Cliff Notes: Ride to Beach

[Written from home Sun, 6/1, pm]

Not a regular day. No packing bags and carrying to truck. No 80 + mile ride. No hills - all downhill to sea level. Everyone excited and sad that we wouldn't be with 30 good friends after the day was over. I was happy that this adventure was coming to a close and that I'd be going home to family. I was also very pleased with how well I did and that I'd met objectives of: 1) Making it safely across, 2) Having fun, 3) Making new friends and 4) Riding almost every mile.

We got underway at 7:05 am. I pedaled hard and stayed with the lead group of about 8 people as we rode through neighborhoods and boroughs of Boston. In no time at all we stopped at mile 13.5 at a library to wait for all riders to gather to finish the ride together. At this point we assembled in a line, 2 by 2 with a lead van and a tail van and rode the remaining miles to the beach. Pretty emotional. Hard to describe but I was excited and thrilled and found it hard to believe that we'd a started in Los Angeles - this seemed like another lifetime ago. As we approached the beach we stopped for a few minutes to allow time for families to gather at the road going down to the beach. Then we proceeded and there was cheering as we rode into view. It was just hard to believe that this moment had arrived.

Stopped at pavilion on road by the beach. Everyone dismounted, took off bike shoes and carried their bike down to the beach and dipped the front wheel into the ocean. After pictures a group of us had decided beforehand that we'd dive into the ocean and that is what we did. I took my bike flag with me. A joyful and satisfying moment.

celebratory charge into the ocean

Tomorrow, or soon, I'll post some reflections on this adventure.

Day 49: He Made It!

The Atlantic Ocean at Revere Beach in Boston, MA

(In case any of you were in doubt that he could handle the last 18 miles. A rough day. Around mile 11, one rider turned around to another and yelled, "Hey So and So [because I was and am on so many migraine meds and the name is lost to me], you'll be happy to know the day's half-over!")

Edited Sat am to change the word "Pacific" to "Atlantic" a few times, because the Pacific Ocean and Massachusetts are not, in fact, along the same coast. Hey, I said I was medicated! (Oops.)

[Photo B: Gil coming into the first main stretch headed straight for the beach; that red car really mucked up my shot.] Our family, being anal and warned from local family (yay Amy and Mark!) about the traffic if we didn't leave early, left about the same time the riders did this morning. (Basically the deal was that if we left then, we'd be very early; if we left later, we'd be stuck in traffic. Some of us - particularly the drivers - being fairly anal, we left early.) Which would up being a very good thing - we did alright with the CrossRoads-provided directions until they had us turn left onto Hutchenson towards the end. Well, none of us noticed the left turn because you couldn't go left - there was a raised median, grass, and guardrail in the way of that left turn. Then the road that sounded Revere-Beach-like (Revere St), which happened to be right after Hutchenson, was detoured. If one turned around and found Hutchenson, they came across a closed bridge due to construction (at least I believe that's what happened; it was our other car. The police there, being Boston police and appreciating my aunt's Red Sox cap, stopped traffic and let them cross in the wrong direction). Both of our cars made it to the correct spot at the same time, from opposite directions on the street, both having stopped to ask several people for insights along the way. We were a bit concerned about being in the wrong place - we were the only people there and it was 8:20; we'd been told they'd ride in at 9 am. But eventually other people trickled in, and we saw their Ryder van - carrying all their bikes back - and a CrossRoads employee.

[Photo C: The second main drag, parallel to the beach, where they crossed what the guys in front deemed to be their finish line - a cross-walk - and headed towards the beach. Gil's in there about the 5th from the right in the blue helmet.] They stopped all the riders at mile 13 to wait and ride in as a group. They rode in about 10-15 minutes early (8:40ish), and not a lot of family members seemed to be there for the initial ride-in. We know from talking to at least one group that part of their party was also having serious issues finding the place, some due to several rotaries along the route and some likely due to the "left turn" and detour/construction. (Combined with their early ride-in; leaving at 7:30, we couldn't imagine it would really take them an hour and a half to ride 18 miles given the weather and route.) I'm not sure how many families missed the initial ride-up, but the family support seemed more complete later at the beach. Bob, the Pile Driver who had to leave the tour mid-way (to avoid giving himself permanent issues with his pre-existing injuries), was able to come out and meet everyone in Boston. Was great to get a chance to meet him.

[Photo D] As they came down the last stretch towards the beach (perpendicular to the coast), the CrossRoads van stopped and held them all up until the group was complete again to ride in together (see photo B - I did have a reason for labeling them!). Got some great video and photos of Gil, since we'd nicely agreed he would be at the back of the pack and therefore easy to find (RJ had the video camera today, but Dad was still taking some pictures of the group). Plus he has a distinctive gorgeous blue helmet (gorgeous blue, not gorgeous helmet) and some feathers in his cap, much like Yankee Doodle. That's my dad! Was a great moment as they all rode up and around the curve to round the block and circle back to the beach.

As they rode in the final drag, parallel to the coast, there appeared to be a lot more family members and friends than had been across the block to watch their initial entrance a few moments before. (This could have been because those walking to the beach from the parking lot may not have been there when we were alerted to cross the street to see them, but were there waiting where they made their second appearance.) They all stopped and ditched their shoes (photo C), then made their way down the beach with their bikes. (We were fairly disappointed that no one rode down the stairs to the beach on their bikes; we were ready for that with the video camera.)

[Photo D: Dad and Tony, his almost-constant riding companion.] They all made it down to the beach and got in with their bikes - wheels dipped in the Pacific back on May 12th and the Atlantic today (first picture on page, top and center). Then Dad led a small group into the actual water (so that's why they took off their shoes...). He claimed to not be cold about 20 minutes later, after posing for various pictures, but mentioned that could also be denial (and adrenaline). (We were all in long pants and light jackets - or heavier jackets and hats in some cases. So I imagine it was fairly chilly for him.) The family has quite a mess of digital pictures (from...three cameras? Possibly four) and video. I've only seen the obnoxious number from my camera (I just set it to take pictures every second or two, figuring everyone would look good in at least one of each "scene"), but we have some definite winners.

Gil came home in the car with us (the directions home worked fine, and it was uneventful) - we stopped at the McDonalds by the hotel, where I believe he consumed about three meals plus an apple pie or two. It may have only been two meals plus the pies, but he went back up to re-order twice. Lunch at a somewhat nicer establishment a few hours later with the family plus his roommate Richard - he, Mom, and Dad are on their way to retrieve his significant other from the airport as we speak. [Edit: They are now hopelessly lost on the way home, after being mildly lost on the way there. Detours and darkness don't go well together.] Apparently Boston Logan had some serious delay issues tonight as well (we heard from several riders waiting for calls from arriving family), and she couldn't get a cab out.

[Photo E] The banquet and "awards" ceremony for the riders and their families tonight was very nice - the CrossRoads leader encouraged all of the riders to go easy on us buffet-newbie guests and maybe NOT eat all the food before we got any. She also encouraged family members to listen to tour stories and expect a readjustment period (possibly with periods of sobbing for the days of the tour) at home after they leave their CrossRoads family and little cocoon that doesn't resemble real life in the least. She mentioned to the riders that they should perhaps start consuming under 8,000 calories a day. All of the riders got some recognition or story of sorts; Dad was the guy who made the trip fun even in inclement weather and brought some truly questionable items home to the hotel with him. (Could she be referring to the maggot-infested raccoon tail? We are SO happy not to be taking that home on the plane with us. So, so happy.) She spoke very flatteringly of him last night (which he may not tell you but I will) about, among other things, learning a lot about enjoying the experience from him. Jerry, the 80 year old (apparently repeat) rider on tour w/ his grandson, was gifted the CrossRoads map with their route filled in (as they went) and everyone's signature along the line. (Unfortunately, BEFORE I got a 5 megapixel picture of it...) Then after the dinner and making the rounds to the other riders with their families, our group and several other riders and their companions went into a room off the lobby set aside for the group (where all the bikes were packed up earlier to return to their homes) to watch some raw video footage. (Five men, at least two with some excellent A/V knowledge, and it took the 24 year old female - yours truly - to suggest changing the input to AUX.) Everyone really seemed to enjoy it, and we've been hearing some excellent things about Dad from other riders. (He, in turn, has only flattering things to say about his fellow riders - there's a story for almost everyone we've met, and most of them we'd already heard something good about during the tour. In particular, he's said that the women on the tour made up a lot of the strongest riders; the several we met tonight were mostly consistent front-of-the-pack riders.) Seems like a very well-gelled little family.

[Photo F: Dad and Richard, his wonderful roommate] I'm sure Dad will have his own account to add, but we wanted to give a run-down of the day and assure everyone that he made that last ride! (Today would so not have been the time to be hit by cars - not that there's ever a good time for that - or suffer a debilitating injury.) Several people asked tonight how long this blog will be up; as far as I'm concerned, indefinitely or until Dad wants to take it down, which I can't imagine much reason for. We certainly have no present plans to delete it, though I think we'll save it to disk for him. I don't see anything in the blogger account info about blogs being removed due to inactivity; it would have to delete his entire google account (and possibly mine, which won't be happening since the account is quite active, and Mom's as well) to do so. So I think it'll remain here, safe and sound!

Their TOTAL elevation gain, entirely self-propelled: 90,043 feet. Damn. (How tired does that make you feel?)

This may be my last post (WOOHOO! Not that it hasn't, uh, been fun.), but I'm guessing you can expect an account of today/this weekend from Dad either tomorrow or once we're back home. So expect at least one more post in the next few days!

CrossRoads 2007: The Atlantic Ocean
Gil's first on the left in the second "row" - blue helmet, feathers and all, in hand
Look how much hair he has!!

Day 48: In Boston, MA!

I just realized that we didn't bring the itinerary with us, so I don't know what today was "billed" as. (Ok, the condensed itinerary on their webpage informs me that today was 88 miles and the "14th state line into 15th state.")

Dad said he's so in the habit of sending his cliff notes and pictures that he did so today without realizing, "Oh, I'll see them in a few hours." (Or a few more hours, as the case may be; weather from DC to Boston wasn't exactly ideal, and - after other dramatic "will we make the flight?" adventures - we spent an hour on the tarmac before taking off at the same time as Gil's brother and sister-in-law, also from Dulles (after an hour delay at their gate THEN an hour delay on the tarmac). Gil's sister had quite a wait in Boston (from NY) for someone with a rental car to arrive. So we all left with our rented cars and arrived at the hotel within minutes of one another, albeit an hour or so later than planned. (At which point, some of us were super-ready for, oh, lunch. Fortunately the box of cookies I stuffed in my carry-on (thinking "what the heck, I have the room and it's a free snack") sustained us until we ate at 8 or 8:30 pm.) And I'm pleased to report that Mom DID get down to a carry-on! Which I had faith she could do. We're both very proud. (Really, we're seeing family - whose impressions of us probably won't change due to a weekend without a specific liquid toiletry - and people who've been sweating for eight hours a day and washing their three pairs of clothes in the sink for two months. Dad emphasized that our appearance should be "VERY casual.") She also ran like heck at Dulles - not even putting her shoes on after security until we boarded the plane three minutes before the door shut (and three minutes after we should have taken off - so yes, the running was necessary). The several people who boarded even LATER than us - one group to cheers from their companions in the back - didn't look nearly as disheveled and sweaty as we did. We're not sure they really ran, or so we choose to tell ourselves.

Dad's looking good! 10 or 11 pounds lighter than when we last saw him, so he's quite thin, but he's got a bit more hair so there's at least some color up there. (As far as I'm concerned, that's a good thing.) Planning on keeping it short at least through the summer, but enjoyed how "cool" the "fuzz" length felt. (We enjoy there being a bit more hair than "fuzz.")

Gil's Cliff Notes (sent at 4:43 pm):
Last day of tour other than the 18 mile jaunt to the ocean tomorrow. Mixed emotions. Unbelievable, but we are here on the edge of Boston. It was a warm day. Left Brattleboro, VT at 7:15. Skies threatening [hence all the trouble getting out of Dulles]. Entered NH soon after leaving. Lots of climbing today and crossed the White Mountains [apparently yesterday's 2nd mountain range was....something other than the White Mountains? *shrugs*]. One grade was particularly challenging but I felt strong today and just kept pedaling in a lower gear until I got to the top. We also crossed into Massachusetts as we rolled along towards Boston. 87 hilly miles today. A great sense of relief and accomplishment when we reached the Hilton Hotel. Many hugs and damp eyes. I will miss the many nice people that have became part of my extended family the last 7 weeks. We went through a lot together and had many great moments. Tomorrow we cap it all of with a ride to the beach and a banquet in the evening.

