The Upward Descent

How to Get Great Service on Your Next Bike Ride

2011-04-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that road cyclists understand the importance of serving others. We do it all the time in our pacelines: pointing out road hazards to the rider behind us, offering hand signals for our next turn, offering spare tubes to a rider with a flat. It's part of our culture. At our core, we're "cycling servants."

This past Saturday's ride showcased our cycling servant culture. And it was a joy to watch it all unfold.

Our ride began under baby blue skies. Finally. For our coldest April on record, we were rejoicing that today's ride would be in temps broke the 65 degree barrier. After I shared a brief devotional message for this Easter weekend and then prayed, we hopped on our bikes and headed west along the Burke-Gilman trail into Kenmore. We were headed to Mukilteo for our favorite coffee and lunch stop on this circuit—Red Cup Café—overlooking the Mukilteo ferry terminal and Possession Sound.

The route weaved through Kenmore and Briar and then we jumped on the Interurban Trail. I've mentioned before that the Interurban Trail generally follows the route once used by the Interurban Trolley that ran from downtown Seattle to Everett from 1910 through 1939. I like this paved trail for two reasons. It's not well known so there are few other cyclists, walkers, joggers, dog owners crowding it. And it's not well known so often I'll have cyclists with me experiencing it for the first time. For Bob D., who usually rides in the south end, that was the case. New territory for him.

We were pedaling toward Martha Lake behind a Walmart when I heard the call from behind me, "Flat!" Kimberly had flatted—or as the British like to say, "punctured." We pulled to the side of the road and I casually mentioned to Kimberly to give her tire to Mike as he was the champion tube changer on our team. Five flats on one ride earned him that title. Mike didn't miss a beat and gladly donned his rubber gloves and pulled out his tools. Kimberly's tire was repaired in record time. Unknowingly, Mike had just set the theme for today's ride. Serving.

Before we left our impromptu stop, a middle-aged man in a blue cargo van called over to us. "Are you a cycling club?" I walked over to him and told him yes, we're from Eastside Foursquare Church. He was looking for a cycling club to ride with. I gave him my card with a map on the back and invited him to join us some Saturday. Serving. This is feeling good.

We pressed on to the north, back on the Interurban Trail as it parallels Interstate 5. We passed Everett Mall, Casino Road, and were descending a small hill and about to turn left onto Beverly Blvd. when I heard what sounded like a gunshot. I looked behind and saw Jim pulling off the road. No blood. But instead he leaned over his bike and inspected his rear tire. Not only did he have a flat—our second for the day's ride—he had a rear rim that had splintered.

The rim was original and hadn't been replaced since Jim bought the bike several years ago. The brake wear had worn through the rim and caused it to break much like when a sidewall on a semi-truck rips away from the rest of the tire. He held the splintered and frayed rim in his hands and we all gathered around brainstorming a solution. There was a Bicycle Centre bike shop 2.2 miles north of us. Too far to walk. Should we call his wife? (We all have at some point in our riding career). A taxi? Maybe a guy in a pickup truck would come by and give Jim a lift, I thought out loud.

Not a moment later, a minivan with a 4-position bike rack on the back carrying a single road bike and the passenger window down rolled to a stop at the traffic light next to us. Mike ran over to the van and explained our situation. The driver quickly nodded yes and pulled into the parking lot next to us.

We introduced ourselves to Zack and thanked him for stopping. We couldn't have planned a better solution. Zack was more than willing to give Jim and his bike a ride to the Bicycle Centres shop. The rest of us would pedal on and meet him there. Talk about service. This guy was an answer to prayer. One cyclist gladly serving his fellow cyclists. This was real serving.

By the time we reached the shop, Zack was just about to drive away. We shouted our thanks and then went inside to find Jim and his bike eyeing a new pair of rims. Since the repair and installation was probably going to take an hour, the five of us with bikes intact decided to ride on to Mukilteo. We would either meet Jim back here or give him directions to catch up with us.

I found a quick route to get us back on course and soon we were flying along Mukilteo Boulevard under warm sun and bright blue sky. At Red Cup Café, we placed our orders, sat back in the sun, shared good conversation, and enjoyed our coffee and sandwiches. As we were finishing, Jim phoned. His bike was done. I gave him directions for the 5.5 miles between him and us. Within 20 minutes he made his appearance at the Red Cup complete with brand spanking new rims. The best part, now Jim could finish the ride with us... all the way back to Bothell.

So our thanks goes out to Zack. The guy driving the white minivan, carrying a bike rack, and arriving at just the right time.

Thanks for serving your fellow cyclist.

Riders: Jim, Bob D., Mike, Kimberly, Randy, Bob H.
Distance: 50.8 miles
Time: 3:31
Flats: 2
Servant-hearted Cyclists: 2 (at least)

Sharing and Oversharing on the Red Brick Road

2011-04-17T18:09:00.001-07:00

I suppose this is all my fault. I began today's ride by sharing something. I shared with Ken and Randy why I was riding today on very little energy. I was on a liquid diet and hadn't eaten anything since Saturday evening. I explained that later today I would be "clearing the fuel lines" to prepare for a procedure tomorrow.

(Oversharing.)

Randy and Ken knew all about this from their own personal experience. I don't know if they admired me for cycling today on no fuel or thought I was crazy. I took a swig of my Gatorade and hoped the two bottles would be enough.

A few minutes later, Tenille and her boyfriend Brad arrived and greeted us. They were a bit panicked and hurrying to change and get their gear ready. Our ride was set to start at 1:00 but she thought it was at 1:30. So, Ken, Randy and I shared some more conversation while we waited. (Sharing.)

Tenille pulled her bike off the roof rack and I immediately noticed it was her old ride. She had left the new Orbea Orca at home. I shared my disappointment. (Sharing.) We all wanted to see this new, shiny bike and experience a ride with Tenille on a "real road bike." Brad's bike was a mountain bike with slicks. As I shook hands with him and welcomed him to our group, I shared my suspicion that Tenille left the fast bike at home so he could keep up. (Sharing.)

I casually shared with Tenille and Brad that I was going to make today an easy ride—in part because Brad wasn't ready for the torture we sometimes offer—but also because I was on very little fuel. She wanted to know why. So... I overshared.

Immediately, she named the procedure. "Oh! You're having a..." Her recent classes in Anatomy and Biology and whatever else taught her well. She shared how she even got to dissect something related to this procedure. (Nice.)

Time for a devotional and prayer before we headed out. Each of us briefly talked about the morning's sermon and the power of the cross as we looked forward to Good Friday and Easter. (Sharing.) Then I prayed for our ride and for our group. Off we went.

Our ride headed over to Woodinville and onto Rt. 202 through the winery district. I noticed several people walking along the sidewalk with wine glasses in hand as they visited the various tasting rooms sharing a glass of wine. (Sharing.)

As we continued on, a light rain began to fall and then soon turned to hail. The scattered clouds over the valley made the showers and hail very localized. All I had to do was turn right, get onto the Sammamish River Trail, and we were out from under the clouds and in the sunshine.

We entered Redmond and passed Redmond Town Center. I could smell Claim Jumper before we even saw it. Man, I'm hungry. I took another swig of Gatorade wishing it was maybe a cheeseburger. We rode on and reached a streetlight where all five of us regathered. Hearing my complaints of my hunger pains, Tenille asked if I was allowed to eat a gel? I didn't think so but when I saw she had an espresso flavored one, I couldn't resist. I traded a raspberry gel I had on hand and took her espresso gel. I thanked her for sharing, ripped it open, sucked it down, read the ingredients, and then figured my doctor would have said that energy gels aren't on the list of "clear liquids." No matter. I felt better already.

Route 202 turned to the east up a long incline and then a short descent where we turned left onto 196th Avenue NE, also known as the Red Brick Road. This historical road contains the longest stretch of exposed historic red brick highway in King County. We stopped next to the bright blue historical information sign and posed for a group shot. Then we hit the bricks.

The red brick surface is bumpy, bone-jarring, and teeth-chattering. On the upside, you get a nice hand massage as your handlebars rattle back and forth. On the downside, the road is about a mile and a half long. After a quarter mile, Tenille loudly shared, "Okay, I'm about done with the bricks!"

Not me. I pressed on, snapping photos and smiling in the sunshine. I love sharing this hidden road with those who didn't even know it existed much less ridden it. At the end of the road, we headed back to Redmond for a coffee stop at Victor's Coffee.

We pulled into Victor's Coffee and I purchased a tall Americano. A far cry from my now prohibited white chocolate mocha. As I exited, I noticed that Tenille and Brad were without drinks. Since she was the one who asked about the coffee stop, I inquired why. No cash, she explained. Victor's apparently doesn't take plastic. I had four bucks on me. So I willingly shared what I had with Tenille. (Sharing.)

As we sat outside Victor's chatting, I got to know Brad a little better as he shared about his work, education, and where he lived. As the temps dipped, Tenille shared how she was getting cold. I offered to dump my Americano down the back her jersey to warm her up. (That really would be oversharing.) Brad mentioned that would be a lot like what happened on Saturday at the gun range in Issaquah when a very hot spent cartridge went down Tenille's shirt. "Yeah! I got burned! Look, you can see the burn mark!" She then proceeded to unzip her jersey, pull at her collar and show a bright red mark just below her neckline.

A few inches lower and that would be... Oversharing.

Ken's moment of oversharing came when he mentioned that he still couldn't get that song out of his head. He's been practicing the drum part to it and now it was firmly embedded. What song? "Telephone" by Lady Gaga. Ummm... Okay. Thanks for sharing.

We jumped on the bikes and headed out of Redmond. As we neared the Sammamish River Trail, I polled the group. "Who's ready for at least one hill today?" No one objected, so I shared my hill with them—the Willows Road hairpin hillclimb up to NE 132nd Street. At the top, we heard the tones of an ice cream truck. Kids were running out of their apartment building with cash in hand to buy some overpriced ice cream novelties. They weren't sharing. Not with us anyway. I was hungry enough to eat five or six.

Now we were on the home stretch. Apparently Randy was in a hurry because he had a Skype call scheduled for 4:30 with his new long-distance flame. Earlier he shared with us a photo on his cell phone of her. Cute gal. She calls him "pooky." He calls her "babe." (Oversharing.) But I did appreciate Randy's prayer for me for the procedure tomorrow. That's good sharing.

Our remaining mile or two was through a neighborhood near Eastside Foursquare Church. The scent of an early spring barbecue wafted through the air. "I can't stand it!" I shouted. My friends urged me onward. "You can do it, Bob." I was thankful for their shared support.

Finally we arrived back at Eastside and I thanked everyone for enjoying the ride with me. I had made it. But man was I looking forward to a visit to Red Robin tomorrow. Before I pulled away, I offered to share on Facebook the photos that would be taken tomorrow at the doctor's office. No takers.

That would be oversharing.

Riders: Randy, Ken, Tenille, Brad, Bob
Distance: 25.5 miles
Ride Time: 2:05
Average Speed: 13.3 mph
Max Speed: 38.0 mph
Average Climb: 3%
Max Climb: 11%

Hills, Coffee, and Rain

2011-03-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

Today's ride had all the earmarks of an early spring ride: jackets, shoe covers, fenders, coffee, and rain. When we departed Eastside Foursquare Church, the question at hand wasn't "Will we get wet?" It was "When will we get wet?" Fortunately, the first half of our ride was pleasantly dry.

We headed south through Juanita and the Kirkland waterfront. I was a little surprised to see several die hard walkers and joggers already out along Lake Washington Boulevard. I daydreamed for a minute and imagined how this same stretch of roadway will be packed with runners, sun bathers, and moms pushing strollers in just three short months. Today, the number of sun breaks and sun bathers were the same: zero.

Our first climb took us into Yarrow Point. I turned to David at the foot of the hill and said, "Smile, I want to take a 'before' photo." I knew the climb would be arduous. At the top of the climb, he was still smiling. That was either out of pride—not wanting to show his exhaustion—or out of joy—it's just plain fun to tackle these hills!

Our route continued through Clyde Hill, Medina, and Old Bellevue. These less traveled roads through Bellevue offer more opportunity for conversation as we rode two abreast and chatted our way along Meydenbauer Bay. Hill number two loomed ahead as we turned off of Main Street and past Wildwood Park. The Lake Washington Bicycle Trail launches you out of downtown Bellevue on an out-of-the-saddle, quad-burning, lungs-heaving climb. At the top, we curled over our handlebars speaking in two or three-word sentences until everyone had summited.

Now for the fun part. Our route rockets down and around stately homes on well-treed lots through the Beaux Arts neighborhood. Peekaboo views of Lake Washington are caught as we raced through this shaded community just north of the I-90 interchange.

At the I-90 Bike Trail entrance, we regathered and noticed we weren't the only cyclists out today. Another group of 7 or 8 riders came on by. They, too, were risking the rain. So far, so good. We're all still dry. We crossed I-90. I glanced northwest across the water to see Seattle in the distance. It was a palette of gray. So different than the view from this same point in mid-August.

Once we reached Mercer Island, we followed the trail that parallels I-90 until the Tully's Coffee was in sight. We gladly rolled into the parking lot, set our bikes beside a table, placed our orders and sat down outside to enjoy our coffee and the fruits of our labor.

Just when it started to rain.

Riders: Jim, David, Bob, Sally, Gary
Distance: 30 miles

Two Spokes Short of a Full Wheel

2011-03-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

Any cyclist who has been at the sport for awhile knows that a pre-ride safety checklist is important. Even a good "once-over" will save you a lot of trouble down the road. Here's a good example:

Pre-Ride Safety Inspection
Before each ride, perform a safety check of your bicycle. This only needs to take a minute or two, but will help prevent avoidable accidents.

Check the tires for proper inflation (marked on the side of the tire). Check the tire treads for excessive wear or other damage, such as embedded glass or other objects.
Check the brakes. Spin the wheels to check for rubbing and then apply the brakes to ensure they stop the bike smoothly and evenly. Check the brake pads for excessive wear.
Check the cables and housing to make sure there is no fraying or splitting.
Check the wheel quick release levers to ensure they are secure.
Check for any loose parts or other mechanical problems.
Do a slow-speed ride and inspect bicycle, brakes, and shifting before you leave your driveway

You should also make sure you have ALL of your cycling gear, including your helmet. Two of our riders didn't do that today. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Jim, Mike, Ken, and a new rider, Peter, joined me for today's beautiful ride. Our expectations were high as this was the first dry day in many. Last week's scheduled ride was a rainout. So we were overdue for our EFC Cycling Club ride.

As we gathered in the parking lot and prepared for our pre-ride devotional and prayer, Mike exclaimed, "Oh! I can't believe I forgot it!"

"Forgot what?", we all asked.

"My helmet."

Sure enough, the man was helmetless. He decided he would drive home and since he lives just a block or two from today's route, he would meet up with us a few miles into our ride. We shared our devotional and prayed for the ride then headed out under a bright sun.

Our destination was the Snohomish Bakery & Café in downtown Snohomish. It's a favorite among cyclists. We rode along the Samammish River Trail and past UW Bothell's campus. Within a few minutes, riding north along 35th in north Bothell, we met up with Mike. "Nice hat!" we all shouted.

With helmet on head, Mike joined our ride and we continued north into Mill Creek and up to Seattle Hill Road. Seattle Hill Road has a wonderful sweeping descent down into the Snohomish Valley. The Cascade mountain range was visible in the distance. The wind was blowing from the north, but the sun was bright and I had warmed up sufficiently from the early miles. As we crossed Highway 9 and neared the town of Snohomish I saw a bright blue road sign that read, "FOOD". I knew our Snohomish Bakery stop wasn't far away.

We turned onto 1st Street and suddenly Jim picked up the pace. I hadn't seen Jim ride this fast all day. Ken commented that it was as if the horse could smell the barn. Snohomish Bakery & Café was in sight and Jim knew it. Or maybe he smelled it. Or maybe it was that sixth sense that all cyclists have: pastry detection.

We parked the bikes outside, gathered around the bakery counter and placed our orders. Jim and I would share a cinnamon roll large enough to feed four but just right for two hungry cyclists. As we chatted around the table talking about upcoming rides, past victories, and future events, Ken piped up that he really wasn't riding well today. He felt sluggish. I quizzed him to see if he was sick or just experiencing "early season deficiencies."

"How do you feel at Spin Class?"
"Fine, just great.", he said.
"Have you been sick at all?"
"No, been feeling fine all week."
"Then it's your bike. Check the brakes. It wouldn't be the first time a rider has complained about feeling sluggish only to discover their brakes have been rubbing for the last 40 miles.", I replied.

We exited the café and Ken examined his bike. Sure enough, as his wheel spun, it hit his brakes and eventually slowed to a stop. Almost like I've done this before, huh? Riding with the brakes on is like pulling a cinder block behind your bike. It's a drag.

We biked up the street to Snohomish Bicycles and Ken handed his bike to the mechanic. The mechanic showed Ken the bad news. He had two broken spokes. The wheel was way out of true. That's why it was hitting his brakes.

Remember that pre-ride checklist I mentioned? That's why you check your bike. Riding with two broken spokes is like riding with a square wheel. And dragging a cinder block.

As we left the bike shop with Ken's remedied wheel, he was a new man. Like weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He rode anew. Jim pulled alongside of me and said, "Maybe Ken should give us a head start." Sure enough, within five minutes, Ken was easily 200 yards out in front of us. I finally caught him at the next intersection and asked him how he felt.

"Wonderful!"

So next time you head out for a ride, do yourself a favor. Make sure you have your helmet. And make sure your wheel has all it's spokes.

You don't want to be the rider who's "two spokes short of a full wheel."

Putting the "Bent" in Recumbent

2011-03-05T17:45:00.000-08:00

Our first Eastside Foursquare Church Cycling Club Ride of the Year. Jim, David Z., David J., Ken and I gathered in the north parking lot of EFC ready for 38 miles around Snohomish County. We planned for rain but were pleasantly surprised when we discovered sunbreaks late in the ride.

We rode through Kenmore and into Brier enjoying the fellowship and the start of our long-awaited cycling season. The snow had long since melted. All the ice was gone. The rain from earlier in the week had abated. And even though it was still a cool morning, it was by no means cold. I would call it "crisp."

At Logan Park we paused to wait for David J., our recumbent rider. Recumbent bikes are great for comfort—especially on your backside—but really are a drag on the hills. We kept encouraging David to "stand up on those pedals!" But when you seated in a reclining position akin to a poolside chaise lounge, it's a little hard to do that.

As we waited for David, a couple of walkers caught up to us and we chatted. With them were two yellow labrador retrievers. One of which was in a child's wagon and covered with blankets. They explained that she was getting on in years—16 I think—and couldn't walk. But she loved to get outside and go for a roll. In fact, if they forgot to take her on her "walk" she would let them know by being ornery the rest of the day.

David caught us and we continued north into Lynnwood. We entered the Interurban Trail which is a regional trail built on the old Interurban Railway Line that ran between Seattle and Everett from 1910 to 1939. Today the the trail begins in North Seattle and continues north through Shoreline, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood, unincorporated Snohomish County, and Everett.

We exited the trail in north of Mill Creek and then took the 2.5 mile North Creek Trail that runs behind Mill Creek Town Center. The trail is hidden among the trees behind several apartment complexes. Occasionally the sun would dapple the black top, but most of the trail is shaded. On one tight 90 degree corner, the shade mixed with recent rains to make the pavement slick. Slick enough to cause David to dump his recumbent. I turned the corner and heard the crash right behind me. I thought it might be Ken who immediately behind me, but instead I saw David on his side with his recumbent's wheels in the air.

We helped him to his feet, checked him over for blood or broken bones, and then finding none inspected his bike. Jim noticed the damage first. "Hey David, your left aileron is a little high." It was evident that his handlebars were tweaked. They now pointed on a downward angle to the right. Upon closer inspection after the ride, David told me that he had bent his stem.

His recumbent was bent.

Fortunately, he could still ride fine. So we remounted and continued on. We exited the trail at Mill Creek Town Center and turned north again along Bothell-Everett Highway. We rode east past Jackson High School and then through the old neighborhood I lived in ten years ago when we first moved to Bothell. Continuing east, we noticed the sun was beginning to break through the clouds more and more. This was becoming a really nice day for riding.

Our café stop was at the Seattle Hill Road Starbucks. We each ordered our mid-ride food and took a seat. I noticed Ken's high-minded fare. A cracker, cheese, fruit, and boiled egg plate that Starbucks calls the "Protein Artisan Snack Plate." Wait. I haven't described it accurately. From their own website, here's how Starbucks describes this delightful spread: "Hard-boiled, cage-free egg, grapes, sliced apples, and white Cheddar cheese with multigrain muesli bread and honey peanut butter spread." It's good to know that the egg is cage-free. I don't like to eat eggs that come in cages...

After Starbucks, we headed south through Cathcart and Maltby and on into Woodinville. We took our favorite descent past Wellington Hills Golf Course that we call "The Plunge." It's a sweeping, fast drop that dumps you almost into the Woodinville Costco parking lot. If there was no traffic, no intersection, and no streetlight, I'd have coasted down that hill all the way up to the hot dog stand.

We hit the Sammamish River Trail for the final few miles back into Bothell and then up the hill to Eastside Foursquare Church. Our first ride of the year was done. All five riders made it back. And only one bike suffered slight damage.

But, hey, you can't spell recumbent without "bent."

Riders: Jim, David Z., David J., Ken, Bob
Distance: 39.8 miles
Time: 3:03
Avg: 13.2

Do the Zoo

2010-05-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday, May 15— Under bright blue skies, we headed south along the shore of Lake Washington through Kirkland, Bellevue, Newcastle, and into Renton. Our route today would take us around Cougar and Squak Mountains and then past the Cougar Mountain Zoological Park and up and over Cougar Mountain—or as we like to call it: Zoo Hill, one of the hardest local climbs we do.

Our first climb was more of a practice climb or confidence builder. We turned up SE 112th Street on the south face of Cougar Mountain and climbed up and up to some great views of Lake Washington, Mt. Rainier, and the Cedar River Valley. The descents are always the best part of any climb, and the descent from this climb did not disappoint. At the bottom, we turned east again on SE May Valley Road to Issaquah-Hobart Road. Along this stretch and on this beautiful Saturday morning, cyclists outnumbered motorists 10 to 1. We easily passed a hundred cyclists on the roads today. A brief stop at Squak Mountain State Park gave us a breather and a place to get off the bikes.

Our turn north on Issaquah-Hobart Road puts the wind at our backs and us onto the ride's "Time Trial". We got into the drops, tucked low, and pedaled hard all the way into Issaquah. But the hard work was around the corner. Those who had ridden this route with me before were already groaning. A coupled of steep climbs through a neighborhood above downtown Issaquah until we drop down to Tibbets Park where we refilled our water bottles and prepared for "His Majesty the Zoo-ness."

As we turned up Zoo Hill, the road was immediately unforgiving. Zoo Hill is a winding, switchback climb with at least two false summits that bring hope and then dash that hope to the ground until you finally, for certain, undeniably reach the top. At the top, you can do one of three things: dump the bike and flop onto the ground in exhaustion (Tenille did this); circle around with a huge grin of pride and wait for all the riders behind you (Johnny did this); turn around, descend to the bottom and climb up one more time (no one in their right mind does this. And none of us did either.)

After a rest in the sunshine at the top, we enjoyed the delicious breezy high-speed downhill into Factoria where we stopped at Starbucks to chat and refuel on coffee and pastries. Our return home was straightforward as we relished our accomplishment and appreciated the remaining strength in our legs.

Distance: 56.21
Time: 4:03:03
Avg: 13.8
Max: 41.6

Skagit Spring Classic: 109 miles of cookie-powered, chip-seal, headwind goodness

2010-05-11T17:21:00.001-07:00

We liked to call it the Skagit "Headwind" Classic. But this year, I started accentuating the positive and this ride is now known as "The Cookie Ride." It's the Skagit Spring Classic with routes of 25, 45, 62, and 100 miles. I had never ridden the Century (100-mile) route and a few of us were ready to tackle it. I usually hit my first century ride on Memorial Day weekend, but I was willing to give it a go a few weeks early this year.

The day was looking to be a beauty. The skies were azure blue with a few white, puffy clouds. The weather was slightly cool but would warm up nicely without being too hot at all. Our group of seven—myself, Kristin, Tenille, Warren, Jim, Brenda, and Dale—arrived in two carpools, checked in, geared up, and hit the road. The winds near the Skagit Regional Airport were strong but our spirits were high. I glanced down at my cyclometer and noticed Kristin and I were going at a good clip. This was gonna be a good day!

We worked our way over the first 12 miles or so in the Skagit flats until we reached the base of Chuckanut Drive. Chuckanut is one of the most scenic drives in Western Washington, in my opinion. It flanks Bellingham Bay overlooks Lummi Island to the west with tall conifers along the roadway and steep rocky cliffs. We sailed uphill and rocketed downhill until we reached the first rest stop. Ah! Cookies! Here's an excerpt from SSC's website: "The Skagit Spring Classic is often referred to as the cookie ride, and for good reason. We bake thousands of cookies. Cookies of all types, Oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, butterscotch chip, brownies, snicker doodles; the list goes on and on. It is our intent for you to leave our ride having consumed more calories than you burned." My friend, Rob, had asked me what my MPC (Miles per Cookie) was. By the end of this ride, I think I calculated it to be about 8.

After gorging on a few too many homemade cookies, taking a group photo overlooking Bellingham Bay, and refilling the water bottles, we remounted our bikes and dropped into Whatcom County and began turning east. Our route now took us along Lake Samish paralleling Interstate 5. The scenery was still amazing with crystalline blue waters and verdant green mountains. We made quick work of the miles and eventually hit our second rest stop at mile 38 at Donovan State Park.

Tenille describes what happened next: "Donovan was a tad crowded, and had a line for the restrooms that incontinently covered up the pavement markings saying "century riders THIS WAY" with an arrow pointing towards a small incline. That small mix up would cost us an extra six miles- an expensive six miles, too- being that we climbed the steepest hill before realizing our mistake." We turned out of the state park and had already climbed Bow Hill Road before we realized our mistake.

But before I turn you around, let me tell you about Bow Hill Road, which is probably the hardest hill of the ride and the home of Satan. That's right. The devil lives on this hill. As we climbed Bow Hill, a figure dressed in red and black carrying a... pitchfork? Yep, that's a pitchfork, was standing in the middle of the road, shouting at the riders and poking them with her implement of torture. Did I say "her"? Yes, I did. When I got up to Satan and could hear his voice, I realized it was a woman dressed up in this devilish garb. She was encouraging the riders, playfully whacking them on the back with her trident, and keeping them moving uphill. A few miles later, we were talking about this devil and Tenille said, "Y'know, she told me I was doing a good job!" I replied, "Tenille, if you're getting your 'attaboys' from Satan, you REALLY need to spend more time with Jesus!"

Warren and I both decided the proper response was to quote Jesus in Matthew 16:23, "Get behind me, Satan!" and we added, "And PUSH!"

After realizing our map-fail, we returned to Donovan State Park which added an additional six miles and found our correct route for the 100-mile riders. This section of the route was all new to me and I loved it. We passed by Cain Lake, Reed Lake, and then the gorgeous Lake Whatcom. Somewhere on the shore of this lake in 1990, I was baptized during college. Special memories for me. A park that we passed had a reader board sign that read, "Slow Down, Breathe Deep, Relax, Smile and Enjoy Each Day." A fitting reminder for a day like today. I had only one critique: "Slow Down, Breathe Deep..." The sign was located right next to a honeybucket portable toilet. Not a place I want to slow down and breathe deep.

As we turned south, we got on Highway 9 and enjoyed the smooth road. So much of what we had been riding on all day is known as "chip seal." It's a layer of asphalt or tar with a layer of gravel with a layer of tar and another layer of gravel. It's a cheap way to build a road and very common in rural communities. For cyclists, it's the bane of our existence. It makes for a jarring cycling experience. The only upside, as Kristin noted, is your triceps get a good workout.

Our third rest stop was now in view. I could tell we were at the back of the bus since the rest stop was sparsely populated this late in the afternoon. No problem for us. We had no appointments to make. Just roads to ride. The best part of this rest stop was when one of the volunteers pulled out a tupperware container and remarked, "Well, we always save the best stuff for last." His treasure he was sharing with us: Nanaimo Bars. This Canadian bar cookie is divine. It's chocolatey, rich, and I could have eaten four of them. I stopped at one. I still had some miles ahead of me. But, that Nanaimo bar gave me the fuel I needed for the remaining 30+ miles.

We now looped towards Sedro-Woolley and hit another big hill along Gripp Road. The climbing was steep, but the hill was short. I said to Kristin, "That hill has nothing on Cayuse Pass, huh?" Cayuse Pass is in Mount Rainier National Park and is one of the longest, hardest climbs I've done. Once you've got "impossible" under your belt, "hard" doesn't really register anymore.

