Day 28 - Waving the White Flag

Today was another flagship day - crossing the Appalachians and boy it was not easy for this recumbent rider!

This morning was cool - to the tune of 50 degrees at the ride start and it was foggy again.  I elected to sag forward to the second sag stop since the first 30 miles had 4000 ft of climbing.  The total climbing for the day would exceed 10,000 ft.  Looking at the route card, I thought the section I chose to start with would be gently rolling and would get me warmed up for the big climb to the Virginia State Line.  Oh, was I wrong - gentle and Appalachians do not go in the same sentence.  I was climbing an 8% hill, or should I say bump in the road, at mile .8!  The only thing that kept my mind off of falling over was looking at the beautiful scenery.  The sun was shining through the trees and you could see the mountains that we would soon cross looming not too far in the horizon.  There was still a little fog hanging in the recesses between the mountain ridges.  Very peaceful.  We soon turned onto a little one lane road.  The road did have small gravel, smaller than a pea but bigger than sand, scattered over most of the surface.  As long as it wasn't deep, it did not pose a problem.  Otherwise, my tire could skid in it and cause me to fall.  As long as I was climbing, which was mostly at 4 mph, a fall would not hurt too bad, but if I were descending, a fall could end up hurting pretty badly.  So, I was more cautious on the downhills which robbed me of some momentum.  This section was very steep climbs of half a mile or more with switchback type rollers with really sharp turns and sudden pitches.  It wore me out!  Some of it was so steep, I had to just walk the bike.  I honestly did not think I would ever get off of this road and to the sag.  I think I was at mile 11 when I finally made it back out to the main road.  11 miles and it felt like I had been out there forever!  We had about a 4 mile downhill section and then we started another long climb.  This one jumped up to 7% in a big hurry.  I was able to ride for about a mile when it pitched a little higher and I just couldn't stay steady.  So I would walk for a little bit and then get back on the bike for a little bit.  This went on and I was prepared to continue this to the top when Tim J passed with the sag van!  Yeah!  I was never so glad to sag!  Although 7% doesn't sound too steep, I just couldn't keep it up.  So, I waved the white flag!  I surrendered!  Whoo Hoo!

I ended up sagging to the Virginia state line.  The climb was 7 or 8 miles and was steeper than my earlier climb.  Before I left the state line, I checked my stats.  17 miles, 8.5 mph, and 1765 ft of climbing - over 100 ft of climbing per mile - pretty tough.  So, from the state line we hit a really beautiful section of the Shenandoah National Forest - a very thick tunnel of tree covered road.

So, even though I did not get to ride as much of the climb as I wanted, I still feel that I did the best this flatlander could.  Steep is not my favorite, but it was very very beautiful and I am glad that I was able to climb as much as I did.

Congrats to all of the riders that did make the whole ride - it was not easy!

Foggy start in the  Appalachian Mountains

Barn of the day

View from the twisty steep pitchy one lane road.

Bob L at the top of the climb Tim J rescued me on

 

Tim J, a 24 year old mathematician and crew member from MN, at the Virginia state sign.

Blue butterflies

Tree lined Shenandoah National Forest

Tomorrow will be another climbing day - we will be going over the Blue Ridge Parkway and hopefully it will start to flatten out.

Day 27 - Are we all crazy?

Our ride today included a tour of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum - you know you have to be committed to do this ride - HA
The morning started out very nicely.  The temperatures were much cooler than the last couple days - probably back into the 60s at the ride start.  We started 30 minutes earlier than the past few days and had a beautiful pink and blue sunrise.  Today was also our first day back in longer hills.  It was really funny because after several days of averaging 15-16 mph my average plummeted to 12 mph.  As I was riding along I felt like I had been on the bike for a long time and I would look at my odometer and I had only gone 4 miles.  Then I would look down again and think I should have gone at least 12 miles and had only gone 8.  That went on for several more miles before I realized that I was back in the hills again.  These were really long but only 4-6%, so I was just really slow on them.

Our lunch break was on the grounds of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.  Pretty fitting for a group of cyclist crossing the US!  Susan N bought our tickets for the short tour.  Our tour guide had actually been a nurse at the asylum from 1966 until it closed in the 1980s.  She then became a tour guide after she retired.  Currently, the building is in really bad shape.  They are in process of raising money to restore it as it is considered a National Historic Landmark.  I think it was one of the first asylums to paint the rooms pastel colors to calm the patients.  To raise money, they also have ghost tours that are conducted at night and they throw a pretty big Halloween party.  It would be very scary to be in that building at night.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful.  We are all having mixed feelings about the trip right now.  In a way we don't want it to be over, but in another, we are ready to see our family and friends.  David left this evening for Birmingham.  He will stay with Ken and Brooke before going to North Carolina and then to Ashville to meet me on Sunday.  I am really excited about seeing him!

