Day 45 - Erie, PA to Hamburg, NY

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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

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%