We had a nice little family reunion over dinner - both of his siblings and his sister-in-law were able to come, and my cousin Amy and her husband Mark live in Boston and joined us for dinner. (Uncle Carl, you were missed!) We talked more about the tour (and video-editing logistics) in general than today's ride; when he called us after arriving in Boston, we were busy at Hertz and then finding our exit out of the tunnel, so not too much of substance was said. ("Hi! We're getting the car! We're in the car driving. You're at the hotel. We'll be there soon! Shoot, that's our exit, gotta go!") He said that the tour exceeded his expectations, though it was also more physically demanding than he had expected with the day-in, day-out routine. Also less free time for goofing off and seeing the towns they were staying in than expected. Discussed some of his ideas for the video footage - he mentioned a few days ago that they recommend riders get another project or hobby after finishing, since it's such a change of pace from the days of training then riding. Video editing will be Gil's new project! (After he does a few things around the house, not the least of which is making my bedroom inhabitable again. I'm SO excited to have a real bed here at the hotel. It's a king, to compensate for the fact that I've been sleeping on couch cushions half the width of a twin.) We also learned that his computer is woefully inadequate for the high-def editing task. (Shocking, considering picasa crashed it several times.) It ain't no 3 gigahertz. So it appears he'll be spending a lot of time at RJ and Chris' to edit the sucker! RJ said he'd be pleased to join editing forces once it's down to the fun part - ie once the good stuff is pulled out from the six or seven hours of raw footage. One tentative idea is to burn interested riders copies of the raw footage on DVD (downgrading from the HD quality of the camera, but still very good), then following up when an edited compilation is available.

We also enjoyed meeting a few other riders, including his roommate Richard and regular riding partner/fellow Pile Driver Tony. I'm sure we'll meet lots more tomorrow!

Photo Albums

Four (yes, his albums have now more than doubled) new photo albums uploaded:

1. May 28 - June 2 [Days 17-22]
2. mostly June 2 [Day 22] - video camera captures of the storms in Great Bend, KS (and a few other things)
   
3. June 4 - 11 [Days 24-31] - ENTIRELY out of order. Which I can't emphasize enough. This disaster in ordering (in addition to the hand surgery) is why I haven't uploaded pictures earlier. The idea of dealing with it - comparing his notes and daily photo-sends to the order the photos came in - was mind-boggling. And frankly made me and my sore hand very cranky. So here you have it, exactly has his camera/DVD burn ordered them, but I wouldn't put much faith in the shots displaying the date and location.
4. June 12 - 21 [Days 32-41] - mostly dated and in order, to the best I can tell
   

Sorry for the horrific delay in uploading - it was painful to realize I had from day 17 on to do! None of these got to the house before I had hand surgery, which put off any inclination to go through and upload them (Mom similarly had zero desire to do so), and then I just really didn't want to deal with DVD #7 (or #3 on the above list). As it is, even without attempting to order them his computer shut down on me three times and picasa quit twice. Each time I lost everything I'd done for the current DVD. Then I tend to get mouthy and say unkind things (particularly about his camera, which may not be at fault) and no one wins. Regardless, it's two and a half hours of my life I'll never get back. (And you're right: it absolutely should not have taken two and a half hours.) But the important thing is that we're all caught up!! And I can go meet Dad in Boston without feeling like a failure.

No photo corrections this time unless it was a) absolutely necessary (think lighting so you can see people's faces) AND b) a picture I felt was worth fixing. Hopefully I at least managed to rotate everything necessary so that they're all right-side up.

Links Added

Thanks to the article in the Erie paper, we came across a few other riders' blogs. (Mom got the fun task of sifting through links while I a) freaked and b) did that day's post and copied the article.) On the left you'll now see links for five more blogs that riders are maintaining from the tour.

Day 47: 12th State Line Crossing, Vermont's Green Mountains and New Hampshire's (?) White Mountains

Gil's Cliff Notes:
Only a 76 mile ride but hard. Tons of climbing as crossed Green mountains. Very hot. Understand it got to 99 degrees here in Brattleboro, VT, an all-time record. There were numerous serious hills then at 35 miles a 7.5 mile climb with 2.5 of those miles being very steep. With the heat and humidity this really taxed my system. Then after a major down-hill there was a second climb that went on and on and on up Hogback Mountain. Very hard. Too hot. I was sweating like a dog but did not stop. Over 7100 ft. of climbing today! Drank a tremendous amount of water and gator today. We crossed into Vermont. Got to hotel just after 3 PM. Showered and went into town and the Riverside Cafe. I had 5 root beers - one of them being a float for desert after my black angus burger. Doesn't get much better. Brattleboro is something of an artist/hippie community. Lots of young people with piercings. Lots of young people stoned. Made mistake of trying to converse with some of these people about where to eat. In two cases just incomprehensible. Don't they know the counter-culture ended in the late 60's? They should find their own identity!

Pictures added to yesterday's post.

The trip's almost over! (After six weeks of making sure her cell is always on her somewhere that she'll notice the vibration - even though she often misses the step of turning the phone ON *ahem* - she went out back to read and water the lawn today without taking the portable house phone with her. When Dad called and I went to get her, she went, "oh! I forgot about that! We're seeing him tomorrow, so I feel like his trip is done now.")

We're not sure exactly what part of the schedule is mucked up, but Dad said that they crossed the Green Mountains (listed as being in Vermont today) and the White Mountains (listed as being in New Hampshire and tomorrow). Yet they're definitely staying in Brattleboro, VT, so the best I can figure are that the White Mountains aren't quite in NH after all. Today was a very hard day despite the reasonable mileage, given the mountain ranges, elevation gain, heat, and humidity. It reminded him of a bit of the temperature back home (near DC) - the sky was a bit wiped out, there was a lot of humidity and it was hazy. In that weather I stay indoors with a strong air conditioner; forget going outside unless absolutely necessary, let alone EXERCISING for six-eight hours (!) outside. He was "so busy pedaling" that he didn't stop to take many pictures today. The haze didn't make for great photography conditions anyway. Like he said, everybody drank a tremendous amount of fluid today, and they all needed it. Said he could have drank even more than those five root beers he had at the cafe.

He gave me the details on a "monument-like picture," but it's not among the ones he sent me. I'll give you a little story anyway. It was somewhere he believes was called Binnington (spelling may be quite off, since I was hearing his pronunciation over a cell network), there's a monument similar in shape to the Washington Monument. It has to do with the revolutionary war, and it's where (he thinks) the US forces defeated the French in "some battle" that was "apparently an important turning point in the war." Anyway, it was very impressive, at least 200 feet tall or more, and just sitting out in the countryside in a very pretty little town. (Edited to add: You can see a picture of this monument on Peg & Don's blog, which is also linked to on the left. I don't know these people, but I did notice the picture when I was confirming the links.)

Another little story: A few days ago we got a message on the house machine that was a bit cryptic, but referenced receiving our payment and shipping the raccoon. Mom came to me one night and asked somewhat suspiciously and skeptically, "Jean? Did you...order a raccoon?" "Nooooo...?" "Maybe they made some kind of mistake and it wasn't your father." We finally remembered to ask him about it tonight, and it was definitely my father. At some point he apparently saw fit to order a raccoon skin. (A step up from maggot-infested tail carcass, at least.) "Where are you planning on keeping this, honey?" "On the dresser." "I'm really glad we don't share dressers."

Anyway. He said it's nice to be down to the last day - one more "real" ride tomorrow, 87 miles and lots of hills. Suspects that he won't get in until between 3 and 4 pm, by which time most of his family will be at various airports (or even in the air in Susan's case) on the way to meet him in Boston. We'll probably be able to blog on tomorrow's ride and Friday's grand, 20 mile finale, since I'll hopefully have room in my carry-on for the laptop and the hotel has wireless. (She requested that I not ask you all to join me in harassing her if she couldn't manage carry-on only; she says she's very sensitive.)

Day 46: Shaker Furniture Builders

Today's trip from Little Falls to Albany, NY was 69 miles. I talked to Gil for awhile.....his 'posterior' was doing "ok" today, considering he has an abscess. They have the Green Mountains in Vermont and the White Mountains in New Hampshire to cross in the next two days, as well as the 12th and 13th state line crossings. That's all I have to pass on. Fortunately, he sent his cliff notes with some more detail of his ride today.

Gil's Cliff Notes (sent 3:25 pm today) Off at 8 AM. Warm but clear blue sky. Beautiful ride up Mohawk Valley. Route paralleled river most of the way with many scenic overlooks. A pretty, lightly rolling ride with less than 1500 ft elevation gain. A piece of cake! Took a number of pictures and some video. Upper New York State impressive. Roads continued to the the best we've encountered. Smooth with wide shoulders. It certainly makes it easier. Ate lunch at a little town near the 54 mile mark. Nice shady deck. Good burgers. Helped Randy repair 2 flat tires - my good deed for the day. His rear tire blew out just before lunch. Then no more than 20 yards down the road his front tire went. Then while eating lunch we hard this "bang". Randy moaned and sure enough it was his bike and his front tire. The tire had a cut in the side and the tube had done an aneurysm and blown. Got into Albany, Quality Inn at 2:20 PM. Nice hotel. Business office with computers, fridge in room as well. My laundry is out back on a picnic table with other cyclists' clothing drying in the sun. Shouldn't take long. It is in the nineties and we were happy to arrive at the hotel.

Day 45: Fort Klock Homestead, Little Falls Museum

Today our somewhat-less intrepid, tired, sore but still in good spirits riders rode from Syracuse to Little Falls, NY - 78 miles.

Gil's Cliff Notes:
78 miles. Into Best Western at 1:12 PM. Pretty countryside and rolling terrain with only a few hills on note. A tad warmer today. High point was SAG at 32 miles. There was a pond and some rocks so a contest quickly evolved to see who could make the most skips. My butt gave me some trouble so I had one of our doctors check out the sore spot. Abscess over the sit bone. Got some corn pads. After Dr. consult toured Little Falls, a pretty town on 6000 people. Very nice. A group of us found an ice cream place and had root beer floats. Also found Subway store and had some late lunch.

Okie dokie. As mentioned, Dad's now sporting a corn pad on his tailbone in an attempt to protect the abscess. Fun! Fairly certain it's not infected at this point. It gave him some sharp pains toward the end of today's ride on a couple of occasions, thus leading him to consult another rider who just so happened to be a physician. (I wonder how many butts those touring doctors have checked out so far?) He's hopeful that the corn pad will provide enough cushioning to alleviate the problem - at least he's at the end of the tour, but this week still packs some serious miles. He had to buy another mirror - he'd tossed his "rear view mirror" thinking that he was over "those issues." So he's just hoping he can put up with the redness, swelling, etc and it won't be too bad. Another rider felt that a corn pad may help their own situation as well, and is using one of Dad's corn pads. He's also using "bag balm" (?), which is used on the udders of cows. He thinks it has some medication in it as well, but it helps soften his bike shorts, prevent infections, etc. He's wary of using neosporin on it, since another rider had a bad reaction to it, but he's used it before without incident. He just needs to keep as much pressure as he can "off of this thing," which I'm sure riding 69, 76, then 87 miles this week will really help. The doctor said he should tip the nose of his seat up some to take the pressure off of it, but unfortunately that transfers the pressure to another unfortunate area. As his muscles are pretty well adapted to his current seat configuration, he's wary of messing with that and shifting some of the muscle burden at this point in the ride. After all this butt talk, I leave you on this happy note: he's optimistic that he can finish the tour without too much trouble.

Other than that it was a beautiful day out there. Little Falls is a beautiful town built into the mountain/hillside; reminds him a bit of Harper's Ferry. A very scenic, nice town. During the civil war, they produced union uniforms there, and they used to have a big bike shop put together by cyclists. They also manufactured some well-known brand of bat that was very nice, and Dad and RJ used to have, but neither of us had any hope of spelling it so instead I'm giving you this cryptic sentence because maybe you won't care that much about the details. It was neat to Dad, so let's leave it at that. It has a "long, kind of industrial history." You can buy quite a nice house there for under $100,000, and houses in general for as cheap as $50,000. Current population is 6,000 people, down from 20,000 50 years ago.

From Dad via Mom:
(He had to call her at work after talking to me, because he's been missing her when calling for three days now.)
A gentleman who owns a Laundromat in town met some of the riders at their hotel, and asked if anyone wanted to play some golf. There were no takers, but he noticed 3 of them walking outside and offered to give them a tour of the town. He drove them around town and and outside of town to an overlook over the Mohawk Valley. Great view, great town spirit and pride.

Relatively easy day tomorrow - only 69 miles and not "that much" elevation gain. They get to start an hour late, so probably in a few minutes from when I'm typing this. Should be into the hotel by 2 pm. Then the last two days are rough.

