Fred's Bike Ride Across America

More to come...Work in Progress

2008-08-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

Dear readers...

Thanks for tuning in on our progress from time to time. Due to computer issues and difficulties in maintaining Internet connections (there have been none in many of the places we've been) I am going to pick up with posting to the blog here after we get home and get organized again. That should be by mid September I would hope. Until then, there are several other riders who are publishing blogs more regularly since they have computers that actually work! Their URLs are listed further down here on my blog.

See you soon!!!!

Fred and Sandy

August 4, 2008 Elizabethtown, IL to Grand Rivers, KY

2008-08-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

The morning started early since hot weather was forecast. As we took off and the sun rose the fog that was present early dissipated.

We rode to the Ohio river and had to take a ferry over to Kentucky.

Leaving our corn and soybeans and wheat we entered forested areas and shady roads.
On the road anything can happen. We were riding along and found a 'wide load' truck blocking the road complete with 'flagger'. We had to wait until they put this mobile home in place in the trailer park before we could pass on.

We arrived at our destination, the in Grand Rivers, the Land Between the Lakes' of the Kentucky River and Cumberland River. Nice town with a marina full of sail boats and the home of Patti's restaurant which was in reality several excellent restaurants a miniature golf course, several shops, wedding chapel, and all kinds of neat stuff.

Our motel, the Grand Rivers Inn was owned by Veronica, a very nice lady from Hungary. Most gracious. Of course I couldn't leave without going to the bike store for a tune up.

August 3, 2008 Elizabethville (Illinois)

2008-08-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

Today found us riding to Elizabethtown, Illinois on the Ohio River. As by now usual, a nice day's ride. We stayed at the River Rose Inn, an old riverside mansion beautifully restored with memorabelia from Elvis and just about everywhere else. We had a cook out and nice evening on the river watching the barges and the recreational boaters and just generally hanging out (which I am finally becoming accomplished at). Jim, one of our fellow travelers, brouight hsi guitar along on the trip and has been kind enough to let me use it so I just relaxed plunking away on the river's edge. Doesn't get much better than this. More tomorrow.

August 2, 2008 Chester to Carbondale, Illinois

2008-08-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

The trip from Chester to Carbondale was, as usual by now, just fine. We have been blessed with such wonderful weather. A tad hot and muggy by the standards of some but I love being on the bike and really like hot weather anyhow so no big deal. We were again on back roads in the country along the Mississippi or near it. We rode along the tops of the levees as shown here. More low lying wet fields though not as many. Still can't understand how folks can get flooded out and come back over and over again. Some of the fields are filled with crops and others with water but I guess to them it's home.

So far along the trip we've seen wheat (Montana and South Dakota), corn and soybeans in Iowa and Missouri and Illinois so this field of sunflowers was a new scene...in fact the only one we've seen so far.
In Carbondale we visited with friends Oved and Marge who we haven't seen since school. They treated us to a nearby peach festival with live music, bingo, great food, and lots of catching up. Great time!

August 1, 2008 Farmington, MO to Chester, IL

2008-08-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

Missing a few days but here we are on the trip from Farmington, MO back into southern Illinois. Missouri holds many beautiful sights and many wonderful people but have to admit we won't be missing some of the truckers. Most are polite and give us wide berth but a few...well let's say we could have done without the guy who laid on his air horn. Crossed the Mississippi...again...this time over this steel bridge. Most of the states are widening the roads to accommodate cyclists but they can't build new bridges for us so we just get on, close our eyes and go. If you hold the road they can't run you off but the options are do that or go into the drink. Such fun. Not boring.The blogger has me in a tizzy. Some of the pictures are out of sync but I need to catch up with this so will label them as they appear.

Chester is the home of the cartoonist who invented Popeye and they are really into it. I missed the statue of Popeye himself and blew past the motel on the downhill (that meant going back up hill to get there but we've been up so many hills already that who is counting). Wound up at the bottom of the hill with the McDonalds which we have been frequenting for ice cream many nights...where there is a McDonalds anyhow.

Statue of Popeye's pal Wimpy. This was next to a farmer's market setting up in the morning as we headed out of town.Everything in Chester is Popeye. The Spinach Can Collector doubles as museum, tourist trap and store.
One of the Statues in Chester. This one is Olive Oyle and Sweet Pea.
Just one of so many peaceful roads we've traveled. Can't take pictures of them all. We are riding on Interstates, US and state highways and then back roads like this one in the country. All offer beauty and challenges.
We are in Missouri here (I said the pictures were out of order). Had to find a cool spot to rest and have lunch. Sacred Heart Church and school (not pictured) filled the bill on a hot day providing some shade.
Had to take this one. It's August and the corn is really high.
This one is on the way back into Illinois.
And this is the entry into Chester and Popeye and his pals.