Morning sunrise in Parkersburg West Virginia

Gerry Goode

Barn of the day

Veronica in front of the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum - the name does not seem politicially correct, but I guess people did not care about being politically correct back in the day...

A patient room at the asylum - notice the peeling paint

Scott, Ernie, Tom, John, Charles, Ann, Steve, Greg, Rick and Mike waiting for the next tour

Tomorrow we cross into our 11th and last state - Virginia.  The ride will be difficult with over 10,000 ft of climbing. I will probably sag forward at the start as I want to do the big climb to the Virginia state line and won't have time to do it without a small push.  So far I have ridden over every state line and I intend to continue that trend tomorrow.  It will also be my 28th consecutive day of riding.  I would really like to see how many days I can continue to ride consecutively - do you think David would let me ride on Tuesday?

Day 26 Hocking Hills, Waterfalls and West Virginia!

Today we headed into the Hocking Hills of Ohio.  The morning started as usual but as I took my bag out to the truck I saw Ann T with her rain jacket.  I asked her if it was supposed to rain and her answer was "Yes, hard".  I always carry my rain jacket and probably 10 lbs of other stuff, so I did not worry about having to find it.  It was definately overcast but on the cooler side at the ride start.  Within the first 10 miles or so it started raining pretty hard.  I did not like it as we were riding hills and I had problems stopping at crossroads on the downhill.  I could not get my brakes to respond as fast as I wanted.  Eventually it let up. 

As I cycled through the small town of Laurelville, I stopped to check my directions and two Amish or Meninite men came out of a restaurant to ask me questions about our ride.  They had seen the other cyclist come through and just wondered where we were going.  They pointed me in the right direction and I was back on my way.

For whatever reason, I started going mental about the ride.  Pat, my buddy from NOLA, would tell me that I was thinking too much and I probably was.  I decided to sag at the first stop and I was 30 minutes behind the others anyway.  This was actually a good thing as I was able to take a short hike into Ash Cave.  It was a beautiful carved out area with a waterfall in the hocking hills.  The area was very forrested and had sandstone walls.  There were a lot of trees and ferns nestled in the carved out area along with a small brook.  As you walked deeper into the carved out area (not really a cave) you could hear the waterfall.  It was very serene.

At lunch, pb&j and pears, I was waffling about sagging all the way in to town.  Thanks to Cov insisting that I get back on my bike, I rode in and had a great ending to my day.  I did get to ride to the West Virginia sign which was hanging from a bridge in town.  I guess Parkersburg is like Texarkana - a city situated in two states.

The terrain finally changed from farmland (corn) to beautiful rolling hills. 

Walking to the waterfall and carved out area called "Ash Cave"

Sandstone forming the carved out area of Ash Cave

Waterfall at Ash Cave - okay, so it is just a trickle - it is still a waterfall in my book.

The waterfall is next to the tree in this picture - prettily camaflauged

Vikki and Chris at the 2nd sag - they both get lots of mail...

Crossing into our 10th state - Whoo Hoo!

Tomorrow we will continue into the Appalachian Mountains.  I will probably have to sag for time over the next couple days, but I will do my best as we roll closer to our goal of Williamsburg, Va.

Day 25 - Fantastic Day Mentally and Physically!

What a great day!  I was so at ease and relaxed today!

The day did not start out as well as it ended up.  As I walked out of the motel this morning with my bike, it was already hot.  I don't know what the temp was but the humidity had to be at 97% or more.  You could cut the air with a knife - and it was soooo still.  Fortunately, it was overcast.  I woke up not feeling very good - probably under caloried again.  I tried to eat some cereal and a cinnamon roll, but my stomach did not like them.  I continued to get ready, but told Veronica that I may sag today.  I went back into the motel to get my bag and grabbed a cup of yogurt.  I really did not want it, but I knew I need to get something in my stomach.