Day 44: Women's Rights Hall of Fame, Birthplace of Memorial Day, Erie Canal Park and Ferry

Goodness - only four real days of riding left! (Plus Friday's 20 miles, which I consider real but Dad doesn't.)

Today: Canadaigua, NY to Saracuse, NY - 68 miles. A nice change of pace from yesterday's near-century.

Gil's Cliff Notes (written at 4 pm):
A beautiful day of bike riding. Got to start an hour later due to the shorter mileage (67 miles). Some hills. Tail wind and marvelous weather. Crisp, blue sky. Fields of green, trees, pasture land and finger lakes. Starting to definitely feel like New England in the small towns we pass through. They are sooooo nice. Stopped in this one small town where there were some gentlemen standing outside a gift shop and struck up a conversation. Video taped. One of these men led us around to the back of this building where there was a huge mural of the women's rights movement and the town's history. It must have been 20 x 100 ft!! Just amazing. Enjoyed a short stop at the Erie Canal where we crossed over it, about 15 miles out of Syracuse. Felt very good today. Just pushed up the hills and ran flat out on the downhills and straight aways. Arrived at Hampton Inn 1:30 PM. Hey, it is a great hotel. Microwave, fridge, computer, etc. and a great eating place just down the street (Tulles). A group of us went there immediately before showering. [I bet the other patrons appreciated that.] The Fire Burger, apple pie (a huge impressive thing) and root beer were the best!

First - Thanks for letting us know that the extra 30-60 minutes doing this every night isn't just for ourselves! (Again, this blog is largely just for Dad's records, but...if not for people reading it in real-time, we could always get behind and put together our notes, his notes, and his pictures when it's more convenient - ie not at bedtime every night.) So it's nice to know we're losing some sleep for a good cause! (Also, thanks to Dad for honestly not minding when I got a day behind. "Oh, that's ok! You've been involved in a lot of weddings this month, haven't you?")

He said that today was a great day - a very good ride and quite enjoyable. "All went well." Enjoyed that extra hour of sleep. He thought that everybody felt a little more at ease and less stressed today knowing that it was a short ride without a lot of elevation gain - there were "certainly some hills, but not anything everyone hasn't easily done before." Took a fair number of pictures today, but not too much video - "I'll probably take more as we get into Vermont and New England."

A number of people - "or at least a couple of people" - have said that at this point in the tour, they're just putting in the miles to get it done. Everybody's anxious to "get to the barn" (like the cows coming home; apparently Boston is the barn, a metaphor I'm sure Boston would appreciate); the novelty has, in large part, worn off. His dream at this point is kind of to get back home and enjoy sitting out on the porch, reading, and napping. Since he's apparently getting home on the first but not going back to work until the NINTH (that's news to Mom and I, and since I forgot to mention it to her tonight she'll probably learn of it while reading this from work tomorrow), he'll have plenty of time to do all that porching and reading and napping! (And since his computer room is currently my TV room and bedroom, he'll have some real incentive to get up on that ladder and make my room inhabitable again if he's going to be home and wanting to use his computer all week.) But he "thinks" people are still looking forward to riding, and he's looking forward to seeing Vermont, New Hampshire, and New England in general. (He even admitted that, while it's close, he likes New England even more than out west. Yay!) While they still have a mountain range to get over, it's at least supposed to be very pretty. (Well gee, that makes the mountain range no big deal. Sign me up!)

He said that the last two "real" days of riding - Wednesday and Thursday - will be quite difficult: a "ton" of climbing to do, including a seven-mile climb on the "Vermont day" (either Wed or Thurs) and something like 7,000' or more of elevation gain. Someone on a previous tour said that it was one of the trip's hardest days, and "there are two of those days in a row." On the upside, it should be very scenic, and "certainly being near the end should help us pull it off."

Today really brought a sense of "that New England feel," especially as they rode through farms and saw steeple churches. "There are an awful lot of really neat little towns in America, kind of like out of a storybook." Tomorrow's a relatively easy day; 78 miles after today's 68.

Day 43: 3,000 Miles, Finger Lakes Region, Beachfront Attractions

Susan, Gil, and Carl

Yesterday's post added, along with an article about our riders printed in Erie, PA (with Gil quoted, though apparently not exactly the ones attributed to him) and an email exchange re the physical hardships of the tour (everybody likes fungus stories, right?). One's below the day's post, one is above. -Jean

Gil's Cliff Notes:
Long day. Two missed cues added 5 miles to the 93 miles of rolling (?) hills. Some of the hills were fairly steep and some were fairly long and they were pretty continuous after mile 23 and grew more serious as the day wore on. However, the weather couldn't have been better. 43 degrees at start and then warmed up into the 60's. Had a flat tire that added about 15 minutes to today's ride.

Beautiful countryside. Also nicest roads we've encountered. Smooth surfaces and wide shoulders. Rode most of day alone and that was okay. Stopped at mile 60 and had lunch at a restaurant. Arrived at hotel 3:22 PM. Not bad for 98 miles of hills. Butt and muscles did good. Walked down to lake Canandaigua (one of the finger lakes.....see picture [above/right]) with a couple of riders then returned to hotel and met up with sister, Susan, and [brother-in-law] Carl. We went to a very nice place on the lake and had a wonderful meal and then to an ice cream parlor for more nutritious food. Walked down to lake and took pictures.

Thanks much Susan & Carl!!

Today they rode from Hamburg to Canadaigua, NY. We missed Gil's call tonight, we were at a wedding (Congratulations, Ryan and Niki!!). He left a short message on the machine. Fortunately, he also sent his Cliff Notes!! A 93-mile ride is not a good time to add 5 more miles due to missed turns...too bad. Fortunately, it didn't seem to affect him negatively. He said he really enjoyed dinner with Susan and Carl tonight.


PS from Jean - Anyone still out there, or has the trip gotten long enough that we're finally typing to ourselves? That's ok too, just wondering!

Trials of the Tour

[To the So and Sos involved: Dad said I could post this with names, etc removed. We REALLY hope this is ok! He felt that it wouldn't be identifiable to anyone other than those on the tour, who already received the email themselves. Please comment if you'd like this removed; it's largely here to incorporate into Gil's personal log of the trip.]

Jean,

So and So [because we remove names on this blog] is a physician who is riding on the tour. (S)he wrote this to Bob, who was riding with us (a Pile Driver). Bob had to drop out due to fatigue and neck problems (having surgery). He had written to say he was having a hard time accepting his decision and So and So wrote him this note. (S)he has been struggling with the tour regime but has hung in there.

So and So B (the Second, if you will), another rider, also dropped out today due to butt problems - soreness, fungus infection and possibly a staph infection. (S)he's had a string of bad luck including stepping through a cattle guard and damaging his/her knee and having to have a root canal. [I'm not certain if this is the same person, as they're all having butt issues, but one rider confided in Dad that they were a little concerned about their situation and he urged them to go to one of the many physicians they have riding on the tour, to get reassurance or advice if their concern was warranted.]

Dear Bob,
It was nice to hear from you. I just wanted to tell you that I think you made the right decision in leaving. I wish I had had the strength to leave myself because the trip has proven way above my fitness and ability level. I simply did not realize what a tremendous undertaking it was and I have suffered physically and mentally on at least half of the trip days. I have enjoyed some of it but I am presently just completing over 2000 miles compared to everyone else's mileage (2800 or so I guess). It was not very satisfying and it was frustrating. I just wanted to tell you that so you would feel good about your decision.
- So and So

Day 42: 11th State Line Crossing, Nearby Niagara Falls

(That's right, I didn't feel like straightening. Pretend Jane took it. She said it, not me.)

Alrighty. Sorry for the delay - been occupied with another wedding (I'm in this one, so more time involved) most of this week. (Congratulations, Niki and Ryan!! That means something to at least one person reading this. And Dad, a lot of people at the wedding now know about your insane little trip - they all think it's awesome and impressive and all that! No, I didn't whip out the blog address. No one had paper. Yes, my tenses are screwed up because I'm writing this late Saturday night.) While patience isn't this family's favorite virtue, I'm sure YOU all are patient!

Today's journey: Erie, PA to Hamburg, NY; 78 miles.

Gil's Cliff Notes:
Beautiful crisp fall like day. 53 degrees at 7:00 am start. Dark blue sky and nice white puffy clouds. Rolled through lightly rolling hills with vineyards for most of the day. Lake Erie was on our left side as we pedaled east on RT 5, reached NY state line at 19 mile mark and stopped and took pictures. There was a SAG stop at a light house and a park at mile 41 - this is where Tony took a picture of me and the boats. [Hopefully Dad sent me a picture of him with the boats, or this sentence won't wind up meaning all that much. Oh good, there it is! (You think that I look at the pictures he sends before posting, but I don't. That ended around Kansas.) -Jean]

At 61 miles there was a restaurant and ice cream place and several of us stopped and enjoyed sitting on the deck and eating. [Gil has never NOT enjoyed sitting on the deck and eating. -Jean] I had two cheeseburgers with the works, a bean burrito and large coke. After lunch encountered a few more hills but the wind was more behind us and we made good time the last 20 miles. Arrived at the Comfort Inn in Hamburg at 2:20 PM. A great ride through beautiful countryside.

We were in a parking lot when he called the cell after his ride, but that's not why he gave us fairly brief additional notes. (I think he probably got a bit tired of reporting on the day in 20-mile increments, perhaps also around Kansas. Was also kind of time consuming (for everyone involved). Now we actually have conversations when he calls! Everybody wins, except perhaps those of you who may have liked the mile-by-mile breakdown.)

Today's ride went pretty well, and it was a "spectacularly pretty fall day." About 2,000' of elevation gain. "Otherwise not too much to add to what I sent." Everybody's very excited that they're so close to Boston and seeing the trip through to its conclusion. They were featured in the paper in Erie, which I should really try to find online; on their rest day there (yesterday) a journalist was in the hotel lobby at the same time that he and two others happened to be there. The quotes were accurate, but he laughed that most were attributed incorrectly (well if they all shaved their heads, it would be harder to tell them apart, now wouldn't it?). Tony's picture was printed. [Ok. Mom's looked it up, and Dad apparently got this blog address posted IN THE ARTICLE. I promptly hyperventilated. Thanks, Dad. You have to register or log in with the site to read the article; it's reproduced sans-registration in the post below this one.]

Tomorrow will have a bit more elevation gain - more than 3000'. Also a longer ride - 93 miles. They'll be riding through the finger-lake region of NY, with long, skinny lakes (you may have known what that meant, but I needed more than "finger-lakes"). He'll also be meeting up with his sister Susan and her husband Carl at the hotel tomorrow, as they'll be staying about 45-60 minutes (by CAR, of course) away from their home in Rochester.

To the right: a picture of them at the hotel they either departed or arrived at. Perhaps departed?

Article in the Erie Times-News

[last names removed]

Cyclists Take Breather After 2,842 Miles

Published: June 22. 2007 7:00AM

They rode into Erie with agile limbs and farmers' tans, eager to plunk their weary behinds on Avalon Hotel beds.

The finish line isn't far. The tired travelers have been riding for 43 days and covered 2,842 miles. They have just eight days and 573 miles left on a journey that spans 15 states, four mountain ranges and more than 3,400 miles.

"For most of us, this is just fun," said Gil, a 64-year-old cyclist from Fairfax, Va.

[Pictured: Tony, 59 of Connecticut, has been riding with a group of cyclists for the past 5 weeks, starting in Los Angeles and making their way across the country. The group took a day of rest in Erie today. Tony spent part of the afternoon cleaning his bicycle to prepare for leaving in the morning to finish final leg of the trip which will end in Boston, MA. (Vivian Johnson / Erie Times-News) (It appears that Tony also shaved his head. Joy, how'd you feel about that? -Jean]

On Thursday, the 35 cross-country cyclists kicked off their cycling shoes and relaxed in the lobby of Avalon, 16 West 10th Street. It was the last of five scheduled rest days on their 50-day tour. Nearby stops included Presque Isle State Park and the Conneaut, Ohio, White Turkey Drive-In.

"The cab drivers here are really friendly, and there are so many cyclists here," Gil said.

When they stop next week, the cyclists on this year's CrossRoads cross-country cycling tour will dip the front wheels of their bikes into the Atlantic Ocean at Boston's Revere Beach.

Most will cry. Some will rip off their helmets and jump into the water. Some will think back to May 13, the day they christened their bikes in the Pacific Ocean and then set out to realize their dream.

"I have no desire for this to end," said Cheris, 39, a cyclist from Tampa, Fla. "They tell us to find a goal after it's done, because people can get depressed."

Like many bikers on the CrossRoads tour, years of triathlons got Cheris thinking about trying a cross-country cycling trip. She had always wanted to drive across the country, but cycling provided a glimpse of America that can't be seen from behind four wheels, she said.