At about mile 80 or so, I decided I needed some distraction to get through these remaining miles. iPod to the rescue. I turned on my iPhone speakers and played some of the same tunes that got me across the U.S. last summer on my cross-country tour. This was my first century since completing my cross-country challenge and a lot of memories were coming back. At this point specifically, memories of a tired, sore butt. Legs, feet, and ankles were all doing fine. But my backside was voicing it's disapproval.

Now we were back at Donovan State Park for the second time and ready to take the Bow Hill route that we errantly took earlier in the day. It seems Satan had gone home for the day. But the hill hadn't gotten any easier. Now we just had roughly a dozen or so miles ahead of us. We navigated the flat roads west of Burlington and along Bayview and Edison. I was feeling the effects of six and half hours on the bike and ready to reach our finish line and feast on the spaghetti dinner promised to us. My only worry was that the sign at registration said the dinner closed at 4:30 p.m. We were fast approaching that time. I called Warren and got word back that they'd be serving spaghetti until 5:00 p.m. We'd make it. But barely.

The remaining miles clicked by. I was riding with Tenille and I could tell she was nearly cooked, but we battled through those final turns and then reached the school where our fellow riders and our beloved spaghetti were waiting. My first century of 2010 was in the bag. And with our bonus miles, we had extended this ride to a rowdy 109 miles. I was done, but grateful for a beautiful day, the health to ride through it all, and great friends to experience it all with.

Oh, and a whole lot of cookies to eat along the way!

Riders: Bob H., Kristin, Warren, Jim, Tenille, Brenda, Dale
Distance: 109.02
Time: 6:58:51
Avg: 15.5
Max: 38.0

More photos are here.

Riding the Interurban

2010-04-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

The Interurban Trail is a rail trail in Snohomish County. It is a hard-surfaced, non-motorized trail located on the Pacific Northwest Traction right-of-way, a route used until 1939 by the Interurban Railroad between Seattle and Bellingham. The trail in Snohomish County runs over 16 miles (26 km). In 1910, The Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway began electric passenger service. After the railway was abandoned in 1939, it was converted to a power line corridor. In the 1990s, the right-of-way was opened to pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Today, we were that bicycle traffic and our route covered most of it.

We left Eastside Foursquare Church and headed through Kenmore where another ride group three times our size merged with us. We followed them through Briar until we had to stop to regroup and reconnect with David who had pulled a sanican quickstop a mile or two back. Once regrouped, we rode into Lynnwood and found the Interurban Trail access point paralleling I-5.

Marlene had never ridden the Interurban and was pleasantly surprised when she realized where we were, "Hey, this is Lynnwood, isn't it?" Probably exactly what the original explorers said when they settled this area years ago. We rode north along the Interurban through Martha Lake and South Everett. We had to search for awhile to locate the access to the new I-5 pedestrian bridge. After spinning through a nearby neighborhood searching high and low, we found the trail entrance right on the I-5 on ramp, with a partition between us and the freeway. We crossed I-5 and continued north into Everett.

As we pedaled along the trail through Everett, our ride became a bit of a scavenger hunt. Locating the next Interurban Trail sign became the game. Some were hidden behind parked trucks. Others were on opposite sides of the street or at odd angles. But we found them all and made our way to the northern terminus of the trail.

We turned west just as the sprinkles began to turn to light rain and rode along Possession Sound on W. Mukilteo Blvd. The ride along the waterfront provided peek-a-boo views of Everett and the Whidbey Island as we swept up short climbs and fun downhills. Our destination was drawing closer, but first, we had to stop for the requisite group photo at Harborview Park. The gray sky overhead didn't damper our enthusiasm. But I was grateful we weren't standing in the rain for our photo.

Just a few miles more and we reached Red Cup Café. This café is warm and inviting with zany artwork, sculpture and photos all around. The food and beverages hit the spot. My half sandwich was exactly what I needed. When Warren ordered the "Orcas" sandwich, David was sure he had said "Oinkin'" and assumed it was a fairly large sandwich—appropriate for Warren. We laughed until David sat down with a cinnamon roll as big as his head. Who's the oinker now?

We enjoyed our coffee, baked goods, and sandwiches—as well as a warm place to dry out—almost as much as our animated conversation. Then we took to the rode and routed our return trip. We rode along a different route through Mukilteo past light industrial areas and even StockPot Soups.

When we crossed back over I-5, I took the group over to McCollum Park and then we followed the Mill Creek North Creek Trail. The ten foot wide hard surface trail is approximately 2.5 miles long running between McCollum County Park and 164th St. SE. But we called it our "Wonderland Trail." It sweeps up and down and around corners all in a wooded setting behind apartments and homes. We encountered a road hazard when a downed tree gave us the option of either bunny-hopping over or stopping and carrying the bike over. No one bunny-hopped, but we all wished we could.

We exited the trail at Mill Creek Town Center and then continued south on Bothell-Everett Highway until we reached Bothell. Even with a bit of light rain, this ride proved once again to be a day of great regional trails, hidden surprises, great fellowship, and—of course—good coffee. And a lot of it on the Interurban.

More photos here.

Riders: Bob, Jim, Marlene, Warren, Don, David
Distance: 51.15
Time: 3:53:44
Avg: 13.2
Max: 30.7

Riding Past the Restaurants

2010-04-16T07:07:00.000-07:00

Our midweek ride tonight took the seven of us along more of the 7 Hills of Kirkland route up to Kingsgate. The evening was pleasant and the conversation was likewise. As we turned into the Kingsgate neighborhood, we passed Pizza Bank. The aroma of freshly baked pizza and pasta wafted through the evening air. Everyone of us groaned slightly as we imagined pulling into the parking lot, ditching our ride, and carbo-loading on a family-size with Italian sausage, pepperoni, and extra cheese. Tenille explained she hadn't yet had dinner and this was killing her.

We rode through the neighborhoods, passed quiet homes, and then dropped down Brickyard Road—a screaming descent that thrilled everyone. At the bottom, we headed into downtown Bothell along Main Street. I realized this might be torturous for Tenille. We passed Pen Thai Restaurant and all the exotic smells hit us as we rode by. We turned another corner and passed The Ranch Drive-In where burgers and dogs greeted us. Tenille was in agony now.

The agony would continue, but it would be a different kind. I warned our group that we were headed for a hard hill—the route up to Bothell High School. The long challenge was capably met by all six riders. Now we could enjoy a flat section and another downhill as we pointed our bikes to Kenmore. I thought we were well past the evening restaurant smells. But then we passed a home with... a backyard barbecue! The grill beckoned to us and everyone moaned out again. Cries of mercy came from Tenille.

One last hill for the evening. We climbed up Norway Hill. The view of the setting sun at the top was a sweet reward for the hard climb. We gathered around the Norway Hill sign for a quick pic and then we rocketed down the backside and turned back into Eastside Foursquare Church. Our ride was complete, but I suspect that at least one of us was making a beeline for dinner.

Riders: Bob, Tenille, Jim, Mike, Randy, Glenn, Don
Dist: 17.69
Time: 1:25:19
Max: 41.
Avg: 12.4

They Don't Miss Turns on the Paris-Roubaix

2010-04-10T22:04:00.000-07:00

Today's ride is our own version of the professional cycling spring classic race Paris-Roubaix. It's one of cycling's oldest one-day races and it's noted foremost for it's rough sections of cobblestones, or "pavé", that give the riders a bone-jarring, teeth-chattering ride. Coupled with unpredictable springtime weather that produces rain, sleet, mud—this race becomes one of the most hazardous replete with crashes and pile-ups. All of which has earned it the nickname "The Hell of the North" and the "Queen of the Classics."

To honor this ride, we rode our own version on one mile of red brick highway, the Red Brick Road, in Redmond. This historical road contains the longest stretch of exposed historic red brick highway in King County. To reach this one-mile stretch, we left Eastside Foursquare Church and headed out to Woodinville and then south to downtown Redmond. We turned east and climbed Union Hill. The climb is steep and long, but scenic with tall evergreens on either side of the roadway.

Our group of seven was currently being led out by Johnny and Mark. I was doing my best to lead the ride from third place. Johnny and Mark are both strong riders so I wasn't surprised that they wanted to stretch out their legs and put the hammer down. Mark is an experienced triathlete and Johnny is just an all-around "like to go fast" kind of road rider. As we pressed further east along Union Hill Road, they both made the right choice to stop at intersections and allow our gang to regroup.

On one of the earlier regroupings, I called back to Marlene who was riding with us for the first time. "How's the pace?" I asked her. She gave me a thumbs-up and called back, "Great!" "Would you tell me if it wasn't?" I asked. She smiled. So our pace was good and those in the back weren't too spread out. Mark, Johnny, and I realized the advantage to riding fast and then stopping to regroup gave us more time to catch our breath and chat at the stop sign while we waited for the others.

At NE Ames Lake Rd., I turned to our group and gave them our next two turns. We'd be turning right onto Route 202-Redmond Fall City Rd. and then they had to keep an eye out for 196th Ave. NE where we would turn right again and be on the Red Brick Road. Mark looked back and said something to the effect of, "That's why I'm here, to ride the Red Brick Road! I'm following you!" A sense of doubt crept over me. He hadn't followed anyone this morning. But, fair warning was given. They knew where to turn if they got out in front again. And that's where Mark and Johnny went—out in front.

We turned onto Rt. 202 and Mark asked me if this road led straight to 196th. I assured him it did. He took off. Johnny followed suit. By the time I reached 196th Ave. NE and stopped, I could see them about a quarter mile ahead in the distance. They had missed the turn. I shook my head. Not in disbelief, but in quiet acceptance of a fact I've come to respect—"If you're in front, you better know where you're going." As the rest of the group soon joined me, I explained that our fast riders had missed the turn. I called Johnny's cell phone and left him a message. Then I shared with the rest of the riders my homily, "If you're riding in the front, you better know where you're going. We've seen this before, haven't we?" And then the litany of cyclists that have made similar bad calls rolled off our lips—Bob T., Warren, Cary. Someone added, "Yeah, but Cary would turn around, come back and say 'Hey guys, what's going on?!' "

The five of us who remained turned down the Red Brick Road and enjoyed the rapid bump-bump-bump of the cobbled pavement. Marlene and David J. both admitted that the bricks really could shake up your bladder. Nearby restroom, anyone? About halfway down the bricks, my cell rang. It was Johnny. "How's the Red Brick Road?", he sheepishly asked. "Where are you guys?!" They were already at our coffee stop in downtown Redmond, Peet's Coffee & Tea. I busted him a little for missing the turn but it sounded like he was just following Mark. I told them we'd join them in a few minutes. We concluded our red brick bumpy ride and headed into Redmond. We found Peet's Coffee and spotted Mark and Johnny reclining in chairs outside the front entrance with coffee already in hand.

I pulled up to Mark and chuckled. "You're a great leader. Just gotta work on following!" I handed him my camera so he could see photos of all he had missed while I went inside and got my coffee and pastry. Interesting side note about Peet's. They can't warm your pastries. That's right. No microwaves or toasters on the premises. The guy behind the counter explained that this required an additional food service permit. You've got to be kidding. When David and I were chatting about this later, he commented on a book he recently read called Outstanding: 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional. Apparently, not being able to microwave pastries violates about 23 of those ways.

After our coffee, baked goods, and conversation was concluded, we headed back to EFC. Our route along the Sammamish River Trail was busy for an early spring Saturday. In fact, I was amazed to see not just one or two, but no less than five Cascade Bicycle Club group rides each with at least 40 cyclists. Everyone was out today. What had started as a cold morning was now turning into a warm afternoon. It was a refreshing alternative to the wet and muddy Paris-Roubaix. But to its credit, on that ride no one misses their turns...

Riders: Bob, Mike, Johnny, Mark, Marlene, David J., David Z.
Dist: 42.0

More photos here.

I'm Hill FREEEEE!

2010-04-07T23:16:00.000-07:00

Tonight, we began our midweek rides. Tenille, Randy, and Glenn showed up. Randy is a longtime friend of mine and new to cycling this year. I was excited to finally get to ride with RL. He brought along his co-worker and friend, Glenn. The rain had finally abated, and the only wet was going to come from the road spray. Otherwise, I was calling this a dry ride. We set out to do 16 miles along the Seven Hills of Kirkland. We warmed up on the Juanita Drive Hill and then enjoyed the sweet descent down Holmes Point Drive.

As we reached the bottom, I turned back to Randy and asked him if he enjoyed that downhill. It was the fastest he'd ever ridden. I was pleased for him. But then I shared the bad news. I said, "In the parlance of Financial Peace University, you now have an 'elevation debt' and as you know, you have to pay off your debt." In other words, we had a serious hill ahead of us to climb. But I let Randy know he was fully permitted, once he reached the summit, to shout at the top of his lungs, "I'M HILL FREEEEEE!"

Glenn jokingly shouted back, "Hey, I didn't know there were going to be hills on this ride!" I replied, "Glenn, when I said we're going to do a portion of the 'Seven Hills of Kirkland', that might have been an indicator to you that there were going to be hills on this ride!"

We pressed on, climbed and climbed. I chatted with Tenille for a bit as we chugged upwards. (I learned later from Randy that my casual talking while his chest is heaving to get air into his lungs is somewhat discouraging. So sorry, friend!) At the top of the hill, Randy let it out right on cue...

"I'M HILL FREEEEEEE!"

It's All About the Coffee Shop

2010-04-03T22:30:00.000-07:00

My theme for 2010's cycling club rides is, in a word, coffee. Specifically, coffee shops. A few riders are on to me. They've noticed my trend. That's alright by me. You have to have a goal for the end of the ride. A reward. Something to look forward to. So, this year, it's all about the coffee shop.

Today's ride was actually led by Kristin. Although, I helped her determine the route and I selected the coffee shop. But, I made sure she was out in front (which isn't hard to do as she likes to ride in front... hard-core roadie that she is.) We left Eastside Foursquare Church and headed on the Samammish River Trail into Woodinville past the wineries and then continued south on Rt. 202 to English Hill. The nice climb up and over English Hill warmed us up on this unseasonably cold Spring day. The temperature never climbed above 45 degrees today.

Once over English Hill, we continued west on NE 133rd St. and turned north on 232nd Ave NE. This route is a familiar one we use to get to Duvall. It avoids some of the higher traffic roads and is a more secluded route with stately homes mixed in with older ramblers on heavily treed lots and a road with plenty of rollers. The route Ts with NE Old Woodinville Duvall Rd. which is a nice decent into the Snoqualmie River Valley.

We rode into Duvall and stopped at a corner where we encountered a dozen or more members of the ByrneInvent Cycling Team. They were relaxing on their bikes waiting on a couple other riders. They took off about the same time we did. I knew it would be wiser to follow them rather than try to leave before them and watch 18 cyclists pass me in the first half mile. We began our loop around Cherry Valley Rd. and at the bottom of the first hill, I was surprised to see the ByrneInvent team stopped on the shoulder. Flat. One team member had flatted and now everyone had pulled aside to wait on him. I resisted the temptation to shout out to them something like, "Hey guys, a little early for another rest stop, huh?" I knew I wouldn't be able to outrun any of them if they gave chase to beat on me...

Our loop around Cherry Valley included a regroup stop at Valley Foursquare Church as they were getting ready for Easter services. This church is of interest to me because they are one of my graphic design clients. The two A-boards we passed as well as the signage outside the church were designed and printed by me. Fun to see my work while out on the road. If you're looking for a good church out in Duvall, check them out.

After our loop, we descended down Stillwater Hill and turned north on Rt. 203 back into downtown Duvall. It was at this moment that I began to really look forward to the upcoming coffee stop. I even began fantasizing about my pastry of choice. Despite making better food choices these days, I knew I wasn't going to be able to resist the urge... A P P L E F R I T T E R. I could hear it calling. I nicknamed it the Gut Bomb. And as we pulled into Tressa's Bakery, dismounted our bikes and walked into the warm and cozy café, I saw the object of my desire. One left. I'll take it. Plus a white chocolate mocha. (Adding up calories burned minus calories about to be consumed... I might just break even.) After cycling nearly 40 miles in temperatures of about the same number, we needed this warm-up. It felt good to kick back, relax, converse with friends, and enjoy the ambience. Until we all noticed the CD playing in the background was skipping. Kristin kindly informed our barista and she took care of it. Didn't need that song skipping in my head for the remaining 20 miles.

Our return route to Bothell was direct and uneventful. No it wasn't. As we climbed back up NE Woodinville Duvall Road, a woman in an SUV pulled alongside of me with her passenger window down. "Excuse me sir! One of your riders in the back has fallen over!" Fallen over? She made him sound like he was a fence post. I turned around to check on David, our recumbent rider who was in the back. When I found him, he was fully upright, but smiling sheepishly. Apparently, his rear wheel had caught the road edge and he tumbled. Nothing hurt but his pride. We pressed on, back into Woodinville and toward an old standby, Norway Hill.

Norway Hill is like the exclamation mark to many of our rides. If you just didn't get enough climbing in, tack on Norway. It's a hard, steep hill that ends a block from Eastside Foursquare. I used to resist it, but not today. I am powered by Apple Fritter. I am fueled by white mocha. I have calories to burn. See, there's a reason why it's always all about the coffee shop.

Riders: Kristin, Bob, David, Jim
Distance: 49.52
Time: 3:47:25
Average: 13.0
Max: 32.0

Put on Your Big Girl Pants

2010-03-27T19:17:00.000-07:00

Our Saturday morning club rides begin with a short devotional and prayer. This morning I began a short discussion around a book I'm currently reading, Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life by Larry Winget. The author isn't a Christian, that I'm aware of, and his perspective isn't exactly from a Christian worldview, but his premise was worthy of discussion. I asked, "How do we as Christians love others and offer compassion but don't enable someone to keep making bad decisions. How how do we love people but still are able to get in their face and say "shut up, stop whining, get a life"?" We talked a bit about Ephesians 4:15, "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." Kristin summed it up well when she added, "Sometimes you've got to say to someone, "Put on your big girl pants and deal with it!" That would prove to be good advice for the ride ahead...

We headed south to Juanita where we were met by our first adversary: a flat. Two new riders, Neal and his son Tim, were joining us today and it was Tim's rear tire that flatted within the first five miles. I forgot to review that rule... No flats within the first five miles. Our team-approach to flat repair paid off and we were back on the road riding along Juanita Bay, up Market Street, and into Kirkland along the Lake Washington waterfront. The day was looking good.

We rode up our first sizable hill up into Clyde Hill and Yarrow Point. No whining yet. That's good.

Our route took us through Medina and Old Bellevue and then we turned right off Main Street and joined the Lake Washington Bike Trail. It starts with a HC Climb (that's French—"hors categorie," Tour de France lingo for "beyond category" which means really steep) that goes up, turns right, keeps going up, turns left, and keeps going up. The view of downtown Bellevue and Lake Washington is gorgeous, but you have to lift your head and look up. Most riders are focused on the tire in front of them and trying not to barf up a lung. The whining was beginning... where are your big girl pants?

At the top, we regrouped, caught our collective breath, then enjoyed a great descent, some easier ups and downs, and racing through the neighborhood of Beaux Arts. The trees and shade make this section of the ride truly beautiful and I can see why any family living here has so chosen. Neal mentioned to Tim that this would be a great ride for the middle of summer when it's 90 degrees. The shade definitely would cool you down.

We rode across the I-90 bridge, crossed onto Mercer Island, and then followed Kristin as she led us through Covenant Shores and around to the northwestern corner of the island. We took the counter-clockwise route around the island and noticed very quickly that we not the only ones on the island today. Dozens of other cyclists were out today. Training groups, pairs of friends, other cycling clubs, racing clubs riding in formation—they were all out today. The weather was still filtered sun but not too warm. We rolled around the island enjoying the twists and turns, the slight rises, and short descents, until we reached the northeast corner of the island where I-90 crosses. Our goal was to hit a Starbucks or Tully's for coffee. The only problem was that since we had started on the west side of the island, we now had another long hill between us and the downtown shops. No matter. I brought the right kind of pants... Big Girl Pants. Let's bring it.

So up we went. This hill was harder than the first two. By a factor of three at least. I tried hard not to remind myself that this was Kristin's idea. We even gave everyone a vote... Hill or no hill? I think Neal—who voted for the hill—was shocked at what he had elected to ride up. But we made it up. We had an easy downhill into town and then promptly found the Tully's where an iced latte, some coffee cake, and chair in the sunshine made the effort worthwhile.

John had dropped back a bit when we coming around the island so Warren had gone back to retrieve him and make sure he found his way to Tully's. First, I think Warren was glad that after all these years of riding, the tables had turned. We used to say, "Who's gonna wait for Warren?" Now, Warren is doing the waiting—and fetching. When he got John to the base of the big hill, my phone rang. They were looking for an alternate route. I couldn't blame them. So I provided a longer but flatter way and they soon joined us at Tully's. John had already phoned his wife and asked her to "do him a solid" and pick him up at the Tully's. She agreed. I wondered what her fee would be.

After leaving Tully's and saying farewell to John, we headed back through downtown Bellevue—hitting every street light we could, because that's what you do in downtown Bellevue. At the light at 112th and NE 8th, I glanced to my left and saw the window signage at the David Barton Gym. Their slogan, "Look Better Naked." Hmmm. Perhaps. But after today's ride, I think we all look best when we put on our "big girl pants."

More photos here.

Riders: Bob, Jim, Brenda, Kristin, John, Warren, David, Neal, and Tim
Distance: 45.26
Time: 3:10:57
Avg: 13.8
Max: 40.2

To the Bike Expo: German Acrobatic Cyclists, Hasidic Jews, and IC3

2010-03-13T19:25:00.000-08:00

It was a cold morning on our way to Bike Expo. but the promise of more than 300 exhibits of bikes, gear, travel, health and fitness plus three stages of speakers and performers kept us moving. Our route along the Burke-Gilman Bike Trail into Seattle wasn't too eventful until we passed Matthews Beach Park and I passed three pedestrians that were dressed a bit peculiarly. As I neared them I realized it was an Hasidic Jewish couple and their daughter. The tell-tale black broad-brimmed hat, long coat, and untrimmed beard gave him away. I wondered if we had cycled too far and were now in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

We rode on into Fremont, crossing the Fremont Bridge and into Seattle via Dexter Avenue. I had not ridden along Dexter before and recognized some familiar businesses like KING TV's broadcasting studios and a few radio networks. After missing a turn, we rode a bit deeper into downtown than we needed, but retraced our path back into Belltown and then westward to the Olympic Sculpture Park and then along the Elliott Bay Trail that would take us to Cruise Terminal 91.

The view across Elliott Bay was stunning as the sun began to emerge from the clouds and warm up our late morning. Cascade Bicycle Club was routing us around some commercial property that borders the Cruise Terminal so our route to Expo for the final mile or two wasn't as direct as we had hoped. We turned onto the pier and passed other cyclists, pedestrians, and buses. And two kids on unicycles.

After entering Expo, we could tell we wouldn't be disappointed. Two floors of exhibits with booth after booth with cycling gear, organized ride info, cycling tour operators, food distributors, and so much more. My first stop was at the International Christian Cycling Club booth where Mike Leaman and Jay Bonner were greeting attendees and giving away Hammer Nutrition samples. They were getting plenty of visitors on this busy Saturday morning and early afternoon. The place was a zoo. I was glad I brought my backpack. I filled it with cycling grub samples, fliers for upcoming rides, and free cycling magazines being handed out. It also limited me to not buying anything more than what I could fit INSIDE the backpack!

After making my rounds upstairs, I headed downstairs to make sure I didn't miss the German Artistic Cyclists, Corrina Hein, Stefan Musu and Lukas Matla. These three cyclists were absolutely stunning to watch. The video at the top of this blog shows some of the amazing tricks this athletes are able to do with a bike. Needless to say, I did NOT attempt any of these moves on the way home.

On our way home, we headed north toward Discovery Park but turned to take one of my favorite hidden bike routes—a walking bridge that crosses the Burlington Northern RR and connects W. Government Way to W. Commodore Way. When you exit, you are south of the Ballard Locks. We walked through the Locks, remounted our bikes, and returned back to Eastside Foursquare Church along the Burke-Gilman Trail once more. It was a day of sights, tastes, and tricks... and plenty of miles.

More photos here.

First Club Ride of the Year!

2010-03-10T19:51:00.000-08:00

This was gonna be a great day of riding. I could tell when I pulled into the parking lot and already could see a half dozen cyclists getting ready. The first weekend of March marks our first Eastside Foursquare Church Cycling Club ride. This date in the past two years has been cold, wet, and miserable. Today the temps would break 60F and be almost balmy. I wasn't alone in my excitement. By the time our ride would begin, we would have 13 in our group!

We descended Waynita Way and jumped on the Burke Gilman Trail riding into Kenmore, then turning north through Briar and Mill Creek. The sky was blue and the roads were dry, so it made for a fun and lively morning riding with friends I hadn't been on a bike with since the 2009 season ended in October. We were quick to catch up on all that's been going on and just enjoyed the morning to ride and relax. I commented at least once that this sure beats doing yard work!

Our route took us through neighborhoods, and parks, and along side roads that most cyclists in our group aren't familiar with. Our pace quickened as we reached our halfway point and began turning back south towards Woodinville and Bothell. Riding with a large group like we had this morning makes the conversations even more interesting. One rider drifts back while another comes up to the front of the pack and I get to start a new conversation. One of my favorite parts of riding with our EFC group is the conversations that are enjoyed while on a ride.

A few of us hammered hard as we rounded a corner in Maltby heading into Woodinville. Then we turned into Wellington Hills golf course and began the steep descent to Highway 9 that we like to call "The Plunge." You have to be sure your brakes are in good condition otherwise you'll be sailing right into the front doors of Costco.

Our final miles took us onto the Sammamish River Trail and into Bothell where we stopped for a post-ride latte and baked goods at The Lyon's Den. When we entered, I noticed there was a group of hearing impaired or deaf people chatting with each other. A couple of them were ordering ahead of us in line, writing their orders down on paper or on PDAs to hand to the counter staff. When I got to the front of the line, I said, "Now we go from the hearing impaired to the fashion impaired," referring to the colorful group of lycra-clad cyclists I was with.

Our coffee and conversation was a great conclusion to our first ride of the year. I'm already looking forward to next Saturday.

More photos here.

Not So Chilly, But Still Quite Hilly

2010-02-28T19:14:00.000-08:00

As soon as I arrived at the Coleman Dock Ferry Terminal in downtown Seattle, I knew I should have been there earlier. The weather was forecast to be a perfect day for cycling—especially for a late February in Seattle—and that meant that this year's Chilly Hilly was very well attended. The registration table was crowded and a line emanated from the table for nearly fifty yards. I could see I would be in that line for a little while. I was given some peace by the announcer telling everyone over the P.A. that there was plenty of room on the 8:45 a.m. ferry. I would learn later that he was either lying or terribly misinformed.

Jim and David, two of the other riders I had planned to meet, had already crossed the street and were waiting in the queue area for the 8:45 a.m. ferry. I found Tenille who was still near the registration area. We crossed Alaskan Way and found the back of the crowd. The queue area was full and the ferry personnel were holding the remaining cyclists back. We weren't getting on the 8:45 ferry. We better get comfortable in this parking lot. We're gonna be here until 9:35. We waved goodbye to Jim and David as their ferry pulled out of the dock and began sailing to Bainbridge Island.

Eventually, we were able to board the ferry and begin our journey across Elliott Bay. The sky was slightly overcast, but the air was dry and only mildly cool. When we pulled into Bainbridge Island, the ferry was buzzing with energy. These cyclists were ready to ride! This was Tenille's first organized ride and she was no exception. I could tell she was getting excited.

The first 15 miles of Chilly Hilly give you some nice warm-up hills, but nothing too strenuous. Those hills are saved for the second half. I enjoyed the pace as we rode and chatted and enjoyed the views—both of the scenery around us and the crazy cyclists riding with us. A group of at least 25 riders were passing us with bright red plastic flags pinned to their clothing with a white skull and cross bones stenciled onto each flag. I surmised these were "cycling event bandits"—riders who did not pay the registration fee, but are riding the event anyway. At least they weren't hiding the fact. The pirate flags made that fairly obvious.

At the halfway stop, we pulled into the large park that was packed to the gills with cyclists of all kinds, booths with an assortment of food, and a few too little portable toilets. I made a beeline to the shortest line I could find and waited... As I wandered back through the crowd and the food vendors, I was puzzled once again—as I am every year—watching these cyclists buying footlong hot dogs loaded with chili. A meal suitable for the end of the ride, but something I would never eat mid-ride. I could only hope they would make it to the finish without cramping up and dying on the next hill.

And the next hill was soon to appear. As we turned the corner to Baker Hill Road, I glanced at Tenille to see the look of shock coming across her face. It's a long, slow climb, but one that can be knocked out if you've been cycling all winter like we had both been doing. It's such a pleasure to pass other riders on the hills. I made no attempt to hide my glee.

