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.

Sunday, August 3, 2008 – Day 42

Start: New Waterford, Ohio
End: Washington, Pennsylvania
Miles: 63.14 Total Miles: 3,127.60 BRAA Total Miles: 2,952.60
Time: 4 hours 18 minutes (avg 14.7 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 0 Total flat tires for the ride: 10

We were allowed to sleep in an extra hour this morning since the ride was going to be a short one. The only problem was several alarms still went off at the normal time. I guess it didn’t matter too much since I was able to continue resting for a little while longer. The ride was shorter than the average day, but it was a tough one with all the hills we had ahead of us. The real test is still ahead of us over the next few days in Pennsylvania on our way to Gettysburg.

After some good climbing this morning, we came across this sign. This is always a good sign, because it usually means we are headed for a big downhill. Indeed, we had a big, fast decent right after this sign. I was rolling at a maximum speed of just under 40 miles per hour.

Five days of riding in Ohio finally came to an end when we reached Pennsylvania – state number 11. This is the second to last state we will visit prior to riding into Washington, DC. Right before reaching the state line, we got our first look at the Pennsylvania skyline. We have reached the state of nuclear power plants. We crossed a bridge between two power plants and the enormous cooling towers on both sides of us.

Pennsylvania skyline view from Ohio.

It was nice to reach another state, but along with the change to Pennsylvania came the hills – rolling hills and a lot of them. These things continued for the next 40 miles. I guess I should get used to them since they will be with us for the next several days.

I did find a couple of new friends this afternoon. They were eating along the side of the road. They didn’t like me much. When I went to take their picture, they walked the other way.

We are in another camp ground this evening and will only have a few more nights in our tents. There are only six days left before we enter DC and only five of them are riding day.

Saturday, August 2, 2008 – Day 41

Start: Burton, Ohio
End: New Waterford, Ohio
Miles: 62.38 Total Miles: 3,064.46 BRAA Total Miles: 2,891.00
Time: 4 hours 01 minutes (avg 15.5 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 0 Total flat tires for the ride: 10

We had quite a storm last night blow through camp. Right before I went to bed, I was watching the storm coming in from Lake Erie. That was about 10PM. At a little after midnight, it arrived. The thunder and lightning was powerful and the wind was blowing like crazy. There wasn’t a whole lot of rain, but the combination of rain and wind made it seem like a lot. The storm came and went quickly and I fell back to sleep in cooler air.

Today’s ride was a very short one. The mileage was supposed to be just under 59 miles, but with a couple of route changes, it turned out to be a little over 62 miles. Even with the extra miles, it was still a really short day. It only took four hours to complete. We are resting up for our climb over the Appalachian Mountains that we will reach in a couple of days.

During the ride, we passed one of Ohio’s steel mills. The steel industry is a big part of Ohio – or at least it used to be. This plant was roaring away.

I was riding down one of the rural roads and was thinking about the lack of corn. The corn fields have definitely started to decrease. We still see smaller fields here and there. So, as I was riding down this road, I had a flashback to the cornfields of Illinois and Indiana. The only difference was this was a tree lined road as opposed to a corn lined road. Ohio is definitely a beautiful state during the right seasons.

In camp, the mysterious mischievous campers were at it again. The rider with the tent that is large enough to have a party in had some remodeling done to his tent without his knowledge. The tent is so big that someone put a picnic table in it and actually set the table. Needless to say, when he returned, he had to find a way to get the table out of his tent. There was no one taking the credit for the remodeling and no one offering to help take it out.

Friday, August 1, 2008 – Day 40

Rest Day: Burton, Ohio
Miles: 2.80 Total Miles: 3,002.08 BRAA Total Miles: 2,832.40
Flat tire count today: 0 Total flat tires for the ride: 10

Today was our second to last rest day. We spent it in Burton, Ohio. It is a small town of about 500 people. It reminded me a lot of the town that I lived in – Sagamore Hills – when I lived in Ohio.