July 26th, 2008 St. Louis

2008-08-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

Rest day in St. Louis. Also my birthday. Spent the day cleaning up the bike, visiting with our friends Selena and Adrienne who drove us to REI co-op where we bought the store and then had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Yummy. I can't seem to pass up a bike store without buying something that has worn out or will soon.

The Arch in St. Louis the first evening there. Quite a sight to see. The courthouse across from our hotel below. Went for a little walk to the arch and then back and they were having a fireworks display for my birthday! Didn't quite get the pictures. Somebody said it was for some lesser reason but quite a nice display.

The arch on the morning of the 27th by daylight.
As with so many places, we must go back to further explore St. Louis with it's zoo and beautiful parks, not to mention seeing the Budweiser Clydsdales again.

July 24, 2008 Quincy, IL to Hannibal, MO

2008-08-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

No pictures today. We have been blessed with wonderful weather...until today. Since each day ends at a new motel (except for rest days) we ride, rain or shine. It rained. In fact, there were thunder storms in the morning in Quincy. We left as the lightening was abating but it rained for much of the morning's ride. We got to Hannibal, MO and on the way I got a photo of the sign coming into Missouri but not much more. Toured the Mark Twain home and museum and dried out a little with the help of some hot cocoa with Sandy and a few others and then pedaled on to Louisiana, MO where we stayed overnight in a B & B.

July 23, 2008 travels from Ft. Madison, IA to Quincy, IL

2008-08-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

Today's travels were exciting. We crossed the Mississippi River on the way out of Ft. Madison, Iowa to Illinois 'enmasse' because of some flap about not taking pictures on the toll bridge since 9/11 or something. Anyhow, we crossed the toll bridge and the toll taker must not have known what to do with a bunch of bicyclists because we crossed free. Sandy, in the truck, had to pay. The trip took us to Nauvoo, Illinois for breakfast (yummy and cheap) and then into the town to visit. Nauvoo is a contrasting town where tolerance seemed quite absent in it's history. Seems as though the Mormon Church settled there and the locals were not too pleased and ran them out of town after a great deal of angst. Not quit sure of the whole story because they built a huge Temple and education center which we visited so while they were kicked out, some of them managed to remain here while the rest headed to Salt Lake City in Utah (where we visited long ago)

One of the 'displays' was the home of Johnathan Browning. He was the inventor of the Browning Machine Gun but a ton of other things as well. The son of a farmer, he decided he didn't want to farm so he bacame a blacksmith, gunsmith and inventor. He invented special house nails and the house had a well inside so they had indoor plumbing long before anyone else. Very interesting.

Further travels led us through Illinois along the Mississippi River with flooded fields and sandbagged houses. A bad day of biking beats a good day of anything else but I'm glad we don't live in such a flooded out area. We had to re-route part of the journey because the road we were to travel was flooded out. All in a day's riding. Some folks still seem to rebuild year after year rather than move. To each their own. A bunch of pictures follow:

Catch up time. July 22 - August 2, 2008

2008-08-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

Well, it's time to catch up on a few days travels. Tuesday the 27th found us traveling from Wapello to Ft. Madison, Iowa. I didn't get any pictures but we rode along the flooded areas of the Mississippi River. There was one road that we had to detour because it was flooded in a low lying spot. Oh well, the best laid plans sometimes go astray but it made for more bicycling miles and that is good. It also made me thankfully we don't have flooded areas like that at home. Wednesday the 27th we traveled into Illinois to Quincy, the home of the Lincoln-Douglas debate passing through Nauvoo with it's Mormon Temple and saw some of the buildings. We visited the shop of Mr. Browning who invented many things including house nails and the Browning machine gun. Rather brilliant and versatile in his inventions.

July 20-21, 2008 The trip from Dewitt to Wapello, Iowa

2008-07-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

Well, should we continue or not? There WAS a road here!!! Says so right here on the map!!!
Maybe was, but not any more!!!!!
Being too lazy to backtrack we decided to forge ahead and portage the two areas of river to get to the other side...
And we made it.....

