We Did It!!!

On Sunday September 30, we finished our bike trip across the country. I put the bike in the Atlantic ocean as planned about 12:30. It was a bright and beautiful day. I was so glad to finally be done.
We got started from Groveland. I got there about 10AM. I wasn't even out of my car yet when a biker rode up the hill. I waved and didn't think anything about it until he headed toward me and skidded to a stop. Lo and behold, it was my coach from Dallas, Larry Hart. You can't know how I felt when I saw him there. That got the ride off to a great start. He had been setting this up with my boys for a few days and it was a complete surprise.

Larry, Matt, Josh and I took a quick trip into Newburyport where we met up with Jack MacSwan, another buddy who rode with us the rest of the way to Plum Island. We stopped in the 'port and took our time because several friends were running late and we wanted them there when we dipped the bike in the ocean. Everyone got there and we had the ceremony, followed by a pull on the bubbly.

After we were through at Plum Island (Damn, that water was cold!!)
, we went back to Michael's Harborside restaurant where we spent the next several hours with a raft of friends. Yes, we partied pretty hard and well into the night.

It is great to be done, but the re-entry has been a shocker. I have kept busy. On Monday we cleaned out the van, our home for 4 months. It was a bittersweet farewell. I will trade it in sometime next week

I plan on getting out on the bike for the first time today. am very stiff and sore, I think my body misses the bike. It should be fun to actually ride a loop today rather than a straight line from point A to point B. I'll let you know how it goes.

Sorry I haven't updated the blog with the news of the finish. I have been somewhat confused how to do this. What do I say? My reflections of the trip have barely begun. I found no secrets to the meaning of life along the way.

I need to thank you all for your support. I know I couldn't have done it alone. Thanks to one and all.

Where do we go from here? I wish I knew. I will have to become gainfully employed soon. I'll let you know what I will be when I grow up. If I decide not to grow up, I'll let you know where the next adventure will take place.

Till then...

The Last One

This is a big one. Back in Oregon, I tried to imagine this and I couldn't do it. Here it is. I am not saying I am done. Far from it. I rode some big hills today coming out of the Hudson River valley in Eastern NY. We crossed the state line after about 25 miles of the last of NY. We may have about 200 miles or so left. Sometime this week we will be done.
After the next couple days we should be more exact. The Berkshires (hills or mountains?) are an unknown to me and the Conneticut River valley still stands between me and the coast. I'm sure I will see my share of hills yet, hey just don't seem so big anymore. They are work and I am grateful the weather is perfect. I don't think the temp got over 80 today and it is comfortable during the day, not too cold or hot.
Only did about 40 miles today. The legs felt good after a day's rest but we got on the road late today coming back from Amherst. Tomorrow should be better if the fog lifts before 10.

Massachusets Here We Come

Last week was a great effort that covered the whole state of New York. I must admit, I was intimidated by the almost 400 miles that the state covered. Then there was the Catskill Mountains to consider. Well, it was probably the most beautiful, bike friendly state so far. The weather was beautiful, sunny every day after the fog lifted. It was a great week.
I wanted to get all the way to Massachusetts before the end of the day Saturday. However, I got a flat at about 4:30 and called it a day about 20 miles from the border. The boys wanted to visit some friends at their college town of Amherst. I needed a break, so we checked into a motel with a hot tub and I relaxed today. The legs are ready for the last week of biking.
I'm sorry I don't have pictures lately. I downloaded some from the top of the Catskills, but they were too hazy. It was an impressive sight. I got so far up the mountains that you could see 5 states from the summit. Take my word for it, it was impressive. I couldn't believe I was up so high. I was in the zone and the hill just disappeared. That happened several times last week. There was even a day where the road appeared downhill all day, even though I knew it was rolling hills. I finally got into my rhythm and became oblivious to the wind and the slope I was riding.
Anyway, we will be in Massachusetts first thing tomorrow. We now have about 200 to 250 miles left in the trip. I think we are all ready for this to end. After I get over the Berkshire mountains at the beginning of the week, we can be very exact about when we will hit the ocean at Newburyport. I want it to be Thursday, but it will probably be Friday. More on this later.

A Quick Update

I know I haven't posted for a few days, so I will get something up here before I get on the bike this morning. I have a little time because the fog doesn't lift lately until about 10 AM.
Other than that, the weather has been great. It has been a little cool, but I am getting used to that. It took some getting used to because 2 weeks ago, I was riding in 90 degree weather. Now it is in the 60's. It was even 58 when I started a couple days ago.
I have been making pretty good progress since I got back from Boston. I've been doing 50 mile days and now am very close to Binghampton. I figure there is only about 140 miles left in NY. I should be crossing my last state line sometime this weekend!!
The route has been wonderful. I am riding one of three bike route designated across NY by the NY dept of Transportation. It basically follows route 417 across the southern border of NY. The path winds along the Susquehanna River. Very beautiful. I took a couple pictures yesterday, but I don't have them downloaded yet. I got a flash yesterday of biking along the Snake River in Idaho, another favorite route along the way. A lot of territory covered since then. It's hard to believe we have come so far.
As the journey nears it's end, I am getting flashes of the trip along the way. I'm sure the reminisces will be stronger when I am done. Most of the trip is a kind of blur right now. Thank God I have written this blog to remind me of what went on. I am really ready to get off the bike. It's been a long 3+ months, but I am also sorry to see it come to an end. I don't really know how I will feel about the end of something I have wanted to do for 30 years. Relief? You bet! Sadness? Probably. It will be a mix of emotions that I am starting to experience already.
However, the bike calls again today. Maybe the next time I write, I will be in Massachusetts!!
Till then...