For Cheris, the trip is a milestone in a midlife career change. Going back to graduate school allowed her to train and make the trip.

Most of her comrades, though, are retirees, people with the physical and financial condition to devote 50 days to a $8,500 quest. The cost covers hotel stays, catering and support services, including four full-time staffers and two vans that follow the cyclists.

"You ride with your new friends, you eat with your friends, and you hang out with your friends -- and you get very close when you all hurt together," Cheris said.

AMANDA PALLESCHI can be reached at 870-1855 or by e-mail.

BREAKOUT:
To follow the last leg of the cyclists' journey, go to www.erieblogs.com and view the links to cyclists' blogs in the "News and Events" section. Gil, who blogs at http://gilsbigtrip.blogspot.com/, is also documenting the trip via video camera.

Day 40: 10th State Line Crossing, Presque Isle on Lake Erie, White Turkey Root Beer Stand

Gil's cliff notes, pictures, and random comments from Jean added 7 pm Friday, 6/22]

The riders left Niles, OH and rode 89 miles to Erie, PA...... their 10th state line crossing. Tomorrow is the 5th REST DAY!! (Yippee!!) [Described to me as being "much needed." -Jean] Started out this morning in clear, crisp weather and it was nice and cool the entire day, due to the cold front that reached them last evening. Very low humidity and moderate crosswinds. They were riding primarily north and a bit east today, and arrived at the Avalon Hotel at 3 pm. This group has ridden 603 miles in the past week since their last rest day in Champaign, IL.....plus additional miles to "correct" mistakes in reading the cue sheets or forgetting to LOOK AT the cue sheets. [Men and directions... -Jean]

30 miles outside of Erie about 12 of the riders stopped at an old A&W Root Beer stand, now called the White Turkey Root Beer Stand. Gil got a cheeseburger and root beer.....forgetting that the place was known for it's turkey sandwiches. Good meal. Gil tries to eat a meal about 30 miles from their destination each day. Can sort of mentally say to himself..."only 30 more miles to go today". He made a stop at a farmers stand and again at the Pennsylvania state line (at about mile 63). Passed a vineyard and took some pictures there.

The Avalon Hotel is an old hotel in downtown Erie...very nice and convenient to everything. There may be a ferry going to Presque Isle on Lake Erie and he may take a ferry ride tomorrow. The first order of business this evening was to do his laundry. They had dinner at The Market Grill near the water, and then some of the riders went back to Richard and Gil's room to watch the latest portion of the video tape.

I asked Gil if the group of riders related well to each other, and he said everyone is serious about cycling and doing the best they can, and everyone gets along very well.

Gil hopes to have access to a computer tomorrow and will send his cliff notes and some pictures then.

Gil's Cliff Notes (written 6/21, on the rest day; posted 6/22)
Beautiful day. Crisp, cool, dry air. 89 miles. No problem. Fairly strong cross winds much of the day but we (Tony, Richard and I) did great. Stopped small restaurant at mile 38 and had a bite to eat. This was near Orwell, OH and on a road Ted [his brother-in-law] and I used to pick up antique hit miss engine [a gas engine] in Orwell last year. Also stopped a fantastic old A&W root beer stand that is now a White Turkey stand. Memories of childhood. Red stools, outdoor seating. Mugs of Root Beer. Just wonderful. Interviewed and taped this All American Girl behind the counter. What a good time. Saw some grape vinyards as approached Erie and took some pictures. Arrived at hotel, downtown Erie 3 pm. Looking forward to day off tomorrow.

Day 39: Amish Bakeries and Ice Cream Shops

The 92 mile ride to Niles, OH today became a bit longer due to some missed and wrong turns. Gil said it took him about an hour to "get it together" due to being tired from the past few days' rides and then they were following some other cyclists and weren't watching the cue sheets themselves. The whole group missed a turn and ended up having to climb a long hill to get back to the correct route. It was a very warm day and they were watching out for thunderstorms most of the day and were rained on several times. At about the 45 mile point they stopped at a nice restaurant which was in a converted barn. As they were going to leave it started to rain. The group considered waiting awhile and the owner of the restaurant checked the weather for them on his computer. A much larger thunderstorm was heading their way, so the riders decided to leave immediately in the rain and try to beat the larger storm. They reached the hotel right before the larger storm hit.

Gil stopped at one point to take some pictures of about a dozen foals in a fenced area near the road. He stopped at a Dairy Queen a few miles out from Niles, OH to eat and arrived at the hotel in Niles around 4 pm. Supper was at a Country Buffet and was very good.

Gil's Cliff Notes [added by Jean; Dad doesn't think he'll be able to send pictures tonight, but they will be added if and when he's able to]
A frustrating day. Started by following group out of hotel that made an error in directions. This immediately added 4 miles to today's ride and a rather large hill. Later in the day we missed another turn and added more miles. As a result rode just over a hundred miles. But hey, I'm here and I did it. Also got rained on today. First 40 miles had quite a few hills before the route flattened out a bit. High point was coming across a number of ponies about 25 miles into the ride. Another high point was stopping at fudge shop in Canal Fulton (a small town). Had an apple fritter and coffee, which lifted my spirits and helped power me over a couple of hills. Arrived at hotel at 4 pm just as a severe thunderstorm broke loose. Barely in the door when it cut loose. Looking forward to the rest day after tomorrow's ride to Erie, PA.

Day 38: Amish Homesteads, Home of Rubbermaid Brand Products

Gil's Cliff Notes:
Quite a day! Off at 7:05 am. Slightly cool at start but quickly warmed up - too much. Made first SAG at mile 38 before 10 am. Averaging over 15 mph. Pretty rolling country side - barns, silos, fields, trees, horses, etc. Nice. After SAG hills became larger and more numerous. Still very scenic. At mile 67 we were on a small country road that paralleled a sizable stream. Tom spied a rope dangling from a big tree on the opposite bank and decided to try it out. Terry also decided to take a swim and Tony and I decided just to take pictures and video tape. Quite a scene. By this time it was more than a little warm and they reported the water was cold. Made small store at mile 70 where we got some pizza. Then made last SAG stop at mile 73. After SAG the dreaded hill that we'd been warned about started. Large steep hills. I could barely crank my way to the tops of some of them. Exhausting work and with temp now in 90s. There were a number of these big hills between us and the hotel in Wooster at mile 98. Tony and I stuck together and took breaks at the top of the hills. We ended up getting to hotel ahead of most riders. On the last hill in Wooster a mile short of hotel I heard this car honk and someone yelled "Gil!" It was Adeel and his family. I couldn't believe it! It just astounded me. What a great thing for them to do. We visited briefly at the hotel and took pictures before they left for Chicago. Hey, I still can't believe it happened. When they honked and started waving I was a little disoriented from the ride and just couldn't put it all together.

Today's ride was one of the hardest of the tour in that it was long and very hilly and followed a couple of difficult days. I'm very pleased my body allowed me to complete it and feel good my body functioned so well. The body is truly an amazing machine.

Wow, day 38 already??

Dad reports that the countryside through Ohio is very pretty, though Ohio is most definitely NOT flat. But rural and Americana (in the good ways). He especially enjoys the scenery and old buildings, which "a lot of the time are fairly neat" - such as courthouses, etc.

He enjoyed the stream/rope diversion today, but feels it's just as well he didn't partake. (Given everyone's "butt issues" and the interesting organisms in streams, I agreed, though it did sound kind of fun and certainly a good way to cool off.) He said that Tom's new nickname is "Tom Sawyer." On a related note, "Roadkill Gil" thankfully seems to be dying out. Not that we weren't proud or anything.

Some of today's hills were VERY steep - he was very pleased to make the entire ride. Some riders took the SAG van part of the way today; there were medium hills mid-way through the ride, then the last 25 miles were made up of very large, very steep hills. He said he could barely leverage his bike up one of the hills, and thought a few times that if there was another hill immediately after the one he was on he may not have enough time to recover. Fortunately he didn't have to walk his bike up any of them. (Not that we'd have cared, sounds quite reasonable to us. I'd have walked the whole darn way. But he was proud of being able to push through.) At a low point near the end of the ride, he was down to 2.9 mph. They had 3500' feet of elevation gain today. (Just typing that makes me tired.) Said that virtually everyone is exhausted, and that it was a hard but satisfying day.

Running into Adeel was "just incredible." Adeel called the house last week to confirm which hotel Dad would be at in Wooster, OH today - he and his family were driving to Chicago, and wanted to stop for a few minutes to surprise Dad on the way. I know they were planning to look for him at the hotel, so it was a real coincidence that they ran across him on the road! Dad said that he was on a very large hill and it was "really very hot" out (it got to 96 today). So he was exhausted at the end of the ride, just a mile short of the hotel, and his mind was wrapped up in his own little world. (I wonder what they think about riding all day?) Then he hears "Gil! Gil!" and sees a car with Wajeha (? - Adeel's wife, though I'm sure I've not done justice to her name), some kids, and someone filming him. "I was wrapped up in my own little world and not too sharp" - he said that it "frankly took a few minutes to figure out what was going on." But he was just thrilled to have surprise visitors (Adeel and his family were great neighbors) once he figured out what was going on (no Gil, not a hallucination...). Described it as just delightful, and an incredible thing for them to do. So they had a nice, albeit brief, visit before Adeel and family continued on their way to Chicago.

Dad and Tony came in ahead of most of the other riders today - he said he "doesn't know what happened." (Apparently quite a fluke, and while a pleasant surprise for them there's no bragging here.) About 10 miles out of Wooster they asked one of the support staff how many people were still behind them; the "tour lady" said that actually they were doing very well, and ahead of most of the other riders. They finished ahead of 1/2 - 2/3 of the other riders - again he said he "doesn't know what happened!" But it was a most gratifying surprise. I'm sure there were a lot of breaks today at the top (or middle) of hills, particularly since they did 80 and 103 miles over the weekend and have three more long days ahead of them - 92 miles (almost another century, with the various readings riders' computers are giving them of the exact routes; today essentially was another century, though yesterday's was billed as the last official one) and 89 miles over the next two days before another rest day. Smart of people not to push themselves too hard, since they're going to need their energy for a few more days. (Even if I consider this entire tour "pushing oneself too hard"!)

Tomorrow's ride to Niles, OH "may be a little easier" than today - 92 miles vs 98, a little less elevation gain, and the hills should be less steep. Hope the wind continues to either not factor in at all or be helpful!

Pictures & Cliff Notes Added

I finally got my act together - been a busy (but very fun) weekend! (Happy birthdays to Pam, Drew, and Jason, and congratulations to both Paul & Joyce and Mack! Paul and Joyce being together; as if you care, you don't know these people.)

Day 35/Friday, 6/15: Pictures and comments (mine, not Dad's; his remain eaten by webmail) added
Day 36/Saturday, 6/16: Pictures, comments (mine), and cliff notes (Dad's) added
Day 37/Sunday, 6/17: Pictures, comments (mine), and cliff notes (Dad's) added

These were all scrounged up from my inbox, Dad's inbox (when he sends them to himself to check their arrival), and his sent box. Because sometimes things go to jeam instead of jean or there's an extra "l" somewhere, which...doesn't get to me. Apparently trying to be speedy so webmail doesn't log him out/erase what he's done doesn't help mundane, repetitive typing's accuracy! But anyway, it wasn't totally that I was slacking; haven't been home much since Thursday and it did take a little time.

We may start trading off on the blog again; we'll see how my wrist does and maybe let Mom get to bed a little earlier some nights. (She's watched me and decided she'll put hers off till November or perhaps spring, thankyouverymuch. What, you like being able to hold your own blowdryer? Details details.)

Day 37: 9th State Line Crossing, 6th and Final Century, Eastern Time Zone (Again?), Father's Day Celebration

Funny...Gil thought he was already in Eastern Time Zone, as did we [since he told us he was and all. -Jean]. Look how wrong we can be! [Wow. Now we're going to start getting cliff notes even LATER at night, which...we thought had already started. -Jean] 103 miles today but they made excellent time across Ohio, some hills, excellent wind. After 70 miles they hit some "serious" hills. Gil road with other CrossRoads people most of the day. He said that a fair number of people rode the SAG vehicles today due to the length (today) and difficulty of tomorrow's ride. They've been warned that there are steep and continuous hills the last 25 miles tomorrow. Oh joy, joy, joy.

Check out his new aerodynamic handlebars in the first picture! -Jean

Gil sent his cliff notes to Jean, so she'll add them to the blog later.