We rolled out and I was amazed at how good my legs feel.  I had my massage last night and I always ride better the day afterward - thanks John J! 4 miles into the ride I see a great barn.  I don't normally stop this early in a ride to take a picture, but I had to today.  My stomach was still very queasy, so I was nursing my Sustained Energy.  As  I rolled along, I realized that I was really rolling.  Todays route was a perfect recumbent route.  The hills were just the right size to power down and roll up.  Only a couple needed to be pedaled over.  Although I did not feel well, I was really enjoying the ride.  I had to stop a couple time for bio breaks which slowed me down, but otherwise, I was rolling right along.

When I got to the first sag stop, I was the last one in.  Lon indicated that Kirk and Priska were a few minutes ahead of me and that Bob K had to attend to buisness today and was not riding.  So, I told Lon I would sag if I got too far back.  He then told me I was doing fine on time (I was averaging 15 but stopped a few times probably putting me closer to 14 average overall) take my time and just plan on being in by 4!  Wow, that really made me feel good! 

The issue comes that when those of us who are on the slower side have a good day, typically the faster guys also have a good day in the same proportion so, we on the slower side are still slow.  But today, I was just going to ride and not worry about how far back from the main pack I was because I knew I was in the time limits!  So, I grabbed a banana and rolled out of the first sag!  For the rest of the day I stopped when I wanted to take pictures and really enjoyed the rollers.

As I was riding I thought about shoulders - not the ones that attach your arms to your body, but those that are on the side of good roads.  For the better part of the morning we had a good 4 ft shoulder.  Most of the tour, we have had good shoulders or we have been on really low traffic back roads.  Having shoulders really makes it much easier for a cyclist to ride.  We are out of the way of the traffic and don't have to worry as much about being hit by cars.  Mississippi does not have many roads with shoulders and that is a really big shame.  We could cycle too so many more places using roads that have slightly higher traffic.  I would love to ride to Leland to see the Kermit the Frog exhibit, but the roads to get there just aren't as safe.  Anyway, we lost our good shoulder just before lunch.  The traffic seemed to pick up and I was buzzed by 3 18 wheelers.  They just don't like to move over.  I then had to completely get off the road for one as he was going to mow me over even if I was riding just to the right of the white line - we still had a 6 inch shoulder.  So, it is amazing that I can ride my bike across the US on roads that 90% have shoulders, yet I can't ride 60 miles to Leland MS or to Yazoo City even as I consider the roads too dangerous. 

Okay, off the soap box about shoulders - I will listen to my Ipod (one ear only) tomorrow!

Hands down - barn of the day!  I know I appreciate everything American - especially our flag since I have been on this trip!

White barn with quilt design

Red barn with quilt design hidden by the tree

Different red barn with quilt - can you see the thick air?

Apple Orchard - or "archard" if you are from Maine (hey Kelli! Say hi to sag mom for me!)

LOL! Very fitting for Nancy's comments yesterday!

Rumer was right!  Grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches, pears and a pickle.  You really don't know how good it really was!

Great Dog protecting his goats.  I was riding by and say the goats in the field.  I wanted a picture of them for Dianne.  The dog comes bounding out of the dog house in the back and the goats all run away from the fence - I got a really big kick out of it.

Also had a great dane run towards me a day or two ago.  He was a happy looking dog, but we were looking at each other eye to eye! Fortunately his owner called to him to come back and he minded!  It was pretty funny as he looked at me very curiously!

Headed to the Hocking Hills and to a new state tomorrow.  The next 4 days will be very challenging!

Day 24 - Easy Day to Ohio

Today we left Indiana and made it an easy ride to Ohio.  When we got up it was very humid and someone said we had a 40% chance of rain.  Did I say it was humid?  Susan N commented that it was only 7 am and it felt hot - its not hot!  We have been really lucky with the weather on this trip.  We had the one heavy rain day, but it was not as bad as it could have been.  The main weather blessing has been the temperatures.  Hopefully they will stay fair as 100 degree temps have been common around the country.  I can say with confidence that my last 4 training rides in Texas two weeks before this tour were harder than any 4 days of this trip.  The reason was the 97+ degree temps, heavy winds and chip seal that will rattle your teeth.  Cross your fingers that we will continue to have mild temps, favorable winds and smooth roads.

Anyway, today was an easy flat ride.  I just rode at my own pace - averaging 16 to lunch (and still riding at the back, not that it matters).  Today there was less corn - surprise!  It appears to me that the last several days we have had really big farms with really large masses of land to plant the crops.  I don't know if the land is owned by a corporation or by a family, but the crops were very expansive.  Now, it seems as if the crops or the land the crops are grown on is smaller with more farm houses separating the crops.  So I am guessing that these are most likely smaller family owned crops.  However, this did not translate into more barns.  Darn.

