Monday, August 6, 2007 - continued....

Here's the "more later"......

We awoke to threatening skies this morning and it looked like it could dump on us at any moment (I'll save you from the suspense - it never did!). This was a very hard day for me - lots of overwhelming emotions to deal with - as well as a very hilly ride to conquer. I was in tears 1 1/2 miles out from the hotel, and then on and off throughout the ride. I couldn't cry for long though, there were too many turns and arrows to follow - I had to pay attention to get to where I was going!

The route was hilly, and once again I was surprised to find myself taking the hills in stride. I made pretty good time and even stopped at the bakery to visit with other riders 11 miles from our final meeting spot.

The meeting spot was at the junior high school in Rye, NH. We had to assemble there by 11:30 a.m. to get into procession for a police escort to the beach. I got there fairly early and just sat on the grass and watched everyone gather. The feelings were so overwhelming that I had to go into numb mode or I would have started crying and never stoppped. I still can't fully articulate what I was and am feeling.

Mike got us all together for one last group photo and then we were off on the 3 mile ride to the Atlantic Ocean - police car first, then the silver van, then all of us bikers (I rode fairly close to the front with Colleen), the white van with the "Box" luggage truck bringing up the rear.

We got to the ocean and dipped our wheels and then as the finale to the trip, Janette had the honor of pouring the water from the Pacific Ocean into the Atlantic Ocean. And we were done.

But not quite - we had one more state to visit. We rode from the beach to Portsmouth and then over the bridge into Maine - state #12 for Colleen and me! Then we headed to the hotel and several of us were shuttled to a bike shop where we dropped off our bikes to be packed and shipped home.

My roommates and I - and Daco too - went out for a champagne and lobster dinner to celebrate. Then Colleen and I had to bid farewell to Cindy and Daco, as Cindy's husband drove from Boston pick them up.

A little more visiting with those who were still around and hanging out in the hotel lobby and then to the room for final packing and lights out. We have one final luggage load tomorrow at 6:45 a.m. What a day.......

Monday, August 6, 2007, Manchester, NH to Portsmouth, NH, 64.5 miles, 5 hrs 14 min on the bike, Ave. speed: 12.3 mph, Climb: 2660 ft.

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!

More later......

Sunday, August 5, 2007, Brattleboro, VT to Manchester, NH, 80.2 miles, 7 hrs 40 min, 6 hrs 36 min on the bike, Ave: speed: 12.1 mph, Climb: 5350 ft.

Today I realized how much stronger I have gotten. Even though I had climbed several hills yesterday, today was even hillier and I did OK - rode pretty darn strong, though I am more tired today - the legs did work.







We crossed in to New Hampshire within 5 minutes of starting out and then enjoyed lots of green, woods, water and hills. One of the best parts of the ride was the weather - it was sunny and in the mid 70's, no humidity, a little breeze and crystal clear blue skies. The wooded lane photo is what I biked through for part of the day.







Today is also a sad day - it was our last full day together. I still don't know what or how I feel about it other than I'm not ready to be done (heavy sigh...).






We had our group banquet and there was an opportunity to do a skit for entertainment and of course, Colleen, Cindy and I could NOT pass up the opportunity to participate! Colleen and Cindy created lyrics to go to the Veggie Tales' song "We Are the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" (see lyrics below). We dressed up (sort of) and even had some choreography (sort of) to go along with our singing debut. We had lots of fun and I think everyone enjoyed it too.



After the skits, everyone was presented with a Certificate of Completion and we all had an opportunity to say a few words. It was a special evening and it is sort of, kind of, starting to sink in a little bit what exactly we all accomplished - it's almost too big to comprehend.

Tomorrow we finish - the Atlantic Ocean or bust!


*************************


WE ARE THE BIKERS WHO HAVE DONE EVERYTHING
(With apologies to the creators of Veggie Tales)

CHORUS:
‘Cause we’re the bikers who have done everything
We have pedaled across this beautiful land
And if you ask us how our summer was
We’ll simply tell you – it was really grand!