Well, the trip across Iowa has been anything but boring. I still get excited about corn. When we were in Dyersville we learned that as of about two presidents ago (Back when gas was a buck and change a gallon) only 3.4 percent of all Americans are involved with agriculture, i.e. feeding the rest of us and the world and making ethanol for our cars. When we rode from Dewitt to Wapello we saw what the media would have you believe is all of Iowa. It's not and we had a nice chat with the owner of the motel, the "Roy El Motel", in Wapello who set us straight. Most of the state's corn and livestock are fine. The small percent of folks who were hit with the storms were hit hard though and it's easy to feel sorry for them but they are picking up the pieces and going on with life. In Buffalo Iowa there was no power and the tree and electric crews were working to clean up the mess. The gal at the convenient gas station where we got my new power drink, V8, and said they didn't expect any phone service or electricity for a few more days. The stuff in the cooler would melt but everyone was cheery. Cash only though. Credit card machines require phone lines. In Wapello the motel owner, and elderly gentleman, we talked to...and I..couldn't understand how the folks who get flooded out year after year continue to rebuild on the same place knowing it will happen again. Anyhow, today's pictures are on the final leg of our journey on the road from Dewitt to Wapello. Except there was no road!!! It had been washed out. So, left with the choice of backtracking for another hour or so journey or wading across the river, we did the intelligent thing...we waded across, got in, washed down our bikes and lubed them, showered and had our happy hour and map meeting where we reorganized our route to avoid further such diversions. The results were smooth riding into Ft. Madison. After the map meeting we are eating in at the motel. More tomorrow.

Rest day in Dyersville

2008-07-20T15:10:00.001-07:00

In the morning I cycled into downtown for a haircut and browsed around. They have a beautiful Basilica there. The barber told me that the flood waters had come up to the second set of steps on the Basilica. It is a miracle that it was spared and even with the water the downtown fared better than Waterloo.

In the afternoon we went to the National Farm Toy Museum. We got a prelude with a real tractor parked next door to our motel and the restaurant we ate at.

This tractor was wooden outside.This (below) was one of the first toy tractors collectors could get. It was made by the Ertl toy tractor company in Dyersville.There were TONS of toy tractors....two full floors full in a very large building.A Ford for Denny,A Caterpillar for Lou...And an International Farmall for Bob...

Gotta run. Map meeting time. Enjoy. Drop us a line if you get the chance. Most of you have our email address. And have a wonderful summer. We are.

Fred and Sandy.

Take me out ot the ball game! Dyersville, Iowa

2008-07-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

The field of Dreams movie set was really great! It is reall in the middle of corn fields of Iowa like in the movie and is really cool.

We were there. There were two owners of the field who were fueding. One bought out the other. We met him. He was born in the house and still lives there. There is no admission to get in....has something to do with the contract with the movie company demanding royalties I think...but the sure do get you in the concession stand. We bought the store and had a blast doing itThere were folks there playing ball on the field. They let members of our group play too. I got to hit the ball.Of course after you hit the ball you have to run the bases. Lots of fun.
Sandy smacked one out of the park.

This view was taken from left field...in the corn. All in all, a great time.

Bleacher bums.

After some 82 miles of corn and rollers we rolled into Dyersville, a delightful town with lots to do. We had the next day off...a 'rest day' though I did cycle into town to ge several hairs cut.

More devestation in Parkersburg

2008-07-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the uprooted trees.

The trip from IowaFalls to Waterloo and Dyersville

2008-07-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

Hi again from Iowa. Travel by bicycle through Iowa is, for me an exciting experience. You see corn every day and as I said, it is not flat and for every hill you climb there is a descent and then another climb. But it's the agriculture resource that is America and I love the hills, the corn, and the ride. Today's ride from Iowa falls to Waterloo and then to Dyersville had some additional things to look at, both. terrible and beautiful. While on a country road we came upon a farm yard with tons of old farm machinery. Every sort of device; none looking like they worked and all rusty. Sorta reminded me of our garage for those of you who know it with two tandem bikes, a recumbent, several other bikes and assorted 'stuff'...and no room for our cars.

We were looking at the farm yard when a motorcyclist came by. Turned out he was a highschool teacher from Parkersburg and he said we should stop by because they had a tornado go through on May 15th and wipe out half the town so we did. It was reall something and the place was a disaster. Lots of rebuilding (the contractors were all driving nice new fancy expensive SUVs) and lots of rebuilding...

We saw lots of trees like this. Just gone. Others were uprooted and laying on their sides like you'd pull a carrot out of the garden.