The remaining miles took us along the southern end of the island. We rode along the waterfront, enjoyed a few more good hills, passed two unicyclists, and stopped for photos with the city of Seattle in the background. The weather was warming up and the sky was becoming blue and sunny. I was thoroughly glad I had made the decision to ride today and missing the early ferry was no longer a big deal at all.

At the finish line, we could smell the hot bowls of chili waiting for us. We parked the bikes, headed indoors, and grabbed our steaming bowl, piece of cornbread, and beverage, and toasted to a great ride behind us and a full calendar of cycling ahead of us.

More photos here.

The Cary J. Bates Memorial Ride

2010-02-27T21:47:00.000-08:00

"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." —Psalm 116:15

On Saturday, February 27, our EFC Cycling Group said farewell to our longtime friend and fellow cyclist, Cary Bates. Following Cary's Memorial Service held at Eastside Foursquare Church, 11 of us gathered for a short ride to remember Cary and celebrate his life.

I remember one of the first EFC Cycling Club rides I took with Cary. Bryant Sabandal and I had recently joined the EFC Cycling Club back in 2001 to train for the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic. Cary showed up for a Saturday morning ride and we all noted that he had arrived with a mountain bike. What we all soon realized was that Cary rocked that mountain bike. He was able to keep up with us road cyclists without fail. Eventually, Cary replaced his mountain bike with a 2001 Lemond Zurich. All of a sudden, Cary was infinitely faster. Following one fast ride trying to keep Cary in sight, Bryant caught his breath, turned to me and said, "I think I liked Cary better when he was on a mountain bike!"

Our group gathered on this Saturday, prayed for our ride, thanked God for Cary's life and imprint on ours, then we took off for a slow and easy ride to Woodinville Gateway Park along the Sammamish River Trail and East Riverside Drive. Once we arrived at the park, we gathered up and I asked each rider to share a personal memory of Cary.

Kristin mentioned how whenever she would ride with Cary, he would always be the first to smell barbecue. "Hey, I smell barbecue! Let's go check it out!", Cary would say. Several people admitted their respect for Cary and his humility and exceptional listening skills. "He was the best listener," someone added. Cary would always ride with you, asking questions about your life, family, or interests, and just listen intently. He really knew how to make the other person feel valued.

One clear example of how he valued others was the way he would ride at the back of the pack. Both Brenda and Laurie shared stories of how when they first started riding with our group and were having trouble staying with the pack, Cary would always spin next to them and make sure they had someone to ride with. He was strong enough to lead off the front and leave us in the dust, but he chose to ride at the back whenever a less confident or less strong rider needed some company.

We continued to share stories, talking about how much he will be missed, and said a final prayer together for his family and his friends. On our return to Eastside Foursquare, four of us climbed over Norway Hill, laughing that we should be like Cary and climb it in the big ring!

Cary, we know you are in the arms of Jesus and cycling on streets of gold today. We miss you terribly, will cherish our memories riding with you, and look forward to the day when we all are in Jesus' presence and riding with you once again!

More photos from todays ride are here.

The Ride for Impact Recap

2009-09-03T14:59:00.000-07:00

From June 7 to July 28, 2009, Bob Horn cycled 4,000 miles from San Francisco, CA to Portsmouth, NH with America By Bicycle and about 24 other riders. Here is a video recap of his journey spanning 14 states, 52 days, five flat tires, and one amazing summer!

I Could Be a Triathlete... If You Didn't Have to Do All That Swimming and Running...

2009-09-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

The morning looked wet. In fact, I had my first phone call at 7:30AM from someone bailing on today's ride. But, it wasn't raining yet, so I took off to meet whoever would show up for our Saturday morning ride. The parking lot was empty. Until Warren arrived.

So, today's ride would just be the two of us. Which actually, was alright with me. I enjoyed chatting with "War" as we rode through Bothell and onto the Sammamish River Trail through Woodinville and Redmond. I had checked the weather on my iPhone back at the church parking lot and saw that all the rain had already moved through our region and was heading southwest. So, by the radar's indications, we would be mostly dry today.

The trail wasn't too busy, just early morning walkers and runners. When we reached Woodinville, we encountered a high school boys' cross-country team out for their morning training run. We pressed on through Redmond by the I-520 interchange and were met by very large, red signs reading "BIKERS MUST DISMOUNT." So, we stopped, got off our bikes, walked a couple steps, then got back on and rode through the rest of the construction area. Problem was, the sign didn't indicate for HOW LONG bikers needed to dismount... Really, they should clarify these kinds of things.

At Marymoor Park, we got on the W. Lake Sammamish Road and began our easy ride around Lake Samm. We were cruising nicely, making good time around the lake. As we neared Vasa Park, a handful of young women were walking toward us. We moved out of the shoulder to give them room. Warren's wheel caught a groove in the pavement. He leaned left. I thought for sure he was going down. But he quickly jerked the bike back to the right, regained his balance, and pedaled on. Superior bike-handling skills. The girls just stared as this scene played out before them. Warren had avoided disaster and certainly avoided giving these young ladies a story to tell about "the bike-rider guy who, like, totally crashed this morning..."

As we neared Issaquah, I saw a number of cars exiting Lake Sammamish State Park with road bikes on car roof carriers. As I got closer, I saw each bike had a race number mounted on the frame and that many of the bikes were high-end TT or Tri bikes. Ah, this was the Issaquah Triathlon. We rode past the entrance to the park and saw a couple of runners completing the course. Behind them was a white pickup truck and a race organizer retrieving orange pylon cones and placing them in the truck.

"Wow," I commented to Warren. "That has to be discouraging. You're completing the course as the cones are being picked up and the finishers ahead of you are driving out of the park..." It reminded me of a friend of mine who ran a marathon last year. He raced it in just over six hours. The race organizers allowed traffic back onto the course after five and half hours. Again, discouraging... having to dodge cars after running for half a day.

We stopped for our mid-ride break at the Issaquah Tully's. As we sipped our lattes outside the front door, we began to play a game: "Triathlete, Not a Triathlete." Various customers were parking in the lot, walking toward the front door, and strolling past our table. We observed that many of them were wearing running shoes, had black numbers on their calves, or were wearing red, white, and blue finisher medals around their neck. These were the triathletes. Then a very pregnant woman walked into the cafe. Not a triathlete. Then another fit gal with a Issaquah Triathlon t-shirt. Triathlete. Then a morbidly obese man with an NFL t-shirt. Very much NOT a triathlete. Thus, a new game for the morning. A friend of mine later commented that this was a lot like the game she played, "Hairpiece, Not a Hairpiece."

After coffee, we resumed our ride and continued on E. Lake Sammamish Road. The weather was improving and now we even had occasional sunbreaks. The view of the lake from this side of Lake Sammamish is always so attractive. We reached Marymoor Park again and took the new Marymoor Connector trail through the park, reconnecting with the Sammamish River Trail and the end of our route.

Y'know, I really could be a triathlete. I'd be willing to give it a try. I actually don't mind running, in fact, plan to get back to running a few 5Ks in the year ahead, maybe even a half-marathon. I'm not much of a swimmer, but I could learn how to fight through an open-water swim. I think my problem would actually be the cycling... "What?" you say, "You're an awesome cyclist! You rode across the freaking country!" Yes. That's the problem. These triathlons usually have short distances for the cycling leg: 12.4 miles for a Sprint Triathlon and 24.8 miles for an Olympic Distance Tri. I'm just barely getting started after such a short ride! I'd never get to the transition for the run...

I'd still be out on my bike.

There's No Place Like Home...

2009-08-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

"There's no place like home, there's no place like home..." —Dorothy, Wizard of Oz

Today, I was finally riding again in Washington. On July 28, I had dropped my road bike off at Bicycle Bob's Bicycle Outlet in Portsmouth, NH. My hope was that I would see my bike again shortly after I returned to Seattle on August 1. It finally arrived on my doorstep on Friday, August 14. As I unboxed it, began assembling it and then put the finishing touches on it in our living room, my 11-year old daughter, Bethany, said, "Is it good to have your best friend home again?" I laughed out loud. I assured her that her mother was my best friend, but I agreed that it was very good to have my steel companion back under my roof.

On Saturday morning, after repairing the flat rear tire (the only real damage from the shipment), I mounted my steed and rode into our cul-de-sac on my way to Eastside Foursquare Church to meet our riding club. After two weeks of riding my 50 lb. Costco-special, beater mountain bike, I was amazed at my speed. I soared. It was refreshing to be back in the saddle.

At Eastside, I met up with Warren, Mike, Jim—our EFC Cycling Club regulars—as well as Tyler and Barbara, a couple from further south who rode with us years ago a few times. They were all aware of my 4000 mile ride across the United States, so there were plenty of handshakes, congratulations, and warm welcomes. I shared a devotional based on my "five take-aways" mentioned in my blog from July 28. We had a good time talking about giving God our dreams, seeing Him fulfill our heart's desires, and daring to dream big. After our group prayer, we hit the road.

We descended down Waynita Way to the Burke-Gilman Trail in downtown Bothell and turned east. We spent the morning catching up with each other. I shared stories from my summer adventure, but I also asked the others guys and gal about their summer. We rode past UW Bothell's campus and continued north towards Mill Creek where we met up with Gary who was waiting for us. We turned onto Seattle Hill Road amid a road crew and a few yards of construction. Mike was worried about riding over the steel plates. I chuckled and began to share with Mike how all my inhibitions about cycling on subpar road surfaces had vanished. Over our 4000 miles, we had cycled over everything... gravel, hard pack dirt, steel plates, cavernous pits, horrific potholes, ripped up asphalt... not much intimidated me now.

We paused at the Seattle Hill Road Starbucks for a restroom break and then dropped down one of the best downhills in Snohomish County. The sweeping descent to Lowell-Larimer Road is fast, curvy, and a downright thrill. It brought back memories of several of the great downhills from this summer... Donner Pass into Truckee, CA; Mount Rose into Sparks, NV; or racing down Monarch Pass into Salida, CO. But it was over too soon. No eight mile descents today. We turned west and rode through the Snohomish Valley amid dairies and farmland.

This flat section of roadway gave a couple of the guys the incentive to hit the gas. They passed me while I was conversing with Mike and Barbara. After getting passed a third time, I thought maybe it was time to play. I geared down and punched forward... 24, 25, 28, 29 mph. I flew past Gary, Jim and then Warren. As I eased up, Jim flew past me. When I caught back up to him later, he commented, "Well, I had my dream for today fulfilled... I gave you some Linda Ronstadt... when I "blew by you!"

We rode west through Everett and began climbing up E. Mukilteo Blvd. through Forest Park. This is really a beautiful section of roadway. The tall shade trees and forest create sun-speckled pavement. The road is lined with bright red, pink, and white flowered gardens. Overhead is a curving pedestrian bridge. The climb is short but steep and then followed by another sweeping descent that ends with views of Port Gardner and Possession Sound.

As we continued west along W. Mukilteo Blvd., I was thinking about how much I love cycling in the Northwest. After 4000 miles of exploring our nation, I'm still content that the Northwest is the best place to ride. Already this morning, we had ridden along bike paths, neighborhoods, farm country, city, and waterfront. Our region has so much to offer... We stopped at Harborview Park for a group photo and then finished the remaining mile or two to reach our mid-morning destination: Whidbey Coffee Co.

This eclectic coffee shop is positioned high above the Mukilteo waterfront with outdoor seating and cozy window tables. I ordered a white mocha and—of course—a cinnamon roll the size of a small child. Over coffee, I enjoyed spinning more tales of my summer ride. My friends obliged me by adding their laughter and questions. As much as I enjoy sharing my adventure, I hope that it instills in those I ride with a desire to experience their own dreams...

After our coffee stop, we returned through Mukilteo and then turned south near Paine Field and onto Casino Road. Mike shared with us—since he has offices near here—that this neighborhood has been plagued with a lot of gang violence lately. The Snohomish County Regional Gang Group has a document online that identifies a number of these gangs such as "MS13"—MS stands for Mara Salvatrucha and refers to large gangs in Central America and the United States. These gangs are composed mostly of Salvadorans, Guatemalans, Hondurans, and other Central Americans and subdivide into cliques, or factions. Another known gang in the area is “Asian Bloods (AB),” listed in this same document as "an Asian Blood set from the Casino Road area." I could tell from the people we passed at one intersection that they were conditioned to keep their heads down, eyes lowered, and not make contact with anyone else on the street. We didn't hang around very long, either.

We headed south along the Interurban bike path and crossed I-5 on a new bike and pedestrian bridge. This new bridge bypasses 128th Street SE, which has always been a busy overpass. It was refreshing to have this new bridge at our disposal. We continued on the Interurban down to Martha Lake and then took some side streets into Bothell and Briar. I had one more big challenge ahead for our group...

On the Briar/Bothell border, there is a looming climb named 228th Street SW. It's one of the hardest climbs in a local ride called "Summits of Bothell (S.O.B.)." I smiled as I told the group to turn left and begin climbing. I jumped out of the saddle and put some distance between me and the group. But halfway up, the hill was beginning to get the better of me. I sat back, geared down further, and breathed harder. At the top, I turned around to take photos of the riders behind me and give them some encouragement. Tyler was first up with Jim right behind him. Having both done the Courage Classic (172 miles and three Cascade Mountain summits over three days that took place two weeks ago), they were both well-conditioned for a stiff climb.

We rolled quickly down Meridian Ave. S into Kenmore. At the bottom, we noticed the new digs for Bothell Ski & Bike, our local bike shop that moved this year to be closer to the Burke-Gilman Trail. We crossed Bothell Way and got on the BG Trail once again for the last two miles back to the church. This section of the trail was recently redesigned and now features new pavement, tall cement walls, and landscaping along the trail. The trail was busy with other cyclists, pedestrians, joggers, and families. It was great to see so many others out enjoying our region. After cycling through towns and cities where we were the only people on bikes—and sometimes the only people as far as the eye could see—I was pleased to see so many others enjoying this sport with me.

Our last and final climb was back up Waynita Way. As I climbed up, I remembered the first time I climbed this road on the bike beneath me. I purchased it in 2003 and recall soaring up this hill with such a light bike compared to my old one. It was even easier today. And Jim was right on my tail. Not bad at all for a 60+ guy that just started cycling not so many years ago and has lost 15 pounds this year. I congratulated him when we pulled into the parking lot and then shook hands with my other friends when they reached us a moment later. I mentioned over coffee earlier that morning that the familiar song is true... "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, but the other is gold." I'm grateful for those I've met on my cross-country adventure, but I'm more thankful for my cycling buddies here at home... After all, there's no place like home.

For more photos from today's ride, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100616.

Dist: 65.75
Time: 4:45:16
Avg: 13.8
Max: 36.3

Day 52 - Manchester, NH to Portsmouth, NH & the ATLANTIC OCEAN!

2009-07-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

"O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!"
—America the Beautiful, words by Katharine Lee Bates, 1895

Today we reached the Atlantic Ocean. Our journey that began 52 days ago on June 7 is now complete. I have bicycled across the entire length of the United Sates of America.

Our morning began with an energy and excitement you would expect on the final day of a adventure like this. Everyone was wearing their America by Bicycle jerseys, so the hotel was awash in red, white, and blue. Cameras were already snapping with great regularity during our load out. Everyone left the hotel with their favored group of cycling buddies. I was no different. I gathered with Leigh Pate (Seattle), Chuck Tobey (Miami), Chris Zeidner (Columbus), and Hans Diethelm (Lucerne, Switzerland). We had dubbed our group, "Team A.L.L.: Always Leaves Last." Today that was absolutely the truth.

Chuck took the front of the line and led us out of the hotel... and promptly in the wrong direction. About seven tenths of a mile down the road, we realized our error, check the cue sheet, and turned around. We rode back to the hotel and corrected our wrong turn. Chris and I were actually giddy about the wrong turn. It made for an extra mile and a half. I was out to hit 4000 miles today and every extra mile would aid that goal. And besides, my motto is, "More miles, better stories!"

Our ride was at first along fairly busy streets with drivers and bicycle commuters headed for work. It was odd thinking about the significance of our ride that morning with countless others around us completely unaware. As we left the suburbs of Manchester and were further out in the country, we reached Lake Massabesic. It was worth stopping for a few photos and enjoying the view of the boats on the water in the early morning.

The roadway ahead was flooded. It was a suitable ending to a ride with adventurous road hazards and closures. We smiled as we rode through the inch-deep water. I think Chris turned around to ride through it a second time. As we climbed the hill after the flood, we spotted a group of cyclists and staff on the left. We pulled over to join them and were handed strands of Mardi Gras beads to wear as we rode. Great. I've never been a fan of necklaces on men, but I played along. Judy and Gerard, our staff riders this day, joined our entourage.

One would think that with two staff members riding along, you wouldn't have any more missed turns. Not so. We missed one more and after comparing notes and calling the two van drivers, we turned around and headed in the right direction. Our ride was quiet, perhaps introspective, as we individually considered the culmination of this life-long goal. The route was once again beautiful. We travelled under tall shade trees, past farms with bright, red barns, through small towns with brilliant white steeples reaching into the azure blue sky. I prayed several prayers of thanksgiving to God for His mercy and grace to give me 52 days of strength, health, energy, protection, and care for my family at home. I am blessed.

We arrived at the one and final SAG stop for our journey. For me, it was bittersweet. This would be the last time I would see that silver van and trailer parked with a table waiting full of snacks and fruit. This would be the last time I would remove my sweaty helmet and gloves, wash up, check my name on the sign-in sheet, and refill my water bottles. This would be the last time I would chat casually with the other riders about the miles we had just ridden. The last time, that is, until the next time... More about that later.

As we rode on, we reached the small, historic town of Exeter. The staff had told us we had an extra 15 minutes before we needed to be at Rye Junior High School, 12 miles up the road, to gather for the group photo and ride to the beach. We decided to stop at a cafe for one last time and savor the moment. We savored a little too long and when we checked the time, we realized we had about 40 minutes to ride those 12 miles. We would have to boogie.

In a way, it was fun to ride fast for one last time with my friends. We raced closer and closer to the coast. We pulled up behind two other riders and noticed it was Carole and her friend Dr. Dave who rode with us from San Francisco to Salt Lake City. We thought it would be appropriate to let Carole lead us in to the school. She had been struggling a little and knew she was late, so our presence boosted her spirits and she told us so.

We got to the school and everyone was already posed for the group photo. We dropped our bikes and ran into position. About 25 cameras later, and one "official" photo, we got up, remounted our bikes, and got in place. A police cruiser was in front and would lead us for the four mile ride to Wallis Sands State Beach. As soon as he turned on his lights and siren, shouts and claps went up from our peloton. Everyone had their cameras out as we rode slowly toward the seacoast.

My heart was doing jumping jacks with excitement. I wasn't alone. Everyone was smiling, congratulating each other, and reveling in the moment. Motorists pulled to the side of the road for us. Pedestrians stopped and gawked. Local residents stood on their driveways and applauded. We neared the beach and suddenly I saw what I had waited 52 days to see... the Atlantic Ocean! I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion—gratitude, joy, and excitement. I could feel the cool Atlantic air and smell the salt. The blue coastal waters declared, "You did it!"

The beach was absolutely packed. Beach goers walking to the beach waved, clapped, or stared in confusion at this parade of patriotic-colored cyclists. We passed the long line of motorists waiting to enter the park, and rode right in. A throng of people was ahead, with signs and banners, all looking in our direction. It was our family and friends. I looked for Susie and the kids and spotted them. Bethany was holding a sign reading, "CONGRATS! WE LOVE YOU!" When I stopped, she turned it around to reveal, "CAN WE GO HOME NOW?"

We walked to the sidewalk at the top of the beach where I was handed my celebratory drink: an iced Starbucks white mocha with Toffee Nut. Perfect. I removed my helmet, shoes, socks, and gloves, and we walked across the stretch of beach packed to the gills with sunbathers and families. At the water's edge, all of the cyclists and their families were busy taking photos, hugging, kissing, and most importantly, dipping our front tires into the cool waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The Cross Country Challenge was complete. My Ride for Impact was finished. I absorbed the moment, watching my friends with their families, taking photos, drinking in the scene.

We eventually made our way back to the sidewalk where we had left my shoes and other gear. Susie and the kids were going to meet her old high school friend and her kids at a pizza place in Portsmouth while I rode the final miles into Portsmouth on my own. We shared some ice cream then parted ways. It was refreshing to ride these final miles on my own. I was reflecting on the day and the journey and just enjoying the view of the ocean, still amazed at all that had just transpired.

I rode along the coast for a mile or two, then turned inland through tide flats and forest, before reaching the outlying communities around Portsmouth. I found the "Welcome to Portsmouth" sign and took a final destination-city photo. But, I wasn't done yet. The Maine border was only a few miles north of me. We had been given route directions to reach Maine if we wanted to cross into one more state. I did. I walked across the bridge crossing the Piscataqua River connecting Portsmouth, NH with Kittery, Maine. A sign at the far end announced, "STATE LINE - KITTERY MAINE." I looked at my odometer. I had cycled 3,991 miles since June 7. I had to hit 4,000. I rode out to Kittery Point and added another six miles.

The Atlantic air was cool and refreshing. I could have stayed hours and soaked it all in. But, I had to be back at the hotel by 3:00 p.m. to take my bike to a local bike shop for shipping home. It was about 2:30. I retraced my path across the bridge, rode through the historic downtown of Portsmouth and continued out toward our hotel. I had missed a turn (that added an extra mile to my tally), and when I got to our hotel it was 2:45 and I had 3,998 miles. I spoke with Judy. She told me to go find a mile and then come back. The van to the bike shop would wait. I raced around the neighborhood, watching my odometer intently... 3,999... and then, there it was... 4,000. I took a photo. Then I returned to the hotel. Loaded the bike on the van and headed to, of all placed, Bicycle Bob's Bicycle Outlet. What a coincidence. My trusty steed would now be boxed and sent home. I would meet my family and drive to Boston and then New York City for a relaxing four days sightseeing before we flew home to Seattle.

Many have asked in a variety of ways what this trip has meant to me or what I have learned, enjoyed most, or will take away from it all. If you've read this far into the blog, you won't mind reading further. Here are my take-aways. The thoughts that are at the top of my mind upon the conclusion of this journey. I've been thinking about this list for several days. Here it is:

1. "It's about the journey, not the destination."—Whether on a vacation or in life, remember to take the road less traveled. In simplest terms, get off the Interstate. See the backroads and country routes that are the seams to this rich tapestry of our nation. Make time to look for the offbeat, unexpected, and serendipitous on your next travel.

2. "Be present in the moment."—Too many times over the last year, I had been impatient, hurrying to the next thing, worrying about the next task, unmindful of the moment before me. On this ride, I haven't had to focus on anything but the moment before me. It has been life-changing. Stop what you are doing. Look around and observe the people, notice the surrounding, drink in the environment, use all your senses and be aware of the time and place God has positioned you. Be present, fully present.

3. "Talk to people."—On this ride, I have had the great pleasure of meeting the most interesting people. If I were to do this ride again, I would talk to twice as many people. People are what God values most. And every person has a story. If you engage them, show that you are genuinely interested in them, and value them with the significance that God does, you'll be amazed at what you will learn. My pastor recently said, "Today I will assume the very best of people I meet; having the highest regard for them. If Jesus died for them, they must be amazing!" I couldn't agree more.

4. "Be proud of your country. Fly the flag."—I was amazed how many times and in how many cities I saw the stars and stripes proudly flown from front doors and flagpoles. In Seattle, I rarely see the American flag being flown. Across small towns and big cities in the West, the Plains, the Midwest, and New England, I saw the red, white, and blue flying high. The people that make up our nation are patriotic. They love America. Don't be fooled by what you see or read in the media that would suggest differently. I will put our flag outside our front door when I get home. I will fly it proudly, thankful for the freedom it represents.

5. "Dreams can and should be achieved. Do it now."—When I wrote down this goal of cycling across the United States, I was 32. I wanted to accomplish it before I turned 40. At 36, I decided if I meant it, I better start planning for it. A lot of effort, partnership, and timing went into fulfilling this goal. In many ways, the planning of this goal was as challenging as its fulfillment. My point is this: You have a dream. Turn it into a goal. Another pastor of mine (who I met in Auburn, CA on Day 3 of this journey) said long ago, "A goal is a dream with a deadline." Put a date on that dream and ask God to help you live it out. Too many people say, "Someday, when I'm retired, I'll do..." Truth is, that someday may never come. My father died at 44. I was 16 years old. I'm certain he had dreams that never came to pass. On this ride, I saw people in wheelchairs, on oxygen tanks, or in poor health. They may have dreamt of fulfilling an adventure like this, but poor health made it impossible. You only get one body. Take care of it. That's one reason why I wanted to do this now, at 39. I'm in the best shape of my life now. And now, I can dream of doing this again—or doing something even more amazing!

A final word to everyone who has been reading my blog (whether daily, semi-regularly, or occasionally), to those who have been praying for me, sending encouraging texts, emails, or Facebook comments: THANK YOU! I cannot put into sufficient words how much your prayers, encouragement, and comments have meant to me. Sharing this adventure with you has made it all the more valuable and exciting. I am forever thankful for your support. And to those who have believed in the cause of this Ride for Impact and have been a financial supporter, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have helped me raise $10,110 for IMPACT Ministries. These funds will help the poorest of the poor in communities around the world with global relief and missions support that they need. Thank you for your incredible generosity. You are my heroes!

The Ride for Impact is now history. Go out and find your own ride for impact. Get started today. To quote Phil Keoghan from TV's The Amazing Race, "The world is waiting..."

For more photos from today's ride, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100585
For more about the Ride for Impact and to make your final donation, please visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 74.16
Time: 5:16:23
Avg: 14.0
Max: 35.0
Cumulative Miles: 4,000
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 2,555 ft.
Max Elev: 627 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 12%

Day 51 - Brattleboro, VT to Manchester, NH

2009-07-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

pe⋅nul⋅ti⋅mate [pi-nuhl-tuh-mit]
–adjective
1. next to the last: the penultimate scene of the play.
2. of or pertaining to a penult.

We entered New Hampshire today. 51 days ago, this day was so very far away. And now, it is here. Even better, my family was in New Hampshire today. I haven't seen my wife since Pueblo, CO on Day 20 and I haven't seen my kids, Kyle and Bethany, since June 6 when they took me to the airport! I had, in a word, motivation today!

I was the first to leave the hotel this morning. I have never been first to leave the hotel. As I rolled out of the parking lot, Chris called out, "Bob's on a mission today!" Well, in truth, I didn't plan to be out in front very long, but it was fun while it lasted. Within the first mile, we were at the New Hampshire state border. We all piled up taking out turns to get our photo. This one was special. It was our final state we would enter (at least officially, as tomorrow we have the opportunity to ride into Maine once we reach the shore of the Atlantic.) So, the photo required something special. I lifted it up over my head.

It's a good thing I did that early in the ride. Because the next 26 miles would suck the life out of me! New Hampshire is noted for not having the highest mountains, but rather for having the steepest roads. We would suffer on a few of them today. But first, we had some pleasant riding through Keene, NH. At the center of town is a tall, white church steeple. I would discover today that every town in New Hampshire has at its center a white church with a tall steeple. But, this one was particularly stunning.

Shortly after Keene, the suffering began, slowly at first, then building, like the crescendo in a musical score. Only the sounds I was hearing weren't musical by any means. They were the sound of my heart beating through my chest only slightly overcome by the sound of my lungs drawing in as much oxygen as they could find. Old Concord Road was first to beat on us for awhile, then the work was handed over to Sullivan Road. These roads are between 10 and 15% in grade. For you cyclists reading this, you know how steep that is. By the time I reached the end of Sullivan Road, I took a photo of the sign as a gesture to say, "You did not defeat me today!"

At the first SAG stop, it was 10 a.m. I had talked to Susie earlier in the morning when she was about a half hour outside of Manchester, NH. I estimated I would be at the second SAG stop in Francestown by Noon. Now I did the math. That was 35 miles away. I would have to average 17.5 mph for the next two hours to reach her in time. My average speed so far was... 12.0. I had my work cut out for me.

I would like to tell you what I saw over the next 35 miles. I took a few pictures. But primarily, I was hauling butt. I was cycling as fast as I could. The roads out of the SAG were downhill for a long section and I soared down them. We had to climb Pitcher's Mountain for about 6 miles. I stepped on the gas and climbed that silly mountain as fast as I could, sweat pouring down my helmet and onto my handlebars. I raced through the towns of Antrim and Bennington and Greenfield. By the time I pulled into Francestown, it was 12:20. My wife and kids had only been there for 10 minutes. Susie and Bethany were sitting under a tree when I pulled up and ran over to me. Kyle was asleep in the car. I had great joy in waking him up with, "Hey Kyle, wake up. It's your dad!" We kissed, hugged, (despite my sweatiness), and I proudly introduced my family to the other riders. Then we talked and ate while I caught my breath.

