Day Fifty-two

Trying to interact with a civilian as part of my orientation to return to society.

Downtown Exeter, NH

It just finds me wherever I go.

Port and starboard signs.

Don, Joy, Freddy, and Larry ready to lead us to the beach.

Not just another day at the beach.

ARE WE LUCKY OR WHAT!

One final stop in Portsmouth. Tomorrow it's back to diet reality.

This land is your land.

This land was made for you and me.

I remember some places like we were there yesterday…Wendover, Salida, Dodge City, Springfield, Wooster, Liverpool. Other places are totally blurred…Sparks, Green River, Garden City, Crawfordsville, Marysville, Hamburg. I remember the really great rides and the really horrible ones (actually only a few).

We’ll probably remember this day because it really ended like a fairy tale under picture perfect skies.

For the first time since San Francisco we left the hotel as one group pedaling super easy knowing that we had plenty of time today. Everyone was in their ABB jersey and we were getting a lot of friendly toots from people who seemed to be aware that something special was happening. At one point Lauren came to the head of the peleton and pulled us up a long climb that would have really taxed her in early June.

A lot of us stopped in Exeter for coffee and pastry because we didn’t have to be at Rye Junior High School until 11:30 as the final rally point to ride to Wallis Sands Beach together. Amber Lynn, the woman who broke her elbow on Day One made good on her promise to return and ride to the beach with us. She tells people she did the “Coast AND Coast” tour but she hopes to do the entire thing next year.

A police escort met and brought us the final few miles with sirens and stopped traffic. The sun worshippers had no idea as we rumbled into the parking lot and then a loudspeaker announced who we were and what we were finishing. It was like the returning Olympic squad. People cheered, clapped, and joined us in the celebration. Riders who dipped back wheels in the Pacific now dipped the front in the Atlantic. The pint of Pacific water we had carefully carried 3,847 miles was poured into the Atlantic.

Our wives were there and I can’t even express how happy I was to hug and kiss my wife after almost two months. I knew my sister was going to be there but I was totally shocked to see my mother, Sandy (her husband), my sister-in-law Sherry, and nieces Mia and Caitlin (remember from Pueblo?). Robb’s brother Craig was also at the beach.

So many hellos and so many good-byes.

I never had an agenda and this whole trip just kind of happened and then unfolded as we went along so I can’t say that there were fulfilled goals or any great life lessons. It certainly was physically and mentally challenging at times but I also understand that this is something hundreds and maybe thousands of normal people do every year. We weren’t in any physical danger (no one was shooting at us) and once we got into the daily drill it was really straightforward. I-phone alarm, ½ hour to get ready, ½ hour for breakfast, ½ hour to get out of the room and load the gear, spend the morning and early afternoon trying not to get lost, crash into the new hotel, clean-up, route rap, dinner, blog, lights out. Repeat.

Two things about this little adventure. I was surprised at how tight this diverse group became as we got to know each other. Really not a bad actor among the riders or the staff. Also I have a new appreciation for our beautiful country and the people who live here. Someday I’d like to drive around the country in a small RV but there’s something to be said about seeing the country from “behind bars” because all the senses are engaged. We smelled the feed lots and the clean mountain air. We heard the roar on the interstate and the livestock on the back country road. We baked under the hot sun and got soaked a few days. And (as Cindy says) food always tastes better after a ride. We went fast enough to get done in a reasonable time but slow enough to notice lots of little things we would have missed behind a windshield.

The blog has been fun because sometimes we felt like you guys were enjoying the ride as much as we were. It also made us more aware of things because we wanted to be sure we let you know what was happening. Our little ABB bike community was very important in helping us get across the country and you faithful readers really leveraged that community for Robb and me so thanks for the help and thank for reading.

ARE WE LUCKY OR WHAT?!

Today’s ratings: (the higher the better or easier)

Scenery: 7

Road conditions: 9

Grunt factor: 9

Peace!

Day Fifty-one

The LAST state line..."Live Free or Die" baby!

A lot of us didn't really believe that Hurley was married and some people still think this Mary woman might just be his really good looking sister.

Whatever bike touring company you choose just make sure they have a staff that's this fantastic. Thanks to Alex, Michelle, Judy, Pam, and Gerard.

Bring it on home to me.

Don’t want to jinx things but looks like this could be a fairy tale ending.

Just another PERFECT riding day now that the front has moved through and we have bright skies again with low humidity and the strong west winds that were always promised and it looks like a repeat for Tuesday when we’re supposed to find the Atlantic Ocean.