Happy Father's Day, Dad! Also, they got into Marysville, OH today, if anyone's still keeping track; perhaps I'll catch up on the itinerary-table-making tomorrow. [Jean]

Gil's Cliff Notes [added late Sunday night; around 2:30 Monday morning, in fact. Written 5:08 pm and not eaten by webmail!]
The ride was long. 105 miles. We made one wrong turn which added to the official 103 miles. Yeah, there were a lot of turns and I wasn't focused like a laser after 70 miles. The first 40 miles flew by. We had a gentle tail wind and 6 of us just raced through the Ohio countryside with our orange flags fluttering. The first SAG stop was at 47 miles in a nice little town that I can't remember the name of. After that we encounter rolling hills. The temperature climbed too. Then at 70 miles (when the thrill of it was gone) there were more serious hills requiring the granny gear. By this time the temp had climbed into the low 90's but I felt good and just kept pedaling. Reached hotel just before 3 PM. 15.4 average speed for the 105 miles. Not bad! Went directly to Bob Evans near hotel (before showering) to get food in me to start repairing cells and preparing for tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a real challenge. Another long ride with serious, steep hills the last 25 miles. Hey, I can do it! Now it is time to get more food.

Day 36: All American Rose Garden (2,000 roses)

Gil's cliff notes will be added tonight or tomorrow by Jean. [Added late Sunday night, technically 6/18.] For now, the group left this morning a little after 7 am for their 80 or 83 mile ride to Richmond, IN. The temperature was a cool 65/70 F in the morning, but by the time they arrived in Richmond it was in the low 90's. [Ick. -Jean] The first 20 miles were over rolling hills, and then it flattened out for the next 20 miles. At the SAG stop around mile 40 they were met by some members of a cycling club....one of whose members knew someone riding with the CrossRoads group. The cycling club members brought some donuts to add to their SAG stop food, which I'm sure were greatly enjoyed. The last 40 miles were again over rolling hills and along corn fields and pasture land. They passed through several small towns, and at mile 70 they chanced upon another wonderful Dairy Queen. [If they had Dairy Queens in our area, I'd have a great idea for Dad's Christmas gift this year - gift cards! Unless he may actually get DQed out by the end of the tour. -Jean] Gil enjoyed a burger, coke and ice cream and then interviewed a young family enjoying an outdoor meal. [The family pictured to the right -Jean]

At about 1:30 they arrived at the Best Western in Richmond. The winds today were either neutral or a tail wind, so Gil's average speed for the day was 15 mph. They had dinner at Ruby Tuesday's. [A favorite of Dad's! -Jean] People are still having problems with their "posteriors"...Gil said his wasn't any worse today. (I know there must be a few people who are really anxious to hear this little detail.)

The next two days will be hilly with miles of 103 and 98. Sounds like fun, doesn't it???

Gil's Cliff Notes [posted late Sunday night, technically 6/18; you can tell he's afraid of today's getting eaten again by webmail!]
83 mile ride over flat and rolling hills. Cool at start with temp rapidly rising. Pretty warm by time reached hotel at 1:30 PM. Yes, as you can see we made good time. Rode with Tony, my main riding buddy. Wind zero to small tail wind. Saw more corn and pasture. Some trees too and rode through a couple of small towns. A fun ride and nice to be at hotel a bit earlier than usual. Butt did okay today.

Day 35: Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Velodrome

Pictures and comments added by Jean late Sunday night [technically 6/18].

It was a 62 mile ride from Crawfordsville to Indianapolis (or 67 miles, depending on whether one goes by the Crossroads itinerary or Gil etc's calculation). They started out at 8:05 and rode on numerous small country roads. It was a day for careful watching of the cue sheet, since there were 40 difficult turns.........only one wrong turn by Gil's group, which added a mile to their trip. [Dad, what were the average number of wrong turns? -Jean] The temperature was in the mid-90's with neutral winds. About 40 miles into the ride there was a SAG stop in the driveway of a dairy farm owned by Donna and Bob. [see picture to the right; Gil's email labels them as Bob and Ginny, which...may be correct, or may be him thinking of Jane's siblings -Jean] They have 130 dairy cows which are milked twice a day. They were asked if they used BAG BALM on the cows' udders to clean and medicate them. The riders informed the farmers that they also are familiar with the "balm" for their sore butts.....which got a laugh from the farmers. [Charming. -Jean]

Some of the riders took a side trip to the Velodrome (a bike race track with curved sides), but the rest of them decided that the additional 3 miles to their day wasn't needed. Gil arrived at the motel around 1:45, and after cleaning up sat in the shade at the pool and visited with other riders. Had a problem sending his "cliff notes" and pictures tonight.....I think one picture made it to Jean's laptop. [Jean has since compiled five pictures, some sent the next day, from her inbox, Gil's inbox, and Gil's sent files. Because an extra "l" in one's last name means some other gmail user is getting random pictures from Gil, which doesn't help Jean much. Cliff notes seem to have been lost; the error message indicated he was logged out due to idleness while composing them. -Jean, who is tired of talking about herself in the third person]

Tomorrow's ride is about 80 miles with the possibility of a TAILWIND (yippee!!!) followed by four additional days with rides even longer. The CrossRoads people said that the current group of riders were unusually well prepared and there is less use of the CrossRoads vehicles by the riders than previous groups. Good training, guys and gals!!!

The picture to the left is a tad blurry, but of some "cool office buildings near the hotel in Indianapolis." -Jean

Day 34: 8th State Line Crossing, Old Jail Museum

Gil's Cliff Notes: (sent 6/14, 8:16 pm)
Today was helmet decoration day. I added some "enhancements" to my helmet - namely a tail [Enlarge/click on picture above to view; he is now bald with a ponytail. -Jean]. Not a real tail. Most riders participated in this event and some were very creative. My favorite was Jim's. He'd fastened his old bike seat on top of his helmet. Pretty cool. We made it into Indiana and a new time zone. Ride was somewhat boring and the temperature rose into the mid 90's. The wind still isn't blowing the way it is supposed to but at least today it wasn't as bad as yesterday. The aero-bars worked very well. Clearly increased speed about a mile an hour, hands didn't tingle, fairly comfortable position to ride in, didn't have any soreness in arms, didn't take any Aleve and most importantly, I look like a real bike rider. Had lunch at a nice little restaurant at mile 58 in a little town after Covington. A great little all American place. Interviewed a couple tables of local folk. What fun. Arrived at Holiday Inn at 2:45 PM. On way to room across courtyard passed by pool and other riders and decided since I'd sent swimsuit home to just immediately jump in. [He really did send the swimsuit home. With the gun, I believe. I guess they were just taking up too much room and weight in his luggage. Nylon (?) shorts are heavy! -Jean] It just looked so good. After emptying my jersey pockets I did. Eliminated the need to shower and wash clothes. This could become standard operating procedure. Sat in chair by pool to dry off. Butt still tender but better today. Tomorrow's ride is only 67 miles, but it is supposed to be hot.

Jean's just happy that he jumped in fully clothed instead of getting around the swimsuit issue some other way. Since he called late tonight - we were out and he's no longer behind us time-wise, which helps us but not him - he said not to take any notes and just to use his emailed cliff notes.

Day 33: Fourth Rest Day, University of Illinois, CR Helmet Decorating Day

Today was a rest day. Gil and Tony spent the morning at Dale and Linda's home in Bloomington and returned to the Drury Inn around 3 in the afternoon. Cleaned bikes and Gil tried out the Aero-Bars added to his handlebars and is glad he purchased them. He's wondering how many riders will decorate their helmets for the competition. I mentioned that he already had his decorated, since he added the feathers days ago. I was informed that he has "enhanced" the look of his helmet after visiting a craft shop. We should see some pictures of the helmet decorations tomorrow, if we're lucky.

Day 32: Home of Speed Skater Bonnie Blair; One Month Trip Anniversary

Gil will post or send his cliff notes tomorrow morning. Until then, you have my notes from our conversation this evening. The group left Springfield, IL for an 87 mile ride to Champaign, IL. Things were basically OK until the first SAG stop at 45 miles into the ride. Then the wind became a very strong headwind and they CRAWLED at 8 mph for the rest of the day. Gil arrived at the hotel around 5, after a stop at a bike shop to have aero-bars attached to his handlebars. If I remember correctly, aero-bars extend in front of the handlebars and the rider becomes more aerodynamic....you riders know what I mean, right??? The rest of you can ask your friendly neighborhood rider.

Gil and Tony went to spend the night and tomorrow's rest day with Dale and Linda in Bloomington, IL. They are enjoying the good company, being in a HOME again, and access to a computer and a washer/dryer. They had a good dinner at an Italian restaurant.

Adeel - email Gil please...he asked us for your email address and we can't find it anywhere to send to him. THANKS. [Dad - if there's somewhere other than your outlook or brown address book to look, please let us know! -Jean]

[Jean's comments (1 am): Wow, Dad's been gone for a month? Gil's cliff-notes arrived before Mom had finished the first paragraph of this post; due to having a houseguest, my tv/tivo are in the computer room. She found fourth-season Friends very entertaining! (Who wouldn't?) Since neither of us can lift heavy objects anymore, it seems the tv will stay with the computer - surely improving her productivity - and I'll stay on the floor since the room has no couch. But we didn't feel very productive when Dad called my cell phone at almost 11 pm (for him) to have me check my email! (He stayed up late!)

He also sent us the following link (
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gsLxotvK6Jk ) to youtube - it's a three-minute slideshow/music video that one of the riders (Tom) created and uploaded. I don't think I saw Dad, but I did see lots of things Dad's taken pictures with! Good to know that "riding" that big gray bunny (photo album 3?) wasn't just him! Dad did say that tomorrow would be a "much needed" rest day.]

Gil's Cliff Notes (11:45 pm)
Cumulative effects of the last week caught up with me today. A sunny but bad somewhat windy day. 87 mile ride. Wind directly in our face. Not to bad until after first SAG at 45 miles. Then wind increased. Our pace dropped from the 13 to 14 range to 8 to 10 miles an hour. Not good with 43 miles left to go. ETA suddenly slipped from 2:30 pm to sometime after 4 PM. Especially hard ride after this last week which saw the tour cover over 600 miles, with hills, rain and yesterday's ride of 107 miles. My butt is pretty sore. My legs are pretty sore, but proud I was able to complete today's ride. I felt as tired as I've felt the entire tour at the end of ride. Very thankful to have a rest day tomorrow. After the ride went to bike store to have aero-bars installed. This should help particularly with riding into the wind. These bars enable you to rest your elbows on the handlebar and position your hands in front of the bar. It gives you another position to ride in and most riders find it a restful position as well as one that is much more aerodynamic.

After ride Tony and I drove over to Bloomington to Dale and Linda's house. Ate at a nice Italian restaurant and played some of ride video on Dale's high definition TV. Great time! Thursday's ride will be only 57 miles and hopefully the wind will blow in the direction it is supposed to - west to east.

Day 31: 5th Century, Abraham Lincoln's Boyhood Home

Gil's Cliff Notes (sent Mon. 8:50 pm):
Long day. 108 miles. Stopped at every SAG stop and every country store (with Dale). [see picture of Dale below -Jean] Off from hotel at 7:08 am. Gentle headwind. Crisp temperature. Fairly major hills first 30 miles then flattened out - especially after crossing Illinois River at mile 49. Had a good time but due to headwind and cross wind it was slower than would have liked given its distance. Felt pretty beat up at 57 miles where we stopped at a small country store at noon. Shoulder hurt. Ate a breakfast burrito and some ice cream and a huge coke and took 2 Advil. When left store felt much better. Down the road we went. Mostly small country roads with little traffic. Country very beautiful. Great expansive blue sky and green fields. Lots of corn. Good looking corn. What a country! By 3:00 pm and 85 miles into it had seen enough of pretty countryside. Arrived Springfield hotel 5:18 pm. Showered and off to Maverick Steakhouse where group had supper. I had a massive amount of food. Really outdid myself. Steak, Chicken, 2 salad bars, ice cream, baked potato - you get the picture.

Well, Gil sent a pretty comprehensive cliff note for today's ride. I'll see if I can add anything from our conversation which wasn't already covered in his paragraph above. He mentioned that several of the hills in the morning were 1/2 to 1 mile in length......that's a lot of uphill pedaling. Gil and Dale rode together all day and took videos. Beautiful country, could see from horizon to horizon, just like further west, but the fields and countryside were all green, with beautiful cornfields. They passed through small towns about every 10 miles. The towns are closer together than those further west, and that helps the riders. They rode through Jacksonville, IL (pop: 10,000) and stopped at the Dairy Queen. Apparently someone from the town newspaper saw a group of cyclists and sent a photographer to check out what was going on. Dale and Gil's pictures were taken and a short article was in the Jacksonville Journal-Courier newspaper this evening. [NOTE: Jean will post the article in a new post below this summary.] A lady who was in the Dairy Queen overheard them and when they left, she asked to take their picture. (Turn-abouts fair play......the tour photographers are being photographed themselves.)

