Wednesday, July 30, 2008 – Day 38

Start: Napoleon, Ohio
End: Sandusky, Ohio
Miles: 89.10 Total Miles: 2,899.24 BRAA Total Miles: 2,740.00
Time: 5 hours 5 minutes (avg 17.5 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 0 Total flat tires for the ride: 10

We experienced another episode with people near the campground that apparently had too much to drink. It took place at a house across the street from where we were camping. There was a lot of screaming and foul language. It was like watching the sequel to the Coal City experience. The police eventually made their way over and things quieted down.

The morning started a little earlier than I had planned. I was going to get up at 5AM, but at about quarter till 5, I heard a couple of rain drops on my tent. I jumped into action packing my stuff so I could take down my tent before any heavier rain came. I know how quickly storms can move in this area and wanted to keep my tent as dry as possible. Well, those few drops were about all we had. It was no big deal. It just got me going earlier. Throughout the day, we only received a few small rain drops here and there. They were actually welcomed to help cool things down, especially the humidity.

The ride today was fantastic. So many of the factors came together at the same time. We had flat roads that did not have much traffic on them. The biggest factor was that we had a tailwind between 5 and 15 miles per hour for most of the ride. That combined with the other factors enabled us to ride quickly. I averaged about 2 to 3 miles per hours more than usual. For about 50 miles, we were riding at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour with not too much effort.

There are riders on this trek that spend thousands of dollars on their bikes and riding gear. Some bought new bikes just for this ride. I wanted to recognize one of the riders that did not go to any extreme whatsoever in purchasing riding gear. She has ridden over 2,700 miles so far from Seattle, Washington to Sandusky, Ohio in Converse low top basketball shoes. She will finish the ride with them as well. I rode in tennis shoes until the beginning of this year, so I know how much different it is to ride with real biking shoes.

I knew that we were officially in Ohio today when we reached the Ohio Turnpike. I spent many hours driving on the turnpike when I lived in the Cleveland area, so it was like a homecoming to me. Actually, tomorrow we will ride within about 15 miles from where I used to live – just south of Cleveland.

When we arrived in camp this afternoon, there was a baby bird on the ground next to where we were going to setup camp. Someone reached out their hand and the bird jumped right on her hand. It was pretty cool. The bird was eventually put back into the tree for safety, but it came back a little later looking for food. Experiencing things up close is so eye opening.

We are camping in Sandusky, Ohio right next to Lake Erie. About half the riders are heading over to Cedar Point Amusement Park this evening to enjoy the roller coasters. I know they will have a fun time, but I don’t want to be out until 10PM and then have to get up tomorrow morning. Also, I have already been there several times, so I know that I am not missing anything.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008 – Day 37

Start: Kendallville, Indiana
End: Napoleon, Ohio
Miles: 71.37 Total Miles: 2,810.14 BRAA Total Miles: 2,652.20
Time: 4 hours 34 minutes (avg 15.6 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 0 Total flat tires for the ride: 10

Last night after dinner, we checked my back wheel that was a little out of true due to the rough Indiana roads. I thought I had hit a pot hole causing the rim to get a little goofy. Well, when we were checking the spokes to see where the trouble was, we found it right away. One of my spokes was broken. It snapped at the hub. So, since it was late, we decided to put it off until the ride for today was complete. I had already ridden 50 miles on it yesterday and today’s ride was only 70 miles, so I thought I would just wait. As I am writing this, it is being fixed and will be ready to go for tomorrow’s ride.

Before leaving this morning, we chuckled a bit when we said today’s ride was only 70 miles. The key word is “only”. Under any other circumstances, a 70 mile ride would be considered a long ride for most of us. But when the average daily ride is 83 miles, a 70 mile ride is a blessing.

About 25 miles into the ride, we reached the state of Ohio. State number 10! Since we are riding on side roads and very rural country streets, there was no pretty sign welcoming us to Ohio. There was a yellow line painted in the street by one of the support crew and an old faded paint job that said “Welcome to Ohio” that was probably from a prior ride. So, I took a picture of the street sign showing that we indeed crossed into Ohio.

I wanted to sneak this picture in since I took it as we were leaving Ohio. I turned around at the Pennsylvania state line and got it for the record.

