Mission Accomplished!

We made it to Boston! Dipped the front wheel in the Atlantic Ocean!!!

Harry then said something to the effect of "Alright then, I guess I'll be going home now" and walked out into the big pond as he waved goodbye.

We somehow managed to get him to come back. I think someone informed him there would be beer served at the banquet tonight.

Today was just an 18-mile ride. For the last 13 miles , we all rode together, in a 2x2 formation, taking the lane as the support vans led the way.
Sorry I didn't get this post published sooner - I had a bit of writer's block. I mean really, what do you say to acknowledge that the trip you have dreamed of for 20 years has been successfully completed???And that the trip far exceeded any expectations. And how do you communicate that the friendships forged are even more valuable than joy of riding the bike? And the appreciation for being fortunate enough to take this trip and to complete it safely....
For now, let me put it this way - IT WAS A TOTAL BLAST!!!!!
I will perhaps get a little more eloquent when I get back home. For now, my deepest thanks to all my fellow riders. The way we all knew we had the support of each other across the country was incredible! You all made the trip for me!


Of course this trip wouldn't have happened without the fabulous CrossRoads staff: Tracy, Larry, Mack, Margaret, and Rick. Professionalism always, and work done from the heart - fabulous!
I am also indebted to all of you folks back home -- your supportive comments along the way did wonders to keep me going in the times of desert heat, wind, rain, potholes, and even the chest cold at the very end.


The photo above shows me next to the map on the final day. Notice the glove tan line ?
If you have been curious as to what the guardian dog and the aquarium loked like, here's your answer - they came to the celebration banquet. Since nobody replied with a guess as to the dog's name, I will have to tell you. It is Boston. :) The thing that looks like a Q-tip is just his celebration bone. Good boy Boston - job well done. (Yes, all those folks who said we were crazy to ride our bikes across the country - you are right - but only because really we are crazy anyhow). No regrets on the transcontinental ride!


The photo below is a peek at the flags we were carrying - the top orange one was for safety. Other stuff got added on, mostly for ceremonial or sentimental reasons. The flags with other riders names were for those riders who had the shorter trip planned but wanted to at least go to Boston with us in spirit - something we were happy to do, as they were definitely in our thoughts the whole way. From left to right, they belonged to Harry, me and Ira. Yep, the Brit had the most American flags.



Since I don't need to thank the Academy, I will go straight to thanking the folks back at the office. (Hopefully I still have a job there!!??) So, last, but certainly not least, a huge Thank You to everyone at Burger Rehab!! The support from Shawn and Mike in allowing me to take the time off for this sabbatical was incredible!!! And I am deeply grateful to the entire team of the Folsom Clinic - your support and willingness to step-up to help out in so many ways while I went away is remarkable. A truly awesome team!!
One last thing for now --- my bike performed flawlessly!! Zero mechanical issues! And with only 4 punctures (as I now call them), the Armadillo tires served me well. The bike never had to get on the mechanic's stand until it was time to get packed up to get shipped home! Wow! Guess that mechanic back home was right - the bike was the last thing I needed to worry about. :) Bike shown below all stripped down and getting it's last bath before getting packed up. Wow - what an incredible bike ride we just had!

VT, NH, MA!

Today we started in Vermont, rode through a small piece of New Hampshire, and ended up in Massachusetts! Another day of some nice climbs - a few short/steep ones, and a few long gradual ones. Again, only about 5,000 foot total vertical gain. I did feel better when I later heard that one of the short hills was a 12% grade - I was wondering why I feeling a bit sluggish!


Very pretty route. I really enjoyed the New Hampshire bit - the quiet road was lined with pine trees and ferns! Interesting combo!


The route from Brattleboro, VT to Burlington, MA was 91 miles, but Harry and I were able to round up to 100 by cruising around Burlington upon arrival. So, officially, I had twelve "Century" days during this trip. This is counting days of 100 miles or more only -- not days that are "close to 100".