Anything under 100 miles doesn’t seem to faze us now and after a successful day climbing yesterday no one was particularly concerned about the New England hills…until we hit the two snot busters just outside Keene this morning (24% grade on the Garmin). Robb and I remember these climbs from 10 years ago when we rode with America By Bike on the NE Tour. We both had the same dreadful feeling literally as soon as we turned onto Old Concord Road at the bottom of the first climb. Robb remembers having to walk part of it last time. Well he made it this time so either he’s a lot stronger at 60 years or he has better gearing. Only his bike mechanic knows!

Great riding through quaint NH towns like Antrim, Bennington, Greenfield, New Boston, and Francestown. And at the end we get to stop by Blakes in Manchester for the best ice cream of the trip.

Lots of family and well wishers at the hotel this afternoon and evening. Our old high school classmate and friend, Gordon Nichols, even drove all the way up here in his ’57 Porsche to wish us well. Robb's brother, Craig, and his wife Mary also stopped by. We just finished a nice farewell dinner so all that’s left is 53.8 miles to the beach and I too will be an EFIer.

I’ll try to post late tomorrow but can’t make any promises because there’s a lot going on and it’ll be the first time I’ve seen my wife in way longer than it should be. So I’m apologizing now if I’m late with the final post but I promise to close things out within 24 hours at the most.

Today’s ratings: (the higher the better or easier)

Scenery: 9

Road conditions: 4

Grunt factor: 3

Day FIFTY

Crossing the mighty Hudson River

Ride for the ice cream takes on a special significance in Vermont.

Doubt you'll find "carbon fiber" anywhere in Hemmings.

With Sooner Rick and Phil atop Hog Back.

They make everything from scratch at Amy's in Brattleboro

With my good friends Henry and Helene DiCarlo.

Larry is happy that they have "smoothies" in Vermont.

Love that dirty water

My GAWD…like landing on another planet. All of a sudden everyone’s walking around with Boston Red Sox shirts and hats. The other way we could tell we were in Vermont is that the cows definitely don’t understand Lester’s accent.

So the Tour de France finished today…big deal! We’ve been riding longer and we’ve still got more to go and we’ve climbed a whole lot more than those guys. Plus we allow women. World class athletes?? No one has to chase us around with a urine cup!

Great day for the climbers and even for the non-climbers. It’s been a long time since we had to really use the climbing legs but everyone seemed to take it in stride. Nary a complaint at tonight’s route rap and there’s more to come tomorrow.

Tony busted a spoke on his rear wheel today making the bike useless. I was with him when Fran called for help and the answer was that they would send the van and drive him the six miles to the SAG where they would see about a fix. Tony then busted a blood vessel. I’m SURE he didn’t swear (very good Catholic boy!) but he’s ridden every inch so far and he wasn’t about to take accept a lift with two days left. Fortunately they came up with an alternative and sent ace mechanic Gerard (who was riding today) back to investigate. Gerard loaned Tony his wheel and then Gerard rode the van to the SAG so Tony can keep his EFI goal.

EFI stands for Every FABULOUS (or insert less family-friendly term) Inch. I’ve often referred to the way we’re going cross country as the rich man’s way versus the people who ride totally self-supported (sleeping in tents, etc). But the one thing both groups have in common is the desire to be on the bike EFI. At the beginning of our tour a number of people identified themselves as desiring to be EFI and at this point it would be difficult for those people to lose that status.

We managed to include two out of the three great Vermont “B” cities today. First it was Bennington and then it was Brattleboro. We only missed Burlington. Most of our group had no idea what to expect and I probably didn’t help their expectation by telling them that they could expect to see most Vermonters in tie-dye and that Vermont had the only sitting Socialist Senator in the U.S. Congress. Fortunately they got great impressions as we zipped into Brattleboro enjoying Bart’s ice cream and off-the-charts baked goods and sandwiches at Amy’s.

The six mile run into the city on Route 9 is one of the sweetest of the trip twisting and turning and constantly expecting a climb around every corner only to find the road gently continuing to drop away. All this with a gentle tailwind allowing 20+ effortless miles per hour the entire time.

Great surprise for me at the hotel where I met my longtime friends Henry and Helene DiCarlo who had driven 2-1/2 hours from Abington, MA to hand deliver Helene’s delicious mundle bread and chocolate chip cookies (you know, the kind with the carmelized brown sugar…mmmmm!) Robb and I only ate two and the rest will go to the first SAG tomorrow so everyone can share. H&H are the parents of my guest rider, Mardie who rode with us when we crossed over to Indiana. They’ve been following the trip and wanted to greet me when I returned to New England. We had a great visit…thank you guys!