There was a house here. This was a pile of rubble left and te hole behind it was a foundation. Whole houses were lifted up and plopped elsewhere.
Parkersburg wasn't the only place hit by weather. Since the beginning of the trip we were hearing about all the flooding in Iowa and wondering if we'd have a motel to stay in. We rode along the Iowa river into Waterloo. Part of the time we rode on part of their lovely bike trail system including riding along the top of the levee. The entire town wasn't protected by leveees however and above you can see one of the many houses that were sandbagged to protect against the flood. Our motel was high and dry but many of the businesses nearby in downtown Waterloo were closed though we did get some dinner and a good night's sleep. Our trip so far has been blessed with wonderful riding weather. Really makes your heart go out to the folks who were hit by the havoc of nature though.

On the trip from Waterloo to Dyersville we passed Petersburg. Rising from the middle of the fruitive plains and corn was this beautiful church. Looked like a castle...a prelude to our Disney trip that will follow the bike ride across America and beauty to come. (The woes of computers. This picture will have to be in the next post along with a picture of the uprooted trees in Parkersburg).

July 15, 2008 Storm Lake, Iowa to Ft. Dodge, Iowa

2008-07-15T14:36:00.000-07:00

Another day of cycling in paradise. After last night on lake side with the breeze, only sixty three miles today but only 637 feet of total ascent which translates into virtually flat wonderful easy riding at 20+ MPH. Back country county roads with little traffic, lots of corn and blue skies. Don't think it can get any better than this. Passed a farm with tons of old antique farm impliments in the front yard. Reminded me of home and our garage with so many bikes you can't park the car!
More windmills. More corn. More great riding!!!

There IS some flat land in Iowa after all!

A collection of antique farm implements.

Some more cool windmills.

July 14, 2008 Sioux City to Storm Lake, Iowa

2008-07-14T19:46:00.000-07:00

If anyone tells you that Iowa is flat, look 'em in the eye and tell them they don't know what they are talking about!!! We started our journey out of Sioux City with a 13% grade climb and spent the rest of the georgeous sunny day climbing a total of nearly 2600 feet elevation on what they call 'rollers'...a nice word for hills. Seventy-five miles later we got to Storm Lake, Iowa. A wonderful day of cycling!!! We passed corn. And corn. And corn...and wind farms and wound up on a beautiful spring fed lake in the middle of it all and wound up with a group cook out in the motel parking lot. America at it's best. Agriculture feeding and fueling the world.
Throw in a little art work along the way. What a day!!!

Blogs of some fellow riders

2008-07-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

Hello family and frineds and just plain blog lookers. Every day brings new adventure, whether just looking at the geography change or stopping at special places along the way. Between riding and visiting with members of the group or exploring with Sandy there just doesn't seem to be enough time to do justice to my blog posts. Several of the members of the group are either more diligent or more talented with their IT capabilities and spend a lot of time writing their blogs. I am providing some links to their blogs so that you can keep up with their pictures as well as ours. For those wanting to see our tons of pictures when we get home just let me know and we will provide plenty of them for you to see. Just click on them below...
1) Cal's blog (with excellent map of where we have been and are going)
2) Miriam's blog (Miriam wanders to all of the out of the way places and tells us what's worth seeing)
3) Jim's blog (Jim operates a Bike Taxi in North Carolina)
4) Bruce and Betty's blog (they are from Florida, our destination)

Making up for lost time. Pictures from the past week or so.

2008-07-07T20:06:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! Sorry this has taken so long to get published but we have been pedaling and sleeping and eating and pedaling with little time to do justice to the blog. These are only a few pictures highlighting the past week but we have tons more we will gladly share if you have the time and the interest when we get back. Today includes sights in South Dakota including a very emotional and stirring 4th of July trek up to Mt. Rushmore. Enjoy and feel free to email us as we go along. We don't always have Internet access but love hearing from our friends and family about how your summers are going too. Click on the picture to see more pictures.

July 2-7, 2008

The promised pictures.

2008-07-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

Several days worth of pictures from Billings through near Broadus, Montana. Tomorrow, 90 miles to Devil's tower and then on to Spearfish, Wyoming and Mount Rushmore. I do check email every day if any of you wants to email me.

July 1, 2008. Reflections of the trip thus far

2008-07-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

Some of you have asked for more pictures and I will try to post more though my camera can’t begin to capture what we have seen and done. For today, please let me reflect and wax poetic though I doubt my words can do much better than my camera.