Sadly, Alec did not ride with us today since he is still feeling quite ill with flu symptoms. It just wasn't the same to be riding without him. Indeed, I think it got our little group all out of sync.
For the first time, we got separated! Here's how it happened:
Harry, Ira, and I were joined by Willie after the SAG stop. At around 45 miles, one of the little American flags on Harry's bike fell off, so the three guys stopped to get it but the plan was for me to just continue on since I was a bit slow on the hills today (mostly due to a chest cold making the deep breathing of the climbs turn into coughing fits, etc); no big deal - they would all catch up. So I carried on. Since nobody had caught up to me by the time we were to make a significant turn onto a different road at mile 49, I decided it would be wise to just wait there; we could re-group as everyone made the turn. After a few minutes, I happened to glance up and I see Harry absolutely flying down the descent. He was only in my view for less than one second, but it was clear that he was in chase mode - trying to catch me, no doubt. The problem was that he went straight pass the turn. There was no way I would be able to catch him from where I had come to a stop. And I could not yell nearly loud enough due to a hoarse voice today.
The only reason this is a bit of a dilemma is that - as you know- Harry does not even carry a route sheet with him - usually I am there in the # 2 spot to navigate! OK, I figured, Ira and Willie must be right behind him and they will be able to chase him down. (I knew that even on a day that I am not sick, there is not chance I could catch Harry if he was in full chase mode). Here's where it got weird: Ira and Willie were not showing up. What the heck happened to them??? (I found out later that they stopped for one of Willie's fire-station stops and sent Harry on ahead with a brief instruction to watch for the turn). Cell phone was of no use - no coverage for me in this spot.
Anyhow - to make a long story short - Willie and Ira did finally show up at the turn. We sent "fast Ira" off on his bike even though it was quite unlikely Ira would catch him. Ultimately we were able to chase down Harry by flagging down a man in a truck to go look for him and deliver the message about where we were. The plan worked really well, and we were able to carry on, with Harry really only getting 4 extra miles in round trip. (Seems he does pay some attention after all; when he saw that he was on a route labeled "South", he knew he should be going "East", so he did stop and that let our stranger in the truck catch him).
Ah well, guess it's kind of surprising things like this didn't happen more often on this trip.

Almost to the Atlantic. Ceremonial 18 miles to dip the front wheel tomorrow!

Vermont

It was a quick trip through Vermont for us. Today we rode 79 miles from Albany, NY to Brattleboro, VT. Before getting to VT, we got to ride over the Hudson River, which is quite impressive. Throughout the day we were treated to view of lots of little rivers, falls, creeks, and an honest-to-goodness "babbling brook" meandering through a green meadow that had orange and yellow wildflowers on display. Sounds too perfect, I know, but really- I couldn't make this stuff up if I wanted too!!
I must say, I do like Vermont. Seeing lots of Subarus on the road here, so I feel at home. It was great to ride through a completely different part of the state than I done on my trip with VBT for the fall colors a few years back in the Lake Champlain area. Our route today took us through the Green Mountains, so we got back into some decent climbing. Nothing too severe though - really only about 5,000 feet total vertical gain for the day. We had quite a bit of rain during the last 2/3 of the ride. This is not what we had ordered, as Alec was riding while sick -- seems to have the flu, poor guy. But man, he kept on pedaling even though he was shivering and pale as a ghost at times. (And yes, we - his friends- let him carry on. We all understand the persistance).
We rode through Bennington, VT so we got to check out the impressive monument for the battle in the Revolutionary War. This town is big on moose. Didn't see any real moose, but Bennington pays a lot of tribute to the creatures with life-size sculptures of moose all around town. And the local artists put a lot of work into painting/ decorating these sculptures. One of the locals says they have a Moose Festival every four years, so the decoration of the moose always gets updated as part of a "competition" of sorts.

There was a gradual 7-mile climb out of Bennington which took us past an adorable little ski area called "Prospect". I saw two runs carved out of the tree-scape.(See photo below). Another climb took us up Hogback Mountain, which boasts a "100-mile view". And it was fabulous; even with all the rain, clouds, and mist - we did get quite a view.