Today’s ratings: (the higher the better or easier)

Scenery: 9

Road conditions: 7

Grunt factor: 4

Day Forty-nine

Last night Little Falls turned out to be a real nice stop because we were right "downtown" and although the hotel was old the staff was great.

Always wondered where this was.

Have no clue and the only reason I took the photo is because a bunch of guys stopped to pee behind it and I didn't want the natives to be suspicious.

Abandoned power plant along the Mohawk.

Stark white "ghost bikes" are memorials placed where bicyclists have been killed. Check out www.ghostbike.org

New York State of Mind

Only ten percent chance of rain today and we rode in the ten percent all morning. To be fair it wasn’t really rain all the time. Sometimes it was just super heavy mist and today was much warmer so most of us didn’t even bother to put on rain gear.

Consequently I don’t have a lot to report except that it was a terrific ride along the Erie Canal and Mohawk River through those “quaint” little towns of Rotterdam and Amsterdam (really having a tough time) and on to Schenectady. Back and forth over the river a couple times with great opportunities for photos of working locks and abandoned locks on the old canal section but the camera stayed in the Ziploc most of the day for obvious reasons.

We’re definitely getting closer because we saw our first Cumberland Farm and Price Chopper. Part of today’s route also was along the beautiful Mohawk Erie Bike Path which I’ve ridden before with my all time favorite rider so we’re really in familiar territory for me.

The second SAG today was at Jumpin’ Jack’s Drive-in in Scotia. They proudly advertise FAST FOOD on their main sign. They really know what they do best. Too early for lunch but nice mocha shakes and root beer floats. We waited out the last shower there and managed to stay dry the final 25 miles although I did have a flat (#3) on the bike path less than five miles from the finish…piece of brown glass.

We’ve got to get our climbing legs back for the last three days because we’ve really gotten used to flat, easy days. Really excited about getting back to New England though so a few hills shouldn’t bother us.

Today’s ratings: (the higher the better or easier)

Scenery: 8

Road conditions: 8

Grunt factor: 7

Day Forty-eight

When the rain comes they run and hide their heads.

So after a day like today non-bikers always say something like, “I don’t know how you can stand getting wet all day!” Well fortunately for us we only get wet once so after the first 15 minutes it really doesn’t matter.

Kinda blew the forecast today talking about showers with some clearing in the afternoon and temps in the mid-upper 70’s. We knew we were getting wet because it was raining hard as we left the hotel. I had forgotten Larry Johnson’s wise advice the last time rain really threatened…”It’s not the wet. It’s the cold”. I bought a special Gore-Tex jacket for this trip and haven’t used it yet. Every time the trailer went past us today I wanted to reach out and grab that jacket.

So it was miserable, cold, wet, and dark all day. Fortunately we locked-up with Tony and Wade early on and I decided we needed to stay with them because every evening Tony programs the cue sheet into his Garmin so he’s pretty bullet-proof on the turns. Wade’s 18 year-old eyes and mind back him up with an actual cue sheet checking the street signs. On a day like today with 46 cues it was critical to stay focused. Riding extra useless miles on a long ride is never fun and the cold and rain would have made it even less exciting.

At the first SAG after 25 miles in Canastota we were still under the impression that the weather was going to improve so the strategy was to relax a bit and enjoy the clearing later. The SAG was a soaked little corner of a parking lot offering no protection from the elements or “facilities” (translation: place to do your duty). Gerard mentioned a bakery down the block so we wandered over for hot coffee and delicious homemade donuts. I told the lady it was the “best donut I’d ever tasted”…light and fluffy…perfect even if you’re on a bike ride and I usually don’t even eat donuts.

The Schroeder pace was nice and easy as we concentrated on the route and making sure we were safe. Hurrying wasn’t in anyone’s interest today. The low point for me was a few miles out of the SAG when I began to really feel the cold not only in the usual fingers and toes but also my core. It was borderline and I kept hoping that it might at least warm-up.

Whatever the pain on a long ride I try to deal with it by playing little games. Like, hey, I think the rain might be slowing down or at least the drops are spaced further apart. Or, hey, at least it’s not as windy as when we were riding into Salt Lake. Or, hey, think of the money I’m saving on sunscreen. It's not snowing yet! Nobody feels much like talking and it amazes me how a group of people can ride for miles in total silence.

Unless you’re riding with Freddy. I think I’ve referred to Cindy as Chatty Cindy. Freddy is the male version. Who could imagine talking about hypodermic needle manufacturing with a retired lawyer in the middle of a rainstorm, riding a bike, on an 80 mile ride? Well if you’re riding with Freddy you can expect that sort of deep discussion. The guy’s incredible and seems to know a little something about everything. The miles with Freddy are definitely shorter.