Some years ago Sandy and I were in Branson, MO on the suggestion of our friends Sandie and Bernie P. and we went to a show put on by a Jewish Russian immigrant comedian named Yakkov Smirnoff. His line: “What a country!” and it is!!!. But this trip, billed by our leader Rich in our emails beginning nearly a year ago as he worked to put this trip together, as the “Trip of a lifetime” has been such a learning experience about life; about others and myself.

Starting off ceremoniously dipping our rear tires in the Pacific Ocean in wealthy upscale condominiumized Seaside, Oregon and yesterday stopping in Lame Deer, Montana for some water at a gas station/convenience store talking to some of the Natives who reflected both pride and poverty. One guy, in a U.S. Army had, with few teeth talked about his running marathons...in Boston...in little over two hours!!! Climbing mountains ahead of some of my co-riders getting the nick name “goat” and struggling to get strong enough to ride with the lead groups, and overcoming my fears about screaming down mountainsides at speeds I’d never have considered before I am learning much about America and about life and myself and those I know and love. And the trip is only 1/3 done so there is more to see and learn.

We have followed backward in reverse order the trip of Lewis and Clark and we have gone to a re-enactment of the history of the area from the Indian point of view starting with Lewis and Clark and culminating in the tragedy and growing experience of the battle of the Little Big Horn. The rigors of the Lewis and Clark Discovery Expedition in the early 1800’s to the military folly of Custer’s Last Stand. My grandfather trekked along the Oregon Trail and I could only imagine the hardships he faced. I was privileged to stop at a park where they chronicled the conditions he must have seen and for a moment I identified with his journey. Forty years ago when Sandy and I visited the Custer’s Last Stand Memorial outside of Hardin, MT it was all about Custer and his men. Now, renamed the Little Big Horn Memorial it is about reconciliation and tells the story of the Plains Indians who also lost much as well so there is hope for change. Custer and his men had single shot carbines while the Indians had repeater rifles. Our military has had to scramble for safer Humvees in Iraq while our politicians, safe in their upscale condos make life and death decisions for our troops and far too many Americans don’t laud the efforts and bravery of the men and women who put their lives on the line so that we can live in freedom. We seem adept at forgetting to read the history we write and then blunder into the same things over and over again. We must read those history books. Some things must happen “Never Again”. If disagreements, personal, political or national keep us apart, reconciliation can bring us together again.

The group we are traveling with are wonderful. No bad apples. Tough federal agents of courage fighting bad guys, doctors, scientists, business folks, IT folks (whose blogs are far better than mine as documentaries of the trip (I have listed some for you to follow); folks from all different backrgounds. Again, people to learn from and new friends for a life time.

Time to close before this becomes a book. I will try to post more pictures on our next rest day. I will close and implore you to inspect your own lives. Dream, do, forgive, love much and laugh often. This is not a dress rehersal. It is live and it is life. Don’t be stifled by your fears. Live life to the fullest.

And if you want to be bored by hours and hours of pictures of the journey when we get home I will be happy to share this epoch trip with you from the limited eye of the camera.

Danielle, one of our dear friends closes her emails to my with Hugs and Love. I do so here to each of you. Don’t be afraid to say those words. Our friend tour leader Rich told me that had he been two blocks in a different direction in New York when the twin towers fell on 9/11 at the hands of our deranged terrorist enemies, “don’t worry’. He is right. Live life to it’s fullest.

Love and Hugs to all who read this….and please share some of that love with the charities I have linked to above…or any other one you feel can help others.

Fred

June 24-25th Montana Three Forks to Big Timber

2008-06-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

The 24th saw our group at the headwaters of the Missouri River near Three Rivers, Montana (First picture). There is a state park giving information about the area. We climbed some hills and rode past graves of infants lost during the travels of the early pioneers on their westward journey.

On the 25th we rode east toward Big Timber crossing the Rockies at Bozeman pass at 5760 feet above sea level. Once over the pass the remainder of the day's ride into Big Timber was rolling hills and flat descending into the valley. Sixty three miles today. Remaining pictures are of our group at Bozeman Pass, Sandy and me at a rest area where we stopped in a field and then a view of the area's snow capped mountains and the road to tomorrow. We've ridden back roads and on the Interstate highways seeing America up close and personal.

June 24th and 25th

Travels of June 15, 16 and 17 Missoula, Ovando and Lincoln, Montana

2008-06-17T16:27:00.000-07:00

Pictures from the past three days. Can't begin to capture the beauty. I could stay here forever. I understand why they call Montana the Big Sky country. Warm days, blue skies, scenery beyond imagination and little wind. Great riding!
To see the days pictures, click on the picture below. Included are our motel accommodations which get better every day, a few side attractions and dinner, and the beauty that is Montana.