* * * * *

Well we gathered in Astoria, dipped our wheels in the ocean
Left the Pacific at our backside and we started heading east
Mt Hood was spectacular as we climbed up through the Cascades
We ate out a buffet or two, at least

Jumped the great Snake River into the land of potatoes
Rode the Tootin’ Tater; saw Twin an’ Shoshone Falls
Register Rock was an early explorers’ sign-in sheet
The scavenger hunt was amusing for us all

CHORUS

Wyoming was our next state with ghost towns and road-kill
It had the steepest climb up the Teton Pass
Road crews blocked our way on the Continental Divide
Our bike parade really had some class

South Dakota had the prairie dogs and herds of buffalo
Four stony presidents and an Indian on a horse
Signs for Wall Drug store, jackalopes and bull riding
The world’s only corn palace, of course

CHORUS

Minnesota and Wisconsin were the next states heading east
Fields of corn and soy, but the smell could not be beat
Sparta had the bike trail and long, dark tunnels too
The Lazer wedding made the day complete

We sailed into Michigan aboard the SS Badger
Famous for great lakes, farmlands, spaghetti galore
We traveled into Canada en masse across the bridge
We’ve used a lot of bag balm for this tour

CHORUS

New York had a rest day at the famous Niagara Falls
Finally needed raingear for the Maid of the Mist
Laundry wars abated, flat tires became more rare
The Erie Canal was a welcome twist

Vermont and New Hampshire were hills, and hills, and hills
We’re anxiously awaiting police escort to the beach
We’ve eaten our share of fig bars and lots of ice cream cones
Our cross country goal is in our reach

CHORUS

Across America North – what a memorable trip
We had an awesome staff; made lots of new friends
Thank you all for sharing your summer with us
We can’t believe this tour is going to end

CHORUS

Saturday, August 4, 2007, Troy, NY to Brattleboro, VT, 75.2 miles, 7 hrs, 6 hrs 26 min on the bike, Ave. speed: 11.6 mph, Climb: 5108 ft.

Well, for a day that had big hills, I did great and had a good time! The biking gods were good to us today - sunny, hot and muggy, but a lovely tailwind, pretty good roads, not too much traffic and wonderful downhill cruising after the climbs. The scenery was gorgeous too - we had a grand vista of Vermont's Green Mountains from the top of Hogback Mountain. I rode very strong (for me) - I didn't have to walk up any of the hills - and I was able to shift with my left hand - hooray! I also didn't have any knee pain, but I think that is because all of the ibuprophen I'm taking for my hand is helping my knees too.

Today we entered state #10 - Vermont! Only two more to go....

Brattleboro was a nice surprise too - I stopped in at the local farmers' market and enjoyed a homemade iced chai and then picked up some fresh blueberries and homemade granola (it will be a nice change from oatmeal....)

We found out at our rap meeting tonight that tomorrow's ride will be 8 miles shorter and won't have one of the big hills (yea!). The sad thing is that tomorrow is our last full day of the trip - I don't know how or what to feel about that.......so, I'll stay in denial for a little while longer....

Keep sending the energy, more hills tomorrow!

Friday, August 3, 2007, Little Falls, NY to Troy, NY, 83 miles, 7 hrs 15 min, 6 hrs 14 min on the bike, Ave. speed: 13.2 mph, Climb: 1250 ft.

Another banner day - overcast skies, thunder and sprinkles, but the weather held again and no real rain. It was (and still is) hot and muggy, but I had no problems cycling. We actually rode through fog for the first time this morning too. There is so much moisture in the air that I think it just became visible in the cool morning hours.

We were in hillier terrain today - a warm up for tomorrow's climbs over the Green Mountains of Vermont, but I rode strong and the legs still feel strong. We also got to ride on a paved bike path along the Mohawk River and the Hudson River - I was in my element. It reminded me of riding the Boise greenbelt, only this path was smoother and it is MUCH greener here!

Update on my hand - it is doing better. I'm taking lots of ibuprophen and icing it and I have some stretches that help too. Jim the mechanic also put a new cable on my bike, so that should help with the shifting. I was able to shift gears for a while today, so I think I'll be OK tomorrow on the big hills (I shift a lot on hills - with both the left and right hands).