The second SAG was worse than the first because we knew we were screwed. Again, the van was in a commercial parking lot with no protection or facilities. Michelle and Alex literally handed us food through the doors and we were off and on the bikes in record time looking for a place to pee down the road.

By now most of us had reached a stalemate with the conditions and were just determined to finish out the miles. Only Fran seemed to still be suffering. The group dynamics helped him keep it together. I never thought I’d be happy to see a Knight’s Inn but here we are in Little Falls, NY.

Thanks again Tony and Wade. Let’s hope the weather is more cooperative tomorrow but, in any event we’ll be better prepared.

No ratings today because it’s impossible to give it a fair valuation. With better weather we’re guessing that the ratings would be pretty high.

YIKES...this is our last weekend on the road! This must be sort of what it feels like when the Rolling Stones are wrapping up a tour.

Day Forty-seven

Mon Dieu! Sommes-nous en Provence??

Our first look at the Erie Canal. We are going to see a lot of it tomorrow but maybe in the rain?

Fond memories of rowing at the IRA's back during the time of wooden boats and iron men.

Hey Madeleine remember this...home sweet home.

With Phil and John Hurley. The current owner, Jim Farrell offered to take the photo.

The lunchtime crowd is out the door but the service is quick at Heid's.

I know what you're thinking but this really is a photo of the delicious tangerine italian ice and softserve at Antonio's in Liverpool.

Rick and Linda made everyone welcome at their home.

Tony & Wade are wondering why they forgot their bathing suits.

Locomotive John, Steve (new guy from Winchester), and Sweet Sue.

How many glasses is that George?

Thank you Rick and Linda!

Sky Pilot

Today is a gift to my virtual rider, Dave Lyons. Robb introduced us. I’ve only ridden with him a couple times but I will never forget the first time we rode together at the Tri-State Century and he stayed with me over the last 15 ugly miles when I was having a difficult time holding it together. Thanks again Dave. I wish you could have joined us for real today.

Because it was AWESOME!

Everything was in place for a perfect day with slightly cooler temps, blue sky, sweet tailwind, short mileage over a relatively flat and scenic course. We’re also moving into Robb’s old stomping grounds so he occasionally adds some local color as we spin along.

We got out early again and I like setting the morning pace…kind of like the pace car at the races…I’m there to warm them up and then quickly get out of the way. We had a large group clipping along Route 5 in the low twenties and soon had George in our sights. We closed that gap and went by him on a downhill so fast that we must have been a blur. Soon we were gunning for Kiwi but by mile 10 I just didn’t think I could quite do it so I slipped back into Robb’s draft.

Robb and Phil moved the tempo up just enough that we started to bring Kiwi in and with about 100 yards separation I asked for a little more acceleration but the response was just slow enough that he slipped through a traffic light. Now we had to start over but there was no doubt about the eventual outcome. I think we were entering Geneva so the traffic was coming from all directions and Robb wisely kept it in check but Phil could smell blood and went for the kill. I stayed with him off the front. Phil is super cautious and I sensed him hesitate as cars were closing. Suddenly an SUV pulled directly in front and I urged him to take the “no fear” route and draft the vehicle. Within seconds he grabbed the SUV bumper and gathered up Kiwi Rick.

A few miles later I looked up a long straight away to see a blinking red light…”Bikers UP”. After some discussion we decided it was probably Freddy, Carolyn, and Cindy who had left early this morning. Phil was still on the front and had learned his traffic light lesson well. He didn’t miss a green and we were on top of them in no time by dowtown Seneca Falls.

After that we all rode together nicely just enjoying the scenery until the first SAG at 30 miles. I don’t like to spend much more than 10 minutes at a SAG. Just long enough to gobble some food (really it’s not pretty), fill the water bottles, and maybe hit the head. I left with Robb, Phil, and John Hurley and we had a nice easy pedal until the approach to Liverpool where we really slowed to enjoy the scenery visiting the Syracuse Boathouse, the park along Onondaga Lake, Robb and Madeleine’s first house, and finally into Heid’s for lunch.

Heid’s of Liverpool refers to itself as a drive-in I guess because they have picnic tables outside but there’s also an inside dining room and they’re open year around. They have a very limited menu and their specialty is franks (we call them hot dogs) but they also have something they call a coney (also called a snappy). It looks like a frank (hot dog) but it’s white and is made with veal, pork and “stuff” by Hoffman Sausage Co. of Syracuse. Definitely spicier than a hot dog and a good choice if you make the pilgrimage. They also offer their fries with gravy like the Canadians. Not my normal bike riding lunch but we were only a few miles from the hotel.