Once we headed into Ohio, I thought we might see some different scenery. Well, I was wrong. Corn to the right of me and soy beans to the left. Just like the last two states.

We are staying the night at the county fairgrounds in Napoleon, Ohio. There is a large empty warehouse that we have to hang out in and most will be camping outside. There are a lot of bugs again. This time – at least so far – it is flies. They are driving us nuts. That is the main reason for sleeping in a tent tonight – to keep the flies away.

Tomorrow will be an early start since our destination is Sandusky, Ohio and some of the riders want to head over to Cedar Point Amusement Park. The ride will be a few more miles and getting an early start will be good to attempt to beat the afternoon heat.

Monday, July 28, 2008 – Day 36

Start: Valparaiso, Indiana
End: Kendallville, Indiana
Miles: 111.17 Total Miles: 2,738.77 BRAA Total Miles: 2,582.20
Time: 6 hours 38 minutes (avg 16.7 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 1 Total flat tires for the ride: 10

We got a late start this morning after breakfast. Several of the riders were a little later than others getting to the truck to pack and turn in their keys to the dorm rooms. We were not allowed to get our queue sheets until all the keys were turned in. At this point, it really is no big deal. We knew it would be a long day of riding combined with losing an hour due to the time zone change, so we just accepted it.

We had another “episode of where is the street?” We were following our directions and then we ran into some construction that was being done on the street we were supposed to be on. We couldn’t ride on the street though since it was not there. It was completely torn up. So, we had to find our way around the construction. It was rather comical. There was about ten of us trying to find the next road on the queue sheet. We were riding around in small groups and we kept looking down the streets and seeing each other going in different directions. The funniest thing was that we all came back together at pretty much the same time and at the same location, which was back on route.

Not too long after the construction zone, I got my tenth flat tire. I am not too upset, since I am used to fixing them now. I figure at this rate, I will get two to three more before the trip is completed.

There was a lot of corn once again. The corn is so high on both sides of the road, you can’t see anything else.

I also saw more cows today. This was the first time in a couple of days that I can remember seeing cows. It was nice to see something other than corn for a change.

We also came across a sunflower field. There were hundreds of sunflowers. It was so cool to see them one after another.

Toward the end of the ride today, we came across these guys. They looked like giant poodles since they were apparently just shaved. They were either llamas or alpacas – not sure if these are the same thing. The group I was riding with called to them and they came running over. I think they were looking for food. They were right up in our faces. A little too close for my comfort level.

Tomorrow is a short day. Only about 70 miles into Ohio – our tenth state.

Sunday, July 27, 2008 – Day 35

Rest Day: Valparaiso, Indiana
Miles: 12.73 Total Miles: 2,627.60 BRAA Total Miles: 2,472.50
Flat tire count today: 0 Total flat tires for the ride: 9

Today was a rest day at Valparaiso University. I did pretty much nothing but sit around and attempt to let my backside heal. After riding and sitting on the saddle for seven days, your backside gets really raw from rubbing and really, REALLY sore. I did take a bike ride to do a little looking around the town. I stopped and picked up some stuff for lunch. Later on in the day, I walked to get something for dinner. Other than those two things, I didn’t do much more. The dorms we were staying in were pretty nice. The rooms and the lounges were air conditioned, so spending time between the two was relaxing after camping in the hot and humid campgrounds the past several nights.

Tomorrow will be another 100+ mile day. On top of that, we are going to ride into the Eastern Time Zone, so we will be losing another hour. It will be a long one for sure.

Saturday, July 26, 2008 – Day 34

Start: Coal City, Illinois
End: Valparaiso, Indiana
Miles: 87.67 Total Miles: 2,614.87 BRAA Total Miles: 2,472.50
Time: 5 hours 44 minutes (avg 15.2 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 0 Total flat tires for the ride: 9

So, the big question that we are asking ourselves is, “How can it be that the rolling hills in Illinois (they are quite small) can seem more difficult than the mountains in Washington (Snoqualmie Pass) and Montana (The Rockies)? The past several days have seemed very tough, but I am pretty sure it is because we were fresh and ready to tackle the early rides. This past week has seemed much tougher because of all the miles we have put in with no real rest time in between.

