calories<p>This morning, we delayed our start by one hour, sleeping in, having a leisurely breakfast and then signing out at 8:15. The usual group of Peter, Al, Willie, and I started down Route 5 which parallels the Mohawk River below Little Falls. It was a glorious day, with blue skies and puffy white clouds. Al spotted a red fox hunting beside the road! A few miles down the road, we stopped to visit Fort Klock, a fortified house built in 1750. The house has gun slits next to the windows for firing at raiding Indians. The Mohawk valley was the gateway to the west from the coastal communities in the Colonies and some of the old houses still exist.<p>Although heavily wooded, we were often able to catch a glimpse of the river and surrounding farmland. In Amsterdam, the railroad station is right next to the river. Peter looked at the schedule and said he could take the train home to New York City from there; he opted to continue riding with us instead. Peter is going to ride his bike home from Boston at the end of our trip!<p>As we were rolling down one long hill, I spotted two Cross Roads riders sitting with their bikes beside the road. I knew they were CR riders because they were wearing CR jerseys and one had his orange flag on his bike. I was confused however, because I knew they weren't with our group; everyone in our group was behind us. We stopped and met Don and Barbara, Cross Roads alumni from last year's ride. They live in the Albany area and Don volunteered to ride in with us.<p>Eventually, we left the beautiful countryside behind us and rolled into Schenectady - lots of traffic and bad pavement! We must have stopped at every traffic signal in town. Finally, we turned into the suburbs where it was a little quieter, but the streets were narrow and the road surface was in need of repair. Don said the last few miles of the CR route were dangerous and under construction; did we want him to take us to the hotel by a safer and more scenic route? Peter and I opted to go with Don, but Al said he wanted to stick with the route sheet. We followed Don down to the Mohawk River and rode a very nice bike path for several miles before climbing up the hotel. Later, Al said we had made the right choice, that the road he was on was not safe to bicycle.<p>We have two more days of riding left, plus the short ride into Revere Beach on Friday. Where has the time gone?Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-5313309358573064692009-06-23T03:47:00.001-07:002009-06-23T03:47:55.341-07:00Little Falls, New York<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFbLP9hm8oRIwyq4vwktlLEfnB6GQChxXbdOY0QCEH18dHzGYSCSpfZhOdrkAENUHlPGdsQdnOgG7jHklwO8e-6PWUx3CeRqp_1oTLXchywrERhsfbhDuTdZcx0oh39lpffYM-8vft9zA/s1600-h/lbbuildings-775343.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFbLP9hm8oRIwyq4vwktlLEfnB6GQChxXbdOY0QCEH18dHzGYSCSpfZhOdrkAENUHlPGdsQdnOgG7jHklwO8e-6PWUx3CeRqp_1oTLXchywrERhsfbhDuTdZcx0oh39lpffYM-8vft9zA/s320/lbbuildings-775343.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350473013594055330" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmxnfg2-HwsDRb9_Q9S4LKPoZbcoAe1J2gNTiAQGs3Pxmo7opewTI3pZ4Q4jMEAqKepEYL80JpakJq8igISkeWEcyxB9E6DRAXMVa1Dur3m9DLn0R68t8RFZ_xLkNzm3FMMM-_KzGgMdN/s1600-h/lftown-776669.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmxnfg2-HwsDRb9_Q9S4LKPoZbcoAe1J2gNTiAQGs3Pxmo7opewTI3pZ4Q4jMEAqKepEYL80JpakJq8igISkeWEcyxB9E6DRAXMVa1Dur3m9DLn0R68t8RFZ_xLkNzm3FMMM-_KzGgMdN/s320/lftown-776669.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350473015940893922" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dsj3vY_bnT86UNAm1xGatT6hYjsxo-UdipzJXBoW0MVZcY4N7G3SW3ge54ujblwWg7gfdaPm2HB7qLvQx7nIYOjkdSeg9p9O8ytaKGsnjrsFfkuT40F-yHLjgyGs3YWRvywzQ3luqux8/s1600-h/lflocksign-777400.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dsj3vY_bnT86UNAm1xGatT6hYjsxo-UdipzJXBoW0MVZcY4N7G3SW3ge54ujblwWg7gfdaPm2HB7qLvQx7nIYOjkdSeg9p9O8ytaKGsnjrsFfkuT40F-yHLjgyGs3YWRvywzQ3luqux8/s320/lflocksign-777400.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350473022211473682" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdotJQpbpGU1yPzFE9KPJajEEkFVac7KNncFW_en6XOdF86bv92lbgcZ4M_MaS5JrTSy3k0ilWO_XBsHxDGE9Ir6aHSCBK9vKcHzEGaTjMNO15SxZ9pZ8902CUHhJ2etOF6KKZuxui7WO/s1600-h/lflock-778226.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdotJQpbpGU1yPzFE9KPJajEEkFVac7KNncFW_en6XOdF86bv92lbgcZ4M_MaS5JrTSy3k0ilWO_XBsHxDGE9Ir6aHSCBK9vKcHzEGaTjMNO15SxZ9pZ8902CUHhJ2etOF6KKZuxui7WO/s320/lflock-778226.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350473027508596962" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi852zISCHHbH_fXHluFz3mAcXMzDt9HlNvwZiArSvdDORAxLW-p0FY3cJb9sIP9TmeJXdBD3PnYBN43jEg-YXXBoSjmHypcURqlDpJLhyxwuc1r-BAXD3v_y3Pa8_4eQMHJhYXHu7ANUHf/s1600-h/lflockcaptain-779288.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi852zISCHHbH_fXHluFz3mAcXMzDt9HlNvwZiArSvdDORAxLW-p0FY3cJb9sIP9TmeJXdBD3PnYBN43jEg-YXXBoSjmHypcURqlDpJLhyxwuc1r-BAXD3v_y3Pa8_4eQMHJhYXHu7ANUHf/s320/lflockcaptain-779288.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350473028222370818" /></a></p>Yesterday, we got into Little Falls early enough for me to wander around a little bit. At one time, LF was a thriving industrial town on the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal. With plentiful water power, access to barge and rail transportation east/west, the town became very prosperous. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever and the industries faded or went elsewhere as railroads, interstates, and cheap labor eroded the economic base. LF is one of the smallest towns we have stayed in on our cross-country adventure, but is undergoing a revival of sorts. They are renovating the factories and derelict buildings, for antique shops, restaurants, etc. Tourism may be the next boom business for LF.<p>The NY Barge Canal is 40.5 feet higher than the Mohawk River in Little Falls. There used to be three locks to lift barges from the river to the canal and back down; they were replaced by a single lock, making it one of the greatest lifts in the world. While commercial barge traffic is a thing of the past, the canal is still used by pleasure boats.<p>I met the man on duty at the lock and he gave me a quick tour. Can you say, "cool job?" In the picture of the lock, you can see how big it is by comparison to the van parked on the left.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-30003463606532797502009-06-22T11:43:00.001-07:002009-06-22T13:36:17.771-07:00Syracuse to Little Falls, New York<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47BbnBlfY6Vc8RfPk7mmA77afA_S3WCRXg4oIm9IfJJ5jhJR7eqssm5MnpS5heKC7uuMjOZpqSF2MsWYGZOmnrHEh2oLwT54XPgn6N8plZ2BWvhZAg2ZV9wqtS3ijkyfULCtsOW46tLg2/s1600-h/littlefallsbarn-729502.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350224566434823138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47BbnBlfY6Vc8RfPk7mmA77afA_S3WCRXg4oIm9IfJJ5jhJR7eqssm5MnpS5heKC7uuMjOZpqSF2MsWYGZOmnrHEh2oLwT54XPgn6N8plZ2BWvhZAg2ZV9wqtS3ijkyfULCtsOW46tLg2/s320/littlefallsbarn-729502.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWHvrF4sdPwHQcPNC_t1AiMSec3LVDGQGhbn88DF7gKQ26jcel0W-vIJfa6xrnaN9Aw_iZFiOFhFe5W_QdmGYbfM96sSWX4j42cfrHwaV8FrrALj3MV2n0tutCw5smyXnVj963K1FzAhh/s1600-h/littlefallscows-730218.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350224570011708482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWHvrF4sdPwHQcPNC_t1AiMSec3LVDGQGhbn88DF7gKQ26jcel0W-vIJfa6xrnaN9Aw_iZFiOFhFe5W_QdmGYbfM96sSWX4j42cfrHwaV8FrrALj3MV2n0tutCw5smyXnVj963K1FzAhh/s320/littlefallscows-730218.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmva11zRVxBUwJb3x0JHP-ZVey2JzBynDOqzmj8HEE_hy_61uDhO51MJPKdi8-ghYlcntpKfLND6wePFh849GQ4yyeKTHJMKdAStBQDbg8P4wWCHtqLMSyvloZ_y6wpe598cD4Op0gJkoS/s1600-h/littlefallshorses-731184.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350224573634828018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmva11zRVxBUwJb3x0JHP-ZVey2JzBynDOqzmj8HEE_hy_61uDhO51MJPKdi8-ghYlcntpKfLND6wePFh849GQ4yyeKTHJMKdAStBQDbg8P4wWCHtqLMSyvloZ_y6wpe598cD4Op0gJkoS/s320/littlefallshorses-731184.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFsHsxsnZo7fE5kiODiHxIxmal5B7Cp_CjLNmaKK7KOonhq4ucnnRqI6jNPmYEwEFM2y8aundZR8hSXhcWkhP6AGmDAu3fznyYw1Df3CjJy0FHNzK9QaY-qGOqwuA_hyphenhyphen0nuXh_ZRqbua1/s1600-h/littlefallscanal-732106.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350224579400375346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFsHsxsnZo7fE5kiODiHxIxmal5B7Cp_CjLNmaKK7KOonhq4ucnnRqI6jNPmYEwEFM2y8aundZR8hSXhcWkhP6AGmDAu3fznyYw1Df3CjJy0FHNzK9QaY-qGOqwuA_hyphenhyphen0nuXh_ZRqbua1/s320/littlefallscanal-732106.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcOiOPAcUpwWInzOYosfilRUHgER0VsCBluInc9G0zwMrl7bnxrS0Y1kivEXdhzkDqDoSV92wdM21F9szpsPfaOC_3t-ZH5j-WY9qniUoxe_24nJ_SXPIWag642RW8olNYvvcP8DmI7Un/s1600-h/littlefallssag-733105.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350224585124677410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcOiOPAcUpwWInzOYosfilRUHgER0VsCBluInc9G0zwMrl7bnxrS0Y1kivEXdhzkDqDoSV92wdM21F9szpsPfaOC_3t-ZH5j-WY9qniUoxe_24nJ_SXPIWag642RW8olNYvvcP8DmI7Un/s320/littlefallssag-733105.JPG" /></a></p>78 miles, 4:40 riding time, 1,591 feet climbing, 4,452 Calories <p><em>I can see clearly now the rain is gone<br />I can see all obstacles in my way<br />Gone are the dark clouds that had me down<br />It's gonna be a bright, bright, bright, bright sun shiny day<br />It's gonna be a bright, bright, bright, bright sun shiny day<br />(Johnny Nash) </em><p>Woo hoo! No rain today. We even had sun and blue skies! We left Syracuse at the normal time; riding for almost ten miles just getting out of town. But once we were past the city, we were treated to a very nice, deserted country road - Al said this road was what he imagined most of the ride across America was going to be like…well, sort of, if you ignore the Interstate highways, the desert, the wheat fields of Kansas, and a few other things. <p>Chris didn't ride today - he has injured the tendons in his shin and is taking some time off the bike. So, it was just Big Al, Peter, Willie, and me, riding through the countryside. Once in a while Al would break out into song. "Good morning, America, how are ya?" seemed to be a favorite. Each day, shortly into the ride, Al says, "Hey, Jim. Guess what!" "What Al?" "We're riding across America!" Al is easily amused. <p>In Canastota, we turned down Canal Street and rode along a portion of the Erie Canal for several miles. This part of the old canal is a park, with a trail along the old tow path, how neat is that? <p>We made great time (the road was flat) into the SAG stop, under partly cloudy skies and warm conditions. After the SAG, we continued on country roads for a while before paralleling the highway and eventually turning into the quaint town of Little Falls. Al and I joined Willie at the fire station to talk to some of the first responders. In the old fire house is a four story fireman's pole; it's in sections; the firemen would drop down one section of the pole and then swing over to the next, to get from the top floor down to the truck bay. <p>Factoid of the day: Little Falls is on the Mohawk River; there's a bigger falls up the river, hence the name. On the barge canal at Little Falls, is a 40.5 foot lock, one of the highest in the world.