We arrived in Camden, ME on the Atlantic Coast after riding 6 hours 40 minutes, covering 96 miles and averaging 14 mph. We had 5800 feet of ascent which surprised all of us. That is a lot of climbing with no mountains to show for it. Zack popped another spoke today, which makes seven, I believe. He has gotten quite good at replacing them and straightening up the rim.
We stayed dry all day but it started to rain after we had been in Camden for a couple hours. We are very much hoping to stay dry tomorrow for our last day riding together. We are in the process of sorting out the SAG van and the trailer after 9 weeks of stuffing things in places as we hustle our way across the country.
We are looking forward to the finish line tomorrow up the coast in Bar Harbor. We will be celebrating with our team as well as Ronda, Rob, Danae, Caleb & Aiden Reynolds. It has been a long, wonderful, tiring road and we are ready to hang up the bikes for a while stay up in the one place for a bit. Just 90 miles left to be conquered!
You will enjoy the recap post forthcoming in the next week to ten days.
From Camden, Maine,
Dan
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
August 13 Crossing the 4000 Mile Mark
We rode 81 miles today in 6 hours averaging 13.5 mph. We crossed the milestone of 4000 miles in Norway, Maine in front of The Ripley Medical Center. I was riding with Zack and he took my picture. I just found out as I am writing this that we were across the street from the flooring shop owned by our hosts for tonight, Thom & Rhonda Maher. Go figure.
When I crossed the 3000 mile line it was early in the morning 3 miles north of Grover Hill, Ohio.
When I reached 2000 miles I was riding on the best bike path I have ever experienced near the shore of Lake Carlos with Stuart just west of Alexandria, Minnesota.
I attained my first 1000 mile mark in Montana. We were riding down a hill into Shelby on US-2.
The highlight of the day today was a 21% grade after lunch. It was part of a 3/4 mile hill but the steep part was only 200 yards long. It is the consensus that this is the steepest hill yet to be encountered. Though brief it was incredibly challenging. Two of our riders were forced to walk up part of it. Zack enjoyed climbing it so much that he rode down it so he could ride up it again (a picture is forthcoming). Actually, he rode down because he thought he could hit 55mph but he topped out at 51 and change. His top speed for the trip is 53.3 and is the best for our team. It will likely not be eclipsed during the remaining 2 days of our trip.
Yes, you read me correctly; we have only two days remaining in this ridiculous adventure and then we will be coming home. Amen.
Dan
When I crossed the 3000 mile line it was early in the morning 3 miles north of Grover Hill, Ohio.
When I reached 2000 miles I was riding on the best bike path I have ever experienced near the shore of Lake Carlos with Stuart just west of Alexandria, Minnesota.
I attained my first 1000 mile mark in Montana. We were riding down a hill into Shelby on US-2.
The highlight of the day today was a 21% grade after lunch. It was part of a 3/4 mile hill but the steep part was only 200 yards long. It is the consensus that this is the steepest hill yet to be encountered. Though brief it was incredibly challenging. Two of our riders were forced to walk up part of it. Zack enjoyed climbing it so much that he rode down it so he could ride up it again (a picture is forthcoming). Actually, he rode down because he thought he could hit 55mph but he topped out at 51 and change. His top speed for the trip is 53.3 and is the best for our team. It will likely not be eclipsed during the remaining 2 days of our trip.
Yes, you read me correctly; we have only two days remaining in this ridiculous adventure and then we will be coming home. Amen.
Dan
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
August 12 and Catching Up
Today we rode 96 miles in 7 hours 14 minutes averaging 12.4 mph. We had 5400 feet of ascent today and we crossed the state line from Vermont into New Hampshire. To date, we have completed our riding in:
Washington
Idaho
Montana
North Dakota
Minnesota
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio
New York
Vermont
We will complete New Hampshire tomorrow (Lord willing) as we enter Maine, headed for The Atlantic Ocean.
It rained just less than half the day today and even though it looked like it might clear off several times it saved the heaviest downpour for the end of the day when I was still on the mountain about 10 miles from our destination of St Joseph's Catholic Church in Lincoln, NH.