I know we are in Vermont because we got to ride on/through a covered bridge! (see photo at the top of this post). The bridge below is one we passed as we headed into Brattleboro; this is a lively little town - very cute place!

Albany, NY

With an easy 69-mile ride from Little Falls, we arrived in Albany. Blue skies smiled upon us. We were able to start out in shorts and short-sleeves!

The route took us into the historical Mohawk Indian region, and we followed the Mohawk River. This is a really lovely area with vast views of green rolling hills and lakes beyond the river. It was very cool to see the locks along the river and appreciate the history of the transport methods in the old days. We are passing through towns established in the 1700's!


We discovered the lively town of Scotia along the way and had a great lunch stop at an Irish pub/grill since we noticed a few other riders stopped there. Fun times were had as we joined George, Mike and Nancy.
Yep, Nancy was back on the bike today and completed the whole ride! She is tough! (She managed to get a new helmet at a Walmart yesterday). It was great to see her back out there!
Two photos taken in Scotia are shown below.



Earlier in the day, we met up with a solo rider going from this area out to Massachusetts. He was at the same hotel we were in last night and in our conversations with him then he mentioned not really knowing much about biking or fixing flat tires. Hmmm. Then we saw him out on the road today. I noticed his Converse high tops while he passed us. Yep, he passed us. Oh well, our motto has been to ride smart, not hard....

Blue skies

Big news of the day was "sunshine and blue sky"!! Need I say more???
The nice weather and pleasant route made the day fly by. We rode 78 miles to get from Liverpool (Syracuse area) to Little Falls, NY. Of note, our route took us through Utica. I was able to shed the arm warmers and vest early on, and it was nice to not be wearing the leg warmers for the first time in a few days.


Little Falls is a cute little town with wonderfully old grand architecture.(Examples shown in the two photos above). I guess the town was a big paper mill area back in the day. And apparently thereis quite a rock-climbing scene here now. A quick walk around town after dinner revealed lots of steep hills in the downtown streets. Must be interesting in the winter!! Some little water falls right in town - including a few in peoples' back yards!
Not much else to report - just the typical awesome day on the bike.

The "other" Liverpool

It was a hoot to arrive in Liverpool, NY with someone over here from Liverpool, England.
The ride from Canandaigua was only 68 miles, but it took us most of the day due to a few puncture issues and a lot of photo stops, etc.
At mile 3, we came upon Nancy at the side of the road with a flat. We stopped to help, and we knew this would just be ~ 4minutes to get her rolling. We were wrong. She has some tricky tires/wheels so there was a "pinch flat" in the process, then a broken valve stem on the next try! Uuugh! As we were finally leaving, Harry noticed he had a flat. No big deal - another 4 minutes, right? Well, for some reason, that one didn't go smoothly either - another pinch flat!!! (For any non-cyclists out there - the pinch flat is a self-induced flat that occurs with putting the new tube inside the tire but getting a little piece of it pinched between the tire and rim such that when air is added, it punctures. It is not a pretty thing, because you essentially start all over on another repair, just when you thought you were done). Really, we do know what we are doing, but I think we were just nervous due to the rain and the fact that the ride director was there watching us, maybe???
The rain did let up as we finished with the"flat tire fiasco of 2009".
Later in the ride, Alec had a flat, but that fix did go smoothly. We hadn't gotten flats in quite some time. (I hadn't mentioned this due to some superstitions in the group about commenting on things like that.


We stopped at Seneca Lake, rode through Seneca Falls (home of women's rights Hall of Fame), then Waterloo (birthplace of Memorial Day).

We also found out about a 9/11 tribute from a local, so we went 1 mile off route to see a fire truck that was used in 9/11 rescue efforts and is now turned into a memorial. The names of all the firefighters who died in the rescue efforts were painted onto the sides of the truck. Quite sobering.