</p>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-54699700133582435022009-06-21T12:28:00.001-07:002009-06-21T12:37:13.330-07:00Canandaigua to Syracuse, New York<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGRHF4749dgBuL7tMVgC06kopvQb_wqglXTIXpFnjJw0XEBj1FYwJahQ7xTGl9qCbhgXEsI5Rz0JginBYJob0lahhSEck8c96T2nnGniugc76mVWyQkGYIb_dfKpBgYeNsQIheez-VyEG/s1600-h/newbike-790602.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349864910838312162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGRHF4749dgBuL7tMVgC06kopvQb_wqglXTIXpFnjJw0XEBj1FYwJahQ7xTGl9qCbhgXEsI5Rz0JginBYJob0lahhSEck8c96T2nnGniugc76mVWyQkGYIb_dfKpBgYeNsQIheez-VyEG/s320/newbike-790602.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpY6hz74S56-zuae5MO3iB6hMitummIWE6gc_Kx-jcyqCTZvEnoMeONK0yLjClfeJedzP9Xx69J4us3_SuD83Bp2F5DXrHH98rJ0mFhzh8iOhKGpYR_SB5rgoYgdxUEBHNXqRm1EzBAkc/s1600-h/newyorkflowers-791418.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349864913861340562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpY6hz74S56-zuae5MO3iB6hMitummIWE6gc_Kx-jcyqCTZvEnoMeONK0yLjClfeJedzP9Xx69J4us3_SuD83Bp2F5DXrHH98rJ0mFhzh8iOhKGpYR_SB5rgoYgdxUEBHNXqRm1EzBAkc/s320/newyorkflowers-791418.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2sX9nnRM7ZnoJZRjbiKUW8qa_tYhWcLM8OX8-gyQwKmvyBHX3K3hL6kFJY6_jVkEI0WzoG_OY-GJFNyoNTOXmRXdwWQK_JR2gF73hjLIfbqBUag59m5QrXeUGPrnz-3Ey428MW2jG69v/s1600-h/rickflat-792185.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349864918803657042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2sX9nnRM7ZnoJZRjbiKUW8qa_tYhWcLM8OX8-gyQwKmvyBHX3K3hL6kFJY6_jVkEI0WzoG_OY-GJFNyoNTOXmRXdwWQK_JR2gF73hjLIfbqBUag59m5QrXeUGPrnz-3Ey428MW2jG69v/s320/rickflat-792185.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTEWDnzEY6o1nALf1BZLLNhGhGHwgUqjEAN7CLapCeRv69e5oFVaT8B9KFTonINCcPRf_acRut4j7k2J00j9KxXDMRqKIwX69itY28KcYTIVLAricA1g1RSohr957T29N6BrS-oi9SJk3/s1600-h/eriecanal-792936.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349864918037017506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTEWDnzEY6o1nALf1BZLLNhGhGHwgUqjEAN7CLapCeRv69e5oFVaT8B9KFTonINCcPRf_acRut4j7k2J00j9KxXDMRqKIwX69itY28KcYTIVLAricA1g1RSohr957T29N6BrS-oi9SJk3/s320/eriecanal-792936.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTAw1t5q5pLIL2fipBITJO5CvQEAlb917PT2K0kngTi_KFgcFMMuMN6qW0G3t5Nh-QryAZzgh8bwRkeIS2X85mO8KcLKm8Z2X4uDAiaGs2Epel9R-HfnBNJ0xqQUp9uRPHOQ1QTWMfZc9/s1600-h/jim3000-793627.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349864924232897282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTAw1t5q5pLIL2fipBITJO5CvQEAlb917PT2K0kngTi_KFgcFMMuMN6qW0G3t5Nh-QryAZzgh8bwRkeIS2X85mO8KcLKm8Z2X4uDAiaGs2Epel9R-HfnBNJ0xqQUp9uRPHOQ1QTWMfZc9/s320/jim3000-793627.JPG" /></a></p>69 miles, 4:02 riding time, 2,509 feet climbing, 3,597 Calories <p><em>I've got a mule and her name is Sal<br />Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal<br />She's a good old worker and a good old pal<br />Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal </em><p><em>We haul'd some barges in our day<br />Filled with lumber, coal, and hay<br />We know every inch of the way<br />From Albany to Buffalo </em><p><em>Low bridge, everybody down<br />Low bridge, yeah we're coming to a town<br />And you'll always know your neighbor<br />And you'll always know your pal<br />If ya ever navigated on the Erie Canal</em> <p>It's Father's Day! It's also Willie's birthday - Happy B'day, Willie! <p>How do you like my new bike…er, trike? <p>When I went in search of my morning coffee, they had the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" playing in the reception area. Unfortunately, the weatherman didn't share Paul, John, Ringo, and George's sentiments. <p>It was drizzling when we left the hotel and it continued to rain for about an hour before stopping. We didn't have the gully washer rain we had the previous day, but the roads were wet and messy. There were periods of sprinkles and dry spells for the rest of the ride to Syracuse. More fl*ts today, but none for me. For some reason, people get more flats when it rains. Either we don't see debris in the rain, or the rain washes glass and wire onto the roadway. <p>Big Al and I burned up the road getting to the SAG stop, wanting to minimize our exposure to any possible rain. We slowed a little after that and caught up with Chris who had a mechanical problem. The three of us rode into the hotel together. <p>This part of New York is beautiful, with gently rolling hills, farm buildings, old barns, and tidy towns. We rode through Waterloo, birthplace of Memorial Day in 1866, and Seneca Falls, the home of Amelia Bloomer, suffragette. The highlight of the day, for me anyway, was crossing the Erie Canal! <p>We have now ridden more than three thousand miles across the U.S. Not much further to go before we are in Boston.</p>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-43372951063850763662009-06-20T13:47:00.001-07:002009-06-20T14:01:51.656-07:00Hamburg to Canandaigua, New York<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEO9WYFvaTrir-R34Wz3Lvo-8pJxYj8apBlMC5odOW7JLCMmspsR0ImN6XRjBarLHfx_9RlOmbqpwJVZkPCk_A0KHSZWH0ADgw68Uc6i1gx_0Cg1O3ms6Jek5pEWcrXUhc3shLEKHUO1tp/s1600-h/canandaiguaroad-741538.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349514230280408498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEO9WYFvaTrir-R34Wz3Lvo-8pJxYj8apBlMC5odOW7JLCMmspsR0ImN6XRjBarLHfx_9RlOmbqpwJVZkPCk_A0KHSZWH0ADgw68Uc6i1gx_0Cg1O3ms6Jek5pEWcrXUhc3shLEKHUO1tp/s320/canandaiguaroad-741538.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vVUwVzc-jxDzsgEj6p39CRNpDctwzHr-H8hpKm-k6fL9iTVsVExAqLQZ5Wraltz_pKkznZdpJyr3whSxqdk45GWAwLiXP8he7PNaadfD2EeOFBz34KzqkTPhLiwoK_P1N36PF-OFkJ-7/s1600-h/elk-742262.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349514235662600946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vVUwVzc-jxDzsgEj6p39CRNpDctwzHr-H8hpKm-k6fL9iTVsVExAqLQZ5Wraltz_pKkznZdpJyr3whSxqdk45GWAwLiXP8he7PNaadfD2EeOFBz34KzqkTPhLiwoK_P1N36PF-OFkJ-7/s320/elk-742262.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRsHCBqKv6cOsuO0ScZCQp-eRdJ58H5V4lFJZe-E7VtNwubToxJpjluBgjZd6bCX85NfDYTk-6pS1GaDNqfZFU7pTdUJitw0f8k_a6H914vympo1LPuvucUDwrZzo2i0qO5rCAlOVH1DK/s1600-h/garmin-742994.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349514239858462818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRsHCBqKv6cOsuO0ScZCQp-eRdJ58H5V4lFJZe-E7VtNwubToxJpjluBgjZd6bCX85NfDYTk-6pS1GaDNqfZFU7pTdUJitw0f8k_a6H914vympo1LPuvucUDwrZzo2i0qO5rCAlOVH1DK/s320/garmin-742994.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sVXe8kJv_QGGa82qYM9htNd6migfaxRWSamvQlG0JLofA1UmCIHN1-FOd_tRP6jnWKUVpqQzsjhzE1Y9uCKm4dRkiG00UcRtReyK9qr6_ceyBiW8kCZUNsLAhfpC_HmcF-SsCGywBlf6/s1600-h/blueflower-743690.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349514239578742306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sVXe8kJv_QGGa82qYM9htNd6migfaxRWSamvQlG0JLofA1UmCIHN1-FOd_tRP6jnWKUVpqQzsjhzE1Y9uCKm4dRkiG00UcRtReyK9qr6_ceyBiW8kCZUNsLAhfpC_HmcF-SsCGywBlf6/s320/blueflower-743690.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWKBhdcz48bJMeStYX0qA5qsTyBxlVtzFQYb4WTd1_iulz-H4qzJFaMYiO2E7KxqDfoIEhN8ZWOg2d4R16frqvcCDbTyMg1ttTMTWYHPV0cY1JHfAM8VvNrMewS4Bu5uW-Bw2ada0gVthQ/s1600-h/williesflat-744708.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349514243365261522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWKBhdcz48bJMeStYX0qA5qsTyBxlVtzFQYb4WTd1_iulz-H4qzJFaMYiO2E7KxqDfoIEhN8ZWOg2d4R16frqvcCDbTyMg1ttTMTWYHPV0cY1JHfAM8VvNrMewS4Bu5uW-Bw2ada0gVthQ/s320/williesflat-744708.JPG" /></a></p>95 miles, 6:26 riding time, 5,000 feet of climb, 4,388 Calories<br /><strong>One FL*T</strong> <p>[My Garmin gps had issues in the rain, so the above figure for feet of climb is an estimate.] <p><em>"Rain, rain, go away<br />Come again some other day<br />We want to go outside and play<br />Come again some other day" </em><p><strong>RAIN!</strong> It rained all day, a toad strangler of a rain, a deluge, a whale of a rain. I started the ride with Al, Chris, and Willie. Soon after the first SAG stop, I had a fl*t. As I was replacing the inner tube, Rick and Mack spotted me from one of the vehicles and stopped to loan me a floor pump, which was much appreciated. By the time I got back on the road, everyone else was long gone. I rode the last sixty-plus miles alone, in the rain. It would have been a gorgeous ride on a bright sunny day, good road surface, green hills, many dairies, and corn fields, but not so much fun with the rain pelting down. The hills were long and not too steep, but seemingly endless in the wet. As I neared the final turn for Canandaigua, I spotted Willie and Chris at the bottom of the hill; Willie was changing a tire. Chris said, he, too, had a fl*t - just before the second SAG stop. Al said, he had three fl*ts! Of the four of us that started together, all four of us had fl*ts in the rain! After Willie replaced the inner tube and inflated the tire, we rode in to the hotel together. <p>Canandaigua (kan-ahn-day-gwa) is Iroquois for "chosen spot" and was the site of the principal village of the Seneca tribe. Canandaigua is located in the Finger Lakes District, the largest wine producing part of New York.</p>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-77172193153352675612009-06-19T11:20:00.001-07:002009-06-19T11:20:17.353-07:00Erie, Pennsylvania to Hamburg, New York<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXOfkEAS28INqtCv3IZXqX5OW5GVpZ3g5XNIh0gakVLJrN8GEY4ANntFhfYs2f4PDoExo2u-YS5CeN_IV1VJFRZT5gjcAf71ZGxASYhuj9xMVp-S_CsOIALs7sAd0-AtaKNjsMUEahPL-/s1600-h/nwstateline-717355.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXOfkEAS28INqtCv3IZXqX5OW5GVpZ3g5XNIh0gakVLJrN8GEY4ANntFhfYs2f4PDoExo2u-YS5CeN_IV1VJFRZT5gjcAf71ZGxASYhuj9xMVp-S_CsOIALs7sAd0-AtaKNjsMUEahPL-/s320/nwstateline-717355.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349105245633396658" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lWuh76xyv8h3LYnevKRqKd0R-vLhnq8xKrOLkyB1aQnVUe8B6J54WR6sarumFB-f4QPztT7Zr-Fx0BPYB-gCKjANVVehEX_IslJ4DgHDRbsieJSiQ5m9yv3ZlTynPAcrzVX81C1gvhzU/s1600-h/nyvineyards-718976.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lWuh76xyv8h3LYnevKRqKd0R-vLhnq8xKrOLkyB1aQnVUe8B6J54WR6sarumFB-f4QPztT7Zr-Fx0BPYB-gCKjANVVehEX_IslJ4DgHDRbsieJSiQ5m9yv3ZlTynPAcrzVX81C1gvhzU/s320/nyvineyards-718976.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349105256471217330" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKazMbgGUlJEfZqRnckP2gERox5Nk2aNXCMicnisWVp9HG7VxePuWS4Zko_n6_p0cx5F-jzpdI5jlUgudg4NRN5gE_8g05tPcyFe8_Q3Zd2G_WD0Pb5FE_NbtyPgg59U4aJVVMmWf_YfR/s1600-h/lighthouse-720775.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKazMbgGUlJEfZqRnckP2gERox5Nk2aNXCMicnisWVp9HG7VxePuWS4Zko_n6_p0cx5F-jzpdI5jlUgudg4NRN5gE_8g05tPcyFe8_Q3Zd2G_WD0Pb5FE_NbtyPgg59U4aJVVMmWf_YfR/s320/lighthouse-720775.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349105259064018674" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezdqp8Y_wAw00qhSWq8lfVRvo_AyG56OVF8V4m3PZh-4rPtfCC3jk61bxLHeu1Bq5RryNgrOJxxlFOxBSzcR1pKF1tmB3B5lpviI4rvWZ6MbKoJDE9VJwxINEotUqsFUl4a-4UPp9yN4a/s1600-h/flamingo-721858.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezdqp8Y_wAw00qhSWq8lfVRvo_AyG56OVF8V4m3PZh-4rPtfCC3jk61bxLHeu1Bq5RryNgrOJxxlFOxBSzcR1pKF1tmB3B5lpviI4rvWZ6MbKoJDE9VJwxINEotUqsFUl4a-4UPp9yN4a/s320/flamingo-721858.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349105262422965426" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpR_iwd9UWns1QZRtMcVGMPbfTqTdaI5fd22XH3U54riELP9_Am4uIrWCevGaDh3dv-Tc5mcxhaZ6xm80Yjw6AUluu09A30F2XQV-YFQHh7bIy12EvPeNDI7n5D44o3Pz8o3NKR_5zdi-Q/s1600-h/nykitsch-722950.