Several small climbs today but only one big one. Ever since Stuart hitched a ride last week near Palmyra, NY I find myself look back there to see if he is trying it again. Unfortunately, every time it turns out that it's the climb instead. So I just have to turn around and ride it. That was definitely the case today on our climb toward the day's end. It was long and tiring but not quite as steep as the hill yesterday.
I am a guest in the home of Rob & Monica along with Tom and John. They have a daughter, Brita, who will be entering her senior year this fall at Lincoln High School. Talking with Brita, reminded me of how much Amanda is looking forward to her senior year and HOW MUCH I MISS HER. I will be seeing Amanda for the first time in 9 weeks on Saturday night at GR Ford Airport. Rob & Monica are taking great care of us and we are enjoying getting to know them.
Life on the road has become weary and both Zack and I are ready to come home. The willpower to finish is what is needed now. We are looking forward to worshipping with our KCC family this coming Sunday.
I have tride to catch up on blog postings tonight so look back for postings that should fill in some of the blanks over the past 2 weeks. Sorry it has taken so long to catch this up.
Dan
Washington
Idaho
Montana
North Dakota
Minnesota
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio
New York
Vermont
We will complete New Hampshire tomorrow (Lord willing) as we enter Maine, headed for The Atlantic Ocean.
It rained just less than half the day today and even though it looked like it might clear off several times it saved the heaviest downpour for the end of the day when I was still on the mountain about 10 miles from our destination of St Joseph's Catholic Church in Lincoln, NH.
Several small climbs today but only one big one. Ever since Stuart hitched a ride last week near Palmyra, NY I find myself look back there to see if he is trying it again. Unfortunately, every time it turns out that it's the climb instead. So I just have to turn around and ride it. That was definitely the case today on our climb toward the day's end. It was long and tiring but not quite as steep as the hill yesterday.
I am a guest in the home of Rob & Monica along with Tom and John. They have a daughter, Brita, who will be entering her senior year this fall at Lincoln High School. Talking with Brita, reminded me of how much Amanda is looking forward to her senior year and HOW MUCH I MISS HER. I will be seeing Amanda for the first time in 9 weeks on Saturday night at GR Ford Airport. Rob & Monica are taking great care of us and we are enjoying getting to know them.
Life on the road has become weary and both Zack and I are ready to come home. The willpower to finish is what is needed now. We are looking forward to worshipping with our KCC family this coming Sunday.
I have tride to catch up on blog postings tonight so look back for postings that should fill in some of the blanks over the past 2 weeks. Sorry it has taken so long to catch this up.
Dan
Sunday, August 10, 2008
August 9 & 10
We rode 122 miles in 8 hours 15 minutes on the bike, averaging 14.7 mph. We had 6400 feet of ascent and burned almost 8000 calories today. Yes, the climbing is definitely back as we are now in the Adirondack Mountains. We will be experiencing lots of uphills, and steep ones from here to the Atlantic Ocean. We will ride out of the Adirondacks tomorrow and out of New York.
The last section of our map, Section Eleven begins tomorrow as well. We have 450 miles left to ride and five days to get it done. This adventure is in it’s final week and is winding down. Suffice it to say we are experiencing a mixture of sad and glad feelings over this. More reflections on that at a later date.
We experienced 4 miles of the worst road so far on the trip in the morning (in my opinion). Imagine gluing one million quarter inch ball bearings onto the surface of a road. Riding over the surface provided us with thousands of jarring vibrations causing numbness to hands, feet & seat. We couldn’t get any speed up on that road (because of the rough surface) to get through it quicker and it was quite rough on the tires as well. It caused at least one puncture on that section of road.
We did see several beautiful lakes during our ride today and we are staying in Newcomb, NY right across the road from a small lake here. This is a place of cool summer evenings because of the mountain location, of course. It is easy to see why a person would be drawn to this place. The beauty and peaceful setting is wonderful. It is rather sparsely populated offering long drives to things like malls, hospitals, movie theaters, etc.
