Sunday, August 17, 2008 - One Week After Return

It has been one week since we completed the Big Ride Across America. I was surprised to see that I lost 16 pounds during the ride. This happened even though I ate close to two times what I would normally eat. I had to force myself to eat at times because I knew that I would need the extra calories to burn. Now the goal is to keep the weight off.

I went back to work the Monday after the ride. It was nice to get back to work and back into the swing of things. I also got back to riding. This past week, I rode a little over 200 miles. It was good to get back to “my” riding schedule since I really enjoy being able to go where I want to go and for how far and how long I want to. If I don’t feel like riding a certain amount of miles for the day – like the daily queue sheets dictated - I don’t have to.

The ride was definitely an experience of a lifetime and I will remember it forever. There were wonderful times and there were tough times. I am so thankful to everyone who took the time to read my postings and to those who sent me comments along the way. These comments helped keep me motivated knowing that there were friends out there with me. I also want to thank my wife and kids for being so supportive. Talking to them over the phone along the way reminded me that they were cheering me on and waiting for me to return. Finally and most importantly, I want to thank my Lord Jesus for my safety and for helping me to endure through the good and bad times. There were a lot of prayers during this ride and I know that they helped me get through it all. This ride has drawn me closer to Him knowing that with Him, all things are possible. I know that I would probably be stuck somewhere in Montana right now if it was me on my own.

Thank you all..now on to my next big adventure – whatever that may be!

Saturday, August 9, 2008 – Day 48

Start: Clarksburg, Maryland
End: Washington, DC
Miles: 55.43 Total Miles: 3,508.76 BRAA Total Miles: 3,323.80
Time: 3 hours 49 minutes (avg 14.5 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 0 Total flat tires for the ride: 11

The last day. This morning we had to get up early even though it was a short ride into Washington, DC. The reason was we had to be at the check point by a certain time and then we all had to gather at the lunch stop at around the same time. This would allow us to all ride to the finish line in succession.

As I got closer to DC, the traffic became much heavier and much more aggressive. I knew I was back in the Washington metro area when I got inside the Capital Beltway and the cars stated honking and being very unfriendly to bike riders.

Once we left the street and got on the trail, things got even busier. It was Saturday and the trail was loaded with weekenders. We had to navigate through a lot of walkers, runners and bikers. Really, we had to slow down and realize that we were in the big city and no longer in Montana.

We all met for lunch at the old post office building in DC. A Big Ride alumni from several years back owns a Greek restaurant and provides lunch for the riders each year. Once we were done, we headed to the finish line near the Lincoln Memorial.

My family and a couple of friends were their meet me and welcome me home. It was pretty exciting to see everyone there and to finally be done.

What an experience. One that I am very excited that I took on and completed. Thank you to everyone who has supported me and followed me across the United States. Without you all, the ride would have been even tougher.

Friday, August 8, 2008 – Day 47

Start: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
End: Clarksburg, Maryland
Miles: 49.82 Total Miles: 3,453.33 BRAA Total Miles: 3,270.80
Time: 3 hours 15 minutes (avg 15.3 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 1 Total flat tires for the ride: 11

The day started off with me pumping up my tires before the day’s ride. Since it was still a little wet out, my tires were wet. As I was pumping up my front tire, I saw the air bubbling out of a small hole in the tire. I knew I had a slow leak, but did not want to fix it until I had to. Well, seeing the air coming out of the tire, I decided to repair it. Number eleven for the ride. Hopefully it will be the last.

We left Pennsylvania early on in the morning. About six miles into the ride, we entered Maryland. The road we were on did not have a fancy welcome to Maryland sign, but it did have a marker letting everyone know that we had entered Maryland.

Since the ride was a short one, there were not a lot of opportunities for pictures. I did see a couple of farms in Maryland that I would love to live on – at least from a distance they looked great.

Tomorrow will be a short ride as well and will be the final ride into Washington, DC. We will arrive around noon at the Lincoln Memorial. It should be an exciting day and then back to the old routine.

Thursday, August 7, 2008 – Day 46

Rest Day: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Miles: 0.00 Total Miles: 3,403.51 BRAA Total Miles: 3,221.20
Flat tire count today: 0 Total flat tires for the ride: 10

Today was our last rest day. We spent it in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I didn’t do too much during the day. I did go for a walk through the town of Gettysburg and looked around at the businesses. Other than that, I hid out from the storms that were passing through the area.

Two short riding days ahead of us left. It is hard to believe that it is almost over.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008 – Day 45

Start: Bedford, Pennsylvania
End: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Miles: 104.30 Total Miles: 3,403.51 BRAA Total Miles: 3,221.20
Time: 7 hours 17 minutes (avg 14.3 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 0 Total flat tires for the ride: 10

The weather forecast at dinner time last night was for nice weather overnight and the following day. Well, we all know that the weather people are sometimes challenged. They included a 10% chance of shower to cover themselves.

At about 4AM, I heard a noise on my tent…guess what it was? Rain. It started raining pretty hard. I had planned on getting up at 5AM to start packing up for the early start we were trying to get due to the long ride ahead of us. The rain continued until about 5:15 when it stopped. This was great because we were then able to pack up without getting wet. The only bad thing was packing up the wet tent. It could have been a lot worse. That was it for the rain for the day.

The roads were wet and messy when we got going. It didn’t matter much since we had to get started. We had over 100 miles ahead of us and we had to climb over the Appalachians.