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpR_iwd9UWns1QZRtMcVGMPbfTqTdaI5fd22XH3U54riELP9_Am4uIrWCevGaDh3dv-Tc5mcxhaZ6xm80Yjw6AUluu09A30F2XQV-YFQHh7bIy12EvPeNDI7n5D44o3Pz8o3NKR_5zdi-Q/s320/nykitsch-722950.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349105267948363330" /></a></p>80 miles, 4:51 riding time, 1,664 feet of climb, 3,966 Calories<p>We left downtown Erie under threatening skies. Willie, Peter, Chris, Al and I rode together at the start of the ride. When it started to sprinkle, we all donned our jackets, only to take them off again a few miles down the road when the precipitation stopped. Our route took us along Lake Erie, but the lake was only visible from the road part of the time. The road paralleled the lake, with woods on the lake side and vineyards on the other. At mile 19, we left Pennsylvania and entered the great state of New York. (BTW, the shoulders on New York's roads are wonderful, wide and smooth.)<p>New Yorkers have similar tastes as the residents of states further west. Do they have flamingos in New York? How about a fifteen-feet-tall statue for your yard?<p>We met a couple of cyclists on the side of the road who are from Cleveland, Ohio, riding to Bangor, Maine. When they asked us where we started, they shook our hands.<p>Big Al and I finished the ride together, racing to beat the rain, which never came.<p>Trivia - the Erie County Fair, held in Hamburg in August is the second largest county fair in the U.S.<p>[Betsy - We ride the final eighteen miles from Burlington, MA, to Revere Beach, the morning of Friday, June 26.]Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-16233953674962199772009-06-18T12:46:00.001-07:002009-06-18T12:49:17.898-07:00Erie, Pennsylvania - rest day<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvksRXMKiXmVXeWRBisbN7NAfHh5bqTNC6RK2QMkRGAhznHg7KzoL2qZEDD-aWTcnwcl5SnJgpgMvoCXKtZn7tGp2KqIVU6ADhN6FqyHZnxqSbuxi_UcL4PtrKObAOvwMZS2VJjN_sh_A/s1600-h/erie-765156.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348756270002493986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvksRXMKiXmVXeWRBisbN7NAfHh5bqTNC6RK2QMkRGAhznHg7KzoL2qZEDD-aWTcnwcl5SnJgpgMvoCXKtZn7tGp2KqIVU6ADhN6FqyHZnxqSbuxi_UcL4PtrKObAOvwMZS2VJjN_sh_A/s320/erie-765156.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMWmkNZ_fM6SJNoh0pZ8-Xca57ni8XxRWlXJQVCh0c0f7GfwecKaBTKR9FTN8T5cLFSRd31gopkX5X31yIbNyEN-QOsQ0OfCsBItrRkJkn6YkhT9VGiQQbcTJoJsq8QQB-zOEgF7eSRgJ/s1600-h/eriewash-765868.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348756271805834642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMWmkNZ_fM6SJNoh0pZ8-Xca57ni8XxRWlXJQVCh0c0f7GfwecKaBTKR9FTN8T5cLFSRd31gopkX5X31yIbNyEN-QOsQ0OfCsBItrRkJkn6YkhT9VGiQQbcTJoJsq8QQB-zOEgF7eSRgJ/s320/eriewash-765868.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVNiNY8S5DFPJXp2VBAiDVqrCmyXkKa8wj2PBLgXf-0CfTIIwHyr2EURvq4GZ4Z20NarAnpJA2dm3glraid1fyPtbjBSycdu2N9pr-jpiaOQYuX61T0-UQIIw_fdw_Y9id5pcMNwS7Vyb/s1600-h/barber-766415.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348756274934616514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVNiNY8S5DFPJXp2VBAiDVqrCmyXkKa8wj2PBLgXf-0CfTIIwHyr2EURvq4GZ4Z20NarAnpJA2dm3glraid1fyPtbjBSycdu2N9pr-jpiaOQYuX61T0-UQIIw_fdw_Y9id5pcMNwS7Vyb/s320/barber-766415.JPG" /></a></p>We are almost there! This is our last rest day. We only have six more days of riding before we get to Burlington, Massachusetts. Where did the past six weeks go? In some ways, Manhattan Beach seems a long time ago and, yet, only yesterday… <p>In my last blog, I forgot to mention that Peter started playing, "name the counties of England." Of course, neither Al nor I could name more than a few. I guess it was payback for "States' Capitals" that Al started the day before. <p>I think tomorrow's diversion should be bicycle <strong>haiku</strong>. <p><em><strong>Five - seven - five</strong> </em><p><em>Wind pushes into me<br />I am a sail for the wrong<br />direction - headwind (Jonathan Neske) </em><p><em>The answer my friend<br />is not blowing in the wind<br />it's riding a bike (Jaberwock) </em><p>Yesterday, rain; today, it's drizzling in Erie. Early this morning, Ira and I walked down to the waterfront on Lake Erie, where we met Al coming the other way. A few blocks back up State Street was a Starbucks, my first of the trip. George was already there, reading about contract bridge, and Hank stopped in with his brother. Several other riders were out, on their way to the Laundromat or looking for breakfast. Amazingly, you could shoot a cannon down State Street without hitting anyone, on a Thursday morning, during rush hour! By far, there were more Cross Roads people on the street than Erie residents. <p>When I got back to the hotel, I spotted some of our group out front cleaning their bikes. I checked the forecast for tomorrow, 80% chance of precipitation, and just cleaned my bike's chain. It's almost time for my nap. <p>Wouldn't you know it, the wind is out of the west…on our day off!</p>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-83643356560374125592009-06-17T13:29:00.001-07:002009-06-17T13:29:21.787-07:00Niles, Ohio to Erie, Pennsylvania<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPjj5jxKYUTT_977MlDoy2gVx3RdZ_Tb7jE3hP52fTKnncXP61x_IjqqjOG55P-8Fu1dVxmN58yoes64fk0ql3eLuD-aTvTezMi9zBgy6XFiMfZu0KFpWIpkZgDgUzrDXOs062i3Qd-1Y/s1600-h/covered-761789.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPjj5jxKYUTT_977MlDoy2gVx3RdZ_Tb7jE3hP52fTKnncXP61x_IjqqjOG55P-8Fu1dVxmN58yoes64fk0ql3eLuD-aTvTezMi9zBgy6XFiMfZu0KFpWIpkZgDgUzrDXOs062i3Qd-1Y/s320/covered-761789.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348396336059483282" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFBVJ4jZaUaXacu_VlCPMd1_75W-PbtOaAOMA7D3W_fe5lzZSRN2i4G5JHeVRFCVsp6zyF-tKtYO-zI-_aMdRl-Xnp3fkxi6dUdvblv04IK994oqfIakVfSOzLOHNQQ6gaiIhP4Dh1_vp/s1600-h/george2-762633.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFBVJ4jZaUaXacu_VlCPMd1_75W-PbtOaAOMA7D3W_fe5lzZSRN2i4G5JHeVRFCVsp6zyF-tKtYO-zI-_aMdRl-Xnp3fkxi6dUdvblv04IK994oqfIakVfSOzLOHNQQ6gaiIhP4Dh1_vp/s320/george2-762633.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348396341995127714" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHj8oU_fKfJuwJQlmECWdb96HNVXd_gU6H-JpV8MJdUkcs52rZdWj3a_hAhcqCtmsUZ7qJ_7kp0_po8RzIaCRz3dGowoZ-SkvIgVJESXHCnq2Ci3ybp7EQoalcofuT8D0L5RwFB6BEexle/s1600-h/rootbeer-763438.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHj8oU_fKfJuwJQlmECWdb96HNVXd_gU6H-JpV8MJdUkcs52rZdWj3a_hAhcqCtmsUZ7qJ_7kp0_po8RzIaCRz3dGowoZ-SkvIgVJESXHCnq2Ci3ybp7EQoalcofuT8D0L5RwFB6BEexle/s320/rootbeer-763438.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348396343720315794" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhN0yICWsu0DHjM4LMCJrKkqF7oU3eR5xZxWKW92IKiAlm36SOANpuMzVLJ2Jgnz4H53tDCxGjHhocULrHTz5PmCM8JHuLfACM28G62B54WCjVDmqIbTTv2Ezb47s3jrXob0NNnQTdvR4/s1600-h/pennsylvania-764235.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhN0yICWsu0DHjM4LMCJrKkqF7oU3eR5xZxWKW92IKiAlm36SOANpuMzVLJ2Jgnz4H53tDCxGjHhocULrHTz5PmCM8JHuLfACM28G62B54WCjVDmqIbTTv2Ezb47s3jrXob0NNnQTdvR4/s320/pennsylvania-764235.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348396348632342610" /></a></p>90 miles, 5:47 riding time, 1,264 feet of climbing, 4,426 Calories<p>"It's raining; it's pouring.<br>The old man is snoring.<br>He went to bed and bumped his head,<br>And he wouldn't get up in the morning."<p>As predicted, rain started falling this morning just as we were about to leave the hotel. The wind was blowing about 15 mph out of the SE, but we were spending most of the day riding north, so we finally got a helping breeze…did I mention it was raining? Shortly after leaving Niles, we were back in the country again, with lots of farms and few people. The route sheet said, "No services for 24.3 miles," and we had just left the hotel. Peter, Big Al, and I were taking it easy; Peter's knee has been bothering him for the past couple of days. Tom caught us and the four of us rode over some easy "rollers" and country roads into the first SAG stop, with Tom in the lead. At that point, Tom and Peter decided to call it a day and SAG into the hotel. George joined Al and me out of the rest stop, and we rode the next 34 miles together to the second and final SAG stop of the day. This SAG was at an old fashioned root beer stand that had opened in the same spot in 1955. They had the curtains down because of the rain, but I can imagine how nice it would be to sit on the stools, or in the garden out back, sipping root beer on a hot afternoon. Al and I left George, enjoying his root beer, and headed up the road in a pouring rain. Once we turned east towards Erie, riding became more challenging due to 20 mph winds out of the SE. We literally slogged into Erie, dodging potholes and water puddles. Although the lake was off to our left, we never did see the water. Al and I were the first riders to arrive at the hotel; several riders had opted not to continue riding in the rain and got into the SAG vehicles. There are crazy people and then there are the really crazy people like Al and me. There was mud in the bathtub after my shower!<p>I didn't take but four pictures today, due to the rain. We spotted a covered bridge (better bring a tape measure); George in his raingear; at the root beer stand; and Al at the Pennsylvania state line, in the rain.<p>I'm now sitting in my room, on the fifth floor of the Avalon Hotel in downtown Erie, with the wind howling outside and rain sheeting on my window. It's good to be out of the weather. Tomorrow is a well deserved rest day.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-63724907752968811682009-06-16T13:44:00.001-07:002009-06-16T13:44:56.116-07:00Wooster to Niles, Ohio<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QkJLM3u9ApD8k2nHkR5223qL0ZbNPR9g_BfsmuxzhzTqu7y4gP8hm9EC4OHU12ntYfV4kPA4_-1m0GzMRrsg3ztJpDjXRlbPV-fH2rQHbLMTVYtaafreiUmQLJyT4PkBaW8MmMib_Rqv/s1600-h/purplehouse-796118.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QkJLM3u9ApD8k2nHkR5223qL0ZbNPR9g_BfsmuxzhzTqu7y4gP8hm9EC4OHU12ntYfV4kPA4_-1m0GzMRrsg3ztJpDjXRlbPV-fH2rQHbLMTVYtaafreiUmQLJyT4PkBaW8MmMib_Rqv/s320/purplehouse-796118.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348029264853554850" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KyJO7sLwWh0O28yjvFjsVzrnIH7A3cgkAYkqDlsOsec_Zq9YKN-Scvy_t253NeswULXWCjxu9DjuGlt_bKcmVknbVoPCBnAg1y9fAHzHd1DiNEiN8kioXQ9r7g3DpRTyCvPswRpXPHug/s1600-h/snapdragons-796757.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KyJO7sLwWh0O28yjvFjsVzrnIH7A3cgkAYkqDlsOsec_Zq9YKN-Scvy_t253NeswULXWCjxu9DjuGlt_bKcmVknbVoPCBnAg1y9fAHzHd1DiNEiN8kioXQ9r7g3DpRTyCvPswRpXPHug/s320/snapdragons-796757.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348029266066322194" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWcPIFJowj-B7ZX5Nx04zuGgJrV8IV2fyxlnx5wFGSnJmWRBj3-G2aF79B-KljwNQgiilUPOeBvopfUQzXT9ssUjANsfHPwMtCjNEAWJ6HviBArW951YpBdQ0tyY80ntRN8rETZzUPXiJ2/s1600-h/nilesiron-797432.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWcPIFJowj-B7ZX5Nx04zuGgJrV8IV2fyxlnx5wFGSnJmWRBj3-G2aF79B-KljwNQgiilUPOeBvopfUQzXT9ssUjANsfHPwMtCjNEAWJ6HviBArW951YpBdQ0tyY80ntRN8rETZzUPXiJ2/s320/nilesiron-797432.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348029273014488098" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDjVO3xIAhNgX2Sb6TwXqIiX-6pXm_9-btWJ2_LtWSVneCD1ew8QdmVU5F04eKn5AsUNFmJs1ASy1TEUc5PEfKriBBIHZTyIwU6x-p3d2z5a7UYk-Grxqhg4_JW-i8IZ8-JPHLmd1iiME/s1600-h/flags2-798156.