Poor Nancy (riding quite a ways in front of us after her flat got fixed) had a crash at about mile 20 or so. There was a tricky little curb that appeared - just an inch or so high; seems it caught her wheel. Her helmet was cracked in 2 places, and she got some impressive road rash and a very sore shoulder. She was released from the hospital and able to join us at the hotel tonight but won't be riding for a while. It was good to see her join us at the hotel.

Rainy Day in New York

The ride from Hamburg to Canandaigua, NY was 95 miles of constant, heavy rain. Of course, Pollyana noted that at least it wasn't very windy. It was also noted that we really couldn't get any more wet, so we might as well keep riding. As you know, our need to round up to 100 applies in this case, so Harry and I made the chocolate milk errand into a 5 mile loop.
While getting the milk, we noticed the Subway sandwiches right next door, so decided lunch would be a good idea. As the gal was making our sandwiches, we thought it would be a perfect time for standing quadricep stretches. The funny part was that the full knee flexion also served to ring out sopping wet tights a bit, so we left quite a puddle on the floor. The folks were quite gracious about it, fortunately, since we didn't realize it until our second repetition.
The Dalton Four showed that we can ride when we really need to. Very short SAG stops to prevent getting too cold. Steady pace. Jokes about how we were riding "upstream" ; it was true as we went through a few towns where the water runoff on the road had a decent current that was carrying sticks with it - we really were riding upstream.
We had the extremely good fortune of not getting any flats in our group, which is quite rare on a rainy day like this when all sorts of debris shows up. Others were plagued by flats and misc. mechanical issues. We did make sincere offers to help any folks along the way, but those big dogs are all quite self-sufficient. So, this was a first, but our group was the first to sign in at the hotel. Quite a few folks rode most of the day in the comfort of the SAG wagon. They are probably quite a bit smarter than our group.

New York! / Niagara Falls!

"I just rode my bike to New York!" (Crazy little thought that hit me as we were taking photos of the sign at the State Line).


The weather eased up today for our ride from Erie, PA to Hamburg , NY. We just had some sprinkles in the morning. The 80-mile route took us through lovely areas that were green and lush. The route was pretty flat and the roads were quite smooth. Even though the winds picked up a little bit toward the end of the ride, a lot of us agreed that this was our easiest ride so far.
We were riding along the East side of Lake Erie for the first 60 miles or so. Riding for hours and realizing the lake is still right there on the left really gives some perspective as to how big the lake is! Saw a historical lighthouse along the shore of Lake Erie. Passed through quite a few vineyards in this area as well.
Along the route we saw two men riding a "loaded tour" (carrying all their gear in panniers and a bike trailer). We happened to catch up with them at a stop light so we got to chat with them. They are riding from Iowa to Maine. Nothing like talking to folks on an unsupported tour to make us look like wimps!!! Oh well, we're having fun.
Indeed, we got to the hotel in Hamburg fairly early so we decided to look into an idea that hit us at about mile 70 -- "let's go see Niagara Falls!" This was a last minute idea (imagine that, eh?) so Harry and I weren't able to rally anyone else. Most folks had already seen it, of course. Anyhow, we were able to get a rental car for the 30-mile drive and off we went. (I know, I know, we should have ridden our bikes, right)? We viewed it all from the New York side since I hadn't thought to bring my passport on a bike trip across the U.S.

The falls were breathtaking! Hearing the roar of the water and seeing the speed of the water leading up to the edge of the fall and getting a sense for the force of the water as it dropped over the edge was unlike anything I have seen (even with my exposure to the falls in Yosemite). My hopes for the excursion were exceeded, to say the least. After donning a stylish yellow plastic poncho and special sandals that are required, we got to go down by the base of the falls (via elevator) to the Cave of the Winds area. Feeling the cold spray of the water and feeling the strong winds generated by the flow of the water was absolutley fantastic. We got soaked!!!

So, I have seen the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls for the first time...all on the same vacation!!! How cool is that???