Susie and the kids drove to the hotel about an hour later and I resumed the ride, this time at a far more leisurely pace. So many of these towns are quaint, beautiful, they remind me of Port Gamble back on the Puget Sound at home. But whereas in Seattle, we only have a few towns this quaint, here, all of them are! The route was mostly wooded, with lush, green trees towering over our road. A stream followed us on the left for several miles. I could have easily stopped and sat in the middle of it for awhile. It looked that refreshing. As we pulled into Manchester, I looked to Leigh and Chuck who had been riding with me and asked if anyone was up for some ice cream before we reached the hotel. Nods all around.

We found an ice cream shop and gorged ourselves. One last time. Then I looked at the cue sheet and realized our hotel was two tenths of a mile away. We were done for the day. And what a penultimate day it was. Our evening was spent with a celebration barbecue dinner. Awards, humorous remarks, thanks and appreciation, and well wishes rounded out the evening. As I looked around the room, I vaguely recalled seeing these faces for the first time 51 days ago. They were strangers to me. Today, they are all friends. And friends I hope to stay in touch with, and preferably, ride with once again.

Tomorrow is our final day. We ride 61 miles to Portsmouth, NH and dip our front tire into the Atlantic Ocean. By noon on Tuesday, July 28, 2009, I will have completely bicycled across the entire length of the United States of America.

Wow.

To view more photos from today's ride, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100577
For more about the Ride for Impact, visit www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 85.06
Time: 6:02:13
Avg: 14.4
Max: 45.5
Cumulative Miles: 3,926 (This ride was advertised as 3,850 miles. Through side-trips and extra miles, I've exceeded that. Now I plan to break 4,000 miles tomorrow!)
Cumulative Flats: 5 (Last one was in Colorado, I think!)
Elev Gain: 5,102 ft.
Max Elev: 1,953 ft.
Avg Climb: 3%
Max Climb: 15%

Day 50 - Latham, NY to Brattleboro, VT

2009-07-26T17:45:00.000-07:00

"These green hills and silver waters
are my home. They belong to me.
And to all of her sons and daughters
May they be strong and forever free.

Let us live to protect her beauty
And look with pride on the golden dome
They say home is where the heart is
These green mountains are my home.

These green mountains are my home."
—These Green Mountains, State Song of Vermont

We left Latham, NY this morning thinking this would be a rainy day. It did rain, but not until we had logged nearly 70 miles of riding in perfect weather—sunny, warm, and wonderful. By mile four, I had removed my arm warmers. Some time later, I took off my vest. The day was shaping up to be great. We crossed the Hudson River as we entered Troy, NY just five miles away from Latham. We crossed the bridge over the Hudson quickly and traffic was busy, so a quick glance to the left and the right was all I had time for. Good think I'll get a better view when me and my family visit NYC later this week.

Troy—the home of Uncle Sam, as the sign states—is a larger city with tall, brick buildings. As we rode through the town and climbed up Rt. 7, the neighborhood was primarily lower income homes. As we rode further east, the homes appeared nicer and the surroundings less sketchy. Our first SAG stop was in East Hoosick at a gas station and Dunkin Donuts store. I took the opportunity to start the day with a frozen mocha and a blueberry donut. I made the point that this was more food I wouldn't be able to eat unless I'm riding 80+ miles. Man, it's going to be hard to change these habits developed over 52 days of cycling!

After the SAG stop, we reached the Vermont State border. While the "Welcome to Vermont" sign wasn't anything special, the state certainly was. Within a mile, I was already gazing to the south overlooking green rolling hills, picture perfect farms, and verdant pastures. The town of Bennington, VT was a few miles further. As we entered town, I saw Old First Church, a towering white church on the road leading into the town center. I stopped for a photo and noticed an arrow in the cemetery pointing toward Robert Frost's grave. Far be it for me to not take the road less traveled and not see Frost's grave. So, I walked through the cemetery, enjoying the eery feel of the place (wondering what it would be like on an October night) and found his grave.

As we rolled slowly through town, I was struck by the quaint downtown storefronts, but more interesting were the brightly decorated moose statues. Back in Seattle, we have a similar downtown decor with painted pigs and at Christmas, it's painted nutcrackers. So I took great delight in looking for as many mooses (meese?) I could find and snagging a photo of each. Our favorite was the one dressed as Capt. Jack Sparrow with a pirate theme. The multi-colored moose licking an ice-cream cone was also a fun one.

Now we began our climb up into the Green Mountains. The road wasn't as bad as I imagined. It was refreshing to be climbing again. The sun was out so the climb was hot. I was keeping my eyes open for a special intersection coming up. We were about to bisect the Appalachian Trail, generally known as the A.T. This trail begins in Georgia and runs all the way to Maine. Hikers will take six-months to hike the entire trail from start to finish—they're known as Thru-hikers. I spotted a pullout and saw some hikers gathered and then saw the sign. It was the A.T. I parked the bike, took a photo, then actually hiked a few feet into the woods just to make the claim that I had been on the A.T. I met the group of hikers, most of them were thru-hikers. One had started in Georgia. A few had begun in West Virginia. We talked about our journeys and shared mutual respect for each others' efforts. It's a rare breed—perhaps with an element of insanity thrown in—that can spend that many days on the road or trail.

The remainder of our climb was as scenic as you could hope for. The road followed a bubbling stream with occasional rapids. Homes and cottages dotted the shores of ponds and reservoirs. Snowmobile trails and ski resorts showed that this region would appear entirely different six months from now. We arrived in Wilmington, VT and took time for a lengthy lunch. The street was lined with touristy shops and galleries. The sign above the country store next the restaurant said it best, "Maple Syrup & Cheese and Things that say Vermont"!

After lunch we had one more climb to tackle: Hogback Mountain. This climb wasn't hard at all. I chatted with Gerard all the way up. Halfway through the climb, it occurred to me that six months ago, chatting on a climb would have been all but impossible. Now, it was second nature. The view from the top was stunning. Rolling green mountains as far as the eye could see. The descent was even better. We roared down the mountainside, rolling up and back down again.

Eventually, we arrived in Brattleboro. A covered bridge on the edge of town made a great stop for a series of photos. Then we rode into the center of town. I found a bike shop that was open and purchased their shop jersey, a water bottle, and some cycling grub for the last two days. I asked if they had a "I pedaled 3800 miles to get to your shop" discount. I was surprised when the clerk took 15% off.

Now I rode the final few miles to our hotel. The day was late and I could have easily spent several hours walking around Brattleboro. I decided that I had a new state to add to my list of favorite states: Vermont!

Tomorrow, we'll ride 84 miles to Manchester, NH. We'll enter our 13th state and the state of our final destination: New Hampshire! Best of all, my wife, Susie, and my kids, Kyle and Bethany, will meet me en route and spend the evening with us at the farewell dinner tomorrow evening. I haven't seen Susie since Pueblo, CO back on June 26 and I haven't seen my kids since June 6 when they took me to the airport! I plan to ride fast tomorrow afternoon when I hear they are in Manchester!

To view all the photos from today's ride, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100562
To learn more about the Ride for Impact and make your donation before this ride ends, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 80.08
Time: 5:41:23
Avg: 14.0
Max: 41.5
Cumulative Miles: 3,839
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 4,999 ft.
Max Elev: 2,485 ft.
Avg Climb: 3%
Max Climb: 10%

Day 49 - Little Falls, NY to Latham, NY

2009-07-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

"Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge for we're coming to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If you've ever navigated on the Erie Canal"
—Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal written in 1905 by Thomas S. Allen

Today's route from Little Falls, NY to Latham, NY was almost entirely along the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal was opened October 26, 1825. Today, it extends 340 miles across the state of New York from Troy on the Hudson River on the east to Tonawanda and Buffalo on the Niagara River. In 1903, the Erie Canal was enlarged by adding three branches to it, thus creating the Barge Canal System. There are 57 locks on the Barge Canal. The lifts of the locks vary from 6 feet to 40.5 feet. In Little Falls, the evening we arrived in town, Chuck and I investigated Lock 17. This lock's lift of 40.5 feet is a greater lift than any single lock on the Panama Canal. It uses a guillotine gate on the downstream end of the lock rather than moveable doors like our Hiram Chittenden Locks in Ballard north of Seattle.

As we left Little Falls, we were in a world of fog. Heavy mist clouded our sunglasses and moistened our faces. Looking to our right, we saw a few trees and then nothing but white space. Looking up ahead on the roadway, we could see a cyclist 100 yards ahead but that was all. After a few miles, the fog lifted and the sun came out. The sun would stay with us all day, baking us in it's sorely missed rays. I reveled in the sunshine today. It was good to have it back.

Our first stop was at the historic Fort Klock, built in 1750. This fortified homestead was the home of Johannes Klock and the Battle of Klock's Field on October 19, 1780 was a battle in the Revolutionary War. The homestead wasn't yet open but it was interesting to walk around the building and peek into the windows.

As we left Fort Klock, we were passed by two Amish horse and buggies. The second one was quite a sight. The riders had attached a long canoe to the roof of the carriage. I guess even the Amish like to hit the streams once in awhile! The scenery was varied, but always attractive. We were cycling through small villages, past farms and homes, and past forests and woodlands. As we rose up above the valley, we had some amazing views of the rolling New York hills and forests. I could tell we were beginning to touch Adirondack terrain when we saw some rocky cliffs and outcroppings. The Adirondacks were out of our reach today, however, as they are several miles north of us. We passed the Beech-Nut baby food and chewing gum factory in Canajoharie, NY. This gleaming white factory on the Mohawk River has been there for 118 years, but just this year production was moved to a state-of-the-art new production plant 20 miles east.

Another interesting stop today was at the Kateri Shrine and Indian Museum. Kateri Tekakwitha lived from 1656 to 1680 and was the daughter of a Mohawk warrior and a Catholic Algonquin woman. She received Christ and was baptized on Easter Sunday at the age of 20. Four years later, she died. Her last words were, "Jesus, I love you!" The shrine is a memorial to her. Native American Catholics venerate her and she is currently in the canonization process for sainthood. A pamphlet included a prayer you can pray for her canonization to become a saint. Hers is an interesting story, yet the particulars of Catholic worship and veneration of saints stands in contrast to my Protestant and spirit-filled Christian faith.

After our first SAG stop, we rode along a portion of the Mohawk-Hudson Bike Path that paralleled the Mohawk River. The Mohawk is one of several rivers that have been "canalized." The old canal that original was parallel to the Mohawk has been abandoned and the Mohawk has been made into the canal. This process involved dredging channels to assure a consistent depth and building dams to maintain a fixed water elevation above the stream beds. The bike path had great views of the river. We passed Locks 8 and 9, both much smaller lock than Lock 17 in Little Falls. As we neared our second SAG stop, we skirted the city of Schenectady, NY, then crossed into Scotia.

In Scotia, we stopped at the Jumpin' Jack's Drive-In. Having been to three drive-ins over the last two weeks (White Turkey in Conneaut, OH; Ted Wahl's in Avon, NY; and Jumpin' Jack's in Scotia, NY), I decided this one wasn't nearly as good as the other two. Who would have thought that I would be a connoisseur of drive-ins after 52 days of cycling across the U.S.? We rejoined the bike path and now had some beautiful scenery to bike through. The shady trees, views of the river, rolling hills, business parks and neighborhoods, were just part of the scenes that whipped past us.

Soon we left the bike path, climbed up out of the river valley, and into Latham. After a filling dinner, we enjoyed a great time at our T-shirt swap. It's something like a white elephant gift exchange, but with t-shirts. There was the usual stealing, trading, and good-natured ribbing. In the end, I got the shirt I wanted—one from the aforementioned White Turkey Drive-In in Conneaut, OH!

Tomorrow, we will leave New York and enter our 12th state—Vermont! We will also once again—and for the last time—be in the mountains: the Green Mountains of Vermont. We will cross the Appalachian Trail. (All you hikers out there know about this one. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the A.T., is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States, extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately 2,175 miles long.) We'll also be in some very scenic, touristy areas of Vermont. I'm ready for some climbing and some scenic riding! On Monday, I'll finally meet up with my family—my wife, Susie, and my kids, Kyle and Bethany. They've spent the day enjoying roller coasters and water park rides at Hershey Park in Hershey, PA.

For more photos from today's ride, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100552
For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 77.87
Time: 5:35:46
Avg: 13.9
Max: 33.0
Cumulative Miles: 3,758 ft.
Elev Gain: 1,980 ft.
Max Elev: 614 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 10%

Day 48 - Liverpool, NY to Little Falls, NY

2009-07-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it." — Greg Anderson

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."—Robert Frost

I will begin today's story in the middle. You'll soon see why. But, today clearly—emphatically—demonstrated both of the quotes above. Our route was 79 miles from Liverpool, NY to Little Falls, NY. About mile 45, I was in Westmoreland, NY, a small town about a mile from Interstate 90, but not on the Interstate at all. I had stopped at a Sunoco gas station to use the restroom and possibly get some coffee. Before I decided, I thought, "Maybe there's a quaint cafe further down the street. That would be way better than gas station coffee." I pulled out my iPhone and used Google Maps. I searched on "cafe." Up popped a Starbucks. It was only a half mile up the road, but off course. I wouldn't usually choose a Starbucks over a local cafe—in fact, I've learned on this ride to always choose the local establishments. Go where the locals go. Skip the fast food chains. Favor the mom-and-pop shops. But, I also have learned to be curious. Always ask questions, explore, dig, find the unusual. This Starbucks didn't fit the lay of the land. I was curious why there would be a Starbucks in a tiny town like Westmoreland, NY.

I rode the half mile where the map indicated and reached an overpass straddling I-90. I looked all around. I saw an old hotel. I saw some homes. I saw no Starbucks. I called the phone number. The girl who answered said the Starbucks was located in Westmoreland and asked where I was. "Westmoreland," I said. I explained what road I was on. She said, "Oh, do you see the Carriage Motor Inn? We have an access road right across the street. Are you making a delivery?" I had no clue what she was talking about, but I saw the hotel. I said that I was just looking for their store. She assured me there was one there. I found the access road and then it began to dawn on me where I was going. I rode about a quarter of a mile and found the back entrance to an I-90 Travel Plaza. A fence and gate had a sign that read, "THIS ENTRANCE FOR EMPLOYEES & PERSONS ON OFFICIAL BUSINESS ONLY. NOT TO BE USED BY PATRONS." Well, I rode through that gate anyway and found the front of the plaza.

I parked the bike out front, walked in and was surrounded by Interstate travelers enjoying the amenities of the Travel Plaza. There was the Starbucks I sought. There was a Sbarro restaurant, a Burger King, a Travel Mart with New York knick knacks a plenty, a sunglasses and travel accessories store, restrooms, and even a couple of information kiosks with history and details about the local area, so you could be informed on what you were missing if you chose not to stop. And then it occurred to me. As I sipped my white chocolate mocha with toffee nut flavoring prepared to specific Starbucks standards, I realized that for the past 48 days, I have seen more of the United States than any Interstate traveler would ever hope to see. Even the last 45 miles, I had seen and experienced more of upstate New York than these travelers would experience all week. They will fill their bellies, return to their cars, step on the gas, and drive by the most amazing scenery, towns, and sights at 75 miles per hour and not see a thing.

I decided at that moment, that when I'm traveling for pleasure and want to really experience where I'm going, I will get off the Interstate and find the State Routes, the County Roads, and the two-lane highways. That is where you see the world around you. Now, here's what I would have missed today if I had chosen to drive on the Interstate instead of riding a bicycle.

I passed quiet century-old homes sitting on the banks of backyard streams. I rode through the Syracuse, but in neighborhoods most visitors will never visit. At our first support stop in Canestota, NY, I saw another section of the Erie Canal. In the center of Canestota, I found a small memorial park remembering the men and women lost in 9/11. It featured a small section of I-beam pulled from the wreckage of the Twin Towers. The engravings on the stone in front of the I-beam were moving and gave me pause that a small town in New York would make such a lasting memorial to those lost on that fateful day.

Further on, I passed "Cross Island Chapel—The World's Smallest Church" in Oneida, NY. It is 28.68 square feet and seats two. It's located on a tiny island in the middle of an algae-covered pond. There's even a small rowboat available to take you to the island. The church is available for "special occasions and meditation." It would be too small for a wedding, but my British roommate, Sean, remarked, "But, you could have a lonely funeral."

About six miles from Little Falls, I rode into Herkimer, NY. I was hungry for pizza. I passed a Pizza Hut, but I was looking for the local place. I found it on Mohawk St. —"Yetty's Pizza." Opened in the 50s, it's a comfortable mom-and-pop owned pizza joint. It was almost two, but a late lunch crowd was still eating. I found a table, placed my order, and enjoyed a great personal pizza with extra cheese, pepperoni, and homemade sausage. It was New York pizza, cut in the traditional criss-cross manner. As I was eating, I met Renee, a waitress there. We talked about my ride and she mentioned having been invited to do a local charity ride for missing and exploited children—a cause she is passionate about. She's never done the ride, but felt inspired to after talking with me about my Ride for Impact. I shared with her that I thought about doing this ride six years ago, but it was only three years ago that I really got serious about it. My friend, Pastor Don, (who I saw way back on Day 3) once told me, "A goal is a dream with a deadline." I encourage her to take that charity ride. Write it down. Set that goal. Fulfill those dreams now. I was glad I stopped in for pizza and found the road less traveled by. It reminds me of another thing I've learned on this ride, "Everyone has a story—You just have to ask the right questions to learn what it is."

The remaining six miles into Little Falls was quick but pleasant. When I got to my hotel, I found my roommate Sean asleep. He woke up to tell me that from mile 40 to the hotel was a full downpour. He didn't believe me that I wasn't wet. He and two others arrived at the hotel first. I guess that's another benefit of focusing on the journey and not the destination—you might avoid the rain!

Tomorrow's ride to Latham, NY will be 76 miles. We'll ride mainly along the Erie Canal. The weather looks promising—mid 80s and partly cloudy. We cherish each day's ride, but these last four should be extra special.

For those wondering what my wife and kids—Susie, Kyle, and Bethany—are doing, they arrived in Philadelphia this morning taking a red-eye from Seattle. The toured the Philadelphia Mint, saw the Liberty Bell, and rented a car to drive through Lancaster, PA, where they stopped at some of the Amish stores, and arrived at their hotel in Hershey, PA this afternoon. They plan to hit HersheyPark tonight and all day tomorrow. They're going to have a ton of fun!

For more photos from today's ride, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100537
For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 83.2
Time: 5:36:51
Avg: 14.8
Max: 28.0
Cumulative Miles: 3,681
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 1,714 ft.
Max Elev: 837 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 9%

Day 47 - Canandaigua, NY to Liverpool, NY

2009-07-23T17:02:00.000-07:00

I was worried. I looked out our hotel window this morning and saw rain. Lots of it. The day had the markings of a repeat the ride from Erie, PA to Hamburg, NY just a few days ago. A royal soaking. I gathered all my rain gear: rain jacket, insulated booties, arm warmers, leg warmers, long-fingered gloves. I was dressed for a downpour. Thankfully, I wouldn't need most of it.

After our breakfast at Denny's a block away, we walked outside to find the rain had stopped. The roads were wet, but the spray and splashes were merely a nuisance. It was looking hopeful. By mile 12, the rain had stopped completely and I saw a silver lining in the clouds. I planned to ride easy today and see whatever sights along the way that seemed interesting. There would be plenty.

In Geneva, I took time to ride out to the end of Long Pier on Seneca Lake, one of New York's Finger Lakes. The clouds made the lake look cold, but I could tell this would be a pleasant place to spend a hot summer's day. Nearby, I passed an ice cream shop. It was too early to stop, but I turned around to take a photo. It was "Peppy's Ice Cream." That's significant because one of my good friends and co-worker in Bothell, WA is Chris Peppler, AKA "Peppy." Who knew he owned an ice cream shop in upstate New York.

In Waterloo, NY, I learned that this town is the birthplace of Memorial Day—formerly known as Decoration Day. I even rode past the "Memorial Day Museum." Waterloo, New York was credited with being the place of origin because it observed the day on May 5, 1866, and each year thereafter.

Shortly after Waterloo, we entered Seneca Falls, NY—the birthplace of the Women's Rights Movement in 1848 on the site of the Wesleyan Chapel. Next door to the remains of the chapel, is the Women's Rights National Historical Park & Vistors Center. We toured both the chapel and the visitors center as well as attended a brief presentation by a National Park Service Ranger. What surprised me most was how the Women's Rights movement was born out of the Abolition and Temperance movements but even more so, was how the Second Great Awakening and Christian revivalist Charles Finney had an impact. Finney preached that men and women are equal before God and that women can and should interpret Scripture for themselves. Two points that I am in complete agreement with. I left feeling very thankful for being a part of a denomination that values and promotes women in ministry, was started by a woman—Aimee Semple McPherson, and currently has a number of called and gifted female pastors on our own church staff—any one of whom I would willingly follow.

After Seneca Falls, we reached our SAG stop and I finally removed my remaining rain gear and left it in the van. I wouldn't need it for the rest of the day. I rode alone for the next stretch and enjoyed a chance to stop whenever I liked. I saw some scenic but small waterfalls in Throop, NY and then found a great place for ice cream in Elbridge, NY. Actually, Tom, Alex, and Hans had already found it. But, I was happy to drop in and join them. I ordered "Lobster Tracks" flavor ice cream, largely due to the name. But, it was a tasty blend of caramel, chocolate, and vanilla. I think it was the Maine equivalent of Moose Tracks.

After Elbridge, we came to Camillus and entered the Erie Canal Park. After looking around the museum and store within the park, two helpful ladies suggested to Hans and me that we ride about a mile down the Canal Pathway and see the newly constructed Aqueduct. An aqueduct is essentially a water-filled bridge designed to carry a waterway over a ravine or river. The ride on the former canal towpath was wooded, quiet, and idyllic. At the aqueduct, which was almost complete, the canal was flowing several feet above Nine Mile Creek. We continued on the pathway, resumed our route, and rode through the outskirts of Syracuse to Liverpool. On the way, I passed Armstrong Road. I smiled thinking of how Lance was currently doing in the Tour de France—and how I've cycled about the same number of miles he has this month.

In Liverpool, I made a stop in town at a local barber shop. I needed a haircut and the local barber was the right choice. Dave, the barber, was suitably impressed when I told him where I had ridden from. He gave a great old-school cut and told me it was guaranteed to make me faster. I'll find out tomorrow, because my ride was done just a few miles down the road when I found our hotel. But, I'll bet he's right.

Tomorrow, we ride 79 miles to Little Falls, NY. We wrapping up this ride very quickly. We have just five more days left until we arrive in Portsmouth, NH and dip our front tire in the Atlantic Ocean! My wife, Susie, and my kids, Kyle and Bethany, are flying from Seattle to Philadelphia tonight for a few days of touring on their own and then they'll see me in Manchester, NH the day before we finish. It will be great to both be in the same time zone. Even better to see them on Monday!

For more photos from today's ride, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100512
For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 71.74
Time: 4:57:45
Avg: 14.4
Max: 33.0
Cumulative Miles: 3,597
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 2,206 ft.
Max Elev: 1,002 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 9%

Day 46 - Hamburg, NY to Canandaigua, NY

2009-07-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

"Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like " — Bicycle Race, Queen

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday's drenching is yesterday's news. Today looked very promising. Sunlight was shining through the hotel windows during breakfast. It was a pleasure to once again ride my bicycle. And, with less than a week left to our Cross Country Challenge, I'm making sure I relish every moment. Today's first stop was a fun one. About 8 miles into our route, we stopped at the Pedaling History Museum in Orchard Park, NY. Carl Burgwardt, the owner and museum historian, gave a tour of one of the world's largest collections of antique and classic American bicycles.

We learned the history of the bicycle, beginning with the "Draisienne"—a two-wheeled walking machine invented in 1817 by Baron von Drais—to the high wheel "Ordinary" or "Penny Farthing" which was the cause of many a head injury. "Because the rider sat so high above the center of gravity, if the front wheel was stopped by a stone or rut in the road, or the sudden emergence of a dog, the entire apparatus rotated forward on its front axle, and the rider, with his legs trapped under the handlebars, was dropped unceremoniously on his head. Thus the term "taking a header" came into being." (pedalinghistory.com) These bikes were followed by the hard-tired "Safety" bicycle and the pneumatic-tired "Safety" bicycle which was common in the 1880s and 1890s. We could have spent the entire day in there. So many bicycles including a wide array of bikes from the 1950s and 1960s. Carl and his wife who own the museum are trying to sell the collection so they can retire. What you wouldn't be able to replace is his knowledge of each and every item. He's a walking cycling encyclopedia. ("cyclingpedia"?)

After leaving the museum, we had to play "catch up." We had only ridden 8 miles and it was now nearly 9:30 a.m. Our route took us out of Orchard Park, which is an attractive suburb / old town outside of Buffalo, and through East Aurora, Porterville, Marilla, and Alden. I passed residential areas, farmland, a few streams with small waterfalls, and some more corn. Our first SAG stop was in Alden at a gas station. I had to laugh at my "second breakfast" I purchased inside: Starbucks bottled Frappucino Mocha and a large chocolate chip cookie.

The next 38 miles were entirely on Route 20 with no turns. I was ready for a diversion when I spotted a road sign directing me to "Bethany." For those who may not know, my 11-year old daughter's name is Bethany. I turned left and found myself smack in the center of town—which included a Volunteer Fire Dept. building, a Town Hall, and about a dozen homes. I took some photos of Bethany's namesake town and returned to the route. I wonder if anyone named Bethany lives there.

Our second SAG stop was in Avon, NY. I found this entertaining because I was just in Avon Lake, OH two days ago. Avon Lake is bordered on the south by Avon, OH. Now I was nearly 300 miles east of there, but still in Avon. Our stop was in the parking lot of another diner. It was highly recommended I go inside and order a burger. I'm glad I did. I downed a vanilla milkshake and a cheeseburger that was twice as big as the bun. Man, I love eating like this, but it all will have to come to an end in less than a week. Or—I'm gonna have to keep riding 90 miles a day!

The remainder of our ride into Canandaigua was along Route 20 East. We passed a church with a sign outside advertising, "FREE COFFEE WITH EVERY SERMON ENDURED." Hmm. Interesting sales tactic. We passed a store with some old vehicles parked on the lawn. One was a truck dressed up like Mader from the animated movie, "Cars." I stopped, turned around, had to take the photo. And then, we were entering Canandaigua.

Canandaigua sits on the north end of Canandaigua Lake. It's a resort town and as I rode past the lake, I could see the appeal. The water was crystal clear and it beckoned me to take a swim. Families were playing on the beach and at a playground. Couples strolled along the crushed gravel path along the shore. A storm was brewing in the northeast and preempted my ride into the town center. I got enough rain yesterday. I made it to the hotel and was showered and dressed before the skies opened. Glad I missed that one.

Tomorrow's ride to Liverpool, NY will pass four more Finger Lakes. I'm planning to take my time and see the towns bordering those lakefronts since it's a short 69 miles. The forecast calls for rain, unfortunately, but I'm willing to pay my dues for the incredible weather we've had up to now.

For more photos from today's ride including A LOT from the bike museum, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100504
For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 98.4
Time: 6:34:51
Avg: 14.9
Max: 35.0
Cumulative Miles: 3,525
Elev Gain: 3,890 ft.
Max Elev: 1,141 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 11%

Day 45 - Erie, PA to Hamburg, NY

2009-07-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

saturation point — 1. limit to scope for expansion: the point at which no more can be added; ... 2. limit to absorption: the point at which the greatest possible amount of a substance has been absorbed by a solution at a given temperature

Today I was saturated. There is a point in cycling when you can no longer get any wetter. Our ride out of Erie, PA and into New York State was possibly our wettest yet. But first, a little about our rest day in Erie, PA.

I was blessed to have an offer from my high school friend, Lori (Lalak) Lee, to drive me to Avon Lake, OH—my hometown. I hadn't been back to Avon Lake since 1988, a year after moving to Seattle. I originally hoped I could get to Avon Lake, but had decided it wasn't going to work out. Then Lori made her offer.

We drove the two hours from Erie to AL and spent the day visiting many long-time friends—Paul & Molly Dunford (longtime family friends and former Jr. High science teacher); Bob & Mary Koren (former Scoutmaster); Tom Lyman (mystery surprise guest invited by Korens and former scout leader); Dell-Ann (Schaeffer) Lewis (high school friend); Larry & Sue Johnson and Megan & Kyle Boatwright (long-time family friends); and Nick Rusinko (high school friend). We drove all around town to see what had changed and what was still the same. I was surprised by what was just like I remembered it. But, there is plenty that is new. We also enjoyed dinner with Lori, her husband Steve, and adorable boys, Camden (5) and Rylan (3). I greatly appreciate her willingness to be my chauffeur for the day!