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDjVO3xIAhNgX2Sb6TwXqIiX-6pXm_9-btWJ2_LtWSVneCD1ew8QdmVU5F04eKn5AsUNFmJs1ASy1TEUc5PEfKriBBIHZTyIwU6x-p3d2z5a7UYk-Grxqhg4_JW-i8IZ8-JPHLmd1iiME/s320/flags2-798156.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348029276696191506" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7v987XmgUyv_qPuJ7d9QO7Pvx9mnfdYtPd8UUfH_kPuXCTTH8Q181rbdMvq-gaxNcwpphFEV2khAeNaSf7p8Dkx8Wk-FX1TSpX9vjXHNcmNuy4m8th6Q0kTOBKn9m6y6lvD0HlpcGjjs/s1600-h/cannondalespider-799305.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7v987XmgUyv_qPuJ7d9QO7Pvx9mnfdYtPd8UUfH_kPuXCTTH8Q181rbdMvq-gaxNcwpphFEV2khAeNaSf7p8Dkx8Wk-FX1TSpX9vjXHNcmNuy4m8th6Q0kTOBKn9m6y6lvD0HlpcGjjs/s320/cannondalespider-799305.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348029281327892162" /></a></p>96 miles, 6:25 riding time, 3,456 feet of climbing, 4,595 Calories<p>Leaving Wooster, under partly cloudy skies, we encountered some more rollers, but not as long or steep as yesterday. We spent most of the day in what I would call rural residential neighborhoods - lots of nice homes and fewer small farms than before. There were several very large dairy farms, but most farms were quite small compared to the ones we were riding by further west. Our route sheets had us turning and twisting down narrow country roads, over hill and dale. It was a pleasant day to be on a bicycle despite a pesky east wind. We have ridden through Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, and now Ohio without once having a west wind! The wind ALWAYS blows out of the west in these states, but not for us! What are the odds? Is a favoring wind, once in a while, too much to ask for?<p>Ok, what is it with the huge lawns? Every house has at least an acre of newly mowed lawn in front. Do these people have a fetish for riding mowers? Some of these lawns look like golf courses. Sorry, honey, I'm going out to mow the lawn - see you next Tuesday. They do look nice and nearly all the homes we have passed have been neatly kept and clean. Oh, one more observation, we haven't see any graffiti since leaving Los Angeles and there is very little litter along the roadsides in the heartland - very nice.<p>Niles, Ohio, is a former industrial center, iron, steel, and glass manufacturing. Many of these industries are now shuttered, but I did find the Niles Ironworks with a huge statue of a welder in the parking lot.<p>The cemetery in Niles had American flags marking the graves of her sons/daughters who had served in the military. It was a very moving sight to see the flags flying as I came into town.<p>At the second SAG stop, Rick pointed out this little spider who was centered in the Cannondale logo on my bicycle. Of course, I had to take a picture. I don't know when it got off, but it must have been somewhere south of Niles because it wasn't there when I got off the bike at the hotel.<p>As I walked into the hotel, Mary Lou S. introduced herself. In 1996, she and her daughter rode from LA to Boston. It turns out she knows Walter! It's a small world. Rain is forecast for tomorrow's ride into Erie…stay tuned.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-8063590149470815442009-06-15T13:57:00.001-07:002009-06-15T14:00:25.577-07:00Marysville to Wooster, Ohio<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJK_b2CUUunNTEwYBRW8FlMMaWM9hm_MLTrPl51O1mZ273PGZqh_2LWgxxh1SPeQFwWcHK_j4daKyfJXhUrORqo3nR4mu3UpwTdlywrHaZfm2UgDd8tO7JgbS2hriaXacMPCrfU55AM3qd/s1600-h/valley-738851.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347661367941012290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJK_b2CUUunNTEwYBRW8FlMMaWM9hm_MLTrPl51O1mZ273PGZqh_2LWgxxh1SPeQFwWcHK_j4daKyfJXhUrORqo3nR4mu3UpwTdlywrHaZfm2UgDd8tO7JgbS2hriaXacMPCrfU55AM3qd/s320/valley-738851.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZkM4JJ8IkFvnHcqNTzq7LOTUne59AUrrQ5OBmWn_ouIUmlGwSIly2eKv5L744fQJJh73v8C4Ryt5OywhhXp6De6tfg7pUA4iYH7pI6HgATcHzFe1nqv1ip2-uwgkNp1Wmmj22DJSl_pE/s1600-h/bridge-739528.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347661371180528738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZkM4JJ8IkFvnHcqNTzq7LOTUne59AUrrQ5OBmWn_ouIUmlGwSIly2eKv5L744fQJJh73v8C4Ryt5OywhhXp6De6tfg7pUA4iYH7pI6HgATcHzFe1nqv1ip2-uwgkNp1Wmmj22DJSl_pE/s320/bridge-739528.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0SwixUALDLdGRosxWK7jN6ieIuhDzVj3ukiFWjUTZ1elv3xVZuAYpHM67hnGZ1Z7yAyshglPz07oMcqLiFUN2lMiN-zOT_IVB51tnB7b5tgAmKZKiCN53N6FGfVryQZYINT-VXvRJbh3/s1600-h/twohorses-740201.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347661376562670306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0SwixUALDLdGRosxWK7jN6ieIuhDzVj3ukiFWjUTZ1elv3xVZuAYpHM67hnGZ1Z7yAyshglPz07oMcqLiFUN2lMiN-zOT_IVB51tnB7b5tgAmKZKiCN53N6FGfVryQZYINT-VXvRJbh3/s320/twohorses-740201.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ueSFwnpsL-6sa0pbV0xWzmu5PSpOxLSXL8YOF32QlbnSVPlD3dFezMHtMO_Alp8rGszl0_p7LVUWD0apIGcvPjJOHpSDym3v9VYtSBMCQ_V-uxar9mNdVC3rbtsSU4781fh-xtsCRiiF/s1600-h/trees-740987.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347661381141497170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ueSFwnpsL-6sa0pbV0xWzmu5PSpOxLSXL8YOF32QlbnSVPlD3dFezMHtMO_Alp8rGszl0_p7LVUWD0apIGcvPjJOHpSDym3v9VYtSBMCQ_V-uxar9mNdVC3rbtsSU4781fh-xtsCRiiF/s320/trees-740987.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSTLuSTlJGSlMFs3DIopNv_UCckwWu-_9QS7jAN-XNGOVZDGiCsFM0rfi0T6FYY1X5Xke_BU8fd_4QrRbHw9Fbj6-uTDAvejIM4Qz6FxVd-KXstrMKDUwQ-heaRXfh46rRURFatb8LfnOh/s1600-h/recumbent-741756.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347661381429170626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSTLuSTlJGSlMFs3DIopNv_UCckwWu-_9QS7jAN-XNGOVZDGiCsFM0rfi0T6FYY1X5Xke_BU8fd_4QrRbHw9Fbj6-uTDAvejIM4Qz6FxVd-KXstrMKDUwQ-heaRXfh46rRURFatb8LfnOh/s320/recumbent-741756.JPG" /></a></p>98 miles, 6:28 riding time, 3,582 feet of climbing, 4,794 Calories <p><em>"Bike" by MAL WEBB (2000) </em><p><em>Push on a pedal, push on a pedal / Get your (gasp) heart started<br />Push on a pedal / Push it down and up again<br />Get on your bike, sit on the seat / Push your feet on the pedals<br />And ride it all around / Ride it all around<br />Oh, get that car out of my way / I want to ride my bike today<br />It keeps me fit and gets me there / And won't go stinking up the air<br />Leave behind the daily grind / And let your mind unwind<br />If it's life you tend to like / You'd better get yourself a bike<br />Oh, oh, get yourself a bike </em><p>Today was another long day after yesterday's century - two centuries, back to back. Peter's knee was bothering him, so he, Al , nd I started out easy. After leaving Marysville, we returned to the winding country roads. As we move further east, we are seeing more trees and the farms are getting smaller and more frequent. The first seventy miles were either flat or rolling. Before the first SAG stop, we came to a bridge-out on our route. Margaret set up an impromptu SAG at the detour sign and we walked our bikes around the barriers and over what was left of the bridge. After the second SAG at mile 73, the rollers got much bigger and we had climbs of up to 12%, the steepest of the trip! For a while, we even got to ride in the shade of the trees hanging over the road, with the sweet aroma of honeysuckle in the air. We were in Amish country and I saw a few dressed in their black clothing and hats, but I did not take any pictures as that would be considered rude (thanks, Barbara). Al, Tom, and I raced to the hotel with Sue in hot pursuit. <p>Someone asked me about Sue's recumbent bicycle (see image above.) <p>Factoids: Wooster is an old manufacturing town. It used to be the headquarters for Rubbermaid Products. It is said that the first Christmas trees were introduced to Americans by a German immigrant who lived in Wooster.</p>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-63056282658435683142009-06-14T14:21:00.001-07:002009-06-14T14:26:53.545-07:00Richmond, Indiana to Marysville, Ohio<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiis3VSBRTWIbSLO80hF7IQk1Gn8U-_cXaEjCakW-ZA2y5ih-TSKeWCYz1IM9NMu82Q0SGxM4xDQNkclw1S3F7kyU_wzMg1PH1VURPs5CTpTBoDk38S1H3MvUfSMb9IjUWz3CwsxL4jpObk/s1600-h/ohio-774546.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347296449343864002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiis3VSBRTWIbSLO80hF7IQk1Gn8U-_cXaEjCakW-ZA2y5ih-TSKeWCYz1IM9NMu82Q0SGxM4xDQNkclw1S3F7kyU_wzMg1PH1VURPs5CTpTBoDk38S1H3MvUfSMb9IjUWz3CwsxL4jpObk/s320/ohio-774546.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd6y8XJXS4aexFoe0Ej2ZG9vKvqNwywCZostNCi3nrrFv01uhvheDmkj3FA1QrFWpMtRWLbHH-7YQUpn7zgYuWcBhoNlG5zIYCdoerldWk-0DDrIjUzudDJbsrwv71w_YneEjePHolfaWj/s1600-h/storm-775160.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347296454171207202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd6y8XJXS4aexFoe0Ej2ZG9vKvqNwywCZostNCi3nrrFv01uhvheDmkj3FA1QrFWpMtRWLbHH-7YQUpn7zgYuWcBhoNlG5zIYCdoerldWk-0DDrIjUzudDJbsrwv71w_YneEjePHolfaWj/s320/storm-775160.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxI5PjTON0tj4CFRYDf5OY7QqXqCDZKMB2JcJ3hXvTlll16i0kMddttZYI22eMATcbjH2Ac3yVG9DhTn5r65MvjF6QCFWV2Ycyr0z9M4N6-jNfVYli2nIr3c7AmVGpHrI8Vo26cGs9-b7/s1600-h/lunch-775832.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347296455625408642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxI5PjTON0tj4CFRYDf5OY7QqXqCDZKMB2JcJ3hXvTlll16i0kMddttZYI22eMATcbjH2Ac3yVG9DhTn5r65MvjF6QCFWV2Ycyr0z9M4N6-jNfVYli2nIr3c7AmVGpHrI8Vo26cGs9-b7/s320/lunch-775832.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWt_4FqdS5EMAmeb4k7DueyH3T1ZQ8ZXKxfuZvk0byvHV6QWCQ15ygsMq7yB0aXkZey34fS-qtzKG3U9Fh5yK2wMx1-dc0tpz3eZOrkgi6ASOs0-QyM-f4PFi7OFBDoD-dhNqbze25TMK/s1600-h/cow-776951.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347296458315420818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWt_4FqdS5EMAmeb4k7DueyH3T1ZQ8ZXKxfuZvk0byvHV6QWCQ15ygsMq7yB0aXkZey34fS-qtzKG3U9Fh5yK2wMx1-dc0tpz3eZOrkgi6ASOs0-QyM-f4PFi7OFBDoD-dhNqbze25TMK/s320/cow-776951.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCN_q7FWIvnE3fI4axE87E6lhQXsH7iOj0-wQtaFEvUoDIRS8qaPjlVH9VxrEpDjkPZw3zAWIS2-f834bg7astxhA9zquV07c21BjB3B6WMmI-suajGTfyU410CJd_y2Elfmi_JWL8tnPD/s1600-h/kids-777900.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347296463306875090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCN_q7FWIvnE3fI4axE87E6lhQXsH7iOj0-wQtaFEvUoDIRS8qaPjlVH9VxrEpDjkPZw3zAWIS2-f834bg7astxhA9zquV07c21BjB3B6WMmI-suajGTfyU410CJd_y2Elfmi_JWL8tnPD/s320/kids-777900.JPG" /></a></p>107 miles, 6:57 riding time, 2,047 feet of climbing, 5,074 Calories <p><em>"Arms, hands, bars, knees<br />Spinning blur, fast trees<br />Heart bangs, tires sing<br />Wind roars, gears ching<br />Climbing grade, sweat drips<br />Heavy legs, a couple sips<br />Breathing deeper, suck the air<br />Crest a hill, pedals tear<br />Feel no pain, feel no burn<br />Still time to go another turn<br />Mind is clear, thighs are tight<br />Rolling speed, wheeled flight<br />Cycling!" </em><p><em>Zeko, Jr., (2003) </em><p>Today's ride was beautiful, but long, another century-plus ride. Just after leaving Richmond, we did our ninth state line crossing, moving into Ohio. Although Weather Underground was only predicting a 10% chance of precipitation, we kept our eyes on a peculiar storm cloud formation moving in our direction. Yes, they have tornadoes in the Heartland. Luckily we did not get rained on and after a few hours of riding, the sun came out and it got warm and humid. The damned headwinds continued to retard our progress, but were not strong, even if they were in our faces for most of the day. <p>To pass the time, Big Al played state's capitals…what's the capital of Tennessee? Al got more correct than Peter or me. <p>We rode sinuous country roads that twisted and turned through areas peppered with small farms and ranches. The road was mostly flat with some Ohio Rollers thrown in to keep things interesting. We slowed down a bit today, stopping to take a few more pictures, and even eating lunch in one small town. I think this bull is a longhorn, but it may be an African cross. We turned one corner and I shouted out, "hello, kids!" I think Peter lost it at that moment. At one photo opportunity, I walked over to take a picture of some goats and was surprised when I got zapped by an electric fence! Yes, I'm OK and my camera still works, but boy was I shocked… <p>Big Al, Peter, and I rode together for most of the morning. Chris and Willie joined Rick and Mike in a race to the hotel. We have several long days ahead, so we didn't pursue them. Sue joined us after the lunch stop. Some friends of Al, from Ann Arbor, rode out from our destination hotel to meet us and Al rode in with them. Sue and I retraced out steps to find a Dairy Queen after checking into the hotel. A bunch of other riders stopped for shakes as well. We've been given cash to go out and eat on our own tonight, the restaurant that CrossRoads normally uses is out of business.