Erie, PA

Well, we zipped right across Ohio with four days of decent mileage. Today is a rest day in Erie, letting us catch our breath before we start the home stretch of the tour.
The Ride to Erie (yesterday): Our ride from Niles, OH to Erie, PA put 89.7 miles on my odometer. This was very lucky; if it had gotten to 90 miles, we would need to round up to 100, and that did not sound fun on a day like yesterday. We had steady rain all day. Along with some wind and general road muck , I found my biggest challenge of the day to be the short bursts of pain when grit got in with my contact lenses. Made it a bit difficult to read the cue sheet and see the road! Luckily I was able to just pedal through it.

Our team rode smart, taking our shortest SAG stops ever to avoid getting too cold with inactivity. Our motto of "Just Pedal" served us well today. We worked steadily and kept a decent pace to "get the ride done". We did get to see some nice scenery at times, including a few vineyards.

As some of you know, I actually like to ride in the rain, so I was thrilled to have a group of folks also willing to be out in it. While folks in other groups were griping, I was heard saying things like "Hey, every day on the bike is a good day, as long as the rubber side stays down". So I did get called Pollyanna today. (I was wondering when that would come out)!

The photo above was snapped by the legendary Jim Lyle. Because he had of course arrived to the hotel hours ahead of us, he was clean, dry, and rested so he was amused by me waltzing into the ritzy hotel lobby looking like this.
Rest Day (today): The bike got a good cleaning after yesterday's wet and mucky ride. After some chores and errands were done, there was all the basic R&R. With a short walk downtown, I got my first glimpse of Lake Erie. (OK, so maybe you had to be there - much more impressive in person than these photos show).


Later on, just as we were walking back from a fun dinner in an Irish Pub (thinking the evening was winding down), we heard a band playing out in the street near the hotel. Downtown Erie was having a Block Party! Another chance to mix with the locals, so we couldn't pass it up! You probably know these guys by now, but from left to right, it's Ira, Champ, Alec, and Harry. Don't ask me why they were drinking Bud Light.

Niles, OH

The route from Wooster to Niles was 91 miles. A construction detour made it 95. The Englishman and I did "round it up" by riding the extra miles to make it an even 100 miles.
We spent quite a bit of time chatting with folks when we signed in at the hotel after completing the official route and before starting the "bonus" miles. Thus, Harry and I got to go to dinner in our bike clothes. Going to a Hometown Buffet in full bicycling gear generated more conversations with the locals. Today I figure we spent at least 90 minutes along the way talking with folks outside of our group. These conversations really add so much to the trip! Folks love learning about what we are doing and we learn so much from them about the local area or the areas they call home or where they have travelled, etc.
The Dalton Four were joined by Chris and Willie today. The route had lots of turns, so we had to keep one eye on the cue sheet throughout the day to avoid missing a turn. The other eye was focused on the roads because they were very rough, with lots of potholes, rough patches, etc. The route had ~ 3500 feet total vertical gain, per someone's Garmin, so it was a pretty mellow ride in that respect. Once Chris proved his navigation skills to our group, I slid toward the back of the pack to give Chris the honor of Primary Navigator so I could get a little time to look at the lovely homes we passed, etc. (We don't let "just anyone" ride in the "Number Two" spot in our group since Harry, who likes the "Number One" spot, does a great job at pace-setting and finding the best line but does not carry a cue sheet). It is a finely honed system, as you can see, I'm sure. :)

Wooster, OH

Another great day on the bike. Warm and sunny - how lucky are we??? The route from Marsyville to Wooster was 98 miles, so Ira, Harry and I cruised around the town of Wooster a bit to get a true 100. Cute little college town. Finally got back to some climbing today, and most of it was from mile 75-95, so that was special. Nothing quite like having the climbs at the end of a ride!!!

I must admit, the roads were a bit rough today. So that slows down the pace a bit and also takes a bit more of the focus onto the road. In addition, we experienced a nice coating of fresh tar on our tires as we rolled through a road repair area. Then the sticky tar really collected a nice assortment of rocks. The increased drag on the tires wasn't exactly what we needed. I really can't say I've ever seen it glue on like that. We were thinking we'd have to get real creative with ways to scrape the stuff off. But just getting some miles on regular road took care of it, as it eventually worked it's way off. Just like getting miles in seems to take care of a lot of other things, eh?