As we rode, we could see the mountain ridges in the distance. They were not too clear due to the low clouds that were still in the area. Maybe that was a good thing so that we could not see exactly what was ahead of us. Here is a picture I took at an overlook. It was looking back on one of the ridges we just climbed over and was from another we were currently climbing.

We rode through a place called Breezewood today. It is a center of activity for truckers since it is centrally located between several interstates. I have driven through this area many times, but the experience on a bike was much different. It is a very busy place.

Off to the right was a sign that I enjoyed seeing. It shows me that we are getting closer to DC.

After Breezewood, we climbed for a number of miles. We went through a national park which was a wonderful ride. The amazing thing was we kept going up and then we turned a corner at the top and there was a huge lake with a bunch of people swimming and sunning themselves. It was like an oasis. We had our PB&J stop there before continuing on.

The rest of the ride was a lot of rolling hills. It was definitely a long, tough ride, but it was expected since this was the “final exam” of the ride. I guess since I arrived at our destination – Gettysburg – I passed the exam.

Tomorrow will be a rest day in Gettysburg before we ride our final two rides into Washington, DC.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008 – Day 44

Start: Confluence, Pennsylvania
End: Bedford, Pennsylvania
Miles: 80.02 Total Miles: 3,299.21 BRAA Total Miles: 3,119.40
Time: 5 hours 37 minutes (avg 14.2 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 0 Total flat tires for the ride: 10

Wake up time was strange this morning. It was foggy and warm. It had to be because we were in an area surrounded by hills and the weather was kind of trapped in with us. We headed out on the trail that we rode in on yesterday. We were on the trail for another 31 miles. The only difference today was the weather. It was drizzling early on. About half way through the trail, the rain became much harder. It only rained about fifteen minutes, but the bad part was the trail got messy when the rain was added to the crushed limestone. It almost became like cement and it got all over me and my bike. No big deal though, it washed off nicely when we arrived in camp.

There was a bridge along the trail that was very long. When I got on the bridge, I said to myself, “Whoa, Lisa wouldn’t be able to get across this one!” Lisa is my wife and she really dislikes bridges. It was long and it was high up. Good thing there wasn’t any wind or it would have been a little dangerous.

I was riding down the road getting close to our destination for the night and I came up behind a guy in a tractor pulling something. As I got closer, I was even more confused when I saw that it was some sort of building that he was dragging behind the tractor. Dragging…no wheels under the building. He signaled me to pass, but I just had to stop and take a picture. This was a pretty heavily traveled road and this guy was dragging a building.

I know that I have seen a lot of cows along the ride. Today, I saw this guy as I was waiting for others to arrive in camp. He was standing next to where I parked my bike. He was actually a part of the miniature golf course, but I had to take a picture.

Tonight, we will need to get some good rest because tomorrow is what is being called “the final exam” of the total ride. It is scheduled for 100 miles and it will include a lot of climbing. We have to go over the Appalachian Mountains on our way to Gettysburg. It should be fun.

Monday, August 4, 2008 – Day 43

Start: Washington, Pennsylvania
End: Confluence, Pennsylvania
Miles: 91.59 Total Miles: 3,219.19 BRAA Total Miles: 3,041.20
Time: 6 hours 9 minutes (avg 14.9 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 0 Total flat tires for the ride: 10

This morning was a cold start. The temperature was in the mid 50s when we got going. It took several miles to get warmed up. Then the hills started. We had quite a few hills during the first half of the ride. There were two really good size climbs mixed in as well.

We rode through the Mingo Creek Park in the morning. It was beautiful. It reminded me so much of my time riding in the national park in Ohio. It was so peaceful to just ride casually and look at the trees and river along the way.

We were tracking along the Monogahela River for part of the morning. The river is the result of the Ohio River and the Alegheny River meeting. They combine to form the Monogahela River. It is quite a large river.

A little less than half way through the ride, we reached the Youghiogheny River. There is a trail that runs along the river and that was our route for the last 52 miles of the ride. The trail is made of crushed limestone and my mountain bike just loved it. There was basically no grade for the entire 52 miles. It was enjoyable and the scenery was nice as well. The trail is part of the rails to trails project where old railroad routes are converted into biking and walking trails. The trail stretches from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Cumberland, Maryland where it meets up with the C&O Canal trail that can be ridden all the way into Washington, DC. We will not be following the trail that way, but it is wonderful to see a trail that runs for so many miles. Here is what the Youghiogheny River Trail looks like.

Here is a short video of us riding on the trail.

While on the trail, we reached the official 3,000 mile mark for the ride. I say official because I have bonus and other miles that took me over 3,000 several days ago. It is exciting to finally reach the 3,000 mile mark. That means we now have less than 300 miles to go before entering DC.

We know that we have less than 300 miles to go now since while at a rest stop, we saw this sign.

This rest stop was provided by a Big Ride Alum from 2000 named Fred Husak. He provided sandwiches, chips, fruit, and drinks for the riders. To top it all off, there was an ice cream shop in the park where the stop was and we were treated to unlimited ice cream. Thank you very much Mr. Husak. I know we all appreciated it very much.

Finally, we crossed the Youghiogheny River toward the end of the ride. There were a lot of river rafters riding down the river and enjoying the small rapids. We are spending the night in the Outflow Campground. Its name comes from the fact that it is at the point where there is a dam that holds back the river waters. We are staying right across from the point where the water from the dam flows out. It is pretty loud, but I don’t think I will have any trouble sleeping through it.