</p>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-72218239497637962102009-06-13T15:52:00.001-07:002009-06-13T15:52:31.941-07:00Indianapolis to Richmond, Indiana<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQpK_xi4dkFmnOJ91bHZ_LwRuEmqemd9s3y3s50x3Pi-LGxsI93VXvfVF9CS0a3faPenB6fDifllfMF7pi9jGXu9SILM6cmPcqip4yAkFHXp1j8Q3V_WZxVayuFFwKCYV5wISJjggvzOF/s1600-h/walterscartoon-751943.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQpK_xi4dkFmnOJ91bHZ_LwRuEmqemd9s3y3s50x3Pi-LGxsI93VXvfVF9CS0a3faPenB6fDifllfMF7pi9jGXu9SILM6cmPcqip4yAkFHXp1j8Q3V_WZxVayuFFwKCYV5wISJjggvzOF/s320/walterscartoon-751943.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346948887442728962" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHH_qJ9_Y88Gw_4ahX_OUk42FhVNUfQvfcc48aeV1C4K9ywqcD2-f87lNHsy3w8OeTpqXTNhxhqxXUuqxpcufJM-9zLK_co_TMlNpMYrlQWjeWiETqe2wuRi-z9IF-3NaB-W2ViFbCs00p/s1600-h/richmondpaceline-753546.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHH_qJ9_Y88Gw_4ahX_OUk42FhVNUfQvfcc48aeV1C4K9ywqcD2-f87lNHsy3w8OeTpqXTNhxhqxXUuqxpcufJM-9zLK_co_TMlNpMYrlQWjeWiETqe2wuRi-z9IF-3NaB-W2ViFbCs00p/s320/richmondpaceline-753546.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346948898696852306" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV89OcCf2656kns9ZhvuW8GOazBSgs4NoiCyViVIFhGQ_mmFhiQTQVr5XpN2VSaOzxvo0eaMqzZGBPsOc-lMRl1VG6Z3TqzPYZayYZZ1dFR5JyAJ53dRVka4N7PQps8kv0VTMHbuXDEcW0/s1600-h/purplebike-754060.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV89OcCf2656kns9ZhvuW8GOazBSgs4NoiCyViVIFhGQ_mmFhiQTQVr5XpN2VSaOzxvo0eaMqzZGBPsOc-lMRl1VG6Z3TqzPYZayYZZ1dFR5JyAJ53dRVka4N7PQps8kv0VTMHbuXDEcW0/s320/purplebike-754060.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346948903770647362" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zjAPDLvAhxwf_PDvm-ULhP0S01flQgP4JmBw7dAlOPUTH1BYgmE2hVWga1NTXAGWnlwdniE8iUo8wDz5P3VxdIF-o9I1XNXJo4h9_VDfEbfWDZsSpoObhrM7VDnSpvPsx6IgbCJGu9ba/s1600-h/richmondamish-754878.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zjAPDLvAhxwf_PDvm-ULhP0S01flQgP4JmBw7dAlOPUTH1BYgmE2hVWga1NTXAGWnlwdniE8iUo8wDz5P3VxdIF-o9I1XNXJo4h9_VDfEbfWDZsSpoObhrM7VDnSpvPsx6IgbCJGu9ba/s320/richmondamish-754878.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346948901470926450" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYfBCkiUDFYHGx3om2pLZ6mtsmKgsnM600aFPJjbWi-BsyAIDjJL_BhV1RjIfJbM3Z99UQJzI6CMlCDIFel7Q-ZBEFQJ7LqHUCQbV0ucJ-rO0nKdHtQQ8qakd7FGfTx7X01JqsV6FLkQP/s1600-h/debbienme-755304.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYfBCkiUDFYHGx3om2pLZ6mtsmKgsnM600aFPJjbWi-BsyAIDjJL_BhV1RjIfJbM3Z99UQJzI6CMlCDIFel7Q-ZBEFQJ7LqHUCQbV0ucJ-rO0nKdHtQQ8qakd7FGfTx7X01JqsV6FLkQP/s320/debbienme-755304.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346948906522996146" /></a></p>84 miles, 5:12 riding time, 1,524 feet of climbing, 4,093 Calories<p>Yesterday, they called me from the front desk at the hotel and said I had some mail. It was a letter from my dear friend and hero, Walter. He enclosed the above cartoon from his previous rides across the country.<p>It took a long time to get out of Indianapolis proper. We rode through the suburbs on the east side of town for almost fifteen miles before breaking out into the countryside. Once again, we were in the midst of small farms, offset with woods. The roads were quiet on a Saturday morning, with little traffic. Although the skies were cloudy, we didn't experience any precipitation and today the wind gods were at least benign. Peter, Big Al, and I rode together for most of the day. Chris, Mike, and Rick caught us at the first SAG stop and then left us in the dust as we rode the last miles into Richmond. Having checked into the hotel, we went looking for some food and walked over to the Steak 'n Shake. As we were ordering, Debbie Lanham walked up to the table and said, "I though I'd find you here. I missed you at the hotel and then thought where would Jim go to get his milk shake?" Debbie had driven up from Dayton to intercept me on my way to Boston. Debbie and I went for an early dinner and had a marvelous visit. I'm very fortunate to have such good friends.<p>We're beginning to see lots of cemeteries, large and small, beside the road. Front yards of homes are full of lawn ornaments (ducks, deer, gnomes, etc.) and each one has a Christmas tree growing somewhere near the house. We are also moving into Amish country attested to by the road signs.<p>Trivia: Richmond has been called the "cradle of recorded jazz." Some of the first studios to press jazz records were located here. Richmond was also the lawn mower capital of the world when several manufacturers were located in the city. Orville and Wilber Wright went to school here. And, finally, of the three Egyptian mummies in Indiana, two are located in Richmond, giving it the highest concentration of mummies in the state.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-92037462261491989462009-06-12T11:02:00.001-07:002009-06-12T11:02:51.001-07:00Crawfordsville to Indianapolis, Indiana<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoP1Qu5yJKdCJNYarUAxC_MzjLZ2MMNrp0_fLFgYpI3mwKiTnpLYIPrJUQ-j1n_xdfoRi4SbdQjmeDmVpn84296ykF-ezaxMphxRLEzYY6IMwQsDAEbtCtIbyp8tDUmH2pFzdwqkIm4IM/s1600-h/frednme-771002.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoP1Qu5yJKdCJNYarUAxC_MzjLZ2MMNrp0_fLFgYpI3mwKiTnpLYIPrJUQ-j1n_xdfoRi4SbdQjmeDmVpn84296ykF-ezaxMphxRLEzYY6IMwQsDAEbtCtIbyp8tDUmH2pFzdwqkIm4IM/s320/frednme-771002.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346503157018625858" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdrk-0lmQah4PIzjEVBjUIza3Ba_egvt0JCBWlD3yl8GV-rbnfBEhWkUURb2aUIGQlbKCWsEc2dli6Y1t0Fm9AIruW9AoGlB_IAeYuLoc8I6uS2_ZMEBIy5NU0QUUGMWsBTPtnTKYOo8B/s1600-h/town-771618.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdrk-0lmQah4PIzjEVBjUIza3Ba_egvt0JCBWlD3yl8GV-rbnfBEhWkUURb2aUIGQlbKCWsEc2dli6Y1t0Fm9AIruW9AoGlB_IAeYuLoc8I6uS2_ZMEBIy5NU0QUUGMWsBTPtnTKYOo8B/s320/town-771618.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346503159698123234" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_72iNb1xcjaKZpOSjZ8SV6X31DiAWlzU4dFPyU0iOO2OIeTdnG5aXNPpJMnk9yf0s2mZosH3QHbS6NIzW-AFCFEtw-CaPvE0_ACU6Y0n6aQwr37LZttaHz9eXpUWysBl3aOXvON_9U0y/s1600-h/country-772168.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_72iNb1xcjaKZpOSjZ8SV6X31DiAWlzU4dFPyU0iOO2OIeTdnG5aXNPpJMnk9yf0s2mZosH3QHbS6NIzW-AFCFEtw-CaPvE0_ACU6Y0n6aQwr37LZttaHz9eXpUWysBl3aOXvON_9U0y/s320/country-772168.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346503162264628594" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uXbfL6X6zygtb6jGDGjXYuEKK_aSS5P2ayzXE2jobdHFLyeJ2N6Yes5U6I6m8W4P3hk1FlID3-QvXRCYGjV2-CPHPNiJJuahBHO4ZO5lLjxT-epWTIFtjr5racBtZrC06kseekYgJkY2/s1600-h/self-772697.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uXbfL6X6zygtb6jGDGjXYuEKK_aSS5P2ayzXE2jobdHFLyeJ2N6Yes5U6I6m8W4P3hk1FlID3-QvXRCYGjV2-CPHPNiJJuahBHO4ZO5lLjxT-epWTIFtjr5racBtZrC06kseekYgJkY2/s320/self-772697.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346503160033483906" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5Hos8wDse2bBJHHQFIqEV2Fr4EFVw7voXuJIfZJSbqwsLRoHwslHVOoiGasnXZtZfdksQge5eIQpsmlxtF6ZgW9VAYxWzbKIwXcH5xHFY-0KUiAWkHYQP6dO5LWyHtx6f3tCzMgHtoom/s1600-h/foal-773161.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5Hos8wDse2bBJHHQFIqEV2Fr4EFVw7voXuJIfZJSbqwsLRoHwslHVOoiGasnXZtZfdksQge5eIQpsmlxtF6ZgW9VAYxWzbKIwXcH5xHFY-0KUiAWkHYQP6dO5LWyHtx6f3tCzMgHtoom/s320/foal-773161.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346503167683942002" /></a></p>46 miles, 2:51 riding time, 900 feet of climb, 2,214 Calories<p>The further east we ride, the more densely populated the countryside. We pass many more homes and the farms are much smaller here than they are in the western states. We are beginning to see smokestack industries in towns, in addition to the usual grain elevators.<p>Today's ride took us into the biggest city we've visited since leaving Los Angeles. Indianapolis is the capital of Indiana and the fourteenth largest city in the U.S. We took a circuitous route from Crawfordsville, with many turns and byways. As the crow flies, it's less than forty miles between them, but the CrossRoad's route was for a ride of 62 miles to get there. Fred, who is from Indianapolis, had his friend, Bob, ride out to meet us and bring Peter, Al, Fred, and I in to town by a shorter route. Peter's knee is bothering him, so we took the short cut. Fred left us when we got near his home. He is leaving the ride at this point and not going on to Boston. We will miss him. The picture above is of Fred and me. BTW, a big thank you to Bob; it was great meeting and riding with you.<p>The Major Taylor Velodrome is located in Indianapolis. Used for track bicycle racing, the venue is named for Marshall "Major" Taylor (1878-1932), an African-American cyclist who won the one-mile track cycling championship in 1899 after setting numerous world records. I had hoped to ride a lap at the velodrome, but, alas, it wasn't open to the public today.<p>There are only two state capitals whose names incorporate the name of their state. One is, of course, Indianapolis. What's the other?Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-26105619934038362852009-06-11T12:44:00.001-07:002009-06-11T12:44:45.782-07:00Champaign, Illinois to Crawfordsville, Indiana<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqzRm6pBtixi7ypWnk9BA3ljVsDGgOxDjzGEVDmddxgqXxoHOGvJmIVYzG-tuq5TTW8j4pNQgoBSug3WFlJ1ur6Mh90_hXYl55Lb0PVFFA1bMun02SGBrdjkwKGjDzVwoQruSLkVNR0Np/s1600-h/harry2-785783.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqzRm6pBtixi7ypWnk9BA3ljVsDGgOxDjzGEVDmddxgqXxoHOGvJmIVYzG-tuq5TTW8j4pNQgoBSug3WFlJ1ur6Mh90_hXYl55Lb0PVFFA1bMun02SGBrdjkwKGjDzVwoQruSLkVNR0Np/s320/harry2-785783.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346158329938563154" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjvSOjCmJr5DlfrdG0R9jDLvDERgkfS29xs38KMnTBVxeq4W61OjPF8SA0kn7u6lK7yMx3m61jCheXwuJAmmNR6LqwqFGAQj3QTOsD6a5J7t82pQ5i7vpG2R1oscOU9pMeXBQYtl6YmMI/s1600-h/nancy2-786936.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjvSOjCmJr5DlfrdG0R9jDLvDERgkfS29xs38KMnTBVxeq4W61OjPF8SA0kn7u6lK7yMx3m61jCheXwuJAmmNR6LqwqFGAQj3QTOsD6a5J7t82pQ5i7vpG2R1oscOU9pMeXBQYtl6YmMI/s320/nancy2-786936.