Photos from June 15, 16 and 17

June 5, 2008 Hood River to Biggs Oregon

2008-06-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

View today's photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/fegdvm/June52008HoodRiverToBiggsOregon

June 4, 2008 segment from Portland to Hood River Oregon

2008-06-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

Passed through the Columbia River gorge today on the way from Portland to Hood River. Multnomah Falls and a trillion others lined the way along our non-state highway portion of the path. Stayed at a restored historic Hood River Hotel in downtown Hood River. Small rooms in those days but comfortable bed and a good night's rest before pedaling onward. Pictures available at http://picasaweb.google.com/fegdvm/June42008PortlandToHoodRiverSegment

June 3, 2008 pictures from Ranier to Portland Oregon

2008-06-15T12:23:00.001-07:00

Still in learning mode. Pictures can be found here http://picasaweb.google.com/fegdvm/June32008PicturesFromRanierToPortlandOregon

Link to photos for June 2, 2008. Trip segment from Astoria to Ranier

2008-06-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

I am trying a new thing...uploading our pictures to view them at your lesiure should you so desire. This is a learning experience so please be patient. To view the pictures, just click below.

http://picasaweb.google.com/fegdvm/AstoriaORToRanierORSegment

Visiting Astoria and our first group meeting

2008-06-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

We arrived a few days early before the tour beginning just to settle in and see a few sites. The Astoria column pictured is a monument high on a hill overlooking the Columbia River. It's about a 2 mile bike ride up at a 23 degree climb (the steepest mountains thus far have been about a 7 or 8 % grade for comparison). From the top, the view was remarkable. Notes won't coincide because I am late trying to catch up with my blog posts. The folks pictured are members of our group at our first map meeting. Map meetings are a nightly ritual after the day's ride where we learn what lies ahead and go over the route, weather, accommodations, etc. Couldn't ask for a nicer group of people to spend three months riding across the continent with. I am trying to get the hang of the blog stuff so please bear with me. Try clicking here to see the pictures I referred to but couldn't get to come on line. Well, that didn't work so cut and paste this into your browser and wel];ll see if it works. I tried it and it did. I will try to become more proficient with time. http://picasaweb.google.com/fegdvm/AstoriaAndTheBeginingPlanning

The beginning of the journey. Starting on May 29th, 2008 To see all of the day's pictures, right click on the picture.

2008-06-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

First day of the trip

Catch up blog post

2008-06-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

Hi all.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

It's late and tomorrow is only 42 miles but with a 4000 foot vertical climb. We have 500+ miles under our belts and are getting stronger though we were thankful for our rest day today. This has been some other kind of adventure. Our group numbered fifteen until last night when one of our 'segment' riders departed. Today we were joined by another couple so now we number sixteen. So far, all very nice folks and there is a great deal of camaraderie. We come from California to New York to Seattle to Florida to Canada. One of the couples' spouse is from Britain, so all-round quite a crew and I am learning to speak English from Jim. He brought his guitar and it is a joy to play a bit to unwind as he lets me use it.

Have to confess that until now I hadn't posted to the blog because 1) I lost my password. 2) I was too beat. and 3) I was too beat. After today's rest I will try to do better and include some pictures and make up for lost time though I won't have any cell coverage for several days and thus won't be able to get on line.

Rather than ramble further, I have attached a blog of one of our companions. He is a speedy rider and is usually at the motel an hour before me and he sends his stuff to his wife to edit and post to his blog so I don't feel too bad. He is really talented and you can see his very detailed map of where we have been and where I am going.

Final comment to Steve and Paul whom I ride with back at home...particularly Paul. We have been spending a fair amount of time riding on interstate highways, so what you once considered fearless in my riding abilities is now listed under 'tame'.

I'm desperately trying to keep up on my blogging...both time and knowledge constraints. One of our group is very much more computer savvy than I am and he sends stuff to his wife who is back home and a librarian. She helps with the grammar, spelling etc. and the result is fantastic. Sandy and I will be in some of his pictures but it will give you a better idea as to what we have been doing. Calvin's blog URL is http://www.cycal.blogspot.com/

Sleep tight. I know I will. Destination tomorrow: Winchester Idaho. Weather....SNOW!!!

TTFN

Our route across the USA

2008-04-06T06:55:00.000-07:00