I just have to bring up the activity at the camp ground we stayed at last night. It was a really nice camp ground that you supposedly have to be a member to be able to use the facilities. Things went fairly well until around midnight. A couple of the campers obviously had too much to drink and a verbal argument ensued. It went on for what seemed like hours. The comment that we all remembered best this morning had something to do with the wife/girlfriend not being too pleased with the husband/boyfriend’s “Internet girlfriend”. It was pretty hilarious.

Today’s ride was a nice one. The weather was great and we had a northwest wind that helped us along most of the way. I guess it was also a nice day to go fishing. Considering it was Saturday, fishing in the morning is a nice thing to do. These guys were out having a good time, I am sure.

We passed a restaurant today called the Launching Pad. I am not really sure the point of the guy standing in the parking lot, but I thought it was a neat picture. He was very large and obviously caught my attention as well as several others.

We made it to state number nine today. A little more than half way through the day, we reached Indiana. The funny thing is due to our route, there was no welcome to Indiana sign. So, the support crew painted a state line on the street where we actually crossed over into Indiana. When we reach our next state – Ohio – I will turn around and hopefully be able to get a picture of the welcome to Indiana sign from the other side of the state.

That was it for the day because as soon as we reached Indiana, the streets quickly deteriorated and I could barely think about anything else since my brain was being shaken every which way from all the bumps and holes in the road. From what I was told, the residents of Indiana are proud of their terrible roads. We were told that the roads will not get any better during our time in Indiana. So, more shaking to come.

Tomorrow is a rest day in Valparaiso, Indiana. We are staying at Valparaiso University in the dorms. Once again, a well needed rest day. Especially after about 650 miles in the last seven days.

Friday, July 25, 2008 – Day 33

Start: Belvidere, Illinois
End: Coal City, Illinois
Miles: 102.92 Total Miles: 2,527.20 BRAA Total Miles: 2,388.90
Time: 6 hours 35 minutes (avg 15.6 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 0 Total flat tires for the ride: 9

I really only have one word for the entire ride today…CORN! There was corn on both sides of the road just about the whole way. It was very tall as well, which limited what could be seen around the surrounding areas. I guess the only thing around the surrounding areas was corn because when we did get a peek here and there over the corn, there was more corn. It was everywhere for miles and miles. Have I made my point yet? Here is a picture to show just how tall the corn was. It was close to nine feet tall.

I seemed to have a problem today – or at least my bike did – trying to figure out whether we were coming or going.

Actually, we were just playing in the corn at a water stop. When you ride 316 miles in three days, you get a little tired and need to goof off a little bit to keep things interesting. Also, when all that is around you is corn, you have to be creative when goofing off.

Well, today was our third 100+ mile day in a row (3 centuries). That is quite an accomplishment. We now have less than 1,000 miles to go before completion of the ride. Closer every day.

Thursday, July 24, 2008 – Day 32

Start: Madison, Wisconsin
End: Belvidere, Illinois
Miles: 100.06 Total Miles: 2,424.28 BRAA Total Miles: 2,287.70
Time: 6 hours 50 minutes (avg 14.6 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 0 Total flat tires for the ride: 9

As we broke camp this morning, we were attacked by the mosquitoes. They did not go away from the night before. When I looked up at the roof of my tent, it was covered with mosquitoes between the tent and the rain fly. It was awful, but at least they were on the outside of the tent. They were still there when I unpacked my tent this afternoon to set it up at our stop for the night.

I figured out where all these mosquitoes in the area come from. The “mother of all mosquitoes is located in Belvidere, Illinois. I saw this one as I got close to our camping destination. I sure hope it doesn’t visit our campsite. I know all its smaller relatives will definitely be there.

We started our ride out of the campsite and off on the side of the road were a couple of Sand Hill Cranes. We weren’t sure what they were, so we asked out resident bird expert and she told us that the picture I got was actually of some babies. There were adults with them as well, but I focused in on the babies.

About half way through the ride, we reached our state number 8 – Illinois! How exciting. That means we only have four more states and Washington, DC left. After tomorrow’s ride, we will be less than 1,000 miles from completion.

For those of you that have been following my postings, you will know that I have been watching the cows watching me. They are a strange bunch. They were not staring today. I think they were too busy playing king of the mountain. I took two pictures so you could see the winners and losers together as well as the winners up close.