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346158337250814738" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjMxBLc4UBUEHwtuHRT92MMygezzbXrJDmCoUkkWOsm4qYMIkz6j3XjEyhsjEU8p2Xr1-VWaUxvlYQFr2-G_3Iy0qI3Z1K9-zfOoxbo6u3B_k9-U7biT11E-SyhLHiID1bIbOpLXEX5_R/s1600-h/indiana-787491.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjMxBLc4UBUEHwtuHRT92MMygezzbXrJDmCoUkkWOsm4qYMIkz6j3XjEyhsjEU8p2Xr1-VWaUxvlYQFr2-G_3Iy0qI3Z1K9-zfOoxbo6u3B_k9-U7biT11E-SyhLHiID1bIbOpLXEX5_R/s320/indiana-787491.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346158340238793778" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYn-sm8rt1j1TlozvxycD3ggSKk0Ol4Unf1QErFtJ915gZRYudG4vgpZ0fc-sae6lmiBCw4YG7susrC0GtUtRegRwTLIypLvtIrI4ItEb1AxG6XrCAOBafBxtiTsK8wZLxA9Jw5mYENVUP/s1600-h/hillboro-788074.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYn-sm8rt1j1TlozvxycD3ggSKk0Ol4Unf1QErFtJ915gZRYudG4vgpZ0fc-sae6lmiBCw4YG7susrC0GtUtRegRwTLIypLvtIrI4ItEb1AxG6XrCAOBafBxtiTsK8wZLxA9Jw5mYENVUP/s320/hillboro-788074.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346158345280277362" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL80DnCCrTYW0iHKG4fYZXAXFVLFW6Mb2aPKqXA2Sx8e_O40oHRtyUCeZRk5ImIe8jiQvFctBwFfFipsEU_kudqAPhVsMp0ITBTCWKuWXyXQnzuPRUjnptfbalQA3zk2MZAOhZtxvxPcRc/s1600-h/sue-789058.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL80DnCCrTYW0iHKG4fYZXAXFVLFW6Mb2aPKqXA2Sx8e_O40oHRtyUCeZRk5ImIe8jiQvFctBwFfFipsEU_kudqAPhVsMp0ITBTCWKuWXyXQnzuPRUjnptfbalQA3zk2MZAOhZtxvxPcRc/s320/sue-789058.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346158349158372642" /></a></p>80 miles, 4:54 riding time, 1,228 feet of climb, 3,999 Calories<p>[Margaret wants to know where I'm getting the values for feet of climbing, Calories, etc. I have a Garmin Edge 705 bike computer with gps. The Garmin keeps track of all the data from the ride, including heart rate, cadence, slope, elevation, etc.]<p>Today was decorate your helmet day. Some of the fuddy-duddies didn't participate, but some riders went all out. Cousin Harry takes the prize for effort!<p>The forecast was for thunderstorms and rain - it didn't happen. Although streets in Champaign were wet from last night's rain, we were soon riding on dry roads. It was cool and cloudy all morning and rain threatened, but we were pleasantly surprised at how nice conditions turned out to be. We were even spared the pesky headwinds that had plagued us the last few days. The ride was very nice, basically flat, on country roads through woods and fields. About halfway, we crossed the state line into Indiana, where we dutifully sprinkled our beach sand. I rode most of the day with Peter, Big Al, and Fred (who is from Indiana).<p>Indiana is the Hoosier state. Al asked Fred, "What's a Hoosier?"<p>According to <a href="http://ask.com">ask.com</a>: Like barnacles, a thick crust of speculation has gathered over the word "Hoosier" to explain the origin of Indiana's nickname. Popular theories, diligently and often sincerely advanced, form a rich, often amusing body of folklore. Those theories include: "Who's here?" as a question to unknown visitors or to the inhabitants of a country cabin; Hussar, from the fiery European mounted troops; "Huzzah!" proclaimed after victory in a fight; Husher, a brawny man, capable of stilling opponents; Hoosa, an Indian word for corn; Hoose, an English term for a disease of cattle which gives the animals a wild sort of look; and the evergreen "Who's ear?" asked while toeing a torn-off ear lying on the bar room floor the morning after a brawl. <p>The best evidence, however, suggests that "Hoosier" was a term of contempt and opprobrium common in the upland South and used to denote a rustic, a bumpkin, a countryman, a roughneck, a hick or an awkward, uncouth or unskilled fellow. Although the word's derogatory meaning has faded, it can still be heard in its original sense, albeit less frequently than its cousins "Cracker" and "Redneck."<p>Factoid: Lew Wallace, Civil Was general, governor of New Mexico, and author of Ben-Hur. A Tale of the Christ lived in Crawfordsville as a child and is buried here.<p>New rider of the day: Sue Yocum, from Sisters, Oregon, has joined us in Champaign for the final push to Boston. She rides a "bent," a recumbent bicycle.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-23721369271140353672009-06-10T13:20:00.001-07:002009-06-10T13:25:07.289-07:00Champaign, Illinois - rest dayThe forecast for our day of rest in Champaign called for an 80% chance of thunderstorms. Wouldn't you know it, it didn't rain. I took advantage of the day off to take a couple of naps, do my laundry, eat, and decorate my helmet. Yes, decorate my helmet; all part of the fun and games with Cross Roads. I also found a UPS store and shipped a bunch of stuff I don't need home. <p>I mentioned earlier pig and cattle truck odors, but there are other olfactory memories that will also stay with me for a long time after this trip is over. This past week, we have been treated to the sweet smell of honeysuckle in the woods as we ride down the road. Here in Illinois, the aroma of new mown hay is everywhere; it looks like they have had a wet Spring and the work crews are out moving the margins of the roads. All the farms have huge, green lawns that have either been recently cut or are in the process of being mowed. Then, there's my favorite, damp grass just after a rain - my grandparents' farm smelled like that after summer showers. <p>I got all excited night before last when I realized that there were fireflies in Illinois. I haven't seen fireflies in years - we don't have them in SoCal! Then, this morning, as I was walking to Target to replenish some toiletries, a flock of about eighty Canada geese walked across the road - geese! Cars stopped and patiently waited for the adults and goslings to safely cross the street, just like <em>Make Way for Ducklings</em>. It's like I'm a city boy dropped into rural, eastern America for the first time. <p>Trivia question of the day: Hank asked at dinner, "why are barns mostly painted red?" <p>Answer: Before commercial paint was available, farmers would mix iron oxide (rust) with linseed oil. The red-colored iron oxide acted as a fungicide, preventing mold and mildew from destroying wood. When commercial paint became available, red paint was the cheapest paint you could buy; if you are going to paint a barn, you need a lot of paint. Later, whitewash became cheaper than red paint and many barns are now painted white.</p>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-86443550026831942432009-06-09T13:57:00.001-07:002009-06-09T13:58:00.035-07:00Springfield to Champaign, Illinois<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhpLYwTZcpJP9339BjjdIHNcFxYBCLKrlmOENnvFRmSyrwI_WmyWhg4Evio7euIYu0uQGd1OMdj8rcRu-lLVIh7STMrIpV_xRCW0un_WWnQJ7klnXfq3jo1msaC1mclIVykw-5ou2h2oE/s1600-h/castle-780036.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhpLYwTZcpJP9339BjjdIHNcFxYBCLKrlmOENnvFRmSyrwI_WmyWhg4Evio7euIYu0uQGd1OMdj8rcRu-lLVIh7STMrIpV_xRCW0un_WWnQJ7klnXfq3jo1msaC1mclIVykw-5ou2h2oE/s320/castle-780036.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345435038965196834" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3OAtHHu-oV7lIzDHTX69BH0kva2e9lcATLjb7gvjI5FqVCkQ0mtqv3c9sNHXLlThBow1f9ewCkp2x8P22NV0ZLNeBmB6emQ4fKgqnCfrP1DG9EkTRezAqz-x3HMJ7HRQaipx4ZPbDOKdZ/s1600-h/road-780895.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3OAtHHu-oV7lIzDHTX69BH0kva2e9lcATLjb7gvjI5FqVCkQ0mtqv3c9sNHXLlThBow1f9ewCkp2x8P22NV0ZLNeBmB6emQ4fKgqnCfrP1DG9EkTRezAqz-x3HMJ7HRQaipx4ZPbDOKdZ/s320/road-780895.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345435039712834418" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiptHphK7ofVd9ShT6qLwDHoZLRiMVieBWT9ys1v68Fo9pHqCNAulWzKV8UIJLq_xVW_OPZe_ArwsvIz_nmKM1y7xVH2DaYhx402dph24S4U0zVARiwtLM8ERAFB9KiP71tN6OEKKgk9P/s1600-h/clinton-781704.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiptHphK7ofVd9ShT6qLwDHoZLRiMVieBWT9ys1v68Fo9pHqCNAulWzKV8UIJLq_xVW_OPZe_ArwsvIz_nmKM1y7xVH2DaYhx402dph24S4U0zVARiwtLM8ERAFB9KiP71tN6OEKKgk9P/s320/clinton-781704.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345435043142328306" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0O3rPnDiegz-jtftsxcA5gCNCqCCXOee_UscBhpFjK4My9uF2UIRmCjdQKFOj5hoa-X5hrzIuINNQ4wwnxtCSGhjgjvYK6Op8f0Twe-4wXxcvEgnfbVQlYx8h4Qfug5Z1vSW4ZaGUfq6/s1600-h/clover-782193.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0O3rPnDiegz-jtftsxcA5gCNCqCCXOee_UscBhpFjK4My9uF2UIRmCjdQKFOj5hoa-X5hrzIuINNQ4wwnxtCSGhjgjvYK6Op8f0Twe-4wXxcvEgnfbVQlYx8h4Qfug5Z1vSW4ZaGUfq6/s320/clover-782193.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345435048119366210" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOSNjf8OMBKA6ZIEK2mlP026I_NI22bOKf1iWrAOUM7xAFaQGB14k64B4UdafQniNRR7iiL_bcPHjN_xW_p2-LjneT2sBLaKXU6QvBUvBsNSo8MqyQ4Av_ByW28wMZ1iKCKLctjpkpEX2m/s1600-h/champaign-782792.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOSNjf8OMBKA6ZIEK2mlP026I_NI22bOKf1iWrAOUM7xAFaQGB14k64B4UdafQniNRR7iiL_bcPHjN_xW_p2-LjneT2sBLaKXU6QvBUvBsNSo8MqyQ4Av_ByW28wMZ1iKCKLctjpkpEX2m/s320/champaign-782792.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345435047002030770" /></a></p>87 miles, 5:22 riding, 1,034 feet climbing, 4,357 Calories<p>Someone said, grain elevators are America's castles. When you first see them on the horizon, they do look like castles. I will never view them in quite the same way again. I think a photographic essay on the heartland's elevators would make a great coffee table book.<p>I've been accused of being focused on chocolate milkshakes instead of the great country I'm riding through. I must confess that's often true; sometimes the promise of a treat at the end of the day gets you through the last few miles like nothing else.<p>Hank asked an interesting question at last night's route rap, "how much time do we spend looking at the road and how much time do we look around us?" For most of this trip, I think I'm concentrating on the road and traffic more than eighty percent of the time, and only observing my surroundings less than twenty percent. For safety, you have no choice but to watch the pavement for holes, glass, bumps, tires, etc., and keep an eye out for cars trying to pass. Of course, when you are riding through endless fields of wheat, you don't have much to break the monotony. When we come into towns or have more diverse scenery, then the percentage spent away from the road in front of me increases.<p>Illinois is pretty flat, at least the part we have been riding through. There are lots of trees, cornfields, and poor roads. We try to stay off main highways and ride less traveled country roads. Unfortunately, country roads often do not have shoulders, are not very wide, and are not as well maintained as the state highways.<p>Under partly cloudy skies and cool temperatures, we left Springfield at the normal time and rode into a headwind all the way to the first SAG stop. The road eventually turned east and the wind was sideways to the road, less of a nuisance. We stopped at a Dairy Queen for ice cream and met a bevy of beautiful ladies in Clinton (as in the President - roll your eyes and sigh, please). The women come from their daily exercise classes to DQ for coffee and conversation. After the second SAG, Peter and Willie pulled me into town at a fast pace, for which I'm eternally grateful.