We left Erie on wet roads and the promise of more rain to come. Unfortunately, I was woefully underdressed for a rain day. I had reached into my luggage this morning and pulled out what I thought was my pair of arm warmers. The luggage trailer was loaded and locked when I realized what I had grabbed was just one leg warmer. Add to that, I had chosen to only take my lightweight windbreaker and not my heavier, waterproof rain jacket. But at the start of the day, I wasn't worried. The weather wasn't too cool and the rain was very light.

We had some occasional views of Lake Erie, but for most of the route, homes or private retreats blocked the views from the road. We did ride through several vineyards. This corner of Pennsylvania, and even my hometown of Avon Lake, benefit from the glaciers that descended and then receded during the Ice Age to form the Great Lakes. "The glacial ridges left behind by the glaciers are the basis for ideal growing conditions for wine grapes and many fruit trees. The well-drained gravel-loam soils and the moderating effect of the lake on spring and fall temperatures combine to create the perfect growing environment for healthy vineyards and premium wines." (Chautauqua Lake Erie Wine Trail). Leigh and I stopped at the Mazza Winery. I'm not a wine connoisseur in the least, but I tried a sample of their "ice wine." It's a very sweet dessert wine that is made from dehydrated grapes cultivated in January when they are frozen and still on the vine. At about $90 a bottle, it wasn't bad!

When we left the winery, the rains had started again, falling harder now. We reached the New York state line and put on jackets. Ten miles down the road, we stopped at the Daniel Reed Memorial Pier in Barcelona, NY. There we had a great view of the lakeshore, bluffs, beach, and marina. Had the day been in the 80s or 90s, I might have taken a dip in the water. Today, I was already plenty wet and getting wetter.

Twenty miles farther, in Dunkirk, NY, was our SAG stop ("Support and Gear"), but today it was definitely a SOG stop. I was now soaked to the bone. I kept the stop short, ate a bunch of food quickly, and rode on. As I was riding through town, a man stepped out of a business, saw me riding by drenched, and gasped. I think the translation was something akin to "What the heck? That's crazy!" I couldn't agree more. But, ride on we did.

Now I just put my head down and rode. In Silver Creek, at mile 60, I went inside a Rite-Aid to use the facilities and buy a Starbucks bottled coffee. While in the restroom, I stood in front of the hot air hand dryer for about 20 cycles. That helped a bit. Until the rain started again. I rode through a portion of the Seneca Nation's Cattaraugus Native American Reservation which was largely gas stations, smoke shops, and small diners. The road had heavy traffic, mostly trucks, but was thinly populated. Lush, green Northeastern woodlands bordered both sides of the road.

I rode through the outskirts of Hamburg to find the hotel in now pouring rain. My sole concern was to not get killed by the passing cars and trucks spraying me with rain water from three-inch deep gutters and swollen storm water drains. There was probably many interesting sights to see within Hamburg. But, I didn't stop for any of them. Today was not a day for sightseeing. It was a day for endurance. And, thankfully, I endured. Once I found my room, I placed myself and all of my wet cycling clothes in the shower. I'm now clean and dry, but there's an inch of grit covering the floor of the tub. Jackets, shorts, shoes, gloves, and socks hang from our window and over the air conditioner in order to dry. I'm afraid to check the weather report for tomorrow...

Tomorrow's ride will be 95 miles to Canandaigua, NY which is on one of the Finger Lakes. If the weather is decent, it should prove to be a beautiful ride. But, I can't complain too loudly. The weather for 44 days has been near perfect.

To view photos from my rest day in Avon Lake, OH, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100466
For more photos from today's ride, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100496
For more information about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 82.81
Time: 5:30:23
Avg: 15.0
Max: 34.5
Cumulative Miles: 3,426
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 1,688 ft.
Max Elev: 713 ft.
Avg Climb: 1%
Max Climb: 7%

Day 43 - Youngstown, OH to Erie, PA

2009-07-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

"We're in Pennsylvania, we're in Pennsylvania! We're almost there! We're almost there!"

That refrain was a song I sang as a six year-old on my way with my dad to Camp Fitch on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Camp Fitch is a YMCA camp that we attended when I was in Indian Guides. We passed the sign for Camp Fitch this afternoon and I remembered this song. It kind of fits even today. We're in Pennsylvania, and we're almost there... to the Atlantic Ocean, that is!

Today's ride was a fun one. The day was unseasonably cool, but great for cycling. Our route out of Youngstown was north through Mineral Ridge and Niles. Then we found ourselves on more rural roads that reminded me a bit of Whatcom County back in northern Washington. The roads were far better than yesterday's roads and the terrain was fairly flat which made the riding easy and enjoyable.

We hit our first "Road Closed" mid-morning. Michelle, our ride leader, gave us instructions on how best to navigate this construction area. Basically, it was a ditch where a new stormwater or stream pipe was being laid. We carefully walked over the dirt and rocks and got over safely. This was just a warm-up for the next "Road Closed" section. Just a mile or two further, we found the second obstacle. This one was far worse. The road was torn up and concrete blocks and rebar lay scattered in a 10-foot deep crevasse. Four of us guys crawled down into the canyon and we began handing bikes from one side to the other. By the time we finished, nearly a dozen bikes had been carefully carried over the rocks. We laughed at Young Bob's bike (he's the 73 year old that shares my name). It was the heaviest one! We wondered if he used lead pipe for the bike frame! After all the bikes were over, each of the riders scrambled across the gully. My mountain-climbing experience paid off. I've climbed more technical scrambles. Just keep a constant three-point contact and you'll be fine.

Once that obstacle was complete, we had smooth sailing. We reached our first SAG stop at a restaurant. Some went in and enjoyed strawberry shortcake. I held off and just gobbled up the usual biker food plus a few chocolate chip cookies from the Perkins restaurant last night. (Thanks TJ and Krista for donating your kids' uneaten cookies!) The next 40 miles went by quickly. I enjoyed riding with Leigh, Chris, Jim, and Hans. As we neared Conneaut, I was looking forward to seeing my high school friend Lori (Lalak) Lee and her two boys who were planning to meet me on the route.

I had seen a couple of signs for a covered bridge, which Ashtabula County has a lot of. I passed our turn and found the bridge just a quarter mile down the road. I rode through it a few times, took a few pictures, and enjoyed the moment. Not many of these in Washington state. Then I got back on course.

Around the corner, across from a winery, I saw Lori and her boys up ahead. They were sitting in chairs at the side of the road. As I got closer, I could see chalk marks on the road. They had written, "WELCOME TO CONNEAUT. GO BOB GO! WELCOME AMERICA BY BICYCLE!" Wow, just like in the Tour de France when they paint rider's names and encouragement on the roads leading up the Alps or Pyrenees! I pulled up to them and gave hugs and handshakes. Lori's boys, Camden (5) and Rylan (3) had signs and noisemakers. Despite being a bit hungry from waiting all morning in the sun, they were excited to see me (at least that's what I'm imagining!). We took a couple of photos, then I pedaled on to meet them again at our second SAG stop, Richardson's Root Beer stand and drive-in in Conneaut.

As I rode the few miles into Conneaut, I crossed under I-90. It's amazing to think that this same interstate runs all the way to Seattle. In fact, I bike on it fairly regularly. Not only that, but it crosses just south of Avon Lake, OH where I grew up and where I'll be going tomorrow. I turned the corner and saw the drive-in ahead. This outdoor root beer and burgers drive-in reminds you of the 50s. The place was packed. I parked the bike, joined Lori and the boys in line, and then got my order and scarfed down a tasty cheeseburger, fries, and the best root beer float I've ever had. We visited for awhile and made plans for tomorrow in Avon Lake. She's agreed to chauffeur me around AL and take me to see some old friends and places. I can't wait.

After leaving Conneaut, we rode parallel to Lake Erie, though it wasn't yet in sight, and entered Pennsylvania. I really enjoyed seeing all the place names referring to Lake Erie. It sure brought back memories. We entered Lake City and I saw the Lake Erie Community Park and figured this would be a good opportunity to get some lakeshore views. I hollered to Leigh and Hans who were with me and we rode through the park and then saw the lake. For those of you who have never been to the Great Lakes, there's a reason it's known as the "North Coast." It almost looks like an ocean. You can't see the Canadian side. It's just water all the way to the horizon. Both Leigh and Hans were impressed. Hans asked in his Swiss accent, "We are at the wrong coast?!"

Now we continued on through Presque Isle and the Erie. The city had just hosted the "Roar on the Shore" Motorcycle Rally. All the bikes had left town, but the city was awash in litter and the remains of what had to have been a pretty sizable party! We navigated the city streets and found our hotel. For a Sunday afternoon, the city was empty. I'm not sure what Erie's finest qualities are, but so far, it has the looks of an urban city in decline. I think I'm glad I'm going to Avon Lake for my rest day. The other cyclists can find something fun to do in Erie, but I think the majority of them are headed to Niagara Falls.

After our rest day, we'll head northeast into New York state and ride 82 miles to Hamburg, NY. The end is in sight! We only have eight days left until we reach our final destination, Portsmouth, NH!

For more photos from today's ride, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100458
For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 100.5
Time: 6:24:22
Avg: 15.6
Max: 42.0
Cumulative Miles: 3,343
Elev Gain: 2,008 ft.
Max Elev: 1,083 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 9%

Day 42 - Wooster, OH to Youngstown, OH

2009-07-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

"The infrastructure, Jerry, it's crumbling!"—Kramer, "The Pothole", Seinfeld
Today, I discovered the worst roads in America. Now, admittedly, I've only surveyed 3,200 miles of roadway thus far. But, after today's ride, I have determined that the roads in Northeastern Ohio are among the worst in terms of road surface. We had heard from Gerard, our ride leader, that today's route left a lot to be desired. We had no idea how bad.

Our day started well. The weather was unseasonably cool with cloud cover and a forecasted high of only 71. I was enjoying the quiet morning and decided early that I was going to take it easy today. We were rolling along through more farmland and rural homes when I noticed we had entered the city limits of Orrville. Something seemed familiar about the town name. When we turned onto "Smucker Road," it finally clicked. We were in Orrville, OH, the home of Smucker's—as in jams, jellies, preserves, and spreads. I did some quick iPhone research and saw that the Smucker's factory was in the center of town which was just 2.5 miles off route. It was early in the day, why not check it out? I doubted there would be a factory tour or visitor's center open on a Saturday at 8 a.m., but it would be fun to at least take some pics of the place.

I found the factory and rode past some of the buildings when I met Don. He was sitting outside waiting for someone to bring him his mid-shift meal. I introduced myself and explained what I was doing then asked him about the factory. There are 400 employees at this facility where they primarily make the individual packets of jam and jelly you find in restaurants. Don packages them in the boxes for shipping. I was surprised to learn that the fruit is shipped by truck or rail from California. Wouldn't it make sense to have a processing plant closer to the fruit groves? Don said at one time Smucker's did have a California plant, but they closed it after determining it was less expensive to have production in Ohio and ship to and from this plant. Before I left, I took my photo with Don when another employee came out. Don called to him, "Hey, this guy's riding his bike from San Francisco!" While I didn't get any free samples, it was fun to see the home of Smucker's and get some first-hand info.

Back on the route, I had added about five miles to my 92-mile ride and now was at the back of the pack. I caught up with Brian in Canal Fulton, home of the St. Helena II and a landmark on the Ohio and Erie Canal—at least that's what the Canal Fulton Heritage Society sign said. I caught the rest of the group at the first SAG stop in Greensburg. After enjoying some of Amy Benson's zucchini bread, Chris and I rode on. And that is when we began encountering the worst roads in America.

Pontius Street in Hamilton County, OH—I was amazed at how bad this road was. I'm at a loss to adequately describe the inferiority of this asphalt. It's one thing to encounter potholes. But someone on the county road crew had made an attempt to repair these roads... over and over again. As we rode along, we dodged, ducked, dived, dipped, and dodged holes, cracks, and patch after patch after patch of mismatched, mis-colored asphalt filler. Descending a hill usually brings some relief. You can relax and enjoy the downhill. Not on these roads. We were in a constant state of bone-jarring alert. By the time we reached New Baltimore, it was time to take a break. The New Baltimore Ice Cream stand was just what we needed.

After a refreshing lunch of hot dog, soft pretzel, and vanilla shake (I love being able to eat like this!), I faced the roads of terror again. The afternoon was a slow slog of avoiding holes, crevices, and bumps. The final relief came when I reached the last 10 miles of the ride and got on the Mill Creek Metroparks bikeway. Ahhh. Smooth pavement. I sailed at 19 mph, renewed by the absence of all that I had endured for the last 50 miles. I even found a shortcut, albeit back on bad pavement, that saved me three miles on the final approach to the hotel.

After a shower and route rap, I got to enjoy dinner tonight with my high school friends, Krista and TJ Schmitz and their adorable kids, Mallory (16), Noah (13), Jonah (10), and Micah (6). We had great conversation talking about high school, marriage, kids, family, and life as nearly 40 year olds. They'll tell you they lead a boring life, but boring is bliss. I can tell their life with each other and those kiddos is anything but boring! I was blessed to spend time with them and for them to drive an hour and a half round trip to spend a few hours with me. (And my offer still stands to put Noah in the America by Bicycle luggage trailer for a few days!)

Tomorrow should be another fun one. We'll head north to Conneaut where I'm hoping to be greeted by another high school friend, Lori (Lalak) Lee and her two boys. They even promised to ring cowbells and write my name on the road in chalk, just like Tour de France fans do for Lance! After Conneaut, we'll leave Ohio and enter our tenth state of the ride, Pennsylvania, as we finish in Erie, PA for our final rest day on Monday—which I'll be spending by heading to my hometown of Avon Lake, OH for the day and then joining Lori, her husband, and boys for dinner. We're only nine riding days away from the conclusion of this amazing journey when we reach Portsmouth, NH on July 28!

For more photos of the terrible roads, but pleasant scenery, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100435
For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 95.42
Time: 6:52:33
Avg: 13.8
Max: 38.0
Cumulative Miles: 3,242
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 3,883 ft.
Max Elev: 1,398 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 13%

Day 41 - Marysville, OH to Wooster, OH

2009-07-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

"On behalf of Gerard Airlines, we'd like to thank you for flying with us. Today's flight with non-stop service to Wooster, OH will be piloted by Gerard Boisse and we'll be at a cruising speed of 27 mph."
That was the thought this morning when I decided to chase Gerard, our ride leader, who did not ride yesterday and had fresh legs today. The first 25 miles this morning flew by as Gerard led me and Judy along the Ohio roads out of Marysville. We raced by farms, small towns, homesteads, rivers, and of course all the riders who left ahead of us!

At mile 20, a group of Chris' Columbus friends joined him to ride 30 or so miles. They had fresh legs, too, and were soon on our tail. A few miles later, we met up with Brad Butler who rode with hid dad, Jay, during the San Francisco to Salt Lake City leg. It was great to see him again and we caught up on how the ride had been since Day 11 when he departed. He commented on how my previously pasty white legs were now brown. (Thanks, Brad, for checking out my legs...) Brad lives about 15 miles from where we were riding. Soon we were on one of his usual routes and I was enjoying the scenery. The weather was unusually cool with heavy cloud cover and low humidity. It made the morning's ride more enjoyable.

We had a couple of "Road Closed" signs on our route. What do you do when you see a "Road Closed" sign? You ride right through it. The closures were fairly insignificant and we easily navigated the obstacles. First was a road with a third of the pavement missing. The second was a road crew installing a drainage pipe. No problem. We just consider it our "cyclocross moment."

By mid-morning, we had reached the SAG stop at mile 33. Guess where it was... another church and cemetery. That makes five. I had to laugh when I noticed Dan had rested his bike against a headstone. I hope the fella resting there was a cyclist back in his day. I'm sure he didn't mind. Brad enjoyed catching up with the other cyclists and we met Chris' friends. Soon, it was back to the road with Gerard, Judy, Jim, Brad, and myself.

After a few more miles of countryside riding, Brad had to turn back towards home. We said farewell, promised to stay in touch, and talked about taking on a portion of another America By Bicycle ride in the future... maybe Ride the West next summer, perhaps! But only a week's length next time! Gerard, Judy, Jim and I pressed on. We reached Fredericktown, OH and decided to stop for an early lunch.

We chose the Taste of Country Cafe and Store. While a few of the guys ordered sandwiches, I opted for a piece of pecan pie and an iced mocha. When the 30-something woman came over to the espresso machine to serve me, she admitted to being new to the "whole coffee thing." I said, "Well, I'm from Seattle, so I'm happy to walk you through it!" then added quickly, "But, I don't want to be pedantic and talk down to you either!" She was grateful for the help and I gave her step by step instructions for making a first-class iced mocha with Hazelnut. After I took a sip I said, "That's the best iced mocha... I've had today!" She smiled at first then said something to the effect of "what a backhanded compliment." It was all in fun and I told her it was delicious.

Upon leaving, we passed an Amish family in a horse and buggy. Jim actually got them to agree to a photo, which I thought was very uncustomary. We rolled on and began some of the hillier portions of our route. We passed through verdant woodlands and rolling pastures. I passed through a section of Ohio where the Mohican Outdoor Eduction Center is located. I went there in fifth grade. Memories were rushing by as fast as the scenery. Now we were climbing steeper hills and enjoying fast descents. The views atop the eastern Ohio hills were fantastic: farms and pastures, forests and fields, ribbons of asphalt leading to the next turn.

At our second SAG stop (that again stands for "support and gear"), we enjoyed the sunshine and shade. It was looking like a beautiful afternoon by now. As we left with Alex and Chris joining us, we had no idea a thunderstorm was brewing just out of view. Not more than 15 miles after the SAG stop, we spotted the darkening clouds in the northwest sky. Our speed increased as we tried to outrun the impending storm. Thunder clapped in the distance. Lightning streaked across the horizon. We picked up the pace even more. Rain began to lightly fall and the smell of fresh showers upon hot pavement reminded me of Ohio summer thunderstorms from my childhood. I knew at any moment the skies would unleash a torrent of water. I was keeping one eye on the road and the other on potential places to run for cover.

As soon as the heavens opened up, I spotted Chris in the open garage of a nearby house. I dashed in and was soon joined by Alex, Gerard and Judy in the garage. We waited out the storm by taking photos, swapping stories, and checking the radar on our iPhones. After 40 minutes, the storm had passed and we made the last ten miles into Wooster. We stopped in town for milkshakes to celebrate our victory.

After arriving at the hotel and cleaning up, I was met by my high school friend Amy (Dyke) Benson. She picked me up and drove me the half hour to her home in Wadsworth, OH where I was treated to a delicious chicken parmesan dinner with her husband Michael, and their beautiful kids, Christopher (13), Max (11), and Aria (6). Amy and I reminisced and caught up. Michael gave me a tour of their remodeled home. And the kids entertained us with their crazy antics and made me miss my son and daughter even more! I was thoroughly blessed to spend a quiet evening with a home-cooked meal and enjoying the comfortable surroundings of home instead of a restaurant meal and hotel lobby. Thanks Amy and Michael for the gift of dinner and conversation! I'm ready for the day ahead into Youngstown!

Tomorrow, we'll ride 92 miles (ooh, a short ride!) to Youngstown, OH. Word among the ranks is that this won't be the most enjoyable route, but I'll find the beauty in it. At dinner, my friends Krista (Thornton) and TJ Schmitz and their kids will meet me for dinner. I'm really digging all this reminiscing and catching up with old friends! And it only took cycling 3000 miles to get here!

For all the photos from today's beautiful Ohio ride, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100427

Dist: 104.34
Time: 6:10:57
Avg: 16.9
Max: 41.0
Cumulative Miles: 3,147
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 3,953 ft.
Max Elev: 1,648 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 13%

Day 40 - Richmond, IN to Marysville, OH

2009-07-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

"Well, I went back to Ohio, but my family was gone. I stood on the back porch, there was nobody home. I was stunned and amazed, my childhood memories slowly swirled past like the wind through the trees. A, O, Oh way to go Ohio." —My City Was Gone by the Pretenders

Yeah, that's the song that was stuck in my head this morning as we left Richmond, IN and crossed into Ohio. I was born and raised in Avon Lake, OH on the coast of Lake Erie. In 1987, the summer before I turned 18, our family moved to Seattle, WA to be closer to extended family. I returned to visit friends the following year in 1988 and I haven't been back since... until today. As we stopped next to the Welcome to Ohio sign for photos, I realized it took me 21 years to get back here. At least one friend suggests the pull of gravity within Ohio is too great and I might not be able to leave. I will assure her that I will!

Our Ohio crossing was within the first three miles of our ride today. The morning was beautiful, but muggy. Ohio humidity, I remember it well! The low-lying early morning fog created a surreal environment to ride in. The sun shone through the dense trees casting warm sunbeams of light onto our roadway.

I rode most of the day with Chris from Columbus, Chuck from Miami, and Jim from California who left us in Pueblo and rejoined us in Indianapolis. He had to drop out due to a problem with his pacemaker not allowing his heart rate to escalate appropriately. This was his second day of riding with us and he was in top form. Chris had said at breakfast that he planned to "take it easy" today. Jim sure didn't let that happen! Over the first 30 miles, we were seeing speeds of 25-27 mph. I was barely hanging on when Chuck was leading our paceline. Eventually, everyone wised up and we slowed it down to a more respectable 20 mph!

We reached our first SAG stop before the van did. Gerard missed a turn that we had also missed. A street sign was obscured by tree branches. We doubled back to check it and made the turn. Gerard never did. By the time the van got to the SAG stop, at least a dozen riders were already there. We killed time by walking the short quarter mile to Greenville Falls near Covington, OH. At the Falls overlook was a middle-aged Mennonite woman who greeted us. We chatted briefly and shared about our ride. She mentioned we'd probably see some horse and buggies ahead but they belonged to the "more conservative" people. I said I had seen some Amish-looking people driving some tractors a few miles back and figured out they were likely Mennonite since they were using gas-powered vehicles. She wished us well and we walked back to the SAG stop for refueling.

Our route on Ohio county roads was really enjoyable. We passed farms and corn or soybean fields, past rural homesteads and small towns. Occasionally, we had some road construction, but it was pretty easy to get by. One section had "Road Closed" signs in place, but we rode through, past the construction workers and asphalt trucks, over a section of gravel, and back on course. No one yelled at us, but they were probably surprised to see us riding through their work zone. Hey, it beats the six-mile detour!

At St. Paris, OH, we stopped in Braden's Cafe for lunch. It was the recommended lunch stop for the day. The best part, besides the awesome sandwiches and delicious fruit smoothies, was the TV had the Tour de France on Versus playing. We saw the last 5 km of today's stage. Most of us joked about seeing ourselves on TV... "Hey, that's us!" Not even close.

After lunch, our second SAG stop was at a church and next to another cemetery. (That makes three SAG stops at cemeteries.) We stopped long enough to refill our water bottles then pressed on. Our last 30 miles were through some rolling hills, past more homes, some with small man-made lakes in the backyard—two young women in bikinis waved at us when we rode by. All heads turned.

We reached Marysville, OH and our route took us right through town. It looked like an active, historic downtown replete with brick buildings, storefronts, and an enormous city hall that reminded me of the clock tower in "Back to the Future". At our hotel, a 48-year old father and his 18-year old son were talking with many of our riders about the Cross Country Challenge. They plan to ride this route next summer and were open to all kinds of advice. I would love to do a cross-country ride like this with my kids someday. I've told them, "When I turn 50, you'll be 21 and 23 and we'll ride the Across America North Tour, okay?!" Neither of my kids are chomping at the bit just yet. No worries. I've got ten years to sell them on the idea... and work on my wife, too!

Tomorrow's ride will be another long one—104 miles—to Wooster, OH. I'm very excited because I will get a home-cooked meal with my high school friend Amy (Dyke) Benson and meet her husband and kids! For any other Ohio friends in the area, get in touch with me! I'll be spending the day in Avon Lake on Monday, July 20 and would love to see you!

For more photos from today's ride, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100419
For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 107.05
Time: 6:05:24
Avg: 17.5
Max: 31.0
Cumulative Miles: 3042
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 2,163 ft.
Max Elev: 1,437 ft.
Avg Climb: 1%
Max Climb: 7%

Day 39 - Indianapolis, IN to Richmond, IN

2009-07-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

"Welcome to Indiana basketball." —Coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) Hoosiers

After a great rest day in Indianapolis, we were on the road again. Today, our destination was Richmond, IN and on our way we would pass through Knightstown, IN, famous for the shooting location of Hoosiers starring Gene Hackman. But first, a little more about our rest day in Indy.

I needed that day of rest. I slept in until 9:45 a.m. That's notable because for 37 days straight, minus the three preceding rest days, I had been getting up at 5:30 a.m. So, I must have been tired if I didn't wake until mid-morning. Since I had missed breakfast, I headed to a nearby Starbucks to blog, drink coffee, and send some emails. Afterwards, I had lunch at a White Castle. Hmmm. I can cross that off my list. I expected more. It was unremarkable. But, I'll remark on it anyway. Yucky. Soggy. Mushy. You get the picture. I spent the afternoon walking around Indy, exploring the downtown, walking along the Central Canal, and just enjoying a day off the bike. In the evening, my high school friend and neighbor from Williamsburg Drive in Avon Lake, Karin (Potts) Pinto and her husband Rob drove down from Kokomo, IN to join me for dinner (pictured with me.) They have two adorable kids, Anna (4-1/2) and Chris (8). They are rambunctious—like kids that age ought to be—talkative, and super fun. We had a nice dinner and ice cream. It was great to visit with them and meet Karin and Rob's kids. This next leg through Ohio I'll have the opportunity to visit with four more high school friends as well as my former Scoutmaster and his wife. In fact, when I arrive in Erie, PA for our final rest day, my friend Lori has offered to take me back to Avon Lake, OH, my hometown! I can't wait! Now, back to today's ride...

Our route out of Indianapolis took us east past the Lucas Oil Stadium, through the center of downtown, east past Conseco Fieldhouse—home of the Pacers, then through historic Irvington and further east along US40. U.S. Route 40 is known as "Old National Road." The National Road was one of the first major improved highways in the United States, built by the federal government beginning in 1811. We followed US40 all the way into Richmond.

The Old National Road runs through cornfields and countryside occasionally, but a steady stream of historic towns dot the way. Towns like Philadelphia, Greenfield, Charlottesville, and of course, Knightstown. I am reluctant to confess that I've not yet seen Hoosiers. It's one of those 80s classics that somehow slipped by. I'm not a basketball fan, but I like Gene Hackman and any of those "coming of age" flicks. It's on my list now. Might even download it in iTunes tonight. The gym where Hoosiers was filmed is now a community center, but it's obvious that it's mostly a Hoosiers shrine and tourist attraction. The community has kept it simple and it appears much like it did in the 50s. You feel like you're walking into an old high school gym. A "Go Hickory" banner hangs behind one of the baskets. Movie posters and Hoosiers paraphernalia hang in the foyer. Our assignment from Gerard, our ride leader, was to take some free throws. I made it on the first shot. Okay, truthfully, I took two dozen "warm-up" throws.

Our SAG stop was a few miles away. As we left the Hoosiers gym, it began to rain. When we arrived at the SAG stop, Tom the Mechanic had configured a blue tarp from the van to the ground to provide shelter. Problem was, Tom is about 5'2" and he configured it for his height. When Hans the Swiss tried to walk under it with his 6'3" frame, he almost had to get on his knees. I waited out the rain as long as I could, then bit the bullet and got wet for the next handful of miles.

Two things I noticed and really appreciated about the homes on the Old National Road—they all have front porches with chairs or loveseats. A few homes had folks sitting outside, but I could easily imagine riding along here on a hot summer's evening with neighbors on their porch sipping iced tea and sharing stories. It's the kind of middle-America we too often disregard and label as "flyover country." The other observation I made was how many homes and businesses were still flying the American flag nearly two weeks after July Fourth. These Americans are proud to the core of their country. It shows.

Further along, I decided to stop in Cambridge City when I spotted a cafe/antique store. The coffee wasn't the best, but it was nice to get out of the rain. When I left, the sun was out and I could move on down dry streets. In Richmond, our route bypassed the main center of town, primarily to get us off the busiest streets. So, we rode through residentials areas. First, past older, less cared-for homes, then past nicer homes that reminded me of some of the streets in Avon Lake, OH where I grew up: manicured lawns, brick or wood-sided homes, big trees, long driveways. When I got near our hotel, I decided there was more of Richmond to see. So, I tacked on another 10 miles by riding through the historic neighborhoods.

Here I saw a wide disparity of homes. All of them were a century old, but for each one that was being restored, another was falling apart. These once-regal structures were now in disrepair: faded exteriors, chipped paint, sunken porches, broken windows. While riding through downtown, I found a newly-opened bike shop. I stopped in and purchased a new rear tire and a few bags of Sport Beans. The Tour de France was on, so I didn't mind the wait while the shop clerk replaced my tire and rang up my purchase. That was my final stop of the day and it was time to get to the hotel, change, relax, swim, then attend Route Rap and dinner. At the Holiday Inn, I discovered another misspelling. Why do so many folks misspell "bicycle"? The sign read, "TOWELS FOR AMERICA BY BYCYCLE." Sheesh. Proofread folks, proofread. (I hope I did!)