Gil said his knees and shoulders are fairly sore after today's ride, but Dale did great. Tomorrow's ride will be 87 miles to Champaign, IL and their fourth rest day. Here's hoping that the terrain will be flatter. Gil plans to spend the rest day visiting Dale and Linda Arbour's home in Bloomington. There are 15 riding days left on the tour. The countryside is so nice, as are the people they have met. The people along the route are interested in the tour and seem to enjoy talking to the cyclists.

Journal-Courier Article - Kings of the Road Stop for Queen: Cross-Country Cyclists Stop in Jacksonville

The following article can be viewed here, but there was so much javascript in various ads that it crashed Mom's web browser. (Mine did ok, since I have all javascript blocked unless I specifically say otherwise, but saving it was a similar disaster.) Feel free to view the original, but it may make your system buggy until you restart. And I've reproduced the whole thing below, so....why? (Though I have removed last names from the article, since I think we've fairly consistently done so in the blog so far.)

Also: MANY thanks to Mom for taking this thing over temporarily, so I don't continue to tug at my stitches by using my fingers and thumb any more than necessary. A picture of my lovely wrap is included to justify my lack of blogging lately. (Hey, for all you know it's all a ruse because I felt like getting more sleep each night!)

Kings of the road stop for Queen: Cross-country cyclists stop in Jacksonville

BY STEVE WARMOWSKI

Dale, of Bloomington, and Gil, of Fairfax, Va., join Jim, of West Chester, Penn., (not pictured) in a rest stop at the Dairy Queen in Jacksonville Monday afternoon. They were part of a group of 40 bicyclists on a 7-week trek from Los Angeles to Boston. The group went 107 miles from Quincy to Springfield Monday, and [Gil] said the route proved false the notion that Illinois is flat. He joked that his nickname was "Chief Four Feathers" for the items he's picked up along the way and stuck into his helmet. They also call him "Roadkill Gil" because he almost added a nice raccoon tail for his collection, but abandoned the idea because the 'coon was a little far gone.

[Jim] said he and a group of friends biked cross-country when he was 18. Now 51, he's making the same trip with his wife, Carol, but in the opposite direction. A fond memory of his first trip was having newspapers do stories on his travels. Last time he had to get papers mailed to him. This time, he can get the fact that he drank four lemonades in Jacksonville from the Internet.

Day 30: 2,000 miles! 7th State Line Crossing, Mississippi River, Historic Mansions, Walking Tours

Pictures added by Jean at...3 am. Ugh. (Resume/cover letter/Bailey won out. As anyone who knows me knows that kitties always will!)

Gil's cliff notes (Sent Sun 7:33 pm):
Weather was threatening from the start. Overcast with black clouds. 5 miles out saw a bank of clouds on our right that were interesting (see picture [but probably not pictured here - Jean]). Wavy, swirly clouds. Looked like we might outflank them. Not the case. Soon were in a heavy downpour and soaked. Water in shoes. I did have my rain jacket and it kept me warm. Saw a group of riders taking shelter at a little country store but decided to press on. Dale now some distance ahead of Tony and I. We rode for about a half hour in some bad rain. When a car or truck went by we were enveloped in mist and water. Fortunately we were on a country road with no 18 wheelers. Road was also freshly paved and smooth which made going easier. The wind however wasn't with us and we were only averaging 13 miles an hour. Then it stopped. An hour into ride we saw Cross Roads support along the road and they had a sign reading 2000 miles. Yippee!. Lifted our spirits and we took pictures. Afterwards got caught in another downpour. Pressed on and at mile 54 stopped at small store and had some fried chicken and coffee and ice cream. Good!! Made Mississippi River around 1:30 PM. An emotional moment. More pictures. Then once across the bridge took pictures at IL state line. [see Gil to the right, in the center of the picture - Jean]

Quincy is a pretty city with nice mansions along Central Ave., where our hotel is located.

Dale handled video and beat everyone to the bridge. Did a great job of taping and rode very strong.

Ate Supper at Kelly's, an Irish place. Nice ribs and salad bar. Ice cream was good too.

A lot of what Gil sent above is in the material he told us about during our phone conversation, so my input will be even less than usual. Their ride from Kirksville, MO to Quincy, IL was 74 miles (a lot of which was in several heavy downpours....such fun). However, he said it was a "pretty good ride," so I guess in comparison to some of their days it would have been "pretty good," but riding all day in the rain doesn't sound "pretty good" to me. They were happy to see the "2,000 mile" sign. During one of the downpours a small group of cyclists took refuge for awhile under the Knox City Post Office awning [see second picture of post - Jean]. The high-point of today's ride was crossing the Mississippi River and entering their 7th State of the tour. Dale was manning the video camera today and was ahead of most of the riders, so he managed to get pictures of many of the riders crossing the Mississippi River. A number of riders rode the SAG wagons today, some due to the past 2 days of hard rides and some due to the rain. Tomorrow will be a harder ride...107 miles to Springfield, IL.

Pictures Added For Past Few Days

*pecking away at keys, which takes forever* Evening rituals around here are becoming real fun - Sandy's smart and goes to bed, and Mom and I get to entice kitty to eat, swallow various drugs, and then keep a needle in him for several minutes. Then there's the blog! (Thanks to Mom for covering this thing, since pecking this out kind of hurts. Yet I keep typing...) And pictures! (We place healing the kitty's kidneys slightly above the blog at the moment, because we'd like Gil to return to just as many of his pets as he left. And frankly we're kind of fond of him.) And now Mom gets to hold the blow dryer so I can dry my hair! It's such fun around here!

I finally did a more substantive check of my email for the past few days and downloaded the pictures Dad's been sending. Pictures have been added to the following posts:

• Day 26
• Day 26: Addendum
• Day 27
• Day 28
• Day 29 (it looks real easy to get carsick in MO...)
  

Or I should have listed them in reverse order, since they appear in descending order on the blog. Whatever. You're all intelligent and can figure it out! There will be a new itinerary...someday.

Day 29: Thousand Hills State Park, 148 "Roller Coaster" Hills, Picnic Lunch

Gil's cliff notes for Day 27 were added this evening.

Additional cliff notes/story from Gil for Day 25 added at the end of that day's post.

Pictures added to this post by Jean at 2:15 am.

Gil's cliff notes for Day 29 (written 6:45 pm Saturday)
Beautiful day of riding. The 148 hills that were passed off as "roller coaster hill" at road rap were misrepresented. Unlike a roller coaster where you could coast to the top of the next hill, you had to pedal your little heart out, sweat some blood, and stand on the pedals while in your lowest gear. These hills started at mile 25 and went on relentlessly until we reached the hotel. My legs - calves and knees are sore - I wonder why. Total cumulative climbing today was 4800 ft. according to a couple of cyclists' Garmin's (satellite GPS device). [See Dale to the right. -Jean]

MO is a beautiful state. The roads are not the best but the people are very nice. I've included a couple of pics of the hills [to be added later....too late at night for me to be learning 'photo insertion' -Jane]. Note the riders on the hills as they give some scale to these hills. Arrived hotel around 2 PM. Dale did great riding. He carried video camera today and will carry and tape while on tour.

During our phone conversation this evening, Gil told me it was great having Dale on the ride today.....he did very well and did the video taping for the day. The ride started out with the bikers riding through rolling countryside for the first 25 miles. Then they reached the hills-----continuous hills, NO FLAT areas------for 50 relentless miles. (Darn, doesn't that sound like lots of fun?) By the time they reached the first SAG stop at 50 miles, they were all tired of HILLS.

Beautiful day, beautiful countryside....with cattle and horses and rolling terrain. It was a tremendous workout, but they all made it. Very friendly people, reminds Gil of Mayberry, RFD (The Andy Griffith Show on TV for you younger readers). Tomorrow's ride should be a little gentler, with less hills.....Gil hopes so because the day after tomorrow is a 107 mile ride to Champaign, IL.

Pictures

I'll try to get some back-pictures up tomorrow - I've been busy being knocked out on vicodin or out having a life, and Mom and I were gone running errands for 12 (her) and 10 (me) hours today. Blame the weddings I'm attending/in the next two weekends. Or the bandage wrap immobilizing my left hand, making pill-bottle opening and any task requiring an opposable thumb super-fun. Still pecking away at keys and pulling at the same stitch repeatedly (which doesn't hurt at all), so I'm making no promises on the next DVD's photo album. And we have a house-guest and the cat's still getting 3 meds 2x/day plus sub-q fluids, which he just loves. So. That and my own job applications and stitches may take priority for a few more days. But I will sort and post pictures Dad's emailed from the past few days.

Day 28: Special SAG stop at Maysville Historical Society - Home of Long Distance Cycling, Dinner picnic

Another hilly day was in the cards for our riders today. They left St. Josephs, MO at 7:10 am under clear skies with a crisp temperature and some wind. The wind was pretty neutral today (I bet they were all thankful for that !). Very hilly country. They rode 30 miles to Maysville, and the first arrivals waited outside of town for the entire group to meet up. They were all wearing their team shirts and rode into town in formation. Each year the ladies of the Historical Society provide pastries and food for the cyclists. Some kids were allowed to leave classes and come down the hill to have journals signed. They were in Maysville until approx. 10 am, and definitely enjoyed the time spent there.

The route today consisted of 86 miles of unrelenting hills.....a good workout, I hear. Gil said he "did well.".The weather was beautiful and Missouri is very pretty...reminds him some of Virginia.

They saw some buffalo and Gil made some noises and three came to the side of the road, giving him an opportunity for some good video shots. Gil's nickname of "Chief Gil" (due to the feathers he has glued to his helmet) changed today.....going downhill quickly, I'm sad to say. The story goes that he "obtained" a raccoon tail, thinking it would look cool trailing behind him if attached to his helmet. The tail was put in a Ziplock bag (fortunately, since it was also maggot-infested). He tried to clean it up at the hotel, but it fell apart under the hose. (Thank you, God.) For the moment his nickname is "Roadkill Gil". I truly hope that doesn't last too long, it doesn't bring a very nice picture to mind, does it?

In Chillicothe, Gil's friend Dale Arbour joined the group for the next 4 days of the tour. Dale's wife drove him there over some of the route they will be riding tomorrow, and I hear there were some comments like "Oh no, this hill is gonna kill me" and "what was I thinking?" Apparently someone on a previous ride counted the hills they'll encounter tomorrow.....148 hills. Hope they have fun and I'm REALLY glad I'm not there.

Some of the riders met this evening to watch the last 3 days' taping on the video.

Day 27: 6th State Line Crossing, Pony Express Museum, Lewis and Clark Trail

Gil's Cliff Notes (written 5 pm Thurs; added 11:20 pm Sat)
Underway shortly after 7 AM. Fully fueled with hotcakes, eggs, cereal, bacon and sausage, Coffee too and yes, some orange juice. Sky heavily overcast with wind. But, unlike yesterday wind was at our back and not nearly as hard. Made excellent time right from the start and raced through the rolling country side at 18 to 24 miles an hour for sustained periods. Reached first SAG stop at 32 mile mark around 9 AM. Ate, drank gator and water, bought a banana at the store that was there and took off. Reached MO river and Dairy Queen at 60 mile point around 10:45 am and joined other cyclist for coke and ice cream (to keep fueled). Then across the river (a narrow old one) into MO (I can't spell it) and pictures at state sign. No fooling around. Dark clouds and thunderstorm can be seen. Raced with the wind the remaining 26 miles into St. Josephs and reached Drury Inn before 1 PM. A very nice hotel. Happy camper. After showering went immediately to nice barbecue restaurant near hotel to get some chicken and beans and salad. What a difference between yesterday and today!!

Jean's carpel tunnel surgery went fine today, but it looks like I'll be writing the blog for a few days. Hopefully she'll be able to continue adding the photos or willing to "talk me thru the process" AGAIN.

Today's 85 mile ride proved to be "easy" (Gil's description not mine).....a tail wind pushed them to a 1:00 arrival time. Everyone was glad it wasn't a repeat of yesterday's ride. At mile 52 they crossed the river into Missouri and found another Dairy Queen. After an ice cream and coke were consumed, the tour followed the river valley to St. Josephs. There was a BBQ place next door and Gil enjoyed some chicken BBQ.

Tomorrow it's on to Chillicothe where they meet up with a good riding buddy of Gil's--Dale. Dale lives in Bloomington, IL and is joining the tour for 4 days......until they reach Champaign, IL, the next REST day.

I realize this is shorter than most of the entries, but I've entered everything he mentioned to me this evening....REALLY !!!