We found out earlier this week that my sister from Pennsylvania, Irene Wise, her husband Bob and their oldest daughter Jen were coming to visit us at this stop. They were here when I got in at 7:15pm. (my latest arrival on the trip yet) and we had some time with them in the evening and then again on Sunday morning for worship at Newcome United Methodist church, before they headed home. It was wonderful to see familiar faces and to catch up on what’s happening with them. We are very grateful for all the trouble they went to make this stop. What a special blessing!
Today was a great day of rest, sleeping in until 7:15am and taking a nap in the afternoon as well. Time for a final weekend bike cleaning and it’s off the bed.
Dan
The last section of our map, Section Eleven begins tomorrow as well. We have 450 miles left to ride and five days to get it done. This adventure is in it’s final week and is winding down. Suffice it to say we are experiencing a mixture of sad and glad feelings over this. More reflections on that at a later date.
We experienced 4 miles of the worst road so far on the trip in the morning (in my opinion). Imagine gluing one million quarter inch ball bearings onto the surface of a road. Riding over the surface provided us with thousands of jarring vibrations causing numbness to hands, feet & seat. We couldn’t get any speed up on that road (because of the rough surface) to get through it quicker and it was quite rough on the tires as well. It caused at least one puncture on that section of road.
We did see several beautiful lakes during our ride today and we are staying in Newcomb, NY right across the road from a small lake here. This is a place of cool summer evenings because of the mountain location, of course. It is easy to see why a person would be drawn to this place. The beauty and peaceful setting is wonderful. It is rather sparsely populated offering long drives to things like malls, hospitals, movie theaters, etc.
We found out earlier this week that my sister from Pennsylvania, Irene Wise, her husband Bob and their oldest daughter Jen were coming to visit us at this stop. They were here when I got in at 7:15pm. (my latest arrival on the trip yet) and we had some time with them in the evening and then again on Sunday morning for worship at Newcome United Methodist church, before they headed home. It was wonderful to see familiar faces and to catch up on what’s happening with them. We are very grateful for all the trouble they went to make this stop. What a special blessing!
Today was a great day of rest, sleeping in until 7:15am and taking a nap in the afternoon as well. Time for a final weekend bike cleaning and it’s off the bed.
Dan
Thursday, August 7, 2008
August 7, 2008
Rode 87 miles in 6 hours averaging 14.6 mph
Today was our chance to ride along the world famous Erie Canal. It is difficult to make good time on a trail like that because it passes through a large city like Erie and has to avoid a lot of streets. It was cool, however, to see so much of the canal as we rode. Zack & I rode together with a few others most of the day. No I wasn’t sick again. I am feeling better now and it was fun to ride with him.
When we arrived in East Williamson at the Free Methodist Church, having climbed at least a dozen moderately challenging hills to get there, someone told us we could have ridden all the way from Medina on Ridge Road, the road the church was on. Now this may not seem like an important detail to you but Ridge Road bears this name because it runs along a ridge. Translated, “there are few if any serious inclines on Ridge Road.” Oh well, riding along the canal was worth a few hills.
Zack, Stuart & I were heading toward our last break of the day, climbing up a hill into Palmyra and I happened to be out front. It seemed to me that the hill was getting steeper so I shifted down and pulled up more as I pedaled to generate more power. Stuart actually did it twice before I realized what was happening. Zack was right there and got a picture. I expect you will see it on the blog soon.
I am so glad I could help Stuart up the hills, as he is our oldest rider at 62 years of age, and needs a little extra assistance from time to time. My problem now is that whenever I feel any slowdown or unexplained resistance I look back to see if Stuart or someone else has snuck up on me and is hanging onto the rack on the back of my bike.
I was the guest this night in the home of Gary & Deb Rood, along with their children, Marissa, Tallon and Jeremy. We had a great time just hanging out, getting acquainted while we ate dinner (delicious venison was served), watched some Olympic competition, etc. I discovered Deb does hair in her home so I got a free haircut during my visit to their home.
Thanks Deb! I really needed it.
Dan
Today was our chance to ride along the world famous Erie Canal. It is difficult to make good time on a trail like that because it passes through a large city like Erie and has to avoid a lot of streets. It was cool, however, to see so much of the canal as we rode. Zack & I rode together with a few others most of the day. No I wasn’t sick again. I am feeling better now and it was fun to ride with him.