The highlight of the day was lunch.  Matter of fact, lunch is a highlight of most days!  It is always neat to see what Susan and the crew have fixed us each day.  Today was grilled chicken in a hot dog bun.  I ate mine with BBQ sauce.  Grilled chicken day may become one of my favorites.  My hands down favorite lunch is grilled cheese sandwiches (w tomato), followed closely by hot dog day.  I like hot dog day because I get a second dog to go and eat it on the road or in the motel room after the ride.  I also like burrito day, but those don't taste so good when you have a climb immediately after lunch.  Of course there is also hamburger day.  We always have a wide variety of veggie salads.  Today was cabbage and beet salad.  Yes, this is something I would have never ever tried had it not been on PAC tour, but because it is PAC tour, I ate it and it was good!  We had quinoa beet salad a week or so ago and it was good too.  Another salad favorite is something with carrots and rice noodles  - I really like it.  We almost always have chips and sweets, but I don't eat as much of those.  We have had sweet corn several days recently too.  It is sooooo good and fresh.  I have also had really good peaches and watermelon. 

Morning glory growing on a corn stalk - I would have taken more pictures of the morning glories as they were beautiful, but I got caught in the corn field as I took a "bio break".  Someone saw my bike and thought I was injured - nope, just couldn't find a better place to pee!

I think this is the barn of the day

Entering our 9th state - whoo hoo!

Sunflowers in a garden

More flowers in the same garden

Time for dessert!  A yummy chocolate/butterscotch chip cookie that Mark's girlfriend made.  As you can see I ate all of my beet and cabbage salad and all my chicken on a bun except that last little bit of bread.  We use sporks and paper plate holders every day at lunch - I do try and color coordinate my plate and spork!

Barn hiding in the bushes

 

Message board - every day we have to check the message board for any instructions.  Typically it will tell us what time breakfast will be.  As you can see - we weren't supposed to drink the water!  Fortunately, the boil water notice was lifted not long after we got in.  Notice breakfast is at 7 again - yeah - 30 more minutes of sleep!

Thanks again for reading and commenting.  I really do appreciate all yall (plural of yall!).  I really look forward to checking the comments. 

It looks like we have another shortish day tomorrow - only 94 miles.  This is the last of the flattish days - we will hit the Appalachians on Thursday.

Oh, BTW, rumor has it that tomorrow may also be grilled cheese and tomato day!  Yeah!

Day 23 - Emotions part 2

First, let me say Happy Birthday to my Dad - "Happy Birthday, Dad!"

Okay, I debated about blogging about the events of today.  I really want to be positive and have a happy blog, but at the same time, I want to show an honest picture of the trip and remember the emotions when I read back over my blog over the next umpteen years.  So, first let me say, I had a great day and rode well and feel great right now and I am having a blast!  However:

Warning!!!  Guys this is girl stuff - Stop reading here - it is sappy!

Warning!!! Mom, and everyone else who really know me - I am fine!