The usual 4 suspects were joined by Willie and Chris today. We even rode with Peter for a while!Yep, some of the Big Dogs are joining us, if you can believe it!! I figure our group is kind of like the rehab unit of the tour -- folks will join us when they need to take it easy due to a sore knee or maybe a need to talk a bit, or just slow down from the competitive pace and smell the roses, etc etc.... Then we release them when they are ready to spread their wings again.

Beautiful countryside with crops and trees. As we crested some of the rolling hills, we were treated to wonderfully expansive vistas. Part of the route took us through Amish country, but I did not actually see any of the horse/buggy stuff or anything. Our route took us through quiet roads, with lots of chances to see nice homes and yards along the way. I am really enjoying seeing all the older homes and civic buildings in the towns we pass through. The classic courthouses, libraries, schools and churches always catch my eye.

Ohio / Perfect Sunday Ride

Today's ride put us well into Ohio, and the scenery has improved dramatically, so I can get back to my over-use of the word "beautiful". It really was the perfect "Sunday Ride". I would venture to say this ride is in my "Top 5" of our rides so far. "Top 10" for sure. 106 miles from Richmond, IN to Marysville, OH.

We passed through areas that were green and lush. Very smooth roads!!! Quiet roads with very little traffic. Passed over quite a few creeks and rivers with nice flow rates.

Saw our first covered bridge of the trip, so after taking the photo of my 3 riding buddies on the bridge I got to share my knowledge of the reason covered bridges were needed back in the day. (Something I learned in Vermont a while back). Alright, (for the trivia game), the bridges were covered because horses got nervous and would panic while passing over the water on bridges. So I was told. Anyone else have any other info on this???


Had some nice cloud cover for most of the day. It was a bit humid, but we were ahead of the rain all day, so we just got to enjoy the beauty of the clouds and had fun monitoring their movement. Lightning held off until dinner-time, so once again we were very fortunate with the timing of the storm.
We were only 10 miles into Ohio when we saw our first "Ohio State Buckeyes" T-shirt on someone. Gotta love their enthusiasm out here - they really are fanatical!

Richmond, IN.

Well, not much to report on with the scenery. Crop fields. 84 miles from Indy to Richmond, mostly crops. Young corn. Soybeans. yada yada yada. (Just kidding - it really is cool to see all the ag. land, but it just doesn't present for many photo ops). On the upside, it gives us a chance to focus a bit more on the task and thrill of just riding.
It was another easy route - just a few rollers, but quite flat overall. Not sure why we are getting so many winds of the headwind sort - the locals say that is not normal. Anyhow, we were working hard to go just 13 mph at some points in the morning. Luckily, things got a lot better in the afternoon and we were able to push a better pace.
We did get into a few small hills that let us get into some woodsy areas - a nice change from all the crops we've been looking at.
Here's one for the trivia game: we passed through Wilbur Wright's birthplace town today.
The usual 4 were joined by Willie again for the afternoon and this time all four of us joined him for the fire station visit (see yesterday's post).

Indy / Velodrome

65 easy miles took us from Crawfordsville to Indianapolis, IN. The Dalton Four had the honor of riding with Willie (from VA) for the last half of the ride. We rolled into town via some very nice neighborhoods and golf courses.
Harry and I accompanied Willie when he stopped by the Fire Dept. at the end of the ride- something he does in every destination town. His mission on this trip has been to thank the police and/or fire departments in each town for everything they do; this is related to the charity that he is riding for - the Food Allergy Network. The families affected by the emergencies of food allergies wanted him thank any of these folks he saw, so he of course took it full tilt and seeks out a station in each town. It was great fun to talk with the firemen. And it didn't take much pleading at all to get them to start up one of the fire engines and pull it out to the driveway so we could get some photos. In fact, I am pretty sure it was their idea!
A few other folks are also riding for charities or have other traditions along the trip. One of my favorites is the one that George (the retired physician) came up with; he decided to make a point to stop by every single Dairy Queen we pass on the trip. Even when there are two within a few miles of each other! So, this is not for a charity, but he is having a lot of fun! It think he orders a "blizzard" every time.