On tomorrow's ride, we will enter my home state of OHIO! I haven't been back to Ohio since 1988. My family moved to Seattle, WA in 1987 after I graduated from High School, so this will be a fun homecoming. We'll have our first of four long days: 105 miles. But, from what I hear from Chris, our Columbus rider, Ohio roads are among the best!

For more photos from my rest day in Indianapolis, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100415
For more photos from today's ride, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100405
For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 86.74
Time: 5:46:00
Avg: 15.0
Max: 35.5
Cumulative Miles: 2,928
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 1,714 ft.
Max Elev: 1,186 ft.
Avg Climb: 1%
Max Climb: 4%

Day 37 - Crawfordsville, IN to Indianapolis, IN

2009-07-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

Racing around the Racing Capital of the World! Today's ride from Crawfordsville, IN to Indianapolis, IN was filled with sightseeing, interesting stops, beautiful scenery, and just plain fun riding. It was a great lead-in to our fourth and penultimate rest day in Indianapolis, IN. And if you were to survey our 23 cyclists, they would likely all agree that we were ready for a rest day!

We left our hotel and rode downhill into Crawfordsville for breakfast. The attractive, historic downtown was still sleepy on this Monday morning at 6:30 a.m. But after our fill of french toast, eggs, sausage, and coffee, we hit the road. Most of today's ride was through rural fields and forests regularly punctuated by small towns. This made for constantly changing visuals as we moved along. The first 30 miles to our SAG stop went through small burbs like Mace (add joke here about eyes stinging...), New Ross, Jamestown, Lizton, and Pittsboro. The day was bright and sunny with blue skies overhead and low humidity.

Our next stop was in Brownsburg, IN at the C.F. Roark Welding and Engineering Company. This manufacturer and fabricator mostly builds parts for jet propulsion and land-based engines. The reason for our visit is that when they're not busy making turbines or working on top-secret defense contracts, they make bicycles. In fact, they make custom titanium bikes with price tags of $3000 to $8000 each. I met Ted Roark, whose father started the company in 1949. He's a cyclist and several years ago decided to add a bike production unit to his company. He admitted that this sideline business is more of a hobby and not a major profit center at all. He has a program manager and a frame builder working for him. They build only 100 fully-custom bikes each year. They're spendy, but the workmanship is top-notch.

After our visit at Roark, we rode through more countryside until we reached Eagle Creek Park. This lush, green park is on the outskirts of Indianapolis. It immediately reminded me of home. There were tall pines (not quite like the Douglas Fir in Seattle, but close), dense forest, and blue lakefront. It was refreshing to ride through cool woodland terrain instead of the constant cornfields of the past week.

Leaving Eagle Creek Park, we passed an Indianapolis football training center for the Indianapolis Colts' farm team. Then we worked our way to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We made a wrong turn and asked two different drivers which way to the Speedway. Both indicated it was to our right. We asked a third man, walking on the sidewalk, and he said it was to the left, which was correct. We're still not sure which speedway the two drivers were pointing us toward. But we found the immense multi-block long speedway.

Riding along the street bordering it, we were amazed at the length of just the stands overlooking the raceway. We entered the speedway and checked out the historical museum. Inside, we saw a myriad of old race cars from the early days of racing, learned the difference between Indy cars and Formula One (Formula One cars used to race at Indy, but don't anymore), and learned that there are only three races at the Speedway: the Indianapolis 500 for Indy cars, the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard for NASCAR, and the Indianapolis GP for motorcycles. As someone not acquainted at all with motorsports, I found the museum interesting and informative. But, my idea of racing was highlighted at our next stop.

A few miles away, we found the Major Taylor Velodrome. The Velodrome was named for Marshall Walter "Major" Taylor, who was an African-American cyclist who won the world one-mile track cycling championship in 1899 — after setting numerous world records and overcoming strong racial discrimination. A velodrome, for the uninitiated, is a 250m oval with steeply banked curves for track cycle racing. We have one in Redmond, WA near our home, but several of the other riders have never seen a velodrome much less biked on one. We took turns racing around the oval for our best time. We had heard the time to beat from an earlier group of our riders who had already come through was 29.0 seconds. Most of our group beat that time by a second or two. I raced and handily beat everyone with 26.7 seconds. Then Gerard, our ride leader, got out there and squashed my time with his 25.0. Darn...

The remainder of our ride into Indianapolis and to our hotel was along the White River Bikeway which connects with a bike path along a beautiful canal through the center of town. People were leisurely strolling through the parklike atmosphere or tooling along in rented pedal boats in the canal. For a bustling metropolitan city, this was a nice way to enter the downtown. Our hotel was just a few more blocks south, right next to the new Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts. Roger, our rider from Pittsburgh—and a Steelers fan—was unimpressed! Dinner was at the Old Spaghetti Factory. We enjoyed dining with two riders who are back after a medical recovery. Rick left after the first day from a separated shoulder after a fall. Jim left after Salida, CO when his pacemaker malfunctioned. Both are fully recovered and excited to cover the remaining 1,000 miles with us. We're all ecstatic to have them back!

After a day of sleeping in, visiting with my high school friend and neighbor, Karin (Potts) Pinto, and just resting, we'll leave Indy and head to Richmond, IN for 73 miles and then tackle four days of 91-104 miles each until our final rest day in Erie, PA. I'm really looking forward to our next leg for two reasons: first, it will be my first visit to my birthstate of Ohio since 1988; second, I'll visit four more high school friends: Amy (Dyke) Benson, Krista (Thornton) and T.J. Schmitz, and Lori (Lalak) Lee. If there are any other ALHS friends that can connect with me, let me know!

For more photos from Central Indiana and Indianapolis, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100398
For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 70.87
Time: 4:58:41
Avg: 14.20
Max: 38.0
Cumulative Miles: 2,841
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 1,219 ft.
Max Elev: 964 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 11%

Day 36 - Champaign, IL to Crawfordsville, IN

2009-07-12T16:22:00.000-07:00

Leaving the Land of Lincoln and Entering the Crossroads of America! Today we departed Illinois and entered Indiana. We've crossed into the Eastern Time Zone. Since there aren't any more time zones east of us (in the U.S.) that must mean we're getting closer to the East Coast! Our route out of Champaign took us through it's neighbor city, Urbana. It was a quiet Sunday morning as we headed out onto more rural roads. We rode in a large bunch this morning and enjoyed conversing with each other. We caught Carole and formed a leisurely-paced double pace line with Carole at the front. For a woman usually riding at the back of the pack, she relished being at the front of the line!

To add some more fun to the morning, since we were all riding together, Chuck called us to a stop and then gathered us into a unique photo op. We called it "corneography." I guess since I took the photo, that makes me the corneographer. We took a couple more shots afterwards. Chris and I stood in the corn with bikes overhead. I lifted my bike overhead, but Chris wasn't quite ready. So... I stood there with my bike in the air while I explained to Chris that I've lost all of my arm muscle mass on this ride. Tyrannosaurus Rex disorder... Great big legs. Little itty bitty arms.

Shortly after leaving our cornfield photo session, we arrived at our first SAG stop in Oakwood. In Oakwood, I was finally able to locate the elusive Illinois magnet I needed and couldn't find yesterday at the Mall. For the record, go to the Truck Stops. Truckers are proud of the states they pass through and there you can always find a shot glass, playing cards, or bottle opener emblazoned with a state name. After the SAG stop, which was again oddly located next to a cemetery, we quickly covered the remaining 14 miles to the Illinois / Indiana border.

We rode through Danville, IL—which appeared a bit economically depressed—, passed the Danville Correctional Center, and then saw the Indiana border. Before officially passing into Indiana, we stopped for photos at the Illinois sign. When we crossed the Mississippi River a few days ago, we never saw a "Welcome to Illinois" sign. Today was our chance to fill in the missing photo. A few cyclists enjoyed taking the photo with the Danville Correctional Center in the background. Nothing says, "Welcome to Illinois" like a prison right on the state line. After the Illinois sign photo op, we moved to the Indiana sign. I pointed out the corn and said, "Hey guys! See the difference between the Indiana corn and the Illinois corn?" "No," everyone replied. "Yeah, neither do I."

Our ride through Indiana was actually really pleasant. Just enough corn to remind us where we are, but nicely interrupted by interesting communities like Covington, Veedersburg, and Hillsboro as well as the Wabash River. In Veedersburg, IN we had our second SAG stop but the preferred refilling locale was at the Bus Stop Cafe. To see it from the exterior, you'd pass it up as either closed or a dive. But inside, it was packed with the after-church crowd. Waitresses briskly worked the tables and I was fortunate to find an empty seat between a middle-aged couple from nearby Hillsboro and the rest of our group.

If you watch the Food Network, you might be familiar with Guy Fieri's show, "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives." This was his kind of place. I expected to see him walking around or tasting the food. My grilled cheese sandwich, fries, and Diet Pepsi hit the spot and it was only $4. The couple next to us intensely interviewed us with all kinds of questions about our ride. We love it when we have an audience, so we were happy to fill them in. When it was time to go, I began filling my water bottles with the leftover bottled water I was given. (Veedersburg's local water apparently wasn't potable so they handed out bottled water.) The lady next to me offered her half-full bottle which she had been pouring into a glass. "No thanks, I'll get more at our van down the street," I explained. She pushed it back and said, "Well, I didn't spit in it, if that's what you're afraid of!" I smiled back and gladly took it for fear of offending the locals!

While eating, this couple had tipped us off that there would be a funny sign we would see when we entered Hillsboro. Sure enough, there it was: "WELCOME TO HILLSBORO! THE HOME OF 600 HAPPY PEOPLE AND A FEW OLD SOREHEADS." I had to laugh and wonder who the old soreheads are. Moreover, if the old soreheads know they're the ones to whom the sign refers!

After Hillsboro, we got into a paceline of four and kicked it into high gear for the final miles into Crawfordsville. Our route to the hotel bypassed downtown, but our breakfast tomorrow morning will be in the town center so we'll have an opportunity to see Crawfordsville up close.

Our ride tomorrow will be a fun one. We're riding a short 62 miles to Indianapolis but have a variety of touristy stops along the way. We'll visit the Roark Bike Factory, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the Major Taylor Velodrome. I'll elaborate in tomorrow's blog on each. Then we have our fourth and penultimate rest day. Everyone is agreed that we are ready for it.

For more photos from today's ride out of the corn and into the Crossroads of America, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100390
For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 82.04
Time: 5:15:08
Avg: 15.6
Max: 29.5
Cumulative Miles: 2,770
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 1,454 ft.
Max Elev: 789 ft.
Avg Climb: 1%
Max Climb: 7% (although when I lifted the bike over my head, it registered as a 22% cllimb!)

Day 35 - Springfield, IL to Champaign, IL

2009-07-11T18:39:00.000-07:00

Break out the Champagne, We're in Champaign! Today's ride was probably more interesting for some of our other riders than it was for me. Several riders got lost today and a few took spills on wet railroad crossings. Fortunately for me, neither happened, although I did miss a turn within the first five miles. I was leading a group of five others and I didn't even notice on the cue sheet that I missed a left turn. I declared it to be a moment of great leadership, "Great leaders are known for taking people someplace they had absolutely no intention of going!" Hmmm. Maybe not, but it sounded good at the time.

Today's route had historical significance, interesting towns, and of course, more corn. Our SAG stop was on the Sangamon River at Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park. Abraham Lincoln's family migrated from Indiana to Illinois in the Spring of 1830 (remember that, Mom?) and this was where their first Illinois home was located.

I rode a portion of today's route with Tom, our mechanic. Tom (not my part-time roommate who was sick for four straight days) replaced our mechanic, Sean (not my British roommate), who left in Great Bend, KS to travel across Europe. Tom is a wiry, older gentleman from Southern Indiana. He enjoys talking, cycling, talking, and talking. Yesterday, he was driving "Silver" (the silver van) and had to stop abruptly because the trailer doors were wide open and flapping as he drove down the highway. We joked about "airing out the trailer." Thankfully, no luggage was lost in the incident. Today, as I rode with him, I noticed his cycling socks. They were leopard print. Yes, leopard. Who wears leopard-print cycling socks? Do you order those from Frederick's of Hollywood (Cycling Division)? Anyway, our ridicule of his socks got him talking, and man, does he love to talk.

We had a brief bit of rain midday. Not enough to get us soaked, but enough to keep us cool and give us a reason to wash our bikes post-ride. The dark clouds followed by bright sun did make for some great photographic lighting as we past red barns, horses, and pastures.

Our second SAG stop was in the Croninger Cemetery. Some of the riders enjoyed the location. I thought it was kinda dead. (rimshot). A past Cross Country Challenge rider drove down from Madison, WI to greet us and provide watermelon. It was fun to visit with him and hear about his journey ten years ago. Later, he joined us for our Route Rap and gave a short presentation on how corn reproduces. (No kidding.) It was interesting. The handout he gave us was titled, "SEX IN THE CORNFIELD." Tomorrow, a few riders are going to try to observe monoecious pollination and fertilization up close.

We arrived in Champaign, IL mid-afternoon, early enough to wash the bikes, wash ourselves, and enjoy a dip in the pool and hot tub. I wanted to stroll around the downtown area or visit the University of Illinois campus, but didn't make it that far. Instead, I walked around the mall nearby in search of some Illinois souvenirs before we leave the Land of Lincoln tomorrow. Seems that Illinois residents don't see a need for postcards, magnets, or shot glasses featuring their state. All the sales clerks I asked just blinked back at me. I'm glad I live in a state that has more to write home about.

Tomorrow, we will leave Illinois and enter Indiana. We will also cross into the Eastern Time Zone and lose one more hour. I will now be three hours ahead of my family. (Guess that puts me well ahead of schedule.) Our destination is Crawfordsville, IN. I'll be sure to ask the locals about the Crawfordsville Monster, most recently sighted in 1891. Bet they have postcards of that!

Also of note, we have only two weeks of cycling left. We will reach Portsmouth, NH on Tuesday, July 28. I'll see my wife and kids on Monday, July 27. And in the next week, I'll see a number of old high school friends in Indiana and Ohio!

For more photos from today's ride, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100374
For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 99.5
Time: 6:15:30
Avg: 16.3
Max: 31.5
Cumulative Miles: 2688
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 790 ft.
Max Elev: 768 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 9%

Day 34 - Quincy, IL to Springfield, IL

2009-07-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

Corn, Corn, Corn! Today's ride from Quincy to Springfield, IL was 107 miles. I do believe 97 of those miles were past cornfields! We left Quincy with dark clouds looming in the west. We thought those clouds would catch us and we would get wet. Fortunately, they never found us, but we still got wet... from the humidity! Right away I could tell Illinois would be different from Missouri. The road we were on was far flatter than the endless rollers of the past three days. We travelled Rt. 104 for most of the day. When we weren't passing cornfields, we were rolling through small towns like Liberty, Chambersburg, and Meredosia. From mile 14 to our SAG stop in Chambersburg at mile 41, we saw corn. Sometimes we were above the corn. Sometimes we were below the corn. Sometimes the corn was on our right. Sometimes the corn was on our left. Usually it was on both the right and the left. Miles of corn.

We crossed the Illinois River at Meredosia, IL. Along the river was an electric plant, we presumed burning coal brought by barge on the river. We crossed via a tall, steel bridge. As soon as we entered Meredosia, we saw... more corn. In fact, around mile 50 I was literally nodding off on the bike. I saw from our cue sheet that there was a store up ahead in Chapin. I told Leigh, who I was riding with today, that I needed caffeine. I rode ahead, found the store, and purchased a Starbucks bottled mocha. Now maybe I can stay awake through this corn.

When I exited the store, I saw Leigh was visiting with a local guy who was on a light blue recumbent bike. His name was Leroy and he built the bike from two scrap bikes. It was a homemade recumbent. He was a character. We chatted with him. He offered for us to ride his bike around the parking lot. We chose to take photos on it instead, but enjoyed hearing how he had welded it, added a tie-rod for steering, and rode it all around town. The chain was fully rusted as was the single-speed gear. But, I doubt he was doing many high-mile days like we were. It was comfortable to sit on, but as a single-speed, it would be painful on hills.

After saying farewell, we followed 15 more miles of corn until we reached Jacksonville, IL, our second SAG stop. This town of nearly 20,000 looked a little like the town I grew up in—middle class, residential, Midwest, family-oriented. But, it was a bit larger and the downtown, though old and historic, featured a college, hospital, and some industry. I enjoyed riding through it and would have lingered. It was refreshing to see something other than... corn.

We now had almost 30 more miles of corn ahead of us. Finally, we reached the edges of Springfield. We stopped at a local bike shop that was one of the more sizable shops we've visited. We then rode into downtown Springfield and passed the Capital—much larger than Washington's capital building in Olympia. I noticed that Springfield was the most urban of the cities we've visited—with the possible exception of Salt Lake City and San Francisco. But this was definitely the most diverse. It felt more East Coast, even though we're still more than 1000 miles from the East Coast.

I saw the sign to Lincoln's Home and Leigh and I decided we better check it out. It's part of the National Park Service and is a National Historic Site. We took our time checking out the Visitor's Center, then we enjoyed a neighborhood tour and a tour of Lincoln's Home itself. The neighborhood features 13 historic home. All but two are rebuilt—Lincoln's and the home across the street are original. The Historic Site is very well done and we thoroughly enjoyed the tour and absorbing all the history. The Lincoln's were fairly well-to-do and their home shows it. The decor of that era is vastly different than today's style. It was described as "harmony through contrast" and "nature brought indoors." Elaborate floral patterns adorned the walls in hues of red and green or sliver and blue. The carpeting was a different floral pattern and in equally contrasting colors. It was loud, off-putting, and would be disturbing to wake up to!

After seeing the sights, it was getting late in the afternoon—almost 5:00 p.m.—and we had a hotel to find. Our route through Springfield was even more urban and through the rougher side of town. What a contrast to the elegant, shady, and well-preserved Lincoln Historic Site. We found our hotel and I had about 15 minutes to shower and change before our Route Rap and then dinner next door at Bob Evans. I hadn't eaten there since high school—breakfasts on Friday mornings after marching band rehearsal. It hasn't changed too much in 25 years.

To see more photos from today's ride including: corn, corn, bridge, corn, Jacksonville, corn, Springfield, corn, Abraham Lincoln's home, corn, and Bob Evans, visit: http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100368
For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 107.62
Time: 7:18:54
Avg: 14.7
Max: 32.0
Cumulative Miles: 2,589
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 2,177 ft.
Max Elev: 809 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 7%

Day 33 - Kirksville, MO to Quincy, IL

2009-07-09T17:28:00.000-07:00

"Ol' man river, Dat ol' man river, He mus' know sumpin', But don't say nuthin', He jes' keeps rollin', He keeps on rollin' along." —Ol' Man River, Showboat, 1927

Today, we cross the Mississippi, leave Missouri, and enter the Land of Lincoln: Illinois. Missouri had a few more rollers and climbs for us before she released her grip on us. A few of the cyclists were glad to leave Missouri. I, however, loved it. We rolled out of Kirksville, MO under an overcast sky and fog. It was humid and the wetness of the humidity was collecting on our glasses and skin. It was too warm for a jacket, so we just got a little damp. By mid-morning, the fog had lifted.

Early in the ride, we passed a farm. A man was out front working on something. Across the road, was his wife mowing the lawn on a riding lawn mower. They are likely Mennonite and she was wearing her traditional dress and bonnet. I did a double-take then quickly snagged a photo of her behind my back when we passed.

Our first SAG stop was in Barring, MO. At one time, this was probably a lovely town. But, like most of these old, small towns, the main street had a series of once-elegant brick buildings now boarded up and abandoned. The Barring Exchange Bank featured two classical columns in front of the two story facade. The Hotel Barring was a two-story red brick edifice that now featured broken windows, boarded up entrances, and probably plenty of available rooms.

After leaving the SAG stop, I noticed I was feeling pretty fresh and my legs were strong. I decided to hammer. Not because I needed to get anywhere fast or to prove anything to anyone... I just felt like hammering. So, I raced past a handful of riders and began mashing big gears up the rollers, racing down the other side, and cruising up the next one. I passed farms with combines ready for harvesting the fields, farmers driving their tractor pulling huge rolls of hay, a few Amish farmers in horse-drawn open buggies, and another unique combination of county route signs: the intersection of County Routes "M" and "E." (It's all about "ME"!)

Around mile 60, I was caught by Roger and Zero. I rode with them a few miles until we spotted another cyclist. We played the "Which cyclist is that up ahead" Game. Roger guessed Dan. I guessed Steve. It was Steve. The four of us rode into Canton, MO which sits on the banks of the Mississippi River. Primo Subs was the restaurant of choice. We found it easily. There were already four bikes parked outside. We were joined shortly by another six riders. While there, Andrew, a reporter from Canton's newspaper, the Press-News Journal, (I guess they couldn't decide on a name, so they chose three. Maybe "Press-News Journal Tribune Register Reporter Times" was too long?) was there interviewing our cyclists. We enjoyed talking about the ride, why we were doing it, and aspects of life on the road. Check their website later this week and there should be a story about us. After lunch, we headed down to the riverbank.

The Mississippi River in Canton isn't as wide as I expected. It's probably not more than a quarter of a mile wide. (It's widest section is near Grand Rapids, MN where it's 7 miles wide.) We crossed the river via the Canton Ferry—a tugboat and barge combination that can carry 6-10 vehicles. On the other side was Illinois. No sign. No "Welcome to the Land of Lincoln" billboard. Just a dirt road. Nevertheless, it was momentous. We were no longer in the West. We were now "East of the Mississippi."

For the next 13 miles, we rode on pancake flat river floodplain. I passed homes on stilts which would suggest flooding wasn't an "if" but a "when." In Quincy, we stopped at the riverfront and gazed up at the two bridges crossing the Mississippi River. We climbed a short distance up from the water into the city center. Quincy, IL is a city of 40,000+ and was founded in 1818. What quickly stands out is the attractive, historical brick buildings downtown and elegant, stately mansions. It was refreshing to ride along Maine Street under tall shade trees passing restored home after home. Historians and architecture buffs would love this neighborhood. As we rode through downtown, a local woman stopped us. She introduced herself as a local cyclist, Deb Esneault, and asked us about our ride. She even invited us on a local club ride this evening. Right... we just rode nearly 100 miles. Think we'll pass. Nice gesture though!

Before arriving at our hotel, we made one final stop. Frozen Mocha. Mmmmm. Exactly what I needed to end this long but wonderful day of riding. Tomorrow, we'll head to the home of Lincoln: Springfield, IL. It will be another long day—106 miles. Just an indicator of some of our big-mile days in the week ahead.

For more photos from today's ride, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100360
For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 98.9
Time: 6:26:31
Avg: 15.3
Max: 38.5
Cumulative Miles: 2,482
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 3,493 ft.
Max Elev: 998 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 12%

Day 32 - Chillicothe, MO to Kirksville, MO

2009-07-08T18:19:00.000-07:00

"These thousand hills roll ever on, In footprints of a Mighty God, They bring me to my knees in praise, Amazing love, amazing grace" —These Thousand Hills, by Third Day

Today was our day of a thousand hills, aptly named due to the Thousand Hills State Park just outside of Kirksville, MO, our destination for the day. The day started cool with plenty of cloud cover. In fact, the clouds remained either as overcast or high clouds for most of the day, keeping the temps reasonable and in the 80s.

Our route today was nothing but rollers and moderate climbs. Today proved that my cycling legs have adapted well to climbing and I was ready to take on these thousand hills. By the end of the day, I wasn't tired of them, but my speed had noticeably diminished. The ride as a whole, was very rural, very peaceful, and occasionally humorous.

We passed through a couple of small towns early in the day—Chula, Linneus, and Purdin. We saw small homes, farms and ranches, and dilapidated houses. The latter part of the day was entirely rural and the scenery was beautiful rolling green hills with an occasional Angus ranch or cornfield thrown in for good measure.

Some of the interesting sights of the day: In Chula, I passed a home with a big blue school bus parked in the back. Emblazoned on the side of the bus was "REDNECK LIMOUSINE." Just a few miles later was an interesting intersection. Let me explain. Here in Missouri, the county routes are labelled by letters of the alphabet. We rode on County Routes V, K, BB, C, etc. Yesterday, one of the humorous, albeit off-color, combinations was at the intersection of County Route "F" and County Route "U". It didn't help that the sign "F U" was at the bottom of a steep hill. Today's intersection was County Route "K" and "KK". The road sign read "KKK." Being that Missouri entered the Union as a slave state, this really works against their public relations campaign.

But the funniest one—and I'll admit to being a bit juvenile—was the sign indicating County Route "PP" was ahead. Yep. I stopped and took the photo you see here. I'm certain I'm not the first to think of it and I'm sure I won't be the last.

In Linneus, at our first SAG stop of the day, we were treated to a tour of the Linn County Jail. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the county is working hard to restore it. Look through the photos linked at the bottom.
The jail was used up until the 60s. The men were housed on the first floor and the women on the second. The prisoner ladies would hurl insults out the windows from above at schoolchildren walking to school. Scared the heck out of them, our tour guide told us.

When we reached Kirksville, we took time to investigate the city center. Kirksville is home to Truman State University, which until 1996 was known as Northeast Missouri State University. It's a liberal arts school of 5,700 and although school was out for summer, the downtown felt like a college town. We poked around the courthouse, a cafe, and a couple of stores.

One more story. This actually took place last night at our hotel in Chillicothe. I was reclining on the bed working on my blog. Sean the Brit was downstairs watching a movie, and Tom was on the toilet where he's been for the past four days—sick from the flu. We had left the door ajar in case Sean forgot his key, which he often does. The door opens. I look up thinking it's Sean back early from the movie. It's Chris. He walks in, no shirt, laundry detergent in hand. Looks briefly at me on the bed, does a double take, then it dawns on him... he's in the wrong room. In fact, he's on the wrong floor! I smile and start laughing, pull out my iPhone and snap a pic to put on my blog, telling him "This is SO going in my blog!" Tom exits the bathroom, I explain what's happened. Tom says, "I thought you were here to steal my bed, since I'm spending all my time on the toilet." After enough abuse had been heaped on Chris, he leaves. But, we've reminded him all day today of his error. You can read his account (and weak explanation) on his blog.

Tomorrow, we'll say farewell to Missouri, cross the Mighty Mississippi River, and entire the Land of Lincoln: Illinois. Our ride is 97 miles, but at least one of those miles is aboard a ferry as we cross Ol' Man River. Hard to believe we've been at this for more than a month and there's only three weeks left!

For more photos of me in jail, historic Kirksville, and a thousand hills, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100353
For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org. So far, we've raised $9870 for global relief and foreign missions for IMPACT Ministries. I need a few generous people to give some large gifts of $250, $500, or more and help me reach my goal of $20,000 before July 28 when this ride concludes! Will you be a part of the Ride for Impact?

Dist: 89:11
Time: 6:17:18
Avg: 14.10
Max: 41.0
Cumulative Miles: 2,383
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 4,234 ft.
Max Elev: 1,150 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 11%

Day 31 - St. Joseph, MO to Chillicothe, MO

2009-07-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

Mo' MO in sto' fo' sho'! After a great rest day in St. Joe, MO, I was ready to ride! Yesterday, I spent the day doing very little outside of the hotel. I spent the morning catching up on my blog and photos while watching the Tour de France in the lobby, then walked to the mall for lunch at the Ground Round, a haircut, and some postcards. Did a little more in the lobby on my computer catching up on some graphic design work while watching a replay of the TdF (can't get enough!), and then walked to dinner at Cracker Barrel, then enjoyed the hot tub before turning in to bed. Ahh. A good day of not much.

Today, however, we DID do much! I was looking forward to seeing what Missouri would unveil for us today and I wasn't disappointed. Maybe it's because I'm still a Midwest boy at heart (birth to 18 in Ohio), or it's because I like to discover what's around the next corner. Today's ride was fun, interesting, and humorous, not to mention scenic.

Our day began on Rt. 6 East under blue skies with high, wispy clouds. Very quickly, we turned off the highway and rode the next 20 miles on county roads. These were like roller coasters, but without standing in line or shoulder harnesses. I love cycling on rollers. You go up, you go down, and then you go back up. It's best when the rollers give you enough momentum on the descent to get up the other side. These sure did, but occasionally there was a good ole' climb thrown in the mix for good measure.

We passed mostly corn and soybean farms in the morning. On the right of the road, behind a United Church of Christ founded in the late 1800s, was a baseball field. And that baseball field's outfield was bordered by a corn field! Can anyone say, "Field of Dreams"? I was watching the corn stalks intently waiting for Shoeless Joe Jackson to walk out of the corn or Kevin Costner to ask if I wanted to "have a catch." Neither appeared, so I continued down the road.