Toward the end of the ride, I think we became a little delirious. We started to see things that weren’t really there. Specifically, there was what we thought was an amusement park off in the distance. We thought it looked like roller coasters. As we got closer, we realized it was just another bunch of farm equipment.

Tomorrow’s ride will be another century (100+ miles). That will be three in a row. That will be quite an accomplishment once we complete it.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 – Day 31

Start: Viroqua, Wisconsin
End: Madison, Wisconsin
Miles: 112.94 Total Miles: 2,324.22 BRAA Total Miles: 2,189.50
Time: 7 hours 32 minutes (avg 15.1 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 1 Total flat tires for the ride: 9

We started off today in a fog. Not the kind related to the weather, but the confusing kind. Our queue sheets told us to head down a road that wasn’t there. The entire road was removed during construction. I believe they were replacing it, but it just wasn’t there. We ended up riding around for a while until we found the correct road to be on after the road that did not exist. It wasn’t a big problem and didn’t add too many additional miles, so we were fine once we were back on track.

Then the real fog came. We headed through several low clouds through the hills. They were wet and seeing was a little difficult because the visibility was so low. Once we came out of the fog, it was a fantastic day. It was in the low 80s, which was perfect for the long ride we had. One hundred thirteen miles is a long way to ride. Especially, considering it wasn’t flat. There were plenty of sizable hills along the way.

I don’t have a lot of pictures today since it was such a long ride and I was just trying to make it to our destination. It was a nice ride today with a lot of corn fields to look at with neat designs. I think it is from rotating the crops, but I definitely could be wrong. The patterns were so cool to look at.

We found another sign that I think is designed to confuse us. In Wisconsin, you have to be good with your alphabet to know which roads are which.

I made a new animal friend along the way.

Actually, he was in a petting zoo along the side of the road. I thought it was interesting that there was a zebra in Wisconsin.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 – Day 30

Start: Winona, Minnesota
End: Viroqua, Wisconsin
Miles: 71.27 Total Miles: 2,211.28 BRAA Total Miles: 2,079.80
Time: 4 hours 39 minutes (avg 15.0 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 0 Total flat tires for the ride: 8

When we heard that the ride today would only be 66 miles, we knew that there was a catch. The catch was we had to get out of the Mississippi Valley and that meant climbing hills. There was a lot of hill climbing. Up and down…up and down. The best part was that the scenery was beautiful. We rode through a stretch that had many Amish families in it. I even saw a horse drawn carriage going in the opposite direction. We were asked to not take pictures, so unfortunately, I don’t have any to share of the Amish, but I do have a couple of the scenery.

We had our first rest stop at the home of a family that has been providing the stop for several years. The mother and father were there along with seven girls – 5 daughters and 2 cousins. They are fans of the Big Ride and this is their way of supporting it. They had so many delicious treats and fruit to snack on. It was great. They fed us and had individual pictures of us from our blogs that we like trading cards that we signed. They keep information on all the riders from each of the years.

We reached our seventh state – Wisconsin. That is seven down and only five plus DC to go. We are getting closer to completion.

Just after we entered Wisconsin, we crossed the Mississippi River. What an enormous river. I guess this means that we are now officially on the eastern side of the United States. I saw a typical riverboat/paddleboat a little further back, but could not get a good picture. I hoped to see one as I crossed the bridge, but there were none in sight.

Then the climbing began. We had a ten mile stretch of up and down hills. It was topped off by a one and a half mile climb that was huge. It was great because once we reached the top, there was a nice cool breeze and the views were gorgeous. I saw these guys sleeping along the side of the road. When I went back to get a picture, they woke up and started to take off.

Tomorrow, we have a 100+ mile day. It will be a tough one, but we will then be that much closer to getting home.

Monday, July 21, 2008 – Day 29

Start: Owatonna, Minnesota
End: Winona, Minnesota
Miles: 94.42 Total Miles: 2,140.01 BRAA Total Miles: 2,014.10
Time: 5 hours 52 minutes (avg 16.0 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 0 Total flat tires for the ride: 8

I had a hard time getting in the riding mood this morning. We had ninety miles to ride and I just didn’t want to get going. Needless to say, I did get started and ended up riding much of the day on my own.