Day 26: Addendum

Jean couldn't read my chicken-scratch? How strange. Gil did mention to me that they shut down part of the interstate to large trucks for part of the day. He informed me that Kansas is NOT flat.....there is about 2,500' elevation at the Flint Hill area, and for some reason he didn't like going only 4 mph at some places due to the WIND. Rick, one of the mechanics, said it was the worst crosswind he's seen on the tour. Gil now has a temporary "stylized cyclist" tattoo on his calf, much less hair and bird feathers attached to his bike helmet. [See picture on left. -Jean] Does anyone think he's been on tour too long?

The wind was really howling on occasion, and once it picked up Gil's whistle on the string around his neck, blew it to his side and actually blew his whistle. The wind was really something. He took some pictures of cows with their butts into the wind while others were facing the wind and the grass was blowing like "you know what," [see picture below. -Jean] and they were all glad to get to Topeka.

The van stopped in an "itty bitty" little town called Bogart (between the 75 mile SAG stop and Topeka), and Gil talked to and videotaped some old timers at the general store. He's found that the video camera is a great social tool for meeting and talking to local people - "hey, I'm riding across the country and like to interview people. Would you mind talking to me about your town?" The people in Kansas are extremely friendly....even hotels are more accommodating. All the biking books report that the people in Kansas are the friendliest, and so far on the tour that has proven to be true.....not that other people haven't been, but folks in Kansas really stand out in that department.

Day 26: Half-Way Point: 1,702 Miles! 4th Century, Capitol of Kansas

Gil at a SAG stop (White City, Kansas - "very small town") to the right.

Alrighty. Well I have to leave in 5 1/2 hours to have carpal tunnel surgery (didn't talk to Dad until I was about to go out for the evening, then when I got home I was busy sub-qing the kitty, eating while I still could, and showering) and while I have a bunch of notes from my conversation with Dad, I can't really read Mom's from talking to him later. So maybe I'll peck this out with one hand tomorrow (or over the weekend) or maybe she'll write it up. Suffice it to say:

Everybody agreed that today was a very ugly day. Gusts of up to 53 mph, some of which pushed Dad and Tony right across the road. Fortunately they were in a very rural area without much traffic; could have been quite bad. Many of them repeatedly unclipped their shoes from the bike pedals because they feared they were losing control of the situation. Dad rode 75 miles and then decided at the SAG stop that it was just too dangerous to justify finishing out the last 30 miles; he and Tony took the van the rest of the way to Topeka. "Safety is the number one priority on this trip, fun is number two. We weren't doing too well in either department today." A little more than half the group took the van at some point today, and some of the strongest riders who rode through admitted at the hotel that yes, it was dangerous and they probably shouldn't have ridden. One of the women walked her bike for half a mile after the SAG stop Dad and Tony called it quits at due to the danger imposed by the wind. A couple of times the wind shifted and they went from 8 mph to 30+ mph as the wind suddenly became a tailwind; unfortunately that only lasted for a mile or so, resulting in four miles of easy going before they were fighting for control again.

The one upside is that he thinks he captured the wind pretty well with the video camera. He's disappointed that he didn't do the entire 105 miles, but with the danger and an 85 mile ride tomorrow it was "clearly the thing to do." Unfortunately strong winds are predicted again for tomorrow, but they should be in a more favorable direction.

I MAY peck more details out tomorrow (while coming off of twilight IV meds and on vicodin; could be fun reading!), may not do so until the weekend. Expect tomorrow's post (at least) to be from Jane, since I indicated to Dad that she was the one to give notes to. She's much happier about taking over blog duties than she is about possibly having to sub-q the kitty's fluids (a drip from an IV bag, not an injection). Dad's DVDs of pictures (and stills from the video camera from Kansas) arrived today, but not real sure when uploading those will happen either. Maybe over the weekend?

Day 25: Third Rest Day in Abilene

We're officially on the second (and final!) page of the itinerary! (And I've finally learned to spell "itinerary" correctly on the first try!)

Gil's Cliff Notes [written 6 am Wed; added 1 pm Wed]
Great day off. Hiked into town. Mailed stuff home. Visited Eisenhower Museum. Nice. Toured his small house. Amazing he and 6 brothers could live in it. Went to antique stores. Bought a nice glass bottle for $7.00. Then ran into other cyclist and we took car over to a country restaurant. Good. Real good. Dropped off at hotel after eating and got a hair cut. [Jean: IT'S NOT A HAIRCUT.] Roommate videotaped it. Local reporter for newspaper arrived as I was finishing hair cut. A group of us filled her in on what the tour was about. Then off to dinner at Kerby House, an old Victorian place with high ceilings. Pretty neat. Dinner excellent.

News of the day: Dad shipped his gun "and some other stuff" home via UPS. We got a package (via FedEx) today of some spare clothes he's done lugging around. Now expect to see Gil in even MORE repetitive outfits in photos!

Visited the Eisenhower Museum and took pictures (one is at the bottom of this post) . Wandered out and about in Abilene and did some antiquing, then ran into a CrossRoads group with a rented car and headed out to a farm-house restaurant with them for lunch. (Where the picture to the left was taken.) Then he went back to the hotel and "goofed off" and did some email. He sent home some pictures. So I opened my email, all unsuspecting, and there's a thumbnail picture of Gil. With no hair.

He also visited the "Kerby house," circa 1883. A banker (named Kirby?) used to own the house, and it's now being used as a restaurant. They had "a very nice supper there." Then I talked to him around 8 (local time), at which point he thought he would probably go to bed early since tomorrow's a long day.

Oh, what? You want to hear more about why Gil has no hair? Yeah, he evidently shaved his head. He claims that he didn't shave it; "I got a haircut!" Meanwhile there's about a millimeter of fuzz left; closest setting on the razor. He shaved his head. One of the program coordinators was trying to convince riders to shave their heads to write "CrossRoads" in their hair (either shaved or with dye, it sounds like), and Gil decided to "be supportive" and at least get the haircut. Meanwhile I think that he should include some warning or explanation with such photos, rather than having me all innocently go to download the day's pictures to upload here and seeing my dad, bald. He's never been bald before. At least not in the last 24.5 years. Or ever, Mom says. It's been long before, but not nonexistent. Other riders are telling him that "he looks 30 years younger!" He said they may be humoring him. He thinks he'll ride with the little hat (used on desert days to keep the water they squirted through their helmets close to the head) on under his helmet rather than slathering his head with sunscreen to protect the parts exposed by the helmet's slits. Anyway, the point is that he's kind of off being a frat boy, but without the women and booze (which we appreciate!). He is, in his words, "having fun!" Which we're also happy to hear. (Though I think he was having plenty of fun while still having hair, which shouldn't be underestimated.) Hey, his kitten has shaved "arms" for all his IVs over the weekend - maybe it was a show of solidarity with Bailey! Thinking he'll maaaaaaybe have half an inch of hair when we see him in Boston? How fast does hair grow?

Tomorrow will be a hard day. It's a 105 mile ride to Topeka, and it's forecasted to be very windy. Like, 20-40 mph winds windy, with gusts up to 50 mph. They're hoping the winds will be in the right direction (heading east, giving them an incredibly strong tailwind); it looks like they may be. (Otherwise it's going to be a really crappy day.) Strong winds sound inevitable tomorrow, so cross your fingers for a favorable direction!

Pictures: Gil in Abilene just above (or to the left, depending on your screen size), Eisenhower museum below.

More From Gil (written Sat, June 9; added same day)
In Abilene, KS I visited an antique shop and spotted this old car rear view mirror. Just what I needed. Only $4.50! I take it to the counter where the owner and his wife are. They say and a surprised manner, "You're buying the rear view mirror!" I say, "Yes Indeed, I'm getting the REAR VIEW mirror. They say, "Are you going to put it on your handle bar?" I say, "No, I'm getting it as a REAR VIEW mirror - literally." They don't quite get it so I say, "After sitting on the bike seat for seven hours a day things happen to your butt but you don't know quite what. You need additional information about what has happened to make good decisions - so I got a REAR VIEW mirror." They laughed.

Day 24: Eisenhower Library, Museum and Boyhood Home; Greyhound Racing Hall of Fame

Gil's Cliff Notes
Departed 8:10 am, an hour later than usual due to the shorter distance. Hey, it may have been shorter ride than usual but at mile 22 we made a left turn onto Rt. 15 N and the wind blew directly into our faces. Next 40 miles crawled along over rolling terrain at 10 miles an hour gaining 1100 ft. of elevation. Hard work. I hate the wind when it is in my face. Would much rather do hills. It was hard for everyone and when I arrived at Holiday Express Inn in Abilene I felt beat up. Knees a tad sore and butt a tad sore and general whooped. Fortunately, a Dairy Queen was right next to the hotel and a group of us made a bee-line for it. A giant coke (Classic [ie not Diet]) a giant burger and an ice cream sundae help me recover!!!

Today our riders headed from McPherson to Abilene, KS - a 62 mile ride. As you may have read above, they got some extra sleep since it was a "short" ride. But everyone agreed that today was "not the easy day it was billed to be." It makes everybody a bit weary of their next ride - after their rest day tomorrow (yay!) they have a 105 mile ride to Topeka. They're all hoping that they won't be up against the wind again for that ride, since with that distance it would make for a really hard day. They'll turn due-east to get to Topeka, so apparently "the chances of the wind coming and blowing to the west will be pretty small." They may have some crosswinds out of the north or south, but chances are actually pretty good that they'll get lucky with a tailwind.

The first 20ish miles today were quick and easy going, then they turned into the wind. Their average speed for the last 40 miles was 10 mph - some periods were as slow as 7 mph. The hills today were odd for him - he would ride uphill and naturally expect to see a view at the top, but there would just be a very small downhill stretch and then they'd be going uphill again. No view. It was disconcerting.

At this point in the ride (in terms of conditioning and geography?), they've ranked the factors that make a day's ride a breeze or very difficult in order of importance (from the most important to the least):
1. wind direction (tailwind, crosswind, or headwind)
2. the road surface
3. how much climbing
4. the day's mileage
Everybody is in agreement that this is the order of importance in terms of how difficult each day will be.

Dad's still enjoying himself immensely - "some days are good, some days are tough." But a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. (Unless one has the time and money and desire for pain to get sucked into doing a variety of cross-country routes...) They'll reach the official halfway point on their next ride (day after tomorrow) - 1,702 miles! (Damn.) He thinks there will be an line on the road, and they will have a sign for it which he'll hopefully pose with. And we're now done with the first half of days to be blogged! You're halfway there too! (Isn't it nice that we could all participate in this while sitting down?) Still really liking Kansas - "pretty scenery and really nice people." (That's Dad in a wheat field today.)

He says that Abilene looks like it's a pretty neat town. Looking forward to seeing a bit of it tomorrow and RESTING. He's also going to mail the gun home tomorrow! Woohoo. We'll now own two (I think) guns, both old or weird enough to not require registration.

The Pile Drivers have split up a little in terms of riding as a group. One of their members had to leave the tour to await surgery. (His back and neck issues were apparently pre-existing, not due to the tour, and he knew it was a gamble to try the tour before having surgery. But like Dad was before his back surgery, he was concerned about his ability to do the tour afterwards in terms of recovery speed and conditioning.) A real shame he had to go - a hard decision, but you can't really go wrong when you try to avoid doing permanent damage to your body. The remaining members have kind of naturally had to split apart some as they've adapted and gotten stronger; their riding speeds now vary more than they did early on. Dad's still riding with Tony fairly regularly (the gentleman with a mustache in a variety of pictures here), and everyone on the tour still sees everyone else regularly in terms of SAG stops, dinner outings, Road RAP, and their infrequent leisure time.

There's a "santa-red" van parked outside their motel - it has lots of antennae and the words "STORM CHASER" painted on the back. They're wondering if the storm chasers know something that they don't about Abilene today. He'll try to get a picture in the morning if it's still there. (Hey, they have a day off; maybe some riders can tag along with storm chasers after all!)

Gil's obviously still missed at home - especially tonight when we (I, but with support!) had to give the kitty a sub-cutaneous fluid drip. Fun was had by all. One day down, nine to go! (If anyone's interested, his bladder control is much better (ie problem free!) when I spread his narcotic and muscle relaxer out a bit more.) But it would have been nice to pass the job involving the 2" needle off to Dad tonight!

Day 23: 1,500 Miles!

Day 23 already? Is it intimidating to anyone else that we're still just BARELY under the halfway point in terms of days I'm blogging?

Gil's cliff notes of yesterday added to that post Sunday afternoon.

So tonight I've given a very sick kitty three meds (small pill, large pill, liquid narcotic), gotten him to eat some, then cleaned out the (fabric) chair he accidentally relieved himself on. (Totally not his fault; it was 45 minutes after he got a muscle relaxer for the urinary tract. Good to know about that particular side effect.) When I went to throw out the roll and a half of paper towels I used to soak it through three times, a big juicy hopping bug came in from the shop and I had to kill it. Cleaning the chair caused less anxiety, though it was considerably more time consuming and harder on the wrists. And I remembered this thing at 12:30 am. So I'm totally in the mood to blog! (Repeat to self: earning rent, being useful, earning rent...)