On one of the turns, a very large, wide-wheelbase tractor pulled behind us. I later found out it's known as a sprayer and applies nutrients to the crops with long fold-out boom arm applicators. All I knew at the time was that it's big, tall, and could probably drive right over the top of us if we didn't get out of the way!

The county roads we were following were lined with wildflowers: blueish, purple Chicory, sunny yellow Black-eyed Susan, and bright pink Sensitive Briar. (My mom will be suitably impressed after reading this paragraph and will likely email me a comment mentioning it.) Our first SAG stop was at mile 31 in the town of Maysville and it came all too quickly. I guess I was enjoying this ride too much.

About 7 miles up the road, we passed through Weatherby. Unlike Maysville, which was cute and lively with brick buildings along Main Street and attractive "Welcome to Maysville" signs posted by the Chamber of Commerce, Weatherby would have been more appropriately named "Weatherbeaten." We passed a two-story brick building with knocked-out windows and an overgrown lawn. Above the door, it read "Public School." Obviously, school is out for more than just the summer.

The humor in the day came from several signs I saw along the route. The first one was a reader board with removable letters in the front yard. The owner probably wanted to communicate two ideas: a gospel message, and that he had eggs for sale. Unfortunately neither message was clear. He had posted,

"WHERE DO YOU WANT TO
SPEND ETERNITY IN NON
SMOKING OR SMOKING
EGGS"

The second sign we passed was a rustic wooden plank painted with "EL RANCHO BANKRUPTUS." I wasn't sure what would be more interesting, learning the story behind the sign or why the signmaker chose to use a Spanish verb with a Latin modifier. A couple more interesting signs of the day were an Interstate sign directing me to Bethany, MO. I love it when I see cities named after my kids. A business--maybe it was a business--with a lot of junk and discarded stuff out front had the moniker "Dysfunction Junction." But the foremost sign of the day was over a the door of a second business with all kinds of farm implements, tchotchke, knick-knacks, and junk. It read, "BOBMART." I thought twice about riding over and going in, but decided against it. Probably way better than that WAL-MART I see everywhere.

Up ahead was the town of Jamesport, MO. It's known for being the largest Amish settlement west of the Mississippi. It wasn't long at all before I saw a horse and buggy pull out of a farm and onto the highway shoulder. I pedaled up behind it and surreptitiously took a photo, then passed on the left. Usually, I say "On your left" when I'm passing a pedestrian or another cyclist. One of my friends back home suggested I say, "To thine left!" Hmmm... I just waved.

Our second SAG stop was in Jamesport at a school. After briefly stopping there, we rode into the town center and found a great frozen custard shop, "Wholly Cow Frozen Custard." (Great name.) Inside, we met Amanda Bohannon, the proprietor of the establishment. In addition to providing me and Leigh with the best frozen custard I'd had all day, we had a great conversation with her about Jamesport, the Amish, and life in Missouri. She likely gets a lot of questions about her Amish neighbors (there's 1,600 Amish living in the Jamesport area, if I heard her correctly.) Like, "Can we talk to them?" What was refreshing was when she said, "You just forget after awhile that they're Amish. They're just neighbors."

There was a young Amish man ahead of us when we walked in, I learned his name is Joe. I was struck by how friendly, amiable, and well... regular, he was. She agreed. They're just great folks to live around. She described one of the more amazing aspects of the Amish faith: community. When Joe's home burned down a few years ago, he had a new home within a year built by his Amish neighbors. They dropped what they were doing and helped him rebuild. Other aspects she shared, they don't have a common church building. They have house church and rotate among different families' homes. A wagon carries the pews to the home hosting that week's church meeting. She also shared that unlike the Christian faith in which we can have peace and assurance of salvation through Jesus Christ by asking Him to forgive our sins, Amish do not believe in assurance of salvation and must live a life of perfection to enter Heaven, abiding by rules and regulations. Before we left, she encouraged us to check out a park in Chillicothe--our day's destination--that featured a lionhead fountain. It sounded impressive. More on that shortly, but think about what a "lionhead fountain" would look like to you. We said our goodbyes and I told Amanda I'd be blogging about our ride today. So, she's probably reading this now. If so, "Hi Amanda! Thanks for our frozen custard. Hope your wedding is great! God bless."

After Jamesport, we rode along more county roads. Saw more signs of Amish life, like a produce auction with several horse and buggies parked along the road. One woman, dressed in Amish clothing, was putting two sacks of onions in... the trunk of her Saturn sedan! (I think she might have been Mennonite.)

Finally, we pulled into Chillicothe and I found the Simpson Park that Amanda had suggested. She said her fiance had proposed to her there. I thought this lionhead fountain must be really magnificent. I'm imagining something classical, maybe Roman or Greek. Nope. I looked all around the park, asked a gentleman walking his dog, and he pointed to the children's play area where, sure enough, there was a lionhead fountain. I stuck my head in its mouth and drank from the fountain and asked a young girl playing nearby to take my photo. See for yourself. It's a lionhead fountain!

Two more quick stories and I'll wrap this up. In Chillicothe, I stopped into a bookstore / cafe and was intrigued by two walls of travel photos. In each photo was a small stuffed beanie baby monkey. I saw a sign on the counter, "Take our monkey on vacation, earn a free latte." It seems this monkey has traveled the world over with the store's customers. They take photos with the monkey and bring him back home. They offered him to me to take on my ride, but I thought he'd be away too long. "He was in Afghanistan for six months!" they countered back. Well, I just took my photo with the monkey instead.

Finally, I learned that Chillicothe, MO is the greatest thing since sliced bread. In fact, it's the home of sliced bread. The mural on a town building highlights that in this beautiful town back in 1928 a world altering event took place, the first sliced bread from the bakery was offered for sale..that’s right, in Chillicothe the bread slicing machine invented by an Iowa inventor, Otto Rohwedder, was installed in a bakery that was on the verge of bankruptcy and changed how the citizens expected their bread to be prepared for purchase! You can read about it here!

So, from Chillicothe, MO, we'll head further east to Kirksville, MO. Tomorrow's ride is just 83 miles, but I'm told it will be a long day. We're heading into "Thousand Hills" country. If today's rollers were good, tomorrow's should rock! (see what I did there? Rockin' rollers!)

For more photos from today's ride, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100345
For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 92.16
Time: 6:08:55
Avg: 14.9
Max: 43.50
Cumulative Miles: 2,293
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 3,648 ft.
Max Elev: 1,198 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 7%

Day 29 - Topeka, KS to St. Joseph, MO

2009-07-05T18:04:00.000-07:00

"Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore!" That was the most leisurely, uneventful Fourth of July I've experienced in quite awhile. No fireworks and in bed by 10 p.m. When you're getting up at 5:30 to hit the road by 6:45, there's no opportunity for late night frivolity. But, I really missed hanging out with my family, having a picnic dinner in the Downtown Bellevue Park, and enjoying the fireworks and live orchestra. I could have dwelt on the loneliness, but instead went to bed knowing a great ride was in store for the day ahead. We were leaving Kansas and entering Missouri!

All in all, Kansas was an enjoyable state to visit. Western Kansas wasn't nearly as appealing as Eastern Kansas and today featured more of that pretty side of the state. Our route out of Topeka took us right through downtown. But rain began to fall as soon as we left the hotel and it wasn't worth lingering in Topeka to check out the sights. We headed northeast along Hwy. 4 in a paceline of eight of us. The paceline was going to be a blessing today as we had a stiff headwind all morning. The rain stopped after an hour or so and we saw blue skies in our future. The morning stayed cool and comfortable.

At our first SAG stop, we realized we were the first ones to arrive, with the exception of Sean who left well before breakfast. His girlfriend, Kelly, was meeting him in St. Joseph, MO. You do the math. At the SAG, Dan was waiting for the men's room in the gas station. I saw that the women's room was open and available. I used it. While inside, I could hear talking outside the door and then pounding on the door. When I exited, Leigh was standing there, hands on hips, smiling but obviously taken aback. I smiled back, "Oh, was I in the women's room?! Well, I put the seat down." Hey, when ya gotta go, labels on doors don't mean much.

Leaving the SAG, we had a paceline of six. The sun was now out and a puffy clouded blue sky was overhead. We shared one-mile pulls on the paceline and made short work of the 55 miles to reach Atchison, KS on the Kansas and Missouri border. We stopped at a Subway to fuel up and rest a bit before saying goodbye to Kansas. Atchison is the birthplace of Amelia Earhart. I didn't take time to find her house, but saw that it was in the area. It's funny how these small towns hang their hat on some person in history. A few days ago we rode through a town that had proudly displayed a sign at the city limits announcing it was the home of Steve Fritz, 1996 decathlon gold medalist. Sure, everyone remembers him.

After lunch, we cycled across the Missouri River and entered our sixth state. Right away, I could tell Missouri would be an enjoyable place to ride. The hills were green and lush with deciduous forests, crops in neat rows following the undulating terrain. The rollers had now transformed into climbs. We were putting forth more effort on these rises than we had in several weeks since we left the Rockies. It was kind of refreshing.

Our second SAG stop was in Dekalb, MO. You could tell it was the Fifth of July. Neighborhood streets were scattered with the blown-up remnants of the night before. Our stop was in a community park. I laid down in the grass. It felt good and I knew I would enjoy tomorrow's rest day off the bike. A young kid, Ryan, probably a 12 or 13 year old, was visiting with us and waiting for a floor pump to fix the flat on his BMX bike. Michelle, our staff ride leader, remembered when Ryan was just a little guy. She sees him here every year for the last nine years.

Our final miles into St. Joseph had us riding through a very scenic Parkway with short switchback climbs and swooping descents through an attractive park with tall trees bordering the road. It was a beautiful way to end the ride. We rode past old stately homes and small bungalows, neighborhoods that reminded me of growing up in Ohio. We're definitely leaving the Great Plains and entering the Mid-West. A John Denver tune comes to mind... Country roads take me home. Go ahead, sing it with me.

Tomorrow, I'll get the laundry done, take care of some business, watch the Tour de France, and mostly rest and recuperate. Sean and I had a third roommate, Tom, added a week ago so we're a triple now. The bad news is Tom got sick with the flu two days ago. He still finished the ride yesterday (his slowest ever) but I need extra prayers that I don't get what he has. I'm washing my hands every time I see him!

To view more photos from today's ride, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100337
To learn more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 88.62
Time: 5:55:40
Avg: 14.9
Max: 31.0
Cumulative Miles: 2,201
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 3,163 ft.
Max Elev: 1,169 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 7%

Day 28 - Abilene, KS to Topeka, KS

2009-07-04T18:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth of July! It's not the heat, it's the humidity...Our day started out early, but it was warm and humid. Both the warmth and the humidity would be with us all day. I decorated my bike with some red, white, and blue garland and shared the leftovers with Leigh. We now had matching Independence Day bikes. Just in case there were any small town parades we might join.

In fact, the only parade we were a part of was the one we created when we rode down the Main Street of Enterprise, KS around 7:00 a.m. I saw a man walking along and said, "Hey, you're the only one who got up for our parade!" He smiled. We rode on. The morning was beautiful as the sun shone on the prairie. It looked like it could get hot fast, but fortunately a cloud cover kept us cool for most of the day.

We cycled past farms and ranches. I was really amazed again at how beautiful this part of Kansas was. Wheat fields shined in the morning sunlight and barns and silos stood out amongst the trees. As we rode on into the day, we began enjoying "rollers." Small hills that went up and down and back up again. We really enjoyed it when we had enough momentum from the descent to go back up the next hill!

Our route took us through several more small towns, each decorated for the Fourth of July and getting ready for an afternoon of celebrations. It would be fun to stop in on these small towns and see how they spend the Fourth. At one of our SAG stops later in the day, we were in a community park where families were gathered for picnics and enjoying three-legged races. A guitarist and singer tried their best to add music to the event in the park's gazebo. The feedback was only momentary, but it didn't help their cause!

All of us wore our red, white, and blue America by Bicycle jerseys today to add to the color and excitement of the day. A number of locals saw us on the roads or in cafes and restaurants and asked us about our ride. It's always fun to see their surprise when we mention how far we've travelled and how far we are going.

The region we were exploring is known as the Flint Hills. It's Kansas' last remaining area of tall grass prairie. The scenery is unlike anything we've experienced in Kansas thus far. Rolling green hills, wildflowers, trees, and cattle grazing lazily in the sun. Further along, we neared Topeka and began noticing bizarre cycling-related sculptures. The first one was a mash-up of bike parts, bike tires, and frames. Fortunately, no cyclists were mashed up within the sculpture. Down the road, we saw metal creatures eating bikes. It kinda caused some alarm, as if this was "fair warning" to all passing cyclists. We made it through unscathed, at least physically. I think emotionally, I might have some cycling sculpture nightmares...

When we arrived at the Holiday Inn, I noticed the sign on the reader board outside the hotel welcoming us. However, here in Kansas they use an alternate spelling of "bicycle." The reader board says, "WELCOME AMERICA BY BYCYCLE" Yeah, bicycle with TWO Ys! Well, maybe the proofreader was on Fourth of July holiday.

Tomorrow we'll (finally) leave Kansas, cross the Missouri River and enter the state of Missouri. You can count on how I'll title my blog... "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore!" We'll also finish this segment of the ride and have our third rest day. I'm looking forward to that. I've got laundry to do, a bike to clean, and a computer to troubleshoot so I can get my photos off my camera! Happy Independence Day, everyone!

To view more photos from today's Fourth of July parade, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100322
To learn more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 110.42
Time: 6:24:50
Avg: 17.2
Max: 37.5
Cumulative Miles: 2,113
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 3,568 ft.
Max Elev: 1,702 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 7%

Evening of Day 27 - Tornado Warning in Abilene, KS!

2009-07-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

Tornado Warning for the Dickinson County Area! Here's a special update to my Day 27 blog entry. At about 8 p.m., we were watching a pretty fierce electrical storm moving in from the west. By 8:45 p.m., the rain was falling sideways, the wind was picking up, and then the tornado sirens sounded! Below is video from that evening. By 9:30, the storm had moved over our hotel and the rain had subsided. The flicker of lightning continued into the evening, but we had dodged our first Kansas tornado!

Day 27 - McPherson, KS to Abilene, KS

2009-07-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

We're halfway there! Only 1,925 miles to go! Today was a momentous day for a number of reasons. First, we crossed our "ABB Official Halfway Point." Second, we got off the highway and explored the prettier side of Kansas. Finally, we played tourist and visited some quite interesting spots in Abilene, KS. We began our day leaving McPherson, KS riding directly into a SSE headwind. We only had to ride 11 miles before we would turn north and mostly be at our backs. So, we put our heads down and pressed forward.

When we made the turn, we were exultant for two reasons. First, we had the wind at our backs. Second, we were on a nice, rural country road and not on a busy highway. We rode through Canton, KS which was a quiet small town with homes fronting the road, well-manicured lawns, and lush deciduous trees. Chris couldn't stop talking about how this road reminded him of Ohio. We were still in Kansas, but she was showing her pretty face. The sunlight streamed through high clouds and the wind rustled the leaves. In fact, I couldn't recall a time on our ride when I had heard leaves rustling. It was very peaceful.

We rolled along the low traffic road with easy ups and downs, chatting with each other and enjoying the quiet road, the trees, a harvested wheat field and tall corn. A few buzzards were soaring on the warm solars above us. This was turning into a great ride. We spotted Gerard up ahead and saw paint on the roadway. It was the halfway point! We gathered around and took photos as we celebrated our official halfway point. We had officially cycled 1,925 miles of our 3,850 mile route.

After our halfway celebration, we reached the SAG stop in Gypsum, KS, another small town, this one with a park and gazebo where we refueled. Judy, one of our ABB staff members, had creatively arranged mini cupcakes to read "1 / 2". Clever and cute. I ate several. Then several more. Judy had to keep rearranging the cupcakes so they still read "1 / 2".

Beyond Gypsum was more wheatfields, cornfields, and farmers harvesting hay bales. We watched one driver collect round haybales with a forklift-type truck that would hoist the haybales overhead then drop them on a sloped bed. Then he would quickly drive to the next bale and repeat. To dump the bales, he would drop a tailgate and drive forward. After watching this for a few minutes, we continued onward, this time turning again into the wind. Fortunately, after a few miles we turned again to have the wind at our backs once more.

We rode through Solomon, another small town with a tall brick church, small homes, and quiet streets. We were again heading east into the wind for ten more miles before we reached Abilene. We passed the grounds of the National Greyhound Association, a greyhound racetrack, and a greyhound farm. Leigh and I stopped to look at the greyhounds and they ran to us to check us out. A woman came out to let us know we were welcome to see them but this was their "resting time." It was evident that our visit wasn't helping them rest, so we moved on.

As we entered Abilene, we passed a gorgeous 1880s mansion, the Lebold Mansion. built in 1880 by C.H. Lebold, a local banker, realtor, politician, and entrepreneur. It was open for tours, but lunch and a visit to some of the other museums in town was on our minds. Gerard spotted us riding through downtown and called us to join him at "The Dish," a cute little cafe with a Friday lunchtime crowd. We drew a number of glances when we walked in with our cycling gear and sweat. But, the lunch hit the spot.

After lunch, we rode to the Eisenhower Center--The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. Young Bob had mentioned to me that he had visited it before and thought it was one of the finer Presidential Libraries. It was my first, but I found it really informative and interesting. We checked out the Visitor Center and viewed a short film about Eisenhower's life, role as general and commander of the Allied Forces in WWII, and presidency. We toured his boyhood home which is still in the exact spot where it was built and where he lived from age 8 to his 20s. And, we went in the Meditation Chapel where he and Mamie are buried. It was a good place to think and pray and thank God for our first half of this ride as well as our country we've been exploring and it's strong leaders like Pres. Eisenhower.

I left the Eisenhower Center and went around the block for one more museum: The Dickinson County Historical Museum and Museum of Independent Telephony. For four bucks, it was worth the visit. I learned about Kansas' early years and how the pioneers and settlers lived in this region. I learned about the railroad, cowboys, lawmen, and church life on the Plains. In the telephone portion of the museum, I learned about the Independent Telephone companies that brought telecommunications to the rural areas of our nation. My maternal grandfather, Poppo, worked for Bell in Boise, ID, so I had to check this museum out for him. I could imagine him walking through the exhibits with me and explaining how the old switchboards and phone operators worked. He would have liked this place.

Before I left, I chatted briefly with Maxine who staffed the front counter. She was probably in her late 70s and had lived in Abilene all her life. I asked her about tornadoes and she told me about the time in 1973 when she had first moved to Abilene and a tornado tore the roofs of her neighbors' homes but had left her home intact. I gave her one of my Ride for Impact fliers and took this photo with her. She wished me safety on my ride.

Now it was time to find the hotel. It was late afternoon and I was ready to get a shower before dinner. Riding through downtown Abilene toward our hotel, I passed several large turn-of-the-century homes and recalled one of the docents at the Presidential Library saying Eisenhower grew up "south of the tracks" in the poorer side of town. This neighborhood was where the wealthy Abilene families lived. Many of the homes had flags up in preparation for July 4th.

After showering and resting, we had dinner at a beautiful restaurant next door, The Brookville Hotel. We feasted on a family-style chicken dinner, mashed potatoes and gravy, biscuits, corn, and ice cream. It was a great "Halfway There" celebration. Now we are all filled with fat stomachs and fueled up for the 108 mile ride to Topeka tomorrow. Just two more days of riding and we'll be in Missouri and having our third rest day. We're all looking forward to that!

For more photos from today's "Halfway There" ride including photos of me and Ike, early telephones, and corn fields, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100297

For more about the Ride for Impact and to help me reach my "halfway goal" of $10,000 for missions and global relief, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 67.34
Time: 4:31:42
Avg: 14.8
Max: 29.5
Cumulative Miles: 2,002
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 957 ft
Max Elev: 1576 ft
Avg Climb: 1%
Max Climb: 5%

Day 26 - Great Bend, KS to McPherson, KS

2009-07-02T12:27:00.000-07:00

It's Race Day -- And the end of the first half! Leaving Great Bend this morning, Chris, Chuck and I had an idea. "Let's beat Tom to the hotel today!" You see, Tom has consistently been the first rider to the hotel nearly every single day for the past 26 days. He gets out in front, never stops, and always arrives to the hotel before anyone else. Personally, I don't see the appeal in riding so fast every day. But, we thought for once it would be fun to challenge Tom. It almost was fun.

At mile 3, we caught Tom and Sean. We followed Tom's wheel and let him do the work. A few miles later, Sean dropped off the line and never caught us until the SAG. So, I sat on Tom's wheel for the next 23 miles with Chris and Chuck right behind me. Tom is a strong rider. He's about 60, but behaves much younger (much younger... like a teenager). We were quite happy to share in the pulling, but he never left the front of the line. So, we let him do all the work since the winds were in our faces all day blowing hard from the East.

About one mile from our SAG stop, Chuck got out in front and declared, "Tom, I'll get out in front and pull since you've been doing all the work!" Tom knew Chuck was trying to beat him to the SAG stop and wouldn't let him. He dashed out and kept pace with Chuck. Now Chris was next, "No, Tom, I'll pull for awhile!" And Chris tried to lead out. The problem was, both of these guys were breaking too early. In cycling race strategy, you never want to sprint for the line too early. A stronger sprinter will follow your wheel and then attack at the last minute, slingshotting around you and beating you to the line. I was the stronger sprinter.

After Chris attacked, I got on his wheel and waited for the SAG stop to come in view. As soon as I saw it--about 200 yards away--I sprinted, slingshotting around Chris and leaving all three of them in the dust. When I looked back, I had a solid 50 yard lead on them. I pulled into the SAG stop, raised my hands in victory, and celebrated by being the first to sign the clipboard next to my name. The other three pulled in after me and complained about my "younger legs." I guess I can't brag too much. Chuck is in his mid-50s, and Chris and Tom are late 50s, early 60s. So, a 39 year-old beat three grey hairs. Still, it was fun to show off a little and see how all this cycling has strengthened those fast-twitch muscles.

When we left the SAG stop, we let Tom join our paceline and we shared the load with one-mile pulls each. The problem began when Chris would take the front of the line and increase the pace by two miles per hour. I don't know if this was strategy or a rookie mistake. A lot of cyclists new to pacelines will make the mistake of speeding up whenever they get to the front of the line. They get excited about taking their turn and as a result, they speed up. So, every time Chris sped up, I had to sprint to catch the back of the line. That got wearisome really quickly. By mile 48 I had had enough and I dropped off the paceline and let those three duke it out.

Now as I cycled the remaining 16 miles alone, I had time to reflect on this ride. Today marks the end of our first half of the ride. Tomorrow we'll meet our midway point and begin the second half of our Cross Country Challenge. So here in the middle of the continent was a fitting time and place to think about why I'm doing this and praying for those that this ride benefits. Most of you know that I'm calling this the Ride for Impact. When I began planning this cross country tour, I didn't want it to be just a glorified vacation... I wanted to add greater purpose to it.

Therefore, I selected IMPACT Ministries, in Bellevue, WA, as the organization I wanted to raise funds for. IMPACT Ministries (International Missions Projects and Construction Teams) is a global relief and Christian missions agency. In August, 2002, I made my first overseas mission trip to Manila, Philippines. On this trip, I saw firsthand, how the poorest of the poor lived. Children playing and living in slums and squatter villages, families working in garbage dumps to make enough money for a day’s meal, houses not bigger than a closet as a home for as many as seven people... these were the images and experiences burned into my soul.

On two subsequent trips to Manila, as well as a family mission trip in 2007 to build homes for impoverished families in Ensenada, Mexico, my heart to meet the needs of those around our globe who need our help most, has only intensified. That's why I wanted to help IMPACT. I set a goal to raise $20,000 for IMPACT Ministries so they could support missionaries and missions work serving the poorest of the poor across the globe.

At present, we've raised $9,620. Not only am I halfway across the U.S., I'm nearly halfway toward my goal of $20,000. So, I would like to ask you for your help. I'd like to reach $10,000 in the next day or two and get halfway toward my goal as we meet our halfway point of this ride. If you've been following my blog, laughing at my stories, engaged by my descriptions, interested in my recaps, would you please prayerfully consider supporting me and IMPACT? Even a small gift of $5 or $10 is going to make a difference. In fact, if just 40 of you gave a $10 gift, I'd meet the halfway goal. All you have to do is visit http://www.rideforimpact.org and click on "How You Can Help." There, you can make on online donation or mail a check. I would greatly appreciate you taking the time and making the investment. It WILL change lives. It WILL make an IMPACT!

Now, back to the ride. I rode through small towns like Ellinwood, Lyons, and Conway and then reached the McPherson town line. Riding through McPherson, I spotted Tom coming along a downtown street. It appeared that he had given up the hunt and left Chris and Chuck to ride to the hotel alone. When I reached the hotel, I was the third to arrive. Chris and Chuck were sitting in the lobby well aware that the rooms wouldn't be ready for another hour or two. I congratulated them, gave Chris a drubbing for his race strategy and dropping me, and we all laughed and went to lunch. I don't think I'll be racing to the hotel ever again during this tour, but it was fun for today and added some excitement to Kansas. And some days, you need to add a little excitement... just to make an IMPACT!

Tomorrow, we'll have another short ride of 64 miles to Abilene, KS. Just three more days of riding in Kansas! Darn!

For a few more photos of today's "race to McPherson," visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100282

For more information and to add your support for the Ride for Impact, please visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 65.21
Time: 3:54:40
Avg: 16.6
Max: 30.0
Cumulative Miles: 1935
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 546 ft.
Max Elev: 2370 ft.
Avg Climb: 1%
Max Climb: 4%

Day 25 - Dodge City, KS to Great Bend, KS

2009-07-01T14:47:00.006-07:00

Gettin' the Heck Outta Dodge! This morning we had to get the heck outta Dodge. But as we left Dodge, we learned a few more things about this interesting town. On our route through Kansas so far, we have passed several enormous feed yards. These feed yards have a typical capacity of 20,000 head of cattle. The cattle enter the feedlots weighing 600 to 700 pounds and are fed to a weight of 1,000 to 1,200 pounds in about 140 days. At any given time, about one million head of cattle are on feed in this region. What we hadn't yet seen was where the cattle go after they leave the feed lots. They go to slaughter.

Leaving Dodge City, we passed two of the world's largest beef-processing plants. Excel Corporation processes about 6,000 head of cattle per day, six days a week. National Beef processes 4,000 head of cattle each day. Combined, these two plants process more than 8 million head of cattle annually. That's a lot of beef. Over 1,000 semi-trucks service the community daily. I think most of them passed us today.

There was another Dodge City sign as we left town, so that made a great place for a group photo. It was far easier to reach this sign than the first one we saw as we entered town yesterday. As we crossed Hwy. 50 to get back in the eastbound lane, I took another photo of our group of cyclists walking their bikes across the highway... they were all "gettin' outta Dodge."

In addition to the beef-processing plants, we passed several other industries on our ride today. Koch Nitrogen Company was on our right a few miles out of Dodge City. I suspect they supply much of the nitrogen used in fertilizers throughout the Great Plains. About 18 miles out of Dodge, we entered Spearville--Home of Windmills and the Royal Lancers. The Royal Lancers is the local high school girls' basketball team, but the windmills are 67 wind turbines known as the Spearville Wind Energy Facility. Constructed in 2006, these turbines supply 100.5 megawatts of electricity, enough renewable electricity to serve the annual energy needs of 33,000 homes.

After Spearville, we rode to our SAG stop in Kinsley, KS. Kinsley is noted as "Midway, U.S.A." It's exactly (I didn't measure, so I'm taking their word for it) 1,561 miles in either direction to San Francisco and New York City. While it's not our halfway point since we're riding further north to Portsmouth, NH, it was an exciting moment to know that we've cycled to the middle of the continent.

Kinsley is also home to the Sod House and Museum. Yes, a sod house AND a museum. Of course I went inside. The row and row of display cases contained a wherewithall of everything old, antique, and yesteryear. I was amazed at the variety: farm implements and matchbooks, license plates and clothing, shaving blades and typewriters. You could spend all day in this place and not see everything. But, you had to see the Sod House. It used to be outdoors until they recently built a structure around it to protect it. It's a replica of what the Kansas pioneers built. I like my house in Bothell which is not made of sod.

After Kinsley, we rode on at a good pace until we reached Larned, KS. We had passed a couple of small towns already that had nothing in the way of stores or restaurants and I needed caffeine. Larned is a bit larger, population 4,236 as of the 2000 census. So, I was pleased when I spotted SCRAPS, the coffee shop AND scrapbook store. Inside, I met Lacey who made a delicious iced white mocha with English Toffee. (I told her I'd put her photo on my blog. Hi Lacey!) I asked her all about Larned, the good and the bad. She shared about small town life and how one of the biggest problems facing Larned is the local hospital closing. After leaving the downtown, I realized Larned was a little bigger than I imagined since it had a Subway, Sonic, and a few other fast food restaurants.