<p>Champaign is a university town and boasts some very quiet, tree-lined streets. Tomorrow is a well deserved "rest" day; it's time for laundry, bike cleaning, and maybe a bike ride…if it doesn't rain.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-33509706543057121602009-06-08T16:50:00.001-07:002009-06-09T04:30:57.410-07:00Quincy to Springfield, Illinois<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZABQFXEfMfQM6yBx7UhOxnHKxjyus2HsOkd4ZQ3Irbz2lonuZtrupi-ZWylJu1W6Dnb0XL0E8rzwhd3xrMDN-szMl3h2E3iVcPXiinO532qj5AUFQ8MpgmmWayqCNpDrs8hKKkC2y0Mb/s1600-h/paceline-751063.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345108494035599634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZABQFXEfMfQM6yBx7UhOxnHKxjyus2HsOkd4ZQ3Irbz2lonuZtrupi-ZWylJu1W6Dnb0XL0E8rzwhd3xrMDN-szMl3h2E3iVcPXiinO532qj5AUFQ8MpgmmWayqCNpDrs8hKKkC2y0Mb/s320/paceline-751063.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDDHoMsCX5wIqCvUGnwMxVVMTTr4r2xRtqG2j2URrXoJBTHz4oIdUpTIaPUhgD-t0p9Otv8Ap1WJ5gI1_ba7g933Tse03oV-igzXuatWJrp92F6Pz_UYddsrl7AHYkC0ese-x9vWQKnMT/s1600-h/shareroad-751866.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345108494891495058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDDHoMsCX5wIqCvUGnwMxVVMTTr4r2xRtqG2j2URrXoJBTHz4oIdUpTIaPUhgD-t0p9Otv8Ap1WJ5gI1_ba7g933Tse03oV-igzXuatWJrp92F6Pz_UYddsrl7AHYkC0ese-x9vWQKnMT/s320/shareroad-751866.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietuhmuo0v7YNCSb9eHwCcskJO0NXXT7tJZHay36C8qo1PgAi8wZdbKaNKE8alpgpwvu6Xzemmpq_EPjPHvuzcQeuNmz_14OooguMBLHYf-JrbB_2P-pc6xCTzZYWw51esmGSPmrd0tyI_/s1600-h/train-752511.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345108499074172034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietuhmuo0v7YNCSb9eHwCcskJO0NXXT7tJZHay36C8qo1PgAi8wZdbKaNKE8alpgpwvu6Xzemmpq_EPjPHvuzcQeuNmz_14OooguMBLHYf-JrbB_2P-pc6xCTzZYWw51esmGSPmrd0tyI_/s320/train-752511.JPG" /></a></p>108 miles, 6:25 riding time, 2,167 feet of climbing, 5,585 Calories <p>"Now he belongs to the ages." <p>As you know, Springfield is the capital of Illinois. It is also the final resting place of Abraham Lincoln. After Lincoln's assassination, his body was removed to Springfield - over the course of several years, he was reburied several times before finally being interred in the current vault. The story makes fascinating reading; at one point there was a plot to steal the body and hold it for ransom. Unfortunately, our route does not take us near the monument - I would have really liked to see it. <p>Because of thunderstorms, we delayed our departure out of Quincy until 8:30 AM. When we left, the rain had stopped, but the streets were wet. The blasted wind, which was forecast to at least be neutral, failed to shift to the west as promised. We either fought into a head wind or had gusts coming at us from the side. Out of Quincy, we climbed out of the river valley, over some long rollers, before dropping into the Illinois River valley. We crossed the Illinois on a narrow two-lane bridge, but it wasn't nearly as thrilling as crossing the Mississippi yesterday. Then, it was out of the Illinois valley and then flat, flat, flat into Springfield. Al, Peter, Chris, Willie, Fred, and I came in together. Ira was in the lobby shortly thereafter. Then it was off to Steak n Shake for a large, chocolate milkshake. <p>"Share the road," doesn't mean with bicycles in Illinois - large farm equipment is more likely.</p>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-24111764233446454412009-06-07T13:46:00.001-07:002009-06-07T17:37:16.115-07:00Kirksville, Missouri to Quincy, Illinois<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3lfUZfvHD58rnkFbrEDp2eUMzfv9CYxKPlc1-7qRfRkMNprywAra4FjDFzRox7K03gWnGLhfQsYCM8loeBIicK_tHfOJhQA1aMuE8AZysWvMF4RP3PVIiL_rSkMBuTIs0MndbRbJU1f8e/s1600-h/twothousand-778872.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344689854195707554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3lfUZfvHD58rnkFbrEDp2eUMzfv9CYxKPlc1-7qRfRkMNprywAra4FjDFzRox7K03gWnGLhfQsYCM8loeBIicK_tHfOJhQA1aMuE8AZysWvMF4RP3PVIiL_rSkMBuTIs0MndbRbJU1f8e/s320/twothousand-778872.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-2t835LvXYBkT7zxbjPI4kC9YkeRL566w7aWJOStVTJQehBZOXCbhaOa0mDTV9HtV5gqrtQ1ef166ikynFVGNR-mzKTge8p7VKycZ8bJ4FpXiE9seuhfq0p6mxNT94KEWoDN4QeQSNn1s/s1600-h/downtown-779359.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344689856667485170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-2t835LvXYBkT7zxbjPI4kC9YkeRL566w7aWJOStVTJQehBZOXCbhaOa0mDTV9HtV5gqrtQ1ef166ikynFVGNR-mzKTge8p7VKycZ8bJ4FpXiE9seuhfq0p6mxNT94KEWoDN4QeQSNn1s/s320/downtown-779359.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OcjWwQ_d6T9Jrf7SsUrLZLl1dsIzZW5pVyCOxG5VBug1EWf3_zncWm_lNm3giQM6YL2hZLK6B_JY0iQ9Y41X3fATsPIYW7vaQBmXmtqxK3FEy3qZj8LqBVZvffiOWDf5KQr9D85P-a3Z/s1600-h/bikes-779854.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344689858742528082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OcjWwQ_d6T9Jrf7SsUrLZLl1dsIzZW5pVyCOxG5VBug1EWf3_zncWm_lNm3giQM6YL2hZLK6B_JY0iQ9Y41X3fATsPIYW7vaQBmXmtqxK3FEy3qZj8LqBVZvffiOWDf5KQr9D85P-a3Z/s320/bikes-779854.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXuJrz4pvNdxyS4KnnMcCwXB2JQk5DTGhXBCI98yqejZ0MQ91aX0UT_cGw-r1nBsevf_Fnn4ctG6pCSJP4o9lQ6p44iX367dbsIwKA8dTzoWhEf2DjPaN_dK-MzxwnSu6jiLxQ0zRFMl3/s1600-h/mississippi-780521.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344689861426464258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXuJrz4pvNdxyS4KnnMcCwXB2JQk5DTGhXBCI98yqejZ0MQ91aX0UT_cGw-r1nBsevf_Fnn4ctG6pCSJP4o9lQ6p44iX367dbsIwKA8dTzoWhEf2DjPaN_dK-MzxwnSu6jiLxQ0zRFMl3/s320/mississippi-780521.JPG" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzx7P8k2tgyuoqhCnNowwVhVAsSZZj-bWKP7P9i2CUujV9xPslOjAh397DBO0bNJMtD3SIs_M09d0qkuX1LhYGKJ98z3r8TU80wr4fLKHnhz-KGfaxznYYkc7h963Mw87LzpTKJ8jOL5o/s1600-h/quincymansion-781253.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344689865335535922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzx7P8k2tgyuoqhCnNowwVhVAsSZZj-bWKP7P9i2CUujV9xPslOjAh397DBO0bNJMtD3SIs_M09d0qkuX1LhYGKJ98z3r8TU80wr4fLKHnhz-KGfaxznYYkc7h963Mw87LzpTKJ8jOL5o/s320/quincymansion-781253.JPG" /></a></p>76 miles, 5:19 riding time, 2,106 feet of climbing, 3,431 Calories <p>With light rain falling, we left Kirksville and headed east on SR 6E. The first part of the ride was over some more Missouri Rollers, through cattle ranches. Someone said, they should be called "misery rollers." The first SAG stop was at mile 32 in Knox City. Shortly after the SAG, the rain stopped, but a strong headwind more than made up for the lack of rain. It was a long slog for the remaining forty miles. It's disheartening when you have fifteen miles to go, you're making fifteen mile an hour, so you figure it's going to take you an hour. With eleven miles to go, you are only making eleven miles an hour and it's going to take you an hour! What's wrong with that picture? <p>On the bright side, we have now covered over two-thousand miles of our journey to Boston. <p>But the big highlight of the day for me, was crossing the Mississippi River! Yes, the Mighty Mississippi, the Big Muddy, the Queen of American Rivers. My excitement was tempered by the narrow two lane bridge, traffic, strong crosswinds and a fear of heights; mix equal parts adrenaline and terror. <p>Quincy is called the "gem" city - not for diamonds or emeralds, but for its beauty. The city was built on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi where it was immune to flooding. An important port on the river, Quincy was also an important part of the Underground Railway for runaway slaves from Missouri where slavery was legal prior to the Civil War. There are many huge mansions lining the streets, leftovers from when Quincy was an important economic center. As we move east, we are also moving back in time, reversing the westward movement of people and commerce.</p>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-59594081489773488062009-06-06T15:31:00.001-07:002009-06-06T15:31:29.464-07:00Chillicothe to Kirksville, Missouri<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIb_50Kw1D4OE9i_5NsQxawatZUpx3lU1eaULK1ySC9SD3IKvxWEIczonyx1Gax9ogGjyZs5dLWPFTiCBAfXhyphenhyphenfq4w5_t9YTwpy_k6iurVfm2zQPRV1efHsGwOeTtcFqN2ShW_jCDUOqj/s1600-h/kirksvillelandscape-789466.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIb_50Kw1D4OE9i_5NsQxawatZUpx3lU1eaULK1ySC9SD3IKvxWEIczonyx1Gax9ogGjyZs5dLWPFTiCBAfXhyphenhyphenfq4w5_t9YTwpy_k6iurVfm2zQPRV1efHsGwOeTtcFqN2ShW_jCDUOqj/s320/kirksvillelandscape-789466.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344345873602786914" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9_aRGVHfAaj5qgzrLqEz0pdBi3YXhdtu_10qvl5ABVxNPpz1lx8rYU59dyC1THpagMnNV73IB6ru_1rk68Q9zdnhHQoG5gG8IyWaXxMzIyKD4qUtwuBJlCQbe8q6dQr_mTDlLRRFixII/s1600-h/rollers-790086.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9_aRGVHfAaj5qgzrLqEz0pdBi3YXhdtu_10qvl5ABVxNPpz1lx8rYU59dyC1THpagMnNV73IB6ru_1rk68Q9zdnhHQoG5gG8IyWaXxMzIyKD4qUtwuBJlCQbe8q6dQr_mTDlLRRFixII/s320/rollers-790086.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344345875909789250" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfE8HZhCTRjvSgboKb8dVrvVXXoSVmmx_R7D8KNfpYccjGCAFcgl7PU30fl7BTGFv9V04ihz4kscvFmptrEhvNkyfTZHnay1pRjptws_wa1BIqCGyNRFykzKeWmj49gH54RchzOcZeKUMl/s1600-h/chillicotheflowers-790651.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfE8HZhCTRjvSgboKb8dVrvVXXoSVmmx_R7D8KNfpYccjGCAFcgl7PU30fl7BTGFv9V04ihz4kscvFmptrEhvNkyfTZHnay1pRjptws_wa1BIqCGyNRFykzKeWmj49gH54RchzOcZeKUMl/s320/chillicotheflowers-790651.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344345878960364050" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYogdE6jXEjp36O0LvnTKI3Z2O4AIDdyjNSp_AVbXEtxWLa6f9YsX41JD-bNQNMpZPPPFW2P4pHNsWnGUeAORG675P1pAGAfmXXIOui0Zd09i8uMbbeSv1rPAgspeFC4A7_8Myue1GEfM/s1600-h/threehorses-791256.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYogdE6jXEjp36O0LvnTKI3Z2O4AIDdyjNSp_AVbXEtxWLa6f9YsX41JD-bNQNMpZPPPFW2P4pHNsWnGUeAORG675P1pAGAfmXXIOui0Zd09i8uMbbeSv1rPAgspeFC4A7_8Myue1GEfM/s320/threehorses-791256.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344345879911242802" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8pX96zMyByV0XMEzznmabVHfby3MY6GtQ177HVgjfip1V378S5-ikpXnimBce6v_AhlQ1pv5DbzFAy3CXvFbzu9uIcwwjB71JTm337ag7zz6fwXWUGK1PuAOd8dHEZpApD0bEacsOuOI/s1600-h/margaret-791802.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8pX96zMyByV0XMEzznmabVHfby3MY6GtQ177HVgjfip1V378S5-ikpXnimBce6v_AhlQ1pv5DbzFAy3CXvFbzu9uIcwwjB71JTm337ag7zz6fwXWUGK1PuAOd8dHEZpApD0bEacsOuOI/s320/margaret-791802.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344345880658232562" /></a></p>[Note to Pamela: Chillicothe (chill-a-coth-ee)]<p>76 miles, 4:45 riding time, 4,172 feet of ascent, 3,845 Calories<p>We had a thunderstorm in Chillicothe as we were having breakfast. Checking the radar, the departure was delayed several times; We finally got on the road two hours later than usual, in a light rain. The wind was very strong out of the southeast and slowed our progress. The rain finally let up and eventually we had a warm, sunny day, but the winds plagued us all day, except for those few miles where we were headed due north. We are now riding through lots of cattle ranches and forests. Oh, we saw two whitetail deer; unfortunately, they were too skittish to photograph.