Today was Fred's last day; since he lives in Indy, his plan was to "ride home" from L.A.
Ira has put Fred's bike flag on his bike, so it will go to Boston with us.

Highlight of the day: A group of us went to Indy's outdoor Velodrome in the evening and watched some great bike races! The Velodrome is named after Major Taylor. Bonus points to anyone who knows about Major Taylor - he has a fascinating role in history. I will place his name on the list of recommended google searches related to this trip. Hmmm - maybe we should have a trivia game when this trip is done....
It was a blast to see the racing. All the different races they do are a bit complicated, but the locals were very helpful in explaining it to us. I think the elimination races were my favorite -- they call it "Devil takes the hind-most".

I was astounded by how steeply the curves were banked. We got to stand right up against the railing so we had a great view of it all, and we were super-close to all the action. We feel very fortunate that when Harry dropped the lid to the soda bottle it did not go through the little space below the railing and roll down onto the track. It was close.

Crawfordsville, IN

We had two riders join us today for the last leg of our tour. Sue (from OR) is our first recumbent rider and Mike T. (from CT) has come back after doing several shorter trips with crossroads previously.
It was a pretty straightforward ride of 79 miles from Champaign, IL to Crawfordsville, IN. We had a very slow start due in part to costume adjustments needed with our bike/helmet decorations. We did get mostly friendly looks and waves along the way, with Harry's USA - red/white/blue theme making people (in the cars, etc) give us a bit more respect, I think.

To make up for our slow start, we were able to push a decent pace for the last 20 miles. We were working hard to keep it around 20 mph, but it felt like a fun challenge.
Not much exciting news to report on the scenery or anything. Our route through IL and IN for the past few days has taken us mostly through basic Ag. land. Corn and soybeans seem to be most prevalent.

Champaign, Il.

We rode into Champaign yesterday, covering 87 miles from Springfield. Fairly uneventful ride. Champ rode strong today because this is his home turf. (He grew up in Champaign and now lives not too far away). So not only was he eager to get to the hotel and see his guests, but the specificity of training really shows up on tours like this. People that are used to a certain type of terrain really excel in their specialty. (Folks are still waiting to see my specialty, I think). Perhaps I have shown strength in the short "city" rides to find the chooclate milk at the end of the rides. The other day I stuffed numerous bottles into my jersey pockets to bring back to the team -- I was compared to the domestiques of the Tour De France!

On our way into town, we stopped at a nice bike shop so they could get a preview of Ira's bike that they would be working on during our rest day. When they saw Harry's bike (a Look), they were saying it is the most expensive bike they have seen; the funny part was that it took them a while to figure that out since it is covered with the stuffed dog on the handlebars, the plastic aquarium under the seat wedge, extra spokes strapped on the frame, etc. Clever way to prevent bike theft, we figure -- cover it in junk!
Champaign is the site of our fourth rest day. It was great to have Champ's knowledge of the area; he showed a group of us to a great local bar last night; one of only two "neighborhood" bars in town. Since the pub is right in with the residential area, they close at 11 pm which is probably a good thing for this group.
This was also the day we were given an assignment to decorate our helmets for the next day's ride. For some of us, this of course extended into decorating the bikes also. I went for a "princess" theme, which should be pretty funny to anyone who knows me.

Capitol of Illinois

Made it to Springfield today. This is the location of Abraham Lincoln's boyhood home, but I didn't get time to check that out since it turned out to be a day of getting to the hotel just in time to clean up a bit for dinner.
The ride was 107 miles which is no big deal, but our start was delayed as we waited for the lightning to stop. (Again, very convenient how we could just wait at the hotel). The thunderstorm passed through pretty quickly, so we were able to start off in a mild rain at ~ 830am.