With only 20 or so miles to go, Chris, Chuck and I resumed our pace line with 2 minute pulls and cranked through the town of Dundee, the outskirts of Great Bend, and then into Great Bend itself. (Unfortunately, I missed the turn for the Kansas State Oil and Gas Museum. I'll catch that next time.) Our hotel was close to the downtown Main Street, so after checking in and getting my bags, I decided to keep riding another mile and check out the downtown area. Like many of these older small towns, it features a main street with brick buildings, a large courthouse, and plenty of little shops. I stopped in the bike shop and chatted with the locals about our ride through Kansas. They assured me Eastern Kansas was going to be more enjoyable than Western Kansas and especially more than Eastern Colorado. I think I believe them. Kansas is growing on me.

Tomorrow is a fairly short ride of 64 miles to McPherson. There's a water park there which should prove to be a great way to cool off post-ride.

For more photos of beef processing plants, wind turbines, sod houses and museums... and me, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100275

For more information about the Ride for Impact and to donate something... anything... and make a difference for urban poor around the world... and to let me know that you're really enjoying this blog... visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 89.4
Time: 5:48:27
Avg: 16.2
Max: 28.0
Cumulative Miles: 1869
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 558 ft
Max Elev: 3147 ft
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 12%

Day 24 - Garden City, KS to Dodge City, KS

2009-06-30T13:53:00.000-07:00

Today was kind of a recovery day. After riding 225 miles in the past two days, we got a chance to sleep an hour longer and ride considerably shorter. Our route from Garden City to Dodge City was just 51 miles. I left the hotel with no intention of pushing myself or riding any faster than whatever I felt like. Today I felt like "slow."

There were a few notable scenes today. The morning was quiet, with high clouds for a few hours, and flat or rolling terrain. We joked that we really could take a bunch of photos today and just distribute them among our blog entries for the next few days. There was a definite "sameness" to the scenery as it passed by. Grain silos dot the landscape and are often the centerpiece to each small town we ride through. I recall seeing three or four of them today. One of the other riders referred to them as the "Kansas Skyline."

After our midway SAG stop, we noticed a sign on Hwy 50 indicating "Overlook 1 Mile." I noticed the absence of the word "Scenic." I discovered one mile later exactly why. As we slowed to a stop in the slight pullout to our right, we could look far and wide over the Kansas landscape. In the near distance, however, we were overlooking a feed lot. Thousands of cows stood in their own waste and gazed lazily in our direction as we traded taking photos of each other at this "overlook." It occurred to me that perhaps the sign meant 'here's something you can overlook... as in skip, miss, don't stop..."

One of our fellow riders, Meiri, 38, from New York City, shared with a few of us that these days in Kansas have caused her to confront a significant fear: Agoraphobia--the fear of wide open spaces. One of the other hotel guests overheard a conversation about her and said, "She has a fear of open spaces? And she's in Western Kansas?"

In Cimarron, KS, we stopped at the Clark Drug Soda and Ice Cream Parlor. This pharmacy/ice cream shop looks not much different than it probably did 50 years ago. It's claim to fame is that Oprah Winfrey stopped in here once. She even has a smoothie named for her featuring Sierra Mist and Orange Sherbet. I had a cookies-and-cream milk shake. It hit the spot. It was fun relaxing for a few minutes and chatting with the high school girls working the counter. As we left, a family was walking in. The grandma asked where we headed. "New Hampshire," I said. "From where?!" she asked. "San Francisco." "Wow, you got a ways to go!" the dad said. Hmmm. We're almost halfway.

In fact, tomorrow we'll pass the midway point between San Francisco and New York City. There's a sign indicating it's 1,561 miles in either direction. Our actually halfway point of this ride will be on our way to Abilene, KS in a couple of days.

When we entered Dodge City, we stopped for photos atop a small hill to stand next to the cowboy figures on their horses. Look closely at the photo at the top of this blog and you'll spot me. Tonight, we'll have dinner in Dodge City and take in the Long Branch Variety Show in the Long Branch Saloon, "where Miss Kitty and Chalkley Beeson, owner of the Long Branch, will entertain you. There's singing, comedy, as well as the famous Can-Can dancers." I'll probably stick with a sarsaparilla.

Tomorrow's ride will take us to Great Bend, KS for 85 miles. Great Bend is home of the Kansas Oil and Gas Hall of Fame and Museum. So, I've got that to look forward to.

For a few more photos from today's ride including me standing in front of "Ingalls Feed Yard" and from the LongBranch Saloon, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100267

For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 50.95
Time: 3:22:30
Avg: 15.1
Max: 37.0
Cumulative Miles: 1780
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 469 ft.
Max Elev: 3490 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 9%

Day 23 - Lamar, CO to Garden City, KS

2009-06-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

Well, it might be a 105-mile day, but at least it's hot out! Two back-to-back centuries. Yesterday was a grueling 122 miles. So, today's 105 miles, by comparison, is a cake-walk. At least my attitude about it was better. Our day started out with a ride through Lamar. I never took the time to explore it last night. I don't think I missed much. Our route along Hwy. 50 took us again through several small towns. Gerard mentioned the town are spaced every 8 or 10 miles because the steam locomotives could only travel that far before needing water. I see some parallels there to our situation.

We rode through the towns of Granada and Holly and then at mile 33, had our first SAG stop at a Rest Area. Many of us were excited because this SAG stop featured facilities! I made sure to use them. The shade felt good and it was tough to leave as the sun climbed higher in the sky.

A half mile away, we crossed the state line and entered Kansas. The morning's joke was "Don't expect anything different when you enter Kansas." To be sure, eastern Colorado is basically considered western Kansas. Someone joked about giving Kansas back to England. We stopped and took our photos at the state sign and then pressed on through Coolidge, Syracuse, and Lakin. I did enjoy passing a prairie dog colony. The highway fence kept us from getting closer and feeding them. Probably would have been swarmed if we had.

About 30 miles after the state line, we crossed into the Central Time Zone. I stopped for another photo and to note the time. Looks like I just lost an hour. Does that affect my ride time at the end of the day? Do I have to add an hour to the stats? Shortly after the Central Time Zone sign, I noticed the terrain changed from very flat to a series of several rollers. Guess Kansas isn't always as flat as everyone says.

The other thing I noticed in this section is the abundance of grasshoppers. They were all over the road. Sean, my roommate, later commented that it was like "Grasshopper Slalom." I mostly tried to avoid them. I'm sure some of the other riders enjoyed hitting them and hearing that satisfying "crunch" under their tires.

In the town of Lakin, we had our second SAG stop. We were supposed to be at a Dairy Queen, which we were, but it had closed for repairs and now our dream of blizzards and ice cream was dashed. So we rode a block or two to Subway and had lunch. In the span of about 5 minutes, the 6 or 7 of us eating inside each walked outside individually and without fail each of us said exactly the same thing: "Wow! It's hot out here!" It was. Like 100 degrees.

I had been riding with Chris, Leigh, and Gerard. But, Chris had set a goal for himself to get a sub-five hour century (100 miles in under five hours. That's an average speed of 20 mph.) He took off. So Leigh, Gerard and I rode together and then to fight the crosswind or to beat boredom--probably both--we did 10 second pulls. Instead of a lead rider staying at the front of a paceline for a few miles and then dropping back so the second rider can pull, we rotated in a steady circle. As soon as one rider pulled in front, the third rider moved up to the front, then the lead rider dropped back and now the rider in the back began moving to the front. Imagine a clockwise rotation where no one stays in the lead for more than 10 seconds before another rider takes the lead position. It was intense and we were averaging 23-24 miles per hour. After 10 miles, we took a break.

Our final miles into town were no more scenic than any others. We passed road construction, cow feed lots, farmlands, and a Tyson food processing plant. We're in the Heartland. By the way, the Tyson plant is now hiring. Their billboard says "Get Your Career Started Today!" Anyone interested in a career in chicken nugget manufacturing?

When we pulled into the hotel, I was actually presently surprised by Kansas hospitality. I've got to give credit to this Comfort Inn's staff. They had bike racks positioned next to a table with oranges, water bottles on ice, and a hose for our bikes. At the front counter, they had freshly baked cookies, lemonade, and ice tea. Guess that makes up for the lack of scenery.

Tomorrow we have a blessedly short day of riding. Just 51 miles to Dodge City, KS. Dodge City features all kinds of Wild West activities, so I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun when we arrive in town. And, we'll be sleeping in because breakfast isn't until 7 a.m.!

For the two other photos I took today... (kidding, I took a handful more), visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100251
For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 104.75
Time: 5:32:54
Avg: 18.8
Max: 31.5
Cumulative Miles: 1729
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 724 ft.
Max Elev: 4150 ft.
Avg Climb: 1%
Max Climb: 5%

Day 22 - Pueblo, CO to Lamar, CO

2009-06-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

Today's blog is dedicated to those of you who have been waiting for this ride to turn a corner... "He makes it sound so easy... He's enjoying every single moment... Just wait, that'll all end..."

Yesterday, I spent a wonderful rest day with Susie exploring Colorado Springs, CO. She flew to Denver and drove to Pueblo. We visited the Focus on the Family Visitor Center, Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, and Old Colorado City. We even had lunch with a fellow Eastside Foursquare Church staff member, Michael Chenoweth, who was in Colorado Springs with some wrestling coaches. After a full day which was actually quite restful, I said goodbye to her this morning and headed east to find out what was so great about the Great Plains.

Today was our longest ride of the entire Cross Country Challenge. And once again, we discovered why it's called the "Cross Country Challenge" and NOT the "Cross Country Easy." The day started well. We left early enough to try to beat some of the heat. Our route was on Highway 50 all day. As we left Pueblo, we appreciated the cloudy sky that was keeping us cool. The wind was slight. Both of those attributes of the day would change soon enough. As the wind began picking up, we tried once again our double pace line.

We passed flat, green prairie and farmland. We occasionally crossed or paralleled the Arkansas River. We rode through small, Great Plains towns like Fowler, Manzanola, and Rocky Ford. Just outside of Manzanola, we passed our first of three cattle feed lots. I can capture the image with my camera, but there is no way to capture the odor. Be glad for that.

Our second of three SAG stops was in Swink. Who makes up these town names? After riding 62 miles, I was feeling good. It was mid-morning and the scenery wasn't bad. It lacked all that Western Colorado offered, but these quiet farms and pastures had their own enjoyable qualities. As we left Swink, the heat began to climb, the terrain flattened, and the winds increased. We had a headwind only a few times, mostly the wind was a crosswind coming from the south.

We arrived in Las Animas, CO and made a beeline for a Dairy Queen. We passed a Sunday afternoon flea market, kids running down the street, and people working in their front yards. We entered the Dairy Queen thankful for air-conditioning and cold drinks. While there, I commented on how great it was to blend in and not stand out in a crowd. Everyone in the place, dressed in jeans, cowboy hats, or "country casual", sneaked cautious glances at us in our bright, skin tight cycling apparel. A few brave ones asked us about our route and where we were going. One lady described herself as a homeschool mom and was genuinely interested in what we were doing. I handed her a flier and expect she and her kids will be reading this blog tonight. If so, "Hello!" Another family commented on how it was hotter last week. Really? It had to be 100 degrees out there.

After finishing our drinks, Jack discovered a flat. Guess that makes it a "DQ flat." After repairing the tire, he went to fill it with a CO2 cartridge and filled it too full. It exploded. He replaced it a second time while carefully choosing some colorful language to describe his feelings about it all. Then we hit the road. It was hotter.

Shortly after Las Animas, we passed a pickup truck with "Cross Country Runner Ahead" emblazoned on its tailgate. Up ahead we found two runners, Joy and Mat. They are Filipinos running from Los Angeles to New York over 120 days. They left LA on Mother's Day. They are running 30 miles a day. Actually Joy is doing most of the running. Mat recently had heart surgery and is running only a portion of the route. They are raising funds for a Philippines Tuberculosis Center and Heart Foundation. We took photos with them and rode away thankful we were getting this done in just 52 days. Wow. Impressive. I did a quick Google search and found some more info on them here. Read it. It's a pretty incredible adventure! I gave Joy one of my fliers and only learned later in the day their full story. I'll plan to get in touch with them by email and follow her cross-country adventure!

After leaving Joy and Mat, the road got hotter, the wind a little stronger, and the day a bit longer. Our third SAG stop was at mile 102. Everything is a little fuzzy, but I think we were at a country store, filled our water bottles, and ate a little food. We were counting down the miles now. Just 20 more. As we neared Lamar, we passed our third and largest cattle feed lot. So, what did we do? We stopped for photos. And to imbibe the great stench emanating from this vast facility. Let's see... add "Lamar, CO" to my list of cities I DO NOT want to live in.

We turned south and rode headlong into the southerly wind for the final mile to the hotel. As if someone had planned to pull every last vestige of strength out of us. Chris called the last mile to the hotel "interminable." I looked it up. It means "seeming to be or being without end; endless." Fair summary. We rode into the hotel and paused for a final photo to sum up the day. You see mine at the top of this blog. Welcome to the Best Western Cow Palace, Lamar, CO. Good times. Hot, sticky, malodorous, windy, good times.

Tomorrow we'll ride nearly as far as today, 105 miles, to Garden City, KS. And yes, we'll not only cross a state border and enter Kansas, we'll also lose an hour and enter the Central Time Zone. So, come join me in the fun as we begin our six-day trek across Kansas and the Not-Yet-So-Great Plains.

For more photos of today's interminable journey, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100243

For photos from a more enjoyable day--my rest day with Susie, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100229

For more about the Ride for Impact and to show your support or to at least offer something for the laughter you've experienced in reading today's tome, go to http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 122.61
Time: "Interminable" or 6:53:21
Avg: 17.7
Max: 31.0
Cumulative Miles: 1624
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 1193 ft.
Max Elev: 5198 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 6%

Day 20 - Salida, CO to Pueblo, CO

2009-06-27T18:25:00.000-07:00

“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.” - G.K. Chesterton Today was an adventure. We left Salida, CO with 96 miles ahead of us to reach Pueblo, CO and have our second rest day. My wife, Susie, was meeting me in Pueblo, so I had an extra motivation to safely reach that city. But, my motto on this ride was and continues to be, "More miles, Better stories." So when Gerard, our ride leader, mentioned a side trip to the Royal Gorge Bridge that would add another 10 miles and an extra climb, I was all for it. Most of the other riders heard "18% grade" and said "No way." I thought, why not? Royal Gorge Bridge is the world's highest suspension bridge and is positioned 1,053 ft. above the Arkansas River. It's mostly a tourist trap with no real reason for being there other than to drain Colorado tourists of their vacation dollars. But, I love a good tourist trap. So, I again, was all for it.

Our route out of Salida would follow the Arkansas River for 40 miles. The morning skies lit up the the surrounding Rocky Mountain peaks as we navigated to Highway 50. Soon we were hugging the Arkansas River and watching every twist and turn it made past rolling green hills, smaller peaks, and then taller peaks in the far distance.

Within a few miles, we were in the Arkansas River Canyon. Steep, rocky canyon walls were on either side of Hwy. 50 and as the sun rose above them, they were illuminated with warm, summer light. I felt like I was taking a thousand photos. Every turn of the road revealed another perspective of the river, canyon, sandstone walls, and green vegetation. I managed to shoot several other cyclists' photos as I passed each one. The route was nearly all downhill for these 40 miles and with a tailwind. I gave in to temptation despite the incredible scenery and enjoyed rocketing through the river canyon at 25 mph while gazing at all the sights around me.

Our SAG stop was on the river in a small recreation area. Everyone was all smiles as we exchanged greetings and shared how much fun we were having. A few miles after the SAG stop, we turned inland and then crossed the river. The Arkansas River is one of the wildest rivers we've seen and its frothing rapids in places made this a popular whitewater rafting river. We saw busload after busload of weekend warriors getting ready to ride the rapids. As we crossed the river, we saw raft after raft heading downstream.

After crossing the river, we climbed a few miles in the hot afternoon sun and then I found the turnoff to the Royal Gorge Bridge. All but four of us kept straight ahead, but Hans, Sean our mechanic, Brian, and myself enjoyed the visit to the RGB. We rode our bikes across the bridge, taking photo after photo. We stopped for ice cream, then toured an Old West mock town. We went down the Incline Railway to the river valley to see the Arkansas River up close and gaze up at the bridge 1,053 ft. above us. After two hours playing tourist, we decided to hit the road again. Sean had left an hour earlier. Brian wanted to ride across the bridge one more time, so Hans and I left together.

We rocketed downhill into Canon City and soon noticed huge dark clouds several miles behind us. Hmmm. Looks like more adventure. The tailwind increased and soon I was flying toward Pueblo at 30 mph with little effort. I kept gazing in my rearview mirror and beside me to see how the storm was progressing. It looked like I was losing the race. Hans was now a couple miles behind me and the storm caught me. Wind and dust blasted my right side nearly throwing me off the bike. I turned into the nearest building I could find: The Penrose Trading Post--a junk shop.

I stood under a porch while the rain fell sideways. Within moments, Hans was pulling into the same parking lot. I screamed into the wind so he could find me. He had no idea I had pulled into the same shop. We waited out the storm after calling our America By Bicycle staff. The stopped by with water and food since the second SAG stop had actually blown away in the storm. Now the weather had moved northeast of us and the skies were relatively clear. We pressed on toward Pueblo.

Now our tailwind was really blowing. We sailed over the remaining 25 miles as the wind actually blew me uphill, coasting at 35 miles per hour. Hans and I smiled at each other when we stopped at a traffic light and realized how fast the wind was moving. We entered Pueblo's city limits, navigated the side streets toward our hotel, turned left and left again. The last mile of our ride, we were biking into the wind and discovered how good our fortune was. This would have been torturous if we had to battle this headwind all day. The hotel was in sight and as we entered the lobby, we shared our tales of adventure with the other riders--most of whom had arrived hours ahead of us. But, you know, I think we had a better story.

Tomorrow is a rest day and Susie has arrived to spend the day with me. We plan to relax and explore Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs and wander around town. On Sunday, we will hit the road for our longest stint yet: 120 miles to Lamar, CO. We've left the beauty of the Rockies and are now in the Great Plains. We'll pass our first cattle feedlot (I'll capture the image, but can't capture the smell), and we will pray for a tailwind.

For more photos from today's ride, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100214

For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 105.62
Time: 5:40:26
Avg: 18.6
Max: 40.0
Cumulative Miles: 1502
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 3321 ft.
Max Elev: 7419 ft.
Avg Climb: 3%
Max Climb: 18%

Day 19 - Gunnison, CO to Salida, CO

2009-06-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

"I lift my eyes up to the mountains, where does my help come from? It comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth..."- (Psalm 121:1-2) Today, I climbed a mountain. And, I reached the highest point of our Cross Country Challenge: 11,312 ft. above sea level. Today might have also been the highest point of my journey, experientially speaking.

Our departure this morning was through Gunnison's downtown where we stopped briefly at a coffee shop on Main St. for a second breakfast to supplement our hotel continental breakfast. It was a good day to have my first white mocha in quite a long time. I would need the caffeine to get me up and over Monarch Pass. That was our mid-ride destination. Monarch Pass is the highest point of Highway 50 between Gunnison and Salida, CO. The Continental Divide runs across Monarch Pass. And at 11,312 ft. elevation, I was concerned how the altitude would affect me.

The elevation profile for the ride showed about 30 miles of very slight incline until the real climbing began. From mile 33, we would climb nine straight miles and gain about 3,300 ft. That would be comparable to one climb on the hardest ride I've ever done, RAMROD: Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day. So, I had in mind that today would be a significant challenge and I was mentally prepared (read: "worried").

The initial 30 miles were not like the Colorado I've been imagining. It was beautiful, but not the Colorado prototype. We experienced green rolling hills, wide pastures and ranches. Sparkling creeks bubbled alongside stands of Aspen and conifers. Atop one hill was a flock of bighorn sheep and one solitary ram looking over all his ladies. He glared back at me when I took his photo as if to say, "You want a piece of me?" I did not, so I rode on.

At the first SAG stop, we pulled into Monarch Valley Ranch. I was at the back of the pack today due to lingering over coffee back in Gunnison. No worries. I was taking my time today and conserving all my energy for the long push up Monarch Pass. Just a few miles after the SAG stop was a country store in Sargents. I stopped to use some proper facilities (rather than the sagebrushes). While I was returning to my bike, two self-supported cyclists rolled up. This man and woman each had a mountain bike loaded with front and rear panniers, sleeping bag, and tent. I asked them where they had come from, "Oh, just the campsite up the road," the woman said with what sounded like a Kiwi accent. "No, I mean before that." I said. She explained they were on their last week of a four-month journey that started in South America, then Central America, and now in the States. Wow. That trumps 52 days. I wished them safe travels and continued up.

The iPhone once again provided the musical motivation to keep climbing. The sign announcing seven miles to Monarch Pass Summit also indicated that superb scenery was about to commence. And it did. Words don't do it justice, but I'll try. Blue skies with big, white cumulus clouds served as a canopy over tall conifers, stands of Aspen, golden rocky cliffs and outcroppings, and vast forested valleys below. As I watched my elevation steadily increase from 8000 ft. to 9000 ft. and then 10,000 ft., I noticed that the altitude wasn't affecting me nearly at all, or at least not like I expected. I was rhythmically breathing with a steady pace of 6.5 to 7 mph. The only negative affect was when I would take a pull from my water bottle and then have to catch my breath to get back in rhythm.

Soon, the summit was in sight. I could see the ABB van and trailer and then the brown and yellow sign indicating the summit and Continental Divide. I rolled into the parking lot and over to the sign. Others ahead of me clapped and shouted. I felt good. That was a significant effort, but I really felt good. And that surprised me because I had expected headaches, dizziness, and a pounding chest. But, none of that. God is good.

Each of us has considerable challenges ahead of us. Or maybe we're in one now. The summit seems so far away. And we're hunched over, straining forward, trying to make it through the pain, strain, sweat, and tears. But if you climb with your head down and only focus on getting to the top, I guarantee you will miss some of the sweetest, most beautiful moments around you. God is in the climb. He knows where you are and how hard you're cranking. But it's okay to pull to the side of the road, catch your breath and look around. Soak in the moment. Be present amidst the climb. Those who race to the top to get past the pain miss some of the most outstanding scenery. To quote one of my favorite movie lines, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it."

Now, back to the story. At the top, I took the requisite photo with bike overhead in front of the summit sign. I was amazed I had any arm strength left. Some think I'll finish this ride with the physique of a Tyrannosaurus Rex: huge, powerful legs. Itty bitty teensy arms. Chuck and I took the tram ride to the summit and enjoyed the views of all the mountain peaks around us. The slight breeze at the summit felt good after climbing in the heat. I looked around the visitor center and had to buy the t-shirt: "I made it to the top - Monarch Pass, CO" with a bike graphic. I'll wear it proudly. Now for the descent.

The ride down was 18 miles of sheer fun. No effort. All wind in my face, gravity doing the work, and scenery rushing by. Salida, CO was in front of me. I caught a few cyclists from our group, exchanged stories, then went to check out historic downtown Salida. Hmmm. I could live here. I found a bike shop and a cafe next door so I enjoyed lunch on the outdoor patio overlooking the rushing Arkansas River. We'll be following this river for several days as it leads us to Pueblo, then across eastern Colorado and through Kansas.

After lunch, I biked to the hotel just in front of a thunderstorm. At the hotel, three girls were selling lemonade outside the front door. Now I was a marked man. Sixty-seven miles over Monarch Pass? I'm gonna buy a lemonade. I think they made a killing selling their sweetened lemon juice to all 30+ of us as we checked in. It tasted good. And so did this day. I like Colorado. And I like climbing mountains. And I really like descending them!

Tomorrow, we make a long 95-mile push to Pueblo. Then the rest day. The best part is my wife, Susie, is coming to visit for the rest day! I'll ride 95 miles to see her any day!

For more amazing photos from today's epic ride, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100207

For more about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 69.22
Time: 5:02:45
Avg: 9.0 uphill; 21.8 downhill
Cumulative Miles: 1395
Cumulative Flats: 5 (none today!)
Elev Gain: 4080 ft
Max Elev: 11,312 ft.
Avg Climb: 2%
Max Climb: 8%

Day 18 - Montrose, CO to Gunnison, CO

2009-06-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

Today was "scenery day" in Colorado! But I suppose every day in Colorado is scenery day. The weather was looking great when we got ready to depart the hotel. Unfortunately, my day started with what we call a "hotel flat." I woke up, checked my tires, and noticed the front tire was D.O.A. So, Sean our mechanic, did a hotel parking lot flat repair. About three others were in line for his services. We all had hotel flats. I guess you could say we were suffering from *flatulence*.

Our route was on Highway 50 all day. But it was a fabulous route. What wasn't so fabulous was the crazy headwind we had all morning on our climb to Cerro Summit. We were once again riding with the Bicycle Tour of Colorado cyclists. They didn't appear to be enjoying the headwind any more than we were. The only good news was that we heard the wind would diminish once we reached the summit... four more miles away. So, head down, legs moving, iPod music playing, BTC cyclists passing, and soon the summit was in sight. The best sign to see to indicate your nearing the summit is "Trucks Use Lower Gear Next 2 1/2 Miles"!

After a brief stop at the summit we descended into wonderful scenery. The lush green pastures, meadows, and hilltops were to the left and to the right. The Cimmaron River flowed by and farm houses and ranch houses dotted the landscape. We passed through the town of Cimmaron. I wondered aloud if I were to climb one of those hills and do somersaults all the way down, would that be a "Cimmaron Roll"? (I've been waiting all day to write that!)

We began climbing our second, longer climb. Fortunately, the headwind was gone, but the sun was hot and the elevation was higher. We were climbing up to Blue Mesa Summit, 8730 ft. One of the most amusing cyclists I passed was a guy on a Schwinn Stingray. The kind you had as a kid with a banana seat and ape hanger handlebars! He outfitted it with a rear derailleur, but I could still tell he was suffering up this climb. The price you pay for novelty. I filmed him with my camera and he said, "Schwinn be nimble, Schwinn be quick!" More power to ya, Crazy Schwinn Guy!

The rolling landscape with mountains and mesas in the distance kept my mind off the heat and climbing. It actually wasn't too bad, just slow. I was mentally preparing for tomorrow's climb over Monarch Pass at 11,000 ft. The altitude wasn't hurting me too bad. Some huffing and puffing here and there, but overall, I was doing pretty well. At the summit, I stopped at our SAG stop where both ABB vans were parked. Bob Lang from Virginia rolled up just after me. I call him "Young Bob." I'm "Younger Bob." He's in his seventies, but the guy is in amazing shape. He climbed both passes today all on his own. I'd be content to have half his energy when I'm his age. Give it up for "Young Bob"!

The descent from Blue Mesa Summit was were the scenery really became attractive. The rocky cliffs, vibrant green conifers, mesas in the distance, and bright blue sky with white, puffy clouds all coalesced to make a postcard day of cycling. Portions of our route were where "American Flyers" was filmed. If you're a cycling nut, you've probably seen it or at least have heard of it. It's one of Kevin Costner's early movies and about a cycling race in the Colorado Rockies.

From there, we rode to Curecanti National Recreation Area and Gunnison Lake. The sparkling blue water and the surrounding red cliffs, mesas, and blue sky just made me trigger happy on my camera. Too many great scenic shots. Soon we were riding through the Gunnison River Canyon and, if possible, the scenery got better. More cliffs, rocky hillsides, bordered by the Gunnison River. Fly fishermen were enjoying the scenery, too. As well as some bait fishermen in a motor boat. I took my time pedaling through here and soaked in all the scenes around me. I thought about my dad who would have so enjoyed today's scenery.

Gunnison was just ahead. Plenty of BTC cyclists were rolling through. They had another 40 miles and another climb to go until they reached their day's destination. I'm not at all jealous. I grabbed a photo of the Welcome to Gunnison sign and found the hotel just ahead of that. I sat on a bench outside the hotel, drinking some chocolate milk, waiting for the luggage trailer, and enjoying the fruits of my labor. I like Colorado.

Tomorrow is the big dog. We'll climb over Monarch Pass, cross the Continental Divide, and be at our highest elevation for the entire journey at 11,000 ft. Our destination is Salida, CO. Pray for good weather on the Pass and that the altitude doesn't hamper our efforts!

For more photos of amazing Colorado scenery, visit http://gallery.me.com/eternaldesign2#100199

For more information about the Ride for Impact, visit http://www.rideforimpact.org

Dist: 62.8
Max: 39.0
Cumulative Miles: 1326 ft.
Cumulative Flats: 5
Elev Gain: 4584 ft.
Max Elev: 8730 ft.
Avg Climb: 3%
Max Climb: 8%