Early this morning, I saw this hot air balloon off in the distance. It caught my attention as I thought it would be a great thing to go and do. I will add this to my list of things I want to do in the future.

The day was a cloudy and cool one. It looked like it was going to storm at any time. It didn’t. It actually cleared a bit in the early afternoon and turned out to be a really nice day.

Today was a special day. Several Big Riders from the 2007 ride had a rest stop for us in Rochester, Minnesota. A couple of them are from the Rochester area and wanted to visit with the new riders as they passed through. They had fruit, donuts and cookies for us. It was a great stop – thank you 2007 Big Riders.

A little further up the road, we had to stop when we saw a brother and sister team selling lemonade. We almost emptied their pitcher because they were just so cute. Their mother came out to make sure they were doing ok and the little boy said, “Mom, we need more big cups.” We were drinking so much, they were very excited.

Toward the end of the day’s ride, we reached another milestone. We finally reached the official 2,000 mile mark for the ride. That means we only have about 1,300 miles remaining. I am very excited about reaching this point. We are now less than three weeks away from the finish line.

Spending time today by myself, I was able to enjoy the scenery and take in the awe of God’s creation. It is so beautiful – other than some of the farm smells of course. This ride is showing me so much and teaching me even more. Going into this ride, I was sure I would be able to finish the ride. The actual riding can be broken down into forty individual rides - no problem. My silly concerns about camping and bathrooms were so minor compared to what I am learning. I immediately got over these silly concerns. As the days have passed by, I am realizing how much I miss my family. I am reassured through spending time with God during the ride that I will be with them again soon enough. When I feel like I want to give in, I am at peace knowing that I am being cared for and watched over. With His guidance and direction, I will complete this ride and be home before I know it with a deeper appreciation for what we are given. He gives me strength.

Sunday, July 20, 2008 – Day 28

Start: New Ulm, Minnesota
End: Owatonna, Minnesota
Miles: 73.63 Total Miles: 2,045.59 BRAA Total Miles: 1,923.90
Time: 4 hours 36 minutes (avg 16.0 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 1 Total flat tires for the ride: 8

It was really tough to get back on the road this morning after a nice rest day. Especially, since it was so foggy and wet out. But, if I didn’t get back on the road, I would be stuck in New Ulm, Minnesota and would never make it home. So, onward we went.

Almost the entire ride was in a fog. I could say that I was also in a fog, but I was actually riding relatively fast today. The theme of the ride today would have to be fog, soy beans and corn. Since all that we could see through the fog was the miles and miles of soy beans and corn growing.

I know I am going on a bit too much about the fog, but I took this picture of my arm to show how wet I was. I was so wet, it was almost as if I was riding in the rain. My helmet, shirt and shorts were dripping wet.

The group that I was riding with part of the day wasn’t practicing safe riding habits. One of the riders was texting some friends to let them know when he would be arriving to our destination. Then, the rider next to him just had to take a picture because he thought it was so funny to be texting while riding. So, the guy next to him had to take a picture of both of them for the same reason. I topped it off by taking a picture of all of them. These are the kind of things we do during the ride to keep it interesting.

Our first support stop for the day was next to one of the first Dairy Queens built. Unfortunately, it was closed because we were there so early, but it was neat to see such an old DQ and to see that it is still in business.

A little further down the road, we came across a bunch of houses that were up on blocks. It was the strangest site, to see about a half dozen houses not on foundations. As I passed, I saw a sign that advertised house movers. Apparently, these house movers come into an area that is going to be developed and move the houses that are already there – if they are in good condition.

At our PB&J stop, the sky began to clear and so we just sat in some comfy chairs and looked at the peaceful lake across the street. We were making such good time, we decided to just hang out a little longer than usual because it was so relaxing.

Right before getting to our destination today, we passed the Owatonna power plant. It was worth stopping and taking a picture.

We are staying the night at the county fairgrounds. It was funny as a number of us pulled into the camp area. There were quite a few locals hanging around the ice hockey building and when they saw us pull up and start setting up camp, they were in awe. They just starred as we hopped off our bikes and popped up our tents. They were all talking to each other and pointing. At this point in the ride, it made no difference. We are used to just about anything.