The "Dalton Four" was reduced to "two" today; Alec and Ira were feeling freakishly strong today and went off the front to ride with the Big Dogs today. Indeed, Ira finished 10 minutes after the first person in, which is pretty amazing considering Ira has the heaviest bike on the tour and is having problems with his chain slipping off into a gear he did not choose at times when he puts any force through the drivetrain! I can't imagine what would happen if we got him on a nice light bike! Harry and I kept it at our steady pace and enjoyed the scenery and the "wind in our face", then for the last 30 miles we had a very favorable wind that helped us tick off the miles at a much faster clip.
I think I forgot to mention that "Dalton Four" is one of our other self-proclaimed titles; we figured we earned the name after we put in a stellar ride to make up some time to get to the Dalton Gang Hideout on time a while back; we were going going so fast, we blew right past the turnoff! Luckily,I figured it out pretty quickly and the guys have learned my verbal cry and arm-circle signal that means "HEY, TURN BACK!!". Everyone else was entertained by seeing us come in from the wrong direction.
Back to the Springfield ride, it was pretty humid once the rain stopped. We stopped at a store for bug repellent since the bugs seem to like Harry's English blood. Interestingly, the clerk recommended vanilla extract as working better than the bug spray for the critters out here. So we were smelling pretty good! But then I of course started craving chocolate chip cookies.
Health report: Appreciating the return to the no-smoking rules for restaurants and stores now that we are in IL - nice change from MO, where folks were lighting up at the table next to us at lunch!!

East of The Mississippi!

Today was a pretty mellow ride of 74 miles from Kirksville, Mo. to Quincy, Il. and we are now East of the Mississippi!

Started out in the rain, but things cleared up after the first hour or so. Then a bit of a thunderstorm did start up as we came into Quincy in the afternoon. Yes, with all this storm activity, we do have headwinds and crosswinds, but I figure y'all are probably tired of hearing about the winds. Word is that we'll be getting some hail tonight, so we shall see what the morning brings us for tomorrow's ride.

Part-way through the ride, a number of us stopped at a store in a very, very small town. This is par for the course, but what was unique today was that Champ ran into someone he knows!! (A student of his from 1988 had stopped in to shop and recognized him)!

Highlight of the day: crossing over The Mississippi. The waters were raging! It was breath-taking!
Really can't put into words yet how thrilling and awe-inspiring the river is. Spectacular, really. Just brimming with all the history, tales, and geographical significance, it radiates an energy that is something to behold.The bridge was narrow, with no shoulder, so we had to keep moving but we were able to let out some "yee-haws" and "woo-hoo's" as we pedaled.


Then as we rolled into Quincy, we were treated to a ride along a nice quiet street lined with fabulous mansions.
This trip is going by entirely too fast!!! We hit the 2,000 mile mark on today's ride. Hard to believe it's been 4 weeks.

Roller Coaster

OK, now this ride was REALLY like a roller coaster! Seriously, cresting some of the hills, I got a bit of that same sensation at the top of a roller coaster since I couldn't see the road below.
Fabulous ride into Kirksville, MO. 74 miles, with the last 50 miles having all the rollers. Many points where the road could be seen stretching out in front like a ribbon through the countryside.

We delayed our start this morning to 10 am (vs. the usual 715 am) due to a thunder/lightning storm. It was quite convenient the way the thunderstorm was timed. We were able to just sit around the hotel to wait for it to pass rather than being out in the middle of nowhere and realizing we are suddenly the best target for the lightning. Of course, the delayed start did mess with folks' normal fueling regime, with all the breakfast calories consumed hours before we started instead of the usual 30 minutes, but my snacking abilities kept me out of trouble.


We had rain for the first part of the ride, but things cleared up quickly so we rode on a nice warm sunny day for most of the time. Strong winds were present throughout the day, often presenting a challenging crosswind with some gusts that made the bike veer a bit. Nice quiet country roads. If any of you cyclists out there are looking for a roller coaster route, I can recommend Route 11 North into Kirksville.
Scenery was full of lush green countryside, now including more trees. There were also a lot of little lakes scattered all about, many with homes nestled right by them. Quite breathtaking, really.