Alrighty. Today they headed from Great Bend to McPherson, KS - 63 miles. "A short ride today," he said. Whatever. He reports that Kansas is "extensively green" and is full of wheat, grass, and "whatever else they have - maybe corn?" They've had too much rain in Kansas, and it's just beautiful. (When there aren't tornadoes and the like, I assume.) There's some ponding in the fields and streams are overflowing from the excess precipitation. (Speaking of excess precipitation, I've gotten up three times so far to check on the kitty trying desperately to rid himself of a few days' worth of constant IV fluids. I know you needed the status update.)

Dad said it was a very pleasant day and ride; for the most part they rolled along at a pretty good clip. He's really enjoying the country out there ("marvelous country"), particularly the mid-size towns (defined as "bigger than Akron [CO, I'm pretty sure], more the size of Yuma [AZ]." He enjoys the feel of the towns, with "very nice courthouses," old buildings, and old named streets. "Really kinda cool." Plus, there are nice parks, which is kind of a generic compliment but still quite pleasant!

Examples of these mid-sized towns he enjoys: they had a SAG stop in a town called Lions - "most pleasant town, just beautiful." McPherson's "kinda that way too, a very nice town." A (the?) courthouse in Lions is pictured here.

They got into McPherson by 1/1:15 - good time! Their motel rooms weren't ready yet, so they killed an hour at a Sonic Drive Thru "like back in the 50's." They settled in outside on an island in the lot and placed their orders at a central machine. You apparently push buttons to order your food; at the drive thru, you place your order that way out where your car is and then they bring your order out to your car. They put away huge burgers, fries, sundaes - "it was REAL good." The video camera was out and about during the meal. He otherwise didn't get too much on video today; "pretty much the same scenery as yesterday."

They did laundry yesterday, so he didn't have to do that this evening, he can wait till tomorrow. If you're curious about how they do laundry: When I spoke to him yesterday, he mentioned that they had just left a laundromat. I didn't question it, but thought to myself, "wow, his clothes are finally getting REALLY, ACTUALLY clean!" Silly daughter. They (I'm assuming Dad's not alone here, because you can hardly find and pay for a laundromat every 2-3 days) still did their laundry in the sink (hotel handsoap? shampoo?), but they got tired of waiting for it to dry. Apparently I was right and the Kansas weather didn't lend itself to hanging it outside the hotel. Or it was a classier joint and it would have been frowned upon. So they just went and DRIED their clothes at the laundromat. Bonus: a sub shop was right next door, so they could eat.

TWO more DVDs on the way; one of more recent pictures through Great Bend, one of stills from the video camera of the storms and storm clouds in Kansas, which the video camera captured much better than the regular camera.

Day 22: Santa Fe Trail's Historic Pawnee Rock, Offerle Cafe Cinnamon Rolls

The riders left Dodge City at 7:20 am....temperature was 60 degrees in the morning and the wind was behind them, so for the first 20 miles they were flying along at 18 mph. Then there was a shift in direction and the wind was either in their faces or from the side and slowed them down considerably. Very pretty scenery---lots of wheat fields, blue skies and white clouds. They stopped at a crossroads where there was a farm museum with an old Steam Engine and a sign indicating "San Francisco -- 1500+ miles in one direction and New York -- 1500+ miles in the opposite direction". The wind changed and was again at their backs for the last 20 miles, and they made very good time and Gil's group arrived in Great Bend, KS at 2:20. Today's ride was "relatively" easy with a total of 89 miles. This included a few extra miles to see Pawnee Rock, which is a rock outcropping from where they could see the Santa Fe Trail. Early settlers viewed this rock formation as the midpoint in their crossing of the continent.

Gil took some nice video segments and a few pictures today. No hotel computer tonight, but he hopes to send a few pictures from a borrowed laptop. That will require Jean's input once the pictures arrive.....I have had the process of adding pictures to the blog "explained" to me, but probably won't attempt doing it myself unless I "have to" and she's sitting next to me. Upon their arrival the riders showered, did laundry, visited a sub shop, participated in the road rap for tomorrow's ride and ate again. I'm told the Best Western has a great all-you-can eat buffet. Gil told me that the ride is a lot of work with not much spare time, but the people and the scenery make all the work worthwhile.

Gil's Recap [emailed Sun am; posted Sun afternoon]
Got the heck out of Dodge 7:20 am under clear skies. 60 degrees. Perfect for riding. Rode with the wind. Yeah! Rode with about 6 other faster riders at 20+ miles an hour, flags waving for first half hour, then let them forge ahead. About 30 miles into ride wind shifted and speed slowed. Visited Pawnee Rock, a rock out cropping where those brave souls going west would mark their progress. A great view but added extra miles to today's ride. Last 20 miles into Great Bends the wind and our direction were together and we again rolled at high speeds the last hour. Made hotel just after 2 PM. 89 miles! We are really making speed across this country. It is beautiful from a bike.

[Jean's impression upon editing this in: I bet this country might be almost as beautiful from a car. Without all that sweat in your eyes obstructing the view. But that's just me.]

Tomorrow's ride is 63 miles and should be "easy" (this is Gil's description and in comparison to some of the other days which were over 100 miles or over mountains). I wouldn't call traveling 63 miles "easy" in anything slower than a car with air conditioning, which is why I stayed home for this adventure. Tomorrow they pass the 1500 mile point on their ride, and it will be the first of 2 "easy" days in a row. They will be able to leave an hour later tomorrow morning. Then on Tuesday, in Abilene, they have their third "well-earned" rest day.

Gil's Cliff Notes Added

To yesterday/day 21's post (about halfway down).

Itinerary For June 2-8 [Week 4]

The red circle (with a handy "4" in it) is where they are at the start of week four.

Day	Destination	Miles	Points of Interest
Sa 6/2	Great Bend, KS	86	Santa Fe Trail's historic Pawnee Rock
Su 6/3	McPherson, KS	63	1,500 Miles! Historic Opera House
M 6/4	Abilene, KS	62	Eisenhower library, museum and boyhood home, Greyhound racing hall of fame
Tu 6/5	Abilene, KS	0	Third rest day, Old Town Abilene, Victorian mansions
W 6/6	Topeka, KS	105	Half-Way Point: 1,702 Miles! 4th century, Capitol of Kansas
Th 6/7	St. Joseph's, MO	85	6th state line, Pony Express Museum, Lewis & Clark Trail
F 6/8	Chillicothe, MO	86	Maysville Historical Society - Home of Long Distance Cycling

Their approximate route this week. I'm guessing that their route from Topeka to St. Josephs, MO is a tad more direct than the major interstates (as outlined on the map), but I could be wrong.

Day 21: Dalton Gang Hideout, Boot Hill Museum, Can Can Show and Gun Fight

Gotta pound this sucker out before I head out for the night. (Mom got out of it; she's already gone.) Everything about today's is rushed; Dad also had his recap squeezed by his time frame (waiting for a shuttle to get dinner) and the fact that there was actually stuff WE had to tell HIM. Imagine that! Dad, I totally forgot to mention that the second plumber finally fixed things; we can now wash dishes and clothes again! This may be the first place he learns that, but I'm happy to not tote my dirty laundry to my friend's tonight. ("I come bearing cupcakes, wine, catch-phrase, and my dirty clothes!") The house really missed Dad; lots of things that were "his department" started breaking all at once.

First: Addendum added to Thursday/Day 20's post right below the original.

They headed out at 7:15 this morning under "very threatening skies." An 83 mile ride today. They had heavy crosswinds for the first 40 miles and a black bank of clouds to their left the entire time. They were able to maintain a 13 mph average for the first 30 miles. Then the road turned and they went into a town called Meade, where the Dalton gang set up their hideout in one of the local houses. Took some video there; "somehow" forgot to take pictures, but stills can be extracted from the video later. I think I may be too young to fully appreciate this paragraph...hmm.

The road turned again at mile 40 and they headed directly into the wind and the black clouds. Rode through that the entire second half of the ride. Got rained on and there was some hail; he emphasized that 10 miles were through VERY cold, heavy rain and hail. (Meanwhile, Gil didn't take his rain jacket; "I somehow figured it wouldn't rain till later." The good news is he picked up a garbage bag at an earlier SAG stop. Classy! So he had some protection, but still got soaking wet - "even the inside of my shoes.") At some point they made it to a little general store, where they stopped and took shelter. Other cyclists were there, and they had a good time once they were inside. Everybody was soaked. Got some pictures out the window of the storm. (Picture above taken in Meade, KS, where the Dalton Gang had their hideout.)

At that point a number of people took the van into Dodge City. Dad rode alone from the general store into Dodge, getting to the hotel at 3 pm (after stopping at the all-important Dairy Queen just down the street to get their biggest sandwich to take to the hotel). "The warm shower never felt so good" after getting out of his wet clothes. (I guess there won't be much hanging of laundry outside the hotels in Kansas...)

He reports that it was a hard day, but it gives him even more confidence that he can do this thing and if necessary ride alone through bad weather under adverse circumstances. Felt strong all day, and his butt did "quite well."

Gil's emailed cliff notes (sent Sat am, posted Sat afternoon)
A challenging day. Off at 7:20 am. Cool and largely overcast. My dawdling has cost me time and other riders are already out on the road head towards Dodge. Catch a few riders after a half hour of pedaling. Dark could bank to the left of the road. At forty mile point reach Mead, KS, the Dalton Gangs hide out. The 45 mile speed limit sign near the Dalton Gang road sigh is shot up. Take video. Soon after leaving Meade the road turns to the left. Not good. Rain and some hail along with strong head winds. 8 miles of hard pedaling in cold rain and some hail before reach a little general store and shelter. Other cyclist already there and holding up. Get coffee and beef sandwich. Only $3.25. Delicious. Take video of wet riders. Much joking and fun. Some decide to catch van for remaining 44 miles to Dodge. Rain lets up and I'm off - alone. Road makes left at route 283N. for remaining 10 miles to Dodge. More head wind and slow speed. Just keep head down, find comfortable gear and pedal. Butt doing great. 5 miles out of Dodge it starts raining again. No hail. But it is a cold and hard rain. I'm soaked and very dirty with road debris. Reach the Dairy Queen next to the Comfort Inn in Dodge and tell the waitress "I'll take the biggest sandwich you have" She just had to ask what the heck I was doing and when I told her she took pity on me and did and extra special job with the sandwich. The hot shower at hotel was just wonderful. So was the triple deck burger with cheese and bacon and everything else.

He's really enjoying having the video camera (shout out to RJ!) Took lots of video today of the weird clouds that they were seeing and of people clowning around. There were some storm chasers staying at their hotel yesterday, and some riders were joking that they were going to go with the chasers. The video's doing a better job than the camera with the storm clouds. Also having a lot of fun capturing "stuff" on video - it's helped to make his trip worthwhile having the video and shooting America. ("Shooting his way across America" shouldn't be taken out of context, given his recent purchase.) Interviewed a couple more people in the general store today.

Attrition news (or dropout news, if you want to be all pessimistic about it): Bob, one of their fellow Pile Drivers (pictured numerous times here, though often/usually un-labeled), is having to leave the tour. He's having some back and neck issues, and flies out tomorrow. Two other people dropped out today, a woman who was "SAGging" (it just sounds rude to say she was "sagging," if you know what I mean) and her boyfriend who was riding. He guesses they just weren't getting enough enjoyment out of it. While the tour is "a great adventure and great fun, it's also a tremendous amount of work. It's something of a grind where you're getting up early each morning and start fresh, but you have to ride a long ways under not-good conditions. Then you complete the day and you have to do all these other things; there's not a lot of time for goofing off and socializing." Apparently "getting across the country is not an easy thing to do." (Really? Riding 3,400 miles over seven weeks, constantly traveling, isn't no big thing? Shocking!) But Dad says it has been rewarding, and he's really pleased that he can feel himself getting stronger. Which may be a total waste if he just returns to mainly running and using different muscle groups as soon as he gets home!

Tomorrow they have an 86 mile ride into Great Bend, Kansas. It apparently has "Santa Fe Trail's historic Pawnee Rock," whatever that means. An old riding/hiking/general adventure buddy, Darren, called the house this morning. From what I remember Mom telling me (which I fuzzily passed along to Dad over the phone tonight), his mother's house is literally RIGHT ON one of the roads they're riding through tomorrow "between the highway and the river." So Daren will be there on the left side of the road sometime looking for him. I wonder what the odds of them catching one another are?