I had a friend email and ask about any positive changes to the biosuit (you've all read about the knees, sinus and hand...), so here's an update. I am stronger. I can ride at a faster rate of speed for longer periods of time, I can go a little faster up hills and I can bike up steeper hills longer before getting fatigued. An 80 mile day is "normal" and not a big deal anymore - it's what I do and I have plenty of energy to do other things when I'm done. My body composition is changing - more muscle, less adipose and I've lost inches. I do have a tan - but it's a funky biker's tan - think upper arm to wrist on the arms and on the legs from the end of longish bike shorts to the ankle. The face is pretty normal, though the forehead did get some tan stripes (from the holes in the helmet), but those are fading. Oh - the hair is getting longer too - I'm not being mistaken for a man anymore (yes, it has happened 3 times on this trip). The best physical aspect of the trip is that I can eat absolutely whatever I want and I don't have to worry - it's all fuel!

Tomorrow we are headed to Vermont and back to hills - big time! Please send energy to help push me up the climbs and keep the biosuit functioning - this ride is definitely not over yet!

Thursday, August 2, 2007, Syracuse, NY to Little Falls, NY, 78.8 miles, 7 hrs, 6 hrs on the bike, Ave. speed: 13.1 mph, Climb: 1180 ft.

Had a good day on the bike in spite of the very hot and humid conditions. As long as I was moving, the slight breeze created kept me cool enough. My hand improved a little today, but I did not shift out of the middle chain ring. The terrain was flat enough that I didn't really have too. Also, I am stronger - I could pump my way up the small hills we had without too much effort.

My brother-in-law Garrett is a physical therapist and he has already emailed me with some good info on getting my hand working enough to get me to the end of the ride - thanks Garrett - I'll be calling you!

Had more NY countryside - lots of woodlands, as the photo shows. Two riders also had car/bike incidents today - there are definitely more cars to deal with and on narrower roads - especially as we come into the small, older towns. Fortunately (again), no major injuries, just some scrapes.

Tomorrow were headed to Troy, NY - our last New York state stop.....

Wednesday, August 1, 2007, Henrietta, NY to Syracuse, NY, 95 miles, 9 hrs, 7 hrs 19 min on the bike, Ave. speed: 12.9 mph, Climb: 1650 ft.

Well, our idyllic trip crashed today - literally. This morning one of our riders was involved in a bicycle - motorcycle accident coming out of the hotel and on to the road. Fortunately he is OK, but it was very scary. He ended up with a concussion and a few stitches, but we didn't know this until we reached the first SAG stop - 30 miles into the ride, so it was a pretty subdued group as we set out this morning.

It was a delightful route for the first half of the day - we followed a bike path that went along the Erie Canal. We rode right by a couple of the locks/lochs?, but I didn't see any in action.

The roads were busier today - (more people, therefore more cars...) and we had to travel one of the state highways for several miles. The ride was 5 miles short of a century and that made for a long day - though I was smart and stopped for a sandwich midway and right before the hotel found a great place for an ice cream cone. The weather got hot and muggy too - around 85 drippy degrees. Tomorrow it's supposed to hit 90 - yuc!

My biosuit is starting to act up a bit too. My knees have been aching for several days now (especially on the hills) - I'm using more ibuprophen to keep going - and today I had problems with my left hand. About 3/4's of the way through the ride I found I could not work the shifters with my left hand - it was like the shift levers were locked and wouldn't move.

When I got in I went to see the mechanics and they lubed the shifters and I cleaned the cable and I still could not shift it. Then Jim completely took the cable off and checked it all out and had me try shifting again. He could shift it, Cindy could shift it, but I couldn't shift it. Turns out the bike is OK but I'm broken! I've lost the strength in my left hand. I don't know if it is from fatigue, or pressure, or what. I'm going to try aspirin and ice tonight and see if I get any better tomorrow. If not, it's going to be a long day - I will only be able to ride in my middle chain ring - I won't have the strength to shift out of it!

Only 5 days of riding left and lots of mixed emotions. In some ways I want to keep going - this has been such a great experience, but I also know it is probably time to be done and moving on to the next adventure/chapter......

Tomorrow we head to Little Falls, NY......