The Final Push

I am just getting back to New York after a quick trip to Boston.
We took off Thursday after a great bike riding day. I don’t know exactly what it was, but I had a good day on the bike, pedaling about 60 miles. That was more than I had done in a long time. Maybe it was the weather, crisp and cool. I was dressed well for it, so I wasn’t cold and I wasn’t sweating from too much clothing. That happened the day before.
I think it was probably getting back to basics with my cadence and road psychology. I got into my rhythm that I haven’t been in since Columbus almost two weeks ago. The hills of PA were just a bit too close together and too steep. I would coast down the hills and fight the uphills. When I am in my cadence rhythm, I am not really aware I am going up a hill. I hope it carries over tomorrow.
The trip back to Boston was good motivation for concluding this trip. It was exciting to see the place again. The people were just enjoyable to visit. I miss them. Whereas the trip has been the trip of a lifetime, it is coming to an end. The bike has been tuned up and so has my head.
I figure I have between 400-500 miles left. Most of it will be hills and mountains. I want to say I will take 10 more days of good hard riding to get done. That’s not to say I will be done in 10 days. I figure there will be several days off for weather or breaks, but I want to be done in less than 2 weeks.
There – I have said it out loud (or in print). Two weeks. I want to be done by September 29th. Anybody want to ride the last few miles together?

Only One More

Well, I have finally crossed the state line into NY. Only one more state line to cross. I will soon be in Massachusetts. I went east in PA longer than I thought. I am actually east of Buffalo, but I still am not moving as fast as I want.

It has been 5 days since I left Ohio. 2 of those days have been rain-shortened. 1 was a complete washout. That was the day we went to the baseball game. Only 2 were good for biking. One of those was windy with a high of 60 degrees. Quite a shock to the system when I have been used to 90.

Today I am sitting in the hotel room at almost 8 AM because it is too foggy out there to bike. The weather is driving me crazy. Today is the last day to bike for a couple days. We are off to Boston after today's ride. The boys have tickets to the Red Sox vs Yankees in Fenway tomorrow night. I was going to stay here and do some more miles, but my bike is injured. The bottom bracket, which is the bearing cage that attaches the pedals to the frame is busted. The bike shop here would have to order the parts and wouldn't get them for a couple days. I called my shop in Boston and they have the parts and will fix it while I wait on Friday. I can actually get it done faster by driving a few hundred miles. Also, it could completely fail while the boys are gone. Then I would be really in a mess.

So, we will cross into Mass for the first time in 3 months. It will be weird in that we will be there, but our journey is not over. Maybe that will give me some incentive to get moving on ending this trip. I certainly am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed!!

Pedaling Thru Pennsylvania

We left brother Jack’s house late on Saturday. I woke up that day with a few chores to do before we left, including the blog about the brothers’ ride. It was tough to write with the instant review from the participants. For instance, they couldn’t understand why that day wasn’t rated Number 1 day on the ride instead of just the Top 10. I decline to specify my top day. It was a private moment.
Anyway, we got off and made our way to PA. I started riding, but it was cut short by a tremendous rainstorm. I only rode about 20 miles that day. I think I needed the light day anyway to compensate for the late nights and rich food at Jack’s house.
Sunday was our trip to Pittsburgh to see the Pirates play the Chicago Cubs at their new PRC Park.

The home team won 10 – 5. It was a fine stadium, but not our favorite on this trip. That honor (for me anyway) would be Milwaukee’s Miller Stadium. The home teams have won 5 of the 6 games we have seen on this trip. That is the last ballpark of 5 we will visit on this trip. The boys will be going to Fenway later this week to see the Red Sox play the Yankees.
We got a chance to see Jim and Dianne Hall again as they (OK, Jim) wanted to see the new park.

It was nice to see them again and Jim is so knowledgeable about the game that you see more with his commentary. It was raining but we were situated under an overhang from the seats above us, so we stayed nice and dry the whole game.
We got back to Meadsville, PA, had dinner and got to bed. Today (Monday) I got up and left from the hotel. I biked all day, but only rode 30 miles. The hills were HUGE. I rode some grade 8 slopes that were steeper than any I faced out West. And now we are only in the foothills of the Appalachians. I am not looking forward to the real thing. I did have a great moment. The brothers know what I mean as we did it on Friday too. We are pedaling through Amish country and I passed a horse and buggy. I know that may sound silly, but I pass few conveyances while riding and I take pride in every one. Of course I don't know which was breathing harder me or the horse, but I won!!
I have also made a decision to change the route toward the end of the trip. I originally planned to end in Kennebunk, ME and now I want to end in Newburyport, MA. There are several reasons for the decision, mostly because I want to ride the roads I have ridden around our old house in Groveland, MA, so we will probably roll in there sometime around September 25. We’ll keep you informed of the target as we get closer to home.