<p>Route for today: go east on 36E for about twenty-five miles (no services for 25.6 miles). Turn left on state road 11N for another forty-six miles (no services for 45.6 miles) to Kirksville. Yes, 75 miles and one store! After the first 26 miles, we stopped at the one store for some chocolate milk and pastries. When we got to the main street in Brookfield, they were having a parade! No, it wasn't for us, it was some sort of celebration of spring. <p> The last fifty miles were fun. According to Tracy, there are 148 hills in this stretch of road, called, "Missouri rollers." Imagine racing down a hill as fast as you can go and, at the bottom, crashing through the gears, downshifting and trying to keep your momentum to carry you up the other side of the valley; sometimes you do, sometimes you don't. The grades on some of the hills are as high as ten per cent - very steep. The road looks like ribbon candy as it undulates over the horizon.<p>We passed through, or near, the towns of Wheeling (pop 268), Meadville (pop 457), Laclede (pop 415), Brookfield (pop 4,769), unincorporated St. Catherine (pop ??), and unincorporated New Boston (pop too few to count?). Not much has happened in these towns, unless you care where General John Pershing was born; answer, near Laclede, Mo. Many of the small towns here are slowly dying. What, at one point, were thriving communities with busy downtowns, schools, banks, and post offices, are now just wide spots on the road, with shuttered businesses and no services. I think it's a shame.<p>Not much has happened in Kirksville, MO either, at least anything of any remark. No pre-sliced bread, no best pie in the country, no Indian name, nada!<p>Cross Roads employee of the day (and my favorite). Margaret drives one of the SAG wagons and makes sure that we have plenty of Gatorade, water, snacks, bananas, and other bike fuel. She is always a sight for sore eyes when we spot the SAG stop. Outgoing, with an incredible positive attitude, she's a delight to have on the trip. We love you, Margaret!Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-65449305132600620762009-06-05T13:05:00.001-07:002009-06-05T13:05:17.570-07:00St. Joseph to Chillicothe, Missouri<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOg0jXZPMDyN5QUgwIdu8pWhF6cvt7QvQRn1Dk0OnJy4yB88vCAYxt_I8pcZ2N8XRHpu59uN-BtcekBQXaplK17SJkuuXOPr0ImKsA4ytQrTmDAX-U2ASNpF30g1QzyfdBbTne4FKmfe7/s1600-h/redbarn-717572.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOg0jXZPMDyN5QUgwIdu8pWhF6cvt7QvQRn1Dk0OnJy4yB88vCAYxt_I8pcZ2N8XRHpu59uN-BtcekBQXaplK17SJkuuXOPr0ImKsA4ytQrTmDAX-U2ASNpF30g1QzyfdBbTne4FKmfe7/s320/redbarn-717572.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343937113925156274" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfHZ_IfijvdhigHFsKNGRiKOf2gSri_6V5kI68KZ4hSu85bZ8N9cBAD-DmHZwCYsi89VRU2vzNmBEtwPs28mpjmu9KGb7wygWIaRtvby1mjKDMHyUw7r05NUpGoznPzBx_nn0XGDQRnRp/s1600-h/maysville-718150.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfHZ_IfijvdhigHFsKNGRiKOf2gSri_6V5kI68KZ4hSu85bZ8N9cBAD-DmHZwCYsi89VRU2vzNmBEtwPs28mpjmu9KGb7wygWIaRtvby1mjKDMHyUw7r05NUpGoznPzBx_nn0XGDQRnRp/s320/maysville-718150.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343937114893079378" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2W4sRMCl9QkMsnSahhGrt17PomxmAVk-9Anr_gGV7FL35rzUzpsrJg27LcYr1aQzuuasYgNRqXx6eGl8-XnpHC4w2VL_otHc8xJwObf84lc8FlgupVVruaR8zhr953bGshwzeTpwC6qJb/s1600-h/kidsnus-718719.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2W4sRMCl9QkMsnSahhGrt17PomxmAVk-9Anr_gGV7FL35rzUzpsrJg27LcYr1aQzuuasYgNRqXx6eGl8-XnpHC4w2VL_otHc8xJwObf84lc8FlgupVVruaR8zhr953bGshwzeTpwC6qJb/s320/kidsnus-718719.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343937117500109490" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiq1J4xnKajF6N8jtGsbaXwFUzztNGs-G34ON6nzduLHvSxhqUGBMT7hyphenhyphenUG9lcKi199xh56n6RWbf-PKj_I_DYv6JeL5PRZEmQKcV277uyq14eQilHuO-JvIzTj3Zv0F4f3sBGeRZ-4crR/s1600-h/slicedbread-719421.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiq1J4xnKajF6N8jtGsbaXwFUzztNGs-G34ON6nzduLHvSxhqUGBMT7hyphenhyphenUG9lcKi199xh56n6RWbf-PKj_I_DYv6JeL5PRZEmQKcV277uyq14eQilHuO-JvIzTj3Zv0F4f3sBGeRZ-4crR/s320/slicedbread-719421.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343937120141353250" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx09AUinWo1nQs1M_1EGAM_gJ1VJzYLXM0i6muD_Lix_x8dzjTpMu9wYw7vZZ2Ta4WXUwgoLSCBRjDLBpuH3F4wVNlbOrQ9skIvaRJVBo4GvdoeNZxcMKho8gPbvKXTTvvtLmOD98IivUE/s1600-h/willie-720026.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx09AUinWo1nQs1M_1EGAM_gJ1VJzYLXM0i6muD_Lix_x8dzjTpMu9wYw7vZZ2Ta4WXUwgoLSCBRjDLBpuH3F4wVNlbOrQ9skIvaRJVBo4GvdoeNZxcMKho8gPbvKXTTvvtLmOD98IivUE/s320/willie-720026.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343937123938994434" /></a></p>87 miles, 5:00 riding time, 4,097' of climbing, 4,375 Calories<p>Leaving St. Jo., we rode east on state road 6 through Maysville and then on SR 190 into Chillicothe. Rolling country roads with light traffic and lots of trees and small farms; this is what it's all about.<p>Maysville is a small town that celebrates the CrossRoads arrival each year. The town turns out with baked goods, etc. to greet the adventurers from far away. We all wore our CR jerseys in honor of today's visit and regrouped a little outside of town so we could ride in together. There are many kind, warmhearted people in this world and a bunch of them live in Maysville. The grade school kids left class to visit with us and cheered as we rode into town. It was a very special treat for all of us.<p>Across from the grain silo in Lock Springs, is a plaque with the following quote, "Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true." We are living our dream to ride our bikes across America; I guess that makes us, "happy."<p>Trivia of the day: Chillicothe is Shawnee for "big town where we live." Obviously, some settler asked the Shawnee what the area was called and got the answer he deserved.<p>Chillicothe's claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of sliced bread. The Chillicothe Baking Company started selling pre-sliced bread on July 7, 1928, the first time anywhere in the world.<p>For you sci-fi fans, the "City of Chillicothe" was the name of one of the spaceships in Robert Heinlein's Methuselah's Children.<p>Rider of the day: Willie is on a sabbatical from being the CFO of a major telecommunications company. He lives in Virginia. Willie is riding to support the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. To make a pledge to FAAN, <a href="http://www.foodallergy.org">www.foodallergy.org</a> . At the end of each day of riding, Willie finds the local police or fire station to meet and thank the first responders. He's a heck of a nice guy.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964152060792154658.post-129009664925865092009-06-04T13:47:00.001-07:002009-06-04T13:50:26.644-07:00Topeka, Kansas to St. Joseph, Missouri<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq69gERoNEmG9m0Zyh34Oc23Ori_SBiYJZ786Lpzyjti23w1DBhWYuT1MJzlWGBKLR1EPGye1cGTQhOmNu02HUL7P0KIYOQfRyCdmgKlz_N6F4HCbLxQThC7HW2O0cLay23Hu5nHsiPhVX/s1600-h/corn-742067.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343576872431741634" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq69gERoNEmG9m0Zyh34Oc23Ori_SBiYJZ786Lpzyjti23w1DBhWYuT1MJzlWGBKLR1EPGye1cGTQhOmNu02HUL7P0KIYOQfRyCdmgKlz_N6F4HCbLxQThC7HW2O0cLay23Hu5nHsiPhVX/s320/corn-742067.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mXh0OmfVs2Efn5MANcOWNfv2rE5oqleZ_i6tYMzCSp9rbtG7xYBbJhG6SUhIU_JUbu20-NSl7PQgQ5bZPiekWb3daRfPaS-3BR_Gq7I4OTFj-zHAx3ZdTkA4Omwk0xTekm_n1Kl4A8Ir/s1600-h/missouri-742845.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343576872478639026" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mXh0OmfVs2Efn5MANcOWNfv2rE5oqleZ_i6tYMzCSp9rbtG7xYBbJhG6SUhIU_JUbu20-NSl7PQgQ5bZPiekWb3daRfPaS-3BR_Gq7I4OTFj-zHAx3ZdTkA4Omwk0xTekm_n1Kl4A8Ir/s320/missouri-742845.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5LxiXeA2U1Zl7AULYve3UXZ06ktNiT6iee69mni3Xafu7USfJ2eiahv_L3CwXQyiq4POLG4UwBUvYNPvxHpG4YM9j2O7XahiwhXJZTN5Yy3LU_fZQrVFMb4FhNusNge30LJrRYrWsOhqb/s1600-h/icecream-743250.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343576876702590162" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5LxiXeA2U1Zl7AULYve3UXZ06ktNiT6iee69mni3Xafu7USfJ2eiahv_L3CwXQyiq4POLG4UwBUvYNPvxHpG4YM9j2O7XahiwhXJZTN5Yy3LU_fZQrVFMb4FhNusNge30LJrRYrWsOhqb/s320/icecream-743250.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNANkhajTqRjugpv3_l4o00-SYHjQxobG1oUrYCRB64DlnTYJxtTzG8aWJEiFPWnTrWBEF-DCm3oGhKTimcGPch0yEIdp3Nz6YXDCAPwROd3XQQzayDa_tXjAK_vBSTg8oWUtUU64yY6Gp/s1600-h/swparkway-743971.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343576874698255906" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNANkhajTqRjugpv3_l4o00-SYHjQxobG1oUrYCRB64DlnTYJxtTzG8aWJEiFPWnTrWBEF-DCm3oGhKTimcGPch0yEIdp3Nz6YXDCAPwROd3XQQzayDa_tXjAK_vBSTg8oWUtUU64yY6Gp/s320/swparkway-743971.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurCWm7qH5wUThQEAyZU4fRmlHNJWMp077x7ycW4cIvQD5WwlmNT39zUMwmI_yhwjOizkmL8qo_PZtdlo7H7rhHTBcsH7k_5FtbzHyUanyl-TaOaZRzDn0vHZAR5o9wA_KjBItTif2qph_/s1600-h/alec-744416.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343576879310145858" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurCWm7qH5wUThQEAyZU4fRmlHNJWMp077x7ycW4cIvQD5WwlmNT39zUMwmI_yhwjOizkmL8qo_PZtdlo7H7rhHTBcsH7k_5FtbzHyUanyl-TaOaZRzDn0vHZAR5o9wA_KjBItTif2qph_/s320/alec-744416.JPG" border="0" /></a></p>86 miles, 5:26 riding time, 2,271 feet of climb, 4,144 Calories <p>"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore!" <p>Yep, we finally left the fabulous state of Kansas. I had no idea how big Kansas was until we rode across it on our bicycles. Not counting the rest day, it too us six days to get from Liberal to the Missouri border. <p>Today, we have made another state line crossing. I stopped to sprinkle some Manhattan beach sand on the state line sign to appease the wind fairies. The Missouri sign needs a lot of help. Tracy has asked Ira to stop sprinkling as his supplications appear to be lacking. <p>From Topeka, we made our way out of town and rejoined K4 in a NE direction. The winds were mild and variable (big grin). Rolling green hills, recently planted corn fields, and small farms were the order of the day. When K4 ended, we transitioned to highway 59, crossed the Kansas River into Missouri, and followed the river bottomland into St. Joseph. The St. Joseph Bike Club provided free ice cream for us! (Much appreciated guys. If you are ever in Los Angeles, I owe you.) As we came into St. Jo., we rode along the SW Parkway, many miles of green park and traffic free, curving road - the prettiest part of the ride. Big Al, Chris, Fred and I came into the hotel together and then went next door for some barbecue and sodas - otherwise known as bike fuel. <p>Factoids: <p>Atchison, KS, is the birthplace of Amelia Earhart. <p>St. Joseph was the eastern terminus of the short-lived Pony Express. Jesse James was killed in St. Joe. <p>The Lewis and Clark trail goes through St. Joseph. <p>"From Natchez to Mobile, from Memphis to St. Joe,<br />wherever the four winds blow<br />I've been in some big towns and I heard me some big talk,<br />but there is one thing I know<br />A woman's a two-face, a worrisome thing<br />who'll leave ya to sing the blues in the night" <p>Barbara, great stuff I've seen along the roadside: truck tires, gravel, tools, cans, bottles, road kill…? For some reason, we've seen lots of bungie cords. <p>Rider of the day: Alec is one of the four Musketeers. He lives in Tahoe most of the year.</p>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107104926087591533noreply@blogger.com2