Today started like all other days.  I had my massage last night so I felt good when I got up and hoped that I would have a strong cycling day.  I got my stuff together, got my bike in order and was 3rd or 4th in line with my bag for the luggage truck.  The morning was humid, but comfortable. We started out and had light traffic for the first few miles - nothing too bad.  After we cleared out of town we all passed the Indiana sign and stopped to take pictures.  I was fortunate to be able to latch on to Paul's wheel as he was pacing Vikki.  I was able to ride strong with them for about 15 miles or so and boy was I on cloud nine!  I have been saying the whole trip that if I could just get the right conditions, I should be able to ride with the group on one of these flat days.  Then we came up on a detour as a road was under construction.  I was following Vikki and we both slid in a mud patch that was hidden in a shadow.  I did not go down, but it really unnerved me.  In the few seconds it took to get composed, I was off of Vikki's wheel.  So, I popped my gears to my big ring to hammer to keep up at the same time another group passed me.  Instead of going into the big ring, my chain falls to the outside of the ring onto my crank arm.  This has happened at least once every day since I have been on the trip.  Anyone reading this considering Q-ring - save yourself the money - they are awful.  I wish I had never used them!  I will take a hammer to them on August 11th!  Anyway, the adjustment necessary on the derailleur to make them work right is just to precise for a bike that is ridden for Randonneuring or trans-American travel. Maybe if you are a good mechanic, but someone who is not - Qrings are abysmal.  So, I have to stop and fix my chain and not only lose Vikki, but the second group that rode by as well.  Once again I am at the back of the pack.  Why today do I let this bother me, I don't know.  I have grown accustom to riding at the back.  I am okay, and very glad, that I am not under the pressure to ride every mile.  I have enjoyed getting each days ride in and if I do the whole thing great and if I don't then yeah, I get back earlier to get other things accomplished.  But for some reason  slipping in the mud, the chain and loosing the pace line really bothered me today.  I started crying like a girl!  I knew I had gone mental and kept trying to tell myself to think good thoughts.  All I could do was cry "Gary Indiana, Gary Indiana", which is a song Mike started singing on the third or fourth day of the trip at lunch and Vikki and I have been laughing about for a day or two.  Then I would cry more, then I would try and think happy thoughts.  I finally stopped crying but pulled into the first sag and Vikki was worried about me when she realized I had fallen off of the back of the pack.  So, when she asked me if I was all right, I started crying again.  All the girls tried to console me and who knows what the guys thought. I heard one of the guys ask if everything was alright and Susan C said it was just a girl thing.  That cracked me up.  Then, everything was okay again.  Just releasing the tears made me feel better.  Had I been at home I would have watched My dog Skip or Steel Magnolias to have a good cry!

Anyway - Jim looked at my bike and made a small adjustment.  It did not fix it completely, but it helped.  I rode on and ended up having a very good day. The route was fabulous.  Lon has done a fantastic job keeping us on back roads.  Although we are still ensconced in corn country, searching for good barns has kept me very interested in each days ride. 

Indiana - lost track as to how many states we have crossed - is this 7?

Neat old building with bikes hung as decoration

My favorite barn of the day - it is yellow although it looks white in this pic.  BTW,  the American barn is winning yesterdays barn contest.  Feel free to vote if you haven't though.

Soybeans in front of a barn

My foot! No, actually this is today's picture of corn - corn to the right and to the left!

Another barn

Tomorrow we head to Ohio.  It will be a short day with only 85 miles.

Day 22 Fog and Barns

Today started out extremely foggy.  Visibility was probably no more than one mile and probably not even that much.  Riding out in the shroud of fog, I had problems deciding if I needed my sunglasses or not.  The sun was bright through the fog, but with glasses on it really hindered the visiblity even more.  I was riding with Susan Reed for the first 10 miles and I could see her fine, but much more up the road, fog enveloped everything. 

I realized right off the bat that I had no power and that my muscles ached.  It was apparent that I would not be able to keep up with Susan and told her to go ahead and ride with some of the others she knew on the tour.  This was the first day of the trip that I just did not feel very good.  I have been very lucky to this point not to have any issues.  As I rode along, I realized that I really had not been eating very well the last couple days and I was probably "under caloried".  When I don't eat enough the day or so before a ride, I lose power and feel nauseated and this was happening today.  So at the first rest stop I refill my Hammer products and take a banana.  I still don't feel any better at the second rest stop and I don't feel like eating anything, so I choke down another banana.  Finally at lunch I was able to eat a turkey sandwhich and drink some coke and finally started feeling better.  Young Greg and I started riding together at this point.  Once I rode my 100 miles for the day, I decided to sag in and try to recover better for tomorrow.  Although, I did not feel well, I still had a great day and was pleased that I was able to diagnose my problem.  I did eat steak and potato tonight for supper and will have a protein drink before I go to bed. 

Foggy morning flowers - corn is hidden in the fog!

Susan Reed on her Lightening and Walt talking about his 4 person RAAM expierence

Okay, I know this is a stupid picture, but it is of I-55 - we crossed under it today.  Unfortunately, there was not sign...

Now, we are going to have a favorite barn of the day contest, please let me know which barn you think is the best:

Barn 1:  Proud to be an American Barn - I love this one as it symbolizes why I wanted to ride my bike across the US

Barn 2: Red barn with wagon - I just really like red barns...

Barn 3: Gray barn with white doors

Barn 4: Cool old grey and white barn

Flowers and corn without fog...

 

Susan Reed and I with our bents

Our progress so far

Tomorrow we cross into Indiana 1.3 miles into the ride - isn't that crazy?!