Yesterday, I went out to mark the route to the fairgrounds where we were camping on the street with chalk for the remaining riders. As I was chalking the street right in town, a city official stopped me and asked me what I was doing. I explained about the bike ride and where we were staying and he told me that next year we need to let him know so he can put out signs directing everyone to the fairgrounds. He was very polite, but he didn’t want me writing on the town streets. He said that in a small town, they don’t take kindly to that kind of thing. Even if it is chalk that will wash away in the next rain.

I also had the opportunity to spend some time with a friend. I was picked up and whisked away to his home for dinner and a wonderful bed for the night. What a treat to have a home cooked meal, a bed and sharing with friends. Thank you Rudolph family. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

We have seven riding and one rest day remaining until we reach Washington, DC. The only real obstacles in our way are the hills/mountains in Pennsylvania. Hopefully, they will not be too tough. Regardless, we are continuing forward.

Thursday, July 31, 2008 – Day 39

Start: Sandusky, Ohio
End: Burton, Ohio
Miles: 100.04 Total Miles: 2,999.28 BRAA Total Miles: 2,832.40
Time: 6 hours 53 minutes (avg 14.5 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 0 Total flat tires for the ride: 10

This morning’s portion of the ride was spent mostly along the coastline of Lake Erie. There were several parks along the way where we could stop and appreciate the size and beauty of the lake. It is definitely one of the Great Lakes. In addition to the lake, I was amazed at some of the homes that were recently built or in the process of being built along the coast. There were so many and they were fabulous.

Just across the street from the lake about fifteen miles or so into the ride, I saw this strange looking structure and stopped to take a picture. The sign said Atomic Blast Shelter. I was curious if this was still in working condition and if the people who live next to it are preparing for a blast anytime soon? It did look like it was well kept and ready for use.

After a detour that was due to a draw bridge being out of order (I think), we made it to downtown Cleveland. I have driven through the city on many occasions, but it is very different on a bike. I arrived right at lunch hour, so the streets were quite crowded with cars and people walking to lunch from all the offices.

Just down the street from downtown Cleveland was the famous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It is located right on the lake. What a perfect location. Also off to the left is the Cleveland Browns football stadium. There is definitely a lot going on in Cleveland.

Continuing on down the road, our route was directed onto the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway. It took us along the side of the lake by the airport and marina. What a beautiful ride and once again the weather was just right. There appeared to be a thunderstorm brewing to the south of the route, but it didn’t affect any part of our ride.

I thought this was funny…it seems like the group of riders stops at almost every Dairy Queen along the route. Today, I saw a Dairy King. I am not sure if anyone stopped there or if it compares to Dairy Queen, but I guess the owners thought the King should get equal time.

We went through an area in Cleveland called Little Italy. As you leave Little Italy, you have to go up a very steep hill. I was stopped at a light waiting to climb the hill and a guy in a car next to me said, "Are you going to ride up that hill?" I told him yes and he asked if I had done it before. I told him this was my first time, but it was just the next hill in a series of hills since Seattle, Washington. It took him a second to realize what I said and then looked at me like I was crazy and said good luck before driving away. It is funny to see the disbelief at times when telling people what we are doing.

The last 20-30 miles of the ride brought us back into rolling hills. It was tough since we have been riding on flat ground for so many days. It was good though since we have more rolling hills ahead of us in Pennsylvania. We needed to feel the burn once again to prepare us. The day's ride ended up being 100 miles due to two detours we had to take. So, add another century to the log.

Looking back on today’s ride was interesting. I used to live just south of Cleveland and we have driven to Cedar Point in Sandusky several times. We used to think that was a really long drive and after a long day at the park, we would say what a drag it was to have to drive all the way home. Well, now that I have ridden my bike that far and a little further, I have a different perspective. Those long rides in the car will take on a different meaning from now on.