When we arrived in East Williamson at the Free Methodist Church, having climbed at least a dozen moderately challenging hills to get there, someone told us we could have ridden all the way from Medina on Ridge Road, the road the church was on. Now this may not seem like an important detail to you but Ridge Road bears this name because it runs along a ridge. Translated, “there are few if any serious inclines on Ridge Road.” Oh well, riding along the canal was worth a few hills.
Zack, Stuart & I were heading toward our last break of the day, climbing up a hill into Palmyra and I happened to be out front. It seemed to me that the hill was getting steeper so I shifted down and pulled up more as I pedaled to generate more power. Stuart actually did it twice before I realized what was happening. Zack was right there and got a picture. I expect you will see it on the blog soon.
I am so glad I could help Stuart up the hills, as he is our oldest rider at 62 years of age, and needs a little extra assistance from time to time. My problem now is that whenever I feel any slowdown or unexplained resistance I look back to see if Stuart or someone else has snuck up on me and is hanging onto the rack on the back of my bike.
I was the guest this night in the home of Gary & Deb Rood, along with their children, Marissa, Tallon and Jeremy. We had a great time just hanging out, getting acquainted while we ate dinner (delicious venison was served), watched some Olympic competition, etc. I discovered Deb does hair in her home so I got a free haircut during my visit to their home.
Thanks Deb! I really needed it.
Dan
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
August 6, 2008, Medina, NY
We rode 95 miles today into Medina, NY today in 6 hours 40 minutes averaging 14 mph. I was a guest in the home of Jim & Barb along with Tom, the oldest of the fast boys.
We got a quick tour of the town which included a look at the church in the middle of the street. The street had to be split and built around the church building. We also saw the only tunnel under the Erie Canal anywhere along it’s 400 plus mile length. The town of Medina grew up to service the canal but was also a great supplier of sandstone to the U.S. and many parts of the world.
Dan
We got a quick tour of the town which included a look at the church in the middle of the street. The street had to be split and built around the church building. We also saw the only tunnel under the Erie Canal anywhere along it’s 400 plus mile length. The town of Medina grew up to service the canal but was also a great supplier of sandstone to the U.S. and many parts of the world.
Dan
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
August 5, Angola, NY Pioneer Camp
Rode 93 in 6 hours averaging 15.1
I did a little better today and felt a little better. Stuart promised to stay with me today so Zack went back to riding with the fast boys. The terrain was still pretty easy but there were a few small hills almost as soon as we came into New York State. We have been riding along the shore of Lake Erie and it really has been beautiful. I had no idea that it was so gorgeous down here. The heavy fog over the lake in the morning was just incredible!
We ate at The Mustard Seed Restaurant for dinner and breakfast and had a great time getting to know the Christian lady who had opened it just a few months previous. We stayed in modern cabins at Pioneer Camp in Angola, New York which was very nice.
I boiled in onion soup mix tonight and enjoyed eating them on the road the next couple days. They tasted very good, traveled well and did not upset my sensitive tummy. I am getting a little better every day, but still have to be pretty careful what I eat. No “issues” since Saturday night, if you know what I mean.
Dan
I did a little better today and felt a little better. Stuart promised to stay with me today so Zack went back to riding with the fast boys. The terrain was still pretty easy but there were a few small hills almost as soon as we came into New York State. We have been riding along the shore of Lake Erie and it really has been beautiful. I had no idea that it was so gorgeous down here. The heavy fog over the lake in the morning was just incredible!
We ate at The Mustard Seed Restaurant for dinner and breakfast and had a great time getting to know the Christian lady who had opened it just a few months previous. We stayed in modern cabins at Pioneer Camp in Angola, New York which was very nice.
I boiled in onion soup mix tonight and enjoyed eating them on the road the next couple days. They tasted very good, traveled well and did not upset my sensitive tummy. I am getting a little better every day, but still have to be pretty careful what I eat. No “issues” since Saturday night, if you know what I mean.
Dan
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