Tonight we were treated to a special evening at Rick and Linda Ahlquist’s. They graciously served us to a fantastic dinner that included Dinosaur BBQ, grilled swordfish, pasta, assorted salads, fresh fruit, and bread with REAL BUTTER. Of course desert included many flavors of ice cream, cookies, fudgy fudgy brownies, and the BEST PIE EVER. Water things down with great wine and beer and you’ve got one huge HAPPY group of bikers. THANK YOU RICK & LINDA! Tomorrow’s miles will be easier because of you.

Today’s ratings: (the higher the better or easier)

Scenery: 7

Road conditions: 8 (lots of glass)

Grunt factor: 9

SPECIAL NOTE: We've had a problem with the Garmin site the past couple nights but will come back and post the routes soon.

Day Forty-six

Blackberry softserve with chocolate jimmies.

Joy, Pam Robb, John, Rick, & Phil enjoying lunch overlooking Canandaigua Lake.

The good ship lollypop

Went aground hard mid-morning in the rain at a place called Flatsville, NY. Actually I made the place up but the road gods were not smiling on us.

I was leading a huge group out of Hamburg trying to keep a decent pace but make sure I didn’t miss any turns. Some riders had gotten out early and Phil was nipping at my butt eager to blast into the stratosphere and catch them. Once we got to a nice 6 mile leg I moved over and he pulled the gang by. I tagged on for awhile but it wasn’t long before everyone busted-up on the first hill.

After that I rode with Judy and Paul, one of the new riders who is only with us until his home in Latham, NY. Judy was taking it easy on me and we were enjoying the scenery and wondering how long our dry spell would last. She put the Clawson hex on a seriously black cloud and I was amazed that we rode under it without a drop but the wet started soon after and by the time we got to the first SAG at 30 miles it was raining pretty hard.

We’ve been so lucky that I gambled with dark lenses this morning. The problem is that once they’re wet, the combination of the darkness and the wet makes it almost impossible to see anything. If I take the glasses off I can’t read my cue sheet or bike computer plus it changes my depth perception and it feels weird like I’m riding closer to the pavement. Anyway I chose to keep the glasses on which made it seem as though I was riding in a dark plastic wet silo.

Eight miles out of the SAG, riding alone, I got the flat on the rear that I expected yesterday. I could barely see as I pulled the tire off but I did find what I thought was a metal sliver imbedded in the outside. The inside felt fine and I was on my way only to go flat within another two miles. I reinspected and found another sliver and this time I booted the tire and it brought me home.

Of course by this time most people had gone ahead. The rain finally stopped and a healthy tailwind kicked in so I was motoring nicely and enjoying the ride. I passed a number of people who were also having problems with flats and both Freddy and Don had called the van for replacement tires…like I said, Flatsville. When it rains all the debris washes to the side of the road and sticks to the tires. But something else was going on today because when I got to the hotel and did a thorough inspection I found a number of tiny sharp rock pieces in the surface of both tires. I’m sure the “metal sliver” that caused my problem was really one of those rock slivers.

The second SAG was at Tom Wahl’s which is a small local chain with sandwiches, ice cream, and homemade root beer. Obviously we had to test the root beer floats and compare them to the White Turkey Richardson floats and the general consensus was that White Turkey was better. The also had black cherry softserve so I just had to test that with chocolate jimmies mmmm….

Still with a helpful tailwind out of the SAG with 25 miles to finish. About 15 miles out in the middle of nice rolling hills I noticed that the sky was getting rather ominous and I was regretting taking so much time enjoying Tom Wahl’s. About 10 miles out the sky was pitch black to the north and the wind was howling and twisting around from every direction trying to blow me off the road. Now it was a race to see if I could beat the weather. This was fun and the big fat drops were starting to fall the final two miles but I got lucky with the lights and coasted into the Super 8 (I haven’t figured out the “super” part?) just before I expected the heavens to open. Instead the sun came out and the storm missed us but it was a fun run.

Meanwhile Robb had gotten into town much earlier with Phil’s gang and they were all enjoying lunch by Canandaigua Lake.

Supposed to be magnificent weather tomorrow with short mileage and the best is that we’ve all been invited to Rick and Linda Ahlquist’s for dinner! I’m gonna stay out of Flatsville and make sure I get in early. I’m sure Robb’s warned them but 40 hungry bike jockeys for dinner??!

Today’s ratings: (the higher the better or easier)

Scenery: 7

Road conditions: 5 (would have been higher except for flats)

Grunt factor: 8